Hey, it's the second part of the series! On a side note I'd like to say thanks for the reviews so far, and a special thanks to Link of the Gorons. I didn't realize I had messed up the Shangra-La's name.
Part 2: Bad Dreams
Prologue: Mankind has eternally been at war with itself and with other races. Those who rise above the death and claim fame and glory are often referred to as legends. But those who rise from death to regain revenge are spoke of in fear-filled whispers or used as stories to frighten children. The MacDougall brothers have labored to achieve this notoriety, for as Machiavelli said, it is better to be feared than loved...
~~~~~~~~~~~
The whirlwind picked up intensity as the deadly Anten killer focused the entirety of his power on the lone tigress. The wind buffeted her senseless but she clung to her consciousness and managed to propel herself at him. She quickly slashed her claws and the wind stopped. She fell, half-alive, to the ground, reverting back into her normal state, and swiveled her head painfully to look.
"I guess I'm through...." the wheezing man laughed as a cascade of blood came from his wounds and he fell dead.
"Just save some of that dragonite for me, Gene..." she mumbled to herself before passing out.
She blocked the double kick from Iragi, rolling with the force, before springing back with a tackle to the midsection. With her in the corner she drove a knee into the stomach and flipped her over. With surprising agility Iragi managed to keep her footing and backhanded Aisha into the post. A thunderous blow was delivered to her stomach and chin before she was tossed to the far corner. She could hardly think through the flashes of light that kept exploding in her brain...
"C'mon, Aisha! I thought the Ctarl Ctarl were supposed to be invincible!" Gene shouted to her in an attempt to arouse her anger.
Then she was being lifted up and her neck was rested on a rock hard knee.
"This is normally where I'd let you off, but if you're one of Gene Starwind's friends..." Iragi lifted her massive elbow, "You're not leaving here alive!"
Finally her mind cleared and she spun into a better attacking position, holding the woman's head with her feet.
"You shouldn't talk so much when you're about to finish someone off!"
"Go get her, Firecat!" Melfina cheered from the sides.
Aisha twisted, dragging her opponent to the canvas, "Leave it to me!"
The Ctarl Ctarl quickly sprang to her feet and dashed in to deliver a pile driver to her opponent, but was suddenly stopped by a kick to the chest.
This isn't how it happened...
As she staggered backward a right hook crashed into her temple and she was hurled back into the corner again. As she rose slowly she was set upon again. A knee to her face raised swelling, sealing her left eye as a simultaneous elbow cracked into her collar. Gasping for breath she fell to the canvas with a groan.
"She's through, folks!" The announcer yelled into his microphone, raising Iragi's hand in victory.
It didn't happen like this!
"I can't believe it. You really are useless, Aisha." Gene spat as he turned his back and stalked away. Jim looked back before sighing and following his brother.
"I'm... so-..." Aisha started to say as a tear appeared in her eyes...
Darius held down his companion as she struggled in her seat. She started to mutter something and started to recoil as if she had been struck.
"Lady Aisha! Please calm down, we're almost to the station!"
She struggled harder before finally quieting down again. She then proceeded to sob gently.
Darius cupped the side of her face, gently, "What are you dreaming about? Can it really be that horrible?"
"You are by far the most incompetent creature I've ever had the displeasure of working with!" Gene shouted, venting his rage.
"I'm sorry..." Aisha replied in a small voice.
I-I don't remember this!
He slammed his fist into the wall, "All of our money is wasted on feeding you! Damn it! Why did you ever have to tag along with us?"
"Gene, I'm sorry, I'll try to eat less and help more..."
"You just don't get it! I don't want your help! I want you gone!" His words echoed in the air as everything turned to black.
"Please don't leave me! I hate being alone!"
She fell to her knees in the darkness, reaching out a hand to the place the phantom had stood.
A comforting hand fell on her shoulder, "It's all right..."
The young voice brought a sniffle as she turned to see Jim. The boy was pale and he didn't say anything else, he just stood there. Aisha sniffled again before throwing her arms around him and crying openly. He patted her on the back as everything faded away, again.
"It's ok, I'll never hate you..."
"Let out the slack slowly! Your side's tipping too much!"
