Thread 1: Tasha Gets Injured

[Marishal]

OKAY here we go. I will begin posting stuff that had already been written, before this website is created, as more of an archive-type thing than anything else.

So here, I will be posting, piece-meal, the stuff that was co-authored by myself and Hotflash from fanfiction.net.

Tasha tried her best to hold her breath as she crept through the corridor, or at least slow her breathing. She also tried to keep her footsteps quiet, moving as slowly and carefully as possible. The thing she hunted was a good hunter himself; it was Ravage, a keen tracker.

And Ravage was a machine at that. Strong, powerfully built, able to rip a human to pieces effortlessly. In fact, he already had. Tasha had no intention of becoming another of his unfortunate victims.

She slowly rounded a corner, and found herself coming to a closed door. Very carefully, she opened it.

Just inside, she spotted what appeared to be a cell inside of the room. Several feet away from the door, there were three walls of metal bars, and a cell door that was locked. Tasha moved into the room, quietly closing the door behind her as she tried to get a better look.

She approached the door of the cell cautiously, looking at the occupant. It was a dark-haired, clean-shaven man with dark eyes, dressed in a long white shirt and dark pants. She knew he was being held captive here, although she knew she wouldn’t be able to get that cell door open without a key. Or perhaps a pry bar or a cutting tool.

The cell was cold and dark. Kel tried to think clearly and figure out how he was going to get out of here. He had no idea where "here" was but he had to try. As he thought hard about it, he heard the sound of a door opening and then closing. At first, he couldn't see anything in the relatively dark cell, but then he thought he saw the shadow of someone, or something.

He thought maybe he heard some movement. He strained his eyes but still couldn't tell who or what was there, if it was there at all.

Tasha took a few steps closer. Her night-vision goggles enabled her to see pretty well in the darkness. It wasn’t the kind of equipment she could really show people or brag about, though; it was one of the many things she had to keep quiet about.

“Hey,” she spoke softly as she inched closer to the cell. “You okay in there?”

"Who's there? What do you want?" demanded the weary doctor.

“Who I am isn’t really important. Let’s just say I’m on a mission,” Tasha said. “Why do they have you in there?”

"Who ever 'THEY' are want me to help them with some kind of medical experiment. I'm a doctor from Los Angeles. What kind of mission are you on?"

“Hmm,” Tasha purred thoughtfully. “Call me Tasha. Let’s just say I’m here to try and thwart their plans.” She cocked her head to one side. “I guess that includes trying to get you out of there,” she added.

"Great. What are you waiting for?"

“Well… any idea who has the keys?” Tasha shrugged. “Or a cutting torch? Or something? That cells looks pretty solid to me. That lock won’t bust itself, and those bars won’t bend themselves.”

"Now how would I know that? You might try calling the cops!" Who did she think he was, Houdini?

“Can’t do that,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’ll be back.” With that she turned on her heel and started to move away, slowly.

"Wait! Where are you going?" He wanted out in the worst way but he didn't know where he was and he didn't want her to leave.

She paused, slowly glancing back in his direction. “I’m going to try to find something to get you out of there,” she answered. “Also you’re not my primary reason for being here, you know. I have a specific goal.”

"Oh yeah? Well what would that be?"

In the darkness, the woman smiled grimly. “I’m sure you’ve seen the news reports. Some kind of… large cat that’s been roaming the city, ripping people to pieces? And that there have been no survivors?”

“I'm a very busy doctor. I don't have time for television. I have no idea what you're talking about.”

[Marishal]

“Ah.” Tasha shrugged. “Maybe its better that you haven’t seen.” With that she turned away, moving toward the door again. “I’ll be back,” she murmured, hesitating just in front of the door. She needed to make sure the coast was clear first.

"Be careful! And... don't be long." He knew it sounded weak and pitiful, but he was in a strange place in an even stranger situation. He had no idea what was going on.

Tasha said nothing. She simply placed her hand on the door’s handle and slowly eased it open. Then she peered out—and suddenly slammed it shut, sucking in a breath and backing away from the door. “Uh oh,” she muttered.

The already nervous and uneasy doctor felt his heart sink. "Uh Oh" can't be good. He braced himself mentally for what ever was about to happen next, praying for the best but fearing the worst.

What happened next happened fast. The door was literally THRUST open by a powerful source on the other side. It cracked and split in places as it was forced inward as if kicked in violently by inhuman strength, and was knocked off of one of its hinges. In the same instant that the door was forced inward, Tasha yelped loudly and leaped backward, reflexively, out of harm’s way.

Kel watched in terror as the situation unfolded before him like a scene from a bad horror flick.

Light was now pouring into the room from outside. And as Tasha backed away to the other side of the small room, as far from the door as she could get, a large monstrous cat walked in. It was larger than a tiger, and the way the light reflected off of its surface showed it wasn’t a normal cat. It was made of metal. It was a machine.

And it looked like a robot from hell. It had the look of a black panther, though obviously metallic. It had red eyes that glowed brightly, razor-sharp teeth, and metal spikes along its back and tail. It snarled, its eyes searching the room for a moment. It’s gaze locked on the doctor for a moment, then seemed to dismiss him.

Then its gaze locked on the woman. It crouched, then started to slowly move toward her.

Tasha’s eyes widened fearfully. She had found what she was after, but she was in no way prepared to face it. Her hand went into her pocket and she hoped she had enough time to get out a device she’d brought.

Suddenly the monster leapt forward. She gasped and turned away, making a dive for the corner of the room. She managed to avoid a deadly blow from the “cat” but didn’t miss it completely. She cried out in pain as its metallic claws ripped across her shoulders and back, tearing her shirt as well as her flesh.

Kel's eyes were wide with terror. This wasn't real. They must have drugged him or something. A robot cat beast! Who was he kidding? He couldn't possibly be lucid. All he could do was continue to stare in disbelief, all the while telling himself he must be in some drug induced nightmare.

[Marishal]

The “cat” began to advance again, but this time Tasha had enough time to reach into her pocket. She whipped out a small device that looked like a small, metal ball. She hit an activation trigger on it, then tossed it at the “cat”.

