Ulrich gripped the arms of his seat. He could hear Odd's cries in the other room. They had to strap him into the bed so he wouldn't go anywhere. The boy struggled in vain to get free. The leather straps held him tightly. Then the noises stopped, and he knew they inserted him with a sedative.
He could hear murmurs from the doctors. Some concerned, some confused, while a few think it was just an act. He heard the doctors moving through the room, likely checking Odd's vitals to make sure he was all right. Ulrich shuddered as he heard the rapid beeping of the heart monitor, indicating Odd's heart was racing faster than normal.
Ulrich wanted to go into the room to try to calm his friend down. But he was ordered to stay in this room. One of the doctors was coming in to question him about Odd. He didn't know what he was going to say. Although nervous, he did his best to remain calm. The boy turned his head when he heard the door creak open slightly.
A doctor, looking like a middle aged man, walked in. In his hands, he gripped a clipboard and a piece of paper on it. Ulrich swallowed silently and waited.
The doctor went behind the desk. He leaned on the desk and stared at Ulrich. He had an almost accusatory look. It was almost like the doctor immediately thought he had something to do with Odd's condition. The man spoke, "Mr...uh...Stern is it?" Ulrich nodded. "What can you tell me about what you think could be causing Della Robbia's mental condition?"
"Uh..well..I don't know. He just kind of..snapped." Ulrich lied.
The man narrowed his eyes. "Don't try to deceive me, Mr. Stern. I have not heard of one case yet where someone snaps as bad as your friend overnight without warning signs beforehand. Now, tell me the truth."
Ulrich tried to think of something to say. Nothing came to mind. What could he say to him? The man narrowed his eyes deeper and he knew that he was going to lose his patience. And he thought Jim had no patience.
There was only one thing he could think of saying. "I am telling you the truth, sir. I didn't notice anything strange about him last night. He was fine. When he woke up, he was like that."
The doctor wasn't buying it. He wrote a few quick things on the clipboard, and gave Ulrich another accusatory look. Ulrich wished he could just grab Odd and run. He wouldn't be able to do that alone. Where was Yumi? She should be here soon. He hoped she would hurry.
The doctor got out of his seat and walked up to Ulrich. The young boy felt himself moving back as the man got uncomfortably close. A hand gripped his shoulder, but not in a comforting way. Ulrich stared up at the man, their eyes locking.
"Then do you care to explain why he was tied up in the drawer?" The man asked in a darker tone of voice. "The teacher that carried Della Robbia in described loose ropes that were covering his body. And one of our nurses noticed marks on his arms. He had been tied up in that drawer, stuffed in there."
Ulrich felt his heart start to race. He didn't like where this was going.
"And you were the only other person in the room with him." The doctor's eyes narrowed into slits. Ulrich remained silent. The doctor noticed the sweat beads dripping down the sides of his face. "I hope you know how serious this is, boy. After we access the extent of the boy's mental damage, we will be placing you under arrest."
Ulrich snapped his head back. He stared at the doctor in horror. "W-What?!"
"You heard me." The doctor said coldly. "You are to remain in this room until the police arrive. In a few days, you are scheduled to appear in court. Your punishment will be decided then."
Ulrich's heart beat so fast he thought it was going to burst from his chest. He couldn't believe this was happening to him. He was being accused of hurting Odd. He would never do such a thing. But no matter what he'd say, the doctor would not believe him.
With nothing else he could do, Ulrich lowered his head in submission. "Okay, I understand." He would find a way out of this, somehow. His friends would help him. He just needed to wait.
"The police will be here..."
The doctor didn't get a chance to finish. There was a loud crash in the hospital. The ground shook, the lights flickering rapidly, objects wobbling on the desk. The man almost lost his balance. Ulrich gripped his chair, waiting for the movements to cease. When they did, they both looked out the door.
"What in the world was that?!" The doctor demanded, his voice shaken up.
The two moved towards the door. They looked outside. There was sunlight shining on their right. They looked down the hallway. The light was so bright it was hard to see much detail further down the hallway. They thought they could see a little smoke rising from the ground further down.
How could there be sunlight? They were on the other side of the building. They were too far away for them to see any light from the sun coming from that direction. What was going on?
Then they felt the ground shake again. It was more intense this time. It was like something large and heavy had gotten into the building. Ulrich and the doctor grabbed on the side of the door frame. The shaking was getting more intense. The hallway was filled with the screams of people, both staff and patients. Forgetting about their earlier spat, Ulrich and the doctor looked at each other in worry and horror.