"MY SIDE? It's your side there, Todd."
The crane operator, Todd, slowed down his release while grumbling, "I can't believe this pod had to land in our work site..."
Darius' felt his face flush with anger. How dare these lowly humans complain! They should be happy that their construction site was struck by an escape pod carrying a high ranking Ctarl Ctarl officer like the Lady Aisha! He quickly calmed though as he looked around at his surroundings. Despite the fact that there was truly no good reason (that he foresaw) for their anger, it might be best not to let it be known that he had been in that pod. Aisha needed medical attention and there was no time to haggle with these weak-minded fools about how much money he should pay for the damage. He quickly jumped the fence surrounding the area and carried his light charge into the empty streets.
Before long a piercing voice caught him by surprise, "It's one of those monsters! It's killed a girl!"
He dropped into a crouch, placing Aisha gently on the ground and glared around himself. His ears raised in a threatening fashion as he glared around the streets for the cause of the alarm. An old woman babbled as his gaze fell on her and she held a quivering finger out at him.
"Somebody help! Somebody please!" she screamed.
The quiet town suddenly sprang to life as armed citizens slowly started to come out of the buildings, treading with fear-filled footsteps. Growling at the growing mob, Darius began to swear to himself.
Damn! Haven't these fools ever seen a Ctarl Ctarl before!?!
He raised his arms to show that he meant no harm, "I'm no monster, I'm a Ctarl Ctarl, now leave me be!"
Hushed whispers broke out in the crowd at his proclamation. Of course they rang loud and clear in the ears of a Ctarl Ctarl.
"I didn't know they could talk!"
"He called himself a Ctarl Ctarl?"
"No Ctarl I've seen has ever looked like that!"
The old woman that started the whole mess came to the front, emboldened by the crowd, "That girl just moved! She's alive, we must help her!"
Darius scowled at the crowd as it began to flow forward. He would never be able to escape holding Aisha and he really had no intentions of leaving her to the crowd.
His instincts finally over-rode his reason.
I'm sorry, Aisha...
He fell into his transformation and with his increased power leaped over the startled people's heads before running out of sight.
"Care.ul...ta..ed...b.. m..ns...r... e's...ur..."
She moaned slightly and fidgeted.
"Docto...she's c..min...rou...d..."
She opened her eyes a little and bright lights blinded her. She tried to talk but couldn't hear what she was saying. Something was holding her down but she tried to rise anyway.
"Don't......her...up!"
The buzzing from the awful device still echoed in her ears as she started to adjust to the world around here.
That shock.... Oh yes! It was MacDougall who did it!
Her sense of hearing cleared and she could hear over that buzz.
"Can you hear me?" An elderly voice whispered in her ear, "Are you awake?"
She nodded slightly with a grimace. Her neck ached for some reason...
"Please stay down, you're not ready to move around yet."
"Doctor, does this mean she'll recover?" A woman's voice inquired.
"Easily. Just have the nurse keep her on that I.V. When it's through we'll see if the girl can move on her own."
A cold, wet thing poked her in the side, raising a little giggle. She couldn't help the fact that she was ticklish after all.
The woman's voice returned, "Garron, please take the dog back home, we don't need him jumping on her."
A muttered response escaped her sphere of hearing as the owner of the dog left the room. Before she could wonder whom this Garron fellow was, a firm hand gripped her arm. It squeezed down painfully and she barely bit back a yelp of surprise.
"This one looks like that male we chased off." The hard hand squeezed down tighter, "Are you sure we should be helping her recover instead of finishing her off?"
The woman's voice was iron, "She was abandoned by that other one, and from what the doctor said it looks like someone had beaten her. As far as I'm concerned she's not one of them! They could've been the ones responsible for this for all we know!"
"I'm still not sure..." The hand removed itself.
"You've bruised her! Get out of here, you heartless jerk!"
He bruised me? How is he strong enough to do that with just a grip? And why can I still not see!?!
Aisha felt a surge of panic as she darted her eyes back and forth.
Am I blind!?
"Don't worry, dear, Doctor Hollontop said you'd recover soon enough."
I may as well try to talk, maybe I can get some answers.
