Chapter 96: Saboteurs
Medical staff was told by security that the two missing pilots were last seen entering the medical facility in one of the connecting hallways to the NERV operations building. Going to that floor and splitting up, one group found the two relatively quickly. Both the First and Third Child were sitting on a bench in one of the few vending machine break areas. Approaching them with caution and tranquilizers at the ready, they saw that only the male pilot's eyes moved toward them. The front medical staffer stood more relaxed and walked toward the two.
Reaching the pilots, both were sitting next to each other. The First Child was leaning on his shoulder and holding onto his arm; however, she looked to have fallen asleep. The medic looked at the Third Child in which he was looking back at the person. Clearing his throat, he spoke in a normal voice.
"We are under orders to capture and quarantine both of you by Sub-Commander Kozo."
"..." Shinji said nodding his head and blinking. Looking at Rei and seeing her still sleeping, he slowly got his arm out of her hold. The others in the hallway watched as the Third Child gently and quietly get the First Child onto his back to carry her. Once having a secure hold, he stood straight and looked back at the medic that addressed him.
"I am ready sir. Please lead the way," the Third Child stated quietly with a blink.
The medics nodded and broke into two sections. One led while the other followed behind the pilots. Shinji did not speak to them as they walked for a brief bit. Reaching a room, the staffers opened it and ushered the two Eva pilots in. It was a large room with three patient beds. Instructing him to place the First Child on one, he nodded. After laying the female pilot down at the nearest bunk to the door, he retracted away and turned around. In her sleep, she turned to her side and moved her hand a little trying to grasp something.
"Pilot Ikari," one the medics stated quietly. "If you could take the middle bunk please. We can get preparations started until the last patient arrives."
"Very well," Shinji replied bowing a little.
Moving to the middle bed, the medic team started. Taking notes and asking him questions, the male pilot answered them to the best of his knowledge. Finishing the note taking, the medic stated that the doctor will be here in a while. Nodding, the medics went to where Ayanami was. Shortly after, they placed a clipboard in front of Rei's bunk and left.
'…wHy…So…WiLlInG #$%^*#$%#myseeeeeeeeedddddd?' the dark clone asked with sounds of swimming came. A sense of it slithering heavily underwater came as if it was tracking something.
'I am too weak…to resist sir,' Shinji thought slowly blinking and staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.
'W-W-W-H-H-H-A-A-A-T-T-T-D-D-D-D-I-I-I-D-D-D-Y-Y-Y-O-O-O-U-U-U-S-S-S-A-A-A-Y-Y-Y?' it questioned in slow motion. The underwater swimming sounds became deeper and more active as if it was sloshing.
'I am in need of replenishment.'
'OFWHAT!? TELLME! DOYOUDESIRE #$% #THELIFELIQUIDOF$ #$%#$LILIMS?!' the twisted voice shouted with vile enthusiasm and distortion.
'Yes sir,' the Third Child answered and closed his eyes.
'YoUsHoUlDhAvE-#$% #$DRANK! SWALLOWED! AND EATENTHEGUARDIAN'SHEART #$ #$%…wItH gggggggggggglllllllllluuuuuuuuuuuuuuttttttttoooooonnnnnnnoooooooouuuuuuuuuussssssssssssINTENT!'
'The Angel's sir?' the male pilot pondered.
'…Y…E…S…' the dark clone replied breaking in and out with white noise in the background. The swimming sounds started to become even more frantic as chains started to clang loudly. Almost by the sound of it and feeling how wide the dark clone's mouth was grinning, it found its prey as a mild deep growl was heard.
'…' he thought then bowed internally. 'I will remember to try that next time sir. Thank you.'
'…t…e…l…l…m…e…a…g…a…i…n…my seed…how-hOw-HOW does it feel…FeEeElllll…to be MoRe/mOrE/MORE!…]
'More sir?'
'…y…e…s…more-MoRe-mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm-MORE! #$%# %$WHOLE THAN BEFORE!?' it shouted like a broken record with immense anger followed by giggling innocently.
"…" Shinji said raising his hand and looking at it.
'I feel…nothing,' he thought replying to the question. Choking sounds responded back followed by hyperventilation. A sickening bone pop was heard followed by something slowly dropping into water. An demented giggled sounded and faded as if it swam away.
'Good day sir,' he responded lowering his hand and closing his eyes.
