Moving Forward Series - Part 04 - Chapter 17 - Run!
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Matron Catts ask not excessively concerned. "What have you done?"
"Eliminated a problem for us. Now call your supervisor we are going to have a little chat."
"Sister Jatt is busy," she states stiffly.
"I am sure she won't be to busy to ensure my silence now go get her!" I can feel her satisfaction as the nurse pauses then hurries off and I despair as I see my Theta crumpled at her feet.
"Now, let’s give them something to think about!” she says as she rips a cable out and alarms go off. I can feel her satisfied smile twist our lips before she turns to Chip. "Help me shift this lump," she says, toeing Theta with our trainer. Almost as an after thought, she says, "but keep the jacket, I think I might like you in leather, my sweet Chip." The images that follow of what she is thinking to do with him in my Theta's Jacket makes me want to heave.
Jumping to follow her direction, he simpers, "Yes mistress."
In terror I realize what she intends to do to Theta. I scream and rage but nothing I say has any effect on her deliberately vengeful actions as she helps Chip strip him of his protecting leather and assists in confining Theta in one of the empty capsules.
A moment later, he wakes up and finds himself trapped.
"Cassandra, let me out!" In his words, I hear his terror because I know him, though I know all Cassandra hears is his cold intimidating fury, which causes her to shiver.
As she peers through the closed door, she taunts him. "Aren't you lucky there was a spare? Standing room only. Over the years I've thought of thousands of ways to kill you, Doctor, and now that's exactly what I've got, thousands of diseases. They pump the ‘patients’ with a top-up every ten minutes. You've got about... three minutes left, enjoy.”
My hearts break as he doesn't beg for his own life but instead pleads for mine. "Just let Rose go Cassandra."
"I will! As soon as I've found someone younger and... less common... then I'll junk her with the waste. Now hushaby! It's show time." Even as she says the words I know we won't last that long and continue to rage impotently, knowing if I lose him I lose everything that makes life worth living. I throw everything I have at trying to regain control in time to free him, only peripherally aware as she blackmails the returned Matron Casp and Sister Jatt.
It is only when her negotiations break down that I begin to truly hope again and I watch to see what she will do now that she is faced with the Cat Nuns’ dagger-like claws.
Her words actually surprise me, "Well, nice try. Chip? Plan B!"
I watch in morbid fascination as Chip pulls a lever and every cell door on the row springs open and I mentally cheer, as Theta wastes no time escaping his prison and running up grabs for us yelling. "What've you done?"
"Gave the system a shot of adrenaline, just to wake 'em up, see ya!"
Turning he shouts to the nurses. "Don't touch them! Whatever you do, don't touch!" before turning to pursue us.
***********************
The infected people walk zombie-like up to Sister Jatt and Matron Casp. "We understood what you did to us. As part of the machine, we know the machine."
With that, the infected man plunges his hands into the electrics, electrocuting himself, but causing every single cell door in Intensive Care to explode open.
***********************
I hear Rose’s scream and see why as the entire set of doors swing open. Grabbing her hand, I run. If it were not for Cassandra possessing my Rose's body I would be tempted to leave her to the infected to deal with, it would be fitting for her to suffer what she had just a few minutes ago planned for me and what she is continuing to do to my Wolf. I will do nothing, though, that will jeopardize her any further than Cassandra has already done.
As I hear a high-pitched feline scream, I know that at least one of the two nurses didn't heed my warning.
As the full scope of what is happening dawns on her, I hear Cassandra say, "Oh, my God..."
"What the hell have you done?” I shout, understanding even more the danger we are in as I see what has happened to the nurse at a simple touch.
"It wasn't me!" she screams and the unadulterated fear in her voice makes it clear she believes that to be true.
My hearts clench in terror at how helpless Rose is and I reiterate to Cassandra, "One touch and you get every disease in the world, and I want that body safe, Cassandra! We've gotta go down! Now!" giving her no option in the matter. Rose and Verity sacrificed far too much for Cassandra to be allowed to destroy them. My fear only increases as I see the zombie-like advance of the infected and there are thousands of them!
