Free Courage by Angela B. Macala-Guajardo

scanner over. “Run the gamut of blood work on her, too.” Donai rounded the gurney and faced Aerigo. “If I could convince you to relax now, that would be wonderful. Rox is in safe hands; you’ve done everything you can for her up to this point. We just need to ask you some questions about Aigis and how to best treat the both of you.”
    Aerigo nodded. Jenna entered, preceded by a second hover gurney. She locked it in place parallel to Roxie’s.
    Sleep. That’s what he needed so badly. And in a place where no one would come and assassinate either of them. Someplace safe enough to regain his power. He was going to kill Nexus for this, for his war, and for everything he’d put Daio through. He turned to the empty gurney. A proper bed was a rare thing in the past several days. He meant to crawl onto it, but for some reason the whole world tilted to his right. The last thing he saw was the underside of the gurney before all went black.

 
     
     
     
    Chapter 6
     
     
     
    Baku was painfully aware of the fact that he had no idea where Roxie and Aerigo were, so painfully aware that he was resorting to his last option. If this didn’t work, then his two Aigis were at the mercy of Fate’s hands.
    He transported himself from just outside the president’s office to his realm, and sat in contemplation on the grass, facing a side wall of his temple. He sat for a solid half an hour, trying to gear up the courage to confront Eve, Roxie’s grandmother. He felt terribly guilty for having asked the old woman to take responsibility for raising her, knowing that her grandchild’s future was full of danger. Maybe he’d said too much in that letter from eighteen years ago. Then again, maybe not. The truth was good to know.
    Wasn’t it?
    The blue marble creatures carved into his temple walls sensed his melancholy and tried to cheer him up with a game of their own, which was much like marbles. Yes, they were carvings with only half a body etched out, but they were not stuck in place, nor unable to take alternate shapes. They moved just like hand drawings in a cartoon. Their game involved two creatures that would curl up and roll as fast as they could into the other player. The object of the game was to see who could bounce the other farther. Since the wall was overflowing with carved creatures, onlookers got a thrill out of seeing how close they could watch without getting hit by the ricochet.
    The next two creatures up were a hedgehog and an armadillo. The two curled up at opposite corners of the wall and began rumbling towards each other, picking up amazing speed over the fifty-yard-across wall. They collided with a loud crack and the hedgehog not only flew backwards, but also popped off the wall. It took on its full three-dimensional form, yet still consisted of blue marble, and landed with a weighty thud on its prickly back, next to Baku’s folded legs, flailing its stony limbs. Baku put out a hand for it to cling to, then lifted it free, taking dirt and grass with it. Baku waved a hand, and the dirt and grass removed itself from the needles and put itself back in place, then he set the stone animal on the ground. The hedgehog turned a full three-sixty, taking in its new surroundings, then stared at the wall. The armadillo had hardly moved from their point of impact, and it stared back at the hedgehog with curiosity. The hedgehog bowed its head and turned to its creator for solace.
    Baku patted the hedgehog and it put its front paws on his knee and looked pleadingly at him. “How many more times do I have to tell you that you’ll never win against the armadillo? It weighs more than you.” The hedgehog bobbed its head, then ran back to the temple, leaping at the last moment and merging with the wall like lotion rubbed on skin.
    Baku finally decided he’d delayed long enough.
    He stood, brushed off his cargo shorts, and glanced at his animated temple one last time before heading to Eve’s home.
    * * *
    It was a warm, sunny