The strangely quiet man had taken up position on the hospital steps. He was a tall figure, draped in a ruck, which in turn covered dark clothing. He smoked a cigarette before he came in, his one eye watching the murky sky above him. Finishing it up, he ground it under his heel, then entered the lobby. His ears picked up the low voices of Nurse Terra and Josi as they finished up working on her hand. Their visage was hidden from behind the sterile confines of the cubicle. He looked over the lobby, taking in Garth. He paid him no heed as he moved through the lobby, then towards the cafeteria. Josi, who was being instructed by Terra on the care of her open wound, did not miss his movement past the cubicle.
"You will need to come in weekly for a changing. I'm going to close it a bit now with a butterfly dressing. Understood?" Nurse Tera wanted to make sure Josi followed her advice to avoid infection. Josi nodded at her, her focus now on the disappearing one eyed man.
"OK. Wait here a minute." Terra moved around the cubicle confine to the nurses' desk then came back in with some medication. "Now, take one of these large ones daily and one of the little ones three times a day. It should last you about a week. I will see you tomorrow to redress it, OK?" At Josi's nod, Terra smiled.
"You're all done, then!"
"Thank you," Josi said, quiet and contrite at having her hand saved. She crept slowly from the cubicle to the lobby, wondering what the name of the man was who had passed by the cubicle. She remembered seeing him, once. Either she'd spoken out loud without realizing it, or Elliot, the computer, seemed to pick up on her thoughts as she stood in the lobby.
"Rictor Mortis, Putter?" His voice was crisp over the lobby ceiling.
"Rictor Mortis?" Josi looked up, her dirty brow creased in confusion.
"Yes, the mortician. Isn't that the name of the man you were trying to remember?" The computer was, as always, helpful and to the point. Josi began to shake her head, then thought better of it.
"No. I was thinking of the man who just went into the cafeteria. The one with one eye," she said, glancing up the ceiling hopefully. The computer crackled a bit, then responded.
"I'm sorry, Putter. I do not have his name on file." Josi suspected as much. She squared her shoulders, then slowly inched toward the cafeteria.
"However, I have heard of him referred to as Zac." The statement of the computer was broad over the quiet lobby, causing Josi to stop a second. She filed the name in her memory, determined to remember it as her feet continued to carry her toward where he was.
Garth had been quiet in the lobby of the hospital, watching the comings and goings as he cleaned his sword. When Terra returned from helping Josi, he rose and walked over to her.
"And what can I help you with tonight?" she asked, professional and warm.
"Is there somewhere we can talk private? I'd rather not broadcast this problem." His voice was calm, but carried a twinge of secrecy. Terra looked at him a moment, then inclined her head to the cubicle behind her.
"Sure. Come in here." They both stepped in and she pulled the curtain shut. "Now. What seems to be the problem?" She leaned back, watching the man carefully. Garth took a seat on the gurney and rubbed his chin.
"I've been having some spells, lately."
"Spells? What sort of symptoms?" Terra's face was passive, yet concerned.
" I lose my vision and I have no memory of what happens over the space of a few minutes." Garth lowered his head a bit, his voice fading slightly. Terra's brow creased.
"Vision loss? What happens right before this?"
"It usually happens during a stressful situation," he said, looking up. Terra nodded.
"What kind, exactly? And how often does this happen?"
Garth ran a hand over his hair, trying to remember. "The last time was when I got into a skirmish with a churchmen."
Terra again nodded at this and folded her arms over her chest. "The best advice would be to say to avoid stressful situations. But I guess that is not an option," she said, tilting her head to watch him. Garth shook his head.
"Not in my line of work."
Terra smiled, then thought a second. "What Id like to do is run some tests, to be sure its not bio-organic. We would need to do some blood work and a couple other things." She made some notes on a chart as Garth's eyes lit up in fear.
"Blood work?"
Terra turned, his voice causing her to smile. So many of the war ravaged citizens, despite all they had been through, were terrified of needles. "Yes, blood work. It will only be a pin prick, I promise."
"Can I decline it?" Garth said, plucking at his arm. Terra looked at him squarely.
"Is that what you desire? Really?"
Her voice made Garth smile a bit. "No. I have paranoia of needles. Big bad soldier boy afraid of a little needle." Terra smiled and held her hand out to pull him up.
