Author's notes: Thanks again to those who reviewed, I'm glad that you are
all enjoying the story. It's always good to hear from you... inspires me to
keep working harder!
And with that, here comes the action... -----------------------------------------------------------
"It is such a pleasure to have Parmea as a member of the international community," the President of the United States said.
"It is an honor to be able to bring my people out of the dark ages my ancestors put them in. I look forward to working with the US and other countries to bring Parmea into the first world... I even believe free elections may be inevitable in the future," the Princess replied.
Ron was standing near by, dressed in an exquisite tux and daydreaming about nothing in particular. Rufus, who had been trying to keep a low profile as Ron had told him to, decided it was time to take a peek out Ron's pocket. He purred quietly as he looked around the room.
Suddenly, Rufus started to squawk loudly, repeatedly hitting Ron's leg and pointing in the direction of the Princess and the President. Above them, the air condition vent cover had been carefully and quietly removed. Ron contemplated what Rufus was saying for a minute, but then realized that Rufus wouldn't be this loud unless it was important.
Ron shifted his gaze in the direction of the conversing leaders, narrowing his eyes as he searched for what was making Rufus so agitated. He noticed that the vent missing, leaving only a hole in the ceiling. Was that always like that? he thought. A moment later he saw a gauntleted hand drop through the opening, a small vial in hand.
Ron charged towards the two world leaders, bending forward and extending his arms towards them. They had their backs turned, and both yelled as they were violently pushed.
As Ron passed under the vent, he felt three soft taps on his back. The softness of the sensation only lasted a second. Almost instantaneously, he felt his back erupt in fiery pain. He screamed loudly, falling forward and hitting the ground face first. The momentum he had built up carried his body over a foot, his soft skin tearing painfully on the rough floor. Secret service agents had surrounded him by now, and Kim struggled to see what was going on. Unable to get near Ron, she glanced back toward where the Princess and President had been, spotting a bright red spot on the floor. Closer investigation revealed it to be a spider.
Kim lifted her leg to squash it, but then thought better of it. She swiftly grabbed a small wine glass, scooped up the arachnid, and fastened a napkin over the top with a rubber band. The tiny beast protested vehemently, rearing impressively large fangs.
Kim rushed the insect over to the President, who, along with the Princess, was still in shock from being shoved across the room only 15 seconds earlier.
"Mr. President, he needs help!" she yelled, holding the glass out for him to see. "These things, someone dropped these from the air vent," she said, pointing to the open hole in the ceiling. She had no proof as to what happened, but based on the missing vent grating, the vicious spider, and Ron's horrifying screams of agony, she had come to a conclusion quickly.
"That's where we were standing," the President responded, taking a moment to comprehend that he had just been rescued, and that his rescuer was convulsing on the floor in agony and being treated as a criminal, not a hero.
"Get away from him, now, all of you!" the President yelled, motioning violently for the secret service agents to part as he pushed towards Ron. "Get the medical team up here, now!" he yelled.
Kim was right behind the President and, using the gap he created as a path to Ron. She saw him on the floor, breathing heavily, face beat red in pain with tears streaming down his cheeks. On closer inspection she saw a spider crawling across his body and two more on the floor next to him. She quickly swatted all three, tearing their small bodies to pieces. She then leaned down next to Ron, hoping she had gotten all the spiders.
Ron's mouth was opening and closing as if he was trying to scream, but no sound was being produced. His face, beat red only seconds earlier, was now becoming even paler than normal. His hands were clenched in fists and his whole body was convulsing violently. With a great amount of effort, he turned his head slightly to look at Kim.
Kim had never seen anything like this. Ron had been hurt before, but this was the first time she had truly feared she was going to loose him. His skin was becoming damp and clammy; his pupils were dilated far more than she had thought possible.
Ron felt the extraordinary pain in his body as venom from five separate bites worked through him. He began to loose control of his arms and legs, which spasmed uncontrollably. He felt his heart racing. The pain was unlike anything he had felt before. He tried to scream, but he couldn't. He kept feeling weaker and weaker, and finally closed his eyes and laid his head back.
