Chapter 7
"A Plan of Escape"
Maxie returned to Arinia's cell about two hours later and by this point in time she was locked up in a cell at their base. By this point in time, Arinia was fast asleep.
"Wakey, wakey, little girl..." Maxie said evilly.
Arinia groaned and reluctantly woke up, still feeling very sick.
"Are you feeling alright? Probably not!" Maxie said.
Arinia tried to sit up but couldn't and fell back hard coming close to hitting her head but luckily didn't.
"It's almost time for your meal, you know." At that moment, a grunt came in with a bowl of soup. "Eat up!" Maxie told her.
Arinia tried to sit up again but no matter what she tried she just didn't have the strength to sit up.
"Well, then, if you don't sit up, you don't eat!" The grunt left the bowl of soup on the floor. "Bye-bye!" Maxie waved goodbye in a mocking way then left the cell.
Outside the cell the grunt had stopped Maxie, "Boss, I think she's really sick......"
Maxie turned around and looked at Arinia. "Well? How do we treat her, if you're so smart?"
"I don't know, but something's definitely wrong since she couldn't sit up and I saw that she was straining to try to sit up." The grunt replied.
"Fine. We'll bring her to the base doctor." Maxie reentered the cell, picked up Arinia and walked out of the cell once more.
Arinia fainted since all the energy she had used to try to sit up had just about left her body. Arinia went seemingly limp in Maxie's arms.
Maxie stared at Arinia's limp form in his arms. "I think she died."
The grunt moved Arinia and then laid his ear to her chest and then stood up again and said, "She's still alive, she's just very weak......"
Maxie nodded and moved more quickly. They quickly walked to the infirmary and went inside. Maxie carried the little girl over to the doctor to get his analysis on her condition.
The doctor took Arinia and laid her on the table. "I will need a blood test," said the doctor, "I may need another test, though..."
"Do whatever it takes to save her life." Maxie replied at once.
The doctor nodded. "Then that's exactly what I will do."
"Where do you want her?" Maxie inquired.
The doctor shrugged. "Right here is fine."
"Okay, good." Maxie replied, looking at Arinia's sick form.
Arinia shifted and woke up, her eyes opening slowly.
Maxie nodded. "She's awake."
"Good, she's alive, that's great news." The doctor replied.
Arinia struggled to keep her eyes open.
The doctor looked right into Arinia's eyes. "She can barely keep her eyes open...she must be tired."
"Should we let her sleep? What do you want to do, doctor?" Maxie inquired.
The doctor nodded. "I'll just take this blood test, and then let her sleep." He pricked her finger quickly. "There, that was quick!" He pocketed the small vial that contained her blood along with the needle after he had properly sealed it up again.
Arinia's eyes closed again and her breathing slowed somewhat as she slipped back into healing sleep. The doctor smiled and took Arinia into another room with a bed and placed her into it. The doctor then came out of the room. "There..."
"How long do you think she'll be sick, doctor?" Maxie inquired.
"I have no idea..." The doctor said with a sigh.
"Then just take care of her to the best of your ability." Maxie said firmly.
The doctor smiled. "I will indeed!"
"Well you have a patient." Maxie said frowning.
The doctor also frowned. "Why didn't you come to me FIRST THING when you got to the base?"
"What? It's not serious, at least I didn't think so...." Maxie replied sheepishly.
"Of course it's serious," the doctor exclaimed, "She can't even sit up! Why do you always treat your prisoners so evilly?"
"I just do. I still wasn't aware that she was this sick, she never said anything about it to me..." Maxie started.
The doctor sighed. "Of course she wouldn't have said anything! She probably thought you would make it worse."
"Well, she's under your care now and we can't change the past, so let's keep moving." Maxie said shaking his head in annoyance.
The doctor nodded. "Of course. Now, I will now be leaving to go do this blood test. Expect the results of it before noon tomorrow."
"Very well." Maxie said, turning to leave.
The doctor also turned to leave and walked into his office.
Arinia shook and twitched in the bed at the nightmare that was unfolding in her mind... She dreamed that she had been running and had been cornered against a steep rock wall and that every member of Team Magma had aimed a gun at her to make her surrender herself to captivity. Breath tore at Arinia's lungs as she ran from the bullets flying from Team Magma's guns.
Maxie blocked her path, "Surrender yourself and live, fight us and die, what'll it be?"
Arinia gulped and changed direction. "Stay away!"
Team Magma members cocked their guns and aimed them at her waiting for Maxie's signal. Arinia turned around and stared at the guns, backing away from them until she hit something solid...and very cold... ...she had hit a solid rock wall, blocking her path. "NO!" She screamed.
