Adrian ran the lines Ric had pulled through his fingers. He was trying not to be frantic but methodical. He wasn't a medical doc but he had pretty much the same training a field medic would have and he knew he could do this. After all, he'd helped operate on these two; fixing lines wasn't that difficult. Couldn't be. So he got a fresh kit from the cabinet and pinched off the flow by turning the valves so the in going fluids wouldn't be wasted.
Then he tried to clean up the mess ... there was blood on Ric's arms where veins were venting because he'd yanked the tubes so hard.
Elliot's sing song voice alerted Mirandahh Drachenn of a problem on the seventh floor. Several of the monitors hooked to one of the VIPs on the seventh floor were freaking out. Not that Elliot put it that way, or mentioned which of the VIPs it was. She already suspected, having had to deal with a similar situation just days ago. She strode off the elevator -- supremely confident the little box would get her there despite the malfunctions -- and
barked at a few milling Legionaries that got her way. She was queen of this castle and when it counted, she had no problem showing and acting part.
Mik's eyes fluttered a bit, and Adriann saw but was busy attaching new, sterile needles to the ends of lines who's needles had been contaminated by touching the floor. If he remembered right, there was no need to use totally new lines ... and he pushed down the thought of panic at infection. "Gods, Ricohh. You die because of me and Brrace will have my guts for garters."
"I get first dibs." Asche said after bursting through the door. The Freemen outside knew better than to deny her entrance. She paused to take in the scene, hands on her hips. "What the hell happened here?"
His head snapped sharply about. "Thank Oponn yer here," he breathed and tried to calm down, keeping his voice steady. "They had a few questions. They didn't like the answers -- but it's not my fault!" He was emphatic in this. "I think if I hadn't answered him, Ric would have come after me anyway."
She had a few choice words for the unconscious Ric and a few for Bell as well. Nasty ones. And then, she was all movement, sidestepping the remains of Ricohh's dinner on the floor. Mikkaill would have to wait. Getting the monitors back online and everything stuck back in Ric was first priority. Elliot would let her know if Mik's situation changed. She pushed Adriann out of the way. Up on the elevator she had been dog tired. Now, with work to do, the
fatigue disappeared. "You know better than to get them excited. Geezus, Adriann. Sedatives are a good thing."
Bell blinked. Her words were nasty but somehow amusing. Even the grunts he knew didn't talk that way. "I didn't know what else to do. Someone had to tell them. I ... uhm ... didn't think he'd, well, do
that."<.I> In fact, he was a scientist and not a psychiatrist. That was Brrace's department. Bell cursed Brrace again. Macy was well, she could wait. These men needed him and his tactful, fluent explanations.
"Dammit! What did he do? Rip 'em all out?"
"Yeah. He got really upset." Bell dragged a hand through his hair and tried to look apologetic.
She surveyed the damage and the fix job Adriann started. He had done a good job, but there was still more to do. She got to it. All the while she chided him. "This guy's a lunatic. I swear Adriann, if you're gonna tell them anything, tie 'em down first. This crap does him no good. It could kill him."
"Then we'd better tie them both down." He didn't like that at all; he respected these men, hated what others had recently done to them; but maybe he was a closet romantic. Reality had intruded upon his quiet lab two weeks ago and seemed determined not to let go of it's new found grip upon his world. "Mik will just untie him again if we don't. I have a lot more to tell them."
She let loose a harsh little laugh. "And these guys head up the Legion? Gods help us all. I don't know what else you need to tell them, Adriann, and I don't wanna know. But they both are gonna have to suck it up if they wanna get out of this whole. Got it?" Surprisingly little damage had been done to Ric and for
that she was grateful. She left Adriann to apply the restraints and moved on to Mik, who had also extricated himself from some of the wires and tubes imprisoning him to the hospital bed.
"I got it," he said in a whisper. "I'll tell them." He marveled at how she seemed so tough and watched her a moment before straightening out Ric's sheets, getting the straps arranged and then securing one that went completely across his hips and the two that held down his wrists. There was a sick little feeling in the pit of his stomach at the work, but Asche was right ... another fit like this one and Ric might not survive.
