Deathstalker 03 - Deathstalker War

furniture. And there they found Halloweenie
    dragging his broken body painfully across the floor, trying to reach Julian Skye, convulsing in Giles Deathstalker's arms. The esper's screams were growing hoarser, as though the horrid sounds were damaging his throat. Giles dropped Julian and backed away, his eyes cold and watchful.
    "Don't let him get away!" said Halloweenie. "He did it! He hurt Julian! He did something to him, and he started screaming and couldn't stop!"
    Finlay and Evangeline moved quickly forward to kneel beside the young esper. His whole body was convulsing now, his heels drumming on the floor. His head whipped from side to side, blood spraying from his mouth as he screamed. Evangeline sat him up and cradled him in her arms, trying to contain his helpless movements.
    Finlay tried to check Julian for wounds, but it was clear to his Arena-trained eyes that the damage had to be internal. The esper's struggles grew weaker as the strength went out of him, and his screams died away to groans. There was blood leaking from his ears, and dribbling down his cheeks from his eyes, like dark crimson tears. His skin was deathly pale and icy to the touch. Finlay glared at Giles.
    "What the hell did you do to him?"
    "What was necessary," said Giles. His voice was calm but wary. "We needed a psistorm. It was our only chance for survival. So I helped the esper produce one."
    "You knew it might kill him!" said Evangeline.
    "Yes," said Giles. "I knew. But it was necessary."
    "Then if he dies, you're a murderer," said Evangeline.
    "He wouldn't be my first victim," said Giles. "Grow up, woman. We're in a war here. The survival of the group has to come first. Our mission is more important
    than any one of us. And yes, that includes me."
    Toby hurried in, carrying a small autodoc disc from the ship's med bay. He handed it over to Finlay, who pulled the esper's collar back and slapped the flat disc against the side of his neck. Toby moved back, to get out of the way of Flynn's hovering camera.
    "It's a pretty basic doc," Toby said hesitantly. "I mean, it's good for tranquilizers, stabilizers, things like that, but don't ask me what it can do for cerebral hemhorrhages and total body shock."
    Julian's struggles slowly ceased as the drugs the doc was pumping into him finally took effect, and his groans died away to whispers. Evangeline rocked him gently, stroking his forehead and murmuring soothingly to him, like a mother with a sick child. He didn't look like he could hear her. Finlay got to his feet and looked back at Halloweenie. Bruin Bear and the Sea Goat were trying to comfort the Li'l Skeleton Boy. Both of his legs and most of his ribs had been smashed, the breaks showing clearly on his bare bones. There was a great crack in his skull, through which the glowing metals of his artificial mind could be seen. He was crying, without tears. Poogie and Anything looked on helplessly from the doorway.
    "How is he?" said Finlay.
    "What do you care?" said Anything. "He's just a toy."
    "He's one of us," said Finlay. He looked at the Bear and the Goat. "Can the damage be repaired?"
    "Hopefully," said Bruin Bear. "He's an automaton, after all. We don't have any spare parts on board, but there should be enough splints and staples to hold him together till we get back to Toystown."
    "If we get back to Toystown," said the Sea Goat.

    "Shut up, Goat," said the Bear. "This isn't the time." He looked at Finlay with his large knowing eyes. "Your friend is dying, isn't he?"
    "Yes," said Finlay. "I think he probably is. He saved us all, but there's nothing we can do for him here."
    "The Deathstalker did this to him," said the Bear. "He has unusual mental abilities. I saw him teleport. Perhaps he could use those abilities to undo what he did to the esper."
    Finlay turned to look at Giles, who looked steadily back at him. "Well?" said Finlay. "You're supposed to have been through the marvelous Maze on Haden. Show us what you can do. That is why you're here, after all. To use your special powers. Heal him."
    "I don't know if I can," said Giles. "I've never done anything like that before."
    "Try," said Finlay, pointing his disrupter at Giles's chest. "Or I swear I'll kill you, right here and now."
    "No, you won't," said the Deathstalker. "You need me. Without me, you'll never reach Harker, never complete our mission."
    "Stuff the mission," said Finlay. "Do it, or you're a dead man."
    "I won't forget this," said the Deathstalker, and his voice was