Flashbacks...
After an intense battle between the 80s Zodiac heroes, Curt went out of the Dark Spiritual state but became exhausted he passed out. He woke up lying on the sofa surrounded by his teammates and he noticed a washcloth on his forehead.
Curt: What happened?
Roland: Curt, darling, you passed out.
Curt: How?
Martin: You has a gruesome battle and you entered the Dark Spiritual state and passed out. You were exhausted.
Curt: I don't feel good.
Michael: Did he contract AIDS or something?
Whitney: He didn't.
Roland: He's just ill right now. Wanna go up to your bedroom?
Curt: Sure.
Roland: Want me to carry you? You're not in the right state to walk.
Curt: Okay.
Roland scooped Curt up and carried him to his room.
Kate: Can't believe he's being openly gay.
George: Roland isn't gay, he told me back in dance club that he's bisexual or something? I dunno.
Kate: But still, look at him go.
Dave: You just treated him like a little brother.
Kate: I know.
End of flashbacks...
Zach's POV
We're still in the bus riding through Swansea before we reached the train station. Once we got there, we hopped off as Roland carried Curt as we tried to find a wheelchair. That's when a reception lady spotted us and asked if Curt needed a wheelchair.
Reception lady: Hey, do you guys need a wheelchair?
Aimee: Yes please, we're heading to Cambridge via London and I'm not sure if uncle Curt could survive.
Reception lady: Ah, there's a good hospital for Zodiac heroes like us there.
Zach: We live there too.
Reception lady: I see. It seems like you already booked tickets so now you can go to your platform.
Aimee: Thank you so much.
Reception lady: I'll bring the wheelchair to you.
Dave: It seems like you need an epidural now, Curt.
Roland: Really?
The reception lady got the wheelchair and Roland placed Curt on it. We all thanked her again before heading to our platform that would take us to London. We had to stop in London because there's another station that would take us to Cambridge.
Connor B: Just be careful with that rib, okay? We don't want to displace them more.
Curt: I know. I am still in pain.
Brad: Is it that bad?
Curt: Seems like it, it just hurts.
Eddie: I suggest using ice to reduce the swelling of your rib because broken ribs tend to bruise up.
Curt: How can we have ice when there's no nearby fridge?
Eddie: Dude, I have ice powers, I can help you with that.
Curt: Oh, okay.
Eddie formed ice with his powers and he grabbed a cloth and wrapped it around the ice. He then gave it to Curt as Curt put it on his injured rib which gave him a bit of relief.
Curt: Wow, thanks kid.
Eddie: No problem.
Aimee: We're almost at the train, guys.
Zach: We gotta hurry up before the train to London leaves.
Andy: I forgot that we're even stopping there cuz I thought we're gonna go straight to Cambridge.
Maddy: If I'm being honest, I kind of missed Cambridge. I wonder what's changed there.
Jon: Same.
Zach: A lot. We got new technology and a better shield to protect us Zodiac heroes from the outsiders. We also have a little guided bus that would take us to the college.
Roger: Interesting.
Toby: Roger, are you and John related?
John: No, we're not related despite having the surname, Taylor. It's like asking if you, Curt, George and Charlie are related because you're the Smiths.
George S: We have nothing to do with that band.
Charlie M: And we're not related either. I'm half Chinese half Australian. George, Curt and Toby are Englishmen.
Toby S: Yeah.
We finally reached our train and hopped in before it could leave for London. I'm excited to go home now because we've been outside of Cambridge for a while and went through a journey. Now we wanna give this journey a break because of Curt's injured rib.
Jon: What a journey, guys.
Kate: Yeah, now we're gonna give it a break before heading to Ireland.
Freddie: God, I wanna meet this girl so badly but health comes first anyway. Right, uncle Curt?
Curt: Yup.
Brad: Especially because your bones tend to deteriorate as you age.
Simon: Now I'm scared of doing Zodiac hero work again.
Zach: You guys don't have to do much if you don't want to crack your bones.
Rick: You do realise we are getting older.
