The Healer

"The Healer" is the seventh chapter of Converge.

As part of his "Doctors without Borders" work, Robert Darin had traveled to Azla. The country was rather short on medical professionals, so Robert went to Darla, its capital, to help out in a health clinic. He had been working there for a few weeks.

"You have strep throat." He said to a patient he had just finished examining, "Don't worry, the treatment is simple."

Robert arranged for the patient to get antibiotics. Another doctor came to talk to Robert.

"So how are you doing?" He asked.

"Well to be honest, this is kind of boring." Robert said.
"Boring?"

"Usually, foreign countries have foreign diseases. Not here though."

"That's probably a good thing, right?"
"For the patients, yes, but treating common illnesses isn't very exciting."

"I suppose not, but honestly, I don't really like surprises."

The other doctor went to do an examination, and as Robert waited for another patient he began playing with his lighter.

Robert worked for a few more hours, before he prepared to go get lunch. As he grabbed his coat, he heard an explosion outside. He a window and saw that it came from the presidential building. Robert was shocked. He witnessed and attack like this before, and he worried about all the people killed or injured.

He prepared to move towards the building, "Maybe I can help the injured." He thought.

But before he could leave five men with weapons entered the clinic. They were wearing red and purple. Four of them pointed their guns at the staff and patients. The fifth stood behind them and spoke.

"We are Diverge." He said, "If you cooperate, none of you will be hurt."
Robert and the others raised their hands.

The man began spoke again, "We are going to free Azla from tyranny. In the meantime, I suggest you stay out of our way."

Suddenly, a man wearing a trench coat appeared behind the attackers and grabbed the one in the back. He grabbed a handgun from the attacker's holster and held it to the attacker's head. The others spun around and pointed their weapons at him.

"Let him go!" One of them said.

"Make me." The man in the trench coat said.

Robert noticed the man's hand was trembling. The Diverge members noticed as well.

"You're right to be afraid." One of them said, "Now put the gun down or you'll have more to be afraid of than death."

In a blink of an eye, the man pointed his gun towards the attackers and shot three of them in their heads. The fourth Diverge member fired, but the man pushed his hostage towards him. The hostage was killed by the bullets, and his body collided with the final attacker. Before he could recover, the man fired a fourth shot right between his eyes. Robert was shocked at this turn of events, but there was no time to be stunned. As everyone in the clinic fled out the back door, Robert noticed several more Diverge members outside. Wasting no time, Robert grabbed a canister of oxygen, a bottle of alcohol, and a piece of paper towel. Robert twisted the valve on the canister and fed the tube into the bottle. Pure oxygen began flowing into the liquid. Robert then stuffed the paper towel into the top of the bottle, and ignited it with his lighter, just as the men entered the clinic. Robert threw what he had built at them. As it crashed at their feet, it exploded. Robert and the man in the trench coast ran out the back door. As they left, Robert quickly grabbed a medical bag.

They ran away from the clinic, and took cover in a dark ally. They saw that Diverge was everywhere. Armed men filled the streets, and lots of civilian were being killed as they tried to get away. The police were trying to fight back, but they were easily taken down.

"It seems the whole city is under attack." The man said to Robert.

"Yeah," Robert said, "but there's nothing we can do about it right now. Thanks for saving us back there."

"No problem. And the bomb you built was very impressive."

Robert held out his hand, "I'm Dr. Robert Darin by the way."

The man in the trench coat shook his hand, "Detective Joseph Cross."