Legends of Amacia Heart of Darkness

Selina looked towards the noise on the far side of the Harem, seeing a panel on the wall open. A growl rumbled from the darkness beyond that concerned Selina. Before she could blink, a creature from her darkest nightmares stepped into the Harem, standing up after ducking through the eight-foot tall opening. Selina felt her heart skip a beat as what appeared to be a giant mutated bipedal cave bear eleven feet tall enhanced with cybernetics scanned the Harem with an urgent look. Selina stared in fearful disbelief as she saw the bear’s eye fall on her. She noticed its skull was enhanced with machinery on the right side going down its neck. Its right eye was mechanical, shining with an eerie red glow. The eye opened wider and Selina heard it whirring softly as it focused in on her.

She started shaking as the bear turned towards her; its rippling muscles covered with a thick fur where it wasn’t covered with cybernetic attachments. Its left arm was organic with a huge hand armed with seven-inch retractable claws. Its right arm and hand was completely mechanical, merged with the organic part of the creature at the shoulder. Cybernetic attachments ran around its chest and back in a weird honeycomb pattern, protecting its vital organs. Machinery covered its hips and ran down its legs to its feet. In its organic hand was a large leather satchel. The creature aired an aura of terrible power that Selina instantly felt. “Oh, my Lord,” she moaned fearfully as it suddenly started moving towards her. “What in heaven’s name is that?”

Izanami touched Selina on the hand with a relieved look. “Thank the gods,” she breathed. “It’s Nemesis. He got Myra’s message.”

“That’s the Nemesis you were talking about?” Selina asked in utter astonishment, watching the women of the Harem rushing to Nemesis in a friendly manner. She suddenly thought of the giant bear statue machine in the Circle of Hammunaptra that destroyed Chief Hadeon of the Zinzera for attacking Hannibal and shuddered, chills racing up and down her spine.

As the bear walked towards Selina, it spoke to the women that thronged the creature with an elegance that surprised Selina, saying, “Please ladies; now is not the time. I must see to Miss Chizu and the cat. Time is of the essence.” The women parted, letting the bear through.

“Yes,” Izanami replied to Selina’s question, “You needn’t be afraid of him. He’s a friend to everyone who is here.”

The bear lumbered to where Selina and Chizu lay. It glanced at Chizu, and then turned to Selina, locking eyes with her. Selina suddenly felt a tremendous telepathic surge from the beast that caught her off-guard. Bowing to Selina, it said eloquently, “Selina Milineus, wife of the great Beowulf; please don’t be afraid. I am the Nemesis, and your protector in this hellish place.”

Selina’s fear vanished into nothing when Nemesis spoke to her. She stared in wonder at the cybernetic monstrosity before her, sensing great intelligence and an odd gentleness in the creature in addition to its terrible power. “What are you?” she asked with intense curiosity.

“I’m a Xenian, milady,” Nemesis stated, “...a seventh-generation engineered prototype bio-organic weapon created by the Emperor in his thirst for the perfect soldier and weapon. Forgive me for not giving you a full explanation right now, but Myra contacted me saying there was a dire medical emergency in here, and I see she was correct. If you will excuse me, I must see to Miss Chizu now.” Nemesis turned from Selina and knelt down beside Chizu, scanning her with his cyborg eye after he sat down his satchel.

“What’s he doing?” Selina asked Izanami, instinctually knowing that Nemesis was a male in its core.

“I’m scanning Miss Chizu, milady Selina,” Nemesis called out. A disapproving growl rumbled from his massive chest. “You were right to contact me,” he declared. “She’s very sick from the infection in her reproductive tract. Who discovered the problem?”

“Selina did,” Sakura called out. “She discovered it after Chizu passed out.”

Nemesis glanced at Selina with a raised eyebrow on his organic eye. “You have medical skills, milady?” he asked.

“I do,” Selina replied softly. “Chizu passed out from the fever and an accelerated heart rate. My purr is a natural sedative, especially for humans, so I used it to calm her heart down before it burst. Then when I saw puss and blood dripping from the rope buried in her genitals, I knew she was in big trouble, especially when I discovered she was also running a high fever. I cut that diabolical binding off her and told her friends how to clean out the infection. They did the best they could with what they had, removing as much of the infection as they could get to.”

“Your purr is a natural sedative? That’s a curious bit of information about your species, milady,” Nemesis replied, glancing at her. “I’m sure you have many surprises for us. But for now, let’s see to Miss Chizu.” He removed the bandage covering Chizu’s ravaged groin with his mechanical fingers, pulling out the rolled up bandage that Izanami and Myra had inserted into her to soak up the remaining infection. He closed his machine fist around the contaminated bandages and they vanished, as if by magic from Selina’s view.

