AUTHOR'S NOTE AND DISCLAIMER
Again, I repeat that Helga is my favourite character, and that I had a very good reason for doing what I did to her. I just wish I could remember it.
I own Nikala, Disney owns everything else. Including my soul. I'll get it back one day!!!
CHAPTER III - Repercussions
"Mole?" Milo called as he carefully made his way through the tunnel leading into what had once been the shaft Rourke had tried to escape through. The solidified lava had shattered much like that which had covered the dome protecting Atlantis, and now the passage was filled with broken rock and other debris. The light from his torch glittered across razor-sharp shards of obsidian scattered across the floor, making his progress slower as he gingerly picked his way through it. "Mole?!"
If anything, the former cavern was even more of a mess, littered with both ash and fragments of basalt. A cloud of mixed soot and ash billowed behind Milo as he waded through it, and he wondered how Mole could possibly enjoy such conditions. He could hear scuffling movements coming from the far side of the chamber, and swung the beam of his torch in that direction.
There was an angry hiss in response, and the light gleamed off Mole's goggles as he looked up from where he was scrabbling amongst the rocks. "Who is zat?!" he growled angrily. "Zis place ees unsafe!"
"Uhm, it's just me Mole." Milo replied, wondering nervously just how unsafe the cavern was. "If this place is dangerous, why are you here?"
"Bah! Eet ees only dangerous for thoze who do not understand eet!" Mole said contemptuously. "I on zee other hand find eet perfectly safe." Looking back down at the jumble of rocks at his feet, Mole suddenly darted forward with a gasp and snatched up one of them. "Aaaah, zis ees meednight lace obsidian! Ees it not beautiful?" He held the small piece of volcanic glass to the small light on his goggles, admiring the swirls of colour through the translucent stone.
"Yes, fascinating I'm sure." Milo was hoping he wouldn't get another geological lecture; Mole could go on for hours if given the chance. (and he tended to go on for hours whether anyone was listening or not) "I was wondering, since you've been looking around here and all... did you find any, well, bodies?"
Looking up sharply from his treasure, Mole stared disbelievingly at Milo for a few seconds, and then burst into hysterical laughter. "Bodies?! Silly boy, zere vill be no bodies in zee wake of zee volcano!" He seemed to find the whole concept hilarious. "Zee lava ees over one thousand degrees centigrade vhen eet reaches zee surface! Eet vould have consumed zee bodies almost instantly and carried zem vith eet. Zee skeletons vould 'ave been calcified and become von vith zee rock!" There was a pause as Mole considered that. "Actually, zat ees not a bad vay to go..." he mused.
Feeling nauseous at the thought, not to mention Mole's charming description, Milo managed a somewhat shaky nod. "Well, that's... lovely Mole. I'll just... uhhhh... leave you to it then." He edged away as Mole continued to root around in the detritus of rock and ash, making a mental note to never, EVER go near anything remotely volcanic again.
* * *
"...mein Gott..." Complete and utter shock had stunned Helga so badly that she slipped into her native German, which she'd barely spoken in years. She simply stared at her arm in uncomprehending horror. She hadn't been expecting this.
After taking the bandages from the woman's arm, Nikala had retreated to a safe distance. (which, considering the circumstances, didn't need to be that great) She wasn't sure what she should do; there wasn't anything she COULD do. Crystal healing could ease pain and cure minor cuts and bruises, but this was certainly not minor.
Helga could hardly believe that what she was looking at was her arm. It had been burned so badly that she could barely move it at all; only slight mobility at the shoulder was left. Her hand wouldn't respond at all, the fingers frozen in a spasmodic curl. But it wasn't the paralysis that was the most shocking, it was the scarring. In some places the skin was blistered and raw; in others it seemed to have been completely destroyed. In several places across her forearm, the flesh had been stripped back almost to the muscle beneath.
"...what... what the hell happened to me?!" Helga eventually choked out, tearing her eyes from the horrific sight. Her arm. She was right handed. What on earth would she do now?!
"The flying machine crashed near you." Nikala told her quietly. "The ground was on fire, there was some kind of liquid there that burned... I think your arm got caught in the flames. I didn't see how it happened, it was like that when I found you." She couldn't imagine how the woman must be feeling right now, only think of how terrible it would be to lose the use of an arm.
