Morph: Book One

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Ezic's POV-

"Shit!" I lunged forward, catching Ryn's head in my hands just in time to prevent it from smacking the ground.

"Mah'ul!" Blood flowed out of Ryn from every orifice, pooling in my hands, and seeping into my clothes, soaking into the hot soil beneath us. Her ears, nose, and eyes all bled.

"The medical transport has already been called! Is she breathing?" Mah'ul rushed to her side and started to look her over in a panic. I didn't respond. I held my breath as I leaned forward to rest my ear against her chest, there was a faint beat of her heart, but it was strained.

"We need to do something now!" I started to panic as I watched more and more blood pool into the ground beneath us. Fuck it. I'm not about to watch Ryn die! I lifted her body and cradled her to my chest. Then, without hesitation, I took off towards the market's entrance to meet the transport. I could hear the familiar buzzing in the sky and looked up as I saw the craft zoom overhead toward the entrance. When I got there, I didn't wait for the transport to power off. I darted towards the door and threw the emergency transport door open. This earned me a few startled yelps from the personnel inside.

"We don't have much time. She's has The Sickness. We need to get outside the atmosphere before it kills her." I allowed them to take her from my arms so she could be strapped securely to a stretcher. They didn't wait for me to strap in before they took off toward the hospital.

"Report." They handed me a headpiece, and I described everything in as much detail as possible. Everything that led up to the moment of her collapse.

"Clumsiness and confusion; bleeding from the nose, eyes; ears and mouth..." I looked over at Ryn, who lay deathly still. "Foreign to Zorron—!" They cut me off abruptly.

"You think that it's Atmospheric Sickness? That's rare, especially among our people." One said, and I bare my teeth at them in frustration.

"She isn't from here. She's only been on the planet for a few days. I've witnessed this before. She has all the signs." They all looked at me oddly, and one dared to scoff.

"Who exactly the hell are you? Do you have certification?" The one that spoke was seated in front of me. He looked new. I snarled through the headset, and all the Zorr tensed at my warning.

"Im Captain Q'halezic, it would be wise to mind your tone with me, boy," I growled out viciously. This thrust the transport into a tense silence. I didn't spend decades in the Zorron Military to be addressed in such a manner.

"What is the female's medical history." The medic beside me asked while checking over Ryn and further evaluating her condition. I mused to myself for a second.

"I wasn't briefed on those details. She is a Hybrid and new to the world. That's all I know." It was all I could share. The rest was confidential and wasn't related to the situation.

"We will be docking in seconds, they will be ready for you!" I hummed and unlatched myself from the transport, ready to meet the medical squad on the landing pad.

I watched as the planet's belts came into our view, and in a matter of moments, we landed, and the transport doors were unlocked. I grabbed the makeshift air mask and put it on myself. I grabbed one for Ryn, swiped away the blood, and fastened it to her face. She was already breathing better, and the bleeding had stopped.

While waiting for the medical squad to reach the landing pad, I took her vitals and assessed her condition. I input the information into a medical tablet so that the data could be transferred directly to the medical staff without any delay. The blood coming from her nose, eyes, and ears indicated that there had been extreme pressure buildup. It could also indicate a possible brain injury. It was too soon to tell. However, it was good enough that she was still breathing. This situation was exactly why a guard had been assigned to the women, to begin with, to watch for any illness or change in demeanor diligently.

Usually, The Sickness happened slowly and could be caught before injury occurred. Had I missed a vital clue? Hallucinations, agitation, and exhaustion were all signs of The Sickness. I had overlooked the events of last night, thinking it was her adjusting to the new world. I couldn't ignore that last night could have been a symptom. No good doctor could.

I concluded that had she been back at the house, she wouldn't have survived. The rough and uncharted terrain would have made it difficult for a means of medical transport to land and would have taken up valuable time. Atmospheric Sickness rarely occurred in Zorr today. However, the women were new to the planet. Therefore, they were at a higher risk. I would contact Commander Nohorr to urgently request immediate transport of the women off the planet for further assessment at the base.

The transport doors thrust open to reveal Regusra, Commander Nohorr, and the medical squad. "We were notified by Vel'Morrel. What's her status?" Regusra asked, moving aside so that I could exit the transport and the medical squad could retrieve Ryn. I shook my head in dismay.

"She is stable for the time being. She lost consciousness right after the episode. Everything points to Atmospheric Sickness." Commander Nohorr and Regusra looked at themselves in horror.

"We have already called for the others to be transported to the base. They will permanently remain under your care." Commander Nohorr said while turning to Regusra and apologizing remorsefully. "I apologize, friend. I should have heeded your warning; I will have them transferred immediately to your credentials."

I looked Regusra over, and everything about him set my senses off. Other than the moment he assigned me to this mission, this was the first time I'd seen him since the mission ended with him being abducted. Ryn's words entered my mind from the night before.

"There are those among us that know what was happening to us—"

I shook her words out of my head and decided then and there that I would heed her words with great diligence. I suspected she knew exactly who was behind it, and now I had an inkling. Regusra fought harshly for the right to have them under the foundation's care but lost to the Planetary Counsel. He never spoke of why they denied him, only that it was a conflict of interest. But I knew better. This new situation gave him what he wanted, the females. If what Ryn suggested was true and she had proof, this might be the world's largest scandal. What didn't make sense was why Regusra would have put everything on the line for a few females. The world struggled to produce healthy offspring, but nothing to this scale would excuse what had happened to the females.

I could sense a larger plan in the works.

"Come, let the healers do their work. Captain Q'halezic please follow us and fill us in on the situation." I threw a fleeting glance toward Ryn and watched as the medical squad stabilized her. With a small prayer, I forced my eyes away from her body and followed Nohorr and Regusra into the base.