Chapitre 29: Chapter 26: My Responsibility (Part 1)
"Where… to next?"
Julian felt the cool wind brush against his face; his hand, clinging to the side of the building. His fingers dug into the concrete like it was soft clay, making him look like a dead leaf desperately swinging on a branch.
[Julian, reach to your left. There's a solid ledge there. It'll hold your weight.]
"Okay." Without hesitation, Julian's hand found the ledge. His feet followed suit, seeking out footholds on the concrete wall…and if there wasn't, he created one.
The city of The Below sprawled beneath him, a mass of steel, neon, and chaos. The streets below were packed with people and vehicles; the sound and the constant hum of machinery, entering his ears. There was also a police drone that flew by, scanning the area for any signs of trouble on the streets… completely unaware that someone was actually scaling their buildings.
But of course, Julian was also completely unaware of them as he focused on his task at hand—getting to Ellie as fast as possible.
[Two more steps… careful, the right side is weak. You don't want it giving out.]
Julian nodded, he could sense the fault in the wall and shifted his weight accordingly, avoiding the weak spot as MEGAN said.
[You're almost there. One last ledge…]
And with a powerful push, Julian hoisted himself onto the rooftop, landing a little bit clumsily.
"Ho…" He crouched there for a moment, catching his breath. The wind tugged at his jacket; snapping as the dim lights of The Below reflected off his black face mask.
[You… really look like some sort of superhero right now, Julian.]
"A superhero that's not here when needed," Julian breathed before standing up and nodding, "Let's… continue."
[Julian… Uh… there's a gap. The next building is 150 meters away.]
Julian stood up, stretching his arms. "How… far?"
[150 meters… Julian, I don't—]
"Do you think we can make it?" Julian interrupted, his voice calm and steady. He could feel MEGAN's hesitation, but there was no room for doubt. Not now.
[...With the feats of strength you have done so far, based on my calculations—you can reach the wall but you will start to descend—]
"Let's do it."
[But—]
"Just tell me where it is."
[...Ugh.] After a pause, MEGAN relented. [It's straight ahead. You'll need to jump.]
Julian backed up a few steps, his breaths steady despite the challenge ahead. He couldn't see the distance, but he didn't need to…
…He trusted MEGAN with his life.
And without another word, Julian sprinted toward the edge of the building, each of his steps almost leaving tiny craters on the rooftop. As he reached the ledge, he pushed off with all his strength, cracking a part of the ledge as he launched himself into the air. The wind rushed past him as he soared across the gap.
[Julian!!]
And then, for a very brief second, everything seemed to hang in the air.
And then bang! His hands slammed into the side of the building.
"Kh…" His fingers dug into the concrete like claws, his body skidding down the wall from the force of the impact.
[J…Julian!]
"I… I think I got it," Julian grunted, his shoes hissing through the surface as he slowed his descent.
[Julian!? Are you okay!?]
"I'm fine," Julian replied, his voice calm, despite the sharp pain in his arms from the sudden stop.
[You're… you're insane.] MEGAN's voice trembled, but there was also a slight hint of excitement in mixed in there, [Climb. We're almost near the taxi.]
"Alright…" And with a grunt of effort, Julian once again climbed upward as MEGAN directed him. And very soon, Julian could hear the humming of the engines of multiple vehicles as they hovered in the air. It was fortunate for him that most vehicles were driven by AI now—if not, well, someone would have definitely spotted him.
[The taxi's right behind you. 5 meters. Ready to land?]
"Ready," Julian muttered, pulling himself up one last time before leaping toward the hovering vehicle… and successfully landing on the roof with a slightly hard thud.
[Passenger… detected?]The taxi's AI chimed softly, [Opening door. Opening door.]
Julian smoothly slid down, slipping inside very carefully with MEGAN's guidance.
[Please confirm destination.]
"Clevesky General Hospital," Julian said as he finally allowed himself to rest as the door closed. And without even a second later, the taxi adjusted its path and took off without hesitation, zooming up toward the bright umbrella of Earth that is the Sky Net.
