Prodigy Eternal (book 2)

Chapter Ten

There was only one hyperbaric oxygen chamber in Yuri’s house, and it was in his room. If what Yuri said about the immune-booster hack was true, then it was unlikely the chamber would restore Alex to her old self again. Nevertheless, she was willing to give it a try.

Alex set the timer and then climbed in. After getting into position, the domed hatch slowly lowered until it enclosed around her, creating an airtight seal. The chamber became consumed with filtered oxygen, which entered her lungs, travelled through the bloodstream, and distributed to the soft tissue in her body.

With nothing else to do, Aris went to his room and decided to play some video games, while Yuri and the others were in the grind room.

“Guys, we have a problem,” Yuri said, whispering behind a closed door. “The immune booster hack we gave Alex is changing her.”

“Changing her in what way?” Glitch asked.

“I think it’s ‘healing’ her synesthesia.”

“What’s synesthesia?”

“It’s basically a union of the senses… it’s how she is able to be so smart. Since it’s technically a neurological aberration, the hack is ‘fixing’ her, so to speak.”

“Is she going to be alright?” Link asked.

“I’m not sure, but right now she said her brain feels sluggish. If her condition doesn’t improve, The Fox isn’t going to be pleased.”

“Oh boohoo,” Taranya said, “little miss perfect has become more like the rest of us. I don’t feel sorry for her, especially when she’s constantly resenting who she is. I say we do nothing and whatever happens, happens.”

“That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?” Yuri said.

“Whatever.”

“Yuri’s right,” Link concurred, “getting what we want doesn’t have to mean taking something away from someone else. I know you don’t like her, but Alex is innocent in all this, she doesn’t deserve to have this happen to her.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot, she’s so innocent and pure. Look at me, I’m Alexandra Gray, my mommy and daddy were not in my life, but I still turned out perfect.”

“Taranya, you’re being really mean and it’s quite transparent. You’re obviously jealous of her,” Glitch said.

“Please. She’s a means to an end, and we all know it. Let’s not forget why we’re here.”

“It’s not her fault she developed those gifts, and I don’t want it to be my fault for taking them away,” Yuri said. “Right now she’s resting in the hyperbaric chamber. Let’s figure out a way we can get her back to her old self. That way everyone can get what they want.”