FERAL THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Chapter 7: Recovery
Back across the galaxy...
"Well this is a fine mess," T-Bone said grimly. "What do we do now?"
Razor studied the device critically. Felina paced around near him worried and upset.
"I'm going to have to study his notes and see what he was up to. If its similar in principle to my dimensional radar, we might have a chance to try and locate Feral. But the dimensional stream is vast and hitting on the exact location he went to is a million to one chance. The only way the odds could be in our favor is if he landed in a world that has the same thing as this and somehow manages to get on the same wavelength as us." Razor said grimly.
"Crud, Razor that's worse than a needle in a haystack!" T-Bone blurted in shock.
"Will you try anyway...please!" Felina begged Razor.
"Of course. No matter how much I don't like your uncle, I would never wish this kind of fate on anyone. I just don't want you to get your hopes up." Razor said cautiously. "It would help if I had Professor Hackle's assistance with this. The two of us would have a better chance. Also this portal cannot be moved nor can the power to it be cut if we're to succeed." Razor warned.
"I understand. I'll get with Ms. Briggs about what's happened before Lt. Commander Steele can get a chance to botch this by trying to take charge." Felina said grimly moving off to make her call to the Deputy Mayor.
T-Bone sidled up close to his partner and murmured softly, "You sure you're not getting her hopes up buddy?"
Razor sighed and looked over at the Lieutenant. "I don't really know T-Bone. But I do know I have to at least try."
"Yeah! I can understand that." His partner sighed in agreement. "Well, maybe I should take the jet back to the hangar and leave your cyclotron here and come back on mine. I'll put together a personal kit for us and some food and be back in a little while. Okay?"
"Sounds good, buddy. I'm going to have to establish a security perimeter around this to protect it from any outside interference then study all the material Dark Kat has on it with Hackle." He sighed.
"Right. I'll be off. Be back in a few." T-Bone said and walked off stopping to speak to Felina a moment before heading up the stairs and disappearing from view.
Felina walked back to Razor's side. "Ms. Briggs said she'll take care of things with the power company and get authorization to cordon off this building and allowing you and Professor Hackle to handle what's needed.
Before Razor could respond a commotion was heard coming from the stairs. Bursting through the door was Steele. He marched self importantly across the floor to them followed by a group of enforcers.
"Alright, what's going on and why is this SWAT Kat here?" He demanded.
Felina explained what had happened and what was being done to retrieve the Commander.
"You had no right to go over my head and contact the Deputy Mayor, Lieutenant!" He snarled angrily.
"Things had to be taken care of immediately if we are to be able to save my uncle. Ms. Briggs had to know so that she could keep the power going to this site. Razor is going to set up a security perimeter to protect the machine from any outside interference, sir." Felina said tightly.
"You still should have notified me first!" He snapped unappeased. "Take Dark Kat into custody and get a cleanup crew down here to clear out the creeplings." He ordered the enforcers with him.
"Request permission to remain here and monitor the situation, sir!" Felina requested gritting her teeth.
Steele looked at her angrily but for once decided not to be a hardass about it. It might bite him in the tail politically if he prevented the Commander's niece from trying get Feral back.
"Fine! Consider yourself reassigned to the retrieval party. Keep me posted at regular intervals on your progress!" Steele told her.
"Yes sir!" She said saluting him. Steele saluted back and turned on his heel leaving the scene to his enforcers to clean up.
"Well, that was a surprise! Steele being sensible." Razor muttered only loud enough for Felina to hear.
"Yeah. Will wonders never cease. Okay, now we need to contact Professor Hackle. Shall I call him or do you want to?" She asked.
"I'll call him. I can give him an idea of what we're up against so that he can bring the right equipment with him. He has a portable workshop. We're going to need it." Razor said grimly as he borrowed her phone to make the call.
Back in Eureka...
Doctors were stunned at just how fast Feral was recovering. Dr. Milney set up an MRI for late morning the next day after surgery. Feral was able to sit up and stand for a little but Milney didn't want him walking around just yet until he could check and see if the brain swelling had gone down.