Vague memories resurfaced in Helga's mind. The fuel tanks she'd thrown from the gyro-evac... she remembered being surrounded by the stench of gasoline as she'd lain sprawled across the cavern floor. And the searing agony she'd felt before blacking out. A powerful surge of mixed hatred, fury and resentment rushed through her as she realised that this was because of Rourke too. It was because of him that she'd come here, and it was he who'd thrown her from the balloon! And Thatch too, they'd never have found this hellhole if it wasn't for him! Even the price of the crystal wasn't worth... the crystal!
"You can fix this, can't you?" Helga asked urgently, looking up at the girl with a mixture of hope and desperation. "Those crystals have power, I've seen it... Thatch told me about it!" She'd seen the Heart of Atlantis turn Kida into a living crystal woman, so surely healing her arm would be easy. Surely...
Nikala couldn't look at her, and could barely make herself reply. "I cannot heal such severe burns. I'm sorry." she said eventually. "The crystals can only heal minor wounds. All I can do is ease your pain."
Helga stared at her disbelievingly. How could a force that powerful be incapable of such a relatively simple task? "You're lying." she said coldly. "I've seen what those crystals can do! You're telling me they can make a stone fish fly, but they can't heal my arm?!"
"If they can heal your arm, then I don't know how it's done." Nikala replied, a little defensively. "I could find a senior healer, they might know more..."
Helga was about to agree, but even as she opened her mouth to say so, she froze. What would happen if the other Atlanteans found out she was here? And the princess... she wouldn't exactly be well disposed towards her. "...are you sure there's no way to do it?" she asked finally.
"No way that I know of." the Atlantean answered. "And if it could be done, I'm sure I would have been taught how. But..." she continued, straightening up, "I should find a senior healer anyway... they might be able to do more for you than I can."
"No!" The woman's shout made Nikala jump. "You don't have to, I'm sure you've done enough." Helga was trying hard to conceal the anxiety in her voice. The last thing she needed was to make the girl suspicious.
"But... what of your friends?" Nikala sounded bemused. "They don't know you're alive..."
'Good...' Helga thought to herself, rapidly thinking up an excuse. "If they know I'm alive they'll want to see me." she went on, knowing that was true. "And do you think I want them to see me like this?" That wasn't exactly a lie either, she couldn't stand the thought of any of the crew seeing her humiliated and disfigured like this.
Fortunately for Helga, Nikala believed her, and could see why she wouldn't want anyone to see her in such a condition. "I understand." she said with a nod. "But are you sure you don't want me to get another healer? Wasn't one of your companions a doctor?"
"I'm sure he couldn't do any more than you." Helga replied quickly, thinking grimly of Sweet's bone saw. "Just... cover it again, will you?" She couldn't bear looking at what had once been her arm any longer, if it was hidden then it would be easier not to fret about it.
With another nod, Nikala began to re-wrap the bandages around Helga's arm, taking care not to pull too tightly. "Try not to move it for now, until the skin starts to heal it will break easily." she informed her as she knotted the bandage at Helga's shoulder.
"That won't be difficult..." Helga couldn't help a slightly derisive snort. After all, it was very easy to keep a limb still when it was incapable of movement anyway. "Anything else?"
"Yes, you'll need to stay in bed." Nikala told her. "I've set your leg, but it must be kept still or the bone will shift."
"Great." Helga muttered under her breath. "How long will it take to heal?" She had wanted to get out of here quickly, knowing she wouldn't be able to remain undetected indefinitely. Then again, the longer she was here, the less they'd be expecting to find her...
"At least five or six weeks." the girl responded. "The splint will have to stay on longer, but you should be able to put your weight on it again by then."
With a sigh of mixed frustration and resignation, Helga mentally cursed Rourke for the hundredth time. But at least she was still alive... and she knew she would have died without the girl's help. "What's your name anyway?" she asked as an afterthought.
"Nikala." the Atlantean replied. "And yours?"
Helga considered lying, but realised it would be pointless anyway. "Helga Sinclair." She only just stopped herself from telling the girl to address her as 'Lieutenant'. "Just call me Helga, that'll do." Settling back with another sigh, she returned to imagining what she'd have liked to do to Rourke. If she was going to be here six weeks, she'd need a hobby.
