[[ Clear ]]

It is approximately 1900 when I am retrieved by a discreet-looking human. They arrive at my dorm, knock on my door, and I answer after getting into my wheelchair and navigating to my dorm’s entrance. They’re wearing pedestrian clothes, and for a moment I think they’re lost. I part my lips to ask what they need of me, but they’re already talking.

“Don’t say anything. It’s about your Commander. Come with me,” the human instructs, and I’m helpless to their words. I don’t know who they are, but I can’t bring myself to speak as per their command. Hearing it’s about my commander spurs instantaneous interest in me, and my wheelchair whirs to life. We’re already making our way down the dormitory’s hallway. Naturally, I could defy their command, and I should, considering how vulnerable I am without my legs. However, there’s something to do with my commander… something like this would only happen if anything unthinkable occurred, so I have reason to listen to this human for now.

We travel for some time, making a commute to somewhere I’m unaware of. I still neglect to speak, finding the necessity fleeting. I’ll find out where we’re headed soon enough.

It’s the medical ward.

Something has gone wrong.

I’m led through the facility quietly, the only noise between us being her heeled footsteps and the quiet whir of my wheelchair’s machinations. I’m brought to a private room, and when the doors slide open, I see a woman standing beside a medical bed that’s holding an unconscious Nine, bandaging over his right eye. I nearly lurch from my seat instinctively, but since my legs don’t function and the wheelchair operates on my will, I simply rocket into the room in my chair, nearly popping a wheelie from nearly losing control.

“Commander?!” I call to him, and the woman is getting a good look at me. I look behind me and the call woman is already gone; I’m left with this brown-haired woman in maroon and white, and my commander, who is unavailable.

“... He’s asleep,” the woman says with a soft hush, and I turn my gaze officially to her when she speaks.

“... Are you…?”

“Please, call me Magnolia. I was your Commander’s date this evening, but something unexpected occurred.”

“...?” I look puzzled, and while it’s somewhat obvious, I’m not actually that high on the Commander’s list of emergency contacts. I can’t understand while she brought me here presumably first. The room is compact and devoid of anyone but the three of us. The rest of Purem is not here, and as far as I can tell, just about as in the loop as I am that the Commander was involved in an accident. Actually, I probably have the upper hand on intel now…

“I figured with how highly he spoke of you that he’d want you to know first. At least, I couldn’t find any relevant family in his emergency records to contact. This guy has nobody listed on his emergency contacts save for a deceased mother. Sooo… Based off what I learned about you, I chose to contact you.”

“... I am only one of his NIKKEs,” I try to discount, but I’m already inspecting him as though he were injured on the field while remaining in my set. My eyes are hovering over the Commander’s chest, rising and falling at an average rate. He’s not in critical condition, as far as looks go. So I can’t help but wonder why it is that I’m called out.

“You really are a male NIKKE,” She says in fascination, eyeing me while I’m eyeing the commander.

“... Yes,” I answer, not caring for any spotlight right now. “I am Clear. How much did the commander tell you about me?”

“Enough to get me on board for funding your squad, if that’s something you’re interested in,” She mused, seating herself in the only chair in the room that isn’t wheeled.

“While good news, I’m focused on the commander. What happened to him?”

“... Hhm,” Magnolia hums, tilting her head. She seems to be measuring just how much to tell me. What on Earth happened to make her consider her words so deeply? “He was shot in the eye with rubber bullets, but you should see the person that shot him.”

“Someone shot him?”

“They’ve removed any remaining bullets from his head. Thankfully, it didn’t reach his brain, but his skull is slightly fractured, hairline. His eyeball is completely destroyed.”

“Who shot him?”

“Pai Die of DiexFour. They’ll need to change their name to DiexThree now, though. Your Commander neutralized a corrupted NIKKE.”

“Is it really appropriate to be making jokes right now?” I ask her, at a loss. “How did a corrupted NIKKE…”

“We don’t know all the details. More than likely, we never will. But I’m imagining there was a timer on this one’s corruption. DiexFour recently returned from the surface, possibly immediately before their performance where your commander was hurt, and shortly after a member started showing signs of corruption. By the time we realized, though, it was too late. Pai Die had already made her mark on the commander with her gun, which had rubber bullets.”

“Why did it just have rubber bullets? What was she doing being armed at the casino? NIKKEs have inhibitors to prevent this kind of thing, what happened?”

“Hey, now,” she says, waving her hands. “I’m afraid that’s all you get.”

“... So it’s being covered up,” I conclude.

“Yep.”

“Why did you tell me as much as you did?”

“Your Commander wants the best for you as far as I can tell. Since you’re someone he obviously cares about, he probably would also want you to know at least a little bit of the truth. But if anybody asks, nothing happened but a date with me today.”

“... What about his eye?”

