Aberrant: 2011 - Sanctuary

[White Light]

Lina gripped her side and coughed, a small amount of blood coming up and lining her ruby lips. Her black sleeve had been serving as her napkin for the past few hours, even though there are more than enough clothes around her to use.

“Let me see.” A man spoke as he entered the room. A large man closed the door behind him, and Lina just looked at the new man. “Let me see it. I was pulled away from my practice to do this, and it is an honor, but I do need money to survive.”

“It’s internal.” Lina responded, laying back on the floor and holding back the cough. “And I.. think a few brok..en ribs.. too.” She was obviously in an incredible amount of pain, and there were awkward pauses in between her words. The man walked up to her, and as he kneeled next to her he paused. With a deep breath, he lifted the stomach of Lina’s shirt right below her breast line. Parts of her flesh were swelling with a deep purple, and the man grimaced as he looked.

“Internal bleeding, and definite fractured ribcage.” He said, running his fingers lightly over her abdomen. Lina’s eyes were closed, but she looked more relaxed now than anytime before. “That is quite the maze you have set up to find you.” The man finally said while rummaging through his black bag. Lina didn’t respond, and the man looked a little more uncomfortable. “Well, you’re not in hypovolemic shock, which is good. I’m going to start you on IV, but your body seems to already know the treatment you need. Your blood flow seems excellent, and your tolerance for the pain is astounding. Would you like some hydrocodones to help with the pain?” Lina nodded, and the man stood up. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Don’t move.”

The man stood up and began walking out. Lina mouthed a ‘Thank you’, but it was not audible in the least. As she lay, her eyes became to feel heavy, and soon sleep took a hold of her. She dreamt of her brother, and of Daniel.

[Ravenshire]

For Ravenshire, South Dakota was a hell of a boring drive. Had he been able to appreciate the beauty of the Northern Plains the drive might have been different. Now, it was nothing but a long drive with an occasional tiny farming town to break the monotony. The car he was following – his guides – kept driving westward and he had little choice but to follow.

The trail had begun with his hasty correspondence with Lina. She was alive, injured and angry with him. He could hardly blame her for the last bit, though he was furious with her over the injured part. From all accounts, Lina had taken on three novas and had been lucky to get away alive. Now there was nothing for it, but to worry about her and prepare for the confrontation he was sure they were going to have.

The trail … it had led him to a novelty shop called Travis-Tee and its rather surly and elderly proprietor. He had been the first screen to make sure he wasn’t being followed and was who he said he was. Also, the man hadn’t liked him much until Ravenshire had put aside his own surly mood and turned on some charm.

“Follow the car that’s been with you since the airport” had been his instructions. He stopped when they stopped for gas. Both cars had filled up, but neither side had talked. The two men were somewhere between cautious and hostile with a good smattering of fanaticism thrown in. Daniel had little doubt that the Lina they held sacred was very different from the one he knew and loved. They had nothing to talk about really.

Hours passed and finally they turned off the main road and turned into the wilderness that surrounded the massive Lake Oahe. The asphalt gave way to gravel and the gravel to dirt. The old storekeeper wasn’t lying when he said it would be out of the way, no way could he find it on his own, and that the cabin would look abandoned. Only the trained eye could tell that anyone but these two cars had been down this road in the last decade.

The road finally came to an end and the lead car came to a stop. The passenger got out while the driver stayed behind the wheel. Ravenshire got out of his sedan. He toyed with asking the standing man if this was the place but decided against it. He walked toward the cabin. It was in poor repair. Daniel reached for the door knob but hesitated. Instead, he rapped his knuckles on the door and announced himself.

“Its Daniel.”

[White Light]

Lina heard a distorted voice as she lay in bed with her brother. It was years back, when her skin was normal and their lives were simple. And Zach still had his sight.

