Catacombs Under Trisk (Origin Story) Part 2

Recap: In the last installment, Quim and the rest of the squad found themselves navigating a sewer system beneath Trisk. While down there they were found by a disheveled soldier of the first invasion attempt who desperately asked for their help. Here's A Link To The Last Installment.


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Quim didn't know what to make of the soldier and had no idea where the man was taking them. No matter how many times he asked what he needed help with, the soldier wouldn't respond.

"How long have you been down here?" Quim asked the man, who turned around with a creepy smile. "Too long, a few weeks I think, but, it's hard to say really. We were one of the first ships to drop. Thought it was going to be an easy mission. We were wrong." The man said, stopping occasionally as if pondering his last few days in this subterranean maze.

"The man has gone stir crazy." Doc Freeman whispered to Quim. But, he didn't feel the need to respond openly. I can see that, it's plain as day. He thought to himself as he carried on following the soldier. The man ahead was steady on his feet, considering he was traveling in complete darkness. His eyes must have adjusted.

"First attempt? It must have been hard for you and the rest of your squad." Lags The Eye said coldly. He had kept his guard up, from the moment the soldier first laid eyes on them.

"Tough on the survivors, the ones who died are the lucky ones." The man turned and looked back at the squad. His eyes were glowing in the torchlight, giving him almost demonic characteristics. "We dropped out of the sky, into the center of the city. Crashed through a building. When I came to, all I could hear was screaming. Those of us that were unharmed tried to do what we could for the others, but, we were overrun. So, we had to flee. One of the squad found an escape route." The soldier shuddered.

They continued to follow the man until after a while he could see light. Up ahead it was bright, but, it was low. Dim and unmistakable. As they got closer voices could be heard, they were muffled, but, there was no doubt in his mind that they were human.

"It's me. I've brought help." The soldier put his hands in the air, to some armed guards who looked just as beaten up as the soldier who asked for their help. "Who's there?" One of the guards asked suspiciously.

"My name is Quim Dert. I am the leader of this squad of misfits tailing behind me." The guard's eyes darted back and forth between him and the others. "Are you here to help us?"

Quim looked back at the others behind him, then looked at the guard ahead. "We can help if we can. What is the situation?" "Come up and I'll fill you in. We're in trouble."

They continued to walk, seeing that these people had fortified the position as best they could. It looked like they had been living here for weeks, rubbish littered the floor and the smell from the site was strong enough that Quim felt like gagging. Hopefully I'll get used to the smell. He thought to himself while holstering his rifle.

"Take this as an opportunity to rest up." He told the rest of the squad. "Good, I have to take a piss," Triple said and was directed where to go by one of the group.

Everyone slowly eased themselves into the camp, holstering their weapons. Apart from Lags, who leaned against a wall keeping his eyes on the camp. Probably best for Lags to stay alert, no rest for the wicked as they say.

Quim counted about 9 people. Most of the uniforms they wore had begun to hang loose on them, a few weeks with meager rations would do that. He hoped that food wasn't going to be the thing they needed help with, knowing that his own squad wasn't doing so good on the front either.

"What we need is a doctor." One of the soldiers said. He had shaggy dark facial hair, which framed his gaunt face, and his piercing eyes held on Quim for a little longer than he felt comfortable with. "I take it you're the leader of this group." "I am, new to the job though. Our first squad leader died on impact. The second in line died in combat, as we escaped the crash." The man said, without blinking.

Doc Freeman came to stand beside Quim as the man finished. "This is our medic. He's one of the best around." The man nodded and turned to Doc Freeman. "I don't care if someone is the best, I just need anyone with basic training. What do you know about Gang green?"

Doc Freeman shook his head slowly as if taken aback by the question. "I know that if it is left untreated it can cause septicemia." "Come with me." The man replied and began walking through the camp. He turned a corner and Quim and the Doc followed him. The network opened up a little more and away from the others was a bedroll, with writhing movement beneath the covers. The smell was worse here. Sickness is a very unique smell, it's not enough to make someone gag, but, it's powerful enough to mask everything else around it.

