Scars worth Bearing (1)

--Gatix--

I would have fallen forward if I weren't on my knees as we emerged. The whole world was spinning. Everything blacked out before reappearing hazier than before. My consciousness was hanging on by a thread, but I couldn't let it slip away yet.

“Help her...”

“Again?!” Something formed at the edges of my vision. “And what the hell is that...”

“Help her...”

“Boss?”

“Do as he says, Dax.”

“You three, with me.”

My vision blacked out, but blinking once brought back the light. I could see an object reaching down to Ms. Queen as my shoulders were tugged backward.

“Let go, Agent. We have this...”

“Ok...” I released the tension in my muscles, my last thread of consciousness disappearing with it.

***

I didn't feel pain when I woke up, only an otherworldly tiredness. Nothing seemed to be unordinary except for several floating holograms.

A visor?

“Welcome back.”

“Boss?” I tried to block the yawn but only heard the clink as a metallic hand pressed against the visor. Both Boss and Dax were brought into view as I turned my head left. “What's up? Why am I still armored?”

“In due time. But what happened to you? Your armor looks like it's been through a shredder.”

“Some people needed to be taught a lesson. At least there weren't any dragons this time.”

“I see. You also brought back a rather unique souvenir. I don't remember our client requesting any ladies who are... how did you put it again?”

“Red and horny?”

“Indeed.” Boss turned to Dax. “At least it seems like nothing is wrong with his memory?”

At least? “Something you're not telling me, Boss?”

“You're the best to answer the man, Dax.” Boss leaned back in his chair.

“Yes.” The scientist pulled out his tablet. “The dead zones in your brain have started affecting your cerebellum.”

“You might need to expand a bit there.”

“The cerebellum is responsible for muscle control, balance, and general movement. While you have not been turned paraplegic, your fine motor control will be impacted. I'd wager without the suit, you'd be unable to walk three steps without falling over, much less hold a gun. Since your suit is set up to administer a treatment based on the previous damage, Boss and I saw fit to keep you there.”

“Will I recover?”

“The previous treatment is still being administered, and the results show promise, but it will take some time. The brain isn't an easy organ to treat. I'd wager with our current nanite-based medicines, treatment will take years, if not decades. In the meantime, Nev will act akin to a signal processor while you are inside the suit. You should be able to move normally, but this comes at the cost of processing power. We had to disable some functionality to assist; your hand-held armaments and long-range energy scanner being the primary ones.”

“Wow...” I sunk a bit deeper into the bed. “This thing is the definition of killing you slowly.”

“We have warned against its use, Agent.”

“You're welcome to join me over there sometime, Dax. I promise you it ain't as easy as you might think.” It was time to ask that which I've dreaded the most. “How is she?”

“Alive, as far as we understand.”

“Meaning?”

“Despite the layout of the organs being similar to ours, the baselines for her body are significantly different than hours. We are not always sure whether our treatments are helping or worsening the problem, and there have been mishaps. However, she has moments of consciousness during which she responds to external stimuli. “

“So it worked.” I blew out another breath. “Thanks, Dax. Alright Boss, I'm sure you have many questions. Fire away.”

“First things first. The techs have analyzed the contents of the bag you carried. You are to be commended for bringing back one hundred twenty-seven grams of trisortium.”

“Only a hundred grams? Nev said there were two hundred when we took it.”

“We've confirmed that with him. There was a little hole at the bottom. We suspect some may have gotten lost during your travels.”

“Shit.”

“We also downloaded Nev's logs, including video.” Boss could only shake his head. “Seems like we owe you an apology for doubting you last time. While we haven't seen the giant dragon you've reported, the rest checks out. Magic, red queens, and a conspiracy to take her out. It's all there in high definition.”

“I'm glad my psych scores have gone up.”

“Apparently, I'm also your king, and Dax is the mage who can't figure out teleportation.” I groaned when Boss laughed. “There's already a bunch of memes floating around the base, despite only a select few allowed to access the video.”

“I knew that would come back to bite me in the ass.”

“Which brings us to your lady friend. I'd rather not beat around the bush. Gatix, why are you helping this girl?”

“Sorry?”

“I'll admit I might not understand the full picture, so feel free to enlighten me, but why are you helping her? She doesn't know where the trisortium is, nor will she ease your access to it in the future. So, why?”

“She's the gal hanging onto a bunch of them for me.”

“Seventy grams, if I remember. The world has over two kilos of the stuff. Seems like hardly worth the effort, wouldn't you say?”

“I... guess...”

“So, I come back to my question.”

“If I may ask, Boss, why is it bothering you?”

“Because she's a magnet for trouble. From what you and Nev have told me, almost everything in that world is bent on killing her, with you taking the brunt of all the attacks. Without good reason, I might add. It isn't exactly cheap to maintain your suit, so I have to ask these questions when you come back all beat up for a third time. Wouldn't it make more sense to return to your solitary ways, retrieve the trisortium and come home?”

“I figured having a guide would assist with the trisortium collection. I know very little about how the other world operates. I'd rather not create any unnecessary problems due to my ignorance.”

“Yet the opposite has happened, wouldn't you say? It's become apparent only a select few know of it, and your `Ms. Queen' is not among them. Let's not forget that you have a mineral scanner capable of identifying the trisortium. Wouldn't that render a guide useless?”

