Dave stared through the small, barred window in disbelief. His heart pounded in his chest as he gazed at his sister, Sarah. She looked so fragile, so broken. Her body was a mess of bruises, cuts, and swollen skin. Her once vibrant face was barely recognizable, marred by violence. Her hair, once full of life, was matted and caked with dried blood. She lay slumped against the wall, motionless, as if she had been discarded like an old, useless toy.
The sight of her in such a brutalized state ignited a deep, boiling anger within him. His hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white. But alongside that fury was a sinking, helpless feeling. He had never seen her like this. She had always been strong, lively. This wasn't his sister. Not the one he remembered.
He rushed toward her, bursting through the door. The metal creaked as he tore it off its hinges, and within moments, he was kneeling beside Sarah. His breath came in ragged gasps as he gently touched her bruised face, his hands trembling.
"Sarah," he whispered, his voice cracking. "Sarah, wake up."
But she didn't stir. Her breathing was shallow, almost imperceptible, and her skin felt cold to the touch. A wave of panic washed over Dave. She wasn't just unconscious—something was terribly wrong.
'She's not waking up,' Dave thought in desperation. 'Why isn't she waking up?'
He didn't know what to do. He had fought through Helios' minions, destroyed their ranks, but now, faced with his broken sister, he was powerless. All the strength he had gained, all the power he had accumulated—it felt useless in this moment.
His mind raced for answers. The System! He had relied on it to gain unimaginable strength, to push his limits far beyond what any human could reach. Surely, it could help him now.
"System!" he called out in his mind, his thoughts frantic. "What's wrong with her? Can I heal her?"
The familiar voice of the System responded, calm and cold as always.
"Analyzing condition of subject: Sarah. Subject has sustained significant physical trauma. Signs of prolonged abuse and medical experimentation detected. Neural activity shows abnormal patterns. Subject is in a state of induced coma."
Dave's stomach dropped. A coma? How could she be in a coma? And what did the System mean by induced?
"Is there any way to wake her up? Can you heal her?" Dave asked, his voice full of desperation.
The System paused for a moment, as if calculating the possibilities.
"Currently, Earth's medical technology is insufficient to heal subject. Neural damage and trauma cannot be reversed with available methods. The necessary technology does not exist yet on this planet."
Dave's heart sank. "What do you mean? There's nothing I can do? There has to be something! You have to know something!" His voice was raw with emotion.
The System's reply was as cold as ever. "There is no current method available to you. However, with time, it may be possible to develop or acquire the technology to heal her. That knowledge does not yet exist on Earth, but in the future, you may have the means to create it."
Dave clenched his fists in frustration. Time? How much time did Sarah have? Would she survive long enough for him to figure out how to save her? He didn't know. And that uncertainty gnawed at him like a poison.
Tears stung his eyes as he looked down at his sister. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve any of it. He wanted to rage, to destroy Helios for what he had done. But for now, all he could do was make sure Sarah was safe.
He gently scooped her into his arms, her small, limp body barely weighing anything in his embrace. For a moment, he just held her, the tears slipping down his face as he swore silently to himself that he would find a way to save her. He would never stop trying. No matter how impossible it seemed.
Without a second thought, Dave activated his Teleportation skill. The world around him blurred and shifted, and in an instant, he was back in his house, standing in the familiar warmth of his bedroom.
He carefully laid Sarah down on the bed, tucking her in as though she were merely sleeping. The sight of her in such a peaceful place was jarring compared to the horrors of the lab where he had found her. But even here, her condition hadn't changed. She remained still, trapped in the deep sleep she couldn't wake from.
"Rest now, Sarah," Dave whispered softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I'll find a way. I promise you, I'll fix this."
With a heavy heart, Dave turned and stepped away from the bed. He couldn't stay here. Not yet. There was still work to be done—Helios was still out there, and the rest of his sister's fate, along with so many others, was tied to that monster.
Dave took a deep breath and once again activated his Teleportation, returning to the exact place where he had left. The cold, sterile walls of Helios' underground facility reappeared around him.
His eyes burned with determination. There was no turning back now.