Mik was easier to take care of. Only the heart monitor and the IV tubes had been removed. Quickly sensors and needles were replaced and the screaming machines resumed their normal whirrings and beepings. She took care of Mik's restraints, feeling no remorse at all as she straightened buckles and straps. These guys were men. They should know better. The neck of a bottle popped out from beneath Mik's mattress, hooked to a body restraints buckle.
"Hello? What the hell is..." She drew out the liquor slowly. She about exploded. "Where the HELL did he get THIS?" She practically shoved the bottle in Bell's face.
His green eyes widened and he stepped back from her assault. "Not from me! They're on morphine! Do you think I'm insane? Other than you and I who's been up here?" He shot questions back fast even if his voice had crept up a bit high. Was he scared of her? Quite possibly...
She gave him a hard, appraising look, as if she were going to answer, "Hell yeah, I think you're insane." Instead she said, "Dammit...just the couple of nurses I got clearance for... Myrr, Gladyss..." She uncapped the bottle and sniffed the contents.
His eyes took on a curious, shadowed cast. "What is it?"
"Not very strong, whatever it is." Again, the bottle was thrust toward him. "Taste it."
He was so startled he took the bottle. "Me?"
"You think I'm gonna ask him?" She gave an agitated wave toward Mikkaill. She left Adriann with the bottle to finish the job of restraining Mik to the bed in fashion similar to Ric.
Sniffing it, Adriann said, "Fine..." He took a short quick swig and coughed.
She looked up from the buckling job, maybe to see if Bell would collapse from poison. "Well?"
"Phlupp excrement maybe?" He wiped his tongue on the cuff of his sleeve. "That's just disgusting..."
She made a face at Mikkaill. "I take that back. They're both lunatics."
He snorted. "They're geniuses. I suppose the two things aren't very far apart." She stood straight, smoothing out her jumpsuit. The look she gave him was dubious. "Honestly. They're brilliant. Some of the maneuvers they've thought up have saved lives countless times in battles with the Church. Even before they were..." He stopped abruptly. He was so used to openly discussing things with coworkers at the Complex and now... Brrace said they
couldn't trust anybody anymore and that everything had gone to the Abyss and ... he didn't know what to do. It was very unsettling. "...Officers." He finished.
The next task was to clean up the trays. She crouched down, bones creaking to pick up the pieces. Adriann heard her knee crackle and retrieved the cork she'd dropped for the bottle then bent to help her: "Damn shame. They wasted Roan's brownies." He grabbed a wastebasket and dropped the bottle in first,
amazed that someone somehow had given Mik alcohol. "Have to tighten security... a man *in* the room..." That went against protocols, but hell the protocols were probably all blown to bits now.
She reached out to stop his hand from dropping the bottle into the basket. "Don't throw that out. I can trade with that."
His eyes went wide. "This? Who'd give anything for this?" He fished it back out, so far it the only thing in the basket.
"Where did you cloister yourself? There's people out there who don't care what it tastes like as long at it dopes 'em up."
He blushed. She used the right words, for that's just what he'd done since he had taken over as Geneticist for the Messiah Project when Alda Moralles died in 4084. "I know something of the world... I've just been busy is all."
She felt chastised by his answer and set her jaw straight, gritting her teeth as she collected and mopped up the remnants of stew and brownies.
"Doesn't seem right to give people what's gonna kill 'em ... even for trade," he dared to rebuke her softly.
Was that an accusation? She smiled, grim and fierce. "They make their own decisions, Adriann. I'm not mother to the world."
He furrowed his light brows. "But that's inconsistent, isn't? You work yourself to death… I've seen you. Until you're dragging and barely able to move to keep these men alive -- what happens when someone you trade liquor with comes in and his liver's rotted to nothing? You'll do the same, work yourself to death to save his sorry life when you might've traded him the booze the day before. I don't get it."
Her eyes iced over, a frosty blue. "And if what I trade that liquor for saves a life? Or twenty? Keeps Elliot running for another day? I don't have to justify myself to you and you ain't got no right to question what I do. So stay out of it." She pulled a piece of cloth from one of her many pockets and mopped up the rest of the slop. She was definitely not looking at him.
