Meanwhile
Jos‚ was really pissed off. He stormed around his room like an infantile tornado, smashing
anything he could reach. "How the hell did one person kill FOUR of my Fixed Ideas?!? I don't care
about the fact that Stryk12 was there, I want to know how a HUMAN could've killed them!" The
wounded techno stood in front of him, leaning on a cane in order to keep her weight off her wounded
leg. "Sir, that person killed my squad with two handguns, which she also used to cripple me. Stryk12
killed three with her damnable claws, and that bitch shot up the rest. Thankfully, we managed to put
a bullet in her shoulder, so she should be dead by the time I finish speaking to you. After all, I created
that poisonous cocktail we coated the bullets with." Jos‚ paused in his destructive spree and looked
at Jess.
"So? For all we know, she could still be alive because she may be another one of those cursed
renegades. Now, on the twentieth, I'll be in the city, having a meeting with several bounty hunters.
As a result of your failure, you get to stand guard, and if CyberSix visits, you'll be the first one to
die." Jos‚ cackled wickedly as he dismissed the emotionally crushed techno, then called another into
the room. "Now, before you say anything about wasting materials, I want M-17 here first thing
tomorrow. She's going to be one of my bodyguards during my meeting, and I don't care about the
fact that she's 'unhinged' because father is dead."
Back in the Hospital
Sara was walking around in the hospital, still hooked up to the IV, but still flexible enough
to go through her martial arts routines that involved only kicks. Soon, Dr. Pearce found her and
knocked on the door to the small rec room. "I was surprised to find you out and about so soon. Then
again, it's always good to see a patient up and about." Sara grunted as she finished a rather nasty
series of high and low kicks designed to cripple an opponent at close range. She then turned to Reba,
easily leaning over the petite doctor to grab a towel she had hung on the doorknob. "Well, I have an
advantage over some patients. After all, my wounds have already begun to close, and I'm a lot more
energetic than someone who was almost through death's front door yesterday.
"So, why have you decided to hunt me down? Ready to poke and prod at my internal organs?
Or will you want a sample of that nasty little disease floating about in me?" Sara sat down in a chair,
with her IV tower faithfully following every move she made. Reba poked at Sara's leg wound and
clicked her tongue against her teeth. "You pulled your stitches. Do that again, and you'll be stuck in
here until Thursday instead of Tuesday." Reba sat down beside Sara to cut down on the height
discrepancy, then pulled out a small notebook with a pen. "Actually, I just want to ask you a few
questions before the press beats down the doors asking about the person who's been stomping all
over those freaks roaming the city at night. So, I know that your real name isn't actually Sara
D'Arnise, because apparently, if you're her, you'd be dead for the last ten years."
"You got me. However, I'm not telling you my real name. Now, my turn. You are a very
successful doctor, but you only appear to be ten or eleven. How's that possible?" Sara poked at the
needle stuck in her left hand and mentally cursed herself for not telling anybody that she was a lefty.
Reba looked at Sara as she absentmindedly swung her legs back and forth, looking almost exactly like
a ten year-old. "Well, you didn't tell me your real name, so I get to keep my secret from you.
Question two: Where did you get that disease?" Sara smiled slightly, managing to twist her face into
a female imitation of Freddy Kreuger. "Africa. Here's one: What's your real age?"
Reba scribbled down something on the pad and showed it to Sara as a response. On the pad
was a three-letter word: 'meh'. Sara chuckled and shook her head slightly. "Serves me right. I give
you an evasive answer, you give me one. Okay, I'll try to answer your next question nicely." Reba
looked at Sara and grinned. "You're on. How many of those greenskinned freaks have you killed?"
Sara leaned back slightly, doing a quick mental count then simply said "Twelve. Eleven in this city,
one in Canada." Reba nodded and mentally scaled up her respect for Sara by a few notches. "Okay,
now you have to get to your room before the press finds you, because they aren't allowed into any
of the rooms here."
Sara nodded and stood up, and, because of the design of those accursed hospital gowns,
accidentally revealed a tattoo on her back from neck to waist. Reba noticed it and poked Sara in the
arm to get her attention. "So, what's with the tattoo? Mystical reasons? Something else?" Sara
frowned and looked at the floor as she walked along. Whispering so softly that Reba could barely
hear, Sara said "Remembrance." she then continued into her room, leaving Reba standing there,
looking somewhat confused. *Hmm. She's hiding something, but it seemed to hurt her when she said
that. Whatever happened, it was recent and she's still suffering because of it.*
Reba continued on her rounds, still wondering about Sara's evasiveness but she wasn't
allowed to think about it for long when she was paged to the ER. After Reba had gone down the
elevator, Sara opened the door to her room and walked back to the rec room so she could relax.
When she got there, she sat down in the same seat as before and flipped through a magazine that
caused her to laugh at the utter stupidity of several authors *Okay, lemme see... this one has no clue
about what he's talking about, trying to make people ban genetic research. Also, this one over here
has no idea that if his suggestion is implemented, it'll set medicare back by ten years.
*Oh well. It just means that I'll have to shoot down some theories before they are approved
by some asshole in the government.* Sara leaned over to get some paper in order to help compose
a reply, and noticed that a news crew was heading for her. *Oh shit. I should've stayed in bed. Why
do I always disregard everyone's suggestions? Well, I guess it's time to face the flack.* As she
finished thinking, the reporter walked over to her. "Are you Miss D'Arnise?" Sara nodded and looked
at the reporter like a cat would look at a mouse.
"Good. I have a few questions for you, not the least of which is will you consent to being on
the news?" "No. I have no wish to be in the news, or answer any questions. You now have two
choices: continue to harass me and risk having your jaw broken, or leave." Sara got up before the
reporter could respond, and walked back towards her room, mentally cursing the fact that she was
stuck in the hospital until she was totally healed. As the crew tried to pursue her, she walked over to
the nurse's desk and whispered a few sentences to the duty nurse.
Sara then continued on to her room as the nurse ordered the news crew to leave now or
security would be called in. Sara smiled as the reporter sputtered his way into having his foot up to
his knee in his mouth. *Well, that was interesting... We'll see how he goes through with that story
on news at Six.* She walked into her room and noticed that someone was in the chair beside her bed.
