//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 - Hospitalization // Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds // by Kamahido //------------------------------// Leaving the office the pair head for the garage. Minerva jumps into a TV van and closes the sliding door behind her. Cherry looks up at the ceiling of the van from the satchel. “I thought we weren’t taking your cameraman.” Minerva pulls the helmet from the satchel and sets it down in the passenger seat. “We’re not. Just the van.” “Isn’t this stealing?!” “Hardly. The van is owned by the station. It’s not actually his.” “Oh. I just thought… you know.” Cherry hears the sound of Minerva shuffling around behind her. “Um, what are you doing back there?” Minerva pulls some clothes from her satchel. “Getting changed.” “Changed?” Minerva nods as she unbuttons her blouse. “My clothes, silly. If I’m going to be traipsing around that old hospital, I don’t want my suit getting dirty. It’s not cheap, and my dry cleaning bill is already high enough as is.” A short time later Minerva steps to the front of the front of the van. She is wearing a pair of tight fitting black jeans, a black sweater, and even black gloves. Cherry gasps in surprise. “M-Minerva?!” Grinning, Minerva sits down in the driver’s seat. “I know it’s not what your used to seeing me in. But this is the best way to move around the place without being seen.” “Why didn’t you just change at the apartment?” Minerva starts the van. “You don’t think I want anyone seeing me like this, do you?!” “Who would…? I didn’t hear us pass anyone in the hallway.” “You never know who might come in early. I’d never hear the end of it!” They pull outside and head for the street. Minerva turns toward the edge of town and the highway. A short time later Arc and company return to the parking lot from yesterday. They are wearing their cloaks. Ember frowns. “Let’s try this again.” Sereb nods. “Hopefully this time will yield a more positive outcome.” Arc sighs. “I hope so. Cherry must be so scared being all alone out there.” Rose turns to Arc. “She isn’t alone. After all, Minerva Moore has her.” “That’s what worries me.” The group cloaks. Gathering near Arc he Blinks them to the top of the TV station again. Sereb walks over to the edge of the building and again takes his place from yesterday. Arc joins him with Rose. “Anything?” “Scanning…” Rose scans the building below them and the parking lot. She shakes her head. “Your helmet is not in the building.” Ember grins. “That means we beat Minerva here, huh?” Arc looks down as a few cars enter the parking lot. “It would appear so. Do you smell anything, Sereb?” “No. I will wait here for Minerva’s scent.” Ember looks over her shoulder. “Good! Arc why don’t you and I have a seat by that unit from yesterday?” Arc shakes his head, not taking his eyes off the lot below as he tosses Ember the rolled up sleeping bag. “I’m going to stand watch for a bit. You and Rose wait for me over there.” Ember sighs. “Sure.” She and Rose head over to the rooftop unit and sit down. Ember turns back to see Arc standing with Sereb as still as a statue. “I wish I could do more to help him right now.” Rose nods. “So do I.” “But you are!” “I am?” “Yes! You’re using your sensors in an attempt to locate Cherry! I mean, you gave it EVERYTHING yesterday!” “That I did.” “Why?” “To make Arc happy. That and Miss Cherry is… very interesting to me.” “She is?” Rose nods. “I want to learn more about her.” “To become like her?” “No. To be more… alive.” “I don’t understand.” “Neither do I, Ember. But it’s what I want to do with my time right now.” Meanwhile, Minerva turns onto the highway and looks to Cherry. “We should be there in about thirty minutes. You want to listen to the radio?” Cherry gasps excitedly. “Radio?! This chariot has a radio?!” “Um… yes.” “Can we use it to contract my friends?!” Minerva shakes her head. “It’s not that kind. All it does is receive radio waves. We can’t transmit with it.” Cherry sounds downcast. “Oh.” “Even if we could, your friends would have to be listening to the right frequency to hear us.” Cherry sighs. “So it would be a shot in the dark, huh?” Minerva nods. “Unless you know what frequency they use.” “I don’t.” “Look, if I keep investigating The Riders I’m sure we’ll bump into him at some point.” “That’s kinda unlikely. The Hero’s already discovered what he wanted to know from them by now.” Minerva looks to her, confused. “What he wanted to know?” Cherry gasps. “I… forget I said that!” “Come on! You can’t just clam up after saying that!” “Listen Minerva, for your own safety just forget it, okay!” Minerva shakes her head. “I can’t. If there’s more to The Riders activities I have to figure it out and expose the truth.” “They’re just thugs! Nothing more!” “Yeah? Thugs that turn into zombies and werewolves now?!” Cherry is silent for a time before responding. “All I’m saying is this really is needlessly dangerous. You could get hurt, or worse!” Minerva nods as