10-29-2019, 05:04 PM
A Future Stolen
Hospital, Usera, Lauchenoiria
29th October 2019
Jessica Cassidy was so weak. She could barely stay awake, drifting in and out of consciousness. In her moments of wakefulness, however, what she had learned had devastated her. They had found radioactive material, that she had likely digested – probably slipped into her drink. She was alive, they had managed to save her… but she would likely be dead of cancer within five years.
When Jessica was awake, she cried. She’d had plans for her life. It was all supposed to be an adventure, she had so much she wanted to see and do. Now? Her future was gone, all her dreams shattered overnight. They didn’t know who was behind the attack, but Jessica had her suspicions. She was angry at the people who had killed her, for that was what they had done – slowly, not immediately, but eventually. Yet anger led to exhaustion, which led back to sleep…
“Jessie?” came a voice one morning, or afternoon, she couldn’t tell. She had been hovering on the edge of sleep, and at first, she hadn’t thought the voice was real. “Oh, my little girl!”
“Mum?” she croaked out, forcing her eyes open to see her parents standing beside her, looks of utter horror on their faces. They had been looking at her like they’d seen a ghost, unable to hide their fear. It was at that moment Jessica gave up hope.
Her parents had stayed for as long as they’d been allowed. They had cried, watching their slowly dying daughter in her bed. Her bright red hair, that she had always been so proud of was gone. Her cheerful spirit, always able to make a joke even in the worst of circumstances had survived a Kerlian prison camp… but it hadn’t survived this. Jessica was exhausted, and broken, and distraught.
*
“If she comes for regular check-ups, we should be able to detect the cancer as it is forming, which will give her a much better chance of survival. Short of a miracle, she only has five years, but we can make sure she survives those five if we are careful about it.”
“How long until she’s up and on her feet?”
“It will be weeks, if not months. She’s incredibly weak, I would not advise moving her from here. In her present state, she won’t be of much use to you.”
“She’s the only one who can help with what we’re planning. I swear to God, when I find out who did this, they will feel as much pain as a man accused of treason in Kerlile.”
The voices were both low, and familiar to Jessica. She was half asleep, waking slowly. She was unable to move or acknowledge she could hear the men, so she just stayed still and listened. The first man was one of the doctors who had been treating her. And the second… she had only ever heard giving orders before.
“Then, if I was them, I should be rather terrified. Have you… have you discovered who was behind the attack yet?”
“We suspect the Kerlians. We think the radioactive material originated from the Matriarchy, though with such a small amount it is providing difficult to get a conclusive answer.”
“Will we be taking action against them?”
“That is surely none of your business, Doctor. But we are trying to keep this under wraps, so don’t expect to see anything in the news. We will be sticking to a certain… diplomatic backchannel that has worked for us with Kerlile before, in recent months. Still, I am going to need Ms. Cassidy ready to work as soon as possible.”
“She is not at present fit to work. If I understand you correctly, you only want her working at a computer and not on her feet, but she is still not well enough for even that. If she is essential to your plans, they will need to be delayed.”
“Until when?”
“I… this is not precise, you must understand, there could still be complications. And you can’t guarantee, given what happened, that she will want to work for you! I don’t know what you had her doing that led to this, but if I was her, I’d want to stay away from the danger.”
“Do not meddle in affairs which do not concern you, Doctor. When will Ms. Cassidy be able to work?”
“My best estimate is, probably, sometime around the 9th November.”
“Then that is when I will be back. Good day, Doctor.”
Jessica heard the sound of a door closing, and then before she had even fully woken up, she drifted back into her fitful sleep, her nightmares only increasing.
Hospital, Usera, Lauchenoiria
29th October 2019
Jessica Cassidy was so weak. She could barely stay awake, drifting in and out of consciousness. In her moments of wakefulness, however, what she had learned had devastated her. They had found radioactive material, that she had likely digested – probably slipped into her drink. She was alive, they had managed to save her… but she would likely be dead of cancer within five years.
When Jessica was awake, she cried. She’d had plans for her life. It was all supposed to be an adventure, she had so much she wanted to see and do. Now? Her future was gone, all her dreams shattered overnight. They didn’t know who was behind the attack, but Jessica had her suspicions. She was angry at the people who had killed her, for that was what they had done – slowly, not immediately, but eventually. Yet anger led to exhaustion, which led back to sleep…
“Jessie?” came a voice one morning, or afternoon, she couldn’t tell. She had been hovering on the edge of sleep, and at first, she hadn’t thought the voice was real. “Oh, my little girl!”
“Mum?” she croaked out, forcing her eyes open to see her parents standing beside her, looks of utter horror on their faces. They had been looking at her like they’d seen a ghost, unable to hide their fear. It was at that moment Jessica gave up hope.
Her parents had stayed for as long as they’d been allowed. They had cried, watching their slowly dying daughter in her bed. Her bright red hair, that she had always been so proud of was gone. Her cheerful spirit, always able to make a joke even in the worst of circumstances had survived a Kerlian prison camp… but it hadn’t survived this. Jessica was exhausted, and broken, and distraught.
*
“If she comes for regular check-ups, we should be able to detect the cancer as it is forming, which will give her a much better chance of survival. Short of a miracle, she only has five years, but we can make sure she survives those five if we are careful about it.”
“How long until she’s up and on her feet?”
“It will be weeks, if not months. She’s incredibly weak, I would not advise moving her from here. In her present state, she won’t be of much use to you.”
“She’s the only one who can help with what we’re planning. I swear to God, when I find out who did this, they will feel as much pain as a man accused of treason in Kerlile.”
The voices were both low, and familiar to Jessica. She was half asleep, waking slowly. She was unable to move or acknowledge she could hear the men, so she just stayed still and listened. The first man was one of the doctors who had been treating her. And the second… she had only ever heard giving orders before.
“Then, if I was them, I should be rather terrified. Have you… have you discovered who was behind the attack yet?”
“We suspect the Kerlians. We think the radioactive material originated from the Matriarchy, though with such a small amount it is providing difficult to get a conclusive answer.”
“Will we be taking action against them?”
“That is surely none of your business, Doctor. But we are trying to keep this under wraps, so don’t expect to see anything in the news. We will be sticking to a certain… diplomatic backchannel that has worked for us with Kerlile before, in recent months. Still, I am going to need Ms. Cassidy ready to work as soon as possible.”
“She is not at present fit to work. If I understand you correctly, you only want her working at a computer and not on her feet, but she is still not well enough for even that. If she is essential to your plans, they will need to be delayed.”
“Until when?”
“I… this is not precise, you must understand, there could still be complications. And you can’t guarantee, given what happened, that she will want to work for you! I don’t know what you had her doing that led to this, but if I was her, I’d want to stay away from the danger.”
“Do not meddle in affairs which do not concern you, Doctor. When will Ms. Cassidy be able to work?”
“My best estimate is, probably, sometime around the 9th November.”
“Then that is when I will be back. Good day, Doctor.”
Jessica heard the sound of a door closing, and then before she had even fully woken up, she drifted back into her fitful sleep, her nightmares only increasing.
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