Shadows from the Badlands

It was an incessant beeping that woke Michael. At first he thought it was an alarm clock, yet it wasn't quite irritating enough. He thought he heard a person puttering around in the distance, humming an irritatingly cheerful song. He searched his mind for something to give him and indication of where he was. The memories came flooding back, the fight with the hybrid, Dash'r injury, the marine crushing his throat. The subtle presence of Dash'r in his mind was still present, which meant he was still alive.

Someone rustled near him, and he heard a feminine voice whisper quietly "Don't be too loud, and stay calm, or the nurses will come. Trust me, I just got out of here a week ago, and you don't want to attract too much attention from them."

He opened his mouth to respond, but sudden pain shot through his throat, and all that came out was a raspy croak.

"Don't try to speak, your neck was almost crushed, and it's still being rebuilt by nanites." the voice was still a whisper, and he cracked an eye to see who was speaking to him. He saw a tiny redhead sitting on a hospital bed next to him. Despite her size, see seemed to resonate with hidden strength, and yet there was a hidden sorrow buried in her eyes. Her hair seemed odd, like beneath the silky locks was, something. "I'm a telepath, if you think hard enough I should be able to hear you and answer any questions."

He suddenly became aware of the second presence in his mind, it was, fuzzier he supposed, then Dash'rs, and seemed hesitant and faint, afraid to come near him. In a similar manner to how he occasionally talk to Dash'r, he spoke to it, "What happened, where's the Protoss I came hear with?" He could feel the panic rising in him, and he was sure that the woman would as well.

She didn't let on to the fact that she felt his panic, and answered calmly, trying to soothe him, "You were attacked by one of our marines, he had lost many family members when the UED invaded, and he, snapped, and attacked you. As for Dash'r, he's in the Protoss base, undergoing their equivalent to a debriefing I'd imagine." she paused, letting him absorb the information for a moment, "He nearly killed the marine, I was on the boarding party, and he made good on his threat to remove the man's innards, I've heard from his CO that he'll be on hard labor details for some time once he's out of the hospital."

Michael desperately groped in his mind for the connection he still had with Dash'r, needing reassurance to the woman’s words. He was not able to make the words form, nor was he able to make out what was said in response, but he got the impression of agitation and impatience out of it, and when he had tried to communicate through it, the agitation stilled, replaced by relief.

"That's a neat trick, never seen a non telepath work that before," the woman had a giggle in her voice, and sounded playful for a moment, before a shadowed emotion crossed her face, "Well, I have I guess, but that's something for another time. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me, Michael. Now, other questions?"

"Am I a prisoner?" he asked, worried at his reception so far.

Another giggle from the woman, "Only kinda, if you could get past the nurses, other wise no. Plus you have fifty people you rescued and a Dark Templar who would spring you if we even tried. Nothing to worry about."

He sighed, still not able to able to respond out loud even if the pain in his throat was fading. The woman suddenly faded from view, only an electric flicker showing her departure, he heard a her distant voice sound in his mind, with a distinct two toned resonance, "Have fun with the nurses, they noticed your awake. My names Sarah."

Indeed the nurse came up to him seconds later, still humming the cheerful song, "Well good morning Mr. Carson, how are you feeling today," she asked, seemingly oblivious to the fact that his vocal cords were still being repaired. When he rasped an unintelligible answer at her, she continued on, completely ignoring the fact that he could not even begin to answer, "That's good, only another 15 minutes to go and your throat will be good as new!" She let loose a manic giggle at her pronouncement, and Michael began worrying about the woman having suffered a head injury recently.

He desperately began sending out "help me's" along the two telepathic connections that still resided in his mind, the one from Sarah only got him a giggle, once again in that same two toned voice he had heard earlier. The one connected to Dash'r suddenly became clearer, and he could feel the Dark Templar begin to come nearer.

The nurse returned, the humming had become slightly louder. In her hand she held a massive needle, the plunger filled with a gray, soupy materiel. He suddenly found himself terrified as it plunged towards his neck, penetrating deeply before he could dodge out of the way. Terror spiked across his mind, and began being reflected across Dash'rs connection. The one to Sarah still only relayed the same giggle.

The nurse above him withdrew the needle from his neck. "There you go, that was your last nanite treatment, your such a well behaved patient, unlike some," a small frown crossed her face momentarily, and her hand holding the needle tensed, shivering, still uncomfortably close to him. The moment passed, and she became her even more frighteningly cheerful self again. "Best patient I've ever had, I hope you come in here lots, I'd just love to see you again."

The woman bustled away, waiving another needle at a patient on the other side of the room who was franticly struggling to get free from the bindings holding him down. Michael himself didn't waste a moment and tore the monitoring equipment from him and ran out of the room, desperate to escape.

In his terror induced flight he did not look where he was going, nor did he notice that Dash'rs mental presence had become as strong as it was when they were in the same room. He rounded a corner, and crashed into someone big and heavy, who practically trampled him into the floor as they went. The person paused, and Michael looked up to see Dash'r, staring down at him. Michael jumped to his feet, immediately wrapping both arms around the Protoss in a bone crushing hug.

His voice still was not working, despite what the crazed nurse had said, and he called out in his mind, "Dash'r," just as his companion called out his name. "I'm so glad your OK Dash'r."

Dash'rs posture relaxed, and Michael heard the joy in Dash'rs voice, pure and uninhibited, "As am I, Michael, when I woke, seeing you like that, I am not sure what I would have done if he had killed you."

Both simply stood there in the hallway, basking in each other presence and embracing each other for several minutes, and would have stayed like that, uncaring of the world around them, were it not for a familiar voice clearing her throat. Michael looked up, and finally found his voice, "Traitor, leaving me alone like that," he said, still sounding raspy, but understandable.

"Sorry Mike, but the formidable Nurse Britney Sparrow is still looking for me."

Michael turned to the Protoss who still had an arm wrapped around his shoulder, "Dash'r, allow me to introduce Sarah," and turning to the red head, "Sarah, my, um, something friend, Dash'r."

Dash'r gazed on her, studying her as if he could not fathom the woman in front of them. "It is a pleasure, Ms. Kerrigan, to meet you again under more peaceful circumstances. Rest assured I bear no ill will for..." he shifted his robe, and reveled a scar running across his abdominals.

Kerrigan looked abashed, and uneasy with his greeting. "Sorry, I thought you looked familiar, but sometimes the memories are hazy. Anyways, someones looking for you, a friend of mine, he needs to ask you some questions about the UED and Haven."

Michael looked confused. The name Kerrigan rang a bell or two in his mind, but he could not place it. "Of course, lead on."