Zombies Vs Aliens: Respawn

Chapter 16.2

Fred squeaked as Ginger leapt to her feet. He certainly had an aptitude for landing on his head.

"It's not what you think!" She held out her hands, again, as if that made her any less threatening. J.D. had a gun trained on her forehead before she could move a toe forward. She blew a curl out of her face, giving him the phoniest shy smile I've ever seen. "Little quick on the draw there, Captain Trigger Fing-Gah!"

Fred seized her ankles, yanking them out from under her so she pitched forward, slamming into the floor with an audible crunch. "No one makes fun of him but me," he said, flipping her over.

The impact messed up her nose worse than Bert's. It sat at a sharp right angle on her face, while a light trickle of iridescent blood leaked from her left nostril.

There was a soft grinding noise.

"Do you hear that?" I glanced at the others. Ginger's nose straightened itself with a final pop. The grinding stopped as her cartilage finished shifting back in place.

J.D. whistled. "That's a neat trick."

"A regular fricking X-23," said Fred. There was a twitch in his cheek as he tried to keep his expression neutral.

She opened her eyes, glaring daggers at Fred but allowed him to keep his hold on her ankles. I kneeled by her mass of coppery curls.

"I can't believe I'm going to ask you this, but how many aliens did you eat?"

Ginger blinked at me, her golden eyes distant. "I don't know. When Liv found me, I was in bad shape."

"How so," said J.D., leaning on the arm of the recliner, holstering his gun.

"My body was intact, but my mind sort of lagged out. Liv brought me back. Took care of me. She kept me from slipping out of my head again." She twiddled her fingers together. "She helped me find my limits. Calls me her little patient zero."

We all shared a look over her head. Fred and I were both confused.

J.D. looked incredulous. "No, f'ing way."

"Patient zero? Where have I heard that term before?" Fred frowned.

"It's a medical term," J.D. interjected.

"Medical? As in doctor/patient privilege? Needles, meds, and lab coats, oh my?"

Ginger nodded. "She's amazing."

The snort was out before I could stop it. "Hot topic princess is a doctor?"

"Pfft. She's got to be like an EMT or a nurse," Fred looked thoughtful. "She looks a bit young to be a professional anything."

"You're one to talk," said J.D.

"Oh, I'm a professional hooligan," he quipped, releasing Ginger's ankles. "So, are you, like, what happens to us when we gobble alien brains like hungry, hungry hippos?"

Ginger sat up, fidgeting under the sudden scrutiny. "I don't know. Liv is the one with all the answers."

I pursed my lips. "How convenient. Well, I guess that brings us back to the point, doesn't it? You want us to help you rescue the Princess." I pushed off the ground, dusting my knees off despite the rather immaculate floor. "Since Wolf Girl and Ernie appear to be trapped with her, we are wasting time arguing. Do you have any idea where the ship would take them?"

Now she looked downright guilty, hugging her knees. "They'll be in Surwich."

J.D. stood. Ginger's eyes followed the muffled click of his dog tags. "How do you know?"