Chapter 29: We're Going Out for Ice Cream
Jenira stared at him in disbelief. "Jayce, don't joke about that! They are gods that created this entire simulation! Why would one come and talk to you?" She eyed him suspiciously. Jayce had no idea what he had done to get this interrogation from Jenira. "I swear Jen! He came and attacked me!" He spit out some blood and looked back at her with confusion. Jenira was about to continue questioning him when Jayce doubled over in pain.
A pained groan escaped his body as his hoodie caught fire around his heart. Flames with a purple hue to them quickly enveloped his entire torso. Jenira screamed out in fear and quickly tried dousing the flame by swatting it. "Jayce stop drop and roll!" Jayce screamed in agony as the fire dissolved into nothing as quickly as it had appeared. He quickly tore off his hoodie and threw it to the ground. Both he and Jenira gasped in unison.
A dark tattoo had appeared just under where his heart was. It looked like a claw that was reaching up to rip his heart out of his chest. Jenira knelt down and gingerly touched his area around the tattoo. "Does it hurt?" Jayce shook his head, "not right now." She traced the lines with her fingers before looking at Jayce with concern in her eyes. "You didn't pay to get this tattoo did you?" Jayce again shook his head no. He could barely remain conscious due to the amount of pain that had coursed through his body moments before.
The tattoo began to flex its fingers and inch closer to his heart. Every time the claws moved Jayce felt like a knife was being stabbed into his heart. He doubled over in agony and blood began to leak from his mouth. Jenira had a horrified expression on her face until Jayce saw a calmness wash over her. Her entire posture changed and the tone of her voice became one Jayce didn't recognize. She looked down at him and he lifted his head to ask her what was happening until he felt another knife enter into his heart.
Jenira quietly said some words in a language Jayce didn't understand and then touched his tattoo. A flurry of black sparks shot from the claws. Jayce felt an even more extreme wave of pain pound into his body. He fell over onto his back and the world went black.
"Jayce? You alive buddy?" Jayce opened his eyes slowly. His three friends were crowded over him with concern written all over their faces. He gasped as another surge of pain rocked him. It was far less than the previous two waves but it still caused him to spit more blood onto the shiny white simulation floor. Coughing he reached out his hand and Ralnas looped his hands around him and pulled him to his feet. He was still shirtless and the cold floor had felt good to his burning body.
He looked down at his chest and gasped. "Where the hell did that claw go!" In place of the claw, a new tattoo had appeared on his body. A long-limbed spider was placed over his heart. The spider had a prominent hourglass in its abdomen and it's legs almost covered his entire left pectoral muscle. "Jenira what the fuck happened to me?" "Jayce I have no idea what you're talking about, it's always been a spider?"
He was about to argue with her when she flashed him a look. "Don't bring it up," the look said and Jayce opened and closed his mouth a few times before changing the subject. "How did you two get in here?" He looked at Micu and Ralnas. The two friends looked at each other then back to Jayce. "Uh, that's not the most important thing that we should be taking care of right now Jay." Ralnas slung his arm over his shoulder and helped their hobbled friend to the door.
Ralnas opened the door to the outside world and waiting there was a team of expensively outfitted private medics who were ready for them. Ralnas nodded to the closest one who lifted Jayce easily into a stretcher before they carried him into an emergency medical tent. The tent was in the dead center of the competitor area and there were swarms of curious teams trying to look at what was happening. Robotic guards protected the immediate area and denied everyone entry. Reporters had already begun streaming in hearing the news that something was happening.
The three remaining of Chiron's Chosen swiftly disappeared into a room adjacent to the tent where Jayce's mom was sitting with Chiron. "Is he okay?" She exclaimed as soon as they closed the door behind them. Ralnas nodded, "Don't worry Ms. Good. He was up and talking before we handed him to the EMT's." He flashed a smile at her before sitting down heavily in one of the chairs. A long sigh escaped his lips. Micu turned to Jenira, "What happened Jen? One second we were screaming in celebration at having won the second exam and next thing we know you two haven't come out of the simulation and robots are kicking everyone out of the area!" Jenira was leaning against the wall before slowly letting herself slide down to sit on the floor.
A series of half-formed words escaped her lips before she finally began to speak clearly. "Micu I have no idea. I was celebrating with Jayce when I heard him groan and start dripping blood from his mouth. I started smacking his face, pounding on his chest to get him to talk to me but it was like he wasn't inside his own body." She glanced at Jane and Chiron before continuing. "Then he gets this look of pure rage on his face and finally focuses on me. I thought he was okay and then his shirt catches fire! But the fire was purple and only burned that Spider tattoo into his chest..." She expressed her worry in a long sigh.
