"Have you seen anything like him?"
Dr. Alexi traced the stable current of his patient's vitals displayed on the hologram monitor with his eyes. Yui Hua was sound asleep and alive. He'd survived the surgery. He beat all the odds and pulled through.
The doctor sniffed, "No. This one is different. Definitely something we need to keep tabs on. Transfer him to the ICU and notify me once he's awake. We'll have to contact the higher ups once he's in more of a stable condition."
The nurse nodded diligently and wheeled Yui out of the procedure room. The doctor didn't know whether it was exhaustion that was calling him or just the side effects from working on the patient, but he collapsed into his office chair and allowed for his eyelids to close over his eyes.
What had happened in that room was...completely unexpected. He didn't know what to make of it just yet. The doctor had never worked on a patient of this caliber in all his years of work— no one in Bethel city had.
There was only one other person in the entire world like him, humanity's third and final great breakthrough.
Hyde Lefevre.
The man who changed everything; who nearly started a war between world leaders; and who is currently humanity's most lethal weapon.
And now they had one more.
Dr. Alexi had unknowingly just unleashed the second game changer, and with a shaky breath released, he moved for the phone.
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Something cold dragged across my forehead gently and I opened my eyes at the touch of soft fingertips at my temple. A young brunette nurse stared down at me, dumbfounded. Her mouth opened and closed as she sat back, the wet rag laying forgotten on her lap.
"S-Sir," she failed to get the rest of her words out. Instead, she scurried away, sputtering for a 'Dr. Alexi' in her frenzied haste.
I pulled myself up and hissed at the sudden sharp pain that burned at the inside of my elbow. A bloodied IV needle hung off the edge of what I recognized as a hospital bed, torn from my arm as I sat up. I stared at it for a few moments while my mind reeled back into my memories, only to come up short.
Footsteps sounded from far away in the distance. She was returning, this time with another person. Five minutes later, the white curtain in front of me was pulled to the side as the duo entered the small space, closing the curtain behind them shortly after.
"Hello, Mr. Hua," a somewhat familiar face smiled down at me, "I'm Dr. Alexi, we met yesterday, if you remember? I take it you are very confused, but do not worry, everything will all make sense in time."
This man, Dr. Alexi, I had definitely met before, because I recognized him the second my eyes landed on his face.
"I'll answer any questions you have for me."
"Okay, can you start with why I feel like absolute shit?" I questioned.
"Of course. As you know, you've undergone a transfusion of a foreign DNA— the type of only found in the Horrors. It has naturally ransacked your system and took over all functions long term. Your compatibility with the combat machines will be successful due to this. All your senses: hearing, feeling, taste, touch, and smell; all of them have been heightened with the addition of new senses humans do not have."
"So..." I began, "You're saying I'm not human anymore?"
The doctor smiled despite the morbid revelation, "You are correct. You are far greater than humans could ever wish to be."
I didn't know what to think. The reality of it all just suddenly clashed with everything I thought I knew. This...this was what Wren had faced. The loss of his humanity, everything, he had faced all alone. Gone was the permanent image of some helpless kid I thought him to be and in its place was someone else entirely different.
Dr. Alexi cleared his throat, bringing me back to attention. I stared into the young man's eyes and saw something there shining back: fascination, reverence, admiration.
"I would like to inform you of my findings, however, during your procedure."
I stilled. The way he said that didn't sound too good.
"Everything was successful; you can be at ease with at least that," he asserted much to my relief, "frankly, the transfusion was more successful than any patient I have ever worked on in my years as a doctor. See, you bonded with the DNA sequence so impeccably well that it transformed the sequence into something different than the end result for normal Heroes. The mutation that your body underwent has never happened in this facility, within the walls of the Curator."
Dr. Alexi drew in a bit closer to my bedside, "Yui, your case is so rare that there is only one other person— that we know of —in this world, who shares the same abilities you will manifest."
My brows knit together, "Abilities? What abilities?"
He was quick to take away my confusion, "The Arsonian Project was commissioned for the sole purpose of genetically engineering the body of a human into something capable for battle against the Horrors. The bounds of science simply hasn't allowed us the potential of harvesting their only aptitude that reins them superior over us: electricity."
The look that crossed my face had to have been dead-panned because a laugh managed to escape the doctor. I was too shocked to care.
"Not every Horror possesses the power to manipulate electricity, but I am confident that you will run into the rare few who do. Every Hero's method of combat relies on their enhanced capabilities as a human. They have the heightened senses, strength, and speed. We've made our own elite warriors to terminate the Horrors."
Holy fucking shit.
"...And I'm one of them."
Dr. Alexi's smile grew even more, "Not exactly. You're above average for the normal Hero. With experience and training, I can foresee that your agility, strength, speed, and durability can adapt farther than the normal Hero can take it. Everyone has a certain point where their powers are exhausted for a period of time. But you, Yui, are free of the limits that are the weak points. Not only will you be pushing things above the threshold, you will also be able to hone the control of electricity if all goes well."
