Authors note: Sorry for the wait, I try to update once a week but my life says different. Now don't run away, but I am bringing a fancharacter into the strange mix. But not for long she's just a filler. Because I couldn't imagine Trouble being friends with Lili Frond…I just can't.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for Ivy, but she is for sale for five dollars.
Amnesia
Chapter 2
Holly yawned; driving her attention to the white roses perched on the table next to her hospital bed. Trouble's insistent preaching where nothing but an annoying high-pitched ring in her ear. Or at least that was how her mind pictured it. Holly rubbed her tired eyes, still looking at the pale roses, they where so beautiful. Each petal coated in a waxy gloss, suspended over a jungle of green vines and leaves. Real flowers, expensive. Not many in the Haven still existed. Only the few in the parks, but you couldn't pick them much less touch them. The Haven was becoming an overcrowded cement metropolis, and had exiled plants as much as the mud men. Trouble threw another question at her.
"Don't you remember Foaly?" He asked for the umpteenth time desperately hoping to spark her memory.
"No," She said ever graceful of the fact that Trouble had been in her private room for over an hour "it's strange; I have no idea who I am. But I know about things around me." Trouble nodded sitting on the small bed next to her lost in thought. Holly resumed staring at the flowers.
Something caught her eye; a fish eye lens was settled at the base of a stem. It was perched right above the base of water, which filled the remainder of the vase. Clever enough to slip the eye under dull inspection, but obvious enough to pass visible over a closer look. She carefully poked her slim fingers through the thorny vines, plucking the camera from its spot. Holly crushed it between her fingers easily.
In the Ops booth Foaly screeched at the sound grating against his ears. That was the last time he ever put a camera in plain sight. Pulling the small microphone out of his ear tenderly, he threw it across the room. The receiver's whistle faded as it flew into a mass of tangled wires from a gutted human computer.
"What's that?" Trouble asked staring at the broken bits of machine in Holly's palm. She shook her hand, discarding the tiny parts onto the floor.
"Oh nothing." She lied, not wanting to worry Trouble further. He seemed to already be at the brink of a nervous breakdown.
"Right," He muttered, unconvinced. "Why don't you rest, you seem tired. I'll come back in about three hours." He offered hoping that she wouldn't tell him to get lost.
"That's fine with me." Holly said smiling, happy that she could get some sleep.
"Great" Trouble blurted, not knowing what else to say. Holly turned to her side and immediately let her fatigue overpower her. Trouble weighed the idea of watching her sleep. He always saw her at work, and there Holly was nothing but a recon officer, highly determined and focused, he rarely saw her true self. Holly slipped away from reality entangling herself in a dream of confusing flashes of unorganized memory.
Trouble found himself smiling, delicately reaching out he brushed his fingers against her cheek. He wanted to stay, to be next to her. But there was business to attend to; he had to fix his mistakes. This wasn't going to be easy.
Trouble forced himself out of the room, despite the raging voices in his mind practically screaming for him to stay. Rushing down the hall he took out his mobile phone, flicking the wafer thin top to the side he punched in the address. The phone whirred as it transmitted the calling beam up to a probe piggybacking on a human satellite. Allowing the call to reach around the globe, but more importantly under it. Suddenly the screen flickered into life, three seconds the phone needed to be charged.
"What do you want?" a voice snapped before the screen could picture the answerer. Trouble squeezed into an elevator, clipping his elbow.
"Ivy?" He asked looking at the elf, even though he knew who it was.
"Yes yes," She said impatiently, "I cut my hair, now is this one of those calls that you just say hello? Because I need to go to this party and-"Trouble cut her off. Knowing that she would terminate the call if she finished her sentence.
"I need you to help me." He said as quickly his mouth would let him. Ivy flicked her cropped hair as if it would reach her shoulder. Trouble could feel his insides rise as the elevator traveled to the first level.
"Help you? What, are you crazy?" Ivy threw her head back and laughed. Trouble waited for the gales to subside nervously rocking on the heels of his feet. The elf calmed herself running a hand through her golden hair.
"What's in it for me? A bag of gold? A new car?" She waited for Trouble to supply the nonexistent answer "Nothing? Oh well, goodb-"
"Dinner." He barked, feeling the glass elevator stop abruptly. Ivy licked her lips on the small screen when was the last time she ate? It was quite pitiful that she couldn't afford food. If only she wasn't fired from that stupid job of a secretary. There was no way she could keep up with everything that fast.
"Surface food?" She asked, even though Trouble had a deal. He nodded vigorously. Ivy smiled letting her kinder self sink through her hard exterior. Surface food was expensive and underground food was mostly flavored nutri bars.
"It's a deal; I'll meet you outside the Black Cat lounge." The screen went blank instantly. Trouble sighed resting against a quartz pane, just in time for the elevator light to wink green. The doors slid open lazily and the occupants shuffled out of the cramped space.
