I realized I was awake after a few moments of hearing a puppy barking, followed by several feminine voices going ‘sooooo cute!’ I had no idea how long I was out, but I quickly realized that aside from my puppy being played with by several women that I just knew would be trying to kidnap him, I was also clothed. The implications of being clothed meant that Green had taken me from that gel bath where she roofied me like some professional bar sleaze and clothed me.

I had the sinking suspicion she had not done it alone either. I had no idea why I felt that way, but the multitude of women I heard just outside of view playing with Leo seemed a pretty reliable indication.

I sighed, before trying to get up from the medical bed they had placed me on only to realize that I was strapped down. I grunted, pulling my arm hard against the straps in question. I was about to call out for someone to help me when I heard Green saying something.

“Shhh, he’s awake. Give me the cutie and head out. Let’s not let him know how many of you I let help me.” A chorus of giggles answered her with one soft voice I could barely make out asking something I swear was “When can we get Fernando?” Her voice sounded dreamy with no small amount of desire laced into those soft words.

“When I can get the monster to stop taking those Stimpacks. Now shoo!” Another scattering of giggles and they were gone. I had a minor panic attack at just why several of the medical staff would have wanted to see me naked. That thought quickly went down the path of wondering just what Green had let them do to me while I was out.

While mentally trying to fight back the horror, and excitement, of what may or may not have been done to me while I was knocked out I silently sent a prayer for Fernando’s sake.

My little prayer was short lived as Green walked in holding Leo. I slowly lifted my hand and shook it a bit. “What the fuck?” I had meant for something eloquent or even pointed. Apparently, I was just hardwired to be a crass bastard though. She scratched Leo’s chin a bit and then undid my straps while talking.

“You thrashed about while asleep, from a nightmare or something else I cannot say. For your safety, I strapped you down.”

That little smile playing at the edge of her mouth told me that while that may have been true, my nightmare may have been more real than I wanted to believe. Shuddering a bit and moving very quickly from the thought of being pimped out by my doctor, though I doubt she would do that, I brought up the most critical thing on my mind at the moment.

“Nova?” I wanted to see her, make sure she was ok. Green let out a little sigh before nodding and bringing over a wheelchair with one hand. When I moved to try and get in it, she tsked at me and told me “not until I tell you what we found.”

I groaned a bit but decided it would save me a lecture and, you know, my soul being sucked from my body if I just accepted the wait. “As you know, you had multiple fractures throughout your body. During my analysis, while you were under” when you drugged me “I noticed an almost impossible occurrence.”

“I say almost because ever since a week ago I have been getting multiple reports from my people of injuries that should take weeks or months being healed over the course of a few days. The longest recorded was a week. This showed itself most during the siege with you and Nova.”

She paused, looking at me with a considering look. Gone was the soul-sucking Demon, in its place, stood something far worse. A woman with a hunch and a mind to make logical leaps. Shit.

“I do not know exactly what is going on, but I know it has to do with you, Damian. I won’t pry, for now, but if it is something that can advance our research and healing abilities I would prefer knowing now rather than later. Regardless, you no doubt have noticed that your aches are more or less gone.”

In fact, I had. While she was talking, I’d been wiggling about, trying to speed up this entire conversation in some ill-conceived attempt using my wiggles of doom.

“During the examination, I saw tangible evidence of your bones healing at a highly accelerated rate. I also saw how the process was eating up your natural reserves. Your body was more or less cannibalizing itself to speed this up. The same was happening in Nova and other badly injured individuals after the siege. My equipment wasn’t advanced enough at the time for me to have solid evidence. You will likely feel very tired for a day, perhaps two, but you are fully healed. No internal injuries remained from what I could tell as well. You did have some minor brain activity that seemed out of the norm, but after three hours of close observation we found it was nothing detrimental.”

I was nodding along, trying to speed this up by staying silent. That changed a bit when she said the last, a little bit of stress on ‘close.’ What the fuck had she been doing to me while I was out? Furthermore, ‘WE?’ Also, what the fuck did she mean by three damn hours!

“Three hours?” I asked, my voice a little high pitched, afraid of all the horrors that may have occurred during that time.

“Yes, well, more like seven if I am honest. I had to call in multiple people from my Medics for secondary opinions and monitoring your vitals.” She showed a smile; it looked evil as hell to me. “They were very professional, of course, Damian. I do have it recorded if you wish to see it.”

I quickly stopped her right there. “Burn all copies!” I demanded, far too afraid of what this devil thing I had for a doctor may have had done to my poor, pure, body. She giggled, fucking giggled, and then moved on.

