It was Lia!!!
The very Lia they have been searching for the past fifteen days.....
Both Father Abraham and Brother Fernandez stood rooted before the broken window for moment. And then instantly bolted out of the church and towards the shore at the speed of lightening.
Colour drained from Father Abraham's face. This scene was very familiar to him.
History repeated itself after twelve years.
Far more cruelly than before because this time not only was Lia fatally injured, she was also not alone.
But, at that moment neither of them knew about the latter. Their primary focus was just on Lia.
Father Abraham rushed towards her. Brother Fernandez on the other hand, maintaining a cool head immediately called for an ambulance and then Mr. Nicolas. Only after he made sure all the necessary preparations have been made, he rushed over to the beach.
They soon arrived at the spot where Lia laid unconscious. Admist the darkness the glowing ray of light was actually an energy shield protecting Lia inside. The shield's energy dissolved itself under Father's touch, making way for him. But the light however, remained constant as if it was silently on a look out.
Under the light, both Father and Brother's expressions turned ghastly.
They still couldn't believe that the unconscious girl laying before them, covered in blood and burns was their little Lia.
With Lia's given state it was impossible for them to tell whether she was still alive or dead.
Father didn't know what to think anymore or what he should think at the moment. He just kept staring at the unconscious girl in sheer horror for a while. Then shattered completely.
" Lia! Lia wake up!! Say something. Who did this to you? Lia pleaseee!!! " Father was convinced that his beloved student was no more and drowned himself the sorrow of her lose. No one could blame him. Under the given state and condition, survival was just a prayer.
And Brother Fernandez? He was nothing more than just a lifeless statue.
' Why? Why her? ' In rage and grief that's all he kept asking. His faith was fading fast. His mind refused to believe heaven would do such an injustice towards Lia.
How ironic?
Some time passed....
Sound of multiple sonic jets echoing in the distant water disturbed Brother Fernandez's thoughts. An electrifying wave rushed through his adrenaline, springing his lifeless shelf into immediate action.
He scanned the horizon that was sandwiched between the angry red sky and frighteningly silent sea. Alas, in this thick darkness visiblity was zero!
Damnit!!
It seemed Brother Fernandez had some idea as what was coming their way.
Time became the essence now!
He began to frantically look around trying to find something that would serve him as an aid. That's when his gaze fell on the flashlight he was holding and began to vigorously shake it in the air. The light was aimed towards the sky.
Having figured what Brother Fernandez was upto, the light that surrounded Lia followed his actions. The light was far brighter than what the flashlight produced and by following Brother's action it became something close to a lighthouse.
And it worked! Within another few seconds three choppers landed on the beach and a team of military officers with a capsule like stretcher came rushing towards them.
" Commander Red Z1 reporting, Sir! " A young man dressed in a black military uniform introduced himself to Brother Fernandez with a crisp salute. " We're ordered by Mr. Nicolas to take Miss Lia along with the both of you to Jai War S107." As the leading officer for this operation, he signalled his team to action while he carried out the formalites.
They swiftly placed Lia's delicate body inside the capsule and rushed back into the choppers.
Father was startled by the sudden intrusion, but Brother managed to hold him back. Within ten seconds Lia was secured in the medical chopper and they took off immediately. Brother and Father boarded another chopper along with the leading officer and followed the medical chopper while chanting their prayers.
Meanwhile, in the medical chopper, Lia's treatment was on full fledge. The capsule came with a fully automated oxygen supply system, in built all-in-one scanner and monitoring sensors for heart, brain, pulse, blood pressure measurements, etc. The capsule also came with a portable and detachable computer panel that serves as its controller.
Thanks to the capsule, Lia's reports were out and sent to the parent source with in a minute. Also because of the quick reports, timely application of primary first aid became the game changer.
Only a few minutes into the Arabian Sea and their destination was already in sight ; JaiWar S107 The Flying Hospital.
The undercarriage of the plane opened to provide landing space for the choppers.
In the carrier chopper Father Abraham bombarded Brother Fernandez with questions in a fit of panic. " Brother, who are these people and how could you allow them to take away Lia ???"
" Father, these are people sent by Mr. Nicolas for Lia. Right now, given Lia's condition and situation this is the best possible arrangement. Have faith Father, they are the best in the world. " Brother explained.
All this was too much for Father Abraham. His aged body couldn't handle the stress anymore.
