Humayre: The Chronicles of Ronin Wilder
Chapter 16

Bright light stung Ronin’s eyes. He blinked and rubbed his face. The soft brush of fabric scratched across his cheeks and eyebrows. Gauze bandages were wrapped around his hands and fingers. A euphoric calmness came over him as he glanced around the room.

Lying in bed, wondering how he got there, he noticed the gleaming white marble floors. They spurned the wisp of a memory but he was unable to catch it. Maybe because his mind felt numb and foggy.

The room was small with no windows. The bed was a typical hospital bed, narrow and adjustable. A white blanket was wrapped around his legs. Flaring his nostrils, he pulled in a quick breath. The smell of the room was familiar, something in the drywall they used. The scent gave the location away. He was in the white cinder block building where he first saw Grace. In a flash it all came back to him. The black sarcophagus. The pain. The blood everywhere. His mind tried to urge fear and panic to take over but all his feelings were numbed.

He leaned forward. Something pulled on his left arm. It was an I.V. He followed the tube to the hanging bag of clear liquid just behind him. Dizziness forced him to lean back in his bed. Alcohol and the remnants of old blood sickened his nostrils. Whoever cleaned the place before he got there didn’t do a very good job. A familiar smell came to him. Aftershave mixed with sweat. The sweat was unique. The salt content was high and distinctly sharp. Ronin knew right away who it was coming from. Dr. Storm. When Ronin closed his eyes, the scent trail lead under his door and out of the room.

Two more men were in the next room with Dr. Storm. One wore a very pungent, musty cologne. The other smelled of soap and excitement. The scent was odd and Ronin couldn’t explain it any other way. He could actually smell excitement. Voices. They started as a whisper and slowly grew. After focusing he could hear them as though they were right next to him. The voices were coming from the other room.

“You did a full work up?” asked Dr. Storm.

“Yes sir,” said Mr. Soap. Ronin was able to identify Mr. Soap by the smell of his breath as he spoke. He had coffee at some point and the smell mingled with the soap he had used.

“We’ve never seen anything like it,” said Mr. Cologne. Using the process of elimination Ronin labeled the man who smelled like cologne.

“The tests show that he has no Mayre in his blood,” said Dr. Storm. A pause, followed by the flipping of pages, he continued, “But his VLS scan shows an off the chart reading. Even higher than a Rahvein’s. How is this possible?”

“We don’t know sir. Like I said, we’ve never seen anything like it,” said Mr. Cologne.

“According to our readings the Mayre has collected in his fingertips and in his head, as opposed to flowing freely through his body which of course would be its natural behavior,” said Mr. Soap.

“So,” said Dr. Storm. “What you are telling me is he will not be able to go through with The Sword Ceremony?” A long pause. Dr. Storm cleared his throat. “What about the enhanced physical abilities of an awakened Humayre?”

“No sir,” said Mr. Soap. “Without Mayre-rich blood there is no way to make the sword. And as you know, the blood is also the source of their enhanced physical abilities.”

“What about Bio Armor?” asked Dr. Storm.

“No Sir,” said Mr. Cologne. “Just like a normal Humayre the Mayre in his body does not produce energy that can be harnessed.”

“Then he is of no use to us,” said Mr. Storm. He took a deep breath and exhaled. Ronin heard Dr. Storm’s heart rate increase and smelled the anguish on him. “Send him to the Bio Tech labs. He can intern there.” It sounded as though a paper was being torn up. “I have failed again. I will not be reminded of my failure every time I come back here.”

“Yes sir,” said Mr. Soap.

“Yes sir,” said Mr. Cologne.

Ronin’s heart dropped. He hung on the silence, hoping for something to change, for someone to say he didn’t have to leave. Desperation took ahold of him. He grabbed at the I.V. with his bandaged hands and started to pull.

A door opened in the next room.

“Sir,” said Mr. Soap. “Before you leave I think there is something you might want to see.”

The door closed. Ronin released the I.V. tube and waited for what would be said next.

“Yes?” asked Dr. Storm.

“Look at these readings,” said Mr. Soap. It sounded like he tapped a piece of paper. “The Mayre in the visual cortex part of his brain is actually increasing in level. It’s very slight. We almost didn’t notice it. But it’s there and it’s consistent.”

“Just like the girl,” said Mr. Cologne.

“What do you think it means?” asked Mr. Soap. “It can’t be a coincidence. This is only the second time that this has ever happened.”

“I don’t know what it means,” said Dr. Storm. “But you are wrong. This has happened before. One other time. And it changed everything.”

“I don’t understand,” said Mr. Soap.

“When the Vein evolved. When they developed the ability to TS,” said Dr. Storm. He exhaled. His breath smelled like minty mouth wash. “Mayre will only alter itself when there is an imbalance. Before these two cases it had happened only one time in the history of our peoples.”

“So what should we do?” asked Mr. Cologne.

“There is nothing we can do,” said Dr. Storm. “Just hope that we are the ones who benefit this time.”

“Should we still send him to the Bio Tech Labs?” asked Mr. Soap.

“No,” said Dr. Storm. “I want you to pair him with the girl. See if anything comes of it.” He paused. “Make it clear he is to have no special treatment. All of this may mean nothing. If he can’t find a way to succeed, then he does not belong here. Just like every other student he has to pull his weight. Let’s see where this goes. If he does fail, then we can send him to the Bio Tech labs. Either way I want to keep a close eye on his progress. Keep me informed.”

“Yes sir,” said Mr. Soap and Mr. Cologne at the same time.

Ronin leaned back and exhaled. Never had he been so relieved to hear anything.