she keeps her eyes on the road. “True. But this is who I am and what I do. I understand if you don’t want to come, but I’m heading over there.” “But…!” “If you want I can turn back and put you in my office. You’ll be safe there.” Cherry sighs. “I’ll come. But on one condition.” Sometime later Minerva turns the van down the two-track and slowly drives to the end of the road. “Here we are.” “I suppose so. Are you sure I can’t talk you out of this, Minerva?” Minerva opens the driver’s side door and steps out. “Not a chance!” Cherry sighs. “Very well. Let’s get this over with.” Minerva picks Cherry up and turns it to look at the faceplate. “You sure about this? I mean, nothing’s going to jump out at me, right?” “Yes. Do it.” Minerva gulps as she slowly puts the helmet on and looks around. “This… this is incredible! Everything’s so clear!” “Yes, the helmet was recently upgraded with the faceplate and the enchantment that allows the user to see.” “How does it work?!” “Sorry. That’s a secret.” “Come on!” “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Minerva frowns. “We can talk about it later then. Right now we have to get moving.” She walks over and opens the side door. Reaching inside Minerva pulls out a ski mask and puts it on. “This should help.” Cherry sighs. “But now I can hardly see!” “Can’t you just look through my eyes… or something?!” “I can only do that with the Hero.” “Why’s that?!” “He and I share a… a very special bond.” “Well, you’re a fairly bright shade of white. It’s going to be hard to hide if the need arises.” Cherry cries out frantically. “I don’t like this!” Minerva pulls the ski mask off and sighs. “Fine! Then what are we going to do?” “Do you see that wagon trail?” Minerva frowns. “Wagon… what?” “Behind your Jeep.” “You mean the van?” “Um… yes.” “Okay. What about the two-track?” “There’s quite a bit of mud there.” “What’s your point, Cherry?” “Think about it.” Minerva is silent for a time before responding. “You can’t be serious.” “I don’t think we need a lot of it. Just enough to take the shine off.” Minerva sighs. “Fine.” Walking behind the van, Minerva stoops down and removes the helmet. She picks up a handful of mud and begins to rub it over the white surface, “Well, you’re certainly becoming less… bright, I guess. Can you still see?” “Yes. It’s not completely masking me by far, but it should help keep you safe.” Minerva stands back up. “I can take care of myself.” She walks back to the van, reaches inside, and picks something up. “What’s that?” Minerva throws a strap over her shoulder. “A camera. I need to document this somehow.” “I’ll do my best to watch your back while you film.” “No need for that, Cherry.” Minerva carefully puts on a strange looking pair of glasses. “That should do it. After all, I can’t be distracted in there.” “And those things on your face will record whatever you look at?” Minerva nods. “Yes, as they’re wirelessly linked to the camera. Now let’s get moving!” Cherry sighs. “Very well.” Minerva slowly approaches the edge of the foliage. She carefully looks all around. “I don’t see any of those strange two-wheeled wagons anywhere, Minerva.” “You mean motorcycles?” “The loud machines The Riders rode?” Minerva nods. “Right. They parked up front last time.” “Think this place is empty?” “After what the Hero did to them the other day I’d be surprised if any of them were out of the hospital.” Minerva looks around one last time. “You ready Cherry?” Cherry sigh. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” “Good. Let’s get this over with.” Minerva puts the helmet back on as she emerges from the foliage and jogs toward the building. Her eyes dart around as she moves, and she keeps her voice low as they approach the front door. “Almost there…” “What if it’s locked?!” “If we’re lucky it won’t be.” Minerva grabs the door and pulls. It swings open freely. Cherry breathes a sigh of relief. “That was easy enough.” Minerva grins. “Hopefully the rest of this endeavor will go as well.” She silently enters the building. The entryway is strewn with garbage, broken ceiling tiles, and broken-down hospital equipment. “This place is a mess.” Minerva rolls her eyes. “Of course it is! No one but men hang out here!” Cherry frowns inwardly. “I’ll have you know the Hero and his, um… followers are VERY tidy!” “Followers? You mean those robed figures that helped him the other day?” “Y-yes.” “We can talk about them later.” Cherry sighs as Minerva makes her way into the foyer. An abandoned receptionists desk is laden with old pizza boxes and beer cans. Minerva slowly pans her gaze over the desk. “Let me just get all of this. Such a mess!” “What exactly are we looking for in here, Minerva?” “Nothing in particular.” “Then why are we…?!” “Because this is MY story! Your friend taking out The Riders was BIG news! Our viewers have been ringing the phones off the hook wanting more!” Cherry sounds confused. “More what?” Minerva slowly moves her head to record the desk. “Details on this