Factory Reset: Divine Corruption

Chapter Sixty-Five

Chapter Sixty-Five: Guilty Again

The air inside the infirmary was palpable, cuttable by a knife. A gloom hung around those inside, like a fog contaminating their senses. There was no reason for the sadness, for the gloominess, but it appeared as naturally as worms during a rainstorm. Despite the many rooms and residences of the infirmary, only a singular bed was taken up.

Mason lay, alone for the moment, in an enclosed room. One colored a sterile while, sat upon a sterile white bed, with numerous devices hooked up to him. His boyfriend had just left to grab something to eat while they awaited Mason's group to come to the planet. It had been an hour since the incident down in the highway, and it was only now lessening.

After Mason had woken up, he was told by Render that he would call his own forces. They had no idea the underground had been taken over, and how could they? Silence was a good thing to have on one's side, and it appeared that Juda, or whoever was orchestrating this, had silence on their side.

Mason shifted uncomfortably, his fur itching as the rather scratchy fabric that made his hospital gown irritated his skin. His amethyst eyes seemed tired, even as he shifted with utmost discomfort. Exhaustion pervaded his mind, and yet the formidable rabbit didn't want to sleep. Not until his crew that he brought along appeared before him, and he knew they were all right and safe.

Most were taking his impromptu hospitalization well enough. Ja'Kle was fine, though that was due to him actually being able to touch Mason. The other's, while worried, had seen their captain in this situation enough times to know that he wasn't in true critical condition. Still, Mason felt guilty that he caused them to feel worried.

Apparently, news of the Silent-Screamers down in the Underground had 'disturbed' the surface residents, and most had vacated the city before Mason even was carried out of the underground. It appeared that when Render had sounded the alarm for his posse, and the medical staff, the news travelled extremely fast.

Maybe it was for the better, all things considered, that the surface residents had disbursed. They all might be criminals, or at least most of them, but they were the literal surface-level. It was a good thing they vacated, because if Mason knew Pattern-Screamers and their variants, it could get very detrimental to life very fast.

Mason shifted as the door ahead of him, the entrance to his sterile room, opened. Ja'Kle entered briskly, carrying a large bag stuffed full of food. He had changed since he had left, now wearing what appeared to be a white suit over his own clothes. He smiled warmly as he held up the food.

"God that Lich'En is a dick." Ja'Kle explained, sitting down on his moveable chair by Mason's bed, quickly looking through the bag for some of the good food,"You'd think I'd find, I dunno, happiness that another one of my species is here. But Gods, he is so pretentious."

Mason chuckled, gratefully taking a styrofoam box filled to the brim with rice-like food. Mason groaned, tasting the mass of maggot-y looking rice with a plastic spork. It tasted like chicken, in actuality. A rather weird taste, but not one altogether unpleasant.

Ja'Kle grabbed his own food, something that greatly resembles an earthen burger, and chopped into it, "You know-" He continued after swallowing, taking a few nibbles of his burger-thing as he talked, "I was a little weirded out by Render at first. Now... He's just odd."

Mason raised an eyebrow, digging his spork into the mass of rice, taking in the smell with a shiver, "He's odd, yeah..." Mason responded, taking a spork full. He chewed slowly, savouring the taste. Ja'Kle 'hmm'd' and scooted his chair closer, grabbing Mason by the arm, alleviating what little Black-Boson Energy remained in him.

"Right, sorry, forgot." Ja'Kle chanted, frowning lightly at himself Mason waved it off, though his touch certainly did help alleviate some uncomfortableness. It seemed that the little remaining Boson caused him to be hypersensitive, as he no longer felt that itchy.