Lucas tried to shift his head to look around however he found his face was tightly bound with bandages smelling strongly of antiseptic. He managed to catch a glimpse of numerous tubes linking his body to some sort of machinery next to the bed which he began to listen to.
Lucas listened quietly to the sound "...beep....beep". A rush of pain went through Lucas' body the sound of the beeping machine went irregular. The machine prolonged it's sharp "beep...be..beeeeeeeeeeep" as the darkness of pain travelled Lucas' body and he passed out resting his head on his pillow.
Marcus Scarman walked down the corridor towards the Intensive Care ward in a simple pair of hospital slippers. He wore a plain pair of trousers and a t-shirt issued to him by the hospital staff. He proceeded down the corridor for several metres, smiling at nurses as they walked past him going about their duties. He turned into another corridor, running parallel to the outside of the building. Plain, wide, rectangular windows lined the walls, giving Marcus a good view of Manhattan Capital. He stopped for a moment to look out of one of the panoramic windows.
Basking in the early morning sunlight cutting through the last of last nights array of clouds, Marcus watched the activities of Liberties every day citizens as they sped into the City Centre in their Aircars. The Manhattan General was situated on a hill, just outside of the downtown metropolitan area. Patches of sunlight cut through the cloud, reaching down to light up the occasional skyscraper, dozens of Aircars thrummed by overhead, their occupants late for work, rushing their ties with one hand and steering with the other. The occasional Hauler would drop out of the sky laden with containers to be replaced by another skeletal Hauler as it launched back up into the atmosphere after delivering its cargo.
Enjoying the warmth on his face for a little while longer, Marcus turned and carried on down the corridor. As he rounded the bend, he came to a sign listing the different wards and their directions from this location. Searching for the Intensive Care lobby, Marcus planned the route in his head and walked off in the direction of the ward.
As he stepped through into the main lobby, Marcus nodded at one of the doctors he knew and made his way around the row of waiting chairs to the help desk.
The woman behind the glass looked up as he arrived and smiled,
Hello, can I help you?
Yes please, Im here to see the patient Lucas Eugene Anderson. Is he up to having visitors?
Just let me check for you The woman turned her attention to the monitor next to her and tapped away at the keyboard for a few moments. After a while she turned back to Marcus.
Yes, hes gone through all major operations since he was brought in and is currently stable and conscious. Youll be able to see him; Ill call his nurse down for you
Thanks a lot
If you would just like to take a seat for a few moments
Marcus nodded and turned to the neat row of chairs. He picked up this weeks edition of the Manhattan Times from the pile datapads on the small table at the end of the line of chairs and sat down, flicking through the news headlines on the pad.
Lucas slowly opened his eyes. He began to see a figure bending down over him tending to his bandages. It was his doctor.
"Everything is O.K. Lucas; you have just suffered another blackout. The blackout was very severe we were worried that you were going to go into a coma. We have therefore had to increase your dose of Cetrosixen from 20mg to 40mg. This should ease the pain and the severity of the blackouts; I mean I hate these types of illnesses you drifted into another world Lucas." Explained the doctor.
The doctor walked away with his stethoscope around his neck ready to treat the next injured patient. Lucas sighed again and slumped into his pillow. The life support machine beeped and Lucas saw his 1st increased dose of Cetrosixen pass through one of his drips into his arm.
Lucas suddenly began to feel very tired and the pain all over his body began to dissipate. Lucas yawned and fell asleep calmly as the sun shone through the window.
Stepping through into the room, Marcus Scarman looked at the only occupant, lying broken on the bed. The whole of the visible flesh of Lucas Anderson was covered in nasty burns. His skin was literally black and his eyes were covered with gauze pads. His bald scalp was scarred and blackened like the rest of him and a long scar ran along from the top of his left eyebrow up his forehead, over his crown and down the back of his head out of Marcuss view.
Andersons left arm was packed in a temporary mouldable cast as microscopic nanites moved through his system, programmed to repair any damage and rejoin his broken bones. The cast reminded Scarman of his escapade on Crete, back when he had fled the Nomads and crashed on the Corsair homeworld. He could have done with one of those casts and a few pre-programmed nanites then.
