After Doctor Wolmer's interruption, Aniela swiftly carried Gilbert to emergency care. Throughout the journey, his body convulsed violently, his circuits overheating and going haywire as it continuously sent chaotic bursts of signals across his body. Acting quickly, she administered medication to regulate his body temperature. Normally, she would just instruct the squad medic on what to do, considering her schedule was far too packed for direct intervention. Gilbert was different; not only did he go around the command unit his body held secrets that intrigued her.
As his more prominent circuit burned hotter, threatening collapse, an unexpected anomaly emerged: his hidden circuit was quietly mitigating the damage while safeguarding him in ways she had never anticipated nor fully understood. A part of her wished for more time to study it, but time was fleeting, and her priority now is to ensure his survival as a squire.
Alongside Chen Mei, they worked tirelessly on Gilbert for nearly an hour. They managed to prevent the overheating and outright collapse of his circuit, yet they failed to fix the continuous chaotic signals being sent throughout his system. Despite every intervention, his body continued to convulse, a stark reminder of the instability of his circuits.
Chen Mei watched the erratic data stream flicker on the monitor, frowned as worry crept into her voice.
"Uhhm, Colonel, what should we do now?"
Aniela, with a composed demeanor, glanced at Chen Mei before offering a measured response.
"Don't worry, you've done well. Go and watch over the rest of your squad."
Hearing her reassurance, Chen Mei hesitated, her gaze lingering on Gilbert's trembling form. After Chen Mei left, Aniela continued her work at Gilbert's bedside, meticulously adjusting the medication being injected into his system to calm his frenzied circuits. Just as she moved to step away and review her notes, a sudden impact jarred her, a collision with something as solid and unyielding as a brick wall. She paused, taking several seconds to gather herself. When her vision finally cleared, she looked up in surprise to see General Beckett standing there, his gaze sternly fixed on Gilbert's form."General, good day to you, Sir," Aniela said, executing a neat salute as myriad thoughts raced through her mind about why he would be here. "What brings you here?"
"At ease, Colonel Eden," General Beckett replied calmly, his eyes fixed on Gilbert's still quivering form. "It isn't every day a squire almost burns his circuit. There hasn't been anyone operating armor like this since the first generation. How is he?""That is true, Sir," Aniela explained. "His circuit hasn't stopped sending chaotic signals through his body. No matter what, I haven't been able to halt them."
Beckett's expression remained impassive as he pressed on while accessing the terminal by Gilbert's bedside, "Can you explain why such a phenomenon is occurring?"
"Based on the data, Sir, I have inferred his body is healing fine, but it lacks the energy required to process all the data running through his system. All I can do is keep his body cool and hope it processes everything," Aniela replied, as she pointed key areas of data to the General.
Nodding slightly as he processed the information, General Beckett asked calmly,
"So all he needs is the extra energy to process the data, correct?"
Aniela returned his look with a silent nod before he continued,
"Then it's simple. Give him his bone lacing. Even though it doesn't target the circuits directly, it will allow his body's energy levels to gradually rise, which should solve the energy problem." and thought it over
Hearing his statement, Aniela's eyes widened before she quickly regained her composure.
"With all due respect, Sir, while it is theoretically possible," she began cautiously. "However, given his current condition, his chances of survival drop exponentially. Even with a high synchronization rate, it would be much safer if we simply waited until he is calm before doing something so dangerous." Her measured tone left no doubt as she refuted the plan.
"Yes, but your current approach means it could take months, or years even, before he calms down, and even then, he might not survive in his current condition. This method, however, gives him a fighting chance." General Beckett stepped away from the terminal, turning to face Aniela, his tone resolute as he continued, "Based on what I have seen from the video of his battle, he is a fighter. Not only did he take serum 2.0, but if anyone can survive such a procedure, that would be him."
Silence fell as an impasse settled over the room. A weak, labored cough broke the stillness. "Cough cough, Doctor, what is the chance of my surviving?" Gilbert's frail voice emerged from his bed, surprising Aniela. She turned, her gaze meeting his blurry, half-opened eyes as she registered what she was seeing.
Gathering her thoughts quickly, Aniela calculated in her head before answering firmly, "Gilbert, you should stay calm. If you undergo this surgery in your condition, there is only a 45% chance that you will survive."
A small chuckle, tinged with pain, escaped him. "Cough cough 45%? That is higher than my chance of surviving as an orphan," for a brief moment in his weakened state, his eyes became clear as he declared, "I'll do it."
