Back in the Dead World - Hank's Awakening
Hank stirred slowly, then frowned and suddenly felt of a jolt of pain up his spine.
“Argh!” he groaned, attempting to roll over before two thin, powerful hands grabbed him and kept him down.
“Shh... it’s alright, luv, it’s alright, calm down.”
“Huh?” Hank said, opening his eyes. For a while he could see nothing, but slowly a beautiful young woman’s face appeared over him, and he groaned again as the pain continued. “Levvy?”
“Careful!” the young mutant said, eyes widening. “I can’t heal you all the way, and you just got over being dead!”
“Dead?” Hank said, eyes widening. Then he groaned. “Liah... where is she? How long have I been out? Is she ok?”
“Liah... the girl who was with you?” Levvy asked. “I- I don’t know.”
“No,” Hank rasped, attempting to get up before he was pushed back. The excretion aroused low groans of pain, and Levvy looked at him distastefully.
“I had to call the Other Side to bring you back,” she said. “And you’re gonna stay here until you’re better!”
“No,” Hank groaned. “No, please, Liah! You don’t understand... she’s alone, she’s got the mind of one who’s Sick. Please, I must needs find her.”
“Sick?” Levvy said, her eyes went huge. “Oh....”
“Please,” Hank rasped, finding himself unable to rise for the pain, instead looking at her desperately. “Please find her... she could be hurt.”
“I- I’ll do what I can,” Levvy promised, touching his chest. “You rest, and I’ll go look.”
“My thanks,” Hank rasped, then fell back and found himself unable to fend of the black tide rising up inside.
- - -
“Hank? Hank!” Levvy’s voice made the blue boy start, then open his eyes.
“Levvy?” he said slowly. Then he saw her face, and remembered why she’d been gone. “Liah! Did you find her? Is she alright?”
“Peace, friend,” said a masculine voice. Hank frowned and looked up, then inhaled sharply. “Trask?”
“Hello,” the young man said, smiling faintly and looking astounded to see him. “You had me worried, Dr. McCoy. I thought we’d lost you.”
“What- what are you doing here?” Hank said, puzzled. “Is Liah here?” Levvy knelt by him and looked upset.
“She... she followed you, after you went after those boys,” she said softly. Hank’s eyes widened.
“No! is she alright? Where is she?” he said, starting to get up.
“Peace, doctor!” Trask gasped, pulling him back. “They beat her and tore her clothes, but when I found her they’d discovered she’d been Sick and run away. She found you, but then the hunters came, so I sent her to an alternate reality. It’s a better world, I know, and she had a better chance of surviving there... I’m sorry, I thought you were dead. I would’ve never sent her if....”
“She- she’s in another world? Alone?” Hank said, nearly blacking out again.
“It’s alright, Hank, I’m sure she’s fine,” Levvy said softly.
“No, no, she cannot fend for herself in her present state of mind,” Hank struggled against his own inability to get up and seek the one he loved.
“Hank, listen to me,” Trask grunted, trying to help Levvy keep him on his back. “You can’t follow her in this state, the trip across dimensions is tough enough, but if you go now it’ll kill you! If you stay here and heal some then you can get to the other verse safely, and be able to track Liah from there.”
“But what if she needs me?” Hank groaned. “What if she’s in trouble?”
“You can’t help her if you’re dead,” Levvy said practically. “And you can’t die, you’re the one who cured me of the Sickness! And Trask’s younger sister.”
“How long have I been predisposed?” Hank asked softly, ignoring her.
“I dunno... two, two and a half weeks?” Levvy asked. Trask nodded and Hank groaned.
“By now she would have... she cannot hunt or find sustaining food,” he said, shuddering as his eyes glistened with tears.
“Boy, if you don’t shut up and heal you’ll never get better,” Levvy said fiercely. “Now quit worrying, Trask said he’d go over and look for her while you’re getting better, but if you don’t take the time to heal you might as well off yourself right now!”
“Ack,” Hank groaned, then gave a weary shudder and stopped struggling. He found himself almost overcome by pain, and stopped fighting and fell back.
“It’s gonna be ok, doc, just relax,” Levvy sighed, wiping his brow with a cloth. “You stay here and rest, and if you take it easy you’ll see Liah again in no time.”
“My... my thanks,” Hank said, struggling to stay awake, but Levvy shook her head and gently closed his eyes.