Sara let her eyes adjust to the faint light, then smiled when she saw that it was Erin Cheng. "Hey
kiddo. Shouldn't you be in school right now?" Sara walked over to Erin and shook her hand, mentally
shaking her head.
"We wondered where the newest teacher had disappeared to, but Lucas told me that you were
hospitalized yesterday. So, how did you manage to get shot anyhow?" Sara wagged her finger at Erin
and shook her head simultaneously. "Sorry kid, but the only clue you're getting outta me is that the
person who shot me was tall, dumb, and green. Still, you didn't answer my question..." Erin smiled
as Sara lay back down in the bed, and decided to give up. "Actually, if you had looked at a clock
within the last hour or two, you would've seen that school's been out for the last hour and a half."
Sara groaned, knowing that she was going to have to suffer through at least one well-meaning but
simple-minded visit by Lucas.
"Great. Do you wanna play bodyguard and keep Lucas away from me? Hell, if you do a good
job, I'll pay you fifty bucks." Sara saw Erin's eyes light up at the mention of money and grinned when
Erin nodded. "So, what do you want me to do? Beat him up, or just keep him out of reach?" Sara
grinned at Erin's question and shook her head. "Just keep the gorilla from touching me. With my luck
he'll bust the stitches in my shoulder, and that'll be a very bad thing." Erin smiled and nodded, then
promptly switched her attention to the small TV beside the bed.
Within an hour, Sara and Erin had given up on waiting for Lucas, and were playing poker for
fun. "Hah! Full house! Try to beat that, Sara." Erin slapped the cards down, revealing aces and
queens. "Sorry Erin, but you're in the toilet. Royal Flush. Any last words before I push the lever?"
Sara grinned maliciously as Erin groaned at her loss. "Dammit Sara! That's your ninth straight win
against me! How do you do it?" Sara pointed at the deck of cards. "It's simple, really. I'm damn
lucky, not to mention that I've been stacking the deck every time I shuffled it." Sara smiled at Erin's
frustrated scream, then had to block a punch aimed at her head.
Instead of using her arm, Sara blocked the swing with the plastic bed tray, easily bruising
Erin's knuckles, and accidentally gashing her hand.. "Ow. You should get that looked at." Sara had
to raise her voice in order to be heard over Erin's swearing, but when the long torrent of verbal abuse
ended, Erin agreed to Sara's advice and convinced the duty nurse to clean and bandage the wound.
Soon, they had managed to destroy their patience with card games, so they had thrown three decks
worth at each other. Sara plucked the Queen of Spades from her hair with her good hand and lazily
flipped it across her knuckles before launching it into the far wall with enough force to lodge in the
stucco.
"Wow. Where'd you learn that trick?" Sara flipped another card into the wall, then responded
while absently tracing Erin's outline with another volley of cards. "I taught myself that when I was
hospitalized back in my university days. Honestly, I think that hospitals are the most boring places
in the known world, short of a lawyer convention. Hold still now, this last card will take a bit of
concentration." Sara smiled as Erin looked like she was going to bolt and run from the room, but
threw the card anyhow, easily parting Erin's hair down the middle with it.
"Ha! Last time I did that, the person moved and nearly lost an ear. Suffering from a coronary
yet?" Erin swore at Sara for a good five minutes before calming down, then ducked as Sara flipped
another card into her hand. Sara grinned at Erin's reflexes, then placed it onto the table. "Gotcha.
C'mere you. I want to show you how I did that." Erin watched as Sara slowed down her card flipping
to what could amount to a crawl, then tried to copy her as Sara launched the card into the wall. Erin's
first attempt bounced off the wall, smacking into her forehead, but Erin got better in the next hour
as Sara perforated the wall repeatedly.
As the clock slowly crawled towards 5 PM, Sara knew that visiting hours would be over in
about half an hour, and was secretly relieved that Lucas hadn't put in an appearance. Then, Murphy's
Law took over and she heard him ask the duty nurse what room she was in. *Damn. I was hoping
someone upstairs would like me, but I guess not. Well, maybe I can make him squirm.*Sara motioned
Erin to sit beside her, then grinned wickedly as she flipped four cards between her fingers. *This'll
put the fear of me into him...* Lucas walked into the room, holding a shopping bag in his left hand,
and froze instantly when he heard four thuds around his ears. Looking around, he saw the four
playing cards embedded in the wooden doorframe at the level of his ears.
"Umm, I could come back later y'know, but then I'd have to give someone else this foot-long
hoagie." Sara's eyes nearly doubled in size at the mention of real food, then she bust out laughing,
waving Lucas to a seat, and making Erin wonder about Sara's mental stability. After calming down,
Sara poked Lucas in the chest. "Okay. Seriously now, what's in the bag?" Lucas grinned and pulled
a litre bottle of polar ice vodka out of the bag along with two glasses. "Well, I saw this in the corner
store, and I noticed that it's Canadian. I thought you'd like a drink from home." Sara grinned widely
and nodded. "Actually, I don't like vodka that much; I prefer the simplicity of Dragon's Breath. But
what the hey, I need something to dehydrate me."
Lucas poured the drink into the glasses, and after toasting her, he took a swig of the drink.
As soon as he swallowed, he nearly gagged at the strength of the drink. Sara smiled before taking a
sip to gauge the sheer power of the vodka. "Whoo! That's some good stuff. Then again, by my
standards, it's only middle of the road. Hey Erin, You're about eighteen right? Try this." Sara foisted
the rest of the glass onto Erin before Lucas could object, then distracted him by flipping a card across
the knuckles of her left hand. "So, what else do you have in there? Hopefully you have at least one
book on biology in there."
Lucas nodded and pulled out a book from the bag and gave it to Sara. She flipped it to the
table of contents and grinned. "Aw thanks Lucas. I've been meaning to get this thing for at least a
month. Yeah, this'll be great. I'm going to spend a lot of time poking around in this thing. Have you
talked to Six yet? I bet she's bored out of her mind by now." Lucas smiled faintly, and Erin giggled
like she was ten. "Actually, she's out and about, so don't be surprised if you get a visit at around Nine
tonight. Oh, yeah. According to her, you have about six more scorch marks on the ceiling of your
kitchen due to her efforts to cook."
