New Blood
by Saber Alexander McConnell
Rated PG13

CHAPTER 28 : New Discoveries

Hundreds of miles away, an alarm clock rang shrilly, and was silenced a moment later when a brown hand knocked it from its improvised table. A growl from the owner of the arm signified that the owner was now awake, but not entirely pleased to be so. "I was having a good dream!" he slurred irritably at the alarm clock, not bothering to lift his head from the cot.

He had dreamt of flying. He dreamed of flying often, for as long as he could remember, and enjoyed them as much as ever. In this one he'd been flying under his own power, swooping like a bird of prey through the mist of the clouds. It was one of the best dreams he'd ever had, and then the evil alarm had gone off. "May your circuits all rust," he grumbled, not opening his eyes. He wondered briefly if that dream had been merely a subconscious wish, or something more. In the past months he'd been taking his dreams quite seriously. It was possible...he was Ronin of Strata, after all, and his element was air. 'Is it possible?' he thought excitedly. To soar the skies like an eagle--!

"Time to wake," said a soft voice, accompanied by a gentle shake to Suisei's shoulder.

He sighed and sat up, rubbing his eyes, realizing he was not in his riot gear. "Musta banished it in the night," he murmured.

Amaya chuckled. "You woke once and stumbled to find the bathroom. I think you had to take off your armor to--"

Amaya blushed faintly, and Suisei finally laughed. "I don't remember," he said, "but yeah, peeing requires a lack of armor. If you don't want a nasty mess, anyway." His smile faded as he looked around the empty room of the public shelter, remembering now what had happened the day before. He glanced over at Xander's cot, glad to see that the boy beginning to stir. Xander opened the one eye not covered with bandages, and looked around in confusion.

"How do you feel?" asked Amaya, her expression unusually soft. Amaya was rigid and formal much of the time, but she cared deeply for her friends, and it seemed to show more when one of them was hurt or unhappy. Once she had begun to bond with the other Ronin, the bond ran deep.

"I...dunno," said Xander, frowning, and then clenching his teeth and hissing in air. "Ow."

"Yeah, I imagine you're pretty sore," said Suisei. He himself had taken several minor injuries from his fight, but they were only sore, not as painful as the deep burn on Xan's face must be.

"That bastard!" Xan growled. He clearly remembered what had happened to him as he gingerly put a hand on top of the bandages. "Damn!"

Amaya winced, standing up and looking briefly around. "I think there are painkill pills here," she said. "Suisei and I tried to heal, but we don't have that power."

"I'll go look for them," said Suisei, standing up and carefully stretching. It felt almost odd to be in his clothing instead of his riot gear, but it also felt a lot freer; the armor wasn't very comfortable. Xan asked where they were and how they'd gotten there, and as Suisei left, Amaya was telling him the story. Suisei wanted to be alone for a few moments, his worries and musings returning to him now that his mind was waking up. He wondered where Tarun was, or if he'd fought the way the others seemingly had. Had he done well? Was he hurt? Which of the warlords had been sent after him?

It did not take long to locate a bottle of painkillers, and Suisei brought the bottle out with him, stopping briefly to grab a glass of water from the kitchen. When he returned to the main room, Xander was sitting up on his cot looking extremely irritated, and Amaya's expression was that of sympathy. "Thanks," said Xan quietly as Suisei handed him the glass and the bottle, and as Xan wrestled with the bottle, Suisei sat down in one of the chairs. He sighed, his chin in his hands, and stared at the opposite wall.

"My energy is all back," said Amaya. "I will try and teleport to where Tarun is--if I can get to him, he will be here soon."

Suisei took a big breath and looked up, nodding, but not daring to hope too much. 'Well, she got to me all right--though I'm not sure if she was aiming for me or for the beach. But she found Xan--she's got to find Tarun!'

Have hope, Suisei, said Amaya, speaking without awkwardness over the mind link. We Ronin will unite again.

Suisei managed a small smile as Amaya took several steps away from the cots, calling out to gather her main armor to her. Xan looked on interest, having managed to get the bottle open, and swallowed a couple of the pills inside. "You'd think that after hundreds of years, they'd make medicine that tasted good," he muttered in disgust.

Suisei didn't blame him for complaining, though he was too distracted to reply. He watched as Amaya closed her eyes, slowing her breathing, and standing very still. He gasped at a sudden flash of midnight blue electricity that surrounded the girl, enveloping her, leaving nothing except for thin air. Xan cursed in astonishment, and Suisei only stared. That was absolutely amazing.

He knew something had gone terribly wrong, however, a moment later, when a burst of that same lighting-like energy burst through the entire chamber, sending Suisei and Xan scrambling for cover. Amaya's form blinked into existence, landing with a clumsy clatter of metal on the tiles.

