Look! I got this one out in a matter of a day or two! Aren't you proud of
me? I hope that you find this chapter to be a bit more satisfying than the
last couple. I thought it necessary to finally throw you all a clue as to
what exactly is going on here. Enjoy!
===
The small room was very confining. and extremely square. The single yellow light bulb hanging over head added to the compactness of the room, since it was the only light source. There was nothing in there besides a rectangular table, two chairs, a steel door, and a huge mirror spanning the entire length of the wall. Minako eyed the entire composition of the space wearily, tugging on the white cloth of her robe. She rubbed at her eyes, and shifted position in one of the chairs, causing it to creak loudly.
Sighing, she pulled her leg up onto the chair, resting her chin on her knee as she stared at the locked door. She had been sitting in here for quite a few hours now, just waiting for whatever or whoever. As she had been walking to this location, she had dehenshined suddenly, and nearly fell to the ground. Doctor White had been worried about her status, and had run a quick medical test on her. She was fine, but of course that baffled the doctor and made him seem even more worried. Ever since then she had been sitting in this godforsaken little room, staring at the mirror as if it was her only window to the world.
Finally, she heard a muffled voice, and the door opened softly. Dr. White entered, a nervous smile resting on his face, and a clipboard held tenuously in his hand.
"Sorry to keep you waiting there, I had to talk to the General," he stated simply, nudging the glasses on the bridge of his nose up a few more centimeters. "If you don't mind. can I ask you a few questions?"
Minako looked at him, eyebrow raised. She was extremely tired after the day's ordeals, and was quite content to telling him where he could shove it. However, it was not in Minako's nature to be mean-spirited.
"Of course," she answered resignedly. The doctor seemed to relax visibly, and slid into the chair across the table from her. He shuffled a few papers, and glanced hastily at the mirror on the wall. Minako didn't catch this however, and instead stared straight into the space in front of her eyes.
"We'll start with the basics: what is your name?" he started, pen poised over a blank at the top of a paper. Minako raised her tired eyes to meet Dr. White's, and just stared at him.
"Um, sir I think you already know what my name is," she replied, her weariness beginning to create and edge to her voice. The doctor nodded, and wrote her name on the paper, still in those strange kanji symbols.
"And your place of residence?" he continued. Minako grunted. If they were going to rehash everything they'd already been through, why was she even bothering to comply? She sighed heavily.
"Azabu, Japan. Specifically the Juuban District."
"I see," he commented, shaking his head and making more notes on his clipboard. "And you live there with your parents?" Minako nodded heavily, hoping he would get on with some newer and fresher questions. This was boring her to death and she wanted nothing more than just to sleep.
"Do you recognize any of this kanji?" he questioned, sliding a piece of paper peppered with strange kanji across the table to her. She didn't bother to look at it; it was the same one that he always used.
"No sir, I do not," she droned, watching him tick off notes on his clipboard.
"Do you know where you are?" he asked, looking at her over his glasses.
Now there was a new one. He had never asked her if she knew where she was before. But she knew, seeing as how he had already told her multiple times. It was an improvement in the questions, but not really by much.
"I am in a research camp that is located 'on the surface,' or whatever that means," she replied. The doctor was scribbling furiously now.
"Are you aware of the conditions that we found you in?" he asked slowly. Minako understood his attempts, as he conjugated the verb "aware" in a really strange way, and it had taken her awhile to catch on to what it meant. She was slowly understanding his strange way of speaking in Japanese, but still was unable to comprehend his English fully.
"Yes. You found me nude in a crater of this desert with a broken arm, broken ribs, a concussion, and horrible sun poisoning. I was also told that I was assumed dead for a couple of days," she responded. The doctor nodded.
"And do you have any recollections of how you managed to get there, or in that condition?" he prodded then, tapping the end of his pen on his clipboard. He was beginning to seem slightly nervous again.
"No."
"What was your last memory before you woke up in our hospital tent?"
Minako blinked. He had never asked this question before. She had tried on multiple occasions to remember what had happened on her own, but it was as if her memory had been erased.
"Uh." she faltered, trying to recall any memories of anything at all. "I remember watching the sunset with my friends." She squinted, trying harder to think. That was her last memory, right? That was what she had told herself before. She kept feeling something tugging at her mind though, just beyond her veil of consciousness. She fought with this for a moment, but decided that it was just her imagination. The doctor wrote more than usual after this comment.
