War of Steel, act two
“How is she?” The tall amazon asked, her heavy boots crunching on the broken floor tiles as she walked alongside Caitlyn. The face of the former sheriff was clouded in dark of the corridor, the orange neon light lighting up her calm but sharp face every time they passed a light that was induced in concrete walls. “Her condition is stable. She probably shielded herself from the blast and only suffered external injuries. Nothing our medicine can’t fix” She reassured her solari ally, receiving a nod. “The worst she got was dislocated shoulder and a heavy concussion from the landing but they told me she is slowly coming to”. Which was the reason why the two of them were heading to the hospital hidden underground, outside the eyesight of the enemy which patrolled the skies, scanning streets with the merciless crimson searchlights.
They entered trough double doors that slid open with hiss to let them the pass. The dark grey concrete walls turned to polished white hallway in an instant, both women narrowing their eyes at the sudden bright light that showered the hallways. “Sherif, miss Solari, welcome!” The familiar robotic voice called out. Blinking few times, their eyes adjusting to the light, the two women came face to face with Blizcrank, their ever so helpful, if a bit unconventional ally. The yellow paint was peeled and more than few screws were missing from his body, but it seemed not to bother the robot as it beeped and booped, motioning the two to follow. “Miss Janna woke up three minutes and 26 seconds ago. Ever since regaining her consciousness she has expressed great distress and sense of urgency. She insisted that this unit would come retrieve you immediately”. The women nodded, both seeing how getting shot down from the sky and crash landing in ruined city center could leave one feeling more than little edgy.
Sliding open the door of the infirmary room, Caitlyn stepped in, Leona following in her wake. On the large hospital bed, bandaged and looking quite beaten and hurt laid Janna. The blonde’s whole body was covered in bandages a screen monitored her heart rate and vitals. Shaken, beaten, but alive and kicking as far as the computer was concerned. Her eyes darted open at the sight of her friends. Trying to pull herself up, Janna winced in pain, gasping with hurt before her friends rushed over to her, gently pushing the sorceress back in the bed. “Careful now! You must not move” Caitlyn scolded the woman for her recklessness. “Just because you are stitched up and dosed with painkil-..” She was interrupted by Janna however. “Where is he?!”. Both Leona and Caitlyn exchanged puzzled looks at this. “What?” Leona asked, hoping the bedridden pilot would elaborate. “Where is he? Is he hurt as bad as I am?” Janna asked again, the sense of urgency and fear evident on her voice. The confusion was evident on their face and the temptress growled with annoyance, coughing as pain hit her throat and lungs. As soon as it subsided, she spoke again with even sharper tone, her voice growing desperate. “Zed! For crying out loud where is Zed!? Is he hurt?”.
The revelation of the ‘he’ gave both women a pause. “Master of Shadows?” Caitlyn asked in disbelief, but Leona nodded. It made sense he’d answer the call to arms from even if it meant leaving Ionia behind. Frowning, amber colored eyes narrowing as she thought about it, she turned to the steam automaton, still standing in the hallway. “Blizcrank, you found Janna while scavenging for parts for Heimerdinger didn’t you?” She questioned the golem. “Yes”. “Did you find anybody else near the wreckage of Janna’s Zeppelin?” The sheriff questioned in turn. Tilting it’s head sideways, the large robot made a buzzing and hissing sounds, as if wondering about something. “This unit did not discover miss Janna in the immediate proximity of the zeppelin “Tailwind”. When the unit arrived it had already been searched and scavenged” Blizcrank explained. “Where was she then?” Caitlyn asked, her investigator’s nature gathering clues already. “Miss Janna was in a shelter consisting of scrap metal, 87 meters from the hull” Steam golem explained. “Then how did you find her?” It was Leona’s turn to ask. “Miss Janna was wrapped in a folio used to coat zeppelin. This unit was intending to scavenge valuable material and found her cradled in it”. A howl came from the bed, startling Leona and Caitlyn who spun to look at woman who’d collapsed on her bed, tears streaming down her face. The revelation flashed on Caitlyn’s face, the pieces falling in place. “The folio blocks off heat signatures. Herald’s troops’ thermal scans would not find her and they’d not risk searching all scrap piles and getting ambushed by our fighters”. Hearing this, Leona pulled over a chair, sitting besides the bed, closing Janna’s hand inside her own. With quiet voice, she spoke to Janna. “Zed lives” He whispered to her, squeezing smaller woman’s hand firmly before standing up. “And we’ll be going out there to find him. Just sit tight” Defender told the injured mage, stepping out of room. Glancing down the pale lit hallway, she began walking, Blizcrank following after her. “I hope Heimerdinger has finished my pieces by now...” She mused out loud, determination in her steps as she made her way toward labs.