A short amount of time passed until the hospital door opened. Opening his eyes and looking over, yellow suits came in pushing a stretcher. Looking at who it was and blinking, Rana was on it. Not moving from his bed, he watched them move to the last unoccupied hospital bed. Hearing the staffers place her down on the last bed, they left with the stretcher without another word. Watching the room's door closed, its locking mechanism sounded.
'…o…h…t…h…e…m…e…m…o…r…i…e…s,' it whispered with a hiss in his mind.
The scene around him changed a little bit. Instead of doors, there were bars and locks. Everything seemed hazy and gritty with harsh sounds nearby and in the distance. There seemed to be children screaming, crying, or muttering into the air as the maple yellow lights dully illuminate the surroundings outside of the cell.
Walking down a hallway in the medical facility, Dr. Ikari was heading toward the hospital room that the three teens were residing in. Ever since the First Child ran out of the room, she had a foreboding feeling. Watching the female pilot look devastated and heartbroken made her wonder what her connection to the Commander was. Asking Gendo of what the blue haired pilot meant when she spoke to him, he kept countering that Pilot Ayanami has been under a lot of stress recently. Despite pressing him for more information, Yui was not able to get any more information out of him.
'He is hiding something,' she thought turning a corner.
The room was up ahead down the hallway. Reaching the door, she stepped in front of it and peered into the window. There were three beds inside with each separated by full length curtains. On the left side of the room was a large medical counter while the beds were off set to the right side of the room. The First Child could be seen sleeping on her side on the opposite side of the entrance door. Looking at the others, she could see two silhouettes lying down on their own beds.
"…" the scientist said blinking. An urge of almost wanting to open the door to physically verify the other two came. Looking down at the medical documents that were on the door, she pulled them out and viewed them. There were quarantine signs for each patient. Too immersed in the documents, she didn't hear footsteps coming to her left.
"Dr. Ikari," a voice called.
"Oh…hello Dr. Akagi," Yui stated looking up and giving a small smile.
"You want to check up on them?"
"Yes. I was hoping to spend time with Shinji, but it will have to wait," she said putting the papers back on the door. "Are you the one in charge of them?"
"Not at the moment. One of the doctors here is in charge of checking up and doing daily diagnosis. There is still a lot of work to do in decontaminating the areas that were infected first."
"I heard. Is the Angel really dead?"
"Yes. The core has gone silent."
"…" Yui said turning back to the room window. "Do you know how he came back?"
"He came out of the Angel's core."
"…!?" she reacted turning toward the faux blond woman. Her eyes had widened in surprise.
"Then…that means he is-" Yui began to say when she saw her shook her head.
"He isn't."
"…what?" Yui said blinking in shock. "He is still human?"
"As baffling as it seems, yes he is. I have no idea how or why."
"That is baffling," Yui commented crossing her arms over her chest. "Going on the assumption of the train of events, his essence and material was contained in the entry-plug of Eva-01. When it was forcefully inserted into Unit-03 that was infected with an Angel, there was a possibility that his soul assimilated into that Eva. Based on that, there wouldn't be much of a chance of him coming back. Let alone getting a body back or being human."
"Yes," Ritsuko agreed then looked at the viewing window. "and there he is."
"…" Yui said looking back and seeing the other two silhouettes in the room. Turning back to her, the scientist's face became serious.
"May I ask you something?"
"Sure," Dr. Akagi replied. A small hope came that her question would be about the First Child.
"…was…was Shinji really that scarred up when he came here?"
'…rats…' Ritsuko thought with an internal sigh.
"No, he wasn't. When he arrived, he had no scarring on his body. At least from my examinations, I didn't find anything like what we saw earlier. Even after the Twelfth Angel battle where he showed scars, they were not at the extent what were seen in the D-econt lab."
"…" Yui responded gripping her jacket in confusion and an array of other emotions. "Can you direct me to the doctor in charge?"
"I can. What are you planning on doing?" the faux blonde asked gesturing down the hallway. Both started walking.
"I may be stepping over my bounds as a loose Sub-Commander title holder, but I want to take care of them personally."
"I see. That should be fine given your position. Does the Commander know?"
"No," Yui replied with a friendly smile putting a finger perpendicular to her lips. "Sorry, could you not tell him?"
"…" Ritsuko answered grinning internally as both were nearing the administration counter. She put on a friendly smile.
