Order 25: Depressing Fragility
One week later. Friday. Vatican Science Lab. 10:00 P.M.
Vatican scientists rushed around, getting together the last preparations for Skey. They guaranteed that by tomorrow or Sunday she would be back to her normal self. Meanwhile, Skey was rushing down a hallway for the bathroom. She slammed open the door and went to her knees before the toilet, throwing up profusely into it. Her head pounded and her muscles ached so much she just wanted to fall back and never be forced to get up again. She'd lost so much weight due to this whole process of being made a regenerator. If that wasn't enough, the migraines and muscle aches rendered her completely unable to move unless she willed herself enough to. The radiating pain would always spread through her body when they injected her with the chemicals they said were to 'balance' her body with the regenerating ability. What they explained was when they did the body work and the chemical mixes to fuse with her body's own chemicals, at first the body rejected it and acted upon it like it would a virus or bacteria. For a week, daily injections were needed to further stabilze her body and make it work with this new enhancement. Every time Skey was put into the bed for rest, she would always shake her head and admit Anderson was right. This was hell. Sure they made her as comfortable as possible but Skey knew deep at heart, they cared whether or not she died. Once or twice, Maxwell had visited to get updates on how she was doing from the scientists and he even spoke to her, saying all she had to do was endure this week and she would be back to normal. It was only a very short lived rush of relief to hear that. Anderson had visited regularly whenever he could. Maxwell had to put him out every night to hunt the vampires and Skey knew this. So even during her finest moments of pain and agony, she never cursed him for not being there to assure her. This...all of this was a job. This treatment was the job. Skey was preparing her body for the all out war she knew Malakai planned to wage on the Vatican. The toilet was flushed and Skey fell back against the whitewashed wall. She reached up, her clinging fingers trying to find the towel that she knew was hanging there. Her fingers found it and tugged it off the bar. She wiped her mouth off, balled the towel up and threw it across the medium sized bathroom with fury. The shakes jolted her body.
" Damn it! Just stop!..."
Skey forced her body to stop. Her legs were still quivering but she nonetheless forced herself to stand. All she could think about was becoming stronger and being able to kick Malakai's ass. A few calming breaths were taken before Skey decided to step out of the bathroom and go back to the room they kept her in. The lab, this lab in particular, was underground. There was only one door in and out of this lab and even that door was locked. You had to have a certain identification code to even open the door. This was where so many experiments and breakthroughs in science happened...and it was also where many had died as being the subject of these experiments. For being underground, Skey found it remarkably clean and sterile. Every room was whitewashed and clean. There wasn't a sign of dirt anywhere in the rooms or the lab itself. She wandered through the lab's main room. Counters were filled with glasses of different colored chemicals, mini fridges that held test tubes of chemicals and even a cage of lab rats were kept. It was the lab of any nerd's dream. But unlike just any lab, the tone of this place was creepy. Full fledged priests wearing lab coats and testing chemicals on their own to further enhance the capability of Iscariot's agents. As Skey walked through the lab still full of pain, she couldn't help but giving thought to maybe why a priest would become a scientist. Being a priest and being a scientist was two different things altogether. Yet these people were. Just trying to figure it out only intensified her migraine.
Skey came into her little room and laid on the bed. She re-inserted the IVs the scientists told her to keep in her. It was so damn uncomfortable to be inserted with needles and have her body filled with so many different fluids. Food was laid on the small nightstand. It enraged Skey as she flipped the side of it up and spilled all the food to the floor. Just the mere thought of food made her stomach churn. She laid back and sighed, closing her eyes and thought some sleep would cure the pain.
Yumie and Anderson both walked through the lab. One of the scientists, Dr. Fiels, kindly showed them back to the room where Skey was.
" She just went back in there about ten minutes ago. She might be resting but you're welcome to stay there as long as you like. um, Father Anderson, this day concludes her tests. She'll need tomorrow and possibly Sunday to rest up and regain her strength."
Anderson nodded solemnly. He knew well the procedures and the length of time everything was. Yumie let the door open for them both. She went to Skey's right side and looked down to her softly. Indeed Skey was resting up. Anderson closed the door and went to Skey's left side and stared down at the girl. She looked just as helpless as she was the day he found her. Undernourished, dreary and completely helpless looking. He had warned her before...he blamed himself for letting her go through with it.
" Ah should hae ne'er let her...Ah should hae stopped her. Ah told her this procedure was ae lot O' hell..."
" Don't blame yourself, Father Anderson. She wanted this..."
