When Loralei woke up, silver and white filled her eyes. She squinted at the sudden stimuli…and that smell. Some type of chemical. Cleaning solution?
"Loralei…how are you feeling?"
The sleepy girl turned to the voice. Parzik sat in a rolling chair. A quiet TV was playing sports in the background. The old man smiled at her, a bag of snacks in his hands.
"Parzik…"
The two were currently at the doctor's home, underground in his laboratory. It had been 2 days since she'd eliminated the trifling Scav Den. Lei currently wore a patchy hospital gown. An IV was stuck in her right arm.
"Well?" Parzik raised his hands in an expecting manner. Lei smiled slightly.
"I finally feel normal." She revealed.
"How so?"
"That sharp ache in my chest. Only feels like a small tingle now. I don't feel…fragile…anymore."
"Hmmm." He checked her vitals on a nearby monitor. "Your readings are much healthier than before. Currently, you could be placed a bit higher on the health tier. Two levels below an average person."
"So I'm still sick as shit." She commented.
"Of course, though you gotta understand. The heart sleeve brought you up two levels…no longer on the critical tier."
"Mnn." She hummed.
That's right. The procedure…the surgery. Doctor Parzik had finally installed the newly acquired sleeve around her heart. The efficiency of her vascular system had drastically improved. T-Cells improved. All around level up.
"Take a walk around the room. You should try to get a feel of your new state."
Lei casually moved her legs off the surgical bed and stopped. Her eyebrows rose a little bit. That was way too easy of a maneuver now…something like this would've definitely caused her to grunt.
Once she stood up, strength rippled through her legs. It was hard to explain. Not strength in the terms of power and impact. No. This was strength in the form of control. In the form of ease.
A vibration went through her spine and stopped at her brain. Her arms tensed then relaxed…then she walked. The old man eyed her for a few moments before losing interest. His gaze went back to the TV and he zoned out.
"Am I still going to have episodes?" She asked after a few minutes. The old man focused on her again and tried to collect his thoughts. His bottom lip wriggled.
"Ah…"
Lei already knew what to expect. As such, she kept walking around the room. Then she hopped. Her breasts rose as she landed, almost slapping her face. For some reason that ticked her off.
"Parzik?"
"Ah…yes. You shouldn't have anymore episodes…or at least have as much. The symptoms will be much less…but coughing blood won't go away until you are fully cured. It will definitely be less painful though."
"Hmph. Not too bad I guess."
"Your life expectancy has risen a bit. Do be warned…ah…you'll be able to tell much earlier when an episode is coming. Try to get home before then."
"Right. How long was the surgery?"
"About 6 hours." The old man replied.
"Did you sleep?"
"Of course. You've been under for about a day. I got plenty of rest."
"Rude. Are you calling me a burden?"
Doctor Parzik smiled slightly before handing her a few snacks. Lei looked among them before picking one that tasted consumable. It surprised her how fast she wolfed it down.
"A massive burden. Such a burden that you dragged me away from a Scav Den." He finally said. Lei rolled her eyes.
"You're welcome."
It had taken those two days for the old man to accept the things he'd done. There was no way he'd ever forget…but he could forgive himself. Why? Because he knew Lei needed him. That was enough for him to try.
Once she was fully healed and left the city…there was no telling how he'd feel. Hopefully that was a far off thing. As much as he wanted her to be cured, he cherished these moments with her the most.
"You youngsters are always so active. Always getting into something dangerous."
"Yeah, yeah." She hummed while grabbing her clothes off a nearby rack.
Going into the changing room, she switched back into her combat gear. A bit of activity could be heard from Parzik's side. He spoke as soon as she exited.
"Got something for you."
"...Hmmm." She hummed once again. This time with a raised eyebrow.
Sitting on the table was a respirator. A breather. It was an all metallic black mask that covered everything from the nose down. Small bits of grey for the mechanical pieces throughout…but it was incredibly sleek. Very advanced.
"Titanium plated breather. Inlined with gold. Blue sensors inside, just like your heart sleeve. Nobody will ever see the gold."
"I don't know…"
She thought it looked neat, but it seemed a bit…intimidating. If she wore this…goodness. How would she ever make friends again? She was already scary enough.
"Loralei, if you care about your health, you'll wear this whenever you're active. This is actually a packaged supplement that normally comes with the heart sleeve. Don't know why yours didn't come…but I had one stored away. That's why the materials are the same."
'It didn't come because that corpo bitch wants to use it as another reward. For another gig. That's why you didn't already have it, Lei.' Johnny appeared beside Parzik and sat on the table.
'Yes yes. Hot corpo bitch wants me all to herself. I know, Johnny.' She shrugged him off.
Lei picked up the mask and finally saw the malleable gold. Always on the inside, hidden by the titanium. It was a mystery how they made it so soft and comfortable. With a sigh, she put it on.
KRRRRR
The breather clicked into active mode which started purifying the incoming air. More oxygen immediately flooded her blood stream. Cleaning her blood even further.
There was only one thing…why the HELL did her breathing sound like that? It was almost like a machine. Mechanical breathing reverberated throughout the room. Even Parsik's smile faltered.
"Doctor?"
There was a small tint of mechanical crunch in her voice. Tiny addition, but it changed everything. She didn't like it at all. Made her sound like a Maelstrom gangster.
"Ah…don't worry. I'll still be your friend." He gave her a thumbs up. Lei rolled her empty eyes…which now looked even more menacing.
"I can't wear this and my infovisor at the same time." She commented. Menacingly!
"You could always tinker with the mask. Download your data into it, give it one way holographic vision. Then you can still see your vitals and such."
"Smart. Gonna leave now. Stay well, Doc." She gave him a hug.
"Don't you dare hide that mask under that big hood. Embrace it for at least a few days. Get used to how it looks on you. This is your life now." He spoke sternly.
Damnit. Already knew her plans. How did he know?
"Siiiigh. Fine." Her steps led her to the stairs.
"Oh! Don't forget…ah…"
Lei decided to check her display. A few messages appeared in her inbox. She scrolled through them quickly.
'Didn't see you at Turbo Bar the other night. You probably don't even care. Well, maybe you do. Ugh, what am I saying…just come visit the bar one of these nights. We'll be there…please?' ~ Sasha
'Don't ignore me, gonk.' ~ Kagami
'Hey. Haven't heard from you. What you up to?' ~ Panam
'Pacifica Serenity Bible Church. Your task has been decided.' ~ Jamani
Lei's eyes narrowed. Jamani had sent a message. Didn't really seem to be kind either. Still rude. That wouldn't stop her from checking it out though.
'Looks like we'll be seeing Alt soon.' Johnny commented.
'It's about time.' Lei responded.
Another few minutes passed as she made quick adjustments to the mask's limited software. Only once she was done did she turn back to the zoned out doctor. Staring at nothing per usual.
"Parzik?"
"Ah yes…don't forget to take your pills." He perked up.
Lei rolled her eyes and left. Without pulling up her hood.