But their leader was in far more danger then any of them ever thought. It was thought that the mutations had stopped. For almost a year, apart from the odd desire to sleep up a tree, Cortes hadn't experienced any further mutations. He'd been in relatively good health, with only the odd cold and illness bothering him. The doctor had been giving him anti-biotic to try and help, and unknown to him, these had been keeping any further mutations at bay. Until the captains body developed an immunity to it.
It started with a gradual pain in his lower back. He put it down to spending too long hunched over his desk. But it kept getting worse. When he went down to the dock to speak to Wayan, the pain was really starting to get to him.
He hobbled up towards the lighthouse, hoping the Vector could help. When he stumbled in, Mahad and Lena were there, sorting through piles of old photographs and bits of paper. They looked up as he entered, and Lena instantly spotted his pain.
"What's wrong?" she asked as he hobbled over and sat in a chair.
"I have no idea Lena, I can barely walk, I must've jarred my back or something..."
Vector came down the stairs and was surprised to see the visitor. "What's the matter captain?"
Cortes explained the whole problem, punctuated by the odd wince as his back ached. Vector was baffled, he'd never seen anything like this before.
Frowning he tugged the Captain's shirt up out of the way and stared in surprise. An odd bruise pattern had appeared, well, more like a swelling...
He told Cortes this and the rebel pirate went pale. This sounded awfully familiar. Explaining this to Vector the old man was baffled as to what this mystery infection could be...Then he had a clue. And he was not looking forward to explaining it to Cortes.
"Vector.." Cortes tone was dangerous "you know what it is...don't you..."
The Vector sighed "well..think about it..whats the main feature of those birds BESIDE their wings..."
Seconds passed. Cortes blinked, realised what Vector was getting at, and let loose a volley of swear words.
"-are you saying im gonna grow a freaking' tail next? then what, I lay a fskign EGG?!"
"No need to be over dramatic Cortes.. there must be something we can do. But first things first, go see the doctor, he should know about this."
Cortes sighed, staggering back down the hill. Even using his wings hurt, so he had no choice but to walk.
He barely made it into the examination room when the swelling did the same thing as its predecessor. Pain, blood, then loss of consciousness...
The doctor ran a variety of tests, and did not like what he seen. It was getting worse.
So he called everyone on the crew together to give them the news...
"So what's wrong with him?!" Sirus panicked as the doctor ran through the scan results, before looking up at them.
"Basically...the virus is refusing to go into a dormant state, its still mutating. And they're getting worse, more bird-like." he sighed "Its not looking good people...his body's breaking down from the inside out. I don't know what else we can do without a sample of the original virus.."
"No way, that cant be!" Mahad cried, shaking his head "is the virus going to eat away at him until it destroys him?"
"It looks that way. Its an avian virus attempting to warp a human body. His immune system is far weaker then it should be, he stands a high risk of getting seriously ill."
"But where are we gonna get a copy of the virus? Cant you just use a sample of his blood?" someone asked. The doctor shook his head "it wouldn't work..id need a pure sample, to be able to help.."
"Then its settled!" Sirus interrupted, standing up "we'll go find the virus, or an antidote!"
"But where are we going to look?!" Vector asked him. Sirus sighed "where it all began...we have to find the wreckage of the monolith. And from there, the lab the virus was grown in.." he stalked out the door "like hell im letting some virus take him!"
"He's right.." Mahad said at last, Lena nodding "we're not giving him up that easily..."
In the hospital, Cortes was feeling slightly better, although the nausea was still hanging about. He wobbled to the bathroom to survey the latest mutation. Much like he wings, this one was a fast grower. The tail was a pure white, and like the wings, the tips of the tail feathers had the pretty pink patterns on them. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, and felt sick. Just how much of him was really human any more?
With a tired sigh he walked back to the bed, curling up in a miserable ball. He hated what he was turning into. He'd never asked for this. The only thing he could say that was good about the damned virus, was the fact Sirus had stayed with him because of it.
He missed his lover, and wanted him there, NOW. But he'd been informed by Wayan that the crew, his lover included, were preparing for a mission to try find a cure. So they were pretty busy then. Cortes sighed, he knew it was selfish, but he wanted the other to forget about the dumb mission and come here now...
