Part 4: Healing       J.T. entered the medical ward and found Kaz and Thrax in the waiting room. Colleen, Pellegrino, Poedowski, and Mathison were also present. He walked up to Kaz and Thrax, "Are you guys alright?" he asked. "I am perfectly fine" noted Thrax. "I just got a little bump on the head and a scratch on my arm, I'll be fine. I'm more worried about Ellen." said Takagi, his eyes were welling up with tears. J.T. lead Thrax over to Colleen, "How is she?" "Not good J.T., she took shrapnel through her abdomen. The med-techs said she has massive internal bleeding, liver damage, and kidney failure." Colleen replied. J.T. saddened at the news. "What about Able squad?" "DeLeon is fine, he went in with Weston. Her condition is still unknown. Torres sustained minor injuries, she is being treated. Bronski should be fine, but his knee was hyper extended. He'll be out of action for some time." explained Thrax. The door to the waiting room opened and DeLeon stepped into the room followed by a med-tech. "Kaz Takagi?" he asked. Kaz got to his feet and went over to the Med-tech, "Follow me please." Kaz left the room with the med-tech and Alec slumped into a chair. J.T. sat next to him, "How is she?" "Her wounds are minor and she's stable." J.T. let out a sign of relief and Alec continued, "But she's in a coma, J.T. The Med-techs don't know when, if ever, she'll come out of it." Alec buried his face in his hands, "I can't lose her now J.T., not after everything we've been through together." * * *       "The last alien vessel has been destroyed sir!" Sterling heard a cheer over the com-line. "Casualties?" he asked. "We lost seven, sir" answered Worthington. "OK, lets bring it in and go home." "Sir, I've got a contact three degrees starboard. Its not moving but it looks like its alive." reported Remes. Damn, I knew I should have thrown her farther out. thought Sterling. "Worthington, Remes, Erikson, with me. We'll check it out. The rest of you return to the Resolute." As the rest of the squad departed Sterling saw Shanita's battle armor floating in space. "Cover me, we'll take it back with us." Sterling made his way to the battle armor. He extended his striking blade and sliced off her backpack, jet boots, and forearm cannons. Sterling grabbed hold of her by the waist with his fist arm. "Let's go" he ordered. * * *       The Med-tech lead Kaz through the ward explaining Ellen's condition, "She sustained massive internal bleeding and we still can't stop it. Her kidney's failed some time ago, but we have her on dialysis. Her liver was also damaged." Kaz eyed him for a minute, "But she's gonna make it, right?" The Med-tech stared blankly at him for a moment, "I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do for her. All we can do is make her comfortable. I brought you in here so you might have a chance to say goodbye." Kaz shook his head, not wanting to believe the truth. The med-tech put a hand on his shoulder, "Go to her now, before its too late. She's in there." He pointed to a curtained off area. Kaz nodded and headed towards it. He pushed the curtain aside to see her laying peacefully in bed. She smiled when she saw him. Kaz sat next to her bed and took hold of her hand. "I..guess..we won't..get the chance..to finish that game..huh?" she said weakly. Kaz couldn't speak, tears rolled down his cheeks. He squeezed her hand tightly. "I..love you..Kaz Takagi." Kaz kissed her hand, "I love you too, Ellen Wright." "I'm..so tired..so very tired." Ellen's eyes slowly closed. Kaz stood up and brought his lips to hers. He sat down and held her hand again, "Then sleep Ellen, its okay." Kaz watched her for a few minutes. Her breathing slowed, then stopped, and the heart monitor flat-lined. He held her hand through it all. The moment her grip relaxed it sunk in that she was gone. Kaz buried his face on the side of the bed and wept. After about 30 minutes, he got to his feet and pulled the sheet over her face. "Goodbye Ellen Wright". * * *       Rita Torres was not in the best of moods. Her friend was dead and her squad had been ripped to shreds by one alien. "What's the situation, Doc?" she asked. "Three stitches in your lower jaw, take these pills for the pain and I'll see you in a couple of weeks to remove them. You're free to go." he responded. "Thanks." she said as she headed for the waiting room. When she got there, she found J.T., Thrax, Alec and the jumptroops waiting for her. They brought her up to speed about Weston. Torres didn't take it too well. It reminded her too much of the first squad she was in. They were all slaughtered by the pirates. The fact that this time the culprit