So here he was being wheeled down to the x-ray department. He sighed at all the gaping looks he was getting. He felt really exposed wearing only hospital pjs and a robe.
One thing he'd discovered after the anesthetic sleepiness had worn off was his senses were sharper than he ever remembered them being. The hall lights that had caused him to squint a little the day before were now impossibly bright and he was forced to close his eyes completely. Sounds were much louder making him cringe and flinch. He wasn't certain he liked this level of sensitivity.
As he was rolled into the MRI room and the door was closed he was assaulted by a high pitch whining sound that pierced his skull. He pressed his ears down flat but it was no use, the sound still poured through setting his teeth on edge. He gripped his chair tightly and tried to make himself understood that he couldn't bear the noise but it was so loud to his ears he couldn't hear himself.
They began to wheel him closer and the vibrations and sound of the MRI pushed him over the edge. Unable to handle it his mind shut down and his primitive instincts of 'fight or flight' went into action. He bolted from the wheelchair screaming. The pain had blinded him as well so he ran into walls, the machine, table, people in his desperate bid to escape the tormenting noise.
"Look out!" Someone yelled.
"Don't try to restrain him, you'll get ripped to shreds!" Dr. Milney shouted from behind the glass partition where the controls and screens were.
The nurse, x-ray techs, and Dr. Gilsmith quickly backed away from the out of control cat that was flinging itself from wall to wall in a frenzy of teeth and claws and frightening snarls of pain or terror they weren't sure which. Finally, Feral leaped into the air and ended up on the wooden ledge of the dividing panel between the MRI and the controls.
Silence reigned except for the hissing and growling of the cat and the low hum of the MRI.
"What in God's name caused him to behave like that?" Dr. Gilsmith said in hushed voice.
"Has to be the noise of the MRI machine. Turn it off, now!" Dr. Milney said sharply to the MRI tech.
Within minutes the machine fell silent. Feral stopped growling but he still wouldn't get down. He clung with all his claws to the panel and shivered. His eyes were all pupil and he was panting heavily revealing all his sharp teeth. His ears were still laid flat against his skull and his fur was standing up making him look larger. His tail was wrapped tightly along his side.
"John, I think you'd better call Taggart and have him get here right away." Dr. Milney said quietly as he studied his traumatized patient. "Also, someone needs to retrieve the translator device from his room." He added as an afterthought.
"I'll go get it sir," the nurse that had brought Feral down volunteered and left the room quickly.
"Everyone stay quiet and still. That might help him calm down while we wait for help." Dr. Milney said softly.
Outside the police station, Carter and Taggart were discussing their alien visitor when Taggart's cell phone rang. He pulled it out and listened to the shaken voice of John asking him to come.
"Well that was strange. Something seems to have happened with our Commander Feral. They want me at the hospital x-ray department on the double." Taggart told Carter when he hung up.
"Wonder what could have happened. Let me give you a lift. We can use sirens and get there faster." Carter said getting into his squad car.
"Good idea!" Taggart replied climbing into the passenger seat.
They were soon zooming down the road, sirens blasting heading for the hospital. Within minutes they skidded into the parking lot and jumped out of the vehicle racing for the entrance. Reaching the x-ray floor they stopped a technician to ask where the MRI was.
Dr. Gilsmith and Dr. Milney were a few feet inside the door when they opened it.
"Well what's the emergency?" Taggart asked.
Gilsmith merely pointed up, both Taggart and Carter looked in that direction and gaped at the sight of the huge cat clinging to the panel ledge.
"What the hell happened?" Taggart finally blurted.
"Sound happened. The removal of the tumor has apparently freed up a lot of his senses that were probably duller than his fellow cats. Now they are sharper and he's not had time to adapt. The MRI machine, as you know, puts out a low level hum and is loudest inside its cowling." Milney explained then looked back up at Feral.