Ravage, the robotic cat, glanced down at the device for a moment. Suddenly it went off, emitting a potent EMP pulse that surged through his circuits and processor. After giving a tiny yelp, his systems shut down. He collapsed on the floor in a heap.

Tasha panted, sitting tightly against the corner of the room, staring at him with widened eyes. She didn’t dare move until she was SURE he was down and staying down. The seconds ticked by. Ravage did not move again. It worked.

Kel watched as the cat-beast collapsed on the floor, seemingly in slow motion. He still didn't believe this was real but he couldn't seem to wake up. He pinched himself, hard.

"OW!" he hollered, startling himself. You were not supposed to feel a pinch if you were dreaming, right? This was too weird.

He looked over at the woman in the corner. She was crouched and very still.

"Tasha, are you okay?" he asked, almost sounding panicky.

Tasha glanced in his direction. For a moment she simply stared at him, then she closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “Um. Yeah, I guess. Well… I think I will be. Yeah. I think.” She was babbling, and she knew it. She shook her head trying to clear it. She removed the goggles and set them aside, near her feet.

Carefully she tried to stand, supporting herself on the wall as she moved. Then she grunted as her back protested. She then freed one hand long enough to reach behind and touch her back. It felt wet, hot and sticky. She pulled her hand away and put it in front of her face. It was covered in blood. “Oh… my…” She trailed off, biting her lower lip.

Kel tried to focus on the woman. She was hurt, he could see that now. He watched her put her hand on her back and bring it back in front of her face, covered in blood.

"Tasha, you're hurt. Come closer, let me have a look at you!" he ordered, the medical training in him taking over and bringing on a calmness that he hadn't felt for quite a while.

The woman closed her eyes briefly, then sucked in a deep breath. She glanced in the doctor’s direction when beckoned to her, but then she simply glanced at her blood-covered hand again. Then she looked over at the metal monster, which still lay motionless on the floor. “I got careless,” she murmured, her feet still firmly planted where she stood. She stared at the metal beast. “Shouldn’t… shouldn’t have gotten careless.” She leaned against the wall, closing her eyes, as if trying to gather herself.

"Don't. Don't close your eyes. You must come where I can help you. You can do it," encouraged the helpless doctor.

[Marishal]

Her eyelids flickered open and she looked in his direction. “Can’t stick around,” she muttered suddenly, and began to move away from the wall, as if intending to try and leave the room.

"Tasha, stop! You can't leave. Come over here and let me try to help you! If you leave we're both in trouble." He was adamant and hoped that his firmness would spur her to action... the right action.

Tasha hesitated. She glanced from the doctor, to the robot on the floor, and back to doctor. “Well,” she spoke softly, “I was told to keep an eye on that thing after I took it down anyway.” She inhaled warily. Frankly, she wasn’t feeling all that well. “Guess I am in pretty rough shape.” She laughed a brief, raspy, bitter chuckle.

"Keep an eye on it, you mean it's not... " What would you call it? It's a machine. For lack of better wording he said it anyway. "You mean it's not dead?"

“Uh well…” She glanced warily at it again. “Let’s just say it’s better to be safe than sorry. He could get back up again… eventually.” She pressed her lips into a thin line.

Those were not words that Kel wanted to hear. He had to help her so she could help him, and fast!

"Then don't waste any time, let me take a look at you."

He didn’t have to tell her again. She moved toward the cell and placed her hands on the bars, leaning on them for support. “Just tell me how bad it looks first,” she requested.

"Well turn around and let me see," he ordered. As she slowly turned around he could see deep lacerations across her neck, shoulders and back. There was a lot of blood but upon closer inspection, there didn't appear to be damage to any major organs.

"Lie down on the floor, on your stomach as close to the bars as you can. I have to apply pressure and stop the bleeding."

“Is that really necessary?” Tasha asked, turning her back away from him just enough so she could look at him. “I don’t want to be in a helpless position if HE wakes up.” She jabbed a finger in Ravage’s direction.

"Yes it's necessary! We have to stop the bleeding or you'll go into shock. You won't be any good to either of us if we don't take care of you." Reaching through the bars he gave a gentle tug on her arm to encourage her to lie down. "I'm going to use what's left of your shirt as a compress. Once we get the bleeding stopped, you can have mine."

Tasha hesitated, not liking the sound of this. She did not want to take off her shirt, especially in front of a man she didn’t know. But she reminded herself that he was a doctor, and he was just trying to help. Not to mention her shirt was ruined anyway; it was ripped up in the back, and covered with blood.

[Marishal]

She also knew there wasn’t time to argue. Ravage was out cold for the moment, but that could change soon. “Okay…” She sat down on the floor and scooted as close to the bars as possible.

"Good girl," he said. He took the shirt from her and tore some of the shreds off then found a large section that was usable and tore it off as well. He used that to apply pressure on the worst of the bleeding. It filled quickly with blood and he literally had to have her wring it out while he applied pressure using another piece of the shirt.

"There's a lot of blood. We've got to get it stopped. Tell me how you're feeling."

Tasha grunted, finished wringing out the piece of shirt he’d given her, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Blood was now all over her hands and arms, and even on her pants now thanks to all of this. She made no reply, simply casting another wary glance toward the metal cat. Thankfully, it remained completely motionless.

Things continued in this manner, Tasha and the doctor trading bloody scraps of cloth until he finally got the bleeding slowed to almost none. He took the last pieces of the torn shirt that he had not yet used and fashioned bandaging out of them. He wasn't able to cover every laceration but the ones that had bled the most heavily were covered and bound.

"Tasha, I need you to tell me how you're feeling. I need to know what to do to help you and you have to help me by talking to me." He pleaded with her to give him the information he needed. As he spoke he took her wrist gently in her hand to check her pulse. It was rapid and weak and her skin was hot.

“Fine,” she muttered, still glancing warily in the unconscious robot’s direction every so often. It was obvious that that was where her main attention was focused at the moment. “Do you think I can stand now without bleeding or keeling over?” she asked the doctor without looking at him.

