Slugterra Fanfic
Chpt 23: The Race to Recovery (Part One)
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"Urrgggh" I groaned as my vision swam in front of my bleary eyes.
My eyes were like lead, struggling to open into a world of blinding white and intense pain.
I tried to move my arms to rub some feeling into my eyes, but was instead rewarded with needles of pain throughout my exhausted body.
Forcing my eyes open, I winced as my eyes adjusted to the dimly light room. I was in a medical ward, tucked up into a bed with drips plugged into my arms and my body cocooned in bandages.
I tried to sit up, my back aching from the stiff muscles and I eventually had to give in.
"Wha? What happened?" I mumbled to no-one in particular, "Where am I?"
My eyes took in the strange equipment around me, it was nothing like the stuff back home.
My eyes scanned the room, eventually resting on an exhausted dog lying stretched out across the bottom of the door. The poor creature looked terrible, all raggedy and thin.
"Hey, are you alright?" I asked, my voice sore and hoarse from the lack of water.
Its ear twitched in my direction and it slowly raised its head.
I gasped as I saw it was missing an eye, a robotic replacement in its head instead.
It looked startled for a moment before leaping to its feet and bounding over to me.
It leaped up on to the bed and I recoiled at the site of a dull metallic leg attached to its body.
"Go…go away!" I whispered, terrifed.
The thing looked confused for a minute but then continued its advance.
"Go Away!" I whacked it hard across the snout and it yelped and fell off the bed, looking up at me with eyes full of hurt.
"Oh!" I gasped, "I'm sorry, I was just scared. I've never seen anything like you before!"
The dog-bot whined and jumped back on the bed. I stuck a tentative hand out to pat it and squeaked as it pushed its head on my palm.
"You…you know me don't you?" I asked softly.
The dog licked my hand and answered with a quiet 'gruff'.
I narrowed my eyes as something nagged at the back of my mind.
"You're, you're my pet…my best friend.."
I dog looked at happily, sweet brown eyes full of hope.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to remember her name.
'Wait, how'd I know it was a her?'
I thumped my fist against my forehead, trying hard to stir up memories but ended up making myself cough. My whole body felt foreign to me.
The dog whined and dashed off the bed, grabbing a bottle of water on a nearby table, before hopping onto the bed once again.
I accepted the water, gratefully, "That was fast, Jet!" I laughed.
I made to take a sip from the bottle but stopped as soon as the tip touched my lips.
I looked down wide-eyed at my dog, sitting infront of me.
"You're Jet.." I whispered to her. She smiled and wagged her tail at me.
Placing the bottle aside, I lunged forward, my muscles protesting, and grabbed her in a tight hug. My tears mixed in with her fur as I drank in her familiar smell.
"Oh, Jet," I sobbed, "How on Earth did I forget your name, let alone you?"
She wiggled in my arms and licked up my tears.
I held her in my arms for a few moments before letting her go.
I wiped my eyes as I sipped from the bottle, "Now girl, lets see what else I might have forgotten."
Jet went and fetched a whole array of items stashed around the room.
The first picture was of a blonde haired teenager standing next to a raven-haired woman. Both with cheesy smiles on there faces.
I pointed to the blonde guy, "Hmmm, I like this guy don't I?" I asked Jet, who looked at me happily.
"And she's a close..no..an Important friend! Umm, Nikki? Niketa? Nicole! She's Nicole!"
I looked at the blonde boy again, "Hmm, he has a funny name. Bend? Curve? No, No,no…" I looked up at Jet, hoping for a hint.
She was trying to scratch some fleas and was twisting all over the bed trying to reach it.
"Twist! That's his name!" I crowed.
Jet looked pleased and fetched item after item.
Eventually I had remembered most of my life.
I had come from a different world and was no living in here, an underground world where people shoot little creatures called slugs. They drive robot animals called Mecha Beasts and there are different races of sentient beings, some smarter than others.
There were Cave-Trolls-The best mechanics (Apparently I had an Uncle called Smelter)
Molenoids- An annoying and snobby race
Humans- I knew what these were
ShadowClan- Feline creatures that I had run into before. They didn't like me
Darkbane- Demonic creatures that work for my boss.