"Of course Dr. Ikari."
As time passed, decontamination teams had successfully cleaned the hallways, elevators, and any rooms that were used. The Eva cage had finally been depleted. An army of cleaners were inside to spray, wash, scrub, and decontaminate the large open space. Every inch of the cage had to be treated to not let another outbreak occur. Eva-01 and Eva-03 were heavily scrubbed and tested for any positive readings of the previous Angel's microorganisms.
Surprisingly, none of the staff felt anything emit from Eva-03 now. It almost felt like a normal piece of equipment that was offline to them. However, Unit-01 still emitted the same eerie and morbid vibe. It was just at a lesser degree than before. Techs still swore that it was watching them. When Ritsuko called for a status, the lead technician stated that at the rate they were going, it would take 24 hours until the Eva cage will be completely wash, decontaminated, and ready for operations.
The dead red flesh orb that was in the male locker room was retrieved. Placed inside of a strong sealing containment, it was transported to one of the labs. Scientists and technicians began to dissect and examine the contents of the organism. Dr. Akagi came later and asked for a progress report. The lead scientist reported that it was equivalent to an Angel core. Instead of the ones they have seen, its cell structure was different. Normal cores were a combination of crystal, plant, and animal-like cells. The one they examined was completely of the latter two cells. It provided new material for understanding the Angel's composition and potential new findings for battling against future ones.
Misato took both Asuka and Toji home. Along the quiet car ride, the Major kept looking back at the two. Both of their expressions were grim as they looked out the window nearest them. Remembering back in the D-econt room after Rei ran out, the Fourth Child shook his head and stood out in the hallway. Ever since then, he was still locked in an internal thought of disbelief and being disturbed.
'Probably does think of him as a demon,' Misato thought driving to Toji's home.
Looking back at the Second Child, she hadn't said a word since leaving the base. Asuka did ask before they left if she could go see the three. Deciding that all of them should go see them, Misato escorted both the Second and Fourth Child to the hospital room. Seeing the quarantine sign, they just looked through the hospital window. Only a clear view of Ayanami was seen as she was in a fetus position and gripping her bed sheets. There were two other beds, but the wall curtains blocked their view of seeing them.
"…" Misato commented seeing the unreadable expression on Asuka's face as she continued staring out of the car window. After dropping off Toji, the Major and the Second Child went home without saying much to each other.
"…" Shinji said breathing slowly in and out. Since being put into the hospital room, he couldn't go to sleep. At first, he was expecting the dark clone to talk in his head again. After a several long minutes without it uttering a word, the Third Child decided to not expect or think about anything else except a void.
After some time passed, he was still awake though felt relaxed. The morbid voice did pop messages in his head a couple of times, but they were incomprehensible. One of them was a long number. It seemed like a telephone number. Not seeing the importance of it, he ignored it at first. The dark clone then started to repeat it over and over along with "my seed" at the end. He continued from the normal eerie talking volume to more chaotic, distorted, and screaming at the top of its lungs.
"…" Shinji opened his eyes and the screaming stopped followed by small demented giggles.
His right eye twitched a couple of times then sat up. Looking around his bed, there was a wall telephone across the room. It was residing near where the hospital room door was. Quietly sliding out, he walked to the phone. Lifting it and hearing a dial tone, he typed the two numbers to dial out then the number. The phone ringed once then went straight to voice mail. Recognizing the recording, he left a brief message. Hanging up the phone, he turned around.
Looking at the First Child, she looked like she was having trouble in her dream. Her hands were gripping the bed sheets as her face looked stressed. Walking quietly to her bedside, his eyes moved only and looked down at her. She was quietly calling for the Commander. After assessing that she was just dreaming, he quietly walked away as she continued quietly calling. Going over to the other patient, he passed the curtain wall to see Rana resting.
She was sleeping though looked uncomfortable. Heading toward her bedside, she was sweating a lot. Looking nearby, there weren't any supplies to remove the perspiration. Heading back toward the entrance, there was nothing there either. Adjacent to the room door was another one. Seeing the word "lavatory" on it, he tried the door. Unlocked, he looked inside to see a simple restroom and sink. Grabbing a few paper towels and putting cold water on it, he squeezed the liquid out of them. Grabbing a couple more, he headed back.
