Chapter 28: Wings
Basta was sitting in the back of a black car with Anna. He was very nervous. They were driving out to a private airstrip, where a small aircraft would fly them to France. Then, after they landed, a car would take them to secret head quarters, where Anna would re-cap her boss on what she had learned about Landa, and the plans of the SS. Anna seemed nervous, and Basta figured he knew why. He had observed the lack of respect Landa displayed towards Anna. Surly she hadn't fetched any important information from the man.
As they sat in the back of the car, Basta put a hand to Anna's knee. He offered her a small smile. He wasn't feeling very good- he felt sore and achy. But the guilt over the murder had more or less washed away. It was replaced with a sort of itch. Basta couldn't help but drum his fingers on his knee, as he sat there in the back of his car. He felt irritable, and really wanted nothing more than to either go for a run, hit something, or fool around with someone. At that moment, he thought, it didn't even have to be Anna. Anyone... anyone would do. As long as she pulled his hair and he could pin her wrists. But of course this thought made him feel guilty, so he squeezed Anna's knee and focused his attention out the window. It was cold and snowy outside, and Basta didn't even know what the date was.
The car rolled to a stop, and Basta saw a great big grey thing parked out on a grass strip. Earlier, he would have asked Anna what it was. But his curiosity was replaced with frustration, and he merely stared at it, trying to figure out for himself what it was. It looked like a metal tube, painted flat grey, with broad wings sticking out the sides. It had a tail, and windows up front.
"That's our plane" murmured Anna. The driver got out and held the door open for Anna. Basta grumbled grouchily as he shoved his own door open and got out. His side ached with a searing pain, but he ignored it, and watched as Anna stepped through the snow in her pretty high heels. She had changed into a navy blue dress, and a hat. Basta didn't care for the dress all that much. Maybe it was because he was in a foul mood, or maybe because the novelty of his girlfriend was wearing off. Basta sighed. He knew that he wasn't sick of Anna... but part of him was very angry with her. And he didn't know why. "Come on, Lieben" murmured Anna, taking his arm and half dragging him towards the airplane. A narrow, foldable staircase lead up to the plane. Basta walked up first, his knees feeling weak as he approached the strange machine. When he got inside, he was surprised to see 8 seats in the narrow plane. He sat down, and Anna joined his side. He was very confused as to how fast the plane could go. In the hospital, Anna had said they would 'fly' to France. He figured that by fly, she meant travel very fast. "Buckle up" said Anna, clipping her own seatbelt over her waist. Basta didn't want to. "Come on" she said, smiling. She picked up the belt for him. She was about to connect the two parts, to buckle him in, but he quickly caught her hand. He looked up, and noticed that no one was looking their way... he forced Anna's hands down over the crotch of his fatigues. Anna blushed, and did her own brief scan of the airplane. A couple uniformed officers were standing around the entrance of the plane, talking. "Basta, stop" she whispered. But she wasn't completely serious; Basta saw a smile tugging at her lips. He was surprised when a smile passed over his own mouth. Not a happy smile... but a smile all the same. He was going to get his way. "Stop" she murmured again, laughing a little and trying to tug her wrist from Basta's grip. He didn't obey, and held her down. The officers were nodding, and began walking towards their seats. Anna grabbed Basta, giving his crotch a harsh squeeze. Just what he had wanted. He groaned, and released Anna's hand. She whipped it away, but not after giving his thigh a quick slap. "Manners" she hissed. Basta blushed and bowed his head, though he couldn't help but smile.
Once the officers were buckled in, the plane made a peculiar sound as the engines started. Basta peered out the window, and watched as the propellers on the wing began to spin. The plane began moving forward, but quite slowly.
"Here we go" said Anna, taking in a breath. Basta raised an eyebrow at her. Should I be nervous? He wondered. The plan picked up speed, then, out of absolutely nowhere, lifted off the ground. Basta balked in surprise.
"A-A-ANNA!" He sputtered, staring in horror out the window. The ground was already far below them. "Anna we're flying!" Anna tilted her head back and laughed.
"Of course we are, silly! We're in an airplane!" She laughed again before putting a comforting hand over his. Basta's stomach dropped a bit as he watched as the ground turned into a white and brown quilt below him. He was absolutely shocked when he saw that the wings were staying still, not flapping like a bird.
