So again I want to thank everyone whose Favorited and followed this story. Its really overwhelming.
Next Id like to extend my personal thanks to everyone whose reviewed my work. I've taken your suggestions to heart and will be changing the translations so they are easier to find.
Third thing this week, its a short chapter. I wanted to write Hannah's perspective this week as well and I just might but shes a lot of work so I'm posting this for now.
Enjoy.
o0OXWX…..Danny Hebert…..XWXO0o
He's still staring at the prone form on the bed. It's been nearly twenty minutes since the gargantuan man left the room and he hasn't shifted. just stared, fixated, at his daughter. His eyes move though, sometimes. They drift, misty, down to the foot of the bed. There the sheats only cover,not hide, the empty space where her lower legs once were.
A hand reaches down and touches his shoulder.
"Sir, I.. I never got your name?" Questions the nurse, who Danny just then notices, hopefully.
"Its" He draws a long ragged breath. "Its Danny. I'm.." He sobs once then composes himself a little. "I'm her father."
"Did.. did you sigh in at the front desk? We.. need to keep track of everyone who comes and goes from the more secure areas of the hospital."
"I… I, yes, I did." he mumbles, his eyes still not leaving his daughter.
"Do you have the badge they gave you?" she asks.
"I. No I don't. I guess I didn't stop long enough for them to make one." He chuckles dryly. "Although I think my haste can be excused. It was for a good reason."
"Well technically you're not allowed on this floor without an escort, doubly so because of your lack of identification." She informs him with the air of someone for whom this situation is routine. "But seeing how, as you said, you have a pretty good excuse, I'll make you a deal. If you stay here for the next while and don't make any trouble for the staff or patients, I'll go and find your badge." she looks at the bags under his eyes. "And a cup of coffee… or three"
"Eidolon himself couldn't make me leave this room." He said with the certainty of a man who'd put dozens of Merchant, Empire, and ABB goons in rooms like this one.
The nurse merely nods, unseen by Danny, and leaves.
o0OXWX…..Nurse Jackie…..XWXO0o
Leaving the room, the only thing she can think is 'Goddamn. That is a big man.'
The man-bear simply nods at her.
She stops after walking a little ways down the hall. Turning around she looks the monumental mound of muscle in his eyes. "you won't make any trouble?"
He cracks a broken smile. "Wooldnae dream ay it, ma'am." (Wouldn't dream of it, ma'am.)
She nods in a very curt, and final, way. "Good. I wouldn't have to use my powers on you."
The mastodonic man cocks an eyebrow.
"oh yes. all nurses have powers. Its how we always know when the coffee's hot and a patient needs us." She looks over her glasses. "It also lets us throw ruffians out on there ears."
With that she walks off to fulfill her missions and maybe make a phone call.
o0OXWX…..Danny Hebert…..XWXO0o
Alone with his daughter Danny lets himself feel. It takes a lot of effort, the last three days haven't helped, but he manages. His anger, his rage, boils to the surface. If someone had been watching they might have said he radiated heat or that his eyes glowed like the fires of hell, but no one was watching. There was no one to see the anger. He remains a broken man.
He stands for the first time since passing into the room. His knees pop and protest at the rough treatment. An old injury flares sending the left side of his abdomen into spasms.
He relishes the familiar aches and pains. Remembering the fights, and accidents, that caused each and every one and loving it all.
save one. His fingers brush the long jagged scar on the left side of his face. The one injury he wished to forget.
"Annette." He whispers.
The crash had taken the use of his left eye, most of the hearing in his right ear, three fingers, and his wife. He still blames himself, even after the therapy. And now Taylor. why her? He laments internally.
Turning his eyes skyward the, decidedly not religious, man scoffs. "What do you have against this family? Why? Why take my wife? Why maim my daughter? Is this all just a sick joke to you? HA HA look at the Heberts, isn't it tragic?" He half yells. "That's what our life is, a tragic comedy." He mumbles at the sleeping form wrapped in bandages.
The form stirs. Just enough to be noticeable. Danny leaps to the bedside.
"I'm here kiddo." He says scooping up her hand. "Can… can you hear me?'
The figure only sobs a little and lightly squeezes his hand.
"I'm here. Im.. I won't go anywhere. I won't leave you."
She tries to speak but it comes out as a soft croak, muffled by the bandages.
"Don't speak, honey. They've.. They've got a tube in your throat."
Another softer sob. Her head lolls a little to the side.
"S..Sleep now kiddo. You need to sleep, and recover."
He can see her fading, On the verge of sleep, when her head snaps to center. Her muscles tense and her back arches like she was being electrocuted.
He reacts pretty quickly all things considered. "Nurse!" He screams.
Or, rather, tries to. All that comes out is a squeek. It takes an agonizingly long time for his brain to catch up to the fact that squeaking and panicking aren't helping his daughter.
He lunges after the call button on the far side of the bed.
The light stops him in his tracks. It's just hovering there, over taylor. He didn't see where it came from but it transfixed him instantly. Her back arching ever closer to it. Its beautiful his brain supplies, helpfully.
The sphere of Green light blinks orange a few times, then lowers slowly towards Taylors left breast. It sinks into her chest, and is gone.
She flops back onto the bed.
Danny edges forward just a little, afraid to touch Taylor. Afraid to hurt her, or make whatever that was hurt her. "Taylor?" Another tear rolls down his face, tracing the scar in salt.
