Nate lay in a heap, not having moved once after being thrown into solitary.
Negate carefully picked at the clothing stuck to his wounds and Nate
hissed, slowly coming to consciousness. "Hey, Nate." Negate smiled at him
but Piccolo heard the waver in her voice and could see the shimmer of tears
in her eyes as she worked.
She took the bag from Piccolo's hand and pulled a small bottle of water and set it to Nate's lips, telling him to drink. Piccolo fidgeted, not knowing what to do and feeling the fool for following Negate to the man that seemed to hold some special place with her. He moved to the hole in the wall, ready to leave her to her work when she looked up at him suddenly. Piccolo froze, she was pleading with him with her eyes, begging him to stay.she couldn't do it alone. Piccolo sat next to Nate, taking in the wounds and helped him sit slowly, a strong arm slipping in the blood that covered his back.
"Dammit." Negate shuffled through the bag. "I need to get something from the lab. I'll be right back." Nate nodded with a stiff neck and Piccolo watched her struggle up into the fixture and heard her sob quietly as she climbed.
Nate groaned in his arms and Piccolo helped him sit fully and lean into the wall. "Seems you two are quite the pair." He grinned, both of his lips swollen and voice dry. Piccolo snorted and handed him the bottle of water. Nate took a small swallow and sighed. He looked at Piccolo thoughtfully for some time, Piccolo began to wonder where Negate had gone and then if Nate had slipped back into unconsciousness when he finally spoke again. "Jaunie has taken a shining to you."
Piccolo jumped at the voice then shrugged. "What makes you say that?" Pausing a moment to register the name, he had never heard anyone call her anything but Negate while he had been here.
"Normally she'd have you transferred to a different cell by now. That's what happened with every single person they've thrown in with her. I don't know how she does it, but as soon as she tells the head guard that it isn't working out, they find a new cell for them." Nate shook his head and coughed harshly, wiping blood and phlegm from his lips.
"I've only been here seven days."
Nate laughed but stopped as he began to cough again. "Only. That's rich." Apparently gaining in strength, Nate adjusted his position and rummaged through the sack that Negate had brought down. Finding the bladder beside it, he pulled the strings open and began to chew slowly on a piece of bread. "I know you don't know how important Jaunie is, but I want you to know that I appreciate what you're doing anyway."
Piccolo stood and paced the small room, counting his steps. The solitary room was larger than the cell he slept in. How ironic. Turning to Nate, Piccolo sat across from him and levitated off of the floor a few inches. "What makes Negate so important to you? She has no significant strength, I don't understand how she has such a power over everyone."
"That's a simple question my friend, with a complicated answer." Nate groaned and swallowed more water. "Jaunie was the guardian of the planet known as Pilma.you haven't heard of it I know. I only know because I once had access to the computer mainframes."
Piccolo's eyes widened. "She was a guardian of a planet?"
Nate nodded. "Empathetic as well; on more than a personal level. The girl can transmit feeling. Do you have any idea how incredible that is?" Piccolo shook his head but he thought he may have had his first glimpses during breakfast. "She was chosen as guardian, her family was very proud of her. Then the Eliokon came, blew her planet to pieces after taking who they wanted."
Piccolo gasped, had they blown apart New Namek after taking him? Were there more Namek's aboard the ship?
"Relax, friend. They only destroyed her planet because it was technologically advanced, they had the means to fight back and probably win if the Eliokon hadn't destroyed them first. So if you're home is not so modern they have only taken those that threaten them." Nate chewed on another piece of food and offered Piccolo a piece as well. Piccolo shook his head.
"Who are the Eliokon?"
Nate shrugged. "No one really knows. They are bent on universal domination, picking up random fighters to either aid them or be destroyed."
"Then why take someone like Negate?"
"She has power like no other. She can rally a horde of unfit, over aged drunkards to battle a star cruiser by simply telling them that they can win. It's her power, they believe her and with their belief her power grows stronger, it's a cycle that can feed itself to epic proportions or suffocate itself until she is only a husk of what she once was."
Piccolo thought critically. The miniscule healing in the galley, that had happened after the whole room had seen her laugh and given them hope. Things began to settle into place and Piccolo began to wonder what the woman was capable of.
A rustling of cloth came from behind him and Piccolo stood to help Negate out of the tunnel. She had a small purse in her hand and she thanked him as he set her on her feet. A small syringe was pulled from the purse, along with two vials of clear liquid. Talking over her shoulder, Negate got Piccolo's attention. "Beautiful, come give me a hand over here."
Walking across to her, Nate looked up at him with a funny look on his face and a big smile. Ignoring the look, Piccolo pushed past him and helped Negate roll him stiffly. Nate grunted once then remained quiet for the remainder of the torture that must have been his treatment. Negate injected what was later discovered as morphine into Nate's arm then began to cleanse his wounds with steady strokes of alcohol drenched strips of cloth. The smell made Piccolo's head swim but he helped as best he could, doing what was asked without hesitation.
When Negate stood some twenty minutes later, Nate was sitting up again, a bit cleaner and feeling much better. Negate left him with the bladder of food and told him to place the bladder and satchel into the vent when he was able to move around easier. Nate nodded, knowing already that they needed to be hidden lest they were discovered and more hell broke loose.
Piccolo helped Negate into the vent and picked up the lantern by Nate's side. Nate stopped him a moment by grasping his wrist "Be careful. Don't let them break her spirit. She's the only thing most of these people have left." Piccolo nodded and Nate let him go. Turning off the lantern, Piccolo heaved himself into the vent and replaced the grating before squeezing his bulk up the shaft.
