Nexus [COMPLETE]

11. Winston

Author's Note: Edited lighty 2/20/19

June 2013

I wiggled in the chair as the nurse stuck the needle in my arm. The Nexus was neon blue and it glowed. The stuff went in like mud. The moment it entered my bloodstream, my blood burned like lava. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I gripped the arms of the chair for dear life.

God, that shit hurt.

I glanced at Michael, who sat in the chair next to mine, and June Dog, another acquaintance that I had picked up in processing. They both looked equally uncomfortable. Michael was curled up in his chair, his face tinged green, and June Dog hunched over, staring at the floor as if he might vomit all over it.

June Dog was not actually his name, but that was what everyone called him. He was the strong, silent type and a soldier to boot. He did have a pretty interesting sense of humor though. He was built like a wrestler and had an angry set to his face. Almost everyone was scared shitless of the guy, but I thought he was pretty friendly. Despite how intimidating he appeared, the man was as wrecked by the Nexus' effects as the rest of us, perhaps even more so. Sweat beaded on his arms as his shoulders trembled under my gaze.

Michael, too, was struggling. His face had lost all color, and he coiled around his stomach, gripping it and making a noise that no human being should ever make.

The nurse approached me with a clipboard and asked: "Do you feel hot or cold?"

"Hot," I managed through the pain. Even talking sent little darts of agony shooting through my body.

"On a scale of one to ten, one being the lowest and ten being the highest, what's your pain level right now?"

"Eight," I rasped and couldn't help but add as my lungs squeezed uncomfortably, "point seven."

"Unusual," she noted without remorse, scribbling something onto her clipboard. "Seems you've skipped the gentle stages. You got stomach cramps yet? The women claim that they feel like menstrual cramps. They usually handle it pretty well. The men, not so much."

I nodded, squeezing my eyes shut. "Yeah, I got those."

The nurse called a doctor over and left her to deal with me. She asked a round of random questions and I answered to the best of my ability, though it was hard to focus around the cramps tightening my belly. It  really was like being stabbed, over and over, an invisible murderer twisting a knife inside me. I felt a wave of pity for all women, because how could anyone put up with this kind of pain for days at a time?

"How long is this going to last?" I asked the doctor, every syllable dripping desperation.

"Anywhere from ten minutes to ten days." Her expression held no pity, and I couldn't blame her. "At least there's no blood pouring from your dick, eh?"

I think I sobbed a little, in both disgust and horror, but I'd deny it later.

She smiled and tapped her pen against the clipboard she was holding."There's no anesthesia to compliment the Nexus, unfortunately. It would be in your best interests to avoid all medication until your training is complete."

"How the hell did I manage to skip the gentle stages?"

She tsked. "At least you're getting them over with now. The biological changes likely won't take as long for you as it will the others. Your reactions are purely based on your biology and the type of Nexus that you were given. Your mixture is a bit unusual."