"How?" he demanded, staring at the metal wing.
"The propellers" said Anna. She pointed out the window. The propellers were spinning so fast Basta could barely see them. He couldn't even fathom how the propellers were keeping them in the air.
"This isn't right" he murmured, tearing his gaze away from the snowy earth thousands of feet below them. He was starting to feel nauseous.
The plane ride didn't last too long. Basta was relieved when Anna said the plane would be making its decent soon. Though, to his distaste, his ears began to ache terribly as the plan began to descend.
"Ow" he moaned, putting a hand up to his ear. He felt a popping sound deep in his ear canal, which horrified him. He jumped, and pressed both palms against his ears.
"Yawn" said Anna.
"What?" Hissed Basta frowning and frantically trying to clear the rapid popping sensation from his sore ears.
"Force yourself to yawn, or make a chewing motion with your jaw. It will clear the pressure. It's perfectly normal." She seemed calm, and suddenly yawned daintily. Basta tried to copy her. He forced a yawn, with a deep frown on his forehead. The pressure in his ears suddenly equalized with a discomforting crackling sensation. He moaned out of pure discomfort, and shifted uneasily in his seat. He forced himself to make a chewing motion with his jaw, flexing the strong muscles that ran over the structured surface. He whimpered in discomfort, as the pressure was building up again. He resisted the urge to stick his fingers in his ear, and yawned again. But his ears didn't crackle ,giving him a satisfied clear feeling. Instead, the pressure continued to build and build and build.
"FUCK!" He swore loudly jumping as far as he could with the seat belt in his lap. "FUCK!" He screamed the second time, and his voice nearly cracked. He jerked his body to the side out of sheer pain. He slapped a hand to his ear because of an intense pain deep within the canal. He roared in pain, and felt something warm on the palm of his hand.
"Basta! Are you alright? Just yawn!"
"FUCK, ANNA! I'm bleeding!" His tone was savage. Anna seemed taken aback. Suddenly, the plane bumped as it hit the runway.
"Oh thank god" murmured Anna under her breath. Basta groaned in pain. He felt an intense headache coming on. He didn't even care about the uniformed officers, snickering from their seats. All he could focus on was the agony in his head, and the fact that blood was draining from his ear. It was running off his palm and down his wrist, all the way down his arm and to the crook of his elbow. But suddenly... it was a relief. He didn't dare flex his jaw, but the pressure was gone... He tilted his head to the side, the side with the sore ear. He felt a rush of warm fluid, and the sound of liquid hitting the floor. Anna moaned in disgust. "We'll get you to a hospital" she said, putting a hand to his back. Basta said nothing, but as he began to walk, he felt extremely disoriented. He stumbled like a drunk until he fell over, hitting a wall. "Basta!" Anna took his arm, and rubbed comforting circles on his back. He managed to walk down the stairs of the airplane, because an officer was kind enough to help him stay on his feet.
A black car identical to the one in Switzerland was waiting. Anna, Basta, and two of the uniformed officers got in the car.
"We need to go to a hospital" said Anna to the driver.
"Sorry Miss" said an officer in a heavy French accent, "But we need to get to the rendezvous right away."
"In case you haven't noticed" hissed Anna, gripping Basta's shoulder, "this man has suffered some sort of ear trauma. He needs to get to a hospital. He's bleeding out the ear!"
"Yes, but you are under strict military command, and we must get your to the rendezvous. We have a clinic in the building, I'm sure someone can see to him." Basta could barely hear the conversation because of the ringing in his left ear. But the pain had subsided substantially, and there wasn't much blood draining from his ear. He took his hand away, and winced. He was wearing a white shirt, and the whole left shoulder was a dark, rusty red.
The car drove into a city- Basta didn't know which- and finally pulled up to a building. The officers got out, and held the door open for Anna. Basta followed her through the glass doors of the building. The officers led her down a hallway, but one put a hand on Basta's shoulder.
"Come with me" he said, in his hoity-toity French accent. Basta obeyed, and followed the man into an elevator. Basta grimaced. He remembered his first time in an elevator...
The man led Basta down a hallway, towards double glass doors with a cross printed on the surface with frosted glass. There was a reception desk to the left, and chair in a waiting room ahead. A cute blonde was working behind the desk doing something on a type writer.
