Healing the Wild – Chapter 4
Diaz recovered his gun and stared down at Kristin, who was breathing heavily and was holding her side wound. "That was very stupid, my dear." He aimed the gun back at Jonathan and the gang, who were all looking at Kristin worriedly, trying to figure out a way to get to her.
"Don't you move! She brought it upon herself." He looked back at Kristin. "Such a waste."
On the seaQuest bridge, Nathan and the rest of the crew were watching the scene in horror, worried for their CMO and friend.
What happened next confused everyone, as Kristin took a deep breath and a soft light emanated from her wound. She exhaled and looked shocked as she stopped feeling any pain, and the wound appeared to close on its own. The bullet fell out of her side and into her hand. All that was left was a small stain on her jumpsuit. Diaz kneeled down next to her and felt the area where her wound was for himself. He couldn't find anything. He looked at Reese.
"Well, well, well. What have we here? Sean, something tells me you've been trying your new experiment on the lovely doctor, haven't you? You've been holding out on me."
Dr. Reese looked just as shocked as the rest of them. "I…we haven't yet tested it on humans. I'm not sure what or how…"
"Well, you'd better find out. Because if she just healed her own gunshot wound, then you can imagine my men and I are very interested."
"I don't know that I can…I mean…" Reese looked flabbergasted and worried about Diaz knowing of this new finding.
Diaz grabbed Kristin and picked her back up, holding her tightly against him, his arm around her shoulders, almost in a chokehold. Kristin whimpered slightly at the motion as she was tired and dazed from her recovery, but she was still squirming in his grasp.
"I suggest you figure it out and make me some more of your little potion as soon as possible…for your son's sake." He turned to one of his men. "Franco, help me with her, will you? I don't want her struggling again. She's awfully feisty when she's awake." Franco nodded knowingly and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a vial and went to grab a cloth. Diaz turned towards the seaQuest crew, specifically Jonathan.
"As for you, you tell Captain Bridger to back off and let us pass."
"Tell me yourself!" Nathan's voice echoed through Jonathan's PAL unit.
"Well, Bridger…so good of you to join us. I suppose you've been watching us the whole time. You hear this clearly. We'll be taking the lady with us. She'll serve us very well in our line of work. Very well, indeed."
"Let me go, you bastard!" Kristin tried desperately to break free from his grasp. He smiled condescendingly. "I see we still have to work on your manners, my dear." He looked at Franco, who came over and placed the cloth over Kristin's nose and mouth. She tried moving her head out of the way, but it was no use. She was unconscious in a matter of seconds and fell limply in Diaz's hands. He picked her up easily in his arms.
"Don't you dare harm her, Diaz. Let her go!"
"Bridger, I don't think you're in any position to make demands. Tell you what… you let us go, and I won't put her through too much misery. I'll also leave your crewmembers and the rest of the colonists in one piece We'll return her when my friend, Sean, hands me what I want. It's a simple business deal. If the UEO hears about this, or if you so much as come near us, you'll never see her again…at least not alive anyway."
With that, Diaz and his men walked back to their launch. Two of the men stayed behind with their weapons at the ready to make sure they weren't being followed and then promptly ran to the launch.
Back on the seaQuest bridge…
Nathan stared blankly at the scene, unable to really grasp what just happened. Kristin had been shot…he saw it for himself. But she was fine in an instant. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he suspected the orb must have had something to do with it. If his deductions were correct, Dr. Reese would probably have a few answers…at least he hoped so. He felt helpless at the moment, seeing his CMO being drugged and taken away. Who knows what they'll do to her…or what they'll have her do? He couldn't think about that right now.
Ortiz finally spoke up, interrupting his thoughts, "Captain, the launch is undocking. What should we do?"
Nathan sighed. "Let them go, Mr. Ortiz. Let them go." He sounded dejected. The whole crew watched helplessly as the launch disappeared out of sight, carrying their friend with it.
Back on Terra Guardi…
Reese looked at Jonathan and the others. Before he could say anything, Jonathan's PAL unit buzzed, and he answered, "Sir?"
"Jonathan, is everyone alright over there?"
"All things considered, I think everybody is fine. Sir…I…I'm sorry…about Dr…"
Nathan cut him off before he could finish, not wanting to hear her name, "Jonathan, you did what you had to do. There was nothing any of us could do to stop this. Now, please, invite Dr. Reese on board as a guest and make sure he brings any necessary research notes he has on whatever this thing is. We need to know what's going on in order to get her back and to make sure we stop this Diaz character once and for all."
"Yes, Sir." He shut off his PAL.
Reese looked at Jonathan knowingly. "I am sorry about your doctor. I will gather my notes and will come with you."
"It's alright, Dr. Reese. We will get her back…and we'll get your son back, too. And Diaz will be brought to justice. If there is one thing I know, it's that Captain Bridger will not allow this to continue."
"Thank you, Mr. Ford."
"Now, let's get your things and make it back to seaQuest."
Back on the seaQuest…
The launch arrived in the docking bay, and Nathan was right there to greet Dr. Reese and the rest of his crew.
