Allistor pulled up his map and zoomed in on the northern border of Invictus City. Maybe a hundred yards outside the gate, in the middle of Central Park, were two green dots indicating his citizens. Around them were several red dots, maybe ten in total. They had his people surrounded, but didn’t appear to be closing in. Additional green dots that must be battle droids were moving quickly toward the group.
Logan’s voice came through the vehicle’s comms. “I just left my place, and am entering the park. I can see them up ahead, but I’m too far to get a good look. It looks like… yeah, two of our people on the ground. One bleeding. Around them are…” There was a long pause, during which everyone in the back of the vehicle leaned forward, unconsciously straining to hear the next words.
“I…I think they’re people. But they’re all messed up. They’re firing on the droids, and the droids are firing back!”
Allistor watched as a couple of the red dots blinked out. “Prime! If those are humans, have your troops try to capture them. Lethal force only if necessary.” The message was relayed through Nigel.
The Juggernauts sped up the streets toward the north gate. Teams had been clearing the abandoned and burned-out cars all the way up Broadway to where it became Park Ave South, then on up to 86th Street, which ran into the east side of Central Park right near where the north gate was. Where previously the trip would have taken an hour or more, they were able to cover the distance in minutes.
When they arrived, they found eight of the attackers bound and struggling on the ground, guarded by droids. Two others lay dead nearby. Allistor’s two people, a young lady named Kaitlyn, and the one who’d been injured was a young man named Conor, stood nearby. He’d been healed by Logan before Allistor and company reached them.
Allistor understood why Logan had been confused when trying to identify the attackers. The prisoners were human, he was pretty sure. But they looked heavily mutated. Most of them had only patches of hair on their heads and bodies. Skin had been stretched, or melted, and distorted. Some had limbs bent at odd angles, as if they’d been broken and healed improperly. Their eyes were mostly red, though some were a sickly shade of yellow. They snarled and screamed in frustration as they struggled against their bonds.
Rhonda stepped up next to Allistor. “Poor souls. We’ve run into a few of them before. They’ve been damaged by radiation. Someone set off a small nuke in the Bronx, we think in an attempt to keep the creatures in the city from getting north up into the burbs and Connecticut. That’s what started a lot of the fires here in the city.” She looked around at the burned out and broken high-rises within sight. “Best we can tell, these people were far enough from the blast that they lived, but close enough to get heavy doses of radiation. Lethal doses. But the new healing system kept them alive.”
Amanda had tears running down her face as she looked at the struggling mutated humans. “That makes sense. The radiation would have kept eating away at them, while the system’s natural healing worked to keep them alive. It must have been… incredibly painful.”
Allistor could relate. The pain he felt when the nanobots, or whatever they were, repaired his broken bones and torn tissue was no joke. Thankfully, it only lasted a short while. He couldn’t even imagine days on end, or an entire year.
Rhonda nodded her head. “Drove most of them insane. They hunt in packs like this, killing other survivors or lone monsters. They’ve still got enough clarity to use weapons and some basic tactics, which makes them dangerous.”
Allistor stepped forward, his gut roiling. He didn’t know how to handle this situation. “Do we put them out of their misery? Let them go?” He turned to Amanda. “Can we fix them?”
She shook her head, stepping forward to stand next to him and grip his arm with both her hands. “I… don’t know? I mean, the radiation has probably damaged them on a cellular level. Still, the system seems to be able to heal them at least enough to keep them alive. So maybe we can restore their bodies? But I have no idea how to restore their minds.”
Logan spoke up. “If it was me, I’d want you to kill me. This… isn’t living.”
Several others in the group added their agreement to his words.
“I agree.” Allistor said. After a long moment, during which his brain rapidly considered multiple possible scenarios, he added, “But I think we have to try to help them. For our own sakes, as well as theirs. I don’t think I could live with myself if we didn’t try, at least.”
