The town was small, with only one real street that was lined with old brick buildings. Erik and Henri both slowed to a walk, and Henri reached up to take my hand. It was early enough that few people walked the street, and to any onlookers we looked like a man with his wife and their horse.
We were about halfway down the street when I spotted a hover plane with the Agency logo parked, but still idling. As we neared the plane I noticed the plane’s exterior had the telltale sheen of camo-metal. There was a more technical name, but I couldn’t pronounce it. The metal was designed so that once we were air born, it would blend in with the sky and make the plane hard to detect. The metal also contained a chemical coating that scrambled radar, making the plane hard to detect.
Henri gripped my hand tighter, and walked up to the plane. Several Agency Medics surrounded the ramp that led into the under belly of the plane, looking anxious.
“We were starting to get worried,” a curly blonde Medic called out, sounding relieved.
“Sorry, we got here as quickly as we could,” Henri called back.
When we reached the plank Erik did not stop, but instead entered the plane in horse form, his hooves thudding heavily on the metal. A small, red haired boy, with freckles waited inside. He gave a small, relieved smile when he saw us.
“Hey, Natalia,” he greeted me.
“Hey,” I replied. I recognized the boy from school – we were in the same year. I thought that his name might be Chad, but I wasn’t sure. He must be a Medic Pledge.
He reached up and carefully lifted me down from Erik’s back. As soon as I was off, Erik morphed, causing the Medic Pledge to gasp. I guessed that he’d never actually seen someone morph before.
“Hi there, I’m Erik,” he said extending his hand.
“Chad,” the red haired boy stammered, confirming my earlier suspicions.
There was a bed sitting off to the right, and Erik helped me over to it with his arm wrapped around my waist, careful to not disturb my stitches. Chad followed closely behind.
Once I was settled comfortably with my head on the small, square pillow, he worked quickly, hooking up monitoring devices to my body. There was a cuff on my arm to monitor my blood pressure, several cold plastic leads on my chest to monitor my heart, and sensors to each temple, to monitor my brain activity.
While Chad worked, I watched Henri and the remaining medics file through to the front cabin of the plane. Erik stayed back with me, not wanting to get in Chad’s way, but refusing to take his seat.
The curly blonde Medic joined Chad at my bedside, and introduced himself as Dr. Daid. He patiently listened as Chad quickly briefed him on all my vitals; since I had no idea what my vitals should be, I didn’t know if the numbers that he rambled off were normal.
“Take off in five,” called a gruff voice from the front of the plane.
“You should get belted in,” Dr. Daid said, turning to Erik.
“I’d rather stay back here, if that’s okay,” Erik replied tightly. Dr. Daid nodded, and then turned to collect some supplies that he’d need.
Erik helped me turn to my side, and then covered me with a thin, scratchy blanket.
“How you feeling, Tal?” Henri asked, peeking his head back from the main cabin, his eyes full of concern.
“I think I’ll live,” I answered.
“Good,” he smiled. “It’ll be a couple of hours before we get back to Headquarters, but once the Medics check you out they’ll give you something to sleep.” Henri turned to Erik, “Come up front when you’re done.”
“Will do,” Erik replied, not taking his eyes off of mine.
Chad returned to my bedside with a tray of instruments. He watched as Dr. Daid used an imager, slightly fancier than the one Henri had used, to scan my stomach and back. The images were displayed on a large monitor that was behind the bed. He assured me that the blade hadn’t ruptured any organs, and that the only real internal damage was a scrape on my lower rib. He touched the screen of the monitor, on an image of my rib, to enlarge the area that he was talking about. I nodded my understanding, but I had no idea what he was actually pointing at.
Next, he removed the bandages. I winced as he touched the area surrounding the stitches, and Erik offered me his hand, and I squeezed it hard. The pain made me grip a little harder than I meant to, and a groan escaped Erik’s lips.
“Sorry,” I sent apologetically.
