Part II
Thick, billowing clouds darkened the sky above the Smithsonian Quarantine Institute, small pelts of rain dropping onto its clean exterior. Inside, Jack sat frozen against the farthest end of the padded walls, eyes twitching.
Still, something wasn't right. Jack remembered when he'd became unusually drowsy soon after the odd Raven commanded him to do so. But there he was, wide awake, beams of the rising sun cascading down from the barred window. Wasn't it just raining? What was also unusual about the certain situation was that his arms were limp and heavy, as if something was...
Jack gave an inaudible gasp. Slowly craning his stiff neck up, he met eye-to-eye with a monstrous spider hanging from the ceiling. Two long, fuzzy arms pinned him to the wall, slightly rubbing against his wrist, making him shudder violently. Ominous, vermilion eyes stared from the darkness above, the samurai experiencing an uncomfortable, oppressing feeling the creature was boring into his mind. Another leg reached from the ceiling and probed into his chest. Large mandibles dripping with saliva slowly moved down and clamped onto Jack's head. The room faded away into darkness, Jack not noticing the increasing grip on his head.
She was sad. That's all that mattered. The small, orange-clothed girl with the bright, shining black eyes had chased the locusts with them until they'd flown away. Reaching into his kimono, he pulled out a thick piece of paper; carefully folding the sheet, he formed a small locust, and offered it to the girl.
She smiled. She clasped her small hands together and kissed him on his cheek. Jack's eyes widened at the response as a nervous smile crept over his face. It'd certainly be nothing he'd forget...
A light rustling behind the wall of grass behind him slightly distracted him from his first kiss. As if by reflex, he looked over his shoulder.
The all-too-familiar face of Aku rose from the grass a few feet away, brows flaming mad, a deep cackle echoing throughout the field. The small girl in front of him clung to his arm at the sight of the demon, shining eyes wider than ever. As if from thin air, Aku arched his arm back, welding a large, shimmering katana sword--HIS katana sword.
"Goodbye, SAMURAI!"
He brought down the wicked blade onto the girl; Jack screamed as the tip sliced through the air, and straight through the small child's neck. A sickening thud shook Jack's senses as Aku began to laugh once more. The katana was held above his head now, Aku's twisted fangs shining, fingers gripped around the hilt.
"Jack!" Jack ignored the random voice, and stood in horror at the headless body of the girl below him, ignoring Aku's upcoming attack. Aku forcefully brought the blade down upon Jack's head, a seamless echo of crushing--
"JACK!" The samurai thrashed around the room angrily, hair flying, teeth bared. Raven only stared as Jack blindly clutched to his scalp and dug his skull into the floor, yelling.
"AKU!!" He fell over and began to pant heavily, occasionally gulping. He stared through the sheet of hair covering his face and sat up, looking into Raven's doubtful eyes. He eyed the weird, sleeve-restricted jacket wrapped around her arms, noticing the large, silver buckles strapping the cloth around her strangled form.
She only closed her eyes remorsefully. "Weeeird."
Jack rubbed his dry eyes. He was sitting at a clean, white table, a small tray sitting before him. Raven sat next to him him, talking vividly to the opposite two others sitting infront of him.
"Like I said--," she twisted around in the straight-jacket, eying a spork sitting by the tray menacingly. "It's completely ludicris for them to expect me to be able to eat--with a spork. I mean, really...How is a person supposed to eat soup with a thing like that?"
The two women on the opposite side nodded in agreement, wearing the same sort of white clothes that everyone else in the area seemed to be wearing.
"So, anyway...what kind of nightmare did you have last night, Jack?" Jack blinked, and looked over Raven.
"Erm--"
Something grabbed onto his shoulder. Two men wearing light-brown suits motioned for him to stand, surgical masks strapped around their faces.
"The head of the institute requests to see you, Mr. Jack." Jack frowned, but allowed the guards to lead him out a door.
"Remember Jack!" Raven's green eyes were wide. "Don't tell them anything!"
The guards led Jack to a large, wooden door at the end of a long hallway. They dropped his arms unexepectedly, and opened the door.
