"Assafal–Assaful, you irresponsible motherfuckers! I'll kill all of you and bury your mothers if I find anything wrong!"
It was Fiona's father — storming in, skin reddening with fury, having rushed here as fast as he could.
It was a while before things finally calmed down and I was allowed to get dressed again. Meanwhile, the Ashrs and the doctor sat face to face across the desk, locked in a silent staring contest — one side demanding explanations, the other failing miserably to provide them. I joined them soon after getting dressed, still wobbly and weak, but I managed. After all, I needed to hear it — it concerned me more than anyone else. Still, authority over the situation was far beyond my hands.
Even the doctor knew there was no point trying to appease me — the one who had almost died. The ones he needed to appease were the furious Ashrs, for whom my well-being had practically become a religion.
From what my squishy brain could grasp, I'd been in the rig for days. The GRID had taken a massive hit — a few monsters had attacked Vrath, catching everyone completely off guard.
During the rampage and chaos, some opportunistic bastards tried to hack into the GRID. Not only did they fail, they also managed to corrupt the data stores. The monsters that slipped into the city damaged hardware, while others decimated the energy facilities, causing a full-scale blackout. So while the GRID slowly came back online and secondary systems kicked in, I was left stuck inside. Normally, I'd be safely ejected, but the thirty-third protocol failed for unknown reasons. Apparently, it was a miracle I was even alive.
"—In fact, this is great news, if any news at all! Not only has he awakened with flying metrics—" The doctor rambled, sweat pooling along his temple.
"Not only what!?" Fiona's father snapped.
"Well... uh, he seems to have been blessed by the heavens, yes! I mean, by all likelihood he shouldn't be alive, but it appears to be a miracle. From the reports I've gathered, the nanites — I assume under the influence of chaos energy — broke through every standard pre-programming limit and acted on their own just to keep him alive. If anything, this proves the gods don't want him dead!"
"You piece of shit — say goodbye to your job, asshole!" Fiona shouted, her expression the angriest I'd ever seen.
"Oh, come on, it's not my fault! It was a natural disaster!" the doctor whimpered in a last-ditch defense.
Makes me wonder what these people went through over the past two days — the Ashrs practically bursting with concern and anger. It was honestly a miracle the facility hadn't already been turned upside down.
"It's... almost like... the rig and the nanites were trying to keep you alive... at any cost too..." Dr. Faust murmured, studying the papers in disbelief.
"It fucking better be trying to keep him alive!" one of the Ashrs barked, crushing a metal canister of soup prepared for deon into collapsed waste with the grip of his hand and fury as the soup inside poured out and flowed all over his hand and table. His other hand tapped furiously against the table.
"No, no, no — what I mean to say is... after the power outage, both the rig and the nanites should've been helpless. But instead, they used up every bit of their reserve energy and even drained the core fuel completely — on their own. That's not possible! I mean, theoretically, they can, but they won't. It makes no sense... I can't explain it without getting very..." The more he spoke, the deeper he dug his grave.
The Ashrs grew more bloodthirsty with every passing second.
What a fool — a genius, yes, but one dangerously blind to his own doom. Reading those reports aloud with childlike curiosity while death itself glared him down from across the desk. He leaned forward, muttering to himself, lost in the wonder of his discovery. "In any case. This should be no issue but it would seem that the nanites are still in your systems. Not to fret however as they are quite dormant and frankly useless...should leave your body automatically over time...no harm"
"That's it. We're leaving," the Ashr said finally, molten fury still simmering under his breath, smoke practically rising from his nostrils.
And so, the three of us left the room.
Lexny's father gave me a tight hug. "My God... thank you, you're alive."
"Good to be alive," I managed to reply.
"Alright. I've got matters to handle in the capital. Call me if you need anything — and most importantly," he said seriously, "absolutely no sheiky-sheiky until the doctors give the green light."
"Wish I had the energy to appreciate your terrible puns," Deon muttered.
"Anyway, take care of yourself now, son. I need to be off posthaste," he said, brushing his hand through Deon's hair.
"You take care of yourself too," I replied softly.
"Ahahahahahahah," he left laughing, satisfied at the pun he had made.
To Be Continued==>