"How did you recover from your injuries so suddenly?" he asked quickly, refusing to make eye contact with her. Minako was taken aback by this. What should she tell him? Obviously her senshi form healed her. or was that what it was? She hadn't henshined on purpose, but nothing else could explain her recovery! But she couldn't tell him that! He does know what I am though. he saw. they all saw. What have I got to lose? She reasoned with herself, biting her lip.
"I. I think it was caused by my transformation," she stated slowly, eyeing the doctor intently. He started visibly shaking now, and he seemed as if he was having problems writing on his paper.
"A-and. uh. so. what exactly is the transformation that you underwent?" he stammered, adjusting his glasses and refusing to look at her. Before Minako could answer, she could hear more muffled voices, and the door burst open. She jumped, startled by the large man who has rushed through the door. He filled the entire frame, dressed in an immaculately kept military uniform; this of course completed his terribly intimidating presence. The doctor cringed involuntarily, and the man started booming at them in English.
"This isn't going fast enough White, get out of the way!" He stormed into the room, and slammed his brawny palm onto the table, causing it to bounce. "Who are you? How the hell did you get here, come back from the dead, and recover from ridiculous injuries in no time flat? How did you destroy a Rex Monster when our BSB's don't work against those things?" His voice rose in pitch and volume with each question, causing Minako to recoil.
"S-sir. I don't understand," she faltered in English. "You're using words I have never heard before!" This seemed to enrage the man even more, and he whipped around on the doctor.
"Tell me WHY she is speaking an old dialect of English that is completely extinct? Can you do that? Do you have ANY answers for me?" he roared, spittle landing unceremoniously on Dr. White's face. He trembled visibly, and cleared his throat.
"Sir, I'm not sure exactly WHY. she has trouble reading modern-day Japanese, and has trouble grasping its spoken tenses as well. If she's struggling with Japanese and speaking an older dialect of it, it's to be expected for her to struggle with English," he quivered under the man's gaze of fire.
"That's not a good enough answer. I want information from her NOW. She could be dangerous, and if she is we need to know immediately. I will not allow anything to endanger our camp and this research project! You know how pivotal it is to the Underside!" he hollered.
"S-sir, with all due respect I would wager to say that she is not dangerous. She did save us from that Rex Monster, after all." Dr. White whimpered in reply. The man eyed him with a look of disgust.
"She may have been sent by the enemy to attack us from the inside! You saw her. she used magic, just like THEM!!"
The doctor had nothing to offer in response to that, and instead hung his head. The man paced back and forth, staring at Minako with a gaze that seemed to bore holes all the way to the back of her skull. She refused to drop his gaze though.
"Lock her up. Now. Maximum security, none of this mamby-pamby crap. She is a danger to us and our cause, and I will not risk her possibly sabotaging all the work that we have done so far. I want tests run on her every day, and I want her to have no other contact with other humans! Understand me?" he barked, storming out of the room before Dr. White had a chance to reply. Minako looked at the doctor with a questioning gaze in her eyes, but he had nothing to offer her besides a face of defeat and fear.
Minako had no idea as to what just happened, but she felt as though things were about to change for the worse.
====
Dr. White carried a tray of glass bottles filled with various liquids in them, clattering amongst the various syringes and other medical equipment that also adorned the tray. He nodded to the military guards standing outside a giant steel room on wheels, and headed up a set of metallic stairs. A smallish nurse followed him, carrying a black bag presumably also filled with medical supplies.
Dr. White had never really been very happy with the procedures that General Hawkins or this research camp practiced. He hated the steel rooms on wheels that they had to lug around with them everywhere. He knew they were useful for holding prisoners and protecting the scientists when they were attacked, but he found them to always be cumbersome and foreboding. Hawkins almost always ordered them to be like prisons, and it wasn't a good prison. The insides were always dark and dreary, and the subject being held within became an unhappy camper within a few days. Hawkins had no compassion though, Dr. White found. He sighed heavily, trudging inside of the heavy steel door. He knew that his job was a hard one, but under Hawkins it was just that much worse.
