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Chapter 15 - Angel of Death

Ana sighed softly as she watched the auto-scanner outline Nick's abdomen and the organs lying within his body. Rose was being taken care of by Howie a few feet away in the containment area of the hospital. Ana had purposely jumped to working with Nick, because Rose kept staring at her strangely. It gave her an anxious feeling to have Rose's light blue eyes watching her every move. She could feel Rose's eyes on the back of her neck as Howie began basic vitals on Rose. Ana heard Nick moan, and she snapped back to reality. She glanced at the scanner, watching as a massive hemorrhage erupted within Nick's stomach, which caused the vomiting to be tainted with blood.

"What's that?" Nick whispered, pointing at the screen. He was exhausted from the day's events. AJ had left them in order to grab Alison and tell her of the news. Nick felt sweat layer his body as his stomach twirled with anxiousness.

Ana placed a hand on his shoulder, offering a smile of warmth. Nick tossed his head momentarily to the side. The smile was too familiar. The scent of roses that wafted in the air around the Para-Surgeon enticed Nick into remembering. He struggled as Ana turned down the calls she was receiving on her airway. "You have some damage to your stomach from the bullet. The doctor is going to take you into surgery and repair it. Lucky you, you'll be discharged from the army before you even met combat."

"But had to suffer with a bullet," Nick moaned.

"The doctor will be in the unit shortly. Just rest, okay?"

"Sure," Nick coughed.

Ana stood up, running her hands through her tussled blonde locks. The chaos of today seemed unbearable. She had been up since two in the morning running calls from the dying soldiers. Then the captain had called her to see her fighting tactics. Ana grew frustrated with the death she was submersed in, but silently loved the chaos that surrounded her. She held her arms across her chest as Howie walked over to her. "What's up with the chick?"

"She has hemorrhaging within her abdomen, the surgeon will be down shortly."

"Same with her twin."

"It's odd," Howie murmured.

"Everything is odd in this hellhole," Ana agreed as she watched Rose jump up from her hovering backboard. Ana narrowed her eyes as she watched Rose shake Nick's shoulder, trying to wake him up. Ana took long strides and cleared her throat loudly, causing Rose to jump with fright. "Where do you think you are going?" Ana demanded.

"I'm NOT getting surgery!" Rose hissed. "Neither is Ice!"

"You don't have much of a choice, sweetheart," Howie tried to tell her soothingly.

"Yes, I do! I can refuse treatment!"

"Not in this day and age, and certainly not under military law," Ana growled.

"Leave me alone, it's not your problem!"

"It is, moron. If you die, the blood is on my hands! Your stomach is slowly filling with blood, and after it fills, you'll either die from shock, or slowly all your systems will rot and die," Ana informed Rose coolly. She narrowed her dark ocean eyes, seas of turmoil whirling within the irises. "So, I suggest that you SIT DOWN," Ana ordered. She clapped her hand loudly against Rose's shoulder, sending her backward onto the backboard. Before Ana could instruct further, electricity erupted from her arm. She was propelled backward onto the floor, stunned. Her body steamed from electrodes swarming within her systems. She could hear Howie scream her name, but she said nothing as he reached down to shake her shoulders.

Rose's eyes flashed a bright white as Ana was propelled backward by the huge force. Her mind was flooded with dreams and realities. Pieces of her unknown past flew together unexpectedly. She saw herself running down large hallways with her brother chasing her heels. She screamed for her sister to run faster, although her sister was several paces ahead of her. She screeched with delight as her older sister tackled her, pinning her to the ground as Nick jumped on her back. She managed to pull her siblings to the floor with little effort. She pinned them, immediately kissing their cheeks with loving affection. 'We'll always be together, no matter what I need to do to get to you!' her older sister declared. Large red velvet curtains flowed behind her long flaxen curls, her ocean eyes sparkling like the calm seas, as she smiled devilishly. Her face finally cleared and aged right before Rose's eyes - the Para-Surgeon.

"Ana! Come on! Open your eyes!" Howie begged as he shook her shoulders. His mind clouded with confusion as he continued to provoke her. His heart ached as he slapped her cheeks. Her eyes immediately rolled to the back of her head as she limply lay. "COME ON, ANA! THIS ISN'T FUNNY! OPEN YOUR EYES!" he roared with anger.

