Dex Warrior (Libertas Online)

30: Discovery

From black nothingness, my senses return to a small lighted space with average, modern furniture. I blink, mental wheels spinning as I try to remember what I was just doing and where I am. When a quiet ding fills the air, I realize I'm back in my hab. Even in stasis, my head hurts, which is not a normal thing, and my skin crawls like I'm cold. Investigating the sound, I check my logs and see a recent message.

April Conway: Hey. How are you feeling?

Aiden Rockwell: Got a headache, but all right. What happened?

April Conway: I'm sorry, but it looks like you had an episode of some kind. You fell unconscious and started having seizures. Your heart rate was over 200 BPM. We had no choice but to sedate you and put you back in stasis.

I swallow hard, fingers shaking as I type a reply. My head is in way too much pain to focus enough to type mentally.

Aiden Rockwell: Jeeze... Do you think it was caused by another panic attack? Something mental? Or is it related to my new condition?

April Conway: Only you can answer to the panic attack, but it's certain that an increased heart rate will elevate your condition. Just like I said before, when you're awake, your heart beats faster and that spreads the parasites in your blood faster. Your brain could have been going into some kind of shock, hence the seizures, from the increased parasite presence.

Aiden Rockwell: I see...

April Conway: So, I know you were fine with it before, but I want to give you one last chance to change your mind. Do you still want to go forward with the experimental procedure? You've been out for about six hours, so the team is already good to start.

Aiden Rockwell: Something came up... How much time do you think I will have if we delay the procedure? How long do you think it will take?

April Conway: It's hard to say... In stasis, we've bought you a day. Maybe more, maybe less. When you were awake and having that episode, things were looking pretty grim. Like an avalanche started tumbling, and now we've only slowed it down with some chainlink fencing. I'm afraid that if you were to wake up in this state you'd immediately resume the same issues. I'd give you minutes to live. The procedure... That will probably take us four hours.

Aiden Rockwell: That's not what I was hoping to hear... I guess ahead and do it.

April Conway: Sounds good, Aiden. We will start right away. There's a possibility that you won't feel right, even if you're asleep or in the game. So, stay vigilant and don't log out until you are given the all clear. Understand?

Aiden Rockwell: Don't log out. Got it. And April, go fast.

April Conway: We'll try.

Only a few moments pass before I know what I have to do next. Swiping away the keyboard and message system, I navigate my HUD until I can select "LOAD LIBERTAS ONLINE". In a matter of moments, I'm gone from my virtual space and appearing just outside the tavern in Starlight. To my surprise, the sky is dark and brooding. A massive cloud formation rumbles above me as the pattering sound of rain on shingles begins to grow louder. I take cover underneath the wooden patio of the tavern, when I come to realize that none of the buildings in Starlight have been named yet. I'll have to get to that sometime, but right now I have more pressing matters. An issue to get to the bottom of.

Aiden Rockwell: Hey.

Rin Akari: Hey, hope everything is going all right. You kinda bounced unexpectedly and didn't come back all afternoon.

Aiden Rockwell: Yeah, I'm fine for now. I need to talk to you and Felix about something serious. In person.

Rin Akari: Ok... But I'm not sure where Felix went. He just logged out to meet with someone.