She opened her mouth experimentally before launching into her sentence, "Where am I?"
She almost laughed at her own voice. It was hoarse and barely intelligible, like she hadn't drank in days.
"If you don't know that then telling you the name won't clear anything up." The woman laughed, "We're just a frontier planet, and not one of the ones on the map."
"What's wrong with me?"
There was a short pause before the answer, "The doctor wasn't sure how it happened, but your brains neural receptors have been temporarily overloaded. He said that it had to do with some electric shock of some kind. It's just like interference on the radio, it will clear up soon enough on it's own."
Never known radio interference to hurt THAT much before.
"He also told us to warn you about sleeping. This interference has apparently affected both halves of your brain. Your dreams are going to be very real, in a way too real. The parts of your brain that cause dreams and hold memory have had their natural restraints temporarily disabled. You'll be having dreams that are partly mixed from a memory or memories."
I guess that makes sense...
"I..." she started, but a hand closed over her mouth.
"Don't overdue it. You've just woken up and it's best for you to remain inert a while longer."
Inert? What the hell does that mean?? Well she's not telling me to be inert right now so I must be doing it.
The door closed.
"Hey! Where are you going!" She rasped, a futile attempt considering the door was soundproof anyway.
"Ron! You're still alive!" Leo stammered as the man stalked into his room.
"What a rat hole." Ron sneered as he glanced over the debilitated furniture, "How far have you fallen since the space race?"
Leo sat down with a sigh, "Terry headed out with our ship into Kei pirate territory on a bounty he picked up. They found the wreckage not too far off from where he was supposed to start his planet fall. Happened about three months ago and I've been stuck here since. Without that ship I'm stuck doing thug work and crap jobs."
"Any power changes I missed in the last couple months?"
Leo shrugged, "As far as I can tell no, but that Starwind guy seems to have really struck gold down by Centinnel. I don't know what could be in a backwater dump like that."
"Starwind's back on Centinnel?" Ron mused, Leo had more useful information than he would've expected. He walked around the room checking out the décor.
"Yeah... but where have you been recently? Some guys have been coming around looking for you. Looked like the space forces to me."
"What did you tell them?"
Leo laughed, "What could I tell them? You hadn't been around for a while..."
"How much did the forces offer you for information?" Ron demanded.
"Ron, I'd never sell you out! You and Harry are friends!" Leo turned to look at Ron and froze.
A tattered shirt was hanging from Ron's hand, the tiny black recording box the space forces had sewn into the material dangled in front of Leo's eyes.
"Ron! I swear I didn't know about that! You and Harry are fri-" Leo stammered before a bullet silenced him.
The gun slid into his coat as the body fell to the floor.
"The MacDougall brothers have no friends."
"I'm hungry."
No answer.
"I could really go for some food."
No answer.
"I haven't eaten for days!"
Still no answer.
I can't take it anymore!
Aisha felt with her hands to make sure nothing was in front of her before she sat up. She tried to focus her eyes but they still just blurred anything they fell upon.
I didn't think it had passed...
She shut her eyes tightly before the blur made her nauseous and swung one leg out of the bed. She felt to make sure she was still dressed before she swung the other leg out. She carefully pulled the I.V from her arm and stood. She nearly fell over as her legs turned to rubber but she stubbornly stayed up.
Damned if I'm gonna let this keep me from eating!
She shuffled awkwardly to the door and searched for the knob. Her hand came into contact with it and she turned it. Aisha inched the door open and stuck her ear to the crack. Nothing was making sounds outside so she walked out, keeping one hand on the wall as she trekked down the hallway.
"This is easier than I thought..."
No sooner had she spoken than she fell down a short flight of stairs. She gasped in shock as the air was driven out of her but she quickly recovered and perked her ears to see if anyone had noticed. Luckily no one was there to see the bright red color her face had flushed with. Putting a hand on the wall she continued on her way before anyone came upon the scene. She caught the next flight of stairs and slowly made it down before reaching another door.
"Where are the kitchens around here?" she muttered as she turned the knob.
