Come To Life: Into The Outerworld: SAO After Alicization

2: Discovery

Asuna sat, gazing out the widow onto the rolling ocean waves. That was all she could see, besides part of the deck bellow Kirito's room. They'd been on the ship for months; Rath wouldn't let her leave after she had broken her way in. But a lot had happened. So much that it overwhelmed Asuna to the point of tears. She turned away from the window and back to Kirito who was sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed next to her. It had been two weeks since he had finally come to, his severe brain damage not yet fully assessed. He had spoken to her a few times with a sleepy, faraway look on his face that had not yet assured Asuna that he was truly back to normal. But she had some faith in the doctors here, even if she didn't trust Rath. Kirito was alive after all, and they had thought that he might never wake up again.

"Asuna?" Kirito's soft voice broke her concentration and she turned to look at him. His eyes were half open and he looked tired and confused.

"Do you hear that Asuna? People running? Yelling?"

He barely got the words out before the door burst open and a doctor followed by two nurses rushed in, completely out of breath.

"Please, Ms. Yuuki you must come quickly!" He turned to the nurse beside him who was pushing a wheelchair. "We must bring Kazuto with us as well. Let's get him into that wheelchair, carefully nurses, carefully!"

"What the heck is going on! You can't move Kirito he's too weak!" Asuna dove in front of him as the nurses took each of his arms.

"Ms. Yuuki, one of the test subjects has woken up, we are in great need of both of you before we lose him. This test subject is more valuable even than Kazuto here."

"What do you mean by that? Don't hurt Kirito! He's weak!" Tears welled up in Asuna's eyes as the doctor helped her up.

"Asuna, I'll be alright," Kirito murmured as the nurses settled him into the wheelchair and looped his various IVs and cords around it. Then he looked up at the doctor, "I didn't know there were other test subjects here."

"There's no time to talk about it now, Kazuto, we must go! Nurse grab those charts over there too!"

Asuna grabbed Kirito's hand as they were whisked out into the hallway. At the end they were taken to an elevator and down. When they exited, the first thing Asuna noticed was the 'SECURITY CLEARANCE 1" sign on the door, which after the doctor took a retinal scan and typed in a code, opened, leading them down an empty, gray hallway. Along the hallway there were four doors, each looked closed and locked. However, at the end of the hallway they stood facing a fifth door with the words

"MAXIMUM SECURITY. TEST SUBJECT 5"

and another retinal scan and code, before the door opened.

"What the hell is this place," Asuna, now shaking turned from Kirito to the doctor.

"The foundation of Rath's research," he muttered, "Please, hurry, come in. But put these on first." He handed them both long white smocks and surgical masks.

The room they entered was small and cold. Two of the walls were dull gray, plastered with charts, notes and diagrams. The wall on the left was lit up as a screen, showing more charts, numbers, and a scene from a green meadow. In the middle of the room was a large hospital bed, partially covered by what looked like an older version of the STL that also took up the wall facing them. Half a dozen doctors and nurses were huddled around the bed and the screen to the left of it. In the bed lie a pale, thin boy about the same age as Kirito and Asuna. Neither of them could make out his face, which was obstructed by a respirator and other medical equipment, as well as the connections to the STL-like machine. From what Asuna could see he had soft, messy blond hair. Aside from the white blanket covering him to the waist, he wore a plain gray hospital gown and at least a dozen IVs were attached to his arms. The nurses backed away as they wheeled Kirito up to the bedside and he and Asuna could get a better look at the boy, who was shivering slightly. His arms, legs, and neck were in restraints that also seemed to be tracking his vital signs on the computers and screen next to the bed. A faded plastic band on his right wrist read,