Shattered Time Capsule

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He nodded as he held his jacket tight around her shoulders. Still warm from his wearing it for a week, and more than a little stinky from being unwashed for just as long, it seemed to fit her halfway decently. "Yeah, I'm Michael. Michael Zippo Shears." She was a pretty little thing, and entirely innocent. He wished he'd had more time to dry her off before they had to run, but if she got sick, they were at a hospital, and his jacket was the warmest thing he owned. Without it, even he felt a chill as goosebumps rose along his arms.

The girl could see no visible fat, and his muscles looked narrow and cord-like, rather than thick and bulking. His veins stood out in stark contrast, and his elbows were sharp. Michael also had thin, bony hands and fingers at the end, with smooth burn scars along the palms and fingers. His cheekbones looked sharp from hollowed cheeks, and burn scars like those on his hands decorated every place with visible metal piercings on his face

Her question though, whether he was alright, brought a smile to his face, and he wrapped an arm around her and rubbed to help her warm up. "Yeah, I'm ok. Sore, but ok." Despite his assurance, he favored his right leg, he slouched, and the faint scent of cooked meat lingered in the elevator. Silver ate magic and left burns wherever it touched on magical creatures. Unifiers had replaced many of their standard ammunition with silver, just because now that everything was merged, people and creatures could move between fragments. They couldn't know what was what, except that if the silver rounds didn't work, it might be fae.

He looked the girl over, then gathered her hair into his hands and carefully began to wring it out onto the elevator floor. "This might help you warm up a little bit, not having it drip down your back." He paused as he pondered the fluid he'd found her in. Chances were high that she'd come down with just about every disease here shortly that could be passed on through the air. She'd need inoculations, though it might be too late for that.
 
Lizzy smiled at him and gave a small sneeze, face scrunching up as she rubbed at her nose. "Yes," she agreed, "That's better." She smelled faintly, he would notice now that they had a moment to pause, of flowers, a scent most worlds had almost forgotten by now. Light and fragrant, canceling out the smell of singed flesh and blood. She leaned against him and sighed, using him as a support since her legs were a bit wobbly still. Other than being cold and tired she felt alright, though she was confused as to what was going on, but she would worry about that later.
 
He'd noticed her scent on the way, but said nothing, assuming it to be her friendly vines The fact it lingered so long made him wonder if it was the slime instead. Either way, she wasn't unpleasant-smelling. He shook his hands to get the gunk from them, then wiped the remainder on his jeans. At his hip, he had each a gun and a knife, both shiny, both contained in leather: holster and sheath. The knife was pale, shiny white, and its handle bare metal: silver. Absently, he rubbed the girl's shoulder through the jacket.

He looked upward again, toward the numbers. "Nearly at the top... Aaand here." He grinned down at her as the doors opened, then put his hand on the edge once the doors had opened fully. "Do you want me to carry you again, or do you want to try to walk?"
 
"I'll try walking," the girl murmured, clinging to his shirt for support since she didn't feel that steady, but even though she had felt very safe in his arms she wanted to make sure her legs still worked like they were supposed to. Like a little duckling that had imprinted itself of the first thing it saw, she had decided to attach herself to Michael. So she held onto him as she took a few wobbly steps out of the elevator along side him.
 
Michael walked slowly, so Lizzy could keep up. With one hand on her shoulder, he remained ready to catch her. She felt so small under his hand and against his side. Carefully, he led her toward the room Monty assigned, and then into it. "Here we are." He smiled at her. "Good job—"

"And now, I'll take over her care for a little while." A woman approached, no-nonsense and stoic. She held something cloth over one arm, and walked past the pair to pull open a door to a tiled bathroom. Done with that, she looked toward the girl and motioned her in. "In here, sweetie." Her face remained placid, but she didn't push. "I have clean clothes for you, and you're going to need a bath. He can't join you, though, because boys aren't allowed in the shower with girls here." Her tone was neutral, offering no sense that the two were being talked down to.

She waited a moment before she spoke again. "Come on, dear, and tell me your name. Mine is Signe Mortimer. You can call me Ziggie."

