Vices and Maces

Chapter 64: Oh Look He's Alive

CW: blood, gore, broken bones, drowning/suffocating, near death, hospital

Logan glanced between the trees for any deer or other animals as he drove down the long road that led away from the city. It was taking longer than he thought to get to the car factory, he had hoped to be there by now considering how late it was getting.

The sun was already down and the moon was up. The road got quite close to the river, and the moonlight shone off of it. Occasionally he would glance at it to make sure there were no small animals on the river bank that would take off as his car got close.

He was expecting deer, or maybe some smaller nocturnal animals. What he wasn't expecting to see was a body washed up on the river bank. He slammed on the breaks and pulled off to the side of the road.

Before he got out of the car, he grabbed his radio just in case. Logan rushed over to the person, who was curled up on their side, purple dragon wings laying still. One of them had a massive gash on it, but what was more worrying was the fact that he wasn't moving, not even breathing.

Logan first pulled him out of the water, his legs still halfway in. He noticed a forming bruise on the man's face, was he mugged and dumped in the river?

Just as Logan suspected he wasn't breathing. The elf checked his pulse, waiting for a few moments. It was there, but it was slow and weak. He was still alive.

He turned on his radio and called into it, "Officer Jamfield here, I need an ambulance at Greenfield Road, I have a man here who is passed out, visibly injured, and not breathing. I'm going to perform chest compressions, does anybody copy?"

Logan didn't wait for a response before he started chest compressions. He got to maybe 15 before someone finally answered over the radio.

"An ambulance has been dispatched and is on the way, Officer Jamfield, do you copy?"

He quickly pressed a button before answering, "I copy." Before he continued with chest compressions.

He pushed down harder and harder, no doubt bruising some ribs, until finally the man under him coughed and sputtered for air. Logan quickly turned him on his side as he spit out river water. He gasped for air and Logan kept him up so he wouldn't fall onto his back and choke.

The dragon tried to curl up and let out a cry of pain, taking in shallow breaths. Logan kept his hands on him to keep him on his side.

"Sir, can you speak?" he tried to ask, but he got no response aside from ragged breathing and small whimpers. He was unresponsive, still in shock. Logan took off his jacket and covered the man with it, rubbing his arm to keep him warm. They just had to wait for an ambulance, hopefully there weren't any life threatening injuries.

Logan looked for any, but the man was in too much pain to turn and search. He'll leave that for the EMS and doctors. He was too focused on the man in front of him to look up and see the hawk. And why would he? It was just a bird.

Minutes went by, and a car drove near them, but he didn't get a good look of who was inside or the license plate. Then there was a loud explosion coming from where the car factory was. Logan leaned forward in case any debris came out this far, but there was nothing.

He looked in that direction and saw a few lights. Fire.

"This is Officer Jamfield, there was an explosion near Greenfield Road and fire. Firetruck and back up assistance is required."

~~~

When the ambulance had arrived, he let the EMS take over. They found a wallet in his back pocket, as well as a pocket knife hidden in his shoe. Logan looked through the wallet and found an ID and driver's license. Virgil Noble. Dr. Noble.

What was he doing all the way out here? And what was the explosion about?

Logan saw several firetrucks, police cars, and more ambulances rush out to where the explosion was. The same car from before had passed them before the emergency vehicles got there.

They could handle that, and Logan can report back later. He had more questions about Noble so he followed the ambulance back to the hospital. They found heavy bruising on his side, and felt some broken ribs. It was possible that he needed surgery, and he needed an x-ray.

Hours had gone by in the hospital. Logan overheard someone mention calling his sister, the only emergency contact he had. What about his parents? Surely they were still alive, right?

Logan was allowed in the hospital room when he was finally in stable condition. But the engineer was still unconscious. He didn't want to leave him, this was starting to look like an attempted murder case and he could still be in danger.

He was changed into a hospital gown, there was nothing suspicious on him aside from the knife that had been bagged for possible evidence. For what Logan wasn't entirely sure, but when a well known scientist suddenly shows up after two years of disappearance and complete silence, that just spelt illegal activities. Not to mention the explosion from just a few miles away at most.

The radio was on the entire time as Logan listened to what was being fed through it. He was only able to gather a bit of information. The fire must have gone out because they were only able to find burned areas, none of them were lit up.

Luckily there were no deaths in the factory, which only made it even more strange. Not only that, but it must have been completely empty. No cars were found in the wreckage except one that was in the parking lot. Except... There were a few weapons that were found. Some unfinished, others seemed finished but they were just destroyed in the blast.

But Logan knew that meant he was right! That wasn't a car factory, it was a weapons factory! So... what was Noble doing there? Did he really join Wolfsbane? That would explain some things, but honestly it was disappointing to Logan.

Well... they say to never meet your idols for a reason. But he wanted answers, so he's staying until he gets them.