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random_nanorimo_stuff2012-11-27 09:21 pm
random_xtras) wrote in random_nanorimo_stuff2012-11-27 09:21 pm
Entry tags:
Other Trails Chapter 14
Shade leaned her elbows on the lower back of Starfighter's avatar and watched as Joel carefully rotated the arm whose shoulder had been dislocated.
[How feel?] asked Mist from beside her sister, her blue eyes bright with concern and curiosity.
"Feels good." He bent the arm at the elbow and flexed the fingers, then grinned at the medical mechadroid. "Thanks."
"Just doing my job," said the drone happily as she turned to put away the tools she'd used to accelerate the healing of Joel's injuries. "But you're very very welcome."
"That finger's not bending." Starfighter frowned as he watched his human crew member testing the mobility of newly repaired digits.
"No," said the medic soberly. "The joint was shattered some time in the past. It's fused now. I would have to do surgery and insert an artificial joint to make it work properly."
"It's fine." Joel flexed both arms, and then grinned more widely and looked at Starfighter's avatar. "Now you wanted a cleanup."
"I guess I am kind of grungy," said the young convertor man puzzledly as Mist and Shade perked with interest. "But when'd I say that?"
"Yesterday." Shade stretched, then patted him on the flank and started to turn toward the door. "I was helping Joel get the tangles out of his fur and you wanted to be polished."
Starfighter shook the avatar's head as the group stepped out into the broad corridor. "Let's just write off yesterday and the day before that. If I'm too boosted to remember something, it didn't happen."
[I bought a broom for dust monsters.] Mist looked up at him sideways. [And a mop.]
"...Okay. You can exterminate the dustbugs later." He face palmed and grumbled, then staggered slightly as Joel slugged him on the upper back in amused sympathy. "Hey! Watch it, furball!"
[Want to work on language learning more!] Mist bounced happily, then leaped over the two men as they stopped to watch her.
"Whoa..." Joel watched her, his eyes showing his startlement.
"You think that's something, you should... Oh yeah. You've seen them in trees." Starfighter smirked.
"While I'd had my head nearly kicked in." The furry man nodded absently, but then went into a defensive crouch as the avatar suddenly cried out with pain and vanished while a shrill keening sound filled the air.
"That's Starfighter!" Shade stumbled and held her hands over her ears. "Something's hurting him so badly that he's forgotten to use his human voice!"
[Hurt? What happening?] cried Mist, looking back and forth between the two of them as she stamped with alarm. [You hurt?]
[Starfighter hurt!] said Shade, then tried to block out the agonized keening again as she staggered under the onslaught.
Mist reared angrily, then turned and bounded away down the corridor toward their stateroom near the outer layer of the ship.
"Got to... help the kid." Joel kept himself from falling by grabbing the wall, then ducked as shifter crew members ran past going the same way that Mist had gone, their skins various shades of orange, greyish white, and black.
"Oomph!" Shade found herself laying on the floor with a jolt and snorted angrily, but couldn't remember how to get her feet under her.
"Shade!" Joel knelt beside her and tried to help her to stand, but the sound of Starfighter's pain had him shaking so badly that all he could do was support the furious and weeping girl and pray for help.
And then it was over, and the silence seemed to ring in their smarting and throbbing ears.
"Starfighter..." Shade tried to struggle to her feet but found herself still too dizzy.
"Just wait. Let your equilibrium resettle." Joel poked the button on his new wristband. "Starfighter, can you hear me? Don't whimper, we're coming."
"He's hurt." Shade managed to stand on her second try. "Get on my back, we have to go to him."
"You're in no condition to be carrying anybody, kid," said Joel gruffly, putting an arm around her upper shoulders. "Lean on me. We'll go to him."
Shade heard sobbing as she moved along beside the human man, but only dimly realized that she was making the sound because of the pain in her ears. It seemed as though time was standing still as they made their slow and shaking way toward the stateroom. But the door loomed before them at last, and then swept aside to show Starfighter laying spread out limply in his bipedal form, his eyes closed and dark as Mist gently patted his face and tried to wake him.
