Chapter 33: A Prodigy-grade Surgeon

"Does being sixteen make me an adult?" Arlo asked, picking up on what she had called him.

"Yes, of course. Don’t tell me it is not the case in that backwater fishing sector of yours," Captain Ennessa said.

Arlo shook his head.

"You have to be nineteen to be considered an adult where I come from."

"Only members of royalty are tagged as adults at eighteen due to their extensive knowledge."

"Royalty? That tiny fishing sector of yours even has royalty?" Captain Ennessa snorted in disbelieve.

"Let me do the majority of the talking once we arrive, and make sure your replies are only yes and no."

"I would normally say not to be disrespectful to anyone, not even an old man with a stick who looks helplessly weak."

"But at least you seem to have some basic moral common sense, so you should be able to avoid getting into trouble,"

Arlo shrugged.

"Here is the transfusion process blueprint."

She said passing him the tablet.

"I spoke with Delaney yesterday, and she said they would be trying a new Cybernetic Prime class for you. It is a limited edition, a prototype, if you will,"

Captain Ennessa said.

Arlo furrowed his eyebrows and turned to examine the blueprint, which showed images of skeletons inscribed with strange chips and wiring.

They appeared in various parts of the body: the eyes, the upper body, especially the ribs, the hands, and the legs. It covered almost every part.

"Hmm, this seems like more than you described," Arlo said.

"Yeah. You will be the first person to undergo this edition of the Prime transfusion. It is called Godbreaker 001," Captain Ennessa said.

"Will it be less dangerous than the normal transfusion?" Arlo asked, the only thing he had heard about the procedure.

"It will be harder, but it also carries tremendous potential for a Prime cybernetic body. Only heirs of the great families would dream of buying a prototype cybernetic body," Captain Ennessa said.

"So how did you get your hands on one if only the great families, with their millions of resources, can afford it?" he asked.

Captain Ennessa shrugged.

"Delaney helped me out. She was the one who programmed it, and when she heard I needed a transfusion for one of my crew members, she told me about it."

That was her reply as the car suddenly zoomed forward with speed, pressing Arlo tightly against the back of his seat.

Turning to look out the window, he could see nothing as everything whizzed past with terrifying velocity.

"Why the sudden rush?" Arlo asked as Captain Ennessa smiled.

"Rush? The road is clear now. Besides, I am not even moving at seventy percent of its full speed yet." Captain Ennessa said, pressing a button at her side.

Anyone who saw the car’s speed would have thought it nothing but an illusion, the only sign of its existence being the large flames that suddenly erupted from the ground after the car had long since passed.

After sitting for thirty minutes, Arlo finally felt relief as they arrived at a gargantuan gate, the top of which he could not see from where he sat.

The most mind-numbing part came when Captain Ennessa suddenly zoomed toward the gate, which refused to open.

Arlo looked from her to the gate, then back to her, then back to the gate.

"Am I the only sane one here? We are going to crash into the gate, Ennessa!"

Arlo shouted, wanting to jump over her and swerve away, but his seatbelt held him firmly in place.

His eyes widened in horror as they drew closer.

They were less than two meters away from impact.

"Shit! My life is ending just as it began!"

Arlo screamed, placing his head between his knees and wrapping his arms around it, doing everything he could to ensure he would at least be buried with his head still attached.

But ten seconds passed, and the crash never came.

Arlo opened his eyes and looked outside, only to see they were now in a large parking area with hundreds of cars.

"What happened?" he asked, surprised to be alive and relatively unharmed.

"That is not a physical gate, dummy."

"It is made from high-frequency electromagnetic waves that scan cars to ensure they are certified by the governments of Sector H. It simply tricks your eyes into thinking it is real,"

Captain Ennessa explained mockingly as she parked and switched off the engine.

"Watch your attitude now and keep your surprise in check. You have an image to protect,"

Captain Ennessa said with extreme seriousness as she unfastened her seatbelt and exited.

Arlo exhaled loudly, closing his eyes for a moment before snapping them open, revealing a pair of indifferent eyes.

He quickly unfastened his belt and moved to the car door, opening it before Captain Ennessa could do it for him.

