Amir was placed in a resting capsule.

He wasn't dead, but he was placed in a vegetative state. The capsule was designed to strengthen the muscles and minds of those who went into shock. The vegetative state Generals were placed in wasn't typically life-threatening, but it meant that Amir could take a long time to wake up. Up to 5 years.

Never did he ever think he'd see Amir lose this fight so easily. Decha balled his fists and clenched his jaw, before looking to his feet. Fury fueled his blood.

Chen placed his hand on Decha's shoulder and tapped on it twice, an Astellian man's sign of comfort. But Chen never exchanged any other words with him as he walked out of the room.

Decha stepped forward and placed his hands on the capsule. "I'm going to avenge you if it's the last thing I do." Decha felt the warmth in his ears as he became more irate. He was more than vexed. He was more than infuriated.

He didn't know how to describe it. But he was livid that the people behind the Walls collapse had played him out into a fool. Even after setting a system in place, he played right into their trap.

No more games. He didn't want to play anymore. Now was the time to get serious, and find the culprit behind it all. And when he found whoever did it, he was going to give them a slow and agonizing death.

"Wait for it, Amir." Decha dropped his hands to his side and strode out of the room.

First things first, he had to go to the council and get the footage of the explosion. There had to have been at least 3 or 4 bombs that went off to have caused such a disaster. He needed to see if any of the motion detectors captured the vitals of the individuals working at the border around that time.

~~~

Rory felt stiff and sore. Her body was screaming out in pain.

When she woke up, she didn't know where she was. It looked like a hospital room, but she figured it couldn't be. Although she was hooked up to an oxygen machine and her arm had an IV running out of her arm, the room looked too luxurious.

Rory moved her hand slightly and her fingers glazed across a key panel. A holographic screen opened above her, and it scared her. The screen displayed her vitals and heart rate.

This was definitely an Astellian hospital.

Rory moaned and turned her head to the left. There was a window with thin fabric curtains to cover the clear opening, but Rory could see the sunrise. She then turned to the right and saw the couch, the large flat-screen TV, and the rest of what looked like a lounge.

There was also the door, and right outside of it, she saw two bulky-looking men dressed in black uniforms standing and equipped with guns.

Rory fought so hard to try and remember how she got there. The last thing she remembered was being surrounded by black fog, but she couldn't tell if it was all a dream or not.

Rory's thoughts were interrupted when the doors to her right opened, and she saw a nurse pushing in a tall and round metallic machine she had never seen before. The two men shut the door behind her after she was completely inside, but she paused when saw Rory sitting up and wide awake.

"Oh! You're awake." The woman voiced monotone and walked over to her. "Your vitals are stable now. So that's good to see. That's a lot of improvement compared to hours ago. How do you feel?"

"... Sore?" Rory croaked shamefully. The woman was a general. She had braided blonde hair that was tied back neatly and only 3 pins on her lab coat. The nametag listed the woman's name and number, Kristy Lane, N8788.

"You'll feel that way for a while. The medicine is still doing its job."

"M-medicine?"

"The herbal substance to help you come to. Your body isn't in the best shape. But that's okay, with the proper medical treatment you'll be fine."

Rory was so confused. She didn't remember taking an herbal substance.

Kristy placed the machine in front of Rory, and it began to scan her full body. Rory flinched, but Kristy grabbed onto her arm. "It's okay, calm down. I'm just trying to make sure that you're stable enough to walk around."

"You can't do that!" Rory protested. "You're Astellian! Giving me any type of medical exam or treatment is against the law!"

"By N96's orders, I can. He got permission to do so through the council. They've given him the executive authority over your well-being."

"Who the heck is N96? Let me go! I want a word with the person who has this, 'executive authority! You don't have any right—"

"Rory, please, calm down. Your heart rate is increasing at a dangerous pace."

"Let me go!" Rory snatched herself away from the nurse and rolled to the other side of the bed. "Don't you dare touch me!"

"You will become unstable if you act this way," Kristy voiced with worry before taking a step back. "I won't touch you, okay? Just calm down." Kristy knew if Rory's state worsened she wouldn't hear the end of it from Decha. She didn't want to cross him. "Are you hungry? Do you want to watch TV? I'll bring you food and turn it on."

"I want to go home!" Rory hated the hospital. She loathed it. It's where she spent most of her life as a child. The last thing she needed was to be locked away in an Astellian medical facility with people who all wanted to play Doctor. She wasn't going to allow them to do anything to her body.

"Unfortunately, you can't leave."

"Why the heck not!?" Rory huffed.

"Because I said so." A deep voice cut in as the doors opened, and Decha sauntered inside the room. He stood menacingly, as terrifying as he could be.

"Asher..." Rory's tone softened.

"N96, her vitals are stable. I was just trying to make sure her muscles were intact."

"You've done enough, Kristy, thank you." Decha dismissed her and walked over to Rory. "I'll handle the rest from here. If you could ask the kitchen to prepare a meal for her, that will be appreciated."

"Yes, sir." Kristy saluted him before leaving the room. The doors were shut again, leaving Decha and Rory alone.

"Asher, I—"

"Please, stop calling me by that name." Decha snapped. "Address me as the general number you've just heard. N96."

"... Why?"

"Because Asher was a codename given to me at Grandell. And also, it is a sign of respect to call me properly. I'm not going to remind you of your place."

"Okay." Rory looked at her lap. Decha reached up to touch her face, but she flinched away. "What are you—"