“Whoa,” Selina whispered as Nemesis proceeded with a physical exam of Chizu’s infected reproductive tract, acting much as a doctor would.

“Your treatment according to milady Selina’s instructions saved Miss Chizu’s life,” Nemesis announced as he used his cybernetics to diagnose Chizu’s problem visually, scanning her from her vulva to her uterus and ovaries. “But the damage is extensive and the infection is still rampant.” His machine eye pulsed several times. “Worse yet, I see the infection has reached her uterus and has also gone septic.”

“Oh, no,” Selina moaned, “I was afraid of that. We were too late.”

Nemesis took on the air of a surgeon. “No, you weren’t,” he retorted. “She isn’t dead yet. By draining and cleaning the infection out the way you did, it kept the infection from sweeping her body and killing her before I got here.”

“What can you do?” Selina asked. “Do you have the medication needed to save her?”

Nemesis turned his eye to Selina for a moment as everyone watched with baited breath. “Of course I do,” he answered coolly. “I’m fully equipped to deal with emergencies like this. Frankly, I’ve dealt with far worse. Now watch as I save this girl from a painful lingering death.”

Selina stared as she saw the fingers on Nemesis’ machine hand morph into a strange cup-like device the same size and shape as Chizu’s ravaged groin. A surgical-grade probe the size of a large pencil sprouted from center of the cup-like device like a weird tentacle. It extended two inches from what used to be the palm of his machine hand, just to the edge of the cup. Selina saw the probe form and gasped in amazement. An empty vial appeared in his forearm as a panel opened on it. “The infection is filling her uterus with puss and blood,” Nemesis announced as he focused back on Chizu, leaning in close. “It must be syphoned out if she is to survive.” He carefully, but firmly placed the device against Chizu’s ravaged genitals, completely covering them while slipping the probe into her. The device sealed against her flesh with a hiss upon contact.

“Wow,” Selina breathed in awe, seeing how versatile Nemesis’ cybernetic hand was. When she briefly saw the probe slip into Chizu before the rest of the device covered her ravaged groin, chills raced down Selina’s spine as the sight sexually aroused her. She couldn’t hide her reaction to it from anyone because of her scandalous teddy. Even though it only took Nemesis a few seconds to position the probe, it felt like a lifetime to Selina.

Sakura saw Selina’s physical reaction and gave her gentle squeeze. “I know,” she whispered into Selina’s ear. “Watching him do that is stimulating, isn’t it?”

Selina blushed deeper and looked away from Chizu, saying, “I can’t help it. I’m reacting reflexively, and it’s very embarrassing because I can’t hide it.”

“It’s okay,” Sakura murmured in her ear, stroking her lower back to help distract her. “It’s only natural. Don’t worry about it. I know you can handle it. You’ve a strong will and great control over your body.” Selina shot a grateful look to Sakura before turning her attention back to Nemesis’ medical treatment of Chizu.

“Hmmm,” Nemesis mumbled, “I must be careful not to damage her any more than she is already is. Ahh, I got it. My probe is into her uterus now. Now, let’s get that infection cleaned up before it can do any more damage.” He focused his eyes on Chizu’s lower belly, his machine eye whirring and scanning constantly.

Selina’s embarrassment and arousal vanished when she heard a whirring from Nemesis’ arm. A disgusting milky-yellow puss mixed with blood poured into the vial on Nemesis’ arm. “Whoa,” Selina whispered again, marveling at how the bear used his machinery flawlessly by instinct and at the terrible infection he’d siphoned from inside Chizu.

A satisfied grunt rose from Nemesis as the puss and blood stopped flowing into the tube. Selina suddenly realized the vial was on a carousel in Nemesis’ arm when it rotated away, being replaced with another larger vial that had a clear fluid in it. “Now, I will flush her uterus with a medicated mixture that will kill the remaining infection there while promoting healing,” Nemesis explained. The new vial bubbled and emptied in seconds. Chizu’s belly swelled just slightly as the medicine filled her uterus.

“Are you waiting for something?” Selina asked, curious as to why Nemesis just sat there after the vial emptied.

“Yes, milady,” Nemesis replied, keeping his focus on what he was doing. “I’m letting the medicine soak the blisters and lining of her uterus. The longer it stays in, the quicker she’ll heal. I’ll do this a several times to cleanse her internally. It has to be done if she’s to survive.”

“Oh,” Selina replied, concluding that the cyborg bear had tremendous medical knowledge that far outweighed her own experience. “I didn’t know that. You must have great medical skills and knowledge to be so confident.”

