Wasteland…
Chapter 6
00:04
In a few minutes, the group reached the plane that Connor and Delia had broken into. Connor noticed the large Big-Air emblem on the side of the plane, thanks to the clouding skies and the dimming daylight; nightfall was coming. "In here," said the redhead who claimed to be 'Fidget'. "You can lay her here on the table while I go and get some help. Lord knows we're gonna need it; that girl looks like she got the shit beat out of her."
Yeah, thanks for your encouraging attitude toward the situation…c'mon Delia, don't die out on me now, we've almost got help. Connor gently let her body down on the table, the blood beginning to drip onto the floor. Movement in the right of Connor's eyes revealed the big guy from the night before, with Fidget behind him. "Alex, right," Connor asked, hoping to release the sudden tension that seemed to fill the room…he nodded, saying, "Yeah, that's me; what happened to her?"
"We got hit in the woods…some freaky thing came at us…that doesn't matter right now, c'mon we need to help her."
Alex nodded in agreement and said to Fidget, "Go get Grinder," he turned away and as Fidget was leaving he added, "Tell him it's an emergency!" Fidget replied, "Yeah, yeah, I'll hurry up…," a few mutters could be heard after that. Alex and Connor turned back to Delia. She was obviously losing blood, her face slowly beginning to become a pale, ivory white. Connor started getting agitated at the helplessness that he felt…c'mon, we gotta do something now… He yelled in frustration, making Alex Mann jump with sudden—temporary—fright.
Alex then started examining her wounds, as if critiquing them or planning on what he might do to heal them. "Oh shit," came an accented voice, "What the hell happen—that doesn't matter; alright, Alex, you set up the IV's, Fidget go call the hospital and get them over here with an ambulance and I will…uh…I'll…alright, what happened to her?"
"She took a sword through the chest, can't you fu—''
"Yes that's obvious but…stop the bleeding," cried Grinder and he whirled around to find a towel on a counter. He shoved it into her wound, the blue towel with the Action Man logo on it beginning to turn into a dark red or purplish color… C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, thought Connor. "What can I do to help," Connor asked and the guy apparently named Grinder said, "Well, you can apply pressure while I go outside and tell the paramedics what's happened to her."
Paramedics? Suddenly sirens were all around the plane, seeming to come from everywhere at one time, red flashes of light coming from the windows. I didn't even notice them coming, Connor thought as he took Grinder's place while he went outside to give a quick view of the victim.
And in a few minutes, they were gone, rushed away by an ambulance…leaving Connor sitting outside on the cold concrete watching it speed away with someone that he had taken for granted…now the image of her face plagued his mind and he realized how much he meant to her…
And the tears flowed…
§
He had been out there for two hours when it finally occurred to Team X-treme that it was getting dark, the winter sun setting earlier than what they were used too. "We should get inside, into the warmth," observed Alex. "Are you crazy?! He broke into this place last night and if he did that, then it's likely that he's gonna take some stuff if we let him in! What's wrong with you? You're acting like Tempest, for…" She muted herself before she would say something that she'd regret.
"I'm putting away my CD's," she said and stomped into her room.
Alex shrugged, smiled, and said, "That would mean that she agrees with the idea, just has doubting instincts about it." Grinder laughed and they went outside to join Connor. On the way, Grinder asked, "What do you think about that whole 'from the future' episode they told us last night?" Alex sighed and said, "I think we need to call an asylum once this is over but…I got this strange feeling that there's more to meets the eye about those two…sort of like the feeling I got when I first saw Gangreen…but not the 'whoa he's evil' thing…something else…"
"Sounds like you've got problems mate," commented Grinder and Alex pushed him away.
They reached the cool, outside air and almost shivered. It was chilly and here this man was, sitting on the cold concrete of the parking lot wearing nothing but pants and a T-shirt…Grinder looked at Alex as if asking 'should I or should you'? Alex motioned that he would and then stepped forward to sit next to Connor. "We got some hot chocolate inside, if you want some," Alex asked gently. Connor smiled a sad, grim smile and said, "That's a fable that I've never gotten to try…" A fable, Alex wondered, but asked, "You can come inside if you want; we were about to have some when we figured you might want to join us…you know, get outta the cold." He's coming whether—
"It doesn't matter what I'd say, would it? You'd still ask me to come inside until I get so damned annoyed that it'd be a yes and then you'd pat yourself on the back for saving my health."
Alex was speechless…and Connor got up, saying, "So I guess I should go inside, since you so most kindly insist." They all got started walking into the plane and Connor added, "I can see why you like the redhead, Mr. Alex. And Grinder…Delia is not available, just so you know." Out of pure confusion and the fact that their guards were down…Grinder and Alex stopped for a second, looked at each other and just knew—just knew that Connor had hit dead on…how did he know, solicituded Grinder… Does this mean he likes Fidget too, Alex wondered, but quickly concluded that that wasn't very likely…no offense to Fidget, just that…she's one in a million… Alex smiled at the thought of her fiery attitude and smirking face…then Grinder got in his face and said, "Let's go make some hot chocolate, mate."
