unconscious—quick!” The doctor was frantically looking from the colonel to Von Holt, while making certain to stay well out of reach of Malo’s legs, which would whip through the air each time Bertie wrestled the Moxen back to a sitting position.
Suddenly, the examination room became uncomfortably cold, as if all the heat had been swallowed by a ravenous black hole. Otto and Dr. Blink exchanged perplexed looks as steam rolled from their noses and mouths, and the bitter chill nipped at the tips of their ears and noses. They looked to Abalias for his take on the situation, but he was no longer standing where he had been when the melee began. He was moving purposefully toward Malo with his arm held in front of him, fingers outstretched. His eyes shimmered an impossible color of blue, and Otto noticed that his usually snow white fingers and arm—all the way up to his elbow—were covered in a layer of ice.
Malo was still howling a piercing cry; his good arm was flailing recklessly through the air when Abalias placed his icy hand over Malo’s elbow. Malo flinched at the colonel’s frozen grip, momentarily interrupting his yowls. “Malo, calm down. I’ll help with the pain, but you have to get yourself under control, soldier.”
Malo could feel cold begin to flow through his arm, as if someone had cut him open and was pouring liquid ice into his wound. The cool wave moved out from the colonel’s hand with increasing intensity and pulsed deeper into Malo’s burning flesh. Malo’s tormented cries lessened as the pain retreated in the wake of the advancing cold, and soon he was silent except for the sound of heavy breathing and the occasional snort.
“Not too much, Colonel!” Dr. Blink said excitedly as he hurried from his position by Major Von Holt and stepped between Abalias and Malo. “We don’t want to irreversibly damage the nerve endings or burn Malo’s skin.”
Colonel Abalias let go of Malo’s elbow. His eyes softened to their usual shade of blue and the room, almost instantly, increased in temperature. The ice encasing his fingers and arm did not melt; instead, much to Otto and Dr. Blink’s surprise, it slowly absorbed back into his pores, revealing his milky white skin once more.
Doctor Blink was still considering Colonel Abalias with extreme interest when four metallic clanks broke the silence, and Malo’s arm was freed from its restraints. The doctor turned his gaze from Abalias with one curiously raised eyebrow and set to work quickly applying the Haleonex to Malo’s arm. He started at the wrist and methodically wrapped the bandage so that each layer overlapped the last, forming what looked exactly like tiers of armor plating. The doctor finished wrapping the exo-armor dressing at Malo’s shoulder, for stability, and when he was done, touched his small finger to a rectangular, metallic box at the tail end of the fabric. The box had two tiny lights perched above what looked like a screw head mounted flush with the surface of the object. The moment Dr. Blink touched the device, one of the lights began flashing red and the screw turned itself steadily to the right until it clicked loudly and stopped moving. The red light extinguished and the light next to it illuminated a constant green. “There, that ought to do it,” said Blink proudly, hopping down from the stairs and facing the colonel as the outside of the Haleonex bandage solidified into a shiny, hard surface. “Bertie, you can let go now. You should have a full and pain-free range of motion, Malo. How does it feel?”
Bertie retracted his arms to his sides and Malo slowly stood up. He rolled his shoulders and then flexed the fingers of his left hand as he felt the last of his pain subside. He rotated his arm in a gigantic circle and his finger tips lightly brushed the ceiling, sending a small wisp of dust fluttering down and landing gently on Bertie’s flat surface.
Bertie gave three distinct brushes at the grains of dirt; then pointed
Suddenly, the examination room became uncomfortably cold, as if all the heat had been swallowed by a ravenous black hole. Otto and Dr. Blink exchanged perplexed looks as steam rolled from their noses and mouths, and the bitter chill nipped at the tips of their ears and noses. They looked to Abalias for his take on the situation, but he was no longer standing where he had been when the melee began. He was moving purposefully toward Malo with his arm held in front of him, fingers outstretched. His eyes shimmered an impossible color of blue, and Otto noticed that his usually snow white fingers and arm—all the way up to his elbow—were covered in a layer of ice.
Malo was still howling a piercing cry; his good arm was flailing recklessly through the air when Abalias placed his icy hand over Malo’s elbow. Malo flinched at the colonel’s frozen grip, momentarily interrupting his yowls. “Malo, calm down. I’ll help with the pain, but you have to get yourself under control, soldier.”
Malo could feel cold begin to flow through his arm, as if someone had cut him open and was pouring liquid ice into his wound. The cool wave moved out from the colonel’s hand with increasing intensity and pulsed deeper into Malo’s burning flesh. Malo’s tormented cries lessened as the pain retreated in the wake of the advancing cold, and soon he was silent except for the sound of heavy breathing and the occasional snort.
“Not too much, Colonel!” Dr. Blink said excitedly as he hurried from his position by Major Von Holt and stepped between Abalias and Malo. “We don’t want to irreversibly damage the nerve endings or burn Malo’s skin.”
Colonel Abalias let go of Malo’s elbow. His eyes softened to their usual shade of blue and the room, almost instantly, increased in temperature. The ice encasing his fingers and arm did not melt; instead, much to Otto and Dr. Blink’s surprise, it slowly absorbed back into his pores, revealing his milky white skin once more.
Doctor Blink was still considering Colonel Abalias with extreme interest when four metallic clanks broke the silence, and Malo’s arm was freed from its restraints. The doctor turned his gaze from Abalias with one curiously raised eyebrow and set to work quickly applying the Haleonex to Malo’s arm. He started at the wrist and methodically wrapped the bandage so that each layer overlapped the last, forming what looked exactly like tiers of armor plating. The doctor finished wrapping the exo-armor dressing at Malo’s shoulder, for stability, and when he was done, touched his small finger to a rectangular, metallic box at the tail end of the fabric. The box had two tiny lights perched above what looked like a screw head mounted flush with the surface of the object. The moment Dr. Blink touched the device, one of the lights began flashing red and the screw turned itself steadily to the right until it clicked loudly and stopped moving. The red light extinguished and the light next to it illuminated a constant green. “There, that ought to do it,” said Blink proudly, hopping down from the stairs and facing the colonel as the outside of the Haleonex bandage solidified into a shiny, hard surface. “Bertie, you can let go now. You should have a full and pain-free range of motion, Malo. How does it feel?”
Bertie retracted his arms to his sides and Malo slowly stood up. He rolled his shoulders and then flexed the fingers of his left hand as he felt the last of his pain subside. He rotated his arm in a gigantic circle and his finger tips lightly brushed the ceiling, sending a small wisp of dust fluttering down and landing gently on Bertie’s flat surface.
Bertie gave three distinct brushes at the grains of dirt; then pointed
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