An Uncertain Future (11.2)

She walked over to the area in haste until two other healers of a species she didn't recognize stopped her.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but we can't let you over here ... Mr. Peterson is having some trouble with this case and shouldn't be disturbed."

Rivi frowned worriedly as she headed back over to the comp amalgamator at the main desk. The Amalgamator looked up as Rivi approached.

"Can I help you with something, Miss Rivinaig?" The Aunantet asked politely.

"I was wondering if you might be able to tell me what is going on," Rivi asked as she pointed out that all of the healers in the tent had gathered around Dan.

"That happens every once and a while - a case will come up that is too strong for a single healer to take care of and their mind can become trapped in the patient. As you can see now, other healers will try to join with Mr. Peterson to help him heal the patient and free his own mind."

As the Amalgamator finished explaining to Rivi, three healers tried to join with Daniel and the patient, only to jump back as if they had been shocked by an electrical surge. Two other healers who had been looking on came hurrying over to the Amalgamator at the desk. Rivi recognized that the two healers were of a species called the Erets, in the Aunantet language.

The Eret species were renowned for their excellent hearing. They had many long, floppy ears covered in short white, brown, or black fur that hung down from all over their heads. The rest of their bodies were covered in tight protective scales. The Eret healers spoke quite fast and in their own native language. Rivi narrowed her eyes as she struggled to understand what they were saying.

The comp amalgamator at the desk put her hands up in confusion, signaling to the Eret that she didn't understand them. The Amalgamator looked across the room. Rivi followed her gaze and saw a male Aunantet take a computer out of his pocket. The Aunantet looked toward the table and quickly came over.

Rivi watched curiously as he pointed to the Eret, and then to his hand. One of the Eret spoke a word in 'Retish', their native language, and the Male Aunantet nodded. He pointed again to the table and to the support post of the tent. He received two more words.

He's an ILM (or inter language mediator)! Rivi thought to herself in surprise, realizing that she should have known there would have been at least one working with this diverse group of healers.

The ILM began to speak to the Erets in perfect Retish, performing the subtle clicks, whirrs of the tongue, and the deep throat sounds, as if he had always known the language. Rivi listened to the conversation that sounded more like a symphony of underwater animals from Earth than anything else she had ever heard.

"What is going on?" Rivi asked the Aunantet ILM in the native language of Aun.

"You are Human - Is Mr. Peterson a friend of yours?" The ILM asked after he looked Rivi over and reverted to Earth English just as easily as he had with Retish.

"Yes," Rivi answered in English.

"Then you should know that your friend may be in danger," He answered sympathetically. "Although by no decision of his own, his mind refuses to be connected with - the healers cannot help him."

"What do you mean 'his mind refuses to be connected with'... certainly, he wouldn't refuse someone's help if he was in danger," Rivi said, confused.

"I think I can answer that," The comp amalgamator said as Rivi turned back toward her. "I just found in my records of the healers history that although it is rare, sometimes a healer's mind is not compatible with any of the others. Your friend is not refusing their help - he simply cannot receive their help."

One of the Erets spoke again and the ILM translated.

"It is like rope ... most types of rope can be tied to other types of rope. But some types of rope can't be tied to others or the knot will fall apart."

"Like I said, situations like this are very rare," The comp amalgamator said.

Dread began trickling into the pit of Rivi's stomach. "What will happen to Dan?" She choked out in a whisper.

"He is trapped because the illness in the patient is too strong and has tried to attack him as well. He will more than likely die quite soon," the ILM clarified with remorse.

Rivi paled, closed her eyes, and exhaled loudly. She bit her bottom lip as she looked up at the Amalgamator.

"Isn't there even a small chance that he will make it out?"

The Amalgamator closed her eyes and Rivi knew she was consulting the records on her personal computer, hidden somewhere on her person.

"I don't have any record of anyone who has successfully come out of this ... however my records are not conclusive," The Amalgamator added in hope.