Joel swore and gently lowered Shade to the floor beside the door, and then hurried over toward the silent hulk that was the young convertor man. "Starfighter! Kid?"
"The doctor's coming." The medical mechadroid looked down at him from Starfighter's chest, her expression showing concern and dismay.
"What's wrong?" barked Joel, then jerked around to look at Shade as she tried to get up and fell. "Stay down! Stay out of the way!"
"There was an energy transmission of some sort," said the medic anxiously. "It's interfered with his life force."
"Not a transmission." The shifter CMO paused quickly to tell another mechadrone to scan Shade, but then hurried toward Starfighter. "It's a force field around the entire planet. Someone's trying to keep convertors out."
"Why would someone do that?" cried Shade, wincing as the medic shone a light into her eyes. "I'm alright. I'm okay. Please help Starfighter."
"I don't know." The doctor scrambled up Starfighter's side and started scanning. "The captain'll find out. You, get the girl to lay still before she hurts herself."
Joel scowled, but moved with the alacrity of a well-trained soldier as he returned to Shade and went to one knee to put his arms around her. "Shhh, kid. The doctor'll do what he can. Just stay here and let this one tend to you."
"I'm alright." Shade pushed at him angrily, but then squeaked as he shook her slightly.
"You aren't alright, Shade. You've got blood coming out of your ears. Now hold still!" he said severely.
She trembled and lifted a hand toward the side of her head, then shivered and hid her face against him. "I have to take care of him. I stole him. He's part of my herd. I have to take care of him."
"Shhh. You've got to take care of yourself too." He smoothed her mane and watched as the medic carefully tended her ears.
"Your ears...?" She frowned up at him, golden amber eyes blinking blearily.
"They hurt, but they're not as sharp as yours. I think I'm alright." He smiled reassuringly. "They make them tough in the badlands."
"Lay her down, please." The medic pulled a fuzzy self-inflating pillow out of a storage pocket and tucked it under Shade's head, then glanced toward Starfighter as the doctor barked something to his other assistants.
"Is he going to make it?" Shade heard Joel ask quietly as something pricked like a bee sting on her arm. She tried to say something in reply, but it felt like her head was sinking slowly under thick water. And then everything went black.
[How feel?] asked Mist from beside her sister, her blue eyes bright with concern and curiosity.
"Feels good." He bent the arm at the elbow and flexed the fingers, then grinned at the medical mechadroid. "Thanks."
"Just doing my job," said the drone happily as she turned to put away the tools she'd used to accelerate the healing of Joel's injuries. "But you're very very welcome."
"That finger's not bending." Starfighter frowned as he watched his human crew member testing the mobility of newly repaired digits.
"No," said the medic soberly. "The joint was shattered some time in the past. It's fused now. I would have to do surgery and insert an artificial joint to make it work properly."
"It's fine." Joel flexed both arms, and then grinned more widely and looked at Starfighter's avatar. "Now you wanted a cleanup."
"I guess I am kind of grungy," said the young convertor man puzzledly as Mist and Shade perked with interest. "But when'd I say that?"
"Yesterday." Shade stretched, then patted him on the flank and started to turn toward the door. "I was helping Joel get the tangles out of his fur and you wanted to be polished."
Starfighter shook the avatar's head as the group stepped out into the broad corridor. "Let's just write off yesterday and the day before that. If I'm too boosted to remember something, it didn't happen."
[I bought a broom for dust monsters.] Mist looked up at him sideways. [And a mop.]
"...Okay. You can exterminate the dustbugs later." He face palmed and grumbled, then staggered slightly as Joel slugged him on the upper back in amused sympathy. "Hey! Watch it, furball!"
[Want to work on language learning more!] Mist bounced happily, then leaped over the two men as they stopped to watch her.
"Whoa..." Joel watched her, his eyes showing his startlement.
"You think that's something, you should... Oh yeah. You've seen them in trees." Starfighter smirked.
"While I'd had my head nearly kicked in." The furry man nodded absently, but then went into a defensive crouch as the avatar suddenly cried out with pain and vanished while a shrill keening sound filled the air.
