Across Dimensions (ONC 2020)

Chapter Seventeen: Life Debts

My left leg burns from being forced to carry the majority of my body weight, as I travel towards the building under the cover of the thick trees surrounding it on the right side. Foot steps crunch leafs nearby. Oh crap, what if they saw me? I cannot fight back easily like this.

I drop to the ground, pressing the camouflage button on my right palm. Neither of my legs change color. By the stars! I tore the fabric on both of them, what do I do?

Diving into a bush to my left, I cover my own mouth to prevent crying out. My broken leg screams with blinding agony. Darkness threatens to steal my sight, but I breathe through the pain, pushing it away.

"Are you sure we won't be found here?" A timid feminie voice asks, just a whisper away from my location.

"Relax Cassie, it's our lunch break, no one's going to miss us," A smooth talking male declares.

A shirt lands on my bush. You've got to be kidding me. I'm not sticking around here for this. I drag my body across the ground, army crawling on my way to the building.

"Don't move!"

I freeze, turning my head to see a gun within inches of my face. My eyes follow it to a familiar face. "James? Get that gun out of my face!" I growl shoving it off to the side and sitting up.

His blue eyes grow wide, "Grayson! How in the stars are you alive? When I saw your name come off the board, I assumed they'd killed you."

"You said no one would find us here James! Oh, you have to turn him in. Dug has been searching for him, you know that assassin for special execution cases? We can't be found helping him or we'll be next." Cassie cries turning to run.

James grabs her forearm, "Wait. I owe him my life Cassie, I would've died three years ago if not for the medicine he created."

"It's been too long James, do you work there?" I ask gesturing to the building.

He nods, "I got into Edipeis the same year you did. It appears I have a gift in the sciences, I was hired immediately. I didn't see you after the first month, what happened?"

I sigh, if only I could tell him. But right now I don't have time, I need to rescue Kai before she experiences the agony I had to endure. No one should have to feel the things I felt, 'in the name of science'.

"What happened to your leg! Holy crap, that must hurt like hell. Here, I forgot to put this back earlier, good thing I didn't or you wouldn't have it now." He states, pulling out a needle and bottle of Bony Curative.

"Yes! You have no idea how much I need that, you're a freakin savior James." I declare, my excitement obvious. That will take away the pain and make reaching Kai a million times easier.

He begins to hand it over, then pauses, "If I give this to you, consider my life debt paid. I cannot help you with whatever you're doing or my name will be the next one up."

Nodding, I sigh, "I know. Even doing this puts you at risk. If something goes wrong and they capture me for questioning, I promise to leave out the fact that I saw you."

James hands me the stuff over, grabs his shirt and begins to walk away. "Be careful Grayson. I don't want to watch you die."

He disappears, pulling Cassie along with him.

I set the Bony Curative and needle down, then stick a glove in my mouth, clenching it between my teeth. Even though this will heal the bones, they have to be in their proper place first. I groan, straightening my leg, and pushing the bone back to its proper position.

Dammit! That hurts worse than when it broke. I breathe raggedly, barely conscious following the placement. I grab the Bony Curative, placing the needle in the bottle to fill it, then stabbing it inches above the compound fracture, to ensure that it will take effect there first.

The fast acting healing agent takes hold, mending the break in my leg, and the several in my ribs. Sighing with relief, I take the glove out of my mouth, tearing it into pieces to wrap around the open wound left behind from the bone puncturing my skin.

I stand up, limping deeply, but able to put weight on my right leg. Continuing forward, I quickly reach the edge of the forest, close to the facility doors. The question now, is how do I get in there unnoticed? It's obvious the camflauge function is not going to work.

"Who are you?" A voice asks behind me.

Getting caught twice on my way to the facility? This rescue attempt is not going well.

I turn around to see a man of similar stature as me, he takes another bite of his sandwich, curiosity apparent in his big green eyes. The walking stick from earlier weighs heavy in my right hand. "I'm sorry, professor Lucas. Make sure to take the day off tomorrow for the headache."

He cocks his head to the side, "Headache?"

Quickly swinging the stick, I hit the back of his head knocking him unconscious. I take just his lab coat, I.D., and shoes. Taking anything else would be excessive... And nasty. I have no intention of stripping some rando down to nothing.

To be safe, I take off his brown sweater, tying his hands and ankles together. It would ruin everything if he managed to wake up before me and Kai return home. I reach into his lab coat pocket, readying the I.D. as I stroll up to the building.

My heart pounds loudly in my ears when I walk through the large sliding glass doors. Please be alive Kai.

A scream rips through the building, everything inside me begs to run. My past self threatens to break through, we can't go back. Don't take us in there. I'm not leaving without Kai. She doesn't deserve to suffer as we did.

I take a deep shuddering breath, and flash my I.D. to the guards.

"Ah excellent, your presence is requested in lab room two professor Lucas." The overly muscular guard declares flashing a broad smile. "I'll escort you, how was your lunch?"

"It was good. What's in lab room two?" I ask following him to alleviate suspicion.

"You won't believe this, it's a girl from another dimension."

WC: 29,376