"Your wound hasn't healed completely." Decha sighed.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"I don't have to answer you," Decha responded snarkily.

"You don't but I need to know. I'm terrified, and my mind is foggy. I don't want to accept treatment from people I'm not familiar with. And most of all, I want to leave."

"You're not leaving."

"You can't keep me here! It's illegal to clinically treat a Bracketer. You don't even know what you're doing or what I have!"

"I know about your condition."

"Do you?" Rory snorted. "Do you, really?"

"IDS is not as uncommon as you think it is, Rory. There are several cases here of patients with it."

"Just because you know the condition doesn't mean you know my history with it."

"I do, though." Decha crossed his arms. "I went to pick up your medical records just now, so we know everything."

"That's an invasion of my privacy!"

"Rory, you're in Sector A. As a Bracketer, you don't have any privacy, not unless you're registered here as a resident. And temporarily, I've placed you under my care. Until the entire border situation is sorted out, I am your legal guardian. That means that your treatment, your privacy, and your whereabouts are all things I am responsible for." Decha finished. "To be clear, without me, you would've been left out in the street to die. "

Before he came to the hospital, he had to go to the council and make an official request to place Rory under his care to reside in Astell temporarily. The Brackets City Hall representative accepted it in his favor.

This is most likely because of the Wall's collapse. There were so many unclaimed Bracket children or handicapped that needed to be placed. One less Bracketer to worry about was a good thing

With that came all of Rory's personal information.

"You... you..." Rory couldn't find much to say.

"When you're able to walk around without limping or straining yourself, I'll have you transported somewhere else. Right now, it's wise for you to rest." He was still disturbed that she had come so close to death just the day before. He was still furious about Amir's condition.

All of it was overwhelming, but he couldn't show it. The case was important, and he needed to solve it. There was no time to waste. Showing vulnerability wasn't going to help him find the culprits who ruined the lives of many.

Rory memorized everything. The bomb, the walls falling. The dust. If only she hadn't snuck out, she wouldn't have been stuck here. More than anything, she wanted to go home and search for her father.

A tear dropped to the white sheets that covered Rory's legs. Soon after, Rory hunched over and began to cry.

Decha watched her awkwardly.

"My father...is gone." Rory sobbed. "The shop was destroyed. I saw it. He was probably buried under all of the rubble. I'm too weak to go and find him." She balled her fists angrily. "He's probably still buried... his body is probably cold."

Decha didn't know what to say. The Nationals and other Generals were still searching for survivors on both sides. But he wasn't able to comfort her because there was no confirmation if her father was alive or not.

"I... don't understand why you would save me," Rory raised her eyes to Decha. "I'm going to die."

"You're not going to die, Rory."

"You don't understand at all," Rory shook her head. "I went to Grandell because I wanted to graduate before I..." Rory wiped her face and looked back down. She wondered why she even thought of revealing her darkest secret to him. She barely knew the general, only that he was highly ranked.

Months before the in-person class mandate went into effect, Rory received a letter from her Physician. It was addressed to her father, but she read it first. Rory didn't have much longer to live.

Only a little more than half a year to be exact. That's why she tried so hard to be at the top of her class, why she was trying to finish her project. She wanted her father to see her walk the stage at her graduation before she left.

After she read the letter, she hid it so her father wouldn't see. He was protective because he wanted to make sure she was in good condition to continue her treatment. Rory played along with it because she wanted him to think she was okay so her goal could be reached.

But without her father, what was the point of going on living anymore?

The reason she didn't want to be scanned was that she knew that the staff would find out that she was dying. POYO was able to scan her vitals, but she purposely omitted the coding to let others know about her worsened state.

"You admire Astellian technology, right?" Decha began, trying his best to keep her mind off the incident. He felt a little stupid for not understanding what to do, but he was going to try despite hating it so much.

"Our technology is a lot more advanced than the Brackets. In my care, I won't allow anything detrimental to happen to you. I hope you can trust in not only our treatment plans but also in me."

"I don't want to be scanned." Rory shook her head. "I don't want to be treated."

"I won't force you to have a scan. But as for treatment, I'm responsible for you. So you have to take medication and get rest."

"If I'm able to walk around, you'll let me go, right?"

"I'll have you transported somewhere for the time being. But that doesn't mean you'll be free to go back to Sector B."

"It's not fair. I didn't do anything wrong yet I'm being treated like a prisoner."

"I'll clarify that you're more of a patient." Decha shrugged. "The border is unsafe right now. As I said, when things are sorted out you can go back."

"How long will that take?"

"I can't tell you."

Rory scowled and groaned. She was going to be forced to spend the last of her life here.

"I'll turn the TV on for you. Kristy will be back up with breakfast."

"N96,"

"Yes?" Decha turned to face her one more time before leaving.

"Could I have my stuff back? My cellphone and my laptop? Or my other things?" Rory wanted to start on a finishing product for POYO. If she was going to be stuck here, might as well leave her legacy behind.

"I'll have someone bring your phone to you. The rest of the things are packed away in storage. You'll get them when you're discharged."