Yumie could see Anderson was wrecked with guilt. It was rare, extremely rare, for Anderson to show any shred of emotion. Yumie didn't feel jealousy, but she did feel the worry. Who knew? After this, Skey could be a completely different person. The same experiment had changed Anderson himself drastically. Nothing could stop the same side effect from happening to her. And to Yumie's guess, she would think Skey would easily succumb to a mental break. Anderson had sat Yumie down and told her about the procedures, the steps they would put Skey through and how hard it was for even him to endure it. Yumie had gone to Skey's room and rummaged through her nightstand drawer. She found Skey's black beaded rosary and had brought it with her. The beads clinked together as Yumie drew it out and placed it in Skey's hands.
" I'm going to go see if Maxwell has any assignments for me and Heinkel. Remember, you have work tonight as well. It's surprising on how low the numbers of the vampires are getting...though very out of the ordinary. Good night, Father Anderson."
Yumie left the room and headed back up. Anderson watched as she left.
" It isnae ae coincidence...it's ae issue tae worry aboot."
He sat down next to the bed and watched how Skey slept so soundly. Yumie was right. This wasn't his fault but he still couldn't escape the guilt of somehow applying the idea it was. Warning her wasn't all he could have done. He could have stopped her and told her no even if it meant getting strict with her and being the teacher for once. He started to look back on the memories. He chuckled gently as he remembered the first time Skey tried wielding the katana swords. Surprise and confusion glowed in her eyes. Everytime he explained to her rules or lectured her about vampires, she would wrinkle her face up in confusion yet again. Sometimes Anderson felt like he was speaking to a brick wall. Of course he'd get frustrated with her childishness and throw his hands up in the air, acting like he would give up teaching her. He never did. He was as persistent as ever to get it through her head what it meant to wield a sword, a gun or any kind of weapon in defense for the Vatican and the people, the followers, of the Almighty God. Over the course of the year, she became very well trained wielding two katanas at once.
" Skey, wearing yerself doon like tha' isnae gaun tae help."
" I've got to train harder, Father Anderson! You don't understand the shit I been through! I fucked up in life...the least I can do is try redeeming the last of it fighting the demons on earth for the people."
Skey's eyes fluttered open. Though a bit disoriented, she couldn't mistake the tall figure sitting by her bedside. She reached her hand out to him and weakly grabbed a clump of his hair and tugged. His head jerked out of her hold and she smiled a smile so frail in comparison to her usual smiles. Even the color of her eyes had drained out. The brilliance of the icy blue glow in her irises were gone and replaced with a murky grayish blue. He stood and calmly placed his hand on her forehead. Hoping it would make her feel better, he gave her a sweet and sincere smile.
" Weel, ye made it so far. How ye feel?"
" Eh...like shit. What else would I feel like?"
Both shared a soft but sad laugh that wasn't long lived.
" Dr. Fiels said tha' today is yer last day for this. He told me ye hae better get ae lot O' rest tomorrow and Sunday. Once ye build yer strength up, Ah winna doubt Maxwell will hae ye back oot there slaying vampires. Jus be patient until then, ok?"
Skey nodded her head. She was relieved to hear that. No more painful injections of chemicals, no more puking up her food and no more feeling so weak and sore. Skey promised herself a well deserved long rest over the weekend. Two of the scientists came in followed by Dr. Fiels. Anderson watched as the two marked down Skey's statuses on the monitors she was hooked to, took her pulse, checked her eyes' dilation then left. Dr. Fiels sat down by Skey and acknowledged Anderson's presence with a slight nod.
" Now Skey, before I release you and mark you as fully completed, I need to tell you what to expect. Now, once we take you off these IVs, you'll still feel like you do now. Queasy, sometimes disoriented, sore and headachy. After a good day or two days' rest, you'll feel like yourself again. I will come to see you Sunday afternoon to check on you and see if you're feeling the same way still If so, we'll have to bring you back down here and run a few tests on you. I'll call a nurse in to remove the IVs and help you get your stuff together. I'm sure Anderson will have no problem helping you to your dorm for some rest. (takes her hand gently and shakes it) Congratulations Miss Skey Seryc. You're the second regenerator we've completed successfully."
Dr. Fiels stood and left the room, shutting the door to leave Skey and Anderson to privacy. Successfully? That turned Skey's stomach sideways a few times. Did they fail many times before and if so, did the failures result in death?
Skey's Dorm. 10:45 P.M.
