The place was still far too busy for anyones comfort and they had only gotten the overflow; most of the doctors didn't want to think about what was going on at the main site. Most of the cases they had gotten were less severe, the extra travel time meant that the critical patients had been dropped at the main hospital but they had a lot of people injured and most were confused about how they'd gotten there. The process to get in to see any of the patients was a little more painful as they were already traumatized and the staff were doing their best to minimize any additional stress.
They had gotten several calls regarding the patient in room 208, they now knew her name and also knew that she would be expecting visitors, they still did not know why she seemed unresponsive to any treatment; it was a waiting game that no one liked.
"This way, please." Sergei nodded mutely at the doctor, following his heels down the busy hospital corridor. He jammed his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders as he walked, staring dully at the doctor's back with heavy eyes, the only noise he made was the rhythmic rattle of his earrings and dogtags. A nurse opened the door to room 208 and Sergei entered, stopping by her bedside. He thought he heard the doctor speaking but the noise faded into the background. "Hey there," Sergei said with a shadow of a tired smile, and leaned forward to touch her arm.
Jet looked like she was just sleeping, the bandages that covered the wound in her back weren't visible how she was laying, they didn't even have IVs in her arms as she had reacted... poorly to everything they attempted to give her. The doctor had been going through their findings and was about to go into what tests they wanted to run when another visitor was lead in and he went to speak with the other man first. The man in the doorway was tall, with a raven mane of hair shot through with the a red color that matched Jets, a tribal tattoo curved around his left eye, down the cheek and across his forehead. His appearance was striking, as evidenced by the expression on the nurse's face, she wasn't quite drooling but she looked stunned and was staring openly.
"You said she was brought in a few days ago and has not woken since?" The man asked the doctor, his words held that same accent that sometimes marred Jets words, his voice was deep and smooth. The doctor, happy to have someone that seemed to know the woman and was paying him any attention. "Yes, we have run all the tests we could and we can't figure out why she isn't awake. She didn't take any head wounds, the wound on her back is severe, but she seems resilient, she took similar wounds..." There was a pause and the doctor kind of leaned as if to check the mans back for something. "She took severe back wounds before and there is no infection. We thought perhaps blood loss but we have no matching blood to infuse her with and she had a violent reaction to plasma when we tried it."
The man nodded. "Yes, that makes sense. Our physiology is complex." As if noticing the glance the man leaned closer and spoke in a whisper that carried to any in the room. "We hide them because some people react poorly to seeing bipeds with wings." The doctors eyes widened. "Of-of-of course." Then remembering that Sergei was also there. "I assume you two will want to speak about how to proceed with her treatment? Her name is Bridgette, right?" He checked the chart, he knew that was the name they had given, but he was nervous now. "J'ette. But she goes by Jet now, I believe. Leave us for now, we will get you when we have discussed things." Dismissing the doctor and then taking a step toward Sergei. "You are the boy she has been playing with?" Spoken in a low tone pitched for Sergei's ears only.
That accent... The man's words cut through the background noise, and Sergei lifted his head from the bedside to stare at him. When it hit him just what he was saying, his hands curled into fists at his sides. "Her boyfriend," he answered, lifting his chin. The posturing took a back seat, though, to helping Jet -- and this man seemed to know an awful lot about her. "You're like her... You know how they can help her?"
The smile that formed on his lips was predatory and came nowhere near his golden colored eyes. "Her boyfriend? Did you give her your varsity jacket to wear? I am like her, and has she remembered what that means yet? She did tell you that she doesn't remember most of her past?" He moved to the other side of the bed, a hand reached out and he stroked her cheek. "There was an awful lot of past to forget too." He seemed far too amused for the situation and there was a definite air of gloating. "She would hate that you asked me to help her... she has no choice now, however. It is funny, if you know all the details. Still. I can help her, the real question that should be asked if will I?"
Sergei had been sleepwalking through every single day since the crash, but the way he touched Jet, the way he spoke -- this man had been winding Sergei up like a spring from the moment he opened his mouth, and suddenly he uncoiled. He lunged to grab the man by the arm "She's one of you... whatever you are, she's one of you, you can help her, so do it or tell me how!"
Vegas laughed and looked down at the grasp on his arm. "Or what? What will you do if I decide to let her die? Make no mistake boy she is dying." He was good at winding people up, it was his specialty and he would continue to push buttons. He looked at Jet again, a considering appraisal. "I give her two days, maybe three considering how stubborn she is and then..." Snaps the fingers on his free hand. "Gone." He leaned in closer to Sergei. "What will you give me to help her?"
"If you let her die..." His eyes were angry and wild as they searched Vegas' face, and his grip only tightened. What would he do to a man for failing to save another? Kill him? Then by that logic, in Sergei's own mind, he'd have to kill himself as well... Sergei let go, shoving him away with both hands. "What the fuck do you want?"