Suddenly, a dull pain began to rise from the left side of Father's chest. His breathing became ragged. He began to sweat profusely. He consciousness began to slip away.
" Father!!! Father!!! What's wrong?? " Brother called out in panic but, it was useless. Father had already fainted.
The leading officer was swift to judge the situation and began to gave Father a practiced CPR while sending brief of their emergency to the parent.
Upon landing, two set of paramedic teams were already on stand by.
They carefully removed Lia from the chopper and rushed to the operating room while placing Father into a similar capsule and headed for the treatment room leaving Brother Fernandez all by himself in the landing area. The pilot of the carrier chopper escorted him to the waiting lounge and asked him to wait there.
With both Lia and Father Abraham in critical condition, Brother Fernandez didn't have the luxury to explore the man made wonder he was in. But still he was awed to see this technogical master piece.
JaiWar S107 was the world's first ever flying hospital made with futuristic state-of-the-art medical facilities. With three fully equipped operation rooms consisting of a gravity stabilised operation table, hi-tech pathology laboratory with three super computers, intensive care unit with automated ventilator system, baby care unit with automated incubators, capsule beds, chemotherapy capsules equipped with automated nuclear medicine procedures, in built auto-clave machine, blood bank, medicine stock and a siting area with lounge and pantry for over a hundred medical staff.
Like it's interiors, JaiWar S107's exteriors were also beyond comparison.
This one of a kind hospital was built inside the world's largest and the fastest super sonic jet plane with ample of modifications. But, even though it was built inside of a plane, it main purpose was never forgotten. Because it was a hospital, it was built in a way that allowed it to take off and land without the need of a runway.
What was once built as momemto for Lia and from the inspiration provided by her, today became her only hope of survival. If there was any.
Time is a mysterious thing. It is the slowest to those who want it to flow fast and the fastest to those who want it to slow down for just a moment.
Such was the case inside JaiWar S107.
In the waiting lounge, Brother Fernandez was at the end of his patience with both Father and Lia under treatment and still no news about them. While inside the operation room doctors were battling a fierce war for another extra second.
Hours passed....
Around six the next morning, the doctor in charge of Father Abraham's treatment approached Brother Fernandez.
" Doctor!! How is Father Abraham now?? " Brother asked anxiously.
" Don't worry, he had a mild arrest probably due to extreme stress about the sudden incident. We have stabilised him and have given him some temporary sedation. I believe he will be fine after some rest. " The doctor explained.
Brother repeatedly thanked the doctor from the bottom of his heart. A huge weight was lift from his shoulders. Now if only Lia would come back safely. Sadly, that was not the case.
After a nearly forty two hours of intense surgery, the doors of the operation room finally opened. The operating staff emerged with a look of shock and grim mixed together.
Even though they were the best, today the learned a valuable lesson. In the field of medicine, Almighty is the Supreme.
Seeing the staff approaching Brother Fernandez rushed over to them. Their looks brought his heart to his mouth. He didn't have the courage to ask about Lia. But the doctors told him anyway.
" Sir, the young patient has suffered severe multiple fractures all over her body including two broken rib bones. There were also several acid burns on her body. But the most fatal part of her was that her skull was completely shattered into pieces and she was on the verge of miscarriage. I'm sorry to inform you that currently the patient has slipped into coma, but we did manage to save the child."
Each word was like a time bomb going of one after another.
" Doctor!! What..What do you mean by..... multiple fractures.... broken ribs bones..... shattered skull..... and pregnant??? " Brother felt like his world was collapsing. Now it was his turn to get a panic attack.
" I mean everything I said. " The doctor said solemnly. " Although we were able to fix some of it, we can't bring her back from coma. She was already in coma when we received her. As for the fetus, due to lack of proper care it was not in a very good shape and now this incident has weakened it considerably. but still that tiny being is a true fighter. It's still holding on tight. Juding from the size, it's about six to seven weeks old. " the doctor explained.
" Sir, please don't lose hope. That girl is a true miracle maker. What she survived through is a heaven's blessing. Have faith.... Even though I was the one operating inside, believe it or not it wasn't me. My hands had a mind of their own. God only tests those who truly possess the power to challenge him. " With those words hanging in the air, the doctor left. Brother's knees gave away and he dropped to the ground. In his mind, the doctors words kept echoing again and again.