Newcomer

New chapter for you to hopefully enjoy, I'm trying to not get side-tracked from my original plot line that I envisioned for this story although I have already gone way off the plot but I have come up with a few ways of getting back on track anyway I hope you enjoy the chapter, as always I don't own Naughty Dogs masterpiece of Jak and Daxter but I do own my characters.

Ortz grabbed the pump from across the table and held it firmly in his hands, the pumps glass cylinder had an array of rings around it, the surgical stainless steel piston glimmered in the flame lit light and the rubber pipe felt robust in his hands.

Panacea was still checking over the boy, the surrounding patients were receiving treatment from a few of the people in the room who were able, they all had the similar wounds, boils filled with yellow puss, burning lungs which were short on breath and spasms of their limbs.

Panacea looked up at Ortz with a grim look on her face, "I've gotta open up his lungs, their filled with fluid," She tried frantically to keep the boy breathing, "Right I'll open his mouth and you insert the pipe into the boys oesophagus, got it?"

"Yeah I got you," Ortz replied nervously, he had completed a basic first aid in the guard but nothing like this, "I'm ready when you are."

"On three," Panacea nodded to Ortz, "One… Two….. Three!" As three came out of Panacea's mouth she tore open the boys mouth and Ortz inserted the pipe as deep as he could get it into the oesophagus of the child, "Right now pull the piston…. Slowly."

Panacea held the boys head still as Ortz slowly pulled on the piston raising it up from the base of the glass cylinder, as the air was pumped out it became more difficult for Ortz to pull the piston but eventually a yellow liquid rose from the pipe, it was as thick as jelly. The boy struggled as the liquid was removed from his lungs.

"Easy, you're okay now," Panacea told him softly as his body shuddered as the last of the liquid was removed, "I think that's all of it, pull the pipe out gently, I think that he's had enough punishment for today," She said as she kept the boy steady with one hand and grabbed an oxygen mask with the other, while Ortz pulled the pipe from the boy and just as it got clear Panacea placed the mask over the boy's face. They both looked in fear for a few seconds until they saw in the inside of the mask fog up, "He's breathing," She said in relief, "You did good, I think that dog you saved is around here somewhere."

Ortz looked around the room trying to find the dog, he spotted it huddled up in the corner of the room, "Yeah there he is," Ortz said as he pointed out the direction of the dog.

"Okay well I'm gonna go see if I can determine what was in that gas attack and also that dog is female," She replied with a smile.

"Oops," Ortz replied, as he made his way over to the huddle of hound, "Hey, how you doing?" Ortz asked as he held out his hand to the motionless huddle, which came to life as he got closer, the creature leapt up to greet him, "How you been girl?" He asked to it as she rubbed herself up against his legs, he continued talking to her as she moved around his legs but suddenly she became scared and withdrawn. Ortz turned to see what she was looking at when he was struck by the butt of an old rifle and knocked to the floor, he turned to face who had knocked him and swung his fist knocking the man far enough away so that he could get back to his feet, Ortz sprang for the man leaping through the air landing a blow on the man forcing him to the floor, he then stole the man's rifle and aimed it directly at his face but as he did he heard the click and clacks of several guns around him chamber a round, "Awww crap."

"Get down prisoner!" A man shouted from behind Ortz.

"Yeah and give over your gun!" A higher pitch sounding man said from his left.

Ortz tossed his gun aside and aid on the floor, "Torn might give us a good mission if we return his prisoner," The first man said his voice sounding a lot simpler this time.

"Yeah he will, now grab him!" The second man ordered to the first.

"What the hell do you two idiots think you're doing?" Torn asked, from just outside the room.

"We….. We…. We were bring you back your prisoner….sir!" The Second man told Torn as he walked into the room.

"You drop him!" Torn ordered to the first man as he walked up to the second, "Do you honestly think that I didn't know where this man had gone to? He's done more work for us in the last hour than you two have done in the last few months."

The man dropped Ortz and they backed off towards the dog, Ortz clambered back to his feet and brushed himself down, the men moved closer to the dog that was now in a ball, curled up with fear. The smaller second man raised his foot like he was going to stamp on the dog, Ortz grabbed Torns gun from the holster on his leg and aimed the laser into the man's eyes.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ortz told the man.

"Get out!" Torn exclaimed to the two men, causing them to run out of the room. He then turned to Ortz who was still clutching onto his pistol, Torn quickly swiped the pistol from his hand and holstered it. "So what do I do with you now?"

"I dunno you must have some idea or I wouldn't be standing here," Ortz replied nervously.

"Damn right," Torn replied aggressively, "I keep you around as long as you remain useful, so what do you know of the KG's plans for attacking the slums?" He demanded from Ortz pinning him to the wall.

