You could probably see this one coming, but what the hell…

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Fifty Days

Chapter 5: The Specialist

Quistis woke up to the insistent beep of her alarm clock pounding a steady tone into her ear. She threw her hand out and slammed it down on the top, halting its maddening ring instantly. Getting up slowly, she stumbled over to the bathroom and ran water over her face. She cursed.

It feels like I haven't had any sleep at all…

She looked up into the mirror, and nearly recoiled from her own face. It was like someone had drained all the colour from her while she slept, leaving her a pale ghost. She laughed silently at the image, and bit back the pain in her head this caused. She was out of Curas anyway.

Good. You're getting hooked on those things.

She stood there in front of the mirror, just staring at herself, as though if she stared hard enough she could convince the colour to return to her. When nothing happened she turned back to her room and began to get ready for her coming 'appointment'. If it was possible to dread and look forward to something at the same time, then she was as close as anyone.

A knock at the door startled her out of her small reverie, and she turned to answer it, puling on a simple t-shirt and pair of jeans. She opened the door to the warm smiling face of Ellone.

"Quistis! You ready to g- Hyne, are you alright?" she asked in shock at seeing the Instructor. "You look like Hell."

I feel worse. "Just a bug or something," she replied casually.

Ellone frowned. "Quisty, you didn't look like this last night. You need to see someone. Odine is seeing someone about some sort of lethal disease, but we could go after. He's the best doctor here crazy or not," the girl said.

Quistis shook her head. "I'm fine!" she said, a little more forcefully than she had intended. Damn.

"I was just worried, y'know," Ellone said dejectedly.

Quistis sighed. "I'm sorry Elle, it's just I've been under a lot of pressure recently. I just need some time alone to relax."

"You work too hard. You need this vacation," she said.

Quistis shook her head. Bad idea. "I know. But with S- some new students coming in, it's just been a little tough," she invented.

Ellone nodded. "OK. But don't be a stranger, y'hear?" she said with a smile.

Quistis nodded. "Yeah. Sorry." She looked down at her watch. "Damn. I'm late for my appointment," she whispered. Too loud.

"You have an appointment? With who?" Ellone asked curiously.

Quistis shook her head. "Sorry, but I need to go," she said, and quickly grabbed her small rucksack from the bed and moved past Ellone. "Just give me a few days to sort everything out," she said, and disappeared, leaving Ellone standing at the doorway watching her, wondering what was going on.

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Quistis pressed the door for the elevator doors to close, and mentally kicked herself.

Stupid stupid stupid! Now you're driving your friends away from you as well!

The elevator suddenly lurched to the side, and she sat down hard on one of the small padded seats as it made it's way out of the palace. She stared out at the scenery as it flew past, taking in the sights and sounds of a place she had always wanted to play tourist in, and now never would. She held back a small sob, and just watched as people and areas whizzed by in some kind of fast-forward of life.

A miniature pressure forcing her forward told her that the vehicle was slowing down, and seconds later it went into the open air and came to a stop outside of a large tall building she vaguely recognised. She frowned and dipped a hand into her pocket, coming up with the small piece of paper she had written the details of this 'specialist' on. She looked back up at the building, and then turned to look at the view directly outside the building. A small shiver went though her as she recognised where she was.

O-Lab…

Crap.

The doors slid open with the soundless grace that she had come to expect from Esthar technology, and two men carrying guns immediately greeted her. They turned to face her, but only nodded slightly. They instantly moved aside.

Her curiosity got the better of her. "Aren't you going to ask me who I am?" she asked them.

One faceless soldier shook his/her head. "No-one is here who isn't supposed to be," s/he said.

Quistis walked past them both, and felt their eyes on her back as she walked in. She could tell what they were thinking; there goes another poor bitch to see the doctor. Wonder what's wrong with her? She resisted the urge to turn around and scream something abusive at them.

She walked up to what appeared to be a very large Dread Portal, made to look intimidating to all who dared stand before it. She would have been surprised to learn it had been made and installed on Laguna's orders, to scare away visitors. She could hear someone arguing on the other side. She reached out her hand to knock politely, but as soon as her fist came within a few inches, the door slid open, to reveal a tall man in black and the 'specialist'.

"Ziss eez not practical!" Dr Odine screamed at the man.

On his part, the man in black seemed very calm. "We disagree. We are willing to pay you for your servic-"

"Ziss eez not aboot ze money! Ziss eez aboot ze riskz!"

Quistis rapped her hand gently on the wall. Instantly the man's head snapped towards her and gave her the once over. She found it vaguely flattering, until she realised he was checking her for weapons.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

Odine recognised her immediately.