Sara grumbled at that, but smiled anyhow when her verbal antics caused both guests to laugh.
"Well, it's getting to the end of visiting hours, and I'm feeling somewhat tired, so can you two scoot?
Don't worry about the book, but you better take the vodka before the nurse shows up. I'll probably
be out of here by Wednesday, so I can and will take over the biology class by Thursday. Have fun,
and give Six this." Sara grabbed a small object that was on the nightstand, then put it in Lucas' ham-
like fist, closing his fingers over it. "Tell her to wear it over her heart."
Lucas opened his fingers to look at a small metal brooch of two older people holding hands
with a child. He nodded, slightly choked up by the emotion present in the small gift. "I will. I'll see
you tomorrow." Sara nodded, then looked at Erin. "Just to be nice Erin, I'll get you something as
well, but I'm not going to be able to get what I have in mind until Friday morning. Oh yeah, because
you managed to complete your 'mission' I'll pay you as soon as I'm out of here." Erin nodded, then
motioned Lucas out the door before she left as well. Sara smiled as she overheard Lucas asking what
Erin's mission was, but she tuned out the response.
*Hmm. Let's see, it's almost 5:30, and I'm feeling somewhat tired. I guess that's because my
blood count still isn't back up to exceptional levels. I wonder where that midget Pearce went?
Probably have to stuff someone's guts back in after a car accident. Well, I have a few hours before
Six somehow appears, so I may as well see how my leg's healed. I may grumble about the nanotech,
but I have to admit that the accelerated healing is a godsend.* Sara decided to go back to the rec
room for a little while, and when there, redid the routines she had completed that morning. After
completing the last one, and wiping the sweat out of her eyes, Sara prodded the thigh wound and
smiled when she felt that the wound had shrunk by almost half.
*Heh. The doc's going to have a conniption fit when she sees that I'm disobeying her orders.
Oh well. At least I feel better than yesterday. Hmm. Some of those stitches will have to come out,
hopefully by the end of today. Well, my arm also feels better, so by tomorrow I'll be able to go
through my usual routines instead of this attenuated one.* After glancing at the clock, Sara went back
to her room and looked at herself in the mirror. *Eh. I look better than yesterday, that's for sure. I
wonder when Six is going to make an appearance. Lucas said about Nine, but I trust him about as
far as I can throw him. Erin seems nice, if motivated by money a bit much. Still, I remember when
I was the same as her.*
Sara was interrupted in her musings by a faint tapping at the window, which she nearly
jumped out of her skin at. Opening the window, she stepped back in time to avoid being bowled over
by Six as she climbed through. "Well, you seem to be doing fairly good. You definitely look better
than yesterday. Honestly, when the nurse saw you yesterday, she swore blind that you looked like
death warmed over." Sara suffered through a light headlock and noogie, but got Six back with a poke
and a prod at her ribs. "Gee, thanks for that ringing endorsement. Lucas told me you managed to blast
some holes into the kitchen ceiling. How'd you manage to do that?" Six shrugged and mouthed 'Stir-
fry'. "Thanks. Y'know, I'm going to have to suffer through a mountain of repair bills for that part
of my house before summer.
"So, didja get my gift through Lucas?" Six nodded and showed Sara the brooch pinned onto
the underside of her collar. "I like it. However, I can't understand how you got it while stuck in
here." Sara smiled and sat down. "Actually, I got it two days ago as a present for you because you
tolerated me for most of the week. Wear it in good health. So, what brings you here, other than
concern for my well-being?" Six sat down beside Sara and let her hand twitch the bed sheets into
place. "Well, I was wondering where you had wandered off to the morning before you got shot." Sara
looked at Six for a few seconds, then chuckled. "Riiight. Actually, I had a drink from the outdoor caf‚
near that giant statue in the park. I think that you want to ask something other than that. What is it?"
Six frowned, but being caught, had to answer. "Okay, I give. I want to know where you
learned to shoot like that. Stryk told me what you did, and the only other people I can think of with
your level of skill are either in the military or Olympic candidates." Sara shrugged. "I'm Canadian,
I've explored areas that were ripped up by major warfare in pursuit of unique biological specimens,
and my father was a Commander in the RCA. Now you can connect the dots." Six grimaced as she
worked through the evasive answer, but caught onto the right thread quickly enough. "Your father
dragged you out for target shooting or hunting when you were a child, huh?"
"Yep. I honed my skills for self defence when I was travelling the world. Oh yes, if you ever
decide to go on a round-the-world tour, avoid Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan like the plague." Sara
looked over at the door to the hallway and sighed. "You can come in anytime doc. I won't bite. I
already have enough problems to deal with." Six's eyes widened fractionally as Reba walked into the
room, scuffing her shoes on the worn tiles. "How do you do that?" Sara grinned and shook her head.
"Trade secret. How d'you do doc?" Reba brightened up and sat down on the chair pointed at by Sara,
just in time to catch Six's nod of greeting.
"Well Sara, your blood work came back this afternoon, and, to be honest, I'm utterly
confused by it. This has given me the excuse of sending a sample to an acquaintance of mine who may
be able to shed some light on the really odd chemical cocktail that you call your blood. My friend may
be coming over at about Ten, maybe Ten-Thirty, so try to be awake okay?" Sara nodded quickly,
then asked the most obvious question. "So, what's the name of your friend?" Reba paused for a few
seconds, wondering wether she should reveal the person's name, then decided to tell the truth. "His
name is Doctor Anthony Zacharias. I'll be surprised if you know him."
Sara frowned at Reba for a few seconds, then spoke. "Who hasn't heard of him? Not many
people know him personally, but even I've seen his effect on the world of Quantum Physics, despite
the fact that I have little interest in that field. One quote attributed to another quantum physicist was
that his effect on the field is like a child carpet-bombing anthills with dozens of M-80s." Her
statement set off a cluster of child-like giggles from where Six was sitting, and made Reba double
over in a coughing fit. Six got up and hit Reba in the upper back to interrupt the coughing, then
wiped the tears out of her eyes as she explained why she had cracked up.
