Mod Superhero

Chapter 4.27 - Vulnerabilities

The rest of the afternoon was hazy. Emmett slipped in and out of consciousness as they flew away from the monstrosity. The world passed by in a haze of cloudy sky and the smell of metal and exhaust from Arsenal's exosuit.

Emmett woke up in a submersion tank in section 006. He was intubated and submerged in lukewarm water. Past the haze, the room was bright white, except for the spider-like set of mechanical arms dangling from the ceiling.

He rapped his knuckles on the glass and a second later, TINA's voice sounded through the water.

"Welcome back."

TINA opened the top hatch. Emmett sat up and pulled out his intubation tube, coughing as he did. He doubted he would ever get used to that feeling.

He pushed his hair back and wiped his eyes. "How long was I out?"

"Seven hours."

"Shit. How bad was it? I got hit..."

"The monstrosity struck you with its tail. You had numerous fractures and soft tissue injuries from the impact. Because of the number of injuries, it was easier to treat you in a submersion tank. You should make a full recovery."

Emmett sighed. "I was dumb. I shouldn't have stopped."

"You stopped to make sure your teammates were evacuating the area."

"They weren't my teammates... I got hurt because I was checking on villains."

The door hissed open and Dr. Venture walked in. "I'm inclined to agree with TINA. You made the right call... even if it doesn't feel like it."

Emmett hadn't seen much of the Doctor since the war with the Deep Ones started. Whatever he'd been working on, things were starting to take a toll on him. The stubble on his face couldn't really be called stubble any more, and his eyes were heavy with bags.

Emmett laughed bitterly. "Who are you again?"

Dr. Venture ignored the joke and stood beside the tank. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm still waking up. I think."

"You were lucky. Most of your injuries weren't anything to be alarmed about. However, the injuries to your brain and your spinal column were concerning."

Emmett stared back at his mentor. "And?"

"Well, by all accounts, you're fine. But we need to talk. Get dressed and meet me in the section hub."

Emmett waited for the Doctor to leave. Then he climbed out of the tank on unsteady legs. TINA used the robotic arms to hand him a towel to dry off the saline solution, then Emmett put on the change of sweat clothes hanging nearby. Slowly, his faculties came back to him. He wasn't sure if it was anesthesia wearing off or Mutagen-A speeding up his recovery. Either way, he was thankful to be awake. And alive.

All the while, one of the robotic arms hovered near him.

"I'm fine, TINA. Really."

The arm didn't leave Emmett's side until he walked out of the room.

~

Both Clara and Dr. Venture were waiting for him in the hub of section 006. Clara ran over and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Hey, you," she said, resting her head against his chest.

"Hey..." Emmett glanced at Dr. Venture. The Doctor had been watching out of the corner of his eye and quickly turned back to the wall monitors.

Emmett wrapped his arms around her and gave her a squeeze. "I'm alright. Really."

"You said that earlier too. Right before you passed out."