~~~

"Decha!" Jessica embraced her son tight. The two swayed side to side, against Decha's will. She didn't want to let him go. Her husband had told her what happened at the border.

When she saw the report and the video of how much damage the walls did, she felt horrified. And when Theodore told her that Decha was stationed there, she was kept back from putting on her clothes and traveling there herself to save her son.

"Mom," Decha eased into her hug. He pulled her arms away soon after and relaxed his stern expression. A faint smile appeared on Decha's lips, he was masking the frustration and anger he had pent up inside.

Seeing his mother did make him feel more relaxed.

"I heard what happened at the Wall." Jessica grabbed onto Decha's face and looked into his eyes. "Your father told me what happened with Amir, but don't blame yourself. I know you. You're doing great, my son." She stood on her toes and kissed his forehead. "Don't overwork yourself."

"I'll be fine." Decha nodded in response. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"I need you to keep it between you and me, although I know you may not like what I'm about to say."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's important. You never get this serious unless it is."

"When the walls collapsed, I saved a woman."

"A woman?" Jessica pinched her earlobes, thinking she didn't hear him right. In her son's 26 years of living, she's never heard him speak about a woman before. He was always so focused on work. And he was a reserved man. She always assumed he was too shy to talk with women.

"A bracket woman,"

"Oh," Jessica's mouth dropped. "Oh, Decha, my boy," She didn't know what to say. She already didn't like where this conversation was headed, but she forced herself to listen.

"She's sick, and because the border is blocked off, she can't exactly go back to Sector B. So I've become her temporary guardian for the time being."

Jessica frowned. Her son always had a soft spot for people, although he refused to acknowledge it. He was doing the same thing he did when he brought Avon home.

"Decha, you can't keep bringing Bracketers here every time."

"It's not something I want to do willingly, but I don't have the resources to buy my own property or the time to wait for a large purchase to process."

"Are you sure she is unable to go back on her own?"

"She's... not stable enough to do so. Her case is a bit more severe, but it's not rare. And I've already placed her under my care, legally."

"Decha, you sometimes do things without thinking and it's frightening whenever you do it," Jessica grumbled. "What is this Bracket woman sick with? She may be playing you for a fool."

"You would know since you worked at the hospitals." Decha nodded. Jessica used to be a General in the past, she worked as a surgeon. But when Decha was in high school, she retired and became a housewife to tend to his academic advancements. "She has IDS."

"IDS?" Jessica scoffed. She knew what it was. One of her colleague's kids contracted the disease before she retired. But Jessica knew that each case had different levels of extreme. "When you say her case is severe..."

"She almost died yesterday when her condition reacted to the Collapse. I barely saved her."

"Poor girl," Jessica shook her head. "Bring the woman here, and I'll run an exam on her. When the walls are fixed, she should be good as new."

"I've already signed for her treatment to start at the hospital."

"She won't get better that way. People with that disease have spent so much of their lives at the hospitals, and they tend to get worse. I do recommend that she is in a homey environment to ease her stress."

It made sense. That's probably why Rory didn't want to stay in his luxury suite. A hospital was still a hospital.

"Bring her here. I'll have one of our spare rooms prepared for her to stay in."

Decha pulled his mother in for a hug, and it surprised her. He hadn't initiated an embrace since he was a child. Decha felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Is this woman that important to you?"

"No," Decha huffed. "It's just that you've made my job a lot easier."

"You should stay here and rest for a while. I can tell you're exhausted."

Decha considered it, but he knew he couldn't stay. He had to go back to the Agency to review footage of the Walls. Then he needed to go back to the border and help with more cleanup.

~~~