"That sounds like one of his competitors. Zack has managed to rewrite about half the
'immutable' laws of physics, quantum and otherwise. As a result, a lot of people in the sciences are
quite willing to try and disprove him, no matter what the expense." Sara chewed on her lower lip for
a second, then grinned. "Yeah, like that 30 billion euro supercollider in the Black Forest. For some
odd reason Reba, I think I like you. Now, why don't we violate some rules and play a game of
poker?"
Six smiled and shrugged, and Reba gave in after Sara pointed out that she probably hadn't
had a break since Seven that morning. Soon, Sara had raised the stakes to Truth or Dare mixed with
the game, and was lucky enough to convince Six to either give up the name of her significant other
or walk around the room dressed like Reba for five minutes. Naturally, Six decided to go for the dare,
and when she lost the hand, both Sara and Reba had a laugh as Six grumbled her way through the
routine, mocking both the diminutive doctor and herself.
Soon, Reba was playing cards while trying to stand on her head, and Sara was wearing Six's
hat as a 'trophy', but had managed to become 'lackey-for-an-hour' to Six when she healed, and Reba
had a promise from Sara to sing 'I'm a little teapot' by tomorrow. In less than five minutes, all three
were laughing, mainly because Sara decided to imitate several infamous characters from movies in
their respective accents. They calmed down soon enough when Reba saw that it was Ten and
someone had just walked out of the elevator.
In less than a minute, someone knocked on the door, and Reba opened it, revealing a tall man,
wearing a long coat and hat, and apparently around fifty years old. Reba smiled when she saw him,
despite barely coming up to his waist, and Six got up to greet him with a handshake and muttered
greetings. Sara waited patiently for someone to introduce her to the man, but she could guess that
he was Anthony Zacharias. Soon, Six turned back to Sara and simply pulled the man over to her.
"Sara, please meet one of my trusted friends, Dr. Zack. Zack, another one of my friends, Sara
D'Arnise." Sara smiled and offered her left hand to be shaken. Zack took the offer after a few
seconds of hesitation, then realised why Sara had offered her left hand when he saw the bandage
covering her right shoulder.
"My lord. That looks quite painful. Can you tell me how you got such a nasty wound?"
"Simple doc. I got shot by something big, dumb, and green. Worst thing though, is that I could've
avoided the leg wound if I had been a second faster." Zack raised his eyebrows at that remark, but
changed the subject. "Well Miss, Reba sent me a sample of your blood this afternoon, and I can
honestly say that I'm totally baffled by what your blood has in it. I found several metallic compounds,
along with trace amounts of radioactive isotopes. Also, when I scanned part of the sample with an
electron microscope, I saw that those compounds were highly advanced nanomachinery. Can you
explain how you have that technology?"
Sara glanced at Six, who shrugged, then made a decision. "I guess so. If you managed to
examine my blood at a level to clearly pick out those nanobots, you'd have noticed a nasty little virus
going about its business too. That virus has managed to devastate my skeleton over the course of
several years, and as a result, I have those little robots to maintain what's left of my original bones.
Charles Sorbie was the person who did the necessary surgeries." Seeing a blank look on Six and
Zack's faces, Sara chuckled slightly and nodded towards Reba. "You probably know who he is. You
want to fill them in, or shall I?" Reba nodded, smiling, and sat down in the chair where she had been
playing cards. "Dr. Sorbie, despite being retired, is still considered one of the most influential doctors
in Canada. Back in '97, he decided to shoot down all objections and replaced a HIV+ patient's elbows
after they had been worn down by skeletal damage.
"Actually, the damage done to Sara's skeleton is comparative to osteoporosis because the
bones become porous, but they also soften to a level approximating that of cartilage." Zack nodded
as he absorbed the information, then turned back to Sara. "I noticed that your arms are rather heavily
scarred. Now, is that caused by a side effect of the nanotech, or is it something different?" Sara
grinned. "Well, they manage to wreak havoc on metal detectors. The bones in my arms and legs are
actually duraluminum. Naturally, because most of my bone marrow went with them, I have a host of
new problems to deal with, such as an'mia."
"Oh. Interesting. Reba, may I have copies of Sara's X-rays? I might be able to get some more
information from them, especially when dealing with the effects her skeleton has on the rest of her
system." Sara raised an eyebrow as Reba nodded, feeling slightly torqued about being talked about
like she was an automation. "Gee thanks. Y'know, I'm right here. So, do you want my opinion of
what's in my blood?" After seeing everyone nod, Sara grinned and showed off the now-visibly
shrinking gash in her leg. "That is caused by the nanobot surplus in my blood, but basically, the metal
content is caused by the actual frames of the machinery.
"The isotopes are new to me, but I can probably be correct by guessing that they are the
power sources for the machines. Now, I might suffer from a form of cancer in several years, but until
a better power source is developed, I guess I'll have to live with the risk of chemotherapy in the
future. Hopefully, the only thing that'll happen is that I'll be a blip on a Geiger counter." Six passed
her hand over her mouth, trying to suppress a smile caused by the exasperated tone Sara used. Zack
himself, despite his best efforts, was also smiling, but Reba was more interested in the almost-healed
wound.
"Wow. If you let me, I'd publish an article in the local Doctor's Journal, just to smash some
of the established thinkers into their own mistakes. A lot of the older doctors don't keep up with
current medical research, and the fact that nanotech can be used to heal rather gruesome wounds in
less than one quarter of the time normally taken." Sara shrugged, then tried to hide the fact that she
was totally exhausted, but failed. Reba noticed Sara trying to hide her yawn, and asked for Six and
Zack to leave, so Sara could get enough rest. "Sara, just because your wounds regenerate quickly
doesn't mean you get free reign of the hospital. Now, on doctor's orders, you have to go to sleep
now. Oh, yes. I almost forgot. You are getting a double portion of the slop they call food, just
because you're the wonder patient of the month. Good night."
"G'night Reba, Zack. Good hunting, Six. Try not to get crippled, okay?" With that, Reba
pushed Zack out of the door, allowing Sara and Six to exchange smiles and a handclasp just as Reba
neatly ushered Six out the window before leaving herself, closing the door behind her, and leaving
Sara with her thoughts for another half hour before she finally fell asleep.
