The Many Regrets of a Cyborg Werewolf

Penance - XI

Luke was pulled from his sleep violently. His heart raced as he quickly came to realize he had been unconscious and dreaming, the elevation in his senses the telltale sign that he had just recovered. This was common whenever he received serious damage. It was always the same routine. He'd eat, begin to heal, and have vivid and deeply disturbing nightmares. Memories that mocked and diminished him, people long dead come back to haunt. It was one of the reasons he hated sleeping, and as the rush from his rude awakening left him, irritation soon took its place. Luke hadn't meant to pass out, and he had slept on one of the stools next to the island. His back ached, and as he stretched to work out the kink he glanced down at his new arm. It had regrown without issue, rather quickly all considered. Lost limbs could often take a day, or more, but he didn't feel like he was out for more than an hour. He worked the fresh limb, restored to be virtually identical to his old one. Every pore, every hair, and every scar was accounted for. Normally Luke wouldn't have his doubts, but he could still feel the impurity in his body. Some microscopic traces of silver remained, and while likely not life-threatening, his body was unable to reach full strength until it was expelled. That could take a while as every molecule would need to be worked out, however or wherever that was, and Luke decided not to think about it.

"Good as new," Erin said from the edge of the kitchen, causing Luke to flinch slightly. He hadn't noticed her there in the midst of his frantic waking. Erin seemed to notice this, then sheepishly held a hand up, "sorry, I didn't mean to... I guess sneak up on you?"

"You didn't," Luke cleared his throat. He hopped off the stool to stretch his back properly, while also working his arm and rocking his shoulder.

"Does it feel any different?" Erin asked, "compared to the old one, that is."

"Not really," Luke sniffed. He turned to leave the kitchen only to stop before passing Erin, "you look better."

"I do?" she asked.

"Your complexion, I mean," he specified. "Are you eating again?"

"Yeah, when you were gone," she nodded, yet didn't seem happy. "I'm trying, really."

"You don't have to convince me," Luke said gruffly, "I don't have a stake in whether or not you take care of yourself."

"Thanks for your concern," Erin said in an irritated tone. "It's nice to know you really care, regardless of if you have a 'stake.'"

"It's not about caring," Luke continued past her, into the hallway. "Doc and fishface coddle you plenty." Luke stopped at the small closet. It was a linen closet, but had a few articles of clothing, and Luke searched for something he evidently didn't find. "Speaking of, has he called yet?"

"He did," Erin said. "I was actually about to wake you. Joan is alive, but he hasn't found out much else beyond the fact that some altercation happened."

"The hell does that mean?" Luke asked.

"Once he gets a copy of the security tape, we'll know," Erin explained. "Mercer knows, too, but he's busy fixing the thing. He told me to tell you to try and rest, but I think we both realized that's not likely." Erin continued to watch Luke rummage, his efforts clearly fruitless. "If you're looking for a coat, they're at the front."

"We have a front closet?" Luke asked, seemingly completely sincere. Erin watched him trudge from one end of the apartment to the other, only to find the mirror near the entrance was in fact a sliding double door.

"Aren't you going to change into something clean, first?" Erin asked, pointing to his one-armed shirt still soaked in blood. Luke was about to flippantly point out his lack of a room, and similarly a wardrobe, but when he turned to see Erin he found her looking away. Her gaze hung on the blood-stained sofa and living room, her eyes wide and fixated. Luke decided to say nothing, merely taking a coat from the closet and putting it over his torn and bloodied shirt. He approached Erin, who turned away from the viscera almost apologetically, and she was about to say something when Luke spoke first.