Or maybe keep me just conscious enough to know what he was doing.
The thought made her sick, and she shoved it away. There would be time to think of all that later, now Rebecca had to keep a level head.
By the time she'd arrived, fat drops of rain had begun to fall from the dark sky. She ignored it as she stashed her motorcycle and ran up the back entrance stairs to the third floor.
A bright flash was soon followed by a booming thunder that cracked directly over the hospital as she made her way through the halls. She could hear babies and children begin to cry and whimper somewhere and hoped everyone was too busy to be around the offices at the back of the hospital.
Everyone but the doctor she'd come to see, of course.
This ally had been a rather recent acquisition, and only because she'd caught him cheating on his wife. To keep her from exposing him, Dr. Jacobs had agreed to treat her if she needed it. And in the past six months, she'd needed it more than usual.
You can't keep this up.
The voice in her head was very much like Emily's, stern and soft, without judgment.
Rebecca shook the thoughts loose. It was nothing she hadn't considered before, but now was not the time to dream of nights curled up in front of her fireplace, a glass of bourbon in hand, a novel on her lap.
She groaned. "Stop it, stop it! This doesn't help a thing!"
A siren from a police car or ambulance sounded outside and Rebecca silently cursed.
"He might be in the emergency room."
She really didn't want to have to traverse the hospital corridors as Serpent to find Doctor Jacobs but wasn't sure she had much of a choice.
Rebecca was about to call the nurses station and ask them to page the doctor when she heard gun shots in the distance, followed by screams.
She sighed. "I really don't have time for this."
************************************************************************************
"It's ok. You're going to be ok," Zeke said, kissing his wife's head.
Justine took a sharp breath in, hands on either side of her hugely pregnant stomach. "Y-You're just saying that."
"Nope, it's true."
He pushed the wheelchair as they followed a less than enthusiastic nurse to the delivery waiting room. Zeke was relieved that the hospital had taken them with little resistance, most hospitals wouldn't even let Negro's in the door much less treat them. Maybe Jet City would be different than the last two places they'd lived. Maybe if they'd been able to lose their pursuers this could be a good place to raise their baby.
Zeke looked behind him, the thought of those soulless men with their dark suits making his skin crawl.
I won't let them have Justine and the baby. There's no way. I'd rather die in their laboratory than let that happen.
"Wait here, I'll see if we have room," said the nurse.
Justine winced, her back arching in pain.
"Do you think," she asked once the contraction had passed. "That we lost them?"
"I don't know," he looked around. "I hope so."
"Me too. I doubt the pain will help my aim."
Zeke smiled and then his brown eyes became huge as a realization hit him.
"Did you bring your gun in here?"
She patted her small purse. "You thought I'd go anywhere unarmed?"
He sighed. "Justine-"
She sucked in a breath, hands gripping the hand rests of the wheelchair tight.
"Where the hell is that nurse?" she said once it had passed.
Zeke looked around again. Partly to see if anyone was really looking for a room for them and partly to make sure they hadn't been followed.
A clap of thunder boomed overhead and Zeke felt his stomach tense with forboding.
"I hate thunderstorms," he said.
"You're such a baby," she said, smiling at him, then patting her stomach as another rumble of thunder sounded above them. "But I think this little one agrees with you."
"It's moving?"
"Yeah, weird considering."
"I'll see if they have a room yet."
Justine nodded as she concentrated on her breathing.
He walked to the front desk, where a thin, bored nurse sat reading a book.
"Excuse me," Zeke said, smiling and doing his best to seem non-threatening.
"What?" she asked, her bloodshot eyes narrowing.
"My wife's labor is progressing quickly. Could we get into a room soon?"
"What are you, a doctor?"
Zeke knew that being meek and humble would likely go further than anything else, but the thought that those men could be here, and Justine was so exposed made him desperate.
He squared his shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "Yes, actually I am. And if you don't get us into a room she will deliver right here. I'm sure you don't want the good people of Jet City to see that, do you?"
The nurse looked as if she'd eaten something sour as she stared at him. Zeke held her gaze until she sighed and picked up the white phone on the desk.
"Yeah, we have some...Oh, you know?... Well, they're getting uppity, can you speed it along?"
Yeah, that's it. I'm uppity when my wife is about to give birth in your waiting room. What a-
"Someone will be right out," she said, slamming the phone down and turning her thin back to Zeke.
"Thanks so much," he said, infusing as much anger into the sentence as possible.
As he walked back to Justine, the sounds of screaming reached him.
"What now?" the nurse said, starting to walk around from behind her desk.
"Zeke," Justine turned her large brown eyes to him. "What if it's them?"
He swallowed, looking up at the door the nurse had just disappeared through. More screaming sounded and he swore he heard the pop of guns.
"I can deliver it in the car."
Justine took her Beretta out of her purse, ready to fire back if necessary.
Zeke was about to wheel her toward a nearby door, when two tall men with close-cropped hair and dark suits walked side by side down the hallway.
Zeke felt his stomach drop.