Lina concentraited on the voice for a while and heard nothing. The voice suddenly repeated. It was a series of foreign noises that meant nothing to Lina, especially at this moment. The room had a euphoric feel, that was slowly being diminished by the repeating voice. "leinadstisleinadstileinadstileinadsti.. " It faded, than bounced back at full power. Lina tried lifting her head, but could not muster the muscle to do so.

"Que?" She said, than the voiced stopped. "Que était ce bruit?" she rambled quickly. Her brother mouthed a word which resembled 'Rien' and closed his eyes. "Oui? Bonjour?" She said outloud, trying to bring the voice back.

Than it thundered. "It's Daniel." Lina recognized the voice, and spun her head around. Her lover stood there, looking unsure and healthy. Lina spun her head back the other way to look for her brother, but there was nothing there. The years had changed to eons, and everything around her was ash. Daniel was no longer there, but the voice boomed. "leinadstiitsdanielleinadstiitsdaniel." Her feet began turning black, and it traveled up her body.

Lina opened her eyes to find that she was laying on the couch, and a voice just finished its noise, and Lina instantly knew what had happened. It was a simple dream.

No. Dreams are never simple.

She somehow knew that the voice had only sounded once, and Lina knew what it meant. She stayed quiet for a minute as she found that there was a needle in her arm that was attached to an IV bag on a pole. After a quick inspection, Lina decided it was now or never. "Entrer."

[Ravenshire]

He wanted to cautiously look around the room. No small number of fanatics could be hanging around the cabin if they wanted to. He wanted to be angry with her for taking such a risk, and he wanted to bless her out for her recklessness. He saw the IV and he ran to her. Ravenshire knelt down beside her and hugged Lina to his chest.

“Oh God, babe, what did she do to you?”

So much for he wanted to do; Daniel loved her and suddenly that was all that mattered. No worries about Dark Spiral, or Lina’s suffocating lackeys, or the possible immediate intervention by the FBI or Directive. His love had an IV in her arm and was paler than her normal ghostly pale. Even her lips seem to have had the life drained out of them. What he wanted to do was hug her and hold her close.

[White Light]

Lina didn't realize how slow her reaction time was. It took almost fifteen seconds for Lina to realize that Ravenshires arms were around her and that she was pulled into him, and it took even longer than that to realize how long it took her to realize that much. "Get the fuck away from me!" Lina screamed. The pain of everything rushed back to her. Her wounds, her brother, failing at getting Dark Spiral, and Ravenshire's rampant playboyism. "I gave you permission to see me, not touch me." She was furious, but it was obvious that it was the pain that was killing her.

There was no intrusion, however. No one checked on her to see if she was alright, or came in to throw Ravenshire out.

[Ravenshire]

He went from kneeling to standing and stepped away. A variety of emotion washed quickly over his face. Daniel looked down at the dusty floor and took a deep breath.

Its better this way.

“Okay. I’ll keep away from you, if that’s what you want.”

What to say?

“Last time we met, you left before I could really talk to you. You made up your mind and that was that. I wish it wasn’t that way, but now we are here. Nothing I can say will make the situation we find ourselves in any better.”

“I’ll help you if you’ll let me. I think I will always love you. I know it will never be what we once had, and I’m deeply sorry for that.”

“I wanted to see you and make sure you were okay. Is there anything you want from me, or do you just want me to go?”

[White Light]

Lina took a long and hard look at Ravenshire while a million little thoughts were being ruled by their dictator; He read too much into that.

Lina looked like she did a crunch, and grunt her way to an upright position. She didn't check for concern, because she knew it was there. Knowing made it easier. "What were you thinking? Did you honestly think that I would be happy to watch you go out and being with other women? Whether it is for the sake of this relationship or not, did you think that I would idolly stand by and watch you do that?"

[Ravenshire]

"I was thinking ... I was thinking that this was the only way to convince Dark Spiral to leave you and Zach alone," Ravenshire said, is voice heavy with concern. "I don't think either one of us can beat her physically ... right now, but this way she would go back to concentrating on me and you two would be safe."

