The Brigade

Dr. Avi

My jaw actually dropped. The place made The Bellagio lobby look like a closet. The walls were brushed steel, and scientistswere rushing around. I saw a man start walking toward us. He pushed his way through the throng of people. The immaculate dark suit he was wearing stood out among the starch white lab coats.

"Ah, you all must be the first half of The Brigade,"  he said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr. Avi, Dr. Miller's second in command." Dr. Miller had a second in command? I studied Dr. Avi. He was a small, wiry asian man. His oversized glasses threw his head out of proportion. I couldn't tell quite how old he was, but he had thinning black hair on top of his head. "We were expecting you earlier than this. Did something happen?" Dr. Avi said cocking his head. Vanessa stepped up. 

"Yeah, you could say that." She said calmly. "Our plane was shot sown by N.E.W. era, we crash landed in the desert, we walked across the entire state of Nevada while getting attacked by assasing with frag grenades (she gestured to Alice's injured leg.) Not to mention the coyotes that nearly had us for dinner."

The look on Dr. Avi's face was absolutely priceless. Vanessa's sarcasm often hurts more than her stingers. I took the moment to pipe up.

"Alice needs a hospital pronto," I said. Dr. Avi scrambled to regain his composure.

"Oh yes of course," He muttered as he started off through a hallway. We walked single file through the corridor. I helped Alice limp along. She winced everytime she moved her left leg touched the tile.

"How's the leg?" I asked.

"Fine," she said weakly. I raised my eyebrows, but said nothing. After all she could be a lot worse. 

"I'm glad you're okay," I whispered into her ear. I planted a quicck kiss on her cheek, and she gave one of her million dollar smiles. We reached the infirmary and I was buffeted by the blinding white of everything in the room. Dr. Avi called for a nurse. One came, and put Alice in a bed immediately. Then she started to unwrap the bandage from Alice's leg. Yuck! For those of you with sensitive stomachs I would advise skipping the next paragraph or so.

The inside of the bandage was sodden with puss. The gash was a festering, angry red rift in Alice's sking. I could practically feel the heat radiating from her leg as the histamines in her body raised the amount of blood coming to her leg. (Okay so I know some school related things.) The skin was a putrid green that reeked of sweat, and bandage gunk. Everyone but the nurse recoiled at the putrid sight.

The nurse poured peroxide on the wound to kill bacteria. Alice winced as the liquid bubbled. The nurse continued to apply other things including some numbing shots. 35 stitches was enough to close up the gash. Everybody, including me was half alseep already. We thanked the nurse, and left Alice in the hospital bed. We reached the main atrium, and Dr. Avi said, "We'll save the grand tour, and meeting our half of the Brigade until tomorrow. Everyone get a goodnight's rest. Somehow I didn't think that would happen.

We took the elevator up to the living quarters. Everybody got his or her own room. I missed my real home back at the other base. I know it sounds wierd but it would be like missing your house. In my case my house happens to be a top secret training facility in the middle of nowhere. That being said I took a much needed shower, and collapsed on my king sized bed.