A knock at the door pulled him out of his trance. He shook his head blearily, and finally spoke;
"Come in.." he said softly, though he noticed it hurt his throat to talk. Great, now he was getting sick. PERFECT.
"You OK Aran sweetie?" it was Sirus, Cortes shot off the bed and clung to him. Sirus blinked, this was unusual for Aran. He was usually so refined when it came to emotional outbursts. But he hugged the human tightly, nuzzling his cheek.
"Do you really have to go?" Cortes asked sadly, looking up at him. Sirus sighed, stroking his cheek.
"I'm afraid so love...the information I have on the monolith may prove vital to finding a way to help you.."
Cortes clutched the other tightly, "I..I'm starting to feel like...this virus is taking over, I don't feel entirely human any more. What if it takes over completely..."
Sirus ran his hand through the captains newly-cut hair "I wont let that happen love...we'll find something..." he kissed him gently "but I need you to stay where its safe..here. The doctors said you stand a high risk of getting ill, I don't want that to happen. So you've got to take care of yourself.." he looked at Cortes "please?"
Cortes sighed, he couldn't say no to that look "alright.." he said at last, his tone reluctant. He was rewarded with a loving kiss from the angel. Sirus smiled and poked his nose "I'll be back as soon as I can love!" he said, giving him one last hug before reluctantly leaving him.
Cortes sighed and sat on the windowsill, watching as the ships came and went from the rebel hideout. He hated being useless, stuck in a hospital AGAIN. He heard a squeak, and looked over at the bedside table. The little pet turtle he kept with him had woken up. It had been a gift from his brother Christophe when he'd returned. It had grown considerably since he'd gotten it, it was now nearly twice as big as it had started as. It slept most the time, but when awake, it was happy to follow him around his office, trying to head butt everything in sight.
As he watched, it slid from the tabletop to the bed, and crawled across to where he was sat. He smiled and sat it in his lap, running his hand over its shell. "they'll come back...im sure of it.." he said softly, and the turtle, named Conrad, gave an affirmative squeak, and butted its masters hand in response, which made Cortes smile.
On the ship Sirus was already wishing he didn't have to leave Cortes alone. But he had no choice, he had to go on this mission, and Cortes was too vulnerable to bring along.
Sensing his worry, Lena patted his hand "don't worry, we'll be back before he even has time to get lonely!"
Sirus smiled "yeah, I hope so.." he said softly as the nazaire took off into the clear blue sky.
That evening, Cortes found himself unable to eat. He felt sick, dizzy. The doctor was again baffled by the captains sickness. Was it another mutation. They were happening too fast...He hurried to the Vector , to see if they could develop a stronger anti-biotic that would slow it down, and urgently!
Alone in the hospital room Cortes drifted in and out of consciousness. He tried to call for help, but for some reason his voice wasn't loud enough, he sounded hoarse. Then in went altogether. He at last blacked out, wishing this would just come to an end.
He awoke some time in the early hours of the morning. With a muffled groan he stumbled into the bathroom. and got another shock. Not only had the tail gotten longer and now touched the floor, but something else had happened. It took a seconds to notice it. But it became obvious when he tucked his hair behind his ears. Growing amidst the hair..were feathers. Just small ones, but feathers nonetheless. Despite his best efforts he couldn't completely hide them. Thankfully they were only a few in number, and only appeared just above his ears. but the fact they were there pissed him off. He swore, or tried to. Nothing.
He panicked, why couldn't he talk?? Furious he hit the wall. Another huge crater. He kicked the door open and stormed back into the room.
--Damnit, I'm turning into an oversized canary!! Just how much of me is still human?!-- These thoughts and more raged though his head, and the birds legendary temper took over. In short, he pretty much trashed the place.
A team of doctors, with the head doc and Vector with them, tore down the hall to see what the fuss was. The broke the door down and stared at the wreckage. Then up at the window.
Cortes was perched there, wings stretched out. He gave them a brief glance, then turned to face the window.
"..C-Cortes, stop!" Vector called, taking a step into the room. "think about what you're doing!! If you go out there in your current state, it may be too much for your system to handle!"
Cortes looked over at him again, but said nothing. Then he simply closed his eyes and relaxed the wings. The assembled group sighed in relief. Looked like he'd listened.
Or not as the case was. The next second, taking advantage of their relaxed state, Cortes snapped the wings out and launched out of the window.
