Bab 99: Chapter 29 (Part 5)
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"Sorry to intrude." A polite knock preceded the entry of two men, one of whom I'd had the recent misfortune of "discussing" matters with earlier. The other man introduced himself. "I'm Viktor Vector. I understand you, young man, wish to terminate the treatment agreement unilaterally. Is that correct?"
His gaze immediately landed on the securicine resting on the bedside table. The slight tightening of his mouth suggested he wasn't pleased to see the drug. Either the corporation hadn't fully briefed him, or I was dealing with a genuine, principled doctor. At least, I hoped so.
Falling instinctively into my heightened state of perception, I took a moment to study him more closely. Viktor was solidly built and clearly no stranger to working out. He looked to be around thirty-five, with dark hair, rugged but approachable features, and a few minor scars. His ears bore signs of the familiar roughness found in people who practice contact sports. Around his neck hung a small but noticeable medallion shaped like a boxing glove. He wore a simple blue shirt layered over a white undershirt, along with practical utility pants — standard corporate issue, with multiple pockets. The whole scan took only a few seconds; accelerated perception was a handy skill to have on demand.
"That's correct," I replied finally. "At present, I'm acting as the legal representative for Alexandra Yakovleva, who would like to terminate the treatment contract unilaterally."
"May I review the authorization?" Viktor asked, his tone polite but businesslike.
"No problem." I sent over the relevant documents we'd prepared back at the clinic. Luckily, Sasha had recently turned sixteen; otherwise, we'd have had to jump through more hoops or even forge some paperwork.
"Everything seems to be in order, and the documents were recently notarized. I don't see any issues with their validity." Viktor nodded, then looked back up at me.
"Until now, there hadn't been a need for it, as I'm sure you understand," I added, purposely highlighting the urgency of the situation to deflect any unnecessary questions.
"So, you're the same Alex who works in the fourth mega-tower in Arroyo, right? Jeremy spoke highly of your professionalism." Viktor's gaze was appraising as he waited for my response.
"I'd prefer my patients say less about me, but yes, that's me."
"In that case, signing the necessary documents shouldn't take long," Viktor smirked, sending over the electronic paperwork requiring my signature.
"Vega, give these a once-over. Let me know if you find anything off," I pinged my assistant, forwarding her the data packet.
"All clear. Go ahead and sign," she replied a moment later.
"Thanks, Vega!＼(￣▽￣)／" I shot back, then placed my digital signature in all the required fields and sent the file back to Viktor.
"You're pretty quick with this stuff. Are you into netrunning?" he asked, probing just a little.
"In our line of work, it's a necessary skill." I shrugged, brushing off the question. "So, is that everything?"
"I'll have a wheelchair sent to the room; I assume you'll need it."
"That'd be helpful," I nodded, glancing briefly at Galina's worn, pale face.
"With all the paperwork complete, I'll take my leave." Viktor turned to go but was stopped by Robert, the previous attending doctor for Sasha's mother, who'd stayed silent until now.
"Sir, can we really allow this? What about the corporation's image?" Robert grumbled, launching into yet another tired refrain.
"My decision benefits the corporation, Robert," Viktor replied sternly, heading toward the door. "We'll be having a private discussion in a few hours. I expect you to come prepared."
"But, sir…" Robert started to protest, but Viktor kept walking, leaving the room without another word.
"Hope your mother recovers," Robert muttered with a bitter sneer before trailing after Viktor.
"What a jerk," Sasha muttered, wrinkling her nose as the man finally left.
"There's no shortage of them," I sighed, pulling a med-syringe from my pocket. "First things first, I'll inject the meds I brought. By the time we reach the clinic, they'll have started working and should give your mom a bit of a boost." Carefully holding Galina's arm to avoid any accidental movement, I administered the injection. "All done. We can disconnect her from the equipment in about five minutes."
"Isn't that risky?" Sasha asked, a reasonable concern in her voice.
"Her condition is stable even now. Most of her issues came from this little demon." I shook the pill container for emphasis. "As I mentioned, this painkiller is powerful but has severe side effects. In small doses, it's manageable, but in excess? The damage is obvious."
After ten minutes, Galina's pale face began to regain a bit of color, though it was no reason to celebrate just yet. The medication I'd administered was temporary, and once it wore off, her condition would regress slightly. Ideally, I wouldn't have used something this potent, but in this situation, there was no other option.
Half an hour after the doctors left, the wheelchair finally arrived. We had to pay for it, but the cost was negligible, so I didn't dwell on it.
"There we go," I murmured, gently settling Galina into the wheelchair. "Did she have any personal belongings here?" I asked Sasha, who stood by the door.
"Only her work gear. Her colleagues took it a while back; they said they'd return it once she recovers," Sasha replied, shaking her head.
"In that case, this will have to do." I draped my coat over Galina. "Not much, but it'll keep prying eyes off her." At the moment, Galina wore only the hospital gown, and I'd prefer not to draw any more attention to her than necessary. Even in her weakened state, she still had a dignified beauty.
