"Hey, where is his partner? He should have been there with him."
"We're looking for him still. He wasn't in his room." Mjolnir scratched his chin.
"We better find him then."
Jackal pulled on the stretcher, guiding it through the halls. Little did he know, Fenris was doing the steering. The valkyrie helped him to the medical bay, opening the door so he could float through.
"Oh, wonderful! I've been waiting for that!" Reynolds cheered. "Hey, Robby, could you put that where it needs to be for me?"
The nurse came, took the stretcher, and disappeared through another door.
"Liam, how are you feeling?"
"Fine." He shrugged.
"Anything different?"
"These bandages have been itchy lately."
"Come sit! Let me have a look."
"Aren't there better things to do? We need to find out who did this before it's too late."
She watched him for a second.
"You really think they would go after him?"
"They tried last week. This could be the end all. He's innocent in this."
She put a hand to his shoulder to get him to sit down.
"Leave it to Mjolnir and the Captain. You know they'll figure it out."
"Someone is setting him up."
"Now, I don't believe that. Everyone is just afraid."
"I've seen how evil humans can be…" he huffed. She pulled on the bandages to unravel them from his head.
"Well, I have some good news. I got permission from the Captain to run some tests. If Fenris agrees, we can start tonight. It's just basic written tests."
"Nothing is basic with you." Jackal smiled.
She chuckled. The happiness faded when she saw his eyes. Pus had covered them, even crusted over.
"Oh my. Let's give you a good cleaning."
"Is it bad?"
"No. Not entirely. Next time it feels itchy, come to me immediately. If it sits like this too long, it could get infected."
Alcohol and cotton swabs with a small plastic scrub. She got to work cleaning up the yuck from his eyes.
"Y'know, Fenris, you aren't smelling any better yourself. When was the last time you had a bath?"
"What is bath?" Its head tilted to one side.
Both of them perked up in visible confusion. Fenris only tilted its head the other way. A curious wolf who tried to understand, but could not.
"It's, uh... When you clean yourself." She was at a loss for words. She never had to explain the concept of bathing before.
"Clean?"
"Oh, no…"
Jackal pulled away sharply with an ow. Fenris had jumped up to see what happened.
"Oh. I'm so sorry!"
"Jeez, woman." Jackal groaned.
"Sorry! I got distracted." She looked closer at his face. "You're fine. It was just a poke."
Fenris sat back, well, floated back. Jackal was fine, and there was no need to be alarmed.
With a deep breath, Reynolds got back to work cleaning up Jackal's eyes.
"You take soap and water and scrub yourself clean." She explained slowly.
Fenris scratched at its teeth, seemingly in thought.
"Jackal does that." It said abruptly. "It taste bad."
"Wait, what?" Jackal tried to look at it.
"The... Sapphire water. Jackal rub it on body."
"You've been watching me shower?!"
"Yes."
Reynolds covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud.
"What else have you watched?!"
Just as Fenris went to list, Jackal waved it off.
"On second thought, I don't want to know."
"It's okay. At least it's out of innocence." Reynolds grinned.
Jackal shivered.
"Maybe you two are a lot closer than you think."
"I don't think he understands boundaries." Jackal grumbled.
"He may not eve---"
"What is boundaries?" It completely butchered the word with a scratchy growl.
Reynolds grabbed new bandages to wrap around his head.
Jackal sighed. "I'll tell you later."
"You're good to go!" Reynolds smiled. She soon frowned, seeing the look on his face. "What's wrong?"
"Do you believe the rumors?"
"I don't believe in hearsay. I trust experiments and evidence."
"Right…"
"This really bothers you, huh?" She squeezed his shoulders.
"I mean, look at him. He barely knows anything at all! Not to mention, it's physically impossible. I couldn't make him leave me if I even tried."
She smiled. "He cares about you. It's awfully sweet having a friend like that."
"I just don't think he did it. It's fucked up everyone is attacking an innocent man like that just because he's a little different. "
"Well, perhaps you could change that. Make them see Fenris the same way you do."
He gave a firm nod. Pushed from his seat. Fenris was right with him, following him out of the medical bay.
"Doctor Reynolds, we've finished the autopsy." A nurse peeked out from behind a door.
"I'm coming!" She hurried over. Shut the door. She wanted to see the results herself.
"What did you conclude?" She looked over the body, fitting on a pair of gloves.
“A short blade was used to do the damage.” The other doctor said, patting his hands dry.
“I see. Defense wounds as well?” She lifted an arm to further inspect it.
“Yes. It seems he was taken off guard. Then tried to stop the knife. The killer must have been angry with him judging by the amount of wounds.”
“Almost seems to be spur of the moment. An argument gone wrong?”
“Possible.”
“Wonderful. Write up the report and take it to Mjolnir and the Captain.”
“Do you suspect it could be involved in this?” He asked with a hushed tone.
“No evidence points towards him. So, no.” She waved him off.
TWENTY
"Goddammit!" I shouted. I groped the air, hoping to snatch the cup from his hand. "Let me have it!"
"No." The guttural growl made my bones shiver. "Reaper said no booze."
"You don't even know what booze is!" I swung both hands through the air.
