Star Rebellion

by Alicia Howell

  “Can you carry Darkstar? I heard Fire shouting, and when I came running down the hall, he collapsed.”

  I nodded once and slid one of Dark’s arms across my back before heaving him all the way on. I never realized just how much muscle this guy carried on his slim figure. I admit, I was jealous.

  I followed Vatican’s lead, but we weren’t going to the infirmary. Instead, from what I could tell, we were going in the direction to the mess hall, which was one of the main ways to get outside. Maybe I should’ve gone to Arctic first.

  Just before we reached the mess hall, Vatican turned into a doorway to the right. I followed him and was surprised to see a line of pallets in one of the Rebellion’s antechambers. Only a small portion of them were filled, and from what I could see, none were seriously injured.

  When a nurse finally saw us, she rushed over and directed us to the blanketed pallets that were at the end of a row of patients. I more or less let Dark fall to the pallet on the floor; my shoulder was numb to the bone, something I hadn’t realized until Dark’s weight was gone.

  I pressed my hand to my shoulder to try and massage the feeling back in when I felt how damp my shirt was. I pulled my hand away quickly and saw it stained with blood. Was that the cause of the numbness? How would blood make me numb though? I knew some of it was mine from the cut I had previously, but that hadn’t been anything major.

  Someone pushed me toward another pallet and said sit. I turned to see Vatican looking at me in concern.

  “Remove your shirt also, and wipe the blood on your hand off on it. I think it might be toxic; it’s all over Firestar too.” The man left to go talk to the nurse and I removed my shirt as directed. The stained portion of fabric was as stiff as a wooden board and was difficult to take off.

  A second nurse came over to me. She had a pretty smile and her hair was mostly an iridescent blue, with thin black streaks. She had taken the dying of hair pretty liberally. “Hello, my name is Ulyssesstar,” she said, gently shaking my hand.

  “What’s a Ulysses?” I asked, confused. I had thought that all star names were placed after something in nature.

  “A type of butterfly, they have blue wings. I understand your confusion though. Alright, so Foreststar right?” I nodded once. “I will be taking care of you today, the man over there said that you were having issues with your shoulder?”

  I nodded again. “He thinks the blood is toxic.” I turned slightly so that she could see my back more clearly.

  “Is it yours?”

  I shook my head. “Mostly not.”

  “Then who’s?”

  I looked over to where Darkstar was lying. She followed my gaze and when she looked back at me, I saw pity in her eyes. That was really starting to annoy me, how all the girls in the medic field looked at fighters with pity, as if their lives were terrible. I mean, I technically wasn’t even a fighter.

  “So that’s why you aren’t one for words right now. Don’t worry, the doctor here is excellent, I’m sure your friends will be fine.”

  I looked away from her, annoyed still. I'm only 'one for words' when it is someone who I value the intelligence of. She sighed before grabbing some wipes from a trolley and cleaning up my shoulder. “These wipes are soaked in rubbing alcohol and brandy. They’re things from Earth that should help bring the blood flow back to your shoulder if it is just simply numbing, along with cleaning you up.” She giggled a little. She also placed a warm cloth over my shoulder, I assumed it was also to help with blood circulation. “The doctor will come by when he has the time, please don’t leave until then.”

  I rolled my eyes as she left. Of course brandy came from Earth. Hell, I had probably brought the containers she was using with me on one of my recent trips.

  “What’s with the pissy face?”

  I looked up and saw Vatican standing over me. The wordage her used still confused me greatly. I had expected it to be more formal and I-am-in-charge-of-the-Catholic-Church like, but it wasn't. He smiled faintly before sitting next to me and looking over at Ulysses, who had joined a gaggle of girls that were throwing the occasional glances over at my friends and me. Their sentences seemed to be punctuated by giggles.

  “Ditzy nurses. That’s why.”

  Vatican chuckled. “Not all of them are that way. Some are working quite hard.”

  “Really? All I see are full time gossipers and part time nurses.”

