Another Way

Chapter 5: Capture

Sue awoke with a gasp, eyes jumping around as her racing heart calmed down after the brief, but intense dream. The brightness of the room and breakfast waiting for her on the nightstand conveyed the lateness of the hour, especially with the medic themselves absent.

Best to get up and about quickly.

The sweet, jam-filled pastry and the accompanying roasted fruit were enjoyed as calmly as could be, which... didn't mean much. Sue's new limbs fidgeted as she sated her hunger; thoughts swirling around the very being that would be her undoing. She had no idea how much time she had left before the inevitable; the uncertainty hastening her meal.

The altar she'd seen made her wonder whether they would sacrifice her there if they caught her.

As intense as her paranoia was, Sue couldn't quite see this possibility in particular. Incomprehensible as it might have been, Duck didn't seem like a malicious entity, not with the scenes chiseled on that altar. They made it look out to be more of a guardian deity than anything.

Then again, nothing stopped them from executing her in a purely secular way.

The morbid thought made Sue chuckle as she wrapped up her breakfast. Though, now that she'd stumbled upon the idea, she wondered whether the blue feather that had been resting on her nightstand was playing any role in all this. Wouldn't hurt to investigate it-

...at least, if it was still here.

She tried looking all around the room, including peeking behind the nightstand and crutch- nothing. With how important the item was, Doc had probably just moved it back to the altar. Though, that didn't really explain why they gave it to her, even if temporarily, to begin with.

Here, have this sacred artifact as a night light.

While she chuckled at that idea, Sue felt her sixth sense act up; the sensation distracting. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on that tugging-

S-so many people...

She'd slowly gotten used to sensing the emotions of more and more creatures, but even her practice couldn't have prepared her for this. It felt like half the village was in the vicinity of the clinic, all the little tuggings making her head spin.

Her immediate worry, as unrealistic as it was chilling, was that everyone was gathering around to make sure she wouldn't get away. Fortunately, all she needed to dispel that fear was to look out the window. Many creatures were making their way over; heading past the hut towards something else instead.

Only one way to find out what exactly.

The premise of getting out entirely on her own, without Doc's reassuring presence, was an unnerving one; not that she had many other options right now. Especially since all this could have something to do with the royal couple...

Once more into the breach.

Trying to keep her cool, Sue shambled over and opened the front door. She saw a few passersby raise their eyebrows or... equivalent as she stared out, but their attention was thankfully transient. And, once she'd successfully stumbled out and joined them in their march, completely absent.

As they all neared the plaza, Sue realized she could hear something on top of the din of hundreds of mutants, chatting and murmuring.

It almost sounded like a loud speech, except... being howled out.

She slowed down at the realization, sticking to the side of her path as she approached the last corner. The once-student paused in front of it, second-guessing herself before opting to first get a peek at the situation-