Within the Apple Chapter 7A

Chapter 7

Brockton Bay General Hospital

Daniel Hebert rushed the hospital, not bothering to close the door of the cruiser that had dropped him off. He burst in the doors, heading for the front desk.

“I’m Danny Hebert,” He told the nurse, “My daughter, Taylor, was brought in…”

“Yes, Mr Hebert,” The Nurse smiled at him, “Taylor is fine. Panacea was here when she was brought in, so she’s sleeping now but should wake in the morning.”

He slumped, relief flooding through him. The police had said as much, of course, but hearing it from the Nurse made it all the more real.

“Thank God… I can see her?”

“Of course, I’ll call in an orderly to take you up,” The nurse said, reaching for a phone.

Danny nodded, “I don’t suppose you know what happened? The police said something about her locker, but I… honestly I don’t think I heard one word in five.”

“I understand,” She told him gently. “I don’t know much more than that, but if you want to ask the one who brought her in, he’s right over there with Miss Militia and Glory Girl.”

Danny half turned, eyes widening as he recognized two of the city’s most well known heroes standing there with a young man he didn’t recognize.

“Is he a Cape?” Danny asked, “He’s not wearing a mask… and that’s not much of a costume?”

“Apparently,” She shrugged. “Calls himself Alexander Magus. Not sure what his powers are, but he brought your girl in and then waited patiently to give the police a statement.”

“I should thank him,” Danny decided, looking back to the nurse, “I’ll be back shortly for that escort?”

“The orderly won’t mind waiting a few minutes,” She told him. “And Taylor won’t be awake for a while. Take your time. Worst case, I call for another orderly if something comes up.”

“thank you.”

*****

Xander noticed a man watching him from across the ER, but didn’t pay it much mind at first. He and the pair he was with were getting a lot of stares, and he more than understood that. Costumed types tended to get looks, even in areas where they were common, after all.

When the man started over in his direction, though, Xander took a moment to evaluate him quickly.

Tall, lanky, balding. The sort that most would underestimate, physically, but probably not twice. Xander had seen that build before, and knew better. The man didn’t have either the look or stance of someone looking for trouble, though, so he just continued his conversation with the pair as the man approached.

“Artificer?” Militia asked, curiously, “What does that mean, precisely?”

“It’s not a mystery,” Xander chuckled, “any dictionary should probably tell you what it means. I make artifacts, of course.”

“Yes, so I gathered,” She said dryly, “but what does that mean?”

“Tools, generally,” He said, plucking out his Spell Phone and tossing it casually to her. She caught it, startled, and he noticed a blue glow on her belt shift to her free hand, a Berretta forming in her grip momentarily before it flickered away and a K-Bar appeared on her belt.

Interesting.

Militia played it off, her expression a little annoyed just the same as she flipped his Spell Phone over in her hand.

“What is it?”

“My Spell Phone.”

Glory Girl groaned, and it was music to Xander’s ears.

“you did not call it that.”

Militia’s smile was back, and she was likely struggling to keep laughing if Xander was any judge.

“Of course I did, what else would I call it?”

“It’s a communications device?” Militia cut in, short circuiting the argument before it could get started.

Xander just nodded.

“How does it work?”

“Just pull it open,” He said.

She did, and the screen appeared from a space that really couldn’t possibly have held it, allowing her to look at the designs on it in puzzlement.

“I… have no idea what I’m looking at,” She admitted.

The man who’d approached, and been waiting somewhat patiently though with clear fidgeting, took that moment to clear his throat apologetically.

“Yes?” Xander looked over to him.

“I am sorry to interrupt,” The man said, “but I’m Danny Hebert… you, you brought my daughter in earlier.”

“Oh, Mr Hebert,” Xander moved past Miss Militia immediately, extending his hand. “Good to meet you, I am very sorry it’s under these sorts of circumstance.”

“Thank you for saving her. She’s… she’s all I have left, since my wife,” Danny choked up.

“You don’t ever need to thank me for saving someone, Danny,” Xander said firmly. “Thanks are for things you don’t have to do but do anyway. I couldn’t have turned from someone in trouble like that anymore than I could will myself to stop breathing…”

He snorted, “Actually, I would probably have a lot more luck willing myself to stop breathing. Have they told you how she’s doing?”

Danny nodded, “She’ll be fine, they say. Sleeping right now.”

“Best to let her, then, I’d expect,” Xander told him. “Whatever else, she had a rough day.”

Glory Girl snorted, earning her a sharp look from Militia, but a wan smile from Danny.

“An understatement, I think,” He said. “But you’re right, she probably needs her sleep. Do you know… I mean, what happened?”

“I don’t,” Xander admitted with a shrug. “I just found her. The police are already working on figuring out what happened, and will likely be waiting for a statement from her when she wakes up, but…”

He shrugged helplessly.

“Yeah, I understand.”

“Let the police do their job, Mr Hebert,” Miss Militia suggested gently. “You just take care of your daughter.”

Danny nodded weakly, stepping back, “Thank you again, I don’t care if you don’t think you deserve thanks for saving people. Thank you.”

Xander tipped his head, a wry but resigned smile on his lips. “Gratitude accepted, Mr Hebert.

Danny flinched slightly, looking around sharply.

“What was that?”

“What?” Miss Militia asked, concerned as she shifted to survey the room.

“I…” He shook his head, “I’m imagining things. Sorry, I’m going to go look in on my daughter.”

“Of course,” She said, smiling easily.

They watched him go for a moment before Miss Militia handed Xander back his Spell Phone.

“If you have that thing, why do you have a cheap cell phone?” Glory Girl asked into he silence.

Xander glanced at her briefly, “It’s on a… private network. I’ll need to get some things together to connect it to the cell system. Just haven’t gotten around to it.”

“If you’d like to come in for power testing, I’m certain that our research department would be able to chase down materials for you,” She offered.

“Power testing?” Xander asked, amused. “I know my powers quite well.”

“Of course,” She said, hiding her disappointment.

“But tell you what, if you can put together a list of some supplies I need, I’d be willing to show you a little of what I can do,” Xander told her with a grin.

*****