Before long, Ana's eyes fluttered. She coughed as she immediately coiled into a fetal position against Howie's legs. He took a deep breath of relief, running his hands through her silky curls. He whispered sweet nothings as he calmed her coughs. He couldn't imagine what had thrown Ana backward with such violence. Ana slowly began to regain her composure as a voice shouted out, "YOU'RE MY SISTER! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO ALWAYS PROTECTED ICE AND I! ANA! YOUR NAME IS ANA!"

Howie and Ana turned around as Howie helped her to her feet. Rose sat up on her back board, proclaiming her blood ties to Ana. Howie watched Ana's face go pale, as if she remembered, but didn't dare say. He could feel each of Ana's muscles tighten beneath her skin. Her eyes narrowed as Rose roused her brother.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Ana stated with a soft anger. "You've been through a traumatizing experience. You're just trying to grasp onto loose straws. I'm sorry, but you're mistaken. The medications can have that effect."

"Anastacia, you're full name is Anastacia!" Rose blurted.

"You're crazy, okay? Stop it!" Ana protested.

"You have a tattoo on your right shoulder blade from when you were a baby. You wear a special chain on your right wrist! You also have another tattoo on the small of your back, which resembles the ones that Ice and I have. You are our sister! You have to understand! Please! You are my sister!" Rose pleaded, screaming at her through the silence of the dark halls.

"STOP IT!" Ana hollered back with intense anger.

"Ana," Howie soothed.

"I'm not your sister, nor will I ever be!" she seethed.

"You are pledged to us! Please, remember, Ana!" Rose begged once again.

"I have never been pledged to someone, nor will I ever be!" Ana declared, turning on her heel. She felt her chest compressing from anxiety. Her could hear Howie yelling behind her. She ignored his pleas and Rose's screams. She went into a blind fury. She ran as fast as she could, not holding back as the cold winds tore against her skin. She felt her hand slip down to the blade tied at her hip. She raised it, and screamed the battle cry of ancient languages.

*~*~*

The man screamed in anguish as he hurried into the darker halls of the palace. His arm was torn from the shoulder socket. Arterial blood spurted forth along the dark black tiles as he fell at the new King's feet. He coughed heavily, blood trickling down his lips as he tried to kiss the leather boot. The King growled, kicking his foot upward into the man's jaw. The man tottered backward, screaming in agony as blood spilled. The King shot a look of disgust, "Why are you spilling blood upon my tiles?"

"Help me," he gasped, twitching as he fell back to the floor. The last of the blood spurted forth. The man fell, dead from bleeding out. His lips instantly began to drain to a dark purple. His eyes twitched momentarily, before all body functions ceased. The King's nose wrinkled with distaste as he smelled the urine and feces erupting from the body.

"Rogue, get away," the King screeched.

"Sire, allow me to explain," a soldier called as he hurried past several guards. They offered helpless looks as the King waved them away. He sat upon his throne, feeling the smoothness of the bones. The skulls and bones took many pain-staking hours to carve into place. He smiled, glad that the Old King had stepped down. He finally began to rule how he pleased with the Old King as his advisor. He vowed to find his wife within the coming weeks.

"You have two minutes before you will clean this up," the King declared, motioning toward the dead body.

"Of course," the man bowed, his cape billowing in the Canadian air. He motioned toward the balcony. The King obliged, standing up and walking with him. They stood at the balcony, watching the distant fires blow against the winds. Sparks from guns lighting up the midnight sky and screams of terror and agony filling the night. The King smiled sadistically.

"I know what I have done, now, what is the point with this man?"

"There has been a rampage this afternoon. One woman has attacked our troops with a furious nature. Her defense tactics are astounding. It seems with the broad base of techniques she displayed that she has been taught all the dark martial arts and dark killing methods. She is specially trained in each weapon. Her agile body twists and turns in various ways that make our men defenseless! She screams the battle cry of our past world. And, how she fights, now that's the rub. She hardly displays her guns in terms of defense. Instead, she uses the sword at her side, severing bodies left and right. She challenges each man as if she were a man herself! My Lord, she has killed hundreds of men in a matter of hours, more than any Earthling could do in a matter of months with how well I trained them!"

The King fell silent for the longest moment. He scratched his chin, staring out at the far off battlefields. "Have you located her? Or taken her down?"