He walked over so that he was facing out one of the windows.

"Lina, you know that I like to keep my private life private. I don't want my picture plastered all over the tabloids," he turned and looked at her with a weary expression. "I know she reads such stuff and so that was the avenue I took. I figure I run this shell game for another month or so and she will forget you ever existed. You and Zach will be safe. You'll be able to get Zach the help he needs."

The problem was, Ravenshire was sure he was right. He was sure that his plan was the best plan of the three of them, still ...

"Lina, I've caused you pain and I'm sorry."

[White Light]

Lina thought on him for a minute without speech, wondering if he was truly as sad as she was. He was amazing at getting people to see things his way, and she didn’t know if he was doing it now or not. She brought in her entire perception of Ravenshire at that moment, and hoped that he would renounce what he was saying as a solution. She didn’t want to face it.

He’s looking at me, and he’s waiting. Lina coughed, covering it with her black sleeve and than wiping her mouth immediately afterwards. There was a little smear of red on her cheek, but Lina was obviously aware of it. If he thinks this is the only way, I cannot be with him. I cannot sit on the side while he does this, and I cannot play with someone else the way he will be doing it to others. Am I not strong enough?

Or is this an excuse for him to run around and do what he wants?

Lina kept in a silence, in thought, and in pain. She was doubting Ravenshire’s words because she knows what he can do, but wanted to believe him. Lina coughed again.

[Ravenshire]

She didn't say anything, just sat there and stared and coughed up some blood.

Damn, what did Dark Spiral do to her? How badly did she get hurt. Its probably too much to think she would let me attend her.

Self-doubt was not something Daniel felt very often and he didn't feel it now. He knew he loved Lina, but he knew he couldn't protect her ... as long as she stayed with him. There was a way to get something positive out of this fiasco, so he reached for it.

"Lina, what happened at the club? How did you find her? I need to know these things if I'm ever going to get her out of our lives."

[White Light]

Lina eyed him, wondering if he knew more than he was saying.

“I know a lot of people.” Lina said softly. “And those people know a few other people.” It was all stuff he already knew. They were people in the spotlight, and people in the spotlight knew had access to a variety of options that others didn’t. “I put a word out, and a word came back. And now I owe some people I don’t know a favor.

“And as for what happened.. “ She paused for a cough. “I found her with Idiot Wonder Boy and Stupid Bitch. Turns out they are friends of hers so something. There was a scuffle, and your whore decided that it might be fun to take Stupid Bitch and myself out. Wonder Boy was down on the floor under a pile of rocks most of the time.”

[Ravenshire]

Daniel frowns.

"Idiot Wonder Boy was the one bothered to inform me about what happened to you, Lina. I don't know about Stupid Bitch. I don't know her. From Troy's viewpoint, you can barging in to a crowded bar and picked the fight. That didn't seem to work very well."

Bitterly, he adds, "You could have got yourself killed."

Ravenshire pushes off the wall and paces back and forth.

"You could have got yourself killed, Lina. You may not care about how badly that would wreck me, but what about Zach. He would be destroyed."

He looks back into her eyes.

"I love you ... God how I love you, but he NEEDS you."

With a shake of the head, he looks both stunning and frustrated.

"I know its pointless to ask you to give up this quest. You'll give it up only when you decide to. I want you to stop. Zach needs you to stop."

"I can help with the legal issues so that you don't have to live a life on the run. I think other people would help as well if we asked. Please, let me do something."

[White Light]

Lina brought legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. She placed her forehead on her arms, putting her face out of view of Daniel. Maybe he’d be better off without me. Maybe they both would. Lina took a long, hard thought about dying. Zach wouldn’t be as reliant on me, and Ravenshire could find someone who will be there for him. Sure, it would hurt them for a while but I know they would get over it.

Lina’s face was showing her thoughts, she knew it would, and that is why she hid it. She uncovered her face, and put her knees down. “Yeah” she said slowly and softly. “Fine. Whatever.” She leaned back and closed her eyes and tried not thinking while waiting for him to say something.