"You heard the man, Doctor," General Beckett said with a small smile adorning his face, "Give the man his Bone lacing." With those words, he walked away.
Aniela released a quiet sigh and turned back to her terminal, swiftly dispatching a notification to set the surgery in motion. Then she sent a message to Captain Cade to bring his circuit gem to the surgery room. As she lifted her head to survey the room once more, her eyes fell upon Gilbert. He lay slack against the bed, his gaze now fully shuttered in unconsciousness.
Medics started streaming into the room as they carefully rolled Gilbert away for surgery. They first administered anesthesia before breaking every bone in his body, fighting against the violent spasms, which made it harder. At times, they ended up breaking some bones more than required. Amid the quiet tension of the surgery room, Captain Cade appeared, silently entering with a polished metallic box in his hand. Without a word, he placed the box beside Aniela, his expression unreadable as he allowed her to focus on the task at hand. Cade then slipped away to the observation room.
After the medics finished breaking his bones, Aniela quickly checked Gilbert's vitals to determine if he was stable enough to proceed. Receiving the system's green light, she moved to a corner where a medical pod waited. With careful precision, the team gently transferred Gilbert's limp body into the pod, handling his fragile form with the utmost care.
"Where is the circuit gem? Somebody page Captain Cade," Aniela demanded with urgency as she surveyed the scene.
One of the assistants responded promptly, "Sir, Captain Cade delivered that metallic box while you were busy. He is up there," he said, motioning toward the observation room where Captain Cade stood silently, his watchful gaze fixed on the proceedings. Nodding slightly in acknowledgment, she opened the box to reveal the azure gem with luminescent lines pulsing through it. Gently, she placed the gem into a designated slot on the pod. As Gilbert's system synchronized with the gem, his body convulsed more violently, and blood began to leak from his lips. The room fell into a heavy silence as Aniela meticulously rechecked his vitals. When the monitors turned green, signaling temporary stability, she turned her gaze toward Captain Cade.
"You are his commanding officer," she said, her voice resonating clearly in the observation room. "There is a high possibility he won't survive this process. You have the option to stop before we reach the point of no return."
Silence fell once more as she waited for Captain Cade's decision, and Aniela silently hoped he might cancel the perilous procedure. Instead, a flat, emotionless voice cut through, "Continue," With resignation weighing on her. Aniela wore a brief, conflicted expression, then sighed and signaled her assistant into action.
Within moments, two barrels of liquid metal, an advanced composite of fibers and alloys, were rolled into the room. The medics swiftly connected hoses from the barrels to the pod that cradled Gilbert's limp form. Reaching into the cold storage, Aniela retrieved an iron serum, a specialized serum designed to reduce the risk of rejection, its purpose to help his body accept the invasive infusion of metals. With methodical precision, long, calibrated needles were inserted into Gilbert's body, and the alloy began its slow, controlled entry into his system as Aniela carefully adjusted the output on each line. An assistant kept a vigilant eye on his vitals, noting the occasional convulsion as his body fought the procedure.
For minutes, the process maintained a fragile equilibrium, until the volume of one barrel had been delivered. At that moment, Gilbert's spasms escalated into violent, uncontrollable convulsions. Blood leaked from his orifices, stark against the white body. The process grew so intense that it forced Gilbert awake. In a burst of agony, he screamed as he coughed up more blood, his body violently straining against the restraints. Every convulsion was a desperate battle, his raw cries of pain piercing the tense silence of the surgical chamber.
"Administer more iron serum!" Aniela shouted at her assistant, her tone urgent. "Gilbert, you have to fight it!"
"Sir, two barrels won't complete it; he needs at least one more entire barrel," the assistant replied quickly, injecting another serum into the pod with practiced efficiency.
"Then get two more barrels. Set them up to be connected immediately after these have finished," she barked, her voice slicing through the tension of the operating room. Her fingers flew over the controls as she took manual command of additional needles, using her creativity to calibrate the administration of metals as each problem popped up. "Come on, Gilbert, stay with me. We can get through this fight, Gilbert, fight!"
Gilbert clung to consciousness through the searing pain as he fixed his gaze on her. In that moment, as he fought through the agony, Aniela thought she saw something surprising, his eyes flashing a deep golden, but it vanished almost as quickly as it returned to normal. With a determined nod, he clamped his teeth in resolve before falling silent as he stared at the roof. They rushed to work, fighting between the destruction and restructuring of their body.