  “Look at who’s helping the doc with Dark.”

  I had to crane my neck around a trolley and some people that were standing to find out who he was talking about. I first saw the lab type coat that the nurses were wearing with the sloppily sewn on Templar's cross, then the blue and blond striped hair. “Water?” I looked around the room a bit more, to see if there were other nurses working. Fortunately, the majority were diligently working on patients. It seemed as if there were only a few girls who weren’t taking it seriously while their male, and female, counterparts worked.

  “Yes, among other, more experienced nurses. She was adamant that she would help. Apparently she got restless at some point in the night and had gone out looking for Fire, then came across this area. They had been short staffed at the moment, so they gladly accepted her help.”

  “What exactly is this area?” I asked, as people started shouting around us. Someone’s condition had escalated and they were getting him transported to the infirmary, probably the same as Ice.

  “It’s a minor infirmary; the major cases who need immediate attention, like Icestar for example, are sent to the infirmary that the Rebellion has always had. The rest of the patients are sent here for minor things. The doctor who’s with Fire right now is an expert on demon wounds, or well, as expert as you can get in the short time.”

  There was something about how Vatican had hastily added the last part that added to my doubt about him. “And how do you know this? Aren’t you more or less new here?”

  “The gossipers told me.” He smiled and waved as a few of the girls looked over. They quickly looked away and giggled with the rest of the group.

  I leaned back against the wall behind me, watching the proceedings as they happened. People came and went frequently; it seemed like most of the injuries that were coming in the nurses could fix with basic wrappings.

  “Are any of the people here trained? Like in fighting, not just medical?”

  Vatican glanced at me sideways. “Sort of. You know how everything is in six hour shifts now? Well, one shift is scouting for those who are trained to do so; there is also a medical and two rest periods. Those who can’t fight stay here on the two work shifts, and it's set so everyone is on a work rest work rest schedule. Only a handful of people here have any medical experience, most are just part of the villages who have already started to make their way here for help.”

  I nodded my head; that would sound like a system Arctic would set up; everyone doing their fair share to help out in a time of crisis. Really, it was a brilliant, if basic, plan. “Do we have the resources to support so many people? I mean, most of our food is imported from Earth or taken as tithes from the villages.”

  Vatican looked at me, and I could see his opinion of my increase. “Yes, there is.” However, he didn't elaborate on the subject and I let it drop.

  After a bit more waiting in silence, the doctor finally came over to me. He was young looking with ordinary features. He consulted a clipboard before looking at me. “Well, Ambassador, it seems like you have the same problem as your red haired friend, except Ulyssesstar likes you a bit less.”

  I ignored the last part. “How’s Fire?”

  “Fine, fine. Just needed a bit of rest. The dark haired fellow’s blood was contaminated with demon essence, probably from a tussle he might’ve had with a demon. Demon blood in a pure consistency can literally absorb the life force of someone, which is mostly how people get transformed into demons. The form that’s on you and Firestar is less potent, since it was mixed with your friends blood. That’s why you were numbed. Fire pass
ed out because his body was weakened from stress and not enough rest.”

  I nodded. That was a simple enough theory. “Why is Dark bleeding then?”

  By now the doctor was running a stethoscope over my shoulder to check the pulse and make sure the rubbing alcohol and brandy combo were working well enough. “It was highest area of consistency, so the tainted blood literally burned through his skin. He’ll be fine with some rest and a few medical procedures, nothing that needs the attention of critical care medics.”

  I nodded again. “What exactly are you going to do to take out the taint?”

  The doctor looked over at Vatican, as if they shared a secret. “I have my ways that I learned outside of the Rebellion. Rest assured though, your friend will be fine in no time.”

  The doctor finished scribbling something on the clipboard and ripped a piece of paper off. “Give this to the blue haired young woman next to that trolley which has the roster and then you’re free to go.” He pointed in the general direction of Waterstar who was leaning her crutches against the trolley.