As they stepped inside, Fidget appeared and said, "We've got a phone call from the hospital…they need to talk to Delia's buddy here—," they kept walking inside and she raised her voice, "—concerning her life you stupid jerk, get inside now. They hurried inside, Fidget following them with angry words and rolling eyes. She showed Connor the phone and he raised it to his ear and said, "Hello?"
"Yes, are you the young lady's friend that we picked up at the plane," came a frantic, hurried reply. It was a female, obviously a doctor and obviously concerned with Delia's mortality.
"I am," said Connor.
"Do you know where in the hell she came from? Do you have any idea about her cell structure or what the problem is with her blood?"
OH NO, Connor realized with a deadening thought…they've gotten into her blood and cells…if they find the protein nutrients then…, "Oh shit," Connor concluded. In 2010, a medical discovery changed the world of medicine, making doctors nearly useless except for injuries; a doctor in southern Australia found that if he combined a certain, newly discovered protein and hardly a cell's worth of a type of uranium, then inject it into a newborn baby, the baby would have an almost invulnerable immune system. The two combined the proteins with the unbelievably small amount of uranium and then injected into a less-than-3-days-old-child would cause a chain reaction, starting in the heart. In a way, it's like a baby receiving estrogen, only in a different form and method and it's much more advanced. The cells could easily resist any simple-to-moderate diseases like a fever, a cold, and ones that are quite a bit worse, such as malaria, sickle cell syndrome and other diseases. There are some hereditary, but very few, quandary's it's incapable of fighting.
"Yes I'm briefed on the problems that she has with her blood and body; just put her in a room, alone, no doctors and nothing attached to her except for an IV pumping water into her blood—," Connor covered the mouthpiece of the phone and asked quietly, "What year is it?" Alex man replied, "2001, about to be 2002," and Connor nodded, raising the phone back up to his mouth.
"That should do it—check on her every, uh…every two hours and we'll be back to pick her up in the morning, around daw—nine'o'clock. That's the only way to save her life. Thank you, goodbye. Bye." Connor hung up before she could call him crazy but he knew and the doctor knew that there was nothing they could do to save Delia's life except for what Connor said…and only Connor knew that he and she had regeneration abilities.
Connor decided to vicissitude to face the group of people looking at him and started to say, "Before you think I'm cra—''
"ARE YOU CRAZY," screamed Fidget, "SHE'S GONNA DIE AND YOU TELL THEM TO PUT HER IN A ROOM, ALONE?! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM? I DIDN'T RISK MY ASS TO GET YOU OUTTA THERE JUST SO SHE COULD DIE IN A HOSPITAL!" Looking as if she was about to pass out due to lack of oxygen, Fidget took in a deep breath and was about to continue screeching at Connor but Connor quickly said, "We're from the future, our body anatomy is slightly different then yours…if I'm right—pray that I am—she'll be nearly completely healed by morning…"
"…Well…well, you should…uh…well you should at least be at the hospital with her," finished Fidget and she stormed off. Connor was going to laugh but Grinder said, "Do you mean that humans have evolved into something different in the future?" Now Connor did laugh. "You aren't very bright," he said, "evolution was disproved back in 1999, just so you know and, no, we…well, I don't want to explain it to you because things might change."
Alex's eyes drifted around the room out of boredom and noticed a flashing red light below a chair under the table…he had a strange feeling that something wasn't right and bent down to look at it…, "Guys I think that we should get outside…shit, NOW." Alex had learned a long time ago what a timer was and the timer read '00:04'. Fidget came from her room, an angry expression and a red face said she was still thinking about Connor's being a jerk. They all started running outside when Connor asked, "What about the other guy…uh…" "Ricky's," replied Alex, "He's at a conference right now, looking for better paying sponsors, now RUN!" They ran and made it to the open cargo bay when—
Suddenly there was an explosion, heat seared the back's of Team X-treme and Connor, and they were lifted off their feet, flying away from the plane. Connor felt himself hit the concrete in satirical pain and rolled on the parking lot's rough ground for several seconds…he felt himself bleeding in a few places and tried to ignore the pain as he crawled to his knees. Alex Mann looked up from where the explosion had came from and groaned out of pain and shock. Grinder was rendered unconscious during his flight from the explosion, for he had been flung into a nearby telephone pole. Fidget's head was bleeding from shrapnel and she was mumbling something along the lines of, "Let me at him…I can—OW—take him…," then collapsed, slipping into a dark sleep.