Erik smiled kindly and rubbed his thumb gently across the backs of my fingers to let me know he didn’t mind.
“The stitches look great,” Dr. Daid commented. “Whoever did these has a very steady hand. Once you heal, we’ll be able to remove the scar without a problem.” He grabbed a white spray bottle off of his tray of accouterments, and sprayed both sets of stitches. When the droplets first hit my skin I let out a small scream, as a white-hot pain shot through my skin. Just as quickly as the pain had come, it was gone, replaced by a cool, numbing sensation.
“Sorry,” Dr. Daid said, sheepishly, “should’ve warned you.” He grabbed a small pen-like object off of his tray and reached for my free hand. Before I had time to ask what he was doing, I felt a sharp prick on the pad of my index finger, and he squeezed a couple drops of my blood into a small vial.
“I’m doing a more complete test for poison,” he explained, “the field kit they give you guys only tests for the common ones.”
I nodded my understanding and looked over at Erik, who attempted a reassuring smiled.
Finally, Dr. Daid took clean white bandages and re-wrapped my side. When he was finished, he gave me a cocktail injection of painkillers, anti-infection medication, and something to make me sleep.
“I‘ll come check on you a little later,” he promised, once he’d finished. Dr. Daid turned his attention to Erik, “You should let her sleep. She’ll start to heal faster.” He got up, and then made his way to the front of the craft. Erik nodded, but waited for him to leave before speaking with me.
Erik leaned down and whispered in my ear, “If you need anything, I’ll be right up front. Just yell, okay?”
“Thanks,” I breathed back. The injection hit me hard, and I was already struggling to keep my eyes open. I drifted off before I could felt the pressure of Erik’s hand release my own.
Chapter Eighteen
I slept the entire way to Headquarters. When I awoke, I was groggy and disoriented, and both Henri and Erik had to help me down the ramp to exit the plane. When we reached the bottom, I felt them both stiffen. It took me a minute to react to their change in demeanor. When I looked up, I saw Mac standing several feet away with Donavon on one side of him, and, to my surprise, Penny standing on the other.
“Natalia,” he exclaimed moving towards me, his long strides closing the gap quickly. “How are you?” His big gray eyes were full of fatherly concern.
“I’m fine, Mac. It could’ve been worse,” I reassured him.
“Did you lose a lot of blood?”
“Um, I don’t think so,” I replied with confusion.
“No, sir. She didn’t lose much. I was able to stop the bleeding pretty quickly, and, of course, I burned everything afterwards,” Henri said, stepping forward.
“Wonderful, Operative Reich. Do you have the information that you were sent to retrieve?”
“Of course, sir.”
“Good. Why don’t you and I go back to my room, so I can look it over?” Henri nodded. Then Mac turned his attention to me, “Natalia, go lay down, and I will come visit you before I leave.”
“Thanks, Mac,” I reached out and gave him an awkward hug.
Erik stood frozen, unmoving, next to me. He kept his face blank, an unreadable mask. His mind was barricaded with thick walls that I couldn’t easily penetrate, but I got the feeling that he was fighting to keep himself in control. I assumed that his tension was on account of Donavon’s presence, except I swore that the air around his body visibly relaxed when Mac left.
I watched as Mac walked away with Henri following in his wake.
Once his father was gone, Donavon rushed forward, and wrapped me in his arms.
“I was so worried, Tal,” he breathed.
“I’m fine,” I said returning his hug. “I’m just really tired, and I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too.”
Erik cleared his throat noisily, and I pulled back from Donavon.
“It’s been a long day. I’m going back to the cabin, you coming Tal?” he said.
“I was thinking that maybe she could come stay in my room for the night?” Penny hurried forward, talking for the first time. “After all, my room is so much nicer, and she can have some privacy and stuff.”
“Thanks, Penny, but I don’t want to bother you or anything,” I replied.
“Oh it’s not a problem at all! It’ll only be for a night or two, and it will be fun – like a sleepover,” her bright greens eyes were a shining mix of concern and excitement.
