The Timeservers

Chapter 44

New York City, New York

The Spire, Infirmary

December 19, 227 P.F.E

1115 hours

Kelly was brought directly to the Spire's infirmary with the rest of the elite. It seems like no one's figured out that he's not one of them though. He's a spectre. He's a good brother. He's a good friend. He deserved better.
"Where's my brother!" Sophia demands, rushing into the infirmary. She'd been standing outside of it for the past fifteen minutes, since they started to bring Guardians in, to be allowed in. Now that she is she's ready to mow down anyone between her and her sibling."Where's Phoenix?"
The infirmary attendant looks through a list, trying to remain calm and calm Sophia as she goes. "I'm sorry, but we don't have a patient named Phoenix at the moment."
Sophia starts to pace. "He's dead, isn't he? They left him at the Tower because he was killed! Twelve percent!Twelve percent!"
"Do you have a patient under the name of Jasper Chen, he's an elite," Leo cuts in.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me! His cover name! How messed up is this infirmary!"
"Sophia, you set up the cover names and make sure the other pages are down when we're on missions yourself."
Sophia screeches. "Do you have a Jasper Chen?"
"We do. Are you family?" the attendant asks.
"Yes, we've established that I'm his sister. Jasper Chen is Phoenix, I am Phoenix's sister; Sophia Liu."
"Okay, I just need to check... you are his sister. And what is your relationship with the patient?" the attendant asks Leo.
"I'm his superior officer, Mythos."
"Both of you can go through. Curtainnine. A doctor will be by soon to inform you of his condition and the treatment he's being given. Please try to remain quiet around other patients and their families. Many of them need their rest."
Sophia pinches her lips together at this. She gets led by Leo to the curtain area by the elbow. They pull aside the curtain and there's a prone Kelly in the cot. Most of his torso is wrapped in gauze and bandages, there's a large bandage on his forehead, and his foot is wrapped.
Leo taps the screen at the end of the bed and looks over the chart there. "The doctors haven't really seen him yet. They think they should have him to normal in a week, but lots of bed rest. He suffered a stab wound to the abdominal area, a sprained ankle, and two contusions to the forehead. He lost a lot of blood."
"How long after the building was cleared did he get treated?" Sophia asks, taking the spot in the chair next to the cot. She takes her brother's hand, holding it in both of hers.
"He got some initial treatment when he was at the Tower. It was done by a novice."
"How long?"
"They said the attack was ended at ten, medics didn't find him until ten thirty and he wasn't treated by them until ten forty-five."
"Why was there a fifteen-minute break in between him being found and him being treated?"
"I don't want to say." Leo puts down the chart and sits down next to Sophia, putting a hand on her shoulder. She moves away.
"Why didn't they treat him?"
"There was someone else in the room that they needed to treat first."
"Someone in worse condition?"
"No."
Sophia looks up, steel in her eyes. "A chancellor." She stares at Leo, trying to get an answer from him, and she does. "Via."