Anderson tried to shift his head as Marcus walked into the room. He winced and dropped his head back down onto the pillow.
Whos there? Doctor? he asked weakly, his voice a strained rasp.
No, my name is Marcus Scarman, you may have heard of me Marcus said, walking over to the sink in the workbench next to the wall and pouring himself a cup of water.
Yes, Ive heard of you. The Freedom Fighters Captain right? Anderson removed the gauze patched from his eyes and placed them on the table next to his bed. He then shook with a violent cough, half sitting up in bed. Scarman quickly moved over to the bed and deposited the cup of water on the bedside table. He then eased Anderson back down slowly and his cough dissipated into a raspy grating noise at the back of his throat.
Jesus, you took it pretty bad Marcus said, observing the scarring and burns across Andersons torso. What happened?
My ship Anderson rasped planetfall
Marcus whistled I know the feeling
No Anderson said Someone put some sort of corrosive toxin in my ships environment, I had to bail.
I see
An LSF agent picked me up; I am wanted for several acts of piracy against the system
I see, you really shouldnt be telling me this Mr. Anderson Marcus picked his cup of water up and began sipping it.
Anderson forced a smile through his burns Its ok, Im screwed as it is
Marcus coughed and looked at Lucass burnt features.
The reason why I paid you a visit Mr. Anderson could be related to your acts of piracy. I had a quick look at the report card from that Aloyseus Black character, it seems the reason the LSF want you is because you broke into top level archive files am I right?
Andersons smile vanished I get it; this is some sort of soft interrogation
On the contrary Mr. Anderson, I might just be able to help you
Lucas looked at Marcus inquisitively How so?
The files you downloaded from the server were the report cards on yourself and your brother, Vern Anderson. Am I right?
Yeah, thats right
Lucas, I worked along side Vern for many years during my time on West Point and his sudden disappearance baffled us just the same
Lucas sat bolt upright, pulling his drip along with him so it rolled across the floor a little. He winced in pain.
How well did you know Vern? he asked, through gritted teeth.
Vern and I became close friends when he was shifted to my wing. He disappeared and then I was transferred across to the Boarding Marines for, erm, fraternisation with a fellow pilot.
Lucas lay back down in his bed, a strange look crossing his battered features.
And how do you propose to help me?
Well first of all, you need to recuperate. Ill pay for the reconstructive surgery you need, its not like Im in need of money.
And then? Anderson asked, closing his eyes and resting his head back on his pillow.
And then we sort out the situation with this Aloyseus Black character Marcus sighed, taking a sip from his water.
Marcus stepped back into the locker room, looking about him for the light switch. Finding it, he flicked it upwards and the overhead lamps flickered to life. The locker room was a large rectangular room with two rows of lockers creating three corridors down the length of the room. Marcus stepped up to the closest locker and pulled out the key. Swinging the door open, he stepped back and pulled his shirt over his head and threw it into the small space inside the locker.
After leaving Anderson in the hands of his doctors and therapists, Marcus had decided to go and take a shower before hitting the hospital gym to test his leg. When the **** Grenade had detonated and lacerated his right leg with tiny shards of metal, it had basically torn to pieces his calf muscle and sliced clean through his tendons.
His leg was effectively mush hanging on to his bone. However after almost a month of reconstructive surgery and therapy, his right calf, although heavily scarred, was back in shape and he wanted to get it up to standard by working it a little. Taking a fresh towel from the hooks on the walls, Marcus stepped through into the shower room next door and made for a vacant shower.
It was an old style metal showerhead with a large metal toggle switch. Marcus leaned across and yanked the switch, avoiding the cold rush of water as it sped out of the showerhead. Depositing the towel on the single bench in the room, Marcus waited for the water to heat up and then stepped under the torrent. It was refreshing; not too cold and not overly warm either.
His leg felt numb, but that was probably because he still had some reconstructive nanites working within his system to repair the damaged muscle. He looked down at the calf muscle and winced at the scars. Little slices and holes literally covered the skin where the metal had embedded its self inside him.