Reaching her bedside again, he softly dabbed around her face and forehead. Rana didn't stir but seemed to relax a little. Getting most of the sweat off her face and laying the cold damp paper towels on her forehead, he went back to his bunk. Placing the used paper towels in a waste bin, he lied down. Not feeling cold, the Third Child kept the bed sheets pushed down and closed his eyes. Feeling sleep slowly come to him, the dark clone chuckled low and deeply. It started to slowly alter his vision once he slipped into his subconscious.
Back in the underground facility of SELEE, Rayne was lying on the cell bed with her eyes closed. It had been seven days of waiting. In that time, she recalled all that had happen to her so far. Trying to piece things together, she tried to find a logical explanation for why they occurred. Though some were easy to answer, there were many gaps. The parts she couldn't figure out were from not having enough information or could only hypothesize the possible solution.
Going over the events again and again, she concluded that two things she needed to know. One was what was the purpose of her creation and why a weapon. Two, it seemed that the male pilot was a common factor with connections to her. Not sure on how or why, it just felt that he was a cornerstone piece for her to solve things.
"…" Rayne said opening her eyes when hearing the cell door mechanism unlock. Sitting up, the door opened followed by two black suits entering. Both were unarmed.
"You have been summoned by the committee members. Let's go," one said neutrally.
"…" she said getting up and placing her hands at her side. Exiting the cell, one SELEE operative was in front and behind her as they walked down the stark hallway. After going down a passageway and rounding a corner, the double sliding doors were up ahead. Standing in front of them, they slid open slowly.
"Go in," an agent said.
"…" Rayne said not looking at them and walking in the darkened corridor. Dimly lit in front of her was a single chair. Going toward it and sitting down, the doors behind her started closing. Looking around with her eyes in darkness, the surroundings were too dark to see anything. Waiting not too long, the numbered monoliths appeared around her. A dull illumination occurred when they came up.
[Prototype. Seems you have behaved] the 01-pillar stated.
"Hmph," she said with a small frown.
[Let us get to business. Your position and status as a public law enforcer has been removed. As for this, any contacts that you have or had with the force are forbidden. Anyone you associated with the force is restricted and will be heavily surveillance. Do you understand?]
"…" Rayne said clenching her hands into fists angrily. "…yes…"
[Starting now, you are a SELEE agent. You will be getting a debriefing on the responsibilities, restrictions, and code of conduct by another Agent. Your purpose is to collect information in NERV HQ being an Eva pilot. The primary target is Gendo Ikari. Get intel of his plans and report to your contact.] the leader stated as his voice echoed a little in the empty corridor.
[Do you have any questions before being dismissed?]
"…" Rayne replied blinking. "No."
[Good. You are dismissed. Send in Agents to escort the prototype.]
The multiple monoliths disappeared and the double sliding doors opened. Light shined into the corridor as shoe clicks sounded behind her. Telling her to get up and follow, she complied. Exiting the corridor, the two agents from before was in front and behind her again. Walking down a different hallway, they stopped at an unmarked door. The operative in front opened it.
"Enter."
Stepping inside, the door closed behind her. Rayne saw the area she was in was small. An old bank counter with the large glass window was in front of her. A couple of lights inside flickered on showing that behind the glass were an armory and supply storage. Footsteps were heard coming from the other side of the counter. Another Agent appeared and hit an intercom.
[Agent Prototype]
'…that's my code name?' Rayne thought with a deadpan face.
"Yes."
[Just a minute and I will retrieve your equipment.]
"Ok," she said watching the person leave the counter. After a short period of time, he came back with a plan looking box. He started taking things out.
[Here is your new ID card. It will allow you to enter NERV HQ and its medical facility] he said putting the card in the bank shoot below the glass panel window. Picking it up, she looked at it then set it aside on her side of the counter.
[Here are some clothes] he said passing clothes through the shoot. Rayne grabbed the plan black shirt and jeans and put them on. It made her feel better and more normal than a prisoner in her underwear.
[Your phone and a digital watch. Both have been wiped and bugged for our surveillance purposes] he said watching her pocket the phone and put on the watch.
[Transfer papers and a NERV booklet. NERV will debrief you of your duties as an Eva pilot. Familiarize the information just in case you are questioned by staff there.]
"Ok."
[If you have any questions, ask your contact. Agents will be escorting you to your new apartment. It is closer to the NERV base surface entrance. All your items from the other apartment have been transferred over there. Be on your way.]