A wry smile crossed Nemesis’ lips as he glanced briefly at Selina. “Indeed I do,” he answered, “The Cadre engineered me with such medical skills and knowledge so I could be a more efficient killer. I honestly prefer to use it as I’m doing now. I take no pleasure in the slaughter of innocent beings.”

“I’m sure you don’t,” Selina wheezed softly as a surge of pain shot through her ribs.

She then saw the vial fill back up, this time with a contaminated yellow fluid. The carousel moved again and another vial of medicine appeared. Nemesis repeated the process twice more, waiting just as long the second and third times as he did for the first. Once he finished the third time, Selina heard another strange hiss from the cuplike device sealing Chizu’s groin and was about to ask when Nemesis said, “Now that I’ve cleansed and medicated her uterus, I’m cleansing her genitals, vagina, and cervix, after which I’ll apply a medicated salve to the blisters on them to promote healing.” Selina nodded, watching in silence as Nemesis worked with the dedication of a doctor and the precision of a machine.

Five minutes later, Nemesis removed the cuplike device, switching it back into a mechanical hand, the cuplike device with its probe and the cup melting back into a machine hand. He briefly wiggled his machine fingers after the transformation. Selina clearly saw the ointment liberally coating Chizu’s groin. “That should do it for the blisters and bruises in her lower reproductive and urinary tract,” Nemesis declared, reaching for his satchel. Opening it, Selina saw a large volume of bandages, gauze pads, and other medical supplies in the bag. It reminded Selina of Arabella’s medical satchel. Nemesis grabbed a small gauze roll with his machine fingers. Ointment suddenly extruded from one of the metal fingertips that soaked the gauze roll in seconds. He then gently inserted the roll into Chizu’s vagina, pushing it in until it was just inside her. He then reached for a gauze pad and did the same thing he did to the roll, spreading ointment on it. Once the pad was ready, he gently cupped it to her groin, covering her blistered genitals.

“How’s that going to stay into position?” Selina asked.

“The edges of the pad have a hypoallergenic adhesive that’ll hold it in position until we can properly bandage her.” Nemesis declared. “Now to turn her over and check her backside. The ropes are often as brutal on the backside as they are on the front.” He gently rolled her over, examining her butt. Her butt and anus were red and swollen. Nemesis shook his head sadly as he started treating her infected butt. “They should never do this to these girls. They know better than to leave the ropes on them for this long. The ropes always wreak havoc with those bound in them,” he commented sourly, gently cleaning her inflamed rear and anus with sterile hypoallergenic wipes from his satchel. “And it always ends up like this. Many times, it’s too late to do anything about it. But in this case, we were extremely lucky and caught it before it was too late.” Selina watched him thoroughly clean Chizu’s inflamed infected rear of every drop of blood and puss with the wipes as if he were treating his own daughter.

“You’re being quite gentle with her,” Selina observed, groaning softly with a brief surge of pain in her ribs and back. Holding her ribs with one hand, she added, “From your appearance, I did think you’d be this gentle. I didn’t expect this, as I didn’t expect to see how versatile that machine arm and hand is.”

Nemesis cast a wry smile at Selina as he soaked a large gauze pad with ointment extruded from his machine finger. “I’m sure you know appearances can be deceiving,” he rumbled softly, applying the ointment to Chizu’s inflamed bottom and anus. “I can be as rough or gentle as the situation dictates. This situation requires compassion and a very delicate hand. Being rough here would cause more trouble than it would solve. Besides, these girls are under my protection...you included.”

“Really,” Selina asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Nemesis answered, adding more ointment to the gauze pad and continuing to coat Chizu’s inflamed, infected rear. “Every one of these girls is my friend, so I feel an obligation to watch out for them. They accept me as I am and ask nothing of me other than my friendship and the occasional assistance as I’m giving now. They are my sisters in pain. It binds us.”

“I can see that,” Selina answered, getting the feeling that Nemesis was far more complex a being than she initially thought. “These girls are very lucky to have such a powerful guardian in such a hellish place.”

“That we are,” Izanami agreed, “Nemesis is one of us. His pain is far deeper and more extensive than any of us have ever endured. We helped him deal with some of that pain, and now he is our self-proclaimed champion.”

“That I am,” Nemesis stated, extruding more ointment onto the gauze paid from his machine finger and continuing to treat Chizu. “They helped me accept what I am. For that, I am their friend forever.”

Selina’s curiosity about the ointment grew as she saw Nemesis using it liberally on Chizu. “What kind of ointment are you using?” she asked. “It has a curiously familiar odor to it.”