Trouble found his way out of the hospital after taking several wrong turns. Haven Medic once was the former Koboi labs, but after the turn of events leading Opal into a coma the building was up for grabs. Since the deserted construction was eight stories tall (or was it seven? I don't know.) The council decided that Opal should divert her remaining funds to the good of the People.
The streets where busy, as usual, and the traffic was excruciatingly slow, as usual. Everything was right where it belonged. Crowds where bustling about, and manga cars blared their horns at imposing drivers. Trouble could see the Police Plaza, its lights glowing bright against the dark abyss of the far corners the sunstrips couldn't reach. Despite the tension mounting on his conscious he was happy. He always loved mingling with the overcrowded streets of the Haven. Which would describe why he pushed driving aside as much as possible.
Several pushes and two buses later, he found himself outside the Black Cat lounge. The club pulsed loud music through its soundproof walls. The pavement around it had been removed only to be replaced with six inch thick glass. Underneath that was vibrating fiber optic wires sending an array of transmissions to different parts of the Haven. The wires sent out a mix of color according to the type of energy they where carrying. Projecting a kaleidoscope of whirling colors onto the ground.
"Trouble over here! Don't stand there gawking get over here!" A familiar voice called, Trouble turned Ivy was waving her arms over her head in an SOS style. Standing next to an old beat-up taxi cab. Trouble ran over to her relived that she was in as much of a hurry as he was. Right before he reached her she climbed in, forcing him to do the same before they exchanged any words.
"What do you need my help for?" She asked once he climbed into the cramped manga car. Trouble shifted pulling a rusty coil from the headrest.
"One of my friends has amnesia and you are the only person I know with a doctor's degree. And don't deny it." Ivy scowled. She never wanted to become a doctor or even be near a hospital. Some things just don't work out.
"Isn't it obvious? What you need to do is show or tell Holly something that will give her a partial recall. Then do it over and over again until she remembers everything. The tricky part is that you have one week to do it all, or else the brain clears itself cleaner that a magnetized disk. And there is no way to recover it." Trouble could only stare at Ivy, after several long minutes he finally spoke up.
"I never said it was Holly." He mumbled turning to stare out the window. There was a dip of silence between the two.
"Everyone's really worried about her," She said softly changing from her normal rough tones, "I really hate to say this but if she doesn't turn out okay your gonna' lose your job." The rest of the ride went into silence after that, which was fine for Ivy since she was busy raiding the mini-fridge. Everything she couldn't eat she stuffed in her pockets. Who knew when she would pass on free food again?
"I don't understand why you just get a new job." Trouble finally said shattering the silence; Ivy swallowed a large bite of a chocolate bar. Stuffing two more into her pockets.
"When Koboi labs crashed it seemed as if every other fairy was jobless. Who knew that Koboi was employing half of the Haven eh? So trust me I'm not the only one who's living like this, when I was fired, the boss had a replacement in over two days." Ivy turned back to the fridge grabbing the last protein bar. Tossing it to Trouble who seemed to be sinking into the chair lower every second.
"One week? Impossible." He mumbled Ivy threw herself into the seat next to him, wiping the food around her mouth on her sleeve.
"Don't tell me the great Trouble Kelp is gonna' give up, even before he tries anything useful." Trouble smiled weakly, as Ivy smacked him in the shoulder. The Taxi jolted to a halt almost flinging them from their seats. Once they recovered Ivy held out her hand.
"A fancy restaurant isn't gonna' let me stroll in there for free." Trouble frowned, but a deal was a deal. Slapping a few gold coins into her hand Ivy withdrew it quickly. Climbing out of the car she shut the door poking her head though the window.
"One more thing, it usually isn't enough to just tell her something, you have to show her. And the longer you wait costs her more memory cells. The sickness works backwards strangely the most recent days go first, just so you know. Oh and Trouble," Ivy paused she rarely gave encouragement to people, "Good luck." The window buzzed up and Ivy was gone, weaving throughout the throngs of fairies. Trouble ordered the driver to the hospital. Holly deserved to know the truth.
Trouble walked into Holly's room praying that she wouldn't hate him after this.
"Oh, hi Trouble I've been wanting to ask you something" Trouble sat on her bed. Feeling as if he would pass out.
"Holly I need to tell you the truth" And so he did. All the while praying that she wouldn't hate him afterward.
Thank you to all who read this chapter and not just skipped from the beginning to the end. But I am really sorry I couldn't put more Holly in it. I was going to make it longer if it wasn't for the fact I am currently in a rented beach house on vacation. And all I have for internet access is a cheap laptop. So on with the reviews.
Kelitzo: Thanks for reviewing I love your story But I have limited access to the internet once I get back I am reading it! And no one will drag me away!
Waterdragon 719: Thanks for reviewing! Rushed plots are a tiresome habit I can't get rid of. I Hope you liked this chapter though.
Cyira Ashral: Thanks soooo much:)
TTFN
-crystalocean-
