Hey hey! Seems like the dog brought something today!
Yep! Chapter-15-2 is out! Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 15-2: Hug?
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"Kriff, Lieutenant… You were incredibly lucky not to lose an eye…", grumbled Lockdown as he finished applying a bandage that covered half of Xyomm's head.
The lieutenant gave a small amused laugh.
"It's nothing, I still have two arms, two legs, and an eye to fight alongside all of you."
The medic clone rolled his eyes.
"You're taking the fact that you took a mining drill to the face a bit too lightly…"
"It's not the worst thing that happened today…", the lieutenant's tone suddenly changed, becoming dark and filled with sorrow. Unfortunately, the medic clone could only agree… The death of seven of his brothers was tragic, but Lockdown knew he couldn't let it affect him. He was a mediclone, and if he couldn't control his emotions, he would quickly go insane.
"Indeed, tragic…", the medic clone mumbled softly before reaching into his bag, taking out a bacta pad, and injecting it into the lieutenant, who could only let out a slight sigh of relief.
"You're good. Avoid fiddling with the bandages too much or getting them wet. That would cause an infection. Wearing your helmet is the best option.", said the mediclone, crossing his arms and taking a step back to let the lieutenant get up.
"Thank you, Lockdown. Always there to assist, sometimes I wonder what our vods would do without you."
The medic clone remained humble.
"It's just my duty, lieutenant. Besides, the others are doing excellent work too."
The lieutenant nodded slowly before getting up.
"Well, I won't hold you any longer, thanks again."
Lockdown nodded in acknowledgment as the lieutenant walked away… He must have pulled him out of his honor for the dead, given the amount of blood that kept flowing from his forehead and dripped onto the ground.
Alright… Now… Who needed medical assistance… Everyone seemed to be treated, so it seemed okay…
The sound of muffled sobs, however, caught his attention towards the class, but he didn't see anyone really crying…
Ah, yes. Okay, he saw who it was. In a few strides, he reached the person and crouched down, activating his thermal vision, given the fact she was wearing a towel around her…
"Hagakure Toru, right?", the mediclone asked in a calm voice. The girl raised her tearful eyes to him and nodded with difficulty.
"Y-Yes…", stammered the invisible girl… The mediclone sighed; he had been informed of what had happened to her.
"Okay… I know what happened to you, it's unfortunate, but it happened. But now it's in the past, don't think about it anymore."
The girl looked at him for a long time before responding…
"B-But… It w-was a-a dead body! How can I f-forget that h-horror? Why did this h-happen? To us?"
The medic clone sighed…
"It's unfair… I know. It's unfair. Life is unfair…"
He sighed.
"Listen, death, you will inevitably be exposed to it one day. You want to be a pro-heroine, right?"
Hagakure nodded, wiping her tears, focused on his voice like a light.
"What do you think you will see when you intervene?"
The girl remained silent…
"Why do you want to be a heroine in the first place, Hagakure-san?", Lockdown began, deciding to take this route.
"T-To help people, so they can live long and happy… So they can have a loving family and a beautiful life without worries…"
It was a beautiful reason… Unfortunately… Lockdown had to partially shatter it…
"It's a good reason… However… It is somewhat… Impossible…"
The girl stared at him, her eyes filling with tears again… Lockdown could almost see her dreams fracturing in her eyes…
"I learned through the harsh reality of life that inevitably one day, someone will die, no matter what you do to try to save them."
This reality, as a soldier, as a combat medic, he knew it, harsh but also the only truth.
"H-How can you say that?"
The invisible girl protested, a hint of anger in her voice.
"Because I have forged it into my mind.", Lockdown said sharply, the anger that had started to appear in the girl's eyes extinguished like a candle.
"I am a medic, a combat medic at that. I know it better than anyone. I have… Already failed to save lives…"
Hagakure remained silent, contemplating him for a long time in a deathly silence.
"So, let me tell you one thing. I may not be a hero, just a simple clone of another person, but it is still my job to treat the injured, sometimes severely, sometimes dying, possibly in vain. If you cry because you couldn't save people, because you saw death, and you break down. What use are you?"
Harsh words, but the circonstances demanded them. What he was doing were low blows, but it was the only way to make sure he got through to her. And it seemed to be working. Hagakure seemed to think for a while, then looked him in the eyes…
"Exactly. I haven't broken down, ever, because it's my job to ensure the well-being of others, and if I lose it, I can't guarantee their safety. Same for you in the future."
He reached out a finger and touched her forehead.
"Now calm down, and think carefully about my words… Am I right?"
The invisible girl nodded.
"Perfect. Well, I have to go."
The clone got up and turned to leave…
"Wait!"
The clone turned his head, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the blanket on the floor. Nope. He wasn't looking.
"Your blanket, please," the medic indicated.
He heard a small oh, and the sound of fabric dragging on the ground.
"All set!" said the girl, a bit sheepishly.
The medic sighed and turned… That was a close one; after Dengloy and Focus, he didn't want to go through it too…
The girl had kneeled, her head slightly tilted, and Lockdown suddenly had the impression of having a young puppy in front of him.
"Hug?" the invisible girl asked, reaching out her arms and giving him an imploring look.
The medic clone tried to convince himself to politely refuse, but his mind cracked under her gaze… How could he refuse that? He could only sigh…
"Alright…"
He approached and gave her a hug… Like all children, words worked, but almost always afterward came the need for a hug… Apparently, Hagakure hadn't lost that need…
The hug lasted a little too long for his liking, and when he wanted to pull away, Hagakure held him back.
It was only at that moment that the medic clone noticed she had fallen asleep.
"Damn it…" muttered the medic clone to himself… It seemed he was stuck in this rather soft and cute situation…
Seeya next time!