Snippet #1698025

[ Sorry about the delay, Had some complications with a recent prescription. ]


The voice on the other end was something of a crackling, static-y mess until finally a clearance was found and a rather chirpy--swift and hastily composed voice came blaring from the other end.

" You're the one that needed the heart ? "

It sounded human.

" The eh--the uh--the one that needed the stability mod..or somethin'...where are you ? "

It sounded feminine--in a way, though the way it was so swiftly blurted out one could have assumed that most of the words were another, it sounded like this woman had a machine gun for a tongue.

" Nevermind--be there. "

Apparently she had already found their location--a quick beep came and the phone was hung up before an answer could come. After a few minutes it seemed like no one was coming, but eventually a small two passenger car came careening down the roadway aside the lakefront. After a moment of driving about the vehicle finally parked and a set of curly blonde hair came popping out of the small red two-seater. Within this pale little things hand was a small briefcase, it seemed thin for it's size. Soon enough she was hobbling along,dressed in the normal scrubs. As she approached one would be quick to note the actual absence of eyes--they had been replaced with two small globes that looked somewhat metallic, though their glass centers were obvious. She came squeaking up, barking apologies and greetings--and something about southern Malaysia--or maybe mayonnaise, she talked far to fast to be comprehensible. She finally came to the pair without much hesitation, her briefcase flopped to the ground, which immediately fell open to reveal a various assortment of small cylindrical devices--which looked similar to handles of instrumentation. Were those her tools ? Apparently she planned on working on a heart in the middle of a lakefront, but she seemed to retract the idea rather quickly with a proper greeting.

" I'm 'Ricia. "

Apparently she had dropped the 'pat' from her name at some point. Her fingers fiddled mindlessly with her cellphone as she spoke.

" The doctor said that you were to be seen, but I wasn't exactly certain what it was you needed ? Eh--Heart, yeah ? Your's ? "

She sent a bony digit spiking at the male of the two--but quickly swapped to the female after a moment of staring. Those odd eyes gave a flicker or two before she answered herself.

" Yup--looks like that Aortic Stabilizer is a bit off..Have you been doing a lot of strenuous activity ? "
Those odd metal eyes snapped over the woman.
" Hmmn--seems not. I'm not sure how you managed to knock it loose--car accident ? Explosion ? Mm...maybe someone punched you really hard ? "


She seemed to be looking for explanations instead of hypothesis for what was wrong, she already had that information. She was soon fiddling about the instruments.

" When was the cardiovascular replacement implanted ? "

An odd way of asking when someone had lost their heart. She was soon peaking up from that crown of curls to gawk at the twins--though she seemed completely oblivious how long she had been leading the conversation without giving them a chance to answer.

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Fortunately, the sewers had a relief point into the local water supply--the manhole cover just so happened to reveal that Vienna had stumbled to the lakeside. She would be quickly revealed to the trio that now met over the discussion about repairing a heart. The night was creeping in rather quickly, it was bound to be a rough one considering the most recent events. A police cruiser near took off her legs as it shot by her, lights on but no sirens, it seemed to be in a rush somewhere, but where exactly was uncertain.

***



" John ? I need you to stay calm..but I--I need to explain something. "

The crack of eyes revealed to him that odd--burning light--it wasn't the sun, it was a surgical lamp, still hovering haplessly aside him, causing his eyes to retract and ache. A tilt of head, a groan from lips and finally a shift of arm caused him to quickly notice the straps that laid over his chest--why was he being bound ?

" You see...We were unable to reattach your...your original arm. We were forced to improvise. "

It was a man's voice--one he didn't recognize. He managed a glare sideward--towards the sound beside him, though as he rolled his head sideward he came upon a view that left him cold...chilled to the bone and certain that he was witnessing something horrible. A metallic shoulder was stuffed into the socket of his arm, the flesh cauterized to it's surface, a series of tubes plunging into flesh and steel alike--pumping that green slime into his being.

" What in the fuck is that. "

John didn't ask--he demanded an answer.

" As I said--we were unable to save the original arm..I'd like to comfort you in knowing this is the most advanced model of a Petrice Appendage Imitation Prosthetic. "

John was left staring at the mass of flesh and metal that somehow resembled an arm--it felt odd--like something was stabbed into his body that wasn't mean to be there.

"...the discomfort will fade with time. "

Discomfort ? It was more than discomfort--it was a numbness that filled him to his bones--that odd cyber-genetic fluid further aiding the un-natural becoming natural for his body. He managed a low groan before he was trying to sit up.

" Wait..Mr.Ridgeway, I'd advise you to remain still...the bonding process hasn't quite completed. "

" I don't want to bond with this fucking thing ! Get it off me ! "

" I can't do that, John. "

The light came tilted sideward--John's eyes took a moment to adjust but he finally came to view the scrawny gentleman before him--old..older than the hills--but a small moustache remained on his lip--his bifocal lenses resting across the center of his nose while he continued to casually work at the metal appendage.

" Aren't they supposed to look human ? " the arm...this one looked like something straight out of mortal combat.

" Usually our cybernetics go out of their way to maintain a 'human' appearance..Unfortunately the militarized versions are a bit more raw. " A soldier didn't need to be pretty. Petrice continued speaking but John was left staring--distracted for a moment as the man casually removed and reattached a finger of his metal hand, revealing the odd cylindrical gear within the center of the forearm.

" Is that a gun ? "
John asked bruntly--it certainly looked like an arrangement of barrels.

" Indeed it is, John...Do you know who Alexander Roswell is ? "

" Yeah--He got shot tonight. "

" Well--That one did. " John didn't quite catch the implication that there were multiple Roswell's.
" Why ?" John prodded.
" Well--It's come to the Human Agenda's attention that they may need to invest in a bodyguard for Mr.Roswell--They believe it would be acceptable to have you fulfill that position. " Petrice passed him a smile--the sort of smile you gave a man after you shot him in the gut.

" What ? No...I'm not even trained for something like that. "


" But you are--in one way or another..I'm sure after a nap you'll feel different. "
A nap ? John glared--trying his best to wrestle free from the binds that held him down--but between the immense weight of his new metal appendage and the double stitched nylons binds, he was left helpless as a needle plunged into the remaining 'human' portion of his arm..After a moment of hopeless wriggling and a spree of cursing John faded once more into the darkness.