All sentient life is connected. The appendages may be different, we may eat different things, and live in different solar systems, but at the end of the day, we’re all one big family.
It’s time to explore the branches of the universal family tree, and today, we present:
Agent Red
– Issue 15 – On the Mend
Frial Realfen is gravely injured. The explosive conflict at the culmination of his race with Whadgaf Jiris had left him battered and he had to depend on the SOS coordinates that the Universal Infirmary issued from all of its branches for wounded pilots unable to determine the location of medical assistance. Frial was received with care as the ship he had stolen from the spaceport in all of the chaos arrived at the Infirmary, and he knew that he had no need to fear the wrath of the Rhaldeg family that had pursued him and meant to kill him; a UI branch is universally considered a safe zone and no weapons or violence is allowed. The Ointite enforce this rule brutally, violators are punished with death in a most excruciating way; the Ointite have telepathic abilities and they can disrupt the brain function of a target at close range and with intense concentration, the results of which often causes multiple hemorrhages or aneurysms. The Ointite are a peaceful people and they do not use their telepathic ability when they are off planet.
Frial’s wing was badly injured, not beyond repair, just extensive burns at the edges, but it hurt very much. He broke several bones in his wings and in his limbs, also his ribcage and shoulder blade. He required extensive surgeries to save his life and the nurses worked tirelessly to restore him. This is the stated mission of any Ointite nurse of any distinction, to maintain the wondrous creation of life that is attributed to the Center.
Frial was mostly unconscious in the first week of his time at the Banned Regions branch of the UI, but he thinks that he can remember drifting back to consciousness during that time. He is sure that he had an encounter, that the woman Whadgaf Jiris had come to see him and stood over his bed.
She glared at him, he remembered, not violently, but intently like she was studying his face, maybe trying to decide if he was awake. Then she said,
“I’m sorry. I truly am. I understand your need for revenge and I guess that the only way you will have it is to see me die. But I can’t give you that Frial. Your family took me from the only home I ever had and I can never get that back. The penalty for that is not death, I know that, but I was under so much stress, I was so scared. I hardly remember it…I remember seeing you when it was done. And it all came flooding back to me. I was not repentant in the moment, and truthfully there is a part of me still that feels no remorse, but I have looked into your eyes Frial. I know that you are hurting. I took everything from you. I cannot bring them back, I would if I could, but can’t. I can be your family. It may not seem this way to you, but I lost everything as well, and who understands me more than you. I will be your sister Frial, Agent Red. If you want to kill me, you are welcome to try, but from this day on, if we encounter one another, I will guard your life like family. It is the very least I can do. Please let go of your anger. Please find me when you do.”
Frial still has an image of her stern face in his mind and he thinks about the words it had spoken. He can’t trust them, it was most likely the dreams of a man on the edge of his life, but even if that is true, it says something about Frial’s feelings toward his nemesis.
Or maybe she had come to him and she was truly repentant.
Frial has been recovering at the UI branch for months now and he is not even halfway through his recovery. He is not able to fly and he uses a wheelchair. It is a humbling position for the notorious Agent Red.
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