Memoirs of Kitty Siam Ch. 17

The human and not so human body has many wonderful automatic and autonomic responses built in for pain, pleasure, and survival. These responses can be as simple as closing our eyes to a bright flash of light, to the brain sending us into an unconscious state when the agony becomes too much to withstand.

It had been three days since my brain flipped the off switch and sent me into a deep coma. Some of my friends back at Osaka Eugenics that were in the medical section believed that coma patients could hear and understand everything that was said by those around them, and I have to say that this is true. While my mind was enjoying its dark three-day vacation from reality, my UT jumped all the way up to 100% and as soon as I was able to mentally process the request, the UT dumped the entire Kreet language file into the Broca's center of my brain. I now could understand and speak the entire Kreetin language, but unfortunately the neural pathways that would allow me to speak and see were non functional and still under repair.

I believe that there were a few minutes of panic internally, but externally my body was in a state of tranquility. My mind had been switched back on but its ability to control the external mechanics of my body was still in neutral. I tried to send movement commands down the neural pathways to do the simplest things like move a toe or a finger, but as far as I could tell, nothing was functioning outside of my thoughts. My eyes were closed though they felt as if they were open, and as I reached out with my mind I could feel pain around the eye sockets which led me to believe that my eyes were swollen shut from the severe battering my face had suffered. I even tried morphing my eyes to feline mode but still I could not see anything. I knew that the transformation had taken place but my eyes were swollen shut and there was nothing I could do at the moment to get them open. I surrendered myself to have to wait for the healing process to complete and morphed my eyes back to their normal human state.

How did I know it had been three days since my brutal beating at the hands of the inquisitors you ask? Well, the good folks at Osaka Eugenics installed this wonderful PDA chip in my head, and it kept track of the date. A simile little thing to say the least but as I tried to take inventory of my injuries my PDA flashed a signal to my brain with a listing of all my various injuries. Being the prototype for my line, the PDA chip that was installed was also a new design that included a diagnostic center. It monitored my critical functions and prepared reports for the bioengineers to let them know of any problems with their latest and most expensive creation.

The list of damage was extensive. Some of the items that had been repaired; punctured lung, six broken ribs, brain contusion, crushed eye socket, ruptured ear drum, hairline skull fracture, broken nose, ruptured spleen, lacerated liver. The items that had yet to be repaired; swelling and bruising of the spine, numerous skin lacerations, abrasions and bruises, three missing teeth, and several deep slices down the front of my torso, and similar cuts across my cheeks and forehead. The technicians at Osaka Eugenics led me to believe that the most serious injuries would be healed with in the first 24 to 48 hours and it appears that they were correct.

As I was taking a silent inventory of my condition, I could feel hands upon my body, and from what I could tell the were turning me over onto my stomach. I was naked and I could feel soft linens against my breasts and tummy, and against my swollen and still painful cheek. I felt a cooling sensation as some sort of gel was applied to the raw flesh of my back, buttocks, and upper thighs. There was an antiseptic quality to the gel. As the cooling ended there was a stinging sensation that followed as the gel seeped deep into the partially open lines left by the bullwhip. The stinging sensation at first caused my body to twitch which was a good sign to the two women tending to me. Their conversation went on to the fact that I had not moved at all since I was brought here by the Reeve and his men. As I focused on the conversation and the voice patterns of the speakers, I could tell that one of the women was Teela, but I could not identify the other. Her hands were larger than Teela's, her hair longer and free flowing. This I could tell as it occasionally caressed my skin with several of her movements. I also sensed that she was much older than Teela just from her choice of words, the sound of her voice, and from the experience of her touch as she applied the gel to my back and legs.

After the gel was applied, a cool wet cloth was draped over my exposed back before the women left the room and continued their conversation as they walked down the stairs. As my mental processes grew clearer my thoughts turned to the PDA in an attempt to get answers. Incorporated into the PDA was a recorder that would archive conversations and sounds, visual observations, and biological data from my body in the event of a breakdown, accident, or other sort of trauma. While I was left alone I had time to review the data and that the PDA had collected.

I could not determine exactly what happened after my brain went to sleep but from the inventory of injuries, I suspect that someone had taken a blade to my face and torso to make sure that I was permanently disfigured if I were to somehow survive my injuries. The day after I was battered into unconsciousness the PDA started recording after about a 19-hour gap in the data stream. From what I could gather a "Prince Vortak" was quite upset with Lord Hetch and his minions. Upset enough that he had relieved Lord Hetch of his duties for a few days then after he had calmed down he levied a tax on him for his actions then returned him to his previous status. He had lectured the servants that anyone wearing the collar would be not be harmed, or disgraced in such a manner every again as long as he drew breath and wore a crown. He said that I should have been detained but not abused. He went on to admonish that he would not want the members of his Royal house subjected to the sort of treatment that I was should they find themselves alone in a foreign land.