gang.” “That doesn’t make sense.” Minerva sighs as she slowly walks past the desk. “Which part?” “You feeling the need to put yourself in danger, for starters.” “It’s what I do, and I LOVE it!” Minerva looks down the dimly lit corridor. “Let’s go deeper.” “Why?” “To find the truth.” Cherry sighs as they continue down the corridor. “I have a bad feeling about this.” Minerva looks around as she walks. “That’s strange. I don’t see any lights out here, but illumination has to be coming from somewhere.” Cherry giggles. “I can explain that. Take me off for a moment.” Minerva does so. Nothing but an inky black void looms before her. She frowns. “What the…?!” “Now put me back on.” Minerva does so. Again she is able to see. “How are you doing that?!” “It’s another enchantment. The Hero calls it True Sight. With it you can see in the dark.” Minerva gasps. “This is better than night vision goggles! You have to tell me how it works!” “Sorry, but I don’t actually understand it myself.” Minerva puts a hand to the helmet and feels its side. “This is going to make my story especially noteworthy!” “Maybe. But can we hurry this along? This place is giving me the creeps!” “Fine. Let’s check a few of these doors.” “The patient rooms?” Minerva nods as she walks over to a door. “Considering the condition of the hospital, I don’t think any patients are left.” “Fair enough.” Opening the door Minerva finds a run-down bed along with a table and chair, but little else in the way of furniture. “Very… minimalistic, huh Minerva?” “Yes. It’s quite spartan.” Checking a few other rooms the pair find them nearly identical to the first. Moving on they come to a Cafeteria. “This place appears somewhat well used.” Minerva nods as she slowly moves her head around to take in the footage. “Everyone has to eat at some point. It looks like The Riders are no exception. Come on, let’s check the back.” Cherry sighs. “Very well.” Heading behind the counter, they make their way to the Kitchen. To say it is a mess would be an understatement. Dirty pots and pans fill the counters to bursting as do plates, cups, and silverware. “Sweet Cele… I mean… um…” Minerva nods grimly. “Yes, this is beyond disgusting!” “I suppose we’re lucky it’s so cold in here.” Minerva turns toward the freezer. “Agreed. Come summer this place is going to be crawling with maggots and rats.” “What do you expect to find in there?” She shrugs. “I dunno. A dead body?” “Certainly not! Right…?” “Relax, I was joking.” Cherry mutters indignantly as Minerva opens the door and walks inside. There are rows and rows of chilled meat inside. Dried blood stains the floor and snakes its way toward a floor drain in the center. Cherry makes a gagging sound. “This… this is… MONSTROUS!!!” Minerva sounds confused as she surveys the meat. “What’s wrong? Haven’t you ever seen a deer?” “I’ve seen deer before! But not MASSACRED like this!” Minerva turns to leave the room. “Nothing really interesting in here.” “Genocide isn’t noteworthy?!” “They were just hunting. Probably to save money, or something.” She closes the door behind them and leaves the Kitchen. Cherry grumbles indignantly. “Can we please leave now?!” “After I check out the other floors, yes.” “What else do you expect to find?!” “Something that can tell us how The Riders became so influential so quickly. They’re not really that much different from the Shards when you think about it.” “A frightening thought!” Heading upstairs to the second floor they find numerous other quarters similar to the ones downstairs. Cherry frowns inwardly. “More beds and tables.” Minerva nods as she closes the door to a room. “Yes. But note that the furniture is nicer up here.” “What does that mean?” “That someone more important must have stayed up here.” “Like their leaders?” “Maybe. But as many rooms as there are, they more than likely to belong to senior members.” “A hierarchy?” “Probably.” “I find it hard to imagine thugs and criminals taking orders from others.” Minerva shrugs. “Their leaders probably rule through intimidation. Put a few big guys up top and the weaker members fall into line.” “Now that I think about it, the Shards work that way too.” “Right. They have their lieutenants as well. Like that one that was here the other night.” “About that. You just happened to be hiding in the woods that night with a camera?” Minerva shakes her head. “Nah. We got an anonymous tip that something big was going on here.” “Who from?” “Like I said, it was anonymous.” “It could have been a wild goose chase, you know.” “True. But it was the same voice who told me about the fire a while back.” Cherry gasps. “The apartment fire?!” “Yes.” “And you didn’t TELL anyone?!” Minerva shrugs as she approaches to the stairwell. “We get bogus tips like that all the time from all kinds of weirdos. I just thought it was another one of those.” “But you went anyways?!” “Yes, but it was to get lunch. As soon as I smelled the smoke though, I knew something was up. I called 9-1-1 to report the