"Well that depends! First, you are NOT fine. Are you dizzy or nauseous at all?"

She sighed. “A little of both I guess,” she muttered, as if it didn’t matter. Then she reached up and grabbed one of the bars, attempting to pull herself up slowly. “I need to find Peter,” she added, breathing in deeply.

"Hold on just a minute!" barked the doctor. "I need to know EXACTLY what you are feeling. A little or a lot nauseous, a little or a lot dizzy and anything else you're feeling. If your body goes into shock, you're dead before you'll ever find this Peter person. Now Damnit, help me help you! If you get up and you're in shock, you'll pass out and I may not be able to reach you to help you."

She considered his words for a moment, then eased herself back down onto the floor into a seated position with her legs tucked under her. “I feel only a little nauseous… mostly dizzy,” she finally said. “Yeah, I really feel dizzy. Especially when I move around.”

"Okay, thank you. What you have to do is lie down. I have to get your feet elevated and get some blood to your head. I'm gonna have you get as close to the bars as you can because I don't have anything to wrap you in but I have to keep you warm. With any luck, in a short while you'll be feeling better." If not, we're really in trouble, he thought but didn't dare say out loud.

[Marishal]

He couldn't start an IV so this would have to work. At least well enough to get the two of them out of here.

She slowly eased herself down, unfolding her legs and stretching them out in front of herself. Then she stretched out as best she could and scooted herself over until she was right up against the bars on the floor. “Like this?” she murmured, glancing down at herself. She put her arms across her bosom self-consciously, due to her current lack of shirt.

"Exactly." Quickly Kell unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it through the bars, covering the woman's upper body with it and tucking it around her the best he could. Then he lay down on the floor next to the bars and scooted as close as he could to her.

"I'm going to try and use my body heat to warm you," he warned her as he lay on his side on the hard cold floor and put his top arm out through the bars and over her. "Put your knees up."

She did exactly as she was told, although she stiffened a bit when he first touched her. She simply focused on bending her legs and bringing her knees up, then she rested her head flat against the floor. “You know…” She stopped. “Never mind.” Obviously she changed her mind on whatever she’d been about to say.

"That's good, you're doing fine," he encouraged. "I know this is awkward but remember, I'm a doctor. If there was any other way, I'd do it." He tried to make eye contact with her as he spoke in reassuring tones.

"As long as we're here, would you mind telling me what is going on? What is this cat-beast thing and what does it want? And why are you here and where is here?" He had so many questions he didn't know where to begin. And talking was exactly what she needed right now. He hoped to find some answers and at least try to make some sense of things.

She met his eyes briefly, but as he began asking questions she turned her head away, looking a bit uneasy. “Well,” she finally said, “that’s a long story. But let me ask you this… have you ever heard of Decepticons?”

"I can't say that I have," he answered truthfully. He was glad she was finally talking to him about this though. He hated being in the proverbial dark.

“Well, he’s one.” She lifted her head just enough to nod in the cat’s direction, then laid it back down against the floor. “His name is Ravage, by the way.”

"So you're saying there's a bunch of these... these... Cat-beasts and they have names and a common goal?" He asked, somewhat in disbelief.

“They all have the same common goal, yes. But they don’t all look like that. In fact, he’s the only one who looks like he does.”

"So what do the rest look like and what is it they are trying to do?" he asked.

[Marishal]

“That’s complicated.” She looked at him. “How long do I have to lay here like this?” she then asked.

"How is the nausea, on a scale of 1-10, one being not at all and 10 being the worst nausea you've ever had?"

“Uh… I don’t know. Four? Five?”

"You'd better just stay put a while longer. We don't need you passing out on us or your likely never to wake up." He was being honest and matter of fact. No sugar coatings.

“Okay,” she agreed. The last thing she wanted was to pass out in here, right next to Ravage. She then fell silent, staring up toward the ceiling. She was still alert, keeping an ear out for any noise whatsoever from the robotic cat. But so long as it remained still and quiet, she didn’t have to look at it.

"Keep talking. It's important. Not just because I want to know things but because it helps me gauge how you're doing. What is it these Decepticons are trying to do?" As he spoke Kel found her wrist and checked her pulse again. It had slowed and was a bit stronger than before. That was a good sign.

She sighed. The truth was she didn’t want to talk. But maybe it would help the time pass more quickly if nothing else. Plus it would help distract her from the… awkwardness of this situation.

“They want the world,” she finally said. “Well, specifically… um, they want some of the world’s resources. Energy, oil, heat… you name it. Whatever they can get their metal hands on, they’ll grab it and take it if they can.

"And so they're what? Trying to destroy the human race? How? And where do I come in? Why not just kill us all? Why the need for experiments?" He was trying desperately to make sense of it all.

“Try to just ask one question… you’re making my head spin.” Tasha closed her eyes briefly.

Kel noticed her eyes had closed. She had to be feeling really crappy right now. He could understand. But he couldn't let her stay that way for long. If he kept her talking, it would be okay for a short while.

"I'm sorry. Why are they wanting to do experiments on people and what kind?"

“Well,” she replied, “I guess you could say they’re curious, and they want to see what they can do with people. Like, if they can successfully put metal armor and circuitry into people, they might be able to make an army of cyborgs to add to their ranks. Or worse yet, take human embryos, merge them with mechanical components, and grow their own army or special agents that can blend in with human society.”

Kel shuddered at the thought. "That's insane!" he snapped. "Where did these... THINGS come from?"

[Marishal]

Tasha smiled humorlessly at him. “You really want to know?”

"Humor me," he said with a hint of trepidation mixed with sarcasm.

She looked up at the ceiling, and nodded. “Up there. And I mean OUT there.” She looked at him again, wondering if he was catching onto just what she was saying.

Somehow Brackett knew what she would say even before she did. When she said it he was once again sure that this was just some horrible drug-induced nightmare and eventually he would wake up in a hospital room, beat up and the worse for wear, but alive and back to reality.

"Would you do me a favor?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he told her what he wanted. "Pinch me, hard!"