Rivi looked at the floor worriedly but then her face melted into a look of defiance. She spun around on her heel and made to walk over toward Dan. The two Eret healers tried to stop her.

"What are you doing?" The ILM asked.

"I once told Dan that if he ever needed help, I would be there," Rivi replied as she looked past the two Eret healers to her friend.

Dan's face had formed into a frown and creases lined his forehead. Rivi gently pushed past the protesting Eret healers and approached the small group of healers gathered around Daniel, watching him sadly.

"There's nothing you or anyone else can do to help him, Miss," another healer stated but stepped aside to let Rivi pass.

Rivi walked around the cot to stand beside Daniel. Daniel's hand was resting on the shoulder of the Gront lying on the cot. Rivi looked up into Dan's face and laid her left hand on top of his.

"I'm here, Dan," She whispered as she frowned with concern. "I wish I could help you somehow."

Dan's face relaxed and Rivi's frown melted – a weak sense of strength and quite a few feelings which were not hers, flooded into her awareness. As if on instinct, Rivi closed her eyes and her other hand went up to the side of Dan's face.

Rivi suddenly found herself in the hallways of Dan's mind. Knowing she had a job to do, she fought down her surprise and paid little attention to his memories floating in various places down the halls. After a few moments, she came a set of double doors, standing wide open. She walked up to the open door and looked into the room. Inside the large, almost-empty room, she found Dan sitting on a tall stool, looking at what seemed to be a video screen.

Rivi frowned and walked up closer. As she looked at the screen, she could see what seemed like an Earth style video game playing on it. Hundreds of red rockets flew around, evading some sort of weapons fire coming from the bottom of the screen. The weapons fire seemed to be faltering.

Rivi instantly realized the connection. She turned around and saw Dan holding some sort of joystick-like instrument and pressing a button on top to fire the weapon Rivi saw on the screen. However, every time he missed, a snake-like object from the side of the joystick slowly wrapped itself around Dan's neck like a scarf. Rivi found another stool beside the door and brought it over beside Dan.

As she sat down beside Dan, she realized in horror that the snake was slowly suffocating him. She reached up and desperately tried to pull the snake from his neck. It didn't come loose-instead it tightened. Daniel blinked and coughed slightly.

"Can you help me, Rivi," Dan asked, as his gaze stood fixed to the screen, "I'm losing my strength ... I keep missing the viruses."

"I think I can give you some of my own strength," Rivi told him as she leaned forward and placed her left hand on his free hand, resting on his knee.

Dan sat up a bit straighter and a thin smile crept across his face.

"Thanks, could you help me beat this virus?" He asked.

"I'm not a healer, Dan," Rivi replied sadly.

"Yet you still managed to join my mind while I was in the process of healing another," Dan joked pointedly.

"I'll try," Rivi said, uncertain.

She placed her right hand around his own hand that was manipulating the joystick. Suddenly, she could feel something change. Somehow, she now knew what to do. The images flying through her mind were not her own, yet she could decipher their meaning. She tightened her hand over his and concentrated on what her mind was telling her to do.

Together, they worked to destroy the viruses flying around on the screen in front of them. Once the last virus was destroyed Dan hung his head in exhaustion. Rivi got up from her stool and tried once more to pull the snake off of Dan's neck. Instead, it shied away from her grasp, releasing Dan and pulling itself back into the joystick, which Dan let fall to the floor.

The joystick fell and broke into millions of pieces before slowly disappearing. Rivi put an arm around Dan's waist and helped him out of the room. The doors shut behind them as they walked out into the hallway.

"Well, that's strange," Rivi stated with a smile as she released Dan and stepped back to look at his tired form. "You are able to help me with computer viruses and I, obviously, can help you with healing."

Dan smiled slightly as he realized the irony of it.

"See you in the normal world," Rivi said, waving as she walked off down the hallway, disappearing as she went.

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