Once inside the room with his nurse, he found himself standing in front of another large metal door. After both removing their sunhats and protective gear, he peered into the small slats that were about eye level. In the dim light he spotted Minako curled up on the bench in the back of the room. He slid the keys in the lock, and opened the heavy door. Minako did not move, and instead stayed curled up on the bench, ignoring the doctor and nurse's presence.
"Hello Minako, we're here to perform your tests for today," he stated matter-of-factly, trying not to let his sympathy for her show. He walked over to her, and placed his tray on a table next to her bench. She was still curled up; clenching a piece of the white robe she was wearing tightly in her hand appeared to be her only solace. He heard her sniffle gently, and even in the dark noticed that her eyes were red and slightly puffy.
He felt his heart break. This girl had done nothing wrong to anyone, and here she was being kept in solitary confinement, seeing nothing but doctors and nurses everyday who came to prick her with more needles. No wonder she was crying. The poor thing. He was about to say something when her soft voice interrupted his train of thought.
"Doctor White." she mumbled, sniffling again. "Why does it have to be like this for me? I didn't do anything wrong, did I? I thought you all were being threatened by the dinosaur." she trailed off, apparently slipping back into her own thoughts. The doctor readjusted his tie, and the nurse looked at him curiously.
He found is endlessly fascinating how she called the Rex Monster a "dinosaur" as if it was really what it was. How this one girl could be so far removed from this world amazed him to no end.
"No, you didn't do anything wrong. The General is just unsure of what your capabilities are, and wants us to keep a close eye on you until we know," he answered, feeling as if he had done a great job in replying. It was then that Minako sat up slowly, looking at the doctor with her watery eyes.
"I don't understand anything about this place. I don't understand your language, I don't understand your culture, and I don't understand what happened to me. I don't know how I got here, what happened to my friends, or really anything of what is going on at all. It hurts sometimes. all the confusion I mean. My head really gets these pounding headaches when I try to think about it. I. just don't get how you will punish someone for not understanding what is going on around them," she finished, leaving a gentle sigh on the end of her statement.
The doctor froze. Something in his head just clicked. He had been listening to her words, and realized that she had used some strange slang- like conjugations of her verbs that was not just an extinct dialogue... but really old. He didn't understand how he had missed something this big before. The magic, the dialect, the lack of knowledge, it all made sense now! He knelt down in front of her, looking her in the eyes. Fresh waves of tears were sliding down her face.
"Minako," he said very gently. "What. what year do you think it is?" Minako looked up at him, her eyes wide.
". 1995?" she questioned softly. The doctor felt his brain nearly explode as it flew into fifth gear. This was the final piece to the puzzle! It all made sense now! It was extremely far-fetched, but it made sense! He grasped her shoulder just that much harder. Why hadn't he thought to ask her that before?
"Minako, do you realize that it is the year is 2987?" he asked quietly, attempting to let his words fall on her as softly as possible. Minako inhaled sharply, jumping back so far she almost hit her head on the wall. The nurse stared at them questioningly, but the doctor ignored her.
"This is why you don't understand anything that's going on! You're from the past! The entire world has changed. there are new cultures, new language forms, and. this is amazing. this discovery. That doesn't explain your magic, but I have a strong hunch now!" he kept babbling, ignoring the rest of Minako's reaction. He was quickly forming a plan in his mind. He had to free her! She couldn't possibly be an enemy if she was from the past! His conscience nagged at him then, adding its unwelcome two cents worth. She may be lying. This may be a huge ruse to destroy the carefully constructed research. you may cause your people to lose the war!
He hissed at his conscience, trying to think. His heart was pounding. He could lose his job. his life if he was found guilty for treason. He looked back at Minako and her wide, teary eyes. He had to follow his hunch. If he was correct, this girl may help win the war once and for all! His mother had always told him that he was too gullible and into science-fiction to be a proper doctor anyway, so what did it matter? He had to do this.
Dr. White spun on his heel, grabbing the nurse by the arm.
====
Dr. White exited the steel room, tray in hand. He was quickly followed by his nurse, who was scribbling on a clipboard. Dr. White's heart was pounding in his skull, causing him to feel vaguely lightheaded. He could do this. He had to. No one would know. He was going to do something great for this world, even if it meant a sacrifice on his part.