"Sorry, I didn't think to bring her clothes," Sasha admitted, walking alongside me.
"No worries. The important part is that we've got her out. Kiwi will handle the rest — she's a great doctor." I gave Sasha an encouraging wink.
"Yeah," she replied quietly, nodding.
Still, there's a lot of work ahead, I thought, closing my eyes briefly as I took in the full scope of what lay before us.
***
August 22, 2066, 8:39 PM
"We've stabilized your mom, but her treatment duration is still up in the air. By my estimate, she'll need to stay with us for about five days," I said, handing Sasha a steaming cup of instant coffee and offering her a warm smile.
At this rate, we're going to need our own fully-equipped recovery room. For now, I'd managed to set aside some space in my workshop, temporarily converting the shooting range into a rest area. I'd installed additional soundproofing so she could recover in peace without me having to pause my work.
"Thank you..." Sasha muttered, hugging me tightly and nearly spilling the hot drink onto my chest.
"Take your eyes off her for a second, and she's all over you," Kiwi laughed, clearly enjoying the scene a bit too much.
"I'll let you know when it's time to laugh," I replied, rolling my eyes and easing back from Sasha, who let out an embarrassed squeak.
"Oh, don't take it too seriously," Kiwi added with a wink, handing me a second cup of coffee. "It's getting late — do you have somewhere to stay?" she asked Sasha gently.
"I have an apartment in the Kabuki district," Sasha answered softly, looking down to avoid Kiwi's overly cheerful gaze.
"Then you're staying with us," I said, giving a casual shrug as I sent a quick message to the rest of the crew about our overnight guest.
"I don't want to impose…" Sasha mumbled, staring into her cup.
"Don't worry about it. Ever heard anything about nomad life?" I asked.
"Not much," Sasha replied, shaking her head.
"Let's just say we're used to sharing space. Besides, it's only for one night."
"Still…" she muttered, face turning red as she buried herself deeper in the collar of her jacket.
"I'm not letting you wander all the way through Arroyo at this hour. How would I face your mom if something happened to you?" I sighed, throwing her a smirk.
"They say ripperdocs have no conscience," Sasha joked, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"And they're right…" I chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Alright," I said, downing my coffee in one gulp and tossing the empty cup into a nearby trash bin. "It's late enough. Time to close up for the night. Kiwi, I'll be on duty here, so you're in charge at home."
"Do you need anything before I go?" she asked, a flicker of concern in her eyes.
"No, I'm all set," I replied with a wave. "I'll order some food, and that'll cover it."
"Alright, then. We'll head out." Kiwi took Sasha's hand, guiding her toward the exit.
"Tell Lucy and Roxy they can use my office for their music tonight."
"Got it. I'll let them know," she said, finally stepping out into the corridor.
Now, time to get back to my own projects. This is the perfect excuse to finish that new suit I've been working on. Smiling to myself, I headed toward the workshop, eager to dive back into my latest creation.
In two days, I should be able to complete my armor. So far, I've only got the exoskeleton, which still needs plating and additional electronics. After a week of trial and error, Vega and I managed to build a functioning platform that can hover thanks to the repulsors embedded in the structure. It eats up a lot of energy, so I've had to boost my reactor's power output to its peak. Thankfully, Wakako was able to supply the necessary resources — enough gold and titanium to get the job done.
Reconnecting to my virtual builder, I ran through each system in the armor one more time. It felt like it was missing some built-in weaponry, but that would require further testing and upgrades. This virtual design tool is hands-down one of the best things I've ever used.
"Alek, I've completed a rough draft of weapon designs based on your specs and preferences," Vega chimed in, sending over a set of blueprints. I zoomed in on them immediately. "However, I must mention that the proposed weapon power is... excessive, to say the least."
"I'm worried it might not be enough," I muttered, rotating a 3D projection of the "Heavy Plasma Cannon" before me. "It's only meant for single-use, and it's not like I'll be able to reload it. The ammo for this beast is worth its weight in gold."
"Forgive my curiosity, but what do you need such power for?" Vega asked.
"It's meant to help in upcoming negotiations with Ms. Rosalind Myers. She's been gearing up for a full-scale conflict and has already retrofitted a couple of old flying carriers. If her plan to reunify the NUSA goes through, it'll trigger global unrest and likely spark the next corporate war."
"So... you're planning to take down her carriers?"
"More like disable them. If we disarm Militech, it'll set off a corporate frenzy that'll have the entire continent in an uproar. That's why I have to be delicate about this."
"You're aiming to keep a balance of sorts?" Vega asked, sounding intrigued.
"Exactly. And that's going to be the hardest part of the coming conflict. In about two, maybe three years at best, Rosalind plans to run for president of the NUSA. That's when she'll announce her campaign to 'reunify' California. The goal? Drive all transcontinental corporations back to their home territories and secure full control over North America."
"So we've got at least two years, then?"
"Right, and we'll need to make the most of them…"
— Bab baru akan segera rilis — Tulis ulasan
Status Power Mingguan
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