Interlude: Panacea's Bad Day
Touch, analyse, repair, analyse and move on.
Touch, analyse, repair, analyse and move on.
Touch-
"Ah, miss Panacea"
I turned my head in the direction of the voice to be confronted by a doctor coming through the door, I gestured to hold on a second before turning back to the patient.
Analyse, repair, analyse and finished.
I breathe a deep sigh before turning back to him.
"What is it? I need to deal with the rest in of them" I said back to him, I kept a lid on my inner exhaustion taking its toll,
"Ah, sorry Panacea, the PRT called a few minutes ago, they are requesting if you would mind examining a particular issue they have with a Parahuman case"
Parahuman? If it was for emergency healing it would have been more urgent, is it another Case 53? I hope it isn't, I don't like it when I disappoint them…
"Tell them I'll be there soon"
I looked down the room to see several prone figures in their beds, a few of them noticed that I had to go, on their faces they either wore casual acceptance or annoyance.
I blocked out those thoughts and walked out, reassuring myself that the doctors would be able to stabilize them. Taking out my cellphone and hitting the speed-dial.
"Hey Vicky? I need ride…"
"So what do the officials want anyway?" Asked Vicky as she carried me through the sky, I looked at the ground and tried to ignore out close proximity, I've been getting better at it for a while.
"They just called me in, said it was something about a Cape, they said they would explain there"
"Great! While you do whatever they like, I can get some time with Dean without Mum complaining about me missing patrols"
'We have free time you know' I snapped internally, I ignored the feeling of depression in my gut, and decided to just respond to whatever questions Vicky threw my way. It went on like this for a short fight minutes before we came up to the PRT HQ.
"See ya Ames, I have to go find myself a man in armour" she smiled happily before rocketing off to another part of the building.
I stared after her for a time, and my hand clenched slightly.
Forget it… just forget it.
The receptionist recieved me, and soon I was walking down the halls with a security escort.
I got a glance of several guards standing attention in front of a room, and caught a few snatches of conversation.
"... I heard that it actually MOVED back at the school"
"You're shitting me aren't you? Zombies?"
"Not zombie, think more of possessed really"
"Have you been drinking on the job?"
"Dude, we work in a place where laser beams out your eyes is mediocre"
"Yeah well call me a sceptic anyway…"
I was around the corner and sighed internally at the conversation. THAT must have been what I was here for. I briefly wondered how exactly that would work, my powers can't do anything to a corpse, I'm not able to edit dead cells after all.
I then thought of this differently… it was kind of boring knowing so much about the human body all the time, maybe this 'zombie' or whatever the equivalent has a unique biology? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.
With that thought in mind she looked out the corner of her eyes at a familiar costume, Battery.
"Hey, Panacea, this way if you'd please" she directed me down another corridor and we left the security escort behind, I guess another cape would be enough to protect me from here on out.
"So, is this got to do with the 'zombie' I've been hearing about?" I asked her, she grimaced slightly.
"I told those guys to stop gossiping… well, it has been clear so far, but it DID move before… keep in mind that we are hesitant to say 'it'"
She stopped at a door and turned to me, "Here are the basics, Shadow Stalker bullied a girl in her school for a while, and wouldn't you be surprised? She triggered into a ghost power cape, soon, Shadow Stalker and two others were found lying on the floor traumatised and two days later, Armsmaster calls in that he needed backup"
I nodded, my eyes widening slightly, "So… this 'ghost' cape reanimated a body?"
She grimaced, "No… you'll see what I mean"
I could hardly grasped what she said before she opened the door, looking inside I saw an empty room with the exception of something on top of a slab in the middle of the room, I followed Battery inside and stopped in front of it. It was a tarp over something.
Battery then took a hold of one side and removed it.
Oh god…
She had to be around my age… maybe even younger, her eyes were closed but the bugs that were wedged in her skin were even worse than a dead stare I was familiar with when it was too late to save people in the hospital.
"This… is Taylor Hebert, the ghost cape I was talking about" she sombrely told me, "This is what we found after Armsmaster left"
"She… killed herself?"
