Not So Different

Chapter 11

Cobweb led us into the massive, grand brick building that was the Sentinel safe house.  Cobweb was a boy, barely older than fifteen, with white shaggy hair and pale skin.  He was thin and bony, but tall and walked with a cocky stride.  His driving style matched his personality perfectly, crazy and self confident with a little bravery mixed in.  David led behind Cobweb and Chris and Lenna steadied me at both of elbows, making sure I didn't topple over. 

At the front gate of the wrought iron fence David pulled out a key card and swiped it over the sensor and it beeped.  With a groan, the gate swung open, welcoming us in.  Two guards on the other side nodded at David, Lenna, and Cobweb and gave Chris and I curious looks.  "Brought fresh meat in did you?"  On of them joked then stopped when Lenna glared at him.  "What happened?"

"Some one planted explosives at the bar and detonated them when these two arrive.  We need medical care for both of them," Lenna said in a no nonsense voice.

The other guard, who seemed slightly older, said cautiously, "Are you sure they are safe to bring in?"

"Yes," Lenna said, "This is Jet Rowan."

At the mention of my name the guards' expressions totally changed.  The older one pulled a radio from his belt, "Two new arrivals in need of medical attention.  David, Lenna and Cobweb are bringing them in."   The other guard led us up a pat h to the safe house and warned us not to step off the path or we would set off the motion sensors.  At this, Lenna and Chris latched onto my elbows more tightly to make sure I didn't stumble.  When we reached the massive front doors which, amazingly, seemed to made of real polished wood (a commodity enjoyed by only the richer citizens like meat), the two guards both swiped card of their own over two sensors on the brick wall then pulled open the doors for us.  As our little group walked in I noticed the younger guard gawking at me like I was the freaking queen.  If my head hadn't been swirling like a dust devil on a windy day I might have puzzled ot why he was staring at me like that. 

Two women met us at the door, one dressed in scrubs, one in a lab coat.  They stood in a large foyer with a grand staircase leading up to the second floor.  Both quickly rushed over to our group standing in the door way.  The one in scrubs asked, "Lenna are you okay?  What happened?"

"I'm fine.  These two need attention more than me."  Lenna said, shaking off the woman's concern and I decided I liked her.  "The girl has a head wound and probably a concussion.  The boy a nasty flesh wound to the knee and some bits of shrapnel stuck in his back."

"Oh dear," The lady in the lab coat said and came over to me and examined my bandaged head.  Then she said, "Let's get these two down to the infirmary, come on."  She led us down a hallway to the right of the door, which was closed by the guards behind us.  People that were in the hallway themselves parted when we walked past, giving Chris and I curious looks.  I knew it was obvious what Chris was without his contact in but no one freaked out when they saw him.  I was curious why these people didn't seem to care that Chris was a mutant but a sudden spike of pain in my head and nausea stopped my thinking.  I stopped, not able to continue, and Chris asked, "How bad?"

I couldn't reply for fear of spilling my lunch.  I just shook my head, which didn't help the sudden agonizing pain, and tried to keep my swaying from turning into falling.  Seeing my inability to walk, Chris and Lenna once again looped their arms around me, draped my arms over my shoulder and dragged me as I attempted to stumble along. 

I don't actually remember arriving at the medical center, I just remember Chris gently helping me sit on a white hospital bed then taking the one next to me.  The lady in scrubs came over and lifted up my eyelids, shining a light in them, making a frowning face.  She then took a portable scanner that doctors only used at the rich-people hospital, never at the lower class's clinics, and waved it slowly over my head.  After she did this she whispered something to a man in scrubs that had just come over that I couldn't make out.  I looked over to see that Chris had taken his shirt off and a woman in scrubs was hovering over his muscular back with a pair of tweezers pulling out bits of shrapnel.  Another was cleaning and wrapping Chris' knee.  I hope that after they were done with his knee that they would replace the old bandages around his abdomen.