Beep! Beep! Beep!
The rhythmic sound of a heart monitor stirred Micheal awake.
His eyes fluttered open, vision hazy, catching the faint glow of the translucent blue glass door of the health pod he lay in.
"Where am I?" he wondered, drowsiness still clouding his thoughts.
He tried to get up; the health pod responded.
It depressurized, a faint mist coiling around him as the pod's door slid open.
"Huh?" He sat up, his vision clearing as he scanned his surroundings.
Rows upon rows of sleeping patients in identical pods stretched into the distance like glass coffins.
Automated med-bots glided between the pods, their metallic fingers tapping the glass doors as they checked the patients' conditions.
"Patient Micheal 0015 awake," a mechanical voice announced by his side, almost causing him to jump.
He turned toward it — a med-bot just like the rest.
"Patient's vitals are in perfect condition. Ready for discharge." It turned away, done with its assessment.
Micheal looked at it, confused.
He had seen these bots before, but only in ads — never in real life. They were found in high-tier hospitals, a place he never dreamed he would visit.
Yet here he was.
Usually, if he got sick he was treated by the local clinics, staffed by grumpy human medics. Their work was crude, but at least it worked.
Places like this were only advertised as luxury healthcare — something he would only get if he maybe took a bullet for the president.
"Did I?" he thought, browsing his memory, finding nothing of the sort — the closest thing to taking a bullet for the president being his whistleblowing.
Memories of the whole incident surfaced: the chaos, his near-death experience.
"I am alive..." he gasped, touching his body for confirmation.
His jaw was healed, the wounds to his side gone, even old scars had faded — the mark of a high-tier hospital.
Somehow he had survived.
"Of course you are, Mr. Micheal..." A soothing male voice interrupted his thoughts. His gaze darted around in search of the owner, but found no one.
"Hahahaha, I am not in the ward," the voice sounded once again; Micheal was now sure it wasn't coming from the ward, as it seemed to echo throughout the space.
A medic bot, far larger than the ones tending to the patients, approached Micheal. Its features were feminine, but it was clear she was neither cyborg nor human — a full robot.
"Why don't you join me for a cup of tea?" the voice asked.
Micheal's gaze locked on the female med-bot. It was clear he was to follow her, but there was one problem: he was still naked.
"Can I go out like this?" he felt a little shy, but considering there were no humans present it shouldn't matter, right?
"But what of the cameras?" he thought, then shook his head. There was no way such a high-class hospital would spy on their patients.
With that thought in mind, he stood up from the pod and confidently followed the robot out of the ward.
As he stepped out, a small chamber — more like a cubicle — sat directly in front of the door.
Before Micheal could wonder what it was, mist filled the room.
⫷----------⫸
Disinfection successful
Patient is ready to be discharged.
⫷----------⫸
He stepped out, impressed.
"Here are your clothes, Mr. Micheal," the nurse said, bringing them to him.
Understanding dawned in him.
To prevent any contamination, that was why he hadn't been given his clothes earlier.
"This place sure is careful," he smiled, remembering a particular place that had similar precautions.
Seemingly unwilling to linger on the memory, he smiled solemnly and shook the thoughts from his head.
"Let's see who was calling me."
...
"Isn't it beautiful?" said the CEO of Mayacorp, his back to Micheal.
He stood at an imposing height, jet-black wavy hair shimmering under the glare of luxurious white LED lights.
"Yes," Micheal replied, eyes locked on the majestic vehicle just beyond the glass wall.
The pristine obsidian-alloy Lucy radiated elegance under the giant stage lights.
"It's all thanks to you that we got our hands on this," the CEO said, turning toward Micheal.
A smile spread across his naturally tanned face, his slightly bushy eyebrows relaxing — a quiet confidence befitting a man of his calibre.
"I did what any citizen would," Micheal smiled awkwardly, somewhat embarrassed by the sudden praise.
The CEO of Mayacorp, the largest cybernetics corporation in all of Euryo, was right in front of him.
He was basically the president.
Not to mention, he was the one who had rescued him after he was found on the Lucy, passed out.
Micheal didn't know why Mayacorp was there in the first place, but considering Ironbeard's reputation, it wouldn't be surprising if they'd offended such a big shot.
Whatever the case, he was glad he had survived and had done his duty as a good citizen by reporting Ironbeard.
"Um, sir..." Micheal began.
He wanted to ask the most important thing to him — the main reason he had almost died: his reward, the 100,000 units.
The CEO, being a businessman, quickly recognized Micheal's nervousness and the glint of greed in his eyes.
"Hahaha, young lad, don't worry — your reward has already been prepared," the CEO laughed heartily, intrigued.
Here he was, in front of the biggest man in all of Euryo, and instead of currying favor, he simply asked for his reward.
"I like you, lad. I will add a little incentive of my own for helping us find the Lucy." The CEO took out a rectangular device, something Micheal recognized as a relic: a smartphone used several years back.
"Why does he..."
⫷----------⫸
[ Payments received ]
[ 1,100,000 units from Mayacorporation ]
⫷----------⫸
Micheal's jaw dropped; he stared at the notification, wide-eyed.
"1,2,3,4,5,6,7 — seven digits," he exclaimed, his shock changing into pure joy.
"Thank you, Mr. Tonalli," he bowed in appreciation, his face beaming.
"Don't mention it, you deserve..." Mr. Tonalli smiled.
"Your bravery has brought us an amazing technology. This is nothing." He reached into his suit pocket and took out a platinum card. "Take this — if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call." He handed Micheal the card, another relic of the past.
Micheal took it hesitantly.
"Who uses cards in this day and age?" he thought, a bit taken aback.
This was a tech giant, yet he used old relics.
"Well, these types of people are eccentric," he concluded internally.
"Thank you," Micheal bowed once more.
He didn't know what he could do with this. To him, the upper echelon were all the same — hypocrites.
He knew for sure this was just for show.
After a few pleasantries, Micheal bade him farewell as he exited the building, leaving behind Pakal Tonalli, the CEO of Mayacorp.
His gaze stayed fixed on the Lucy; a smirk tugged at his lips.
"I got my hands on one of your children, Tsukuyomi. Soon I will discover all your secrets," he narrowed his eyes, fist clenched with determination.