'No gun…figures,' she thought with a small frown.
The door behind her opened and she exited. Both black suits then escorted her back to the transport parking lot. Getting into an unmarked black cargo van, they drove out of the underground facility. Sitting in the back, she looked out the windows surveying the surroundings. It was daytime, probably in the afternoon due to where the sun was in the sky. Nothing had changed from what she remembered seeing last week when she got into the facility.
Getting onto the main road, the city was seen up ahead. It hadn't changed as well which brought her assurance that things were okay. After driving a good distance, the Agents pointed out where the base main entrance was. She remembered going into it the first time being called for the "Info-Gave" meeting. Going a couple of miles away from the entrance, the operatives turned into a street and stopped at an apartment building. Getting out of the van, she walked to the passenger side.
"Your room is already prepared and your stuff is inside. Here are the keys," the passenger Agent stated handing her an envelope.
"Thanks," she said taking the envelope. "Anything else I should know?"
"Your contact will call you for updates. It will be an unidentified number with a different country's area code each time. State your code name. The receiving end will verify for vocal recognition before transferring to your contact. Understood?"
"Yes," Rayne said hearing the cargo van engine come to life.
Stepping back, the vehicle backed up to the street and drove off. Sighing, the ex-officer looked around her. The apartment building was in a discreet location. A person driving down the main road would not be able to see it per glancing. There were other buildings around too that had the same color scheme making it blend with them. Looking up, she saw several high vantage points that probably would make good surveillance spots. She figured that she would be spied on regardless of what she does.
Opening the envelope, Rayne looked at the number on her key. Reading the number, she went toward the stairs that were in the middle of the apartment building. Going up three levels and down a hallway, she stood in front of a door and opened it. The apartment was a one bedroom, one bath. Not much different from her previous place as she toured in it. It did have some furnishings and big appliances. All of her items were in boxes and placed in the bedroom. Feeling irritated that unknown people went through her stuff, she had a feeling that some items would be missing. Opening one box, she started to unload them.
After more than an hour, she finished emptying the boxes and organized her stuff. Despite being frustrated that her small collection of various weapons were missing, everything else she had was present. Going into the bathroom, she turned on the water to take a bath. It made her reflect back when she was held for seven days.
'At least they could have let me bathed once a day…not one every three days,' Rayne thought frowning. While the bath was filling, she walked into the kitchen. Seeing the pantry and the refrigerator, she looked in both and found both of them empty.
'…' she thought feeling her left eye twitch. 'For a massive organization with high-tech stuff, they are seriously cheap.'
Deciding she wasn't really hungry, she went back into the bedroom for a change of clothes. Setting them aside on the bed, she remembered that she had her phone. Turning it on, she headed back into the bathroom. Setting it on the small counter next to the tub, she began to undress. Grabbing her hair and pulling it back, she put it into a ponytail. When the water was at the level she wanted, she turned the faucet off and stepped in.
"Ahhh…I missed this," she cooed feeling herself relax submerging her neck down in the heated water. Leaning back and resting her head on the tub's rim, she closed her eyes. Letting the bath relax her, she stayed in that position for a while.
'I wonder if there would be any point in checking my phone since they wiped it clean of my contacts,' Rayne thought slowly turning around.
Patting her hands on the towel that she laid on the counter, she reached for her phone. Grabbing it, she flipped it open. The background was set back to the phone's default wallpaper. Squinting a little, she looked up to see an icon flashing in the corner of the screen.
"A voice message?" Rayne said out loud and clicking on it. There was no caller ID on it.
"Unknown number," she muttered. Pressing the voice message she brought the phone to her ear.
[Greetings Miss Rayne] a familiar voice sounded.
'…?!' she thought surprised and continued to listen.
[How are you? I apologize if you were trying to contact me. It has been very busy this past week at NERV. Due to higher workload, I have been unable to check for messages. I hope you are doing well. My apologizes for keeping this short. Until we talk again, good day.]
"…" she said smiling a little after the message. Looking at the phone, she closed it and placed it back on the counter. Turning around, she leaned back and rested her head on the tub rim again.
'I'll be working with him,' she thought then added the aspect of her new position along with what his eyes and aura were. Feeling her smile lessen a little, she closed her eyes.
'It's bitter sweet.'