“It’s a potent antibiotic ointment charged with super-concentrated aloe, colloidal silver, and several healing herbs found only in the deep forests of Kasa Bek,” Nemesis stated. “It’s the only thing that works to heal these types of ravages. It’s the same medicine I used to flush and treat Chizu’s uterus, only in an ointment form.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Selina replied softly. “I thought I recognized the scent of aloe and colloidal silver. Both are good topically as well as taken internally. I’ve used them both ways. The aloe is particularly good for an upset stomach.”

“That they are,” Nemesis agreed, “Your medical knowledge is impressive, milady. I didn’t know you and your man had access to such healing herbs.”

“We do,” Selina stated, “In fact, Tiamat’s giant garden has the largest aloe plants I’ve ever seen. Some of them stand nearly six feet tall.”

“Impressive; I knew you’d have some surprises for us,” Nemesis replied as he took another gauze roll from the satchel and rerolled it while soaking it with the ointment. He pressed it gently into Chizu’s butt crack to treat where the rope had damaged her backside. Next, he treated Chizu’s crotch with the ointments followed by another gauze pad gently pressed into place there. Upon finishing, Nemesis retracted his mechanical hand, leaving a strange mechanical stump on the end of his arm. Seeing Selina’s puzzled reaction, he explained, “I’m sterilizing my cybernetic hand before I administer the medicines to Chizu.” Selina nodded, watching in fascination as Nemesis’ machine hand emerged from the stump of his machine forearm, literally flowing out of it as if it were liquid. Once the hand fully emerged, it appeared to become a solid, perfectly functional mechanical hand. He then reached into the bag and pulled out a very large bandage roll. Turning to those sitting around Selina, he said, “Okay; it’s time for the bandages. Myra; you, Jasmine, Lola, Trinity, and Hitomi bind her with this bandage while I hold her up.”

Myra, Jasmine, Lola, Trinity, and Hitomi rushed forward and gently wrapped Chizu’s groin, butt, and hips in the bandage while Nemesis held her up by the arms, holding her high enough for the women to do their work. By time they finished, Chizu’s whole groin, hips, and lower torso below the belly button had been bandaged like a mummy; a much more adequate covering than she had before. Laying her gently down after Myra fastened the last bandage, Nemesis gently pressed his machine fingers to Chizu’s neck. Selina heard a click and hiss. “There,” Nemesis declared. “Now, she has a chance.” He reached into his bag and pulled out a small urinary catheter, which he pushed into Chizu’s urethra after making a small incision in the bandages covering it with his machine finger. Attaching a small bag to it, Nemesis said, “That should keep her from clean in case she loses bladder control while unconscious. I’ll also put in an anal catheter so she doesn’t soil herself too. Whoever is nursing Chizu should keep an eye on the catheter bags in case it needs emptying or something doesn’t look right. When she wakes and is recovered enough, you can remove the catheters.”

“Right,” Izanami replied as Nemesis pulled an anal catheter and bag from his satchel, carefully inserting it into Chizu’s butt through an incision he made in the bandages with his machine finger.

“Why did you touch her on the neck, Nemesis?” Selina asked as Nemesis secured both catheters with some sterile medical tape.

Nemesis held up his machine hand after he finished with Chizu and Selina saw his machine index finger morph into a hypodermic needle. “I administered the necessary medicine and sedative directly into her bloodstream with my machine fingers,” he said as the hypodermic needle melted back into his machine finger. “The antibiotics, antivirals, and antitoxins will stem the septic shock she has and bring her fever down, which is dangerously high. The fever should break in less than an hour.”

“Do you have those medicines stored in that arm of yours?” Selina asked.

“Yes,” Nemesis stated, “I have the capability to create and store any known medication, whether it is an antitoxin, antibiotic, painkiller, sedative, and even antivirals with this machinery that’s grafted on to me.”

“You mean you can manufacture and store medicine within your own body and give them to anyone you wish?” Selina queried with great interest.

“I can,” Nemesis stated as he stroked Chizu’s head with his organic hand. “It’s part of the way I was constructed. It goes hand-in-glove with the medical skills and knowledge they furnished me.”

“Incredible,” Selina replied. She suddenly groaned as her ribs and back flashed in pain. She grabbed her ribs with both hands, pressing on them to relieve the pain. “Damn…where did that come from?” she hissed, tears dripping down her cheeks as she gritted her teeth. “I thought those ribs had calmed down.”

Seeing Selina’s pain, Nemesis moved over to her. “Myra, please back away so I can take a look at her,” he requested in a soft tone that Selina immediately noticed through her pain. Myra stepped back and Nemesis knelt beside Selina as she moaned, doubled over in pain while Sakura helped her keep upright. “Sakura, Selina needs to lie down right now,” he ordered, gently putting his enormous hands on Selina’s shoulder. “Help me.” Sakura nodded and helped Nemesis lay Selina back on the cushion.