He had watched her exit the car twice now and had finally grasped how it worked.

Out in the parking lot, thousands of cars filled the compound, and at the far end stood a gigantic skyscraper close to fifty floors high, forcing Arlo to tilt his head upward to see the top.

’This is the biggest structure I have ever seen,’ he thought, as he followed behind Captain Ennessa.

After three minutes of walking, they arrived at the large revolving glass door of the skyscraper.

It revealed a massive hall with a high ceiling, where hundreds of people adorned in golden and blue robes interacted with smaller groups in regular clothes like them.

Not even thirty seconds had passed before a lady in golden and blue robes emerged from an opening in the hall. She wore a golden badge with two stars on the front of her robe.

When she saw Captain Ennessa, her steps quickened, and the two women shared a deep hug.

"It has been almost six months, Ennessa. Such a long time," the lady said as they slowly separated.

"I would say it has only been a few hours, Delaney. I made sure to call you on the phone."

"So, even though we do not see each other often, we are still very much in touch," Captain Ennessa replied.

"Unremorseful as ever. Yes, this is the Ennessa I know," Delaney said with a satisfied expression.

Her eyes finally noticed Arlo standing behind her friend. She walked toward him, looking directly into his eyes.

This was Arlo’s first chance to clearly see her face, which was definitely above average in attractiveness, with an oval shape and much fairer skin than most.

Her emerald green eyes scanned him up and down, and Arlo felt a strange cool breeze wherever her gaze landed.

"Is he the one? Your newest crew member?" Delaney asked, turning back to look at Ennessa, who nodded.

"Hello. I am Delaney Albano, a prodigy-grade cyber transfusion surgeon. What is your name?" she asked, smiling warmly at Arlo, a welcome change from Captain Ennessa’s attitude.

"I am Arlo," Arlo replied respectfully.

Delaney smiled.

"Well, Arlo, you can rest assured about your cybernetic transplant. I will give my best."

"However, we have been expecting your arrival for two hours now. The transplant might be very time-consuming, so shall we begin right away?"

She asked, and Arlo nodded.

"Good. This way, please," she instructed, leading Arlo and Captain Ennessa toward a strange door in the wall.

As the door closed behind them, triggered by a press from Surgeon Delaney, the elevator quickly carried them upward.

Inside the elevator, Arlo remained quiet as he listened to the hushed conversation between Captain Ennessa and Delaney.

It was a conversation he normally should not have been able to hear, yet he could thanks to his heightened perception.

__________

"So, what do you say about the percentage of success with the prototype cybernetic transfusion?"

Captain Ennessa asked, her voice regaining a seriousness that caused a slight shift in the temperature of the small room.

"According to the reports you gave me about his prodigious bodily stats, the success rate with the prototype is less than thirty percent," Delaney replied.

"That is exceedingly low," Captain Ennessa retorted, her expression alarmed.

"But I promise to do my best, Ennessa. At the very least, I can promise you he will not die from this,"

Delaney reassured her, though Captain Ennessa still looked worried.

"What are the other negative possibilities besides death?" Captain Ennessa asked, clearly concerned.

"Cellular destruction of the basic organs of transplantation to devastating GP09 levels," Delaney replied.

"What!?" Captain Ennessa exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock.

This was the first time Arlo had seen Captain Ennessa scream so loudly in shock.

He could not understand what Surgeon Delaney meant by GP09 levels, but judging from Captain Ennessa’s reaction, it was definitely not good news.

"That could render him less than human. And even if he survives, the pain might twist him half-mad!"

"How can I let my crew member go through that? This...This was not what you told me in the beginning,"

Captain Ennessa said and Delaney sighed.

"The level of danger never reached this point when I reported to you."

She said and Captain Ennessa’s eyes narrowed.

"What happened?"

"Just yesterday, the highest member of Xecno Transfusion Labs of Sector H came to check our report on creating the greatest potential Prime-class cybernetic transfusion."

"We had reported to him that someone under your command had agreed to fuse with it, which he approved based on your reputation."

"But he suddenly made extra modifications to the cybernetic transfusion himself."

"Those minor modifications of his immediately dropped the success rate from fifty percent to less than thirty percent," Delaney said.