was already dead didn't make her feel any better. "Hey, by the way," started J.T., "Where is Nara?" Before anyone could answer the door opened and Kaz stepped into the room. His eyes were puffy and his expression solemn. "She's gone." was all he said as he walked out of the waiting room. Torres tried to follow but he waved her off, "I need to be alone." The mood of the room became decidedly depressed. J.T. decided to change the subject and get their minds onto something else, or so he thought. "Where is Nara?" No one answered right away. Torres looked at J.T. with pain in her eyes, "She-she didn't make it J.T." J.T.'s jaw dropped. "But she just got her life back together, she-no,no." J.T. sat shaking his head. Colleen came over and put her arm around him and the room fell silent once more. * * *       The last members of Delta squad came in for a landing in hanger seven. Security was waiting for them. Sterling landed and placed Shanita on the hanger floor. The squad then got out of their e-frames and gathered around. Security pushed its way through, Captain Jamison was with them. "They've got a live one, sir." said one of the security officers as he pointed to Shanita. "Get it to the secured medical room. I want guards posted around it with heavy artillery. Go!" ordered Jamison. Two Med-techs came in and loaded Shanita on a gurney and took her away under a security escort. Jamison looked at the troopers around him, "Well, you certainly proved your worth out there today. I was sorry to hear about Sgt. Coleman. But you held it together and you should be proud of yourselves." Worthington spoke up, "Actually it was mostly Sterling's doing sir. He took command after Coleman. Without him we would have been slaughtered." The rest of the squad nodded in approval. Jamison cocked an eyebrow at Sterling, "It appears Sgt. Coleman was right about you after all, Recruit." "Recruit!?" said most of the hanger in unison. Sterling calmly answered, "None of you ever asked if I was an officer." * * *       Nara looked out onto the family farm. She saw her mother, father, and James waiting for her. She ran to them and threw her arms around her parents, "I missed you so much." James stayed back from her though. After she finished hugging her parents, she went after James, "Come here you." She held him tight. When she finally let him go, she noticed an odd look on his face. "James, what's wrong? Its me, Nara, I'm home!" He stared at her for a moment. "James?" she said. He spoke, "You don't belong here, Nara." "What do you mean? This is my home." she said. James continued, "You don't belong here. Nara, its not your time. You have to go back." "No, I don't want to." pleaded Nara. "I want to stay here with you! There's no one left for me back there." James shook his head, "I'm sorry Nara, but you don't have a choice." he raised his hand, touched her forehead, and the world shattered around her. Nara's eyes jerked open and she took a deep breath inward. It was dark where she was, no, she was covered with something. She found a zipper and managed to open it. The light blinded her and then seemed to come into focus. She sat up and found her stomach sore but otherwise undamaged. She looked down at the hole in her suit, there wasn't even a scar. Then she realized three things. One, she was in a body bag. Two, her uniform was covered in her own blood. And three, she was in the morgue, alone. Unable to deal with the implications, she got out of the bag and ran all the way back to her quarters. She needed to be in familiar surroundings and since she smelled like blood, she really needed a shower. * * *       Rita walked the hall leading to Nara's quarters. She had asked to be the one to take care of her things. J.T. agreed. Half way there she ran across Mathison. He was waiting for her. She took him in as she approached. He stood at 5' 11" with a medium build. He wore black knee high boots with gray pants. He also wore a grey sleeveless vest with a black shirt underneath. He had tan gloves on with a matching gun belt. He waited for her, arms crossed, leaning against the wall. "I heard you were headed this way, thought you might like some company." he said. "You don't have to do that." she said. "Yes I do. I was there and I need to pay my respects." he answered. "Look, Mathison..." "You can call me Jared." offered Mathison. "Look, I appreciate the thought and I'm sure Nara would have too, but..." Jared interrupted again, "But nothing, I informed you of my intentions out of respect. I'm coming along whether you like it or not." he said flatly. Torres let her guard down and smiled, "Alright, fine. Let's go." "You