Anderson had carried Skey back to her dorm. On his arm hung a bag of Skey's clothes, her trench coat and the two katanas. He fumbled with the keys to open her door twice. Not once did she stir in his arms. She was knocked out cold and no question due to what she's been through the past week. He managed to unlock it then kick it open with his boot. Carefully he walked in, making sure he didn't bump her into anything. A lamp stood on her dresser which he managed to turn on. He sat her down in a chair while he pulled down the covers. This was like taking care of a child. He remembered never having anyone taking care of him when he went through the process. Skey was strong enough to take care of herself, but like many times before, he couldn't help but be protective of her. She was like a daughter to him and it was good for him to care about someone. Many times he denied it, thinking it very wrong to care for people when you had a job like he did. Then he found her and ever since, his world had been flipped upside down. Sometimes he hated her to no end for it, and sometimes...he couldn't thank her enough. He picked her up and got her in the bed. What the lab had given her was like a cotton pair of pajamas. It was suitable enough to sleep in, he imagined. He got her tucked in and placed her coat on a rack and dropped the bag of clothes on the chair. In her hand she still held her black rosary Yumie had brought to the room for her. Anderson yanked it gently out of her hand and set it on the nightstand next to her. Just as he made sure everything was in order and she was tucked in, he started to leave. then the meekest, frailest voice called out to him. The wind? No...
" Leaving?...You didn't give me a chance to say thanks and bye."
Anderson turned back to her with a smirk. His hand still rested on the brass doorknob.
" Weel, ah got tae leave soon. Maxwell's gaun be worried aif Ah dinna show up."
She frowned. Anderson's face faulted and his hand slipped from the doorknob as he made his way to the side of her bed. If it would make Skey happy for him to spend a few measly minutes with her, it would be ok. And it did make her happy. A smile formed on her lips once he decided to stay for a bit.
" Thanks...for everything."
" Everything? Heh, Ah jus carried ye back til yer room...thas nothing."
" No...thanks for everything you've ever done for me. Even all the yelling and scolding you did. (chuckles) Though it doesn't appear like it, they helped. Um, Anderson...(looks down) You don't think it's too much to ask if you stay here with me for tonight, do you?...I been having bad dreams all this week. The same old dreams..."
" Skey! Ah dinna believe it. Yer acting ae lot like ae mere child. Yer way older than ae child, Skey."
" I had dreams about Malakai, Anderson...bad ones. It was like this Armageddon deal. I was afraid. I don't know if its just my fear swelling in me or maybe if its...an actual omen. I don't know what it was, but I don't want to be alone."
Tears begin to swell in her eyes and Anderson knew she wasn't kidding. As for Skey, the dreams had plagued her since Malakai entered her room and somehow persuaded her into that kiss. Ever since, anytime she slept, she could see Malakai kissing her, feeling her up. And in the dreams, she didn't resist. The worse sight was the Iscariot agents that were hung from trees. Except for Anderson. Malakai had crucified him on a cross like Jesus. and despite his being a regenerator, Skey could tell in the dream he had no more life in him. blood ran out of his mouth, his glasses had been broken and there were so many lash marks all over the naked torso of his body. And in the dream, the scariest thing wasn't that. It was her looking upon him crucified but with such emotionless eyes. And then fire engulfed the dream. And the same dream she been having previous of the encounter with Malakai would play. The message was so confusing and she feared Malakai's strength now. Skey didn't know how, but she could feel Malakai getting stronger, his army getting stronger and larger in number. they were going to do something massive. Only God knew how long they had before the attack would be unleashed.
" Please..."
Anderson caved in and got on the bed, propping himself up against the headboard. Skey came to him immediately and wrapped her arms around him, letting her tears soak into his coat. Anderson let her. No emotion showed in his face at all. No smiles, no nothing. He tilted his head to the ceiling and closed his eyes. Silently, he prayed for safety. He prayed for his own safety, Skey's safety and most of all, the Vatican's safety. What Skey didn't know was the number of vampires being found in Rome were dwindling rapidly. Father Maxwell had called to the Hellsing organization and asked if there had been any increase of flow of vampires in England. The answer was no. The vampires were hiding themselves better than ever. No one knew why, but the Vatican was jacking up security just in case something did happen. With vampires, you could never be sure when they would strike. And if they did, you had better be ready. Anderson could feel the trembling of Skey calming. Good. She was falling asleep. But he wouldn't betray her trust. So he stayed there and watched over her until three in the morning, until he too fell victim to sleep. But before falling asleep, he had took her rosary in his hand and prayed to God.
" O' Laird...Ah pray til thee efter ae lang time. Ah pray nae in ma selfishness. Ah pray only tha' ye watch o'er Skey aif ae big battle is tae come til us wi' the vampires. Aif Ah'm nae able tae protect her during the battle, please...dae so yerself. She has ae lot tae live for. Unlike me. Dinna sell her life short. O'er the years O' her life, she's suffered unimaginable sufferings. And yet, she still lives. She's ae fighter...ae true survivor. So please, e'en aif it meant ma own death, dinna tak her life aif ae onslaught is tae pursue...Amen."
