Factory Reset: Divine Corruption

Chapter Fifty-Two

Chapter Fifty-Two: A cough

The first thing that Mason saw after waking up was a white void.

A complete bright white, devoid of pigmentation and color. Mason could barely move, his limbs numb and cold. He could feel a light presence against his legs and paws, but nothing above his waist. As Mason attempted to shift off of whatever he was laid on, he heard an audible crack, and a pain erupt in his spine.

"Ah, fuck..." Mason groaned out, barring his teeth as his words came out hoarse. He concentrated on moving his leg, finding that he could barely wiggle the muscles in his paws, much less move it completely.

Mason heard muffled voices came from beyond his vision, the white blinding to him. He closed his eyes shut the best he could, soft groans escaping his lips as he concentrated on moving just a single, solitary moving muscle.

Mason's ear flicked back involuntarily as he heard a hydraulic door open with a hiss, and excited pawsteps rushing towards him. A dark green visor overtook his vision, one with a smiling pixelated face of someone he knew well. The grand scientist of the Federation.

"Good, it's good to see you're awake." Her voice told him, breaking up as if it were a radio broadcast. Mason hadn't seen her in so long, even through video feed. He had messaged her a couple of times for general work, as well as keeping in touch with Axel every few months, but that was it.

She turned out of his view, and Mason felt a sharp pain flash through his right arm. He felt faint as he turned his head with all his energy, finding a thin needle exiting his skin. He felt a light quiver run through his body as he saw a spurt of his own blood exit the wound.

And after seeing that, Mason felt a return of feeling to his limbs. Like the numbness just melted away, Mason jolted upwards with a hasty and nervous expression. He panted hard, his breathing uneven as he felt his heart pound in his chest. He curled his fingers tightly into a balled fist against his fluffy stomach.

The grand scientist turned around swiftly, returning to Mason with a cup of water held in her green claws. She smiled warmly at him, gesturing for him to take the cup. Mason took it with a minor thanks exchange between the two. Mason gulped the cool liquid down, his hands shaking as he did so.

The room itself seemed to be specialized towards him. It was a bright white in all corners, although where the walls met the floor there was some slight discoloration. Mason glanced down, finding that the presence atop his body was a very thin blanket, nearly see-through in the room's bright light.

She was a short protogen, one that was only five foot tall. She had a dark green visor, with small stylized 'cracks' through the visor akin to the like of vines. Her head was entirely mechanical, with the only tuft of fur laying atop her ears, which were shaped like a fennec fox's ears.

She wore a thin lab coat, encrusted with dirt and grime. Her stomach and chest were completely barren of all mechanical parts, and instead had a general mammalian theme; breasts, armpits, and a girthy stomach. The mechanical 'hair' that waved atop her head ran down her back, an indicator of her spine.

Her insignia was a stylized and simplified image of a potted plant sprout ling. Her visor connected seamlessly to her head, and the potted plant glowed a vibrant shade of green in dark light. Her thighs were large as well, containing a multitude of electronic and physical tools at her disposal.

Her paws were mechanical, and were, in fact, more akin to raptor or avian claws than paws. She had no paw pads, and the talons had soft-looking but sharp claws attached to them that could scrape and even cut the floor if she wasn't careful.

This was, undoubtedly, Scion.

The grand scientist gave Mason a curt smile, grabbing the water cup from his grip, "You had a mighty battle, my friend. It reeks of death up there. Not to be melodramatic, but you saved us all." She said straight-faced, rummaging around her pure white desk for a piece of paper.