Ni Slova

Chapter 12

The pressure was climbing upon Argo, pushing itself into his head and to the top of his skull. This was it, the moment of all moments, the finale, the end.

“Argo!”

Familiar though the voice may be, Argo could not place it. Female; light and wispy, silky and sultry with an accent to match his own, but who was it?

“Argo!”

A flash of warm, golden light, the sound of metal crunching, the taste of blood in his mouth; they came at once, in a great mass of confusion and pain.

Then nothing.

Nothing but darkness and silence.

Argo looked around him.

“Hello?”

“Argo...”

A new voice. Female, but different, yet more familiar than the one before.

He sat up and placed his gargantuan palm against the side of his head. No pain. There was no more pain.

“Argo?”

And there she was, a perfect, mature and angelic figure.

“Silvana.”

“Yes, Argo, it’s me.”

“You’re all grown up...”

Strange though it may seem, there was no dramatic embrace or huge celebration between them. This would only be fitting to both Argo and Silvana’s nature. Both from the same mold, both with the same reserved and collected demeanor. A gentle misty glaze covered Argo’s intense eyes for the briefest moment, then disappeared again. Though a trifle to some, to all who knew the gentle giant, it was tantamount.

Silvana smiled and twirled around. “Do you like it?”

Argo grinned. “It’s just as I imagined.”

She gave him a coy grin. “I know. That’s why I look the way I do. Thank you for that.”

Then he realized his state of affairs.

“I’m dead, aren’t I?”

“No, not yet.”

“Am I dying?”

“Yes.”

Silence passed over the siblings.

“The question is, Argo...do you want to die?”

He grimaced in confusion. He could let go and allow himself to his eternal reward, or he could stay on earth. Something in him nagged, tugged at him. He had every reason to die, yet all of those reasons were nothing compared to the one reason which he couldn’t remember!

“Argo!”

Silvana tilted her head to one side. “Do you hear that Argo?”

“Yes...”

“Do you know who that is?”

He shook his head. “I do not.”

Silvana knelt down in front of her mammoth brother. She took both of his hands in hers, her tiny dovelike fingers barely even covering but one of his gargantuan knuckles.

“Listen to me, Argo,” Silvana said, “That voice belongs to someone very dear to you, someone who has sacrificed for you, who believes in you. That is the voice of your future, of your destiny...of someone who loves you dearly, Argo.”

Wait...yes...now he was starting to remember...”I see a face...violet eyes...hair with sea green highlights..”

“That’s it, Argo! You can do it!” Silvana cheered.

“Hot-tempered...hot-headed...yet steadfast...”

“Keep going, keep going,” Silvana continued. Her face began to disappear. She was vanishing, which meant...which meant...he was not dying! He was going back to the living. But before he could grow saddened over having to leave Silvana again and before she vanished completely, she smiled, kissed him on the lips and whispered: “One day. But not today. Be strong. Keep remembering! Don’t lose! Win!”

Argo continued. He must remember, there was no turning back. One day he would see Silvana again, but she was right; life was for the living, and he did not want to die yet...no...could not die yet...

“Annoying...aggravating...noisy...noisy...”

The darkness began to turn to light. He could smell the sea, could hear her calling over the sound of the seagulls.

“Argo! Argo, open your eyes! Argo!”

And suddenly, he did and at once remembered.

“Nastasha...”

“You’re alive!” Nastasha cried, “You’re alive! Thank Heavens, I thought I had lost you, Argo! I thought I had lost you...”

She pressed her face against his. He could feel the heat of her cheeks and the tremble in her hands, perhaps...was that a tear? No, certainly not...it could be perspiration. Or was it?

He was lying in her lap, his huge head cradled against her abdomen and resting atop her olive drab coat. She was missing her hat and her shirt was missing its sleeves. Small cuts and bruises littered her arms and one cheek was smeared with island dirt. In short, she looked as if she had been through hell.

Argo looked to his peripherals. He could see the destroyed Bolt Gundam out of the corner of his eye. From the looks of it, he had survived by a pure miracle.

“Here! Over here!” Nastasha cried, waving one hand in the air and keeping the other nested against his head. “He’s here!” She looked down to Argo, “Please...don’t move. The Paramedics are almost here.”

Then Argo remembered...the dual...Domon...the Devil Gundam...

“Where is Domon?” Argo murmured.

“Preparing for battle against Master Asia,” Nastasha answered, “Try to rest, Argo. Domon is fine.”

“No, Nastasha...listen...the Devil Gundam...it’s here...”

“What? Did you see it?”

“No...but those Gundams...they were covered in DG Cells.”

Nastasha pursed her lips. For a moment, her voice hardened, became more stern. “I’ll notify the proper people and will have our people on it immediately.” Then she softened. “Argo, you had me worried, you know.”