"You said it, I didn't. I'll make it as painless as possible." As they left the cubicle, a strange, grimy citizen scuttled past. She was similar in filth to Josi, but was much quicker in step. As Terra and Garth began to work on his tests, this newcomer brought her own little spin on the saga unfolding in the cafeteria.
The man known only as Zac had dug up a bowl of stew and was eating it rapidly when Josi crept into the cafeteria. He spared her a glance, then went back to his food. The stew was a wretched mix, but it was filling and it was energy.
"No loud mouthed ankle biter with you tonight?" Josi looked around nervously, referring to the child Zac had with him on their last encounter. He grinned over his stew.
"Nah, kids off doing who knows what," he said.
"You don't ever call anyone by their right names, do you?" Josi was trying to act indignant, but her attention was really riveted on the food Zac was eating. She herself had not eaten in days and everything looked appetizing.
"When needed." Zac motioned to the counter, where a pot of the stew sat popping and spitting. "Grab yourself some. Might be weeks before we see solid food again." Josi looked at him warily then decided he might be right. She gathered up a bowl of the stew and sat herself at another table, hungrily shoveling the stew into her grimy mouth.
"I take it lasts night ride didn't sit well with you." Zac leaned back and watched her a minute, referring to the conversation they had had the night before. Overhead, the voice of Elliot could be heard signing off for the night as it shut down to conserve energy. Josi glanced at the ceiling, then glared at Zac.
"You couldn't drive any worse if you were missing both eyes."
"Your safe, aren't you?" Zac couldn't help but grin to himself as he continued eating. He looked over at the door as another, grimy figure slid through the cafeteria doors. "Hey, kid," Zac said quietly to her.
"Got a shower card?" The girl, known as Kait, said impatiently. She did not acknowledge Josi any more then to just stare at the food she was eating. Josi's face showed her own irritation at Kait's presence.
"Nope. Your buddy's here," Zac responded with a nod towards Josi. Kait nodded, and with a curse under her breath about the lack of a shower card, she took a seat. Josi stopped eating to look at her and Zac pushed his empty bowl away.
"You find that charger yet?" Zac asked Kait, leaning forward a bit in his chair. Josi tried to pretend she wasn't paying attention to the conversation, but her ears were actually fine-tuned to the exchanging words.
"No. Figured the damn thing would be easier to find then fleas, but not yet." Kait shook her head ruefully, looking around to see if there was more stew.
"No luck at all?" Zac was surprised. "Damn scavengers pick everything clean once it stops running.
"Maybe. But I haven't followed up on that yet." Kait ran a finger around the interior of his bowl, picking up whatever bit of stew he left behind. "I wanted a shower before I went to find out. Didn't want to smell like a dung heap and scare the damn fool."
"What do you need a starter for?" Josi's curiosity finally got the better of her.
"Just because." Kait's voice was snippy as she kept digging around in Zac's bowl. Zac grinned as he quietly began smoking the last cigarette in his pack.
"That mounted gun ain't there to look damn pretty." Zac leaned forward, glaring at Kait as if to drive his point home.
She met his glare. "Do I look like I've had a shower yet?" She stood before he could slap her.
Zac leaned back, looking at her. "Do I look like I care whether you've bathed?"
"I'm not saying what you look like," Kait snapped back. She stood and went to the door in an irritated huff. There was more then one way to get a shower and she could always deal with Zac later. Kait pushed open the hospital doors and went in search of a nurse.
Terra had led Garth to a clean cubicle and offered him a seat. She typed in his blood make up, then waited as the computer processed it. She sat down next to him and began rolling up his sleeve.
"Do you think I'm infected or something?" Garth's voice was filled with concern over his well being, as well as the thought of the impending needle.
"My honest opinion, no. But there are certain conditions that can cause sight loss as you've described." Terra was professional and frank as she began swabbing the area for the blood test. Garth squirms a bit as Kait pokes her head around the cubicle.
"Nurse? Have you got a shower card? Sorry to interrupt." Terra looked up at Kait, then nodded.
"Elliot, could you process a shower card for this young woman?" The computer could be heard coming out of self-monitor mode as her requested was inputted.