In spite of herself, Tasha grinned at him. “Well, maybe he can pinch you instead,” she murmured, indicating Ravage. “Trust me, if he touches you like he touched me, you’ll KNOW for sure you’re not dreaming. But, still… if you insist…”

She uncurled one arm away from herself and reached over, then pinched the doctor’s earlobe, pressing her nails into it as hard as she could.

"OOOWWWWW!!!!" He shook his head away from the torturous claw that had clamped onto his ear. "Okay, so I'm awake!" He looked at her and realized she had gotten some sense of pleasure out of it. "Don't look so pleased with yourself!" he snapped. Then back to doctor mode, "How's the nausea now?"

She pulled her hand away and clamped it over her mouth. She seemed to be trying hard to suppress a fit of giggles, and wasn’t being entirely successful. She tried speaking but it got lost in the laughter. Some of the seriousness of the situation had been momentarily forgotten by her.

"Go ahead and laugh!" Kel said sarcastically. "But seriously, how's the nausea?" He couldn't really be mad. She was there to help him, originally anyway. And he had asked her to pinch him. He had no one to blame but himself.

He liked the sound of her laughter and hoped that he would hear more of it. But not now, not here. Right now he just wanted her mobile and them out of here.

Her laughter died down. One glance at the giant metal cat again, and she was serious once again. “Getting a little better I think,” she breathed. “Somewhat. Still feel sick though. At least I think the dizziness is going away.”

"That's good. We have to wait a little longer though." He checked her pulse again and it was about normal. "What's the plan now? When you get up I mean."

“Well… I guess I need to make sure Ravage over there won’t be waking up anytime soon. I think I can sabotage him. After that…” She made a slight shrugging movement of her shoulders. “I guess I need to find the keys to your cell, then we can get out of here.”

[Marishal]

"Any ideas on how? I mean, how to sabotage the cat-beast and where to find the keys?" he asked.

“Uh… well I have no idea where the keys are.” She frowned. “But as for sabotaging Ravage… I think if I can disconnect his head from his body, or at least his processor, that might work.”

"So all you need is a blow torch or a k12 and we're home free, huh?" he said sarcastically. He had no idea how she might accomplish the tasks at hand and no idea how he could be of any help. He hated feeling helpless.

“Well… we could just hope he stays down,” she muttered.

"What's the likelihood of that?" He wasn't sure he really wanted to know.

“It depends on a variety of factors,” Tasha told him. “I’m not exactly sure how powerful the EMP grenade was, or how much of a dose Ravage got from it, plus I don’t know the full capacity of his systems or what he can handle, so to speak. So… he might not be able to reboot himself without help from a mechanic. Or he could wake up on his own in a few hours. OR, he could even wake up in a few minutes.”

Kel realized that the danger was too great. He'd have to let her get up and try to permanently disable the cat beast before it was too late. "Okay, as soon as you feel able, you can try to disable that thing. But if you start to feel dizzy or very nauseous or like you're going to pass out, you HAVE to get back to me before you DO pass out. Do you understand me? And you have to take it very slowly."

“I want to get up now,” Tasha murmured, pushing his arm away. She still felt a little bit dizzy but she did want to disable the robot permanently, plus she wanted to get out of this awkward position. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, drawing her legs in. She then took the shirt that Brackett had laid on top of her and put it on.

When she put her arms back down at her sides she exhaled heavily and put her forehead against her hand, leaning forward a little. “Ugh,” she muttered. Another wave of dizziness had hit her.

"Easy, take it easy. If you go out, you might just stay out!" Kel said sharply.

“I’m okay,” Tasha murmured, although she made it a point to stay still. She folded her legs under her slowly and leaned forward, resting her head in her hands. “I think I’ll be able to get up in a minute,” she stated.

"Take it slow." Doctor Brackett wanted her to stay lying down but he knew if he was to have any chance of getting out of there, he had to let her try. He did not like the risk.

She remained still for about a minute and a half, focusing on her breathing. Then she moved her hands away from her head and looked at the doctor through the bars. “Think you can help me up?” She hated asking something like that, but in this case… well, the more help she had, the better.

Against his better judgment, he did. Reaching through the bars with both hands he took one of her hands in one of his and put the other hand on her elbow, gently lifting her as best he could.

Once she was back on her feet she leaned heavily against the bars for a moment. “Thanks,” she murmured gratefully. Then with great care, she slowly inched away from the bars, keeping one hand on them for support for as long as she could. Finally she had to let go, and she slowly moved toward the giant cat on the floor.

Soon she was close enough to touch it. She then slowly positioned herself so that she was leaning against it, just behind its head, and she began to look it over. She paused briefly, just long enough to flash a small, triumphant smile toward the doctor. She’d made it to the cat, at least! That was some progress.

"You're doing fine. Be careful!" Kel encouraged. He hoped this wouldn't take long.

“Yeah,” Tasha muttered, more to herself than anything else. She carefully looked at the back of Ravage’s head and neck. For the most part it was covered in smooth armor, which would be very difficult to move without the proper tools. Tools which she didn’t have. She frowned, knowing this wouldn’t be easy.

Very slowly she slid her hand along the smooth though slightly coarse metal, trying to find something she could dig her fingers into or slide her hand into. She felt along it, sliding her hand across the back of his neck, down the side, and then near his metallic “throat”…

“ACK!” She suddenly yanked her hand back, after feeling a sharp piercing. She held her hand in front of her face. It was already stained with blood, thanks to the injuries on her bad. But now fresh blood oozed from a fresh cut on her palm. “Great, cut myself.”

"How badly?"

“Uh… not too bad. It’s bleeding a bit but not too bad.”

"Let me look at it!"

Tasha shook her head stubbornly, putting her hand down on the side where he couldn’t see it. “I’m okay. And while I’m over here I want to get this done.” She looked down at the metal cat again, frowning. There had to be SOMETHING she could do to get into the central processor.

"Tasha! You can't afford to lose any more blood. Let me look at it and find something to bandage it with. You're barely holding up now as it is," demanded the doctor.

