Keira finally managed to open her eyes, but her vision was blurred; she couldn't see any of Reese's distinct features, but she heard him shouting at someone. Keira tried to sit up, but that only made things worse, and she fell back down on the floor with a shout. "Just . . . Just let me die," she managed to whisper, her expression one of agony and terror.
"Come on!! There HAS to be something we can do!!!" Jena looked around the room helplessly. She hated feeling helpless. And she was scared, she realized with a jolt, she was scared of the diver killing Stewart. She had never been scared for someone else before...but now was no time to be dwelling on fears, she had to help Stewart. "Anna, got any ideas?!"
Anna bit her lip. There was a dilemma in her face; relinquish Stewart to Jena's charge and find the stuff they needed herself, or leave Jena in great danger. It wasn't a choice she could make. "Stay here," she told Jena, dashing across the room. She rummaged through the cabinets, eyes flying over the contents until she finally found what she thought they were looking for. "This better be it," she muttered, tossing the container to Jena. "Let's go." She grabbed Stewart, lifting him easily over her shoulder. "Sorry," she said. "Probably not to comfortable. Let's go." She gestured with her gun out the door. "Jena, take lead, will you?"
Without a word Jena dashed infront of Anna and scanned the hallway for anymore aliens. It was clear, she dashed out, the container in one hand, her gun clutched tightly in the other hand. In fact she was holding it so tightly she felt like her hand had fozen like that. She ran ahead, chekcing bakc every few seconds to make sure Anna was close behind her. She carried Stewart easily, and ran at a good speed, Jena was impressed. Keeping her gun trained infront of her she sprinted to the cafeteria ignoring the stitch in her side. "Here catch!" she said throwing the container to Vic who was sitting at a table smoking. She barely registered Reese on the floor with a blood covered Keira beofre turning to see if Anna needed any help.
"You know why don't you do something more f#$king useful....like I don't know how about getting f#$king Lex over here to look at her leg," Reese said. Vic looked up. He gave Reese a lazy stare through stoned, bloodshot eyes. He could see Reese wasn't backing down. After a a few seconds, Vic calmly got up from his seat, slung his rifle over his shoulder, and pushed in his chair before leaving the table. Ignoring Reese's orders about Lex, he walked over to where Keira and the man were, and knelt down beside her, inspecting the wound as if he were a doctor. "Hmm," he said, scratching his chin ponderously. "I've never seen a case like this. Allow me to administer a prescription. Two tablespoons of man-the -f***-up, half an ounce of walk-it-off, and one cup of I-don't give-a-f***." He turned and walked away, returning to the cafeteria, and making sure to leave with a middle finger salute to Reese. "Just . . . Just let me die," Keira said. Vic didn't give a f*** about Reese, but somehow Keira was at least slightly more important. "You ain't gon' die," he said, still walking away. "The bleeding stopped. Just make sure it don't get infected." Just then, someone called his name. Vic turned in time to catch the jar of black something the fire-getters had brought back. "It's about time," he said as he opened it. The whole thing smelled like ass. He strolled over to the big plant creature and tossed the open jar at it, spilling the contents all over the monster. Saddest of all, he sacrificed his blunt, tossing it in as well and causing the creature to burst into flames. He shed a tear as the monster was consumed by the inferno.
Anna shook her head at Jena's questioning look. "Try and find Lex," she said, carefully lowering Stewart onto the ground and taking up a crouching position next to him, her gun trained in the dark corners of the room.
Jena gave a curt nod and turned away. Her gaze fell on Reese, and her free hand balled up into a fist. He was sooo getting his ass kicked, and she was going to do it. Thens he tuirned away again, scanning the room for the insane doctor. "Lex, hey LEX!" Then she spotted him in another corner of the room, waving what looked like a chocloate bar. "What the hell?" She muttered jogging over to him.
Reese stared at Vic. He was already angry enough. He watched as Vic burned the creature and then he watched Jenna going after Lex. Reese got up quickly and stared at Jenna. He walked over to her and took her shoulder to face him. "Is someone bleeding to death?" he asked her, "We need Lex over here, for Keira." * * * Stewart stared at Anna. "I don't need help it's probably you more then me," Stewart said, "Thank you Anna for these good years of service...I appreciated." He accepted his death. He did. * * * Jenna had yelled at him an he looked at her taken aback by the gesture. "Well ain't it obvious...they are afraid of chocolate...not just any chocolate dark mint chocolate," Lex said with a smile. Lex stared at the bar of chocolate. "My only weapon, but it's making mes hungries you see," Lex said.
"Some alien creature, a diver, got into Stewart, he's going to die faster than Keira! Lex can help her next." She wrentched herself out of Reese's hands and turned to Lex. "Lex, Stewart needs your help now!"