Without hesitation, Justine raised her gun and fired. Zeke had seen her take down half a dozen men with military precision in spite of her own wounds and hoped she could do that while in labor.
The first man went down with a shot to the head, the other got one shot off before Justine's second bullet found his head as well, though the shot was a little low and ended up blowing through the man's nose.
"My aim is off."
"It did the job."
"I was aiming for his...Oh!...That's a...big one!"
She doubled over in pain just as Zeke had begun to push her at a run down the hallway.
"You are the most impressive woman I've ever met," he said.
She grunted, low and throaty. "Oh my God! Why does no one tell you how much this hurts?"
"I doubt any of us would be here if most women did."
He burst through the door at the end of the hall and into chaos.
Overhead lights had been shot out, people were crying and in a panic to get out. Doctors and nurses yelled orders and pushed patients in beds and wheelchairs toward the exits. He heard a few yelling at him to stop, but he didn't have the time. He hoped the men in suits didn't hurt anyone else, but Zeke doubted they'd much care about that.
If I can get us to the car, I can find a nearby Motel or something. Anything at this point.
Swerving around people who were attempting to get out of the hospital, Zeke took a hard left down another hall that seemed less occupied. He didn't know if everyone had gotten out of here already or not, and he didn't care.
He'd just swerved down another hall when he had to skid to a stop.
Two more men were coming toward them, the telltale zing of electricity going through their long batons.
Zeke heard the click of a gun behind him and saw two more coming at them.
You may not want me dead, but
Justine doesn't matter to you.
If they'd been normal men, Zeke would've tried to reason with them. But he knew better by now. Whoever they'd once been, the men closing in on them weren't capable of compassion after what the experiments had done to them.
"Against the wall," Justine ordered.
He maneuvered the wheelchair so that her back was to the nearest wall. He wasn't great at hand to hand, but he could at least be a distraction so Justine could take them out.
Without hesitation, he rushed the two men with guns. Grabbing one of them, he twisted the man's hand and punched him in the face at the same time.
A gun went off, and Zeke had a moment of panic wondering if it was Justine or one of the men he was fighting. He heard someone collapse behind him and smiled.
The other man in front of him raised his gun to fire at Justine and Zeke kicked him in the kneecap. The shot went wide, shattering a nearby window.
Another shot echoed in the hall, and the other man with the stun baton went down.
Zeke heard a sharp gasp and looked up to see Justine's eyes bulging from pain.
The man he'd kicked in the knee was trying to get up. Zeke took the man's head in his hands and slammed it into his knee. The man slumped to the floor.
Zeke was feeling pretty good until he turned around and saw the first man he'd disarmed standing beside Justine, his gun pointed at her head. Too late, Zeke recognized this one. He'd been cold and heartless without the injections and shock treatments the other men had received. So much so that he'd become one of Mr. Fry's key goons.
"You are more trouble than you're worth," sneered the man. "But Mr. Fry wants you, thinks you're valuable. So I can't damage you too much. This little traitor though?"
He pushed the barrel of the pistol into Justine's temple.
"Mr. Fry doesn't really care if she's alive or not."
"And the baby?" she asked. "Does he care about that? Kill me before it's born and you could damage it."
The man brought a knife out from behind his back. "I know how to carve."
Zeke felt bile and hot rage rise in the back of his throat.
"You want me?" he said. "Then you let her go. Otherwise, I'll make sure I don't make it back alive."
"What is this?" said a short, red haired woman in a mask and a tight black suit.
All of them jumped at the sudden interruption.
The woman in the suit took advantage of the moment and threw a baton at the man holding Justine at gun point.
"No!" Zeke shouted, terrified that the gun would go off.
But it didn't, and in a blur of fists and kicks, the small woman had the man on the ground, blood oozing from his nose.
"What...? Who are you?" he said.
Her blue eyes scanned the dead and unconscious men around them, thin lips pressing together.
"So all this is because of you two?" she asked. "Unbelievable. Did you rob a bank or something?"
"N-No, we...it's hard to explain," Zeke said.
"Thank you," Justine said, taking a deep breath.
The woman's eyes stayed on Justine for a moment, then she looked down at the small Beretta on the floor. She picked it up and handed it to Justine.
"Yours I presume."
"Of course."
That brought the ghost of a smile from the strange woman. Followed by a grimace, her hand clutching the opposite arm. Zeke saw how wet and dark the sleeve was, as well as how the woman seemed to sway a little on her feet.
"I would usually press for more information, but I don't have the time. There's an office at the end of the hall that should be secure. Hide there until whatever this is has passed."
"Who are you?" Zeke asked.
"Serpent," said the woman over her shoulder as she turned away.
"You should help her," Justine said.
"We don't have time."
She grabbed his sleeve. "She saved us."
Zeke sighed. "I can help you with your wound," he shouted after her.
The woman stopped and turned around. "You a doctor?"
"Yes."
She paused as if weighing her options. "Alright, there's some supplies in that office I told you about."
"I won't need them," he said under his breath.
