The others looked at me frowning before Buck spoke "would have actually left him to starve to death?" I shrugged "yes" Buck shook his head "do you know how bad that would be for him the hunger pains and thirst?" I looked at him directly with my startling silver blue eyes "I know exactly how bad it would be" Buck frowned "really how do you know?" I sighed leaning back once again "because I was starved and dehydrated."
I closed my eyes again and listened as the others started to whisper quietly to each other until Togami asked "what happened during the 2072 incident?" I kept my eyes closed leaning back "a lot" I could hear everyone had stopped talking. Togami sighed "let me rephrase that; What happened to you during then? If we are going to be in this unit together then we need to know some of what happened to you so there can be a level of trust." I sat forward and opened my eyes "does everyone agree to this?" I looked at everyone and most seemed to want to know.
I sighed before speaking "very well. I was headed to San Francisco and was carrying very classified documents. When the plane was deboarding a bomb went off and knocked me unconscious. When I came to, I was being tied to a pole inside an abandoned building. While there, the men tortured me for the documents but I refused them. I was forced to stay awake for days while they barely gave me any water and no food while they tortured me. When they finally found me unnecessary, they got rid of me." I kept it short and sweet and to the point to keep them from asking a ton of questions.
I waited for the inevitable questions that were to come and I wasn't disappointed as Jamie spoke up "what do you mean they got rid of you?" I paused "they slit my throat in an attempt to kill me" Jamie gulped in shock. I then heard Togami ask "what happened after that?" I shrugged "when I woke I was in the hospital" Togami nodded "I guess that is all we are going to be getting out of you?"
I nodded and closed my eyes leaning back and listened to the others as they whispered about me and what happened. I listened to them for a while before I started to think of my past and what happened after I woke up in the hospital.
~
I gasped as I woke. I opened my eyes to the white roof and walls with medical equipment all around me. I froze, looking around not realizing where I was for a moment before I realized I was in a hospital bed. I sat up without any pain and frowned before I realized that I felt different. It wasn't an unpleasant difference but a difference that was subtle. I then remembered what happened to me and for some reason I wasn't scared or in any way feeling like I had before but more to the fact I felt irritated.
I reached up to my neck to find it was wrapped. I frowned before removing the bandages to find I could feel a scar running across my neck. I then heard someone talking to someone else as it sounded like they were coming closer yet I couldn't see anyone due to my door being closed. I took a deep breath and found my chest was slightly tight but not unbearable or painful. I frowned as I heard a knock on my door before a doctor came in with a nurse and looked at me sitting up in the bed with a look of utter shock.
I blinked slightly confused before the doctor said "Go get the general." He then smiled uncertainly "hi.. I'm glad you're awake. How do you feel?" I paused a moment before trying to speak but coughed some instead before I swallowed and tried again. I managed to reply back in a hoarse whisper "my throat is dry but I feel fine" I then saw the color fade from the doctor as he was seemingly in shock at my ability to talk.
I then looked to a man who walked in. He had blonde hair and green eyes. He was wearing a military uniform and he seemed to be at least six foot but I couldn't be sure. He had firm facial features as well as wide shoulders. He was a military man through and through from the way he held himself. I watched as the man frowned slightly, seeing me sitting up but then smiled "hello, I am General Howser, and can I assume your Kanami?"
I paused before nodding "yes" My voice was stronger than before but still softer then I would have liked it. I watched as the general smiled "well, it is good to know you are fine. We feared the worst when you went missing but it seems you were captured by the rebels. Do you know where you are?" I frowned thinking for a moment before answering "I'm in a hospital in san francisco unless you flew me out. Also I have a few questions; One; what happened? And second how long have I been unconscious?" Howser smiled "we are in san Francisco. We stormed a rebel base of operations and found you as well as several others who had been on the plane there. When we found you, you were covered in blood. We evacuated everyone out and you have been out of it for only two days."
I nodded thinking then frowned "how can it be that I've been only out for two days? I had my throat slit" I watched as both the doctor and Howser straightened immediately at this new development. Then Howser asked "tells us what happened. " I sighed before I told them what happened from the moment the bomb went off in the plan til I woke up here in this hospital bed. The doctor left after I had finished speaking.