He grinned. “Oh? You wouldn’t be happy to be rid of me?”

The look on her face cut him to the bone. It seemed as though he had mortally wounded her.

“How dare you even think such a thing? I should...I should smack you in the face! And I would, if you weren’t bruised to pieces!”

Argo reached up and covered her mouth. “So noisy,” he murmured, his hand traveling to the back of her neck. He gently pulled her head toward his. “So...noisy...”

He didn’t care, didn’t care if this was the right time or not, didn’t care if she protested ( well, yes...he did, but if that were to happen, he would deal with that after the fact ), all he cared about was her and letting her know his true feelings.

Nastasha did not flinch or flail, she let him guide her to him, her eyes closed, his eyes closed and just as he felt his lips were about to touch hers...

“Sir! We’re going to lift you onto the stretcher now! Please remain calm and still to avoid injury!”

Argo’s eyes popped open to find the Paramedics faces in his instead of hers. The men pushed past Nastasha, one even knocked her over as they scurried to lift the Black Joker onto the stretcher and lifted him up. It took twelve men to get him off of the ground.

“Hey!” Argo growled, “Watch yourself!”

“I’m fine, Argo,” Nastasha answered as she pulled herself from the ground and walked alongside the stretcher, “Don’t worry, you’re not leaving the island; they’re going to tend to your wounds right here. I’ll be here to supervise.”

“No, Nastasha...the Devil Gundam...you have to find out where it is!” All amorous thoughts aside, this was pressing and urgent. The Devil Gundam was loose and could wreak hellish havoc if not stopped. Nastasha was the only person among all of the support teams who had the tools and intellect to accomplish such a task.

He was carried into a large tent. The whir of a shop fan buzzed through the tent. It sounded like a helicopter, and it would surely give Argo a splitting headache. Nastasha gave him a pained look. He knew she was torn between him and duty.

“I’m fine, go,” Argo said.

“Yes, but...”

“We’ll take care of him, Miss Nastasha!” Chirped Chibodee’s girls. At once, they appeared in the tent, all in a row.

Nastasha frowned. Argo could only imagine what she was thinking. Reluctantly, she agreed.

“Very well,” she said in that oh-so familiar stern tone, shaking her fingers at the girls, “But keep this area clear until the doctors are through. Then, if you do feel the need to visit, make sure he’s well hydrated and nourished! Don’t pester him, don’t aggravate him, don’t ask him to tell you stories, don’t try to make him talk, don’t talk too much, don’t yell, don’t scream, don’t screech and above all, don’t let him fall asleep! He’s got a concussion!”

She flew out of the tent with such a fury, the flaps flittered back and forth at least half a dozen times. Argo looked to the girls and shrugged.

“What can I say?” Argo mumbled, “She worries.”

“The doctor is coming,” Cass said, “Is there anything we can do for you in the meantime?”

“Water,” Argo said, “And...” He then noticed a pinching feeling around his arm and near his thigh. “As a matter of fact, can you remove whatever this is around my arm and leg?”

“Can’t do that,” Cass said, “That’s your tourniquet. The doc will have to remove that. But we’ll get the water pronto! C’mon girls!”

The girls and the doctor passed as they exited and entered the tent, the good doctor giving more than just a passing glance to Chibodee’s buxom entourage.

“Whew,” the doctor whistled, “Wish all nurses could look that good.” He smiled and patted Argo gently. “Okay, big guy, gonna give you some stitches, then take a few x-rays. Can you wiggle your fingers and toes?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Move your limbs and arms for me.” Argo did as asked. The doctor nodded. “Good, good. Where is the pain?”

“In my head...” Argo began, “Oh...and on my left arm and my right leg... ”

“Oh yeah, let’s get that tourniquet off before the blood dries to the fabric.” He gingerly removed the bandaging, dropping the bloody mass of linen into a silver dish.

Argo studied the fabric. At first, it looked like a brown mess, but there were traces of light green beneath the red and brown stains. Then he remembered; Nastasha’s missing sleeves. She had torn her own clothing, her uniform no less, to help save his life.

“Good woman,” Argo mumbled, not realizing he had said this aloud.

“Yep,” the doctor said, “She took good care of you, so I’ve been told. Gave you CPR, kept you breathing, stopped the bleeding, kept your head elevated. Why...if it hadn’t been for her, you would have been a goner. I find it a bit ironic she could have let you go and have had one less prisoner on her hands, yet she chose to desecrate her own uniform, to tear the very fabric which holds the stripes she worked so hard to earn in order to preserve your life.” He chuckled. “Funny how life can be sometimes, isn’t it?”

Argo smirked. Funny indeed. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever be able to kiss that woman...