A raspy sigh escaped Selina’s lips as lying down helped relieve some of her pain. “Thank you,” she moaned, still holding her throbbing ribs as tears dripped from her eyes.

Nemesis saw the blanket on her legs and tossed it off her, observing the many cuts and bruises on her legs. The cuts were turning red and swelling slightly. Some of them were just beginning to ooze puss. He turned back to Selina and leaned over her, gently prying her arms off her ribs, saying, “Let go of your ribs, milady. Grabbing them like that is torqueing them and making your pain worse.”

When Nemesis and Sakura had Selina’s arms at her side, Selina knew the truth of his statement because the pain in her ribs subsided a bit. “You’re right,” she moaned with a sigh. “What’s going on? Why did my ribs and back suddenly flare like that? I thought the teddy’s corset would stop it.”

“Don’t talk,” Nemesis ordered. “It’s not helping.” He looked at her leather teddy pulled tight around her ribs and asked, “Did you make the suit tight to immobilize your ribs?”

“Mmmm hmmm,” Selina mumbled with a nod, looking off into the ceiling as her pain put her into a haze.

Seeing her pain, Nemesis touched Selina on the neck with his mechanical finger. She felt a prick and something cool entering her neck. Within seconds, her pain ebbed away. “Thank you,” Selina whispered.

“It’s okay,” Nemesis stated. “Your pain was feeding on itself, enhancing it. I gave you a dose of one of my more potent painkillers since you’re a Lynxian.” Selina’s eyes grew wide in surprise and she was about to speak when Nemesis stated, “Relax, sister. You and sister Izanami aren’t the only ones around here with telepathic abilities. Now lie still while I scan you.” Nemesis’ machine eye opened wide and a light sprang from it sweeping across Selina’s form from her head to her feet. He then focused on her torso and chest. “Ahh…there’s the culprit,” he rumbled. “You have four broken ribs on your left and one on the right, sister. Oh, this is dangerous: one of those broken ribs is close to your heart and is putting pressure on it, and three others are pressing on your lungs. I’m going have to do something about it so it doesn’t damage your heart or puncture your lungs. But before I do, you’re going to have to loosen the suit and bare your chest. I cannot do what’s needed through the suit.”

Sweat beaded on Selina’s brow. “Do it,” Selina whispered hoarsely. “Sakura…undo me.”

“Right,” Sakura replied quickly. She ran her arm beneath Selina’s back, finding the upper and lower chest strap hooks. Once she had her fingers on the latches, she said, “Brace yourself, Selina. This may hurt since you had us tighten them down so tight.”

Selina nodded and Sakura popped the latches. A fiery surge of pain filled Selina’s chest as the suit released her despite Nemesis’ painkillers. A wheezing groan hissed from Selina’s nose and mouth. Nemesis gently peeled the suit down to her belly, baring her entire chest to his scrutiny. His left eyebrow rose when he saw Selina’s huge claw scars. The bruising on her chest was very prominent on the left side. He looked closely at the bruising and sighed. Leaning over her, looking her in the eye, he asked, “Do you trust me, sister?”

“Yes,” Selina whispered. “Strange as it sounds, I do.”

“I need to completely sedate you to do this repair,” Nemesis declared. “The pain you’ll feel while it’s being done will destroy you if I don’t put you to sleep.”

Selina touched him on his huge furry hand and nodded. “We all do what we must,” she murmured. “Do it.”

“Yes milady,” Nemesis stated, touching her on the neck with his mechanical fingers again. Selina felt a prick where he touched her, and then heard a hiss. Darkness swallowed her moments later with her last sight being of Nemesis’ huge bear face hovering over her.

Once Selina lay completely sedated, Nemesis glanced at Sakura, who had a look of extreme concern. “Relax, sister,” he told her. “Selina is a tough cat. She will be okay. I just need to do this repair on her ribs to make sure she doesn’t puncture her lung or heart.” Nemesis raised his mechanical hand up in front of him and wiggled the fingers. The ends flattened with a tiny needle appearing on each finger. Then he put the machine hand on Selina’s left side just beside her breast, making sure that each of his fingers touched a broken rib. Next, he placed his organic hand on her left chest, covering her entire left breast while pressing down firmly. The machine hand suddenly whirred and Selina flinched violently even in her unconscious state. “Sakura, Jasmine, Myra, Hitomi; hold sister Selina down while I make the repairs on her,” he ordered. “Her body is reacting reflexively.”

