Rough voices and stinging pain. Blake was slow to respond to the sudden wake up call, whatever drugs were in that needle were still prominent in his veins. “When I come in, soldier, you salute on your feet. Are we clear?!” Blake, with his eyes half open, barely registered what was going on. The commander. Commander Ryker. That was his voice.
“Y-Yes, sir. ‘Course, I'll sal… salute.” Blake slurred and fumbled for words, still lost in a daze. The noise was the first indication he'd been hit again. There was searing pain for a second or two. The rings on the commander’s hand had left several small cuts on his cheek. The medicine quickly dulled the pain as Blake struggled to his feet, accidentally ripping an IV out of his arm. He winced in pain and stood up, only to panic a few seconds later when he realized his wings were clipped. He started to thrash in panic until a heavy fist flew into his stomach. Blake whimpered and fell to his knees, taking a moment to pull himself together enough to stand back up. Although his vision was blurred, the red RAC badge on Commander Ryker’s chest stood out clear as day to him.
“I said salute, soldier!” The commander snapped. Relying on the edge of the hospital cot to support most of his weight, Blake held himself up as straight as he could, his right hand positioned in a fist directly over his heart. Blake could taste his own blood trickling into his mouth, but didn't dare make another move. An array of monitors were beeping loudly behind him, alerting nurses of the detached IV.
“Commander, I must insist you meet with another soldier at this time. The stress you're putting Mr. Thorfin under is detrimental to his current condition! He's on a large amount of painkillers as well. You should be aware he isn't able to process most commands. My jurisdiction overrules yours in this facility.” A doctor had rushed over to the two of them. The woman had a point. Blake couldn't understand half of what she said. Everything blurred into a mix of colors and sounds as he slightly swayed on his feet. His commander didn't sound happy. Blake felt a knot form in his stomach. How did he manage screw up this time?
“Fine then.” Commander Ryker spat bitterly. “Thorfin. I expect you to meet with me immediately after you are cleared. I'm sending you on a track and kill mission.” There was a pause as a cruel smile formed on the commander’s face. “Do you understand?” The last sentence was spoken slowly, with a disgusting level of patronization. Blake wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do at first. He stared blankly ahead until the nice woman gave him a gentle nudge and nodded her head. Blake copied her action with a lopsided smile. She was gentle. Blake immediately felt like he could trust her.
“Thorfin-” The commander’s voice raised angrily and Blake shrunk back a bit, squeezing his eyes shut and bracing himself. The doctor placed her hand on Blake’s shoulder, trying to calm him down.
“Not. Here.” She practically hissed at the commander's raised fist. He lowered it, scowling at her.
“Pull him together then. Soon.” Commander Ryker stormed out of the room with a slur of curses, leaving Blake confused. He looked up at the doctor for help, but all she did was sigh and grit her teeth. She picked up a clipboard lying on the edge of the cot and looked it over quickly.
“Aggressive and uncooperative, huh?” She read, running a hand through her short black hair and looking up at Blake with some disbelief. “Guess the heavy stuff will drain that out of anyone… Alright, sit down so I can clean you up.” She pushed a stool next to Blake so his wings wouldn't drag on the floor. He sat quietly, his eyes partially glazed over from medication. The doctor gently cleaned the blood off his face and bandaged the cuts. It felt like seconds before she was sticking the needle back in his arm. Blake didn't say a word. All of this felt surreal to him at the moment. An out of body experience he wouldn't remember in a few hours. Right before he fell asleep again he heard the doctor mutter: “Seventeen. This kid is seventeen years old and caught up in a deadly civil war he doesn't understand.” The comforting embrace of sleep overtook Blake before the words could sink into his memory.