She took a step out and felt the crunch of gravel under her bare feet. She could also feel the chill of the air underneath her patient's gown. However the most wonderful part of all was the smell of cooking meat. She slowly started to walk in the direction of the scent, stubbing her toes on more than one stone. Eventually she reached a fence.
And I was so close too! It figures that they'd set this place up to make things difficult!
She grabbed onto the fence and slowly walked along it. After a short walk she found that it bent back the way she had came. She followed that bend until she came to another one, which headed opposite the direction of the first fence.
"Aw, crap, don't tell me this is closed in."
Garron sat by the building snickering as the strange woman made a complete circuit of the yard before heading back toward the hospital.
"Let's play frisbee with her Grrussel!" he whispered, patting his god on the back.
Grrussel barked as his master stood up and cocked back the frisbee. He winged it over toward the woman.
"Hey lady! Catch!"
Grrussel sprinted after the frisbee as it flew straight toward the woman. She turned at his voice and just stared vacantly as the frisbee bounced right off her forehead, knocking her flat on her back. Grrussel wasted no time in smothering the fallen Ctarl Ctarl in dog kisses while she just laid there in shock.
Garron let out a low whistle, "Guess she's never played before."
"Have you seen a silver-haired girl walk by here!?" Olviana asked the fellow operating the security camera.
He scratched his head, "She went out the back door. I thought she wanted some fresh air so I didn't stop her. Did I do something wrong?"
Olviana grimaced, "The door downstairs?"
"There's only one back door!" he laughed good-naturedly.
Thanking the man she spun and headed to the door. Hopefully she hadn't gotten too far, especially outside.
Garron crouched over the woman as Grrussel finally stopped his impromptu drowning attempt. He placed a hand on her forehead.
"Are you sick or something? You don't have a fever?"
"Am I dead?"
Garron removed his hand, "That's a silly question."
"I just thought that it was a bullet that hit me..."
"I'm the best thrower in the whole solar system!" Garron declared, drawing himself up proudly.
Aisha rubbed her sore forehead, "I don't disagree."
The boy stuck out his hand, offering her help up. She started to rise on her own so he just took it back. He didn't care if she didn't want to show appreciation for his graciousness. Well, maybe just a little.
"Could you tell me where I am?"
"Outside, of course!"
"I guessed that much. Is there anything around here to eat?" Aisha asked eagerly.
"Sorry, but the food is all kept inside the hospital."
Aisha's ears dropped, "That's what I was afraid of."
Grrussel nuzzled her hand, demanding immediate attention.
"Who are you?" she asked the furry ball of hyperactivity.
"That's Grrussel, I'm Garron."
"Grrussel?"
The dog tackled her when she said his name. Again Garron stuck out his hand to help her up and yet again she got up on her own. An unexplainable anger filled him as he viciously pushed her back to the ground.
"Fine! If you don't want my help then you can just find someone else to answer your questions!" He shouted before running off with his dog and frisbee.
"Wha-What was that for?" Aisha stuttered as the boy's footsteps faded away.
Garron ran past his mother with Grrussel flopping along behind him, ignoring her calls. She sighed before continuing out the door.
"Oh no! Are you alright, dear?" Olviana gasped as she ran over to the downed Ctarl Ctarl.
Aisha slowly sat up, "I'm ok."
Olviana put one of the woman's arms around her neck and started to walk back to the hospital.
"Who was that kid?"
"Garron? He's my son. He normally hangs out around here."
"Does he not like strangers?"
Olviana frowned, "No, but he does give them trouble if he's been hanging out with old man MacDougall down at the pub."
Aisha missed a step and her eyes widened, "Ron MacDougall!?"
"Jonas MacDougall. Who's Ron MacDougall? A friend of yours?"
"No, he's no friend of mine..." she sighed.
As they continued on Aisha fell into her own thoughts and didn't say anything else. Olviana helped her back into bed before closing the door and leaving once more. Aisha didn't notice the plate of food sitting right beside her bed as she sorted out her current situation.
~~~~~~~~~~
End of Part 2...
Heh, I hope this is good, because I really liked writing this part of the story. I apologize for the lack of action, and believe me there will be plenty more in the upcoming parts. Once again I'd love any reviews you'd be willing to give, and especially if you'd tell me which part you liked better and why so far. I really need to polish my writing more and I can only accomplish that through constructive criticism.