Logan nodded his head. Amanda gave his arm a squeeze and stepped forward. She began to channel Mend into the nearest of the mutants. The woman screamed, her body contorting as she rolled around in the high grass. Her skin moved visibly as it tried to restore itself to its original form. Allistor heard bones crack as they too broke and began to reform.
Grunting from the effort, Amanda said, “Somebody feed her a health potion. And pour some directly on the breaks.”
Nancy immediately dashed forward to apply her best healing potions. She also poured some tea with a +2 Stamina buff down the woman’s throat. She worked quickly, having to pull back several times as the enraged woman tried to bite her.
When Nancy stepped back a few seconds later, Amanda croaked. “Mana’s low. Need some help. Nancy, Allistor.”
Both of them began channeling Mend into the woman as Amanda stopped casting. She was breathing hard from the effort, and looked pale, putting a hand on Allistor’s shoulder for support.
The woman on the ground was looking more human. At least, her body was much less deformed than it had been. Her eyes were still red and bloodshot, and Allistor saw no human recognition in them. Only animal hatred and rage.
After he and Nancy had been channeling for nearly a minute, Amanda called a halt. Allistor gratefully stopped channeling, the rapid and extended drain of mana uncomfortable even for someone with his relatively large mana pool.
The woman lay unconscious, her struggling ceased. Her body looked fully healed, the hair on her head restored, her limbs straight. All the inflamed and distorted skin had returned to normal, all of it displaying the light pink shade of newly-healed flesh.
Amanda sat in the grass, folding her hands in her lap. She waited a short while for her mana to restore a bit, then her eyes began to glow with Internal Analysis.
“My god. The amount of nanobots… this woman puts you to shame, Allistor. Every inch of her is flooded with the things. Even sections of bone that weren’t broken. Like they’re fighting the irradiated cells literally everywhere in her body. It’s… beautiful. And horrible.”
She shifted her gaze to one of the other prisoners, and tears flowed again. “So much damage. So much… everything. His entire body is in a state of flux. Cells mutating, bones cracking and repairing, new cells growing, but becoming contaminated by the radiation almost immediately.”
Amanda closed her eyes and sobbed. “The pain they must be in. Every minute. It’s… I can’t.” She lowered her head and covered it with both arms, almost as if she were fending off physical blows.
The woman they’d healed regained consciousness with a throat-rending scream. She looked around at the gathered people and droids, her eyes wild. Another scream escaped her lips as she struggled to get free.
Allistor cast Restraint on her to keep her from hurting herself. Stepping closer, he took a knee and looked directly into her eyes. He still saw no recognition there.
“I’m Allistor. What’s your name?” he asked. The stun wore off, but her struggling slowed slightly as she made eye contact. “Can you understand me?”
She growled, lunging toward him as best she could, her teeth snapping together well short of reaching him. A droid stepped forward and used a foot on her shoulder to pin her down. The action caused her to whimper in pain, or fear. Allistor wasn’t sure which.
“What is your name?” he asked her again, speaking slowly, clearly, and probably more loudly than necessary.
She simply grunted and snarled at him, holding eye contact, challenging him
with her gaze.
Allistor shook his head, standing up. “Maybe more healing?”
Amanda straightened up, lowering her arms. Her face was red and puffy from crying. She activated her Internal Analysis again, and after a moment, began to shake her head. “The damaged cells are already trying to multiply again. The magic is trying to hold it back, but failing. Maybe if we gave her more buffs? Health Regeneration, Stamina?”
Allistor nodded, his face grim. He pulled some dragon jerky from his ring and leaned in, holding the meat above the woman’s head. She snapped at him, her teeth clamping down just below his fingers. He let loose and jerked his hand back as she gnawed on the jerky for a brief moment, then swallowed it nearly whole.
A moment later, when the buffs kicked in, Amanda nodded. “That’s helping, some.”
For the next hour, Allistor and company worked to restore the woman. He had Nigel send all the available healers, along with potions and food that provided buffs. The Juggernauts made several trips back and forth, delivering the healers to the park. Prime showed up with another two dozen battle droids, who set up a perimeter and stood guard facing outward.
