Doctor Kuseno stood before his large multi-monitor station. At his chest, a touchscreen rectangular monitor functioned as an input panel. Higher up, four monitors of varying sizes and angles flashed with data. His focus remained on the two central screens, positioned between the larger ones that sat farther to the sides, angled toward him.
His eyes glanced over to his left at Wavygyaza lying on the inclined surgery table, confirming that all the cables were nestled properly on her body, as the readings he was receiving from her mind were outside of his expectations.
The central most left screen displayed a 3D model of Wavygyaza's brain, rotating slowly as erratic bursts of neural activity pulsed across its surface. Energy surged through tangled pathways, forming unstable patterns that refused to settle. Every scan cycle revealed new anomalies, with unpredictable spikes in activity and brief flickers of synchronization before another chaotic surge.
Her physical state, however, wasn't outside his initial assumptions when he first saw how the cybernetic connection points on her leg were handled.
On the center most right screen, a 3D model of Wavygyaza's body rotated, marked with annotations detailing her cybernetic modifications. Reinforced plating covered key areas, and artificial muscle fibers intertwined with organic tissue. Neural linkages pulsed in response to system readings. One annotation read '70.97%,' representing the portion of her body that had received modification, yet the data showed inconsistencies, with irregular signals disrupting what should have been stable functions.
"Is she going to be okay?" asked Fubuki, who stood beside him, alongside Yuta and Suiko. As for Mosquito Girl, he didn't know where she had wandered off to.
"Do you see the oddities in her brain activity?" Doctor Kuseno pointed toward the screen. "Far in my past, I came across similar readings… and they belonged to an Esper. However, as I said, the readings were similar, not identical. That Esper was born with their abilities, and while I cannot be one hundred percent certain, there is a high chance that this Wavygyaza had her psychokinetic abilities awakened forcefully."
"What!?" Fubuki's eyes widened.
"That can be done? Wow, a cyborg Esper idol. She keeps getting more and more interesting," Suiko added.
Doctor Kuseno pointed to the center most right screen. "This is the concerning part. I wished for my initial theory to be incorrect. But alas…"
Fubuki, Suiko, and Yuta remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"When whoever experimented on this poor girl gave her these cybernetic enhancements, they did so in a high-risk, impermanent way," Doctor Kuseno explained, his voice tinged with anger. Seeing such selfish cruelty tore deep within him. "In her current state, she needs constant maintenance, or else she will die."
"I'm going to have a chat with that mosquito!" The quiet Yuta grew furious and tried to stomp off, but was pulled back by Suiko.
Fubuki panicked. "Please tell me there's a way to save her."
Doctor Kuseno gave the three women a firm nod, his expression serious. "I can, but I'll need several things, which I'll list for you. Have Dr. Genus get them for me immediately. Though… if he can't obtain the items in time, I'm afraid she won't last longer than a week in her current state."
Suiko, disoriented, mumbled, "We never should have gone along with her whims… we weren't thinking straight."
"I'm as guilty as the mosquito in the end," Yuta said, angered at herself.
After witnessing their reactions, it was apparent to Doctor Kuseno that Wavygyaza hadn't come here voluntarily. But after seeing what had been done to her, he couldn't fault them for wanting to get her out of such a situation. However, their methods were indeed a tad impetuous.
His attention turned to Fubuki as she walked over to a nearby table lined with sharp-edged tools. Her next action caught him off guard.
Fubuki grabbed a scalpel, placed its edge against the tip of her ring finger, and dragged it across.
Is this young woman okay…?
"What do you think you're doing?" Yuta and Suiko said in unison, quickly reaching her side.
Doctor Kuseno approached a nearby cabinet, withdrew a first aid kit, and made his way over to the trio.
Fubuki's voice echoed as he walked over. "This is our fault. There's no time to spare, so I called my sister in a way she won't ignore. I'll beg her for help if I have to."
An Esper ability? he wondered.
"You called your sister?" Suiko asked, her voice laced with confusion.
As the ladies continued to talk, Doctor Kuseno promptly treated Fubuki's cut before placing his focus on the battle suit, which leaned against a section of the metal wall.
Returning to its side, he bent over to get a closer look and noticed an inscription he hadn't seen before: 'Neo Heroes Battle Suit.'
The Neo Heroes… Could your desire for revenge have reached a point where you're involving innocents? Even so, it may not be too late for you to step off that path.
Doctor Kuseno stood, his back straightening as he considered how best to proceed. When he reflected on the number of changes that had occurred, all stemming from Genos' master, he felt as though an idea was starting to take shape. Only for it to be interrupted as the sounds of gale-force winds sounded from outside.
¤ ¤ ¤
Fubuki squeezed the list of things Wavygyaza needed, ignoring the throbbing of her ring finger. The wait for her sister had been tense, but Tatsumaki had arrived even quicker than expected.
Doctor Kuseno unlocked the dual metals doors.
To Fubuki's surprise, as soon as the door opened, she found her sister assaulting Genos. "Big sis!"
"…" Tatsumaki released Genos and stared at her.
Fubuki received a great shock when Tatsumaki sped toward her, hugging her tightly. "I-I was so worried. What happened?"
Was this really her older sister?
"What are all of you doing here?"
Fubuki, not getting a chance to reply, separated from her sister and noticed that Genos was in a poor state, missing half an arm and looking as though his body had been run over by a grinder, with countless scrapes and deformations speckling his figure.
Doctor Kuseno's voice trailed out from the doorway. "Genos, you lost your arm, again..."
"If sacrificing my arm can save someone, I will gladly sacrifice it every time," Genos said as he made his way to the door, disappearing back into the laboratory.
"We'll need to use the backup setup for your repairs…" Doctor Kuseno's words eventually became inaudible.
Fubuki didn't know what to make of Genos' words.
Suiko and Yuta, who had also followed behind Fubuki, spoke up.
"We acted foolishly. Please help correct our mess-up."
"I concur with the other two. Your assistance is greatly required."
Tatsumaki scrunched her brows. "Her? Is it that Wavygyaza?"
Fubuki could feel her eyes starting to water as she pleaded. "Don't be mad at her. She's innocent. I know this is a lot to ask, b-but please help…"
"Mad?" Tatsumaki ran her hand over Fubuki's head. "I understand why you have that impression of me. But from now on, I would like for us to not be so distant."
Many emotions flooded through Fubuki at that moment, but happiness was by far the most prominent one.
"Here." Fubuki handed the list, a bit of blood having soaked the white paper as she had squeezed her hands so hard.
After taking it, Tatsumaki grasped her wrist and asked, "How did this happen?"
"I did it…"
"You scared me half to death with that little stunt, but don't worry. Your big sister is someone you can depend on." Tatsumaki studied the list. "What do you expect me to do? I don't know where to get any of these items."
Suiko motioned toward the laboratory. "I think our sneaky little friend over there is going to guide you."
Fubuki turned to see Mosquito Girl peeking out from the doorway.
"Now you show your face!?" Yuta's voice rose, her hands planted on her hips.
Mosquito Girl sauntered out and didn't bother answering Yuta. Instead, she sniffed in Tatsumaki's direction. "Well, well, my nose didn't deceive me. I thought I smelled something enticing. You and Caspian sur—mhmm."
"We're leaving!" Tatsumaki shot up into the sky, pulling Mosquito Girl to her side before flying away.
A strange emotion welled up in Fubuki's heart. Did Caspian and her…
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