Part 2: Bad Dreams
Prologue: Mankind has eternally been at war with itself and with other races. Those who rise above the death and claim fame and glory are often referred to as legends. But those who rise from death to regain revenge are spoke of in fear-filled whispers or used as stories to frighten children. The MacDougall brothers have labored to achieve this notoriety, for as Machiavelli said, it is better to be feared than loved...
~~~~~~~~~~~
The whirlwind picked up intensity as the deadly Anten killer focused the entirety of his power on the lone tigress. The wind buffeted her senseless but she clung to her consciousness and managed to propel herself at him. She quickly slashed her claws and the wind stopped. She fell, half-alive, to the ground, reverting back into her normal state, and swiveled her head painfully to look.
"I guess I'm through...." the wheezing man laughed as a cascade of blood came from his wounds and he fell dead.
"Just save some of that dragonite for me, Gene..." she mumbled to herself before passing out.
She blocked the double kick from Iragi, rolling with the force, before springing back with a tackle to the midsection. With her in the corner she drove a knee into the stomach and flipped her over. With surprising agility Iragi managed to keep her footing and backhanded Aisha into the post. A thunderous blow was delivered to her stomach and chin before she was tossed to the far corner. She could hardly think through the flashes of light that kept exploding in her brain...
"C'mon, Aisha! I thought the Ctarl Ctarl were supposed to be invincible!" Gene shouted to her in an attempt to arouse her anger.
Then she was being lifted up and her neck was rested on a rock hard knee.
"This is normally where I'd let you off, but if you're one of Gene Starwind's friends..." Iragi lifted her massive elbow, "You're not leaving here alive!"
Finally her mind cleared and she spun into a better attacking position, holding the woman's head with her feet.
"You shouldn't talk so much when you're about to finish someone off!"
"Go get her, Firecat!" Melfina cheered from the sides.
Aisha twisted, dragging her opponent to the canvas, "Leave it to me!"
The Ctarl Ctarl quickly sprang to her feet and dashed in to deliver a pile driver to her opponent, but was suddenly stopped by a kick to the chest.
This isn't how it happened...
As she staggered backward a right hook crashed into her temple and she was hurled back into the corner again. As she rose slowly she was set upon again. A knee to her face raised swelling, sealing her left eye as a simultaneous elbow cracked into her collar. Gasping for breath she fell to the canvas with a groan.
"She's through, folks!" The announcer yelled into his microphone, raising Iragi's hand in victory.
It didn't happen like this!
"I can't believe it. You really are useless, Aisha." Gene spat as he turned his back and stalked away. Jim looked back before sighing and following his brother.
"I'm... so-..." Aisha started to say as a tear appeared in her eyes...
Darius held down his companion as she struggled in her seat. She started to mutter something and started to recoil as if she had been struck.
"Lady Aisha! Please calm down, we're almost to the station!"
She struggled harder before finally quieting down again. She then proceeded to sob gently.
Darius cupped the side of her face, gently, "What are you dreaming about? Can it really be that horrible?"
"You are by far the most incompetent creature I've ever had the displeasure of working with!" Gene shouted, venting his rage.
"I'm sorry..." Aisha replied in a small voice.
I-I don't remember this!
He slammed his fist into the wall, "All of our money is wasted on feeding you! Damn it! Why did you ever have to tag along with us?"
"Gene, I'm sorry, I'll try to eat less and help more..."
"You just don't get it! I don't want your help! I want you gone!" His words echoed in the air as everything turned to black.
"Please don't leave me! I hate being alone!"
She fell to her knees in the darkness, reaching out a hand to the place the phantom had stood.
A comforting hand fell on her shoulder, "It's all right..."
The young voice brought a sniffle as she turned to see Jim. The boy was pale and he didn't say anything else, he just stood there. Aisha sniffled again before throwing her arms around him and crying openly. He patted her on the back as everything faded away, again.
"It's ok, I'll never hate you..."
"Let out the slack slowly! Your side's tipping too much!"
"MY SIDE? It's your side there, Todd."