“I’m FINE,” Tasha persisted, not looking at him. She then wrapped her good hand around her bleeding hand, squeezing it to apply pressure. “I can handle this.” She continued to try and scrutinize Ravage. Maybe she could try prying her fingers into the connecting joint, right behind the head…

[Marishal]

She unclasped her hands and, ignoring the fresh cut, she attempted to stick her fingers into the metal. Thankfully part of it began to give way, although she had to keep the pressure up to do it. And it was pinching her fingers. She grimaced, leaning forward and trying to apply more pressure to pull away the piece of metal. If she could keep it up, she could reach the wires, hopefully.

"What are you doing? Is it working?" Demanded Doctor Brackett

She grunted. “Trying to pry this stupid thing open and killing my fingers in the process!” she snapped. “Come on, just a little more…” She gritted her teeth.

"You can DO it! Pull HARD!" he encouraged.

At that, the metal gave way enough for her to slide her hand through. She had to hold it in place with her good hand, and she carefully slipped her injured hand into the space. She then began to feel around inside, feeling her way around…

Just then, there was a low, metallic groan. The beast shifted slightly underneath her. Ravage was waking up!

"What's happening? Is it working?"

“Uh…” Tasha forced her injured hand more deeply inside, skinning her wrist and part of her arm as she did so. She ignored the pain, trying desperately to feel around for something, anything, she could grab onto. Her fingers brushed a couple of large, thick wires inside. She grunted, straining to force her arm in deeper, to grab them.

Ravage’s optical sensors activated and he snarled. He was definitely awake and regaining full alertness.

"Watch out!" warned the doctor. "I think it's waking up!"

Her fingers finally grabbed the wires inside. She gripped them tightly and forced her hand and arm out of the metal monster, scraping her skin against the metal but ignoring the pain. She managed to yank the wires out, and continued to pull. She had to try and snap them.

Ravage snarled more loudly, getting to his feet. Then, in a swift movement, he swung his head around. Tasha leaned against him, trying to stay behind his head and trying to keep her hands on the wires. Then suddenly, the giant cat twisted, craning his neck, and then sunk his metallic, razor-sharp teeth into her shoulder. She cried out.

"Tasha, get away from it!" Doctor Brackett knew it was a stupid thing to yell. Of course she would get away if she could. He couldn't do anything else from his cell though. All he could do was watch as he held his breath, waiting to see what would happen next.

She yanked, hard, a burst of adrenaline giving her a boost of energy and strength. The cords snapped, giving off sparks as they did so.

Ravage made a noise somewhere between a growl and a yelp. He released her shoulder, leaving a bloody mess where his teeth had been. He staggered a bit, then collapsed on the ground. His optical sensors flickered, then seemed to wink out. He did not move again.

For a moment Tasha simply stood there, panting. Then she glanced down at herself. Her shoulder was bleeding, having been ripped up a bit. And her arm was mildly injured, containing cuts and scrapes to go along with the cut on the hand of that arm.

"Is it down for good?" Doctor Brackett asked. He could see she was more injured than before and he knew he'd have to treat the injuries before she lost too much blood.

“Yeah… at least I THINK so,” Tasha replied. She then let out a nervous chuckle, and touched her arm. “I guess I must look awful… like something the cat dragged in.” She chuckled again, although it sounded more like a breathless rasp.

"Very funny!" said Brackett and laughed out loud in spite of himself.

She grinned at him. “Man, I…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “I feel dizzy.” She shook her head again, closing her eyes. “Feel kinda… tired.”

"Get over here fast and lie down next to the bars!" he ordered.

She staggered a bit, then ended up easing herself down onto the floor, right where she was. “I feel like… I just wanna close my eyes and rest for a few minutes.”

"Tasha, do not stay there. You have to get to me or you'll die!" he commanded her.

That got through her fog. She didn’t want to die. She couldn’t die here, not next to that stupid robot, and not when somebody needed her help to get out. She forced her eyes open and she slowly pushed herself up. Then, on her hands and knees, she moved closer to the cell bars.

"Good girl." When she got to him he reached through the bars and helped her position herself lying down. He made sure her injured shoulder was next to the bars. "Put your knees up!" he ordered. Reaching through the bars he used bloody scraps from her old shirt to apply pressure. As he did so he worked his t-shirt off of himself to use as needed.

“I think I just want to sleep for… maybe five minutes,” she murmured. Part of her knew that was a bad idea, considering where she was. But this entire ordeal had drained her, and surely the immediate danger was over now that Ravage was disabled.

"Tasha, you can't. If you do, there's no guarantee you'll ever wake up. Talk to me. Tell me about your family." Anything to keep her awake and talking while he stopped the fresh bleeding and her body fought off the shock.

“Eh, not much to say there,” she murmured. Actually, she didn’t want to talk about her family. “Can I just close my eyes for a couple minutes?” She allowed her eyelids to slide shut without waiting for an answer.

[Marishal]

"Tasha, open your eyes!" he demanded giving her a quick firm but not too hard smack on the cheek.

Her eyes snapped open. “Did you ever tell me your name?” she murmured after a moment.

"Brackett, Doctor Kel Brackett." he answered. “I'm the head of ER at Rampart General Hospital.”

“Wow,” she murmured, not caring how teenaged that sounded. “Guess I got lucky, huh?”

“If you count getting attacked by some kind of killer robotic cat-beast lucky, I guess so!" he answered.

“Well, I’m not lucky in that way, I’m just saying it was good you were here,” Tasha countered. “So, how bad am I now?”

"Pretty bad! If you were in my hospital, you'd be anesthetized and in surgery!"

“What kind of surgery? Am I dying?”

"Not exactly," he answered. "Amazingly, nothing extremely vital has been lacerated. You need stitches and lots of them. You also need your fluids replaced. You've lost a lot of blood. But you're alive and talking to me, that's a good sign. The blood loss causes what is known as shock and that is life threatening if we can't get it under control. That's why you need the fluid replacement."