"Unfortunately, we forgot to take into consideration that his exceptional hearing might hear that sound much louder and more piercing than us. When he entered the room, it obviously drove the poor cat nuts. The sound blinded him as well, so he was slamming into everything trying to escape meanwhile the MRI noise was keeping him at a high state of 'fight or flight' until I realized what was going on and had it shut down ." He said ruefully.
"Aw geez!" Taggart said in sympathy for the poor shivering cat clinging overhead. "Okay, let me see if I can coax him down. Where's his translator?"
"Right here." Dr. Gilsmith said handing the device over.
"Need any help." Carter offered, unhappy to see the proud cat in such a state.
"No, I want everyone to go behind the panel. The less noise and commotion the better right now." Taggart said keeping his voice soft.
Nodding agreement, Carter hustled everyone behind the partition. They could still see Feral as he hung precariously from his thin perch but they were far enough away to not disturb him further.
Taggart slowly moved closer to Feral. "Hey, big guy, it's okay. Take slow deep breathes to calm yourself. Everything is going to stay quiet," he coaxed softly.
Feral was still in a state of shock, his ears still ringing from the noise and his eyes still blind. He scented rather than heard Taggart come close. He spat and hissed at the intruder.
Everyone jumped at that loud spat that sounded rather like a small explosive going off followed by the low ominous hiss that set the fine hairs on the human's necks to rise. Seeing Feral this way reminded everyone forcibly that this was a very dangerous creature.
Taggart froze and decided he'd better wait until Feral had recovered a little more. Some ten minutes later, he tried again.
"Hey Commander, can you hear me now?" He asked softly, watching the cat closely. He was glad to see the pupils were getting smaller now and Feral's breathing was slowing.
Feral blinked several times until his vision finally cleared. He took stock of where he was. He was shocked to learn he was in the air, mostly naked and clinging to a wooden ledge. He was still a bit shaky but the ringing in his ears had finally abated and he heard Taggart below him.
"Uh...what happened?" He whispered huskily.
"The noise got to you big guy. It's okay now. How about you come down so that we can check you out?" Taggart said gently keeping his voice low and soothing.
"Move a bed close and I will." Feral said quietly.
Nodding, Taggart reached for a spare gurney near a wall and rolled it under Feral. He locked the wheels and patted it's surface to show Feral he could move now. Stepping back a little, he waited.
Feral looked down a moment, released his claws carefully then easily dropped down to the bed on all fours with a thump.
"That is soo cool how you can do that. A human would have broken something." Taggart said in admiration.
"Not that far to fall," Feral sighed dismissively, collapsing onto his side shivering.
Taggart pulled a sheet over him quickly then gently brushed the big cat's fur back down over his shoulders and back to soothe him. Feral sighed and relaxed into the touch and slid into a dead faint, unable to handle anymore stimulus.
Dr. Milney came to his side immediately and noted Feral had passed out. "Well that's a blessing. It will allow us to check him over easier." He sighed as he quickly began to examine the cat for injuries.
"Is he going to be okay?" Carter asked coming around the partition but staying out of the way.
"He seems to be okay, surprisingly, despite his slamming into walls and things. I'm pretty certain the MRI isn't necessary now anyway. The way he was able to move shows he's recovered. He'll have to stay a few more days though." Dr. Milney said reassuringly.
"That's good to know. When he's ready for release, give me a call so I can pick him up." Carter requested.
"Sure, no problem. Let's get him up to his room. I want strict quiet for him for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, Dr. Barlowe and I will check to see just how bad his sensitivity levels are. He's going to need time to adjust." Dr. Milney said quietly. "Thanks Taggart for coming so quickly and helping him down."
"You're welcome. He should be okay now, but you're right, if his sensitivity has increased he'll have some difficulties in adjusting to the level. Hope Stevens doesn't find that hole just yet. I'd hate to send him home like this." Taggart said shaking his head.
"Humph! You're certainly right about that. Let's hope he has enough time to fully recover." Dr. Milney agreed watching as a nurse and technician rolled Feral out the door followed by Dr. Gilsmith who wanted to insure Feral recovered from his faint and was settled in.