Next Day
Jos‚ was really pissed off. He stormed around his room like an infantile tornado, smashing
anything he could reach. "How the hell did one person kill FOUR of my Fixed Ideas?!? I don't care
about the fact that Stryk12 was there, I want to know how a HUMAN could've killed them!" The
wounded techno stood in front of him, leaning on a cane in order to keep her weight off her wounded
leg. "Sir, that person killed my squad with two handguns, which she also used to cripple me. Stryk12
killed three with her damnable claws, and that bitch shot up the rest. Thankfully, we managed to put
a bullet in her shoulder, so she should be dead by the time I finish speaking to you. After all, I created
that poisonous cocktail we coated the bullets with." Jos‚ paused in his destructive spree and looked
at Jess.
"So? For all we know, she could still be alive because she may be another one of those cursed
renegades. Now, on the twentieth, I'll be in the city, having a meeting with several bounty hunters.
As a result of your failure, you get to stand guard, and if CyberSix visits, you'll be the first one to
die." Jos‚ cackled wickedly as he dismissed the emotionally crushed techno, then called another into
the room. "Now, before you say anything about wasting materials, I want M-17 here first thing
tomorrow. She's going to be one of my bodyguards during my meeting, and I don't care about the
fact that she's 'unhinged' because father is dead."
Back in the Hospital
Sara was walking around in the hospital, still hooked up to the IV, but still flexible enough
to go through her martial arts routines that involved only kicks. Soon, Dr. Pearce found her and
knocked on the door to the small rec room. "I was surprised to find you out and about so soon. Then
again, it's always good to see a patient up and about." Sara grunted as she finished a rather nasty
series of high and low kicks designed to cripple an opponent at close range. She then turned to Reba,
easily leaning over the petite doctor to grab a towel she had hung on the doorknob. "Well, I have an
advantage over some patients. After all, my wounds have already begun to close, and I'm a lot more
energetic than someone who was almost through death's front door yesterday.
"So, why have you decided to hunt me down? Ready to poke and prod at my internal organs?
Or will you want a sample of that nasty little disease floating about in me?" Sara sat down in a chair,
with her IV tower faithfully following every move she made. Reba poked at Sara's leg wound and
clicked her tongue against her teeth. "You pulled your stitches. Do that again, and you'll be stuck in
here until Thursday instead of Tuesday." Reba sat down beside Sara to cut down on the height
discrepancy, then pulled out a small notebook with a pen. "Actually, I just want to ask you a few
questions before the press beats down the doors asking about the person who's been stomping all
over those freaks roaming the city at night. So, I know that your real name isn't actually Sara
D'Arnise, because apparently, if you're her, you'd be dead for the last ten years."
"You got me. However, I'm not telling you my real name. Now, my turn. You are a very
successful doctor, but you only appear to be ten or eleven. How's that possible?" Sara poked at the
needle stuck in her left hand and mentally cursed herself for not telling anybody that she was a lefty.
Reba looked at Sara as she absentmindedly swung her legs back and forth, looking almost exactly like
a ten year-old. "Well, you didn't tell me your real name, so I get to keep my secret from you.
Question two: Where did you get that disease?" Sara smiled slightly, managing to twist her face into
a female imitation of Freddy Kreuger. "Africa. Here's one: What's your real age?"
Reba scribbled down something on the pad and showed it to Sara as a response. On the pad
was a three-letter word: 'meh'. Sara chuckled and shook her head slightly. "Serves me right. I give
you an evasive answer, you give me one. Okay, I'll try to answer your next question nicely." Reba
looked at Sara and grinned. "You're on. How many of those greenskinned freaks have you killed?"
Sara leaned back slightly, doing a quick mental count then simply said "Twelve. Eleven in this city,
one in Canada." Reba nodded and mentally scaled up her respect for Sara by a few notches. "Okay,
now you have to get to your room before the press finds you, because they aren't allowed into any
of the rooms here."
Sara nodded and stood up, and, because of the design of those accursed hospital gowns,
accidentally revealed a tattoo on her back from neck to waist. Reba noticed it and poked Sara in the
arm to get her attention. "So, what's with the tattoo? Mystical reasons? Something else?" Sara
frowned and looked at the floor as she walked along. Whispering so softly that Reba could barely
hear, Sara said "Remembrance." she then continued into her room, leaving Reba standing there,
looking somewhat confused. *Hmm. She's hiding something, but it seemed to hurt her when she said
that. Whatever happened, it was recent and she's still suffering because of it.*
Reba continued on her rounds, still wondering about Sara's evasiveness but she wasn't
allowed to think about it for long when she was paged to the ER. After Reba had gone down the
elevator, Sara opened the door to her room and walked back to the rec room so she could relax.
When she got there, she sat down in the same seat as before and flipped through a magazine that
caused her to laugh at the utter stupidity of several authors *Okay, lemme see... this one has no clue
about what he's talking about, trying to make people ban genetic research. Also, this one over here
has no idea that if his suggestion is implemented, it'll set medicare back by ten years.
*Oh well. It just means that I'll have to shoot down some theories before they are approved
by some asshole in the government.* Sara leaned over to get some paper in order to help compose
a reply, and noticed that a news crew was heading for her. *Oh shit. I should've stayed in bed. Why
do I always disregard everyone's suggestions? Well, I guess it's time to face the flack.* As she
finished thinking, the reporter walked over to her. "Are you Miss D'Arnise?" Sara nodded and looked
at the reporter like a cat would look at a mouse.
"Good. I have a few questions for you, not the least of which is will you consent to being on
the news?" "No. I have no wish to be in the news, or answer any questions. You now have two
choices: continue to harass me and risk having your jaw broken, or leave." Sara got up before the
reporter could respond, and walked back towards her room, mentally cursing the fact that she was
stuck in the hospital until she was totally healed. As the crew tried to pursue her, she walked over to
the nurse's desk and whispered a few sentences to the duty nurse.
Sara then continued on to her room as the nurse ordered the news crew to leave now or
security would be called in. Sara smiled as the reporter sputtered his way into having his foot up to
his knee in his mouth. *Well, that was interesting... We'll see how he goes through with that story
on news at Six.* She walked into her room and noticed that someone was in the chair beside her bed.
