Notes at the end.
Recovery
"I need 100 CCs of… Something, Fuck we don't have much O-. Staunch the Bleeding on the Left Leg entirely and Prepare for The Amputation of the RIght arm. Not enough to work with to save it."
"Kind of a Miracle he's alive in the first place, Wounds like that in the Hollow, Not a high survival rate really. Whether or not he'll be able to walk or write again is a different matter. I.D?"
"No we'll take his contact information from here."
"... Where the Hell is Colorado? Is that a District?"
"The Number isn't right. Area code doesn't exist. Not sure if anything on this I.D is correct about this guy."
"... Alert the Agency when He wakes. No matter what state he's in or if he's willing to talk to you.
"He's adapting to the Synthetic blood fairly well. Costs a pretty penny but He's Alive. Just waiting for him to wake up."
Z's eyelids felt heavy as he reluctantly started opening them, the distant sound of Beeping ringing out consistently. The Light in the Room wasn't bright, but it felt like it. Z shifted a little, moving his head to the left to move his head from the light, opening his eyes fully. Watching the Heart monitor in the corner of the room beep.
"Mm." Z tries to vocalize, only getting a grunt out.
Attempting to sit up, Z puts his hand behind him and tries to push himself, only to lift up his left half of his body. Pursing his lips, he looked down at his right hand, only to find that it was completely gone up to the Bicep, Set up in a Neat Wrap.
"Oh! You're awake, Great! We can tell your visitors you're awake. But first, how are you feeling? Can you speak?" Z's eyes glazed over for a moment as He looked over to the source of the Voice. It appeared to be a young man in Medical slacks, light blue in color who seemed to be getting done with fiddling with A camera at the other end of the room.
"... uh. Yeah. I think. I feel like I just got stabbed in the chest." Z says, eyes starting to adjust to the light. The Young man walks over to Z, as he grabs his shoulders, adjusting Z and pushing a button on the Bed, As it started to go upright.
"Here, Use this remote to adjust the Angle, And Can you grab?" The man held up a Cup, presenting it to Z.
Z attempted to grab it with his Right hand, only to find the Stump pointlessly going out.
"Right handed, huh? Gonna have to get used to that." The Nurse said, as Z clambered slightly to grab the Cup, putting it to his lips as, pausing to say:
"Is it OK for me to drink? I did Get stabbed in the Chest. I don't know If it damaged my Esophagus or something."
The Nurse looks vaguely surprised, before a smile falls upon his face.
"No. nothing like that. Take a sip and your visitors will be here soon."
"Visitors?" At that, The Door opened, as the Four people in Black suits strutted in, with the Nurse nodding and leaving. Two of the Suits had swiftly took to closing the blinds to the already night sky, and to the door itself.
"... Ah. Feds." Z said aloud, as the third Suit stepped up to him, detaching the Heart Monitor, making it flatline and attaching a set of Pads to Z's chest.
"Is It too late to ask for Dinner First." Z joked, although Obviously very nervous. The Last Woman in a Suit pulled up the Chair, placing it to the Right of Z's Bed, sitting in it in a very proper manner, despite her not wearing a dress or Skirt.
"Izaiah Lozoya. Is that your name? Tell the truth."
"Yeah that's Me. Call me Z though. Can I ask where I am?"
The Lady looked over to the Suit who put the pads on Z, seemingly looking down at something below the bed, giving a thumbs-up.
"Great. Now, Izaiah. I want you to answer Every question I have with full honesty and Absolute truth. What were you Doing Inside the Hollow?" The lady asked, taking off her face mask.
"The what?" The Response was swiftly met with a sharp slap to the face from the woman, who said:
"I just told you to answer Honestly. That includes not playing dumb or Being an Idiot. What were you Doing Inside the Hollow."
Z was stunned for a second, saying:
"I-I really don't know what you're saying. What's a Hollow- FSFHDSSAH!" Z sputtered out, as the Woman firmly grasped his Arm Stump.