Michael paused at the name and tensed, but did release the girl. "Signe... I think I've heard of you," he murmured, eyes boring into the woman.

"It is highly likely. We can discuss it later. For now, the young lady needs a bath and warm clothing." She finally looked toward Michael. "I am not the same Signe from the stories. Different world."

The young man nodded, then gently patted Lizzie's shoulder. "Go on. I'll wait outside the door, and if you get scared, just call for me and I'll let you know I'm here. We need to follow the rules while we're here." He smiled at the girl, warm and encouraging.
 
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*/rWhen the woman approached Lizzy squeaked a bit, hiding her face in Michael's side, but with his encouragement was reluctantly coaxed out from her makeshift hiding place. She looked up at him worriedly, searching his face for a lie before giving a small nod and letting 'Ziggie' take her to shower. She was very wary of strangers, as he was coming to understand. The girl had been exposed to very few people in the lab, and told that she must never go out because of terrible people that would take her away.
 
Ziggy closed the door after Lizzy and turned on a shower and a vent, then began to undress Lizzy as the room warmed with steam. "It's ok to be nervous," She said after a few moments. "The world is a scary place, no matter where you come from, and you're very brave."

Ziggy finished, then gently lifted Lizzy by the armpits and placed her into the shower. It was warm, but not scalding. "Too hot? Too cold? Let me know." She looked away to grab a white washrag and some soap, but didn't use the soap until after she washed Lizzy's face, to avoid getting any into the young girl's eyes. She washed other areas with plain water as well: places soap would burn, before she used the soap to begin scrubbing the rest of the girl. Never once did Ziggy linger in any one place unless she found stubborn dirt or tube goop.

The woman's scrubbing was quick and efficient at scuffing away dead skin, and though it left the girl's skin reddened, didn't cause more than a slight tingling of discomfort. "Sorry if I'm rough. You have a lot of dead skin coming off, and if I leave it, it can cause sores, itching, and skin infections because it clogs your pores and keeps your skin from breathing," the woman explained.

Outside, Michael's heavy boots paced outside the door, a reminder of his nearby presence.
 
A few rather amusing noises left Lizzy as she was cleaned; more squeaks and a few little sounds similar to a mewl. She didn't resist though, doing her best to be good and be helpful. She smiled hesitantly at the woman. "It's okay," she answered softly. Once she was clean and mostly dry she snuggled into the soft towel she had been wrapped with, enjoying how it felt against her skin. She peeked her head out the door to make sure Michael was still there, holding the towel around her shoulders, flashing him a smile.
 
The door remained closed, and Ziggy glanced toward it, then nodded. "You can see him again once you're dressed. You're doing very well, Lizzy," she assured before she used part of the towel to rub the young girl's hair a third time. "Next, clothing." She reached for the abandoned cloth she'd placed on the counter before the bath and lifted it. "Technically, I am only supposed to give you a gown, but... pants can be removed if needed."

She held what looked like an open shirt and a pair of soft, cotton pants. Both were thin, and both had tie-strings. Carefully and gently, Ziggy helped the girl into the pants, letting her keep the towel, and then picked up the gown. "The opening goes in the back, and you just tie it loosely behind your neck. It's not a very warm gown, or a very pretty one, but it lets doctors check your lungs easily."

Once the gown was in place, she wrapped the girl in a dry towel, then once more toweled her long hair. "Ready to go see your friend again? I would like to see you open the door yourself, because it will let me see how your arms and fingers work."
 
Lizzy didn't seem confused or bothered by the attire or the request, used to such tests in the lab where she had been raised. She opened the door and scurried out to attach herself to Michael's side again, smiling up at him. "All clean," she informed him, seeming proud of herself. She could talk in full sentences just fine, and answer questions, but she didn't tend to speak much unless asked to. Still, she was very expressive, and her body language and expressions showed her state of mind rather clearly.
 
Michael grinned down at her. "Welcome back." He caught the jacket Ziggy tossed his way, then looked it over. It was soaked, of course with an unknown substance Lizzy brought with her, but he wasn't quite sure he could trust one of his most treasured possessions to just anyone for cleaning. He'd have to do it himself.