As the doctor and the nurse rounded the corner, he pulled her in between two closely aligned tents, and shooed her down the alley quickly. The nurse looked around nervously. the doctor felt he should be doing the same, but ignored the urge as best as possible.
"Hurry," he murmured quietly, clenching his teeth in nervousness. As they reached the outskirts of the town, he whipped her around to face him. His breathing had become heavy from the sudden quick movements. It probably also had to do with the adrenaline he knew was pumping through him in huge quantities.
"Minako. I want you to understand why I did this. I could get into a lot of trouble so please do not let me down. I think you may be the key to winning this war, even if General Hawkins thinks you're a danger. Please, take this," he shoved a scrap of paper into her hands. "I wrote it in your time's hiragana. I hope I didn't mess it up too badly. Those are directions to the nearest entrance to the Underside. I wish I had more time to explain but. anyway, we don't communicate with the Underside but once a month because of atmospheric disturbances, so they should let you in with no problem. Once you're inside, find my son. He will help you from there. I'll distract them here while you make your getaway, and hopefully I'll be able to keep them here long enough to get you a good head start. Please be strong, don't let me down. and don't look back. I may lose my job. even my life over this!" he hoped he wasn't overloading Minako. He had so much information to relay to her in so little time. He kept glancing over his shoulder.
"Ok, when you hear the sirens go off, start running that way until the camp is out of sight. Don't stop until then or they might see you. Good luck, I must go now," he stammered, looking Minako in the eyes. She smiled at him then, making his insides melt. He felt so sorry for all that this girl had been through, and was glad that he was able to help her. He took off then, racing back the same way he had come.
====
Minako stood there in her sun hat and protective gear, her face hidden from view. She clutched the nurse's medical bag that held her provisions tightly, waiting for the signal. She wasn't quite sure what had caused the change in the doctor's demeanor, but being able to get away from here was the most rewarding thing she'd been up against in quite some time now.
There is was. The sirens of the camp went up, and she could hear shouts just as before. She didn't even want to pause to think of how he had created the diversion; she just wanted to get out of here as fast as possible. She turned towards the bleak horizon that was decorated with endless miles of red dirt, and started running.
"The Underside. " she panted to herself as she ran.
===
The small room was very confining. and extremely square. The single yellow light bulb hanging over head added to the compactness of the room, since it was the only light source. There was nothing in there besides a rectangular table, two chairs, a steel door, and a huge mirror spanning the entire length of the wall. Minako eyed the entire composition of the space wearily, tugging on the white cloth of her robe. She rubbed at her eyes, and shifted position in one of the chairs, causing it to creak loudly.
Sighing, she pulled her leg up onto the chair, resting her chin on her knee as she stared at the locked door. She had been sitting in here for quite a few hours now, just waiting for whatever or whoever. As she had been walking to this location, she had dehenshined suddenly, and nearly fell to the ground. Doctor White had been worried about her status, and had run a quick medical test on her. She was fine, but of course that baffled the doctor and made him seem even more worried. Ever since then she had been sitting in this godforsaken little room, staring at the mirror as if it was her only window to the world.
Finally, she heard a muffled voice, and the door opened softly. Dr. White entered, a nervous smile resting on his face, and a clipboard held tenuously in his hand.
"Sorry to keep you waiting there, I had to talk to the General," he stated simply, nudging the glasses on the bridge of his nose up a few more centimeters. "If you don't mind. can I ask you a few questions?"
Minako looked at him, eyebrow raised. She was extremely tired after the day's ordeals, and was quite content to telling him where he could shove it. However, it was not in Minako's nature to be mean-spirited.
"Of course," she answered resignedly. The doctor seemed to relax visibly, and slid into the chair across the table from her. He shuffled a few papers, and glanced hastily at the mirror on the wall. Minako didn't catch this however, and instead stared straight into the space in front of her eyes.
"We'll start with the basics: what is your name?" he started, pen poised over a blank at the top of a paper. Minako raised her tired eyes to meet Dr. White's, and just stared at him.
"Um, sir I think you already know what my name is," she replied, her weariness beginning to create and edge to her voice. The doctor nodded, and wrote her name on the paper, still in those strange kanji symbols.