  I got up without another word and felt faintly light headed; something that was sure to go away soon. I took my time walking over to her since she was explaining the contents of a plastic bag to a guy with an angry looking gash across his cheek.

  “I don’t think he’ll be entering any beauty pageants again,” I said once he left.

  Water looked at me with a perked eyebrow. “Foreststar! That isn’t very nice. Apparently he had been fighting three demons at once when a piece of metal got flung at him from where other demons were tearing about a metal pole.”

  “I wou’n’t be worri’ ‘bout tha’ too mu-ch, young miss,” a guy from a cot near us said. He too had a red line across his forehead that a nurse was treating.

  “Why not?” Water asked, her temper already bristling.

  “’Cause tha’s my partner. Tha’ tale is ‘bout as true as the sky is green.”

  “Really, then may I ask what really happened?” By now Waterstar had her hands on her hips. I just stood to the side, letting whatever happened happen.

  “He caugh’ ‘imself with ‘is own knife, then managed ta get me too,” the guy grinned and pointed to the cut on his head, much to the annoyance of his nurse.

  “Oh…” Water shrugged then took another look at me. “Give me that.” She snatched the paper the doc had given me out of my hands and scanned it over quickly, then crumpled it up and threw it into a basket full of similar papers on the trolley. “Brandy, two-hundred and fifty milliliters, apply once every hour on the numb area until all feeling returns.” She handed me a plastic bottle that contained the dark liquid. “I don’t even want to know what you managed to do while we were supposed to be sleeping.

  “Darkstar started it,” I muttered as I left. I heard Water chuckled as she helped the next person. Not for the first time, I wonder what it would’ve been like if I had been part of the mystic team, having partners that were basically family. Being an ambassador was lonelier than most thought; yea I met a vast number of people, but none became my friends. I either would never see them again, or they were important officials like Vatican, and I only stayed at the Rebellion HQ for briefs amount of times before Arctic would send me out again on some errand.

  As I was walking back to my room, Vatican turned the corner. I noticed that we were once again at the main intersection of the HQ, and all of the blood had been cleaned up. I was also really hoping to go back to my room. I was still shirtless and the Rebellion was getting cold.

  “I was looking for you,” he said as I started to step around him. I looked back with an eyebrow perked up. “Arctic said that I was to remain with you until Dark and Fire were up to moving around, then you guys will be going back to the NOPCW to stock up on their weapons. Well, if the rain has let up by then you will.”

  “Why does that require you staying with me? I like my privacy.”

  “Arctic thinks that with your exposure to the mystic team, you have been infected with their ability to get into trouble no matter what the situation is.” Vatican’s lips twitched for a moment before we both smiled. I don’t even know why I did; maybe it was something to do with how things got funnier the more serious a situation was. You need some jokes in depressing times.

  WATERSTAR

  It was toward the middle of my off shift by the time Dark and Fire both arrived back at the room.

  “A nurse? Really?” was Fire’s way of greeting. I smacked him on the head.

  “Ow, what the hell Water?!”

  “Yes a nurse! Who else is going to help everyone get better? A freaking pixie?” I put my hands on my hips, something that was happening more frequently.

  “Sure, why not?” Fire dodged my smack this time.

  “Guys, can you stop bickering for five minutes?” Dark was staring at his ruined bedspread, his normal pristine neatness ruined by the blood.

  I walked over to one of the two extremely small closets and pulled down an extra set of the black sheets, then stripped his dirty ones off and threw them out into the hall. “I take it you can make your own bed?”

  Dark muttered something along the lines of yes mom and I rolled my eyes. I seriously wondered how guys could live by themselves. Granted, Darkstar did have the excuse of being unconscious for a quite a long time in the past few days, but still.

