Through the Vortex
Bane's Desire
Part 3 - Spinning Death
From the moment I was sucked up into the bottom end of the vortex, I was flung into a tight spin and experienced the highest G-force I'd ever felt before. I kept my eyes squeezed tightly shut while tightening my stomach, leg and arm muscles in an effort to keep the blood in my body from rushing to my brain. My back felt as if it were pressed against something that wasn't quite solid but nevertheless held me in place. When the tight spinning and pressure had eased off a bit, I thought it might be was safe enough to open my eyes, and so I did... with caution. Blinking, I quickly found that the heavy wind still circulating inside the white tunnel made it impossible to open my eyelids fully, and it was unbelievably cold, like winter at the North Pole.
Surprised at still being alive, it took me a moment to get over that fact before I remembered to assess myself and my surroundings. First off, I was having difficulty breathing and gasping for air; this strange environment seemed to have a limited amount of oxygen contained within the white circulating walls. My arms were spread out from my shoulders, positioned at two and ten o'clock while my feet were likewise caught in a similar position, locked in place by the centrifugal force. Oddly, being pinned like that got me to thinking of a ride I'd seen once at a carnival, where some poor smucks spent their hard-earned money for the privilege of standing against a circular wall that spun around as it was lifted and tilted in various directions, fixing the riders to its walls. I distinctly recalled one particular teenage boy that day who chose to climb aboard that demented carnival ride. He looked like an average kid, around twelve or so, except for the fact that as I watched him, his face contorted and he turned colors, first growing deathly pale and then turning a peculiar shade of pink just before he puked all over himself. Holy shit, what a mess he made, and not only on himself. His apparently considerable lunch and numerous snacks spewed out from his mouth and splattered all over the other people who had been unfortunate enough to have gotten on that ride with him. As I was spinning around and around, pinned to the inside walls of the vortex, I knew exactly how that unfortunate kid felt as my own stomach clenched and I had to vigorously fight to keep my breakfast from coming up to flag a good afternoon.
Between the nauseousness, the bone-numbing cold and vertigo caused by the relentless spinning, I knew I was only moments from passing out. I was pretty damn miserable, and my pearly whites were clattering together so violently that I thought I was going to shatter them. I remember thinking about how bad my luck was and wondering if there was any possibility of my surviving. After all, I was pretty sure I was the only person in history to have been sucked up into the middle of a white, energy-generated tornado and survived... so far. As the bile crawled its way up my oesophagus again, I was grateful for the wind that was still swirling around me. Reminded again of the boy on the ride at the carnival, I could only hope that if I threw up, it would at least carry the vomit away from me. But with the way my luck had gone that day, it probably would come around again and hit me in the face. With that thought as incentive, I managed to swallow the wretched tasting bile back down once again while I continued to struggle for each breath and to remain conscious.
Objects big and small, probably sucked up from the lab, were also caught in the swirling whirlwind and flew around me, some of them battering against my near-frozen body and tore at what remained of my clothing. I felt an instinctive need to curl up in a ball to protect my head and stomach and seek some warmth, but the centrifugal force made it impossible for me to move anything but my eyes. I forced myself to keep them halfway open, wanting to observe the cause of my imminent death and thinking that it was... beautiful. The icy cold, white storm cloud with sparks of light blinking randomly within the walls that entrapped me reminded me of pictures I'd seen of swirling, spiral galaxies located in deep space and far beyond man's reach. Despite my fear and acceptance of my inevitable demise, I was in awe of the anomaly that would bring it about.
Darkness closed in from the edge of my vision, and my lungs fought for any air that might be trapped in that whirling space with me. I realized it was probably not the lack of oxygen that was suffocating me, but my being spun around in a gravity well at a high rate of velocity my lungs and internal organs were probably being compressed and about to collapse. What a way to go, I thought grimly.
I was struck hard by some small but solid object near my left temple and damn, I saw stars. A warm trickle of blood streaked across my face and I had no choice but to ignore it as my hands were still pinned down. My vision blurred and narrowed further as I edged towards unconsciousness.
I was just about to give into the need to pass out when I caught a glimpse of something, a flash of color that didn't belong in that white spinning tunnel any more than I did. Curiosity alone urged me to stay conscious, to reopen my eyes and focus on what it was that I'd seen. Having managed that feat, I wasn't sure I could believe my half-opened eyes. Opposite me, I saw... me, or rather my reflection. Yet the other me wore near shredded, purple clothing that barely covered the pale, exposed body. I realized that it was the color of those rags that had caught my eye, and I figured the other's clothing had probably been shredded by the vortex just like my Preventers uniform had been torn apart.