Another twenty minutes of that, the rest being very severe and concise. She warned me about taking it easy for at least a few days while my body replenished its reserves and recovered from multiple weeks of sleep deprivation and stress I had put it through.

I agreed, without my internal monologue of things regarding her evilness. She was serious, and I respected the frightening woman enough to understand it was important. Once that was done I was given my little Leo. I did not, in anyway, hold onto him while secretly crying for whatever lost innocence that may have occurred during my time asleep. I also had the entire video for that day wiped, then I had one of the Imperial Guard hunt down and confiscate the fucking copies that Green had handed out, a fact I learned only in passing because a Medic at the front desk was gushing over something I refuse to remember.

Green led me rolled me into another section of the facility. This one was quiet as well though seemed more for ‘outpatient recovery’ or something like that. I ignored her explanation.

The reason I ignored it was reasonably straightforward, we had arrived at Nova’s room. She was sleeping in one of the bed. A blanket tucked up under her arms. Her hair splayed all around her. I absently thought she looked angelic. I rolled forward, not noticing that Green had departed the area after saying she would return in a little while for me.

I moved up beside the woman I cared for and sat my little bundle of love onto the bed, where he promptly started wagging his tail and looking at the unconscious woman like she was someone that would snuggle him.

I allowed my imagination to go a little wild there but shook my head and took her hand in mine carefully. She looked peaceful like she wasn’t actually in a coma but instead sleeping. If only that were indeed the case. Letting out a little sigh, I lay my head against my forearm and watched her breath, thankful she was alive.

Honestly, I felt like a love-struck teenage girl about to confess to her ‘one true love.’ I snorted a bit at that; everyone has a girly side. Mine just happened to be an idiotic one. I did decide that when she woke up, I’d finally grow a pair and just speak with her about this shit. She knew, of that, I had no doubt, she was an intelligent woman. Not to mention her looks, the way that armor hugged her curves, mmmm.

Classy, Damian, real classy. Fantasize about her ass while she’s in a fucking coma. I sat there for another half hour before Green came to get me. I grabbed Leo, who had been licking Nova’s fingers and whining as he wondered what was wrong.

Green rolled me out of the building at that point while telling me all of her vitals were perfect, we just had to wait now. “Yeah, wait,” I said absently before shaking off the melancholy and making Green stop a moment. I mentally called out the Hidden Knowledge Card, shocked beyond words when a fucking book popped into my hands but handed it to Green all the same. “Take this Green. Maybe it will help somehow. I’ve been meaning to give it to you for a while anyway.”

Eyes wider than saucers she grabbed the book reverently and smiled a million watt smile. That smile alone might have made me fall to my knees and promise to be her slave for life if I had not known I’d likely perish in bed with the woman. The thought brought a small chuckle out of me, and I read the box that popped up.

Congratulations! You have granted your Hero: Abigal Green the Hidden Knowledge Card! Your Hero Unit has been given insight into the workings of all things related to her chosen profession, Medic. The Knowledge contained within holds information that will be discovered over time and allow a cumulative increase to all things related to medicine. For granting this object of hidden knowledge to a Hero Unit with genius level knowledge in their profession you have been awarded the Unique Unit ‘Cherubin.’ Further gains will be made known at a later date.

Cherubin - Unique Medical Unit granted to you for giving the Hidden Knowledge Card to Abigal Green. This Unit is capable of healing three biological Units at once without complications. Healing is done via beam technology and has a chance at instantly setting and repairing bones, though it is a low chance.

Congratulations Player! You have obtained a Unique Unit, Cherubin, and have been granted the right to influence what their armor will look like. -WARNING- You may only select something related to your House Symbol.

Because your House Symbol is a Chimera, you may choose between the Bear, Wolf, or Lion. Further advised, your choice will change how the Unique Unit operates as each animal in your Chimera has unique properties as yet discovered.

I blinked at the sensory overload, ignoring a gushing Green who, for once, was at a loss for words and was saying things more along the lines of gibberish. My focus was entirely on those boxes, all I could think was ‘what the fuck?’ Since when did I get to choose this shit, and since when had my House Symbol had ‘unique’ properties? Did this come from the fucking book? Had I made a mistake by not just using it myself?

These questions and more ran through my mind while I looked at them, completely at a loss for words. Taking it as best as I could, I thought about my choices and what I felt would symbolize the ‘Cherubin’ Medics best. After a moment, I made my decision.