Tsks. "Such language on one so young." He looked at Jet again. There were many ways he had pictured winning their little game, but for all his flaws he did not like to win by default. "Do you have any idea of what type of creature you are dating, Sergei? If I say the price is a favor from you at sometime in the future, you can add whatever little safeguards you wish to make sure it is not something against your nature, would you do so not knowing something so basic about the woman you would save by giving the promise of a favor?" The name was said with precision, he wanted the man to realize that they hadn't been introduced yet, wanted him to know he knew at least something about him.
"It makes no fucking difference what she is," he shot back heatedly; his fists wanted to jump up and he struggled to keep them down. "But you tell me what you are. I want to know who I'm making promises to... and I won't hurt anyone. That's my rule. I have money. I can fly. I'm sure you'll think of something."
"It will not be to harm anyone, most likely it will be to deliver a message or a package, a harmless package." His expression smoothed out, there was still amusement in his gaze but now they would get to something more important than seeing what buttons he could push on Sergei. "What I am? I am of the Brigade." The word held weight, it beat against the air and struck to the soul of those that heard it spoken of, even here so far from the Planes they protected.
There was a thrum on the air as he projected a shield, it would keep others from seeing what went on in the room if they entered. Dropping the illusion that hid his true form, Sergei would be able to see the wide, pure white wings that rose from his back; his clothing changed from the comfortable business casual he had been wearing to leather armor, a sword was at his waist and his slender form was more noticeably muscled. "We are of the Brigade." Including Jet in his explanation. "To understand that you would have to go to the Planes...which is what Jet needs to do to survive."
"She might not survive even then, there are still some that have not forgotten, nor forgiven her transgression." There was something in the set of his shoulders that implied he might be in that category. "So, what is it to be, boy? You give me your word and I will take her to the Planes, where she may or may not survive."
"She lives, or there is no deal." His eyes lowered, ticking back and forth frantically as he thought, weighing his options. "Why should I trust you? You don't care about her or else you wouldn't be holding her life hostage... How do I know you aren't just bringing her in for her transgression?"
He gave Sergei a long, hard look. There was the spirit that drew Jet to him, he was sure of it. "You should not trust me. No one should, I am not trustworthy." There could be no doubt that statement was honest, an irony for the content. "You are wrong about not caring for her however." When his gaze dropped to her there was definitely some emotion that crossed his features. The illusion fell back over his body, the wings phased out and the normal clothing reappeared. "I will not be the one that brings her in for her transgression. There would be no gain in it for me, and if none of my other words ring true, the fact that I do not do anything that brings me no gain... should."
"As for the she lives... you do not understand the quality of the enemies she has made. I can not take on my betters in the Brigade, not in open combat, I am adverse to committing suicide. I will allow you to do so if you wish. You can come to see that I have set her somewhere she should be safe. I can give you no more than that." His arms folded over his chest and he settled into a waiting stance. "Please take your time, I am probably not wrong about how long she has to live."
It was enough, sped by the likelihood that every moment that passed without proper treatment increased the chances of Jet's death. "Okay. But I'm coming with you. Just let me make a phonecall -- there's a good chance my grandfather will die while I'm gone," he added with a humorless twist to his lips.
He made no verbal response to this, he waved a hand to indicate he should proceed. Moving to the door to give Sergei the illusion of privacy, he waited.
It didn't take long. "I'm ready."
He motioned in the air with a hand and a silver line appeared, within moments it grew in length and width until there was a human sized 'hole', a silvery pool that should look familiar to Sergei, it was the same type of portal that she used to take him to the Pits of Goldarra. Stepping toward Jet he reached for her and then paused. "You want to throw her over your shoulder or should I? You look a bit .. light to be carrying her while she is unconscious."
Sergei gave Vegas a stare, then stooped to scoop Jet into his arms without a word with only a small grunt to indicate the effort. He was quite strong for his size.
Jet made no noise as he lifted her from the bed. Unconscious Jet was not a delicate flower, her tall lithe form was mostly muscle and she weighed a lot more than she looked like she should. "You know that we are alike and yet you did not ask about the wings. You can fly with the help of a machine... we can fly." It was his nature to dig at sensitive spots, to push buttons until people wanted nothing more in life than to end his, typically he did this with his dreamscaping, it was much less dangerous for him but there were some opportunities in life that just presented themselves in a manner that he could not resist.
"I get a lot closer to the sky than you think, pal." Admitting this was probably a mistake, but he said it without much thought.
