Part 44
Beka wearily got to her feet and waited for the room to stop spinning, she was just about to try for the door when it opened and Killah briskly walked in. The older lady just smiled, before walking over to the cabinet and checking on something. She then turned to Beka, and frowned.
"You are a lady of such high spirits, I admire that," she spoke.
"Thanks," Beka returned with little enthusiasm, trying to focus enough to stand.
"I'm afraid things are getting worse out there, and it's meant our finding Harper has been made all the more difficult," Killah then announced gravely and she saw the concern in Beka's face. "Kenan has declared war against the Gilads, and I've also heard that Buz has found out about Tarah, one of his men overheard her bragging about her conquest to the locals."
"I told you that she told Harper that Buz had sent her," Beka stressed. "He did nothing wrong, and nothing happened!"
"Unfortunately, it's always hard to tell the truth amongst the many lies in this place," Killah sighed.
"Have they got him?" Beka asked with fear.
"Not yet, at least not by the tone of those loyal to Buz, they are looking," Killah looked concerned now. "They only found the tracer chip."
"The tracer chip?" Beka asked abruptly. "But that was inside Harper."
"It was," Killah agreed. "I know that, I put it there and there is only one way it would no longer be inside him."
Beka looked down and tried to control her rising concern, as she took some controlled breaths. "I have to find him."
"I know," Killah nodded her head knowingly. "And so do I," she stressed and Beka noticed for the first time that the old lady had been packing a bag with supplies. "I was hoping you'd be fit enough to join me, I need you with me, he trusts you."
"You want to find him too?" Beka checked, and she managed to stand unaided for the first time. "Why?" she asked suspiciously.
"If that tracer chip has been removed," Killah looked solemn. "He'll need some of this," she held up the synthesised blood that she had produced from Harper's samples, and an injector. "That chip was not designed to be removed, especially if the person wanted to remain well."
"Excuse me?"
"Buz asked me to do it because I helped developed the original technology for the Gilads, so I figured a way to insert the tracer and then if removed it would release an agent around the wound, infecting it with a virus that will both slow down the healing process, and make the subject ill," she revealed with a bowed head. "The intentions were simply to disable the person, without risking their life, so they'd slow down enough to be easy to catch."
"Slow down?" Beka couldn't help but turn away for a moment, before looking at Killah with fear. "Harper's immune system is bad at the best of times, and he's already weak from his stay here, slowing down any part of that natural process will make it non-existent, that wound won't heal and the fever could very well kill him!"
"Which is why we should leave now," Killah suggested, and she guided Beka to the door with urgency. "I don't think his life is at risk, at least I hope not, but we don't want to take any chances."
"Whose side are you on?" Beka had to ask as Killah guided her through the building, down to the ground level. "I can't quite figure out what the official line is for Harper, do the Gilads want him dead or not?"
"I didn't want to harm your friend," Killah spoke hastily. "But the Gilads own me, and they own Harper, and you," she frowned. "When I inserted that chip, Harper wasn't their property, now he is, I have to fix the damage I did to their property, if I don't, then I'll probably pay the price, again."
"You're making no sense, and that didn't answer my question," Beka protested.
"And we haven't got the time for me to explain, please, we have to find your friend," Killah stressed and they rushed out into the streets.
Harper was beginning to doubt his claim, as he looked around the streets, having been convinced he recognised some landmarks nearby. His concentration was waning as they kept moving, and he was finding it harder to breathe as he felt what seemed to be a virus developing.
Suddenly Harper spotted the house and he brightened immediately. "Over there!" Harper gestured and on cue, Asa emerged from the house knowingly, having spotted them approaching.
"What's happened now?" Asa observed as he got closer, seeing the limited movement of Harper, plus the additional wounds inflicted since he had last seen the boy.
"Buz," Zal answered pointedly.
"That's a big heap of trouble alright," Asa seemed to understand as he took some of Harper's weight, and they began to walk.
Harper stayed close to Asa, though not through choice but necessity as he clung to the Edenian to remain upright. His back was hurting even more now than before, the taunt skin either bruised or cut from the past few days living nightmare. Seeing Asa made Harper feel more confident, knowing the older man had the means to remove the collar and a wife that could probably offer him some sort of medical aid. Harper then froze within, as he remembered the last time he had seen Ezra, when she and her lover, Hashim, had more or less run him out of town.
"Harper?" Zal then questioned, having come up alongside Harper's other side. "Are you ok?"
"Fine," Harper composed himself, and tried to forget about Ezra, hoping enough time had passed that she wouldn't remember that he had caught them. He hadn't said a word to anyone, not even Asa when he had had plenty of opportunity, and he hoped that this would work in his favour, he didn't need any more complications.