Kim put her hands around Ron's head, trying to keep it from whipping around as his body jerked itself about uncontrollably. She felt another warm body on her hand, and noticed Rufus curled up under Ron's chin. The mole rat was sobbing quietly.
The medics finally arrived, laying out a stretcher on the floor and lifting Ron carefully onto it. Kim pried Rufus off of Ron, figuring that the mole rat would be safer with her than in the hospital. As much as it hurt her to tear the little guy away from Ron, she knew her friend would have wanted her to do what was best for Rufus.
******
Kim managed to get herself on the ambulance, holding Ron's hand as a pair of medical technicians worked around him. They had already treated him with an impressive array of medications and were still working furiously to keep him stable.
"Ron," she said quietly, looking down at his pale face. He opened his large brown eyes and starred at her.
"Am... am... am I going to..." Ron asked, trailing off in a fit of coughing.
"No, Ron, I won't let it happen."
"And you can do anything," Ron said, straining to move his lips into a smile. Unlike his trademark goofy grin, his smile was now small and weak. Kim felt a shiver run down her spine... Ron seemed so sick and weak, and she felt so powerless.
Kim sighed. "I wish I could help with your pain now."
"You are helping," Ron coughed, squeezing her hand with more strength than she thought he had in him.
Kim looked down at his pale face. His pupils were wide, the sparkle of life was dim in his large brown eyes.
"Kim," Ron stammered, "I feel dizzy." His eyes closed and Kim could see his chest heaving. When his eyes opened again, they looked bloodshot, and she could see tears running down his cheeks. At least I'm not the only one crying she thought.
"I'm right here Ron. I will always be here for you."
"I wish I could say the same," Ron said. It took Kim a moment to realize just how dark his meaning was.
"Ron, don't think like that. You are going to be fine," Kim said, disturbed by how serious he was. Normally she could convince him the moon was made of green cheese if she tried, but Ron didn't seem gullible at all today.
"Kim... I... I..."
"Ron? What?"
There was no answer. Ron was out cold. Kim lowered her head into his chest and cried.
And with that, here comes the action... -----------------------------------------------------------
"It is such a pleasure to have Parmea as a member of the international community," the President of the United States said.
"It is an honor to be able to bring my people out of the dark ages my ancestors put them in. I look forward to working with the US and other countries to bring Parmea into the first world... I even believe free elections may be inevitable in the future," the Princess replied.
Ron was standing near by, dressed in an exquisite tux and daydreaming about nothing in particular. Rufus, who had been trying to keep a low profile as Ron had told him to, decided it was time to take a peek out Ron's pocket. He purred quietly as he looked around the room.
Suddenly, Rufus started to squawk loudly, repeatedly hitting Ron's leg and pointing in the direction of the Princess and the President. Above them, the air condition vent cover had been carefully and quietly removed. Ron contemplated what Rufus was saying for a minute, but then realized that Rufus wouldn't be this loud unless it was important.
Ron shifted his gaze in the direction of the conversing leaders, narrowing his eyes as he searched for what was making Rufus so agitated. He noticed that the vent missing, leaving only a hole in the ceiling. Was that always like that? he thought. A moment later he saw a gauntleted hand drop through the opening, a small vial in hand.
Ron charged towards the two world leaders, bending forward and extending his arms towards them. They had their backs turned, and both yelled as they were violently pushed.
As Ron passed under the vent, he felt three soft taps on his back. The softness of the sensation only lasted a second. Almost instantaneously, he felt his back erupt in fiery pain. He screamed loudly, falling forward and hitting the ground face first. The momentum he had built up carried his body over a foot, his soft skin tearing painfully on the rough floor. Secret service agents had surrounded him by now, and Kim struggled to see what was going on. Unable to get near Ron, she glanced back toward where the Princess and President had been, spotting a bright red spot on the floor. Closer investigation revealed it to be a spider.
Kim lifted her leg to squash it, but then thought better of it. She swiftly grabbed a small wine glass, scooped up the arachnid, and fastened a napkin over the top with a rubber band. The tiny beast protested vehemently, rearing impressively large fangs.
