Comatose

Disclaimer: Same as beforehand. Sorry this one's so short, I kinda had to force a few ideas out. The Bard1's work, Flint's Journal, gave me the idea of the nine planes of Lady Jaye's rages.

~ ~ ~ ~

Shipwreck woke up for the second time that week with a nightmare. The dream was the same as the previous time. The EKG that was monitoring Cover Girl's vitals suddenly beeped warning as her pulse rate suddenly flat lined. Lifeline came running, with Bree.

After a couple compressions on her chest he shouted, "Clear!"

The paddles jolted her with electric shock in an attempt to restart her heart. "No effect!" Bree shouted.

"Epinephrine!" Lifeline called.

Bree brought up a syringe which Lifeline injected directly into Cover Girl's heart. "No effect!" Bree replied, "Lifeline, we're losing her..."

The beep dragged on forever, like life, never quite ending but still reaching the end nonetheless. He was still sleeping on the couch beside Courtney's bed, and had been for the past two days. He would go home to be with his kids during the day, and the kids were being unusually well behaved for the day, with maybe the occasional fire started or Beach Head gripe. And even Low Light, despite having lost to Shipwreck in the race for Courtney's heart, had been civil, showing an uncharacteristic display of sympathy.

Again, after over forty-eight hours, averaging maybe three or four hours of sleep each night, he maintained his vigil. At least Hawk had been good enough to give him a three day pass. And this was the only three day pass in his long memory that Shipwreck did not go out in town and get himself royally plastered.

~ ~ ~ ~

Lifeline felt pity for the deformed shell of a man sleeping the eternal sleep within the cryogenic chamber. It was strange, considering the occupant had ordered many deaths and caused several more through hideous experiments, the most recent of which being a virus that was ravaging one Courtney Krieger, codenamed Cover Girl.

He had Flint, Roadblock, Professor Xavier, and Stormshadow behind him as he defrosted the chamber. Cryogenic stasis would have weakened any man, but to an already weakened Dr. Mindbender, it was even more debilitating.

"Alpha waves fluctuating!" Bree shouted, "He's going into a coma!"

Suddenly Mindbender's body convulsed and shook as it compressed to a smaller form. His skin began to turn as black as a shadow, claws began to appear at his hands and his feet began to grow long and black. Antennae began to grow from his head and as his eyes opened, they changed into a pair of slit-like yellow apertures. An animal roar of agony sounded through the cryogenic laboratory as a Heartless shadow stood where the man named Dr. Mindbender once had been convulsing in his final seconds of agony.

Flint raised his weapon, but Lifeline knocked it down. "Xavier, see if you can't probe its thoughts!" Lifeline shouted.

As Xavier attempted to enter the creature's brain, all he heard was a telepathic white noise followed by what could only be described as a gnawing and insatiable hunger. Mindbender had become little more than a Heartless drone who only knew violence and hunger for the heart of worlds. The overwhelming hunger and violence struck Xavier's mind in the same manner that a blow with a sledge hammer would affect a human.

When Lifeline attempted to help Xavier, the drone attacked Flint, Stormshadow, and Roadblock and escaped out a window. Flint raised his sidearm to try and shoot it but before he could, a spray of black blood shot out from the creature where it's left eye had once been.

From across the parade deck, Flint could see Bilby standing his lonely post atop the communication's shack, covering the Misfits who were taking a lesson from Dial Tone on communication systems.

~ ~ ~ ~

Lifeline walked back into the ICU with a somber expression on his face. "Hector, I..."

"Just tell me what it is." Shipwreck began, "I can take it."

The man was clearly close to cracking, as evidenced by the look on his face. Ever since he and Courtney had gotten together he hadn't seen Hector X. Delgado any happier since he was with Mara.

"I wasn't able to get any information from Mindbender. He turned into a Heartless before we could get any sort of information from him." Lifeline began, "I've got one other card to play, let's hope it works."