"Certainly, Terra. One moment." Terra nodded at Kait.
"Will be ready in one second," she said, then looked back at Garth. His face paled a bit.
"I don't actually lose my vision," he said, gauging her reaction.
"You don't lose your vision, but it does become blurry, right?" At his nod, she continues to work on his arm, looking for a vein. "When did this last happen?"
"Last time was in a skirmish. See, I see things." Garth's voice was a bit wavy. Terra nodded as she slipped the needle in then quickly filled several vials. She leaned back and looked at him as she covered the spot on his arm with a cotton ball and tape.
"Real or imaginary?" Garth shook his head.
"That's what I don't know. Last time I saw several of my old battle mates. It's scary. And the hospital is my only source of comfort." He lowered his head a bit, then raised an eyebrow at his arm. "Was that it? Didn't even hurt." Terra smiled and patted his shoulder.
"I told you Id make it painless. Let me see what the blood work shows. I should have it back in the meantime. I've also got you down for a stress test and a CAT scan. I don't think what's happening is necessarily abnormal. But, before we make judgments, lets see what the tests show." She smiled as Garth stood. She left him to gather up his things as she made her way back to the desk. She noticed Kait sitting in the lobby and handed her the shower card that had come back from the computer. Terra sat down, filling out her paperwork. Down the hall, the soft voices of Zac and Josi could be heard as the hospital continued to hum in its own sane, yet eerie, world.
Josi finished off the last of her stew, then jerked her thumb at the doors Kait had gone through in her search for a shower card.
"I won't be referred to the same way as her. I have a name. Use it."
"You like working on things?" Zac grinned, smoking his cigarette.
"Yeah, I like working on things. I can fix anything," she answered. Zac nodded.
"Good. I have something I want you to look at someday soon." He purposely did not use her name.
"What?"
"Carb for the wag. I pulled one off an abandoned wag several months ago, but the valve sticks," Zac said.
"What you got to trade?" Josi was trying to keep the excited gleam from her eyes.
"Work, place to sleep," Zac said, keeping his voice very nonchalant. Kait emerges through the doors as he says this, taking a seat opposite him. She goes back to his bowl scraping as Josi shrugs.
"I got a place to sleep and I can get more work. What else you got?" Zac leaned forward as Kait watched them curiously.
"Real food."
"What kind of food? And how do I know your not lying?" The eagerness in Josi's voice was punctuated only by the rise in it. Kait lifted a brow in protest.
"Are you crazy? Offering her our food?" Zac held out a finger to silence her and glared at Josi.
"Would you lower your voice? Its better then this crap in here. And you don't know. Question is, is it worth to you to find out?" Josi twisted her rags, then began rocking. She spoke to herself in hushed tones, not loud enough to hear, but loud enough to seem as if she were talking to herself.
"Real food. Real food would be good."
As the life and its everyday problems swarmed over the hospital, below it, life teemed as well. The basement was the home to the Elliot Computer Hardware, as well as a hang out place for the hospital custodian, Limer. And as Josi contemplated the idea of real food, Terra worked on her computer and Garth quietly thought of his life, Limer was occupying himself with his pet cockroach. All life, whether odd or not, had its place in the hospital. And as Zac waited for an answer from Josi, all life continued to do what it did best: Go on.
Limer was an odd sort. He was slow, yet bulky in size. His comprehension skills were at about the two-year-old level. And yet, he was able to complete all tasks asked of him. He did not understand that Elliot was only a computer, and not actually a friend living in the ceiling. He was an anomaly in the sense that there was no one else who could relate to him, yet everyone loved him. His pet roach was something easily attributed to him, for Limer could relate to things others could not. He reached over and kissed the roach, smiling broadly.
"Are you the last roach? I'm the last Limer!" His voice was slow, echoing over the basement. Before him was the hard drive to the Elliot Super series. He touched it and sighed. Elliot was Limer's friend. In fact, the roach's name was Elliot. Limer put the roach on its tiny leash then set it in his lap. He touched the hard drive again, feeling the warmth. This was the only warmth Limer had known for some time. His gaze went to a candy bar on the floor, near the simulator. He reached for it and slowly stripped the paper back. As he ate it, the subtle sounds over his head beckoned him to come upstairs and join the hospital population.
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