Chapter Nine
Kori knew that she couldn't go to the hospital as a civilian with her injuries – and evidence of treatment – without being called into a Police interview room. Then, when she refused to say anything, they'd get either the Titans or Batman in – and then she truly was screwed.
So what was she to do? Chemists didn't hold supplies of what she needed, and the hospital would have it in the centre of all the hallways. She could storm in there and demand it, but then the Titans would come and she'd be apprehended, it seemed that Slade had washed his hands of her and she was completely on her own to get out. The second they figured out who she was, she'd be handed back over to Batman, and she'd been warned about drawing attention to herself before – he wouldn't hesitate in ending her.
"Fuck." She sighed for what felt like the millionth time since she was injured, it was her new most-used word.
Sticking to the shadows and alleyways, Kori made her way to the edge of the city. Seeing her target, she grabbed a woman around the neck and covered her mouth – silencing her screams.
"Shh, be quiet!" She hissed furiously, "I won't hurt you!" She promised.
The girl eventually calmed down enough to just shake in Kori's arms. Rolling her eyes, she turned the girl around and held the blaster in between her eyes.
"If you have any water on you, I need it." She snapped.
"I-I-I...w-w–" Kori cut her off.
"If you ask me why, I'll blow your fucking head off." Kori snapped, rubbing her neck where she could feel her blood getting thick, "I need some water, but as you can see..." Kori said, gesturing to her bloodied clothing and one-legged pants, "...I can't go and get myself some." She explained, "I will spare you any pain, at all, if you get me a bottle of water." She said, softening slightly.
The woman took great pity of the swaying girl, she could see the damage done to her body and could see that she was desperate.
"O-Okay." She nodded, getting up and walking into a store.
Kori was wary, knowing full-well that the woman could easily ask someone for their phone and call the Titans. But it seemed that her worry wasn't needed, as a few minutes later, the woman ran out of the store and over to the alleyway with a large bottle of water in hand.
"It's the smallest bottle they had," She explained, handing it to her, "Will y-y-you be okay?" She asked hesitantly.
She was scared about how the secretive girl would answer, it seemed that she needed medical attention, and she didn't even know whether this girl was a good buy or a bad guy – she could just be running from a gang.
"That doesn't concern you." Kori said, sitting on the floor and unscrewing the lid off the bottle of water, "Go, you've been of use to me." She dismissed her.
"You look like you need help..." The woman said, not moving.
"I'll be fine, go." Kori snapped, rubbing the water over her face to clean it a bit before drinking a handful.
"If you need–"
"–I'll be fine, but if you don't leave now – and forget this ever happened – you won't be." Kori warned, keeping her eyes averted as the woman walked off.
Kori drank some more water, making sure that she'd be able to run long enough without the intravenous drip. When she couldn't drink anymore, she extracted the needle from the crease of her elbow and left the little sack of liquid on the floor in the alleyway.
Now that she only had to worry about her left arm, she stepped out into the street – keeping to the shadows of the night – and made her way towards the closest hospital.
The walk was taking its toll on her leg, the damaged, punctured flesh of her exposed thigh was hard to use and strained to keep up with her good leg. The same could be said for her left arm, though it was bandaged from her shoulder to her elbow, it still snagged and pulled on the flesh. Her neck was the only thing that was closest to healed; though it was still bleeding – the blood even dripping out of the bandage down her neck – it didn't hurt when she moved, at least.
"You try to heal yourself and it bites you on the ass." She muttered to herself quietly, looking down at the pavement and her exposed leg to try and keep the staring eyes off of her.
It seemed to work to some extent, less people paid her attention when her face was covered and she just acted like nothing was wrong.
Apart from looking like the hunchback of Notre Dame when you walk, Kori.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
"Robin, you've got to answer that sometime." Raven sighed, picking it up. "Hello?"
Robin just looked through the data banks of the hospitals; trying to find the girl he'd harmed. What the rest of his team didn't know was why he was looking for the girl, the reason he was searching so frantically for a small-time criminal. She'd called him up on betrayal, and the way she spoke to him – it was like she knew him.
