Holmcross Project (Year 1)

Chapter 7: Into the Cold

Four hours ago...

As Springfield was led away and the door was shut on him, Colt watched helplessly, feeling like when he next saw his brother he wouldn't be the same. 'Springfield...please, come back to me...' He thought, gripping the wheels of his wheelchair and turning back towards the window. "Be safe...brother..."

He breathed, slumping in his wheelchair. The food he'd been brought was sitting on the desk in the room, growing cold, but he didn't care. He sighed and looked at his legs helplessly before he began to lift off the chair.

"I can't be stuck here...I need...to move!" He pushed himself up, but an excruciating stab of pain shot through his body and he hit the ground hard on his side. "AAAAAAGH!

"Now look what you've done to yourself!" A familiar voice cried.

Colt looked over his shoulder to see the sideways image of Dr. Tiggs,

Dr. Jessie Tiggs was one of the leads on the Holmcross Project and Sylvestre's partner after the passing of her father. She was in her 30s and had spent her entire life around Holmcross. She was a sandy blonde with amber eyes and a bounce in her step. She could usually be found with her hair in a ponytail and a lab-coat hanging over her scrubs and she almost always had a folder or clipboard full of notes at hand.

Tiggs 'tsk'ed her tongue with a hand on one hip. "Here, let me help you with that. I swear, I can't leave you boys alone for two days without you getting into trouble.

She helped him to roll over and pull himself into a seated position. She also called a nearby sailor from the hall to assist her in lifting him around the chest while she lifted his legs and they carried him carefully to the chair.

"Where were you, anyway?" Colt asked, groaning in pain. "Do you see what Jaivan's done to me? How long will it take me to recover? Am I going to be stuck in this room forever?" He looked desperately at her. "I need to run around!"

"Jaivan did?" Tiggs looked up from the belt she was strapping on him. The sailor excused himself. "I thought we had him past this sort of outburst! Well, that's going to be more work for me." She shook her head and sat down on the bed near Colt, resting a hand on the nearby desk and almost putting her palm in his food. She held it out to him accusingly. "What the- ? Colt, you need to eat!"

"Yeah, I know." Colt sighed. "I just don't have much appetite when I'm stuck in one room for days, and now Springfield's been taken off to who-knows-where..." He wheeled his chair over and picked up his food, gingerly eating it. After a few bites, he sighed and set it back down, looking absolutely miserable.

"Oh, for goodness sake!" She threw her hands in the air. "I didn't realize I'd raised a bunch of pubescent girls! Springfield will be fine. I have more important news right now."

"Oh? You're going to take Jaivan apart?" Colt asked, his head still down. "Can I watch?"

Tiggs laughed. "Oh, don't you wish. Unfortunately, we've put too much time and money into him for that. No, I was going to say that I have a special assignment for you. One you can even do while recovering. In fact, now is probably the ideal time."

Colt blinked, looking more interested, and turned his wheelchair to face her. "What do you mean? What kind of assignment?"

She leaned forward, resting her hands on his knees. "I need your body – for science!"

Colt blinked. "....Eh?" He was a little concerned, having heard of Jaivan being sent to do strange 'breeding' experiments years ago. "What...do you mean?" He asked, looking at her hands awkwardly.

"Well, I'm going to take you home and look your body all up and down." She nodded enthusiastically. "Then I'm going to take the parts I like and incorporate them into my latest project."