I also had a job for the most dangerous person in Slugterra, Doctor Blakk.
The rest was easy to figure out.
I lay back on my pillow, mentally exhausted from remembering all the different things about my life.
But somehow, it made me feel better. I was myself again.
I was Kaiya Skye! Psychopath Extraordinaire!
I giggled at the title while Jet licked my cheek.
I stroked her head as she curled up next to me, breathing in her musky scent as I drifted off.
As I slowly lost consciousness again I suddenly had a terrible thought.
What if I lose my memories all over again?
Twist couldn't focus. He was to stricken by what had happened to Kaiya three weeks ago.
Nicole was officially grounded, so he couldn't talk to her anymore, and Jet had locked herself in with her owner, who was in a deep coma.
Twist was on breaking point. There had been false alarms all of last week. Kaiya had been talking to herself, crying, laughing, shouting: Now she was silent, stuck in a deep sleep which she might never wake from again.
Twist held his head in his hands.
"If I ever get the chance, next time I see her awake I am going to KISS her! Then kill her for all the strife she's caused me." It was a hollow threat and a weak promise. Twist knew with each day she remained in a coma, and the more money Doctor Blakk spent on keeping her alive, the less likely her chances of surviving were getting.
Even with all the support and gifts from the Shane Gang and the towns people she had saved, Blakk was slowly losing his patience.
Eli had sent Kaiya a gift. It was a common MyndBender slug. Eli had said it had belonged to Kaiya at first, until she gave them all away.
Blakk had at first wanted to ghoul it, then chuck it away, but under Twists and Nicole's pestering and pleading, he had eventually given it to Twist for safekeeping.
"But if I find it wandering around in the Citadel, I will ghoul it!" He had threatened.
So Twist now kept it on his shoulder or in a capsule at all times, with Loki keeping an eye on it.
Nicole had offered to look after it, as she had some normal slugs, but she was already trying her best to persuade Blakk to keep Kaiya alive that he didn't want anymore problems for her.
Twist couldn't take it anymore, he had to see her again, just to see if she was still okay, still there.
He heaved himself up onto his feet, his two pals squeaking and growling in surprise.
Making his way slowly to the room she was kept in, his footsteps as heavy as his heart.
He passed the two guards standing on either side, both nodded to him with pained expressions on their faces. It must hurt them so much to have to stand and watch over one of their best friends in the Citadel.
The door slid open, granting Twist entry, and he tiptoed inside.
The first thing he noticed was that Jet had moved. Normally she guarded the door but now she was tucked under one of Kaiyas' arms, sleeping peacefully.
Kaiya herself had moved from on her back, to her side.
Twists heart lifted slightly. He instantly started looking for more signs.
Photos were moved and the bottle of water was half drunk. There was a patch of hair from where Jet used to sleep by the door but she wasn't there anymore.
Twist walked over to Kaiyas face, stroking her cheek gingerly.
Her lips twitched upwards in a small smile but her eyes remained closed.
His eyes brushed over her scars left on her cheek and the bandages wrapped around her forehead. The went down over her bruised neck and along her arm, the casts removed and titanium plates inserted.
His hand stopped at hers and he slowly entwined his finger within hers, holding the limp hand tightly, teardrops of relief falling down onto them.
He slowly picked it up and brought it to his forehead, his eyes shadowed by his hair.
He kept it there for what seemed like eternity until he finally placed it back.
He turned around an left the ward, wiping his tears away before leaving without looking back.
My eyes fluttered open as I felt someone touch my hand then place my hand back on the bed. I fought my tired eyes, just to see who had touched my hand.
My eyes finally gave up just as the person left.
Twist. I tried to call out to him but my throat had dried up again. It would be tearing him apart, not knowing if I was okay or not.
The door slid shut behind him and I was left alone again.
Reaching across, I grabbed the water bottle and drained it fully, before trying to stand up.
My legs were screaming with protest but I gritted me teeth and clambered out of bed, waddling over to the full length mirror to have a good look at myself.
I looked terrible. I had a small sports top and small shorts on, showing of the bandaged and bruised body.
I had a bandage around my head, wrist, stomach and shoulder and leg, scars and scratches on my face and entire body, plus some stitches along my forearms and legs.