“Go to sleep, you need rest,” she said softly, and no sooner had she finished speaking than Hank had passed out once more.
“Argh!” he groaned, attempting to roll over before two thin, powerful hands grabbed him and kept him down.
“Shh... it’s alright, luv, it’s alright, calm down.”
“Huh?” Hank said, opening his eyes. For a while he could see nothing, but slowly a beautiful young woman’s face appeared over him, and he groaned again as the pain continued. “Levvy?”
“Careful!” the young mutant said, eyes widening. “I can’t heal you all the way, and you just got over being dead!”
“Dead?” Hank said, eyes widening. Then he groaned. “Liah... where is she? How long have I been out? Is she ok?”
“Liah... the girl who was with you?” Levvy asked. “I- I don’t know.”
“No,” Hank rasped, attempting to get up before he was pushed back. The excretion aroused low groans of pain, and Levvy looked at him distastefully.
“I had to call the Other Side to bring you back,” she said. “And you’re gonna stay here until you’re better!”
“No,” Hank groaned. “No, please, Liah! You don’t understand... she’s alone, she’s got the mind of one who’s Sick. Please, I must needs find her.”
“Sick?” Levvy said, her eyes went huge. “Oh....”
“Please,” Hank rasped, finding himself unable to rise for the pain, instead looking at her desperately. “Please find her... she could be hurt.”
“I- I’ll do what I can,” Levvy promised, touching his chest. “You rest, and I’ll go look.”
“My thanks,” Hank rasped, then fell back and found himself unable to fend of the black tide rising up inside.
- - -
“Hank? Hank!” Levvy’s voice made the blue boy start, then open his eyes.
“Levvy?” he said slowly. Then he saw her face, and remembered why she’d been gone. “Liah! Did you find her? Is she alright?”
“Peace, friend,” said a masculine voice. Hank frowned and looked up, then inhaled sharply. “Trask?”
“Hello,” the young man said, smiling faintly and looking astounded to see him. “You had me worried, Dr. McCoy. I thought we’d lost you.”
“What- what are you doing here?” Hank said, puzzled. “Is Liah here?” Levvy knelt by him and looked upset.
“She... she followed you, after you went after those boys,” she said softly. Hank’s eyes widened.
“No! is she alright? Where is she?” he said, starting to get up.
“Peace, doctor!” Trask gasped, pulling him back. “They beat her and tore her clothes, but when I found her they’d discovered she’d been Sick and run away. She found you, but then the hunters came, so I sent her to an alternate reality. It’s a better world, I know, and she had a better chance of surviving there... I’m sorry, I thought you were dead. I would’ve never sent her if....”
“She- she’s in another world? Alone?” Hank said, nearly blacking out again.
“It’s alright, Hank, I’m sure she’s fine,” Levvy said softly.
“No, no, she cannot fend for herself in her present state of mind,” Hank struggled against his own inability to get up and seek the one he loved.
“Hank, listen to me,” Trask grunted, trying to help Levvy keep him on his back. “You can’t follow her in this state, the trip across dimensions is tough enough, but if you go now it’ll kill you! If you stay here and heal some then you can get to the other verse safely, and be able to track Liah from there.”
“But what if she needs me?” Hank groaned. “What if she’s in trouble?”
“You can’t help her if you’re dead,” Levvy said practically. “And you can’t die, you’re the one who cured me of the Sickness! And Trask’s younger sister.”
“How long have I been predisposed?” Hank asked softly, ignoring her.
“I dunno... two, two and a half weeks?” Levvy asked. Trask nodded and Hank groaned.
“By now she would have... she cannot hunt or find sustaining food,” he said, shuddering as his eyes glistened with tears.
“Boy, if you don’t shut up and heal you’ll never get better,” Levvy said fiercely. “Now quit worrying, Trask said he’d go over and look for her while you’re getting better, but if you don’t take the time to heal you might as well off yourself right now!”
“Ack,” Hank groaned, then gave a weary shudder and stopped struggling. He found himself almost overcome by pain, and stopped fighting and fell back.
“It’s gonna be ok, doc, just relax,” Levvy sighed, wiping his brow with a cloth. “You stay here and rest, and if you take it easy you’ll see Liah again in no time.”
“My... my thanks,” Hank said, struggling to stay awake, but Levvy shook her head and gently closed his eyes.
“Go to sleep, you need rest,” she said softly, and no sooner had she finished speaking than Hank had passed out once more.