The women came in and held Selina down. Hitomi held Selina’s broken left leg down. Jasmine held Selina’s right leg down while Myra moved in beside Nemesis, holding down Selina’s left arm and shoulder. Sakura sat opposite of Myra, holding down Selina on the right side. Lola and Trinity watched with great concern, ready to help whenever asked.

“What’re you doing to her?” Hitomi asked.

“I’m using my cybernetics to help bind her ribs,” Nemesis stated as he stared into Selina’s chest with his cyborg eye. “Fortunately, the fractures are not total breaks, so I’m injecting nanofibers into her ribs and sending them to encase the breaks so the ribs don’t splinter and puncture something vital. I’m also matching the fibers to her genetic code so her body doesn’t reject the casing. Eventually, her ribs will heal and absorb the fiber casing, making those ribs stronger.”

“Oh,” Izanami chimed with realization. “Essentially, you’re putting a splint brace on each rib internally using your cybernetics and that programmable nano-fiber of yours.”

“Right, sister,” Nemesis answered, staring into Selina’s unconscious face as her body continued to spasm from the treatment. “Hold on, milady…I’m almost done. Sister Izanami, when I finish with this treatment, don’t put the suit back on her as tight as before. Just snug it to her frame to help brace the ribs from outside as you would for a rib wrap. It doesn’t need to be so tight she can’t breathe like before. She didn’t need it that tight. It’s most likely what aggravated the breaks to begin with.”

“Yes, brother,” Izanami replied.

“Also, when she wakes, make sure that she doesn’t move around too much,” Nemesis added. “It’s going to take her a while to heal. There, that should do for this side. Let me get the other side now.” He removed his machine hand from Selina’s left side and reached across to her right side, touching the offending rib with a single finger. Again, Selina jerked reflexively, but not as much this time. Within fifteen seconds, Nemesis removed his finger and lifted his organic hand off Selina’s chest. The other women holding Selina down took the hint and let her go when she stopped thrashing. “That should take care of her fractured ribs,” Nemesis stated confidently. “Remember what I said about her suit.”

“Of course,” Myra stated. “Are you going to check her cuts? We cleaned them the best we could, but apparently, it wasn’t good enough. I noticed earlier that the cuts on her legs are starting to fester.”

“That’s what I’m about to check,” Nemesis answered. “Let me take a closer look.” He patted Selina on the head, and leaned over to examine her cut and bruised legs. He noticed a particularly nasty bruise forming just above her left knee where they had a splint. “Hmmm, that doesn’t look good,” he mused. “Let’s see what’s going on inside that leg.” Nemesis opened his machine eye, switching it to the x-ray spectrum. “Damn, they really worked her over,” he growled with displeasure. “No wonder he’s having trouble with her legs. I see three hairline fractures on her left femur just above the knee going up half way to her hip. Seeing this splint, I can assume you already figured out her leg was broken.”

“We did,” Izanami stated. “But we didn’t realize the break was that bad. We set it and put the splint on her so the break wouldn’t compound while we moved her around.”

“That was good thinking,” Nemesis replied. “But what alerted you that the leg was a problem?”

“She complained it was half-numb when we gave her a bath,” Sakura reported. “Then she said it started throbbing painfully so Izanami checked it out. It was super sensitive.”

“True,” Izanami stated. “When I set her leg, I felt the bones give and align. Tell me…is her leg aligned all right?”

“It is,” Nemesis answered while scanning Selina’s leg with his machine eye. “You were strangely fortunate that it didn’t compound while trying to set it. Well done, sisters.”

“I’m glad,” Izanami said in a relieved tone. “After we set and splinted the leg, the pain level in her leg dropped to a tolerable level for her.”

“That’s good,” Nemesis stated. “You’ve already done half of what needed to be done. Now, I must do my part. The rest of you hold her while I use the nanofibers to bind the fractures,” he ordered. Sakura, Mira, Izanami, Jennifer and Jasmine moved in and restrained Selina as Nemesis held her leg with his organic hand while pressing two mechanical fingers on her thigh above the knee. Once again, Selina jerked in spasm, her unconscious face exhibiting some evidence of pain. “I don’t like doing this on a thigh because of the thickness of the muscle,” he explained. “It can be a challenge to reach the bone without damaging the muscle or the nerves.” For a few moments, he concentrated on the task in front of him, his machine eye wide open allowing him to see into her leg. Three minutes later, Nemesis finished and Selina’s spasms immediately stopped. “Okay girls, you can let her go. Now, I’m going to do something about these festering cuts,” Nemesis declared as he started treated the festering cuts on her leg with some of the ointment he used on Chizu.