The crane operator, Todd, slowed down his release while grumbling, "I can't believe this pod had to land in our work site..."
Darius' felt his face flush with anger. How dare these lowly humans complain! They should be happy that their construction site was struck by an escape pod carrying a high ranking Ctarl Ctarl officer like the Lady Aisha! He quickly calmed though as he looked around at his surroundings. Despite the fact that there was truly no good reason (that he foresaw) for their anger, it might be best not to let it be known that he had been in that pod. Aisha needed medical attention and there was no time to haggle with these weak-minded fools about how much money he should pay for the damage. He quickly jumped the fence surrounding the area and carried his light charge into the empty streets.
Before long a piercing voice caught him by surprise, "It's one of those monsters! It's killed a girl!"
He dropped into a crouch, placing Aisha gently on the ground and glared around himself. His ears raised in a threatening fashion as he glared around the streets for the cause of the alarm. An old woman babbled as his gaze fell on her and she held a quivering finger out at him.
"Somebody help! Somebody please!" she screamed.
The quiet town suddenly sprang to life as armed citizens slowly started to come out of the buildings, treading with fear-filled footsteps. Growling at the growing mob, Darius began to swear to himself.
Damn! Haven't these fools ever seen a Ctarl Ctarl before!?!
He raised his arms to show that he meant no harm, "I'm no monster, I'm a Ctarl Ctarl, now leave me be!"
Hushed whispers broke out in the crowd at his proclamation. Of course they rang loud and clear in the ears of a Ctarl Ctarl.
"I didn't know they could talk!"
"He called himself a Ctarl Ctarl?"
"No Ctarl I've seen has ever looked like that!"
The old woman that started the whole mess came to the front, emboldened by the crowd, "That girl just moved! She's alive, we must help her!"
Darius scowled at the crowd as it began to flow forward. He would never be able to escape holding Aisha and he really had no intentions of leaving her to the crowd.
His instincts finally over-rode his reason.
I'm sorry, Aisha...
He fell into his transformation and with his increased power leaped over the startled people's heads before running out of sight.
"Care.ul...ta..ed...b.. m..ns...r... e's...ur..."
She moaned slightly and fidgeted.
"Docto...she's c..min...rou...d..."
She opened her eyes a little and bright lights blinded her. She tried to talk but couldn't hear what she was saying. Something was holding her down but she tried to rise anyway.
"Don't......her...up!"
The buzzing from the awful device still echoed in her ears as she started to adjust to the world around here.
That shock.... Oh yes! It was MacDougall who did it!
Her sense of hearing cleared and she could hear over that buzz.
"Can you hear me?" An elderly voice whispered in her ear, "Are you awake?"
She nodded slightly with a grimace. Her neck ached for some reason...
"Please stay down, you're not ready to move around yet."
"Doctor, does this mean she'll recover?" A woman's voice inquired.
"Easily. Just have the nurse keep her on that I.V. When it's through we'll see if the girl can move on her own."
A cold, wet thing poked her in the side, raising a little giggle. She couldn't help the fact that she was ticklish after all.
The woman's voice returned, "Garron, please take the dog back home, we don't need him jumping on her."
A muttered response escaped her sphere of hearing as the owner of the dog left the room. Before she could wonder whom this Garron fellow was, a firm hand gripped her arm. It squeezed down painfully and she barely bit back a yelp of surprise.
"This one looks like that male we chased off." The hard hand squeezed down tighter, "Are you sure we should be helping her recover instead of finishing her off?"
The woman's voice was iron, "She was abandoned by that other one, and from what the doctor said it looks like someone had beaten her. As far as I'm concerned she's not one of them! They could've been the ones responsible for this for all we know!"
"I'm still not sure..." The hand removed itself.
"You've bruised her! Get out of here, you heartless jerk!"
He bruised me? How is he strong enough to do that with just a grip? And why can I still not see!?!
Aisha felt a surge of panic as she darted her eyes back and forth.
Am I blind!?
"Don't worry, dear, Doctor Hollontop said you'd recover soon enough."
I may as well try to talk, maybe I can get some answers.
She opened her mouth experimentally before launching into her sentence, "Where am I?"