"Give it up, little girl, you're trapped, unless you can teleport you're a goner if you don't surrender to me." Maxie said grinning evilly.
Arinia sobbed and raised her arms in defeat. "I...surrender..."
"Seize her!" Maxie ordered.
The members of Team Magma rushed forward to grab Arinia and they succeeded. Arinia lowered her head as she felt herself being dragged away. This was where the nightmare left off, Arinia trembled in fear in her sleep just as the doctor entered her room with her medicine she needed to take and he saw that something seemed to be wrong.
The doctor shook Arinia slightly, just enough to arouse her from sleep. "Arinia," he said, barely above a whisper, "You were shaking. Are you OK?"
Arinia groaned and reluctantly opened her eyes, still feeling very sick.
"Arinia," the doctor repeated, "Are you OK? You were twitching in your sleep!"
"Just a stupid nightmare...." Arinia murmured still half asleep.
The doctor sighed. "Ahh, well, if that's all it was, I apologize for waking you up..." The doctor shook his head. "Of course, with that awful dream, it probably wasn't a very peaceful slumber."
Arinia nodded and then shortly afterward fainted.
Maxie strode into the room now that the doctor had left. "I'm baaaaack..."
The doctor looked at Arinia and then looked at Maxie and said, "She had a nightmare and I think she just fainted......"
Maxie snorted. "Well, if she fainted, wake her up!"
The doctor sighed, "Yes sir, but she does still need her rest to recover."
Maxie frowned. "Ah, well, never mind then..."
"Unless you want her to die from not getting enough sleep that could very well help heal her that is......" The doctor added quietly but seriously.
Maxie grinned sheepishly. "Well, uh, one up on me...I didn't know that...ignore comment."
"You don't want to lose her, right?" The doctor questioned.
Maxie nodded. "Of course not. I was just acting stupid. Sorry." Maxie grabbed Arinia and roughly shook her awake. Maxie laughed coldly. "Did you really believe me?! Gullible fool! You should know by now I will do anything to get my way and my way only!"
Arinia cried out in pain since Maxie was hurting her from where he had grabbed her.
The doctor grabbed Maxie and yanked him to the ground. "MAXIE!! Do you want her to die!? It seems like it!! Let her sleep!" He was outraged.
While this was going on, Arinia was crying since she was scared and had been hurt when she had been rudely jerked out of sleep.
The doctor shoved Maxie out the door, shut it and locked it. "And don't come back!!"
Arinia was still crying while she wished that she was anywhere other than a prisoner at the merciless hands of Team Magma.
The doctor walked back over to Arinia. "Don't worry...I'm not like them..."
"He kidnapped me and he treats me like this?" Arinia said still crying.
The doctor sighed. "I know, I know...that cruel, heartless..." He growled.
"He took me away from my best friend!" Arinia cried as more tears streamed down her cheeks.
"That's it. As soon as I can, I'm busting you and myself out of this joint. I'm fed up with how Maxie treats his prisoners and that was the final straw." The doctor smiled after that little speech.
Arinia stopped crying and looked at him, "Really?!"
The doctor grinned wider. "Of course. I never lie. As soon as we can get out of here, the better."
Arinia smiled weakly and she fought to stay awake to continue the conversation for the moment.
"Don't pressure yourself to stay awake. Don't say anything and just sleep..." The doctor walked away.
Arinia followed his movements with her eyes and then laid down and within minutes was sound asleep again.
An hour later, Maxie came back to the infirmary and banged on the door angry since he wanted to torment Arinia. The doctor walked up to the door and opened it, but stood in the doorway, not letting Maxie pass. Maxie glared daggers at him with hatred in his eyes.
The doctor snorted. "What do you want?"
"Half the team is leaving to go with me to face Team Aqua, and I don't want the child escaping!" Maxie told him viciously.
The doctor nodded. "Yes, sir. I understand. I will not let her get away under any circumstances!"
"If she does get away, consider yourself fired!" Maxie cried turning on his heel and leaving.
The doctor waited until Maxie turned around the corner before walking back and shutting the door. He walked back over to Arinia. Arinia rolled over once and then began slipping off the bed in her sleep.
"Aaah!" The doctor caught Arinia and placed her softly back onto the bed.
Arinia shook slightly but didn't wake up. She was too deep in sleep. The doctor smiled and brushed back a loose strand of her hair that had fallen into her eyes and looked at his little patient.
"Sleep well," he whispered.
Arinia shifted and then relaxed, but then coughed in her sleep before she settled down again. The doctor left the room and into his office so she would be alone. A Team Magma grunt entered the infirmary and ran to Arinia's bed, looked at her and then grabbed her hair and pulled on it. The doctor heard that, ran into the room and smacked the Team Magma grunt over the head with a broom, knocking him out. He then placed the broom and a chair under the doorknob, making it impossible to turn. Arinia squirmed and opened her eyes wondering what in the world had awakened her from her peaceful sleep.