"The hell!" exclaimed Xander, standing up and staring, as Suisei ran over to her limp form and knelt at her side. Shaking, he breathed a sigh of relief when she groaned and turned over before he could touch her, sitting back on her heels.

"What happened?" asked Suisei, frowning in alarm as she removed her helmet, and blood spattered onto the ground from her nose.

"I don-doe," she gasped, holding a shaky hand up and pinching her swollen nose to stop the flow of blood. A gash cut into her head as well, and a bruise seemed to be forming on her cheeks. It looked for all the world like she'd run face-first into a wall.

"Christ, did something attack you?" Xan asked, also coming over and kneeling down, his own injury temporarily forgotten.

Amaya shook her head and then grimaced, closing her eyes briefly and banishing her armor. "Doe," she said, her voice distorted from pinching her bleeding nose shut. "Doe wud--" She broke off and switched to telepathy, where she could communicate without handicap. No one attacked me at all--no one had a chance! I disappeared, but I never appeared on the other end. I don't know what happened, but it was as if I ran into a barrier, or--or something was in my way, or--I don't know!

Cold spread over Suisei's chest as he sat back on the floor, sudden fear for Tarun making his hands shake. "D-do you think Tarun's dead?" he asked. "That's why you couldn't get to him?"

He was relieved to feel an immediate feeling of negation from Amaya. No, she said. If he was dead, I'd still be able to appear where his body was. As Suisei's eyes widened, she winced. Sorry, Suisei, I should have thought before I spoke. I am certain he's not dead. But he's somewhere I can't reach!

"You got me all the way in bum-fucked Egypt," said Xan baldly, making Suisei blink. Of all the American slang he'd learned, that was a new one. And he wasn't entirely sure it wasn't a real place! "If you can't reach him--where could he be?"

Amaya didn't answer for a moment, which made the fear come right back into Suisei's mind. Finally, she sighed. I fear he is in the Nether Realm.

"What?" Suisei stared for a moment, before shaking his head. "No...you're saying you think the Dynasty's got him?" She didn't answer, but she didn't need to, he could feel that's what she believed. "My God---w-well we can't---we can't leave him there, we've got to get him! How...how do we get there?"

I am not sure, said Amaya cautiously. "But we may be able to find out. I must get to my belongings. I have copies of research, research that my family has done, and copies of the legends that I could get from my grandmother. There may be something there.

"That's not gonna be easy," said Xander. He looked at Amaya for a moment before standing and bringing over the painkillers and shaking out a couple of them for her. She smiled at him briefly in thanks and dry-swallowed them, making Xander almost cringe with revulsion.

"What of the others?" asked Suisei suddenly.

I don't know, said Amaya. I would have to try and reach them. I will try. This attempt hurt me, but took almost no energy. I was not able to travel any distance, so it took no energy from my armor. I think the farther the distance, the greater the energy drain.

"Makes sense," said Xan, his mouth still twisted up involuntarily at the idea of dry-swallowing the nasty medicine. "Still, getting hurt's no picnic."

No," she agreed, standing up and wincing a bit. But I must do it. I wish there was a different way!

"I just wish we could help," said Suisei softly, standing up also and stepping back a bit. "Be careful."

Amaya did not answer, only gave a small sigh and took her hand from her nose, summoning her sub-gear, and calling out for her armor in a muffled, distorted voice. The armor didn't seem to care that she couldn't speak properly, for it obediently adhered to her riot gear, sleek and dark.

When she disappeared, Xander and Suisei stood for a moment, tensed, waiting for her to be flung back into the room; when that did not happen, Suisei was encouraged. He didn't know who she was going for next, but whoever it was, was obviously not a prisoner of the Dynasty.

Fifteen minutes later, Amaya returned, Rashida firmly held in her arms. The two girls hit the floor and stumbled, both laughing as they caught their balance. The two boys watched this strange scene in bemusement; Rashida, who was in her sub-gear, looked extremely self-satisfied, and Amaya's injuries were gone. She healed it! Amaya said in greeting. It was Rashida, the Halo armor! We have found our healer!

Suisei blinked, and then found he was able to laugh, too, glad of the discovery. "You must have had an interesting day," he said to Rashida, who laughed a bit ruefully.

You could say that. She turned then to Xan, who looked a little taken aback. Amaya says you were badly burned...I can heal that now. She grinned and made a "come here" gesture. Let's get that wrapping off--you look like a mummy.

Surprised into a snort of laughter, Xander approached and let Rashida peel off the gauze, clenching his teeth in pain. Suisei couldn't help but flinch at the sight of Xander's skin; it was black and red, raw and very painful looking. "How exactly did that happen?" Suisei asked as Rashida armored up and gently placed her hands on the side of Xan's face.