She almost laughed at her own voice. It was hoarse and barely intelligible, like she hadn't drank in days.
"If you don't know that then telling you the name won't clear anything up." The woman laughed, "We're just a frontier planet, and not one of the ones on the map."
"What's wrong with me?"
There was a short pause before the answer, "The doctor wasn't sure how it happened, but your brains neural receptors have been temporarily overloaded. He said that it had to do with some electric shock of some kind. It's just like interference on the radio, it will clear up soon enough on it's own."
Never known radio interference to hurt THAT much before.
"He also told us to warn you about sleeping. This interference has apparently affected both halves of your brain. Your dreams are going to be very real, in a way too real. The parts of your brain that cause dreams and hold memory have had their natural restraints temporarily disabled. You'll be having dreams that are partly mixed from a memory or memories."
I guess that makes sense...
"I..." she started, but a hand closed over her mouth.
"Don't overdue it. You've just woken up and it's best for you to remain inert a while longer."
Inert? What the hell does that mean?? Well she's not telling me to be inert right now so I must be doing it.
The door closed.
"Hey! Where are you going!" She rasped, a futile attempt considering the door was soundproof anyway.
"Ron! You're still alive!" Leo stammered as the man stalked into his room.
"What a rat hole." Ron sneered as he glanced over the debilitated furniture, "How far have you fallen since the space race?"
Leo sat down with a sigh, "Terry headed out with our ship into Kei pirate territory on a bounty he picked up. They found the wreckage not too far off from where he was supposed to start his planet fall. Happened about three months ago and I've been stuck here since. Without that ship I'm stuck doing thug work and crap jobs."
"Any power changes I missed in the last couple months?"
Leo shrugged, "As far as I can tell no, but that Starwind guy seems to have really struck gold down by Centinnel. I don't know what could be in a backwater dump like that."
"Starwind's back on Centinnel?" Ron mused, Leo had more useful information than he would've expected. He walked around the room checking out the décor.
"Yeah... but where have you been recently? Some guys have been coming around looking for you. Looked like the space forces to me."
"What did you tell them?"
Leo laughed, "What could I tell them? You hadn't been around for a while..."
"How much did the forces offer you for information?" Ron demanded.
"Ron, I'd never sell you out! You and Harry are friends!" Leo turned to look at Ron and froze.
A tattered shirt was hanging from Ron's hand, the tiny black recording box the space forces had sewn into the material dangled in front of Leo's eyes.
"Ron! I swear I didn't know about that! You and Harry are fri-" Leo stammered before a bullet silenced him.
The gun slid into his coat as the body fell to the floor.
"The MacDougall brothers have no friends."
"I'm hungry."
No answer.
"I could really go for some food."
No answer.
"I haven't eaten for days!"
Still no answer.
I can't take it anymore!
Aisha felt with her hands to make sure nothing was in front of her before she sat up. She tried to focus her eyes but they still just blurred anything they fell upon.
I didn't think it had passed...
She shut her eyes tightly before the blur made her nauseous and swung one leg out of the bed. She felt to make sure she was still dressed before she swung the other leg out. She carefully pulled the I.V from her arm and stood. She nearly fell over as her legs turned to rubber but she stubbornly stayed up.
Damned if I'm gonna let this keep me from eating!
She shuffled awkwardly to the door and searched for the knob. Her hand came into contact with it and she turned it. Aisha inched the door open and stuck her ear to the crack. Nothing was making sounds outside so she walked out, keeping one hand on the wall as she trekked down the hallway.
"This is easier than I thought..."
No sooner had she spoken than she fell down a short flight of stairs. She gasped in shock as the air was driven out of her but she quickly recovered and perked her ears to see if anyone had noticed. Luckily no one was there to see the bright red color her face had flushed with. Putting a hand on the wall she continued on her way before anyone came upon the scene. She caught the next flight of stairs and slowly made it down before reaching another door.
"Where are the kitchens around here?" she muttered as she turned the knob.
She took a step out and felt the crunch of gravel under her bare feet. She could also feel the chill of the air underneath her patient's gown. However the most wonderful part of all was the smell of cooking meat. She slowly started to walk in the direction of the scent, stubbing her toes on more than one stone. Eventually she reached a fence.
