FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

CHAPTER 3

What goes around

The night was tranquil, the silence and darkness broken only by the beeps and blinking lights of the medical machines Aidan was still connected to,a precaution more than a necessity, a month after her fall into the ravine. She had almost fully recovered from her injuries, one of the nurses had said the day before. It was only a matter of time before Oma finally came back once again to take her away from the room she was trapped in.

Aidan's eyes snapped open, waking suddenly from an unusually deep sleep. A bad feeling seized her chest the moment she regained consciousness. The night remained calm, undisturbed, yet something felt wrong. An unshakable, gnawing anxiety gripping her entire mind.

She scanned the room, but the darkness concealed anything beyond what the moonlight touched. Nothing had changed since she had closed her eyes a few hours ago. Dismissing the uneasy feeling, she decided to try and go back to sleep, whatever was bothering her was likely just in her head, nothing to worry about.

She closed her eyes and took a slow breath in, then out, trying to relax.

Then she heard it, a faint, unnatural hum at first, seemingly coming from everywhere at once.

Her eyes snapped open again as she tried to pinpoint its source, but no matter how hard she focused, the sound defied her senses. Each time she thought she had identified its origin, it shifted, as if the source had moved in the very moment she tried to make sense of it.

The anxiety inside her swelled, as if directly linked to the strange hum, which was growing louder, slowly but surely.

She stopped scanning the room frantically with her eyes, thinking that whatever was happening couldn't possibly be external. For a moment, she wondered if she was losing her mind. Had the doctors missed something? Could this hum be the result of an undiagnosed injury? A concussion, maybe? Her entire body had slammed into the ground with brutal force during the fall. Maybe something was wrong with her head after all.

She closed her eyes again, but the strange sound was all-consuming now, drowning out even the steady beeps of the medical equipment around her. A wave of nausea crept over her as the noise grew more unbearable. It had to stop, she felt like she might faint if it didn't.

Then, almost too suddenly, the sound vanished. Only Aidan's anxious breathing and the quiet usual sounds coming from the medical equipment remained, breaking the heavy silence of the night.

She pushed herself upright, scanning the room, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then again, out of nowhere, a loud bang echoed from one of the floors below. Another followed. Then another. Gunshots. A short, distressed moan escaped her lips. Something was terribly wrong and she had to act. She grabbed the covers draped over her and flung them aside, jumping out of bed.

More gunshots shattered the silence of the night, followed by the sound of doors slamming open on her floor. Aidan ran to the door, pressing her face to the small window at its center. Footsteps, fast and heavy, echoed down the hall, drawing closer. But she couldn't see anything. Her breath hitched as she backed toward the middle of the room, heart pounding so violently in her chest that it felt like it might explode.

Out of nowhere, a familiar face appeared in the door's window, Oma.

She flung the door open and rushed inside, a pistol in hand, her left shoulder drenched in blood.

“No time to explain, they're here to kill you. We have to go, now!" she yelled.

Aidan's brain took not more than a second to register what was happening before she took a few steps toward Oma, who instantly retreated into the corridor, Aidan now right on her heels.

“This way, quickly"' Oma urged, grabbing Aidan's shoulder and rushing her down the corridor, towards the opposite door she came in.

Just as they reached the emergency exit staircase door, loud noises echoed from the opposite side of the floor, followed by half a dozen gunshots.The projectiles slammed into the wall and the open door of the staircase on their side as they barged through.

“Down the stairs! NOW!"

Aidan obeyed without hesitation, racing down the stairs as fast as she could, nearly leaping the last few steps on each floor. Her bare feet stung against the cold, hard surface, the young women barely even noticing, adrenaline now rushing through her veins, focusing on every step so as to not fall or falter.

“What the fuck is happening?" Aidan choked, the Imperial right on her tail.

“I told you, no time to explain. I'll tell you everything, but we need to make it out of here alive first. Now shut up and keep moving!" the Hargen commanded, her voice sharp.

The sound of a door being blasted open on the floor they'd just left echoed down the stairwell.

“Get them! Kill the human! Bring her back alive!" A familiar voice shouted, followed by the sound of several pairs of boots pounding down the stairs a few floors above them. “If you kill her, I'll have your head!"

As soon as they reached the ground-floor emergency exit, Oma threw her full weight against the locked door. The heavy lock shattered instantly, taking a chunk of the door frame with it. She barely flinched, despite the growing bloodstain on her shoulder betraying the severity of her wound.

'The red hovercraft, right there! Get in!'

Aidan bolted across the short distance between the hospital's door and the vehicle, throwing herself inside. She landed hard in the back, her head slamming against the driver seat's frame just as Oma fired up the hovercraft.

