Father Knows Best?

I folded through the sunset in Steelhead to the pre-dawn darkness in the bayou outside New Toulouse. Combat protocols indicate high altitude transfer with minimal disturbance of the flow, to assess the area. Even at a klick up, the Founder glowed brightly. I guess the family never has gone in for subtle, even from the first. No unfriendlies in the area, and He Who Is Speaker was gone. I landed quickly, and made the proper obiescence to the Founder.

Zaide's heartsong shone through as he knelt beside me and hugged me, an action that my parents would not believe he was capable of doing. As we rose, he said, "There is no time for formalities. Darien will awaken soon. He is once again mortal. Under no circumstances is he to inject himself with the formula again." He stepped back for takeoff. I saluted as he faded out, and turned to Father.

Still groggy, he was uninjured, and to my surprise, his eyes were again the brilliant blue of a New England autumn sky. I muttered under my breath, "I'm not sure how I'm supposed to keep him from doing something he knows is a bad idea, but he keeps doing it...."

Father growled, "...'m not deaf, Amarantis." He carefully levered himself up. "We should..."

"We should get you to the clinic, just to make sure you are all right," I interrupted him. When he staggered on standing, I was a little worried. A quick reading of his aura as I supported him showed it was mostly fatigue. Still, taking him to the infirmary was a good idea, it might keep him out of trouble for a few hours.

Tumbling through the crises

The conference with the family was a bit shocking. There were more questions generated than answers to the older issues. Still, we have a course of investigation now, where before we only had educated guesses.

I filed my papers with Mother so that I could start canvassing the mountain district as part of the Health Brigade. As long as we were at it, I might as well make it official, and help on two fronts for the clan and Vater.

Making the transition back to Steelhead, I intended to check up on my charges there when the shock reached through the planes. Vlok het - Koen was transitioning forward? Was he mad? Well, yeah, okay - he IS a Mason, that goes with the territory, but whatever... I picked up Qli's distress signal, and marked the coordinates. I wasn't sure I could make it there without a boost, but I could arrange that in Steelhead.

Landing on the roof of the Consulate office building, I dug my key to the hatch out of my belt-pouch, when another wave hit me - Zaide? He was back? Wait, what in the name of the Seven Sciences did Father think he was doing?

Then another connection snapped into place and I had no thoughts other than getting to New Toulouse.

So much to do, so few hours.

I spiraled in over the lake, the late morning sun causing sparkles on the surface. My goal was the cabin he was building for himself. Very good work, for one who was near death not so long ago.

I landed, and took stock of the area. His horse was nowhere nearby, but it seemed the pair of them were together, possibly on a supply run.

[did you bring me anything?] the nudging purr at my ankle asked. I smiled and pulled the bundle from my waist pouch. Likely that the tomcat had scented it, prompting him to speak to me. The salmon had been caught fresh that morning, part of breakfast not eaten when I caught up with Papa on patrol.

The little cat growl-purred his way through his meal, and as he finished, I asked, [Any news, little cousin?]

He groomed his whiskers, [doctor was here, some builder-types. No urchins] he said, shaking his paw in distaste at mentioning them.

[Not all of them are as bad as the one I rescued you from.] That little git had gone to ground soon after, whether he was caught by Gloom or was just staying out of my sight, I did not care.

[Poor treatment, no proper offerings from the lot of them] he growled, and continued his post-meal grooming. [not much from him either] an ear-twitch toward the house said which him was meant [but he speaks well] The cat stopped grooming [he has nightmares, but they do not come from here]

I nodded, [He has many threads still hooked in him. Please watch out for him while I am gone?]

[you will bring fish] the cat stated. As he turned to sun himself on the step, he affirmed [will watch].

Patrols and Reports

Antfarm found this doctor without too much guidance. It's good for him to get back on his feet, even if he had to deal with the urchins. The students were just as curious, but ever since Wolfgang, they've been a little less anxious to investigate neighbors. The air in St Helen's will do him some good, and I can leave supplies at his camp when he is on his hikes. Far enough away that the children won't have time to pester him constantly, but close enough he can get into Shanghai to see Dr Beck, it's a good spot.