Connor got to his feet and found that he was cut up and scraped in all places but that wasn't anything compared to what had happened to Big-Air… There was nothing left. A wing was on the other side of the parking lot and there were several other pieces of noticeable parts around the lot but where Big-Air had been…nothing but a large crater and the smell of burning metal. The fire wasn't very large and could be easily contained so Connor lay back down on the cold concrete, trying to rest…oh man…I figured we might be attacked by people but I didn't think of bombs…
Connor's eyes looked at the full moon's sky and…, "What the hell is that," he shouted. A large aircraft, in the shape of a blimp, was moving into the skies, covering the moon. It began to descend toward the ground and Connor felt weariness begin to take him over but he fought it off and got to his feet. "Alex," Connor called, searching for his body…, "Mr. Mann, we've gotta serious problem." Connor spotted Alex getting to his feet and said, "Look up." Alex looked up and a statement of pure confusion and impiety came from his lips.
Suddenly a young boy's voice came from the blimp, from some speakers on the outside somewhere. A young, immature boy's voice…Connor snickered when he heard it. "I am TEMPEST and I am the leader of the Council of Doom. Bow before me, Action Man, or you and your friends will be incinerated like your plastic little plane…bow…NOW!" Alex looked at Connor, Connor looking at Alex…and they both started laughing, causing Tempest to become his typically pissed-off self. "You doubt the power of me and the Council of Doom? Your mistake, Action Man," and with that, the blimp suddenly dropped and when it was about fifty feet from the ground stopped…and people dropping out of it. Quiet a few people…and after about ten seconds, about fifty people.
Alex glanced at Connor and said, "Uh…" Connor shrugged his shoulders and said, "I can take at least ten of them, I bet…unless they're all like the woman I fought this morning…uh…" The assassins kept walking towards the remnants of Big-Air and Team X-treme.
It was then that Alex started noticing a few, rather disturbing details about the enemies. For one, they were huge, all of them at least eight feet tall and all their eyes glowed a dark red. Every one of them were very muscular and armed with all sorts of freaky looking weapons sticking out of their skin. Connor's face read 'uh oh' and Alex's 'it couldn't be'…but it was. There were almost fifty Neo-Humans progressing towards Action Man and a man supposedly from the future…no, no way…we've got to run…no way can we take them all… One of them reached a piece of debris from the Big-Air, looked at it, and crunched the metal propeller into a ball of scrap…yep, no way. Something told him though…some instinct was saying he had seen them before…
Connor turned to run when he heard Alex yell, "No, wait! We can't leave Fidget and Grinder!" Connor hesitated and it cost him; a Neo-Human jumped from twenty feet away and crashed into Connor, slamming him onto the concrete ground. Something small cut into his back and was buried even deeper when the Neo-Human pressed harder; "Ugh…get…off," Connor yelled and pushed with all his might. The beast flew off of him and several feet into the air, landing a good ten yards away. Connor got to his feet and pulled what looked like a bloody piece of glass from his back. He then ran to Grinder's insentient body and scooped it up, running as fast as he could away from the advancing, vagarious-looking army.
Alex was ahead of Connor, carrying Fidget over his broad, right shoulder and sprinting towards the dark forest. Connor followed Alex when suddenly, thanks to the glowing moon, a shadow appeared over him and he stopped running. A Neo-Human landed right where he would've been and Connor ran around it, now even further from Alex and the hopefully protective woods. Abruptly, Connor felt a powerful object strike him across his left temple and he flew to the ground, Grinder flying into the air and…into the arms of a Neo-Human. "NO," yelled a voice, but Connor couldn't tell who it was thanks to the silent, coldly welcoming darkness…
Alex had turned around and had seen Connor fall but knew he couldn't do anything. He might as well have surrendered but this was an army of Neo-Human's and he couldn't show any fear of them or Tempest would just—BAM! Alex was soaring the air and then—, "AAA—ooh!" He collided into the tree and fell to the ground, unaware that he had lost Fidget or of the huge hand that suddenly hit him in the face…
§
Alex woke up and was in a small cell that was obviously on Dr. X's blimp…or should I say the Council of Doom's blimp…or is it Tempest's blimp…? Alex got to his feet and noticed a huge, brutal-looking Neo-Human standing outside his door. Damn…no chances of getting out of the cell alive…those things are nasty…
"Hey, gimme the keys and I'll pay you a few thousand dollars," whispered Alex, testing the Neo-Human's hearing. It turned and faced him, its heinous face dripping with snot and other, sticky liquids. "Ew," said Alex, even less loudly than his last comment. A roar of rage came from the ogre and it opened the jail cell's door, stepping into the small room. Oops, thought Alex just before it swung at him. He outmaneuvered the first two attempts to knock him out but the third came to fast and too low…Alex flew back against the wall and lost conscious…
Author's Note
What up? Was any good? If there are any ways I can improve, let me know; I want this fic to be my best yet (of course, it'll be my best unless you include my fic 'Hojo Clone Chronicles'…I don't think I'll ever right something better than that). Anyway, let me know what you like and dislike. Thanx!