The gaze left hers as the woman’s eyes traveled around the room, taking in everything, missing nothing. The woman projected the air of a professional assessing the situation for hidden dangers and potential escape opportunities. Her examination complete, the patient turned her head and her gaze back to Tovah.

The Israeli was determined to say something, anything, to spark some type of reaction in the woman. She had to know if she were being understood. “About the men in the cells with you,” she said finally. “They didn’t make it. I’m sorry. They were dead when we got there. I’m sorry,” she said again, softly. Then it happened again. The woman’s eyes changed, a look of profound sadness and guilt darkening the pristine blue before they were hidden behind lids bearing thick, dark lashes.

“Thank you for trying,” came a whisper in Tovah’s own language; a whisper so soft the commander wasn’t sure if she had heard or merely imagined it.

“You’re welcome,” she answered, but the woman was asleep and didn’t hear.

Continued..Part 3

DESERT STORM

Part 3

by: SwordnQuill

SwordnQuil@aol.com

Disclaimers: The characters of Xena, Gabrielle, Lao Ma, Alti, Borias, and everyone else who sounds familiar belong to Pac Ren and Universal Studios. I am not making money off of this story.

Genre Disclaimer: Ok. Bear with me, please, because this is kinda tough to explain. Sometime last year, I read a story on the internet that moved me so much, I was inspired to write a sort of companion piece to it. That story was “Lost Soul Walking” by DJWP. In her words, “This is NOT UberXena fiction. It just starts out like it is.” The same can be said for this piece. While not directly related to “Lost Soul Walking”, “Desert Storm” can be considered a sort of prequel to it. It is a story, if you will, about the lifetime before the one depicted in that fabulous, outstanding story. (Can you tell I loved it?) In addition, this is somewhat of an ambitious piece of fiction, in that I am attempting (don’t know if I’ve succeeded, but I’ve attempted) to take the entire X:WP universe and modernize it. We start, in updated terms, with my version of Xena’s betrayal by Caesar (seen in “Destiny”), and continue up through the X:WP episode known as “Remember Nothing”. The plot will be very recognizable to you. It’s meant to be that way.

Special note: Because of this, Gabrielle does not appear, except in offhand mention, in a great deal of the first half of this story. Do not look for her, because you won’t find her. After all, she was not a part of ‘evil Xena’s’ life. If she were, things might have turned out differently, but because this is based on the premise of “Lost Soul Walking” it cannot happen differently. Gabrielle will, however, make her presence known, and that quite strongly, in the second half of the story. If you can hang on till then, I believe that you will not be disappointed.

Sexuality and Violence Disclaimers: We’re dealing with an updated dark Xena through much of the first half, and an updated redeemed Xena through the second. There’s gonna be violence. There are gonna be naughty words. There are also descriptions of sexual activity in this work. There are allusions to heterosexual sex, but nothing graphic. There are some graphic (though I hope tasteful) scenes of sexual expression between women as well. That is how I see the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle, and that is how I will continue to write it.

And, finally, thanks: To, as always, the incomparable Mike. A better beta and a better friend one could never hope for. Thank you also, as always, to Mary D, who rescued this story from the refuse heap and begged me to keep going on it. If you hate it, blame her. <w> Grateful and heartfelt appreciation goes out to DJWP, for continuing to write stories that grab me somewhere above the liver and giving her kind permission to mention her story in these disclaimers. If you haven’t read her stories, please, do yourself a favor and do so. Finally, this story is dedicated to a group of people without whom I would most probably be living on the streets. Elizabeth, Rachel, Sulli, and the rest of the “Get Sue to Atlanta” crew, this one’s for you!

Feedback: As always is gratefully appreciated. If you wrote to me regarding “Redemption” during the month of September to early October and I haven’t responded, please allow me the honor of apologizing in public. It was then that I was at my lowest point and making ready to move to my new home. Your words of praise and encouragement for my writing kept me firmly out of the pit of depression I was falling into and I shall be forever grateful to each and every one of you who took the time out to feed this bard. And for those of you patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for Redemption’s sequel, fear not, for with the conclusion of this piece, that piece will be started. Any and all who wish to may write me at SwordnQuil@aol.com . I’ll continue to do my best to answer each and every email. An exploding mailbox is a good thing to have. Thanks again!

DESERT STORM

by: Sword’n’Quill (Susanne Beck)

When Kael next awoke, it was to the vision of a nurse leaning over her adjusting her IV lines. The young woman broke into a smile when she saw her patient had awakened. “Welcome back to the land of the living. How do you feel?”