“So in other words… it wouldn’t be good if I lay here forever, right?” she murmured out loud. “Just curious… do you think I will need to go to the hospital, or do you think I’ll be okay on my own if I just take it easy, once this is over?”

"If you lay there forever, I can't guarantee how long your forever will be." he said it matter of factly. "You NEED a hospital. I need to get you stitched up, on antibiotics to fight infection that is probable, and on an IV to replace your blood loss. And it better be sooner than later!" He laid it out there without any sugar coating at all. He wanted her to know this was urgent and non-negotiable.

Tasha said nothing. She simply stared upward at the ceiling, as if considering everything he’d said. Finally she said, “Okay so… is this bleeding under control yet?”

"It's almost stopped. I'm gonna have to bandage it with my t-shirt though. How are you feeling, dizzy? Queasy?" He answered and asked more questions.

She grunted. “Queasy, dizzy, sore all over, and just plain crappy. And I feel like I just want to go to sleep for a few hours.”

"Yeah, well, if we get to the hospital I can let you do that." he said.

Just then there was a noise. Tasha’s head jerked up. “Did you hear that?” she asked.

"Yeah! What was it?" he asked. He doubted she would know but it seemed like the thing to say at the time.

The noise came again. It definitely wasn’t coming from inside the room. Ravage remained motionless. But there was the sound of metallic footsteps approaching, accompanied by a low growl.

“I think another one is coming,” Tasha whispered, her eyes growing wide.

Kel frantically scanned the room in vain for some way to hide her. There was nothing he could do. He hated being helpless and he knew if anything else happened to her, it would likely be the end for both of them. He didn't know what else to say so he just held his breath and waited.

[Marishal]

The metallic footsteps grew louder as the thing came closer. It then entered the room. It looked like a robotic raptor, having a sloping back, two bird-hipped legs, a pair of arms and a head containing a crocodile-like snout. Its eyes were blue and glowing, and it had a mouth that contained shining, razor-sharp teeth.

At first it seemed to scan the entire room with its optical sensors, then it glanced at the two humans. Finally it looked at Ravage. It seemed to tense, and it snarled. Then it seemed to look over the downed beast as if wondering if he was truly down for good.

Grunting, the robo-raptor then turned its gaze toward the humans again, glancing at both of them. It blinked, then made a low rumbling noise.

Quite suddenly, Tasha grinned, her eyes lighting up. “Hey Clawdova, good to see you! How’s it going?”

The large metal beast tilted its head to one side, grunting a little.

"You... You're FRIENDS with this one?" asked Brackett, both relieved and stunned.

Tasha looked at the doctor, still grinning. She a look of relief and even joy on her features, mixed with some amusement. “Don’t worry, she wouldn’t hurt humans,” Tasha then said. She then turned to look at the raptor again. “Clawdova, this is Doctor Brackett.”

The raptor moved a little closer and angled its head, scrutinizing the doctor with unblinking optics.

"Uh, good to meet you." The doctor had no idea what he was doing talking to this thing. But if it meant a chance at freedom the least he could do was be polite.

“Come on Clawdova, what’re you doing here? Not that I’m complaining,” Tasha said. “Oh and… where’s Peter?”

Clawdova raised her head and glanced back toward the door, behind her. She then made a wild gesture with her arms and stamped her foot violently on the floor, then backed off.

“I get it, he’s tied up and probably in way over his head,” Tasha muttered.

"What now?" asked Brackett. He didn't want to waste any more time with chit chat. He wanted out now! He needed to get some medical care for Tasha and he was anxious to get back to Rampart and see that everything was okay.

“Um, nothing,” Tasha said. “Look, I gotta get up.” With that she grabbed at the bars, put her knees down and began to sit up.

"What do you mean nothing?" demanded Kel. He was irritated but he was also greatly concerned about her and watched her closely as she moved.

Clawdova suddenly threw her head back and snarled loudly. Tasha flinched at the sound, not expecting it. “Yeah, yeah,” Tasha muttered. “Well look, if it’s so gosh-darned urgent, just GO. And hurry back!”

The raptor stopped moving and closed her mouth. She then looked toward the door, then back at Tasha, as if conflicted.

"What's happening? Where is she going?"

“Apparently Peter is under attack or something,” Tasha said. “I’m not very sure. It takes a while to learn what Clawdova’s body language and growls and snarls mean, and even then I’m not sure what she’s trying to say sometimes.” She then turned her attention back to the raptor. “Okay look, is he okay right now, or does he need your help more than we do?”

Clawdova tilted her head to one side again. She shrugged.

“Okay look, you think you can just get that door open?” Tasha then asked, pointing toward the cell door. “If you do that, I think we’ll be okay from there.”

The raptor blinked, then slowly moved around to the cell door as if to examine it.

Kel shook his head. This was all so hard to wrap his head around. Talking beasts made of metal... it was still so much like a very bad nightmare. He decided, however, not to test that theory with another pinch. The last two had hurt.

"At least now maybe I can do SOMETHING for you, if she can get the door open," He said to Tasha. He was sorry he had sounded as irritated as he felt a moment ago. He was just so tired and so concerned about Tasha, about his friends, about everything going on. He was thankful Clawdova had found them and that she was at least wiling to try and help.

He looked at the beast as it approached the cell door. "Thanks for coming," he said. He just hoped she would be able to free him.

Clawdova glanced at Brackett, acknowledging his words with something that sounded like a low purr. Then she looked over the door again, then slowly backed away from it. Then, releasing a loud, ear-splitting snarl, she leaped into the air and kicked the door forcefully with both feet.

[Marishal]

It worked. There was a loud metallic grinding and scraping noise as the door swung inward.

“Thanks Clawdova,” Tasha said with a smile. “Now go help Peter.

Sparing only a glance and a grunt of acknowledgement, Clawdova vanished from sight in a single-bound sprint.

"Thanks!" Brackett called out after her. He ran out the door to Tasha. She was still sitting near the bars. He squatted near her.

"Let me take a quick look and make sure everything is holding. How are you feeling?" He hoped she would answer in specifics. He already knew she was feeling tired and crappy.