The doctor sighed. "Sorry about that. A Team Magma grunt came in, so I knocked him out..."
Arinia nodded and then tried to stifle a cough.
"Go back to sleep," he said quietly.
Arinia closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep with no luck since she was coughing too hard. The doctor pulled a bottle of cough syrup out of his pocket. Arinia was too busy coughing to notice what the doctor was doing.
Arinia managed to stop coughing long enough to take the cough medicine the doctor had held out to her.
"I gave you some cough syrup, that should help," he said, in a quiet voice.
Arinia was still coughing but it was starting to be rather spaced out between coughs. Meanwhile, the Team Magma grunt groaned, got up and grabbed Arinia again when the doctor wasn't looking. The doctor realized his mistake of leaving the grunt in the room and smashed him over the head again with the same broom. This time, he took the chair away, threw the grunt out, shut and locked the door then put the chair back.
"T-t-thanks....." Arinia managed to choke out between coughs.
The doctor smiled. "Well, almost everyone is gone...ready to get the heck outta here? Or should I let you sleep more?"
"Yeah! I definately want outta here! I don't wanna stay here if I don't have to....." Arinia said quickly.
"Then we're gone. Can you run?" The doctor asked her.
"I don't know..... But I could try!" Arinia replied.
The doctor nodded. "Then, by all means, try."
Arinia sat up and gently eased herself out of bed and took a few uneasy, unbalanced steps.
"That's good," the doctor explained, "Keep at it."
Arinia continued walking around and after a few minutes she had completely regained her sense of balance and didn't wobble any more. She looked at the doctor wondering when they were going to get the heck out of there.
The doctor smiled, took the chair away from the door and opened it. "We're GONE!"
Arinia ran over to him and prepared herself to follow him.
"Look, I brought a gun. I hope we won't have to use it, but just in case..." His voice trailed off.
Arinia nodded while she hoped that they could escape without incident and that the doctor wouldn't have to use the gun he was carrying. The doctor tiptoed out of the room and turned down the corner where he broke into a cautious run. Arinia followed him in the same manner, being careful not to make much noise as she ran towards the doctor. He ran down another hallway and down a flight of stairs. Arinia followed but at the bottom of the stairs she had to stop. She was panting heavily and she held her hand to her heart.
The doctor stopped at the next flight of stairs. "I'll let you rest for a few minutes..."
Footsteps were heard above them heading in their direction, Arinia's eyes widened in fear. The doctor swore under his breath and slowly took out the gun. Arinia gasped for breath and a minute later she fainted.
"Uh-oh..." He picked up Arinia, slung her over his shoulders and ran like he never ran before.
"Who's down there!? I'm warning you! I've got a gun and I'm not afraid to use it! State your name and what you're doing or else!" The voice above them yelled to them.
"Yeah? I've also got a gun and I'm not afraid to use it, either!" He put Arinia down.
"If you've got the little brat and are trying to help her escape your days are numbered! That brat is our prisoner and she'll never be anything but that!" The voice cried.
The doctor shot up the stairs twice with his gun.
"Ooooh feisty are we?! If you have the kid, expect her to die!" The voice said.
"You'll have to kill me first!" The doctor cried.
"Very well!" The person the voice belonged to said as he rounded the corner and saw them. The Admin saw Arinia on the ground and aimed his gun at her to kill her.
The doctor raised his gun and shot first. The bullet hit the Admin in his arm holding the gun and he keeled over in pain as he tried to remove the bullet from his arm. The doctor gulped at what he was thinking of doing. He might kill the Magma Admin... He lowered his gun, walked over to the Admin and kicked him in the head to knock him out. He picked up Arinia again and kept running. Arinia shifted slightly but was still gasping for breath, it seemed like she wasn't getting enough air.
"Don't die on me, don't die on me, don't die on me, don't die on me..." He muttered, while still running.
Arinia was still gasping as the doctor ran down a few more flights of stairs and then through several hallways until he reached the exit to the base.
He slowed to a walk. "This is it...the exit. All we need to do now is jump in a car and we're gone."
Arinia shifted but was still gasping so the doctor knew that he had to move fast. The doctor ran right out the door and ran up to a car that was painted a dark red with the Team Magma logo on all four doors. The doctor opened the passenger door and placed Arinia inside. He ran to the other side of the car and got in the driver's seat. Arinia shifted again and continued to gasp for breath. The doctor put a key in the ignition and turned it. The car quickly started with a VROOM. He put the car into reverse, backed out of the parking space and shot off.