As we reach the stairs I refuse to relinquish her hand and I urge her ever downward, "RUN! Down! Down! Go down!"
Moments later the PA system begins to announce, "This building is under quarantine. No one may leave the premises." At least, if we all die in here, it hopefully won't spread to the rest of the planet. That though would be a much more comforting, if we were not on the inside of the building.
As we run it sinks in exactly what the infected keep saying, 'help us, stay with us...' My hearts ache in grief, as I have no idea what we can do for them, but still they follow and we have no choice but to run for our lives.
As we finally reach a break away from the infected Cassandra jerks her hand from mine and runs for the nearby lift, trying desperately to get it to respond.
I step up behind her and force her to look at me. "No, the lifts have closed down. That's the quarantine, nothing's moving."
Her look is one of horror as it finally dawns on her that we are trapped.
I eventually get her to move as she begins to hear the infected banging on the closest door. Moving quickly down the hall, I spot a lighted room in this cellar like area and move in that direction slamming the door behind us, realizing seconds later what else is in the room with us, and what it means is happening to my precious Wolf.
Rose’s voice whining at me only makes me angrier with Cassandra. “We're trapped! What're we going to do?”
“Well, for starters, you're going to leave that body.” Now that I have seen what she has done, I have no intentions of letting her stay even a moment longer in Rose’s body. “Go back to your own body or I will make you.” I tell her and I gesture up at the psychograft with my sonic screwdriver. “That psychograft is banned on every civilized planet! You're compressing Rose to death.”
“But I've got nowhere to go. My original skin's dead.”
I have no pity and no patience left, “Not my problem. You can float as atoms in the air for all I care. Now, get out! Give her back to me!” When she doesn’t immediately respond, I point the sonic screwdriver at her threateningly.
“You asked for it,” is the last thing I hear before I suddenly have one of the worst headaches I have had in all my lives as Cassandra, as a cloud of light, leaps from Rose's body into mine.
I watch as Rose crumples to the ground and fear grips me until I hear, “Blimey, my head...” and she moves a bit to look around the room. “Where'd she go...? Doctor?”
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I suddenly am aware of exactly where she is as I hear from my Theta. “Oh, my. This is... different. Goodness me, I'm a man. Yum, so many parts! And hardly used...” and watch as she twists his body around in obscene ways that seem to convey a feminine presence even in his very masculine body, his actions are made all them more blatant by the lack of his leather jacket. “Ooh, he's lithe and oh so foxy. You've thought so too. I've been inside your head...”
Cold fury boils through me because it's true and I hate that Cassandra has had access to any of my feelings for him. I force my body off the floor and stagger toward him, “Get out of him!”
How does she do this? She makes it seem so easy! I have never tried to make Rose’s body function except for that time shortly after we had merged and she yelled at me to stop. But as I hear the infected beating on the door and know what she is now doing to my poor Theta I have no choice but to figure it out the hard way and almost immediately wind up losing my balance and falling forward off balance.
“What’s your problem blondie? I wasn’t in you that long?” She states balefully, looking down at me, and I want to scream. I force myself to calm down, ignoring her for a moment, and feel for any sense of Rose. I am able to find memories but no sense of her consciousness and feel tears of frustration and anger spring to my eyes and know I can do nothing to help them streaming down my face. But, that very anger and distress fuels my determination to get this to work because the sooner I can get us free the sooner we both can be out of this place. Concentrating, I focus on the memories of how to move and grab Cassandra’s arm hard, ensuring that there will be no escape for her. Even as I hear, the infected start to break through. I know the only way we will survive is if Cassandra moves back into my body; I hate the idea with a passion but I am unwilling to give up. “Cassandra, you have to get out of him! Do it now, or we both die right here, you understand me? I can’t walk and I will not let you destroy him. You get us out of here alive and he might just help you live in spite of everything you have done.”
As the infected people suddenly burst through the doors, making us both jump, I feel her jump from his body back into mine and struggle to keep conscious, knowing now that this is our only choice if we are going to have any chance of making it out of here.