He flexed his arms and shoulders and then angled his head up to the shower head, letting the water cascade down over his face, easing his mind.
__________________________________
Lucas watched as the doctors talked over at the other side of the room. He winced as the nurse tending to him slowly removed the gauze pads from his burnt chest. She looked at him apologetically as she deposited the used gauze padding into the waste paper basket next to his bed.
Her emerald green eyes were full of concern as she gently applied a dab of cotton wool soaked in refreshingly cool water over the wounds. Lucas closed his eyes and let her proceed, relishing in the cool feeling across his burns.
What was it like? The nurse asked; her voice laced with sympathy.
Lucas opened his eyes and looked up at her again.
Im sorry? He asked.
What was it like? In the ship when it crashed?
Oh, Anderson closed his eyes again as he thought about what to say It was, horrifying. I remember losing control of the ship as whatever it was that intoxicated me took effect. All I remember is the feeling of gravity right in the pit of my gut as the ship was pulled down into New Berlins moon.
She didnt say anything. When Lucas opened his eyes, he saw that she had stopped applying the cotton wool and was stood looking at him. She smiled slightly at him, reassuringly squeezing his hand. He smiled back, to hide the wince as pain shot up his arm from the squeeze. He looked at her, amazed suddenly at how beautiful she actually was. Her hair was light brown, tied back for practical reasons with a fringe spilling out at the front and running down the left side of her face. Her skin was slightly tanned, from a life under the New York sun, with a small cluster of freckles across the bridge of her nose.
She suddenly looked away, across the room at the other doctors. Lucas took his eyes off her and looked across the room as well. Two of the doctors were looking over something Lucas couldnt see on the workbench and the third was walking across the room towards them.
Thank you Miss Edmonds. He said as he arrived beside Lucas bed.
The nurse nodded and smiled once more at Lucas before stepping away and leaving the room.
Now, Mr. Anderson, how are you feeling? the doctor asked, looking down at Lucas.
Better Doc, thanks for asking.
Good, good, now I need to raise some issues with you concerning your appearance. Obviously, you have taken a heavy beating and there are plain scars.
What you saying Doc? Lucas asked, closing his eyes once more and nestling his head comfortably on the pillow.
Well, there are reconstructive surgeries you can take, but a job as big as you would cost an impressive sum of credits.
Frakking system, Lucas grunted How much exactly?
Well, weve totalled up a full rejuvenation for you and, erm, well it would cost $7000 credits. It is a pretty big job, most of your skin and muscles have been burnt severely.
$7000 credits! Lucas spluttered, jolting upright in his bed and causing himself an unnecessary amount of pain. I cant afford that, all of my wealth went down with the ship.
Im sorry Mr. Anderson, we can restore your health, but we cant restore your appearance for any less. Rejuvenation nanites are costly you know.
Yeah, yes I know. Lucas lay back down, staring at the ceiling Damn it.
Frowning, the doctor bowed his head and walked back across the room to his two comrades.
Lucas was gazing through the window far in the corner of the ward, the sunlight shone over his face as the trees outside rattled against the window in the summer breeze.
Lucas closed his eyes and sighed
Look at the mess youve got yourself into now Lucas he thought to himself as a twinge of pain ran up his left arm which was still cast in the temporary mouldable.
Lucas was just about to fall asleep when
Lucas, we have some good news for you. You know earlier I was telling you about the cost of the regeneration surgery? asked the doctor as he smiled joyfully, his bright eyes glazed with happiness, whilst twirling his stethoscope.
Sure, I cant afford that sort of money. answered Lucas; with a frown.
Well you dont have to worry about the cost anymore; Marcus Scarman has offered to pay for all of your regeneration treatment. The full amount of $7000 credits will be paid by him.
Lucas lay in his bed amazed in shock of the great news, he didnt know what to say or what to do he went to hug the doctor but somewhat cringed with pain as he lent forward.
Now you rest Lucas, we will be ready to do the treatment for those nasty scars tomorrow morning; Ive ordered you a hearty meal from the kitchen tonight to get your energy up for the surgery. Ill be seeing you tomorrow morning, now you take care. said the doctor as he turned to nurse Edmonds.
