Neko-laus 3: A tale of two kings

Chapter 15: Medical

I’d forgotten the cardinal rule in the RIPpers and Grim was pretty damn quick to rectify that.  What the Grim Reaper wanted.  The Grim Reaper got.  There was a sharp bang on the door and Grim pushed it open to allow a team of men in carrying a stretcher.  Before I had a chance to say, what, I was dragged onto it.

“You attempt to get out of it, you get strapped down and I know how much you like being strapped down.  Arthur, can you stand up?”

Mags staggered sideways and slammed into the wall.  Grim was there to catch him before he landed on the floor.  “Get another stretcher.  Take that one to the front.  Make sure he can see.”

“But…”

“Little Nicky, I said meeting at 8:30.  It’s past 8:30.  There will be a penalty assessed.”

“Penalty?”  The litter bearers began moving out.  “Wait, what do you mean?”

“Lay down, or I’ll tie you down.  Last warning.” 

I threw myself back down into the stretcher.  Well I would have if my elbows and shoulders collapsed under my weight.  I lay flat on my back and looked up at the lights as they passed by overhead.  Plastering a hand over my eyes to keep the strobe effect to a minimum I missed the grand entrance to the meeting hall but I heard it.  What they lacked in Mags’s musicality, they made up in volume.

“The cat came back—thought he were a goner,

But the cat came back for it wouldn't stay away.”

Oh, the RIPpers were going to run with the little Neko comments.  There was a warmth in their joking that I sort of missed when I was a battery for the Empire. I gave everybody the finger as I was carried up on the stretcher then was hung between two stationary horses.  I would have liked to say I was ready and raring to go but giving everyone the bird was about as good as it was going to get.

The goofing off ceased suddenly.  I took it to mean that that Bossman was in the room.  I heard an oof and the stretcher shook slightly as Grim dumped Mags in a chair close to my head.

“Now that the gang’s all here.  Listen up and listen good.  This is top secret.  Nothing leaves this room.  If anyone one of you hear this being discussed outside of this meeting, you will beat the crap out of them.  We have one shot at this people.  One shot.  We will never have this opportunity again.  Doc, the floor is yours.”

I cringed as the Doctor walked passed me in his white lab coat.  I hated this conditioned response.  If it was truly mine, I could probably live with it but since it wasn’t.  I wanted it out of my head – just like the chip.

“As you know the Empire considers this planet part of their colonies.  As such, basic medical facilities were installed while necessary infrastructures were built.  As each area was developed the medic pod was retrieved to be shipped off to another danger zone.  There is one medic pod left on this planet.  It has been designated obsolete and when it is disconnected from the common grid, it will be sent to reclamation then junked.  These are military grade field hospitals.  They are still superior than civilian hospitals but each pod is given a life of twenty-five years.  I have brought this information to Mr. Reaper months ago, but at the time he regretfully declined my request for assistance.”

“Assistance?”  Someone called out.

Grim didn’t have to raise his voice to get everyone’s attention. “Doc wants the RIPpers to steal this medical pod and hide it in the Shambles, which basically means we would have a hospital out here.  It also means that the Empire soldiers are going to coming out here.  They might have designated that facility as garbage but it’s still Empire property and we all have seen what happens when the Empire comes out to the Shambles.”

There were murmurs and rumblings from the group around us.  “The Skulls were our baby brothers.  They were strong fighters and a power to be reckoned with.  The Blackshirts didn’t even leave us bodies to bury.  Of course I told the Doc no.”

Mags was another one who didn’t need to raise his tone. “What changed your mind, Pepper?”

“Nicky.”

“No.”  Mags’s voice was little more than a whisper.

“King Tiger is dead.  They gave you a very spectacular military funeral even though no bodies were recovered from the crash site.  Your handiwork, Nicky?”

I waved my hand at Mags. “I had direction.”

“There isn’t many you take direction from.”  There was laughter in Grim’s voice.

I gave Grim a snarky smile as Mags reached out and began playing with my hair.

“The medical pod we’re looking at is a standard field hospital.  It’s smaller than the ship you brought down.”

Wendy’s voice sounded from the back.  “Yeah, Neko can burn out circuits but that would make the facility useless.”

“You’re better than that now, aren’t you?”

I gave him a thumbs up.

“We can do this now because we have Nicky and Arthur, of course adding Grant to the mix only heightens our chances.  We have the location almost completed.  We’ll have to get power to that site later.  The Shambles is getting larger.  People are coming from the other side of the gate as well as from the surrounding area.  If there wasn’t a sudden movement of Citizen chips finding a charitable heart and opening up a soup kitchen so at least the kids and moms are getting enough to eat.  We need to get that facility.”

The Doctor cleared his throat. “The facility has been decommissioned.  It has already been taken off of active duty.  However, there are fail safes hidden throughout the facility to prevent what you are planning.”

Grant moved closer. “There are more than fail safes, there are explosives as well.  The medic pod is a prize on the battlefield.  I’ve seen one go up when insurgents over ran the command post.  It left a crater that would have swallowed three of these Shamble blocks.”

“Which is why I said no.  We don’t have the means to do this without Nicky.”

“When is it scheduled to be picked up?”  Grant asked.

“Two days.”

“Nicky is good but he’s been down for more weeks than awake.  I’ve seen him work as a Latent.  He’s scary good but he can’t do it the way he is.”

I would have protested but damn, you can’t when he’s right.

“Not with only two days rest.”

King Nicholas…  That low seductive voice whispered in my ear.  I jumped in surprise.