Prince Vortak charged Teela with seeing that I was cared for properly and ordered her to bring the senior healer in the castle to tend to me. His description of my hideous outward appearance concerned him that should I be returned to my land this way that diplomatic problems could arise with my owner and his empire. Without being able to see myself in a mirror, I came to the conclusion that my facial features and such were quite disfigured from the abuse that I had suffered. There were several other conversations in the recorded data that spoke to the level of my injuries and deformities, and the corrective action that the healer, her apprentice, and Teela would take to try to nurse me back to health, but the general consensus was that the majority of my wounds would never fully heal. I knew differently of course.

The Prince and the Reeve, came in from time to time to check on me and while I was making progress internally, the healer's report was not encouraging which led to frustrated comments from both men. There were many conversations in the data record of the healer and her assistant discussing my condition and apply balms and dressings to my wounds and the need to prevent infection. I only wished that I could see what the hell they were putting on me... at least they were not bleeding me and applying leaches.

On the second day I was moved under armed guard to the home of the Reeve, which was across the street from the home of the healer and her apprentice. After I was moved the Prince was not such a frequent visitor but on his first visit he was insistent that the Reeve place armed guards at the entrance to his house. Something had happened and there was fear for my safety. There seemed to be some friction between the Prince, Lord Hetch, and the General that had me sent here. The King had appointed both men to their position, which were two appointments that the Prince was regretting at the moment. A conversation on this subject also occurred between Teela and the Reeve, and he too cautioned her to look to my safety and her own wellbeing. His warning went on to note that Lord Hetch and him minions were not thrilled with the Prince being here, nor were they happy that he was protecting me as he would a member of his own Royal house.

Not much more of note happened that is worth reporting since the recorder started to function. It had been quite a few hours that I was left to myself to catch up on what the PDA had recorded. Checking the date and time on the PDA told me that sunrise would occur within an hour or so. I ran the damage report again and was informed that all injuries to my primary systems had been repaired, and most injuries to my secondary systems were almost complete. This was confirmed when I was able to feel the movement of my toes against the bed sheets. I did not try major movements at first, just enough to confirm that I could move. Next I tried my fingers and there was movement there as well. I knew that my spinal injury had been repaired and was thankful that I could wiggle my toes and fingers. I tried to move my arms and legs but there was too much pain associated with doing that so I decided to wait for a while. I knew that these injuries along with my various cuts and bruises were the next and last thing on the list to be repaired. I tried to open my mouth and make sound come out and was rewarded with a stabbing pain in my lower jaw. It seems that three new teeth were in the process of pushing their way through my gums. With that I set my internal PDA to monitor mode and drifted off to sleep.

When my eyes opened on the fourth day, it was late afternoon as indicated by the position of the sun and the time display on my PDA. The opening of my eyes was a painful process as the tissue around them were still swollen and bruised. I was able to see shapes and colors all around me but was unable to be able to see fully given the tiny slits that I was made to look through. I was happy knowing that my optical nerves were once again intact and functioning. I knew now that the damage would heal quickly now that the major repairs had been taken care of.

I was lying on my tummy with my head turned toward the window when the door opened and I heard the footfalls of two women enter. The cloth was removed from my back to great excitement. The conversation between the two women was in the form of disbelief that the deep cuts on my back had practically healed over night and all that remained were lines of scars running across my back. The crusty scabs of yesterday were gone. Next I felt their hands touching my shoulder and hips as I was rolled onto my back, my eyes flashed open fully and I was able to see the women who were taking care of me. They looked to be a mother and daughter team of healers. The mother was the healer who was instructing her younger daughter in the art of healing. Both were speechless for a few moments as my lips parted and the words for, "Thank you" passed through them. Both smiled widely and introduced themselves.

The older woman introduced herself as, Healer Ianna. Her daughter introduced herself as Healer's Apprentice Silaa. They did make a cute mother and daughter team. They were tall, blonde and buxom, the only difference was that Ianna was about an inch taller and had long grey streaks running through her hip length hair. My lips were functioning but still there was a quiver in my voice as I thanked them both for taking such good care of me. They remarked in turn that my recovery was nothing short of a miracle, although Healer Ianna had promised the Prince that I would recover from my injuries. From what Silaa told me, the Prince was not so confident that I would recover at all.

They both helped me up into a sitting position, the air hitting my bare skin felt wonderful, but the longer I was exposed to the drying air, the more my scarred back started to itch. Silaa noticed my discomfort and applied a salve to my back, and then to the cuts on the front of my torso. The itching stopped moments after the ointment was applied. This may have been a primitive culture but these two sure knew how to use the roots and berries that were available to them to heal others.

Speaking of roots and berries, that is what they served me for dinner too. No, not really but I could not help throwing that in there to see who was paying attention. Since it had been a few days since I had solid food and the damage to my digestive system had been massive, I was treated to a bowl of warm almost flavorless oatmeal. This was definitely not the breakfast of champions but it was filling and did not taste horrible. I had dinner at the kitchen table with Teela after the two healers assisted me down the stairs. My legs were a bit wobbly at first but the more I walked the more stable I became, then after a while I could take steps without assistance. As the day turned to night the swelling in and around my eyes became less and as evening became night, my eyes were fully open and once again I could see clearly. I made the transition to feline night vision and the transition was flawless. I could focus in on the tiniest of creatures observed from a great distance. I smiled to myself knowing that pretty soon everything would be back to normal.