got a name other than Torres I can call you." Jared asked. "Sargent" quipped Torres. "Funny, I mean a real name." persisted Jared. "You can call me Rita, Jared." * * *       "Ok Napier, we're here, now what's so important that you have to get us all together again." demanded Eve. "Phaeton is loose, for starters." stated Napier as he finished putting on his face paint. He turned to face his squad, everyone was back in their grunt digs. "Phaeton, Livia, Typhonus, Draconis and a couple Neo Lords are on the loose with 20 or so followers and a bunch of small arms. We're gonna bring them in." said Sean. "I hope you have room for one more." Sean looked over his shoulder to see Marsala in his old exofleet uniform. "You can't be serious, Marsala. You're too important to risk on this mission." he said. "As are most of you," replied Marsala, "besides, no one knows these Neos like I do." "He's got a point, Sean." said J.J. The rest nodded in approval. "Alright Marsala, you got a ride?" Sean asked. "I took the liberty of acquiring my old e-frame, much like the rest of you did." Marsala tapped a button on his wrist and his rapid assault e-frame decloaked behind him. "One step ahead of me as usual. Okay people, frame up. Grimley, ride with Marsala." * * *       "Are you ready?" asked Jared. "As ready as I can be." responded Rita. She looked at the door to Nara's quarters. It hadn't hit her yet...that she was gone. It surely would once she started to clear out Nara's things. She didn't like the thought of that, especially if it happened in front of Jared. "Look Jared, maybe you should go and help clear out Wright's stuff, you did know her better." offered Rita. Jared shook his head, "I'm helping O'Reilly and Takagi with that tomorrow. Besides, I've got a feeling you shouldn't do this alone. It isn't healthy." Rita nodded and opened the door. It slide away to show part of Nara's room. Her dresser, closet, and part of the bed were visible. As they walked into the room they noticed that they were stepping on something. Jared stepped aside and Rita backed up to have a look at it. It was Nara's uniform. It was covered in dried blood and had a hole in the stomach area. Rita picked it up, "How did this get here? Jared, do you think this is the same uniform she was wearing when...you know." Silence. Rita looked more closely at the uniform, "Jared, are you listening to me?" Another moment passed in silence. Finally, it seemed that Jared found his voice, "Oh, I think its the same one alright." His voice was full of shock and amazement. "What makes you so sure?" asked Torres looking up at him. He didn't say anything, he just pointed his finger at the bed. Rita stood up to get a better look at what he was pointing at. On the bed, in her pajamas, sat Nara Burns with her legs crossed and holding a stuffed rabbit. "My God." was all Rita could manage. * * *       Shanita awakened in a small rectangular cell. Her uniform was gone, as was her battle armor. Her white hair hung loosely down around her shoulders. She was wearing a some type of blue gown. Probably some type of medical gown. she thought. She eased herself off the bunk she had been sitting on and noticed some clothing at the bunk's end, footwear, pants and a shirt, all plain and all black. She looked about her, there wear no guards and no observation devices. She quickly changed into the clothing. To her surprise, it fit perfectly and was quite comfortable. She went over to the cell's bars and found them to be reinforced from the outside. Assuming she could bend them, which she couldn't, there was a force field set up outside the bars. It tinted the air around it a dim green. It looked like it was derived from Eltorian technology. But how would they have gotten that kind of knowledge. she wondered. With nothing better to do she sat back down on her bed. Minutes later a door opened to the room outside her cell. Some humans entered through it. Two wore long white lab coats, the others appeared to be military men. One of the white coats spoke, "Ah, it appears our new guest has awakened. Greetings! We, are, earthlings. You, are, a, prisoner, of, war" He over-annunciated his every syllable, probably thinking that it would make him easier to understand. Shanita thought he was an idiot. Though she pretended not to understand by putting a puzzled expression on her face. "She doesn't understand a word your saying" said another white coat. "Maybe you would like to try" said the first white coat. "I'm a physicist, not an interpreter." argued the second white coat. "Calm down, Professor" said an elder member of the group. He looked at Shanita, "My name is