"Just stop right there. Its My Job to know People. To know and gather information on Everyone and everything that I possibly can when the need arises. But you-" Her grip tightens, as Z struggles to breathe from the pain.
"-Seem to be a Tricksy little shit who has nothing but Red herrings and False positives about him at every step, So if you want to go about your time not breathing and eating through a tube, You're going to tell me every bit about yourself and Everything you were Doing inside the Hollow With Aptitude scores like that."
"FUCK! OK! I'm Izaiah Lozoya, My Grew up in a single mother household In Colorado until she re-married had another kid. I was Kicked out at 18 for being a pothead despite the fact ive been saving money for school, which is for Avation by the way, and have been working so I don't have any student loans and moved in with a roommate not long ago! That's It! I Swear! What else you want, my Fuckin SAT score!? 1000! I'm a retard For fuck's sake let me go!" Z shouts, practically screaming as his body convulses.
"Answer the Other questions Shithead. What were you doing in the Hollow!?"
"I still don't know what a fucking hollow is or Where I even am!" The Suit didn't like the answer, as she grit her teeth and Grabbed Z by the Throat.
"Stop Bullshitting me asshole. Your Aptitude scores are practically off the Charts and you're here acting like you don't know what a fucking Hollow is. Only the thing that Collapsed all of Modern Society, Answer the Fucking Question!"
Z's only response was Choking, as tears were starting to form in his eyes, with the lady letting go.
"You don't have anything left after all, You're a nobody and a cripple. Even with your connections you're finished. So spill every single thing you Know." Z's eyes, despite being filled with tears at this point just looked over to the lady, Eyes full of Hate, said:
"Kill yourself."
The Lady scowled, standing up and saying:
"We're not going to get anything from him. Put in 65 Milligrams of Morphine. Maybe 80 Considering he's a fat fuck."
"Wait- What?" Z said, looking over to the Saline Drip he was currently on, as one of the Suits Procured a Needle from the Med station situated in the room, heading towards it.
"Hold up Hold up Hold up, Ya'll really going to Kill me when you have the Camera Recording right there?" Despite his words, Z's voice was panicked, as he struggle to move properly still. The Suits turned around, spotting the camera situated on a shelf.
"Hm. Turn it off."
Z's heart still sank, just as the Door opened up, revealing a larger old man, wearing A Trench coat with some sort of badge on his Chest, being followed by A seemingly younger woman, sipping out of a thermos wearing a Police officer's uniform, as the both of them merely stared at the scene in the room, with the Suits staring back, one of the Suits mid-injection into the Saline drip.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"I believe this was a Public Security matter, Not that of The White Ring's." The older man said. The Suited Woman's eyes snapped over to the older man, as she stood up and approached, snapping her fingers, the Rest of the suits resetting the room, one ripping the pads off of Z's chest, and any hair along with them and started to leave, the Woman saying:
"That it is. We merely needed some information out of him."
"Right. Well Leave. Its My matter to attend to and ensure his safety. After all, Wouldn't want one of your little Information cases to turn up black. I'm done being nice to you all." He steps aside, as the Younger woman beside him puts the thermos on a small hook on her hip, hand at the ready to what look like Nunchucks.
"Right. You'll find him to not be of Use regardless. Good luck." The Suits then leave, Leaving Z, The Older man, and the Cop Girl.
"... I don't suppose you're here to grill me on matters I don't know and Shit I… Can't remember." Z says, slowing down his speech.
'It's obvious to me now that either something has happened or I did actually get taken to another world. I thought Feds wouldn't be in a new world but I guess they are. Best to Play The Amnesiac for now.'
"Well Unfortunately we are. Qingyi, Please Lock the door." The man says, as the Girl, Qingyi obeys, closing and locking the door, with the man opening the window's blinds, showing the cityscape outside. Along with the massive Globe in spacetime casually chilling on the opposite end of the city.
"What the hell is that?" Z asks with genuine confusion, looking dumbfounded at both the unfamiliar city and the Globe in the distance.
"... That's a Hollow. What all do you know about them?" The Man asks, looking over to Z.