*************************
Cassandra will pay for this - I don’t know what she has done to Rose and Verity but it is obvious that she isn’t properly in control of her body. As I feel her desperation and see her tears I know there will be nothing to stop me from destroying Cassandra when this is all over. As Rose grabs my arm and I hear her words I know that what ever has happened to her is drastic if she is insisting Cassandra will have to take control of her body to get us out of here.
The minute Cassandra releases me and returns to Rose’s body I grab her hand and run for the ladder I see nearby, pushing her up in front of me. Finally, we are able to get back up stairs to Ward 26 and as we move, I try to figure out exactly what may have happened. I do know that I’m sufficiently angry that speaking with Cassandra would be a mistake. The only escape for any of us now is to figure out the problem of how to cure the infected.
As we reach Ward 26, Frau Clovis brandishes a chair at us menacingly, roaring like a wild animal and I step in front of Rose to ensure that at least her body is protected in the meantime. Shouting, I slide my jumper up to expose my arms, “We're safe! We're safe! We're safe. We're clean! We're clean!” I twist my arm and hands so they can see clearly we’re infection free. “Look, look! Clean! Look, if we'd been touched, we'd be dead.”
I give a small sigh of relief, as my words finally get through and Frau Clovis nods and puts the chair down.
“So, how's it going up here? What's the status?” I demand having little patience but also knowing I need all the information I can get to resolve this as quickly as possible.
As I ask I see the terror clearly etched on her face, “There's nothing but silence from the other wards. I think we're the only ones left. I've been trying to override the quarantine,” she states as she fiddles with a small device she is holding. “If I can trip a signal over to New New York, they can send a private executive squad.”
Horrified at the thought of what she is attempting and what it will mean for the rest of the planet I shout at her, “You can't do that. If they forced entry, they'd break quarantine.”
“I am not dying in here.”
“No, I am not saying that, but we can't let a single particle of disease get out, there are ten million people in that city, they'd all be at risk! Now, turn that off!”
“Not if it gets me out.”
With that I’ve had it with these selfish humans, and I snatch the device from her hand and smash it beneath my boot. “I do not intend to let anyone else die here. Now you listen to me you lot, get me intravenous solutions for every single disease and I will get us out of this,” I shout as a solution leaps to my mind. As they continue to stand there, staring at me, I bark out, “Move!”
With that everyone jumps and begins gathering the solutions, including Cassandra in Rose’s body, and I note with a small bit of relief that Chip is one of those that has made it to this ward. I may loath Cassandra for what she has done but it is obvious that Chip has been but a pawn in all of this. As if to underscore that thought, moments later he wordlessly hands me back my jacket before quickly scurrying off to continue collecting IV bags.
I know time is running out in more ways than one as whatever has caused Rose to make the desperate offer she made down in the basement area I am sure is related to what Cassandra is doing to my ladies. I follow Nurse Hame as she moves to get the last of the IV Packets from a secured storage room which is fortunately just off of this ward. I take her aside, “I need your help.” With that I explain to her what I need as we collect the last of the IV packets of the diseases, accounting for all of the disease that they have been treating. For this to work, all of the cures will have to be used.
As I tie the solutions on to my body, I work out the final steps of my plan.
When I finally get them attached, I turn to Nurse Hame and nod. Cassandra is then grabbed by two the patients of the ward.
“What!”
At her surprised cry I turn to her, “Cassandra you get out of Rose NOW! I am doing nothing until you do, and these people have agreed to help ensure that you stay out of her.”
Looking between her captors and back to she whines. “But where am I to go?”
“At this point I don’t care, but if you want to live you are going to move now!”
At this point Chip pipes up, “Chip loves mistress.” Staring at me in fury, she jumps for Chip. Rose collapses, as two of the other patients grab Chip.
I move like lightning to Rose’s side, gently taking her from the grasp of the two that had been holding her. Looking up briefly to thank them, I watch as Rose’s eyes flicker open. “Wolf?” I ask quietly enough that no one else will hear.
“Verity,” is her equally quiet reply and I clamp my eyes shut as I feel a surge of anguish, only to snap them open a moment later as she touches my face.