Penny had a point, her room was a lot nicer than the cabin, and she even had a huge soaking tub in her bathroom. I felt grimy from head to toe, and wanted nothing more than to lay down.
“Thanks Penny, that’d be great,” I answered honestly.
“See you tomorrow, Tal,” Erik left without as much as a word to Penny or Donavon.
The medical cocktail was beginning to wear off slightly, but I still didn’t trust my motor skills. Donavon must have sensed my uneasiness, because he immediately wrapped one arm protectively around my waist. I leaned gratefully into him, and we headed to Penny’s room. It was a slow trip, made slower because I needed to stop and rest several times.
Penny’s room was located in the largest of the three housing buildings, and the enormous structure contained ten floors. Workout facilities, an indoor pool, and a room-service kitchen made up the first several levels. The upper floors housed Cryptos, older Hunters and the Medics. The smaller of the other two buildings contained suites where higher-ups, like Captain Alvarez lived or where Mac stayed when he visited. The third building housed the essential support staff: receptionists, cooks, cleaning staff, etc. Most support staff were low-level Talents who weren’t offered a position in one of the Agency’s other divisions.
The huge glass doors slid silently apart as me, Donavon, and Penny approached the entrance to Penny’s building. We entered the cavernous main foyer, with a glass ceiling stretching all the way to the tenth floor, and skyways bridged the gaps between the east and west wings of the upper levels.
Donavon half-dragged, half carried me to the west elevator bank. Once inside, Penny pressed six, and the elevator shot upwards so fast that I thought I might be sick. I scrunched my eyes closed, and leaned further into Donavon for support.
The elevator came to an abrupt stop on Penny’s floor. The steel doors parted as a mechanical, female voice said, “Level six.” Thankfully, Penny’s room was very near the elevator.
“Welcome to my home,” Penny said, opening the door using a fingerprint scanner – no door knobs here. Her greeting was for Donavon – I had been to Penny’s room numerous times since she befriended me.
My entire cabin could’ve easily fit inside of Penny’s room. The floor was covered in plush, white carpeting that was soft to the touch. The walls were also white, and Penny had hung brightly painted pictures on several walls to liven up the room. Her huge bed was up against the far glass wall. Penny had the glass wall set to show the actual scene outside, but I knew that she was able to program the window to any number of outdoor scenes, including snowy mountains, sandy beaches and flowery fields. My room at Mac and Gretchen’s had the same technology.
The bathroom was half the size of the bedroom, and made of white marble with grayish flecks. She had a large soaking tub with enough room for four, and a walk in shower. The pedestal sink and the toilet were also white with gold fixtures.
As soon as we walked through the door I bee-lined for the bathroom, leaving Penny and Donavon to entertain each other. I turned the gold faucet, and waited while the tub filled with warm water, and added the contents of a small bottle sitting on the tub’s ledge to create soapy bluish colored bubbles.
I tried to remove my clothes, but found the pain too intense when I tried to raise my hands over my head to take off my shirt.
“Donavon?” I called.
”Right outside the door, Tal,” he sent back.
“Can you come help me?”
Donavon tried the handle on the door, and I disengaged the lock so he could enter. I sat on the closed lid of the toilet, trying to wriggle my way out of my shirt. Donavon smiled when he saw me tangled in my own clothing.
“Stop, stop, stop. I’ll do it,” he gently helped me pull my arms out of my t-shirt, and up over my head.
“I can do the rest myself. Thanks,” I smiled at him, taking in his clear blue eyes, and all of a sudden I didn’t want to be alone. The events of the past day and a half hit home. I could have died. I might never have looked into Donavon’s eyes again.
“Will you sit in here while I take a bath?” my mental voice pleaded. I knew that I sounded desperate.
“Of course,” I could tell by the look on his face that I was projecting my thoughts toward him.
“I know you’re scared right now,” he began, confirming that I was, indeed, projecting. “It’s normal to be scared after what you’ve been through. These kinds of accidents happen all the time. You’ll get used it,” he continued.