  I leaned back against my pillows and Fire sprawled across the foot of my bed, watching Dark from his upside-down vantage. We had already caught up with our stories about what had happened before my shift had ended in the second infirmary. What Fire had told me about Vatican intrigued me. I kept going between thinking he was hallucinating and that Vatican might actually have wings, and if he did, what did that mean? From what I know, Earth guys certainly weren’t made of that different of stuff than we were, and shouldn’t have wings. Hell, the only reason we had our powers was because of how some of the chemicals from pollution reacted with our DNA, activating dormant genes of self protection.

  But what if Vatican was like us, and had actually originated from Calsh and his special was being able to fly?

  It was something that we should discuss with Arctic, but we were going to wait until we got summoned for whatever we’re supposed to do next. Technically, we were going to work during this shift, but after the episode with demon blood and with me jumping in to work before that, a messenger had been sent saying that the next shift is when we would finally get into the routine of our work. I doubted we’d have pansy shifts in the infirmary anymore. That’d be like telling superman to clean bathrooms.

  OH! Maybe that’s what Vatican is! Superman. He can fly, can’t he?

  “I doubt it, Waterstar,” Fire spoke up from in front of me.

  “Eh?”

  “That Vatican is superman.”

  “Oh… I said that aloud?”

  Both Fire and Dark started laughing. I had a tendency to talk without meaning to. They didn’t need to laugh about though.

  “So now what? There’s still a good three hours before Arctic sends us anywhere.” I crossed my arms and looked up at our ceiling, which was covered in random paint splatters, courtesy of moi.

  “Sleep.” Dark was already sprawled out across his bed once more, like how I had left him earlier that day, or well, night. Outside the sky was going from pitch black to dark grey, showing the meager light that was able to make its way through the clouds.

  “Ha, right. It’s not like you haven’t been doing that for the past few hours.”

  “That was being unconscious. It’s different from sleeping.” Fire had moved back to his own bed and had laid a pillow across his face to block out the security light, which still hadn’t turned off, that shined in through the window.

  “Guys,” I muttered before shoving my blankets to the foot of my bed; it was a cold night, but I enjoyed it.

  I honestly did try to fall asleep. I think I was out for an hour or so, because when I glanced at the clock there was a large chunk of time that had gon
e by, but after that I couldn’t even stay in bed any longer.

  It was one of my frequent insomnia attacks, something that came with my regular power of excess energy. I grabbed a piece of chalk from a tray on my dresser and wrote a note in large letters on the door so that even the guys would notice it.

  Hello my lovely friends Firestar and Darkstar,

  Don’t fret, I haven’t been kidnapped. I got restless so I went for a stroll ‘round the block. Yes the chalk can be erased from the door; I do this all the time (out of boredom when you guys can’t see). I should be back in an hour or two.

  Love,

  Waterstar

  With that out of the way, I grabbed my crutches and exited the room and stood in the hall for a moment, still not knowing where I would end up. I didn’t necessarily need my crutches either, but the doctor had requested I use them until I go back into the field. The brace should be enough for when I was moving around, he just wanted the least amount of pressure until then.

  I briefly wondered where Vladimir might be by now; that thought, however, was interrupted when my stomach growled in protest. Food first, apparently.

  I set off in the general direction of the mess hall, missing how quickly I use to be able to move. Some of the more artsy rebels had added more to the décor that lined the walls of HQ. Technically, anyone was allowed to paint on the walls and add whatever they desired, but it was only really the people who were good with art that did it. Everyone else was content to just admire their work.

  Now there were pictures that showed the demons literally crawling through the ground. Whoever had painted these scenes was a fan of black and red hues.

  I was surprised to find that the mess hall was open even though it was barely dawn. I got into line and Gravelstar smiled at me; I don’t remember the last time Gravel actually served food. I filled my tray with fruit mostly, though I did take a tuna sandwich off of one of the fridge racks.

  There were only a few other people in the hall besides me, but I didn’t even bother trying to be sociable at this late hour. I sat at one of the round tables by myself, slowly munching on a peach. By the time I got to my sandwich, my eyes were starting to droop and I had discovered the meaning of life.