"No, I searched all of the military lists, and nothing has come up. One man swore she wore a special patch upon her arm. A symbol of serpent encircling a cross of sorts? I am not familiar with this symbol."

"It stands for their medical fields. Search the findings. Has anyone seen her body?"

"She is a beauty, that is what they say. The Angel of Death, that's what they are calling her."

"So be it, has anyone seen the flesh of her body?"

"No, but many of the dying do wish."

The King nodded briefly before returning to his throne. "Very well. Search the medical files to see if you can identify our Angel of Death. Then, watch for her. If she persists with the slaughter of our troops, we will capture her. However, she will not be killed, nor injured. Death will not kiss her lips till I see her right shoulder."

*~*~*

Jamelet chewed on her bottom lip as she sat in the small apartment that AJ and her rented. It had two bedrooms, which suited their needs perfectly. Jamelet watched as Brian, Kevin, and Kimberly conversed quietly. They all were playing a simple game of cards, but Jamelet couldn't concentrate. She felt something in the pit of her stomach. Something was terribly wrong. No one believed her, but she still couldn't shake the feeling. She watched Brian glance over at her. Jamelet shook her head, turning back to the TV. She hadn't turned the TV off since they returned to her apartment. She continuously stared at the lists of casualties.

"They're not on there," Brian told her softly.

"So, they could be!" Jamelet whined with fear.

"They're strong, they'll hold out," Kevin promised.

"You guys don't understand! That's my boyfriend out there. I love him with all my heart. If he died, I would die. I can't stand being apart from him. He hasn't messaged me since he arrived. That's horrid! There's something wrong! I just know it!" Jamelet voiced, her fingers trembling.

"Alison is my cousin, Jamelet, and I still have faith that she is alive and well," Brian assured. "I know if Ali died, there would be a terrible void in my life. I still keep faith in God. He will see us through this tragic war. He will also keep us safe. Just be thankful no one else has been called for duty. Alright? I'm sure we will hear from them sooner than expected."

"I fear for them so."

"I know you do, Jamelet," Kimberly cooed, embracing the younger women. She squeezed Jamelet's shoulders as Jamelet buried her face in Kimberly's shoulder. "It must be Hell watching that TV show every day. Come on, play a game with us. We promised AJ that you would be well taken care of. He'd kill us if he found you worsening your eyesight waiting for word of his nonexistent death."

Jamelet briefly nodded. She scooted toward the floor, bracing herself against Brian's legs. He rubbed her shoulders, causing her to laugh. Jamelet felt herself loosen up until the phone rang. She reached over, grabbing it. Her laughter caused a silence against the other end. "Hello? Jamelet Sanchez speaking, how may I help you?"

"Jamelet Sanchez?" the voice repeated.

"Yes, how may I help you?"

"Do you know a Nick Carter and Rose Carter?"

Jamelet's lips tensed into a frown. Her spine straightened immediately, causing Brian, Kevin, and Kimberly to halt their laughter. They stared at Jamelet as she bit down on her bottom lip. "Yes, I know Nick and Rose Carter. Is everything okay? Are they alive?"

"They put you on their contact list. They had an accident on the battlefield. It seems that both were shot in the abdomen. They were treated at the local hospital, and had minor surgery to repair a hole in both of their stomachs. They are resting and are perfectly healed, but they are being discharged from the military. It's vital that you pick them up as soon as possible."

Jamelet's breath ceased. Her eyes became blurry with tears. "Are they okay?"

"They're fine, I assure you."

"Their friends, Alison and AJ? Are they…"

"They are waiting at the hospital with them. They have sent word that they will meet you at the plane terminal. They've been given leave."

"Thank God."

"Hurry."

"Of course," Jamelet hung up the phone with her last words. She rubbed the tears from her eyes as she stood up. She ran into her bedroom, hurriedly packing clothes. Things flew about the room. Kimberly ducked as Brian and Kevin caught the items. They stared at her in shock.

"What's wrong?"

"The…the…"

"Is Ali okay?" Brian worried.

"It's the twins."

"Are they okay?" Kevin asked.

"They're in the hospital, and we need to leave - now!"