Chapter 18 - Restoration
Moving Forward Story Index 1
Matron Catts ask not excessively concerned. "What have you done?"
"Eliminated a problem for us. Now call your supervisor we are going to have a little chat."
"Sister Jatt is busy," she states stiffly.
"I am sure she won't be to busy to ensure my silence now go get her!" I can feel her satisfaction as the nurse pauses then hurries off and I despair as I see my Theta crumpled at her feet.
"Now, let’s give them something to think about!” she says as she rips a cable out and alarms go off. I can feel her satisfied smile twist our lips before she turns to Chip. "Help me shift this lump," she says, toeing Theta with our trainer. Almost as an after thought, she says, "but keep the jacket, I think I might like you in leather, my sweet Chip." The images that follow of what she is thinking to do with him in my Theta's Jacket makes me want to heave.
Jumping to follow her direction, he simpers, "Yes mistress."
In terror I realize what she intends to do to Theta. I scream and rage but nothing I say has any effect on her deliberately vengeful actions as she helps Chip strip him of his protecting leather and assists in confining Theta in one of the empty capsules.
A moment later, he wakes up and finds himself trapped.
"Cassandra, let me out!" In his words, I hear his terror because I know him, though I know all Cassandra hears is his cold intimidating fury, which causes her to shiver.
As she peers through the closed door, she taunts him. "Aren't you lucky there was a spare? Standing room only. Over the years I've thought of thousands of ways to kill you, Doctor, and now that's exactly what I've got, thousands of diseases. They pump the ‘patients’ with a top-up every ten minutes. You've got about... three minutes left, enjoy.”
My hearts break as he doesn't beg for his own life but instead pleads for mine. "Just let Rose go Cassandra."
"I will! As soon as I've found someone younger and... less common... then I'll junk her with the waste. Now hushaby! It's show time." Even as she says the words I know we won't last that long and continue to rage impotently, knowing if I lose him I lose everything that makes life worth living. I throw everything I have at trying to regain control in time to free him, only peripherally aware as she blackmails the returned Matron Casp and Sister Jatt.
It is only when her negotiations break down that I begin to truly hope again and I watch to see what she will do now that she is faced with the Cat Nuns’ dagger-like claws.
Her words actually surprise me, "Well, nice try. Chip? Plan B!"
I watch in morbid fascination as Chip pulls a lever and every cell door on the row springs open and I mentally cheer, as Theta wastes no time escaping his prison and running up grabs for us yelling. "What've you done?"
"Gave the system a shot of adrenaline, just to wake 'em up, see ya!"
Turning he shouts to the nurses. "Don't touch them! Whatever you do, don't touch!" before turning to pursue us.
***********************
The infected people walk zombie-like up to Sister Jatt and Matron Casp. "We understood what you did to us. As part of the machine, we know the machine."
With that, the infected man plunges his hands into the electrics, electrocuting himself, but causing every single cell door in Intensive Care to explode open.
***********************
I hear Rose’s scream and see why as the entire set of doors swing open. Grabbing her hand, I run. If it were not for Cassandra possessing my Rose's body I would be tempted to leave her to the infected to deal with, it would be fitting for her to suffer what she had just a few minutes ago planned for me and what she is continuing to do to my Wolf. I will do nothing, though, that will jeopardize her any further than Cassandra has already done.
As I hear a high-pitched feline scream, I know that at least one of the two nurses didn't heed my warning.
As the full scope of what is happening dawns on her, I hear Cassandra say, "Oh, my God..."
"What the hell have you done?” I shout, understanding even more the danger we are in as I see what has happened to the nurse at a simple touch.
"It wasn't me!" she screams and the unadulterated fear in her voice makes it clear she believes that to be true.
My hearts clench in terror at how helpless Rose is and I reiterate to Cassandra, "One touch and you get every disease in the world, and I want that body safe, Cassandra! We've gotta go down! Now!" giving her no option in the matter. Rose and Verity sacrificed far too much for Cassandra to be allowed to destroy them. My fear only increases as I see the zombie-like advance of the infected and there are thousands of them!
