Turned Cold
A/N: Sorry, I know it's been forever. I've been dealing with a lot and I don't much have time to do anything. But here I am.
Chapter 2
There was only one hospital close by.
"Yes, doctor, they're coming." I let out a laugh to the silence that was all that was there to listen. The doctor had received my message, and hung up immediately to prepare for their arrival.
I checked my watch. Ten to midnight. Four more hours and my sister would be dead. Dead for good this time. And her newly-found son would grieve and lament. My next question, though: do I leave him to grieve, or make him my next adversary?
Minutes passed as I stood in wait with my thoughts running through my head, replaying the events, as I waited for the doctor's call.
His voice came through the phone in another moment. "They're here." His voice was deep and elderly, just like I knew it to be. But he didn't let his age interfere with his work. I had dealt with this guy before. But that was when I was on the other side.
I took the liberty of walking over to the "hospital" a bit later. I wanted to see how well my machination was coming, since my accomplice took charge.
On my way, I passed through an alleyway. Crashing sounds filled my ears as I continued to walk. They were coming from a small lead-off in another direction. Garbage cans were being smashed against brick walls. I heard a scream and I swiftly turned the corner to see that Jack was the one throwing the cans. Another scream. I pulled my gun and shot in Jack's direction. I charged toward him and he moved to hit me but I rolled out of the way. This time, I aimed my gun to hit the target.
Jack fell back into the wall and I shot him again for good measure. I turned to see that there was a woman in the corner cradling her arm. I ran over to her and helped her to her feet. "You saved my life," she said, her voice soft and broken.
"I'm Anna," I said politely.
"Jane," she replied, moving her hand to push her red hair away from her face.
"Come on, come with me. I was on my way to the hospital to check up on my sister anyway." The girl smiled and thanked me.
But sadly, she looked back at the robot that had attacked her. I couldn't tell whether she was scared as much as she was sad for him.
I urged her to keep up because I wouldn't stop for her. She nodded and ran to my side.
"I created him," she said solemnly.
"So, why did he attack you?" I asked curiously.
"There was interference in his programming."
"Do you have any idea what that might be?" I asked.
"No. I haven't yet had the time to think that out."
By that time, we had reached the hospital. We entered and found my accomplice walking past the registration desk. "Doctor, I need you to treat this patient."
Jane looked at Doctor Boskonovitch and shook her head. "No. Not you. I've done some research on you. You created the original Jack!"
I looked at her, perplexed. "But, Jane, I thought you created Jack."
"I've spent my time trying to recreate Jack-2 as he had rescued me from Tekken Force when I was a girl. And this man was the one who had created him."
"Okay, so what's the problem?" I asked, still not quite sure of what was going on.
"Jack-2 went against his programming to save me."
"So therefore you have a grudge against Geppetto for creating such a creature that could only do harm, am I correct?"
"Yes, Anna. Geppetto Boskonovitch is a self-centered imbecile and I will not be treated by him," Jane scoffed.
Dr. Boskonovitch showed no change in emotion. He only looked at Jane for a moment, saying, "Very well then." Geppetto turned around and told the receptionist, "Get for her Dr. Abel."
"Yes, sir," the receptionist replied before getting up from her desk and fetching the doctor.
"I think it best that you wait here, unless you wish to come with me to see my sister?" I proposed. I didn't really want for her to come with me but I couldn't just leave her without a choice; that would be impolite.
"I'll wait here, thank you." Her anger had now cooled down.
The nurse led me to my sister's room. "We have her on a ventilator. She was slashed with Nerotoxin, that's snake venom if you don't know, and it's very deadly. But if we keep her on the ventilator, she can survive and she will make a full recovery. Her kidneys are working on filtering out the poison. Her son went home for the night. He said he would be back to check on her in the morning. It is so nice of you to come." The nurse smiled and left the room.
"Boskonovitch!" I yelled, furious. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Boskonovitch came quick. "Anna, I did what you said. I took in your sister and I treated her."
"I never told you to treat her! I want her dead! Dead, Boskonovitch, do you understand?" I walked into her room, now on the other side of the glass I had been standing behind. I pulled the plug on the ventilator.
"She complained of a prickling in her nose and hands. I knew exactly what had happened to her. I never knew that it was you that had done it."
"As an accomplice, you sure don't listen very carefully!" I sighed and brought my hand to my forehead.
Nina began to stir. Her eyes opened. She sat up and looked in my direction. But she couldn't see me. She only saw Geppetto. Nina's blue eyes told me that she knew she had heard my voice and smelled my perfume. She glanced more to her right and I came into her view. Had the Nerotoxin not been affecting her, she would have seen me from the start of her awakening. The Black Mamba's poison granted Nina with tunnel vision. She opened her mouth as though to call me a name but all that came out of her pretty little mouth was vomit. I began to laugh. There was only one stage left before this assassin would be done in by her own sister's clever sense of knowledge.
I began to walk away. But before doing so, I turned to my so-called partner. "Help her and I'll kill you too!" I laughed again as I took one more look at Nina's uncontrollable vomiting.
I made my way to Jane. She lay, now, in her hospital bed with a bandage on her arm. "It's sprained," she said. "They told me to lay here and rest until you were ready to leave. I may stay with you? I have nowhere around here that I can stay. I live in another city. Too far\ to go to tonight."
"Yeah, you can stay with me." I smiled.
"How is your sister?"
"My sister? Heh, she is just fine. I'd say that she was quite happy to see me." My sarcasm was draped in a mask of sobersidedness. "Shall we get going?" I asked, changing the subject before she could uncover that mask by having my sister be seen by her eyes. I held out my hand to Jane and I helped her to her feet. "How are you feeling?"
"Well, thanks to you. Jack would have killed me had you not come to my rescue."
"Oh, don't sweat it, Jane. All is well, you owe me nothing. Now let's leave before they keep us here." She smiled and I escorted her out of the hospital. Before leaving, I thanked Dr. Abel for taking over upon Jane's refusal to Dr. Boskonovitch's help.
"So, where are we going?" Jane asked just after we left the hospital.
"I left my car at the airport. We have to walk over there to pick it up."
"How far is the airport?"
"Just a few blocks." After a few moments of silence, I looked back up at her. "Listen. Jane, I'm sorry about what happened earlier with Boskonovitch."
"It's all right. You didn't know."
We passed the alley where I had found Jane about an hour or two prior. Jane looked to see if Jack could be noticed. I put my hand on her arm. "Don't worry about him. Like you said, there was a disturbance in his chip."
She felt a slight bit of her rage again. "Yes, and it was that doctor who was the disturbance!"
"Maybe so but there isn't anything we can do." After all, he did ruin my work too. And he knew perfectly well my plan. Yet he defied me.
The rest of the way home was silent.
Jane slept on my couch. We said our goodnights and I told her that if Jack was there in the morning, we would borrow Boskonovitch's lab and Jane would stay with me until things were set right. Reluctantly, Jane agreed.
I crawled into my bed and fell asleep. I would need all the strength I could get if my sister was still alive in the morning.