Who are you? He asked himself, looking through the profiles and pictures of everyone. Or more importantly, who are you connected to? He had a theory that this girl was connected, through blood or otherwise, to someone that Robin used to know – someone that he'd defeated and put behind bars. If that was the case, then this girl could prove dangerous if still alive, or her connections would prove even more dangerous if she was dead. He needed to speak to her, interrogate her if he had to – he needed to know who he'd offended to turn her into a criminal.
Looking more closely at what she'd stolen, he'd figured she wasn't with Slade – he wouldn't waste getting caught to steal things he could already make. He could see that they weren't anywhere near as dangerous as Slade, but then, hardly anyone was when you compared them properly. She'd stolen items that could be used in a nuclear weapon, hand weapons, communication devices...almost anything could be made with them.
Robin's inner thoughts were corrupted when Raven pushed him out of the chair, he looked around frantically to see that all the Titans had assembled in the control room and were looking at the screen. Raven had pulled up the phone connection and was showing a CCTV film of the woman on the phone.
"Batman? Titians? Anyone?" She called into the phone, worried.
"We're here, what's the emergency?" Cyborg asked, leaning on the desk professionally – it seemed that this was the last resort people used when calling for Batman's help.
"I was pulled into an alleyway..." She said slowly. She's calling to find a rapist? "...There was a girl there..." Multiple rape? That sounds a bit more serious. "She was covered in blood; but she told me she wouldn't hurt me..." No rape? "So, I think it was her own, she had bandages on too..." Sarah Connor? "She asked me to buy her water, she didn't take my purse or anything, and then she let me go." The woman explained frantically, "I think she's being chased, but I couldn't tell you who – or from what side."
"It's alright, ma'am." Cyborg said, "Which way did she go?" He asked.
"I-I left the alleyway before she did, I waited to see if she'd come out – but she never did." The woman said, her voice squeaky, "I went back after a few minutes, but she wasn't there – just an in IV drip, a-and I couldn't let her just wander about the city in her state–" She went on, her voice panicky.
"–Ma'am. Ma'am–" Cyborg tried, but she went on.
"He leg was maimed, her arm covered in bloody bandages – and her neck, it was dripping with blood..." She went on.
But no one listened to the rest, they had learned all they needed to learn from the last injury – she had a slashed, bleeding neck.
"Sarah Connor!" Beast Boy called out with a grin.
"Ma'am, thank you for your information." Cyborg said, cutting off the CCTV, "You have contributed to the safety of the city, and everyone within it." He said before ending the connection.
"Nicely done." Raven complimented him.
"Batman mailed me the transcript." Cyborg explained, "Where would you go if you had injuries like her? It doesn't sound like she's been treated..."
"The Comic Book store." Beast Boy answered with a 'thumbs-up'.
"Here." Robin said.
"The Hospital." Raven rolled her eyes, "But she's not stupid enough to go there – she knows we've got them all tabbed, and you don't exactly slash your neck three inches deep by falling down the stairs." She said with a raised eyebrow.
Just then the alarm sounded, it was flashing red which meant that it was an important building like a bank, or a museum or a–
"Gotham City General." Raven said, turning to face her team, "Looks like she is stupid enough to go there." She said with wide-eyes. "Are you sure she didn't jump under that shuriken because it was shiny?" She asked sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.
Gotham City General.
Kori looked up at the huge building and tried to figure out the best way to get inside and get what she needed. Not sure whether going in full-force would get her anywhere, she opted for sneaking in and raiding the supply closet.
A window on the force floor was open, getting up there wouldn't be a problem, but walking out with her injuries and a bag full of medical supplies...it wasn't going to happen.
She fired a grapple through the open window and heard it hook into something; it had some ground as she managed to pull her entire body up with it as the anchor. While she was being pulled up, she thanked X'hal that she had an automatic pulley system rather than having to climb up – her arm was bad enough.
She hauled her body through the window and landed on the floor beside the bed, apparently her grapple was hooked into the lamp screwed to the bedside table.
As she got up, she came face-to-face with a little girl – hardly ten years old – that was staring at her with big, beautiful, azure eyes. She was hooked up to several machines and leads were all over her. Kori looked over the girl and saw her thin layer of hair and weak legs.
"Hello." She smiled to the girl.
The girl smiled back, "Hello." Her voice was sweet and kind, the sound you could imagine babies laughter would be like if you infused it with a child's sigh. "Are you a patient here?" She asked her.
