Place of Sanctuary

--Gatix--

Opening my eyes revealed not a reddish sky and a red-skinned lady, but a hand covering my face and some neon tubes beyond it. Seems I made it back, which gave my body enough motivation to voice its unhappiness. First on the list was the pain in my back, but the throbbing headache only just appeared.

``Agent Gatix?'' I had returned to the same room where I left. The Boss had gone, leaving Dax to stand bewildered next to a terminal. ``Back so soon?''

``Forgot my toothbrush.'' I sat upright with a deep breath, pushing through my body's spasms of protest.

``It's barely been an hour. I'd wager it would be optimistic to expect you have gathered the necessary trisortium?''

``Indeed.'' Moving onto my feet was an effort, and I required Scythe to stay upright. Worst hangover of my life, and I didn't even have the pleasure of drinking.

``I am glad the emergency teleporter is functioning as intended.''

``Glad? You didn't test it?''

``Not with a live subject. One of the reasons I mentioned survival was not a given.''

I winced as my brain throbbed its agreement. ``Right, right, you did say that.''

``Agent? Are you experiencing some side effects?''

``Yes... maybe? Not sure. Could be due to the fight.''

``What happened? You seem to be confused.''

``Teleported, shot a guy through the head, helped a chick who pounded my head like a jackhammer before stabbing me in the back, literally.''

``Quite the introduction.''

I shrugged as Dax reached for his tablet.

``I'm surprised she managed to damage the exoskeleton.''

``Pretty sure she drew blood as well.''

``Impressive, considering the composition of the plates.''

``Can you fix me up?''

``In a moment.'' Dax continued typing. ``Do you have any symptoms, and if so, can you describe them for me?''

``Not the best time, Dax. I'm barely hanging on as it is.''

``Understandable, but please bear with me. Your feedback will prove invaluable to improve the personal cross-world bridge.''

``Fine,'' I answered with a sigh. ``No problems transporting to the parallel world.'' Dax started typing. ``Coming back is a different story. Replay Nev's logs for more details, but he needed time to activate the teleporter. Can maybe do something t... ooh boy...'' The headache brought its good friend nausea along, and with the helmet bolted onto the suit, not the best of situations to be in.

``Agent?''

``Just... keeping myself from chucking. Hoo boy...''

``I'll add nausea to the list of ailments.''

``That and a migraine. I'd add brain fog as well, but it could be the headache messing with me.''

The hazmat suit gave a nod as it continued typing. ``Anything else?''

``No.''

``Good.'' Dax put the tablet down after pressing a few more buttons. ``Thank you for your assistance, I will take this into account for the next iteration of the device.''

I clamped my mouth as my stomach rode another wave of nausea. ``Now...''

``Med-bay three is available. I'll start the preparation.''

***

Despite my home only being a large room at HQ, I was glad to return. I had a sweet deal. No rent, no utilities, free housekeeping, en suite bathroom, and I'm on good terms with my landlord. Commuting was limited to the distance between my bed and the door, roughly three meters. Considering over a fifth of the country was homeless and a third lived in the equivalent of shacks, I'd call that success. Limited worldly possessions gave me ample space to relax. Other than my bed, two closets full of books and a large TV was all I needed.

I like to mess with him, but Dax knows his stuff. The pain in my back was a thing of the past, and the headache was becoming a memory. Hopefully, some sleep would put that problem to bed.

At least I hope so. I scratched my nose, rewinding my thoughts to my misadventure and wondering if I'd do something different in a hypothetical second time around. Nothing came to mind. I was content with sparing the demon gorillas, and the knight put me off. The lady might have been his lifelong nemesis, but not going for a clean kill doesn't sit right with me. Thinking about it a second time irritated me as much as the first. With any luck, a shot through the head put an end to that problem, but if fantasy literature taught me anything, that might be wishful thinking.

As for the lady… My thoughts became a bit slower. She was hardly a ten out of ten. Horns, scales, and a tail weren't my thing, but she was the first not to show hostility upon seeing me. Granted, I didn't understand a word she said, so she might have sworn up a storm as I grunted most politely, but I'm sure Nev would have informed me if he picked something up. Now that I think of it, she refrained from any attacks when I removed her bracelet and collar. She only started compacting the ground with my head and stabbed me in the back after I fired a round in her direction.

Hmm…

Or she could have planned her moment from the start, and squeezing the trigger hastened it. Without understanding her, anything could be possible. But then again, how would that differ from her non-scaly peers.

I sighed. ``Women...''