Lex had better come up with some life-saving medicene soon, or Keira wouldn't survive for another 10 minutes. Even if Lex did manage to save her life, she didn't know if she could make it out of the facility. She couldn't walk; it would take her years to get over her injury. Keira would rather die than face the torment of continuing. She couldn't even bear the thought of standing. The idea of it seemed so painful to her. Her face pale and her body weak from blood loss, Keira lay still, saying nothing, hearing nothing. She felt the presences of her other companions, but to be quite honest, she didn't want them to save her. She was ready for death.
"As the boss I say Keira needs more help then Stewart....there isn't a cure for a Diver....Lex has none he is to f@#king bloody insane to look up a cure for Divers instead he had been working on Switchers and some other nasty infections you may get from....a General," Reese said, "Stewart is going to die so what...he is going to die quicker then her, since there is no cure....Lex we need you hear in the hallway now." Reese glared at the back of Jenna's head. * * * Lex really had no idea why they were fighting. "May I eat on the job?" Lex asked, "Oh waits...mays get some chocolate in the wound....mmmm does though, sound pretty delicious.....do aliens like sweets I wonder....right a Diver where?"
"Stewart, there is a diver inside of Stewart, Lex" She pionted over to where Stewart was lying with Anna watching him. Then she turned back to face Reese. "Look I don't give a **** if you are the boss! Stewart is in more iminate dnager than Keira at the moment, and I sure as hell am not going to let my friend die without doing everything I can first, and I sure as hell am NOT going to let you get it the way!" She turned her back on him and stlkaed angrily over to Stewart, her expression changing from furious to anxious as she aproached him
Lex walked over to Stewart as Jenna pointed to him. "You know there is nothing I can do for him Jenna....I'ms not that smarts you see," Lex said, "I was never working on the Divers...only know a little bit abouts thems you see." Lex stared at Stewart. "Where dids its enter you?" Lex said. Stewart pointed to his arm. Lex rolled the sleeve of Stewart's jacket. And he stared at the almost small amount of ooze on the wound. "Holy mother bleeping, bajeezous," "What?!" Stewart asked almost panicked. "Most Divers are male...you got yourself a female, they leave almost like an ooze on the wound, you're about to be killed by a colony of babies...she'll feed herself stupid, give birth have her children feed themselves stupids and thens they'll comes out of yous," "Really!" Stewart said. "Really...but a hold a seconds," Lex took out his mini magnifying glass, he stared at the wound. The looked of amazement on his face. Lex stared at them all with the oddest expression. "The ooze is combining with your blood the way a Colonel and the Diver live a mutual life...I think you're going to live like a Colonel," "I'm going to have gun on my abdomen," "No....the Divers life is just feed on it's host and protect it's host immune system, they enjoy blood, but like rare stuff too like the food their host eat," Lex said, "Welcome you are going have a helpful parasite in your body, a colony soon, but still....what blood type are you?" "O," "Well then...that may be the reason," Lex stared at Stewart with a smile. "This is weird to know what I'm about to be," "No mutations," "Still weird," Lex walked over to where Keira lay. And he gave a slight frown. "Stop being a morbids babies....you fine, the wound itself may be a bit deep, but nothing you can't live with," Lex said it only took him an assess of the bandages to know the kind of wound, "You may have Switcher mutation though, if you see vines on your leg or your leg turns into cracky crumbly skin, like coffee cake....don't panic, it's normal, but you won't be a full Switcher." Lex took out a Syringe from his pocket. "A mix of morphine and a wound stabilizer to help you out a bit," Lex said with a smile. He injected it in Keira.
Anna sat against the wall next to Stewart, leaning back against it with her gun pointing in Reese's direction; she didn't trust him. "I'm not giving up on you that easily," she told Stewart, not looking at him.
Reese wanted to slap both Anna and Jenna. He really just wanted to beat them down. But then he smirked. "That's fine Jenna don't treat like a boss, but I hope you know...even if I'm upset at Edgar he'll do as I ask....not only after this situation you will no longer have job, but you will no longer have your memories," Reese paused, "If anyone else wants to oppose me, as their boss....then I'll have all your memories erased and I'll make it virtually impossible for you to gain a job....I make the f@#king decisions around, I am the one f@#king hired you, paid you, gave you f@#king shelter, the least you can do is pay me some f@#king respect."
Jena who had so recently let out a sigh of relief, suddenly tensed up in anger. She turned to Reese her eyes flashing. She walked up to him. "You ASSHOLE!! You complete Son of a BITCH!" And before anyone knew what was happening she reached up and smacked him across the face, hard. "Your scientist is DYING because of one of those aliens you are studying and you threaten me for trying to help him?!?!" She stopped talking because she was so choked up with rage.
