Into the Black

bushwacked · **Reply #1300 on:** March 15, 2014, 08:36:12 PM

Axel supported Tony's head as Marie wound the bandage around his neck. "Come on, I'm here, just... just keep with us, alright? Everything's going to be okay..." he tried to reassure him, his voice shaking. With his free hand he held on tightly to Tony's paw. "It's over... they're not gonna hurt you..."

Turning to look at Vergil, Axel shook his head. "I... I don't know, I didn't see anyone but... but someone else was out there. I think they were trying to help us!"

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #1301 on:** March 15, 2014, 09:09:46 PM

Emilena had already retreated back into the trees. She had no reason to reveal herself at the moment. Plus she appeared to have drawn the fire of the assisting kidnappers, she had already given the team the chance they needed to escape.

I'll catch up with them later... she thought. Because if I were them, I wouldn't stick around long enough to get the chance to grab another passenger.

Pterano · **Reply #1302 on:** March 15, 2014, 09:22:33 PM

"Ugh... let's just go!" Vergil said, throwing the door open when it became apparent whoever was in the bushes wasn't coming out. Besides... he was starting to see black sedans everywhere, and he didn't like it. Sliding into the front seat (there was precious little room in the back after all), he glimpsed another black sedan heading down the road and driving slowly past the parking lot, as if scanning it. "I'd go." Vergil murmured, trying to look as inconspicuous as a mutant white-skinned gecko with feathers could look.

Tony gripped Axel's hand as firmly as he could, which wasn't very firmly at all, but his fluttering eyes were starting to focus at least, and he was coming back to his senses after the trauma of being clubbed and shot. "What happened?" he asked, trying to relax as best he could. "Damn this hurts... was I... shot?" he asked with some confusion, trying to make sense of it all. He was trembling, the adrenaline coursing through his body to tell him something was wrong... he was in danger... but he tried to focus instead on Axel's calming influence, and not panic.

Nick22 · **Reply #1303 on:** March 15, 2014, 09:33:40 PM

Marie shut the door, and Marita pulled out of the parking lot and drove down the road..as quickly as the speed limit allowed.. 'Tony, does your father have any, well ' safe houses' you know places where you can lie low for awhile? i'm hoping he does, because you need a place to lie low for awhile' Marita said as she turned down on to the main street in the area. ' you've been shot in the neck, and lost quite a bit of blood. we're trying to get you to a safe place so we can properly care for your injuries. and I dont think your dad is going to take kindly to the fact you've been shot. if he finds out.. well we're likely dead. so.. please.. don't tell him about this.." Marita said.

Serris · **Reply #1304 on:** March 15, 2014, 10:49:32 PM

Soren took off his gear and stuffed it back into the locker as the vehicle sped down the road.

Anne pressed the intercom. "Go to Lanthae Square. There's a guy I know who can help him. Name's Tommy Jiang. He's a 'backalley doc'." She spat out the last words. While it was true some backalley doctors were little more than talentless hacks with a scalpel or completely insane, some – like Thomas Jiang – were fully qualified doctors and cybernetic surgeons who decided to go rogue, implanting augmentations without regard to the law, caring only if the would-be Augment could afford the surgery and implants.

Pterano · **Reply #1305 on:** March 16, 2014, 01:06:29 AM

"No... no safe house!" Tony protested weakly, trying to pull himself up using the back of the car seat before falling back down. "I'll be fine... I feel fine!" he insisted through slurred speech. He heard Anne's suggestion over the intercom, and thought about this now. "All right... we can do that... but no augments... I don't need augments." he said, shaking his head a tad here. "Just get patched up... some painkillers maybe..." he suggested, coughing a bit again, which caused him to wince in pain.

Serris · **Reply #1306 on:** March 16, 2014, 01:44:30 AM

The Pierce-Arrow roared through the streets. The combustion powered vehicle was a dramatic contrast to the electric vehicles that plied the streets. Then again, most of the output of the algal oil farms went to making plastics, military vehicles, heavy ships, airplanes (try as they might, electrically powered airplanes and heavy cargo ships couldn't compete with the old combustion powered vehicles).

