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“The J10 thing… we’re from the same batch,” he said, out of sight for the moment. “I’ve never met anyone from our batch before.”
She grunted. Control of her lungs was all she had and who knew how long that would last. “I think we’re the closest thing to siblings that exist for us.”
After a moment of silence, Jex spoke again, a note of surprise and warmth in his voice. “Yes, exactly that. I didn’t expect you’d think the same. We’re family… in a way.”
Silence stretched out between them at the admission. Family. As the idea sank in, she found herself smiling despite everything. Despite the fact that she was dying.
“I never thought I’d have family,” she said softly, a warmth blooming in her chest that had nothing to do with her injuries.
“Neither did I,” he admitted, and despite the fact he had no lips in this form, she heard the smile in his voice. “It’s comforting… to not be alone.”
“We’re not alone anymore,” she agreed, her voice stronger despite the pain.
“No, we’re not,” he said and then his voice turned, slipped. “Now, let’s focus on getting you back on your feet, sister.”
The word “sister” hung in the air between them, and she savored the moment, letting it buoy her spirits as he moved around the room.
Curiosity got the better of her. “What exactly are you doing?”
“I’m building you an exoskeleton,” he explained a little absently. She heard clanging and then the sound of something heavy being dragged across the floor. “Just a temporary measure. It wouldn’t work with any other class, but you’re a Taurus. If I can support your systems, it will allow them to fully regenerate.”
“An exoskeleton? From Scorperio parts?”
“Exactly,” Jex replied, and then he was back, looming over her. She saw her own face reflected in the faceplate. Shit, she looked rough.
“Now, you’re not going to like this,” he continued, his tone serious, “but I need to bring your pain responses back online. I need to ensure I’m connecting everything correctly. It’s going to hurt, I’m afraid.”
She steeled herself, drawing on all her years of training and combat… the operations without anesthetic back before they were freed. Back then no one had cared if a cyborg couldn’t take pain responses offline. They weren’t human, the techs said, so they couldn’t feel pain.
“Don’t worry about it. Just do what you have to do to get me moving.”
Jex “looked” at her for a moment longer, and then he was gone.
She barely had a moment to draw a breath before agony lanced through her body. She gasped, her back arching as she became aware of the extent of her injuries. All of them. Every nerve ending she had was on fire, each cell of her body screaming in protest.
“Your spinal column was severed,” Jex informed her, his voice a steady anchor in the sea of pain. “I’m using Scorperio neural interfaces to bridge the gap. It’s a hack job, but it should restore mobility.”
As Jex worked quickly, he guided her through testing each connection.
“Can you feel your left arm?” he asked.
She concentrated and then found she could flex her fingers. “Yes, I’ve got movement.”
“Good. What about the right? Excellent… testing fine motor control. Can you pinch your fingers?”
They continued this way, with her reporting each new sensation and movement as he worked. She lost track of time, the pain intense, but she pushed through it.
“I’m adding a supplemental power pack to power the exoskeleton,” Jex explained as metal clanged against metal. She saw sparks somewhere in her peripheral vision as he welded something. “Your systems should be able to handle the raw output, giving you a boost while you heal.”
Finally, after what felt like hours, Jex’s voice broke through the haze of pain and concentration. “Okay… J10-10M3E, bring all systems online and release motor functions lock. Authorization MedGen J10-8M7E.”
She couldn’t refuse the command, feeling it work its way into her onboard, and then it flared to life. Relief washed through her as the familiar voice echoed in her head, informing her of everything that had been stripped from her body… then identifying the new systems of the exoskeleton.
“All good?” Jex asked as she opened her eyes.
She turned her head and smiled. For an alien machine with a blank faceplate, he sure looked worried.
“All good. My onboard is initializing and integrating the new systems now.”