“I’ll live,” Kael rasped. “I think.”

The nurse’s grin widened as she chuckled and smoothed the last of the wrinkles from the bed linens. “Oh, you’re well on the road to recovery. Are you in pain?”

“Not much,” she lied. The pain was intense, but Kael, being Kael, was determined to show no weakness, even in front of a medical professional who certainly knew better.

The nurse narrowed her eyes, though her grin didn’t falter. “Nevertheless, I think I’ll give you a little Morphine bolus. Just in case you feel like being in pain later, ok?”

Kael mustered up a smile for the young woman.

“That’s better,” the nurse responded, patting Kael’s arm above her cast. After she injected the pain-killer into the IV tubing, she discarded the syringe and needle and turned back to her patient. “Is there anything I can get for you?”

Despite the volumes of fluids being pumped into her, Kael’s mouth was dry as the desert. “Water?”

“Coming right up.”

Kael struggled to sit up when the nurse returned with a cup and was kept down by a strong hand to her shoulder. “Best keep still for now. You’ve got a nasty belly wound and it wouldn’t do to open up your stitches.” Kael relaxed against the restraining hand and allowed the nurse to help tilt her head up so she could reach the cup. The Marine drank greedily; her first water in days.

“More?” she asked plaintively.

Smiling, the nurse refilled the cup and gave it to her patient. Sated, Kael fell back into the pillows. “Thank you,” she said, her eyes again fluttering closed as the potent narcotic washed through her system, dulling the raging pain to a more manageable level.

Replacing the cup on the night stand, the nurse brushed an errant lock of hair from Kael’s forehead before quietly leaving the room to find Adellich and inform him that his patient was beginning to come around.

Kael opened her eyes to see the broad, stocky figure of Adellich hovering over her, his dark head close to her own as he listened intently to the sounds her heart and lungs were making through the bell and tubing of his stethoscope. After prodding around her chest for a few more seconds, he straightened, pulling the ‘scope out of his ears with a snap and looping it around his neck. His seamed face creased into a smile. “Good afternoon. I won’t bother asking how you feel, ‘cause I know it’s gotta be pretty crappy, right?”

“It’s not that bad,” Kael replied, shifting slightly on the bed to ease the numbness of her back and buttocks.

“Well, the good thing is that it only goes uphill from here.” Pulling back the light cover, the medic exposed Kael’s tanned legs and grasped at the bottom of her hospital gown. “I’m gonna have to pull this up to check on my handiwork, alright?” At the woman’s calm nod, he continued, lifting the gown and exposing the bulky bandage he’d placed over the row of sutures adorning her belly like a macabre tattoo. Pulling away the bandage, he examined the wound, eyes widening slightly at the level of healing already occurring the new incision. “Anyone ever tell you you have amazing recuperative powers, young lady?”

Kael smiled faintly and shrugged one shoulder as the medic continued his examination.

After carefully cleansing the area, Adellich placed a fresh dressing on the wound, then pulled down and straightened Kael’s gown, pulling up the coverlet to the tall woman’s mid chest. “You’re healing beautifully,” he said finally, writing some notes on a chart next to the bed. “Wanna hear the damage?”

“Please.”

“Ok. Obviously, we were able to save your hands and legs. The damage was pretty severe, but it doesn’t look like anything that’ll give you anything more than a pain in damp weather given proper time and exercise after the casts come off. I had to take your spleen and stitch up a cut in your liver, but you’re healing well from that. And I’m sure you can feel the broken ribs, but they’ll also heal in time. Our main worry right now is infection, but you seem to be handling that pretty well. We’ll get some more blood cultures and keep you on the antibiotics till we’re sure you’re out of the woods.”

“Thank you.”

Adellich grinned again. “No need for that. Just glad I could help. Anything else I can do for you?”

“I’d like to try to sit up, if that’s possible.”

The medic’s brow furrowed in thought. “Well, it’s bound to hurt like hell, but I don’t see the harm in it. Your belly wound’s healing well and sitting up would help you not to contract something nasty, like pneumonia.” He nodded, reaching a decision. “Alright, we’ll crank the bed up a little. But you be sure and tell me when enough’s enough, alright?” When Kael’s dark head nodded again, Adellich bent down and grasped the hand crank at the bottom of the bed. With slow movements, he steadily raised the head of the bed, keeping a steady eye on both his patient and the ever present cardiac monitor resting on a shelf above her head. When the heartrate jumped suddenly, he stopped cranking, straightening and coming once again to stand beside her. “You alright?”