As we reach the stairs I refuse to relinquish her hand and I urge her ever downward, "RUN! Down! Down! Go down!"
Moments later the PA system begins to announce, "This building is under quarantine. No one may leave the premises." At least, if we all die in here, it hopefully won't spread to the rest of the planet. That though would be a much more comforting, if we were not on the inside of the building.
As we run it sinks in exactly what the infected keep saying, 'help us, stay with us...' My hearts ache in grief, as I have no idea what we can do for them, but still they follow and we have no choice but to run for our lives.
As we finally reach a break away from the infected Cassandra jerks her hand from mine and runs for the nearby lift, trying desperately to get it to respond.
I step up behind her and force her to look at me. "No, the lifts have closed down. That's the quarantine, nothing's moving."
Her look is one of horror as it finally dawns on her that we are trapped.
I eventually get her to move as she begins to hear the infected banging on the closest door. Moving quickly down the hall, I spot a lighted room in this cellar like area and move in that direction slamming the door behind us, realizing seconds later what else is in the room with us, and what it means is happening to my precious Wolf.
Rose’s voice whining at me only makes me angrier with Cassandra. “We're trapped! What're we going to do?”
“Well, for starters, you're going to leave that body.” Now that I have seen what she has done, I have no intentions of letting her stay even a moment longer in Rose’s body. “Go back to your own body or I will make you.” I tell her and I gesture up at the psychograft with my sonic screwdriver. “That psychograft is banned on every civilized planet! You're compressing Rose to death.”
“But I've got nowhere to go. My original skin's dead.”
I have no pity and no patience left, “Not my problem. You can float as atoms in the air for all I care. Now, get out! Give her back to me!” When she doesn’t immediately respond, I point the sonic screwdriver at her threateningly.
“You asked for it,” is the last thing I hear before I suddenly have one of the worst headaches I have had in all my lives as Cassandra, as a cloud of light, leaps from Rose's body into mine.
I watch as Rose crumples to the ground and fear grips me until I hear, “Blimey, my head...” and she moves a bit to look around the room. “Where'd she go...? Doctor?”
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I suddenly am aware of exactly where she is as I hear from my Theta. “Oh, my. This is... different. Goodness me, I'm a man. Yum, so many parts! And hardly used...” and watch as she twists his body around in obscene ways that seem to convey a feminine presence even in his very masculine body, his actions are made all them more blatant by the lack of his leather jacket. “Ooh, he's lithe and oh so foxy. You've thought so too. I've been inside your head...”
Cold fury boils through me because it's true and I hate that Cassandra has had access to any of my feelings for him. I force my body off the floor and stagger toward him, “Get out of him!”
How does she do this? She makes it seem so easy! I have never tried to make Rose’s body function except for that time shortly after we had merged and she yelled at me to stop. But as I hear the infected beating on the door and know what she is now doing to my poor Theta I have no choice but to figure it out the hard way and almost immediately wind up losing my balance and falling forward off balance.
“What’s your problem blondie? I wasn’t in you that long?” She states balefully, looking down at me, and I want to scream. I force myself to calm down, ignoring her for a moment, and feel for any sense of Rose. I am able to find memories but no sense of her consciousness and feel tears of frustration and anger spring to my eyes and know I can do nothing to help them streaming down my face. But, that very anger and distress fuels my determination to get this to work because the sooner I can get us free the sooner we both can be out of this place. Concentrating, I focus on the memories of how to move and grab Cassandra’s arm hard, ensuring that there will be no escape for her. Even as I hear, the infected start to break through. I know the only way we will survive is if Cassandra moves back into my body; I hate the idea with a passion but I am unwilling to give up. “Cassandra, you have to get out of him! Do it now, or we both die right here, you understand me? I can’t walk and I will not let you destroy him. You get us out of here alive and he might just help you live in spite of everything you have done.”
As the infected people suddenly burst through the doors, making us both jump, I feel her jump from his body back into mine and struggle to keep conscious, knowing now that this is our only choice if we are going to have any chance of making it out of here.
