Part Eighteen and important news for you all! I have finally plotted out the end of Book I of the Arquenia Saga. It will have thirty-six parts, and I plan to end it right before mid-semester break so that I have a week off there. Another important fact, is that to finish it in time, I will now be also posting story parts on Thursdays to get through it all in time. So expect a new story part this Thursday...
Part XVIII: Not Finished Yet
Date: Amanela 18th, 114 A.U.
“Urgent care right away needed! A man is having a heart attack on Raymond Drive, House 234!”
Astrid gazed forward as the hover-ambulance quickly drove down the road, sirens blaring. Michael was driving again. This time there were others in the car than just her, unlike when she had been going to help the corsha miner on Remembrance Day. Of course, that hadn’t been with a heart attack.
The ambulance arrived at the house and Astrid leapt out with another doctor and two nurses. They hurried to the door, which was opened by someone inside.
“I’m Mr. Falloway’s brother!” he said. “He’s in the living room!” As they hurried in he turned to Astrid.
“Excuse me…” he said. Astrid thought he looked a bit familiar. The others brushed by her.
“Yes?” Astrid asked.
The man gave her a piece of paper and suddenly Astrid knew why he looked so familiar. “Here’s the report you will substitute with the one the computers will generate,” he murmured. “Make sure that everything goes well. IT won’t go well for you if it doesn’t.”
Astrid glanced around, trying to gain time. “I can help you,” she suddenly blurted out.
The man seemed a bit taken aback. “How?”
“You seem to need someone in the hospital to help you with these kinds of things,” Astrid said. “Would it not be nice to have someone actively trying to help you?”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “How much do you want? No, scrap that. I’ll contact you later about this, Astrid. Just do this mission well and perhaps you’ll stand a chance.”
“Quick! Move to the hospital!” Astrid shut the doors to the back of the ambulance while the others finished securing the stretcher as the ambulance began to move. They began connecting him to wires and computers to try and keep him alive, while Astrid felt the enormous weight of the paper in her pocket. She wasn’t actually planning on joining them; their tactics made her want to vomit. But she could still try to play a pretty convincing spy.
Astrid glanced at the reports the computer was making as the man was hooked up. It was looking very similar to the report she had seen before with that Marlin guy. Astrid looked at the computer and at the report. As the doctor tried to hook him up and save his life, Astrid slowly drew out the report and quickly fidgeted with the computer to make the results seem more normal
“It looks like a Level 5 Heart Attack, sir!” Astrid said, while quickly stuffing the false report back into her report. The hospital had recently began to classify heart attacks on a certain scale. Astrid turned back and began to help them, while keeping an eye on the false report that the computer was making. And suddenly, the reality about what she was doing struck deep and pained her. She could be trying to save this man’s life—if it even could be saved, depending on what these men did to him. But instead she was falsifying a report about his heart attack.
Astrid fumbled with the key for a bit before finally getting into her house. Mr. Falloway had died before they had gotten to the hospital. Oldin was pleased that she might actually be able to get inside what was going on here—but he did give her an extreme word of caution about her life. It seemed that he wouldn’t have recommended offering to join them. He said it was way too dangerous. But Astrid had, and that was that. But still…
Astrid slowly flicked on the light switch as she moved to the kitchen. The weight of having decided to falsify the report than to try and save the man’s life, assuming he could be saved, still clung to her and pained her. She couldn’t deal with it internally. For all that she might now be a good spy, Astrid realized that she didn’t really want anything to do with it. It was a stupid decision she’d made without thinking about it. And it wasn’t as if she’d be able to get out of it now.
Astrid leaned against the fridge. She would have gone to her great-great-great-grandmother on any other day and told her everything, even if she couldn’t have responded. She still would have had someone to talk to. But now she was dead. Astrid’s mind briefly went to Monty. If she would talk to anyone about it, it would be him. Astrid slowly put her hand on the phone and was about to call him, but then she shook her head and let her hand fall to her side. She knew what Monty would say. He would tell her that she shouldn’t be doing all this lying and double-crossing.
Astrid opened the fridge to find something to ring. And then the phone rang. Almost wishing that it was Monty, she picked up the phone. It wasn’t Monty.
“Hello, Astrid,” the voice said. “I’ve come to talk to you about the little deal you proposed.
“All right,” Astrid said, biting her lip.
“Here’s the deal,” the voice said. “We’ll pay you by a case-to-case basis. Now, right now there’s a patient in the hospital who almost died from a heart attack. He needs to die. You have a package in the mail box that contains a shot and a liquid to put in the shot. We have arranged it so that tomorrow you will call upon him. I want you to inject the man with the shot. The liquid won’t be traceable.
Astrid bit her lip harder. A rivulet of blood flowed down it. “What will this shot do?”
The man laughed. “Come now, Astrid, are you really that ignorant?”
No. No I’m not. “But killing him…” Astrid began. “I’m not so-”
“It’s either he dies or you die,” the man snapped. “Don’t be stupid Astrid. You were the one who offered after all. Do this job and you’ll receive five thousand in the mail box. Either do this job or get the money, or you’ll find that no matter however much you try to hide, you’ll find yourself with a knife in your back. Goodbye Astrid.” And then the phone clicked.
