Author's Note
And another Chapter proof-read and ready for uploading! I apologise for my lack of updates; we've had quite a busy few days!
Anyway, here is Chapter 3! In advance, I apologise for Shivu's stupidity here- he IS a 10-year-old and no less a 10-year-old based on myself so 2+2= idiot in this case xD
Also I can't stand to see characters calmly let the bad guys do what they want with quiet rebellion (I'm talking to you My wunderwaffle iz missin! [author of Soul Flare here on FF] but damn you know how to write)
As usual any mistakes, plot-holes or anything you think I could improve on let me know!
Chapter 3; Treated, Tricked and Trapped
Saturn led the way down more corridors. Shivu was feeling eyesore from all the dull colours he was subject to by the time they arrived at their destination. More of the strange dialect printed on the door, Shivu noted; there was no doubt this was some kind of language.
Inside was some kind of lab- grey again, though thankfully a much lighter shade. It was a fairly large room with benches lining the edge that were covered with science equipment of all kinds.
Evidently, the lab also served as a first aid room since there was a doctor's examination table in the centre and a metal tray filled with tools of the healing trade. Shivu was on-edge when he came in but when he caught sight of a shorter man laying out surgical equipment his heart-rate spiked.
He didn't want to find out what this 'Commander Saturn' guy had in store for him here so he began to thrash wildly from side to side.
The shorter man, like everyone else, bore the uniform of silver, grey and white. Unlike all he had met so far, however, he wore a white doctor's coat. His hair was pale mauve and he sported a pair of magenta-tinted glasses; Shivu presumed this was Charon.
Quietly, Saturn explained what was going on and ordered Charon to treat Shivu's wound.
Charon looked a little mortified. "Help him?" he said, "He's a thief; an intruder! Why would I help him?"
"Good!" Shivu thought, "I don't want to be helped anyway; I just want to get out of here!"
Shivu tried to pull away not much wanting any more pain caused to him by someone doctoring his wound.
Saturn gave an un-amused sigh through his nose, "Charon, I'm not asking I'm ordering." he lowered his voice so Shivu couldn't hear, "Perhaps if we imply we are good people and treat this kid like a guest he will voluntarily tell us where the bag is."
Charon raised an eyebrow, "And if he doesn't?"
Saturn shrugged, "Then we drop the act and make him tell us,"
Charon pondered over this for some time before saying, "Fine," Unenthusiastically he made his way over to Shivu, "I'll help him,"
Shivu was incredibly grateful to see Charon leaving his sharp instruments at the table but still not happy to see him go with Saturn's demand.
Charon leant down to Shivu with a grunt of annoyance as his old knees clicked in protest. The woman who held the chain dropped the peg at the doctor's request and held his leg still. Shivu jerked and tried to get away and Charon cocked an eyebrow at him and muttered; "Kid, I haven't even started yet…" then he reached forward and carefully prised the jaws of the trap off of Shivu's leg.
Shivu winced and twisted in agony. Muttering, "Keep still!" impatiently, the man pulled down a medical kit from the table and pulled out a pair of scissors before snipping away the tattered parts of Shivu's jeans. After that, he began to clean and bandage the wound.
"Now," said Charon when he was finished, "that's done." he stood up and exchanged a glance with Saturn wondering where to go with the conversation.
Saturn cleared his throat, "Don't look so terrified, boy; we mean you no harm," he said as he began to step towards him.
Shivu clearly didn't believe him as he drew himself away in fear.
"Honestly," Saturn slowed his walk and held up his hands, "Look, if we had meant you any harm we wouldn't have helped you," he gestured to his bandaged leg, "Would we?"
Shivu glanced down and up again.
"You could at least reply," muttered Charon, turning around and heading over to the benches again.
Saturn was still waiting for his answer patiently.
A witty reply came to him and despite the fear not leaving he decided to give it a shot, even though this man had an air about him that said he wasn't to be messed with.
"If you don't mean me any harm," Shivu croaked, his voice becoming stronger as he spoke, "Then why don't you let me go?"
"So he can talk!" barked Charon with fake amazement.
Saturn ignored him and glanced down for a second while he thought up his answer but it was Charon who replied, "Anyway, kid, if we let you leave with an injury like that you would have been in big trouble; especially if it got infected."
Saturn half-smiled and gestured to Charon, "Exactly my point," he said, "we wouldn't want you getting even more hurt,"
Shivu was finding some confidence now, "Then why not release me now I've been treated?" he growled, "Why chase me in the first place?"