I could hear him sniffing, probably smelling the coffee that was, hopefully, still safe inside the cup.
"Not water." He grumbled.
"Fen, man, buddy." I groaned. "Ol' pal, it's coffee. Coffee. It's sugar. Milk. Water."
"Smells not water."
"Because it's flavored." I whined.
"Reaper said only water."
I groaned even louder. I was exhausted from a long night. I could not get through this day without some sort of caffeine. I could barely stay conscious. Ever since Reaper gave him that order, my life turned into a new kind of hell.
Not only did I have this strange creature watching my every move and, I think, trying to take care of me in my blind state, but now I couldn't quell the demons in my head with alcohol.
He didn't even know what alcohol was! Fuck, he didn't know much of anything at all. He had the knowledge of a five-year-old to everyday life. I almost hated the way he talked. He misused words, or didn't even use many at all. I wasn't sure if I should have felt pity or not.
"I promise you, Fen, it is just water with a few flavors. It'll help me get to work." I threw myself onto the couch, gripping onto a cushion to keep me down.
“No work. Rest.”
At this rate, I was groaning more than talking.
“Don’t you want to clear your name? They think you murdered that guy!”
“No.”
“What? What do you mean?!”
“Normal.”
“What?”
I could not even finish the thought. There was a knock at the door, then it slid open. Great. That was probably Reaper coming to bitch at me again for just sitting around. What did he expect me to do? I was locked up in my room just to ke
ep Fenris out of the way! I was a prisoner!
“Oh, my!” Gasped a woman.
I sat up sharply.
“C-could you put some pants on, please?” Reynolds coughed into her hand.
“H-hey! What the hell?!” I was still naked? I reached down to cover myself only to find I was in fact covered with my underwear. Thank god for that.
“I mean, I am your doctor, but I’m not here for a physical!”
“Why are you just barging in my room?”
“Do you normally hang out in your briefs with company? Oh, coffee? Just for me? Why thank you so much! I could use another cup!”
I could hear her slurping it down. My stomach grumbled. With another groan, I threw myself back down onto the couch.
“Th-that was mine…!”
“I was up all night preparing something for us to do together, Fenris!”
I pushed from the couch to head into the bedroom. My pants were floating around here somewhere.
“Come sit down! Er, wait, probably not here! Yes, there is fine. Here’s a pen...Oh, it may be too small.... I have a lot of paperwork here I need your help with. I just need you to answer all of the questions truthfully.”
What the hell was she having him do? I could not imagine this was as innocent as it seemed. Paperwork was a strange request for anyone, let alone Fenris. I found my pants somewhere around the ceiling. I think. I stopped trying to figure it all out a long time ago. Pants on, I kicked off the wall to head through the door. I was still fiddling with the pants when my head thumped into the wall. I felt around and pulled myself slowly to the door.
“Are you trying to pawn your work off on someone else?” I asked.
“What? No! I genuinely need his assistance!”
I headed for the kitchen. Maybe with that wolf distracted, I could sneak a cup of coffee.
“I’m sure you do, doc.” I grinned.
“Something wrong?”
“Fenris…” Fenris started. “No write.” The paper rustled. “No read.”
“No? Why not?”
“Can... not.” He seemed unsure of the word choice.
“You can’t read, or write?” I called out from the kitchen.
“Yes.”
“What?!” Reynolds gasped. “That must not be true!”
“Could!” Fenris sang. “When pup. Learned... Small. Not time.”
I heard the pen scribbling away on a clipboard. Weird how I could hear it from across the room. I don’t think I ever could before, especially with the old coffee pot brewing.
“I’m not sure I understand.” Reynolds said softly.
“He used to read and write when he was a kid, but didn’t have a lot of time.” I answered her. I felt for the spout of the pot with my finger. This was a horrible idea. The spot reacted to pressure. When I put my finger to the end of it, it opened up, suctioning the tip of my finger to it while it dispensed the scalding hot coffee. I snapped away from it quick enough to have a minor burn.
“Wow. You really do understand him, huh?”
“I’m... Not really sure how. It’s like I can hear his voice in my head.”
“Interesting….” More scribbling.
This time I used the straw of the cup to find the spout. Success!
“Fenris, why don’t I read for you?”
He must have agreed. Reynolds squealed with joy. Then began the long and arduous process of her reading the question, which was by no means a typical worksheet. At first it felt like a personality quiz with the deeply intimate questions. It delved into basic maths, skills, and book smarts. Fenris rarely hesitated with the more intimate answers, falling completely silent when not wanting to give an answer. In that case, Reynolds skipped ahead without pestering.
We floated around the room aimlessly for probably an hour. A shift in the air caught my attention. Something didn’t seem right. Somehow, I could feel how Fenris noticed it, too. Like a vibrating rope between us, I understood the unspoken.
A siren blared right over head. I could almost picture the light flashing, the entire room lit in its crimson glow. The horn was for combat stations. I headed for the door. My body acted on its own. We drilled this procedure a thousand times. Finally, we were using it!
I hit the button to open the door.
Before I could get out, something metallic pressed into my shoulder.
“Danger.” Fenris growled.