And I was so close too! It figures that they'd set this place up to make things difficult!
She grabbed onto the fence and slowly walked along it. After a short walk she found that it bent back the way she had came. She followed that bend until she came to another one, which headed opposite the direction of the first fence.
"Aw, crap, don't tell me this is closed in."
Garron sat by the building snickering as the strange woman made a complete circuit of the yard before heading back toward the hospital.
"Let's play frisbee with her Grrussel!" he whispered, patting his god on the back.
Grrussel barked as his master stood up and cocked back the frisbee. He winged it over toward the woman.
"Hey lady! Catch!"
Grrussel sprinted after the frisbee as it flew straight toward the woman. She turned at his voice and just stared vacantly as the frisbee bounced right off her forehead, knocking her flat on her back. Grrussel wasted no time in smothering the fallen Ctarl Ctarl in dog kisses while she just laid there in shock.
Garron let out a low whistle, "Guess she's never played before."
"Have you seen a silver-haired girl walk by here!?" Olviana asked the fellow operating the security camera.
He scratched his head, "She went out the back door. I thought she wanted some fresh air so I didn't stop her. Did I do something wrong?"
Olviana grimaced, "The door downstairs?"
"There's only one back door!" he laughed good-naturedly.
Thanking the man she spun and headed to the door. Hopefully she hadn't gotten too far, especially outside.
Garron crouched over the woman as Grrussel finally stopped his impromptu drowning attempt. He placed a hand on her forehead.
"Are you sick or something? You don't have a fever?"
"Am I dead?"
Garron removed his hand, "That's a silly question."
"I just thought that it was a bullet that hit me..."
"I'm the best thrower in the whole solar system!" Garron declared, drawing himself up proudly.
Aisha rubbed her sore forehead, "I don't disagree."
The boy stuck out his hand, offering her help up. She started to rise on her own so he just took it back. He didn't care if she didn't want to show appreciation for his graciousness. Well, maybe just a little.
"Could you tell me where I am?"
"Outside, of course!"
"I guessed that much. Is there anything around here to eat?" Aisha asked eagerly.
"Sorry, but the food is all kept inside the hospital."
Aisha's ears dropped, "That's what I was afraid of."
Grrussel nuzzled her hand, demanding immediate attention.
"Who are you?" she asked the furry ball of hyperactivity.
"That's Grrussel, I'm Garron."
"Grrussel?"
The dog tackled her when she said his name. Again Garron stuck out his hand to help her up and yet again she got up on her own. An unexplainable anger filled him as he viciously pushed her back to the ground.
"Fine! If you don't want my help then you can just find someone else to answer your questions!" He shouted before running off with his dog and frisbee.
"Wha-What was that for?" Aisha stuttered as the boy's footsteps faded away.
Garron ran past his mother with Grrussel flopping along behind him, ignoring her calls. She sighed before continuing out the door.
"Oh no! Are you alright, dear?" Olviana gasped as she ran over to the downed Ctarl Ctarl.
Aisha slowly sat up, "I'm ok."
Olviana put one of the woman's arms around her neck and started to walk back to the hospital.
"Who was that kid?"
"Garron? He's my son. He normally hangs out around here."
"Does he not like strangers?"
Olviana frowned, "No, but he does give them trouble if he's been hanging out with old man MacDougall down at the pub."
Aisha missed a step and her eyes widened, "Ron MacDougall!?"
"Jonas MacDougall. Who's Ron MacDougall? A friend of yours?"
"No, he's no friend of mine..." she sighed.
As they continued on Aisha fell into her own thoughts and didn't say anything else. Olviana helped her back into bed before closing the door and leaving once more. Aisha didn't notice the plate of food sitting right beside her bed as she sorted out her current situation.
~~~~~~~~~~
End of Part 2...
Heh, I hope this is good, because I really liked writing this part of the story. I apologize for the lack of action, and believe me there will be plenty more in the upcoming parts. Once again I'd love any reviews you'd be willing to give, and especially if you'd tell me which part you liked better and why so far. I really need to polish my writing more and I can only accomplish that through constructive criticism.