Kylie: Yeah.
The train began to move as we gave ourselves a little mini-tour of Wales again. But this time, we're also going to see Somerset and some other counties as well before heading to East Anglia. Even though I'm looking forward to the Ireland trip, we also need to give ourselves a break too.
Zach: Even though I'm looking forward to this Ireland trip, we need to take care of Curt first.
Ryan L: That's a good thing to hear from our beloved Zodiac leader.
Zach: I myself am also part Irish so that's why I'm excited.
Ryan L: So am I.
Kate: I'm Irish too, Paul and Jim are also Irish.
Jim: Yeah, my dad is half Irish.
Kate: I don't think I'm referring to you, I'm referring to another Jim from Scotland.
Beau: Scotland?
Connor B: Scotland?
Kylie: I thought he's Irish.
Kate: His parents were Irish but he grew up in Scotland.
Kylie: Oh yeah.
Zach: The thing is, many of us are of Irish descent as well so many of us are looking forward for this trip but health comes first. I also don't wanna risk myself to the point I'd get a trach.
Andy: Those things are really scary to look at.
Toby: Yeah, even being intubated.
Andy: I even remembered George on a trach while comatose.
Everyone: What?
Curt: Oh yeah, he did. It was from Lunatite Poisoning if I'm not mistaken.
Andy: Yeah, and I remembered everyone freaking out over the news.
Dave: Yeah, we were all worried about him.
Zach: So that's how he died?
Andy: No, he died several years ago, he didn't die of Lunatite Poisoning.
Mr Tan: Dark Spirits are most-likely to die from Lunatite Poisoning than Hybrids or Light Spirits.
Andy: Thanks for the info, Jerry.
Mr Tan: You're welcome.
The train ride was very long, we've been riding through the border between Wales and England. As soon as we reached England, I looked outside just to see Bath. I waited for a while as we ride through the English countryside until we reached Bath. The train didn't stop there because it's heading straight to London.
Roland: Look Curt, that's our hometown.
Curt: That's Bath alright.
Jon: The only memory I have of this town was when Curt was pushed over into the water that almost turned him into that zombie-looking dude that looks like Mat.
Mat: That's my evil twin brother.
Jon: Yeah.
Zach: We're heading to Bristol next before we reach London.
Simon: Why are we going to London?
Zach: We are going to switch trains there.
Simon: Oh yeah.
John: I'd be excited to go to London but for some reason, I'm even more excited to go back to Cambridge.
Maddy: I mean, that's where we studied so I'm also excited.
Roger: So am I.
Mr Tan: I'm pretty sure everybody misses you there.
Rick: Not so sure about that, do you guys have to deal with rivals while in Cambridge?
Joanna: Yeah, and I was one of them before the Zodiac heroes changed my life.
Kylie: We dealt with them all the time. I'm glad that they might be doing something else except bullying others of course.
John: Yeah, I was one of them too but I changed.
Roger: Good thing you did.
Luke H: There was also another jock who also joined us, his name was Justin. He's back in Canada now.
Shawn: Yeah, I had memories of him bullying me and another fellow Canadian named Kris. Kris is back in Canada too but he spends his time between Canada and China.
Mr Tan: I'm glad you guys haven't forgotten your own teammates. The first Zodiac heroes have been forgotten by history until we discovered ruins of them in Touxiang Temple.
Roland: Touxiang Temple?
Jon: That's the temple that looks like some sort of Buddhist temple?
Mr Tan: Yeah, we used to explore the place but I didn't talk about the first Zodiac heroes.
Kate: No wonder why we didn't know they existed.
Maddy: Why didn't you tell us about them?
Mr Tan: It's against the Zodiac code to let the present-day heroes know about the first Zodiac heroes. But I'm glad I showed the current Zodiac heroes the first Zodiac heroes.
Zach: And we even contacted them through meditation.
Roger: You gotta be kidding me.
Zach: True story.
After a long while, we had finally reached London and now we're gonna switch trains. But before that, we had to switch stations too. As soon as we found our platform that could take us to Cambridge, we waited for our train.