The trip to Caledon meant I could not patrol as often as I used to, so I have some catching up to do. That Gloom creature was new. The children, urchins or students, are at risk until we can put this one down. Dr Beck is trying to get some information from the remains of the one found. He has more experience in this kind of investigation... and he's having flashbacks in the middle of things. I don't know him well enough yet to help with those. I'll have to sound him out on non-traditional therapies.

The therapeutic regimen he set for himself is not going to do him any good in the long run. He hasn't taken any sever damages yet, and he's still healthy enough that I'm not worried yet. His mind is till mostly intact, and his neurological reactions are still solid enough to treat others. I still trust him more than Roundtree, because even with his ghosts, he's still trying to care for the slum-dwellers.

Mama also had problems with Shanghai, centered around something in the hotel. I went over her notes, and something has moved into Dragonlands since my last patrol there. I can see why she is weirded out by it. I am going to see what Greenie can make of it, because this should be safe enough territory.

Unfolding the Past, Wrapping the Present

Unfolding the Past, Wrapping the Present

That drizzly morning where I stormed into the sanitarium, seemingly for the first time in weeks, I was not in the mood to deal with polite guidelines of behavior. I'm not quite sure I remember everything I called Roundtree, but some of it was medically impossible (even for mad science) and I was kinda loud. The police had taken that nurse off to whatever they thought was safe, and Mack seemed fine with me not physically threatening the doctor. "What sort of hospital are you running where the staff can go off the deep end and you DON'T BLOODY WELL NOTICE?!?!"

He got huffy, and was about to bring out the I Am The Doctor voice, and I cut him off. "I do not give a damn what you think you were doing, I am taking him out of here before the rest of your staff decides he needs 'help'." Hayes pitched in, babbling about how he could not be moved, and the nurses murmuring it was all so unseemly, but they couldn't find Ward Sister Grace to tell me off.

About half my rage was an act. Yeah, I was angry, and it really was a shoddy way to treat them, but the main thing was keeping my wings mantled and the claws extended. I needed some physical space for the shields to work, here. I had a thread of a connection to Mr Antfarm, stepping his pain reactions off, and channeling the energy to boost his immune system, increase the healing of his wounds and give him some strength. I had enough of padding around the rules of maintaining the status quo of the local medical standards. They were doing less for him than we had been able to manage in Steelhead.

Sweeping the hospital for more energy sources, I started to get the residuals from Nurse Rain's activities from the day. It was worse than they thought. "...and where is your Ward Dragon? Where was she when all of this was happening?" The nurses that had been under Sister Grace began muttering. From their whispers, Sister Grace had not been in the dorm that night, and I knew from when I was hiding here that she never left the campus. No lover, no family to visit, her whole life was the hospital, and yet and Sister Grace was no-where on the grounds. I also knew, from the negative pool of energy in the basement, something was very wrong.

Mack looked like he was about to drop, but his day shift counterpart Daniel had just shown up, and they were having a hurried conference in the back of the crowd. They peeled off down the wards with about a half-dozen of the younger nurses and all but the two burliest of the orderlies. Those two were flanking Roundtree like goombahs backing a don as we argued back-and-forth about his medical qualifications.

About ten minutes later, a shriek went up from the basement, and soon after, Watchman Daniel pelted up the stairs. I was just able to pull my working shields in when he reached me and grabbed my wrist. I nearly pulled back and decked him, but he was radiating more concentration than fear. He turned my hand over, and inspected my talons, then he took a sniff of the back of my hand. "I di'n think so, but I had't be sure. We need you to stick around, jus' th' same."

Ignoring Roundtree's demands for information, I nodded, "I will stay in arm's reach of you while we wait for the police."

Hours later, the police cleared me, when they found the coal shovel, and the hand-prints in the blood that were smaller than mine. True, I am a shape-shifter, but the hands were also the size of Nurse Rain's. The Caledon investigator looked me over, and shook his head, "Na, you've not been in the basement, I think. I know how to contact you, Dr Belfire." That was a shock, as I hadn't even told my parents I had passed my boards. I had the oddest feeling he was taking my family history just by glancing over my clothes. The small pin on his lapel depicting an open book gave me a clue where he might be getting his information, but at least he was clearing me of the murders.

Yes, murders. They found two separate scenes of carnage, one in the laundry, and one in the boiler room. No bodies yet, though they were shutting down the boiler to see if anything was left. The hospital was short-staffed, and it seemed the staff was dwindling more with each new revelation.

