Esperanza Ortega; Wanted for Murder, Theft.

[Pryce]

Watterson Memorial Hospital
Critical Care Unit
Bed #11



She could see the smoke long before she arrived home, a hatefully black plume that trailed deep into the otherwise clear Cambridge sky. At first she thought that perhaps the house on the neighboring farm had caught fire, but as she neared her throat began to tighten as she realized it was her own. She dropped the bag she was carrying, and broke into a run, hampered by the long violet sundress she wore. Grabbing hold of the dress at each side, she ran along the dirt path, her heart beating faster and faster. An aged wooden fence ran parallel to the path, behind which stretched seemingly endless fields of tall green grass. The warm sun was just beginning to set, casting a glow on the fields and on the hills in the distance.


As she neared the house, she saw that it had been completely gutted, the fire brigade having just extinguished the last of the flames. Even the car hadn't been spared, its blackened shell sitting in its normal place. Where was Rafa and the baby? A member of the fire brigade, wearing the helmet of a watch manager, noticed her standing at the start of the path, and began to walk towards her. His face was grim.



Esperanza opened her eyes, and felt her heart racing within her chest. She lay in the sterile room of what could only be a hospital, unless the realm of Hades her grandmother had told her about had been somewhat misrepresented. She was tired, and feeling like a wet blanket. Which she supposed was better than being dead. Her quickening heart rate had apparently attracted attention, as it wasn't long before a nurse entered the room, and began to check the various readouts from the console next to her bed. Ortega watched the nurse sleepily as it (The nurse was an A.I.) called for a Doctor.



A few minutes passed and a thin man wearing the fittings of a medical doctor arrived at Ortegas' bedside. He noticed her awake, and spoke; "Nice to have you with us, Miss Mason. You've had a rough time of it." He smiled and added; "[font=Courier New]My name is Doctor Anthony Erbass."


Apparently the medics had taken her ID card at face value. The use of the false name told Ortega how to proceed. "Kelly Mason" was officially a freelance messenger pilot who worked for a variety of interplanetary firms based in Liberty. It gave her an excuse to be in a hurry, and also to be found in unusual places at unusual times. Kelly paid her taxes, had a very complete and orderly resume, and unknown to any monitoring authority, had died in an asteroid field five years before. Ortega had assumed the womans' identity, one of several, after obtaining the services of a man some knew only by his working name, but fewer still knew of as Casper.


The only problem, was that Kelly Mason wasn't as clean as she used to be. A few jobs had forced Ortega to commit what Liberty Authorities would term violent crimes, in addition to quite abit of theft, and she was quietly wondering how well reported her crimes had been. The shootings had probably stayed within the small unlawful communities they had occurred in, but the rest...



The Doctor had been eyeing her, his clinical gaze fading a moment, replaced by something more instinctive as his eyes lingered on the shape of her hips beneath the thin sheets, and traced up to her chest, where they stayed longer then perhaps they ought have. He realized she had caught him staring and cleared his throat nervously.



Ortega filed away the Doctors' lust as a possible future advantage and spoke; "What is my condition, Doctor?" She looked up at him weakly, wishing she could shake off the fog.



"Well Miss Mason, when you arrived, you had suffered fatal stage four hypovolemia. We...I was able to successfully revive you, and my colleague Doctor Remis repaired the neural damage that resulted from your blood loss and heart failure. You had a severe stab wound to your left leg, which we've repaired, and a broken arm, which I treated, though you will need to rest for several more days. We found destroyed stereocilia in your inner ears, and regenerated damaged sections as we found them. Overall, I expect you'll make a full recovery."



She gazed at him with what she hoped was an innocent smile. "Oh Doctor, that's such great news! I'm really in your debt. Thank you."


He smiled, apparently pleased with her reply. "We've sent a message to your father, but we haven't received a response yet. Is there anyone else that we can contact? Your employer perhaps? Any other family or friends?" He was sort of leaning towards her, clearly awaiting a detailed reply.


Esperanza became a bit more tense. Kelly Masons' father was not someone she was worried about, as all of Kellys' immediate family was dead, just like her. There wasn't any next of kin data on her card. Which is why the Doctors mentioning of sending a message to the dad didn't make any sense. The ID was a good one, purchased at considerable expense, but even the best personas could have a weak point, that once discovered, could unravel a cover completely. Can't use this one anymore She would have to respond carefully.


"I'm afraid you won't have much luck Doctor. My father passed away six years ago. I'm the last of us."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." The Doctor replied, he relaxed slightly, her reply apparently in line with whatever information he had. "Well, you will need to rest. I'll return to check on you in awhile. It looks like you'll be able to be moved to one of the regular rooms soon." He turned and left the room.


Ortega realized her being brought here had attracted attention. Someone apparently suspected her identity, but possibly wasn't sure of the paticulars. She had to get out of here, but a dramatic escape would only invite more interest in her. One of the Pryce people, at least one of which was an MD, would have come in handy about now.

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