What was leftover was sold to classic car enthusiasts or those who simply wanted the status symbol or nostalgia of driving an old combustion vehicle.

Soren peeked out the window of the trailer. It was starting to grow dark and the LED streetlights began to turn on. He sighed. By the time they got to the Night Market, it would be busy. He only hoped there was some way to smuggle Tony to Doctor Jiang without attracting unwanted attention.

(OOC - In this world, civilian gasoline and diesel vehicles are kind of like real-world horse and buggy. Impractical for modern transportation but still used for their romantic/historical association and sport. As a sidenote, a common entry level "fueler" <slang for liquid fueled vehicle> is what would be recognized in the real world as a Toyota Camry)

bushwacked · **Reply #1307 on:** March 16, 2014, 06:18:19 AM

"Hey, hey, come on..." Axel coaxed, gently holding Tony down, feeling the ferret trembling. "You can't move so much. Just... just try and relax..." The bandage around his neck was starting to soak through already. He glanced up at the driver's seat. "Hurry it up, Marita..."

Axel looked back down at Tony. "Hey, you got something against augments, pal?" he said, smiling sickly, trying to keep Tony's mind from the situation.

Nick22 · **Reply #1308 on:** March 16, 2014, 10:28:37 AM

' to the doctor it is then..' marita said as she redoubled her speed, she reached lathae square within a few minutes ' so where does this doctor normally hang out in the square/' she asked through the intercom. we know that twe can drive around most of the traffic and got tony to him sooner.."
-
rose wrapped another fresh bandage around tonys neck., the towel she was using as a tourniquet was now stained with blood on about a quarter of its surface. she shifted the towel and moved to a unbloodied section of it, continuing to squeeze toght to prevent any more blood loss.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #1309 on:** March 16, 2014, 09:14:17 PM

As they reached Lanthae Square, Nairda continued to be unconscious.

Pterano · **Reply #1310 on:** March 17, 2014, 12:21:02 AM

"OK..." Tony said weakly, not protesting against Axel holding him back down. He tried to do as instructed and just relax. He wasn't aware that his blood was already soaking through the first bandage rather handily. "So... how do I look?" he asked hopefully, just barely able to see it if he moved his head downward a bit, and it wasn't much; more like the edge of the bandage. "Oh god...!" Tony exclaimed upon seeing his own blood soaking his shoulder. "Oh god... are we close?" he asked, noting they were back in Lanthae Square. He almost attempted to pull himself up again before remembering Axel's instructions, and sighed and sank back down.

"No... no of course not!" he smiled at Axel's mock accusatory question. "I just... I'm just scared... that's all." he said, the rat clearly seeing the fear was genuine in the ferret's eyes. "I'm not gonna die... right?" he asked, his voice light and breathy as he searched Axel for answers.

Nick22 · **Reply #1311 on:** March 17, 2014, 12:45:51 AM

We're close Tony' Just hold on for a few more minutes, we're getting you to a doctor' marita said she continued driving through the square."Anne, do you have the doctors number, if you do, call it! Tell him this is an emergency" she said through the intercom.."Time is of the essence!' she said.

bushwacked · **Reply #1312 on:** March 17, 2014, 06:00:24 AM

Axel shook his head firmly. "No way. You're going to be fine. You hear me?" Looking up briefly through the window, he could see they 'd reached the square. Almost there... "C'mon, you're a Stracci, right?" he continued, keeping a hold of Tony's hand. "You think something as pathetic as a bullet's going to bring you down?! I sure as hell don't think so."

Serris · **Reply #1313 on:** March 17, 2014, 04:48:17 PM

"No can do, he doesn't have a phone. It's word of mouth," Anne replied.

The car pulled into an empty lot near an alleyway.

Soren opened the door and Anne got out.

The mare knocked on a door that was battered and scarred. A camera on an arm aimed at her. "Password?"

Anne looked around. "Blue Screen," she whispered.

With a hiss, the magnetic locks disengaged and the biting odor of disinfectant wafted out from a white hallway.

"Hurry!" Anne barked.

