Ecliptis

A Shady Aftermath

From the POV of:
Ashton Gatsberry

"Waking up from a black out twice in one day. That's a totally new record for me." My ears are ringing and the room is full of dust and debris. As my hearing slowly returns, I start to hear the crowd outside screaming in horror and panic. Lucky for me, my headache has also returned so their whooping and hollering is only improving my condition.

I hold my head while I rise to my feet only to notice a soaking wet patch of hair. Blood covers my hand and I nearly black out a third time. I'm a rascal but I don't deal with the bloody games. Can't stand the sight of the stuff. As I frantically wipe my hand off on my pant leg, I notice the opening to the corridor has been redesigned by what seems to have been an explosion. In the rubble lays my pursuer. "Did I do this?" I ask myself. The urge to see the drama going on inside the stadium gets the best of me, so I climb over the rubble and the unfortunate dude that sits under it to re-enter the stadium.

People all around me are scattering towards the main entrance but a few gun toting men dressed in varied clothing but a very distinct selection of blue accessories keep them in their areas. Come to think of it, my victim behind me had a scarf that matched theirs. Maybe I should try to blend in. Yeah, that seems like a smart idea. Wait, no it doesn't! The queens are here and if their guards stop these guys, I'll go down with them. "Weigh your options, Ashton!" Screw it, I'll go with the team that's winning right now.

I reluctantly jump back over the rubble and look down at the poor fellow in the debris. His scarf politely lays across his neck as his upper body dangles from the mess around him. "Sorry, bud. I need to take one more thing from you." Kneeling down to his level, I place my hand on the scarf and start to tug on it.

"Arg... I can't feel my legs..." he says in a weak voice.

"Holy shit, you're alive!" I scream. "I mean - um, hang in there, sir. We're going to get you some help!" He is still face down in the rubble, seemingly too weak to lift his head. Remembering my plan, I tell him, "I'm going to remove your scarf so you can get some more air flow into your lungs." It's a bullshit lie but hey, who's a doctor around here? Oh yeah! There is a doc in the bleachers... and a sweetheart I'm supposed to be linking with. "Sit tight - I mean hang in - um... be right back. Don't die." I leap up and over the rubble with the scarf and toss it around my neck in one swift movement.

After surveying the crowd for a second, I notice the doc hasn't budged from his seat. Is he somehow involved in this. Nah, this isn't his style. Too dirty. I gotta see if he'll be willing to help. Jogging down the steps, I notice some of the crowd cowering at the sight of me but I continue on my path. My approach is punctuated by me slamming into the guardrail that blocks the crowd from the combat area of the stadium. Dr. Gold slightly turns his head to me and I awkwardly wave after regaining my composure.

"Excuse me, Dr. Gold. There's a man at the top of the stairs that needs medical assistance." I plead to him.

He stares at me in silence for almost ten seconds until he finally says, "Does he have money to pay for my assistance?"

I stutter from the shock of that response saying, "I, um, don't know, sir."

"Then I don't know if I can help him," he coldly answers again.

Giving it one more chance I tell him, "His lower body is buried in rubble. He says he can't feel his legs."

"There's cybernetics for that. Now, please excuse yourself. I'm trying to watch the show," he says before returning his attention to the center of the stadium. I stand before him in awe and confused at his attitude. I thought doctors were sworn to serve or something like that. I look into the combat zone to try to understand what he's looking at just in time to see a portal open near the center.