Chapter 4: Elevated tension

Forgot to mention this little part:

"Dialogue between two people."

"Dialogue using the Rig communication."

'Thinking to oneself.'

Hope that helps.

Medical ward

Naruto felt stiff. Very stiff.

His entire body felt heavy, yet at the same time, weightless. It was a new feeling for the blond young adult as he he tried his absolute hardest to open his eyes. They felt heavy as he couldn't seem to open them. Why? Was he just too exhausted? Where was the big fur ball when he needed him? Now would be the perfect time for that sudden boost of chakra to at least alert the blond. That was when it hit him.

He couldn't feel his or Kurama's chakra.

'Kurama?' Naruto spoke into his mindscape, hoping to hear the usual grumbling of his constant companion. 'Are you there?' He continued weakly as he once again received no answer.

Naruto was worried as he would usually receive some sort of response by now. The fact that he couldn't even feel the Biju inside of him anymore was already nerve wracking. Had the Akatsuki finally gotten to him? Did they rip the fox from his gut and were now just waiting for him to die slowly? What was going on? Why couldn't he move or at the very least open his eyes? Why was this happening to him? So many questions had swarmed through his mind in rapid succession that he nearly missed the next words that he heard from his right.

"Alright, lets wake him up." The voice of a woman spoke up. "But remember Vincent, he's still recovering. I'm taking a big risk for you, so keep it simple." The woman spoke with a sense of authority that the blond had heard in several people in his life. The first to pop up was definitely Tsunade. She always made sure to let everyone know she was in charge and this woman sounded just like her in a sense.

"I got it doc." That voice from before. "Just wake him up, I'll ask my questions and then leave you to it. Okay?" It was the same voice from before. She sounded a little rougher than she did when he first heard her speak, but he could still hear the genuine concern in her voice.

"Alright." This first voice started once more. "Injection process started." Naruto felt something sticking into his neck. Must've been a needle of some kind. What were they injecting him with? Was it lethal, or something even worse? "Okay." The first woman started once more as she removed the needle. "He should be waking up right about..."

Naruto felt a huge rush of energy coursing through him as he snapped his eyes open instantly and took in a large breath of air.

"...now." The woman finished once more.

Naruto took in several large gulps of air as he looked around the room he was in. It was unlike anything he had ever seen in his entire life. Metal walls all around him. Weird blue monitors of sorts that you could see through. Multiple tables that looked as if they had other patients on them all in varying conditions he had never seen before. Some other doctors were in the room as well wearing some weird outfits. The room itself was large and sparse as everywhere he looked was some form of metal or hologram of sorts. He then looked to his left and saw a large window that showed nothing but the vastness of space. Naruto's eyes went as wide as saucers as he slowly tried to sit up only for a hand to grab at his right shoulder. He turned his head and saw a blond woman wearing some sort of white body suit with black gloves, boots and straps throughout her body.

"I wouldn't recommend that sir." She spoke with an authoritative tone as she slowly laid him back down. "The drug will keep him awake for a few minutes," she spoke again as she looked to her right, Naruto's front. "I suggest you make it quick Vincent."

"Thanks doc." Naruto looked over and saw the same redheaded woman from before walking towards his table and standing to his left now.

"I need to see my 'other' patient." The doctor spoke with a slight irritation in her tone when she said other patient.

She let go of Naruto's shoulder and left to attend to whoever her other patient was. This left Naruto alone with this redhead once more. Now that he got a good look at her, Naruto realized just how different she looked than the doctors. Industrial brown jacket, simple shirt and long pants, black boots and gloves along with something attached to her side. Naruto continued to look her up and down until the woman scowled and grabbed him by the chin to look her in the eyes.

"I suggest you stop ogling me before I give you a second fuckin puncture wound." Naruto nodded before she let him go and folded her arms over her chest. "Now since I ain't got much time, might as well get the obvious shit outta the way." She grabbed a chair behind her and brought over to sit down on. Naruto watched her as he noticed that she carried herself in a way he had never seen too often. "First off: you are? Second: Why didn't you have a rig when we found you and had on those weird fuckin clothes on. Lastly: what exactly happened planetside and then in the hangar?"

Naruto raised a brow at those questions as he didn't even understand half of what she even said.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, no hesitation in his voice.

"I'm askin you simple questions man, now just answer them for fucks sake." The redhead was starting to lose her patience. If he didn't give her answers soon, the drug would kick in and knock him out for who knows how long. "Now answer me: what's your name?"

"Naruto." He started with a mildly irritated voice at how rude this woman was starting off. "Naruto Uzumaki, and you are?"