"... I… Don't know anything. ABout much of anything. Really. I remember my name… That's about it." Z Lied about as easily as he could breathe, which at the moment was not very, but it was convincing enough considering he still couldn't breathe well.
"I see. Well Hollows are Natural Disasters. Anomalies that consume Pieces of Cities and people along with them. Inside are Monsters, People or creatures corrupted by the Ether inside to Bend to a Greater will of sorts, Killing and corrupting anything and everything that enters the Hollow. There's no preventing them, only reacting as we can see fit. What do you remember about your history, why you were there?"
"... Can… Can I get a Lawyer or are we past that at this point?" Z asks tentatively.
"There's no need. You'll be in no trouble, as you're protected by the Spontaneous Hollow Laws." Says the Girl, who sat in the Chair, sipping on whatever was in the Thermos.
"Ah. Well if that's the case… No. I really don't remember. All I do Remember is seeing colors, And Falling. INto a dumpster and onto a Rooftop shack. That's the Earliest I can remember. After that it was Wandering around until I wound up injured and… Here." Z stated, Looking the GIrl in the Eyes.
"I see. Well… That makes things a lot easier frankly. What about your weapons? The Pistol and Katana? Recollection of those?"
"What? Oh the Pistol I picked up off a dead guy. No The only things i had were my clothes and… You found the Weed I assume." Z says aloud, looking down slightly.
"The what? This?" The Older man pulls the Baggie of Weed and Seeds out of his coat pocket, tossing it over to Z.
Z doesn't manage to catch it, trying to do so with his stump, growling a bit at it before he asked:
"Is… Is this not confiscated?" The Older man raises an Eyebrow and asks:
"No? Isn't it just a bunch of Herbs?"
"... Yeah… Just… Police investigation." Z says, neatly setting the weed over on his small table.
"But the Pistol I looted off a guy who shot himself with it, and the Katana was from the… The Big fuck-off Monster samurai Looking guy."
"That's Impossible. If the Ether Monster had possessed such a weapon for more than an Hour it would have been Corrupted, seeing as it had your blood in the DNA scan, it seems you had quite the fight with it before it was used to stab you. The Handle and Crossguard are even broken." Qingyi says, taking another sip.
"Qingyi, Please. Izaiah, It would seem that you are in a predicament. Regardless of your Memory state, Your existence is known to all those that are important. Your Ether Aptitude score is 100. Meaning your resistance to corruption in the Hollows is Next to none. Whether or not you knew this is pointless. Agencies like the one that just waltzed in here to interrogate you-"
"They tried to kill me."
"... While that too may be true, they're not exactly to be trifled with on matters like this. To be frank your options are limited. Every major Investigative company for Hollow Exploration is going to want you. WHether or not they're going to be good for you… That's a different matter. With your near supernatural scores there's frankly nothing you can't get or Do with these people."
"And what if I just want to… Ya know… Walk away? Go home… If I can remember where that is at that."
"Then they'll do everything in their power to kill you. Being a freelance Hollow Raider can be lucrative, but is very illegal. They can't risk you being such a Hefty weight in the Scale of power. No offense."
"None taken. But I think I understand. So My Ether Score is high, meaning I can Do Long expeditions in the Hollows with no side effects, is that all a High score is?" Z, struggling slightly, uses his one good hand to adjust his seat, as Qingyi places her thermos on the ground and moves to help him, only for Z to wave her off with his stump.
"Well that is mostly true, it also Increases your resilience to Ether Technology and increases your output with Ether Weaponry. Like the Katana." The Man states, pulling up to Zander's other side.
"I see. So I'm effectively a Supersoldier who a bunch of Corporations will salivate over."
The Two Police looked at each other, a somewhat knowing look.
"While I'm Obligated To tell you this, You should feel no Obligation to make a Decision at this time. But Public Security, and specifically the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team are always looking for People like you. We can't Offer As much as any of the other competitors, but we can guarantee protection from the others." Z looks at the Older man, seeing the Girl pick her thermos up again and hold it close, almost as if to comfort herself.