[Ravenshire]

He looked at her for almost a minute without moving, without speaking. He studied her and weighed the decision in his mind, wether to walk away now, or to fight for her ... and for himself.

"No."

"You are a fighter, Lina. You are still that girl who walked alone into the Blackburn only a few months ago. You challenged me and I love that about you, and you are no quiter. You fight for the things you love. You fight for Zach. All I'm asking you to do is fight smarter."

"I don't want to let you go. I don't want this to be the end of us, because that's just her winning one more fight and us losing. I'm tired of her bullshit and I want her gone, but I would rather have you safe and by my side."

"Listen, if you can find her once, you can find her again. This time, see what she's up to. Find out who she hangs out with. Keep you distance, but gather intelligence on her ... to give to the authorities when the time is right. She deserves to burn for what she's done, but its going to take time. You can't go rushing into a straight on fight with her, but you can outsmart her."

"People love you. She's alone. I doubt anyone loves her, or helps her for anything but their own reasons. Draw on the strength of that love. You can beat her, if you let yourself."

"I'm not asking you to give up on us, only to fight smart."

[White Light]

Lina was tired of fighting. She’d been fighting since her eruption, and it was getting old. She just wanted to go back to being a little girl, boy crazy for the men on the posters on her wall. She was sick of the responsibility, and sick of the emotional damage inflicted upon her over and over again. What’s stopping me from giving up? She asked herself this over and over, in every phrasing she could think of. Is it the people who look up to me? The people I love? A sense of accomplishment from waking every dawn? A mission that drives me? Ravenshire.. I love you. I love you Daniel! Daniel, you know I love you. I love you so, Ser. Why do I continue this existence if I am so unhappy?

That was when it hit her. I’m not unhappy at all. I have people who love me, and people who adore me. This is what I want. Lina opened her eyes and looked at Ravenshire. She was crying softly, but with a smile. She opened her mouth to speak, but was taken by a cough fit. Her hands were thrown to her mouth, and they were almost instantly filled with blood.

[Ravenshire]

Ravenshire all but ran to Lina's side. He went down on one knee and looked directly into her eyes from less than a foot away.

"I've got to get you better medical care, my love. Something is seriously wrong with you. Let me help."

He was earnestly sincere. He was also reaching deep into the maelstrom of his mind and calling up a vast quantity of medical knowledge trying to put in order whatever he could do for her in the here and now.

"We need to figure out how bad that internal bleeding is. You could have other injuries that are not readily apparent now. I won't let you go through this alone ... if that's okay with you."

[White Light]

Lina looked into Ravenshire’s eyes, afraid to move her hand from her mouth. You can swallow a pint of blood before you throw up. The phrase ran through her head several times before it went blank. Her shallow concentration was showing in her puffy eyes, and she seemed to be fighting to keep her eyes open. The blood cupped in her hands was seeping through her fingers and onto her pants, making a mess of the scene. Cut scene.

--------------------------------------

She was unsure of what her mind was doing, but she heard the line ‘cut scene’ over all other noise. Is someone recording me? She was trying to say it, but than she realized that Ravenshire was no longer next to her. She grasped the furniture around her, but her fingers ran through it as if it was water. She began to dip into the couch, sinking like a ship. Her mouth opened for a scream, but nothing audible could be said. It felt like she was drowning in a couch, and than there was nothing. Only a still picture of Ravenshire, Zach, and herself remained in her unconscious consciousness.

--------------------------------------

Lina’s eyes shut from the world as she simultaneously fell backwards onto the couch. Her hands spilt the blood over her torso, and it began soaking into the couch.

[Ravenshire]

He only stayed with her long enough for him to make sure she wasn't going to immediately leave him then Daniel was off like a shot. He threw open the cabin door, running for his car. A startled shout came from the woods. Ravenshire had little awareness and even less care of how close he was to getting shot by one of the watchers hovering about the deserted cabin. His interest was solely in trunk of his car.