“Sir,” said Mr. Soap. “There is one more thing. Maybe the strangest of all.”

Ronin sat back up. Please don’t be bad, please don’t be bad.

“Go on,” said Dr. Storm.

“The Mayre in his hands and mouth has somehow changed into something else,” said Mr. Soap.

“Go on,” Dr. Storm’s heart rate rose once more.

“We tried to test both. But were unable to collect any samples,” said Mr. Soap.

“And why is that? You have the most advanced medical equipment in the world here.”

“The material is impervious to everything we have,” said Mr. Cologne. “We even tried to remove one of his nails, but his entire finger would have come off before the nail.”

“So what are you telling me?” asked Dr. Storm, his voice riddled with impatience.

“Four of his teeth and all of his nails are made of what we can only guess, based off his VLS scan, as being Mayre in solid form,” said Mr. Cologne.

“I wouldn’t call them teeth and nails,” said Mr. Soap. “More like claws and fangs.”

Looking at his bandaged hands a numbness came over Ronin. All of his senses focused on the white gauze. At his wrist a piece of white tape secured the end piece of his bandage. He pulled the tape off and unraveled the gauze. Five separate pieces of gauze were wrapped around each finger. Staring, afraid of what he might find underneath, Ronin thought that maybe he should wait for a doctor to come help him, but he couldn’t wait, he had to know. The tape pulled away from his skin and the gauze dangled. He unwrapped the gauze stopping just before he got to the nail.

He took a deep breath and removed the last bit of bandage. A sharp jolt fired into his heart. Sweat beaded above his eyebrows and freckled his nose. Shock and disbelief. What he was looking at was no longer a fingernail. A cylindrical claw sat where his fingernail used to be. It was a white pearly color. The tip of the claw hooked down ever so slightly. He pushed on the end of the claw with his bandaged finger. The claw pierced through gauze and into his left index finger. He jerked his hands apart before any real damaged could be done.

After unwrapping all his nails he sat and starred at the bestial monstrosities. The first thought to pop into his head was he was going to need some gloves, if anyone saw the claws they would think he was a freak. As he stared, he noticed the claw on his index finger move a bit. He focused. The nail felt like an extension of his body, like another limb. Using all his willpower he moved the claw back and forth. They were retractable, like a cats. With concentration he could make the claw extend about four inches from his finger and then back again.

“This is freaking amazing,” Ronin said, under his breath. He held his hands up. His eyebrows furrowed as he used every ounce of focus to move all his claws back and forth.

The door opened. Ronin just about jumped out of his bed. In walked Dr. Storm, his eyes on Ronin’s hands.

“I see you removed your bandages,” said Dr. Storm. He walked over to Ronin’s bed. “May I see them please?”

This time there was a little more compassion in Dr. Storm’s voice. Ronin held his hands out. Dr. Storm thoroughly examined them. “Very interesting,” said Dr. Storm. He turned Ronin’s hands over so that his palms faced the ceiling. He pushed the center of Ronin’s palm with his thumb. All five claws popped out. When he released his hand the claws went back to a relaxed position. “Very interesting. Just like a cat.”

“What’s wrong with me?” asked Ronin. “Am I sick or something?”

“No, no. Nothing of the sort.” Releasing Ronin’s hands he then focused on Ronin’s face. “Can you open your mouth please?”

Ronin opened wide. Dr. Storm used his thumb to feel the ends of Ronin’s canine teeth at the top and bottom. “Very interesting,” said Dr. Storm. “You can close now.”

Ronin closed his mouth and waited for Dr. Storm to explain.

“Four of your teeth and all of your nails are made out of Mayre. This is an unprecedented occurrence.”

“So what’s that mean? What’s gonna happen now?”

“There is nothing physically wrong with you, so you will be released today.” Adjusting his white lab coat, he added, “You will go back to school and do what you were invited here to do.”

“Okay,” said Ronin. As strange as the whole situation was, he really didn’t care, all that mattered was that he was getting to go back to BrightWood. He could figure out the claw thing and super senses later.

“I wasn’t going to tell you this,” said Dr. Storm. “Normally I like to let things play themselves out. But, since you are going to be at such a huge disadvantage, and I do feel a certain amount of responsibility for you, I will give you some insight to what you’re up against.” The room went silent as he stared at Ronin’s hands. “The challenges before you will almost be insurmountable. Your peers will be stronger, faster and process external stimuli quicker than you. Most of your success will depend on whether or not you can compete with your fellow students in sword play. If you cannot keep up, you will be expelled from the school.”

Ronin waited for a moment thinking Dr. Storm had more to say, but he just stared at Ronin. “Nice pep talk,” said Ronin sarcastically. “Guess you Rahvein have never heard of positive reinforcement.”

“Given your situation positive reinforcement would be nothing more than lying.”

“Great.” Ronin rolled his eyes. “So when do I get to leave?”

“Right now if you wish. Let me get someone in here to remove you I.V. first.”

Ronin reached across his body and ripped the I.V. out of his arm. “I’d like to go now please.” He took a piece of gauze and used it to suppress the bleeding.

“A carriage will be waiting for you outside,” said Dr. Storm. He looked shocked by what Ronin had done.

“Thanks.” He got out of bed, walked right past Dr. Storm and out the door. In the next room he saw Mr. Cologne and Mr. Soap. They gave him a confused look when he saluted them. The door leading out of the room led to a stairway. As he made his way down the stairs he looked at his hands. Wait till Kevin sees these. He smiled and chuckled to himself. A peaceful calm came over him. For the first time in his life his destiny was firmly in his own hands. It was entirely up to him whether or not he would make it at BrightWood. No problem, I can do this.

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