The other me seemed to be plastered against the invisible wall of the vortex, too; his arms and legs were stretched out to the side like mine. That position brought to my mind a vision of Trowa, on that damn spinning wheel at the circus that he let himself be tied to while Catherine threw her knives at him. And people think being a gundam pilot took guts.
I realized, muzzily, gasping for air that wasn't there, that there was another difference in my reflection. On that face pinched with cold, there was the look of abject terror in those wide eyes that stared back at me. I certainly didn't feel that same terror at that moment, just an overwhelming need to give in and close my eyes. As I slowly slid closer to that strong demand, it was those panicked eyes, the same shape and shade as my own, that became the last image I had from inside the vortex as my vision narrowed to a pinprick and I finally succumbed to unconsciousness.
It was the muffled sound of voices that disturbed my slumber and roused my dormant senses, though what those voices were saying was beyond my understanding at that point. I forced myself to concentrate for a moment, trying to make sense of what was going on. Had I actually survived my trip into the vortex? Did it spit me out somewhere nearby? I hoped so 'cause I didn't relish the idea of having to explain to some stranger what had just happened to me. All I wanted at that moment was for Heero to come and get me and take me home to my own bed.
"You mean to put him where?" I heard an affronted voice question.
"In the white block," another voice replied, sounding superior.
"I tell you, he is a purple. I saw the bands or rank when he came in, before that white spinner appeared in the preparation space."
A deep, losing-patience sigh was heard before the voice asked, "Then where have they gone?"
"I have no knowledge regarding that," the other said, exasperated by what seemed to be a puzzle. "Ponder it if you will that he would not be here unless he was purple in rank and if he was not a Chosen. Therefore, he is purple and should not be put in a white block. I have no knowledge of where that spinner came from or where it went, but would you dare to explain to his Chooser your putting her Chosen into a lesser facility?"
The argument faded into unintelligible sounds as did my awareness of it. I only knew in that moment that I hurt all over. My body had been battered and my head ached abominably, so much so that I gave into the encroaching darkness willingly, ignoring any other outside stimuli.
The next time I woke up it was because someone was shaking my very sore shoulder. "Stop it," I growled, irritated. My voice was thick and groggy in my ears.
"Wake up, Chosen," a male voice said in a gentle, coaxing manner. In the back of my mind I thought the voice was familiar, though the tone seemed off. The shaking of my shoulder began again.
"I said bugger off. What the hell do you want?" I snarled, getting angry at whoever it was that was disturbing my sleep.
The hand was removed and there was a moment of silence that followed. I remained still, aware that my body was throbbing in several areas and ached everywhere else.
"Chosen Duwan," the voice, tentative now, spoke again. "You must awaken so that we may assess your damage."
"Name's Duo," I answered, annoyed by the interruption of my sleep, the questions, pain and the mispronunciation of my name.
There was a sound of some movement to my left, then a female voice spoke with an air of authority. "You will open your eyes, Chosen Duwan, and cooperate or risk gaining a mark of penalty."
My eyelids felt like they were filled with lead, and though it took a considerable amount of effort, I obeyed the command, curious as to who had the guts to order a top-level Preventer agent and former gundam pilot around. Not even Director Une did that with any amount of confidence that her order was going to be obeyed. As my eyes slowly blinked open, I saw two blurry shapes standing next to the bed I was resting on. The more I blinked the clearer my vision got, and slowly the blonde hair separated from the red clothing. I smiled with relief as I recognized Dr. Sally Poe. She was one of the few medical people I trusted. I knew that if she was my doctor, I was in very capable and trustworthy hands.
"How the hell did I get out of that one?" I asked in a thick, surprisingly weak voice, not quite believing that I'd survived being sucked into the vortex.
A gasp brought my eyes to the person standing next to the good doctor. I was surprised to see Wufei there, dressed in a muted-red colored scrub, his black hair was loose and sheeting straight down to... his chin. I was shocked by the sudden change in his physical appearance, but more relieved by his presence than I could say. "Hey, Wufei. When the hell did you cut your hair? Damn, how long have I been out of it?"
My partner's eyes widened and he actually looked stunned by my questions. I was becoming more confused with each passing moment, wondering what the hell was going on. "Chosen, you will speak respectfully while in the presence of Mistra Sallah," he told me, completely serious and looking a bit nervous at Sally, standing next to him.
Flummoxed, I looked to Sally for an explanation. "What's going on?" I asked.
"I am not certain," Sally replied with a frown, her eyes studying me. "You were in your last stage of preparation for insertion when the life tech reported a that a mysterious swirling cloud appeared over your head. He stated that he watched it, terrified at the unusual sight and fearful for your safety, when suddenly you were drawn up into it. The life tech recounted that the suction of the phenomenon was considerable and that he clung to the open door's opening to keep from joining you. He waited there and observed the storm cloud expectorate you out again. The center's workers came immediately and stated that they found you unconscious, your body was dangerously chilled, your garments appeared strange and that your bands were gone. What brought about these changes while you were within the strange storm, Chosen?"