Sara let her eyes adjust to the faint light, then smiled when she saw that it was Erin Cheng. "Hey
kiddo. Shouldn't you be in school right now?" Sara walked over to Erin and shook her hand, mentally
shaking her head.
"We wondered where the newest teacher had disappeared to, but Lucas told me that you were
hospitalized yesterday. So, how did you manage to get shot anyhow?" Sara wagged her finger at Erin
and shook her head simultaneously. "Sorry kid, but the only clue you're getting outta me is that the
person who shot me was tall, dumb, and green. Still, you didn't answer my question..." Erin smiled
as Sara lay back down in the bed, and decided to give up. "Actually, if you had looked at a clock
within the last hour or two, you would've seen that school's been out for the last hour and a half."
Sara groaned, knowing that she was going to have to suffer through at least one well-meaning but
simple-minded visit by Lucas.
"Great. Do you wanna play bodyguard and keep Lucas away from me? Hell, if you do a good
job, I'll pay you fifty bucks." Sara saw Erin's eyes light up at the mention of money and grinned when
Erin nodded. "So, what do you want me to do? Beat him up, or just keep him out of reach?" Sara
grinned at Erin's question and shook her head. "Just keep the gorilla from touching me. With my luck
he'll bust the stitches in my shoulder, and that'll be a very bad thing." Erin smiled and nodded, then
promptly switched her attention to the small TV beside the bed.
Within an hour, Sara and Erin had given up on waiting for Lucas, and were playing poker for
fun. "Hah! Full house! Try to beat that, Sara." Erin slapped the cards down, revealing aces and
queens. "Sorry Erin, but you're in the toilet. Royal Flush. Any last words before I push the lever?"
Sara grinned maliciously as Erin groaned at her loss. "Dammit Sara! That's your ninth straight win
against me! How do you do it?" Sara pointed at the deck of cards. "It's simple, really. I'm damn
lucky, not to mention that I've been stacking the deck every time I shuffled it." Sara smiled at Erin's
frustrated scream, then had to block a punch aimed at her head.
Instead of using her arm, Sara blocked the swing with the plastic bed tray, easily bruising
Erin's knuckles, and accidentally gashing her hand.. "Ow. You should get that looked at." Sara had
to raise her voice in order to be heard over Erin's swearing, but when the long torrent of verbal abuse
ended, Erin agreed to Sara's advice and convinced the duty nurse to clean and bandage the wound.
Soon, they had managed to destroy their patience with card games, so they had thrown three decks
worth at each other. Sara plucked the Queen of Spades from her hair with her good hand and lazily
flipped it across her knuckles before launching it into the far wall with enough force to lodge in the
stucco.
"Wow. Where'd you learn that trick?" Sara flipped another card into the wall, then responded
while absently tracing Erin's outline with another volley of cards. "I taught myself that when I was
hospitalized back in my university days. Honestly, I think that hospitals are the most boring places
in the known world, short of a lawyer convention. Hold still now, this last card will take a bit of
concentration." Sara smiled as Erin looked like she was going to bolt and run from the room, but
threw the card anyhow, easily parting Erin's hair down the middle with it.
"Ha! Last time I did that, the person moved and nearly lost an ear. Suffering from a coronary
yet?" Erin swore at Sara for a good five minutes before calming down, then ducked as Sara flipped
another card into her hand. Sara grinned at Erin's reflexes, then placed it onto the table. "Gotcha.
C'mere you. I want to show you how I did that." Erin watched as Sara slowed down her card flipping
to what could amount to a crawl, then tried to copy her as Sara launched the card into the wall. Erin's
first attempt bounced off the wall, smacking into her forehead, but Erin got better in the next hour
as Sara perforated the wall repeatedly.
As the clock slowly crawled towards 5 PM, Sara knew that visiting hours would be over in
about half an hour, and was secretly relieved that Lucas hadn't put in an appearance. Then, Murphy's
Law took over and she heard him ask the duty nurse what room she was in. *Damn. I was hoping
someone upstairs would like me, but I guess not. Well, maybe I can make him squirm.*Sara motioned
Erin to sit beside her, then grinned wickedly as she flipped four cards between her fingers. *This'll
put the fear of me into him...* Lucas walked into the room, holding a shopping bag in his left hand,
and froze instantly when he heard four thuds around his ears. Looking around, he saw the four
playing cards embedded in the wooden doorframe at the level of his ears.
"Umm, I could come back later y'know, but then I'd have to give someone else this foot-long
hoagie." Sara's eyes nearly doubled in size at the mention of real food, then she bust out laughing,
waving Lucas to a seat, and making Erin wonder about Sara's mental stability. After calming down,
Sara poked Lucas in the chest. "Okay. Seriously now, what's in the bag?" Lucas grinned and pulled
a litre bottle of polar ice vodka out of the bag along with two glasses. "Well, I saw this in the corner
store, and I noticed that it's Canadian. I thought you'd like a drink from home." Sara grinned widely
and nodded. "Actually, I don't like vodka that much; I prefer the simplicity of Dragon's Breath. But
what the hey, I need something to dehydrate me."
Lucas poured the drink into the glasses, and after toasting her, he took a swig of the drink.
As soon as he swallowed, he nearly gagged at the strength of the drink. Sara smiled before taking a
sip to gauge the sheer power of the vodka. "Whoo! That's some good stuff. Then again, by my
standards, it's only middle of the road. Hey Erin, You're about eighteen right? Try this." Sara foisted
the rest of the glass onto Erin before Lucas could object, then distracted him by flipping a card across
the knuckles of her left hand. "So, what else do you have in there? Hopefully you have at least one
book on biology in there."
Lucas nodded and pulled out a book from the bag and gave it to Sara. She flipped it to the
table of contents and grinned. "Aw thanks Lucas. I've been meaning to get this thing for at least a
month. Yeah, this'll be great. I'm going to spend a lot of time poking around in this thing. Have you
talked to Six yet? I bet she's bored out of her mind by now." Lucas smiled faintly, and Erin giggled
like she was ten. "Actually, she's out and about, so don't be surprised if you get a visit at around Nine
tonight. Oh, yeah. According to her, you have about six more scorch marks on the ceiling of your
kitchen due to her efforts to cook."