"It was actually Shadow Stalkers doing, they found her in a locker, these… bugs were in her flesh" she looked hollow as we looked at her, it was a sorry sight to see.
"Why… didn't you get rid of them? Just to clean her… it is actually disrespectful to hold onto her body as well" I felt a rare feeling over people I was send to work on, anger, I was actually angry over someone I'd never met before.
"Armsmaster says it's against protocol"
"You actually have protocol against THIS?"
"We didn't… we actually made some up as we went along" she scratched the back of her neck with a sad apology on her face, "And about the bugs… we tried to do at least that, but the moment we removed one insect… another one burrowed out to replace it"
I put a hand to my mouth and tried to swallow the bile that had threatened to rise up my throat at the thought; this was too much, too much for today.
"It's actually even more interesting to consider that her body was like this ever since we pulled it out of the locker, three days ago"
I looked hesitantly at the body, "Are you sure… in this room?"
"The surgeons took a sample, it isn't even moving into rigor mortis, the refrigeration unit we had for it wasn't even necessary"
"So… you want me to examine it?"
"Hopefully, maybe even 'clean it' if you can do it… I know this is a lot to be asking" she scratched the back of her head in sheepish apology, "But Armsmaster is getting to the point where he will want to dissect this to find out what is happening, it's wrong in every way but he was shaken by what the new cape 'Grudge' can do, he thinks this body is a clue"
I breathed in my nose, and out through my mouth.
I'm Panacea… I'm used to things like this.
"I'll try…"
She smiled a little, "Thanks… I have to ask you to hold on tho, Armsmaster thought it would be better if another hero was listening in"
The door then opened and I turned to see Miss Militia walking in.
"Ah, good to see you're here Panacea… do you know the situation?" it seems that the somber atmosphere was mutual; her voice was by far depressed.
"Yes… I'll do it"
Her stance drooped slightly, "Thank you, we're running blind right now so we need all the help we can get" she then took her place beside Battery, her hand came up and she was equipped with an AK-47 with a quick flash.
I looked at her with questioning eyes.
"It's… a precaution, just in case anything should happen when you use your abilities on her… it" as expected, Miss Militia was having trouble referring to the young girl who was alive out there as a corpse, at least, I assumed she was alive in some strange sense of the word.
"Don't worry, just call it off if you don't want to" I smiled at Battery's suggestion, but my mind was made up.
And so, I looked at the body in question, I was still unnerved by the tale behind it, but even more so, I felt some kind of pressure… so faint that I couldn't tell it was there exactly… but now it was rather heavy…
I shook my head and got down to the task; I moved the tarp from her side and grabbed the arm.
I then scanned it, I was rather disappointed that I didn't find anything immediately, until I looked a little deeper…
Oh… oh…
"The bugs… they are registering as part of the body" I mumbled out, felt out a little more, I was then struck by a strange fact.
It was hard to read this body… I could examine dead tissue as easily as living so it wasn't that…
"What's wrong?" Miss Militia asked, I jumped slightly at her voice, I realized I was focused in looking into the body so much, it was like wading through water.
"It's… a little difficult to get a read on, its fine however, I just have to (help me) take a little more time with it"
The two heroines exchanged looks before Battery levelled a look back at me, "Uh, Panacea? Are you alright?"
What?
"What do you mean? Of course I'm (GOD! SOMEONE GET ME OUT OF HERE!) Okay"
"Panacea, you should probably let go" Miss Militia answered me; I felt a wave of confusion in me.
"But it's getting clearer; I should be able to decipher it (IDON'T WANTTO BEHERE!) In a few more minutes" I coughed slightly, was my throat getting rougher?
"Panacea!" Battery moved to the side of me and yanked my body away.
"Wha- what are you doing? Didn't you need me to (IDON'TWANTTOLIVEANYMORE!) EXAMINE *COUGH* Wha… what's happening… WHY DOESN'T SOMEONE SAVE ME! Wha- what am I- HELP MEEEEEEEE! HELP MEEEEEEEEEE SOMEBOOOOOODDDDDDDDY!"
My eyes were tearing up and my vision clouded in black.