Fortunately, that mostly meant scrubbing it by hand and then drying it.

"I'm gonna need a shower, too. Don't want me getting you all dirty now that you just washed up, do you?" He winked, much more at ease now that he'd seen her emerge just fine from the bathroom, and they were in a safe place.

From outside in the hall, a voice shouted, slowly growing louder. "Kinny's son! Kinny! With a kid!" A pause. "Ha! Never woulda guessed he'd go without a condom long enough to make one!" A snort came from the hall, and then a pause. "Don't you shush me, Robin, it's my hospital! Go sort something, you damned giggle-pants."

Despite the angry words, Monty's tone held only joy. He grabbed the door frame and let himself spin in. "Unifiers are gone, and they pretty much admitted you're really who you say you are. They were so pissed. So pissed!" He laughed. "God, I love rubbing their nose in it like that-" He cut off as he remembered there was a kid nearby, then looked toward the quiet girl. "What's your name again? I'm old. I forget."

Michael, cheeks red, watched the old man with wide eyes, uncertain what to make of this whole ordeal.
 
"Lizzy," the girl answered cheerfully, seeming in a good mood now that she was all clean and back beside the person she trusted. She looked up at Michael and blinked those big green eyes innocently, not seeming inclined to let go of his arm despite his hinting that he needed a shower. Whether he was clean or not had nothing to do with the fact that she felt safer holding on to him, so hold on she did.
 
"Well, Lizzy, thank you for bringing Michael here. He's got family around here somewhere, and thanks to you, he can meet them for the first time." Monty rested a heavy hand on the girl's head, then leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Thanks."

He rose and stretched, then looked at Michael. "Before you do anything, you need to shower, and you can ask Ziggy for help getting your jacket washed."

"Yessir." Michael murmured, then glanced down toward Lizzy. "She's nervous around other people, though. Might be good to—" he paused, uncertain how to continue.

Ziggy picked up where he left off, thankfully. "Lizzy, would you please help Doctor Monty and I while Michael showers? We need someone with small hands."

"We do- OH!" Monty nodded. "Yeah, actually, we do. She's not making it up. Some medication fell behind a counter, and nobody here can reach it cuz our hands are too big." He sighed. "I'd almost written those bottles off as a loss."
 
Lizzy blinked up at him when he looked down at her, lightly biting her lip. A few glistening drops of water still clung to her lashes from her bath. She really would rather stay with him, but didn't want to be a bother, so when Ziggy brought up something she could be of help with, she let got of Michael a bit reluctantly and gave a small smile. "I can help," she said with enthusiasm. She liked the idea of being useful, and Michael seemed to trust these people. She glanced to Michael one more time before letting Monty and Ziggy lead her to where the fallen bottles were, so that she could reach behind and grab them. Her slender arm was able to slide behind the shelves and pull out the bottles with a cheerful, "Aha!" and she glowed, looked up at them as though she expected praise, which she sort of did, or rather, she hoped for it. She wanted confirmation that she had been useful.
 
"Thank you." Ziggy nodded at her and led the way, followed by Monty. Behind the trio, Michael grabbed the clothes left for him during Lizzy's washing, and he entered the bathroom quietly.

Ziggy knelt in front of Lizzy and took the bottles one at time, then counted them and read off the labels before she looked at Lizzy. "Thank you. Would you like some ice cream?"

Monty sputtered. "Ziggy! She could be lactose intolerant!"

"She will be fine." The woman tapped one finger against her own face, right near her eye before she rose and placed the medications into their proper place on the shelf. She turned her attention back toward Lizzy to wait for an answer.

His own shower went quickly. He scrubbed his hair, then washed his body. Unlike the little girl, he didn't have strange fluids dried to his body, nor a lot of dead skin, save on his ankles and soles. As he washed though, he began to notice the damage he'd taken in the mad dash. His leg hurt, and it grew worse with the impacting of water droplets. His back was similar. His arm was shot too, and he hadn't even noticed the burnt hole all the way through, just below his collarbone. Thankfully, Lizzy had been on his other side, and gripping him thigh enough about the neck that it missed her. Still, if a bullet got through his jacket, cleaning was suddenly more than just washing with a damp rag: now it was suddenly about repairs. His jacket was his armor. He couldn't be without it.
 