Even though I was exhausted, Teela and I sat out in the garden long after the moons passed the mid point in their trip across the night sky. From what the PDA was telling me that it was well past midnight and I was tired and still very sore, I did not want to leave Teela's company, even though we would be sleeping in the same house together. We talked in low whispers as in each corner of the garden stood and armed and very brutish looking constable of the Shire. If this Shire had a brute squad, there were four of them in the garden, and another four out in the street guarding the front entrance.

The topic of conversation that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole evening and into the next morning had to do with the politics of the realm. I was told that my fate was sealed the moment that General Abed observed me talking to Shilka. He knew that I was not from Kreet and being that I was collared and with Shilka, it was assumed that I was from the Royal house of a foreign power that perhaps was assisting or about to assist the King politically or militarily. The pretense of my interrogation was to set the stage for my death. There was never a quest for information, there was just a chain of events that created a plausible story for the locals in that no one would have noticed that a foreign spy had died during interrogation. Teela went on to inform me that had the Prince not arrived when he did, a fourth day of interrogation would have ended my life. Being that I wore the golden collar, my remains would have been excarnated and placed in a sealed lead box with my collar and several minor possessions to be put in storage incase my owner should arrive and inquire about me.

Lord Hetch was quite angry I was told that his plan for me had been foiled, but I was quite angry hearing this because in the time that I had known these Kreetins, I had done nothing to cause suspicion or let alone warrant a death sentence in a torture chamber. As we discussed these events in detail, Teela cautioned me that I was to be moved again for my safety. Her owner the Reeve was charged by the Prince to keep my safe, but with the arrival of the Prince, the protection of the Royal person was the primary goal of the Reeve and his constables. With the bulk of the army on its way south to battle a potential invader, the Royal guard, the local constables and castle guards were stretched thin. The Reeve had originally planned to move Teela and me to an abandoned farming commune well outside the town and was going to send four of his best men to protect us. However, the Colonel of one of the reserve units that had been called up to backfill for the troops that had moved south volunteered his men to look after us. The Prince approved this plan but the Reeve was not convinced that all the troops in the reserve corps were 100% loyal to the Prince.

My eyes had been opened in more than one way today, and the latest turn of political events just wore me down quickly. It was well after 0200 hours before we went to sleep. I was surprised that I was able to walk the steps to the guest room without holding on to Teela or the railing. When we got to my room she pulled back the cover sheet and helped me into bed. I could not help but giggle when she wrinkled her nose and exclaimed that someone in this room needed a bath really soon. I know, it was me that smelled bad. It had been a while since I had had one that I know of. As she pulled the sheet over me she promised that we would bathe in the morning and that she would have someone launder the sheets as well.

Sleep did not come easy even though I was exhausted from the day's exertions and the massive amount of energy my body was using to continue the repair process. I went over everything that I was told and tried to find a way to ensure my safety. I knew I could trust the Reeve's men and like Teela, I did not feel comfortable with the reserves of the army looking after our safety. In the hours before I had drifted off to sleep I had come upon a plan that I would discuss with Teela in the morning. I believed that we would be safer on our own, or at least she would be safer with me protecting her. After all, part of my breeding and training was for self defense and the protection of those placed into my care.

In the late morning, Teela roused me out of bed and helped me dress in one of her old white linen housedresses. The frock was simple white linen, with plain stitching that came down below my knees. I am sure that if she put it on, the length would be a bit above her knees. Together we exited the room, descended the stairs and traipsed out to the garden. The flowers, vegetables, and herbs that were growing there made a beautiful and fragrant display as we walked the path past the garden and the guards to a circle shaped rock lined pool near the back wall that was fed by a small stream that flowed under the garden. I could not help but wonder if the guards realized that the stream that fed the pool could allow access to an assassin. I guess I forgot to mention that unknown to my owner Mister Drax, I had signed up for several courses that were not on the approved list for my job description. I believed that if I should have to stop an assassination attempt, I should learn to think like an assassin.

My gait was much better this morning and we walked through the garden. When we got to the pool, Teela slipped off her dress and assisted me with mine. I was still amazed that in a culture such as this that the women disrobed and paraded around naked so easily in front of men. The guards in the garden did notice us stripping down to nothing but did not say a word. Their eyes continued to scan the garden for anything out of the ordinary, but from time to time we both would catch a guard's gaze lingering just a little bit too long in our direction. I was tempted on more than one occasion to peek under their tunics to see if there were aroused.

We slipped into the cool swirling water, I went first then Teela followed. I felt her hand on my shoulder, then felt her fingertips run slowly and gently down the length of my back. She whispered in my ear that she was amazed at how well that my back had healed in just a few days. I could tell that she did not want the guard to hear so I whispered back that it was a combination of the healer's ointments and my own quick healing properties that were returning my skin to normal. The guards were constables that worked for her owner, and even though she trusted them, we spent most of our time in the pool talking in hushed tones. As always, girl talk was not meant for male ears even on this primative planet.