Soren stood by Axel with his rifle at the ready in case someone wanted to finish the job on Tony.

bushwacked · **Reply #1314 on:** March 17, 2014, 06:30:40 PM

Opening the car door, Axel looked uncertainly down the hallway that had been revealed, but Soren's presence with his rifle made him feel more at ease. He looked down at Tony. "Alright, we're here... we have to move you, okay? Just... just lean all your weight on me and Marie, we'll do the all the work..."

Shifting his position, he gently put Tony's arm around his neck and waited for Marie to do the same. "Okay, I'm going to lift you up," Axel cautioned. "Remember what I said, just lean on us. Three... two... one!" He heaved him up, one hand around Tony's waist, the other keeping hold of the arm around his neck, keeping him steady. Grunting, Axel climbed out of the car and staggered with Tony towards the white corridor.

Nick22 · **Reply #1315 on:** March 17, 2014, 06:40:53 PM

MarIe and Rose helped support the other side of Tony while marita got out and helped Axel carry tony's lower half, 'carry him to a stretcher and lets wheel him into surgery' Marita said " The augments with us will have to get theirs repaired' the building was that of a small hospital clinic' we have a shooting victim here she called out to a nurse , who was sitting at a counter reading from looked to be a newspaper. ' you loking fir the doc. hes in room 13. take the patient in yourself '; the nurse replied. a stretcher lay unused near an open door.

Serris · **Reply #1316 on:** March 17, 2014, 07:32:45 PM

Doctor Tsing "Thomas" Jiang had been alerted to the recent arrival. Room 13 had been prepped and cleaned for surgery and Doctor Jiang had scrubbed up and gotten himself ready to perform the operation.

He turned to the group entering. "I presume he is the patient?" he asked, pointing to Tony with his stainless steel hands. Despite the blue glow coming from his cybernetic eyes, his gaze was businesslike. His voice had the soft, faint accent of one native to Hong Kong and had learned English as an adult.

----------

Anne watched as the door slid shut and locked itself. Soren was looking around. His rifle dangled from its sling as he watched Axel and the others hustled Tony down the sterile hallway. A Vulpine orderly was wheeling a Wolverine who had just had his augmentation surgery down to the recovery room.

Nick22 · **Reply #1317 on:** March 17, 2014, 07:52:50 PM

Yes' Marita said as she marie and Rose helped lay Tony on the operating table. ' we just want his injuries treated, no augments for this one' MArita added, as she removed the bandages, a dobermann nurse entered carrying a tray of thread and stitches' biodegradable stitches ' she said to Marita "We'll go into surgery immediately she said ' the surgery should take a couple hours there are magazines and books in the waiting room we'll buzz you when he is in the recovery room.'

bushwacked · **Reply #1318 on:** March 17, 2014, 09:04:09 PM

Axel nodded at what the nurse said, then looked down at Tony. "I guess you won't be the pretty boy anymore," he said with an awkward grin. Then he gently touched the ferret's shoulder. "We'll be here for you when you get out alright? Just... you'll be fine. Trust me."

Pterano · **Reply #1319 on:** March 17, 2014, 09:42:21 PM

Tony was led out of the car, and then practically picked up and carried (which he didn't think he needed, but he didn't protest against either) into the clinic. He tried to hold back his tears, but he couldn't. He started to cry a bit, sobbing as he was dumped onto the gurney. "I don't know... I just don't know..." he said now, then nodded as Marita practically spoke for him. "Yes... no augments...unless... unless it's needed." he said softly here, not ruling out the possibility that the bullet had paralyzed his left arm... he didn't think so, but he couldn't tell. He could move it at least, but due to the pain, couldn't give it full mobility.

He looked up at Axel, almost pleadingly, and nodded. "I hope so. I just... I'm holding you guys up... you should go on... go fight your fight." Tony said, blinking away more tears. "I'm sorry this happened... I'm really sorry." he whispered. He wasn't being completely logical about his own situation, but the guilt was his strongest emotion right now, and it was winning out over everything else.

"Just uh... yeah... I know you'll be close by." the ferret nodded here, setting his jaw firmly to try and get ready for this. "Guess I always fear being knocked out and operated on..." he offered a small smile here. "Take care and... see you soon." He patted Axel's hand on his shoulder, and let him go.