"CORTES!!" he heard Vector yelling behind him, but he paid no heed, and soared up into clouds. closing his eyes and wished he knew which way his lover had flown in. He heard a squawk and opened his eyes. A bird hovered by his side, it called again, then flew off. Somehow knowing it was leading him the way he wanted to go, he swooped after it.
It grew dark quite quickly, and he struggled to see. A chill wind had kicked up, and he began to wonder where they were exactly. So used was he to using the saint nazaire navi data, he was a little rusty with this manual navigation. As he flew further, he was baffled to see snow drifting towards him. Where the hell was he?!
But he had no time to think about that, for he spotted something up ahead...
For years he'd been trapped there, thanks to his older brother. Oslo hated the fact he, Darius even existed, and had banished him to Vandergaard for the rest of his life. And he stayed there, too poor in health to leave. But at least he wasn't alone, Baldr, an old friend had stayed with him. On hearing the news that his brothers empire had been toppled, he'd felt a surge of relief. He wondered if the two children he'd seen before were responsible, one was a powerful little saijin after all...
Now, after months of building, he'd finally secured himself a ship. Built from salvaged parts, and with the use of a whole library of technical info, he'd repaired a crashed ship and added parts to it. Now he was ready to go. He hit the control button to launch it, and accidentally hit the release skylight button. A freezing gust of air whooshed in and he fumbled about for the right button as the wind kicked up a notch.
He was interrupted from his search by a skidding noise from above, then a thud as something fell through the open hatch. It hit the floor and lay there a second stunned. Then flipped up onto its feet.
He and Baldr turned to get a better look at their visitor. and stared. At first glance they thought it a big bird, then they realised it was partly HUMAN. It brushed hair away from its face, and regarded them. Then in a flash it stepped back, the wings snapping back, pulling the gun from its side and aiming it at them.
"Master!" Baldr panicked, but Darius was curious. He'd heard rumours. About a legendary pirate, fused somehow with a flying creature.
"It's alright old friend.." he walked towards Cortes, hands up to show no weapon on him. "I'm not sure who you are...but you're safe here. Who are you?"
The figure stared at him, tried to say something, then shook his head in an exasperated manner. In the end he pointed at his throat and shook his head sadly.
Baldr copped on "Master, I think he's trying to say, well, not say. He cant talk."
"Mute huh? That's a shame.." Darius stepped closer, and the time the winged figure stayed put, watching him. He picked up a pen and piece of paper and held them out to the pirate "maybe this'd be easier..."
Cortes took the proffered stationery and set about scribbling. It took a minute or two, but at last he held the piece of paper back out to Darius.
Darius took it, and baltar craned over his shoulder to get a better look at what it said;
"I prefer not to give my name, but since I have no other choice; my name is Captain Cortes, im looking for my ship. They're searching for that rat Oslo's crashed monolith, it has a cure to this damned condition on board. I have to find them."
"Oslo.." Darius stared at the paper, then up at Cortes "you know what happened to my brother?!"
Cortes tore off another sheet of paper, scribbled something on it and handed it over. This one read, in large angry lettering;
"ITS YOUR DAMN BROTHERS FAULT I ENDED UP LIKE THIS. He'd better be well hidden, because if I find him, im going to FKING KILL him."
"Well.." Darius looked at Cortes, who looked pretty pissed off "I cant blame you for your anger captain. My brothers lust for power drove him crazy...he caused a lot of people a lot of grief." he thought about it for a moment, then spoke; "how about we search for your ship, I want to leave this place for good, and maybe I can be of help to you." he looked at Cortes, "how about it?"
Cortes regarded him for a moment, then sighed and at last nodded. Darius smiled and motioned Baldr to start the launch "lets go!" he sighed "I'm finally free..."
"Are you sure this is safe master?" Baldr asked, casting a wary glance at Cortes "he looks a little...unstable...he seems to have a bad temper where your brother is concerned, how do you know he wont go after you?"
"Baldr, stop worrying. If the rumours are true, then this guy is one of the rebel pirates that fought against the sphere, their leader judging by his title. I wonder if he knows those two children that were here before.."
Behind them Cortes was beginning to feel tired. His stomach growled angrily, and he felt everything go light, the room seemed to spin, then nothing..