"I don't know I'm just a private, I don't have access to that kind of information," Ortz hurried out in an almost incoherent fashion.

"Chill out," Torn told him, as he dropped him down, "I'm not gonna throw you back to the guard just yet you may still have some use."

As Torn told told him that Panacea came running over to Torn, "I just ran a few quick tests on the puss we've been extracting from these patients."

"And?" Torn asked intrigued.

"Well they all show signs of Ricin and some form of mustard poisoning," Panacea continued, "However there is some bad news."

"And what's that?" Torn asked sounding more disheartened now.

"They are all under the influence of some kind of nerve agent," She told him demoralised, "We don't know what it is we've never come up against this stuff."

"Shit!" Torn exclaimed as he looked around the room frantically, "Can't you give them the antidote for another serum and hope it works?"

"No!" Panacea shouted back looking like Torn had just killed someone, "If we administer the wrong antidote that will act like a poison to them it will kill them."

"I have an idea," Ortz butted into the conversation.

Torn looked at him with disgust, he then opened his mouth, "And what could you know about this?"

"When we left our garrison in the palace, I was given a small ampule which I was to use when commanded, it was apparently a countermeasure to a new weapon the guard were trying to flush out the underground," Ortz answered.

"Where is it?" Panacea asked in excitement.

"It's in here….." Ortz said as he reached up to his chest but as he patted in he realised he didn't have his body armour on, "Where's my armour?" He demanded to Torn.

"Come with me," Torn told him as he took off running into the armoury in the lower levels of the building, "It should be on the table in here."

Ortz burst into the room and pulled his scorched armour from the table and placed his chest protector and shoulder guards on, he already had his crimson red trousers on, although they were showing the signs of the battle and what had happened to him.

"Is it in there?" Torn asked concerned.

Ortz ripped open the chest compartment pulling out several magazines of ammunition for his pistol and a few scraps of paper with writing etched on them, finally after digging through it he pulled out a small black unassuming box, he tore it open and inside was a gleaming plastic and metal ampule filled with a colourless liquid.

"Yeah I got it," he replied, as the two of them took off back down the hall towards the medical room.

"Did you get it?" Panacea asked in anticipation.

Ortz showed her the small ampule, a grin grew across her face. "But this isn't going to treat everyone," Ortz informed her dampening her hope but it was a starting point, "I have an idea though." Ortz went on to explain, "Panacea do you have a sample vial I can put some of this in?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'll go grab it," Panacea said as she rushed over to the cabinet in the corner, she pulled open a draw with a lot of vigour, you could hear the shaking of the glass as the draw shuddered to a halt, Panacea reached in a pulled out a small glass stopped tube and handed it to Ortz. "So what's the plan?" She went on to ask.

"That boy I came in with, he doesn't require the whole dose so I figured I give him enough but then I transfer the remainder to this tube so you can analyse it and find out how to make it," Ortz explained but as he did the look on Panacea's face dropped.

"You can't use this kid as a means for testing whether this is the right antidote!" She exclaimed at him.

"I'm ninety eight per cent sure it is the right one," Ortz tried to rectify his choice of plan.

"You can't be sure we don't know if this will kill him," Panacea told him.

Ortz ignored her as he made his way over to the boy and his family, with the ampule and the tube, "Excuse me ma'am," He said softly to get the mother's attention, "I think I have a way to save your son's life." He continued.

"Yes, what is it?" His mother got out through her sobs.

"It's this, now this could save your son but it's untested which means it could also kill him," Ortz explained to the woman as she looked deep into his eyes, "he will die if he doesn't receive treatment soon."

"You're asking me to decide my son's fate?" The woman asked in tears.

"Yes ma'am, I'm sorry," Ortz replied in shame.

She looked deeply at him, "You are a good man she told him, I can see it in your eyes, please help him, give him the shot if it doesn't work atleast he will not be in pain."

Ortz got down next to the boy and grabbed his wrist, checking his pulse he rotated the boys wrist, he slapped his wrist to try and get his veins to appear, "his pulse is very weak," Ortz told his mother, but as the veins on his wrist became visible Ortz carefully jabbed the needle into the boy's arm, carefully squeezing half of the ampule into the boy's arm, he then removed the needle and syringed the rest of the liquid into the sample vial. He then checked the boy's pulse and couldn't feel anything, Ortz lowered his head in shame that he had just killed a child. But suddenly the boy lurched up and coughed, Ortz jumped back with surprise, but quickly regained himself and checked his pulse.

"He's got a pulse, he's there!" Ortz exclaimed as Panacea came over and swiped the vial from Ortz.

"You continue to amaze me newcomer," Panacea told him as she scampered off with the tube, and once again the mother burst into tears.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter it was fun writing it I will try and update ASAP but for now please review and tell me how I can improve the story .