Dave stood motionless over the two beds, his gaze shifting between his sisters. Sarah lay peacefully next to Emily, still in the deep, unreachable sleep that had plagued her since Helios' cruel experiment. Dave clenched his fists, frustrated by the system's prior message that Earth's current technology wasn't advanced enough to wake her. He would need to develop it himself someday. But now, Emily needed him.
He called up the system, asking for a detailed analysis of Emily's condition. The results flashed before him: Emily's body had endured significant damage, but there was hope. The system recommended a medical bottle from the store—its healing properties would repair her body.
With no hesitation, Dave purchased the bottle, opening it with urgency. He poured the liquid carefully into Emily's mouth, watching as her bruises, cuts, and broken bones began to mend themselves. The visible transformation was swift, and after several long, agonizing moments, her eyes fluttered open.
"Dave?" Emily's voice was barely a whisper, weak and trembling.
Dave knelt beside her, his hand gently gripping hers. "Emily, I'm here. You're safe now."
The moment her gaze fully focused on Dave, tears streamed down her cheeks. A heavy sob broke through her fragile demeanor as she squeezed his hand desperately. "Dave... I thought... I thought I'd never see you again!"
Her frail body trembled uncontrollably as she buried her face into Dave's chest, clinging to him like she feared he might disappear. "It was... it was so terrible! Everything... it hurts so much," she stammered between sobs. Her cries were heart-wrenching, every sound laden with pain.
Dave tightened his hold around her, his anger burning deeper at the thought of what Helios had done. "You're safe now, Emily. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you again."
But Emily continued to cry uncontrollably, her body shaking with each sob as she struggled to recount what had happened. "It was Helios... he came for us. We didn't know what was happening. We were just... living our normal lives, and then... then everything went dark," she whispered, her voice trembling. "They grabbed us, Dave... They didn't even care that we fought back... I tried to protect Sarah, but they were too strong. They dragged us both to some horrible place... it was like a prison."
Emily's breathing quickened as she continued, her words coming out in choked gasps. "They experimented on us, Dave... especially Sarah. They did things to her... things that I can't even describe. They put her under, and she never woke up. I thought I'd lose her right there. Every day, I was terrified that they'd do the same to me."
Dave's grip tightened as he listened, feeling an overwhelming sense of helplessness. He had failed to protect them, and that realization struck him like a dagger to the chest. "I'm so sorry, Emily. I should've been there sooner. I should've stopped them," he muttered through clenched teeth.
Emily looked at him with tear-filled eyes. "It's not your fault, Dave. You couldn't have known... but he... Helios... he enjoyed it, Dave. He enjoyed watching us suffer." Her sobs turned more violent, and she shuddered at the memory. "He treated us like... like animals."
Her trembling hand pointed towards Sarah, who still lay unmoving. "They took her away for long periods of time, and when she came back... she never spoke again. She wouldn't wake up. I begged them to stop, but they didn't care... they didn't care about any of us."
Tears flowed uncontrollably as she collapsed back into Dave's arms, her voice breaking. "Why did this happen to us? Why?"
Dave struggled to find words, but there were none that could soothe her pain. He could only hold her tighter, his mind racing with fury toward Helios. Looking over at Sarah, his heart ached at the thought that she was still trapped in that deep sleep, unreachable by anything Earth had to offer. He asked the system once again if there was any way to wake her, but the answer remained unchanged.
"There's no way to help her right now," Dave said, his voice heavy with frustration. "The technology to wake Sarah doesn't exist yet... not on this planet. But I promise you, I'll find a way to bring her back, no matter what it takes."
Emily sobbed harder. "Please, Dave... just don't let us suffer anymore."
"You won't. I swear I'll fix everything," Dave replied, his voice filled with determination. He gently laid Emily back down, watching as her exhaustion took over and she drifted off to sleep again.
With a heavy heart, Dave teleported both of them back to his home, placing Emily carefully in her bed and laying Sarah beside her, still caught in her deep slumber. As he looked at them both, a surge of anger and resolve filled him. Helios would pay for everything he had done.
As soon as Emily was settled, Dave teleported back to where he had left off, ready to confront Helios and bring justice for his sisters.