CHAPTER 10: Poisoned

When Storm and Shadow made it back to New Knothole, Everyone was in the infirmary. Storm walked in and saw that Pace had been put in a bed with Blossom and Skye busying themselves with him. Storm could see he wasn't well; his aura was now a yellowish green and was very dull.

"What's wrong with him?" Shadow asked.

"Some kind of poison," Skye answered, running a few numbers on STEPHEN. "A kind I've never seen before; it acts fast at first, then slows down, leaving the victim like this," He gestured to Pace in the bed.

Storm touched Pace on the forehead and immediately pulled his hand away from the heat on Paces body. Tears returned to his eyes as he remembered a time when he was sick; Kyra rarely left his side during that time. She had told him she knew how to heal with herbs and had used herbs to help him. He remembered that his illness lasted for a much shorter time than what Eli had thought.

"If Kyra was here," Storm started. "She'd come up with something herbal to at least bring down the fever."

"I don't think so," Topaz said, looking over at Storm from where she sat as Skye's laptop where she had been eating up the information Skye found on Rouge the Bat. "According to Blade and Patty, she wasn't who we thought she was."

"What do you mean?" Storm asked.

Topaz looked at Blade, who scowled at her. "Thanks for the spotlight," Blade grumbled before looking at Storm. "I'm sorry to add to your pain, Storm, but before she told me her plan Nega told us that he was related to her."

"What?" Asked Blossom and Skye in unison, both looking up from what they were doing.

"She explained that he was her step father." Platinum said. "And that she didn't see him as a father. From what I gathered from the situation, she ran away from him and that led to her being found in that abandoned house by Storm."

Storm thought about this, yes he was upset about the news, but it wasn't as bad as when he found that his friend was dead. Then he remembered that dark spot where her heart was, and that he commented that it might have been a scar that wouldn't heal. "Do you think that was why she had that dark spot?" Storm asked. "Because she was Nega's step daughter?"

Blade shrugged. "Maybe, we won't know now."

Shadow looked at Pace; his fists were clenched and his eyes shut tight with his face making him look like he was in pain.

"Is there anything we can do for him?" Shadow asked.

"Not until we find an antidote." Blossom said, dabbing a cool cloth on Pace's forehead to wipe away the sweat.

Then Storm snapped his fingers. "Kyra always kept her notes on herbs in STEPHEN. If we can't find an antidote, we can at least find something to cool him off and comfortable.

"At this point, I'm willing to try anything." Skye said, immediately looked up the file.

Kyra awoke much later, her head still ached, but it wasn't spinning and the ringing in her ears had finally stopped. Without opening her eyes, she tried to figure out where she was; Storm had taught her this trick a while ago.

From the softness under her and the warmth that washed over her, she discovered she was in a bed. She listened to people walking around outside her room on a wood floor, so she was in a house and not captured by Nega. By the smell wonderful smell of maple syrup and waffles, she guessed it was either morning or evening, the chirp of a cricket outside confirmed that it was evening.

Finally deciding to open her eyes, she found she was in a small house that was rather comfortable and cozy. She felt her head and realized it was bandaged. She looked around and saw a figure slumped in a comfortable looking rocking chair with a baseball cap over his eyes. He was certainly mobian by the look of his light grey fur and gloved hands. His chin rested on his chest with arms crossed and his legs crossed at the ankles. As Kyra looked at him, she realized he was sleeping and snoring quit loudly. By his light coloring, and her poor eyesight at the moment, Kyra thought at first it was Storm.

"Storm?" She asked, her voice sounding dry and hoarse.

The figure snorted and flinched into a sitting position. Kyra almost giggled as he felt forward with his hands before taking off his cap and looked at her. She now saw this wasn't Storm. He looked like a half-breed between a hedgehog and an echidna. Some of his smaller spines stuck out in places but the thicker ones lay down. His quills His face looked like a hedgehog and he was as short as one, but he had a determined look on his face and very strong looking arms.

"Um…" He said, his voice holding the Echidnian tone. "No… My name's Trent. My friend and I found you in the ruble of Nega's base. Looks like those Redemption Rebels finally got him good."