The trunk's electric lock popped open as Daniel came up. He took two large cases out of the back and was returning the cabin when the doctor called out. The man wasn't calling to Ravenshire, but to his fellow cultists, warning them not to shoot. This man had figured out what Daniel was up to and, while not sure the man was a competent doctor, knew he was a nova and hoped that counted toward something.

Back inside the cabin some time later, Daniel was sweating profusely. He now understood why you didn't work on the one's you loved. Seeing Lina so bruised and battered and look in small against the injustices of the world was heartbreaking. Right not, the blood was no longer pooling in her lungs, or abdominal cavity. Beyond the broad-spectrum antibiotics there wasn't much more he could do, but wait. He checked the catheters one more time and then sat back to wait.

[White Light]

Days had passed since the meeting. Nothing was looking better, either with Lina or in the little cabin in the north of South Dakota. It was a boring place with incredible tensions, and no one was particularly happy to be with each other in those days. The guys were friendly enough with Daniel, but it was the kind of friendly that came when enemies on a battlefield ran out of ammunition and orders. They spoke, none of it was deep, and none of it was about Lina.

There was always a set of eyes on Ravenshire, no matter what he was doing. If he moved to the bathroom, all entrances and exits were being watched. When Lina made a sign of life, they were near ready to throw him out of the room, and never pay him mind again.

Lina made a slight gasp, unsure as to why her body felt so weak, and why breathing was a chore. Everything hurt from the inside, emotionally and physically. As she looked up at the familiar faces, they were oval blurs of faint peach. There was a sudden and overwhelming smell of stale something, and Lina feared that it was herself. Her stomach twisted, and her head began to ache more. Her face contorted, and she closed her eyes once more. Everyone took a step back at the instruction of the doctor, and he looked to Ravenshire. He tilted his head in her direction, telling him to go to her.

[Ravenshire]

Daniel all but missed the doctor's nod. He was already heading to Lina's side and would have probably torn apart any one of her devotees that tried to stop him. Ravenshire looked worn out and fatigued, despite his superior endurance. Both the long, waking hours and the worry had worn him down. Lina had no need feel she might be alone in bearing the weight of days.

"Howdy Love," Daniel began. "You've been out quite a while. We've all been worried."

There was more he wanted to say, but he realized these were her first conscious moments in days and she might be very confused. He wanted to examine her and - damn it - know that she was out of the woods finally ... but that would wait. Right now, he wanted her to be awake and talking, despite of what she might say.

[White Light]

The sound of his voice in her head was a car crash. The screech was something that almost put her senses over the limit, but the second word was regulated. Or was it the word itself that made an impact? He began to talk more, but she could keep up with the words. Her body was too tired, her head hurt too much, and her mouth tasted terrible.

After several seconds, she whispered something inaudible. The words were jibberish, but they meant something in her head. Her eyes cracked open barely, and she laid her vision upon Ravenshire. “Guess what?” She said faintly and slowly, with obvious pain in her voice. Ravenshire leaned in a few inches closer to create some false sense of seclusion and intimacy among between himself and Lina. “I hurt.” She said softly, and with a slight smile. She didn’t feel the urge to cough, and that’s why she felt so uncomfortable.

[Ravenshire]

He gave her only the lightest of kisses.

"Don't try too much right now. The worst is past, but you've still have a long way to go," he said in a clear voice. In a whisper he added with a grin, "I hurt, my ass. You probably feel like you went head to head with a steam roller and the steam roller won. You gave all of us - especially me - a real scare here."

There were a lot more things he wanted to talk to her about: her fugitive status, the followers around her who had dropped everything to be at her side these past few days, as well as them. This was not the time. Lina was worn out mentally and physically and it would be hours, if not days, before she could make any decisions concerning her fate or the fates of those around her. All he could do now was hold her hand and stroke it softly.