I groan and facepalm myself, there is probably internal damage too.
I make my way back to the bed, gingerly moving my burning legs.
Jet comes over too me once I've flopped down on the bed, with something on her head.
It's a slug, seems familiar to me.
It hops off Jets head and squeaks a welcoming.
"Hello little fella, who, or what, are you?" I coo.
The slug cocks his head in surprise but chirrups as it hops into my hands.
"Hey, whatcha do-" I say before my mind fills with instant memories.
My life flashes infront of my eyes as my brain is overloaded with all the memories that Medul had recorded, including my previous life up top.
I lay back in my pillow, gasping from the initial shock. Medul was staggering around a bit, shaking his head.
I looked down at him in shock while Jet watched us both, looking confused.
After I had caught my breath, I started to think and bring up all my memories. It was like opening a new book you had and hadn't read before. Something's fitted and others felt like they had never happened.
I flicked through them, laughing and giggling at Twist in his boxers and crying t the loss of Healer Springs.
I hugged Jet closer too me "There's so much to remember, Jet! How in Slugterra will I manage?", I stroked her head, "At least I feel like myself again. That's what matters most."
Twist raced along the corridor, intent on finding Nicole in her workshop.
He passed by Kaiyas door, nearly missing the whirr of tools that were muffled by the heavy metal.
"What the?" Twist skidded to a halt. Kaiyas room was out of bounds for anyone, who could possibly be in there?
Twist cautiously opened the door and tip-toed to her garage, the last place Blakk Skies was staying after his major psych-out after the crash, or what was left of him…
Twist shuddered at the memory of Skies tearing his head out of the trains demolished front, with half his facial armour ripped away, exposing the fiery pulsating wires beneath, then roaring as he galloped over to Kaiya and Twist. Twist could remember the rage etched on the robots face as he reared up over the Dark Healer, Eli and himself, disrupting the Dark Healers ritual. The only reason they were still alive was the healers own Mecha beast, a Falcon design, had ran over and put up its wings to ward off Skies angry claws. Skies had then changed tactics and had grabbed the bird with his jaws, inflicting serious damage to the internal circuits. However, it was the falcons bravery that allowed for the rest of them and the spectators to get away safely.
Twist would never forget the hate he saw on Skies face that day.
Peeking around the corner he gasped. Nicole was working steadily on Blakks Skies frame. Nearly half of it was done, even with the little clumps of wire sticking out everywhere.
"Nicole! What are you doing!?" Twist cried as he rushed forward. Even with Skies power sockets and control chip removed, he was still a hellish thing to be working on.
Nicole instantly whipped around, lifting up the welding mask covering her face.
"Twist! Don't scare me like that! If Blakk finds out I'm here he won't be happy." Nicole flipped the mask back down and continued her work.
"I won't tell, just tell me what you're doing to Kaiyas ride?"
"I'm fixing the gears and gyros as best I can. The engine and wiring I have no clue how to work but I figured Kaiya would want Blakk Skies up and running as soon as possible, that is of course…if she wakes up." Nicole trailed of then attacked the metal, savagely welding pieces together and polishing dulled plates.
"What about you? Have you seen her yet?" Nicole asked, trying to sound casual.
Twist took a deep breath, "Yeah, I have, and I think she's waking up." It was a blunt statement but it had the desired effect.
"Nicole dropped the tool and stood up abruptly.
"You think she's what? How?" She demanded, grabbing Twists shoulders and shaking hard.
"I went to check on her and I saw things had moved. Jet was sleeping under her arms, the bottle of water was half drained and there were photo frames moved."
Nicole stared at Twist for a long time as he started to get uncomfortable.
Then she slapped him, "That's low Twist. What gave you the idea to crack a sick joke like that?!"
"What?! It's not a joke!"
"Oh, suuure. Because after someone's been in a coma, they totally wake up and start walking around looking at everything! That's not possible! What ever you saw, it was probably just from Jet being cooped up in there for three weeks straight. You should probably take her for a walk or feed her, to take your mind of everything." Nicoles voice softened, "Face it Twist, the equipment will pick up if she wakes up or not. Everything will be fine! You'll see."
She bent down and gave him a quick hug, "Now go take Jet for a walk."