Angelina / Chthonian Earth / Her Face Forms Worms
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It wasn't as easy as they had planned it to be.
"Man, I really shouldn't be doing this…" Xyza mumbled as they struggled to hold him up. "ARRGH! Almost…grunt…there…" Xyza and Brendan gritted their teeth and mustered up all the strength they could as they lifted the seemingly lifeless man.
"Got it!" Brendan, who even though at first had trouble lifting his father up off the ground, was in fact extremely ripped, and he had no trouble holding up the professor (once Xyza had aided him in picking Birch off the ground, of course) with just his elbows placed complacently under his father's arms. Xyza, not letting this boy get too hard headed, went over and assisted him.
"Ok, let's carry him back to…to… um…"
"The lab."
Brendan finished her sentence casually, and Xyza shut her mouth, nodding slightly. "His assistant is also specialized in human healing. Don't worry, well, I mean worry, but…" his olive eyes intensified, and Xyza hung on his every word. "This isn't the first time this has happened."
They began to walk down the hill. Mudkip and Treeko, who were goofing around, obediently followed their trainers. Xyza was sincerely surprised.
"Wait…what did you say?" She revolted her head at him, expecting them to lock eyes, but he kept his gaze on their destination ahead. "You said… that this has happened… before?" She hesitated briefly. "I don't understand." Brendan scoffed, but not rudely. "Yes, of course it has, Xyza. He's a professor. Working out in the field, especially with evolved species, can be very perilous, even… even… fatal." He gulped and said no more. Xyza made an almost inaudible "oh" and they strolled on, in silence.
It was better that way./p>
X
"Brendan?" The professor whispered painfully. His eyes besieged to open, just to see the two silhouettes that were standing by his side, and the short, stubby one that seemed to be performing some sort of operation on him.
"AGH!" He stifled in agony as feeling rushed through his body once more. Feeling. Memory. What had happened? Oh the hurt, so horrible… pinching… in my… veins. He flinched, and the stubby feature, which had started to grow a nose and two beady eyes protected by thick spectacles, seemed to gasp in surprise.
"Is he awake?" A female voice spoke tenderly. Female. Female? Professor Birch couldn't recall the last time he had been with another woman. Ever since his wife had passed away, his work and his son had become his life. He felt a pang in his heart. It was probably just another one of Brendan's many girlfriends. He tried to take a look at her, just in case, but he couldn't move anything. Too painful.
"Look…he twitched!" A young male spoke. Brendan. His son. The professor really tried to sit up now, but it was too unfeasible…
"He's really twitchin' now!" Brendan had a look of hope on his face. "C'mon man," he made a gesture at Peter, Birch's number one assistant, and smiled optimistically. "Let's bring him back up."
Peter nodded swiftly and plugged in the machine that the professor was hooked up to, pushing and turning some knobs. He then mentioned Brendan over to the device (which started screeching ear splittingly) as he adjusted the wires attached to Birch. Brendan glanced at the machine and then back up questioningly at Peter.
"What voltage should I put this on?" He shouted over the roaring of the machine. Xyza swore she could see the professor rolling his neck to the side, his blood splotched face squinting and cringing in terrible pain.
"Whatever needs to be done!" Peter looked up at the ceiling as the room seemed to be shaking. "Try 260 watts!" Brendan snapped his head towards the ever-busy Peter, his lengthy hair falling brutally over his face. Submissively, he turned back to the instrument and switched a few buttons.
"Alright!" He yelled. Him and Peter went vertically to the two opposite sides of the platform Birch was laying on.
"Xyza!" Xyza, who was quite entertained even in this life and death situation, shot her head up at the two men.
"Oui?" She smiled thinly. Brendan, his face dripping with sweat, took his left hand and ran it across his forehead. "I'd backup…backup very far away…if I were you." Without question, Xyza raced away and cowered over into the farthest corner (of viewing distance, anyway) as electricity surged throughout the lab./p>
X
Darkness. Earlier it was…light out…
"Oh…" Professor Birch moaned. What in Rayquaza's name is going on here? He tried to sit up. It stung a bit, but he pushed with all his might; he had to know what the hell was happening. Birch struggled, quenching his face in utter soreness.