Lifeline touched a hand to Cover Girl's brow and concentrated. His eyes closed as he sent healing energy coursing through her body. The effort was so intense, for the virus was so difficult to destroy, it was almost a malevolent entity bent on the death of its victim. Blood trickled from Lifeline's nose from the strain before he broke contact.

"She's healed." Lifeline said, "But its all up to her now whether she gets out of that coma."

Lifeline collapsed against the wall from exhaustion, feeling faint and dizzy. Bree ran to her husband, helping him out the door. "Rest dear. You've done your best."

Roadblock, Low Light, the kids, and everyone else had just come in the room then. For the past couple of days, they too had been by Shipwreck's side, as he went through this vigil over the bed of the woman he loved. It was around midnight that night, when almost everyone was asleep that a miracle occurred.

"Shipwreck." Low Light began, "I can't understand what exactly she sees in you, but....damn I'm no good at this, no hard feelings."

"No hard feelings either buddy." Shipwreck said.

"I mean, for the longest time I thought she liked me, but who am I to say that she has bad taste or not. After all, Courtney is a grown woman..."

"I know that pal." Shipwreck replied.

Little did either man realize that the subject of their conversation had just regained consciousness and was now watching them with open eyes.

"Am I dreaming or did I just hear you two agree on something?" Cover Girl said, weakly, as she tried to sit up in bed.

Both men turned suddenly, Shipwreck sporting a huge grin of surprise as if he had been told that he had just won the lotto and was set for life.

"I'll go get Lifeline." Low Light began and walked out of the room, "And does that mean I can have that case of Corona down in your secret stash?"

"Don't push it landlubber." Shipwreck replied.

"Hector, be nice." Cover Girl remarked.

"Fine, I'll give you half the case." Shipwreck remarked.

Bree winked at him just then, "I've also helped set up a blind date for Low Light, Saturday night at 1900."

Low Light was out of earshot just then, so he didn't hear Shipwreck's latest scheme in the making.

"Who exactly are you trying to set Cooper up with?" Cover Girl asked, wincing as she tried to sit up.

"Just lie down for now, I'll let you know after he's gone out." Bree said.

"That means you, Mister, better get that on tape." Cover Girl grinned.

"You got it." Shipwreck grinned.

"Wait a minute? Dad? Cover Girl..." Althea began, "Low Light agreeing with my Dad about something...I must be dreaming."

"Well, I'm gonna get ready and go film the magic of Low Light's first date." Shipwreck remarked, "Can I borrow your digital camera Althea?"

"Just give us copies." Althea replied.

"Let's make sure Courtney gets a copy too." Shipwreck replied, then blushed, he never used her real name around the kids.

"Right dad." Althea grinned knowingly, with a slight wistfulness. She wanted her father to be happy, but already there were too many changes.

"Hey, listen kid. I'll keep this going slow, I mean I just started dating Courtney a while ago. I don't wanna rush you guys into things before your ready. Trust me I'm not that stupid."

"You're right Dad, you may be a dumb sailor, but you're my dumb sailor." Althea said, giving her father a hug.

"Yeah, that's it...WAIT A MINUTE!!!!" Shipwreck shouted.

"Shh! Not so loud, the lady is asleep! So from you two, not a peep." Roadblock said, indicating Cover Girl, who was soundly asleep in her sick bed.

~ ~ ~ ~

Command Sergeant Major James Cavendish, the Gamma Squadron's Sergeant Major, watched with bemused detachment as he saw an extremely angry Lady Jaye storm into the elevator. He guessed correctly what exactly was bothering her. Flint.

Cavendish was an older British gentleman in his late thirties who had served in the army since he was sixteen, almost all of his twenty-two year career having been spent in the Special Forces. He had a salt and pepper mustache to match his hair and a little baby fat creeping onto his normally muscular frame. He had begun as an Army Surveyor's Apprentice in the Corps of Engineers, and in fact the boys in the hangar used to shout, "Hey Cavendish, in the Corps of Engineers...."