"That's Starfighter!" Shade stumbled and held her hands over her ears. "Something's hurting him so badly that he's forgotten to use his human voice!"
[Hurt? What happening?] cried Mist, looking back and forth between the two of them as she stamped with alarm. [You hurt?]
[Starfighter hurt!] said Shade, then tried to block out the agonized keening again as she staggered under the onslaught.
Mist reared angrily, then turned and bounded away down the corridor toward their stateroom near the outer layer of the ship.
"Got to... help the kid." Joel kept himself from falling by grabbing the wall, then ducked as shifter crew members ran past going the same way that Mist had gone, their skins various shades of orange, greyish white, and black.
"Oomph!" Shade found herself laying on the floor with a jolt and snorted angrily, but couldn't remember how to get her feet under her.
"Shade!" Joel knelt beside her and tried to help her to stand, but the sound of Starfighter's pain had him shaking so badly that all he could do was support the furious and weeping girl and pray for help.
And then it was over, and the silence seemed to ring in their smarting and throbbing ears.
"Starfighter..." Shade tried to struggle to her feet but found herself still too dizzy.
"Just wait. Let your equilibrium resettle." Joel poked the button on his new wristband. "Starfighter, can you hear me? Don't whimper, we're coming."
"He's hurt." Shade managed to stand on her second try. "Get on my back, we have to go to him."
"You're in no condition to be carrying anybody, kid," said Joel gruffly, putting an arm around her upper shoulders. "Lean on me. We'll go to him."
Shade heard sobbing as she moved along beside the human man, but only dimly realized that she was making the sound because of the pain in her ears. It seemed as though time was standing still as they made their slow and shaking way toward the stateroom. But the door loomed before them at last, and then swept aside to show Starfighter laying spread out limply in his bipedal form, his eyes closed and dark as Mist gently patted his face and tried to wake him.
Joel swore and gently lowered Shade to the floor beside the door, and then hurried over toward the silent hulk that was the young convertor man. "Starfighter! Kid?"
"The doctor's coming." The medical mechadroid looked down at him from Starfighter's chest, her expression showing concern and dismay.
"What's wrong?" barked Joel, then jerked around to look at Shade as she tried to get up and fell. "Stay down! Stay out of the way!"
"There was an energy transmission of some sort," said the medic anxiously. "It's interfered with his life force."
"Not a transmission." The shifter CMO paused quickly to tell another mechadrone to scan Shade, but then hurried toward Starfighter. "It's a force field around the entire planet. Someone's trying to keep convertors out."
"Why would someone do that?" cried Shade, wincing as the medic shone a light into her eyes. "I'm alright. I'm okay. Please help Starfighter."
"I don't know." The doctor scrambled up Starfighter's side and started scanning. "The captain'll find out. You, get the girl to lay still before she hurts herself."
Joel scowled, but moved with the alacrity of a well-trained soldier as he returned to Shade and went to one knee to put his arms around her. "Shhh, kid. The doctor'll do what he can. Just stay here and let this one tend to you."
"I'm alright." Shade pushed at him angrily, but then squeaked as he shook her slightly.
"You aren't alright, Shade. You've got blood coming out of your ears. Now hold still!" he said severely.
She trembled and lifted a hand toward the side of her head, then shivered and hid her face against him. "I have to take care of him. I stole him. He's part of my herd. I have to take care of him."
"Shhh. You've got to take care of yourself too." He smoothed her mane and watched as the medic carefully tended her ears.
"Your ears...?" She frowned up at him, golden amber eyes blinking blearily.
"They hurt, but they're not as sharp as yours. I think I'm alright." He smiled reassuringly. "They make them tough in the badlands."
"Lay her down, please." The medic pulled a fuzzy self-inflating pillow out of a storage pocket and tucked it under Shade's head, then glanced toward Starfighter as the doctor barked something to his other assistants.
"Is he going to make it?" Shade heard Joel ask quietly as something pricked like a bee sting on her arm. She tried to say something in reply, but it felt like her head was sinking slowly under thick water. And then everything went black.