"I have help for you, Bitsy." The group leader knelt down to pull back the covers of the wounded soldier. The woman was in her mid to late twenties. With blonde greasy hair. She was drenched in sweat, which reflected light from the beads that covered her face. She tried to move away from the others, gritting her teeth as she did. "I'm fine. It's not that bad." Bitsy said.

"Trust me. This man here will be able to help you, he's a doctor." "I can help, but, first I need to know what I'm dealing with." Doc Freeman said as he also knelt down. "It's her leg." Doc Freeman pulled back the covers. Quim felt like he was going to get sick when he saw it. But, Doc Freeman didn't flinch. Her left leg had the cloth cut above the knee. Her shin was covered in dried blood, swollen and oozing with puss. He was glad the light was dim, so he didn't have to see it properly. The look on Quims face must have said it all because he noticed Bitsy staring at him, which seemed to exacerbate the pain in her eyes.

The group leader stood up to give Doc Freeman more room, the Doc wasted no time in opening his supplies and rummaging around. He began talking with her, but, Quim couldn't concentrate on what he was saying.

"It's getting worse. We've been stuck down here for too long, unable to move because no one wants to leave her behind." Most people would have left by now, or put her out of her misery. Quim thought to himself.

"Very honorable. To stand by one of your team." "She's more than that, we joined up together, went through training together. Nothing romantic has happened between us, but, we planned on starting something when all of this is over and we get back home." The man said, with a hint of hopeful sadness in his voice. The two of them stood and watched as Doc Freeman talked to her. "Okay. I'm going to apply this, then we'll see how far it's gone. I'm not going to lie to you, Bitsy. This is serious." He said.

The Doc applied something to her leg which made her scream in agony. Instantly the group leader jumped and charged to grab Doc Freeman. "What the hell are you doing!?" He shouted. "My job, she's not looking good, if there's any hope of saving her life I need to try to solve her issue." Quim stepped forward and pulled the leader back. "Let him do his job." "She needs help. Compassion! Not torture!" The man shouted. "Grunner! Please. Get them away from me, I can't deal with this pain." Bitsy pleaded.

"Doc Freeman is a capable man, he'll help if he can," Quim said to Grunner, trying to calm the man down. He then stepped back with him, to look helplessly at Bitsy on the floor.

Doc Freeman looked back at her, kneeling down. Only to stand back up a few minutes later. He turned to the others present, shaking his head as he approached them. "There's nothing I can do. I don't have the supplies or the facilities for this kind of work." Grunner stared at Doc Freeman, looking like he was ready to kill someone. "What does that mean? What are the options?" He asked.

"There aren't many. Left untreated. She'll have, maybe five more days. Five days of the worst pain imaginable. The only other option is imputation. I would rather not do that here. But, I can sterilize and wrap the wound. She would stand better odds of surviving." Doc Freeman spoke slowly and quietly, so he didn't alert Bitsy. "Will she feel it?" "I have medication that can numb her, but, she may still feel something." Grunner nodded. "If it means she might survive, do it."

Doc Freeman turned back around to Bitsy and knelt down. "This may hurt, but, I'll give you something to ease the pain." She sat up from her bed. "What are you doing? What's happening!?" She asked, panic-stricken. "You don't have many options I'm afraid." Doc Freeman said calmly, trying to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. Then Grunner approached her and held her hand. "It's okay, it's going to be okay. With the research that has gone into cybernetics, it won't be a problem." Quim's eyes widened after Grunner finished speaking. You idiot.

"Cybernetics!? Are you going to take my leg!?" She started shaking. "Hold her down." Doc Freeman said, to which Grunner obliged, Quim moved to help restrain her too.

"Get the fuck back. Get away from me!" Bitsy shouted while aiming a pistol at each of them, forcing them to take steps away from her, with their hands in the air. "Nobody is cutting off my leg! I told you, I'm fine!"

"It's going to be okay, Bitsy. Just give me back my pistol." Grunner said while taking a step forward. The next thing Quim heard was a gunshot that echoed down the sewer system.



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