The doctor and Miss Edmonds began to talk however Lucas couldnt hear what they were saying
Now, I want his nerve medication to be increased by 10mg just for tonight so he will have the least of pain tomorrow. Also could you start giving him these multivitamins, Lucas hasnt been eating well lately make sure he takes these multivitamins. I will send up a meal for him tonight too. I want Lucas to be in top shape for tomorrow. Thanks the doctor nodded and smiled at Miss Edmonds.
Nurse asked Lucas.
Do you know where Marcus Scarman is? I would like to thank him for his help with paying the regeneration costs. said Lucas.
No, but Im sure hell come to see you soon Lucas, but you just rest there get some sleep itll be a busy day tomorrow Edmonds smiled and sat beside the bed.
Faye Edmonds as it said on the badge she wore, began to stroke Lucass forehead and clean his face with antiseptic wash.
Now this may hurt a little said Faye the wash went into one of Lucas sores it began to sting but Faye reassured him and dabbed slowly and gently.
"Now the doctor has told me to give you these multivitamins now here's one now" said Faye as she gave Lucas the pill and a glass of water to swallow it.
"Those are to help your body regain it's strength, after the surgery we will have to get you up and walking again, the longer you stay in bed the weaker you will get." said Faye as she tucked Lucas in tightly and was just about to kiss Lucas on the forehead when she was interupted...
"Faye you can go now your shift is over, good work today" ordered the doctor as he walked across the ward checking each of the patients' status.
Faye then just changed the dose of nerve medicine Cetrosixen from 40mg to a very high 50mg which the doctor had ordered earlier.
There all done. Ill be off now, its the end of my shift but Ill see you tomorrow. Now rest thats the best thing you can do. Faye smiled again and walked away waving to the other nurses as she left the ward.
Lucas had a fuzzy feeling inside; he grinned and closed his eyes falling asleep.
Lucas woke up at the smell of food; the meal the doctor had ordered for him had arrived. A small woman caterer pushed the trolley of bubbling food towards the bed.
"Here's your meal for tonight, Spaghetti Bolognese with a choice of Ice-Cream's for dessert." said the woman as she smiled and went over to the bottom of the bed and pushed the bed table up towards Lucas.
"There you go, all set up now. Here's your meal, no watch out it's hot." warned the woman.
"Thanks a lot ain't half hungry." laughed Lucas.
Lucas took one look at the mush on his plate and shuddered. The 'Spaghetti Bolognese' did not at all look appetising. Still, at least it was something. He tucked in to the meal and gulped it down; finishing in half the time it would usually have taken him. He then chose a tub of vanilla ice cream and thanked the woman, who left the room with the empty tray.
Lucas took a deep breath in, he was almost full to bursting.
Lucas opened the tub of vanilla ice cream and began spooning out the contents, deep in thought.
He began to think about the surgery which he was terribly worried about, Lucas kept thinking of things that could go wrong with the surgery and this wasn't helped by a loud scream which he heard from a distant ward. However Lucas knew that he had to go through with the surgery as Marcus was paying for the it, and he couldn't not take his generous offer.
Lucas then began to think of Faye Edmonds. Faye was going to be helping with the surgery which put his mind at rest as Lucas had grown to become fond of Faye in the last couple of days. Lucas then tucked himself up in bed where he laid awake thinking of the surgery for most of the night and finally fell asleep in the early hours of the morning.
Lucas woke up and turned over to read the clock beside his bed. It read 8:00am. Lucas grunted then slumped as he looked at the same old faces smiling back at him from the other beds around the ward. Lucas took a deep breath in, stretched his arms sitting up in the process. Lucas then yawned and sat on his bed worrying about his surgery; which was going to take place soon.
Lucas was about to take another huge sigh of depression when Faye walked through the ward doors. The doors swung open and flapped as Faye walked in and lit up the ward and smiled at everyone waving her hands at the other night nurses who would be leaving soon. She was wearing red lipstick which contrasted against her wide emerald green eyes which shone brightly as she walked over to Lucas. Lucas smelt her perfume which she wore as she came over, which wasn't a sickly sweet fragrance but a fresh invigorating one.
