HospitalForSouls ((Pt I))

Neither of the two young lovers could speak as they looked in confusion and unsettled terror at the robotic being claiming to be a human.

“Y…Yuki?” Taki finally stuttered.

“It’s him. ArcanTech did something awful to him and many others. We’re at their facility now, but all of their bodies started shutting down,” Miu explained.

Her fiery gaze settled on Taki’s wife.

“You’re a combat nurse?” Miu asked.

The woman nodded as her gaze met Miu’s terrified eyes.

“I’m so sorry to ask this, but please help us. I only just found Yuki again after all this time, and now he’s dying. Please, help…” Miu pleaded.

Twitches triggered subtle hisses and whirs within Yuki’s body as he limped around the room to look at pictures of Taki and the woman.

“Taaaaaaki. You loooook h-happy. I am happy f-f-for yoooooooooooooou,” Yuki said as his shoulders and hands seized.

Miu noticed the spasms and glitches were worse. Something about seeing his own body had unmoored Yuki’s mind, and now his physical body was degrading faster. She quietly prayed it was not the same case for his mind.

Taki approached the automaton and inhaled as he pointed to a picture.

“Thank you. I got better. I… I tried to be a better person than I was back then. This is me and Emi… Ishikawa Emi in Fukuoka last summer.”

Miu closed her eyes and slowly exhaled as she wrestled with the sensation of accepting someone like Taki had seemingly gotten to have such a different life path than what she and Yuki had.

Yuki lurched closer to the photo and raised a shaking finger towards the image of Taki happily smiling with his now-wife in his arms.

“Taaaaaki… smilllllling… At l-least sooooooommmmeone f-f-from theeeee orphanage g-g00o1t tooooooo… smile… I aaaaaaaam happpppppy.”

Tears almost tore through Miu’s eyes once more. Even Taki seemed shocked by the wording and acknowledgement. In his mind, he knew he had been beyond cruel to these two. And Yuki had always been so kind and innocent. He had not deserved the terror that Taki had inflicted on them. Yet now, this monstrous being was saying he was happy that Taki was happy. To his own surprise, he also felt a sting of tears drifting in his eyes as he looked at the rattling being.

“I’m sorry, Yuki. I’m sorry for everything. You too, Miu. I’d take it all back if I could. I have prayed for your souls dozens of times in the years since. I always wanted to try and make it right- for how I was to you back then.”

Taki turned to Miu and Emi, who was already understanding and agreeing.

“Emi, can you try to help them?” Taki asked.

Emi glanced at Miu, who was currently forcing her eyes closed and biting her lip. Miu didn’t want to look at any of this. Her mind was spiraling with so many feelings of grief and rage that she feared if she opened her eyes, fire would consume all of them.

But then she felt the touch of small, soft fingers on her shoulder. Opening her eyes revealed Ishikawa Emi’s hand on her shoulder. Their eyes met for one more moment, and Emi gave a kind smile.

“I can help you,” Emi replied.

Miu’s left hand met hers without hesitation.

“Thank you,” Miu mouthed as she braced herself on the countertop.

Emi turned and took Taki’s hand with hers. The fabric of her shirt briefly clung to the smoothed round bump on her stomach as she faced Miu.

“Do we have a moment to grab a few things? In case we need to stay with you?”

“Yes. I technically froze time in the facility, so you have a moment,” Miu admitted.

Emi shook her head as her eyes widened. All Taki could do was laugh.

Seconds later, Taki and Emi were scrambling in the bedroom as they called out a checklist of items to bring.

“Toothbrushes?!” Taki shouted.

“S-Sure…” Miu answered.

“Okay, um, nipple cream?!”

“Taki!!”

“Sorry! …But I’ll grab it just in case.”

All the while, Yuki was observing the shelf of photos. Miu approached him and looked at the photo nearest Yuki. In it, Emi was smiling, holding a cup of coffee. Behind her, aesthetic decor lined the walls. She seemed content and happy.

“Weeeee never g-got to t-t-take phooooootos together, diiiiii1111id we?” Yuki asked.

It wasn’t something Miu had ever even considered, but as she stood there, she realized he was right. Through everything, after so much time merely surviving, there had never been a moment when the two of them had ever even gotten an image captured together. Looking at Emi’s smile, Miu wondered how many times Yuki had ever gotten to see her in any emotional state remotely near content, much less happy. Once more, grief’s burden threatened to undo her resolve.

To her relief, Taki and Emi returned a moment later with duffel bags in hand.

“Ok, we’re ready,” Taki said.

“That was quick,” Miu replied.

“Logistics lead,” Taki said with a shrug.

All of them turned to the portal that was still present.

“Let’s go, Yuki,” Miu whispered as she took Yuki’s cold hand.

“Gooooodbye, Taki house,” Yuki said as he limped to the portal.

The four of them stepped through and were immediately back in the facility, where time was still frozen.

Red light still bathed the space in an eerie crimson ambience. Sirens were now unending droning whirs. Seeing the hundreds of beds caused Emi to gasp. Taki stepped to a nearby bed as his mouth pulled down.

“Holy shit. Holy shit?” he whispered.

“Here!” Miu commanded as she led the group towards Yuki.

Automaton Yuki froze when they got close, causing Miu to stop as well.

“Yuki?” Miu asked.

“IIIIIIII don’t w-want to looooook again. I-I don’t want toooooo s-s-s-see myself…” Yuki said.

Miu understood and did not press him.

“Okay, stay right there. I may need you, but I’ll make sure you can’t see yourself if I do, okay?” Miu asked.

“Oooookay,” Yuki replied.

“Oh gods. Oh, gods…” Taki muttered.

He and Emi were already observing the terminal and bed. Miu joined them. All of Yuki’s mutilated remains were visible to them now.

“What is this?” Emi choked as her hand covered her mouth.

“It’s Yuki. It’s what’s left of him. After the military…” Miu said with an uncontrolled disdain in her voice.

Taki didn’t dare look at her. For him, his shame was more than enough and he knew nothing he could say would help. Miu kept her focus on the bed.

“It’s ArcanTech somehow. This glyph is strange to me. It’s not like anything I saw with the Arcans, but it feels like them. Yuki said his mind and spirit feel like they’re in the automaton. But their real bodies are here. Something happened. Alarms started to sound, and these dials started to drop.”

Emi looked at the cabling running to the bed and then the screens.

“He’s still alive. That’s a heartbeat sensor. Those are brain activity details. We’ll need to keep these life support systems running. These beds are sealed, and I’m afraid of opening them. So we’ll need to keep life support and feeding systems online as they are. Miu, can you do that?”

Miu thought.

“I can create my own electricity that can flow to the beds. So even if they cut the power, it will be okay. We can’t stay here in The Aether forever, so yes, I will do that.”

Taki glanced at the screen while Emi read the dials.

“‘Manu-Crystal integrity rating: 44.71 percent…” Taki read aloud.

Yuki’s shaking head lifted slightly beside them.

“Myyyyyy crystal isssss d-degrading. I am f-fading faster…”

All of them turned to him.

“When I f-first awoke, m-my r-r-r-rating waaass almost one h-hundred… I aaaaaaam degrading, I think.”

“What?” Miu whimpered as she faced Yuki.

“N-number going dooooown. Every t-time I died. Now s-stillllll going down.”

“What happens when the number reaches zero?” Taki asked.

Yuki scanned the room and processed the sight of all of the other souls trapped in their beds.

“I t-t-think I finally die. Fooooooor goo00000od.”