Then, out of nowhere, something large, covered in crimson and black skin, appeared. Barely fitting in the hall, it tore open the walls with its sharp spikes. Ulrich's eyes widened in horror. He instantly recognized who this creature was.
"Therizino..." He said in a low, inaudible voice. How did she survive?
The doctor grabbed Ulrich and yanked him back in the room as Therizino ran by. Her spikes cut through the door frame. They dodged the falling debris and coughed as smoke rose up from the ground, making it hard to breathe. They heard a loud crash right next door and they froze, realizing what was going to happen.
Ulrich wriggled out of the doctor's grasp and ran towards the next room. "Odd!" He cried as he entered the cracked door frame. He gasped as he saw Therizino glaring down at Odd's limp form. As she opened her jaws, he ran towards her. "Leave him alone!"
Therizino took one look at him and let out a roar. She raised her sickle claw and cut off Odd's straps. Ulrich jumped towards her, moving his leg forward to give her a flying kick. She snagged Ulrich in her jaws and moved out of the way, causing Ulrich to crash into the ground.
Then just as fast as she appeared, Therizino made her escape. She rammed the window, creating a large opening. She jumped down, landing on the pavement below. Ulrich ran to the opening and stopped right on its edge. He watched, his eyes filled with terror, as Therizino ran way, Odd in her jaws.
He moved to run after her, but he was held back by the doctor, who gripped his arm.
"Let me go!" Ulrich demanded.
"No, kid! You don't stand a chance against that thing!" The doctor told him. "I will call animal control! They'll save your friend!"
Ulrich scoffed. "Animal Control cannot handle that thing! Now let go!" He managed to get free and, ignoring the doctor's shouts at him to stay put, he ran towards Therizino.
For a creature that large, she could move faster than anyone would expect. The beast was gaining distance from him. Ulrich pushed himself to run faster. He stared out in front of him in desperation. He couldn't let Therizino take Odd from them. He just couldn't.
But soon, despite his best efforts, Therizino had disappeared down the street. He slowed himself down and leaned against a building's wall, panting. His mind raced. Where was Therizino taking Odd? Then he recalled what her plan last time was. She tried killing him by throwing him into the Digital Sea. She must be doing the same thing here now.
After regaining his breath, he started running in the direction of the factory. After a minute of running, he had to skid to a stop as he almost ran into Yumi.
"Ulrich!" Yumi was shocked. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at the hospital?"
"Get to the factory! Now!" Ulrich demanded. He brushed past Yumi.
Yumi grabbed his arm. "...did Therizino take him?"
Ulrich looked at her. His expression softened. He solemnly nodded his head. Yumi gasped, putting a hand to her mouth.
"Come on. We've got to hurry, before she throws him into the Digital Sea..."
sss
Therizino arrived at the factory. She stopped and looked behind her. Satisfied that no one seems to be behind her, she rushed into the factory. There were some large opening she made to get out. She used them to navigate her way back to the scanner room.
She set Odd's body down and went up to the computer terminal. She typed in a couple of commands. She had to be careful. She was using the very tip of her sickle claws and she didn't want to damage anything. She watched as the supercomputer registered the command.
"Come on..." Therizino said. "There isn't much time.."
The supercomputer showed the countdown. She smirked. This is what she hoped she would see. She turned her attention to Odd's prone form on the ground. Grinning, she walked up to him. When he started to stir, she stopped and watched.
Odd lifted up his head. He let out a soft groan. He looked over and noticed Therizino. The cat part of his mind was still in control. He jumped onto his hands and feet and arched his back. Therizino snorted and shot a spark of electricity at him. As Odd writhed in pain on the ground, Therizino got behind him and struck him with the blunt side of her right sickle claw. The boy crumpled on the ground, out cold.
"Don't worry. Soon, this will be all over for you." Therizino said as she grabbed the back of Odd's shirt.
She carried him over to the scanner room. She shoved him inside one of the scanners. She watched as the door closed. She entered a scanner of her own. She barely fit in and she was uncomfortable. But as the machine whirred to life and began the virtualization process, she knew she wouldn't have to suffer long.
As she was virtualized, there was one thought running through her mind.
"I do hope I do not screw up this opportunity."