I looked to Howser confused. Howser finally spoke "that makes no sense you shouldn't be alive if you got your throat slit then. When we found you, your neck was already scarred so we thought it was an old injury" He seemed to wrest with something and regained his composure before continuing. "As much as this news is disturbing I came here for the files you were transporting."
I nodded and shook my head "the files were burned but I can make copies of them. I memorized them before my boss burned them and deleted them from the system." Howser frowned "can you still remember them even though you went through such a traumatizing experience?" I nodded "I can remember them with perfect clarity. And another thing my experience to me was not traumatizing which is unsettling but it could just be delayed PTS." Howser frowned. "I did notice you seemed overly calm when I came in and what you've told me about what happened to you; you shouldn't even be alive let alone talking." I nodded.
I sighed thinking and then howser spoke "I'll be back with some paper and pens." I nodded and he left. I frowned thinking; why was I even alive when a slit throat would kill anyone and not only that why did my body feel so light and strong? I frowned before I decided to see if I could stand. I carefully swung my legs over the side of the bed and frowned feeling no pain. I then slowly stood but found no pain or any sign of uncomfort. I frowned thinking.
I then took a couple of steps but there was no pain and my legs seemed normal if not even stronger than before. I then crouched and stood with ease. I frowned and started to stretch to test my body for pain but found none. I looked to my bandaged arms and unwrapped them to find scars where wounds should have been. I frowned, the scars looked to be years old. I ran my fingers along the scars and frowned. It was like they had been there for years yet I knew they had been wounds only days ago.
I turned as I heard a gasp and the clatter of metal as it hit the ground and found the doctor had finally come back. I sheepishly shrugged "I'm fine, no pain." my voice was finally back to full strength and normal. I watched as the doctor stared, before finally speaking though he spoke while stuttering "how, how is this possible? You.. You were injured horribly when you came here.. only t-two days ago and.. and now you're standing and.. walking and your wounds are.. healed?" I shrugged "I don't know how either, I was hoping you knew." the doctor merely stared and I sighed.
~
I felt the plane hit the ground and I was jostled out of my memories of the past. I opened my eyes and looked around to the others who all seemed excited. I sat forward and stood stretching before the plane had even come to a complete stop. I could see Togami scowl at me from the corner of my eyes. I had excellent balance so I knew I wouldn't fall over which was the main concern for remaining seated when planes landed.
I looked around as the plane came to a full halt and the back of the plane opened up to reveal a dry and hot base surrounded by tall grassy savanna. I headed down the ramp once it touched the ground. Togami walked next to me as we exited the plane. I stopped once on the ground looking around. I had been to Africa once before but as a tourist then and that had been in Tanzania. I was now back in Africa but as a soldier in Somalia.
I looked over as several men came walking over. I watched as Togami walked over greeting them. I glanced to the others who were stretching out and stood checking out their surroundings. I could tell it was not going to be extremely easy to move around silently. I wasn't too daunted by this fact but thought of it as more of a challenge to move without notice in this savanna. I looked over to Togami when he called out to me to come over.
I walked over and looked at the other soldiers there. I listened as I was introduced but my attention was turned away from them as I looked over at the savanna feeling a gaze on me. I looked carefully in the direction the gaze came from but couldn't see what or who was watching me and subconsciously I had tensed.
I snapped out of my focus when I felt a hand on my shoulder and the voice of my brother asking, "what's wrong?" I could hear the tension in his voice and I softly replied, "we are being watched"
I heard the sharp intake of breath from one of the others even as I continued to scan the savanna for the prying eyes I could feel watching me. I frowned slightly as the feeling of being watched left but I still didn't locate where the gaze came from. I gave up my search and looked to the others who were tensed up.
I spoke "they seem to be gone. Let's go inside now"
Without waiting for a reply and started to walk towards one of the buildings in the distance I had seen. If I was going to be talking to others I was not going to do it out in the open. Not when someone was able to watch me without me being able to find them or even get a glance of them. This had put me on edge as I knew the deeper meaning behind myself being unable to even catch a glimpse of the shadow of the person who had been watching me.