Chapter 13

Dr. Sid sighed with happiness and leaned back in his chair. It was all going according to plan! It was working!

Project Aki-Hein was almost complete! He grinned and shut his eyes for a brief moment of rest.

The beeping of an incoming message startled him, and he almost fell backwards out of the chair.

"What that would do to my old bones," he muttered as he pressed the button that would bring up the screen for the incoming message.

The screen was filled with Aki's upset and terrified face. "Dr. Sid!" she cried, her brows turning towards each other in a worried expression.

"Yes, Aki, what is it? Did you get the specimen?" he asked.

Aki frowned in frustration. "Yes, but nevermind that! The place was overrun by phantoms!"
"And...?"

Aki sighed with attempted patience. "Hein was touched by one! And I don't have the tools to save him!" she cried, near tears.

"Aki...I don't know what to tell you..." Sid thought for a moment. "Do you have the necessary equipment to get him back here in time?"

Aki slammed her fists on the table, shaking the screen. "Dr. Sid! We don't have TIME for that now, it's already code red!" she cried, her eyes tearing up.

"Aki...Aki, calm down."

"NO! I'm NOT going to calm down! I don't have the tools to save him! What can I do!!?" In the background, Dr. Sid could just see Hein on the cot in the back of the ship. He appeared to be in a great deal of pain.

Frowning and crossing his arms, Dr. Sid sighed once more. "Aki...there could be a simple way to contain the phantom virus in him until you can get him back here. Set the ship on auto-pilot for here, and try to contain the phantom as best you can without the necessary tools."

Aki wiped the fallen tears from her cheeks and sighed. "...How, Sid. Tell me."

"Check where we keep the guns. There are often special items in there that even I don't know about," Sid suggested.

Aki nodded and ran to the compartment that held the phantom destroying weapons.

As luck would have it, there was an item in there, which appeared to Aki like a life-saving item. She grinned with relief, and turned to Hein. "You're going to be alright," she whispered, squeezing his hand as she lifted the equipment from the compartment.

Nodding to Sid, who also nodded in return, she set up the tools, and prepared to contain the phantom.

"Major...I will save your life," Aki whispered, before operating the machine.

Lasers this way, lasers that way, all kinds of separate lasers went into his body. Finally, a blue light from the laser appeared on his chest. Aki made her way over to where he lay, to realize that it must've worked. The phantom had been contained.

Turning to Dr. Sid with a triumphant grin, which of course, Dr. Sid returned, she shut the machine off and packed it up to be put away.

The transporter was already halfway to the station by now, and Aki turned off the autopilot, to resume the flight. Things were going to be all right after all.

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With twenty minutes of flight left, Aki in total relaxation, the spirit wave contained in a safe place, Aki was alarmed when a moan came from the back of the ship.

Turning to Hein, she was horrified at what she saw. His aura was red, and his face was scrunched with writhing pain.

With a horrified realization, she realized what was happening.

The treatment hadn't worked.

And now, Hein was going to die from it.

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SOLO BY RAINE! That means blame her for frustration!

A/N: I told you we had some evil cliffhangers.

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