Disclaimer: I didn't steal these characters. I borrowed them without permission or consent from their creator, and wrote these sentences before using them so that I can't get sued for it.
Chapter 13: Rescue Missions
Eftlak's POV
I was in absolute, total shock. Or maybe that was Ricky. Either way, the shock was tangible.
"How do we get her out?" Tom asked. I don't think Rick heard him. "I mean, it's not like the doctors are going to just let us walk out with their patient."
Out of the corner of Ricky's eye, I saw one of those cart things that assistants use to move medical stuff. There was a sheet covering it.
(That cart,> I told Ricky. (She could hide under it.>
Rick snapped out of his trance. He quickly disconnected his little sister from all the machines around her. Tom glanced at the cart and seemed to figure out what I'd said. He grabbed two spare doctor coats.
"Okay, Amy," said Ricky, "ya need to hide in the bottom of this cart. Don't come out 'til I tell ya to. If ya do, we'll get split up. Got it?"
The very confused kid nodded. Ricky pulled back the sheet covering the cart so that she could slip under it. He then pulled on the white coat that Tom had offered him.
"If my dad catches us, I am so dead," Tom muttered. He took a deep breath. "Okay: just look confident, follow my lead, and no one should give us a second look."
Ricky nodded. We pushed the cart out of the room and towards the elevators. Suddenly, a man stopped us. Ricky tensed. (This is it. We're doomed.>
"Can we help you, sir?" asked Tom, like nothing was wrong.
"I'm looking for my son, room 104S…"
"Down this hall, turn left, it's the fifth door, there's a water fountain next to it."
"Thanks." The man rushed off.
"How'd you know that?" Ricky asked under his breath.
"Dad works here. And I was in that room one time, when I broke my arm. It's kind of embedded in my memory."
We got to the elevators without being stopped again. I guess, in a hospital, no one cares about a couple of extra orderlies unless they need directions.
There was cheery music playing in the elevator. Tom hummed along. Ricky and I both found it rather annoying, but neither of us commented. Rick felt too much in debt to Tom to complain.
When the elevator finally stopped, we were at the ambulance level.
"We just slip out the side door over there, and we're home free. Come on." Tom strode purposefully towards the exit.
"Safe," Ricky announced, shedding to coat. Amy tried to get out from under the cart, but fell sideways onto the ground.
"We ought to carry her," Tom observed. "She hasn't stood up for almost a month, it's to much for her to handle just yet." Rick nodded again and scooped his sister up.
"Let's get you home, Amy."
It took us a long time just to get back to Ricky's neighborhood, because we had to stay hidden. Ricky's arms began to ache after the first half-hour, but he gave Tom a Death Glare when the other boy offered to carry Amy for him. Amy herself was starting to fall asleep again.
Once we got to Ricky's house, he put his sister gently down on the couch. Everything was coated in a fine layer of dust. Behind us, Tom sneezed.
Keritus' POVI met my friends at our usual spot—a grove where the family properties intersected. The other three were already there.
Kalsyfer, the eldest of the group, bowed his head slightly to me. That's his version of 'hello'. He didn't say much anymore—he'd been talkative when we were kids, but now… there's a darkness about him, years of pain hiding inside. I think it's because of his father. Alloran was infested when Kalsyfer was just a baby, so Kalsyfer gets tormented a lot by other Andalites.
(Hey … Keritus. What … kept … you?> Trakorlith asked.
Trakorlith is the youngest, but his scars make him look older than he is. He was born with no tail, one stalk-eye, and no ability to thought-speak. He used to get attacked a lot, until Kalsyfer came to his defense. Trakorlith has a computer fixed to his left arm—he types what he wants to say onto the keypad with his right hand, and then a speaker reads it out loud. He's actually more talkative than Kalsyfer now.
(What's the matter? You look upset.> My shorm, Skenaihan, twitched her tail. She was a deceptively frail-looking female with a vicious temper. She would join the military in a second if they allowed female arisths.
(I had to discuss something with my father,> I said bluntly. One look at my friends' faces, and I knew that they wouldn't let me leave it at that. (It was about Ax.>
(As always,> said Skenaihan. (How are things going with him, anyway? Professionally, not your relationship.>
I glared. (Our 'relationship' became official earlier this afternoon and now my father has forbidden me to be around Ax at all.>
(He … can't … do … that. Ax … is … your … patient … and … it … is … illegal … to … prevent … a … doctor … from … seeing … their … patients.>
(I'm not legally a doctor yet, Trakorlith. As far as legalities go, Ax is Father's patient.>
(But … you've … been … responsible … for … his … treatment.>
(Not really. I've had to get my father's approval for everything.>
Trakorlith seemed irritated by my unwillingness to agree. He glared at me for a moment, then turned his back to me.
(Remind me again why Ax is basically being held prisoner,> requested Skenaihan.
(Supposedly, he's dangerous. He will attack anyone who says he's related to Elfangor. Father's worried that 'Esp', whoever that is, warped Ax's mind. Ax claims that Esp is a Yeerk — that alone makes the War Council consider him a threat.>
(Being locked up is no way to recover. He may resort to becoming an enemy, just to get out of that box.>
(Listen, Skenaihan, I agree with you, but what can we do about it?>
(Break him out,> offered Kalsyfer abruptly. (Get him out of his cage and back to Earth, track down 'Esp' and get the whole story of what happened on that planet. For all we know, Ax is right and Elfangor was a traitor.>
(How … would … we … get … a … ship?>
Kalsyfer looked equally upset and determined. (My father spent a great deal of time trying to design the ultimate ship. I have access to one of his prototypes.>
(Is it any good?> Skenaihan demanded.
