The Lost

Sensors Active

The Curator woke Annabeth after another few hours of tests, and then they ran simulations during a high traffic time with people running about in the corridors. She passed all of the tests and her sensors all read that they were working at peak performance standards and everything that should be online was online.

"There we go. That's all the tests out of the way for your sensors. Now to run some more minor examinations." He had let her off the table the moment they had started the testing, so he tossed to her a tennis ball, which she caught in the hand she had injured previously. "Squeeze that as hard you can." The Curator stated, and tapped a button on his tablet, pointing it at her as to record the results.

She did as she was bade to do, and she squeezed the ball as hard as she could. She could feel the new tendons as they tightened. Some of them popped, and then the ball exploded in her hand, and was useless. "Was... that supposed to happen?" She inquired.

The Curator looked at the data scrolling across his screen. "No, it was not supposed to break the ball.. let me just." He tapped a few things on the data tablet and then tossed her another ball. "Squeeze that one, please." He said.

She did as she was told, and squeezed this ball too. But this time she did not break it. It squeezed and seemed to decompress, but it did not explode like the previous one had done. She could feel that he had altered her strength. She tried again, and she struggled to get it to the point she had gotten to the first time before the ball had exploded in her hand. Satisfied that The Curator didn't seem to need her to do it again, she bounced the ball against the ground and caught it in her hand as it came back up to her.

She was amazed sometimes with how fast she could recover. How fast the council and other things seemed to move. There was always something in the works. Always something that needed attending to. Like this business about those plants, and the money trail that led to the pharmaceutical companies. She was surprised that Elder Rich had invited her to the meeting in the first place. Had that not taken place, she would have forever been locked away in this facility. Her sensors would still be offline, and Elder Engrid would most assuredly still be hating on her.

She had a lot to think about. A lot to consider. Her freedom was always a thought that came and went. But with the knowledge, or believed knowledge, that her family was all dead. What use did she have for freedom? Revenge? That could happen at a slower pace, perhaps.

She sighed and looked at her hands. They didn't look any different. but she knew that they were. The Curator had already told her of the latest enhancements to bones and ligaments. She balled her hand into a fist and just stared at it, asking herself questions like 'what is my purpose?' and 'do I even have a right to be free?'

The Curator snapped his fingers in front of Annabeth's face for the third time. She had zoned out and snapped out of it, and looked at The Curator. "I seem to have.."

"Zoned out. That's what people call it. You last track of everything around you while you were contemplating some question or task. What were you thinking?" He asked with the sound of someone who had the authority to demand these kinds of answers.

She looked at The Curator, and she answered him with honesty, because it was he deserved after everything she had done to make her whole again and to keep her functioning. "I was just thinking if I even have a right to be free? As a person, with a soul, i know it is a basic instinct to want your freedom. But everyone I love is dead. All i have now is what I can offer to the council. My services. What other purpose would I have if not for you and the kindness you have shown me, Curator?"

The Curator looked away from Annabeth. How could he call himself decent and not tell her that the ones she loved were actually alive, and well? He was bidden to silence, at the penalty of death, so he swallowed his pride and looked back at her, telling her a simple truth. "You may have been rebuilt, but you are who you always were. You are not a mindless machine. You have your own hope and dreams. One of those dreams is getting your freedom back."

She nodded as her sensors told her he hadn't been lying even though they had sensed a fluctuation in his vitals for a brief second. "Alright, Curator. Is there anything else we need to do? Or am i free to leave?"

The Curator thought about it for a moment, and then thought about some other things he would like to see. He needed to test her physical stamina without the enhancements. He needed to take her back to the training grounds. "Yes. I think I would like to see how you do at the training grounds, if you are up to it." He looked at her, and the smile on his face won her over completely.

"Sure. I guess I can embarrass myself for you again. If it helps you gain any new data on me and how I am doing." She smiled, and slid off of the table, walking to the cabinet, and then remembering she had access to her spatial storage for clothes, and retrieved her boots from it, putting them on her feet.

She looked at The Curator. "Well. aren't you coming?" She asked.

He nodded, and sent a request to the lead guard of the facility. "We have to wait for the armed guard, remember? Even with the new trust to have your sensors active, It is still a protocol for your safety and others."

She nodded and sat down near the door, waiting.