Ichiko's Tale
Episode 2...
Doctors & Detectives

Ichiko woke from a deep sleep. She was suspended in
a hospital hammock with both her right arm and right leg
in a cast. How had she got there? She tried to think, but
it just gave her a bad head-ache and she finally stopped.

She looked at her broken limbs and realization dawned
on her. "I was in an accident." She told herself. "I was in
a transport and it crashed.  Or maybe a transport crashed
into me."

A nurse walked into the room. "Oh, you're awake." She
remarked. "Would you like something to eat?"

"No." Ichiko replied. "My stomach hurts."

"You had some internal injuries." The nurse told her.

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"I don't know." The nurse admitted. "You've been here for
about nineteen hours."

"My parents?" Ichiko asked.

"They stayed by your side until visitting hours were up."
The nurse replied.  She started to leave, but Ichiko
restrained her with her good hand.

"Did anyone else survive the accident?" Ichiko asked.

"Accident?" The nurse echoed.

"The accident I was in." Ichiko clarfied.

The nurse clasped Ichiko's hand, gently, and looked at
her with grave concern.

"Honey, you weren't in an accident."she said, deciding
that the best thing to do in the situation was to be honest.
"You were raped."

"No." Ichiko denied, fiercely. "No, that's not possible. I
went to the movies and I was in a transport accident on
the way home."

"I'm sorry, but it is true." The nurse replied.

Ichiko began to thrash about, violently, trying to get out
of the bed. "No!" she shrieked. "No, you're wrong! You're
wrong! That's not what happened. I'm not going to be
treated by a bunch of nutcases who can't even see they've
got their charts mixed up."

The nurse summoned the doctor who quickly sedated
Ichiko before she could injure herself.

Strangely shaped faces haunted her dreams. A flat, furless
mouth, its lips strangely pink, its teeth straight and useless,
laughed and leered. Eyes with round pupils stared into hers
and didn't let her out of their sight. Hands, furless and pink
reached out and grabbed her.

Ichiko flew away with a cry of horror, the nightmare still
fresh in her memory. It was true, all of it. "oh dear lords."
she broke down, sobbing.

A nurse walked in. Not the same one, and brought her
some food. Ichiko was too distraught to eat it, however,
and simply ignored the food.

'Probably just as well." The nurse kidded her. "You know
what they say about hospital food?"

Ichiko reached down to the tray and threw it at the nurse.

"I just got raped and you're making jokes?" She raged.
"You think it's funny?"

"I'm sorry." The nurse apologized. "I don't think its funny
at all, actually. I think its really sad and I hope they catch
the guy. I was just trying to cheer you up. After what
happened to you, I figured you could use a little cheering
up."

"I appreciate the thought." Ichiko replied, in a tone that
said she didn't.

A doctor walked in. "Didn't like the food, I see." He remarked.

"Is this a hospital or a comedy club?"  Ichiko asked, icily.

The doctor picked the tray up and set it aside. Then, he
checked Ichiko's temperature. "Hmmm... A little high, but not
too bad all things considered."

A tall man walked in. 

Ichiko noticed the fur on his right wrist wa sclipped short. "Are you a 
cop?" She asked. 

"I'm a police detective." He nodded. "Your parents 
asked me to find you when you went missing." 

An image flashed through Ichiko's mind. A rapid sequence of 
voices, at a rate so fast they overlapped into a single voice 
with a strobe-like image of a rescue basket, an emergency transport, 
and a gurney-ride down a long corridor.  One voice seemed a little 
clearer now. 

"You were there when they rescued me." She recalled. 

"That's right." Detective Trakal replied. "I'm the one who found you. 
Can you tell me what the guy who did this to you looked like. What 
color was his fur?" 

"He didn't have fur." 

"Excuse me?" 

"I said he didn't have fur." Ichiko repeated. She was on the verge of 
tears. "He had no fur, a flat face with a strange nose and this stuff 
that was like fur but longer than any fur I've ever seen growing out 
of the top of his head." 

Trakal made a rought sketch. "like this?" 

"No." Ichiko pointed to the squat muzzle on the image. "he didn't have 
any muzzle at all." 

Trakal took it back and tried 
again. 

"No no no." Ichiko grabbed the paper and pencil and did a rough 
sketch. "LIke that." She told him. 

Trakal studied it. "This guy's going to be easy to find." He assured 
her. 

"Are you sure?" She asked hopefully. 

Trakal nodded. "Anyone who looks so different who commits a crime like 
this guy has must be a total idiot." He concluded. 

"I hope you do catch him." 

"I'll do my best." Trakal left the room. Out of her sight and earshot, 
he crumpled up the paper she'd given him and stashed it in his pocket 
since there were no trashbins around.

The people of Ratala IV don't even know there's a universe, let
alone people in it. So when Trakal saw the image of the rapist,
he assumed it was the product of a mind that had been pushed
over the edge by the trauma it had just endured.