Question of the Week:Should for my next post, instead of posting the next part of the Arquenia Saga, I post part of my NaNo novel?
Part XVIII: Not Finished Yet
Date: Amanela 18th, 114 A.U.
“Urgent care right away needed! A man is having a heart attack on Raymond Drive, House 234!”
Astrid gazed forward as the hover-ambulance quickly drove down the road, sirens blaring. Michael was driving again. This time there were others in the car than just her, unlike when she had been going to help the corsha miner on Remembrance Day. Of course, that hadn’t been with a heart attack.
The ambulance arrived at the house and Astrid leapt out with another doctor and two nurses. They hurried to the door, which was opened by someone inside.
“I’m Mr. Falloway’s brother!” he said. “He’s in the living room!” As they hurried in he turned to Astrid.
“Excuse me…” he said. Astrid thought he looked a bit familiar. The others brushed by her.
“Yes?” Astrid asked.
The man gave her a piece of paper and suddenly Astrid knew why he looked so familiar. “Here’s the report you will substitute with the one the computers will generate,” he murmured. “Make sure that everything goes well. IT won’t go well for you if it doesn’t.”
Astrid glanced around, trying to gain time. “I can help you,” she suddenly blurted out.
The man seemed a bit taken aback. “How?”
“You seem to need someone in the hospital to help you with these kinds of things,” Astrid said. “Would it not be nice to have someone actively trying to help you?”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “How much do you want? No, scrap that. I’ll contact you later about this, Astrid. Just do this mission well and perhaps you’ll stand a chance.”
“Quick! Move to the hospital!” Astrid shut the doors to the back of the ambulance while the others finished securing the stretcher as the ambulance began to move. They began connecting him to wires and computers to try and keep him alive, while Astrid felt the enormous weight of the paper in her pocket. She wasn’t actually planning on joining them; their tactics made her want to vomit. But she could still try to play a pretty convincing spy.
Astrid glanced at the reports the computer was making as the man was hooked up. It was looking very similar to the report she had seen before with that Marlin guy. Astrid looked at the computer and at the report. As the doctor tried to hook him up and save his life, Astrid slowly drew out the report and quickly fidgeted with the computer to make the results seem more normal
“It looks like a Level 5 Heart Attack, sir!” Astrid said, while quickly stuffing the false report back into her report. The hospital had recently began to classify heart attacks on a certain scale. Astrid turned back and began to help them, while keeping an eye on the false report that the computer was making. And suddenly, the reality about what she was doing struck deep and pained her. She could be trying to save this man’s life—if it even could be saved, depending on what these men did to him. But instead she was falsifying a report about his heart attack.
Astrid fumbled with the key for a bit before finally getting into her house. Mr. Falloway had died before they had gotten to the hospital. Oldin was pleased that she might actually be able to get inside what was going on here—but he did give her an extreme word of caution about her life. It seemed that he wouldn’t have recommended offering to join them. He said it was way too dangerous. But Astrid had, and that was that. But still…
Astrid slowly flicked on the light switch as she moved to the kitchen. The weight of having decided to falsify the report than to try and save the man’s life, assuming he could be saved, still clung to her and pained her. She couldn’t deal with it internally. For all that she might now be a good spy, Astrid realized that she didn’t really want anything to do with it. It was a stupid decision she’d made without thinking about it. And it wasn’t as if she’d be able to get out of it now.
Astrid leaned against the fridge. She would have gone to her great-great-great-grandmother on any other day and told her everything, even if she couldn’t have responded. She still would have had someone to talk to. But now she was dead. Astrid’s mind briefly went to Monty. If she would talk to anyone about it, it would be him. Astrid slowly put her hand on the phone and was about to call him, but then she shook her head and let her hand fall to her side. She knew what Monty would say. He would tell her that she shouldn’t be doing all this lying and double-crossing.
Astrid opened the fridge to find something to ring. And then the phone rang. Almost wishing that it was Monty, she picked up the phone. It wasn’t Monty.
“Hello, Astrid,” the voice said. “I’ve come to talk to you about the little deal you proposed.
“All right,” Astrid said, biting her lip.
“Here’s the deal,” the voice said. “We’ll pay you by a case-to-case basis. Now, right now there’s a patient in the hospital who almost died from a heart attack. He needs to die. You have a package in the mail box that contains a shot and a liquid to put in the shot. We have arranged it so that tomorrow you will call upon him. I want you to inject the man with the shot. The liquid won’t be traceable.
Astrid bit her lip harder. A rivulet of blood flowed down it. “What will this shot do?”
The man laughed. “Come now, Astrid, are you really that ignorant?”
No. No I’m not. “But killing him…” Astrid began. “I’m not so-”
“It’s either he dies or you die,” the man snapped. “Don’t be stupid Astrid. You were the one who offered after all. Do this job and you’ll receive five thousand in the mail box. Either do this job or get the money, or you’ll find that no matter however much you try to hide, you’ll find yourself with a knife in your back. Goodbye Astrid.” And then the phone clicked.
Question of the Week:Should for my next post, instead of posting the next part of the Arquenia Saga, I post part of my NaNo novel?
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