I was too distracted by the flickering images to register the pain as I dropped to the floor.
'Cramped space'
What… where am I? Where am I?
'Little light, stuck in dark, cannot move, can hardly breathe, cannot escape, you are alone'
I… Miss Militia? Battery? …Vicky?
'Smells like blood, smells like rot, smells like decay, smells like corpses, smells like death you are alone'
Oh god! What is that stench… it reeks…. where am I?!
'Laughing voices, mocking voices, evil voices, fading voices, voices are gone, you are all alone'
N-no, wait, COME BACK! Let me out of here… where am I?
'Skittering...'
What was that!
'You are not alone, surrounded, hundreds of bodies, thousands of eyes, watching you'
No, no… get away from me, get away…
'You are not alone, everywhere, lots of them, crawling, twitching, flying, squirming, wriggling'
Get away, get away, get away, get away-
'Closer, biting, clawing, broken, eating, tearing, inside, burrowing, consuming, nesting, mating, laying, hatching, feeding, feasting, growing, nesting, mating, laying, hatching-'
HEEEEELLLLLPPPPPPP MEEEEEEEEEE!
'You are all alone...'
My eyes snapped open and I breathed in the air around me with veal, the images of my dream making my stomach clench in panic and fear I took a few sputtering shallow breaths, before I relaxed in a shaky realise.
I was looking at a white ceiling… I was in the infirmary?
"Ames…"
I looked to the side to see Vicky, she was looking at me with a sad expression, and before I could say anything I felt her grab onto me.
And her breasts pressed against me!
Calm down Amy, calm it, and stop.
I breathed in deeply again, the turmoil in my head finally resting itself.
"Are you alright? I heard you had just collapsed and I rushed right over, you were unconscious so I was really worried and-
"Vicky!" I called out to her, I coughed slightly and realised my throat was still raspy, clearing it out I looked her straight in the eyes, "I'm okay… you don't need to worry"
"It's actually quite the opposite" I looked up from my bed straight at Armsmaster in the doorway.
"It's decided you need to be detained for now under Stranger/Master regulations"
Cautious as always… and blunt.
"Wha- detained! What do you mean like that?!" Vicky shouted at him, the familiar feel of her aura washed over in an angry tinge.
"With the possibility of Panacea being corrupted, she may be in danger to herself and others around her if we don't check her for Stranger influence"
"She isn't a danger to anyone!" My sister growled, her aura now projecting her immense anger at him.
"Vicky, stop" I told her, as I sat up in my bed.
"But Ames-
"It's a necessity to check that I haven't been influenced by some force, Vicky, I know you're worried but you don't have to be… it's alright" she struggled with her thoughts for a second, before her aura shut down and she settled with glaring in Armsmaster's direction.
"But on another note, I can't stay here for longer than a day, I'm Panacea… I need to be at the hospital" I couldn't help but feel a little resignation in my tone while I said this. Thankfully, Vicky didn't notice and Armsmaster… well, he was hardly able to pick up on that.
"... very well" Armsmaster consented, "the doctors here will run the standard examination of Stranger/Master protocols, but we ask that you return at a date organized in the future to be certain that your mind is your own, if you do not visit during the scheduled time we will expect manipulation of your mind, I would suggest you get some rest afterwards"
"Don't worry, I don't need it" I muttered out, I swung my legs over the bed and stood up, I was surprised that I didn't feel too shaky or unsteady at all.
"This way then" Armsmaster gestured, I walked with him, just to get this day over and done with already...
"Do you have any sudden urges or needs that manifested once you woke up?"
"No" I told him with a slight twitch in my eye, ten minutes of inane questions were starting to wear on me, the guy who was questioning didn't even look invested, simply ticking down a list.
"Do you have anything on your mind that you wish to do, but can't explain why? Keep in mind even the smallest and boring things when you answer"
"None at all, I just want to get back to the hospital" I grounded out, the man who was testing me looked up from the board.
"It is alright to get rest Panacea, no need to wear yourself out"
Why is he saying that all of a sudden, in response to my look he tapped the small dome that was on the table.