"Morning Lucas, now how are we feeling?" asked Faye as she pinned her hair up whilst holding one pin in her mouth and putting another pin in her hair.
"OK besides the usual pains" replied Lucas as he gazed into her emerald eyes.
"Really? I would have thought that the increase in your Cetrosixen dose to 50mg would have gotten rid of those aches and pains, anyways all this pain will be gone once we get you off to surgery later today." said Faye as she smiled reassuring Lucas that everything was going to be alright.
"OK, I'll be glad to get rid of this ramshackle of a body." grinned Lucas as he looked at what was left of his arms and legs.
"Now I'm going to need to do some before surgery checks on you. Blood pressure, heart rate etc since we don't want to take any risks later on." said Faye as she opened her medical bag and got out her medical apparatus.
Faye lent over to Lucas picking up his arm gently taking his blood pressure which was all perfectly normal. She also took his pulse which was unusually high. Faye turned around and looked at Lucas and smiled. She took Lucas' pulse around eight times before she was convinced that the heart rate had been affected by outside influences rather than something wrong with Lucas' heart. Faye also got out her stethoscope and listened to Lucas' chest, the cold bell tingled as it touched Lucas' chest.
"Everything perfectly normal, you're more than fit to go through with the operation" said Faye as she smiled and as her bright red lipstick emphasised her lips.
Faye passed Lucas another Multivitamin which Lucas swallowed with some water from a glass on his bedside table; she then walked over to the other side of the ward and collected a bowl of cereal and milk for Lucas and a glass of orange juice for his breakfast.
"There you go that should be a nice refreshing breakfast." said Faye as she checked his support machine before leaving Lucas to move onto the next patient one bed down.
Lucas began to eat his cereal as he stared at Faye as she walked over to the next patient. He clumsily dropped a spoonful of cereal down his top. He quickly cleaned this away with a piece of tissue.
Lucas finished his cereal, sipping the left over sugar filled milk from the bottom of the bowl. Lucas drank his orange juice slowly waiting in his bed, for the doctor to arrive and take him to the operation ward.
Light filtered in through the narrow blinds as Lucas came around. At first he thought he was in a dream, distant objects were blurred and he couldnt understand any of the sounds he heard. Then things swam into focus and he found himself sat lying comfortably in his hospital bed, looking up at the ceiling. The same overhead lamp shone a pale yellow, illuminating the ward and adding a surreal effect to the natural lighting from outside.
Lucas pulled himself up gently and looked about him. The clock by his bedside read 8:32 am. He scratched his head and looked about him. It had been only 9:45 when they had taken him in to surgery and that seemed only moments ago. Then it hit him. He quickly removed his arms from beneath the covers and looked at his skin. Looking back at him were a set of perfect, slightly tanned forearms. He flexed them experimentally, opening and closing his fingers.
The muscles revolved up and down in his wrists the way they should and the meaty feel to his biceps muscles had returned. Or was there more? Lucas had never really been a physically strong person, more tall and thin, with fast reflexes. He somehow felt bigger however, chunkier. He moved his arms around, testing the muscles gently as he did so. He then proceeded to feel his face and pull up his shirt. All of his skin and flesh had been restored and improved; no more burns were visible anywhere on his body. He ran his hand across his head and was delighted to discover a thick tangle of hair. Not his own, Lucas old hair had been short and thin, they had obviously gone with a new look. Still, it was good to have hair after it had been previously burnt off.
Your muscles may ache from time to time. Lucas looked up as Nurse Edmonds walked into the room and opened the blinds. You have a set of exercises to perform daily when you wake and before you sleep.
Her soft voice captivated Lucas as she flicked off the light and flashed him a dazzling smile. Lucas swallowed and smiled back at her.
I trust the operation was a success. He said, reaching out to take a cup of steaming tea from the tray she carried.
Oh naturally, your back in one piece Lucas. Your hair root cells had to be completely replaced, as your scalp took quite a nasty scorching. Youre lucky you know that.