The new arrivals began to heal the other prisoners as Amanda and Allistor worked on the first woman. Nancy explained what they’d done so far, and everyone got to work. More than a few of the healers broke down, the horror of what they were seeing combined with the exhausting mana drain being too much. Sounds of sobbing could be heard in between the screams of the mutants. A fighter stood next to each healer, offering them support, both emotional and physical. They handed the healers potions or applied them to the prisoners as instructed. Even Kaitlyn and Conor, the two who’d been attacked by the mutant humans, pitched in and did their share.
Eventually, the first woman’s eyes appeared to focus a bit more. There was a hint of clarity in them as she stared at Amanda, who sat nearby, too tired to stand. Allistor decided to try again.
“What is your name?”
The woman’s gaze switched to him, and he saw a deep sorrow there. She moved her mouth as if to speak, and a sort of slow groan escaped. Shaking her head, she tried again as tears formed in her eyes. When no actual words came out, she seemed frustrated.
“I think we’re closer.” Allistor said, feeling a little hope for the first time since they’d arrived. “She’s thinking in there, I just know it. What else can we do?”
Amanda sighed. “We could… try the regeneration machines? Maybe it’s just that their brains have been too damaged. I have no idea if those machines will work on brain trauma. But what have we got to lose?”
Allistor agreed. “Prime, please ask Kira to grab one of the regeneration machines, and bring it here in the yacht. We’ll test it here, and if it works, we’ll bring everybody back at once and help them.”
It took ten minutes for Kira to retrieve the tech, get it to the ship, and fly it to the park. She landed nearby, right at the edge of the lake, causing the mutated humans to freak out slightly, once again thrashing against their bonds. Two droids escorted her from the ship, along with another group of humans who’d come to see if they could help. By the time they made it to Allistor, the prisoners had mostly calmed again.
Goodrich, who had been uncharacteristically silent since he’d arrived with Allistor, mumbled, “Please, let this work. Please.” Allistor looked to see the man wiping tears from his own eyes before he added, “I wonder how many more like this are wandering around out here. If this works, we need to find them, and help them, Allistor. We have to.”
The look he gave Allistor nearly broke his heart. He’d never seen Goodrich be serious about anything other than fighting. The man was just a naturally lighthearted individual. Now he saw pain, horror, and fear in his friend’s eyes.
Allistor stepped closer and put a hand on Goodrich’s shoulder. “If this works, you can lead the search parties. I’ll give you all the people and droids you need.”
Goodrich tried to thank him, but the words caught in his throat. He cleared it a few times, and still his voice was thick when he answered. “Nothing worse than being betrayed by your own mind. I watched my…” his voice failed again, and Allistor patted him on the back.
“It’s okay, we get it, man. No need to talk about it. We all understand. Let’s just cross our fingers, here.”
They all watched in silence as Amanda and two of her assistants from the infirmary set up the alien tech. The machine had several possible configurations, but in this case they placed two small posts on the ground on either side of the woman’s head. Amanda had two of the droids immobilize her body, and motioned for Allistor to hold her head still. As he knelt above her head and bent over the woman, her eyes met his. She seemed to be pleading for help with her gaze. He tried to reassure her.
“It’s okay. We’re going to try and heal you. You need to be still. Do you understand? Don’t fight us. Hold still.”
The woman’s body relaxed slightly, her eyes never leaving his. Amanda finished her setup, and activated the machine. She slowly moved a wand that looked much like an old airport metal detector down from the top of the woman’s head to the base of her neck. The patient’s eyes looked terrified as they followed the wand.
“This is just a scan. So the device knows what it’s dealing with. The regeneration should begin in a moment…” Even as she finished the sentence, a blue glow began to emanate from the two posts. The light penetrated the woman’s head, and her eyes rolled up in their sockets. “This may take a while. A limb can take several hours. I have no idea about a brain.”