"And your place of residence?" he continued. Minako grunted. If they were going to rehash everything they'd already been through, why was she even bothering to comply? She sighed heavily.
"Azabu, Japan. Specifically the Juuban District."
"I see," he commented, shaking his head and making more notes on his clipboard. "And you live there with your parents?" Minako nodded heavily, hoping he would get on with some newer and fresher questions. This was boring her to death and she wanted nothing more than just to sleep.
"Do you recognize any of this kanji?" he questioned, sliding a piece of paper peppered with strange kanji across the table to her. She didn't bother to look at it; it was the same one that he always used.
"No sir, I do not," she droned, watching him tick off notes on his clipboard.
"Do you know where you are?" he asked, looking at her over his glasses.
Now there was a new one. He had never asked her if she knew where she was before. But she knew, seeing as how he had already told her multiple times. It was an improvement in the questions, but not really by much.
"I am in a research camp that is located 'on the surface,' or whatever that means," she replied. The doctor was scribbling furiously now.
"Are you aware of the conditions that we found you in?" he asked slowly. Minako understood his attempts, as he conjugated the verb "aware" in a really strange way, and it had taken her awhile to catch on to what it meant. She was slowly understanding his strange way of speaking in Japanese, but still was unable to comprehend his English fully.
"Yes. You found me nude in a crater of this desert with a broken arm, broken ribs, a concussion, and horrible sun poisoning. I was also told that I was assumed dead for a couple of days," she responded. The doctor nodded.
"And do you have any recollections of how you managed to get there, or in that condition?" he prodded then, tapping the end of his pen on his clipboard. He was beginning to seem slightly nervous again.
"No."
"What was your last memory before you woke up in our hospital tent?"
Minako blinked. He had never asked this question before. She had tried on multiple occasions to remember what had happened on her own, but it was as if her memory had been erased.
"Uh." she faltered, trying to recall any memories of anything at all. "I remember watching the sunset with my friends." She squinted, trying harder to think. That was her last memory, right? That was what she had told herself before. She kept feeling something tugging at her mind though, just beyond her veil of consciousness. She fought with this for a moment, but decided that it was just her imagination. The doctor wrote more than usual after this comment.
"How did you recover from your injuries so suddenly?" he asked quickly, refusing to make eye contact with her. Minako was taken aback by this. What should she tell him? Obviously her senshi form healed her. or was that what it was? She hadn't henshined on purpose, but nothing else could explain her recovery! But she couldn't tell him that! He does know what I am though. he saw. they all saw. What have I got to lose? She reasoned with herself, biting her lip.
"I. I think it was caused by my transformation," she stated slowly, eyeing the doctor intently. He started visibly shaking now, and he seemed as if he was having problems writing on his paper.
"A-and. uh. so. what exactly is the transformation that you underwent?" he stammered, adjusting his glasses and refusing to look at her. Before Minako could answer, she could hear more muffled voices, and the door burst open. She jumped, startled by the large man who has rushed through the door. He filled the entire frame, dressed in an immaculately kept military uniform; this of course completed his terribly intimidating presence. The doctor cringed involuntarily, and the man started booming at them in English.
"This isn't going fast enough White, get out of the way!" He stormed into the room, and slammed his brawny palm onto the table, causing it to bounce. "Who are you? How the hell did you get here, come back from the dead, and recover from ridiculous injuries in no time flat? How did you destroy a Rex Monster when our BSB's don't work against those things?" His voice rose in pitch and volume with each question, causing Minako to recoil.
"S-sir. I don't understand," she faltered in English. "You're using words I have never heard before!" This seemed to enrage the man even more, and he whipped around on the doctor.
"Tell me WHY she is speaking an old dialect of English that is completely extinct? Can you do that? Do you have ANY answers for me?" he roared, spittle landing unceremoniously on Dr. White's face. He trembled visibly, and cleared his throat.
"Sir, I'm not sure exactly WHY. she has trouble reading modern-day Japanese, and has trouble grasping its spoken tenses as well. If she's struggling with Japanese and speaking an older dialect of it, it's to be expected for her to struggle with English," he quivered under the man's gaze of fire.
"That's not a good enough answer. I want information from her NOW. She could be dangerous, and if she is we need to know immediately. I will not allow anything to endanger our camp and this research project! You know how pivotal it is to the Underside!" he hollered.
