Authors Note: Special thanks to Rocketfist for another idea spawning review.
"Okay Trish. Toss it."
"I'm opening y-" The surgeon splicer stopped mid rant as Tristinas hastily made Ki bomb engulfed the area and sent the splicer flying backwards. dashing out from the wall of pipes they had hidden behind, Tristina and Jack rushed into the scene guns (and Ki) blazing.
As Jack mowed three splicers surging towards him with the tommy gun, Tristina held her hands in front of her, gritting her teeth as beams of Ki flew from her hands at the attacking splicers.
"Jack! ammo!" Tristina cried, continuing to fire beams of Ki with one hand as she tossed a ammo clip for the tommy gun towards him. "Much appreciated!" Jack called, slamming the desperately needed clip into his gun and resuming fire.
Suddenly grinning, Tristina stopped firing Ki and ran towards the wall. Immediately giving chase, the splicers ran into the wall and were then met with wave after wave of Ki as Tristina ran up the wall, back flipped, then hopped from head to head across the splicers before landing on the bottom floor and slashing her flattened palm in front of her.
the Ki wave struck the backs of the first few splicers while each blast mowed down the rest. As the battle finally ceased, Tristina gave a whistle and Jack stopped firing.
Jack opened his mouth to speak but Tristina put her finger to her lips, her large bat like ears twitched. 'Hear anything?' Jack mouthed, tip toeing to Tristina's side as her kept his newly discovered tommy gun erect. Tristina closed her eyes, listening hard, but finally shook her head.
"Thanks. for the ammo, that is." said Jack, checking the bullets left in the tommy gun. "Found it when we left the control booth." said Tristina, giving a slight smile to the young man as the two walked back to the welcome desk under the 'Medical pavilion' sign. "Hey, here's another tape." said Jack, snagging the small black tape and looking it over.
"Looks like it's from Miss McClintock again." Jack commented, looking over the picture before handing it to Tristina. "From the Kashmir restaurant attack?" Tristina asked, not expecting an answer. Eyebrows slightly knitting together, Tristina grabbed the tape recorder at her side and sliding the tape into the device. snapping the door shut, Tristina pressed play.
"Doctor Steinman said he'd release me today." come a slightly somber, yet hopeful voice. "Ryan didn't come to see me since the New Years attack, not once." Tristina frowned as she detected the disappointment in Dianne's voice.
"But, Doctor Steinman was very attentive." Continued Dianne, her voice perking back up. "He told me that once the scar tissue was gone, he was going to fix me right up. make me prettier than any girl he's ever seen."
In her mind's eye, Tristina could see a young blonde female in a light blue jacket, wearing a plain white dress underneath. she imagined her shyly digging her toe into the ground as she swayed her slender hands behind her back.
"He's sweet all right..." trailed off Dianne, and Tristina could imagine her blushing slightly. "and so interested in my case." Dianne finished as Jack and Tristina slid by a faded green security gate.
"Hmm. Well, at least Miss McClintock is okay. I wonder why Ryan didn't visit her?" Tristina said as Jack peered around a large group of potted trees.
Tensing as Jack raises his newly found gun, Tristina breathes "Anything?" Jack paused for a moment before turning to his companion. "All clear." Jack whispered, sliding around the plant and motioning for Tristina to follow.
As they walked down the hall, Tristina barely took note of the blackened dingy walls or the ominous flickering lights. Nor did she notice the posters advertising no longer existent services or products.
Suddenly, Jack stumbled to a stop and stood stock still. Tristina frowned as she heard the bullets remaining in the tommy guns clip rattle slightly. "Jack?" Tristina asked, looking into his face. Jacks shocked blue eyes blinked as sweat began to roll down his pale face.
"It-" Jack swallowed as his voice cracked, before clearing the lump in his throat and continuing. "Its happening again, Tristina." Jack stammered, raising a pale hand and pointing to the crimson and mustard yellow sliding doors.
"a-a w-woman...crying against the door. She's saying 'You promised me pretty, Steinman. You promised me pretty. Now look at me...'" Jack said in a hushed voice.
"n-now she's screaming 'look at me'. I can't see her face...I-I cant..." Letting out a groan, Jack covered his eyes with his hand. "Are you alright?" Tristina asked, trying to look into Jacks face. "Yeah." Jack said, clearing his voice. "Yeah, I'm fine Trish." said Jack, more confidently now.
"It's over. the woman's gone." said Jack, looking back at the door. Tristina frowned at the door as Jack regained composure of himself, then walked forward. pressing a small buzzer next to the door, Tristina watched the crimson and yellow doors part and show the darkness beyond.
"You and the lass keep your eyes peeled for Steinman." Atlas warned through the walkie. "The daft bastard's set up shop in the surgery wing. If you two wanna find him," said Atlas as a grim afterthought. "Just follow the blood." Tristina barely had time to give Jack a look of pure disgust as the lights flickered on.
Feeling the bile rise her throat, Tristina quickly swallowed it back down where it landed unpleasantly in her stomach. Taped to the grime and soot covered wall in front of them were three pictures of the same woman.
apart from the random pair of bloody surgical scissors stabbed into the picture, the pictures themselves had been cut into random pieces. alternate pieces of cheeks or noses had replaced the pieces cut out. across the forehead of the first two pictures and the cheek of the last picture were Steinman's signature, written in blood.
Below the pictures were what looked like two blood covered flowers in vases on top of a blood covered gurney. As Tristina unconsciously took a step forward, Jack threw his arm out to stop her. "Trish. the floor." Jack whispered in a sickened voice. Tristina looked down, gasped and staggered against the door.
Written in deep scarlet letters were the words 'above all, do no harm' followed by the signature of 'J. Steinman'. Carefully stepping across the still glistening scarlet letters, Jack retrieved a tape player and walked back to Tristina, holding out the player (which was strangely clean.)
Nodding her thanks, Tristina gingerly opened the tape player and pulled out the cassette with her thumb and forefinger. tossing the now empty tape player aside, Tristina inserted cassette into the tape player on her side and pressed 'play'.
Tristina, having experience with insane human males, expected manical laughter, senseless babbling, as well as enthralled shouting. What she did not expect was the smooth, calm, professional voice which flowed from the tape players speaker.
"Adam presents new problems for the professional." the voice stated confidently. Tristina pictured a tall man, possibly in his early thirties, standing before a podium. he was plainly dressed in a clean white surgeons gown, white pants and black polished slippers. It was a stark contrast to the bloody scene before her.
"As your tools improve, so do your standards." came the strangely soothing voice. "There was a time I was happy enough to take off a wart or two, or turn a real circus freak into something you can show in the daylight. But that was then, When we took with what we got, but with Adam..." Tristina frowned as Steinman's voice suddenly change from the calm professional manner to that of a impassioned artist.
Tristina imagined him holding up a beaker of blood red liquid, looking at it with a mystified, studious stare. "The flesh becomes clay." Steinman's voice dropped to a awed whisper.
"What excuse do we have not to sculpt, and sculpt, and sculpt, until the job is done?" As the tape clicked off, Tristina and Jack shared a confused gaze with each other. "Come on." said Jack, coming out of his stupor. "we have a doctor to find." Jack said confidently, striding away from the bloody scene ahead of them and peering around the corner.
"yeah. a psychotic doctor." Tristina whispered before hurrying after her friend.