Sara grumbled at that, but smiled anyhow when her verbal antics caused both guests to laugh.
"Well, it's getting to the end of visiting hours, and I'm feeling somewhat tired, so can you two scoot?
Don't worry about the book, but you better take the vodka before the nurse shows up. I'll probably
be out of here by Wednesday, so I can and will take over the biology class by Thursday. Have fun,
and give Six this." Sara grabbed a small object that was on the nightstand, then put it in Lucas' ham-
like fist, closing his fingers over it. "Tell her to wear it over her heart."
Lucas opened his fingers to look at a small metal brooch of two older people holding hands
with a child. He nodded, slightly choked up by the emotion present in the small gift. "I will. I'll see
you tomorrow." Sara nodded, then looked at Erin. "Just to be nice Erin, I'll get you something as
well, but I'm not going to be able to get what I have in mind until Friday morning. Oh yeah, because
you managed to complete your 'mission' I'll pay you as soon as I'm out of here." Erin nodded, then
motioned Lucas out the door before she left as well. Sara smiled as she overheard Lucas asking what
Erin's mission was, but she tuned out the response.
*Hmm. Let's see, it's almost 5:30, and I'm feeling somewhat tired. I guess that's because my
blood count still isn't back up to exceptional levels. I wonder where that midget Pearce went?
Probably have to stuff someone's guts back in after a car accident. Well, I have a few hours before
Six somehow appears, so I may as well see how my leg's healed. I may grumble about the nanotech,
but I have to admit that the accelerated healing is a godsend.* Sara decided to go back to the rec
room for a little while, and when there, redid the routines she had completed that morning. After
completing the last one, and wiping the sweat out of her eyes, Sara prodded the thigh wound and
smiled when she felt that the wound had shrunk by almost half.
*Heh. The doc's going to have a conniption fit when she sees that I'm disobeying her orders.
Oh well. At least I feel better than yesterday. Hmm. Some of those stitches will have to come out,
hopefully by the end of today. Well, my arm also feels better, so by tomorrow I'll be able to go
through my usual routines instead of this attenuated one.* After glancing at the clock, Sara went back
to her room and looked at herself in the mirror. *Eh. I look better than yesterday, that's for sure. I
wonder when Six is going to make an appearance. Lucas said about Nine, but I trust him about as
far as I can throw him. Erin seems nice, if motivated by money a bit much. Still, I remember when
I was the same as her.*
Sara was interrupted in her musings by a faint tapping at the window, which she nearly
jumped out of her skin at. Opening the window, she stepped back in time to avoid being bowled over
by Six as she climbed through. "Well, you seem to be doing fairly good. You definitely look better
than yesterday. Honestly, when the nurse saw you yesterday, she swore blind that you looked like
death warmed over." Sara suffered through a light headlock and noogie, but got Six back with a poke
and a prod at her ribs. "Gee, thanks for that ringing endorsement. Lucas told me you managed to blast
some holes into the kitchen ceiling. How'd you manage to do that?" Six shrugged and mouthed 'Stir-
fry'. "Thanks. Y'know, I'm going to have to suffer through a mountain of repair bills for that part
of my house before summer.
"So, didja get my gift through Lucas?" Six nodded and showed Sara the brooch pinned onto
the underside of her collar. "I like it. However, I can't understand how you got it while stuck in
here." Sara smiled and sat down. "Actually, I got it two days ago as a present for you because you
tolerated me for most of the week. Wear it in good health. So, what brings you here, other than
concern for my well-being?" Six sat down beside Sara and let her hand twitch the bed sheets into
place. "Well, I was wondering where you had wandered off to the morning before you got shot." Sara
looked at Six for a few seconds, then chuckled. "Riiight. Actually, I had a drink from the outdoor caf‚
near that giant statue in the park. I think that you want to ask something other than that. What is it?"
Six frowned, but being caught, had to answer. "Okay, I give. I want to know where you
learned to shoot like that. Stryk told me what you did, and the only other people I can think of with
your level of skill are either in the military or Olympic candidates." Sara shrugged. "I'm Canadian,
I've explored areas that were ripped up by major warfare in pursuit of unique biological specimens,
and my father was a Commander in the RCA. Now you can connect the dots." Six grimaced as she
worked through the evasive answer, but caught onto the right thread quickly enough. "Your father
dragged you out for target shooting or hunting when you were a child, huh?"
"Yep. I honed my skills for self defence when I was travelling the world. Oh yes, if you ever
decide to go on a round-the-world tour, avoid Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan like the plague." Sara
looked over at the door to the hallway and sighed. "You can come in anytime doc. I won't bite. I
already have enough problems to deal with." Six's eyes widened fractionally as Reba walked into the
room, scuffing her shoes on the worn tiles. "How do you do that?" Sara grinned and shook her head.
"Trade secret. How d'you do doc?" Reba brightened up and sat down on the chair pointed at by Sara,
just in time to catch Six's nod of greeting.
"Well Sara, your blood work came back this afternoon, and, to be honest, I'm utterly
confused by it. This has given me the excuse of sending a sample to an acquaintance of mine who may
be able to shed some light on the really odd chemical cocktail that you call your blood. My friend may
be coming over at about Ten, maybe Ten-Thirty, so try to be awake okay?" Sara nodded quickly,
then asked the most obvious question. "So, what's the name of your friend?" Reba paused for a few
seconds, wondering wether she should reveal the person's name, then decided to tell the truth. "His
name is Doctor Anthony Zacharias. I'll be surprised if you know him."
Sara frowned at Reba for a few seconds, then spoke. "Who hasn't heard of him? Not many
people know him personally, but even I've seen his effect on the world of Quantum Physics, despite
the fact that I have little interest in that field. One quote attributed to another quantum physicist was
that his effect on the field is like a child carpet-bombing anthills with dozens of M-80s." Her
statement set off a cluster of child-like giggles from where Six was sitting, and made Reba double
over in a coughing fit. Six got up and hit Reba in the upper back to interrupt the coughing, then
wiped the tears out of her eyes as she explained why she had cracked up.