'NOO!' Rana thought opening her eyes. In the midst of the night, she was able to wake up from a nightmare she was having and locked in. It composed of the evil voice and flashbacks of the past. Feeling her heartbeat racing, she blinked and looked around.
'Hospital room?' the twin thought seeing the bed she was in as well as the curtain wall. Trying to recall what happened before she fainted, the moments before passing out were a blur. Anxiety started building inside her from not seeing someone nearby.
'…where…where is he!?' Rana thought slowly getting out of bed. Noting that she was in a hospital patient gown, she walked to the end of the curtain wall and turned. Immediately looking into the next section to her right, her anxiety went down. The male pilot was seen lying on his bed in a hospital gown as well. Walking quietly to his left side, she smiled seeing his sleeping face.
"…" Rana said gently touching his face. He didn't stir and calmly breathed in and out.
'He has a more tattered and torn body now,' she thought looking down the rest of him. Despite the dim lighting, she could see his legs.
'…?' the twin thought quietly moving a little and looking down at his legs.
'That's strange,' she thought gently touching around his calf. 'There isn't that many as before. Is the rest of his body like that?'
Blinking, she turned toward him slowly. Shinji was still sleeping. Looking down at his gown, pulling it up wouldn't work well. To figure if his body had changed, she would have to explore those areas. Feeling her face warm a little, Rana slowly put her left arm through the gown's opening around the legs.
Not being able to see where her hand was, she pushed against the fabric to see where the fingertips were. Slowly placing her hand down, it gently landed between his hip and lower abdomen. There were scars there but the large ones she remembered seeing in the D-econt room were not there. Looking back at him, the male pilot was still sleeping and calmly breathing.
"…" Rana said turning and looking at where his groin would be under the gown.
A thought went through her mind that made her feel flush. Blinking, she lifted her left hand off his body and slowly went toward the region between his legs. Unconsciously, she bit her lower lip a little feeling her heart beat a little faster. Not being able to see well and exploring made it feel risqué. Curling her fingers a little, she felt her digits brush against his rod.
'…' she thought feeling her face a lot warmer. 'K-Keep going.'
Descending her hand a little more, she felt the sack. Looking at his groin region in bewilderment, she tried to figure out what was going on. Her mind was grinding harder trying to figure out how he had them, lost them, and then had them again.
"Rana?" a quiet familiar voice called.
"…!" the twin said freezing and slowly looking up.
The First Child was standing on the opposite side of the bed in front of her. She was also in a hospital gown. Rei's arms were at her side and her facial expression was impassive. However, the female twin could feel a mild hostile aura from the female pilot. Her crimson eyes seemed to pierce through the dim illumination in the room.
"What are you doing?"
"Uh-ummmm," Rana whispered letting go of what she was holding. She retracted her hand without making too much of a sound, she then stood up straight.
"I was…um…checking something."
"Checking what?" Rei asked with a blink.
"To see if he didn't have…you know…" the twin stated then held her hands out like she was holding cups in both hands.
"…?" the pilot responded by tilting her head a little.
"His balls."
"I see," Ayanami stated moving her head back straight. "I have confirmed earlier that he does have his reproductive organs."
"…" Rana said blinking in surprise then felt something immediately surge in her. It made her feel jealous.
"Oh?" she said putting her hands to her side and frowning a little. "And when was this?"
"When he changed from his plug suit to the hospital gown."
"Did you ask him to show you?"
"No. I looked when he changed."
"…" Rana reacted feeling her hands close into fists. "I guess they are hard to miss when we don't have them."
"Indeed."
Both stared at each other not breaking away from each other. Glancing over at the male pilot, he continued to sleep in the same position.
"We should probably go back to sleep," the twin stated continuing the staring match with the First Child.
"…" Ayanami agreed with a small nod. Watching her walk around the curtain wall to her side, the First Child looked back at the male pilot. Walking closer to his face, she watched it a little. His mouth parted a little as air slowly entered and exhaled from it.
"…" Rei said looking at his lips. A thought of when their foreheads touched occurred to her which made her blink. Lifting her left arm up and extending it slowly to his face, her fingertips touched his lips. Gently brushing them, she retracted her hand.
"…" she said looking at her fingertips. Bringing them to her lips, she pondered what significance it would bring her. Other than feeling her fingers, it seemed to cause a reaction in her. Her face felt a little warmer as an image crossed her mind. Turning around, she shook her head as she headed toward her own side and hospital bed.