Eagle X, Mission 20: Quantum Bonds(Editing)

Part 11: Scott

Scott was becoming used to waking up unsure of his surroundings. His cell was small and dark, barely big enough to hold him and another. Felarnians lived, and trained in the open air of Felarnia's wilds. To be confined was torture. A tattered, emblemless home mound sat in the corner, and across from it was a hole for a prisoner's toilet. The lighting was dim, and the air was stale. Scott had been in worse pits before, but that did nothing to alleviate the pain in is chest.

"Good, you're not dead," Ivory's voice said from across the hall. Her cell looked spacious in comparison. "I had to give you CPR twice."

"Twice?" He touched his chest. The dull pain was organ-deep, and not going away. "I think my nano is still damaged."

"Yeah, you're definitely not at a hundred percent."

Scott growled. He wasn't angry at Ivory, merely the situation. Imprisoned on a backwater world ruled by heretics. Grabbing the bars of his mundane prison, he pulled. Muscles strained until they reached their natural limit, then nano poured in, sending a jolt through his system and amplifying his strength. The feeling was welcomed, but the pain in his chest intensified even as his muscles grew more dense. The reinforced bars groaned, but didn't budge. Scott pushed himself until it became hard to breath. Defeated, he leaned against the wall and slumped to the floor.

"You okay, big guy?"

"...yeah..."

"Bullshit."

Her silhouette moved around in the dark until Scott lost sight of her. He leaned forward to get a better view, but the pain grew sharp. He fell back, gasping for air. Through blurred vision he watched Ivory squeeze through the space between his bars. Even in the dim light he could read the concern written all over her face.

She put her hand over his heart. "Your heart rate is irregular."

Scott grunted, unable to pull in enough breath for a rude reply. It was as if a weight sat squarely on his chest, and, try as he might, he couldn't move it. The darkness closed in, and soon the only thing he could see clearly was Ivory. He grabbed for her arm, and noticed it was missing.

"Oh, no you don't!" She pulled a pair of energy cables from the stump of her shoulder. "This is going to hurt."

Ivory pressed the cables to his chest, and a blinding flash chased away the shadows. His ears popped as Ivory was thrown into the security bars. His nostrils filled with the stink of burning fur. She was wrong. The surge of energy flowing through him seemed to awaken the R.Nano, and new life flowed through his body. It didn't hurt at all. In fact, he felt better than he had since their raid on the Pale Garden compound.

Scott crawled over to Ivory. She was moaning and trying to shake the fog from her head. He leaned forward to help her sit up, and smelled blood. He was careful as he put his hand under her head. It was wet. He carefully propped her against the bars and sat down beside her. The R.Nano was fixing what ailed him, but it was a slow process.

"That... that was stupid."

Scott grunted. The two sat in silence for a while, Scott letting the nano do its job while he watched the human beside him.

"I grew up in a nowhere colony kinda like this place," she mumbled. "My people were hardline colonials obsessed with going out into the stars and getting away from Earth and its bubbling melting pot." She raised her good arm into the light, showing off her pale skin. "They didn't want to lose this," she scoffed, "then the EC came and reclaimed the separatist. Back home there are still families who won't associate with Earthers. Can you believe it? I've been small my whole life, and men take it as an invitation. No Earther has ever tried to take advantage, but colonials..."