FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Ray opened his eyes to a dark and unfurnished room with metallic gray walls and what looked like small cameras set up in the corners, coughing several times with a dry throat. He was in a chair in the room's center and attempted to raise his arms but realized his limbs were cuffed to its arms and legs. His injured leg and now shoulder was wrapped in gauze, and he had on white shorts and a tee for ease of operation.

The first thing Ray thought about was Crystal. He was bound to a chair in an unknown place without Crystal. Jenna was likely going through the same thing, considering she was still alive.

His heart ached at the thought of everyone but him being dead, especially if he was on the ferry, although Ray had no way of knowing. If he'd made it alone, escaping Sinnoh and life would be meaningless. He had intended fully to bring who he cared about with him and wouldn't know how to manage that trauma daily.

The door opened moments later, and a person in hazmat equipment entered with two armed ones with rifles standing idly by the door. "Finally awake." One of his soldiers notified him since they watched through the control room's cameras. "You shouldn't feel much pain. We've dosed you with meds."

Ray assumed he was an older man judging by his voice. He rolled his shoulder and winced. Pain radiated throughout his body, but he felt numb for the most part. It'd probably be twice as bad without the drugs. "Wh-Where am I, and... and where's my espeon?"

He took a step closer. "You're on a ferry in Canalave. I ordered my soldiers to intercept after hearing gunfire. If we are certain there are survivors nearby, we save them." He crouched. "If not for us, you would have died. Most of the runners occupying Canalave ran to your shots."

So Jenna's brother was correct. Ray couldn't believe it, but he couldn't rest until he knew his group was alive. "And my friend and pokémon?"

"Your friend told us she was with you. We tested her and have her below deck currently. She's safe as is your pokémon."

"Tested... for the rapids, right?"

"Pardon?"

"I-I mean SRC." Ray remembered that wasn't the official name. He'd lived in another world for so long. "The virus."

"Yes, for SRC-1, a volatile virus that first attacks the respiratory system... We have tested you as well and found something extraordinary in you and your pokémon's blood. You are both infected. However, the virus is displaying docile behavior our scientists have only found in very few cases so far."

This was news. "...But we can still transmit it?"

He nodded. "You are asymptomatic and will test negative unless copious amounts of blood are taken on top of a specialized test. The virus seems to have been using you two to spread it. We don't know how it chooses who to preserve yet, but it's the reason why you're still alive and well."

He unzipped a pocket on his suit and took out a key. "SRC is an absurdly intelligent and highly contagious virus with a one hundred percent fatality rate as it stands. For this to make sense, we assume the virus remains dormant after infecting its host for a decent amount of time, which we are still looking into, but from the cases we've studied, the dormant state can last from a few days up to a week. Of course, that is no longer necessary, as it now understands us and pokémon neurologically and can control the mind after death. It is unlike anything science has seen and is impossible by all standards. We hope to discover its origin and understand it as much as it does us after we make Sinnoh accessible. We are tracing it back to prehistoric eras, as this is likely not a modern strain. We can't yet pinpoint it."

So he and Crystal were immune, essentially. That's why they had yet to cough or feel ill from day one. Ray was grateful for the fact, but he was able to watch everyone else suffer around him. "So, what now?"

He stood and unlocked the cuffs holding Ray. "I will have you escorted to your pokémon so you may recuperate for the time being."

He stood while rubbing his wrists and followed the man out the door with a limp, where multiple more armed people stood in the same gear. He looked down a dull gray corridor lined with doors.

"Keep him in 130 and call the cleaners to disinfect this room," the man said while locking the room Ray had been in.

Ray walked down the hall and felt more pain source from his legs and sides, likely from minor cuts and scrapes. He eyed the outfits and weapons of the group escorting him. Why were they here if they couldn't save anyone? It wasn't worth the risk of catching the virus and bringing it back to their region, which would also be decimated in months as a result.

But if they were here, a good reason had to exist for it, and Ray wasn't complaining. At least the adventure wasn't a waste of time, and like that man said, he'd be dead without them. He went down some flights of stairs with difficulty before soon arriving at a white door. They could at least have walked slower to accommodate his injuries.

"In here," a woman said while getting it open with a key. "We'll return later to bring new clothes and for further testing. Be ready."

Ray entered and saw Crystal sitting on the bed while looking out the window, but she turned around upon hearing the door.

They shut and locked it behind him. Well, the room was nicer this time. They had a window to watch the sea, a small closet, and a restroom. There were also a few waters on the bed.

"Crystal." Ray went and sat on the bed, noticing her right thigh wrapped in gauze. It must have been injured during the attack. She had minor cuts on her cheeks, ears, and some across her body.

She went to him with a slight limp and let him pull her into a gentle embrace while nuzzling his chest. Crystal was still in a surreal daze from fighting so many infected with Bizzy and having them topple her. One had torn a deep gash in her thigh before she was rescued.

She felt like she couldn't scan or psybeam for days without puking up her insides. Her gem was without color and wouldn't begin regaining it for a while. Crystal had never abused her abilities to this extent, but she couldn't regret it.

"I'm so glad you're okay." He sat up more and held her cheeks, running his thumbs over her ears while staring at her face and eyes. He couldn't feel happy but was relieved they were together at the journey's end. Ray now hoped they hadn't spread the virus to the Celestic Base with his new knowledge, but he wasn't aware, in his defense. It made him wonder if he'd given it to Jenna, although she would have caught it regardless.

Crystal had given Ray her eyes and held their connection, then yawned and sat in his lap after he let her face go, resting against his chest and letting her head slip. Since she knew Ray was okay now, her concern shifted to Jenna and Bizzy and wanted to know if they were as well. They were sick and had to have been injured severely from the infected attacking them.

Ray thought of them too. "I'll ask to see Jenna and Bizzy when those people come back. I just had to see you first." He lay on his back and set Crystal beside him while hugging her with his arm, listening to constant bursts of gunfire as the soldiers fought endless waves of the infected.

Ray wondered how this would end. He and Crystal had been saved and were locked in a room, which felt like Celestic all over again, but this ship had to leave at some point, and everyone aboard but the crew was likely infected.