MF1.0 - 69 - Fresh Old Wounds

The tires squealed, or maybe it was her, everything spun, and then there was only blackness. A jolt of pain made Stef’s eyes open. ‘What are you doing?’ ‘Putting pressure on it.’ ‘Oh…’ Pressure was good. Pressure meant not dying of blood loss. All good. She closed her eyes again. She clutched at the cloth, his jacket. Well, guess they’re good for something. She felt him shuffle around and lean against the wall beside her. ‘Stef.’ ‘Hm?’ ‘Stef?’ ‘“Hm” is all you’re getting, wasted all energy on Kane.’ ‘If you ever forget your gun again, I’ll just kill you myself.’ ‘Is this the bit where you’re joking?’ There was pause. ‘Yes.’ ‘Sorry anyway.’ ‘What you did was stupidity of the highest order.’ ‘Is that a thank you?’ ‘Yes. But it’s still true.’ More pain. ‘He didn’t see you come back, you were around the corner. He saw me, he didn’t…you know. Seemed like the smart thing.’ She opened her eyes and looked down at the blood on her hands. ‘I got shot.’ She blinked a couple of times. ‘Your shoulder, is it ok?’ ‘It hurts,’ he admitted. ‘How long till it’s all ok again?’ ‘The blackout should clear in three minutes. If you’re asking in the general, then…never. There will always be Solstice and their ilk, there will always be problems, and for all we know, this world could simply fade out existence at anytime.’ She grunted. ‘Wow…that’s cheery.’ ‘It’s true though. The goddess at the centre of our world, she’s been banished, we won’t suffer a mirrorfall. In theory, that makes us a safe world, in practice…well, the first thirteen worlds with life on them had no god, they simply died without cause.’ She held up one of her bloodstained hands. ‘Is there possibly some other time you could…’ She coughed, this time there was blood in it. ‘Dorian said I belonged to Death. Just tell me I’m not going to him yet.’ ‘Her.’ ‘Hm?’ ‘The Lady, she is female. As are her sisters. You played with Limbo before I brought you back. Don’t you…you remember me and not them?’ ‘I barely remember you Ryan. It got compounded through dream and Alexandria. And you didn’t…’

‘You’re going to be fine. There will be a scar though.’ She laughed, then grimaced in pain, then laughed again. ‘One more scar there isn’t going to make a difference.’ ‘You’re going to have some scars until your family organises for a graft.’ ‘They won’t.’ The doctor gave her a surprised look. ‘Why would you say a thing like that?’ ‘Because it’s true.’ She pushed the wad of jacket against the wound - the surrealism of actually getting shot was doing a lot to dull the pain. ‘Should I get used to this?’ ‘No. Most Solstice shoot to kill. It’s easier.’ ‘Then why…?’ ‘To take you back and torture you.’ ‘It frightens me that you can say that without blinking.’ ‘It should frighten you.’ He looked up again. ‘We should move, so we can be across the border when the blackout fades.’ She gave him a deadpan look. ‘You expect me to walk?’ He shrugged his uninjured shoulder. ‘I could always leave you here.’ She couldn’t stop the horrified look on her face. His expression softened and he shook his head. ‘We don’t leave people behind.’ ‘Unless they’re in Solstice territory, which I am, which means you’re free to leave me behind…’ He simply shook his head, pushed himself to his feet and helped her up. Walking after getting shot hurt, more than sitting after getting shot. Note to self: don’t get shot again. You didn’t knock on wood. Great… The crossed the street and a moment later disappeared. They appeared in the infirmary, but Ryan disappeared a moment later, taking his coat with him. This time, the doctor let her stay conscious while he worked on her. As Parker stitched her up, she noticed something. ‘Why are there three doors?’ ‘Pardon?’ ‘There’s three doors to this place. Why?’ ‘One leads to the combat recruit’s floor, one to your floor and the last to the tech recruit’s floor. It means if any minor injuries are sustained, a recruit doesn’t have to travel between floors.’ ‘Trippy.’ He released her after a dose of painkillers with instructions to not tear the stitches. At least not on purpose - he gave the direct impression that within the Agency, a lot of stitches were torn accidentally. She required the mirror back into existence. She stared at herself for a moment before slipping off the vest and unbuttoning the shirt. A small patch of gauze covered the stitches and the quickly-healing wound. It wasn’t Star Trek fast, but it was a lot better than medical science could hope to do for many years to come. Just another scar to add to the collection.

‘Are you sure you only want the arms done? We could work out a deal and I could-’ ‘You’re already draining my bank account, don’t get greedy or I’ll find someone else.’ He looked away for a moment. ‘Doesn’t it interfere with your wardrobe choices?’ She gave him a cold stare. ‘Do me a favour and realise you aren’t dealing with one of my wannabe princess cousins. Just the arms, I don’t want to look at them anymore.’ ‘Trey will set up the paperwork, you can come back on Tuesday, until then, enjoy the sights.’ ‘Seen the sights, don’t like them. I only came here because you were recommended.’ ‘Go for a flight on the Eye.’ There was a knock at the door. Two quick thoughts removed the mirror and replaced her uniform. A third congratulated the first two on their speed and accuracy. A fourth told her she should open the door. She opened the door and found Enid there, holding a small basket. ‘Heard you got shot. Presuming the geek haven’t inherited the earth, that means you’re still one of us, so you get this.’ She thrust the basket at her. Inside was a cap gun, a bandaid, a block of chocolate and a voodoo doll. ‘I take it you can guess what to do with it.’ Do the thing where you pretend you’re human! Do you want to…come in?’ she asked awkwardly. Usually, the only people to darken her door where deliverymen and they never had any interest in staying. ‘I love what you’ve done with the place,’ Enid said with a grin. ‘I…’ she began. ‘Oh relax newie, everyone’s afraid of knocking holes in the walls at first. You don’t lose your bond if you put some posters up.’ ‘So everyone who gets shot, gets a goody basket?’ ‘Every time you get shot, it gets bigger. However, the fifth time, you have to buy a round of drinks. Solstice?’ She shrugged. ‘Of course.’ Enid waggled a finger. ‘There’s no “of course” - could have been one a dozen groups or any of a million people with Agency grudges.’ ‘Yeah, it was Solstice. Kane.’ ‘Don’t know him.’ Enid pulled the chocolate from the basket, tore it open and handed her a piece. ‘The Solstice are a bunch of pigs, just fry ‘em and make bacon, don’t waste your time thinking about them.’ She pulled a watch from thin air. ‘Gotta go, enjoy the voodoo doll.’