Purgatory

Chapter 22

The external drive I had been plugging into the past couple of weeks had been removed with my room, and I was given back the cord to the system instead.  Two rolls of clean bandages and a medical kit were laying on my bed neatly to accommodate for my most recent and unknown wounds that were on my arms.  My mind was unnaturally blank as I prepared for sleep, droning through the processes until I sat myself on my bed with a sigh.  I rubbed the back of my neck as I assessed the soreness in my joints and muscles, and my fingers lightly brushed against the metal chain around my neck.  The two keys chimed as their metallic bodies fell against one another under my shirt.  It was the sound of the abyss that resided in my heart.

I carefully unraveled the first bandage from my arm, the blood gradually becoming more prominent as I peeled back the layers.  My pace slowed as I reached the final layer, the reddened fabric revealing three new ports spaced evenly on the top of my forearm from the wrist to about an inch and three quarters away from the elbow.  I cleaned the blood off of my skin with some wipes that were apparently laced with disinfectant.  I winced from the stinging contact with the reddened flesh around the ports, and examined them closer when I could see them more clearly.

They were unlike anything I had ever seen before, and my database could not identify them.  They were round and about an inch in diameter with an inlaid quatrefoil design.  Within each of the four overlapping circles were four holes, and then a fifth and final hole in the middle.  I let the ports air out as I unraveled the other bandage to reveal a mirrored set of ports.  Curiosity led me to wonder if Cole would know anything about these mysterious connectors, and I quickly applied a gel medication pack before calling him.

I waited impatiently for him to pick up my call, and I paced the length of my room four times before he answered.  “Hey, is everything alright?” he asked, and I quickly held up my arms to the panel.

“Have you seen anything like this before?” I asked him.  “This is what they did to me.”

“It’s slightly reminiscent of PS/2 ports,” Cole pondered as he moved himself closer to the screen.  “But those ports are incredibly dated.  USB is the standard and only used port now, so it beats me as to why anyone would use something remotely like the old stuff.”

“I don’t even know what that is,” I admitted, and even checking through my own personal database I could find nothing on PS/2 ports.

“It was just some old way of connecting certain keyboards and mice to computers,” Cole explained to me.  I eyed the ports thoughtfully as I lowered my arms.

“Has anyone else ever gotten these before?” I asked.

“No, I’ve never seen them before in my life.  I don’t care if they can hear me say this, but I don’t want you going back to the medical ward.  They’ll plan ways of making you go with an assessment or some nonsense.  Just avoid it at all cost.”

“Are these going to get in the way of my hand-to-hand?” I pondered.  Midvar was relentless, and I no doubt would encounter some scenario where I’d have to use my martial skills against something unknown.  If these ports hindered my performance, he would likely be furious.

Cole huffed a laugh and eyed me curiously.  “Out of all the things, you’re worried about that?”

“I can’t have a weakness with Midvar as my guardian.”

“True enough!” Cole said with a hardy laugh.  “You know he and I had a chat after dinner about Freedom Squad.  He can be a little too adamant about his opinions.”  His words reflected a fondness towards Midvar rather than a loathing I was expecting.

“Did he tell you how terrible of a guardian you were to us?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Cole replied with a heavy nod of his head.  “But you guys were my first squad.  Live and learn and all that.”