"What?" I asked, blinking at the good doctor, feeling horribly confused and not knowing what the hell Sally was talking about. I certainly didn't help matters that my head was throbbing painfully. I brought up a hand to pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to think. "Where was I before the cloud sucked me up?"
"Within the medicinal center to receive the last of your heramones before insertion. The results of the exam I performed while you were under slumber's influence concur that something happened to you while you were in the white spinner. I regret to say that all previous preparation for insertion has been for naught. Do you have any remembrance as to what has happened to your bands?"
I recall rubbing my forehead as my headache seemed to increase with my confusion. "I have no idea what the hell it is you just said," I complained, feeling irritable at her jumbled words. "Do you have something for this headache or not?"
"Wudon. Please prepare two zibits of painadul?"
My eyes opened at that and I looked to my black-haired friend and witnessed him obediently turning away to comply with Sally's order, as if he were a nurse or something. "Wudon?" I asked, and despite the overwhelming fatigue I was experiencing and the aching of my head and body, I couldn't help the laughter that burst out of me. "Wu-don?" I found the pet name Sally had given my partner and her husband hysterical. I was never going to let him live this one down.
"Chosen, contain yourself," Sally snapped sharply. Her complete lack of humor was like a splash of water in my face, sobering me somewhat - though I couldn't stop the twitching of my lips as Wufei's nickname was repeated in my mind. Then it dawned on me that Sally had addressed me again by that strange name. "What's with the chosen bit?" I asked.
Sally's frown deepened. "Please address the last thing you recall before awakening."
I closed my eyes and related the last hour of what I remembered. "I was getting my hair cut when I felt the explosion at Leavesly Labs. I caught up with Wufei at the office and we took the helicopter to the site of the explosion. One of the researchers there told us that an experiment for a new energy source had gone wrong and there was some kind of cloud-like, energized vortex created by a new-fangled nuclear converter. There was a power switch in the destroyed lab that needed to be flipped off, so I opted to do the deed and was subsequently sucked up into the white vortex."
I stopped my recounting of events as Wufei approached us carrying a small, silver cylinder-type object, about the size of a fountain pen. He promptly handed it to Sally who took it from him without a word, then turned to me. "Continue."
"Well, there's not much to say after that. I found myself inside of something similar to a giant vacuum. It spun around, was completely white and sparkling inside and it was hard to breath with my lungs being compressed by the centrifugal force. I think I finally passed out from the lack of oxygen." I looked up at the two dressed in red, surprised to see the confusion I was feeling now taking hold in their eyes. "How'd I get out of there anyway? Did Heero get to the switch or something?"
It was easy to see that Sally wasn't happy. "What is your name and rank color?" she demanded.
I sensed that something was wrong... off somehow. "Come on, Sal, what's going on?"
"Answer me." Her tone was stern, and it was easy to see she was back in commando mode, which was kind of scary. I decided to humor her.
"I'm Duo Maxwell, an agent for the Preventers Organization. Badge number 000220."
"Preventers?" Wufei asked as if he was trying the name out on his tongue for the first time.
"What the hell is going on here?" I demanded, becoming even more alarmed by the weirdness of the conversation.
Sally reached down and grabbed my forearm, then pressed the tubular object Wufei had handed her against my wrist. I felt a small, sudden pressure against my skin and pulled my arm away when she stepped back. "That med will ease your head pain and your mind as well as give you rest," she said in a detached, clinical manner. I could feel the medication moving up my arm and it was the strangest sensation to follow the drug as it moved through my system. Then suddenly, my limbs felt heavy and boneless. The pain I'd had was completely gone and I felt good all over, really really good.
"Thzza new drug?" I asked, slurring my words together as my tongue ceased to work along with my brain.
"No, it is a standard med for calming."
"Don't need no calming. Wherez 'ero? Wanna go home." I felt my eyelids drooping and felt almost to the point of not caring about anything anymore.
"I know not anyone named Eero," Sally said, her voice fading. "Your Chooser has been alerted as to what has happened and of your condition. She is coming posthaste, as her duties allow. Your caretaker, however, is anxiously waiting to see you."
"Choooozer? Caretaker?" I was a bit behind the conversation, but somehow managed to get my one-word questions out. I looked to the dark-haired blur next to the doctor. "Juz 'ero. Bring 'ero ere, Wu." Then the drug in my system took over and I exited that strange, confusing la-la land into a dreamless sleep.
Continued soon