Charlie opened the windows that made the sweet scent of summer bliss and freshly cut grass entered the room. She brushed off the curtain kissing her face and gently smiled as she looked at her son while she leaned her back on the window sill. The sky was bright green and the clouds float below it with much glee. The distant sun is shining all over the ground, kissing her son's bedside, as the birds fly from trees to rooftops humming in chorus.
She pulled her hair behind her ear and sighed. "It's a nice day, Marky. Why won't you come and take a look with me."
"---om"
Her heart skipped a beat.
"Mom.." She heard it again. Her tears fell like rain that day, her smile went up behind her ear, her heart won't stop pounding.
She rushed to his side and held his hand. She pulled it towards her cheek and her other hand reached his face.
"I'm glad you're awake, Markus..." Charlie sobbed as she pulled her head down.
"M..o..m.." Hachiro replied, still fragile and weak.
"It's alright, Mom's here.. don't worry I got you.." she hugged her son, consciously avoiding all the wires attached to him. "I have faith that you will eventually wake up."
Louige entered the room and was shocked by what he saw. He immediately called the doctors and grabbed his phone to report the good news.
"What's going on?" Markus asked in a weak voice. He tried to adjust his eyes from the sudden light changes he sees. He moved his head in his mom's direction as he slowly blinked. "Why are you crying?"
"I just saw my idiot son talking back to me again, that's it," Charlotte replied with a coarse voice.
The doctor came in at the same time Reiko arrived. "How was he?" he asked as he checked his vitals.
Reiko stood near the edge of the bed, staring at his son with mixed emotions. His hands were trembling as he felt his knees losing strength. He looked around and saw what the doctors were doing "Markus..." he whispered. His eyes were filled with tears.
Louige went to his side and whispered, "Reiko-sama"
"He's wide awake, Louige." Reiko said in a weary voice. "He's wide awake." he said again, now with a smile.
Markus turned his head and smiled at his father as he said, "Dad.." the same way she talked to Charlie.
His heart was filled with joy that it overflows in his eyes. He slowly walked towards his son and sat beside him.
The doctor and the nurses removed all the things attached to him as they turned off all the machines.
"I made it." Markus said with a grin he tried so hard to pull off.
"You sure did." Reiko felt relieved seeing his son awake and was talking with him. "I know my son could make it."
The doctor left saying he's all better now and in a few days, he can go home.
Charlie helped her son to sit and she sat beside him. Reiko moved a bit and they hugged their son with all the love and all the care they wanted him to feel for the past 4 months.
"That hurts..." Markus mumbled. He slowly lifted his arm and his parents held it in the middle of both their hands.
"I'm sorry, we just missed you, Marky." Reiko replied with a smile.
"Yeah, you made us worry so much, you idiot son of mine.." Charlie brought his head on her chest, the place her kid would call his safe haven.
They both felt the weakness of their son's body. He can't even sit alone thus they support him with their arms.
"That hurts more than the suffocating hug, idiot mother of mine..." Markus said.
"What did you say? Huh?!!" Charlie hugged him even tighter.
"Hey, let me join that group hug..." Reiko complained.
"No, you can't... haha"
And they all laughed as a gentle breeze came blowing inside the hospital room.
"How do you do, Oji-nii?" Markus asked Lougie standing near the window.
"I'm fine and I'm happy to see you back, alive.." he replied.
"I'm glad you're fine, too. Thanks for everything," Markus smiled "I mean it."
"I'm sorry..." Louige's voice turned stiff "..I'm really sorry.. Markus."
"Don't worry about it, I have known long before." He gave a weak laugh. "I kinda used you in some other way so I guess we call it even."
"You do? But how?" Louige was shocked, every muscle on his body stiffened.
"Well, I have scanned the database, right? And,," he coughed but he continued "...and I found a trace, a trail that only you can leave behind. I know how you hack and how you program stuffs, you know. I've seen it many times before."
"So, you've seen that?"
"Yeah, and that gave me hope how to really find the hacker. I know you don't know who he was until we saw him at the Sunny Café, but the trail you left was the key to lessen the damage. It helped me redo my program and I used it to overwrite the Apollo's system. That is where you helped me, Oji-nii." Markus explained.
"Well, that was an impressive thing to do.." Louige replied. "I didn't know that."
"You didn't tell me about that...!" Reiko complained.
"I'm sorry Sir but you didn't ask."
"I told you to tell me everything.." Reiko's brows crossed.
"Haha...It's fine, Dad." Markus laughed a little. "...well, after all, we defeated him." he went silent then he continued "well, if I may ask, how long have I been asleep?"
"Almost 4 months, dear.." Charlie replied
"4 Months??! That's insane!"
"No, it's not. The Phantom Algorithm promised that he will bring you back and he said it will take long. So we waited long enough, you know.." Reiko explained.
"Ahh, that was it? So Shichiro did all of these?" Markus asked.
"Shichiro?" Charlotte raised a brow.
"Yes Mom, his name is Shichiro. The AI I accidentally created to hack a game from Orion and the one who saved us from the hacker, The Phantom Algorithm. His name is Shichi, it means 7, a lucky number. I added the "ro" to make it sound like the one Dad had given. Besides, he looks exactly just like me..." Markus said.
"Ohh,, so he's still in your head?" Louige asked
"Yeah, he told me everything. He's staying in my subconscious now. I can call him my alter ego." He smiled "..and, don't be bothered if I am not the one you were talking with okay? Coz that will happen sometimes. He said he will take over my body to finish the repairs, so yeah, he will be in charge at some point." He warned. "I might be sleeping in those times."
"So, that's how it works,, he's inside your brain, he's an AI, a technology that is run by electricity or batteries, so,,," Reiko said,
"So?" Charlie looked at him while he seriously explained.
"Should we charge you?" Reiko added.
"That's ridiculous Reiko! Will you electrocute your son?!" Charlie complained and spanked Reiko's head.
"I mean, Shichiro is a program that runs by electricity, I was just talking about the complicated stuff." Reiko defended.
"Well, in this case, I'm already awake so the stimulus in the form of electricity is enough to charge him. Besides, if I will be able to move soon, the kinetic energy will also produce electricity to serve his purpose." Markus added.
"Ohh,, so that was it..." Reiko nodded his head in agreement.
They were all amazed by the concept they were dealing with, awed by the thought that their son had a very complicated brain from the very start. They can't believe that their son was a genius sprouted just because of too much exposure of the computer at home.
"Ahh, before I forgot..." Charlie broke the ice "...we need to celebrate because he's all fine now. And his birthday is coming soon." She added.
"Ohh,, now I remember, I'm turning 16 already?" Markus said.
"Yes, that's right... we need to throw a big party." Reiko exclaimed. "I will let all the people in the company that my son is back, that Ginsei Hachiro, YOU are already awake."
"I'll arrange it right away, Sir.." Louige added
"No,, that would give you trouble, Dad" Markus complained. "I know youré happy that I came back, but it's fine if you won't make a ruckus out of it. Let's just make it simple. You don't have to tell everybody that Ginsei Hachiro is your son and he has risen."
"No,, we need at least to have an unwinding event to clear our stress up. It's your big day as well, so just give us this chance, Markus. You didn't agree to do it last year as well, so please.." Reiko said, begging.
"Ahhh" Markus sighed "...okay, but don't make it too grand okay?"
"Okay..." Reiko replied
"So we're having a party!" Charlie exclaimed, "It's your sweet sixteen anyway, haha, so cute." She added.
"Stop it, Mom,,, it's not funny."