Again, I repeat that Helga is my favourite character, and that I had a very good reason for doing what I did to her. I just wish I could remember it.
I own Nikala, Disney owns everything else. Including my soul. I'll get it back one day!!!
CHAPTER III - Repercussions
"Mole?" Milo called as he carefully made his way through the tunnel leading into what had once been the shaft Rourke had tried to escape through. The solidified lava had shattered much like that which had covered the dome protecting Atlantis, and now the passage was filled with broken rock and other debris. The light from his torch glittered across razor-sharp shards of obsidian scattered across the floor, making his progress slower as he gingerly picked his way through it. "Mole?!"
If anything, the former cavern was even more of a mess, littered with both ash and fragments of basalt. A cloud of mixed soot and ash billowed behind Milo as he waded through it, and he wondered how Mole could possibly enjoy such conditions. He could hear scuffling movements coming from the far side of the chamber, and swung the beam of his torch in that direction.
There was an angry hiss in response, and the light gleamed off Mole's goggles as he looked up from where he was scrabbling amongst the rocks. "Who is zat?!" he growled angrily. "Zis place ees unsafe!"
"Uhm, it's just me Mole." Milo replied, wondering nervously just how unsafe the cavern was. "If this place is dangerous, why are you here?"
"Bah! Eet ees only dangerous for thoze who do not understand eet!" Mole said contemptuously. "I on zee other hand find eet perfectly safe." Looking back down at the jumble of rocks at his feet, Mole suddenly darted forward with a gasp and snatched up one of them. "Aaaah, zis ees meednight lace obsidian! Ees it not beautiful?" He held the small piece of volcanic glass to the small light on his goggles, admiring the swirls of colour through the translucent stone.
"Yes, fascinating I'm sure." Milo was hoping he wouldn't get another geological lecture; Mole could go on for hours if given the chance. (and he tended to go on for hours whether anyone was listening or not) "I was wondering, since you've been looking around here and all... did you find any, well, bodies?"
Looking up sharply from his treasure, Mole stared disbelievingly at Milo for a few seconds, and then burst into hysterical laughter. "Bodies?! Silly boy, zere vill be no bodies in zee wake of zee volcano!" He seemed to find the whole concept hilarious. "Zee lava ees over one thousand degrees centigrade vhen eet reaches zee surface! Eet vould have consumed zee bodies almost instantly and carried zem vith eet. Zee skeletons vould 'ave been calcified and become von vith zee rock!" There was a pause as Mole considered that. "Actually, zat ees not a bad vay to go..." he mused.
Feeling nauseous at the thought, not to mention Mole's charming description, Milo managed a somewhat shaky nod. "Well, that's... lovely Mole. I'll just... uhhhh... leave you to it then." He edged away as Mole continued to root around in the detritus of rock and ash, making a mental note to never, EVER go near anything remotely volcanic again.
* * *
"...mein Gott..." Complete and utter shock had stunned Helga so badly that she slipped into her native German, which she'd barely spoken in years. She simply stared at her arm in uncomprehending horror. She hadn't been expecting this.
After taking the bandages from the woman's arm, Nikala had retreated to a safe distance. (which, considering the circumstances, didn't need to be that great) She wasn't sure what she should do; there wasn't anything she COULD do. Crystal healing could ease pain and cure minor cuts and bruises, but this was certainly not minor.
Helga could hardly believe that what she was looking at was her arm. It had been burned so badly that she could barely move it at all; only slight mobility at the shoulder was left. Her hand wouldn't respond at all, the fingers frozen in a spasmodic curl. But it wasn't the paralysis that was the most shocking, it was the scarring. In some places the skin was blistered and raw; in others it seemed to have been completely destroyed. In several places across her forearm, the flesh had been stripped back almost to the muscle beneath.
"...what... what the hell happened to me?!" Helga eventually choked out, tearing her eyes from the horrific sight. Her arm. She was right handed. What on earth would she do now?!
"The flying machine crashed near you." Nikala told her quietly. "The ground was on fire, there was some kind of liquid there that burned... I think your arm got caught in the flames. I didn't see how it happened, it was like that when I found you." She couldn't imagine how the woman must be feeling right now, only think of how terrible it would be to lose the use of an arm.