"Dr. Reese, Captain Nathan Bridger. Welcome aboard the seaQuest."
"Thank you, Captain. I only wish I were here under more favorable circumstances."
"Well, there's a lot we need to catch up on. I trust you can explain your experiment to myself and one of our junior scientists who was involved with Dr. Westphalen in our own initial experiments with your little orb."
"Yes, of course, captain. Do you still have the orb?"
"Well, my understanding is that it is still in Dr. Westphalen's room. I can go get it and meet you on Sea Deck."
"Yes, that would be helpful. But whatever you do, do not handle the orb with your bare hands."
If only Kristin had that warning, Nathan thought worriedly.
"Of course. Mr. O'Neill, here, will show you to your cabin, and we will have your equipment and supplies delivered to the laboratory on Sea Deck. Please, if there is anything you need, just ask for Mr. Krieg, our supply and morale officer."
"I appreciate it. I will see you there, Captain."
Nathan proceeded to go to Kristin's room. He felt guilty going into crew quarters without their consent, but this was a crisis situation. Still, he felt uncomfortable and looked around for anyone walking by before he walked inside. It was just as he had left it the night before. He knew she was keeping the orb in her nightstand and immediately saw it sitting right next to the metal box near the bed. He used the velvet fabric to wrap and return the orb inside the box, careful not to touch it with his bare hands. As he walked back to the door, he noticed the room smelled of her; a smell he had gotten more and more accustomed and drawn to over the last few months.
He looked at a picture of her with Darwin and Lucas that she had on a shelf near the doorway and muttered to himself, "If anything happens to you, I'll never forgive myself." He stared at the photo for a few lingering seconds, then turned off the light and left to go find Dr. Reese.
Somewhere deep in a Colombian jungle…
Kristin's eyes fluttered as she slowly woke up and registered the sunlight creeping in the room. She quickly sat up as she vaguely remembered what happened. She looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. She was on a cloth-covered couch in a rather large, ornately decorated room with white marble flooring and high ceilings. There were two large balcony windows on the side, with curtains drawn open allowing plenty of sun and exhibiting views overlooking mountainous jungles. At the other end of the room was a large king-sized canopy bed. She saw Diaz sitting at the edge of the bed staring at her. He got up as he noticed her movements.
"Hello, Dr. Westphalen. I trust you slept well?"
"Where am I?" Kristin didn't want to waste any time.
"You are a guest at my humble home in Colombia."
"Why have you brought me here? What do you want?"
"Oh, I think you know very well that you seem to have something…special…about you that is supposed to be mine. It's a shame Dr. Reese was so quick to share it with you before he shared it with me."
"It was an accident. He had no idea I got hold of the serum. He hadn't tested it on humans before."
"I don't care about the details. All I know is, he is currently working on making more for me. And until then, you are going to help me."
"Help you? How and why would you expect me to do that?" She had her suspicions, considering this man was a wanted drug lord.
"Well, it's very simple. You go with my men and make several exchanges. Your immunities will come in handy. Besides, none of my competitors or clients would ever suspect a woman in these deals."
"And if I refuse?"
Diaz chuckled lightly. "Oh, my dear…I highly suggest you oblige. I know many influential people, Kristin. Do you want to be the one to tell Dr. Reese that his son, Jeremy, was brutally murdered because of you? Or how about your own family? Don't think for a second I haven't already looked into your daughter…Cynthia."
Kristin tried to hold back her obvious fear. "No…please…don't hurt them."
"I assure you they will remain unharmed…if you cooperate."
Kristin looked down at her hands, knowing she was defeated and nodded.
"Good. Now, I assume you must be hungry. This will be your room for the remainder of your stay. I couldn't have you ruining my bed with your blood-soaked clothing. I have taken the liberty of having my maids pick up a few things for you. There are toiletries in the bathroom. Please have a shower or a bath and change into something a little more suitable for this climate. I would like to show you around and introduce you to the men you will be working with." He walked towards the door. "Just so you know, we are in the deepest parts of the jungle. I have guards posted everywhere in my villa…even if you got past their gunshots due to your miraculous abilities, you'd be ripped apart by a panther or an alligator before you even made it to the nearest town. I doubt your healing powers can save you when you've been eaten. I suggest you stay here and don't try anything funny. If you need anything, ask for one of the maids. I'll come back to check on you in 45 minutes."
He smiled and closed the door behind him, leaving Kristin to process what just happened. Might as well make the most of it, she thought. She slowly walked towards the lavish bathroom. As she showered, she examined the area where she was shot…there was nothing but a small bruise that was quickly fading. After her shower, she dried her hair, leaving it loose, and walked towards the closet. There were some pretty scandalous outfits, but she managed to find a nice green sundress that was less revealing and she was grateful for some new undergarments and comfortable shoes. There was makeup in the drawers and she freshened up before heading back to the room to look around…not much to see. She walked back out to the balcony and stared out into the jungle, trying to make sense of the last 24 hours, hoping the SeaQuest would come take her away from here.