*~*~*

Howie laid on his bunk bed, staring at the cracked ceiling. Ana hadn't returned for several hours since running onto the battlefield. He feared that his best friend was dead, or worse. Tears trickled down the sides of his cheeks as he braced his head with his hands. He couldn't help but worry as he listened to the gunshots ringing loudly into the night. So many people had died, and Howie couldn't save them all. It tore his heart to pieces to realize that so many things were wrong with society - and that his friend was caught amiss the terror.

His eyes grew heavy, but they remained open. He wouldn't sleep until Ana was safely returned to the upper bunk. He felt his mouth tighten into a deep-set frown. Within a few hours, he would go onto the battlefield, looking for her body. He prayed that he found nothing. He heard the thunder clap against the sky. The dark bunk lightened as rays of lightening kissed the ground. He shivered, pulling his wool blanket tightly around his waist. He heard the rain tear loose from the clouds, raining down upon the soldiers.

'Come on, Ana, just come home, Ace,' Howie thought to himself.

His prayers were answered as the front door slammed closed. Howie jumped from his bunk, smacking his head against the top. He muttered a low curse, clutching the top of his head. He felt the pulsating throb of a headache rage against his temple. He held his head as he looked upward. He felt his heart fall against the floor when he took in Ana's appearance.

Blood clung to Ana's pale skin like a second coat of ammo. Pieces of muscles, skin, tendons, and other body parts clung to her bloody hair. Howie feared that the body parts upon her were not signs of her life saving skills, but signs of the deadly arts. She smelled of death. Her eyes were wild with dark seas of trouble swirling about the irises. A deadly flicker of hate swarmed against the lightening cracks in her pupils. Blood seeped into her hair, coloring it a filthy red as it hung against her lower back as if she had recently showered. She said nothing as she let her sword clatter to her feet.

"Ana?" Howie whispered, not sure that it was his Ana. The Ana that he had joked with so many nights before. The Ana that held the sweetest smile on her lips when he hugged her. The same Ana that cried the first night she lost a child to a drunk driver. The same Ana that smiled at the stupidest of his jokes, no matter what the pun. She couldn't be the sweet dispositional Ana that vowed to save the world in medical school. His heart sank to his feet when she said nothing.

"Ace, talk to me," he urged.

Ana said nothing as she immediately reached for her belt. She tore it off with her blood-tainted fingers. It fell with a heavy thump as she tore her buttoned shirt. She stripped off the bloody clothing until she was left in her underwear and white tank top. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, still staring at the far wall. She seemed to be looking through Howie as she kicked all the clothing away from her. The bloody heap seeped into the floor. Howie knew in the morning there would be a stain of death.

"Ace?" Howie called.

"What?" she whispered, walking towards him. Howie sighed with relief as she laid in his bunk. She wrapped his blanket around her, curling against his back. Howie faced the wall and the door, sighing deeply. He was afraid to look at her.

"What happened out there?"

Ana went silent.

"Was it because of the twins?"

Still silence.

"Ace?"

"No, it wasn't."

"They were our patients before. That's probably why she remembered your name. She was really tore up that you left so abruptly. Will you at least visit them? They're being discharged tomorrow morning. They wanted to see you. They begged me to make you visit, Ace," Howie whispered as he finally turned to look at her. Even in the darkness he could still see the gentle curves of her figure and the sweet angelic features of her face. Her blue-green eyes glittered in the darkness as she remained silent, but intently staring at him.

"Can't you promise me, Ace?" Howie sighed.

She still remained silent.

"You scared me, Ace."

"Sorry, Love," Ana whispered.

"Promise me that you'll never run off like that again," Howie whispered fiercely as he laid back down in his bed. He curled his arms around her waist, pulling her close. He needed to feel her next to him. He needed to feel that she was real. He heard the rustling of the blanket as she turned to face the wall.

"I promise, Love," she whispered as she heard the steady rhythm of his breathing. He had drifted to sleep. Ana shivered as she stared at the dark wall. She could never reveal what the rage inside her possessed her to do on the battlefield. She would never sleep again. All she could see were the helpless eyes pleading with her for salvation. Ana trembled as salty tears fell down upon her bloody cheeks. She had killed so many in so little time. Her fingers trembled, because she felt so comfortable with the blade. Tears of remorse flooded her soul as well as her eyes. For once in her life, she prayed for darkness to take over her soul.