She took the bag from Piccolo's hand and pulled a small bottle of water and set it to Nate's lips, telling him to drink. Piccolo fidgeted, not knowing what to do and feeling the fool for following Negate to the man that seemed to hold some special place with her. He moved to the hole in the wall, ready to leave her to her work when she looked up at him suddenly. Piccolo froze, she was pleading with him with her eyes, begging him to stay.she couldn't do it alone. Piccolo sat next to Nate, taking in the wounds and helped him sit slowly, a strong arm slipping in the blood that covered his back.
"Dammit." Negate shuffled through the bag. "I need to get something from the lab. I'll be right back." Nate nodded with a stiff neck and Piccolo watched her struggle up into the fixture and heard her sob quietly as she climbed.
Nate groaned in his arms and Piccolo helped him sit fully and lean into the wall. "Seems you two are quite the pair." He grinned, both of his lips swollen and voice dry. Piccolo snorted and handed him the bottle of water. Nate took a small swallow and sighed. He looked at Piccolo thoughtfully for some time, Piccolo began to wonder where Negate had gone and then if Nate had slipped back into unconsciousness when he finally spoke again. "Jaunie has taken a shining to you."
Piccolo jumped at the voice then shrugged. "What makes you say that?" Pausing a moment to register the name, he had never heard anyone call her anything but Negate while he had been here.
"Normally she'd have you transferred to a different cell by now. That's what happened with every single person they've thrown in with her. I don't know how she does it, but as soon as she tells the head guard that it isn't working out, they find a new cell for them." Nate shook his head and coughed harshly, wiping blood and phlegm from his lips.
"I've only been here seven days."
Nate laughed but stopped as he began to cough again. "Only. That's rich." Apparently gaining in strength, Nate adjusted his position and rummaged through the sack that Negate had brought down. Finding the bladder beside it, he pulled the strings open and began to chew slowly on a piece of bread. "I know you don't know how important Jaunie is, but I want you to know that I appreciate what you're doing anyway."
Piccolo stood and paced the small room, counting his steps. The solitary room was larger than the cell he slept in. How ironic. Turning to Nate, Piccolo sat across from him and levitated off of the floor a few inches. "What makes Negate so important to you? She has no significant strength, I don't understand how she has such a power over everyone."
"That's a simple question my friend, with a complicated answer." Nate groaned and swallowed more water. "Jaunie was the guardian of the planet known as Pilma.you haven't heard of it I know. I only know because I once had access to the computer mainframes."
Piccolo's eyes widened. "She was a guardian of a planet?"
Nate nodded. "Empathetic as well; on more than a personal level. The girl can transmit feeling. Do you have any idea how incredible that is?" Piccolo shook his head but he thought he may have had his first glimpses during breakfast. "She was chosen as guardian, her family was very proud of her. Then the Eliokon came, blew her planet to pieces after taking who they wanted."
Piccolo gasped, had they blown apart New Namek after taking him? Were there more Namek's aboard the ship?
"Relax, friend. They only destroyed her planet because it was technologically advanced, they had the means to fight back and probably win if the Eliokon hadn't destroyed them first. So if you're home is not so modern they have only taken those that threaten them." Nate chewed on another piece of food and offered Piccolo a piece as well. Piccolo shook his head.
"Who are the Eliokon?"
Nate shrugged. "No one really knows. They are bent on universal domination, picking up random fighters to either aid them or be destroyed."
"Then why take someone like Negate?"
"She has power like no other. She can rally a horde of unfit, over aged drunkards to battle a star cruiser by simply telling them that they can win. It's her power, they believe her and with their belief her power grows stronger, it's a cycle that can feed itself to epic proportions or suffocate itself until she is only a husk of what she once was."
Piccolo thought critically. The miniscule healing in the galley, that had happened after the whole room had seen her laugh and given them hope. Things began to settle into place and Piccolo began to wonder what the woman was capable of.
A rustling of cloth came from behind him and Piccolo stood to help Negate out of the tunnel. She had a small purse in her hand and she thanked him as he set her on her feet. A small syringe was pulled from the purse, along with two vials of clear liquid. Talking over her shoulder, Negate got Piccolo's attention. "Beautiful, come give me a hand over here."
Walking across to her, Nate looked up at him with a funny look on his face and a big smile. Ignoring the look, Piccolo pushed past him and helped Negate roll him stiffly. Nate grunted once then remained quiet for the remainder of the torture that must have been his treatment. Negate injected what was later discovered as morphine into Nate's arm then began to cleanse his wounds with steady strokes of alcohol drenched strips of cloth. The smell made Piccolo's head swim but he helped as best he could, doing what was asked without hesitation.
When Negate stood some twenty minutes later, Nate was sitting up again, a bit cleaner and feeling much better. Negate left him with the bladder of food and told him to place the bladder and satchel into the vent when he was able to move around easier. Nate nodded, knowing already that they needed to be hidden lest they were discovered and more hell broke loose.
Piccolo helped Negate into the vent and picked up the lantern by Nate's side. Nate stopped him a moment by grasping his wrist "Be careful. Don't let them break her spirit. She's the only thing most of these people have left." Piccolo nodded and Nate let him go. Turning off the lantern, Piccolo heaved himself into the vent and replaced the grating before squeezing his bulk up the shaft.