"Nega's gone?" Kyra asked.

Trent shook his head. "No dice there, but the Redemption Rebels sure got him good, it'll be a while before he tries anything else." Trent replied as he stretched and yawned.

Trent got up and went to the door. "Yo, Seth and Grandpa! Our guest's awake!"

"Coming Trent!" Came a voice that Kyra didn't recognize as mobian.

Trent came back into the room and gave Kyra a crooked smile, reminding Kyra of Pace. "So, what's your name?" He asked.

"Kyra." Kyra answered.

"And who's this Storm you keep talking about?" Trent asked. "Along with Blade, and Pace and this Shadow person."

Kyra's eye widened. "How did you know about them?"

"I have an ability to read minds." Trent answered as if it wasn't a big deal.

Kyra looked Trent with wide eyes. Trent held a serious look for a moment longer until he couldn't hold it. He cracked a smile and started laughing.

"Got ya," He chuckled. "You were talking in your sleep. You talked about a Pace, a Blade and a Shadow. You said something about a plan, but you mostly talked about a guy named Storm and that you were sorry for something."

"Storm is my closest friend." Kyra explained. Then she told her story; from how she met Storm and the Redemption Rebels to their plan for taking out the Roboticiser. She told about her plan for distraction while the rest of her team got away.

"Last thing I know is the base blowing up, so I think my friends are safe." Kyra concluded. "I can only imagine how Storm is holding up."

Then she noticed that two more people were standing by her bed. They were people she never expected. They were humans like her; an older man with a clean-shaven chin and white hair with gentle brown eyes and he leaned against a roughly made cane. The other was maybe a year older than her and a little taller. He had green eyes with light brown hair. His face reminded her of Pace's.

Kyra had never seen another human, other than her mother, father and Nega. She knew that there were humans in Mobius, but they were rare. She thought she was the only one that wasn't in hiding and fighting against Nega.

"Hey," Said the younger human. "My name is Seth, and this is my grandfather Jack."

"You are very lucky the boys found you, young lady." Jack said. "You're welcome to stay as long as you want."

"Thank you." Kyra answered shyly.

She started moving to sit up, but Seth beat her too it, helping her sit up and holding a glass of water for her. She didn't take the water at first, but looked down to where her feet were.

"Why won't my legs move?" She asked, fearing the answer.

"Not to worry, my dear." Jack said, coming forward to sit on the bed. "Your legs are simply temporarily paralyzed. It will take time, but you will heal after a short while."

"Paralyzed!" Kyra asked, nearly shouting. "Look, I thank you all for your hospitality, but I have to get back to New Knothole, my friend may be thinking that I'm dead."

Trent whistled. "Boy, could you imagine the look on their faces when you show up perfectly fine after they had your funeral?"

Kyra lowered her eyes. She couldn't stand the thought of being away from Storm for longer than necessary. She knew he was in good hands, but knowing that he thought she was dead, and after loosing Eli so recently, she couldn't imagine what he was going through.

Seth saw this and sat down on the bed next to her. "It'll be alright," He told her. "It will only be for a few days, until you get your strength back. After that Trent and I could escort you to New Knothole. Oh wait, I forgot. New Knothole's position is supposed to be kept a secret, that way Nega can never find it."

Kyra thought about this, then looked at Seth and Trent. "If you guys want to stay in New Knothole, and be searched for bugs when we enter, I suppose you could take me."

"What about my grandfather?" Seth asked. "He's the only family I have left."

"Once we get to Knothole, I have a friend who can get here and pick up your grandfather." Kyra answered.

"Pace?" Trent asked.

"No, Shadow." Kyra corrected. "He can come here and get your grandfather in a flash… literally."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Jack said. "Now, I'm sure you're hungry. Taking out an entire base can take a lot out of a girl."

Kyra smiled as Jack helped her get up out of the bed. Her legs refused to obey her, no matter how hard she tried. Seth and Trent made something like a chair with their arms while Jack helped her to them and sit on their arms.

As they carried her to the kitchen, Kyra could only think about Storm. 'I hope he and the others can forgive me.' She thought sadly, thinking how Storm would have taken the news.