Saturn raised his eyebrows and immediately responded, "Why steal things that rightfully belong to us?"
Shivu snarled and pulled against his captors, "Whatever's in that bag didn't belong to you! It belongs to my friends and you know it!"
Saturn's eyes lit up. "Your friends?" he drawled, "So you know Palmer and Barry do you?"
Shivu instantly realised he'd said too much and clamped his mouth shut. Saturn grinned when he realised he was right, "If you won't tell us about the bag then what can you tell me about them?" he came forward and bent over the boy, "Where they're living perhaps?"
Shivu turned away stubbornly.
"Hmm…" Saturn turned to Charon, "I think our…" he paused, looking for the right word, "guest should stay here for a few days while we keep an eye on that wound, don't you?"
Shivu whipped back around in horror.
Charon turned in surprise, "That won't be necessary…" he began but a sharp look from Saturn had him quickly changing his tune, "…To release him, I mean," Charon forced a crooked smile, "Boy, your wound may be more serious than at first glance. Better for you to stay here; you could have…" he rolled his hand, "…narcolepsy or something." He had tried to think of a complicated medical term Shivu wouldn't understand; since narcolepsy was actually a sleep disorder he hoped that would work.
Shivu tipped his head at the unfamiliar word but jumped upwards, fighting against the two who held him, "No way!" he cried, "I'm getting out of here!"
"Oh no, you're not," said Saturn, grinning. He softened his tone and spoke as if to a much younger child, "We're only doing this for your own good you know,"
He looked up to the three members and said, in their incomprehensible language, "Bring him to one of the over-night treatment rooms. Make sure you lock the door."
Of course to Shivu this just sounded like gobbledygook but he didn't like the manner in which Saturn had spoken and made a big show of kicking, pulling and snapping at the members as they led him down the hallways.
They pushed him into a room in which lay a bedside table and a hospital bed with white covers. Shivu felt like if he saw anymore of that horrible grey colour, he would deliberately take some crayons and simply scribble all over them.
But that was the least of his worries right now; two of them shoved Shivu down into the bed while another tested the lock on the door to ensure it was working.
Shivu kicked one of them in the chest as they backed off, making him double over but, apart from mild pain, he displayed no emotion to the gesture.
Once they left they did as Saturn had ordered and locked the door. Shivu battered at the door for quite some time before sighing and hanging his head in annoyance, "Guest indeed!" he muttered, "If this is how they treat their guests I'd hate to see how they treat their enemies…"
Further Adieu
Uh oh, poor Shivu! What will become of my—err, I mean OUR favourite character?
Is it interesting that Shivu doesn't have a clue who or what Team Galactic is? I'm never sure if that was a good idea or not but I didn't want to have the whole "I'm the bad guy; lemme explain all to you for the benefit of the reader!"
But, yes, that's why he refers to the members there as "strange people" because a) he doesn't know who they are yet and b) grunts wouldn't be a word he knew (I only learnt it after playing the games back in 2006)
Anyway, trivia?
*This chapter originally went much differently- I had the grunts bring Shivu to Charon first to get him healed up but then I wondered why the grunts would do this when Saturn is probably the second-in-command of Team Galactic (and also of a higher rank)?
There was also the problem that I thought Charon would be too cruel to fix Shivu up without someone ordering him to and altogether it didn't make much sense. So I changed it to the current layout.
* Shivu originally had a cap that he lost during the scuffle with Team Galactic in Chapter 2 which then was blown with the wind (or caught on the wheel of a truck in another version) which Barry then linked to Team Galactic's base and came to rescue him; however I ditched the idea for a more exciting one you'll see in Chapter 7.
* The last part there where Shivu is only locked in the room was slightly different in the original version (some of which you might have read, because I only edited it a year or so after posting that draft) initially he was tied to the bed too, but I thought that after Saturn pretending to be nice this would be a silly way to throw that out the window.
*Also I mean no offense to anyone who actually has narcolepsy and if you're wondering it is indeed a real disorder. I tried to find something pretty rare so as not to cause any offense but I'm not sure if that worked- if you're offended I have 100s of terms it can be replaced with :P
-It's more of a doctor's joke one of my temporary colleagues made in a veterinary clinic I did a work placement in- it was something to do with shaving a rabbit too much for surgery or something which ended in something along the lines of, "I wouldn't know the difference between the shaving pattern of a husky and a naked mole rat"