"It's not advanced as Armsmaster's, but it does the job, I was alright up to when you said you wanted to go to the hospital"
I clenched my teeth in slight panic.
"I… it might have just been the day I'm having, a small part of me is reluctant to continue working" I stammered out, the guy didn't look convinced, but continued with the questions anyway.
Thank god…
When it was all over, me and Vicky were then heading to the exit, it was a pretty awkward silence as we walked on.
"Hey…" I looked to Vicky as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.
"I'm… sorry about freaking out like that in the infirmary, it's just he was talking shit about you and-
"It's alright Vicky" I touched her arm to reassure are, "You were just angry, I get it"
"I just can't stand it is all" she huffed, still looking pretty irritated, I had to shake off the thought that she looked really cute like this.
"Don't worry, even Legend would be asked to check just in case, it's all precautions so something worse doesn't-
BuRnEd FaCe BlAcKeNeD sCaRrEd DeAd
What was that!?
I turned my head quickly towards where I had seen the fleeting image of some persons face, and froze up.
Nobody was there.
"Ames?" I turned back to my sister who was looking at me in confusion, "Are you alright?"
"Uh, yeah, I am" I looked back down the empty corridor, "I… I must have been seeing things; it's been a long day"
"You're telling me…" she looked back at me with an imploring expression, "Amy… can you just take the day of hospital just this once? You said it yourself; it has been a long day"
I looked into her pleading eyes and felt my heart clench a little.
"I…" I breathed out a sigh, "Alright Vicky, you got it, I just have to go back and sign my name out for the day and that will be it"
Her smile was worth the guilt that usually came from by willingly turning down time at the hospital, "Alright then! I'll get you there in a jiffy"
She marched towards the exit, much more joyful which lightened my heart at the sight, but I couldn't help but look down the empty hall again.
I was almost absolutely sure that I saw someone there…
We were once again flying in the air again, I talked with Vicky as we flew over the tops of them, I would however space out every now and then as I tried to recall my visit with all the details.
I knew that I examined the body… and that something had caused my body to collapse.
And I was also screaming out some words of some kind, I remember that at the very end.
This was too much, too fast.
Okay, I'm just going to take Vicky's advice and rest for the whole day, THIS had to be the grand exception for now, I'll work again tomorrow after I get my head straight.
I occupied myself by staring at the passing buildings, the way the light reflected off them as we passed by as we leisurely fly through the sky was kind of beautiful in its own way, it's amazing that I could get used to this view sometimes.
"We're here" I snapped out of it to look at the hospital, I was really out of it, I couldn't even recognize when we were nearby.
Once we were settled on the ground, she immediately leaned on the pillar by the door.
"I'll just wait here; remember to come out within ten minutes alright?" There was a little concern mixed in with her teasing, I simply smiled back. A passing by loud horn made me look towards the street where I saw-
IgNoRaNt PlAyInG aCcIdEnT sMaSh CrUnCh DeAd
I felt a shock ran through my body and I felt myself half step towards what I had seen.
I saw that didn't I? Where is he? Where is the boy!
"Ames? The hospital is this way" I slowly looked back at my sis, she was looking mildly confused at me, looking her in the eyes, I could tell that she had no idea anything was happening.
Everyone else on the street was acting alright, didn't they see…
"I… I'm just going to inform them I'm off for the day then" I quickly walked into the door, ignoring the questioning look directed from her, instead focusing on what I was here to do.
I'm just tired… that's right; I'm just tired after all this… this.
I walked up to the Lorrain, the usual woman who took dealt with people at the front door.
She smiled my way and I pulled out my registration card that confirmed my involvement with the hospital.
"Hey Lorrain, I'm sorry but I have to leave early today there's been… a lot happening"
"It's alright dear; just get your rest alright? I heard from Warren that you have checked out pretty late recently"
It wasn't recently, it was basically the first time I started using my powers here.
Just as she was about to scan it out, a doctor ran around the corner and locked onto me.
Oh great…
"Panacea, there's an emergency not too long ago, car crash, you need to come quickly!"