“Yes, brother,” Izanami replied as Nemesis treated Selina’s leg cuts. Within five minutes, he had treated and bandaged Selina’s festering leg cuts.

After treating the cuts, Nemesis did another full scan of Selina. Immediately, he saw her left ankle was severely sprained. Her right leg only exhibited deep bruises and cuts, but no bones had been broken. Her right ankle remained intact but her right knee showed evidence of being sprained. When his scan reached her pelvis, he saw a hairline fracture in it. Moving up the spine, Nemesis noticed several vertebrae out of position in her lower back in the same position Selina pointed out earlier to Jasmine, Sakura, and Izanami, but none of them broken. However, some of the vertebrae were putting pressure on her spinal cord. Looking to the arms, he saw sound bone structure, but deep bruises and festering cuts. He also noticed some bruising on her liver, lungs, kidneys, and spleen along with evidence of a severe concussion. Nemesis shook his head sadly and sighed. “She’s really been through the ringer, girls,” he stated grimly. “I’m surprised she’s still in one piece.”

“How bad is it?” Sakura asked with a hint of fear in her voice as she helped bandage the cuts on Selina’s legs.

“She’s been badly beaten,” Nemesis stated, kneeling beside her and laying his machine hand on Selina’s head like a worried father. “In addition to the broken ribs and leg, she has a severe concussion, a fractured pelvis, a sprained right knee and left ankle, bruised lungs, liver, kidneys, and spleen along with five vertebrae that are out of position. That’s why she’s been complaining of her back hurting so.”

“Is she going to be all right? Jasmine asked in a hushed tone.

Nemesis smiled, saying, “Yes, she will be okay, but it’s going to take her time to recover from these wounds. I’m going to put her vertebrae back into position while she is still sedated.” Without batting an eye, Nemesis shifted to a kneeling position with his left knee up. He scooped Selina up and laid her across that knee with her belly down. Cradling her upper torso with his machine hand so she didn’t have any pressure on her ribs, Nemesis started pressing on her back with his organic hand. Selina’s back crackled loudly as the spine realigned, causing gasps to arise from the women around him. Working his way up her back, he popped one vertebra after another back into place until he had realigned her whole spine. He then massaged her back gently for several minutes to relax the muscles. The women watched in a hushed tone as Nemesis then laid Selina back down on the cushion and pillows.

“We need a wrap for Selina’s right knee and left ankle. Both are severely sprained,” Nemesis ordered. “After you do that, massage her back for at least a half hour to forty minutes to relax her back muscles. However, be careful of how much pressure you use. I’d suggest using the pain-relieving ointments when you do it too.”

“I’m on it,” Sakura stated, rushing to the first-aid cabinet to get the wraps.

“Right,” Myra stated.

“Are you going to use your nano-fibers on her broken hip?” Tasha asked.

“No,” Nemesis answered. “The fracture is minor and in no danger of spreading or causing any trouble. To use my nano-fiber wrap on it would cause more her more trouble than just leaving it alone. Letting it heal on its own is the best thing to do for now.”

“Oh,” Tasha replied.

Nemesis then proceeded to treat the remainder of Selina’s cuts with his ointments, covering them with bandages. Izanami, Myra, and Trinity helped. Sakura returned in moments with the wraps, with which they bound Selina’s sprained right knee and left ankle. As they finished up, Izanami asked Nemesis, “Why are you making such an effort with her, brother?”

“Should I not?” Nemesis asked. “I’ve done the same for many of you before, including Miss Chizu just a few minutes ago.”

“You know what I’m talking about,” Izanami retorted.

“You know better than to pry into the Emperor’s affairs, sister,” Nemesis growled. “For now, just be content in the knowledge that the Emperor doesn’t want Selina to die. I’m just making sure of that.”

“Oh,” Izanami stated, kneeling down with her hands in her lap after she and the other women had finished binding Selina’s wounded frame. “I didn’t mean to intrude where I wasn’t supposed to. Forgive me, brother.”

Nemesis reached across Selina’s sleeping form and cupped Izanami’s cheek in his huge organic hand. “It’s okay, sister,” he replied. “Just have faith that things will work out as they have always done.”

“I do, brother,” Izanami murmured, briefly holding on to Nemesis huge organic hand. “I just don’t want to see anything bad happen to her. Her very presence here is a sigh from Fate.”