Inside, the room was divided by a large, thick wall of translucent glass, a small chair sitting on either side. Wearily, Jack sat himself down in the chair. The same, magnetic tug at the metal bracelet around his wrist aroused him once more. On the opposite side of the glass, a thin, silver-haired woman waltzed into the lighted room. She was clad in a tight, white suit. Thick, black spectacles sat at the end of her pointed nose. Holding a small clipboard in one hand, she sat down in the lone chair.
"Hello, Jack." A soft smile spread across her face as she stared into Jack's black eyes. "We're sorry for any inconveniences that you may have experienced during the night."
Jack only let the deep frown fade away as the nice woman before him continued to explain.
"But, it was necessary for the good of the people of the land. You have caught a rare, new disease--Arachnzea--a virus, which of course destroys each of your cells until..."
Drowsiness rattled Jack's body once more as the woman droned on. He was getting very sleepy...
"And, leaves you with symptoms that get worse by every day. The goal the Smithsonian Quarantine Institute is trying to achieve is to keep others safe, while healing those who are already infected, trying to prevent any means of the virus spreading incidentally."
Jack cocked his head. "Where did you take me from, and why did you not inform me of this virus before you brought me to this facility?"
The woman kept the smile on her face. "Being that the disease is very deadly, we had to quickly inject you with a sedative, and bring you back here. One of the symptoms of the disease is insanity, and we weren't quite sure how long you'd had the disease. You could had been dangerous."
Suspicious arose in Jack as he leaned forward in his chair. "But, how did you know that I had this virus before you brought me here?"
The woman's kindly smile turned into a thin line.
"Mr. Jack, you shouldn't question our methods. We knew you had the disease when we c--brought you here. I assure you, as long as you stay here, you'll be safe and sound."
"How long would it be until I am cured of this disease?"
"It may take from days, to months, to maybe years. Currently, no patients have been cured, so it's important that you follow all of our directions so that we may try and help you." She laid the clipboard to her lap, and reached for a small pocket on the outside of her suit. "This is the medicine the patients are issued. Pain Reducers, version five- point-seven. They're very effective; they're to prevent you from all symptoms until you recover."
Jack looked deeply skeptical. A dark, blue covering was around the bottle. "But, what about the dreams?"
The woman frowned. "What...dreams?"
"This woman I was in a room with. She told me about the symptoms of the disease, and one of them were horrible dreams that seemed to inflict damage to you."
The woman chuckled. The chuckle quickly turned to a loud cackle, her mouth wide. "Don't be silly, Mr. Jack! The disease has nothing to do with your dreams, though insanity may occur. I cannot say that nightmares are caused by any illness, or that any physical harm could possibly result from having one. Don't listen to anyone in a straight-jacket, and expect any truth."
"But--I had a dream last night. One that was very--" He fell silent. He was reminded of Raven's advice, and fell back into the chair.
The woman glared. "What kind of dream?"
"Erm, nothing."
The woman's eyes turned into slits. "Well, we're not going to release you until you're cured."
Jack's eyes widened. "But--"
"I SAID we were't going to release you, samurai." Jack stared at the woman, who's tightly-wrapped bun had fallen, and her silver hair began to flow. The room beside him shook as the woman transformed into a large, black figure, clouding the bright room.
"AKU!" Jack stood up and reached to his hip. His sword! Why was it still gone? Why...
Aku burst through the glass and slammed into his chest, ramming him against the wall. Jack ran to the side wall, teeth bared.
"You won't win!" Jack jumped forward with a warrior cry, ready to strike--
"MR. JACK!"
Jack awoke. He was standing up against the glass, in fighting stance, panting heavily. The woman only stared in disbelief as he turned around in confusion.
"You're obviously in a state of delirium. Guards." Several large figures walked through Jack's side of the room. One of them strode forward with a straight jacket, getting ready to strap it around him. Jack backed up against the wall, eying the the guards that were beginning to surround him.
Just before he could strike, a small dart flew into Jack's side, making him freeze. He fell to the hard floor, limp.
The woman stood up with a frown on her face, clinging to her clipboard. "Make sure to give him the medication. I have to make a quick call. Aku isn't going to like this."