Background music suggestion: Tiluland: Epic Tilu Fantasy Part I - A Grand Tale
Chapter 14: Stay with Me
And if you are looking for the answer
And if you are looking for the light that leads the way
Take my hand and I will lead you
Where the torture and the pain will drift away
Stay with me
Stay with me
- Saviour Machine: Legion
…
They were back at the Hades club. This would be their first gig as a trio. Yes, they had felt conflicted about the location at first but they had thought in a way they could dedicate it to Rene - and Lucas, of course. A lot had happened. A lot of bad shit. So they would try to make something good out of it.
Jo was very content having done some soldering the previous week. The guitar mics were now perfect. Eric counted the song in and the intro began energetically, even angrily. Ian approached the mic as the first verse would begin soon, and as the moment came in an instant Jo's chord died, as did the lights. The power was out. Jo knew something was deeply wrong and even in the emergency lights she saw that Ian was down on the floor. She began immediately running towards him, clumsily, as her guitar still hung there from her neck.
…
Something nudged her. Her first thought was that it was an electric shock and she had to get to Ian. But then she realized she wasn't on the stage anymore. She was definitely looking at the ceiling, lying on something. She couldn't fully feel her body but she still felt the urgency, the desperate need to get to Ian, and it was terrifying. Her eyes now focused and she tried to turn her head. It was difficult. The frustration was now making her angry and she realized she could use this. So she finally succeeded and could see familiar figures, lying on some kind of surfaces, beside her...It was Erik and Mitsuko. On hospital beds.
The drug.
She remembered now. She had to be on a similar hospital bed too, in Helena's lab. As she turned her head again, more easily now, Gudrun was on the other side as she expected. Some kind of inefficient lights were on behind her, shedding a cool bluish atmospheric light in the room. She now realized there was a beeping sound she could hear somewhere in the distance...The rhythm of a heartbeat. A slow heartbeat.
He's fighting to stay alive.
It was Ian. She just knew it. So he couldn't be far and she knew she had to get to him. It probably wasn't rational. What could she do, especially in her current state...But she just had to do it.
But there was a problem. She couldn't feel her limbs.
Think, Jo. Think.
She knew Ian had this motivational phrase he used and she knew she needed her own now. Words entered her mind.
Thrash...speed...burn?
Yes.
Thrash! Speed! Burn!
Incredibly it worked. She could vaguely feel her legs now. But thinking of her position on the bed, she knew she wouldn't be able to get off it safely. It was far too high. She tried to look down the bed, searching for controls. Luckily there was a panel close to her right hand. She could probably lower the bed. So the right hand was needed now.
Thrash! Speed! Burn!
Yes, she could move her right hand now. Jo tried to feel the buttons. There was one she suspected could take the bed lower. Success. She heard the hydraulics moving, taking her down to the lowest position. She would've preferred it lower but she ordered herself to roll off the bed.
Thump.
This had not been elegant but she was lying on her stomach now, feeling lucky she had avoided hitting her face on the floor. Fortunately her hands had taken the hit. But still, it had hurt. A lot.
She listened now closely where the beeping sound was coming from. It was definitely the doorway to her left. Jo was repeating her power phrase of thrashing, speeding and burning, as she slowly took more and more control of her arms. She felt like a slimy snail, slowly sliding herself forward on the floor. Luckily the floor was smooth.
...
Jo was startled awake. She had actually dozed off on the floor, who knows for how long. She couldn't believe she could've done that in this situation and felt so angry at herself. And now her own heart was beating as she listened…searching for the sound.
No.
The beeping pulse was even slower. Fueled by desperation she continued to pull herself forward with her arms, the rest of her body dragging behind. She would do this. Fuck. Where were Cosmo and Helena? Shouldn't they be here? Jo entered the room and could see a gurney. She tried to look up.
Ian.
Seeing him this way gave her strength she couldn't imagine. Suddenly she was crawling, quite quickly actually, and was right next to the gurney. She realized its steel structure was like a ladder she could use. All she needed was…
Thrash!
Speed!
Burn!
And she was up. Jo pulled herself next to him, carefully making herself space. Ian wasn't wearing a shirt and she could instantly feel how his skin was covered with cold sweat.
"Ian."
