The Gifted Medical Warrior

Nemesis

"Captain George, you’re far too formal for my liking. Rise, rise. We're not on a battlefield, and I’m no king to be bowed to." He said as he pointed toward a chair that was nearby. "Sit. Let’s talk like men."

I followed him. But as Ethan turned to guide me toward the chair, he stopped suddenly. His body wavered, and his knees buckled slightly. I noticed he was about to fall and went to catch him just before he could fall.

"Sir! Are you alright?" I asked.

Ethan waved his hand. “It’s nothing,” he said as he leaned against me to keep his balance.

“Everyone has their time, Ryder, mine is nearing. This old shell of a body has carried me through wars and bloodshed. But even I can’t cheat death forever.”

" Actually, that's why I came here. I’ve heard about your illness, and I’m here to help. I’m here to cure you"

The room fell silent for a moment, then Ethan let out a booming laugh. “Cure me? You?” he repeated.

He leaned back in his chair. “You’ve got guts, Captain, I’ll give you that. But let’s be serious. No one—not even the best doctors, not the most advanced technology—has found a way to stop what’s killing me. And now you, a man fresh out of Omicron-12, of all places, think you can do what they couldn’t?”

I understood each of his words, slowly, I lowered myself to one knee, I bowed my head. “I spent years in Omicron-12 honing a skill that most would call impossible. It’s an ancient practice, passed down through generations. I was taught by my guru, Master Chen. It’s not something you’ll find in any hospital or laboratory. But it works. I didn’t come here to offer false hope. Let me prove it.” I said to him as I knelt in front of him.

Ethan stopped laughing. “Master Chen, you say?” he murmured.

“You intrigue me, Ryder, I’ll give you that much. But intrigue…” He leaned forward. “Intrigue doesn’t heal the dying.”

I didn’t respond. Instead, I grabbed Ethan’s hand, I held it firmly. Before he could protest, I rolled up the sleeve of his shirt. I couldn't believe what I saw. His arm was gaunt, the skin stretched tightly over bones that seemed barely able to hold him together.

“Step away from him!” one of the soldiers present said. The clicking of guns being c****d followed, and in an instant, half a dozen weapons were aimed directly at my head.

“Don’t move another inch!” another guard shouted; he had his fingers hovering close to the trigger. "Who do you think you are, touching him like that?"

Ethan raised his hand, it was trembling, he signaled to them to hold their fire. “Stand down,” he commanded, but the guards didn’t follow his order as they did not lower their weapons.

I ignored their threats and focused on Ethan. “Sir, look at your arm. Look at what this illness is doing to you. Let me help you before it’s too late.”

Ethan studied me for a while. He didn't laugh or show any reaction. He finally sighed and leaned back in his chair; he looked frail.

"You’ve got the gall of a madman, Ryder, you risk your life in front of my men, with their guns ready to end you, and yet here you are, claiming you can save a dying devil."

I met his eyes. “Not just claiming, sir. Believing. Let me try.”

“Lower your guns,” Ethan commanded his men again. The men hesitated as they were looking at each other for confirmation.

“Do it. Now,” Ethan yelled again.

They finally obeyed, their weapons lowering in unison, though their hands still hovered close to their holsters. Ethan exhaled slowly, leaning back in his chair.

“If your men had ever heard the name Ryder George, you wouldn’t have dared raise those guns in the first place. Even armed to the teeth, you’re no match for him. Guns or no guns, Ryder George is not a man to be tampered with.”

The guards finally followed Ethan’s order. The giant muscle-bound man who had escorted me into the villa came forward, he stood over me. “I don’t care who the hell Ryder George is,” he said.

“But I’ll tell you this—you try anything funny, and I’ll personally take your head clean off your shoulders.”

Ethan laughed again. “Oh, Magnus,” he said, addressing the giant man by name. “You’re as stubborn as ever, but let me save you some trouble.” Ethan turned to Magnus. “You may be my most loyal bodyguard and my trusted fighter, but let’s not deceive ourselves here. Even if Ryder was blindfolded and tied to a chair, you still wouldn’t be a match for him.”

Magnus tightened his jaw, he felt embarrassed, but he said nothing.

“I’ve seen what Ryder George is capable of,” Ethan continued “He isn’t just a soldier or a mercenary. He’s a weapon, honed to perfection. You’d be wise to keep your temper in check, Magnus.”

Magnus snorted but stepped back. “If you say so, boss. But I’m keeping my eyes on him.”

Ethan smirked; he asked me to sit again. “You’ll forgive Magnus,” he said and was speaking to me now. “He’s loyal to a fault and stubborn as hell. But you and I both know loyalty is a rare commodity these days.”

I nodded slightly; I looked at Magnus for a brief second. Despite Ethan’s confidence in his abilities, Magnus was the kind of man who would follow through on his threats without hesitation.

Ethan studied me skeptically as I sat beside him. He rolled up his sleeve to reveal his bony, discolored arm. The way it looks was enough to make anyone scared, but I’d seen worse during my years in the field—and in prison.

