The Gifted (ONC 2023)

Chapter 9 Revelation

As soon as Aleks reached GSO headquarters, she rushed into the medical centre. Despite the late hour, the place was full of nurses and doctors ordering people around. On her way here, Alex heard that one of the gifted who fought the deviants was rushed into the emergency room in a critical state. No one knew the details of what happened yet, and not one name was mentioned, but her insides were clenched so much with worry that it was a miracle she was still breathing.

Before she reached the emergency room, a stout nurse grabbed her elbow, stopping her in place. "What do you think you're doing? You can't just run in there!"

"My brother is there! I need to see him! Now!" The words were escaping her lips with the speed of machinegun fire.

"Woah, slow down, hun. Who's your brother?"

"Antoni Leszczyński." Aleks tried to pull her arm out of the nurse's grasp, but she was surprisingly strong. "He was fighting the deviants. If something happened to him─"

"Breathe," the woman interjected with annoying calm. "Your brother is fine. He's in recovery room five."

"He's... fine?" The whole air left Aleks' lungs with those three words, and her head spun when an enormous burden fell off her shoulders. "Then who is in the emergency room? What happened?"

The nurse shook her head and finally let go of Aleks' arm. "I know as much as you. They returned around an hour ago, and everyone was pretty banged up. But only Concetta was rushed to emergency."

"Concetta?" Suddenly Aleks felt terrible for the enormous relief she felt when she heard the news it was not Toni lying in that room. It wasn't some random person. Concetta was one of the agency's leaders and the most engaged person, and she took great care to ensure all recruits were appropriately trained and confident in controlling their powers. To think she was now in that room, fighting for her life...

"Are you all right, hun? You look pale."

Aleks shook her head. "I'm fine, thanks. I'll go to see my brother now."

The nurse nodded, patted her shoulder and rushed off down the hallway. Aleks found recovery room five without much trouble, not because she was a frequent visitor in a health centre, but because it wasn't massive, only one level with several medical rooms for procedures and a small recovery wing.

Antoni lay on the bed with his eyes closed, his skin pale and covered with red scratches. But his chest was rising and falling regularly, which was a reason enough for Aleks to jump at him and close her twin in a tight hug.

"Ouch! Gee, Aleks, maybe you could be a bit more gentle?" Toni squirmed, but he hugged her back. "I had a really shitty day, you know."

Aleks released him and backed away to sit at his bed's edge. "What happened out there? Tell me everything."

And he did.

***

The next few days at GSO were quiet. Many gifted people were hurt in the last encounter with the deviants, and the Rioters also seemed to retreat to lick their own wounds, leaving everyone room to breathe. Antoni was discharged from the medical centre the next day with orders to rest up for a few days, but Concetta was not so lucky.

The word had it she was in a coma. When she was rushed to the emergency room, the doctors couldn't find any visible wounds, and various scans revealed no internal damage. Yet, her vitals were so low, she was barely alive. The only thing the doctors could do was put her on life support and hope for a miracle.

Unfortunately, none of the GSO agents had any supernatural healing powers.

On the third day after the fight, everyone was asked to attend an all-staff meeting in a training hall that sometimes served as an auditorium.