"Follow." Was all that preceded him stepping through the portal. The other side was obviously not the hospital anymore. They were in a room that was both warm and muggy, the air thick enough to almost choke on the water it held. The room itself was a myriad of greens, the walls, the ceiling, the floor... all pulsed with life, a low hum filled the space, just within hearing range. The gravity here was stronger, it would be immediately noticeable to Sergei. When they were fully in the room the portal would blink out of existence. "She will need to be brought to the lower levels."
Sergei winced at the additional strain but kept going with Jet in his arms. He stooped to slide her onto his shoulders instead, then hurried to keep up with Vegas. As they proceeded his eyes took in every detail he could, wondering just how alien this place was.
Sergei would get a much better idea as Vegas turned and took them toward an opening that led to a pathway that sloped gently around and down the outside of structure. They were in something that looked like a vast mushroom, the top of it high enough that it was just a shadow in the red sky above. There were others nearby and they gave a better view as they were shorter but no less impressive. The stalks were all as wide as a skyscraper building and possessed hundreds of 'balconies' that led to open rooms, these could be seen as they started down the pathway. The ground was firm enough to walk on but obviously made of organic material, it gave slightly with each step.
The walls were warm and a sentience could be felt, it was the source of the low hum. They were hundreds of feet above the earth, it was lost in a sea of reddish mist that lapped at the stalks like an ocean. The rooms they passed were all empty, or were filled with things that Sergei could not see. "How good is your hearing?"
"Better than human." If Vegas paid close attention the lower sounds and vibrations -- those outside of the human range -- seemed to coincide with twitching in the tips of his long, pointed ears.
"Humans, as far as I can determine, are deaf." He kept a quick pace, his legs were long and his stride a militant steady beat. "Can you hear their song?" There was the humming, in the distance there were also the calls of wildlife. Occasionally a shadow would fall on them, but whatever creature made it was gone too fast to see, or was too high up to catch... the size of such a beat would need be vast to cast such shadows.
"Yeah... what does it mean?" He looked up to try to find the source of the large shadows, but while his ears were much better than a human's, his eyes were only a marginal improvement if at all.
"They sing of the history of this Plane." Winding around the outside of the stalk was a longer trip than if there had been stairs but it was a living thing and you couldn't complain too much if they didn't provide those conveniences right? Besides the majority of creatures on this planet flew, making the travel between stalks or levels easy. "They also sing of dangers. They are currently singing of the arrival of J'ette and myself. If another of the Brigade is on this Plane we will know it soon." He walked in silence for a few yards. "I will not fight them if they come." Just in case he hadn't made that clear.
"Then let's hope our luck holds." Sergei tried to decipher some pattern in the song, some semblance of its meaning so -- hopefully - he would hear any change in it, too. Vegas understood its meaning already, but he wasn't assuming the man would warn him if it didn't fit in with his interests...
Vegas would have been impressed if he could read thoughts, he wouldn't warn Sergei, he'd likely wait until the last moment and then transport himself to another Plane, there wouldn't even be any regret in the action, perhaps a bit of sorrow that his game with Jet would be done with if the right...or wrong member of the Brigade showed. "You are under a mistaken impression again, Sergei, your luck ran out the moment you agreed to the bargain." Said without inflection. "You realize you did not get my name? Names are power here." The wings spread as he walked, all the feathers slowly turning a silver near the tips, they gleamed in the dull illumination, they folded back down after, it looked more like a reflex than a deliberate action. They continue another two revolutions before he stopped and waved for Sergei to enter one of the rooms. "This should suffice."
Sergei thought of Vegas' words as blather, so he didn't respond directly, merely entering the room that the man directed. Carrying Jet had taken its toll, but from the limited strain he felt now he reckoned he could manage the return journey.
There was nothing different about this room, nothing outwardly different, there were a few open doorways that lead to other rooms but the place was dark and it would be difficult to explore without a light source. "Now you just need to lay her down and wait. It will work but the amount of time depends on her and how willing she is to allow it to fix her body." He suspected she wasn't as willing as Sergei might hope but there was that stubbornness that might win out. "I will leave, with two of the Brigade here there is a higher likelihood that someone will come to investigate." Besides he had no intention of helping so really...it was just silly for him to remain. "Do you have any weapons? The local wildlife should remain away, but... they might get hungry and sense weakness." He probably meant Jet.
Sergei shook his head. "I don't suppose you have anything you'd like to loan us." The fact that he was leaving didn't surprise him; the notion of him giving them a weapon definitely would.
He considered. "Can you use a blade?" No sense in leaving him something he couldn't use effectively.
"Yes."
For a member of the Brigade that did not directly engage in foes often he had a nice collection of weaponry on him, the sword would not be left but he did throw over two sheathed daggers. They were long, sleek, nearly big enough to be swords but falling just shy. "I will be back when I sense that she has woken. If... I sense she has woken." Without another word he disappeared and then Sergei was left in a strange land, with two daggers and an unconscious Jet.
Adapted from liveplay