The soldiers burst through the ruined doorway followed by Ondo, opening fire immediately. A hail of bullets ripped into the back and sides of the hovercraft as it shot forward, lifting off into the night.

"Are you okay? Oma?"

Aidan's voice trembled wildly, on the edge of a breakdown. Her free hand was shaking uncontrollably, while the other pressed against the top of her head, where blood now trickled down onto her face.

"I don't know for how long," Oma muttered, gripping the steering wheel with one hand while pressing the other against her wounded shoulder, trying to slow the bleeding as the hovercraft sped recklessly through the metropolis' sky lanes, far beyond the speed limit.

"What the hell happened back there? What did you do? They're definitely gonna want your head on a pike after this!"

Oma exhaled sharply. "I didn't do this for you. I did it for me… mostly."

She adjusted her grip on the wheel. “I'm going to need you, desperately. And my uncle decided to get rid of you. We had a huge fight a few hours ago. I've never seen him that angry. Someone in his office found out what I did and that he helped me cover it by bribing the hospital staff, even the director. If this got out, he'd lose everything. So he was hellbent on ending it. Either I let him have you killed and disposed of, or I'd be exiled. At best. I pretended to agree and came to the hospital with him and his men. I shot one in the head in the lobby. You know the rest." She groaned in pain, her shoulder still bleeding profusely. “That's it, it's official. I'm a traitor. If they find us they'll kill both of us on the spot. By tomorrow the entirety of the Empire will know I'm wanted for treason…"

“This is insanity!"

“This is the game I decided to play. I knew the risks. There was no turning back after I brought you to the hospital to save your life. I fucked up. Those are the consequences."

“What now?!"

“Now we leave. Not just the city, the entire Imperial territory." Oma's voice was firm, but there was an edge of uncertainty beneath it. "I'm not even sure it's possible. In a few hours, and that's if we're lucky, every armed patrol will have our descriptions and vehicle identification."

Aidan's jaw hung open. The words wouldn't come. She shook her head, trying to force herself to process the situation.

"Oma, with your shoulder bleeding like that, we will never make it to the border. You'll be dead long before we reach that point, you know that, right?" She swallowed hard, forcing herself to come up with the right words. "Let me help you. I have some basic medical knowledge, I can make sure you survive this. But we need to find a safe spot first. Please…"

“God dammit!" snapped the white wolf, hitting the steering wheel with her hand out of frustration. “You're right. I know a place. Let's get there and hope the guy won't call the Imperials on us."

A short flight later, leaving the city behind, Oma guided the hovercraft down onto the driveway of a sprawling villa perched atop a hill, the estate overlooking the distant metropolis' skyline. As they approached, the villa's exterior lights activated, casting a warm glow over the front porch.

Two figures emerged from the grand entrance. The first was a tall Hargen, dressed in a sharp, expensive suit, his posture rigid and imposing. Beside him walked a much shorter figure, a black-furred Karys, her sleek form draped in an elegant nightgown, the fabric catching the light as she moved with feline grace.

Aidan barely registered them. The moment the hovercraft touched down, she threw herself out of the passenger side, sprinting toward the driver's seat where Oma still sat, gripping the wheel with one bloodied hand about to pass out, her eyes already half closed.

“Oma, please stay with me! Don't fall asleep, keep your eyes open!" said Aidan, her arms reaching across Oma's body, trying her best to get her out of the vehicle, smearing her blood all over herself in the process.

“Albus, get the hovercraft inside the garage, quickly, and when you're done, help this young lady get our friend inside, we don't have much time." ordered the Karys as she was stepping around the vehicle towards the two fugitives.

“Yes madam, right away."

Aidan barely looked up, her hands shaking as she cradled Oma's head, pressing against the wound in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. Her heart pounding against her ribs, the rush of adrenaline barely keeping her from spiraling into full panic.

The Karys crouched beside her, golden eyes flicking between Aidan and Oma with sharp calculation. “I don't know who you are or what you're doing here," she repeated, her voice steady despite the tension in her posture, “but Oma is in deep, deep trouble. There's an Empire-wide wanted order on her. If anybody finds her here, we will all be executed. We need to act fast."

The tall Hargen stepped back outside, the red hovercraft now parked in the villa's garage.

Aidan hesitated only for a second before nodding at the Karys. “Help me get her inside," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “She's dying."

“Albus, you heard the young lady, we're gonna need a hand here."

The Hargen lifted Oma up, walking towards the building's entrance in a hurry, carrying her in his arms while the feline helped Aidan on her feet, covered in blood and still shaking head to toe.