Admiral Winfield and I know you can understand me. With me is Professor Algernon, Dr. Martin, Captain Jamison, and Admiral Jackson. We want to talk with you about certain matters." Shanita simply sat and stared at them. Jackson leaned over to whisper to Winfield, "I don't think she's going for it. Are you sure they understand English?" "H-source hasn't steered us wrong yet. I see no reason it should do so now. But you may be right, lets see if the translation program works." Winfield gave a hand signal to the mirror behind him. A moment later speakers repeated what he had said in Eltorian. Shanita was impressed, they had somehow figured out her language. She shifted a little when she heard the recording and her eyes widened. "Now that, she understood." stated Jackson. Winfield eyed Shanita for a moment, "What is your name?" A moment later the translation was heard. Shanita said nothing. Algernon looked from her to Winfield, "She isn't going to cooperate, this is clearly a waste of time." The rest nodded in agreement. Winfield reluctantly agreed and they left the room. Shanita sat alone, in silence. * * *       "There isn't a trace of any trauma. Its amazing." said Dr. Martin. He finished examining Nara's stomach and she covered it again with her top. Dr. Martin turned to face the rest of the people in Nara's quarters. Takagi, DeLeon, Thrax, J.T., Torres, O'Reilly, and Mathison had all crammed into the narrow space to see for themselves. Nara again picked up her bunny and held it tight. Two other med-techs stood in the hall, they had the opportunity to examine her first. When both were at a loss for an explanation, they called Dr. Martin, who was particularly amazed because he was the one who pronounced her dead earlier that day. "Just goes to show you can't keep a good officer down." joked J.T. The comment got a chuckle from most of the people in the room, Nara remained silent. Alec was sitting next to her on her bed. He gave her another gentle poke with his index finger. "Stop that, its annoying." muttered Nara. "Now you know how I felt." he said as he smiled. Nara couldn't help but chuckle and smile at the comment. Dr. Martin pulled out a tape recorder, "Okay Nara, I want you to tell me everything you remember." "I'll try" Nara responded. "Well, I remember telling my squad to pull back. And then the aliens came at me. I used a trick with a fusion pack to take care of them, or so I thought. I was working on closing the door when a black one came up behind me. He hit me hard. I went down. And then..." she paused not wanting to continue. "Go on, what happened then, Lieutenant?" asked Dr. Martin. Nara continued, it was hard for her though. She held her bunny tighter in one arm and was rubbing her stomach lightly with her other hand. "I remember the blades coming out of his hand. He came at me and..." He face contorted at remembering what happened next. "I felt the blades go in, I saw all the blood on the floor, and knew it was mine. I remember hitting the floor, and then the next thing I knew I was trying to unzip a body bag from the inside. That's when I came here. I freaked out. I needed to get out of there. The rest you know." Dr. Martin nodded in approval, "That's good. Your reaction was perfectly normal." "This situation strikes me as anything but normal." said Nara dryly. "I was referring to your reaction to the traumatic experience, that is normal. The experience itself, well that's another matter. With your permission, I'd like to run a few tests. See if we can figure out what happened to you." Nara looked at him with a crossed expression on her face, "I know what happened. It was Ketzer's doing. Before I left the Amazon, he told me I had tapped only a small portion of my potential." Dr. Martin whipped out a data pad and pulled up her file. He scanned it quickly, "This Ketzer is the one that injected you with that retrovirus?" "Yes" answered Nara. "That would explain the anomalies with you last physical." mused Dr. Martin. "What anomalies?" asked J.T. "Nara told me she was fit to fly." Dr. Martin nodded his head, "Oh yes, she was. Actually, she is now too. They weren't life threatening or causing her any harm. According to your file there were some anomalies in your blood, your metabolism and physical conditioning improved remarkably, and your muscle tissue appeared to get more dense. Tell me, have you noticed if you've gotten any stronger?" Nara shot J.T. a knowing glance. J.T. looked at Dr. Martin, "I'm inclined to believe she did." Nara put her stuffed bunny on the bed behind her and got up, "Why don't we just take this to medical and get it over with." On to Part 5