“You’re serious about this, aren’t you? Do you really believe you can fix me, Ryder?” He asked.

I didn’t answer immediately, I remained focused. “I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t,” I finally said. “Your condition is advanced, yes, but it’s not beyond hope. My master, Chen, taught me techniques that have healed worse.”

Ethan laughed again. “You’re a stubborn one; I’ll give you that. But I’ll warn you—many have tried, and all have failed. You wouldn’t be the first to—”

“I’m not like the others,” I cut in suddenly, my eyes were locking onto his. “Trust me. Just this once.”

His expression became softened; he nodded. “Do what you have to.”

I took a deep breath. The room fell silent, the guards were watching my every move. Magnus stood in the corner, he crossed his arms crossed and stood like someone that is ready to intervene at any slightest provocation.

I began by pressing my fingers lightly along Ethan’s wrist. I was looking for his pulse points. I was taught that the body held a language of its own—one of energy flow, stagnation, and imbalance. Ethan’s pulse was weak, uneven. His chi, the vital life force, has been dangerously obstructed.

I opened the satchel I always carried; I took out a thin, polished jade needle. The guard looked at another, and Magnus stepped forward. “What the hell is that?” He asked.

“A tool,” I replied without even looking up. “If I wanted to harm him, Magnus, he’d already be dead. Now step back and let me work.”

Ethan raised a hand to stop Magnus from approaching. “Let him be. I trust him.”

He said.

I placed the needle at a point on his forearm. It was one of the twelve meridian pathways according to ancient Chinese medicine. I inserted the needle very quickly but gently and ensured that it reached the correct place. Ethan winced but didn’t pull away.

I closed my eyes and focused deeply as I began to manipulate the needle, using a technique called “Qi Xing,” or Seven Stars. It was a technique that was designed to unblock stagnant energy, to allow the body's natural healing processes to start. I could already feel the subtle shifts in Ethan’s energy.

After I placed several more needles along his arm, chest, and neck, I took out a small vial of herbal powder I had prepared in secret during my time on Omicron 12. I mixed it with warm water and instructed Ethan to drink. “This will help cleanse your system and strengthen your organs,” I explained.

Ethan complied without asking any questions. “I’ll admit, this is… different. But I don’t feel much yet,” he said.

“You won’t,” I replied. “Not immediately. Healing like this takes time. But the fact that you’re speaking without coughing already tells me it’s working.”

After I removed the needles, Ethan’s face began to show some changes, it was less pallor, his skin had improved. The guards murmured among themselves; they were astonished, except Magnus, his expression remained unchanged.

Ethan leaned back in his chair, his breathing steadier than it had been in weeks. “I’ll be damned,” he muttered, he looked at his hand as if it were a stranger’s. “I can actually feel the difference.”

“This is only the beginning,” I said. “Your body is responding, but we’ll need to continue treatment. Discipline and consistency are key. If you’re willing to trust me, I can help you reclaim your strength.”

“Ryder George, you might just be the miracle I didn’t believe in,” he said.

From the corner where Magnus stood. “We’ll see,” he said.

As I prepared to withdraw the final needle from his chest, Ethan suddenly gasped, he clutched at his heart.

His body convulsed, and he fell back in his chair. The guards rushed forward to check him, Magnus came over to, he grabbed me by the collar. "What the hell did you do to him?" he roared.

“Let me go!” I barked; I was pulling myself away from him. “I need to see what’s happening!”

Ethan wasn't breathing normally, his eyes were shut. His lips turned to a shade of blue, and his pulse was weak. It wasn’t the treatment itself, it must be something else.

Magnus pushed me aside, he was calling on their doctor.

“You’ll lose him if you wait for someone else! Let me work!”

Magnus looked at me ready to throw me across the room, but Ethan’s ragged gasp caught his attention. He stepped back.

I quickly examined Ethan’s chest, feeling for the subtle rhythms of his energy flow. That was when I found it: there was a blockage deeper than I had anticipated, one that even my master Chen’s teachings had warned me about. It was as if his body was rejecting the treatment entirely.

I grabbed a nearby knife from the table and made a small incision on Ethan’s wrist, allowing a thin line of dark, viscous blood to escape. “I need to drain the excess before his system shuts down completely,” I murmured.

Ethan groaned; his eyes were barely opening. “Ryder…” he muttered, and he sounded weak.

“I’m here, stay with me.” I said.

As I continued working, suddenly the lights flickered, and the entire room plunged into darkness. The guards drew their weapons instantly, their flashlights casting light across the room.

“What the hell is going on?” Magnus growled.

Before anyone could respond, the main doors to the villa exploded inward. The deafening blast sent shards of wood and debris flying. The guards scrambled, shouting orders as people dressed in black ran into the room, they aimed their weapons at us.

Magnus moved forward, facing the intruder. I turned my attention back to Ethan, whose life was at risk.

“Who are they?!” one of the guards yelled.

Ethan gripped my arm suddenly and said, “They’ve come… for me.”