“What's your name?" She asked, her tone calm and collected despite the gravity of the situation.

“Aidan. My name's Aidan."

“Well, Aidan, you're gonna have to tell me what's going on but first let's get inside and make sure Oma doesn't die before we can help her, alright?"

They both followed in the tall Hargen's footsteps and entered the luxurious abode walking through the lobby and past a massive hall into what looked like a large office where Oma already laid flat on top of the central table.

“Do you happen to know how to use medical gear, Aidan? I sadly don't and our friend is critical. She needs an intervention as soon as possible."

Aidan snapped back to reality.

“Yes, I do. I need forceps, a cauterizing agent, anything resembling a suture kit and as much sterile gauze as possible."

“We have all that and more." Said the well dressed Hargen, coming back into the room with a large first-aid bag.

“Perfect." replied the human, opening it in a hurry, laying everything she needed on the table before tearing Oma's top open to reveal the wound.

Her white fur was now crimson red all over her torso, the wound still bleeding. Aidan knew that she had mere minutes to act. Pressing a large piece of gauze on Oma's shoulder, she sunk the tip of the forceps into the bullet hole, reaching and grabbing the bullet as fast as she could, pulling it out, blood pouring out from the wound even more.

“One of you, push as hard as you can on the gauze and don't let go!"

The Karys' hands replaced Aidan's as she grabbed the small capsule of cauterizing agent and the suture tool.

“I'm ready, lift up the gauze."

The feline did what Aidan asked, the human instantly pushing the nuzzle of the capsule inside the bullet wound, pressing the small trigger on it's side, filling the hole with the paste from the capsule as Oma's flesh started sizzling a little, a nasty odor of burned flesh rising up through the air.

“I need to close it, the agent will dissolve in her body after a while."

“Oh I know." Said the Karys, “I've had this kind of thing used on me a couple of times.

Aidan threw a glance at the feline before looking back down at Oma, placing the suture tool alongside the wound's edge. In one swift movement she closed it up, tying the medical thread at the end before grabbing a full roll of bandages off the table.

“Help me lift her up, I need to bandage the wound."

The strong Hargen approached the table, grabbing Oma gently and lifting her up in a seated position as Oma wrapped her in a thick layer of bandages before slowly laying her back down on the table.

Aidan, both her hands drenched in fresh blood, the rest of her smeared with drying blood, her face as pale as a ghost, took a few steps back before collapsing against a wall, now sitting on the floor against a wall, a drawn out, trembling sigh escaping her lips before tears started to run down her cheeks.

“Hey now." Said the black feline as she got close to Aidan, crouching down in front of her before putting a hand on her shoulder. “It's ok, you did a formidable job. I've never seen anyone but experienced medics pull this off that fast."

“She lost so much blood. There's still a risk she could die." mumbled the human, her eyes unable to leave Oma's body laying on the table.

I've known Oma since she was a young pup," the Karys said, her voice soft but steady. “She's one of the toughest people I've ever met. You stopped the bleeding almost completely, Aidan. I'm sure everything is going to be fine. You just saved her life."

“I couldn't have done that good of a job, madam," Albus chimed in, his arms folded behind his back. Looking back and forth between Oma and Aidan. “The mistress is right. You just saved her life tonight.

“I hope so." said Aidan, sobbing. “All of this is my fault. She ended up being shot because of me, she would never have ended up in this situation if it wasn't for me…"

The Karys and the Hargen exchanged a silent glance.

“Aidan, you're going to have to explain what happened to us, we are here to help but we need to know what happened first."

Aidan recounted everything. From the day Oma saved her life, to the chaos that unfolded in the hospital. She spoke of the gunfire, the frantic escape and the bloodshed, detailing every moment, staying by Oma's side the whole time.

“I knew it was bad when we saw the wanted order, but I would never have guessed the reason behind it all." Said the Karys, now sitting down on a large sofa tucked in a corner of the room. “I knew Oma had been struggling with her role in the Imperial machine for years but I would never have thought this is what it would have led to."

“I have no idea what's gonna happen now that we are both in this mess. All I know is that she just lost a lot more than I did and that whatever she decides to do once she wakes up, I'm gonna be there to help."

The black-furred feline remained quiet, seemingly lost in thought.

“When we left the hospital, she said she would need me. I didn't ask for what exactly…" Aidan muttered, both hands on the table, staring at her friend still laying on the table, immobile. “What could someone like me possibly be useful for someone like her?"