*************************
Cassandra will pay for this - I don’t know what she has done to Rose and Verity but it is obvious that she isn’t properly in control of her body. As I feel her desperation and see her tears I know there will be nothing to stop me from destroying Cassandra when this is all over. As Rose grabs my arm and I hear her words I know that what ever has happened to her is drastic if she is insisting Cassandra will have to take control of her body to get us out of here.
The minute Cassandra releases me and returns to Rose’s body I grab her hand and run for the ladder I see nearby, pushing her up in front of me. Finally, we are able to get back up stairs to Ward 26 and as we move, I try to figure out exactly what may have happened. I do know that I’m sufficiently angry that speaking with Cassandra would be a mistake. The only escape for any of us now is to figure out the problem of how to cure the infected.
As we reach Ward 26, Frau Clovis brandishes a chair at us menacingly, roaring like a wild animal and I step in front of Rose to ensure that at least her body is protected in the meantime. Shouting, I slide my jumper up to expose my arms, “We're safe! We're safe! We're safe. We're clean! We're clean!” I twist my arm and hands so they can see clearly we’re infection free. “Look, look! Clean! Look, if we'd been touched, we'd be dead.”
I give a small sigh of relief, as my words finally get through and Frau Clovis nods and puts the chair down.
“So, how's it going up here? What's the status?” I demand having little patience but also knowing I need all the information I can get to resolve this as quickly as possible.
As I ask I see the terror clearly etched on her face, “There's nothing but silence from the other wards. I think we're the only ones left. I've been trying to override the quarantine,” she states as she fiddles with a small device she is holding. “If I can trip a signal over to New New York, they can send a private executive squad.”
Horrified at the thought of what she is attempting and what it will mean for the rest of the planet I shout at her, “You can't do that. If they forced entry, they'd break quarantine.”
“I am not dying in here.”
“No, I am not saying that, but we can't let a single particle of disease get out, there are ten million people in that city, they'd all be at risk! Now, turn that off!”
“Not if it gets me out.”
With that I’ve had it with these selfish humans, and I snatch the device from her hand and smash it beneath my boot. “I do not intend to let anyone else die here. Now you listen to me you lot, get me intravenous solutions for every single disease and I will get us out of this,” I shout as a solution leaps to my mind. As they continue to stand there, staring at me, I bark out, “Move!”
With that everyone jumps and begins gathering the solutions, including Cassandra in Rose’s body, and I note with a small bit of relief that Chip is one of those that has made it to this ward. I may loath Cassandra for what she has done but it is obvious that Chip has been but a pawn in all of this. As if to underscore that thought, moments later he wordlessly hands me back my jacket before quickly scurrying off to continue collecting IV bags.
I know time is running out in more ways than one as whatever has caused Rose to make the desperate offer she made down in the basement area I am sure is related to what Cassandra is doing to my ladies. I follow Nurse Hame as she moves to get the last of the IV Packets from a secured storage room which is fortunately just off of this ward. I take her aside, “I need your help.” With that I explain to her what I need as we collect the last of the IV packets of the diseases, accounting for all of the disease that they have been treating. For this to work, all of the cures will have to be used.
As I tie the solutions on to my body, I work out the final steps of my plan.
When I finally get them attached, I turn to Nurse Hame and nod. Cassandra is then grabbed by two the patients of the ward.
“What!”
At her surprised cry I turn to her, “Cassandra you get out of Rose NOW! I am doing nothing until you do, and these people have agreed to help ensure that you stay out of her.”
Looking between her captors and back to she whines. “But where am I to go?”
“At this point I don’t care, but if you want to live you are going to move now!”
At this point Chip pipes up, “Chip loves mistress.” Staring at me in fury, she jumps for Chip. Rose collapses, as two of the other patients grab Chip.
I move like lightning to Rose’s side, gently taking her from the grasp of the two that had been holding her. Looking up briefly to thank them, I watch as Rose’s eyes flicker open. “Wolf?” I ask quietly enough that no one else will hear.
“Verity,” is her equally quiet reply and I clamp my eyes shut as I feel a surge of anguish, only to snap them open a moment later as she touches my face.
Chapter 18 - Restoration
Moving Forward Story Index 1