Capítulo 186: Loss of All
After Rebecca performed a 'thorough' check of his new chrome, joking noting he hadn't gotten a ginormous horse cock installed. She explained what'd been happening since he left, which wasn't much if you exclude the Cyberware heist she'd been forced to conduct.
Hearing that Rebecca and Sasha had infiltrated an Arasaka freighter had been a surprise, especially so when he was told why. To think they'd go so far for him and Charlie had been a nice revelation, even if Rebecca seemed more jubilant about the Cyberware she'd absconded with.
After delivering Charlie's Cyberware to Bats to get it prepped, he and Rebecca ventured to the desert to show off their new kicks.
He thought he'd had the upper hand after punching a boulder in two, but she'd just grinned and raised her left arm, causing it to separate into segments and reveal a rather large barrel.
*THWOOM!*
A big bullet of some sort fires out and digs a hole into the boulder, but before Ori could remark on how unimpressive it was, the whole thing suddenly burst into flames.
"What is that!?"
Rebecca shoots him a smug smirk as she blows smoke from her gun, allowing it to fold back into her arm, "Thermite Launcher."
"Huh, never heard of that before, must've been a prototype or something, you sure it's safe to use?" he questions, not wanting to know what'd happen if it ever detonated on its own...
She shrugs, "I'm sure it'll be fine. The ammo for it is a bit expensive since it's a mix of Thermite and some other shit compressed into a bullet, but you can't argue with firepower!"
"I guess... Say, did you get word from Q or Wakako yet?"
She shakes her head, "Nope. Tyger Claws have been pretty quiet too. I'm guessing they're planning something big."
"Wouldn't surprise me..." he rolls his shoulder, "Alright, I'm been putting it off too long. You wanna come to the Med Center? I gotta stop off at Bats' to grab the Cyberwaare first."
...
"Do you want me to come? 'Cuz I'm not sure if I want to..." she admits unsurely.
"I don't know. Do you want anything to do with Charlie?" he questions.
...
"I'll be an aunt, but I'm not playing 'mommy' to some brat. No matter whose she is." she folds her arms as if waiting for an argument.
Ori just shrugs, "That's fine. I've been planning to leave her with Cat anyway, punks like us can't raise someone well, I know that much."
----------------
Later, Ori found himself standing outside Charlie's room. He'd been in the waiting room for two hours as the surgeons installed it, but he was hesitant to show his face at all... What could he even say to her anyway? 'Sorry I got Max and Six killed? Sorry that I'm the reason you're an orphan?
"Hey, man, relax and go see her. You don't want one of our ugly mugs to be the first face she sees." one of her doctors says as they walk past, patting him on the shoulder encouragingly.
Corpo asshat.
Shaking his head, he musters his courage and steps inside. He's greeted by the sound of medical equipment and doesn't make a sound as he silently drops into a chair opposite the young girl's bed, causing it to creak from his weight.
...
He wasn't sure how long he waited, but after some time she lets out a low groan with fluttering eyes. She slowly sits up, grimacing from the effort it takes due to her atrophied muscles. "Hm?"
"Hello..." Ori quietly greets her while making his way to her bedside.
"Who?"
"Do you know where you are?"
"Hospital...?" she mutters, glancing around unsurely.
Ori nods, "Good. What's the last thing you remember?" he asks.
"Uhm...? I-... Don't know?"
...
"Do you know why you're here?"
She shakes her head.
"Do you know your name?"
Again, she shakes her head, forcing Ori to turn away and run a hand through his hair. This was the worst-case scenario... She didn't remember anything! Sure her brain had basically turned to jello, but the Cyberware should've fixed it!... Unless the damage had already been done...?
"Do you know anyone with the name, Baily?" he asks, and his heart almost breaks when she shakes her head. She didn't even remember Max...
Letting out a long sigh, he places a hand on his chest while resting his other on hers, "My name's Ori, I was a good friend of your dad."
"My dad?"
He nods, "His name was Baily Rice, yours is Charlie Rice," he forces a smile out, "It's a pretty name, don't you think?"
"Charlie..." she mutters to herself, still looking thoroughly lost.
"Are you okay?"
...
Ori nods and squeezes her hand tighter, "Don't worry, everything'll be alright. Give me a minute, I need to talk to someone outside, call me if you need anything, alright?"
She nods and he exits the room, promptly punching a hole through one of the walls. "Fuck!"
"S-sir!? Is something wrong!?" a nurse comes running up.
"My-, niece. She's lost her memories!"
The nurse blinks, "I-I'll grab a doctor, surely they'll be able to help." she says while running off.
-------------
In the end, Charlie was diagnosed with 'Comprehensive Amnesia', or the loss of most knowledge, memories, and experiences. The nine-year-old girl had essentially been reduced to so someone half her age...
Ori was distraught, of course, but there was little that could be done about it. The condition that caused her coma had also been the cause of her amnesia, and without the Cyberware she'd have died in her bed.
After some tests which came back negative or inconclusive, Ori discharged Charlie from the hospital in a wheelchair and sat her in the passenger seat of his truck. "Alright sweetie, we're gonna go see your Auntie Cat now, okay?"
She nods but still refuses to relinquish her grip on his hand, forcing him to drive one-handed to Bats' apartment. He just hoped Cat wouldn't be too mad that he'd put distance between them, after all, he had a good reason for it, hadn't he?
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