Nick B: Here we are, waiting for our train back home.
Nick N: You're from Cambridge?
Nick B: No, I just said 'back home' because we were based in Cambridge as if it were my second home.
Curt: My ribs still hurt.
Brad: Curt, don't lean on your side or it will be more displaced.
Curt: Then which side should I lean at?
Roland: Just don't lean on the side.
Curt: Awesome.
Brad: With plenty of rest, you can go back to your normal self.
Curt: I know, guess how many times I've been in the hospital as a Zodiac hero.
Kate: You went to the hospital the most out of all of us, what's up with your immune system? Did you contract AIDS or something?
Curt: I did not. I'm not HIV-positive.
Kate: I'm only kidding.
Curt: Oh.
The train to Cambridge arrived as we hopped in and found our seats. There's also a priority area for Curt as he has a wheelchair because of how painful his ribs are. We are now on our way to East Anglia and we're seeing another glance of the English countryside.
Kate: We're going home guys. Even though we're not from Cambridge.
Roland: Cambridge is just our practical home, we study and even live there. Even got injured there.
Martin: Injured? More like get sick in Cambridge.
Maddy: Also get traumatised by the cafeteria food. Now I'm not hungry.
Freddie: We'll take care of the canned food soon, don't worry. The manufacturer is from Ireland anyway and our next stop after this is Ireland so here's the convenience.
Brad: We still need to look after Curt.
John: Yeah, poor guy.
Connor B: We'll give him as much scans as we could before we could give him a diagnosis.
Curt: Will I be given an epidural?
Brad: Do you want one?
Martin: Wow Curt, you broke your rib while developing a baby.
Curt: Shut up, Mart.
(Author's note: But seriously though, I start laughing every time I write something about an epidural, but anyways, back to the story)
Dave: C'mon Mart, you know better than that.
Martin: Better than a fucking epidural.
Darryl: Language!
Martin: Sorry.
Nick N: Dad, you didn't have to.
Mr Tan: Curt, why do you need an epidural?
Curt: My ribs are too painful, it felt like giving birth.
Roland: What are you? A woman?
Martin: A hot woman?
Maddy: You know what, some men are able to be pregnant anyway. But whatever, Curt, you're not pregnant, you just have an injured rib. Not to mention, you're 61 so your reproductive system doesn't work anymore. I'm good at biology for a reason.
Jon: Yeah, now I see why.
We soon arrived at Cambridge and we literally ran to the guided buses to head back to Zodiac college. As soon as we reached the station, we hopped onto the next bus to Zodiac college and just wished that the bus was faster because Curt is in pain. Luckily, the bus was fast enough to reach Zodiac college and the first person we saw upon reaching there was Dr Williams.
Zach: Dr Williams!
Prof Williams: Hi Zach, it's been a while.
Brad: Chelsea, we have a patient here.
Prof Williams: Curt Smith?
Curt: Hi.
Prof Williams: You brought all the 80s Zodiac heroes? That's insane.
Andy: Not everyone's here though, George, Whitney and Michael died.
Jon: Everyone else is in their hometowns.
Prof Williams: I see, we gotta check on Curt, what's happened to him?
Roland: Fractured rib.
Prof Williams: It's dangerous to break any bone at 61. Follow me to the hospital, 80s Zodiac heroes, go to your dorms.
Jon: Is it our old dorm?
Prof Williams: Yeah, the current Zodiac heroes had since lived there ever since they moved here.
Mr Tan: Just follow me, team. Roland, take care of Curt.
Kate: Can't wait to see what has happened to our dorm through the years.
Maddy: Same here.
After Mr Tan led the 80s Zodiac heroes to their dorm which is also our dorm, my team and I followed Prof Williams to the hospital. She and Brad then rushed Curt, who is still in a wheelchair, to do some scans. We need to know what has happened to his ribs and see if he needs surgery or not.
