impediment of a clunky, metal leg, which froze at the most inopportune times, filled my mind.
When s he tripped, I flew forward along with her, my hip slamming into something. Using my hands, I blindly searched for the obstruction that hadn’t been there minutes earlier.
Raeth bumped into me, her fingers feeling for what had tripped us as well. “P-Penton.”
My fingers curled around a leg. It had to be him.
Behind us, I heard g uards advancing and the accompanying sucking noise of chemical vacuums. Within moments, the mist cleared and I could see it was Penton’s head in Raeth’s lap. Yanking her mask off, she covered his face in kisses while murmuring, “If you l-love me, d-don’t you leave me.”
I held my breath and pressed my trembling fingers to his neck. Nothing. I repositioned my hand and waited.
Thu-thump. Thu-thump .
“ We need a medic,” I yelled.
“Need a medic in weaponry,” the captain called out.
One of the hazmat-suited soldiers knelt beside us. “Put him flat on the floor.” He jerked his head and two soldiers moved forward. One lifted Raeth and moved her a few meters back, while the second motioned me to him.
I rose and joined Raeth as a soldier carrying a medical kit arrived. “Captain, see if you can find the sergeant who was with Penton and assess the damage to the weaponry.”
The captain nodded and, taking some men, moved passed us down the hallway.
The soldier set his medical kit on the floor.
“Adams, hand me the scope,” the hazmatted soldier said. Adams opened the kit and removed a metal funnel-shaped object from the padding. With Penton’s head tipped back so his neck was stretched, the hazmatted soldier put a thumb on Penton’s chin and eased his mouth open.
As he began to slide the funnel in Penton’s mouth, Raeth screamed, “Wh-what’re you doing?”
“Don’t worry,” the soldier holding Raeth said. “Doctor Morrison knows what he’s doing.”
“The scope guarantees the air tube and suction tube stay in the trachea,” Morrison explained. He glanced at Adams and nodded.
Adams removed a large bronze device with a glass gage then attached a rubber-looking tube with a smooth, narrow opening at the end and handed it to Morrison.
“What’s that?” Raeth and I asked simultaneously.
“Suctions fluids and chemicals from the lungs. Oxygen next,” Morrison said, staying focused on his task.
Licking my cracked lips, I clutched Raeth’s hand as Morrison threaded first the suction tube then a second thinner tube through the scope’s opening. “Set.”
Adams flipped a switch and a sucking noise, kind of like slurping, started. A couple seconds later, he turned a knob on the small oxygen canister connected to the thinner tube and puffs merged with the suction. Penton’s chest began to expand with each puff and contract with each slurp.
Was my father correct, the outcome of the prophecy wasn’t fixed?
Raeth’s and my joined hands heated. I felt her within me. Together, we sent Penton waves of energy and love. Yet I couldn’t help but wish Ryder were here, his healing gift working.
A grey liquid drained from Penton’s lungs as a gurgle joined the noise of the two machines. A nanosecond later, brownish mush poured out into the biohazard bag attached to the suction machine.
Morrison glanced at us. “That’s damaged lung tissue.” Spotting Raeth’s blank face as she rocked and hummed, his eyes widened and he looked at me.
“When Raeth’s overwhelmed or very frightened, she sometimes escapes into a private world.”
“Don’t we all,” Adams muttered.
Morrison shot him a glare then rose and strode over to us. He clasped her shoulders and gave a small shake. “Raeth, there’s minimal tissue damage. He’ll recover.”
“Don’t ya worry, wee one. General Bellator sent me.”
Hearing Dred’s voice just behind me, I turned toward him. Large gashes marked his arms and forehead. “You okay?”
“ Aye, pretty face. Got stuck under some
When s he tripped, I flew forward along with her, my hip slamming into something. Using my hands, I blindly searched for the obstruction that hadn’t been there minutes earlier.
Raeth bumped into me, her fingers feeling for what had tripped us as well. “P-Penton.”
My fingers curled around a leg. It had to be him.
Behind us, I heard g uards advancing and the accompanying sucking noise of chemical vacuums. Within moments, the mist cleared and I could see it was Penton’s head in Raeth’s lap. Yanking her mask off, she covered his face in kisses while murmuring, “If you l-love me, d-don’t you leave me.”
I held my breath and pressed my trembling fingers to his neck. Nothing. I repositioned my hand and waited.
Thu-thump. Thu-thump .
“ We need a medic,” I yelled.
“Need a medic in weaponry,” the captain called out.
One of the hazmat-suited soldiers knelt beside us. “Put him flat on the floor.” He jerked his head and two soldiers moved forward. One lifted Raeth and moved her a few meters back, while the second motioned me to him.
I rose and joined Raeth as a soldier carrying a medical kit arrived. “Captain, see if you can find the sergeant who was with Penton and assess the damage to the weaponry.”
The captain nodded and, taking some men, moved passed us down the hallway.
The soldier set his medical kit on the floor.
“Adams, hand me the scope,” the hazmatted soldier said. Adams opened the kit and removed a metal funnel-shaped object from the padding. With Penton’s head tipped back so his neck was stretched, the hazmatted soldier put a thumb on Penton’s chin and eased his mouth open.
As he began to slide the funnel in Penton’s mouth, Raeth screamed, “Wh-what’re you doing?”
“Don’t worry,” the soldier holding Raeth said. “Doctor Morrison knows what he’s doing.”
“The scope guarantees the air tube and suction tube stay in the trachea,” Morrison explained. He glanced at Adams and nodded.
Adams removed a large bronze device with a glass gage then attached a rubber-looking tube with a smooth, narrow opening at the end and handed it to Morrison.
“What’s that?” Raeth and I asked simultaneously.
“Suctions fluids and chemicals from the lungs. Oxygen next,” Morrison said, staying focused on his task.
Licking my cracked lips, I clutched Raeth’s hand as Morrison threaded first the suction tube then a second thinner tube through the scope’s opening. “Set.”
Adams flipped a switch and a sucking noise, kind of like slurping, started. A couple seconds later, he turned a knob on the small oxygen canister connected to the thinner tube and puffs merged with the suction. Penton’s chest began to expand with each puff and contract with each slurp.
Was my father correct, the outcome of the prophecy wasn’t fixed?
Raeth’s and my joined hands heated. I felt her within me. Together, we sent Penton waves of energy and love. Yet I couldn’t help but wish Ryder were here, his healing gift working.
A grey liquid drained from Penton’s lungs as a gurgle joined the noise of the two machines. A nanosecond later, brownish mush poured out into the biohazard bag attached to the suction machine.
Morrison glanced at us. “That’s damaged lung tissue.” Spotting Raeth’s blank face as she rocked and hummed, his eyes widened and he looked at me.
“When Raeth’s overwhelmed or very frightened, she sometimes escapes into a private world.”
“Don’t we all,” Adams muttered.
Morrison shot him a glare then rose and strode over to us. He clasped her shoulders and gave a small shake. “Raeth, there’s minimal tissue damage. He’ll recover.”
“Don’t ya worry, wee one. General Bellator sent me.”
Hearing Dred’s voice just behind me, I turned toward him. Large gashes marked his arms and forehead. “You okay?”
“ Aye, pretty face. Got stuck under some
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