“He’s just lost,” Felix said. Turning his head to Lily, he gave her a smile. Only she, Victoria, and Andrea had accompanied him here. They’d arrived by Telemedic and would be leaving the same way.
“Really?” Lily asked hopefully, her voice threatening to break again.
“Yup. Here, go stand next to him. Don’t touch him immediately, he might be groggy and a little out of it. Let him wake up.
“I’ll do a little bit of power tweaking and we’ll see about him waking up.”
Felix didn’t mention the intellectual disability. It wouldn’t help, and he could just remove it. The atrophy he’d leave alone, though, because it’d help get Lucian to have a goal.
First, the disability.
Focusing on removing that, he waited.
Status Correction: Mental disability -> Healed
Correct Status? (5,000 points)
A tap of the accept button and Felix moved on.
Next, the upgrade.
He wanted Lucian to have the ability to return to his body no matter what, at any time, regardless of how far he traveled. That it would cost him nothing to do so, and be as simple as opening his eyes.
Power Upgrade: Astral Projection-(Instant Recall)
Required Primary Power: 80 (Met)
Upgrade?(20,000 points)
Felix grunted and hit the accept button again.
Closing the windows, he looked up to the sleeping boy.
“Wake up, Lucian. Your sister is waiting for you, and we have a lot to do today. First of which is hiring you some tutors, getting you some clothes, and getting you into a physical therapy program,” Felix said, intoning it all as a command. The Indentured contracts were more or less a timed enslavement. He owned Lucian, and Lucian would have to obey. “Open your eyes and recall already.”
Just like that, Lucian’s eyes flipped open. Lily let out a soft crying noise, her hands clenching into her clothes.
He blinked several times. His eyes slowly focused on the ceiling.
It really is like watching someone wake up.
Languidly, those eyes began to move, looking at each person in the room, as if cataloging them.
After each person was examined, the boy’s head turned towards Lily, his eyes fastening on her.
“Lily?” he asked in a croaking whisper.
“Hey, bud,” Lily said, tears rolling down her cheeks. Picking up a pitcher of water at the bedside table, she poured a small amount into a glass and then leaned over him. “Here, take a sip for big sis.”
Lucian nodded his head, and took a drink from the glass. Then several more.
“Thanks,” he said. His voice didn’t sound as raspy now. “I was lost. I couldn’t find home, or you, or… me.
“I was wandering around in a forest just now. I was following some hunters and… and then it felt like someone knocked a hole through my brain. Like… shutters and curtains that had blocked out the light were ripped free and thrown aside.
“It felt like I’d been carrying weights around in my head. Then they vanished.
“And then I suddenly knew where my body was. I was told to open my eyes and… I’m here.”
Lily let out a chuckle that sounded like a sob. “Yeah. That’d be Felix here. His power is… unique. He made it so you could come back, and it seems like he fixed you, too.”
Whoops. Apparently the mental problem was something that existed before he went to sleep.
“And I’ll be talking to him about that later. For now, though, he’s right. We need to get you home. I already have a room set up for you.”
“Home?” Lucian asked, his head having slowly turned towards Felix.
“Felix’s home. I live with him now. He said you could live with us, so… we’re going home.”
“That sounds nice. When we get home, then can we eat? I’m hungry.”
“Sure we can,” Felix said with a grin. “I know someone who is always itching to feed people pancakes.”
Andrea nodded her head happily from beside him, her hands immediately coming together in front of her.
“Thank you, brother,” Lucian said, a smile on his face.
“Brother?” Lily asked. She had moved over to the intercom to call the nurse to prepare discharge papers.
“You’re married to him, aren’t you? The way you said everything, it sounds like you’re married. Mom and Dad must be so happy.
“You were always so intimidating. Dad always said that you scared off all the boys. Mom and Dad worried you’d never get married. I’d heard them sometimes talk about it. So I’m glad you married Felix.”
Lily made a squawking noise, her cheeks turning a deep red as she hurried back to Lucian’s side and began whispering to him.
Felix chuckled at that, turning his head to Andrea.
“Call the Telemedic back, we’ll be leaving shortly. Then you can make everyone pancakes.”
“Pancakes!” Andrea shouted.
“Pancakes!” Victoria agreed.
Chapter 28 - Mostly Dead -
A medical attendant pulled open the door. Felix waited as the man grabbed the slab and drew it towards them. On that slab were the remains of one Jordan Taylor.
He wasn’t a super, or someone remarkable. He was average, really. Talented enough to make the cut for the internal security team, but that was it.
He was also agnostic, and had no living family. Thus, he became a perfect test subject.
“You’re welcome to remain, but I order you not to speak of anything that occurs in this room with anyone else in any way, shape, or form. Not until I tell people myself.
“Do you understand?”
The masked medical attendant hesitated, then left the morgue quickly.
Turning back to the dead man, he felt his skin prickle. Half of his face was gone, including a sizable portion of his skull.
You wanted a test, Felix. This is it.
First, he focused on putting Jordan’s body back together. Exactly as it had been before his death. A week in the morgue had probably slowed down the decay of everything.
Hadn’t stopped it, though.
Status Correction: Expand for List (Over 5,000 items) -> Healed
Correct Status? (35,000 points)
Felix accepted the change. It was costly, but if it was a successful test, then that’d be worth it.
Jordan’s body rapidly regenerated all the missing bits and pieces. His body reformed itself as if he’d never been touched.
Though he drew no breath, and his chest remained still.
Pushing his awareness into the man’s character sheet, Felix looked to see if there was anything that could give him a clue on how to proceed.
Name:
Jordan Taylor
Power: --
Alias:
Secondary Power: --
Physical Status:
Decaying
Mental Status:
Dead
Positive Statuses:
None
Negative Statuses:
Dead
Strength:
53
Upgrade?(530)
Dexterity:
57
Upgrade?(570)
Agility:
48
Upgrade?(480)
Stamina:
67
Upgrade?(670)
Wisdom:
41
Upgrade?(410)
Intelligence:
52
Upgrade?(520)
Luck:
36
Upgrade?(360)
Primary Power:
--
Upgrade?(--)
Secondary Power:
--
Upgrade?(--)