Kim rushed the insect over to the President, who, along with the Princess, was still in shock from being shoved across the room only 15 seconds earlier.
"Mr. President, he needs help!" she yelled, holding the glass out for him to see. "These things, someone dropped these from the air vent," she said, pointing to the open hole in the ceiling. She had no proof as to what happened, but based on the missing vent grating, the vicious spider, and Ron's horrifying screams of agony, she had come to a conclusion quickly.
"That's where we were standing," the President responded, taking a moment to comprehend that he had just been rescued, and that his rescuer was convulsing on the floor in agony and being treated as a criminal, not a hero.
"Get away from him, now, all of you!" the President yelled, motioning violently for the secret service agents to part as he pushed towards Ron. "Get the medical team up here, now!" he yelled.
Kim was right behind the President and, using the gap he created as a path to Ron. She saw him on the floor, breathing heavily, face beat red in pain with tears streaming down his cheeks. On closer inspection she saw a spider crawling across his body and two more on the floor next to him. She quickly swatted all three, tearing their small bodies to pieces. She then leaned down next to Ron, hoping she had gotten all the spiders.
Ron's mouth was opening and closing as if he was trying to scream, but no sound was being produced. His face, beat red only seconds earlier, was now becoming even paler than normal. His hands were clenched in fists and his whole body was convulsing violently. With a great amount of effort, he turned his head slightly to look at Kim.
Kim had never seen anything like this. Ron had been hurt before, but this was the first time she had truly feared she was going to loose him. His skin was becoming damp and clammy; his pupils were dilated far more than she had thought possible.
Ron felt the extraordinary pain in his body as venom from five separate bites worked through him. He began to loose control of his arms and legs, which spasmed uncontrollably. He felt his heart racing. The pain was unlike anything he had felt before. He tried to scream, but he couldn't. He kept feeling weaker and weaker, and finally closed his eyes and laid his head back.
Kim put her hands around Ron's head, trying to keep it from whipping around as his body jerked itself about uncontrollably. She felt another warm body on her hand, and noticed Rufus curled up under Ron's chin. The mole rat was sobbing quietly.
The medics finally arrived, laying out a stretcher on the floor and lifting Ron carefully onto it. Kim pried Rufus off of Ron, figuring that the mole rat would be safer with her than in the hospital. As much as it hurt her to tear the little guy away from Ron, she knew her friend would have wanted her to do what was best for Rufus.
******
Kim managed to get herself on the ambulance, holding Ron's hand as a pair of medical technicians worked around him. They had already treated him with an impressive array of medications and were still working furiously to keep him stable.
"Ron," she said quietly, looking down at his pale face. He opened his large brown eyes and starred at her.
"Am... am... am I going to..." Ron asked, trailing off in a fit of coughing.
"No, Ron, I won't let it happen."
"And you can do anything," Ron said, straining to move his lips into a smile. Unlike his trademark goofy grin, his smile was now small and weak. Kim felt a shiver run down her spine... Ron seemed so sick and weak, and she felt so powerless.
Kim sighed. "I wish I could help with your pain now."
"You are helping," Ron coughed, squeezing her hand with more strength than she thought he had in him.
Kim looked down at his pale face. His pupils were wide, the sparkle of life was dim in his large brown eyes.
"Kim," Ron stammered, "I feel dizzy." His eyes closed and Kim could see his chest heaving. When his eyes opened again, they looked bloodshot, and she could see tears running down his cheeks. At least I'm not the only one crying she thought.
"I'm right here Ron. I will always be here for you."
"I wish I could say the same," Ron said. It took Kim a moment to realize just how dark his meaning was.
"Ron, don't think like that. You are going to be fine," Kim said, disturbed by how serious he was. Normally she could convince him the moon was made of green cheese if she tried, but Ron didn't seem gullible at all today.
"Kim... I... I..."
"Ron? What?"
There was no answer. Ron was out cold. Kim lowered her head into his chest and cried.