"That sounds like one of his competitors. Zack has managed to rewrite about half the
'immutable' laws of physics, quantum and otherwise. As a result, a lot of people in the sciences are
quite willing to try and disprove him, no matter what the expense." Sara chewed on her lower lip for
a second, then grinned. "Yeah, like that 30 billion euro supercollider in the Black Forest. For some
odd reason Reba, I think I like you. Now, why don't we violate some rules and play a game of
poker?"
Six smiled and shrugged, and Reba gave in after Sara pointed out that she probably hadn't
had a break since Seven that morning. Soon, Sara had raised the stakes to Truth or Dare mixed with
the game, and was lucky enough to convince Six to either give up the name of her significant other
or walk around the room dressed like Reba for five minutes. Naturally, Six decided to go for the dare,
and when she lost the hand, both Sara and Reba had a laugh as Six grumbled her way through the
routine, mocking both the diminutive doctor and herself.
Soon, Reba was playing cards while trying to stand on her head, and Sara was wearing Six's
hat as a 'trophy', but had managed to become 'lackey-for-an-hour' to Six when she healed, and Reba
had a promise from Sara to sing 'I'm a little teapot' by tomorrow. In less than five minutes, all three
were laughing, mainly because Sara decided to imitate several infamous characters from movies in
their respective accents. They calmed down soon enough when Reba saw that it was Ten and
someone had just walked out of the elevator.
In less than a minute, someone knocked on the door, and Reba opened it, revealing a tall man,
wearing a long coat and hat, and apparently around fifty years old. Reba smiled when she saw him,
despite barely coming up to his waist, and Six got up to greet him with a handshake and muttered
greetings. Sara waited patiently for someone to introduce her to the man, but she could guess that
he was Anthony Zacharias. Soon, Six turned back to Sara and simply pulled the man over to her.
"Sara, please meet one of my trusted friends, Dr. Zack. Zack, another one of my friends, Sara
D'Arnise." Sara smiled and offered her left hand to be shaken. Zack took the offer after a few
seconds of hesitation, then realised why Sara had offered her left hand when he saw the bandage
covering her right shoulder.
"My lord. That looks quite painful. Can you tell me how you got such a nasty wound?"
"Simple doc. I got shot by something big, dumb, and green. Worst thing though, is that I could've
avoided the leg wound if I had been a second faster." Zack raised his eyebrows at that remark, but
changed the subject. "Well Miss, Reba sent me a sample of your blood this afternoon, and I can
honestly say that I'm totally baffled by what your blood has in it. I found several metallic compounds,
along with trace amounts of radioactive isotopes. Also, when I scanned part of the sample with an
electron microscope, I saw that those compounds were highly advanced nanomachinery. Can you
explain how you have that technology?"
Sara glanced at Six, who shrugged, then made a decision. "I guess so. If you managed to
examine my blood at a level to clearly pick out those nanobots, you'd have noticed a nasty little virus
going about its business too. That virus has managed to devastate my skeleton over the course of
several years, and as a result, I have those little robots to maintain what's left of my original bones.
Charles Sorbie was the person who did the necessary surgeries." Seeing a blank look on Six and
Zack's faces, Sara chuckled slightly and nodded towards Reba. "You probably know who he is. You
want to fill them in, or shall I?" Reba nodded, smiling, and sat down in the chair where she had been
playing cards. "Dr. Sorbie, despite being retired, is still considered one of the most influential doctors
in Canada. Back in '97, he decided to shoot down all objections and replaced a HIV+ patient's elbows
after they had been worn down by skeletal damage.
"Actually, the damage done to Sara's skeleton is comparative to osteoporosis because the
bones become porous, but they also soften to a level approximating that of cartilage." Zack nodded
as he absorbed the information, then turned back to Sara. "I noticed that your arms are rather heavily
scarred. Now, is that caused by a side effect of the nanotech, or is it something different?" Sara
grinned. "Well, they manage to wreak havoc on metal detectors. The bones in my arms and legs are
actually duraluminum. Naturally, because most of my bone marrow went with them, I have a host of
new problems to deal with, such as an'mia."
"Oh. Interesting. Reba, may I have copies of Sara's X-rays? I might be able to get some more
information from them, especially when dealing with the effects her skeleton has on the rest of her
system." Sara raised an eyebrow as Reba nodded, feeling slightly torqued about being talked about
like she was an automation. "Gee thanks. Y'know, I'm right here. So, do you want my opinion of
what's in my blood?" After seeing everyone nod, Sara grinned and showed off the now-visibly
shrinking gash in her leg. "That is caused by the nanobot surplus in my blood, but basically, the metal
content is caused by the actual frames of the machinery.
"The isotopes are new to me, but I can probably be correct by guessing that they are the
power sources for the machines. Now, I might suffer from a form of cancer in several years, but until
a better power source is developed, I guess I'll have to live with the risk of chemotherapy in the
future. Hopefully, the only thing that'll happen is that I'll be a blip on a Geiger counter." Six passed
her hand over her mouth, trying to suppress a smile caused by the exasperated tone Sara used. Zack
himself, despite his best efforts, was also smiling, but Reba was more interested in the almost-healed
wound.
"Wow. If you let me, I'd publish an article in the local Doctor's Journal, just to smash some
of the established thinkers into their own mistakes. A lot of the older doctors don't keep up with
current medical research, and the fact that nanotech can be used to heal rather gruesome wounds in
less than one quarter of the time normally taken." Sara shrugged, then tried to hide the fact that she
was totally exhausted, but failed. Reba noticed Sara trying to hide her yawn, and asked for Six and
Zack to leave, so Sara could get enough rest. "Sara, just because your wounds regenerate quickly
doesn't mean you get free reign of the hospital. Now, on doctor's orders, you have to go to sleep
now. Oh, yes. I almost forgot. You are getting a double portion of the slop they call food, just
because you're the wonder patient of the month. Good night."
"G'night Reba, Zack. Good hunting, Six. Try not to get crippled, okay?" With that, Reba
pushed Zack out of the door, allowing Sara and Six to exchange smiles and a handclasp just as Reba
neatly ushered Six out the window before leaving herself, closing the door behind her, and leaving
Sara with her thoughts for another half hour before she finally fell asleep.
Next Day