"Err… ah! Woo." After five minutes of brutal stubbornness, inner and outer strength, he finally steadied himself so he could (at least) sit on his bum… but he couldn't see anything. Where was he?
"I hear something!" A whispery voice that seemed to be indefinitely far away, but was really only in the next room, cried in an upbeat manner."Oh c'mon, Bren-hoe. It's probably your inner …um …dude …thing." A girl replied uncannily.
The girl! The one that Birch seemed to recall as the one he had heard some time ago…a distinct voice…memory raced through him, yes, but… it was before he was knocked out cold… or warm? Heat. The professor wheezed distraughtly for air…his temperature was beyond boiling, and his throat was rather abrasive and arid. He tried to speak; it sounded like a dying Lombre.
"He…hel…" He gasped for oxygen, clutching his raw throat with crimson stained hands. He felt the cool liquid harden on his collarbone. Liquid? Birch found this to be odd. He was sweating but… sweat didn't harden. He checked just in case, and even if he couldn't see, he could smell, which was exactly what he did.
"Blood?" He sniffed again and took a small taste. Good Rayquaza, it was blood! Thankfully, most of it had hardened by now, yet still… why? He was… bleeding? What exactly had happened to make him feel so damned ill…
"Professor! OH YOU'RE AWAKE! Thank Rayquaza!" A squeaky voice rang in his ears… it sounded like, no, could it be? Peter? A light switch turned on somewhere, but he still couldn't see too well. He heard heavy footsteps racing around in frenzy. Ah yes, it was Peter. Birch laughed to himself, even though it was more like a sickly hiss.
"Professor? Can you see?" No reply. Peter straightened his thick spectacles and laughed whole-heartedly.
"Oh my! Silly me, of course you can't see! Posh… what a mess…hoot…" Peter started to curse to himself as he turned the temperature down at seeing the professors violent shaking and sweating, which he was unaware of himself.
Peter came back over to the Professor, and removed the wet cloth that had been placed over his face after the "operation." Peter tried his best not to wince at all the sweat on it. "Um… let me fetch you a new one Professor." He ran off.
Finally. Birch could see. Even so, his eyes felt weary and crusty. He still wanted to ask what had went on, his memory had failed him thus far, but he knew the consequence of speaking, and decided to stay quiet.
"Cat got your tongue?" The girl spoke. She rolled a cart over by his bedside and a Mudkip… which seemed vaguely familiar… handed him a warm cup of tea that stung his eyes. He squeaked an "ouch."
"Ouch?" Xyza was confused. Birch tried his best to smile so she wouldn't feel bad, he supposed she didn't realize that the warm smoke hovering over the glass had hurt him. Xyza attempted to curtsey, but tripped backwards instead, almost toppling the metal cart over, and dashed away saying "oh, crap" really loud. Birch chuckled to himself again and took a sip.
"PBBTHT!" He spat it out. Paralyze Heal! What the hell was Peter thinking! No wonder it was a struggle to move about! He had been paralyzed? He pushed his brain, desperately scavenging to remember what had put him in this horrid state.
"Oh, is the tea that bad?" Peter frowned as he walked over, returning from his duty. Birch shook his head and Peter sensitively pressed the cool cloth on the professor. Birch squinted and mouthed why the hell is there paralyze heal in this tea? Even so Peter didn't seem to comprehend.
"Very well sir, I know it's hot, but um… the paralyze heal should kick in very soon, especially after a shock treatment like that." He patted the professor kindly and walked towards the exit. Shock treatment? Birch narrowed his brow. What other possible things could have happened to him while his brain was on lock-down?
"Oh! By the way, don't you worry about all your research from yesterday. We were so very lucky to recover it all!" Smiling, Peter shut the door tightly. Birch almost spat out his tea a second time.
Research! The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together.
"About time." Birch grinned and gingerly sipped his remedy.
AUTHORS NOTE: Hey everyone :) Like I said, the story starts out quite slow, so please give it time. Yes, I admit that it may be hard to connect with the characters, since most of them are from my own creation, but things should begin to pace up in the next chapter… which is called Halcyon / The Heavy Silence / In Silent Rain
Oh, and please do review, I would love your opinions :)
Until next time, peace :D