Chapter 36: Not Yet...Not Yet
The air was cool as the breeze slipped over his skin, it sent a pleasant shiver down his spin. He smiled and enjoyed the feeling. He looked up into the vast blue sky, at the sun that was letting its heat warm his body when the wind allowed it to. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, it was a perfect moment. There was no more pain, there was not hate or anger, there was only happiness. The field of wheat swayed in the breeze around him and once again created the look of an golden ocean. It was calming and beautiful.
Amun took in another deep breath and let the fresh air fill his lungs. He was at peace in this place, this little slice of heaven. He would enjoy being here for the rest of his days. He opened his eyes and looked out over the endless field of wheat and simply watched as it moved back and forth in the simplistic dance it shared with the wind. He smiled once more, it was all perfect.
He was a bit shocked when he felt a hand upon his shoulder from someone behind him. He snapped around, not knowing who it could be in this dreamscape, and was taken back to see Jolene's human form standing before him. His eyes wide as he looked at her concerned face. She was scared, it was written on the look she now gave him.
"Amun..." She whispered to him. "Please...don't..." Tears began to run down her face as the words were lost from her lips. The sadness taking her over. Amun was confused and not sure what was going on. He took a moments and tried to remember. He was with his hive, they were fighting, then...something had happened. He...he had fallen, something had been wrong and he was in pain. He...
"I'm dead...aren't I? He asked the weeping woman who now had her hands coving her face. He reached out and took her hands in his, pulling them into his chest. He tried to catch her gaze and smiled, wanting to let her know that he was not sad. "I'm here Jolene, shhhhh it's ok. I won't let anything happen to you. I will keep you safe." He said as he brought her in close.
He tears did not stop as she wrapped her arms around his chest, driving her face into his warm skin. Amun put a hand around her shoulders as he used his other to stroke her head. He did the best he could to comfort her as she let tear after tear his flow from her eyes.
After a moment, Amun began to hum a simple tune, in hopes that it would calm her enough that they could speak. After a moment or two, Jolene began to hear the song that was being sung by Amun and let the soothing melody fill her thoughts. It slowly began to calm her, taking away the tears that fell from her.
Slowly, they crying subsided, her breathing slowed and her heart began to calm. Amun kept up the tune until Jolene pulled her head from his chest to look him in the eyes. Her beautiful blue eyes, Amun truly enjoyed being able to see them in color. It was something about the vision of a xenomorph that he did not enjoy. So this made him happy, even if it was within him mind and not real.
"Amun...please." She whispered to him.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know if I have a choice Jolene. If I am gone, then I am gone." She looked long and hard at him. Something told Amun there was something else at play.
"Not...yet." She told him. "Not...yet. But...you need to...stay alive."
"I'm..alive?" He asked confused. Jolene nodded. "Then why are we here?"
"You are dying, you...big bug. You need...to stay alive...so we can...fix you." Amun was not sure what she was trying to tell him, but he had a feeling that she knew more than him. He looked deep into her eyes and smiled.
"I will do my best." He turned his gaze out over the open field, then back to the woman in his arms. "Can you stay with me? Just for a while?" Jolene smiled for the first time since he had looked upon her.
"I can...stay as long as...you need."
They both smiled as they looked into one another's eyes.
"How long is this going to take rat?" Charles snapped at Richard, who work away at the computer consol behind him. Charles and Jenna both stood in front of the massive cryo tube that help Amun within a thick liquid. Multiple tubes and wires now coming from his exoskeleton and into various machines. All were working furiously to keep the massive alien alive. A grunt was heard from Richard as he typed away at the consol.
"It's not that easy you worm, I have no idea about his biology! Why do you think I have been trying to capture him for so damn long." The scientist snapped back.
"And here I thought it was because you had a crush on him."
"No, that would have been your alien girlfriend that died." The reference to Abby sent Charles into a frenzy. He pulled the small fire arm from his side holster, chambered a round and started marching towards Richard. Thankfully a large hand from Jolene scooped up the enraged human before he could kill the man.
"Jolene, let me go! Imma kill this mother fucker RIGHT NOW!" He said as the queen lifted him up to her chest, holding him close. Charles took aim with the pistol, but was not able to get a shot off as Jolene's second set of hands took the pistol away from him. " Damn it Jolene! Let me down!" She held onto the man as she turned him towards the sleeping king, trying to tell him to think about his friend.
He physically relaxed after a moment of looking upon his injured friend, knowing that the only way he would survive was by forcing Richard to help him. No one else know how to work the machines that were within the labs. Jolene continued to hold the man, hoping that it would sooth his feelings for a bit longer.