They all stood and waited, the only sounds being an occasional shuffle as someone shifted their weight, and some moaning from the other patients, or the sounds of them gnawing on jerky. A few of the fighters began gathering wood for a funeral pyre for the two who’d been killed.
Drinks and food were passed around as they waited and watched. An hour passed, then another. Finally the blue light faded, and there was a short beep. The two posts glowed red briefly, then went dormant.
“That’s not a good sign.” Amanda’s face fell. “Every other time we’ve used these, the posts flashed green when the work was done.”
Allistor tried not to let his hopes die. His gut told him they were in for a big disappointment. Amanda clearly agreed, her face grim as she knelt next to the woman. Nancy handed her a few leaves, which she crushed between her fingers before holding them under the woman’s nose. A second later, the woman’s eyes fluttered opened and she turned her head sideways, coughing. When the fit stopped, her gaze fixed on Amanda.
“Hi there. I’m Amanda. Can you understand me?”
The woman stared for a long moment, then nodded once. All around them, held breaths were expelled and several people cheered. The sounds scared the woman, and she cringed slightly.
“It’s okay, we won’t hurt you. We’ve been working to heal you. Do you remember?”
Again the woman nodded, tears streaming down her face. Allistor didn’t even want to think about how much of the last year she remembered.
“Can you tell me your name?” Amanda placed a hand gently on the woman’s chest, and she didn’t pull away. Instead, she opened her mouth slowly.
“Mi… Mi…ra.” she stuttered slightly, and her voice was hoarse. “Mira.”
The crowd began smiling, patting each other on the back.
“Well, nice to meet you, Mira. That’s a very pretty name.” Amanda beamed at the woman, moving her hand from the woman’s chest to place it against her cheek. “I’m so happy to hear you speak!”
The woman seemed to press her head into Amanda’s hand, almost like a puppy looking for scratches. Amanda spoke softly to her. “I’m going to cast a spell, now. It will make my eyes glow a little bit. Don’t be afraid. It’s like an x-ray. Do you remember what that is?”
Mira nodded, and tensed up slightly. When Amanda’s eyes began to glow, she bit her lip, but held still. A minute or so passed, and Amanda let the spell fade.
“There! That
didn’t hurt at all, did it?” she spoke to Mira as if she were a child. Mira shook her head no, still looking slightly afraid.
A realization hit Allistor. “She doesn’t know about magic. If the bomb that did all this went off in the early days, she won’t know anything about what’s going on.”
Amanda nodded. “Just stay right here, Mira. I need to talk to Allistor. Nobody will hurt you. In fact, Nancy has some food for you, if you’re hungry?”
Mira nodded, and Nancy knelt in Amanda’s place as she got to her feet. Taking a few steps away and turning her back on Mira, she whispered. “There are still cancerous cells in her. Everywhere. Right now, they’re outnumbered by healthy cells, and the nanobots are still working overtime. But I think that’s why the regeneration machine quit. It was copying bad cells along with the good, and that probably goes against its programming. We’ll need to try it again once she’s fully healed.”
Allistor nodded. “Better result than I feared. Let’s take them all onto the ship. You and the others can work on them there. We’ve probably already been out here too long.”
Two minutes later, each of the patients was being carried up the ramp into the cargo bay by a droid. One of the casters hit the funeral pyre with Flame Shot, and many of them said a silent prayer for the dead who’d suffered so horribly. The droids who’d come down from the wall returned to their posts, while everyone else boarded the ship. The Juggernauts were loaded aboard as well, and Kira took them all back into Invictus.
Chapter 22
Amanda and her people spent the next two days trying to heal the radiation victims completely. The results were mixed, at best.
Allistor called in both Harmon and Gralen to ask their advice, and to try to find some alien tech that would deal with the irradiated and mutated cells directly. Both replied that they knew of ways to rapidly remove radioactive contaminants from inanimate objects, but not from living cells. At least, not without killing them. The only hope they offered was that the system’s natural healing via the nanobots might, eventually, accomplish the task, fighting on a cellular level.
Shadow Sun Rebellion Page 37