"So was this something You were planning on doing before or only because YOu found out my score was super high?"
"To be frank, I believe our agency is Lacking in Manpower and Expertise. I wish to recruit you to help fill in those Blanks, YOu being a blank slate makes thing better for us. However I'm not expecting you to take the offer at all. Especially since The other Organizations can offer you unreasonable wealth, capital and fame by just signing on with them. Qingyi, Let's go. Let him think it over. But Mr. Lozoya, Have a pleasant day and Speedy Recovery." The two bowed slightly to Z, as time seemed to freeze for him.
'Ain't got much of a choice, do I? Skip out on the Streetkid and Nomad route. Straight For Corpo Headed straight for the Devil Ending. I guess there is something more. Even if it feels like a soulless option… heh. Get what you want but fall apart in the process. Nah. Nah I ain't letting myself out like this. This is my chance to be something more. Maybe a hero, but definitely not a slave.'
"Alright then, What could this cripple do for you?" Z asks, taking the blanket off his body, revealing the bandages around his chest and amputated leg, his breath hitching slightly.
"Pardon?" The man said, while Qingyi's eyes snapped up to meet him.
"You heard me. I don't really care much about money. I know what They'll do. Use me, As much and as hard as I can. Stroke my ego and tell me I'm the shit when really I'm a pawn for the Gamemaster. So no. I think I'll choose to be of some actual help." Qingyi's Irises rotate as a small smile comes across her face as the Older man's eyes do the same.
"Ahem. Yes then. Well seeing as your current state has you Unfit to fight or Uphold Public Security's interests, The Higher-ups will be willing to Give you some Prosthetics and Housing. Although you won't exactly choose where you'll be living, You can Customize the Prosthetics how you please to increase what you believe the efficient ones for you will be." The man said, standing there awkwardly for now.
"On top of that you'll get some of the Best Training New Eridu will have to offer, along with the steady Job of Being one of Public Security's finest." Qingyi says, almost excitedly.
"That's… A lot more than I was expecting already."
The Man takes out his cell phone, saying:
"Qingyi, I need to inform The Vice captains and Internal Affairs, Are you coming with?"
"No, I'll remain for His safety and To inform him more of what he's in for." With that, The man nods and leaves, closing the door behind him, leaving the two alone, making Z immediately nervous.
'Oh fuck she's cute.' He thinks to himself, as the Girl sits back down.
"As you have likely gathered, I'm Qingyi, or 01 Neo-Genesis VI. I'm an Automaton, An artificial Construct Given Intelligence." Z was speechless for a moment, before thinking:
'... That gives me conflict. I shall settle this with myself later.'
"Ah. Well, Hi, you know me, Izaiah. But call me Z please."
"Ok. Z then…. I'm Very pleased for our encounter… I must say that I was not confident in your ability to survive in the state I had found you in, so I am very glad that you managed to pull through. More so that you have decided to Join Public security." Z tilted his head at her talking, blinking a few times saying:
"I'm sorry If This sounds rude, but why are you so glad and excited for me to survive, much less Join you all." Qingyi didn't seem offended by this, merely getting more chipper.
"Right! Well I'm glad to have someone more my age to interact with on the force. Simply so I know how to react and be more Normal." Z once again nodded, saying:
"Well… I hope that you find me satisfactory for that then. I'm not exactly an excitable person… Like at all." Qingyi didn't seem fazed by this at all, as she took another sip from her thermos, saying:
"Acceptable. Its a thing that The Captain said is best learned together." Z just stared at her, glancing away to look back at the Hollow.
'I Guess. I should definitely be more sociable too, I guess. Should come with the Whole "Be something more.". Even If I'm lying about it.'
"Yeah. Yeah sure. Then I look forward to working with you, and figuring out how to be." Qingyi nods, saying:
"We're Quite fortunate for our paths to cross, So Let us do our best."
Oh Gee willikers I wonder What Street Z will end up living on. Bit shorter than what is going to be average from here on out (I hope) Have a nice day!