"S-sir, with all due respect I would wager to say that she is not dangerous. She did save us from that Rex Monster, after all." Dr. White whimpered in reply. The man eyed him with a look of disgust.
"She may have been sent by the enemy to attack us from the inside! You saw her. she used magic, just like THEM!!"
The doctor had nothing to offer in response to that, and instead hung his head. The man paced back and forth, staring at Minako with a gaze that seemed to bore holes all the way to the back of her skull. She refused to drop his gaze though.
"Lock her up. Now. Maximum security, none of this mamby-pamby crap. She is a danger to us and our cause, and I will not risk her possibly sabotaging all the work that we have done so far. I want tests run on her every day, and I want her to have no other contact with other humans! Understand me?" he barked, storming out of the room before Dr. White had a chance to reply. Minako looked at the doctor with a questioning gaze in her eyes, but he had nothing to offer her besides a face of defeat and fear.
Minako had no idea as to what just happened, but she felt as though things were about to change for the worse.
====
Dr. White carried a tray of glass bottles filled with various liquids in them, clattering amongst the various syringes and other medical equipment that also adorned the tray. He nodded to the military guards standing outside a giant steel room on wheels, and headed up a set of metallic stairs. A smallish nurse followed him, carrying a black bag presumably also filled with medical supplies.
Dr. White had never really been very happy with the procedures that General Hawkins or this research camp practiced. He hated the steel rooms on wheels that they had to lug around with them everywhere. He knew they were useful for holding prisoners and protecting the scientists when they were attacked, but he found them to always be cumbersome and foreboding. Hawkins almost always ordered them to be like prisons, and it wasn't a good prison. The insides were always dark and dreary, and the subject being held within became an unhappy camper within a few days. Hawkins had no compassion though, Dr. White found. He sighed heavily, trudging inside of the heavy steel door. He knew that his job was a hard one, but under Hawkins it was just that much worse.
Once inside the room with his nurse, he found himself standing in front of another large metal door. After both removing their sunhats and protective gear, he peered into the small slats that were about eye level. In the dim light he spotted Minako curled up on the bench in the back of the room. He slid the keys in the lock, and opened the heavy door. Minako did not move, and instead stayed curled up on the bench, ignoring the doctor and nurse's presence.
"Hello Minako, we're here to perform your tests for today," he stated matter-of-factly, trying not to let his sympathy for her show. He walked over to her, and placed his tray on a table next to her bench. She was still curled up; clenching a piece of the white robe she was wearing tightly in her hand appeared to be her only solace. He heard her sniffle gently, and even in the dark noticed that her eyes were red and slightly puffy.
He felt his heart break. This girl had done nothing wrong to anyone, and here she was being kept in solitary confinement, seeing nothing but doctors and nurses everyday who came to prick her with more needles. No wonder she was crying. The poor thing. He was about to say something when her soft voice interrupted his train of thought.
"Doctor White." she mumbled, sniffling again. "Why does it have to be like this for me? I didn't do anything wrong, did I? I thought you all were being threatened by the dinosaur." she trailed off, apparently slipping back into her own thoughts. The doctor readjusted his tie, and the nurse looked at him curiously.
He found is endlessly fascinating how she called the Rex Monster a "dinosaur" as if it was really what it was. How this one girl could be so far removed from this world amazed him to no end.
"No, you didn't do anything wrong. The General is just unsure of what your capabilities are, and wants us to keep a close eye on you until we know," he answered, feeling as if he had done a great job in replying. It was then that Minako sat up slowly, looking at the doctor with her watery eyes.
"I don't understand anything about this place. I don't understand your language, I don't understand your culture, and I don't understand what happened to me. I don't know how I got here, what happened to my friends, or really anything of what is going on at all. It hurts sometimes. all the confusion I mean. My head really gets these pounding headaches when I try to think about it. I. just don't get how you will punish someone for not understanding what is going on around them," she finished, leaving a gentle sigh on the end of her statement.
The doctor froze. Something in his head just clicked. He had been listening to her words, and realized that she had used some strange slang- like conjugations of her verbs that was not just an extinct dialogue... but really old. He didn't understand how he had missed something this big before. The magic, the dialect, the lack of knowledge, it all made sense now! He knelt down in front of her, looking her in the eyes. Fresh waves of tears were sliding down her face.
