Project N: Operation

"Breathing is steady," Viktor observed, "heart rate slowed. No adverse reactions to medication. Begin transtibial amputation."

With the kid blissfully in the folds of the anesthetic, Viktor examined the damaged right leg. It was worse than his initial glance had suggested. The necrotic tissue had extended up past the ankle on the posterior side of his shin. The black skin was beginning to shrivel and release a foul odor. A few more days untreated and the infection alone could have killed the kid.

Viktor brought over sterilized towels and began to clean the wound. Soon the stench of alcohol overpowered that of rot and wisped its way through Viktor's mask. He did not care though. It was preferable to the rankness of Zaun's Sump.

Towels and swabs piled up until he was satisfied with the cleanliness of the limb. Viktor examined the dead tissue. He cut lightly into the flesh around the wound to see if the necrosis continued further beneath the skin.

"Necrotic flesh continues to 7.62 centimeters distal to the knee. Length is shorter than optimal for prosthetic. Transfemoral amputation is needed instead. The challenge will be beneficial for your mind."

Viktor connected the boy to vitals monitors and gave them a final read before cutting into the flesh proper. Skin gave way easily to his scalpel, creating thin lines of red where it went. Each cut was planned to ensure optimal scar formation away from where the connection sockets of the new limb would be.

With a practiced hand, Viktor peeled back the flesh as though it were a sleeve of clothing and began to cut the muscles. He had performed this procedure twice on himself, and with less ideal circumstances. By comparison, this was easy.

"Cut nerves further back to prevent pain at stump base. Tie off blood vessels. Leave extra muscles for flaps. Stump will need cushioning for prosthetic."

The first challenge came when he reached the bone. The bent shape of the limb did not fully describe the extent of the damage it suffered. It appeared as though the limb had been caught between two gears, crushing the leg between them. Now a mess was what was left, with the bones healing at an awkward angle, jagged edges protruding, and even several small shards of bone embedded in the surrounding muscles.

"Remove splinters first. Find clean location to saw bone. Smooth remaining jagged ends. Wrap in muscle."

It was at moments like this that Viktor knew without shadow of a doubt that steel was superior to flesh. He need not fear an involuntary twitch of muscle that would cause harm to the limb, nor did he have to worry about his hand being jarred as the saw cut into the tibial or fibular bone. His mechanical hand was steady and helped guide the saw through the bone for a clean cut.

Step by step, Viktor removed the offending limb until a bloody, but healthy stump was left. He wrapped the end of the stump with the remaining muscle mass and stitched it shut. Viktor examined his handiwork and was pleased with himself. Careful as to not upset the draining tubes he had in place, he slid a sock over the stump to help it heal. This operation was finished.

Viktor sat in a chair and took a moment to examine the rest of the boy. The streets had not been kind to him.

"Scars on arms. Possibly from scrap metal. Sores from lying motionless. Fresh. Recent wounds. One appears infected. Obvious signs of emaciation. Hair falling out, likely due to malnourishment. Discolored skin on face, side effect of Shimmer. Nails are uneven. Tattoo of fire on right arm. Tacky."

It did not take Viktor long to decide that he was far from done with his work on the kid. With a small sigh, he got back on his feet and back to work. He cleaned each sore, drained the infected wound, trimmed his nails even, and washed the body where he could. He even removed a hairy mole from the kid's stomach that he had grown tired of looking at during the amputation. Healing the boy would be a time consuming ordeal, but if his experiment was to be tested, the kid would need to survive and recover to the point that his body could support the experimental augmentation. It would take many days.

For now, Viktor had done what he could. He cleaned his workspace and strapped the kid down to the table so he wouldn't attempt to touch his stump when he awoke. The vital reports were synched to a feed on a small device and the IVs were properly in place. Waiting was all that was left. Viktor switched off the lights to the operating room and returned to his private chambers with the intention of spending the evening drawing up plans for the kid's new limb.