Tasha shook her head. “Thanks for all your help, Doc. I really appreciate it. But I think you should just get out of here. The others—I hope—have probably already cleared out the way to the outer exit, so you shouldn’t have any trouble.” She smiled up at him. “Thanks again.”

"You can't be serious!" he said sharply. "Do you have some kind of death wish or something?" Kel was a patient man, but patients who refused to help themselves tried him to no end.

She narrowed her eyes. “I can’t explain, just take my word on it. I think you should go. Clawdova won’t leave me behind so don’t worry, I’ll be okay.”

"You will NOT be okay unless you get to a hospital and get some fluids, antibiotics and a whole lot of stitching up and rest! And I mean YESTERDAY! Damn it, if you don't you're as good as dead already!" He stood firm and spoke with a hard edge to his voice. He did not like to lose and his loss would be an even bigger loss for her. She HAD to see that.

She looked at him, eyes widening at the intensity of his tone. A slow smile spread across her face. “You really care about your patients, don’t you?” She chuckled in spite of herself. “You remind me a little of another doctor I’ve had the pleasure of knowing.”

"Yeah, I do care. And I'm a sore loser." he said. Then his curiosity got to him and he had to ask, "Who was the doc?"

“His… his friends call him ‘Bones’.” She chuckled a little. “But anyway look,” she turned serious again with a sigh, “there’s a reason why I gotta stay here. So… I know it’s hard for you, but please just go.” She then turned away from him.

"I can't do that. I WON'T do that!" he insisted.

“Then what are you going to do?” Tasha snipped, narrowing her eyes again, though not quite looking at him.

"Well, if you won't come with me, I'm sticking to you like glue because sooner or later, you're gonna pass out and that will be all she wrote. If you're lucky, I'll be able to save your stubborn ass!"

“Don’t you think I might have a good REASON to be stubborn? Just look around you!” She gestured around the room, and indicated the deactivated robotic cat that still lay motionless on the floor nearby.

"NO reason is worth your life. You can't help if you're dead!" he shot back.

“Yeah well there’s bigger things to take into consideration. I can’t afford to go to the hospital.” She clamped her mouth shut, looking away again.

"That's a damn excuse and you know it. And nobody asked you to pay anyway. I'd never turn a patient away."

She might be the most stubborn woman he'd met in a long time, but she had no idea who she was up against when it came to stubborn!

She looked at him. Well, that hadn’t been exactly what she meant. Of course money was always an issue to take into consideration, but she had been referring to something else. Still, she’d just let him think she meant that.

Scowling, she grabbed at the bars and began to try and pull herself up. “I gotta get out of this room,” she muttered. “Go, stay, whatever. But please don’t get in my way.”

He was DEFINITELY staying with her. He reached out and took hold of her arm at the elbow and put his other hand in front of her to take hold of if she wanted and assisted her slowly to a standing position. He was relieved when she took the hand but knew that it didn’t mean she was growing cooperative. She just needed the assist.

When she was standing, he did not let go of her elbow. He wanted to make sure she was steady. "How are you doing?" he asked.

She pursed her lips into a thin line, refusing to look at him. “I’ll manage,” she said, and sucked in a deep breath. “Thanks,” she then added as an afterthought. She stayed completely still, trying to determine whether she could make it out the door on her own, or if she should just sit back down again.

"You're welcome," he said softly. He wanted to just pick her up and run with her. He knew she wouldn't be able to fight him long, but he respected her even knowing her choices could have deadly consequences. He didn't figure she truly wanted to die so whatever it was she felt she had to do must be pretty damned important to her.

"Tell me your intentions so we can formulate a plan together." He said it as kindly and calmly as he could. If they could just work together, he knew he'd have better chance of saving her.

“Sorry but… in some ways I think I told you way too much already. Some stuff you just don’t need to know.” She then took a tentative step forward, trying to shove away the wave of dizziness that hit her. “I just need to get back to the others, that’s all. Then I’ll be fine soon enough.”

[Marishal]

"Look," he said softly. "I won't even pretend to understand half of what is going on here and frankly I don't really give a damn. But if I'm going to help you, you're going to have to help me by giving me something to work with." He knew if he let go of her, she would not be able to go forward on her own. She was relying on him for balance and to hold her up more than she realized.

He was sure of it.

As if to confirm that thought, she suddenly leaned against him and rested a hand on his back for support. It was a smooth, careful motion, so it was obvious that she wasn’t trying to catch herself from falling. But she did want to reserve what strength she had.

“Okay…” she said slowly, “if you really wanna help… just help me out of this room, down the hall, and take a right. And don’t freak out at what you see there.”

She realized she would have to put her arm around his waist. His arm went carefully around her back and he held onto her rib cage on her side, just below bosom level. His other arm was then positioned just in front of her so she could grasp on and lean into it. In this fashion he could support her weight and get her where she needed to go.

Tasha was grateful for the support as they carefully and slowly left the room that the cell was in, then gradually went down a long corridor. Finally when they got to a specific door, Tasha indicated it, wanting to turn right and head into it.

That’s when they came across a very ugly sight. Blood was spattered all over the floor, along with a broken body that was twisted and bloodied. It looked as if the person had had his or her head torn off, along with all of the limbs, and the chest had been crushed, the abdomen torn open.

“Ravage got to him first,” Tasha whispered, barely audible.

"Don't look at it." he instinctively wanted to protect her from the sight.

“I already looked at it, for a full ten minutes before I came to where you were.” Tasha inhaled sharply, then exhaled it slowly, as if trying not to cry. “He was… he was a good friend.” She looked away.

"I'm sorry." he said simply. There wasn't anything else he could say or do. He waited for her to direct their next move.

She squeezed her eyes shut, taking a moment to contain herself. This wasn’t the time to get emotional, especially in her current condition. “Okay there’s a reason I wanted to come in here.” She glanced around, trying to ignore the gruesome sight, although that was hard to do. “There it is,” she pointed at the corner.