He blinked. "I'm sorry Asche. I ... thought we were having a philosophical discussion. You got so angry when you saw that bottle..." He rose, holding the waste basket for her, the bottle tucked into his pocket for the moment.
It was her turn to blush. She wished she could just crawl under Ricohh's bed and hide, but all she could do was stand and nail the trash can's innards with the dirty cloth. It would all be recycled anyway. "No ... don't be. I should ..." She took a gulp of air. " … apologize. You don't know how many people try to tell me what to do, how to...live my life." Her hands shoved deep into hip pockets, she brushed by him, making for the door.
He practically stumbled over himself to set down the wastebasket and dared to catch hold of her arm. "Wait!"
Muscles stiffened, freezing her to the spot. Her gaze flickered to the hand on her arm. "What?"
Good, Rian, what now? "Please? I mean ... you always run away just when I'm getting to find out something about you." He let go of her arm at the look on her face ... he didn't want to, but he did.
"Maybe I don't want you to find out anything about me. I mean, what would you do with it? Fall in love?" Her words were bitter, bitter ones.
He swallowed hard, Adam’s apple bobbing a moment. "I don't know. Maybe. I like you. I haven't thought that ... far ... ahead. I guess." He pursed almost pretty lips in a pout, his brows still drawn down. "Would it be impossible?"
She looked him up and down. No denying he was a fine looking man and somewhere deep inside she answered no, it wouldn't be impossible. "Let me give you some advice, Adriann. When this is done, go back to your cloister. It's safer that way." The tired medic had returned. There was still a lot to do before she would let herself collapse.
"The cloister is gone, Asche. I don't think there's any going back." He could see the change in her and that damnable male urge to protect flooded alive in him for perhaps the second time in his life.
She sighed and looked to the drop ceiling for answers that weren't there. He had rendered her speechless. All she could hear was Myrr telling her that it would all someday come and bite her in ass. Something just took a big chunk of flesh.
Too much, too soon, he figured. He really did like her and so he offered up a soft smile. "I specialize in the impossible; so maybe while you try to get some sleep, I can do what I do best."
"Too much to do to sleep just yet. Later..." Much later, she thought. "I will. You gotta make sure these guys don't freak out again otherwise, I'll keep 'em sedated till it's time for them to get the hell out of here."
"No more sedation I hope. I'll give it to them slowly." He couldn't help it, he needed to connect with her again and lifted his hand to lightly rest it on her shoulder. "If I can help with anything, you know where I am." Her shoulder felt really good under his hand too, dammit.
And the warm weight of his hand on her shoulder felt too good, much too good. She gave it a gentle pat, and felt awkward about the whole thing. "Sure, I'll let you know." Then, she step back from beneath his hand, shoulders hunching. She turned to go.
He didn't want to push, but he had this scary feeling this would be the only chance he got so, standing this close, he darted in and brushed a light kiss across her cheek. He whispered, "Thank you for everything you've done."
The feathery kiss must have sent a tingle down her spine; she shivered. Her heart betrayed her by taking over and ordering fingers to dust through his blonde locks. The ice melted in her eyes as she met his green gaze. "Don't thank me till they're doing what they're supposed to be doing," she told him quietly. "Then come back and show me how grateful you are." No one ever came back and so, she felt, she was safe.
Her words stuck deep and the spear of a shiver set his heart to thumping -- very effectively pierced. "I will," He said it with the force of an oath.
"Sure." How could his hair be so soft, she asked herself, even as she pulled away. A tiny smile of resignation disappeared as she finally turned her back on him. She had to get the hell out of the room before worse things befell her. He wanted to do so many things ... each one crossed his mind quickly in a series of staccato images and color rose in his cheeks as he they came and went. She turned away, the need to escape strong and walked
quickly for the door. Dignity demanded she not run even if her head was screaming at her to do just that.
"See ya..." He whispered and turned toward the two men in the beds behind him. They were tied down, now he could act something like the Power he'd only once felt like he was and cleared his throat. "Ten-SHUN!" Then he blushed... Mik wouldn't hear him either way.
Ricohh muttered softly, "Shoulda kissed her when you had the chance." Damn him! He'd been awake enough to hear the last part of his discussion with Asche while he was testing the new restraints. Devilishly clever these Gideonns ...
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