The Loop: Chapter Two
He was awoken by a wrenching twist in his stomach. He had been drifting in and out of consciousness for a few minutes, but the sudden flood of nausea forced him awake like a slap in the face. He retched, twisting his body so that he didn't choke. It hurt. The stabbing pain in his gut brought tears to his eyes. He tried to sit up but another spasm coursed through him and he retched again.
"It's okay!" He could hear a woman's voice at his ear and cool porcelain was pressed to his face. He had time to see the white edge of the bowl curving in front of his eyes before he was sick. He closed his eyes as he choked and spluttered, trying not to think about the awful metallic taste in his mouth. He groaned as the last paroxysms of pain twisted in his gut and he spat out the last dregs.
"It's alright." He could feel a hand stroking his face and the cold sensation of metal on his skin underneath him. He concentrated on his breathing, and waited for the nausea to settle. When he opened his eyes, he got the shock of his life.
In the bowl in front of him was a wobbly silver ball, rolling around of its own accord. He stared at it, aghast, too stunned and confused to do anything. It shuddered, and dissolved into a shimmering metallic pool before his eyes.
"Drink this." The female voice ordered. He looked up to see an olive-skinned woman with deep green eyes and wild blonde hair crouching next to him. She proffered a flask.
"What the hell is that?" he said, his voice coming out as a strangled whisper. "Wha-"
"Drink it and spit it out into the bowl. Otherwise you'll waste them." She said sternly. She pushed the flash and the bowl towards him.
Terrified, Ghost rolled away from her, and stumbled to his feet, crashing into a metal table that made him lose his balance. His body didn't feel like it was properly under his own control and everything hurt. He ended up on his knees, panting. The woman forced the flask between his lips and poured in the contents.
"Now spit" she commanded. When he didn't obey fast enough, she slapped him on the back of the head, and he coughed the fluid into the bowl. Satisfied, she stood up, taking the bowl with her. Ghost coughed again, wiping his mouth with his hand. His head was spinning. What the hell is going on? He was cold; the metal of the floor was hard on his knees. Where are my clothes?
"These nanites are bloody hard to come by these days. Have to save as much of them as we can. Fortunately, they tend to stick together." She poured the bowl into a tall bottle and set it to one side.
Ghost made the mistake of looking up and shuddered. Above him the room's ceiling curved, covered in a network of flashing wires and cables feeding into a massive central pillar. He shook his head to clear his vision. It looked like a computer of sorts, alien and frightening. Where the hell am I? He thought. He remembered the house, and then he'd been running. The grass pulling at his feet, the whine of bullets in the air and Roach was tumbling... He couldn't remember. His vision swum and he felt sick again. He'd grabbed Roach and kept running towards the evac point and then... He shook his head again, trying to remember. He knew it was important, but it was just beyond his reach. He struggled to his feet and grabbed the first thing he could as a weapon: an odd looking tool that was lying on the ground beside him.
"You stay back!" he said, waving it at the woman. His vision was blurring with the effort of standing. His muscles ached with the effort. He stumbled and righted himself.
"I know this is a bit of a shock for you." She said, coming towards him.
"You stay there!" he hefted the object in what he hoped was a threatening manner. The room was spinning around him. He felt sick again.
"Oh, brilliant!" A man appeared at the top of the stairs behind the woman. "You found the temporal wrench! I've been looking for that everywhere!"
"Darling!" said the woman, without looking round "I think he's a little confused for that at the moment."
"Oh yes. I imagine he would be: one minute a warzone, next minute TARDIS. Terribly complicated if you aren't expecting it."
"I don't know what you're talking about, but you shut up!" yelled Ghost. He blinked, and shook his head, trying to get his vision back to normal.
"Charming." Said the man. He was dressed in a tweed jacket with patches on the elbows. He looked like mad professor, but too young.
Get out of here! Thought Ghost. He realised it was risky, but it might be his only chance. Looking around, he could see a door at the edge of his vision. He measured the distance in his head. The woman was unarmed. If he was quick, he thought he could make it.
"Don't-" she started to say as he leapt away, towards the doorway.
He stumbled his way to the door, slamming into the wall so hard the breath knocked of him. There were black spots appearing in front of his eyes and he knew he had to get out soon before he completely collapsed. He could hear shouting close behind him as he pulled the door open, ready to pelt into the next room as quickly as possible, but then he was falling and he knew all hope was lost as he pitched into the black.