Escapee

Posted on Sun Nov 13th, 2011 @ 2:08pm by Lieutenant Commander Kh'ali

Mission: In Our Time of Need
Location: Piper Medical Center

* * * Piper Medical Center * * *

Since the moment Edney and Aleksa has discovered, finally, Kh'ali's prison within the escape pod, things had been hazy when they existed at all for her. She vaguely recalled Aleksa rushing in, then waving some instrument or the other around. After that it was rolling nausea as she phased back into real time, lots of shouts, falling into someone....was it Gilroy? And then nothing until this morning.

She had awakened to find Ophelia looking down at her, her arms crossed. Kh'ali had moved slightly, which brought a smile to the nurse's face.

"About time, Commander. How do you feel?"

Kh'ali spoke but her voice was so rough it sounded far more Klingon than was her usual. "I had a friend at the Academy, he grew up in a place called Mobile, Alabama. In the States. Will was fond of his alcohol on the weekends and without fail, the morning after, when asked that very question, he always had the same answer. 'I feel like hammered dogshit.' I never did figure out exactly what he meant, but I think I am beginning to understand it."

Ophelia laughed aloud at the sentiment. "Well, it looks like no permanent damage despite feeling like...you know. You can thank your redundant organ systems for that, along with some smart kids in Security and Science." She checked the scanners on the arch over Kh'ali's biobed. "Looks like now just some lingering dehydration. Connor fixed your broken cheekbone and various other cuts and bruises. You may feel weak for another day or two."

"Weak?" Kh'ali frowned. That was a real four-letter word to a Klingon.

"Yes, weak, Like it or not, you went through a rough ordeal. Being phased to what amounts to an altered timeline did have some physical effects. You need to rest still."

"Hmph." Kh'ali grumbled. This wasn't what she wanted to hear at all. But at least her face was back together. A sudden fear struck her. " My face. Does it look alright?" She thought of Patrick, hoping he would not return home to find her disfigured.

"Your face is just perfect. You would never know anything happened." Ophelia smiled. "Don't worry and --"

Inexplicably, a massive vibration ran through Sickbay, hitting Ophelia's feet and taking her off balance. She was thrown to the floor even as Kh'ali felt her biobed tilt, sliding her down towards the bottom. Out in the main part of Sickbay, voices rose and were soon overshadowed by the emergency Klaxons.

"Ophelia??"

"I'm okay, what about you?" Ophelia grabbed the side of the biobed, still off balance, and pulled herself up.

"I'm good, but what was that?"

Moments later the doors opened. A crewman rushed in, babbling about an explosion outside Hangar 51. Ophelia and Kh'ali looked at each other for one long moment, before Kh'ali was in motion.

"Ophelia, lift the arch, I have to go."

"You really shouldn't be up and --" Her words were cut off once more.

"Ophelia, get this arch up or so help me, I'll slither out form under it. This is what he was up to! The one who took me -- I have to get to the Speaker!"

Ophelia hesitated only a moment, then hit the switch to raise the arch. Given the bed was off-kilter it didn't respond and she took hold, raising it manually. Kh'ali slid down from the bed, and only then realized she was in a hospital shift. Grabbing the long robe that hung by her bed, she dragged it on.

"Go, you're going to have injuries coming in." And without another word, Kh'ali hurried out of Sickbay, moving as fast as her sore body would let her.

*********

Lt. Commander Kh'ali
One Determined Klingon