"No, dear." Kori admitted.
"You're visiting someone?" She asked, tilting her head to the side adorably.
"Erm, no." Kori said, rubbing her head.
"Then, why are you here?" The little girl asked in a sweet whisper.
"I'm not well, sweetie." She explained, "But I don't like hospitals," She half-lied, "So, I'm here to get some supplies to treat myself." She said, keeping her tone light.
"That's dangerous." The girl scolded, "That's a lot of blood." She pointed to Kori's damaged neck and arm.
The Tamaranean looked at the girl's arm and all of the leads handing off of it, but the girl didn't seem to mind – she was acting in the same way Kori would act if the little girl looked at her boots, or her haircut.
"It is..." Kori nodded, "But I'm going to be fine."
"I have a plaster if you need one." The girl said, getting out of the bed and dragging a tall frame with an intravenous drip hanging off of it. "It's got kittens on." She giggled.
The girl handed Kori the plaster, it was only little but the Tamaranean pretended that it would make everything better.
"Thank you." Kori smiled, "Do you want some help?" She asked, seeing the girl struggle with the leads slightly.
"Yes, please." The girl said politely.
Kori nodded and walked over, moving the stand over to the right hand side of the bed and untangling the wires so that the girl could have the covers back over her again. When Kori had finished, she stepped back and looked around the room for something she could use to patch up her leg.
"Can I borrow this?" Kori asked, picking up a spare robe from the pile on the chair beside her bed.
"It won't fit you!" She giggled.
"Yes, it will." Kori chuckled, feigning a glare at the girl – it was very playful behaviour for her.
"No, it's not!" She squeaked, grinning.
"Fine then, I'll show you!" Kori said, sticking her tongue out at the girl childishly. The girl laughed when Kori put her arm through one of the holes and it ripped. "Oops." Kori chuckled.
The girl snickered.
Kori then proceeded to rip the robe so that she could tie it around her leg, the girl watched her intently – interested.
"Does it hurt?" She asked all of a sudden in the silence.
Kori looked up, not sure whether to lie or not to the girl. She figured that this girl would know a lot about hospital life considering the way she was hooked up and her pale complexion.
"Yes, but I'll be alright soon enough." Kori lied, knowing it would take weeks to heal enough to continue with her work.
"What's your name?" The girl asked as she watched Kori tighten the material and rearrange the sack of blood – that was almost empty – on her side.
"Kori." She smiled, sitting on the end of the girl's bed, "What's yours?" She asked.
"Sofia." The girl said, "Do you have a mom and dad?" She asked.
Kori was taken aback by the question, when would someone ask that in a normal conversation? How does someone answer when they have none?
"I did."
"I did, too." Sofia said, "Are they with the angels as well?" She asked.
"Yeah," Kori smiled, a little extra water filling her eyes, "Yes, they are."
Kori couldn't understand her emotions, she was upset but...she'd just met this girl – how could she already have formed a bond? She'd just been nosy and handed her a pointless plaster! And yet, the Tamaranean felt herself bound to the little girl already, and she knew she'd be back.
"I must go now, Sofia." Kori said, getting up off of the bed.
"Oh..." The girl sighed, looking down at her hands in her lap, "Will you come and see me again?" She asked with light in her eyes.
Kori was faced with a dilemma now. Once she robbed the supply store, she'd never be able to come back to the hospital...and in turn, never see Sofia again, or, alternatively she could tell the girl she'd not come back and save the girl misguided hope.
Looking at the little bundle of giggles, she could see that the girl was going to be there long-term. Not sure why her Tamaranean attachments had surfaced now, Kori slowly nodded to the little girl, unable to say no.
"But you must tell no one of me." She said seriously.
"I promise." The girl smiled, her excitement was evident.
Kori left the room, not sure why she'd formed the chemical attachment to the girl – although she was confused, she knew that she'd never be able to stay away from the hospital when she knew her gota'thol was here.
Right, the hard one to explain – but here goes!
Gota'thol is a word I made up, but it's meant to be like a k'norfka, or something like that. It is basically a Tamaranean bond that is chemical, I compared it to the feelings people get about adverts on TV about orphans and things.
Like imprinting...but...more...alien...and not about love, it's more like a psychic link.
Rate and review my crazy chapter, the best is yet to come!
Jade.