"Odine rememberz you! Vhat do you vant here woman? I have an appointment wiz an important subject now!" he shouted.

Quistis sighed. "Yes, I know," she said.

The man looked form one to the other. "I will leave now," he said. He walked past her calmly.

Odine shook his fist in the direction of the man's retreating back. "And do not come back! Or Odine will do fisticuffs wiz you!" he said. He turned back to Quistis. "Now, what iz you trying to tell Odine before ze man walked oot?"

Quistis sighed. "The doctor in Dollet told me to come to you," she said simply. And already I regret it.

Odine's expression softened instantly. "My dear child! Odine iz sorry to hear about your condition. But he will try to fix it! Yes, he will!" the man said, and scuttled off towards the back of his lab, where two small seats sat, looking out over the city. He looked back, and Quistis could see genuine warmth in his eyes, and also, something else. She hoped it was just curiosity. She remembered Ellone, and his 'experiments'.

Odine sat down on one, no mean feat considering his huge ruffle and elaborate robe, and gestured to the other one. Quistis sat down, and stared at him. He stared back.

"Even zou he may be a mazter scientist, Odine iz not completely heartlezz. Now, tell Odine what haz been happeningk to you," he asked, and leant forward to listen, as she told him.

"It started with dreams…"

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Quistis bolted upright in bed, breathing heavily, sweat literally dripping from her body. She fumbled for the small bedside light and got the switch after about two tries, bathing the room in light.

"It's just a nightmare Quistis. Just a nightmare," she told herself.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and stared into the wall opposite the bed, trying to clear her mind. Now that she tried to concentrate on it, she didn't know what had been so terrible about it. She had gotten the impression of something red and burning, and then… She couldn't pin it down. She couldn't remember what it was, except it had terrified her…

She looked across at the clock, and cursed silently as she worked out how much sleep she still had left. AT this rate she was going to be bone-tired by the time it came to teaching. She lay back down and drove all the thoughts of the dream out of her head-

-And woke up three hours later, from the same red burning glow in her mind. She didn't both to get up, but instead just lay there under the covers…

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She went on, and finished ten minutes later, telling the small man in the frilly neck… thing… everything since she had woken up in a cold sweat one night, to the appointment with the female doctor that had sent her here.

Odine stood up slowly, his mind off in that place that minds go when their user is making them think about something really hard. Quistis would have thought he had forgotten about her, except that he occasionally glanced back at her.

Finally he turned back to face her. "Odine iz not knowingk what is wrong wiz you, but he will find out."

Quistis nodded. "Thank you," she whispered.

Odine smiled. "Relax! Ze Great Scientist Odine iz on ze case!"

She laughed. "I know." She stood and began to walk out of the door when-

"Odine! Laguna wants to talk to y- Quistis?" Ellone asked, running into the lab.

Quistis managed a small smile. "Hello Ellone," she said quietly.

Ellone looked puzzled. "But I thought you had an appointment?"

Quistis sighed. "I did."

Elone looked confused, and then saw Odine from the corner of her eye. She turned to face him. "Doctor, Laguna wants to talk to you about the Archives he discovered. Are you finished with your cases?" she asked, oblivious.

Quistis closed her eyes. Say nothing. Please say nothing.

Odine looked up from his notes. "Yez. Mizz Trepe waz just leavingk," he said absently.

You bastard…

Ellone looked from Odine to Quistis, then back at Odine, and then it clicked, and she stared up at Quistis, eyes wide. "What?" she asked quietly.

Quistis shook her head. "Ellone, please, don't-"

"I thought Odine was seeing someone about some disease. That isn't you, right?" she said emotionlessly.

"Ellone, please don't do this here," Quistis begged.

"Right!?" the girl shouted.

Quistis grabbed her by the shoulders and looked at her. "Yes, it is."

Ellone shook her head forcefully. "No," she said. "You must have made a mistake."

Quistis shook her own head. "Ellone, I'm ill…" she started.

It's just 'cause of stress or something, isn't it?" she asked Quistis. Silence greeted her. "No. I won't believe it." She rounded on Odine. "What have you been telling her?" she hissed.

The man looked indignant. "Odine does not lie!" he said, and strode off muttering.

Quistis rubbed her head. It was starting to hurt again. "Elle…" she managed.

Ellone turned back to Quistis. "Quistis, this is some kind of joke right? Quistis? Quistis!"

Quistis didn't hear. Her head felt like it was about to explode, and she fell to her knees. She felt Ellone grab her shoulders, but then she started to lose consciousness, she heard Ellone shouting at Odine to come back, and then darkness fell on her like a velvet curtain to block out the pain.

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There is an absolutely fantastic quote I will use later. Sci-fi geeks like me may even know it. ^_-