Jenna, pulling her gaze from Amun, walked to the consol that Richard was working on and stared at the man. Her stern look told the man that if he made another comment like that, there would be consequences. The low hiss from Scarlette, who was right behind the scientist, confirming that. He was on a short leash, one that happened to lead to a lot of teeth and claws. So he did as he was told, he did really not feel like being eaten alive.
Jenna went back to her position in front of the king and kept looking to her friend. Her heart hurt to see him this way, to see someone with such a good heart so close to death. She fought to hold back her own tears. Her attention was taken by the sound of a door opening behind her. Everyone turned to see Alex entering the room, rifle slung onto her back and looking tired.
Alex meet their gaze and then entered to room to come and stand beside Jenna. The local woman looked to the floating king who seemed so peaceful as he rested. She knew better and knew that this was not peaceful, it was desperation. He was clinging to life by a very thin thread and they were not sure if they could bring him back. Alex let out a loud sigh.
"How is he?" She asked Jenna, keeping her gaze on the king. The blue light from the tube glowing upon her sweat covered brow. Jenna kept her own eyes on the king.
"We...we don't know. He lost way to much blood, it's all over the compound, still eating away at things." She shook her head while she looked upon her friend. "He pushed himself too far. Some of his organs are failing. Which ones they are, I have no idea, he does not have the same ones as us. But Jolene says its bad." The last sentence said it all. The worry in Alex grew, so she tried to change the subject.
"We have cleaned up what we could on the surface. Salvaged what we could find, took all their equipment and supplies. We are heading back to town soon, I thought I should come tell you." Her words were full on concern for them.
"Good...that's...good." Jenna had no real feelings in the statement, just wanting to be kind and respond to the woman. Her focus was on her friend that was in front of her. Alex realized this and started her way out. She stopped at the door, turning back.
"You have friends in the city. If you need anything, come find us, we will be there." When no one responded, she took her leave. Everyone still looking to the king that was so vey still.
Charles tilted his head up towards Jolene as she looked to Amun, her breathing slow and steady.
"Hay big girl, how is he? You're in his head right?" Charles watched as she slightly tilted her head down towards him, then back to Amun. She let loose a low thrum from her throat, it was not a happy sound. "I'll take that as a maybe."
"I'm not sure it works like that Charles." Jenna cut in. "She said that she is in his dream, it doesn't mean she can tell how his body is doing."
"Fair, but at least we can tell if he's alive yes?" Jenna looked up at him from the ground and gave him a half assed smile.
"I hope so." She said as her gaze fell to the metallic floor. She then turned and made her way to Scarlette who had not left her post beside Richard. The woman curled herself into the praetorians arms and nuzzled in tight. She also wanted to look at the diagnostics that were on the screens in front of the scientists. "Is he getting better?" She asked.
Richard turned his chair around to look at the woman with a condescending look before turning back to his screens.
"It's been a day, there is no way to tell. Other then the fact that his hearts are still beating, I have no bloody idea how he is doing, but he's not getting worst if that makes you feel better." He never took his eyes off the monitors. Jenna glared at the man, every word out of his mouth made her hate him more. She would have loved for Charles to have shot the man, but she knew as well as anyone that he was the only one to keep Amun alive.
"Just no funny business, Or Scarlette here will use your fingers for carrot sticks, get me." Richard did not respond, he kept typing away on the computer, so Jenna gave a swift boot to his chair causing the man's hands to raise up into the air.
"I get you. Calm down with the threats, I don't need to power trip from you. I'll keep the bug alive." The comment got a second kick to his chair. "Him, whatever."
The sound of the door opening once more caught her attention. She was surprised to see an alien drone entering the room.
As Bobby opened the door to the lab, she looked left to see Scarlette holding her mate, and Jolene holding Charles in her arms near Amun. She looked back to Scarlette.
"How is Father?" She asked as she made her way towards her sister. The lack of response from the royal guard told her all she needed to know. She came to stand beside her sister and looked towards her king. "He will make it, he is stronger than all of us." Jolene over heard the comment.
"Yes..he is. He...is coming...back." She gently squeezed Charles. "He is coming back."
Bobby silently agreed with the queen and let out a long huff of air. The first born then looked to the man who was sitting on the chair in front of her. She had been informed by Jolene that this was the one responsible for the death of her sisters. Her claws flexed as she thought of all the ways she wanted to rip this man apart. Unfortunately, she had also been told that he was currently the only one that could keep her king alive. She hated that fact.
Bobby promised that once she knew her king would live, his life was hers. She looked back to her Father and sadness took over her thoughts. She did not like seeing him like this, desperately clinging to life inside some tube, with their enemy controlling everything.
"Come back, Father." She whispered to herself.