"This man needs to see a doctor right away" said the French Officer.
"Of course" said the blonde, watching Basta with wide eyes. She led the way down a narrow hallway behind the reception desk. She held open a thick wooden door, and instructed Basta to sit. "A doctor will be with you shortly" she said. Basta nodded his thanks. The blonde left, and Basta was left alone in the small square room. It had a counter with a sink, an extra chair, and a small cot. Basta sat on the cot, and stared at the greyish walls. The window to his right, straight across from the door, had blinds pulled halfway down. It revealed the snowy street below, and the fading, blue-grey light. The examining room didn't have a light on, so it was filled with the dull dusk town from the sleepy city. It seemed very cold, and made Basta feel miles and miles and miles away from home. He was left on his own for only five minutes, before a knock at the door caught his attention.
"Come in" he said. The door swung open and an older, bespectacled fellow in a white doctor's robe stepped in.
"Good evening" said the doctor, his tone almost hesitant. He had grey hair and wore and expression of exhaustion. Tiredness seemed to be a popular trend amongst the Earthlings, Basta noted. "My name is Doctor Moreau."
"My name is Basta" he said, looking up at the French doctor Moreau. He missed Dr. Hertz, with his kind brown eyes and handsome smile.
"What seems to be the problem?" Asked the doctor, pulling up a chair and adjusting his glasses.
"I was sitting on an airplane- for the first time- and suddenly my ear started hurting and then it started to bleed. The pain has mostly subsided now, but I'm afraid to yawn..."
"I see" the doctor squinted and peered at Basta's shoulder. He then picked up a strange looking instrument, called an otoscope, and stuck it into Basta's ear. Basta flinched, and didn't particularly enjoy the doctor's breath on the side of his face. The doctor made a sound of frustration and withdrew the otoscope and wet a swab. Much to Basta's displeasure, the doctor cleaned out his ear with the swab. The blood had started to dry, and made a bit of a grinding sound that made Basta cringe. The doctor tossed the bloody swab, and put the otoscope back in. Basta didn't particularly enjoy having the man so close, and feeling his breath on his cheek, but when the man made pensive "mhm" sounds, and eventually took the otoscope out, Basta breathed a sigh of relief. "The changing pressure in the airplane had caused your eardrum to rupture" said the doctor, tossing out the otoscope cap.
"Will it heal?"
"Of course" said the doctor, scribbling something on a clipboard. "I'm going to prescribe some painkillers for you, to help with the pain. When you shower, put one of these-" the doctor held up a package of little whit ear plugs "in your ear, to keep the water and shampoo out. You want to keep your ear dry."
"Thank you, Doctor." Said Basta. He accepted the package of plugs, and took the prescription.
"Take it easy." The doctor showed Basta out of the examining room. The young man walked downstairs to the lobby, to wait for Anna.
Basta fell asleep, sitting in a lightly padded chair in the drab lobby. When the lady gently stroked his shoulder, and softly murmured his name, he awoke with a bit of a start.
"Hey, Lieben" Anna smiled softly and continued to stroke his shoulder. "How are you?" her voice was soft and sympathetic, and made Basta feel at ease.
"I'll be alright" he said, looking around, trying to orientate himself. It was dark outside, and the lobby was lit with a few soft light fixtures. "I uh, I have a prescription" he said, clearing his throat. His ear had drained some more fluid, which had dried to his neck.
"Alright" said Anna softly. She sat in the chair next to Basta's, and slowly teased his hair. "Are you ok?" She asked, her voice riddled with sympathy.
"Yeah" he said breathily, tilting his head back and peering at Anna. He managed a small smile. "How uh, how'd it go, in there" he nodded up the hallway. Anna sighed, and rolled her eyes.
"Alright" she said, shrugging. "Come on, let's pick up that prescription."
A/N:
Heyy, guys! Long time no update, I know... I'm sorry. I've been busy with injured and sick horses. Although, today I galloped my horse bareback through the snow and it was a very good time.
I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I can really relate to Basta... I've burst my eardrums TWICE. And believe you me, it is AWFUL. All I really remember is lots of pain, and waking up with blood and orange fluid on my pillowcase.
Anyways, new blog entry if you're bored and have nothing better to do. Thank you for the reviews, they're much appreciated.