Spears of Uu'kata

Chapter 58 Little Flower

Boom, boom, boom.

Vasquez felt like his brains were being tugged from a tarpit as he dragged himself awake.

Boom, boom, boom.

"Ben, you jackass," he mumbled thickly, raising his head.

His eyes were blurry, but he instantly knew that he was not on board the ship. He felt gravity like an old forgotten friend pulling on him in that comforting way he had always missed.

He was in a real bed, he could hear real rain. He also heard soft breathing beside him and he turned his head to see Emiko. Her skin was pale and she had circles under her eyes, but she was alive. He'd gotten her out.

Forcing his aching muscles to move, he sat up and glared at the door.

The bed was so large he had to scoot twice to get to the edge, and his legs were wobbly when he stood. His right knee clicked when he took his first step.

His spine ached too and it also clicked a little as he walked gingerly to the door.

It didn't open. He frowned up and down at it and said, "Open."

It didn't move.

"You have to turn the knob, dumbass," said a familiar voice from the other side.

He snorted took hold of big knob and turned it. The door opened on silent hinges and he blinked into the hallway to see Charlotte standing with a hulk of an Uu'k'asht behind her.

He remembered that big guy. He was pretty sure he was a chief.

"Hey girl," he said, leaning against the door frame. He glanced up at the big guy again. Then down a little and noticed that a huge cat-like creature with green spotted fur was sitting beside her, watching him with piercing yellow eyes.

"What the fuck is that?" he asked. "Did you manage to make your Pokémon magic solid?"

"No. This is Jalapeño. He's an ennelath cub," Charlotte said.

"Uh, right. Look, Char, it's been a while since I've had gravity, like, real gravity. And the drugs aren't totally out of my system, so I'm pretty damn tired and sore."

Charlotte nodded then reached between the shoulders of the huge cat creature and unraveled some kind of curled up appendage with a little bag over the end. She pulled off the bag then grabbed Vasquez's hand and yanked it forward jabbing it with a stinger at the end.

"Ow, what the fuck?" He barked, jerking his hand back.

"Oh, oh damn," he said a moment later as a sensation of about three shots of espresso zipped through his system.

He gave his head a shake and blinked several times then gave a low whistle.

Shivering, goosebumps prickling over his skin, he looked down at the curious animal.

"I love cats, and we are going to be best friends," he said to it.

"Vasquez," Charlotte said with a cautious note to her tone that made him look up sharply. "I need you to show me."

"Show you what?"

"You said you had proof. After you killed the doctor. I need you to show me," she said, her eerie eyes pleading.

He swallowed and licked his lips, dropping his eyes.

"It's some grim shit," he warned.

He glanced up at the big guy again to find his metallic eyes watching him with keen intelligence. Then he dropped his gaze down to Charlotte's stomach, then back up to her face.