“Well, only she has the answer to that question." Muttered the black cat as she got back up on her feet. “Whatever her reason might be, it was big enough to justify shooting an Imperial soldier dead, which is pure insanity. But there must be a good reason for it all."

The lady of the house went around the table, stopping in front of Aidan on the other side.

“She was always quite the idealist but she did spend most of her life inside the Empire's military. She was raised in it. Fought for the Empire and its principles for decades. All the horrors she went through, all the awful things it led her to do. I should have known this would happen at some point."

Albus came back into the room, holding a small device in his hands.

“I have the transfuser you asked for, madam. I managed to repair it, it should work properly."

“Good, put it down on the table and hook her up."

“This is going to help her right?" Asked Aidan, confused as to what the device was.

“Yes. This is an incredible little machine that can transfer someone's blood to someone else. It changes the molecular composition of the donor's blood to match the recipient's. I bought it from the Imperial special forces. It costs an arm but it's invaluable, really."

“So she needs blood from one of us?"

“Yes, I was thinking Albus could…"

Aidan didn't even let her finish her sentence.

“I'll do it."

The Karys tried to answer but Aidan interrupted once again.

“I told you I'd do it. She saved my life twice. I'm still trying to catch up. Hook me up as well, please."

“Very well." said the feline, throwing a slight head gesture to signal to Albus he should do what Aidan said. “But you should know that since you're quite small and Oma did lose a lot of blood…"

“That it's gotta take a lot out of me to replace enough of what she lost, yes, I know. Do it"

Albus grabbed Aidan's arm, sinking the small needle into her arm, tying it to the small tube leading to the device, her blood instantly being sucked into it, slowly but surely.

Everybody in the room remained silent for an instant as the machine lit up, human blood starting to fill its central container. Aidan lifted herself and sat down on the table next to Oma, gently grabbing the unconscious Hargen's hand into her own.

“We need to be ready for what's next. We'll leave you two to it." Said the Karys, Albus nodding at her before leaving the room. “If you need anything let me know, alright?"

Aidan gave her a little nod before turning back to Oma, her extended arm laid on her leg as more and more blood was being drawn from it. The others excited the office, closing the door behind them, leaving the two women in silence.

As the minutes passed, Aidan's head started to get lighter and lighter, almost imperceptibly so at first, the entire container in the device filled up before she even felt any major difference. The valve closed and the transfuser lit up, a rather loud consistent buzz emanating from it as it converted the blood. After a minute or so, the crimson liquid appeared inside the tube linked to Oma's arm on the other side. This went on for longer than Aidan would have expected. The more blood it took from her, the weaker she felt. After a while, drops of sweat started to form across her face, she became pale and dazed and eventually felt like she would fall off the table if she didn't lay down, so she did, laying down next to the young wolf, eventually closing her eyes. The entire day had been so insane, she needed a moment.

“Aidan?"

Her name. It pulled her from the darkness back to consciousness, her eyes fluttering open, the first thing she saw being Oma's deep blue eyes staring back at her.

“There she is." Albus said, standing in the corner of the room.

A genuine smile spread across Oma's face. “You're incredible, you know that, right?" she whispered. “I thought I was done for."

Aidan pushed herself up into a sitting position, still staring at the young white wolf sitting next to her..

“You're awake," she murmured. Her eyes drifted to the transfusion device sitting on the table, the tubes now removed from both their arms.

The blood transfusion had worked.

“Yes, because of you, so I've heard."

They both kept looking at each other silently for a few seconds, each lost into the other's eyes.

“Aidan, you can be proud of yourself," the Karys said, leaning against the doorway leading back to the mansion's hall. “That was a lot of blood you just gave her, but it worked."

Albus moved silently to retrieve the device, his employer stepping aside as he walked out of the room.

“We have to move, soon," the feline continued, already turning to leave. “You two need to get ready. Albus prepared clothes for both of you. I didn't even know we had human-sized ones." She chuckled. “Everything is set. We're getting you both out of Imperial reach tonight, but we can't afford to wait much longer. I'll be in the hall."

Oma pushed herself to her feet, then extended a hand toward Aidan. Without hesitation, Aidan took it, letting the former soldier help her down from the table, her head still very dizzy, feeling more tired than ever before.

“I feel like I'm gonna faint again," she muttered.

“It's okay, I've got you," Oma reassured her, keeping a steady grip on her hand. “We have to go, but I want you to know, I won't ever forget what you just did. I'll be there for you. No one's ever done anything like this for me. This means more than you think."

Aidan squeezed the wolf's hand a little, her grip very weak, her knees shaking uncontrollably.

"Come on, we're not safe yet. There's still a lot to do before we can even think about resting."