A Strange New World [Chapter XVI]

[Miracle]

"Doctor! Doctor! What is that!?"

"I-it's a girl."

"A girl!? But she came through th-!"

For a split second Miracle could make out what appeared to be the inside of the Downward Spiral, surrounded by scientists in white lab coats before collapsing and blacking out.

The next thing she knew she was in a hospital room similar to that of Moon Valley's. A beeping sound from a nearby machine going along steadily with her heart beat as she looked at her right arm to see a white wristband on it with the name Jane Doe and 'Female' as the set gender.

M-my name isn't Jane Doe.

That steady heart beat began to rise as she knew perfectly well the people of Moon Valley knew who she was as did all of Genesis. If she wasn't in Genesis then where was she? That beating noise next to her started to also quicken in pace as the young High Priestess began to cry out at the top of her lungs in a panic trying her best to break free from the restraints of the hospital bed.

[Kragen]

People gathered around outside the room of Patient 1108, who was said to have come from out of the tower located on the US-Mexican border, to peer in at the outer worldly stranger, even though there were nothing overly strange about her aside from wardrobe and the color of her hair and eyes. The doctor in charge of her care was just about to tell the on-lookers to scram before the screams of the child alerted him and he quickly rushed into the room with two nurses by his side to sedate her. "Relax. Relax. You're perfectly all right." the Doctor said as the nurses held the child down to allow him to give her a mild sedative. "There. You're going to be just fine." he said with a smile.

[Miracle]

The panic inside the High Priestess only grew as the nurses held her down against her will but before she could do anything the doctor placed a clear mask over her mouth bringing about a sudden ease as she began to relax until the nurses didn't have to hold her down at all and the mask was removed. Whatever that was it allowed for clear thought to enter into Miracle's mind once again as she was able to more thoroughly examine her surroundings before looking back towards the man.

"Wh-where am I?"

[Kragen]

The doctor was at a lost for words. Should he tell the child that she was on the planet earth or be more specific? She certainly looked human enough like him so there was a good chance wherever she came from did have an earth which was groundbreaking in and of itself. Should he say what country, state and city she's in? If she didn't know that it could be confusing and take some time to explain. In the end the doctor decided that explaining what a hospital was would be an easier task if need be and less exhausting for the patient to take in. "You're at Mercy Medical Center. My name is Doctor Wallace. Can you tell me what your name is?"

[Miracle]

Mercy Medical Center? It wasn't the name of any hospital she ever heard of but she did know what a hospital was and a doctor so no questions as to either would be asked in the High Priestess' reply.

"M-Miracle. My name is Miracle."

She did have some questions though, questions that hopefully the good doctor could answer. As her violet eyes scan the room, Miracle couldn't help but wonder if this was just another illusion created by Maricul but if it was what purpose did it serve? As with everything there were ways to uncover the truth in a bin of lies and that exactly what Miracle would do.

"Doctor Wallace, can you tell me where this hospital is located at please? The name of this city."

[Kragen]

"Miracle. That's a pretty name." Wallace looked over to one of the nurses and told them to go have a new wristband made with the updated information before turning back to the child in time for her question. "This may come as a shock to you but you're currently in New Orleans. You were found by a group of scientists studying a mysterious tower located at our nation's border. When they found you they brought you here. What's the last thing you remember?"

[Miracle]

New Orleans? What was that? What happened to the old one? Was it destroyed and rebuilt like Aircano was? Miracle wasn't in Genesis anymore that was for sure as she's never seen anything called New Orleans on a map in her homeworld. Wait what was the last thing he said?

"Tower? You found me in a tower?"

That must have been the Downward Spiral and if the scientists brought her here then it wasn't all that far away. All Miracle had to do was get out of this hospital and use the Downward Spiral to return to her world. Yahweh would of course provide the doorway as the High Priestess had an important job to do back home. Upon the news Miracle moved but way too quickly causing her to feel woozy and lay back down on the bed holding onto her head.

"I-I remember talking to a friend-"

Miracle used the term rather loosely.

"Then a flash of light. I heard people shouting, dressed in white like you. That's all I remember. Please... I can't stay here. I must leave immediately."

