Attack Doll 1: Violet Lost

  I collapsed to the floor as soon as I materialized. The relative warmth of HQ came as a blessed relief. Many hands picked me up and helped me over onto something soft and yielding amid a confused babble of voices.

  "Wizzit, initiate a healing coma for him, now!"

  "Can't do that, not until his force shield is recharged. Seven minutes and counting."

  "Someone get him a blanket; his skin's like ice!"

  "He's bleeding from the stomach. Where's Toby?"

  "Careful now, there's something wrong with his arm."

  Someone brought a heated blanket from somewhere and laid it over top of me. I have no idea where they got it from or how they got it warm -- maybe Wizzit nuked it en route -- but I didn't care. I was shivering uncontrollably, and its warmth was like a drug. I clutched the blanket to me and nearly wept at how good it felt.

  Toby took charge; he's the one of us with the most medical training. I think he used to be an EMT or something. He checked me all over, then called for gauze to staunch the bleeding from my side. "Can you hear me, Trevor?" he asked after a minute.

  "Yeah," I said. I wasn't shivering quite so hard now. "Yeah, I can hear you."

  "You have a dislocated shoulder and a broken collarbone," he told me soberly. "I will have to set them before Wizzit starts the healing coma. It's going to hurt a lot."

  I nodded. "Do it."

  I didn't scream when he started yanking things back into place, but it was a near thing. After that I heard Wizzit announce that my force shield was fully recharged and that he was initiating a healing coma. And then, merciful oblivion.

  Chapter 21