Micu put his head in his hands as he sat down next to Ralnas. "What the hell..." he muttered quietly. Chiron quickly draped an arm around Jane Good. "He's going to be okay Jane. The medical equipment here is light years ahead of the stuff we had on Earth." Jane was biting her lips hard enough to draw blood but forced herself to smile at Chiron. "Thank you, Mr. Chiron. I'm sure you're right."
A light tap at the door brought them out of their thoughts. The door opened slowly and a tall dark figure stood in the doorway. "May I come in?" A metallic voice asked. Ralnas was standing in a flash. "Who are you!" Micu put a hand on his friend's clenched fist. "It's okay, I asked him to come." Ralnas sat slowly eyeing the figure with suspicion. Micu then looked up at the tall dark man. "So dad, what do you think happened to Jayce?"
Jenira and Ralnas almost jumped out of their skin. "You called your dad?" Though they were supposed to go to dinner with Micu's family they had never actually had the chance to do so. Instead, they had just been gifted the four outfits for the interview with Leon Roberts. The Marrow's had been staying at Micu's house for five days and hadn't seen his parents more than a second as they strode out the door early in the morning.
Micu's dad confidently walked into the room and the light illuminated his features. His body was covered in mechanical components. One of his mechanical eyes was a bright blue light that seemed to be scanning the room constantly. His hands had mechanical thumbs and they drummed against the table in a rhythm.
He smiled at Ralnas and Jenira, "I think Jayce is going to be fine. We're not sure what caused his pain yet but it looks like it didn't do any lasting damage." He opened up his briefcase and sat opposite Jane. "Now Ms. Good, I must apologize for this being the way we met but as you can see I am kept very busy here in major hub one." He smiled sincerely, "I've heard many great things about your son from mine. He should be fine to walk out of here within the next few minutes. We're just rehydrating him. I've never seen such a level of dehydration. It was like something burned it right out of him..."
Jenira tensed slightly at hearing this but said nothing. Micu's dad hadn't seemed to notice and continued speaking with Jane. "Don't worry about the cost, I'll pay for it myself. After all, our sons are a team." His smile was bringing a warmth to the room and Ralnas felt himself relaxing. Micu's dad was really cool he had to admit. "I would like to check up on him tomorrow morning. I have to be at work at 4:00 a.m. HST but I can stop by around 3:30 a.m. Is that okay?"
All of the other people in the room burst out laughing at his question. Chiron finally managed to speak. "Mr.uhh..." Micu's dad raised a hand, "Of course I forgot to introduce myself. Please call me Ionas." "Thank you, Ionas you must not know this but Jayce Good has never been awake before 7:15 in his life." Chiron went back to snickering to himself as Jane regained her composure. "Mr. Ionas I will happily wake up Jayce for you to check on him if you are kind enough to stop by." Ionas smiled and nodded.
Then he turned to Micu, "I want you to feed me reports the moment something strange happens to your friend. For science...and for personal interest." Micu laughed at his dad's poor attempt at a joke, "Sure thing, dad!" Ionas packed up his things and nodded to the five in the room. As he slipped back outside they relaxed and the mood lightened substantially. Another knock brought their attention back to the door.
Jayce slowly opened the door and looked in. He was wearing a ratty shirt that one of the EMT's had let him borrow. His face was still pale but was starting to return to a normal color. "Uh hey, guys..." was all he managed to get out before he was bundled into a group hug by everyone in the room. After making sure he was okay to leave the six of them set off for the train station.
Jayce was walking slowly, still relying on some support from Ralnas every few steps. Chiron had asked the robot guards to send a group with them to the train station for extra protection. These eight robots kept the reporters from getting too close but camera flashes illuminated their whole journey to the train station. Micu smiled ruefully. "Wait til Leon Roberts gets wind of this," he thought to himself.
Finally climbing aboard the train they found their entire cabin empty. Micu quickly spoke up, "Dad said I should buy out the whole train." He smiled and then sat down to look out the window by himself. Ralnas ensured Jayce was tucked into a chair before he sat next to Micu. Jenira sat down next to Jayce quietly.
As the train started to move Jane Good stood up. "Alright everyone, ice cream on me tonight. I want you four to make sure Jayce gets back to Micu's safe and then I'll swing by to pick you up. I have to get a new pair of clothes for Jayce before we can go out in public. There will be no arguing." No one dared even jokingly challenge her and Chiron laughed. "Ms. Good have you ever considered a career in education?" Jane smiled brightly and sat down next to Chiron to discuss it more.
"Jay?" Jenira said softly. Jayce looked away from the window towards her. "You and I need to talk somewhere private before we go out for ice cream." Jayce had a million questions that he wanted to ask her but eventually nodded. "Thanks for saving my life." He wrapped a hand around her and hugged her close to him.
Ralnas bristled at this but held his cool. "Ral he almost just died." Micu teased him and then looked back out the window. "I know..." Ralnas crossed his hands and stewed in a mixture of anger and relief the rest of the ride home.
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