Get used it? I was pretty sure I didn’t want to get used to be stabbed.
“Turn around so I can finish getting undressed,” I ordered.
”Yes ma’am,” he smirked.
I stood and untied the drawstring on my pants – thankfully, they fell to the floor without any further prompting. Getting out of my underwear was tricky, but I managed. No way was I asking Donavon for assistance doing that. The bandages were supposedly waterproof, so I figured that I would take my chances and leave them on. I climbed the steps to the tub and lowered myself into the soapy water. My muscles instantly began to relax, and I sighed contently.
“You can turn around now,” I called to Donavon.
He walked over, and sat on the steps up to the tub. “Want to tell me what happened?” he asked, batting at the bubbles.
“Not really,” I answered, but I found myself launching into the story anyway. I talked until the water cooled and only a thin layer of bubbles remained on top. I told Donavon everything. Well, not quite everything. I didn’t tell him about what Erik did.
I don’t know exactly why I didn’t tell him about what happened with Erik. Okay, that’s not true, I knew why. I didn’t want him to be upset, and I definitely didn’t want to further the feelings of animosity between the two of them. I was careful not to think about Erik’s involvement in my impromptu medical care, and Donavon seemed oblivious to any holes in my story.
After my bath I felt a million times better, and definitely cleaner. Penny and Donavon helped me into Penny’s huge bed, and I sunk gratefully into the soft mattress, letting it mold to my body.
“Want to watch something on the screen?” Penny asked brightly.
“Something funny,” I answered, even though I knew that I wasn’t likely to stay awake that long.
“You got it!” Penny replied, a little too cheerfully.
Penny turned on her wall screen using a remote device, clicked through several menus, and selected a romantic comedy about some ridiculous love triangle. I tried to pay attention to the movie, but my thoughts kept straying to Erik. I blamed the drugs. Every time I caught a glimpse of Donavon, out of the corner of my eye, I felt guilty, like I’d done something wrong. I finally fell asleep, like a tightly wound ball of multi-colored yarn – each color representing a different conflicting emotion.
I felt Donavon kiss me on the forehead, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I mumbled something unintelligible, and fell back asleep.
I slept through the night and for most of the next day. When I woke, I saw Penny sitting at her table working on a small por
table computer.
“Hey,” I mumbled.
“Oh good, you’re up!” she exclaimed closing her portable. “How do you feel?”
“I’ve been better,” I said trying to sit up.
“Are you hungry? I can order us something to eat.” There was another advantage of staying with Penny: room service.
“That’d be great. I’m famished,” I admitted. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten.
Penny used an electronic menu, similar to the ones in the cafes, to order us platters of cheesy eggs and buttery onion bread, with a pitcher of melon juice to wash it all down. I carefully climbed out of bed, over the mess of blankets and pillows that Penny had used as a makeshift bed the night before, and made my way to the bathroom. It took me longer than normal to complete my morning routine, and when I exited the bathroom I heard Penny thanking the room service delivery man.
We sat at her white plastic table and I hungrily devoured all of my food, plus half of Penny’s.
“I can order you more, if you want,” she joked.
“Sorry, it’s been a couple days since I’ve had food that’s not dehydrated,” I replied, embarrassed.
“Want to tell me about what happened?” she asked, her voice softening.
“Not right now,” I responded.
Telling Donavon had been one thing; he could at least relate to what I’d been through. Penny lived a very different life, it was unlikely that she’d ever leave the comforts of Headquarters, since her Talent ensured her usefulness to the Agency for the foreseeable future.
“I understand,” she tried to hide her disappointment, but I could tell that she was hurt I didn’t want to confide in her. She looked as though she might press the issue, but then decided against it.
“The Directors sent several comms, he wants you to contact him as soon as you’re up and moving.”
“Can I use your communicator?” I asked.
“Course,” she gestured to her bedside table, where device sat.