Asa opened the door to his house and gestured for them all to move inside, and Zal immediately moved for the blankets that were gathered on the floor and prepped them. Asa helped Harper gently down onto the blankets and the human immediately positioned himself so he was lying on his front.
"Let's take a proper look at this wound," Dylan gestured and Zal moved Harper's shirt up that was now soaked in his own blood.
"For such a small wound it's sure losing a lot of blood," Asa remarked.
Dylan moved beside Harper and took the shirt from Zal's hold and removed it completely, so they could have better access to the wound. "The wound is infected already," Dylan noted and Rhade moved to his side to confirm.
"The redness around the incision," Rhade agreed, seeing the inflamed skin. "But the cut is less than an hour old, how has it become infected so soon?"
"The tracer was probably protected," Asa spoke up and grabbed one of the bottles, and before anyone could protest he started to pour the contents directly over the wound.
Harper screamed out, as his body tensed to the onslaught, but no one moved to stop Asa, knowing the alcohol would help fight the infection.
"What's going on?" a female voice then spoke up, and Ezra entered the house to find strangers with her husband, but immediately from their colouring and then on seeing Harper, she worked it out. "Why are the aliens here?"
"They needed shelter, young Harper has found himself in the wars again," Asa noted and Ezra moved past Rhade and Zal to see the damage for herself.
"I have some bandages. That's not looking good," Ezra noted with care, and Harper relaxed slightly not sensing any hostility on her part. "Have you cleaned it?"
"I've drowned it," Asa half smiled at his wife, showing her the half empty bottle he held.
"Good," Ezra smiled back, and went to retrieve the bandages.
"How you doing, Harper?" Dylan asked, seeing Harper still had his eyes clenched shut.
"Good," Harper strained. "Just stings," he added.
Dylan looked over to Asa. "The collar, can you remove it?" Dylan then asked, remembering Harper's earlier request.
Asa looked at Harper and saw Ezra was returning. "We can discuss that later; let's make sure that wound is sorted out first."
Dylan nodded his head, as Ezra moved back beside Harper and began to clean the wound. She reached for the bottle that Asa still held, and applied a bit more causing Harper to flinch again. "Drink some," Ezra then offered and Harper didn't hesitate as painfully propped himself up onto his elbows and then took the bottle, taking a large gulp. Once he had had enough Ezra encouraged Harper to settle back down and she took a closer look at the damage.
"I don't have the equipment to seal this up," Ezra frowned. "I'll have to do manual stitches is this ok?"
"Fine," Harper immediately answered.
"They are painful, especially on the back where it looks like your skin is as tight as ours in that area," Ezra explained with concern.
"I've had manual stitches before," Harper responded tiredly. "On Earth we never had the choice, and we didn't have anaesthetic either, so just do it," he added with a hint of tired impatience.
"Ok," Ezra reached for the equipment she needed, and then looked at Zal. "Pass one of those clean cloths," she requested and Zal did as he was asked, and Ezra offered it to Harper. "It's not much, but it might help," she began.
"Thanks," Harper wearily took the cloth and put it into his mouth and bit down, knowing what was coming as the others could only look on.
The next few minutes were filled with agonising sounds of pain, as Harper gritted his teeth. Harper then slowly began to suspect that Ezra was enjoying the treatment she was giving him just a little too much, maybe even prolonging it and his patience soon snapped.
"Will you fricking finish already, that's enough stitches!"
"Just finishing up now," Ezra calmly answered.
Harper closed his eyes, wondering if his tone was right after all, but when she added some more of the alcohol to the wound without warning, he was without doubt that she was testing him, and purposely causing him discomfort. Tired of being messed about with, Harper attempted to sit up but Ezra soon stopped him.
"I need to apply the bandage, stay down," Ezra ordered sharply.
"Haven't you had enough fun already at my expense?" Harper hissed, with his back throbbing now with pain.
"Not nearly enough," Ezra quietly spoke.
"Well get in line behind Buz, I'm sure I can fit in your demented crap too," Harper returned with slight venom.
"Is there a problem here?" Asa now spoke up, barely hearing the exchanges but picking up on the tone.
Harper was about to speak when Ezra responded first. "Just Harper being a big old baby," she teased brightly, and was finally finished as she got to her feet. "Can hardly blame him, poor love, looks like Edenia has not been a great experience for him so far, looking at his poor sad beaten body," Ezra continued sweetly, with Asa stood next to her.
Harper had turned over and was now sat looking up at them, and he was seeing Ezra differently now. Where before he'd thought she was sweet and homely; now he saw nothing but a manipulative smart lady. Stood next to Asa as if she adored only him, when Harper knew the truth but couldn't say, because the way things were at the moment no one would believe him the way Ezra was being so affectionate towards Asa.