Lucas caught a quick glimpse of Fayes bust as she bent over to check his clip board.
Dead lucky Id say. He said, sipping the tea contently. Do you know where Captain Scarman is?
He was working out in the gym the last time I saw him, trying to strengthen his leg. He is due to leave the hospital today I think.
Could you find him and ask him to come see me please; Id like to thank him.
Ill see what I can do. Faye smiled and carried on down the line of beds with the tray of tea. Lucas propped himself up comfortably in his bed and sipped the tea. Perfect, he thought, this tea is damn perfect. He looked at the Nurse as she smiled at the woman in the next bed, offering her a cup.
Lucas found himself yet again lost in her beauty as she thanked the woman and moved on.
Holy mother of he trailed off, speechless.
After her round of the patients, Faye deposited the tray on a table at the far end of the room and glanced down the isle at Lucas. He was sat up right sipping his tea, seemingly lost in thought. Faye moved around the corner, out of view of everyone and swallowed. What was this? She had known Lucas for little more than a week and on an official basis. But the man seemed so peaceful and innocent. She knew the story, the story about his brother. How hard could it have been for him to have no parents and to have lost contact with his only brother?
Someones smitten. The voice came from Fayes right. An elderly patient walking back to her bed had seen Faye and intercepted.
What do you mean? Faye asked defensively.
Oh come on dear, the whole ward has seen how you fret about him when hes in surgery or when hes drugged.
Iuh
Hes a lovely guy, been through a lot. Id go for it, see what he does and get to know him a little better. She winked slyly.
Faye felt quite shocked, getting this advice from an elderly woman.
IuhI have to be somewhere, please. She smiled and scooted around the old woman before jogging away down the corridor. The old woman chuckled and moved to walk back into the ward.
It had now been one day since the surgery had been completed and Lucas was getting extremely bored. He'd been in the same ward in the same bed seeing the same people for the last two weeks or so. Time was getting on now and Lucas wanted to get out of bed. The doctors had ordered Lucas not to get out of his bed and rest to recover, however the appeal of testing his new muscles and moving around by himself was exciting. Lucas moved his new right leg out of the quilts having to push through the sheets since they had been tucked in tightly, after a few moments of legs tangled with bed sheets Lucas finally swivelled himself around so that both his legs were dangling beside the bed ready for him to step onto the cold tiled floor.
Lucas slowly placed his left foot on the floor then his right; he then transferred his weight onto it and began lifting himself up holding onto various pieces of furniture in the process. Lucas finally stood up with no support; he began to move across the ward step by step very slowly. People gazed including the old woman as Lucas moved slowly across the tiled floor in his PJ's. He was just about to take another step when Lucas felt a sudden cramp in his leg's tendons, Lucas lost his balance. The people watching gasped with shock as Lucas jerked and cringed as he fell to the floor in agony. At this point Faye had walked into the ward to do her routine checks on the patients she saw Lucas lying on the floor and quickly ran to Lucas checking him for injuries and lifting his head up slightly resting it on her thigh.
"I though I told you not to walk yet!! you should have had a walking aid but that's not until Friday, your muscles aren't fully used to your body yet. Even so you haven't walked for over two weeks youre bound to be a bit wobbly." Faye looked serious but Lucas couldn't help but smile as they gazed into each others eyes.
"I'm sorry; it was a stupid thing to do. I should have asked before." apologised Lucas.
"It's OK, now lets get you back into bed." said Faye.
Lucas hobbled back to the bed with Faye holding him gently as if Lucas was an OAP. Lucas then fell onto the bed and Faye slowly tucked him into bed. Faye kissed Lucas on the forehead.
"Now no more walking your not up to it yet, your training week with me doesn't start till next week so don't try anything till then." said Faye. She then smiled and walked away wiggling her butt as her black high heels clacked on the tile floor. Lucas watched her as she walked out of the ward, drooling with ore as she walked out.
"Put your tongue back in" said Marcus as he walked into the ward just as Faye brushed past him, taking a look at her himself.