smell, then got in touch with my office to get a cameraman and gear out there.” They walk up the stairs to the third floor. Opening the door the pair find themselves in much nicer surroundings. “This is a surprise!” Minerva nods. “Agreed. I really thought this would be more of the same, but it’s not.” Cherry looks around as Minerva walks down the corridor. “Why do you suppose that is?” “My guess would be due to who lives up here.” “You mean besides rats?” “Let’s check out a room and see if I’m right.” Minerva pushes open a door at the end of the corridor. Inside they find a truly massive room. She grins. “Looks like I was right.” Cherry gasps. “These accommodations are quite nice!” “You’re right about that. If I didn’t know better, I’d say they knocked out all the walls that weren’t load bearing on this floor.” “Why?” “I’m guessing this is where Bloodletter sleeps.” “You mean this is HIS apartment?!” “Probably.” “We shouldn’t be here! What if he comes back?!” Minerva laughs. “Are you kidding?! After what the Hero did to him the other day he HAS to still be in the hospital.” “I suppose so. But…” “Let’s check out a few of these doors. See what secrets that guy has.” Cherry gulps as Minerva pushes open a door. The pair find themselves in a large bathroom. “Not much to see in here, Minerva.” “Maybe. Let me check something.” She walks over to the large medicine cabinet and opens it. “What are you looking for?” “Pills mostly. But really anything that our viewers would find… AHA!” Minerva pulls out a small black satchel. She unzips the bad to expose a pen-like instrument. “Is that supposed to be drugs?” “No, it’s a… finger pricker. “A what?” “It’s used to test blood sugar levels. You poke yourself and take a blood sample with this.” “What for?” Minerva chuckles. “Bloodletter must be diabetic.” “Is he sick?” Minerva shakes her head as she zips up the bag and puts it back. “Not sick as you and I would see it. His body needs regular insulin shots apparently.” “Is that important to your story?” “Well, it shows he’s not as tough as one might believe. A bit of junk food would put him in a diabetic coma.” “Sounds terrible!” Minerva shrugs as she leaves the bathroom. “Well, I assume it’s not fun. Let’s see if he has an office or something around here.” They look toward another door across the room. Entering it they find a myriad of boxes. Cherry calls out. “Storage?” “Let’s see what’s in these.” She rifles through the boxes for a few minutes. “Mostly just personal effects. But they kinda remind me of the contents of a house.” “Like he moved here permanently?” “Yes. But for what reason I don’t know.” Leaving the room the pair spot another door nearby. Opening it they find a large room with a desk and fancy chair. “This must be the office. The Riders sure put a lot of effort into this room.” Minerva nods. “It’s probably just the old hospital superintendent’s office.” “Makes sense. Should we check the desk?” “Of course!” She opens the top drawer. “Nothing but pens and office supplies in here.” Moving on to the side drawers, Minerva finds them empty save for the last one. “Here we go! Papers!” “But those look private.” “Minerva sets the papers on the desk and sits down. Well, he should have thought about that before starting a gang and not putting locks on doors.” She leaves through the stack before coming to a rather large and bulky envelope. “This looks promising.” “It certainly looks like it has more than just paper in it, that’s for sure.” Minerva opens the envelope and dumps its contents out onto the desk. A folded up piece of paper and a syringe come into view. “Hey! That looks familiar!” Minerva nods as she picks up the syringe. “This looks like what that Shard member jabbed Bloodletter with!” “You don’t suppose it’s the same one, do you?! After all, how would it have gotten up here?” “No. This one’s still full.” She sets down the syringe and picks up the paper. Unfolding it she looks it over. “This isn’t good.” Minerva frowns. “I’ll say! These are orders to transport several crates of these things!” “Where to?” “Who knows? It could be anywhere in the world!” “Imagine other humans having the same experience as Bloodletter did the other night!” Minerva gasps. “It would be chaos!” “We’ve got to report this to the gua… to the police!” Minerva removes the vial from the syringe and puts it safely in her pocket. “We will. After the story airs, that is.” “WHAT?! But somepo… someone could be hurt!” “By who? The Riders are all out of commission for the moment.” A loud sound is heard outside. Peeking out one of the large office windows the pair spot a motorcycle along with three large trucks approaching the entrance. Cherry calls out as they park and head inside. “What are we going to do?!” Minerva quickly puts the envelope back in the drawer. “Now would be a good time to leave.” “Do you think there’s a back door to this place?!” Minerva hurriedly runs toward the office door and back to the stairwell. “Probably. Let’s find out!”