[Kragen]

"Whoa! Easy. Easy." Wallace gently laid a hand on Miracle to guide her back down on the bed after moving too quickly. "You don't want to strain yourself." The nurse returned with a new wristband that had Miracle's name on it. As the child spoke, Doctor Wallace removed her current wristband with the name 'Jane Doe' and replaced it with the new one before looking back at the child when she requested to be released. "As your doctor I highly recommend against leaving now. You need rest and besides where would you go? Reports say that you were the only one to come out of that tower."

[Miracle]

If the reports were accurate than that meant no one else followed her through to this world. Good. But she highly doubt that she was the only person to ever enter through to this world in the past eight months the tower's been active. That wasn't her concern however. Her concern was returning home before her presence here had a negative cultural impact and upset the balance even further. Miracle didn't want to be labeled a hypocrite by Yahweh or his son. That was the last thing she wanted to hear from them.

"You don't understand!" cried Miracle. "I don't belong here. I have to return to my world and the tower is the only way I can do that. Please! Let me go!"

[Kragen]

"I wish I could help you but-" "He can't." Two men entered the room. Both with short black hair slicked back exposing their foreheads, shades covering their eyes and in matching black suits. Each one took out a badge and showed it quickly to Miracle, while she would barely be able to make out their names or anything else she would be able see the letters F. B. I in big bold blue letters at the top of the ID before it was tucked away. "I'm Agent Morrison and this is my partner Agent Mcneil. We need to ask you a couple of questions." "Jesus Christ," said Wallace, "can't it wait until later? The girl needs rest!" "Our apologies, Doctor," said Agent Mcneil, "but this cannot wait." "This is a matter of National Security." Wallace sighed and looked back to Miracle. "You call me if you need anything." Before reluctantly leaving the room as the two agents faced Miracle. "We need to ask you a couple of questions." "Who are you and where do you hail from?"

[Miracle]

Miracle turned her head over to the two men that entered the room, wondering why they were wearing sunglasses indoors during the day. They flashed some kind of wallet thing in her face before tucking it away. She saw the letters F. B. I but of course had no idea what they stood for or that they were in fact initials as she was currently trying to pronounce "Fbi" in her head. From what she could tell they were some kind of authority around here as they made the doctor leave. The High Priestess nodded to what Wallace said and then listened to what the agents had to say. And of course they had to ask questions that she could not answer. Well there was only one thing to tell them. Their own words put it better than anything she could say.

"I can't tell you... it's a matter of National Security."

[Kragen]

The two agents looked at each other in response to the child's tongue in cheek and then back to her. Morrison read the wristband on her wrist to learn that her name was Miracle but it appeared she didn't have a middle or last name to go with it. Just Miracle. "Listen, Miracle; we can do this the easy way where you cooperate and you can get some sleep or we can take you back to HQ and get some answers there. Which is it going to be?"

[Miracle]

"If you think moving me will get me to be more cooperative then by all means do so."

Miracle turned her head and looked out the window on the nearby wall. The High Priestess had reason to expect that this HQ would be less than complimentary to her needs but that was the price one paid to be a loyal servant of Yahweh and a price Miracle would gladly pay. There was too much riding on her silence and she wouldn't put all of existence at risk to entertain two representative of a single world that only accounted for a small part of the universe.

[Kragen]

The two agents looked at each other and then back to Miracle before leaving the room. Miracle would hear Doctor Wallace loudly arguing with the two agents outside before he quietly accepted his defeat in this matter. There was nothing Doctor Wallace could do to keep Miracle under medical care long enough for her to fully recover and prayed that whatever these agents were about to do wouldn't be hazardous to her health. Moments later a nurse came in with Miracle's priestess robes in a bag and laid them out for her. "You have been cleared to leave. Here are your clothes." There was no joy in the nurse's voice as she too worried for the girl's safety but she was as powerless as everyone else in the building was to stop it.

[Miracle]

"Why do you sound sad?"

Miracle asked the nurse.

"Have faith. I'll be delivered out of the hands of the wicked."

The nurse didn't know how to respond to that and instead just chose to smile and nod before leaving the room to allow the child some privacy to change. Miracle got out of bed and closed her curtain, changing out of the hospital gown into her priestess robes and then headed out of the room where Agent Morrison and McNeil was waiting for her.

"Lead the way."