Chapter Text
"Can you save her?"
Cass's voice quavered as the doctor took stock of the pile of human wreckage that had been dragged to her operating table. The doctor rubbed her chin, and sighed.
"She'll require extensive physical reconstruction... two, maybe three full limb prostheses, almost total skin replacement... Don't know the state of her internals yet but based on the external damage I'm not optimistic. Frankly, it's a miracle that her brain's still intact enough to salvage."
Cass repeated again, trying desperately not to let her voice crack. "But, you can save her, right?"
The doctor smiled at Cass, not unkindly, but there was a deep tiredness behind her eyes. She reached into the pocket of her coveralls, stained with a mix of blood and machine lubricant, and extracted an e-cig, starting to move it to her lips and pausing before proffering it toward Cass. "Might help you calm down. No? Suit yourself." She took a deep drag, and sat back against the table. "Miss, you're not the usual type of client I get in here, and I can tell you really cared about this woman." Cass flinched a bit at the use of the past tense. "I don't want to be harsh, but I want to make sure you're clear on just what's going to happen if we go through with this." She hesitated. "... If you need a minute to prepare yourself, take your time. What I'm gonna tell you won't be easy to hear."
Cass shook her head, trying to fight back the lump rising in her throat. "No. I-I'm ready. Tell me."
The doctor spent a few moments, lost in thought, before continuing. "First, I hate to go straight to business, but what you're asking me to do... It doesn't come cheap. Now, I don't know who you are, or what your situation is, but with the condition she's in, the level of augmentation necessary, we're looking at at least a seven figure price tag for this. And I need payment up front. If that's out of your price range, then, well, I can help you arrange for disposal of the-"
Cass cut her off. "I can pay." This wasn't a lie. It was true that, under normal circumstances, she couldn't have dreamed of it. She and Vic had put away a decent bit of money from Vic's prize winnings in the arena, but not nearly enough to cover this sort of expense. But she had a benefactor. Someone who wanted to bloody the syndicate's nose just as badly as she did, who had arranged her meeting with this black market surgeon, and who was going to put up the money for the procedure. She knew this wasn’t charity; some way or another, she’d have to repay their generosity somewhere down the line, with interest. But that wasn't a problem for today. Saving Vic's life was the only thing that mattered.
The doctor took a long, appraising look at her and shrugged, relenting. "Okay. I believe you. Now that that's out of the way... We need to manage your expectations a bit. You asked if I could save her. And I have to tell you, it's not as simple as that. Can I bring her body back to life? Sure. It can be repaired, the broken parts can be replaced. But her mind, that's the tricky bit."
The doctor stood, pacing around the operating table. There wasn't much room to move around in the cramped, cluttered lab; practically every inch of floor space was filled with equipment, and the walls were covered with racks of mechanical parts and components. It looked more like a mechanic's shop than an operating theatre. "I'm sure you've seen the propaganda vids the corps put out about their augmech programs. 'Join the next stage of human evolution! Sign up for our pilot program today!' You've probably heard stories about ace pilots who went down in battle, reborn stronger than ever before. And I have to tell you to forget all that. I worked for AdvanTech for eight years in their augmech lab. I know their process as well as anyone you'll find. But it's not just a matter of knowing the process. Cognitive stabilizers, personality reconstruction programs, brain tissue regenerators... Those sorts of things are easy to come by in a billion-dollar corporate lab. But down here? I just don't have access to that sort of tech. The gods on Mount Olympus can restore life as easily as they can take it away, but us mere mortals have to rely on what fire we can steal. ... Sorry. I'll get to the point. What I'm trying to say is, this woman's been brain dead for at least twelve hours now. And I can't just snap my fingers and reverse that. The best I can do with the tools I have is some basic mental reprogramming. I can imprint her on you, so that she won't harm you, and hardwire her to follow simple commands. I can likely preserve her motor skills, and chances are that she'll be just as good at controlling a mech as she was before. But her cognitive functions, her memories, her personality, I can't make any guarantees. I'd advise you not to expect anything."
Cass felt like the world was crumbling around her. Her legs were shaking, and she struggled to remain standing. The doctor put an arm around her shoulder, guiding her to a chair. "Hey, hey, easy now. I know, it's a lot to take in. I'm gonna do my best for her. And I'm not saying she's gonna lose everything. It's just, the human brain's a tricky thing, and this process, it's difficult to predict how it's gonna work out."
Cass nodded, sniffling. "I-I understand. If there's a chance... If there's a chance she'll make it through this, I have to take it. Do it"
The doctor patted her on the shoulder and stepped away. "Atta girl. I can start as soon as the payment clears. ...If you don't mind me asking, who was this woman to you?"
Cass was silent for a few moments, her hands clenching in her lap. "I... I was her mechanic. We were a team." Her voice broke at the last word. She didn't want to break down and start crying here, in this lab, in front of the doctor.
She did anyway.