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"Ice cream?" Lizzy questioned, brightening as her curiosity was aroused by the new term. "Is it cold?" Like ice, she reasoned,since it had that as part of its name. "What is it?" She looked at Ziggy with bright eyes, seeming less nervous around them now that she was realizing that they really were kind people. They were gentle, and seemed to be very honest people. She smiled up at them.

She went along quite willingly to have her treat, seeming to greatly enjoy it. By the time she was done, however, she began to fidget. She looked about, chewing her lip, and shifted from foot to foot. She wanted to go outside, but wasn't sure if she would be allowed to.
 
Ziggy explained as she offered a hand to the girl, then led the way to a small kitchen. "Ice cream is sweetened, frozen milk that sometimes includes toppings and other flavorings. It has high sugar and fat, but it is an enjoyable treat once in a while." In the kitchen, she opened the freezer, then withdrew a styrofoam cup with a cardboard lid and a small plastic 'spoon' attached. She opened it, stuck the flat spoon into the ice cream, then handed it to the girl. "Let me know if you aren't sure how to eat it. The white object is a spoon, of sorts."

She reached in and withdrew two more, then tossed one to Monty as he followed the pair in.

"We only have chocolate?" The man frowned at his cup.

"We're lucky to have anything at all," Ziggy reminded, then lead the way to a small sitting area that had a large window across one wall. As the trio ate, Monty spoke with Ziggy about a few things while both kept an eye on Lizzy. They finished shortly after her, and Monty stood up.

The older man stretched, then walked to the fidgeting girl and placed a hand on her head. "You're twitchy, lil girl. What's eating you? Brain freeze?"

Ziggy watched the pair quietly from her seat, enjoying her first moments off her feet since she started her work for the day.
 
Lizzy shook her head, looking up at him a bit nervously. She had eaten her ice cream very enthusiastically, and still had a small smudge of white on her fair cheek. "Um.... is there. Can I go outside?" she asked, with the air of someone who expected to be told no. She doubted that these people had an enclosed courtyard like the lab had for her when she lived there, and outside seemed to be dangerous from what she had experienced so far. But being enclosed like this was making her anxious, and she felt the need to stand outside. Something that she had to do, something that needed to happen. "Please?" She looked up at the man pleadingly.
 
Monty blinked. The girl looked so uncertain, and just a moment from flinching. He tilted his head at her, then mussed her hair. "Who could say no to that face?" He winked, then pulled a tissue from his pocket and wiped the leftover ice cream from her face. "It'll give Michael time to finish his shower, and kids need as much sun as plants." The man had no idea her origins, nor did he care except that might affect any treatment he needed to give her. "Can I do one thing first, though? It won't take long."

He waited a moment to allow her to answer, then walked to a white box with a red cross on the wall. The girl had been grazed, and though he knew Ziggy was thorough, he also knew she sometimes forgot things. He pulled the box down and tossed the tissue he'd used on Lizzy's face into a nearby bin before he walked back. "Now, do you know if you're magic at all?" He smiled at her as he opened the box on a nearby table and pawed through it a moment. "You're not in trouble either way, but the people who were chasing you use special bullets that cause burns on people who have magic or spiritual stuff inside them. Michael, he's half ghost, if he takes after his father, so their bullets burn him. I'm a human, so they can shoot me, but it won't cause burns." He paused as he looked her in the eye. "I just need to know if I need to use a different type of disinfectant."
 
"Um... yes?" the girl offered, only after looking at her arm and seeing the burn there. It seemed that she didn't know herself what she was. She couldn't help that, she had been told very little while being raised in the lab. She had never felt any ill will towards those who kept her so carefully swaddled in ignorance and safety; they were all kind, and had treated her gently.

She stayed obediently still as the small wound was tended, save for a bit of shifting from foot to foot, but began fidgeting as soon as he was done, eager to go outside. She felt that she might explode somehow if it took any longer.
 
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