CHAPTER FOUR
3
Rebecca followed the Negro couple into the office. She eyed the pregnant woman, who's breathing had become strained.
"I'm Zeke and this is my wife Justine."
"Nice to meet you. The sutures are in that cabinet," Rebecca said. "And you might need...something to...I don't know, there was something on the knife. My hand is getting numb...my arm tingles."
Zeke took a deep breath. "I...It's hard to explain but I don't need tools."
Rebecca frowned. "Alright, why not?"
"Easier if I just show you."
She took a step back as he approached her.
"I won't hurt you."
"I thought you said you were a doctor."
"I am."
"Then stitch me up, I have a killer to catch."
"It would be quicker to do it a different way."
Rebecca stepped back again. "What way?"
He sighed. "Just let me-"
"You can trust him," Justine said through clenched teeth. "Please, just...get it...over with!"
Rebecca and Zeke stared at Justine, who's dark hair was hanging limp across her sweaty brow.
"Are you-?" Zeke began.
"No, I'm not, I'm in labor, and those psychopaths are after us."
Zeke looked at Rebecca, a pleading light in his brown eyes.
"Alright," Rebecca said, her hand clutching a baton. "But if you do anything that I don't like-"
"Right, right. Hit me over the head, ask questions later, I got it."
He motioned to a nearby chair and she sat down, the bruises on her torso and the cramping in her back made her wince.
"This might feel...strange."
Rebecca eyed him. "Uh-huh."
Zeke put his calloused hands on her arm and closed his eyes.
She stared at him, her frustration growing, until a fiery cold sensation coursed through her body. It grew until Rebecca felt like she was freezing and on fire all at the same time. Her vision blurred and she felt herself being pulled into a deep, luxurious slumber.
When she opened her eyes, Rebecca found herself slumped over in the chair.
At first, she was confused, wondering why she was in her Serpent suit while sleeping. She looked around the dimly lit office and saw Zeke staring at her, concern bright in his eyes.
Then it all came back.
"What did you do?" she asked, still feeling a little groggy.
"I healed you," he said. "Not all the way though, it's dangerous to do too much."
"How...? You just touched me and then...what was that?"
He sighed. "It sounds crazy but I have powers. I can heal people."
Rebecca stared at him. If she didn't have the physical proof in her own body she would think he was a loon. She flexed her hand, which she could now feel, as well as her arm. Opening the tear in her suit, she looked at where the gash should've been, but it was scabbed over as if it were several days old.
That's when she noticed the lack of pain in her back and torso. She bent and twisted, expecting the pain that had been her constant companion the last year. But there was only the ghost of an ache.
"The knife was laced with something," Zeke continued. "But I don't know what, I'm still learning how to recognize everything I see inside the body. The disc in your back will heal completely with rest and ice."
"I..." she cleared her throat. "Thank you. I don't understand any of this, but...thank you."
Zeke nodded.
"If you don't mind me asking," Rebecca said. "How did you get these...abilities?"
"That's a long story," Justine said. "And we are almost out of time."
"I would guess it has something to do with the men pursuing you."
Zeke and Justine nod
ded.
"Then I will say goodbye and good luck."
Rebecca held out her hand to Zeke, who hesitated a moment before shaking it as if he was shocked to have been given the courtesy.
She'd just reached for the door knob when the sound of someone knocking down doors broke the silence.
"You two, get behind the desk," she ordered.
Justine whimpered and Rebecca noticed the puddle under the wheelchair.
"It's not what you think," Zeke said.
"Her water broke," Rebecca said.
"Ok,it is what you think."
"Be quiet and let me handle this."
Rebecca couldn't help a grin as she opened the door. She hadn't felt this good in years.
In the hallway, three more men in the same dark suits and short haircuts were breaking down doors and inspecting the offices along the hallway. Someone must've removed the bodies of their comrades because the only evidence of their existence were smears of blood on the gray linoleum.
I wish I knew the story here, why those two ran away and who these men are. Though I suppose I could guess.
She stepped out and charged for the first one she saw. Her baton connected with the man's middle and then she kicked his legs out from under him, slamming the baton into his face. The next man came out, calm but quick and punched her in the face.
In spite of his thin build, he hit hard and she fell back. Rolling to the side, she swung her leg around and kicked his legs out from under him. He fell on his backside and she jumped up, kicking him in the side twice before arms grabbed her from behind.
Rebecca stomped on the third man's instep. His arms loosened and she elbowed him in the solar plexus. He doubled over and then she a brought fist to the man's face. It was all so easy and fluid, as if she'd never been injured.
I could get used to this.
She looked around for the man she'd had on the ground, but he wasn't in the hallway. The sounds of struggle and the hollow bang of a gun going off came from Doctor Jacob's office.
"Christ!"
She ran into the office and stopped when she saw the man on the floor, a gunshot wound in his chest, blood beginning to pool on the floor. It didn't escape Rebecca's notice that she wasn't as bothered by all the carnage as she perhaps should've been.
God knows I've done my fair share of killing lately...
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