Harper got to his feet with a scowl, and despite the protests he moved towards the door without word, and Dylan was soon by his side.
"What is going on, Mr Harper, I thought you wanted to come here?" Dylan spoke low, knowing Harper's lack of thanks had been noted by Asa.
"I wanted to see Asa," Harper answered.
"Is there a reason you're being so rude to his wife?"
Harper took a deep breath, and looked down at his bare chest. "Looks like another shirt ruined, how many have I destroyed now since I've been here?"
"I'm sure we'll find another, maybe in blood red so next time it won't matter if you spill some," Dylan offered lightly, and then frowned when Harper didn't react to his attempt at humour. "Did something happen between you and Ezra, last time you were here?"
"No!" Harper snapped and made to move away again, but Dylan stopped him this time.
"Why are you being like this?"
"It's nothing ok, I just feel like crap right now and I took it out on Ezra, I'm sorry ok?" Harper stressed.
"It's not me you should be apologising too," Dylan noted, and Harper looked over to Ezra and felt a reluctance to follow orders, but finally he shrugged Dylan's hold off of him and moved to the female.
"I'm sorry," Harper offered, barely making eye contact. "And thanks," he added and then turned his attention to Asa, stood next to her. "Can you help me with this collar?" he then asked.
Asa glanced at Ezra and Harper tried not to react, having only just apologised but he felt something was wrong even before Asa spoke. "We'll work on it," Asa spoke cagily. "The tool we used last time, I leant it to someone, so I can't remove it right this minute," Asa then added.
"Oh, right, ok," Harper reluctantly accepted, and glanced at Dylan and Rhade to gauge their reactions but they appeared indifferent, so he moved away without further comment.
"Guys," Zal then spoke up from the window. "Do you hear that?"
Everyone moved closer to where Zal was stood, and they began to make out the distant sounds of shouting and breaking glass.
"You think that mad pack is still trying to find us?" Rhade offered. "Or it could be the Gilads, we saw Buz and his men heading our way too," he remembered.
"Buz and his men don't generally continue to hunt once they've lost the prey," Zal frowned. "And something about those noises, it doesn't sound like the Gilads; I think it's the other pack."
"Zal's right, I can hear breaking glass which suggests houses are being attacked and it's well known that Gilads don't touch houses," Asa supported. "The rumoured war has begun," he then announced.
"Already?" Ezra now asked with concern.
"It's been on the cards, we said Kenan was being too quiet, and this is why," Asa frowned.
"I really hate not being in the loop," Dylan remarked.
"Be thankful you're not, because I bet around here that probably means you're about to be hanged," Harper sneered, his arms crossed.
"We should go and find out for sure, Zal come with me, you three, stay here with Ezra," Asa ordered. "I'm not sure right now, with you being aliens, that it's a good idea for you to be seen outside, or seen at all at this time, things are not good."
"You think this is connected to us?" Harper asked with surprise.
"Everything that's happened around here lately is connected to you," Asa reminded him.
"Nothing like making an impression," Rhade shrugged.
"Ezra, any sign and you put them in the safe place, ok?" Asa then instructed.
"I will," Ezra nodded her head, as Asa turned to Dylan.
"When Ezra orders you to the safe place, don't argue, it's for you own good," Asa stated.
"What the hell is the safe place?" Harper asked, as he glanced at Ezra who only smiled in return.
"Exactly what it says, it's a safe place, and right now Edenia is rapidly becoming a less safe place for you, and your friends if what I'm hearing about a war is true, so don't question it," Asa stressed.
"We need to find Beka," Dylan stated, but Asa was already shaking his head.
"I must see what's going on, if the war has begun then I'm afraid that finding Beka will have to wait, but I have no time to explain," he dismissed and with Zal, they left the building.
Harper turned to Ezra and they held the stare enough for it not to go unnoticed by Dylan or Rhade, but neither chose to comment as Ezra finally looked away and began tidy the medical supplies.
"We can't just abandon Beka," Harper spoke low, so only Rhade and Dylan could hear.
"I don't intend to," Dylan stated in a hushed voice.
"So we just hide in some safe place?" Rhade questioned. "We're trained soldiers, well, you and me are, Harper is anything but trained, but the point is we can all fight, in our own way," he stressed.
"I want to fight, not hide," Harper agreed rapidly.
"Harper, I can feel your temperature from here," Dylan noted. "You have a fever and you need to rest, and in case you've forgotten I can barely move my arms, let alone fight, so we have to be realistic, we have no weapons and very few friends," Dylan stated firmly.
Rhade showed his frustration and Harper turned away, trying to resist the fever that was slowly taking hold.
TBC