“The scanner's range is limited to a couple kilometers. If Nev's calculations are correct, that world is about the size of Mars. It will take me years to scan the planet on foot, and I don't have any wheels to speed up the process. I'll admit I could have changed my tactics after the alchemist informed me the mineral was rare, but since he is a member of the society Ms. Queen is investigating as well, our goals seemed to align. I figured I would keep her company. Considering I know almost nothing of their settlements, I still believe a guide would help. I don't have any currency to buy information, and I don't have enough information to contact a potential black market.”

“Couple kilometers.” Boss turned to Dax. “The scanner is that limited? Can't you increase the power?”

“Not without turning Gatix radioactive. The alternative would be to deploy a stationary radar to that world. We could increase the range to at least a couple hundred kilometers with an external power source. A portable satellite would be another alternative, but not exactly cost-effective.”

“Add both those to your to-do list. Start with the substation.”

Dax typed a bit on his tablet. “Please bear in mind investigating both these avenues will take some time. It will not be ready for the next deployment.”

“Next deployment?”

“As soon as we've stabilized the Queen.”

Somethings off here... I narrowed my eyes inside the helmet. “There's something you're not telling me, Boss.”

“Because I know you won't like it.” Boss blew out a breath. “You're not going to be the one to take her back.”

What? I think my heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean?”

“It's clear the mission is too dangerous for you, Gatix, or any person. You're one of my best agents, but in five days, you've not only been beaten up twice, you've suffered brain damage. It's become obvious this retrieval mission isn't as simple as we thought. I'd consider scrapping it entirely if the money wasn't good.”

“Then... what's the alternative?”

“To send in a team, similar to the Luna mission. Four agents, fully armored, with limited time.”

“Sorry, Boss, that's not going to work.”

“Why not?”

“Remember how I said my armor resembles the dread knights everybody fought a couple years ago? They were so terrifying, most people shit their pants just thinking back. All our armor sets look like that. I'd suspect if Ms. Queen wasn't keeping the people around her at bay, I'd be in even bigger trouble than before. So with that in mind, how do you think it will go down if you send more? The inhabitants will assume the dread knights have returned and possibly start another global conflict. That will kill any chance we have at getting the trisortium.”

“Then I'll send one other agent.”

“Who will get killed. You said it yourself; I'm one of the best agents you have.”

“We'll train him using the data you've brought back.”

“You'll be sending them alone. Think Ms. Queen will extend the same generosity she's shown me? She'll give him some tips and send him on the way. I'm already in her good books, and she's shown willingness, even eagerness, to travel with me.” Boss merely sunk back into his chair. “Sorry, Boss, I know you're looking out for me, but there's no one else.”

“The agent has a point,” Dax offered. “I may not agree with his methods, but his track record is proven, and he's a known entity among the inhabitants.”

Boss simply stared at me for a few seconds. “Fine, I'll keep you on the mission, but on one condition.”

“I can guess what that is.”

“If you suffer any more brain damage, you'll be confined to an operator role for the rest of your career. Do you understand?”

“Operator? As in a desk jockey?”

“Do you understand?”

This was the most serious I've seen him since my interview. “Yes, Boss.”

“I won't allow myself to be talked out of it.”

“Yes, Boss.”

“Good.” He turned back to Dax. “When can they deploy?”

“That depends on the queen's health.”

“Why do you need to send her back so quickly?” I asked.

“That's the other thing I wanted to mention before we were sidetracked.” Boss leaned his elbows on his knees. “Her appearance has created more than a stir. Our scientists are fighting for a chance to visit her. I suspect a couple of punches have been thrown, but the guards only laugh if I ask them. It's come to the point where Nev had to implement a visitation list. We're keeping her existence under wraps, the pandemonium that will sweep the world if we admit we have a... hell, I don't even know what to call her. Extra-terrestrial is too light... extra-dimensionite?” Boss only shook his head.

“I'm surprised you wouldn't ransom her existence to the world. It would make a pretty penny, good for the business.”

“The thought crossed my mind, but the potential headache - political, scientific, and religious - doesn't make it worth the effort. Other than that, I'd doubt you'd be too happy.”

“Glad to know you cared. But you're right; she needs to go back. Keeping her here would create some problems on the other side as well.”

“Keeping both worlds happy then, but that's not the only reason.”

“Oh?”

“Dax?”

I turned to the scientist when he cleared his throat. “It seems her kind cannot live in this world. The atmosphere in the other world contains more sulfur than here, and from what we can determine, her body needs sulfur for cell division. But the biggest problem is radioactivity. The other world is significantly more radioactive than ours. The organisms of that world absorb this background radiation and convert it into energy through some mechanism I don't understand. The lack of radiation in this world almost killed the Queen after surgery. She only started to recover after we brought some low-intensity radioactive waste into her room.”

“Wait, why hasn't it affected me then?”

“It has. We didn't realize it,” Boss answered. “Your suit features some protection against radiation, but it was damaged every time you teleported back. Dax suspects the radioactivity interferes with this process and formed the dead zones in your head.”

“I see.”

“However,” Dax interjected, “I will remind you the fail-safe is inherently unstable. Side effects may occur even if the suit is fully operational.”

“Look Gatix.” Boss leaned forward. “The fact is, she can't stay here, and you can't stay over there. You're going back as soon as she's recovered. I'll leave the method up to you, for now, but the mission stays the same. Get in, get the trisortium, and come home. The quicker, the better.”