[Julian… are you okay?] MEGAN asked softly, her voice calmer now.
"I'll… be fine once we get to Ellie." Julian muttered.
***
"Ellie Summers. Where is she!?"
"W…What!? What!?" The receptionist, a woman, could not help but gasp as Julian just suddenly emerged like a ghost; his fingers, slightly leaving hints of blood on the counter between them,
"Do… do you need medical attention, Sir!?"
"No, Ellie Summers. I received a call that she was rushed here 3 hours and 11 minutes ago!"
"T…that… " The receptionist slightly hesitated, but upon seeing the frantic expression on Julian's face, she quickly checked on her terminal. "She's…in the ICU. Room 232. Second floor."
[Let's go!]
"Thank you!" Julian quickly moved toward the elevator, feeling its vibrations as the doors opened. Every second felt like an eternity while he was inside the cold box; his hand that was now holding the cane, slightly trembling.
[You're… almost there. Right in front of you now.]
"Wait… wait…" When they reached the door, Julian paused for just a second. How could he not, when he could hear the rhythmic beep of medical equipment getting louder? But soon… he had to open it.
[Julian…] MEGAN's voice softened, [I… I'm not sure how to tell you this.]
As he entered the room, the steady hum of machines greeted him even louder. He could hear them—and all sorts of images entered his mind.
He knows what a dead body looks like now. Does… Ellie look anything close to them?
"Ellie…?" His steps withered as he neared the bed, his fingers brushing the cool metal railing that now caged Ellie. He reached out very carefully, afraid he might touch something he shouldn't—and soon, he touched her skin. It was cold… but he could hear her breathe.
[Julian… she's hooked up to a lot of machines…] MEGAN's voice wavered, unsure of how much to say. She didn't really want to say anything, but Julian… Julian deserved to know the truth.
"Good… evening," A man in a white coat entered the room, the sound of his shoes soft but distinct on the hospital floor. "Are you the emergency contact for Ellie Summers?"
Julian quickly turned his shoulder toward the direction of the voice. "Yes."
"She is…" The doctor paused for a moment as he realized Julian was blind. But after a few breaths, he spoke.
"She's in stable condition now, but when the responders found her, she was in critical shape. We're unsure how long she had been like this before help arrived. Her…vital signs are steady, but it's hard to say when she'll regain consciousness."
Julian gripped his cane tighter, his knuckles white. "Will she… wake up?"
"She… should," The doctor hesitated. "She is out of the woods now, but her mind needs plenty of time to heal."
"What… happened to her?" Julian's breath trembled as he gently held Ellie's hand.
"We're not sure," the doctor sighed, "but according to her bruises, wounds, and broken bones… she was most likely beaten."
"B…broken bones?" A weird breath escaped Julian's lips, "What…"
"We have reconstructed and regenerated everything, you do not have to worry," the doctor reassured Julian, "As I said, she just needs time to wake up. I'll… leave you with her for now."
"O…okay." Julian nodded, his voice almost cracking. He didn't respond further as the doctor left the room, leaving him alone with MEGAN and the breathing of the ventilator.
He stood there, frozen, his hand still holding Ellie's. MEGAN also stared at Ellie, offering Julian the peace he needed right now.
This silence, however, caused Julian's mind to race—was this happening because of him? Because of Artemia?
"Hm…" His grip tightened on his cane, the anger and guilt swirling inside him; his thoughts, completely in turmoil.
But before he could completely let the guilt overwhelm him, the door creaked open again, and several sets of footsteps entered the room—heavier, unlike the doctor's.
[Julian…] MEGAN whispered as Julian turned his head so she could see who entered. [There are multiple people coming in. They're not doctors… and they're wearing suits.]
"Wearing… suits?"
[Julian, these guys… they don't look like good news.] MEGAN's voice rang in his ear, filled with concern. [I've never seen them before. I don't think they're here for a visit.]
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone