Night dawned on the city of night. Neon signs populated the city, twinkling like stars in space. But just like stars, in space, the darkness never leaves. It looms over us, a constant shadow. Draco and I walked the street of the underground, the night liveliness was killed by the presence of the Royal Marines. Everywhere we turned, we saw a marine interrogating or arresting, someone. My urge to help and intervene was immense. However, I knew that helping would only cause more trouble for myself and those people i intended to help. But still, my blood boiled seeing what was happening.
Draco was no longer in his formal business attire. We were wearing dark blue jeans and a red and gray hoodie. We both wore hoods to cover our faces, to avoid unwanted attention. He walked with a slight limp. The healing serum clearly could not heal his more severe wounds. " Hey, don't mean to be rude, but where in Elune's name are we going. This place is crawling with these scum." I chose to ignore him for now, looking around for the way forward and trying to ignore those being confronted by the soldiers.
"Just follow me," I replied simply. Draco silenced himself and followed. We snaked through a maze of buildings, twisting and turning until we found ourselves in a seemingly abandoned alleyway with no soldiers. " We're here" I declared. We stopped in front of a metal door of a shabby, run-down, two-story building. Draco was unimpressed, and I couldn't blame him. The building looked like it went through several natural disasters, with no signs, windows barred and colour faded. It looked more like a breeding ground for roaches.
"What the hell could possibly be in here?" He asked, shocked and appalled. I did not bother replying. I knocked on the metal door with my metal hand, producing loud crashing sounds. The eminence of the sound, put Draco on edge, causing him to look around frantically. "If they didn't know we were here...They definitely know now !" Draco exclaimed.
Within seconds, the metal door was flung open, revealing a middle-aged man of average height. He had a white coat on with white hair, wearing goggles that shielded his eyes. " Captain, Boos Draco." He greeted respectfully, nodding at us individually. However, his voice seemed to have held disdain for Draco.
"Hey Dok," I replied in kind. I nudged Draco who was still standing bewildered and on edge.
"Oh! Yes! Um... hello there doctor..." Draco could not complete the greeting, not knowing what Dok's name was, assuming it to be a title, a mistake most make when they first meet Dok. I chuckled at this amusing situation, though it always happens, it never gets old.
"Just Dok, Draco. D-O-K, Dok," Dok replied, unamused.
" Oh! Hehe, um my bad, apologies Dok." Draco tried to recover, outstretching his right hand to shake that of Dok's. I chuckled internally at this. The second mistake. Having been in this situation multiple times, Dok outstretched what was supposed to be his right hand. However, to Draco's absolute shock, Dok's right arm was a prosthetic. Instead of having a hand like mine, Dok's right arm was more like a swiss army knife of medical equipment. It could equip needles, scissors, scalpels, and any other equipment at a whim. However, unlike mine, it was not very well built and has some internal components protruding.
Upon realising Dok had no right hand to shake, Draco pulled back his own in complete embarrassment. I laughed out loud, breaking the awkward tension between the two. " Dok, fix us up will ya? We got some work to do soon."
"Of course Captain. I heard about the damage that this Dingus did to you and your squad. Speaking of which, I am terribly sorry." Dok replied immediately and with a tinge of guilt. His voice was deep and slightly raspy, his British accent also added a sense of serenity when I listen to him. His voice itself could be used for therapy.
"You should consider yourself lucky Draco," Dok now stared at Draco menacingly, fury burning in his eyes. "If I were there, you can bet your ass I woulda just sent you straight to hell."
Draco could not meet his eyes, looking down and away meekly replied," Yes, I understand."
Retracting his gaze, Dok offered to let us in." Now that we have that settled, let's go inside, shall we? Those Royal Marines and their armored bollocks will be here any second." He gestured us inside and walked back into the darkness. We quickly followed him and closed the door behind us, producing a quiet bang. He walked through the dark hallway, not even a spark of light guided our way through. However, there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
We emerged at the end, coming into a large room that was bright and well illuminated. The room was painted in white and teal and the tables were covered in medical equipment. The center of the room had an operating table with a large light above it. This very room was a direct contrast to the building it was situated in. It was clean, organised, and well-equipped. The building only served as a facade. Draco was still staring in awe at how such a shabby and disgusting building could house such a professional-looking clinic. I could not help but internally smile at his reaction.
"Captain!" I heard a feminine voice call out to me. I looked up and saw a group of recruits standing at the top of the stairs. They waved at me and were smiling brightly. It warmed my heart to see such things. I could not help but smile too, returning their wave. Suddenly, their expressions darkened in horror, seeing Draco standing at my side. Immediately, the recruits bolted down the stairs and rushed Draco, preparing to pin him to the ground. "Captain, look out !"
Draco's expression morphed into one of horror, preparing himself. "Hold," I calmly ordered, raising my right hand to stop them. The recruits immediately stopped dead in their tracks, looking at me in confusion. "Draco is with me. I defeated him and he swore his allegiance to me and my cause. He is our ally." Angel, the brown-haired girl who called me and lead the charge looked at then at Draco with resentment finally said " If you say so...sir." She turned her heel and walked upstairs with the other recruits.
With that fiasco now under wraps, I looked at Dok," Help Draco first, Dok, he sustained more injuries from his thorough ass-beating."
"As he should sir." He replied promptly. Draco laughed sheepishly and climbed on the operating table, taking his upper wear off and laying down. Dok identified his injuries and put him under, getting to work on him. With the process well underway, I decided to go upstairs to check on my room and the recruits.
Climbing the stairs, I reached the room at the end of the hallway, slowly opening the door to reveal a medium-sized room. The walls were painted blue. The room was surprisingly clean and neat. The bed was nicely made, the desk and computer were spotless and the closet seemed organised. The only thing that was untouched was my dresser. On top had my ..." essentials." Without thinking, I pulled out my revolver and placed it on the dresser. Then I proceeded to take off my jacket. This was something I only did when I was somewhere I knew was safe. Wearing my jacket, cloaks and coats gave me a sense of safety, a shield from the outside. I sat on the bed to collect my thoughts on the events today. Until...
* KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*