In the corner there was a small stash of items. There was a locked box, what looked like a first aid kit, and a small canteen of water. “I guess you could say this was supposed to be our ‘check point’,” she explained in a quiet voice. “We put some stuff here in case somebody ran into trouble.”

"Good thinking," he said. "I'm sorry it had to come to this."

Tasha growled. “Can we just grab the stuff and get out of here? I don’t want to be in here.” She leaned forward indicatively.

"Tasha, you'll have to use what you need here. With you in this shape, there is no way we'll be able to take anything with us that doesn't fit in our pockets."

“Fine,” she snapped. “Just let me down on the floor in the corner, then.” It was a few feet away, so she could simply avoid looking at the gruesome sight in the middle of the floor.

Kel helped her to the spot she had indicated and helped lower her to the floor. He then went and retrieved the stash and brought it to her. He opened the water and took a small sip then handed her the rest. "Drink." he said. "You need it."

She took it, then smirked in spite of herself. “Guess you did say I needed fluids,” she murmured. “Tell me, will this help my condition?” She then took a large, careful swig and swallowed it carefully.

"Not that part of it. You need to drink to avoid dehydration but you need IV fluids to increase blood pressure."

He was grateful that she drank willingly and had to chuckle to himself that she was still trying to fix herself.

“Ah.” She took another large swig, then lowered the canteen. “So in other words… this isn’t a cure-all.”

"Not by a long shot. But it certainly can't hurt."

“Yeah,” she acknowledged dully. She took one final drink and then put the cap back on, setting it the canteen aside. “Okay…” She turned her attention to the locked box, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a key, and began to fumble with the lock.

Kel watched her, noting the determination in her expression. He waited for her patiently. He knew she would tell him if she wanted his help.

The lock clicked slightly as it opened, and she removed it. Then she opened the box and peered inside. She reached in and grabbed something square-shaped and flat that fit in the palm of her hand, and flipped it open. “Uh,” she said, glancing briefly toward the doctor, “this is… basically a small radio.” She grinned, then focused her attention on it, making an adjustment.

He watched her fiddle with the small electronic device. It was surprisingly small for a radio.

She glanced at him self-consciously as she finished making her adjustments. Then she turned her back on him, trying to be as discreet as possible. “Barnes to Enterprise,” she murmured into it. “Barnes to Enterprise.” There was a bit of static, but nothing else.

[Marishal]

“Damnit…” She began to fiddle with it again.

Eventually, she gave up and flipped it shut, slipping it into her pocket. “Some kind of interference… DAMNIT what I wouldn’t give for a transporter beam or a dermal regenerator right now!” She rummaged through the locked box again, as if having forgotten all about Brackett’s presence.

"What are you looking for?" he asked. "Is there something I can do to help?"

She ignored him. Instead she simply pulled out a small container and looked at it. “Here we go,” she muttered, and began to examine it.

Kel watched her in fascination. He had no clue what she was doing now however there wasn't anything he could do but wait.

She took the lid off of the container and peered at its contents. She then took out what looked like a large, white tablet and looked it over. It looked something like an aspirin, only a lot larger.

"What is that?" he asked. "What are you doing?"

“Don’t ask,” was all she said. She looked like she was trying to decide whether or not to swallow it.

"I have to ask. You can make yourself worse off than you already are. I have to know."

Tasha shook her head, then put the tablet back and snapped the container’s lid back on. “Let’s just say that it’s something to be used in worst-case-scenario.” She put the container into her other pocket.

This pretty much WAS the worst case scenario as he saw it. But he thought she might mean it was to end it all. He decided not to press her on the issue. "What next?" he asked.

“Well,” she sighed, and made a slight shrugging gesture. “Right now, I’m not sure. I can’t contact anybody else from here, so… I want to go outside, out of this building.”

"Lead the way," he said dryly before assisting her slowly to her feet and assuming the position it had taken to get them to here from the room with the cell.

They walked through the room into another corridor, then made their way toward the end of it. Next they took a left, went down another hallway, and then came to another doorway. This one lead to a flight of stairs that lead downward. “Oh God,” she muttered, wincing at the thought of going down the stairs. She was at least grateful they didn’t have to go UP.

"Maybe it would be easier for you if I carry you," suggested Brackett.

She looked at him. “Think you can handle it?” she asked. Under normal circumstances she would have HATED that idea. But in this case… she didn’t have too much of a choice.

"Yeah, how about piggy back? I think it would be the easiest and the least uncomfortable, given your injuries."

“Heh, okay. If you don’t think I’d be too heavy.”

Kel rolled his eyes and sighed. Then he carefully squatted down and told her to "climb aboard."

Feeling a little sheepish and leaned forward and carefully put her arms around his shoulders and neck. “Oh damn…” she murmured. “I really wish you still had a shirt on at least.” She winced.

"Join the club," he said, good naturedly. Then added, "I do, it just happens to have a girl in it too."

Tasha blushed. “Let’s just get going,” she said gruffly.

"Hey, you started it," he chuckled as he began descending the stairs.

“Yeah, yeah,” Tasha grunted. “So… tell me something,” she then murmured, as they continued to go downward.

Kel smiled. He had gotten a small rise out of her. It was nice to lighten things up a bit. "What do you want me to tell you?" he asked.

“What happens when we get to the bottom and get outside? You still staying with me?” Tasha asked.

"I expect so. You tell me something!"

“Well there’s not much out there. This place is located in the middle of an abandoned town… near Los Angeles. Not sure how we’re gonna get anywhere, though I’m hoping my, erm, radio works.”

"Well, what about a telephone?"

“If we got to a phone who do you suggest we call?”

“The fire department! They'll get paramedics to you and an ambulance."

Tasha said nothing. She simply remained silent as they finished making their way down the stairs. Once they reached the bottom, Tasha asked to be put down, so Brackett squatted just enough so she could slip off with ease.

“Okay,” she said, leaning against him for support again, “that should be the way out.” She pointed at a door just up ahead. “Let’s just hope it’s not locked.” She watched as the doctor tried it, and thankfully it was not locked. So they proceeded outside, into the sunlight and the fresh air.