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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sammael99" data-source="post: 701635" data-attributes="member: 1157">The Stranger (Part 4) In EnglishFaz’s explanations had not been of the utmost clarity. In fact, after a few sentences, one of the inquisitors had cut him with a dry “Lies !”. Buenaventura, having tended to Lilwenn’s woulnd as well as he could, had stood up and detailed the situation calmly. He related how his Stigmata experience had allowed him to spot the Symbiot, how they had followed it and fought it. He simply forgot to mention that they had seen the inquisitors during teh chase and decided not to warn them.Two of the inquisitors reduced the body of the horrible creature to ashes while the third kept his flamegun aimed at the three veterans. The two agents of the Cumulus police force stayed back, one of them informing his hierarchy of the situation over a communicator. An acrid smell of burnt flesh and Ka oil spread over the street.- Obviously, there is a risk of infection, one of the inquisitors told Buenaventura and Lilwenn.The implications of this sentence were frightening. Buenaventura wondered if they would have to spend the next few weeks quarantined, which would definitely put a damper on their reunion plans on BII… Under the threat of flameguns, Lilwenn and Buenaventura were escorted towards the Saint Loyola cathedral, a dew minutes away. Faz followed, wondering what the people who knew him would think seeing him taken by the Inquisition...The building was not in a good condition, but it was imposing nonetheless. Built in a black stone very different from the maxicrete used for most of the Cumulus buildings, the cathedral’s facade was decorated with frescoes of the darkest episodes of the Life of the Prophet : the trip through the desert ; the defeat of Durago of Cadavus. The overall effect was softened however by the numerous representations of Zebulon’s holy Ascension.At the front of the cathedral, several white tents made of a plastic fabric had been erected, in strange contrast with the dark and majestic religious building. Lilwenn and Buenaventura were led to one of these tents while Faz was escorted inside the cathedral itself.Two men sporting shiny blasters and visibly not of the Inquisition were guarding the entrance of the tent. Only one of the inquisitors entered, followed by Lilwenn and Buenaventura. It took them a few seconds to understand the disgusted scowl on the clergyman’s face : the tent hosted a treasure of technological wonders. Even medical support on Stigmata had never been so well equipped, and many of the machines here were completely unknown to the two veterans.A man dressed in a white robe approached them. His short, greasy hair and little round glasses made him look like a mad scientist straight out of the Avestite Little Catechism, which was not a reassuring thought. He talked to the two wounded in a nasal voice :- So here are the contaminated. You played with a Symbiot... You should know it’s not reasonable...Neither of the veterans replied. The man looked a little disappointed and invited them forward. - Aren’t you lucky, though ! he said. We have decided to help our friends in the inquisition with the latest and greatest in genetic identification technology.As if to mark these last words, he made a grand gesture towards a metallic bed laid at the end of the tent. A lid nearly as large as the bed was attached to it, and visibly designed to be closed down on the bed. Medical apparatus emerged from the inside of the lid : needles, tubes, metallic gizmos...- It’s still a prototype, of course, but efficacious at nearly 70%, the Engineer continued. Sadly, we haven’t implemented the automatic elimination in case of a positive test. We still need to do the dirty work by hand... But it’s only a matter of weeks ! Which one of you two wants to have the privilege of testing this wonder first ?- Couldn’t you tend to this young lady’s wounds first, she’s losing lots of blood, Buenaventura asked in a voice he wanted to sound firm.- It would be possible, of course, but I dislike wasting resources. If the miss happens to be negative, we’ll do what is necessary. If not, she might as well be weak with loss of blood...The man told Lilwenn to undress and the inquisitor turned away. Naked as the day she was born and covered in blood, Lilwenn lied down on the metallic machine with some apprehension. Just as the lid was closing on her, she locked eyes with Buenaventura...A needle pierced her neck and she immediately lost all control on her muscles. It did not block the pain, unfortunately... A multitude of syringes pierced her skin, sampling her tissues and blood, injecting various substances. Probes entered every orifice of her body, analysing fluids. It lasted a few painful minutes that felt like a lifetime to her...Outisde the machine, the Engineer concentrated on reading a long sheet of paper rolled out by a noisy machine. He deciphered the inscriptions as they passed in front of his eyes. Finally, he turned to the inquisitor and made a sign with is head. He pressed a series of buttons on the machine’s lid and there was a hiss of released pressure. The lid opened slowly. Lilwenn stood up as well as she could, pale as a sheet.The battery of tests had not enhanced her health and he wound had started bleeding profusely again. The Engineer picked up some medical tools and said :- It’ll hurt like hell, but it won’t last long.With a pincer, he extracted the remains of the metallic bar still lodged in the young woman’s belly. She gritted her teeth, but the pain was too much to bear. Lilwenn moaned and fainted. The Engineer carried her, still naked, to a military bed and, looking at the inquisitor, he handed him a syringe full of a mauve fluid.- Here you are, brother. Inject this in an abdominal vein. I need to work with our other patient. Come on young man, strip down !The inquisitor took the syringe but he could not find the resolve to look at Lilwenn’s naked body. He was hesitating, visibly uneasy. The Engineer, noticing his troubled look, urged him in a cutting voice :- What’s wrong brother ? Have you never seen a naked woman before ? Snap out of it ! It’s medicine we’re talking about here, not eroticism !In the end, the inquisitor injected the serum to Lilwenn and covered her with a sheet. A few seconds later, she drifted back into consciousness. Meanwhile, Buenaventura, pale and uneasy, had lied down in the test machine. He yelled when the needle entered his neck, and had little appreciation for the next few minutes of technological wonders that followed.Finally, he was freed from the machine. The Engineer injected some of the mauve serum close to his wound, and he felt a soft, regenerative torpor enter his arm. He and Lilwenn dressed back up.- Well, good news all round ! the Engineer said in a cheerful tone. You seem not to be infected ! You’re lucky, you know : if we hadn’t had this machine with us here, I doubt if our friends in black would have left you the benefit of the doubt...- Enough chit-chat, the inquisitor interrupted, in a voice that had regained its assurance. Follow me for questioning !Outside the tent, two new inquisitors were waiting for the veterans. They were escorted to a room in the basement of the cathedral where Faz had been waiting all this time. He shot a questioning glance at his friends, and a denial sign from Buenaventura reassured him a little. All three were sat on an uncomfortable bench. Three inquisitors stood behind them, weapons ready for action, and a fourth came to sit in front of them.- I am deacon Torkmad of the Temple Avesti, he said.There was a heavy silence in the room...</blockquote>

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