Vague memories resurfaced in Helga's mind. The fuel tanks she'd thrown from the gyro-evac... she remembered being surrounded by the stench of gasoline as she'd lain sprawled across the cavern floor. And the searing agony she'd felt before blacking out. A powerful surge of mixed hatred, fury and resentment rushed through her as she realised that this was because of Rourke too. It was because of him that she'd come here, and it was he who'd thrown her from the balloon! And Thatch too, they'd never have found this hellhole if it wasn't for him! Even the price of the crystal wasn't worth... the crystal!
"You can fix this, can't you?" Helga asked urgently, looking up at the girl with a mixture of hope and desperation. "Those crystals have power, I've seen it... Thatch told me about it!" She'd seen the Heart of Atlantis turn Kida into a living crystal woman, so surely healing her arm would be easy. Surely...
Nikala couldn't look at her, and could barely make herself reply. "I cannot heal such severe burns. I'm sorry." she said eventually. "The crystals can only heal minor wounds. All I can do is ease your pain."
Helga stared at her disbelievingly. How could a force that powerful be incapable of such a relatively simple task? "You're lying." she said coldly. "I've seen what those crystals can do! You're telling me they can make a stone fish fly, but they can't heal my arm?!"
"If they can heal your arm, then I don't know how it's done." Nikala replied, a little defensively. "I could find a senior healer, they might know more..."
Helga was about to agree, but even as she opened her mouth to say so, she froze. What would happen if the other Atlanteans found out she was here? And the princess... she wouldn't exactly be well disposed towards her. "...are you sure there's no way to do it?" she asked finally.
"No way that I know of." the Atlantean answered. "And if it could be done, I'm sure I would have been taught how. But..." she continued, straightening up, "I should find a senior healer anyway... they might be able to do more for you than I can."
"No!" The woman's shout made Nikala jump. "You don't have to, I'm sure you've done enough." Helga was trying hard to conceal the anxiety in her voice. The last thing she needed was to make the girl suspicious.
"But... what of your friends?" Nikala sounded bemused. "They don't know you're alive..."
'Good...' Helga thought to herself, rapidly thinking up an excuse. "If they know I'm alive they'll want to see me." she went on, knowing that was true. "And do you think I want them to see me like this?" That wasn't exactly a lie either, she couldn't stand the thought of any of the crew seeing her humiliated and disfigured like this.
Fortunately for Helga, Nikala believed her, and could see why she wouldn't want anyone to see her in such a condition. "I understand." she said with a nod. "But are you sure you don't want me to get another healer? Wasn't one of your companions a doctor?"
"I'm sure he couldn't do any more than you." Helga replied quickly, thinking grimly of Sweet's bone saw. "Just... cover it again, will you?" She couldn't bear looking at what had once been her arm any longer, if it was hidden then it would be easier not to fret about it.
With another nod, Nikala began to re-wrap the bandages around Helga's arm, taking care not to pull too tightly. "Try not to move it for now, until the skin starts to heal it will break easily." she informed her as she knotted the bandage at Helga's shoulder.
"That won't be difficult..." Helga couldn't help a slightly derisive snort. After all, it was very easy to keep a limb still when it was incapable of movement anyway. "Anything else?"
"Yes, you'll need to stay in bed." Nikala told her. "I've set your leg, but it must be kept still or the bone will shift."
"Great." Helga muttered under her breath. "How long will it take to heal?" She had wanted to get out of here quickly, knowing she wouldn't be able to remain undetected indefinitely. Then again, the longer she was here, the less they'd be expecting to find her...
"At least five or six weeks." the girl responded. "The splint will have to stay on longer, but you should be able to put your weight on it again by then."
With a sigh of mixed frustration and resignation, Helga mentally cursed Rourke for the hundredth time. But at least she was still alive... and she knew she would have died without the girl's help. "What's your name anyway?" she asked as an afterthought.
"Nikala." the Atlantean replied. "And yours?"
Helga considered lying, but realised it would be pointless anyway. "Helga Sinclair." She only just stopped herself from telling the girl to address her as 'Lieutenant'. "Just call me Helga, that'll do." Settling back with another sigh, she returned to imagining what she'd have liked to do to Rourke. If she was going to be here six weeks, she'd need a hobby.