“Nicky?”  Mags looked down at my face with a concerned look on his face.

Call on us, King Nicholas.  We only wish to serve the Latent King.

Who are you?  Where are you?  Why are you speaking to me?  I’m no where near the throne room.

There are many gates that we can enter.  We have longed to serve the throne of Sangrilla for years.  We have missed your touch, call for us no matter where you are and we will find a way to get to you.

What are you?

We are eternal.  We are life.  We are light.  We are power.  We are a gentle warmth.  We are wildfire.  We are total devastation.  We are rebirth. We are yours…

“Nicky?”

“Nicky!”

“What?”

The whole room had been emptied out.  Grim was kneeling at my side with his hands on my knees.  I was plastered against Mags and A had her hand on my forehead.  I blinked my eyes into focus.  What the hell happened? 

“What the hell happened?”  Grim shook my knees apart and then leaned in pressing his ear up against my chest.

“Get off.”  I reached down and pushed at Grim’s gray ponytailed head with all the strength of a wet dishcloth.  “Damn it.”

The analytical tone of the Doc didn’t make me feel any better.  A bright pinpoint of light was flashed in my eyes which now left me blinking from the after burn.  “It was a slight seizure.  I suspected something like this might happen considering how much damage was left by the leaking chip.”

A cold disk was pressed against my bicep.  Mags pulled me tight turning my head away.

“Wait…what are you…”

The Doc gave me an injection.  “Sonofabit…”  There was an intense icy burn from the injection site that ripped up and down arm but sweet darkness took me over before it exploded in my skull.

There was a whispering around me.  My name was used in vain over and over again.  The scent of medicinal herbs filled my nostrils, I knew this smell because growing up in the Wild it was almost a daily event to get bruised, scratched and scraped. My arm was raised and warm water washed my skin. 

“Mags?”

“Shush, husband.  The city healer had to sneak up on him and give him something to make him sleep.  He truly loves you to be so distraught just because you are still.  I think he woke up not too long ago.  Grant and he have gone out with your father to look at this pod thing.”

“A…”

I opened my eyes as she kissed my forehead.  “It is good to see your beautiful topaz eyes, my King.”

“I didn’t have a seizure.”  I tried to sit up.  A ended up pulling me upright by my arm then settled herself behind me to keep me propped up.  Whatever the hell the Doc had shot me full of was strong.  I was trying to think through a fog of confusion.  It felt as if I had gone on a three day bender.

“A, what does the North say about Shangrilla?”

There was the sound of water wringing from a cloth followed by it gently sweeping my naked chest.  “Is it that bad?”

“The former king was not someone to cross, or to even be perceived as crossing.  His justice was quick and harsh if he thought that there was betrayal well quick and harsh was something to be wished for.  Your mother, Lady Witch was a frightening thing to see on the battlefield, or so I have been told.  I would be far too young to have witnessed anything first hand.  Now, when your grandfather ruled. King Kolya could be scary as well when he had to be but he is remember for holding the most fabulous balls that all kingdoms would come and attend.  I have heard my Grammy talk about the rivers of light he would have dance in the Hall and…

“River of light.  Someone else saw it?”

“Husband!”  I glanced down and saw my grip tight around her wrist. 

“Sorry.”

A flexed her hand.  I could already see my red handprint on it. “You saw this river of light?”

Running my hand over my face, I paused for a moment then nodded.

“Here?  In this place?”

“I called it here.  I think.  It was talking to me when everyone thinks I was having a seizure.”

“Light spoke to you?”  Each word was pronounced slowly.

“I know it sounds strange but it was talking to me during the coronation too.”

“Husband…were you talking to the light before that metal in your head began to leak?”  I could see the doubt in her face but she was still by my side, concerned for me.

The denial dried up on my lips.  I could see the lines of light and power but nothing had called out to me when I was burning out ships quarters or confinement cells.  After the crash…well no it wasn’t the crash, I didn’t zap myself until after we were at the point of no return.

A’s hand cupped the side of my face.  “There is a reason why the North is known as burra breeders and other stock.  We have few witches.  If a child is seen to have that ability they are sent to Shangrilla for training.  Most do not return to the North.  As for Latents…I think they are scarce everywhere.”

“I heard them.  They helped me with Mags a little while ago.”

“I wish I could say bring all your burdens to me and let me help you bear them but in matters of magical means, I can only offer you a drink and bathe your brow.”

“I’m, sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, my Liege. My father is busting his buttons because you choose me as second wife.  If you only accepted the burra, I would have stayed on as their groom and trainer.”

“I’m…”

A laid her hand across my mouth.  “Because you made me second wife, and First Wife gave me his blessing, I have my love now -- my concubinus.   I love his colors.”

Colors?  What did she…ooooh.  She liked the blonds too.  “So we’re both suckers for big blonds.”

I got that smile from her again that transformed her plain sturdy face into something stunning.  She tucked fiery strains of hair behind her ear.   “Grant has said that you call him Wendie.”  There was a slight hint of reproach in her tone.  I knew he didn’t like it but damn, he came to try and seduce me when the Empire had Mags out on his final walk about.

“I’m done calling him that.”

“Thank you.  You should get some rest, husband.  I know that Lord Reaper wants that pod very badly.”

A medical facility out in the Shambles?  If the Old Man could make it work, then all the better.  Laying back down I just smiled as A hummed an old tune my mother would use when she was bandaging me up from whatever scrape I had gotten into during the day.  Natural sleep would do wonders for me.  I never got to the second verse.