His brain finally reboots. He nearly breaks the call button, ramming it so hard. They wont be here fast enough, he thinks. He throws himself at the door.
A Light shines behind him.
o0OXWX…..Taylor Hebert…..XWXO0o
My world is pain. Everything is pain. I'm on fire, or maybe I just wish I was. The fog I'm thinking through isn't helping. I do the only thing I can. I let out a sob.
A hand grabs my own.
"...Here kiddo." Only one person calls me kiddo. That must be dad. I made it. I got back to him. That cunt didn't manage to take him from me.
I try to open my eyes. Nothing but a blurry white blob out of the left. Nothing at all from the right. I sob again and squeeze his hand.
"..won't leave.." I hear him say. It helps a little and I try to tell him I love him.
Just pain come out. I feel the tube in my throat now. wonderfull. I spent days in that locker and now I can't even tell my father I love him. Another sob, it's all I can do. I relax my neck and my head roles away from my father. Maybe if I sleep a little I'll be in a better position to communicate when I wake up.
Yeah, and maybe pigs fly... not counting that one cape that makes flying pigs.
"DATA RETRIEVAL COMPLETE. REPOSSESS ASSET?" The voice is loud but not unpleasant. It cut through my mental fog like a hot knife through butter though. Unfortunately it also drives the pain I'm experiencing through the roof.
I pause for a moment. I didn't hear that. I felt it. I felt it in my heart and my mind. I don't understand. What data? Whose asset. I… did sophia succeed in driving me crazy?
"QUERY: REPOSSESS ASSET. YES? NO?"
Ok. That one felt a lot more insistent that I answer than the first one. And now I've got two glowing buttons in my brain.
Yup. Crazy.
Sighing mentally I 'push' the mental button for yes. My world explodes.
I'm not in pain, it's actually quite the opposite really. I feel like I did before the locker. I feel like I did over the holidays. when I would spend whole days watching movies with my dad. I feel content and maybe even the slightest shadow of happiness.
My Left eye is momentarily blinded by a green light out of nowhere. I realize now that I'm arching my back, trying to get to something. I can't see anything but a green-white blob. I need that light.
My chest feels hot. Not fire hot. More like blushing or maybe a warm shower.
"ASSET ACQUIRED. INTEGRATE DATA? YES? NO?"
A little more used to it now I'm not startled as the voice asks another question. 'Seeing' the mental buttons I 'reach' out and tag the yes, because why not?
An explosion of information passes before my eyes. Sword fighting techniques. How to clean, maintain, and fire guns. Magic.
…
WAIT WHAT?
I.. I know magic. Its simple, or looks that way. Not massively useful stuff, if it works. But its magic. I.. I can make a blade with an edge sharp enough to cut steel like tissue. I can make impenetrable shields. I can…
"HOST DAMAGED. DEPLOY ASSET? YES? NO?"
I'm still a little freaked out by the revelation that, to quote a movie I once saw, I KNOW KUNG FU. So when the query comes I bat it aside without really paying much attention to it, I want to get back to studying my new skills.
"DEPLOYING."
The heat from just a moment before redoubles, this time it verges on the painful. But it's a good pain, like when you floss your teeth or slide into a hot tub. Then the light is back.
My vision is filled with white and blue now. Then it's gone. Just as quickly as it came.
My bed shifts under me. Its… softer. It fits my shape like it was made for me. The drone of the overhead lights cuts off, replaced by silence.
"Most intriguing." The new voice sounds like safety and health.
*CLANG*
o0OXWX…..Bonus Interlude: Omake 1, Possible Futures…..XWXO0o
I twiddle my thumbs nervously. looking in the mirror I'm not completely satisfied with how the dress turned out. Its long, flowing all the way to the floor. It's a little too clingy, showing off how non existent my figure is. I don't like how low the neck line is. I don't think i have the bust to pull it off.
"You know, you look amazing? Right?"
"thanks, but no I don't." I reply.
"You know I wouldn't lie to you."
"I just don't know. I don't think I can pull it off. I mean what if she doesn't like it. what if it's too revealing. Rr not revealing enough. Or what if she doesn't like black or.."
"Stop! Slow down. Im sure it will be fine. You're just panicing yourself again" She grabs my shoulders and turns me to look in my eyes. "Remember what happened last time you panicked?"
Sighing I look down and to the left. My false right eye makes a mechanical whir. "I brought Ford through." I mumble.
"You brought me through." Ford thinks at me. "At least It made an interesting entry in The Guide. Speaking of which, have you tried asking it for help?"
"Thank you Ford. Not Helping." My current projection supplies.
"TAYLOR! YOUR DATES HERE!" My dad yells from downstairs.
"O my god. I'm so not ready. What if it goes wrong? what do I do? whatamIgoingtodo?" I franticly pace my room trying not to trip in the heeled cybernetics I'm wearing.
*SMACK*
"Taylor! Calm! Down!"
I take a deep breath. "Thanks Peach. I.. I need that." I say, rubbing the red hand-print fading from my cheek.
I head out my door. I stumble to a stop at the top of the stairs, breath taken from me.
She's beautiful. long brown hair framing a mousy face, her freckles are standing out more recently thanks to the sun, but that's ok. I love her freckles. she's wearing a green dress that accentuates all the right places. The black jacket I gave her over the top. Shes looking up the stairs at me, mouth slightly agape.
"Hey, Amy."