Brad's POV
We did a CT scan on Curt and checked on his ribs only to see 4 fractured ribs. Good thing neither of them are displaced enough for him to get surgery but that must've put him in a lot of pain. So we needed to tell him his prognosis after the CT scan.
Prof Williams: That looks painful. 4 fractured ribs.
Brad: But neither of them are displaced enough to require surgery.
Prof Williams: Will he make a quick recovery?
Brad: I'm not sure, his Light healing powers are getting weaker. Not to mention, bones get weaker as you age.
Prof Williams: But he isn't showing signs of osteoporosis so that's good.
Brad: So he'll need plenty of rest to have his ribs recovered. No missions, no rough play, just rest.
Prof Williams: That's his prognosis, right?
Brad: Yes.
After the CT scan, we got Curt out of the room and then brought him back to the waiting room where everyone is waiting. Of course, the 80s heroes are in their dorms while the present-day heroes and Roland were waiting. As soon as they saw Curt, Roland carefully gave him a hug.
Brad: Curt will be able to make a speedy recovery, his ribs aren't displaced enough to require surgery.
Roland: That's good, right?
Prof Williams: But, he shouldn't go into missions or overwork himself, all he needs is rest. Also, the recovery could take a month as old people bones tend to be weaker than young people bones.
Zach: So no missions for one month?
Brad: Yeah, I gotta tell Mr Tan to have you guys suspended from missions until Curt completely recovers. Not to mention, you can use this time to catch up on your studies.
Toby: Good thing we got to catch up while out of town because you can work on computer science outside the classroom.
Zoe: No fair, the biology kids have to do everything in the classroom.
Kyle: Now I realised how I never regretted being in the computer science course. You can do your work on the go.
Zach: I actually designed the new technology to be more portable and easily accessible.
Curt: Genius.
Brad: Alright, you can go back to your dorms. Chelsea and I have to continue working in the hospital in case we have any more patients.
Prof Williams: Yeah.
Brad: Also, Calum, Wendy, Luke and Sierra could come work with us.
Zach's POV
We walked out of the hospital and headed to our dorms. I missed the hilly paths of Cambridge and passing by the Spirits playing around Yuansu Park. It's something I've missed while we were out of town for a while.
Zach: It feels nice to walk around Cambridge again.
Roland: It does, kid.
Shawn: I'll miss this place once I go back to Canada.
Yuto: When will you go back to Canada?
Shawn: Next year. I have to spend time with my family and start working.
Zach: Speaking of that, Canada's our last stop.
Shawn: Great timing.
Zach: Yeah, we need to find the source of the Time Eaters.
Curt: They still exist?
Zach: Yeah, and we need to stop them before they spread around the world. We cannot just rewind every single time.
Curt: I really want to go and defeat them.
Roland: Curt, remember what Dr Simpson said. He also told Jerry to suspend our missions until you're better.
Curt: Awesome.
Roland: Still your rebellious self, huh?
Tanya: A rebellious old man.
Curt: I was 20, Roland.
Roland: I know.
Toby: But still, you need to allow yourself to rest rather than just do missions with 4 fractured ribs. You gotta be aware that you have old people bones.
Zach: Not to mention, you need to be grateful that Mr Tan has suspended our missions. We need plenty of time to catch up on our studies.
Curt: I guess.
We finally reached our dorms and noticed that there is an extra member joining us. That member is Katrina, one of the former members of the Zodiac heroes. I'm sure she's here to rejoin us after a very long time.
Zach: Hi, may I help you.
Maddy: Oh, guys, this is Katrina, one of the 80s Zodiac heroes.
Toby: Hi.
Katrina: Hi guys, you must be the current Zodiac heroes. Except for Roland and Curt of course. Curt, what happened to you?
Curt: Long story.
Dave: He broke his ribs while on a mission so now our missions are suspended until he recovers.
Katrina: I see.
Kyle: At least we have time to catch up on our studies for a month.
Zach: Yeah.
Katrina: Why don't you guys just talk about your journey as Zodiac heroes and stuff?
Tommy: Of course.
The end...