(I don't know. The final creation got sucked into a black hole—as I said, this is just one of the prototypes.>
(I get the feeling that none of our parents would approve,> I protested, without any real conviction.
(And that matters, why?> my shorm demanded.
(Mine … will … not … care.>
(Do you want to help Ax or not?> added Kalsyfer.
I glared fiercely at him. (Of course.>
Okay, so they were right. We couldn't just leave Ax in there. For now he seemed fine, if a bit restless, but the long-term damage of confinement might become irreversible.
He was actually asleep when the door opened. (Ax?> I whispered.
His eyelids decided that they didn't want to visit each other anymore, but would prefer to be as far apart as possible. (What are you doing here? Who are they?>
(These are the friends that I mentioned: Skenaihan, Trakorlith, and Kalsyfer. We're here to get you out.>
Esp's POV"So what happened?" Jake asked. Tom and I had finally gotten back, and Jake was looking rather impatient.
"What do you mean?"
(Tom, you have a truly pathetic 'innocent face'.>
(Hey, I don't see you helping.)
"You've been gone for five hours. It can't take that long to deliver Dad's lunch."
"Midget, it's Mom's job to lecture me for coming home late."
(And with the glare he's giving you, he doesn't give a –>
(Shut it!>
(What? I'm not allowed to talk to you anymore?>
(This is not a good time, Esp!>
"Well?" Jake crossed his arms and waited.
(He's going to find out soon enough, Tom. He might as well hear it from us…> "Can we go, um, elsewhere?"
Cold nod. Jake swept upstairs, into his room, and sat down at his computer, facing us. The glare never wavered.
"Amy's alive. We found her in the ICU. She was the kid Dad mentioned, the one in the coma."
Now, the glare vanished completely. Jake's jaw dropped. His eyes bugged out. I thought for a moment that he was going to collapse.
"How?" he asked.
"We've got no idea. We told Rick and helped him get her out of there."
Midget may have been in shock, but his brain was still functioning. What he said next was absolute proof of this. "Dad is going to kill you."
Pronunciation guide:
Skenaihan: Skuh-NAY-han
Trakorlith: Tra-KOR-lith
Kalsyfer: Kal-SI-fer
A/N:
Me: I am so, so, so, so,SO, SO, SO, SO SORRY that I haven't updated for so long.
Mob: AND NOW YOU WILL PAY!
Me: I apologize! I beg forgiveness! (Pulls out thesaurus.) You have my sincerest of regrets! My sorrow knows no boundary! There is no excuse, no justification, except for the sudden and unexpected attack upon me by the horror known as REAL LIFE!
Mob: GASP! THE HORROR!
Me: Besides, I think I've bitten off more than I can chew. I've got 10 plots going in this fic!
Plots in this fic:
Ax going cuckoo
Ricky angst (sort of sorted out, but not quite)
Amy's recovery (to come)
Ax/Keritus romance
Tobias' angst issues
Elfangor/Pete hatred
Noorlin and Forlay showing up (they still don't know Elfangor has a kid, or even that he's married)
Visser Three, a.k.a. Esi, getting suspicious of Esp
The 'Aria plot' (see book 23 – I may skip this one, seeing as Tobias already knows)
Ax being rescued
Keritus' friends, who will no doubt complicate things (especially Kalsyfer)
Review Responses:
RT FAN14: You flatter me. I like that. Sorry, but don't expect an update in the near future. However, once there is another chapter, there will probably be more Tobias in them. Very angsty, angry Tobias.
Anicrazy: I may be re-writing chapter eleven. I probably will.
Asmodeus1389: I like your idea, but I didn't name our anonymous doctor because he will probably never appear again.
Korean Pearl: I'm not really into dating, either. Truth be told, I find most guys annoying. I just give my characters love-lives to make up for the fact I don't have one. (Actually, look for an e-mail from me. I have an idea for this that I want to check with someone before I post it.)
SilverHawk 27: I agree.
Tiamath: Your language is pardoned, because I agree. BLEEP CRAYAK! Yeah, I figured I ought to work on the Jake-Tom-Esp brotherly relationship. I mean, the title can apply to more that one case of brotherly love, right?
Anifan 1: As I said to Tiamath, I figured I ought to work on the Jake-Tom-Esp brotherly relationship.
Beekiller-Johanna from Finland: Amy never died. Does "! Jippii.fi!" actually mean anything (no offence if it does), or were you just pounding random keys from joy? Don't worry, I haven't forgotten Ax.
Dragon: When I said 'Gee, thanks Mom!' in chapter eight, I WAS BEING SARCASTIC, referring to the fact that I had almost no computer time thanks to her. Having next to no computer time meant that if you wanted chapters in a timely fashion, there would be no review responses.
EVERYONE: This will likely be a very long story, most likely at least fifty chapters long. I'm trying to make the chapters longer. Said chapters will have a lot of time between them, so please don't beg for updates (unless I pull a Blue Dragon on you and don't update for three months.)