Deja Vu: The Healer

Chapter 48: Panacea

KARA/CAROLINE

I woke up fully Kara but fighting a major headache. I tried to move my hands to rub against my face and they were stopped by a cool blockage like a metal cuff against my wrists.

I noticed I was lying flat on a stiff table, a myriad of buzzing old computer noises sounding all around me. The scent of blood and death permeated the moist air, and a saccharine sweetness was coating my nose and throat like stabs of pure sugar. A constant water drip sounded as an echo around the area, making it seem like a creepy dungeon from some horror flick.

"Sir, I think she's waking up." The voice was deep and muffled, coming from off my right.

The male voice that answered was feeble and rasp, as if every consonant where hard to form and air was hard to breathe. "No... she's not."

My eyes opened like I was trying to shove through razor blades and focused on the muffled voice next to me.

It was a man in full military gear, from camo pants and jacket to black leather gloves holding some scary looking assault rifle, but it was held as if uncertain if he should point it my way or not. He had a camo helmet with a black plastic breathing mask and clear eye protection. He was staring at me with a wondersome interest. "Sir, she is awake. She's looking at me."

"Don't be... absurd Corporal. We pumped them... with enough silverbane smoke... to be out for two days. It's barely been.... twenty minutes." Every word seemed to have a deep gulp of air accompanied with it, like the speaker had never learned to inhale correctly.

The military man still stared, gun gripped in his tightening fingers. "You said she was a healer, right? Maybe she healed herself."

"I'm not... speaking about this anymore... Corporal. I'm on the edge... of a breakthrough. I need to work quickly." The breathy voice spoke and then broke into a fit of hoarse coughing. It sounded like he even spit.

I tried to turn my view to the feeble voice, but there was a cold grip on my head, keeping my neck stationary. My eyes widened trying to look to my forehead in alarm.

The muffled military man spoke, the gun moving just enough that I could read Brock on his name tape. "You are in Sargent Major Lawrence's laboratory. You are cuffed so you won't hurt yourself."

My headache was slowing, but a numbness in my arm, brought my eye that way. My movements were blocked by the head cuff enough that I could barely see over myself, but I was not wearing the same clothes I started the day with. These were some thin white material, almost like scrubs. The freaks changed me? My eyes followed the sleeve down my arm, and I could see the telltale sign of a red tube coming from the hollow of my inner elbow.

Were they taking my blood?

"Let me go," I spoke in a wavering voice to Corporal Brock.

"You kitten are the cure to cancer. We can't do that."

My brow lowered in a glare, my voice box trying to work around the sweet tang. I made it a stronger demand. "Let me go right now, Brock."

He startled and then glanced to his name tape then back to me. "We can't do that. We need to study you."

"By holding me down?" I felt clarity begin as my inner wolf mind started to free and my vision started to heighten.

"Stop it kitten," he warned, the gun finally pointing on me.

"No." I took a deep calming breath and closed my eyes, ready to push the healer forward on my own when the feeble voice called out again.

"Corporal Brock! I thought I... told you to be silent. I... need to work... here."