"I still think he's a-what the hell was that?!" Baldr trailed off. He and Darius whipped round to see what the source of the noise was.
"OH dear, are you OK?!" Darius knelt by Cortes, shaking his shoulder. No response. He put a hand to the pirates forehead and frowned.
"Baldr, he's not well, I think its a bad fever...give me a hand getting him to the couch, those wings are heavy looking..."
Several minutes later, and the pirate was lying on said couch, a thick blanket wrapped around him. he was as white as sheet, and didn't look too good.
Thankfully Darius had had the sense to procure a large ship for his endeavours, this one had a small kitchen unit on it. While his friend set about trying to make some food for them all, Darius sat by Cortes. the man was a mystery, part bird, part human, and it was his brothers fault.
--Oslo, what were you playing at? Why did you try something so risky..-- he sighed, then blinked as Cortes shifted slightly. But still didn't wake. But when he moved, something slipped from his wallet. It was a bundle of photographs. He picked them up, removing the elastic band and flipping through them.
They'd been taken the day of Sirus' party. There were pictures of the residents of puerto angel goofing about, Mahad showing off with the boomerang, Mila and Marcus posing with their kids, a cute one of cheng and Celia playing on a computer together, and one of Sirus and Cortes. The angel was holding his lover close and smiling cutely at him.
--Who's this...he's not human...how unusual...-- he blinked as the picture suddenly whisked out of view. Guiltily he looked up. Cortes was holding the picture, glaring at him.
"Ehe..sorry, they fell out of your pocket while you were sleeping, I wasn't trying to pry.." he nodded at the photo Cortes held "is he from my brothers ship as well.."
Cortes picked up the pad and pen again;
"He WAS. If it hadn't been for him, I would've been trapped on the monolith. He stays with us now, because he found a reason to, and helped us stop the sphere."
"I bet I can guess the 'reason'," Darius said cheekily, chuckling as Cortes turned red and glared at him "still, its amazing how human he is. If it wasn't for the wings.."
Cortes nodded. Then sighed. He wanted to find Sirus NOW.
"Is he with the ship you seek?" Darius asked him, and Cortes nodded sadly and sighed.
"I remember these two...I didn't know they were with you.." he held up a picture of Mahad and Lena.
Cortes nodded, and wrote a brief explanation of the kids' story.
"Ah I see.." Darius nodded, then blinked as Cortes stomach gurgled loudly. "well, someone's hungry.."
Cortes scribbled on the piece of paper "that's just it...I cant seem to eat either...solid food just hurts to swallow. So I haven't eaten in awhile..."
Darius thought about it, then had an idea. If solid food was a problem, what about liquids?
Baldr's suggestion they try some kind of soup seemed to go down well (literally), and Cortes stomach was finally silenced, and the pirate promptly fell asleep again.
"He has the attention span of a dyslexic goldfish." Baldr remarked as he and Darius sat at the front of the ship, monitoring the radar for signs of life, or Cortes ship anyway.
"...can you even GET a dyslexic goldfish? they cant write.." Darius said at last, baffled..
Some distance away, the saint nazaire was still seeking the crashed Monolith. Since it had been attacked during the Kharzem incident, it was likely it was still wedged in between the blocks. They just had to find the prison.
The radio crackled and Sirus blinked, stirring slightly. Damn he was sleepy. Lena got to the radio before he could even sit up and pressed the answer button. It was Vector:
"People, we have a problem...Cortes has done a bunk. He's legged it. AGAIN."
"WHAT?!" Sirus yelled, sitting bolt upright, "when?"
"Some hours ago...the mutations have spread. I don't know what he's after, but its dangerous for him to be out in his condition. he'll get sick.."
"Alright, we'll keep an eye out if he shows up..." Lena told him.
Sirus shook his head and sighed "what's he doing?"
Mahad thought about it "is it possible he's coming to find YOU again, like last time?"
Sirus shook his head "I don't think so, last time I was in trouble...he knows why ive left this time..."
"He must be upset...maybe that was his way of dealing with it..." Lena said at last "we don't really know how this must feel for him..."
Sirus sighed "I just hope we find him soon..."
Wheeo..sorry for the delay, between family insanity, headaches, and a temp mental block, i got distracted.
Random Fact: I can make pizza now! D 'tis good