"I'm the one questioning, not the other way around." She started once more as she held her gloved hand towards him.

Naruto scowled a bit himself. "It's kinda rude to not even introduce yourself to a patient ya know."

The woman narrowed her eyes. Green met blue as neither were backing down from the other. Usually most people would never stare directly into her eyes when she gets like this as they were just too intimidated by her, but Naruto wasn't like other people. She could tell he was different. For one, that name was definitely something else. She had heard many types of names before, but his seemed completely foreign to her.

Relenting just slightly, the woman decided to answer him. "Alissa." She started. "Alissa Vincent." Vincent lessened her gaze on him and leaned back in her chair.

Naruto lessened his own gaze just as soon she did. "Well the Alissa-"

"Just Vincent to you." She cut him off. "We're not friends, so you don't get to call me that, Uzumaki."

Naruto huffed a bit but relented. If there was one thing he learned from the toads was to have temperament for others. "Fair enough I guess."

"So then, back to my original questions Uzumaki." Vincent started once more. "Where's your original Rig?"

"My what?" Naruto still had no idea what she was talking about. Hell, he just realized what her name was and that somehow he was in space on some kind of vessel of sorts. Whether this was a genjutsu or not was completely irrelevant now. No genjutsu completely cut off your chakra or even a Biju's chakra, no matter how powerful the caster was. All of this was something else.

"What do you mean your what?" Vincent asked with a hint of uncertainty in her voice. Every single person on board this ship and even on the colony had a Rig. From the lowliest of engineers to captain Mathius himself. Everyone had a Rig.

Everyone, except for Naruto when she first saw him in the docking bay. Why though? 'Just where the fuck did he come from then if he doesn't even know about his Rig?'

Naruto noticed her contemplative look and decided to get a few answers himself. "So where am I anyway Vincent?"

Vincent looked back to him with a slightly narrowed eye and raised brow. "The fuck do you mean where are you?" She was starting to get frustrated but had to keep a clear head for now to get some damn answers.

Naruto was starting to get frustrated himself with this woman asking him questions he doesn't even know the answers too. Sitting up suddenly to look her in the eyes again, Naruto nearly started yelling. "I mean exactly what I said! I have no idea what a Rig is or where I even am right now, so could you just-"

He couldn't get the rest of his statement out as he started to feel dizzy all of a sudden. Rising up that fast after just waking up for who knows how long probably was not the smartest idea that Naruto had. He quickly laid back down and could feel himself getting tired once more.

Vincent noticed this as well and stood up herself to leave. Before she could actually leave his side, she turned around once more to see him trying desperately to keep his eyes open. "Next time you wake up Uzumaki, we're gonna have a nice and long fuckin chat. That's a guarantee."

With that, Naruto was unconscious once more, the drug having ran its coarse. Vincent huffed before leaving. Before she left though, she was confronted by the same doctor from before. She seemed distressed about something.

"Vincent." She spoke between breaths.

"What's wrong doc?" Vincent answered, noticing a scratch on the doctors arm. "And what happened to you?"

The doctor caught her breath before answering. "My patient has escaped his bindings and is somewhere on this ship."

"Shit." Vincent started as she took out her sidearm. "Is he hostile?"

"He attacked me and a nurse even after we tried sedating him." The doctor seemed rather panicked.

"What's your name doc."

"Nicole Brennan." She answered as she tried to calm herself down to no avail.

"Okay then Nicole," Vincent started as she placed her free hand on Nicole's shoulder. "I need you to calm down and point me in the direction he went. I'll leave one of my crew members here just in case, understood.?" Nicole nodded and tried to calm herself down once more, this time with a little more effect. "Okay, now which way did he head off to?"

"I believe he was heading towards the tram station." Nicole seemed much calmer now than last time. "He kept screaming something about having to give them our bodies and that he needed to kill."

"Great." Vincent removed her hand and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Another fuckin psychopath." She brought up her comms on her Rig and a display of Shen popped up.

"Hey Boss. What's the word?"

"Tell the crew to get down to medical. We got a runaway patient that's hostile." Vincent started as she began to make her way to the tram station. "And tell Ramirez that he stays at medical to guard the doctors and patients."

"Got it." Shen answered as she readied her own sidearm. "See ya in a bit."

Vincent closed comms and began her rush to the tram station.

Figured this would be a great place to stop for now. The next chapter will have the beginning of the Necromorph outbreak and Vincent's first encounter with said Necromorphs. There will be action, death and tons of gore just like in the lore. Hope to see ya'll there.

Stay awesome, stay safe, and as always...

PEACE!