“I know.” I said. “That’s why we have to go.”
“Weak.”
“Still useful.”
“No.”
“Fenris, I swear to fuckin’ God, if you don’t let me go right now, I’ll figure out something horrible to do to you that’ll make you think twice about trying this bullshit again!”
He was quiet for a minute. Then let go. I gently pushed away, albeit a little frightened.
I wasn’t sure what use I could be. I was determined to try.
"Hold your ground!" Reaper ordered. He was at the back, rifle at the ready. Other soldiers lined up on either side of the wall towards the bay door.
Most were crouched down on a knee, others laid down. Those standing were using the kneeling and the corners as cover. Each one had a foot, or a hand tucked around one of the many bars to keep them in place.
The door was on lock down. It would not open unless overridden manually. It seemed whoever was on the other side could not override the safety. Instead, they opted to cut through the door.
The soldiers watched, barely keeping steady. Right through the middle of the door, the metal burned red hot, excess molten metal bubbling out.
"Get ready!" Reaper called.
"Who is it?" Jackal managed to stop next to Reaper.
"The hell are you doing here? Get back!" Reaper grabbed his shoulder.
"We're here to help!"
"If you have a gun, you'll most likely shoot one of us." Reaper glared at him.
"I can still do something!"
"You're right. You can. Stay out of the way."
The door busted open. In a hail of smoke and fire, the rail guns lit up and fired. Rounds were slung out smashing through the first few men they saw coming through the smoke.
Reaper shoved Jackal down the hall so he too could join in the fight.
It felt as if they were outgunned. Those coming in had numbers. Lucky shots helped them advanced further through the smoke.
"Fenris!" Jackal called, gripping onto part of the wall. "Fenris, you have to help them."
"No."
"You have to! We can’t let them on the ship!"
"Humans."
"They're bad people, Fen. They will kill us. Might do worse."
The wolf shook its head. "No humans."
"Fen, you're the only one that can stop them. They'll kill our people if you don't do something. You don't have to kill them. Knock them out! Scare them!"
Fenris was silent, watching him.
"Please, Fenris."
"Stay here." Fenris growled. He kicked off from the wall to return to the fight.
He stopped next to Reaper to give him a glance. The Captain wasn't sure what to think, especially when he saw Fenris flying right into the smoke.
"Watch your fire!" Reaper screamed.
Almost no one stopped shooting. Reaper could see the sparks of bullets ricocheting off the wolf. The men on the other side screamed. Shots were more sporadic from panicking. Blobs of blood floated through the hall, breaking apart on contact with the walls. The screams faded further away.
Reaper was just about to give the order to charge in when some sort of guttural howl vibrated the entire ship. He felt it in his bones. His blood shifted like water in a glass during an earthquake. The howl echoed endlessly. The shots further away.
"Move in! Follow him!" Reaper ordered.
The soldiers moved into the smoke. The assault had been turned around. Pirates came for their ship, now they were the ones needing to flee.
Reaper could get used to having a giant wolf on his side if this was t
he result.
The team split into two groups to flood through the ship.
"Don't let anyone escape." Reaper said. "Pirates are better off dead."
An echo of "yes, sir"s returned over the radio.
He followed Fenris, catching the creature just up ahead. Fenris was not treating these pirates the same as the monsters on the Utopia. It was holding back, aiming to disable them rather than kill. Yet it did not fully know its own strength, or just how frail humans were.
Now, this is what the soldiers wanted to see. Their beloved Captain in action. Everyone knew the stories. Knew how he got such a dark name.
"Let God decide if they get mercy, or not." He liked to say. He was no judge, nor jury. He was simply the hand that helped others meet God. When he was done with them, all of the hard choices were left up to the big man above. He may have been merciless, but he was not heartless. Swift deaths for all.
If Fenris left one alive, Reaper, or another soldier would end it. He didn't even spare those that surrendered! The only good pirate was a dead one. Reaper knew no one could change. If they let them go, they would continue pirating and terrorizing innocent people.
What Reaper was not ready for was the cheering. Some of the soldiers had gotten injured in the fight. One of them had rushed ahead of Fenris and took a shot right to the chest. Luckily, his chest plate took the hit, but Fenris had stepped right over him, using its own body to shield him from more shots. This elicited a positive response of cheers and calls from the other soldiers. They fell into action, moving up to the wolf to take down the pirates shooting at them while two others dragged the downed soldier back and around a corner to make sure he was all right.
Every so often, Fenris gave another howl. Maybe a roar at this distance. Whatever the sound could be called, it scared the pirates. They fled further into the ship. Some of the soldiers were frightened, but many had the same idea as Reaper and Mjolnir.
That black wolf was on their side. The roars should be seen as battle cries. It almost motivated them to keep fighting.
Fenris lead the way to the bridge. It sniffed out the Captain of the vessel. Who promptly cowered upon their entry.
He was hiding underneath one of the shabby consoles near the middle of the room.
Reaper took a minute to check the area out. Shambles. Everything was welded and bolted from a thousand other vessels. Rusted. Mismatched. It was amazing anything worked at all!
The Soul Eaters (The Thin Hex Line Book 1) Page 17