In all of the confusion, we managed to get everyone clear of room fifteen, long enough for someone to dress and slip away. It was the least I could do for him, as the staff still would not release him to me. I still have the thread attached to him, so I can find him later when we get a doctor for him. Father is not available, and Vater is more of a neurosurgical specialist, so I hope I can drag Beck out of whatever memory-dampening stupor he's dug himself into this week.

Short Commercial Break

Look, I have to edit a lot of words Ladies aren't supposed to use in Steamlands Society from my next bit of my journal. I was (language redacted) upset with that (language redacted) medical professional, Dr Roundtree, and my parents read this. True, of the five of them only three would notice, and Mama might say something about it.

So go look at this entry about the Dragonlands rentals. I was there for a visit after returning to Steelhead to, erm... I have to check the statute of limitations on this one... just go read, then visit the Dragonlady and get yourself a place to sleep. I wasn't there, you didn't see me.

Angel of Mercy, Angel of Death

I had to switch to a nocturnal schedule to monitor him properly. The hospital is bustling most of the day, and after watching the movements of the staff, I can just about mimic their patterns to further disguise my appearance. Shape-shifting into someone they expect to see takes practice, but not a great deal of energy. All it took was a firmer sense of self, and a strong need.

Being an under nurse in this place is absolute hell. It is a wonder anyone stays. We have to get that new guy in the slums straightened out enough to run a hospital full time. It's a wonder anyone survives this place. It's clean enough, and the science is usually sound, but there is so little contact it is a wonder if the diagnoses are right half the time. I had enough in the first day to switch to night watch.

Hiding in the attic was the only way, but this time I was close enough to react when the ward alarm went off a scant hour before dawn. Still wearing the seeming of one of the under nurses, I slipped past the ward nurse and into room fifteen.

The room was dark, and I wondered how a human navigated it - unless they were intimately familiar with the room layout. But of course, this one did know, she was supposed to be here.

As the figure reached into her cloak and pulled out her tools, I heard her murmur, “There, there, Mr Antfarm. I’m here to help you. You’ll be better soon. Let me take your pain away.” Her voice was gentle as the rain outside.

Grabbing her wrist before she could dose him, I growled, "That is enough of that, sister."

She shrieked, and stabbed at me with the pipette. Not the harridan that ruled the floor, this was the tweenie that got sent down today! In my surprise, I lost my hold on my shape, reverting to my default.

Well, of course that was a surprise for her. Cross-dimensional beings are not unknown here, but finding a bat-winged, fanged figure with glowing blue eyes holding your arm in a dark room will be startling to lots of people. As romantic as her notions about killing people as a mercy to them were, it was too much for her. She fainted dead away.

The commotion was bound to bring someone, and I had to make a quick choice. Nurse Rain was not authorized to be on this floor, but I was not even authorized to be in the building. Discretion being the better part of valor, I blended back into the shadows and shifted between planes to the stairwell.

When the night nurse came in holding her lamp aloft, saying sotto voce, "What goes on here?" there was naught to see but Mr Antfarm, and Nurse Rain, clutching her bottle of opium. I slipped back into my guise as an under nurse and quickly retraced my steps to the room. The evidence was there, and the night nurse was thankfully a sharp one. She barely glanced at me, ordering me to get the watchman and the doctor on call.

Luckily, I didn't have far to go to get Mack, as her screech had been heard downstairs as well. He was on hand to help restrain Nurse Rain as she came out of her faint, babbling about demons keeping her from her duty. The doctor on call was not Roundtree, but one of his students. This one had studied a year in Vienna, much to Antfarm's luck, and was able to sign her into one of the observation rooms. He noted the opium bottle, and her hysteria, and managed to write up a neat assessment dismissing her report of seeing me as hallucination, caused by her conscience and possible drug abuse.

All this went on without any need for me to guide it, and I stopped in to see Mr Antfarm. He had not gotten any further dosages, and his eyes tracked me well enough. I let my eyes show through the seeming, and told him, "I will make sure you get better, but I can't promise there will be no pain. I will do my best, though."

Downstairs, in a broom closet on the ground floor, I shifted back to my default, taking time to pull together my formal suit to confront Roundtree as soon as he got to the hospital.