I have no clue where I was, he said ruefully, but the stone was like a hot iron. That jerk-off in teddy bear armor knocked my helmet off and tackled me, pressing my face on the damned stone. Gods, that hur--ow!

Sorry, said Rashida lightly. It might hurt a moment.

Now she tells me, Xan muttered, looking surly, and Suisei chuckled. Rashida was never a very subtle sort. But when she pulled her hand away from Xan, his skin was smooth and unmarked, and his face bore amazement instead of pain. "Holy shit, Rashida...you should go into the medical profession."

Beaming, Rashida stepped back, looking him over. "I am happy for this," she said. "I like to heal people. I wanted to doctor as a child."

"I will now try and reach the other three," said Amaya, stepping back once more. She looked far less reluctant than she had before going after Rashida; knowing that any injuries she took could be healed probably made it a lot less intimidating.

Nearly forty-five minutes later, only one more had joined them. Attempts to reach Demetrius and Killian had sent Amaya crashing back into the shelter, tended each time by Rashida. Looking quite bedraggled, Amaya was grimacing in anticipation as she went after the last member of the group, Nohano, disappearing from the chamber and leaving the others tensed for her return.

She didn't come back for about a half hour, and when she did, she carried Nohano in her arms, looking extremely worried. Suisei suddenly knew, knew in the deepest part of his spirit, that had she waited even five minutes longer, she would have brought back Nohano's dead body. As it was, he was barely alive, his skin an ashen gray, blood covering his face, clad only in the clothing he'd worn to Tarun's kabaddi match.

Suisei cursed and ran forward, grabbing Nohano from Amaya's arms and setting him on the nearest cot. He didn't stop to think, only armored up, willing his gear into existence, and grasping Nohano's arms. He did not know what he was doing, working on the most primal of instincts, and letting the energy of his armor guide him. He poured his energy into Nohano, feeling in a vague sort of way as his friend's life force seemed to intensify, slowly stabilizing. Suisei could feel Nohano's weak heartbeat as his own, could feel his shallow breaths as if in his own lungs.

He broke away from Nohano suddenly, shuddering, and gasping in air, standing with his eyes closed. He was horrified to realize he'd just felt what it was like to be dying, brought back to life through magic, and hoped that he never had to do that again in his entire life.

Rashida took over then, sitting next to Nohano and covering him with Suisei's blanket. Nohano was shivering now, something he hadn't been doing when Amaya brought him in, and Suisei thought it was a good sign.

A touch on his arm startled him; he looked down to see Amaya smiling up at him, looking her age for once, instead of much older. Even Suisei sometimes thought of Amaya as an adult. Even as tiny as she was, not even a foot taller than Tarun and petite, it was so easy to forget she was four years his junior. But she had been afraid, and the fear was not yet gone; fear always made a person seem younger.

"He's gonna be okay," said Suisei shakily. "You got to him in time."

I wasn't sure, she said, her mental voice calm and steady, but Suisei could feel how shaken she was. I couldn't tell if he was alive or not. I just couldn't tell, he was barely breathing, and--

She took a big breath and closed her eyes, and Suisei slid a comforting arm around her shoulders. Easy, little sister, he said, and was rewarded with a shy, pleased smile. He's alive. And Rashida'll get him back to health.

Amaya nodded, sending a little surge of gratitude through the mental link, a sensation that was both strange and pleasant. I couldn't find him at first, she said. He was buried completely in a drift. He wasn't even in his sub-armor. I wasn't sure why, but I didn't try to figure it out then. I just brought him.

"Guess we'll find out when he wakes," said Suisei.

Everyone was quiet then, only watching Rashida work. She spent far longer with Nohano than she had with Xan or Amaya, which worried Suisei a little. But finally she stood, looking tired. He'll be all right, she said, smiling a little. He had several injuries, and a good bit of frostbite. Suisei shuddered. Took a while to find everything. Still gotta get him warmed up, though. I can't get rid of hypothermia.

"Just stick him in the oven," said Xander with a relieved laugh.

"You know that's not too bad an idea," said Suisei. "He's not in armor so it might hurt him to put him in an actual flame, but there's no reason we can't turn one of the ovens on high and stick his cot in front of it."

The others agreed, and so the four of them surrounded Nohano's cot and bore it into the kitchen, Rashida turning the oven up and opening the doors once they were inside. Amaya, Suisei, and Xander arranged the cot so that Nohano was close.

"I'll go get some chairs," said Amaya. "We can sit in here and rest. Then...then I think we need to make some plans."