Her voice had been hoarse and she felt so drained now, like her body was shutting down. In a moment her legs and arms were all pins and needles...She realized she had come all the way here...and she couldn't even help him. Her eyes were becoming very misty.
"I'm sorry…"
She heard the heartbeat was so unnaturally slow. Soon his heart would probably stop beating and there was nothing she could do. She felt enraged and desperate. How could they just leave him like this…She knew her arms were no longer moving. Her other arm was still there resting on Ian, and just remained encircled around him. It felt like a fog was entering her brain as the last of the adrenaline wore off. She was going to lose consciousness soon. Perhaps it was a fool's hope but she could still move her head so she leaned over. She would kiss him.
His lips were so cool.
"Ian," was all she could whisper as she then pressed her face into his hair.
...
Well, this would be the first, Ian thought. They had never actually fallen asleep in the crappy lawn chair. It was still dark. He could feel Jo breathing in his hair.
"Jo," he said her name with a groggy voice, eyes still closed.
"Death...is...," Jo mumbled with a low voice.
"What did you say?" Ian muttered.
"Hell...of...a…gateway...drug," Jo finished her sentence, eyes also still closed.
Ian now opened his and realized he was far from Rock Falls.
That moment Cosmo and Helena walked in the room. Helena looked extremely confused.
"How come…?"
She stared at them and walked closer.
"This shouldn't be possible...Neither of you should be even close to waking up. The drugs just don't work that way."
She checked the monitors, looking at them again, obviously puzzled.
"Also...I'm amazed you both fit there," she said frowning and looking at the gurney.
"You must be Helena," Ian said still obviously confused.
"And you must be Ian. I noticed you don't actually have a metal heart. How is that possible?"
"A long story."
"Tell it sometime."
"Where the fuck were you?"
Jo had now come around and her voice was very angry.
"He was dying here!"
Now she was almost frantic, pointing her words towards Helena and Cosmo.
"Please calm down," Cosmo said.
"We were setting up explosives."
Helena looked at Cosmo and then at Jo.
"The drug my father gave is set to prevent all attempts of resuscitation...All I could do was to give him the antidote and hope his body recovers. I am sorry we had to leave him here alone though. And now, we have to leave as soon as the others wake up," she said looking rather pale.
Jo was obviously now calming down.
"This is far too risky."
"We set up the crematorium to look like your bodies have been burned," Cosmo said.
Helena nodded.
"Yes...It will look like I did it...and then realized what madness this was."
She looked even paler.
"Also...Orfeus just informed me the rain might turn into a storm. So another reason to hurry," Cosmo added.
"I'll be right back. I have to change my clothes." Helena was still wearing the party dress. Her appearance was far from glamorous though.
"The lab should still be safe. It's hardly morning."
She pointed at a table that had injection needles that were obviously prepared.
"It should be safe to give the others those shots now. It should accelerate their waking up process."
...
They were all obviously not in their full health but there was no time to waste. They exited the compound as quickly as they could. The rain was getting heavy and their progress was slow. Finally they were rejoined with Orfeus, who was obviously relieved, and in silence their hike continued in the pouring rain. This time they didn't stop to make a camp but just continued. The day felt endless.
...
"Faen!" Helena shouted tripping over.
Her shoes, slightly sturdier sneakers, had lost their hold in the wet terrain. She was now obviously in pain.
"Can you walk?" Cosmo asked.
She shook her head, biting her teeth together.
"What is it?" Ian came to them.
"I...hurt my ankle," Helena said.
They negotiated for a moment. The others, not even Erik, had not recovered yet to the condition to carry her. And Orfeus had too much gear to carry now. Cosmo also knew he didn't have the strength to do it for the hour's hike they still had left. Luckily it hadn't happened earlier.
"I could support you when you walk. Want to try that?" he asked.
Helena nodded and that worked out for half an hour although they were falling far behind. He could see she was in great pain.
"Okay, I'm going to carry you on my back now."
He wasn't sure how he was going to do it but he was going to do it anyway and she didn't refuse the offer.
...
They were finally back at the helicopter.
"Now?" Erik asked.
Ian nodded. The satellite would guide signal to the transmitter they had left in Helena's apartment, rerouting to one inside the mountain.
Soon they knew somewhere it was burning.
And they knew it was far from over.
...