That usually got a piercing glare from the weathered old sergeant major. He was approaching the end of his career in the Army. This was his last mission, after which, he would retire to civilian life. In his time he had seen and done it all, which is why he regarded the fuming Corporal Alison Hart-Burnett with a knowing grin.

She gave him a piercing glare that Flint would have classified as from the fifth plane of her temper. Cavendish felt a little bit shaken at first, seeing what Flint was subjected to, but after observing their relationship, he knew that this was something rare. Suddenly the elevator stopped to a halt, between the third and fourth floor.

Lady Jaye muttered something about Flint yet again, something about his 'commitment phobia' and 'insensitive remarks'.

"Lover's quarrel?" Cavendish began.

"What's it to you?" Lady Jaye challenged, at first with a sharp tongue but then a subdued one when she realized Cavendish was a Command Sergeant Major.

"You're absolutely right. Seeing it's none of my bloody business." Cavendish said, "However, I can't help but notice how much you and Flint compliment each other. And since we're stuck in this bloody elevator, you're pretty much a captive audience."

~ ~ ~ ~

Sitting in the hospital lobby, Flint waited for the elevator to go down. "Damn it Alison, what's going on? You were supposed to be down here five minutes ago."

Sitting a table away was Grinch, the crusty, crude but loveable Gamma veteran. "Alison eh? I thought you guys went by codenames."

"We do but...?" Flint began, caught completely unaware by the grinning Gamma master sergeant sitting with his arms folded with half closed eyes and a trademark Robert DeNiro from Analyze That grin on his face.

"You and Lady Jaye, I mean Alison, are an exception...." Grinch said, with that damnable Cheshire Cat grin.

Flint felt his neck redden slightly as Grinch continued his words, "...I don't disagree with Hawk's interpretation of fraternization regulations, provided it doesn't interfere with your jobs sir. But what I believe you and Alison have is something without price."

"And what is that?" Flint asked, feeling slightly nervous but not showing it, he had his standard arrogant expression on his face. He had the feeling that Grinch saw right through it.

"Your relationship, while the two of you try to pretend not to be an item, is more valuable than anything." Grinch said, "It and other emotions help form the heart of a world and that is what the Heartless consume."

~ ~ ~ ~

"So you're saying to be patient with Flint?" Lady Jaye asked Cavendish.

"I'm saying that though he may say to keep it light there is more to it than that." Cavendish replied, "You know it, you just want confirmation. You can read that man like a book."

Cavendish's insights into her soul were almost uncanny, "How did you...?"

"Observation my dear, is an important part of intelligence." Cavendish began, and then grinned sadly, "And personal experience can also contribute a good deal."

Before Lady Jaye could reply, Cavendish added, "She used to work with No. 372 Signals and Interpretation Squadron. They were our interpreters and did some of our tech support for our high tech surveillance operations. To make a long story short, boy meets girl, boy gets smitten by girl. For about two years we carried on a relationship of some sort. We were close friends, but I never told her how I felt."

"So what happened to her, did she get married? Find another guy?" Lady Jaye asked.

Cavendish again gave his cryptic sad grin, "She died years ago. I was on a mission and it turned out the Heartless were in the Amazon basin as a diversion. They really intended to attack us by raiding 372's old base in Dover, England. I remember cradling her in my arms as her life faded away before medical evacuation got anywhere near us."

"So what I'm saying is, don't be afraid. Because you may think you have forever, but you may not, given the nature of your job." Cavendish replied. Just then the elevator started moving again.

~ ~ ~ ~

"So what I'm saying is, don't be afraid to tell her." Grinch replied, "Because tomorrow you may not have."

The elevator opened just then, and Grinch smiled, picked up his half empty bottle of Snapple, and walked off.

"Alison." Flint began, "There's something I've been meaning to tell you..."

~ ~ ~ ~

Up next: Lowlight's blind date, more training, and another mission.