Holy fucking shit times two.
"You are our game changer," Dr. Alexi grasped my hand and the both of us were too caught up in the moment to realize the small puddle of blood that was accumulating on my lap from the pulled IV. The nurse gave a gasp when she caught sight of it and quickly jumped to tend to my wound.
"You are free to go once that's bandaged up. Your friend is waiting for you at the waiting room right outside the doors," Dr. Alexi pulled aside the curtains just enough for him to slip through, "feel free to ask for me if you ever have any questions. It's been a pleasure being a part of your procedure. I'll be taking my leave now."
The young doctor left and I remained with the nurse, who finished up sanitizing and bandaging my arm. She too hurried away after sheepishly telling me that a change of clothes had been left for me in the box beside my bed. I changed out of the hospital gown and into black sweats, a white t-shirt, and slip-ons with socks before setting off toward the waiting room where Wren was 'supposedly' waiting for me.
The lopsided grin on his face was annoying, but still managed to make me all jittery inside upon seeing him. He engulfed me in his arms as soon as I stepped within reach, and despite how hot my face grew, I tightened my own arms around his waist and nuzzled my face against his shoulder.
"I'm glad it went well," he released me just enough to look at my face, "what did the doctor say?"
I was stumped. I didn't know what to tell him. Was I even supposed to tell people this?
It didn't matter either way because before I could even open my mouth to conjure an excuse, the usually black screen on Wren's wrist watch flashed red. He gave it an irritated glance before reluctantly stepping away from me.
"I'll see you at our room, I promise," and with that said, Wren literally sprinted away down the hall.
I watched after his form, frowning deeply.
With nothing else left to do and no one to stop me, I managed to make it back to the Hero barracks in one piece. I locked the front door and immediately went to grasp the home phone. I dialed up my mom's number. When no one answered, I cursed at myself for forgetting her work hours and dialed the salon's work phone. A woman's voice answered at the other line, the faint sound of the music playing in the background.
"Mom?" I began, "Are you there?"
"Yui?" her familiar voice made me smile, "I heard about what happened. How are you, ah? My son is really trying to kill his mother with stress..."
"I'm doing fine. Ma," I paused, trying to gather my emotions, "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."
She gave a dramatic sigh, "Now you know, Yui."
"Once they tell me my schedule, I'll come back."
"Good, good," she softly said, "get some rest and eat well."
"I love you, ma."
I let her hang up first and stood there staring down at the beeping phone for a few moments before padding on toward my bedroom and into my bathroom to do what I had been treading to do ever since Dr. Alexi told me everything. I stared at my reflection, trying to find something— anything —that was different. I still looked the same, and that in itself relieved me of the worries that haunted the back of my mind.
I returned to the kitchen to eat something before reclining on the living room couch, the soft sound of the TV lulling me into a much needed nap.
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Wren returned back home in record time. His team members were shocked, but didn't complain since they were also able to complete their expedition in less than 24 hours, thanks to their more than competent captain. They noticed that he was acting differently the past few days: he was now ten times more cheerful, he never stopped smiling, and he completed his tasks faster.
"Do you have a girlfriend waiting at home or something?"
Wren blushed at the memory of his teammate's inquiry and face-palmed from the way he'd handled it, like a little kid who's crush had been found out. Sure, he had every reason to be embarrassed, because it was true!
Yui Hua was his special someone.
He was his childhood crush, the only person he looked up to, the very person who inspired him to become a Hero. He remembered when he first met Yui. He was being beat up by the neighborhood gangster kids when the tiny boy swooped in and beat them all to a pulp— Wren had been shocked to the point of no return and understandably, his love had blossomed from then. Yui was the strongest person he knew.
Wren walked through the door to his apartment and locked it from behind him before hanging his coat in the small hallway. He was quiet, because when he usually came home from work Yui would be sleeping. The last time he'd accidentally woken him up, Yui practically blew up on him, "Who do you think you are?! Slamming the door like that— I almost fell off the fucking bed, idiot!"
Wren chuckled and warmth engulfed within his chest; he found comfort in the fact that Yui didn't change in the slightest bit. Once he was dressed in comfortable pajamas, he walked back out into the living room, intending to lounge around while waiting for Yui to wake up— only to find that he was actually asleep on the couch!
An apple core had been discarded on the ground, inches away from his hanging grasp, and smiling widely, Wren approached to crouch next to his sleeping face. If anything changed, it was definitely his face— Yui was even more handsome! His eyelashes were still long, but they swept over grown and defined features, his jaw sharp. Even his hair was still the same color of tawny brown, soft and tousled from its usual pomade-style.
"I didn't change either," Wren wistfully said, "I'm still in love with you."