[MHHQ - locked to those who'd be there]
X PINpointed himself and Harpuia, holding Phantom's device, directly into the incoming patient ward of the Hunter medbay. Across the ward, there were a number of triage examination alcove stations along the walls. One station had a humanoid medic looking over a human Hunter's dislocated shoulder. Several stations further down was another
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Comments 68
With the approach of the two medics, he did more than that; shying away from the mouse-medic's touch, he blundered into X and then pressed against him, a faint and nervous hiss escaping. Phantom did little more than murmur faintly, not aware of the situation at hand.
At the same time, the albino's preliminary scan revealed one mess after another: blunt trauma damage, aggravated by the extreme exhaustion and long-term energy deprivation into causing blood seepage; the before-mentioned deprivation and exhaustion, and older injuries barely healed over. All sorts of troubles ...
... the small module being clutched also registered to the scanner, as being injured and energy-levels being at a low ebb.
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What he certainly wasn't expecting was to suddenly be lifted off his feet again. Crying with surprise, he flailed briefly before whimpering with pain and clinging tightly to X, stray flutterings of plasma briefly tracing down tightly-crimped winglets.
... and as the door to the private room closed behind them and Harpuia took in the array of equipment around the bed, his clinging took on a desperation that suggested actually getting him onto the bed could prove tricky at best.
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X did have difficulty getting him to let go, but managed to at least rest most of Harpuia's weight and legs onto the bed. Then he shifted his arms automatically to more hug Harpuia than carry him.
"Shh... It's okay." X pet lightly at Harpuia's hair, hoping to reassure him. "You're safe here. No one's going to do anything to you without your permission."
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At the same time was the faint murmur of Phantom's presence, not quite 'awake' but aware nonetheless.
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"You had better not be aggravating those injuries, X." Lifesaver said as the doors closed behind him. It might not have been the most polite sort of greeting, but it was Lifesaver's way of saying he was concerned for his new patient's well-being.
X looked up from Harpuia and smiled to see the Hunter's CMO. "Nice to see you too, Lifesaver. This is Harpuia."
Lifesaver nodded in greeting. "So I see."
"Harpuia, this is Lifesaver, the Hunter's Chief Medical Officer."
Lifesaver walked up to the exam bed, sizing up X and the smaller reploid sitting on the bed. "Am I going to have to patch you up too, X?"
X shook his head. "No. I'm not injured."
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Not terribly reassured, was the former Daeva. Not by someone that huge.
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At Harpuia's scrunching, X shifted to pet his hair again. "It's okay. He's here to help."
Lifesaver paused at the squeak-hiss and raised an eyebrow, though it was a bit hard to tell under his helmet. He glanced from the cringing Harpuia back to X, who was still holding Harpuia. "Well? Are you going to let me work or are you going to sit there hovering?"
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The data scan, at least, seemed a little more ... optimistic wasn't the right word, exactly, but it was something close to it. His baseline core seemed to be unaltered -- and it was crystal-clear that he was spawned from X, the similarities were uncanny without cloning being even a possibility.
Personality-wise, under the damage and the scissoring into his programming he still seemed to be cool-headed, a little analytical, and perceptive as all hell; or could be again, if he could just pull himself together somehow.
The data scan also confirmed the damage inflicted by outside controlling forces, and the hackjob -- attempted lobotomy, really -- but continued to turn up no sign of viral influence. Harpuia might be halfway to a bloodthirsty streak a mile wide, but he wasn't virally infected.
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Lifesaver, meanwhile, while not really pleased, was relieved that the forced changes hadn't gone down into his core. He turned his attention back to X and Harpuia, but when he spoke it was to Harpuia. "Well, I'm sure you'll be relieved to know that despite the mess they made of you, it doesn't look like they tampered with your core. As for the rest of it, a great deal looks repairable given time and effort. It's not going to be easy or simple, but you're your father's son, so I don't expect you to roll over and give up without a fight."
X couldn't help the relieved grin at Lifesaver's pronouncement. He lightly squeezed Harpuia's shoulder. As horrible as the things that had been done to Harpuia were, the scans indicated that a great deal could be put right again.
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"I will try -- I need to be able to hunt them for what they've done."
Disturbing, seeing the frank expression and hearing the simple words, and knowing that he meant a mass execution.
"But ..."
Harpuia cupped Phantom's module in both hands, then crushed it to his chest again.
"What now?"
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"Right now, I'd like to scan Phantom if you'll let me." Lifesaver answered as he came back over the the side of the bed.
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His winglets crimped down almost convulsively, as Harpuia made the attempt to get his panic under control.
"I know you wouldn't do that. But -- it's hard, now ..."
"What -- do you want me to do?"
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"We're going to need to shut you down for the surgery. I know you're scared, but it's too extensive to leave you awake for it. We'll bring you back online afterwards." X continued to pet Harpuia's hair.
"I'm going to have you placed in a nanite bath after the surgery." Lifesaver spoke up then. "It'll speed your recovery and take care of the blunt force damage to your synthflesh. I'm going to keep you offline until after we take you out, as well. Waking up in the tank tends to be disorienting and sometimes stressful."
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Harpuia's strained tone spoke all-too-clearly about being quite able to feel procedures in the past. But despite the stress in his voice, he seemed to be calming; the tremors were all but gone, and his winglets were still.
Lifesaver's comments, on the other hand, drew out a puzzled blink.
"Nanite bath ...?"
[... do I sleep more deeply, my father?]
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Lifesaver shook his head before he continued. "You won't feel it. That's why we put patients under for invasive surgeries. So they won't feel it."
Lifesaver nodded. "We'll put you in a tank filled with a medical nanite and nutrient rich suspension. It'll speed your recovery so that your already stressed and depleted autorepair doesn't have to do all the work."
"It's a lot like being submerged in thick water. Somewhat viscous. And it tingles." X added helpfully. "It's kind of goopy and has a weird aftertaste, but it rinses off just fine."
X blinked, still feeling somewhat off balance by being called 'father.' [In the nanite bath? Sort of. Most prefer to be offline for it since it's disorienting and they'll be in it for hours. You can stay awake during it if you really try, but it's pretty boring and sleep comes easily. It ( ... )
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