Keira saw and heard nothing until Lex injected his Syringe into her, and then everything exploded in a burst of white. "Oh, god!" she managed to cry, the pain was so intense. After the bright lights faded, Keira could make out the forms of Reese, Anna, Jena, and the others. She heard everything they were saying. "Look I don't give a **** if you are the boss! Stewart is in more iminate dnager than Keira at the moment, and I sure as hell am not going to let my friend die without doing everything I can first, and I sure as hell am NOT going to let you get it the way!" "If anyone else wants to oppose me, as their boss....then I'll have all your memories erased and I'll make it virtually impossible for you to gain a job....I make the f@#king decisions around, I am the one f@#king hired you, paid you, gave you f@#king shelter, the least you can do is pay me some f@#king respect." "You ASSHOLE!! You complete Son of a BITCH! Your scientist is DYING because of one of those aliens you are studying and you threaten me for trying to help him?!?!" Keira attempted to cry out to them, but the only sound she managed was yet another unintelligable groan. After clearing her throat, Keira softly said, "You two . . . need to shut . . . up!"
Lex laughed. "Well Stewart ain't dying...he'll live a life with a stronger happier immune system," Lex then paused, "And Keira ain't dying either...she's just overreacting a bits...the poison of the fangs may be the reasons of that you sees...someones got to carry her." * * * She had slap him. She had slapped her boss she had gone to far to f@#king far. "The first person the list who wants to be an unemployed bum on the street," Reese paused, "I'll carry Keira." Reese walked over to Keira. How was he suppose to carry her, piggy back or like a bride. He picked her up more like a bride. His would not have her on his back. There was something sort of attractive about her being on his back. Something he didn't want to think about. * * * Stewart stared at Anna. "I'm going to live with freaking slug leeches in my body for the rest of my life," Stewart whispered, "I don't if I should be happy about it or not."
Jena clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms. She was sure she would have cuts there when she finally unclenched her hands. She closed her eyes and forced herself to take a deep breath. She opened her eyes and stalked over to Stewart and Anna. Her mouth was set in a harsh, angry line. She was soo not done with Reese yet. Soo not done.
"Calm down, Jena," Anna said, her eyes locked on Reese and Keira, however. The way he was carrying her... she cocked her head to one side, her face blank as she watched what she was sure everyone else could see. Reese was being crushed by Keira--the question was, would Keira return the sentiment. She wanted to know, and now. "Get back at him later." She turned to Stewart. "Can you walk? I think we need to get going."
Keira wasn't too happy when Reese picked her up, but she dealt with it. She couldn't walk on her own, and she wasn't about to be left behind; however, everything was getting darker, and her vision was only getting worse - blurring. Keira wouldn't be conscious for much longer. She probably would never be carried again, so she'd better make the most of it. Sighing deeply, Keira closed her eyes and lay her head against Reese's shoulder, drifting into unconsciousness.
"Yeah...but that asshole! ok, ok I'm calming down." She took another deep breath. "Thanks Anna." She shook her head slightly, feeling her anger slowly dissapting. "Come on guys, lets go."
Her head was on his shoulder. He had never carried a woman before. Never. He had girlfriends, but he had never carried them. But his arm being in a bent position pinched again. Stupid jammed cartilage. Whatever. He wasn't as hurt as everyone else. This was at least his scapegoat. At least no one could shoot him while Keira was in his arms. * * * Stewart got up. "Yes...I can walk," Stewart said. The idea of leech slugs in his body still freaked him out. It made him worry and maybe, he hadn't realized it if so, he was having one of his panic or anxiety attacks. Leech Slugs for the rest of his life, in his body.
Vic watched the smoldering pile of embers, burning out on the floor. The plant monster -- and his blunt -- were no more. The conversations going on behind him weren't even relevant. It was as if he heard, but didn't hear. As the last sign of flame dwindled into nothingness, he submitted to the grim reality that his finely-crafted instrument of intoxication was no more -- gone forever. He turned to face the group. They seemed to be preparing to leave. The conversations he'd missed suddenly began to catch up with him, as if his brain were playing it all on rewind. Reese was being an arrogant a**, Jena had slapped him, Keira thought she was dying, Lex proved she wasn't, and Stewart is now officially a freak of nature. "Okay... now what?" Vic asked, rejoining the group.
Anna could see the look of fear in Stewart's face, so she reached out and put her arm around his shoulders. "It's okay," she told him. "Lex may be nuts, but you're not going to die. I know it's weird, but that's the first step. Besides," she added, grinning brightly at him, "You love aliens--think of it as a learning experience."
