Chapter 4: Changes
#4 of This is War
All characters within are mine. Use of them are prohibited unless you ask nicely. 
It's been quite awhile since I last posted here. Truthfully it's been awhile since I last wrote something more than a paragraph or two. I can't blame my job or the massive amount of books I've been reading either. Guess I've just been lazy. Meh. I hope this makes up for it. I will also be working on Chapter 5 soon as well.
I combined parts of Chapter 5 with Chapter 4 because it looked too short on it's own, so this chapter is slightly longer than what I usually end up with. This chapter does deal with a painful transformation and it is a bit too descriptive about it. If having someone melt is not your cup of tea, I understand. Feel free to read through the previous chapters or browse though my favorites (there are a lot there!). All else, enjoy!
My chest burned, every bump grinding into what was left of my spine. The overhead lights seemed to flash on and off as my gurney was sped frantically through the hallways. And suddenly there weren't any lights, just stars. The crisp night air fell like a soothing balm on my tortured flesh. I think I moaned a few times. When they asked or explained something to me, I nodded or grunted, not really paying attention to the words spoken, but mostly we moved in silence. Several minutes passed before we reached the next building, but we didn't stop there. Three or four more structures later, we arrived at a very large and intimidating hangar. From my limited view, I could barely see the true scope of it but, from what little I could see, it was larger even than the hospital.
Inside, General Baxter waited for me along with a trio of white-coated technicians. We didn't stop for greetings, however. I was stripped, taken off the respirator, un-bandaged, and set in the middle of a large machine that looked like a cross between a glass bird cage and a planetarium. It was obviously the focus of the room. Massive tubing and wires lead from the walls and ceilings to the machine, their purposes unknown and unknowable to me. Immediately, I couldn't breath. I doubled over gasping like a fish before a mask was pushed in front of my face. "Get as much air as you can!" I was told. Complying, I gulped down as much as I could, until my chest hurt. Feebly, I reached for the mask, but it had already been set aside on the stretcher. From then on, I was on my own.
The glass doors closed before I could reply, but I could see Dr. Thompson mouth "Good Luck!" to me. I almost grinned when he gave me a thumbs up. Standing not being an option, I slumped against the wall, waiting for a new chance at life or for oblivion to take me. I don't honestly know which I wished for most. From above, multi-hued light shone down on me. If I hadn't been struggling to keep the air trapped in my lungs at the time, I would have called them beautiful. Of course, you know what they say about beauty, right? It's almost always deadly.
This time proved to be no exception. Along with the swirling bright lights, a deep thrumming came from deep inside the machine, my chest resonating with it's rhythm. Gradually, almost without my noticing it, the lights increased their tempo, almost strobing in my eyes. Even through both hands, the strobe-light still pierced my eyes. The humming, though I suppose it could be called noise by then, grew in intensity as well.
Beginning as an itch between my shoulder blades, sharp,piercing pains racked my body. Invisible needles driven into my skin roughly and repeatedly were the least of my worries however. Inside, my blood was boiling and it felt like it was only a matter of time before it evaporated or I exploded. Sores grew and burst like machine gun fire along my back and legs. Along my shoulders, my skin ripped and what should have been blood began pooling out; only it was more gray than anything. My arms hung limp after that. Skin and hair sloughed off, lying in a pile around me only to be liquefied almost immediately. I slipped further down the wall, almost lying on the ground, my body pooling around me.
There is only so much a mind can take and mine couldn't take anymore. It wasn't the pain, though, it was seeing my feet and legs melting an inch at a time. I know I screamed, letting out all the breath I'd been hoarding; shrieked until I was hoarse, until the sight of my midsection joining the pool that had been my body became too much for my mind and everything shut down.
Half-awake, I was lifted out of the machine by a pair of paws lifting me up, one of my arms draped around his neck. "Don't worry, I've got you," a voice, somehow familiar, spoke softly before its owner half-carried, half-dragged me away. Settled on a stretcher, I curled up around my aching body and slept dreamlessly, my tail trapped underneath my cheek.
I awoke to a whiskered muzzle peering down at me. "Ah, good. You're awake." When I tried to sit up, he held me down. "I wouldn't right now. Your body is still adjusting."
Ignoring his advice, I brushed off his arm and tried to stand up, only to collapse in a pile. "Shit! I thought you said I'd be able to walk again!"
"You will," the rat said, "your body just has to relearn some tasks. Walking, being chief among them. Don't worry though, extensive rehabilitation will bring you up to speed!"
"How extensive?"
"Only a few weeks to relearn the basics before we set you up in an apartment and then you'd have to come in and visit at least once every week for the next month or two. After that, you'd be fully capable again. Perhaps even more so." He grinned widely and then snapped his fingers. "Oh! I almost forgot, someone's been waiting here for you!"
"Tanya?"
"No, I believe he said his name was Jaeron Lebeau," he looked thoughtful for a moment before he opened the door, revealing a tall coyote. "I'll...ah, just leave you two alone." Turning to the other fur, he said, "Don't wear him out; he's still recuperating." And left as Jaeron sat down in a nearby chair, paws folded over his lap.
Awkward silence surrounded us. I said, "So?"
He grinned sheepishly, and I couldn't help thinking how cute it was "So, how do you feel?"
"Better than I had been," I admitted. "And I'm guessing I have you to thank for it."
There was that grin again. "Well I only called the ambulance. The doctors did all the work."
I shook my head, yawning loudly. "Nevertheless, thank you."
"I'll...uh, be right outside if you need anything." Standing over me, he pulled the covers up to my chin and padded out the door. Soon thereafter, I was snoring, a grin spread over my muzzle.