Move Your Feet

Waka stopped coming around to help with my rehab after the first day, my day-to-day was full of calibration, medication, tuning and adjustments. By now I was more or less back at 100% but there's still quirks, namely the damn thing keeps overpressurizing itself and venting pressure under normal use.

They're not sure why, but being serial number 2 after 1 went so perfectly bugs tend to arise.

<A: We miss you, hope you're okay!>

Oh yeah, they let me have my mobi. Text only, no video or audio calls.

<C: Miss you all too! Things are going fine but there's still a lot of issues with the new hardware>

<R: Because the system between the regulator and nerve signal input has a connection issue, probably>

<WP: She hasn't sent you any pictures or video! How did you sort that out on your own?!>

<R: The thing needs to integrate with nerves and synapses, right?>

<WP: Yeah but...I'm looking over code and nothing makes sense here>

<R: Is the calibration fresh or did you use a template?>

<WA: I used a template from...my...OH! OH!>

//Waka has disconnected from the chat///

I fucking love my team, so damn much. As soon as he dropped off the chat the techs and docs were scrambling to have me back on a bed and disconnecting the arm for more work.

It's been three weeks of grabbing, lifting, squeezing, all the testing I could or would never ask for.

Then one day the techs come back and reattach the arm and my lil buddy walks back in.

"Okay so, we nailed down the signal issue and nothing is super willing to go haywire now!" Waka says looking WAY more tired than before.

"The better news is we get to send you home today! After one more thing."

He takes my arm in his hand and connects it to his with a cable, they returned my medical optic a few days ago and I'm seeing lines of code run across my vision.

My hand and wrist retract backwards towards the elbow and those three ports I saw surface between the muscles.

"So, I worked out something with Curelife since you're a medic and all that and added the connectors from a paramed into the arm." Waka says as he takes three vials from a pocket and slots them into the sockets. They tilt and rotate back in through the muscles as if they were window curtains and a HUD pops up in my vision showing 600ml of MedGel.

He rotates my hand and in-between my index and thumb, nestled into what would be the webbing is a small cylinder sunken in a bit.

"The nozzle can pivot a few degrees inwards towards your palm but not much." Waka says with a bit of joy in his voice. "You can administer the MedGel like a normal ParaMed device but the range is a lot shorter, a little more more than the LifeGuard's range. The reloads are standard fare you can buy from just about anywhere so no need to come back to us for more."

With a thought I see the nozzle rotate the amount I want it to and he puts his organic arm in the palm of my hand.

"I got a headache, if you would so kindly?"

Fatigue, right arm is sore, back is hurting.

"Sleep on your right side, eh?" I say and his eyes widen.

"You really are something else..." He says and I treat him for the pain.

He takes a deep breath and exhales. "You're a life saver, Cal."

Waka and the other medical techs help me get up, finalize calibrations and into some comfy sweatpants and sweatshirt.

A quick glance at my hud and I notice a toggle next to the vial levels.

//Target:EXT/Self// and EXT is highlighted. A quick bit of focus and it's set to self.

I now feel good. The neck pain has been coming and going for the duration of my stay and this was the first time I felt relief.

"So you found it, eh?" Waka says as he starts to peel the plastic cover off the arm, savoring the peelies.

I nod my head. "Yeah, neck has been on and off for a bit, feels good to treat it finally."

He stops and looks at me super seriously. "You can overdose on this VERY easily so do be careful?"

I nod back.

"Also I'm sending Ravi the blueprints for the pressurized gel refills. The arm was rebuilt when we took it to repressurize itself, you just gotta add new fluid every now and then"

Soon enough my UEE bestie steps through the door in her business casual best.

"Callie."

"Freyja."

"Taking to this well? It's experimental tech and you're the first civilian to get one."

"I thought you all didn't like me? Why are you doing this? And don't tell me it's a reward for blowing your op apart."

"This wasn't for you, this was for the people of the UEE." She replies with a half-smile. "You're a lab rat we're giving the biggest field to frolic and play in. If this works out we can push the tech out to the world and let others have it!"

Something doesn't seem right here.

"I'm a high-priority target for gangs and the table leg the UEE keeps stubbing their toe on."

Waka flinches and shakes his head in disgust.

"Not cool. Super not cool."

"More people in the UEE, let alone the 'verse as a whole look up to you." Freyja says as her voice softens.

"Bullshit, I'm a damned nobody." I say and look at my new hand.

Freyja puts her hands on my shoulders and looks me square in the eye. "The Idris incident? Terra? People have been enlisting in the navy at record numbers because 'some nobody' had the recklessness to go out there and do good for people and never think twice about herself. You care for your crew who love you an insane amount and never ask for anything in return. You're here because of who you are as a person. Own it."

Not going to lie, crying in front of the navy is a bitch move, but I can't hold it back anymore. I'm not this amazing person people make me out to be! I'm told I'm an inspiration, yet intimidating. Caring and loving when all I feel like is I'm a massive bitch and hateful all the damn time.

"Crowned queen of nothing good."

"Jared wanted to see you, but he needed to tend to personal business yet he sends his thanks for your time." Freyja says as she lets me go. "Your ship is docked at port, your family is waiting for you."

It always feels like goodbye with these people but it never is.

"See you soon, Freyja, Waka." I wave.

"I hope not."

I take the extra vials of hydraulic fluid in a knitted biege bag Waka handed me, no clue who made this thing or where it came from but it's really soft!

The techs walk me out of the UEE blacklabs and I arrive in the lobby to see Veridian waiting for me in the corner, who lights up like luminalia when she sees me.

"CALLIE!" She yells as she jumps up and runs over to hug me but nearly takes me off my feet! "WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH WE'VE BEEN SO BORED WITHOUT OPS TO RUN!"

I chuckle and her hug causes the pain in my neck to flare up again. "Ow, honey. Mom is still healing!"

She gasps and lets me go. "I am so sorry! I got so caught up and excited and..."

I put a finger to her lips and shushed her.

"It's okay. Where is everybody else?" I ask as a small dose of gel hits my neck. Fuck I love this.

"Ivy is looking at the shops, Ravi is on the ship with Grendel and Deacon, I'm here, Eva is back in jail while Fern, Pine and Stone stayed back in Terra."

One person missing...

"Where's my dad?"

Her face drops all emotion and my heart sinks.

"He vanished the day you left. We haven't been able to find him ever since."

Fuck.

Ravi pulls up her mobi and starts a group call, almost instantly everybdy pops in and I see a ton of happy faces who IMMEDIATELY disconnect.

"Stampede?" I ask.

Verdi nods. "You're in for it now.

We walk through the streets and take in the sights. Smooth, polished floors, trees overhead, ships passing in and out of port, streets bustling with lively people carrying about their lives. I know I came from deep within the UEE's hospital, but nobody here knows I just came from a highly-classified blacksite, let alone that it exists.

Blending in to society, watching the world pass by like nothing ever happened. Life is goo-

"CALLIE! I hear as Ivy collides with me at mach-fuck and we slide across the ground with her holding on tightly. My shoulder and neck are on fire!

"I MISSED YOU SO MUCH AND I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE....Callie?"

My face is probably bright red from the pain and holding back screaming like a banshee.

"BABY I AM SO SORRY I FORGOT I JUST-"

Verdi pulls her up off me and I'm now pushing seventy-three percent BDL. I am feeling it already.

She's clearly eyeballing her lens' output because she watches as my BDL skyrockets and the pain subsides.

"You good? Did you land on a ParaMed?!"

"Ivy please..." I groan as the rest run up to my drunken self. "Oh fuck Waka wasn't kidding..."