Chapter Three #2
Odins face once again hovering over hers. “Do you understand female. We need to aline the bone like you did for me. It will be painful.” She gave a nod having no energy to do more.
“Do it.” She whispered. Knowing they were right.
It happened very fast. Odin gone, she felt the hands on her gently holding her still and the pull and twist to have the bones in the right place.
The scream in her throat. That bloody hand back in her mouth.
Drinking him down. While her arm was tempered and wrapped the pain almost unbearable.
The hand removed. “Need painkillers.” She whispered again.
There was rustling and people moving Odin staying with her. A water bottle showed to her Odin placing two pills in her mouth and helping her drink. More movement going on outside she let the world slip away. “No female stay awake. I need to monitor you.”
“Can’t. Too much. Need to sleep.”
Lifted, many hands holding her, they got her out the car.
Carrying her off on a medical bed to a waiting truck.
Loading up, she caught glimpses of the 3 men who’d rammed her and tried to take her.
Now tied up and on their knees. She couldn’t find any sympathy for them.
Unable to say or do anything, she looked away.
An IV given to her. The other voice, clearly a medic, told her to rest now. She was safe. Odin staying with her.
Part of her mind wondered if she’d ever be safe again.
Slowly the world around her dimmed. Unable to keep her mind active. She stopped trying. Odin hovering over her his hand on her neck. His eyes all on her.
He was monitoring her….
Giving her some comfort.
“You will be alright Janna. I promise you; this will not go unpunished. I will wipe this away so they can never hurt you again.” He took her hand. “Forgive me. I should have been more vigilant. This was my fault. It should never have happened.”
“My practice….”
“It will be protected. Rest now. Your body needs to heal. I will stay with you, monitor your wellbeing. You are safe Janna I promise you. Rest.” She knew no more finally letting go.
And woke pain radiating through her. Not recognising where she was. It was stark. Utilitarian, minimalist. It was not her home. Odin suddenly there in her vision helping her to sit up, giving her something in the IV. “Pain meds.”
Within moments feeling the benefit. “Thank you.” Looking at her arm it was plastered. They’d set it. It was a fine job.
“We took scans of your arm. It was broken in two places as you guessed but also the elbow was dislocated. Muscle damage. It will take some time to repair. I would like to offer you more of my nanos, but we were always told they were a risk to humans. Although we know it can have initial success in some.”
“How long was I out?”
“2 Days. We wanted you to rest.” Odin passing her some water.
She drank. “My office?”
“They know and are carrying on. I have security watching them but I doubt who ever orchestrated this would be stupid enough to try again.” He sneered.
“I don’t want my staff at risk because of me.”
“I understand.”
Another Cyborg coming in with a tray he handed it to Odin and left. Odin placing it over her knees. He started to feed her. Some kind of chunky soup it was good. The pain finally going away she relaxed a little. Taking as much as she could before she stopped him.
Odin passed her more water.
Resting back she felt exhausted. Such a small act had taken everything from her. Sleep coming on.
“Rest a while. Do you need the bathroom?” Shaking her head a little. “Then I will stay here and let you rest.”
“Where am I?”
“In our compound. These are my quarters. I rarely used them up to now.”
“I’m keeping you. You should go back to work. I’m fine.”
“I can work and be here. My men are interrogating those that tried to harm you. I cannot be there. My geno wants to kill them.”
She looked over to him. ”Your geno?” Barely awake she was mumbling. The scientist in her piqued her curiosity.
“Our Berserker geno rides us. That part of us that is untamed, brutal, wants vengeance for you. They made us that way wanting the most barbaric of soldiers. They got what they wanted. It has lain dormant all these hundreds of years, but it is awake now. Controlling it is not easy.”
“I’m sorry, I feel to blame.” She yawned.
“Sleep. There will be time for more conversation. You are staying in bed for a week while we monitor your recovery.”
He was making a lot of sense. Staying awake was just too hard.
Waking sometime later. It was dark. A night light on, she saw the water and tablets sitting there.
Levering herself up on her good arm, she settled herself back on the pillows reaching out for the pills and water.
Taking both. Her bladder reminding her she was human after all.
Throwing back the flow blanket, sitting up she looked around guessing on which of the three doors in the room was the bathroom.
“Need help?” Odins voice reaching her. She turned to the now open door Odin stood there leaning on the frame.
“Bathroom?”
Coming to her he took her good arm and helped her up. “Can you walk?” She gave a nod. He helped her over to a closed door opening it clearly the bathroom. “Do you need help in here?”
Looking at her clothing she didn’t know how she’d got in her PJs. “I….. might need some help with the bottoms?” Lifting her damaged arm.
Coming to her, undoing the strings he pulled the bottoms down. Rather glad that the top covered her modesty. “Thank you I’m good from here.” Gazing at her hard, he turned and walked out closing the door behind him. Breathing out. She’d not realised she’d been holding her breath until that moment.
Him being near her still affected her.
Doing what she needed she cleaned up. Slowly pulling her pants back up, before washing up. Drawing her pants together she walked to the door and opened it. Odin standing legs astride arm folded across his chest. “You managed without me.”
“I’m an independent woman. Been doing it a long time.”
“Not with a broken and damaged arm. And a head injury.”
“True. But I’m good.” His growl vented the air. Looking to him in surprise. “Problem?”
“I do not like you putting yourself at risk even for dressing alone.” Taking her good arm he led her gently back to bed. “Food?”
She gave a nod. “I’d like that.” Settling her in. The tray Cyborg back with another one. The food smelt delicious. Odin placing it on her lap everything cut up small. And a spoon. She smiled.
They’d thought of everything….
Odin holding out some more pain killers, she took them with the water he gave her and didn’t wait to tuck in to really good bacon and eggs.
“How's your head?”
“Better. No pain. Just the arm.”
“Are the meds working?”
She gave a nod. “Yes. My arm is better.” Finishing off what she could she pushed her plate away. Lifting the cap on a flask and to her delight finding coffee. “Oh my God.” Pouring it. Black and strong the aroma divine. “This is what I needed. Thank you.”
“It is little to do.”
“You feel responsible.”
“I am. I do. I thought I had been careful. Covered my tracks well but, it seems that I gave something away and they found you. From what they have told us, they were paid to deliver you. That didn’t happen so they will have to answer for that to those that paid them. They do not seem keen to face them.”
“So they were not part of the group that knocked you out of the sky then?”
“No. Paid opportunists.”
“Who knew kidnapper was a trade!”
“It is no laughing matter female. They will not do it again.” He was right, it was dark humour. Leverty in the face of what it could have been. She knew she could have died. “Those that employed them wanted to keep some distance from it but we are close.”
Frowning she sipped her coffee. “It’s all a bit depressing. How do you live with this? Always looking over your shoulder. It’s not a life I want.”
He was quiet for a moment. “This gives us the opportunity to wipe this out once and for all.”
“It does? How?”
“They have stepped outside of the lines of engagement. Targeting a civilian when looking to inflict harm on a Cyborg.”
“But civilians must get caught up in this all the time. They’re gangs, criminals, it can’t be helped.”
“True. Too many innocents get caught up in this business. But their attack on you crosses a line. It was deliberate. No one is going to put up with that.”
“Surely they’ll just deny it.”
“Likely but we are human lie detectors. Plus we record everything and can recall everything we see and hear at will. There will be no denying it.”
“How did they cross a line with me?”
“You are connected to me. Special to me. Important. In our world, this is unique and the connection to me is recorded.”
“Recorded how?”
“On our systems. You are mine female. And no one is going to take you from me.”
Such an imposing man she was lost for words….