Finding The Way Back (A Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts Fanfiction)

[24] All Pieces Obtained

The sound of a heart rate monitor was the first thing that Chess heard as he rises to consciousness. The sound of a second heart rate monitor is the second thing he heard as he opens his eyes to the sight of metal walls with fluorescent lights keeping the windowless room lit. His eyes did not move, but his thoughts did. And so did the memories.

What...happened?

"Mmm..."

His entire body feels like it got a sunburn, both inside and out. His memory gave the answer; it was most likely the radiation he got from...

...

Wait...

How did he get here then? To the hospital?

"Chess?"

His head turns slowly to find a familiar-looking ferret.

"Ah?" His voice is weak and sickly, but it held the tone of recognition.

The ferret...it's Fame! What's he doing here?

"Hey, Chess. Didn't think you'd be here." Fame is wearing scrubs as his paw holds a pole that upheld an IV drip, its tube stuck into his forearm. "You alright?"

"Hhhhh..."

Chess looks to himself, seeing that his clothes had been removed for those same scrubs that Fame is wearing. So far, he looks fine.

"Uhhh..." Chess slowly nods, believing he's okay. If Bishop went out of her way to cure him, then he should be fine. However, he also notices that his chess pieces aren't with him. Even their transparent apparitions aren't there in his extraspatial inventory.

"Haha, that's good," Fame chuckles. "Scott's also been keeping tabs on you too, and he explained everything to me."

"You are...very stupid, you know that?"

Fame poked him on the nose to emphasize his stupidity. Chess could only chuckle, if only for flattery.

"Ehehehe, yeh..."

"I mean, if I were there I would've just...well, I wasn't so I can't really say much anyway. But besides that...I think you did the right thing. It was stupid of you, that still stands. But still...you did what you thought was right." Fame sighs.

"Mhmm." Chess nods, though he has enough strength to sign a bit.

[FS-PIECE WHERE(Q)]

"From what Scott told me, she's talking to Bishop right now. That whole thing happened after Bishop healed you. But since that was radiation she had to deal with, it will take a bit of time to fully recover. You won't be staying here long."

"Ah."

"Still...did you...hear what happened?"

...Right...Ratland, he heard Ratland was destroyed. Chess signed that too, and he could see Fame's face visibly shake.

"Yeah, Ratland was destroyed. But..."

Fame's words die in his mouth, leaving ASL to translate for him. Even as he signed, he looked away shamefully.

[FS-REINA TAKE POSS:MY BROTHER. IX-SHE SHOOT IX-ME.]

Chess's mouth drops slightly in realization. Reina did that? That...might explain why Fortune might not be with him at the moment. But to think that the rabbit kidnapped his brother wasn't something he expected. And as if to prove his point, he lifted the scrub to show that his body has a faded scar where a piercing wound can be seen, both front and back.

"From what I know," Fame puts down his scrub shirt. "She knew about Fortune and his fortune-telling powers. She went to look for him so that she could give more power to Scarlemagne. And now...he has more power than before..."