I grit my teeth before settling back into a professional state of mind, "Alright, just lead the way"
we hurried through the white corridors as I readied my mind with the common things that are associated with the accident, broken bones, burned bodies, torn skin.
I simply sorted through every injury there was to be, and prepared any quick actions I needed to make.
We finally walked into the door and was greeted-
By the long drawn out drones of a flat heart monitor, and doctors shaking their heads sadly.
I looked at the victims, a woman and a man, side by side looking horrific, bloody torsos, cracked skulls and twisted limbs.
We were too late.
I vaguely heard the doctors tell the one who brought me here that they just flat lined when he ran out the room, died within a minute, their conditions were just critical.
I just stared at the two with an empty feeling inside.
Were they lovers? Were they both in separate vehicles? Did they have a family…
I sighed with that same remorse I always had when I was too late to save someone popped up.
This was… a really shitty day.
"... Why didn't you help us…"
"Huh?" I looked up and the doctors were still arguing over something, none of them were looking my way.
"...Why weren't you here…"
W-what was that? I scanned the room; it was only filled with the solemn looking professionals as they looked at the bodies. I looked at them too.
TwiSTeD BrOkeN bLooDy BleEdING LAcERaTioN
"N-no" I shook my head wildly, not able to accept what I was seeing, shaking my head at what I was seeing, "T-that isn't possible!"
"Panacea!" I ignored their yells as I ran out the room, I didn't know I could run this fast, I never did before, not even on the way here, I just wanted to get AWAY!
But there! A body bag on a stretcher!
"I wanted to be a firefighter like my old man… where did life go…"
Why am I just NOW seeing this! Why here?! I don't want to see this!
It didn't matter that I looked away, it only made me glimpse into a room with a gloom faced man with half his face and right leg and arm missing.
"It was so quick… Hookwolf done me in… should have never joined the ABB…"
"AHHHHHHH!" I turned to corner and ran down the stairs, I had to get out of here, I NEED to get out of here, I can't see these faces. I DON'T want to see them!
But I stopped as a crowd of people stood in front of me.
No… they weren't people.
tORn TO ShR/SToMpEd INtO PuL/cUT TO RibB/BUrnED ALIvE/dECApItATeD/STabBED WhiLE PReG/EAteN aLiVe/SLit oWn wRIstS/TeRminAL DisEASE/EaTEN WhOLE/FiLLeD WiTH BuLle/ToRtUred fOR tO dEaTh/SkiNNed lIKE aN aPPle/OvErDose on hEROiN-
"NONONONONO! You aren't there!" I fell to the ground as they loomed over me, their appearances ghastly and terrifying beyond any measure. "You're not SUPPOSED TO BE THERE!"
"Why weren't you there?"
"I can't be dead, this must be a lie!
"Why didn't you save my son?"
"I HAD MY WHOLE LIFE AHEAD OF ME!"
"I used to be a father"
"Why weren't you there?"
"Why can't I disappear?"
"Has the lord forsaken us?"
"MOMMY WHERE ARE YOU!?"
"Why weren't you there?
"I can't feel my face… why can't I feel my face?"
"Help me… somebody help me…"
"Why weren't you there?"
"AMY!" I shivered uncontrollably as they watched me, judged me. They were talking about me, they are blaming me…
"Amy, come on Amy, snap out of it, ONE OF YOU IDIOTS STOP GAWKING AND GET A DOCTOR!"
"Why weren't you there?"
"I'm sorry..."
"Just hang in their Ames!"
"My face…"
"I'm sorry!"
"I'll never live again…"
"I'm SORRY! PLEASE!"
"WHERE IS THAT DAMN DOCTOR!"
"...rock a bye baby, on the tree top…. when the wind blows, the baby will drop…"
Stop it stop it stopitstopit-
"Twenty seconds… I had that long… I couldn't hold…"
"I died two weeks ago, my family still haven't noticed"
"This is a bad dream, it's all a bad dream, I want to wake up, and I need to wake up"
"I can't die… I can't die… why… why me?"
"Why weren't you there?"
"I'msorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry-
I am a horrible person…