“I’m well aware of that,” Nemesis stated as he took his organic hand and stroked Selina’s cheek with the back of his fingers. “Her fate will decide the fate of billions. It has not been lost on me what her presence means here.” He then gently pressed two organic fingers against Selina’s temple, making telepathic contact with her. “Be strong, my Lynxian sister, and know you and your lover have friends even in these hellish halls,” he whispered to her. Breaking contact with her by removing his fingers from her temple, he sat there with his hands in his lap, much like a father worried about a child. “I’ve done all I can,” he told everyone. “Now, it’s up to her. Let’s get her turned over so you girls can do some more massage therapy on her back.” A sigh escaped his lips as he, Myra, Tasha, and Izanami carefully turned Selina over on her belly while Hitomi and Sakura repositioned the pillows. Once Selina was lying on her belly, Sakura, Hitomi, and Trinity started to massage Selina’s neck, shoulders, back, and legs. Nemesis, Myra, Tasha, and Izanami stepped back to let them work.

“You’re worried, brother,” Myra observed, walking to Nemesis and putting her arms around the bear. “What concerns you?”

“Never in my long existence have I ever encountered someone with such tremendous savage beauty of body and mind,” he admitted. “Her light is a brilliant beacon in this darkness and that makes me fear for her. I also heard a most frightful rumor just before I came in here.”

“What would frighten you, the great Nemesis: friend of us slaves in these pits?” Izanami asked. “You fear no man, woman, or creature anywhere.”

“It’s not a fear for me,” Nemesis admitted. “It’s a fear for her, her lover, and the rest of you who are slaves to the Emperor.”

“What rumor did you hear?” Sakura asked hesitantly while she massaged Selina’s shoulders.

“I heard that the captured Beowulf so enraged the Emperor when brought before him, the Emperor had him sent to the labs,” Nemesis stated in a worried tone. “I don’t know if there’s any truth to it, but I now fear even more for him now than if he’d just been condemned to the Arena.”

Myra and Izanami looked at each other with worried looks. “What do you think the Cadre will do to him?” Myra asked.

“I don’t know,” Nemesis stated. “But it can’t be good. They’re the Emperor’s darkest, vilest tool. I’m going to have to look into this.”

“Please do,” Hitomi asked while massaging Selina’s lower back. “Anything that happens to him happens to her. Just before you arrived, Selina awoke screaming, apparently having had a bad dream where she watched the Cadre turn her husband into a woman right in front of her.”

“Oh, this is bad,” Nemesis growled. “I’m definitely going to check on this now. It’s dishonorable to mutate an enemy while he’s helpless. But that seldom stops the Emperor from doing what he wants.”

“Please do what you can,” Myra begged, “...and let us know of his condition. I pray the psychic dream she had doesn’t come true.”

“Me too, Myra,” Nemesis stated, “But we must be prepared for the worst because that’s what I fear the Emperor has in store for this man.” Nemesis stood up, grabbed his satchel, and bowed to the women. “Strengthen your feline sister and be safe, sisters. Keep up the massage for at least another half hour. It’s imperative that her back muscles relax so the spinal alignment can be effective.” He then walked out the way he came in, closing the wall panel behind him.

Myra looked into Selina’s sleeping face as she sat down near her head. “Now I really fear for her,” Myra admitted. “I pray they don’t do what she saw.”

“Me neither,” Sakura replied, massaging Selina’s upper back with a deep, penetrating massage.

“Only Fate and the Ancient of Days know if her man will see that horrid fate,” Izanami stated. “We must pray for her and him. Come; let’s give her the best massage she’s ever had. Then we can hook her teddy back up, and cover her up.”

The other women around Selina nodded as Myra, Izanami, and Lola got in on the therapy session. They massaged Selina from head to toe until her muscles finally relaxed forty minutes later. A half hour into the massage, Selina began purring in her sleep, adding to the delight of the girls helping her.

“I just love touching her fur,” Hitomi admitted as she vigorously massaged Selina’s lower back just above the hips. “It’s the softest thing I’ve ever had my hands on. I wish I had fur like this.”

Sakura laughed. “I think we all do,” she chimed while stroking Selina’s mid-back firmly. “And that purr of hers is magical. It relaxes and enchants me every time I hear it.”

“I hear you, sisters,” Izanami pointed out while gently rubbing Selina’s neck at the base of the skull. “Selina’s truly a goddess from the stars whom we all wish to emulate. She’s the best of all worlds and has been dropped into our laps by the Ancient of Days to show us that we haven’t been forgotten. We must not let her light be extinguished by the Emperor.”

“Amen, sister,” Myra stated while massaging Selina’s right foot. “Amen.”

Twenty minutes later, they ended Selina’s massage therapy session and pulled her teddy back up, fastening its straps snugly according to Nemesis’ orders. Once settling her onto the pillows again, they pulled the blanket up to her neck. Izanami walked away with Hitomi as Sakura, Myra, Lola, Trinity, and Jasmine stood vigil over Selina in her convalescence.