"Minako," he said very gently. "What. what year do you think it is?" Minako looked up at him, her eyes wide.
". 1995?" she questioned softly. The doctor felt his brain nearly explode as it flew into fifth gear. This was the final piece to the puzzle! It all made sense now! It was extremely far-fetched, but it made sense! He grasped her shoulder just that much harder. Why hadn't he thought to ask her that before?
"Minako, do you realize that it is the year is 2987?" he asked quietly, attempting to let his words fall on her as softly as possible. Minako inhaled sharply, jumping back so far she almost hit her head on the wall. The nurse stared at them questioningly, but the doctor ignored her.
"This is why you don't understand anything that's going on! You're from the past! The entire world has changed. there are new cultures, new language forms, and. this is amazing. this discovery. That doesn't explain your magic, but I have a strong hunch now!" he kept babbling, ignoring the rest of Minako's reaction. He was quickly forming a plan in his mind. He had to free her! She couldn't possibly be an enemy if she was from the past! His conscience nagged at him then, adding its unwelcome two cents worth. She may be lying. This may be a huge ruse to destroy the carefully constructed research. you may cause your people to lose the war!
He hissed at his conscience, trying to think. His heart was pounding. He could lose his job. his life if he was found guilty for treason. He looked back at Minako and her wide, teary eyes. He had to follow his hunch. If he was correct, this girl may help win the war once and for all! His mother had always told him that he was too gullible and into science-fiction to be a proper doctor anyway, so what did it matter? He had to do this.
Dr. White spun on his heel, grabbing the nurse by the arm.
====
Dr. White exited the steel room, tray in hand. He was quickly followed by his nurse, who was scribbling on a clipboard. Dr. White's heart was pounding in his skull, causing him to feel vaguely lightheaded. He could do this. He had to. No one would know. He was going to do something great for this world, even if it meant a sacrifice on his part.
As the doctor and the nurse rounded the corner, he pulled her in between two closely aligned tents, and shooed her down the alley quickly. The nurse looked around nervously. the doctor felt he should be doing the same, but ignored the urge as best as possible.
"Hurry," he murmured quietly, clenching his teeth in nervousness. As they reached the outskirts of the town, he whipped her around to face him. His breathing had become heavy from the sudden quick movements. It probably also had to do with the adrenaline he knew was pumping through him in huge quantities.
"Minako. I want you to understand why I did this. I could get into a lot of trouble so please do not let me down. I think you may be the key to winning this war, even if General Hawkins thinks you're a danger. Please, take this," he shoved a scrap of paper into her hands. "I wrote it in your time's hiragana. I hope I didn't mess it up too badly. Those are directions to the nearest entrance to the Underside. I wish I had more time to explain but. anyway, we don't communicate with the Underside but once a month because of atmospheric disturbances, so they should let you in with no problem. Once you're inside, find my son. He will help you from there. I'll distract them here while you make your getaway, and hopefully I'll be able to keep them here long enough to get you a good head start. Please be strong, don't let me down. and don't look back. I may lose my job. even my life over this!" he hoped he wasn't overloading Minako. He had so much information to relay to her in so little time. He kept glancing over his shoulder.
"Ok, when you hear the sirens go off, start running that way until the camp is out of sight. Don't stop until then or they might see you. Good luck, I must go now," he stammered, looking Minako in the eyes. She smiled at him then, making his insides melt. He felt so sorry for all that this girl had been through, and was glad that he was able to help her. He took off then, racing back the same way he had come.
====
Minako stood there in her sun hat and protective gear, her face hidden from view. She clutched the nurse's medical bag that held her provisions tightly, waiting for the signal. She wasn't quite sure what had caused the change in the doctor's demeanor, but being able to get away from here was the most rewarding thing she'd been up against in quite some time now.
There is was. The sirens of the camp went up, and she could hear shouts just as before. She didn't even want to pause to think of how he had created the diversion; she just wanted to get out of here as fast as possible. She turned towards the bleak horizon that was decorated with endless miles of red dirt, and started running.
"The Underside. " she panted to herself as she ran.
