Sector B

15

"She has IDS, a disease that's harmful to her kidneys."

Chen's eyes widened at Decha's words. "How do you know?"

"This isn't the first reaction she's had around me. She needs oxygen to stable her condition."

"Decha her health is not our concern. We need to find the—"

"We're taking her to the hospital," Decha announced, using the tone he'd use on lower-ranked generals. His father had only a few pins compared to him, so Decha had more authority. "That's an order."

Decha scooped Rory into his arms and brought her to the helicopter. The other two Bracketers followed him, but Chen eyed Decha with contempt. Theodore understood that Decha had more authority, but he felt offended that he wasn't heeding the proper advice.

There would be no hospital in Astell to take her. The law required that only the Brackets would have access to Bracket's medical records. It was better to take her back to Sector B, but since the damage around them was massive, she'd be stuck in Astell for however long it took for them to clean up.

Death was the only solution. She wouldn't survive long on this side if everyone refused to care for her. Theodore didn't understand Decha's persistence. He decided to give in and let Decha handle it.

Chen stepped onto the helicopter and looked at all the damage as they took off. Decha refused to look anywhere else, keeping his attention completely focused on helping Rory. There was an oxygen tank in the aircraft, and he immediately put it together and wrapped the elastic around Rory's ears, placing the mask over her mouth.

It wasn't until they landed at the entrance of midtown that Rory stopped responding to his calls completely.

"Rory," Decha tapped her shoulder, but her head rolled to the side. He felt his heart ache and feared the worst. Her body was limp, not a good sign.

Decha knew that she was sick, but didn't know the exact process of how bad a reaction could get. When he pressed his fingers against her neck, he frowned. Her body was cold.

"She's not okay," The bracket woman, Marla grimaced. "She won't last by the time you get her to any place for medical care."

"How can you tell?" Decha asked.

"She is unconscious. Her limbs are weak. My grandson passed away similarly. This is a sign that she's losing her fight."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"I'm afraid not. Only the doctors can tell." George shook his head.

"Give it up, N96." Chen sighed. "Nature is only taking its course with her. She may have survived the Walls collapse, but the hospital is still several kilometers away. She'll die—"

Decha ignored Chen's doubtful words and began searching through Rory's bag. If anything would tell him about Rory's condition, it would be her AI POYO. He snatched her phone out of her bag and tapped on the screen. The small AI digitilized a somewhat physical form in front of them.

"POYO, what's her state?"

"Scanning Rory." The AI replied, shocking Chen, and the elderly couple immensely.

"What is that thing—"

"Let it scan her," Decha shushed them. The AI  finished scanning Rory's full figure before a holographic window appeared by Decha's side. It loaded the full physical diagnostic of her vitals. "Breathing is unstable. Please take your medication, Rory."

"She can't take it in this condition." Decha was starting to lose hope. Was there really no other way?

"Crushed Dandelion Roots are a great substitute for a pill." POYO chirped.