The Last Argonaut by Ian J. Malone

Author:Ian J. Malone [Malone, Ian J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Theogony Books
Published: 2023-03-14T04:00:00+00:00

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Chapter 17: Mirrors

Unlike previous matches when Zack had lingered on the field to shake hands and chat with some of the opposing players and coaches, this time he headed straight through North Tunnel with Rhames who’d already summoned an aerial transport bound for AC Ascension Hospital downtown.

Zack hated hospitals. He always had. Never had that been truer than in the months following his injury back in college. Those first few weeks had been especially hard. In the blink of an eye, Zack’s reality had gone from that of a warball champion on a meteoric rise to FIWA stardom to that of a brain-damaged prisoner locked in the foggy haze of an off-kilter bizzarro world, which resided exclusively in his own mind. Talk about terrifying. Zack still cringed at the thought. Memories from his past, thoughts from his present, dreams of his future. It had all blurred together after the hit into a sort of weird, mental soup that made discerning any of it next to impossible. Couple that with the myriad physical challenges he’d faced during his rehab, and it was a wonder to most that Zack had found his way back to being himself at all. The one thing that had kept him sane through the process was the assurance from his doctors—one in particular—that recovery was possible for patients who were strong enough to fight for it.

“And fight, you will,” the doctor had said. “Are you up for that?”

Zack smiled at the memory—or at least, what he could recall of it. Clearly, you’d never stepped foot in Crystals East before asking me that question.

The transport tilted gently to starboard as the lights of AC Asuncion Hospital shone bright in the night below. After that, the craft reoriented onto its new heading and began its approach toward the emergency flight pad.

“Coach Rhames, Coach Monahan.” A young reeoli female dressed in blue scrubs and matching shoes met them on the platform.

“How is he?” Rhames called past the roar of the transport as it lifted off behind her.

“Stable but definitely shaken,” the green-skinned nurse said. “I can take you to him if you wish.”

Zack fell in line behind Rhames and the nurse as the latter led them off the flight pad and into the hospital’s trauma wing.

At a cursory glance, AC Ascension wasn’t as big as some of the other wards Zack had visited over the years. What it lacked in size, however, it more than made up for with its array of top-rated programs. Specialists from numerous systems, ranging from Tretra to Kofahl, and even Salvage, came to Akalla City to work at Ascension in hopes of capitalizing on its status as a research-first facility. Thankfully for Kuul, one of the areas where the hospital excelled was in its neuro trauma department. That made it a popular choice for athletes all over the galaxy who sought top-notch care based on the latest research.

“This way.” The nurse led the Argos’ coaches off the lift and down the second wing of the neuro ward.

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