“It’s been replaced. You can barely tell the difference. Mustang made a special order once he heard the Commander lost his eye, and it was replaced with a bionic eye specially developed by Tetra Line.”

“Tetra Line makes bionics?”

“Hey, now,” she says again, putting her hands up. “We do, yes, but it’s a seldom tapped industry considering how human biometrics interact with technology usually, sooo…”

“How serious are you being right now?”

“Mostly serious. I guess you could say I cope with stress with sarcasm. I’m none too happy about this loss for DiexFour. Plus, making sure this stays swept under the rug has been one of the more massive projects I’ve had to take up, considering I was first on the scene by coincidence. Think about all the payouts I’ve had to get authorized to keep this quiet. We were lucky he didn’t pick a later time to be at Coin Rush!”

“I would appreciate it if you were entirely serious.”

“No can do,” she pops her lips and crosses her legs. “You’re lucky you’re getting this much deadpan from me. Be a doll and keep this confidential, alright?”

“... I’ll consider it orders,” I mumble, sitting back in my chair.

For a moment, there’s a tense silence.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Suddenly, the Commander bolts upright and groans in regretful pain. I’m nearly shocked out of my seat, but I find myself more so grateful to see the Commander conscious again.

“Where’s Pai Die?!” He says quickly, looking around despite his headache. He slowly gathers where he is and slumps his shoulders, looking immensely distraught.

“She’s been scrapped,” Magnolia reports, and the Commander doesn’t look happy. In fact, his face twists in deep regret, and he looks like he’s going to cry.

“No... If we could have gotten her in stasis, I could’ve…”

“Hmm?”

“Commander,” I say immediately, projecting my voice just a touch to stop him from giving himself away. He’s surely thinking about Vapaus, and I can’t let something like that reach his date. She’s clearly rather important if she was able to cover up a corruption outbreak in the middle of Coin Rush. Hearing about something like Vapaus isn’t so simple, so I have to prevent it somehow. The Commander isn’t thinking straight. He looks at me and seems shocked to see me there, but equally relieved. Looks like that was enough to get him off his train of thought.

“Clear,” he breathes in relief.

“Yes, Commander. Miss Magnolia had me come. I hear you were attacked by a corrupted NIKKE… Is this true?”

“...” The Commander stares at me, and for a moment, I wonder if Magnolia had actually been pulling my unmoving leg. He looks sorrowful, looking down at the sheets that cover him. “... Yeah. Ah -- my eye…?!”

“... We had some work done on it. Your original one was unsalvageable, so we’ll be seeing if the modifications we made to your body hold well. Be sure to let someone know if you feel sick or suddenly can’t see out of your right eye.”

“... Huh…?”

“Tetra Line has secretly supplied you with a bionic eye to replace the one destroyed by Pai Die. Don’t tell anybody, now.”

“I didn’t know Tetra Line did bionics…? I have a bionic eye? That’s kind of scary…”

“Is it? I think it’s kind of cool, especially considering your body didn’t reject it outright. You’ll be able to see out of both eyes just fine instead of just having a glass one.”

“... H-huh…” The Commander manages, and he’s stuck staring at his hands. He’s sorting through the logic of all of this, and clearly in some sort of shock.

“We’re lucky you didn’t actually die,” Magnolia finally says. “There were rubber bullets lodged compactly in your eye socket. Any more fire and they would’ve gotten to destroying your brain next.”

“... Haha…”

“See? The Commander has a sense of humor too.”

“... Please, just call me Nine.”

“Is that your actual name?”

“Not really.”

“Huh. Sounds kinda cool.”

“Thank you,” the Commander says, and it’s clear he means it. Was his name Nine in his past life, too? Somehow, I doubt it. It’s evident to me that despite his gratitude, the Commander is uncomfortable. “So, what now? I… really don’t like being in medical facilities, so the sooner I can leave the better.”

“I was going to ask Clear to monitor your health, actually, so you could leave sooner. I’ve never been fond of these places either, so I tried to arrange it in a way where you could leave soon.”

“... What damage did I sustain?”

“Hairline crack in your skull. No more right eyeball. Other than that, you’re fine. Just don’t push yourself too hard.”

“I have a handful of missions to carry out…”

“Looks like they’ll have to wait. I’ll organize something. You don’t need the money from the missions anyway as long as I’m here…” Magnolia flashes a small smile, looking a little proud of herself. “... So don’t go worrying about that either.”

“No, I think I can do it… Rather, I have to. Purem can’t be inactive for too long. It’ll be alright.”

Will it? I find myself feeling unsure.

“Commander, you should follow Miss Magnollia’s advice…” I advise. Nine shakes his head, shifting his position in bed to where he can put his feet on the floor. He wobbles a little while trying to get himself up, and Magnolia pushes herself from her chair to support him.

“It’s important,” Commander Nine insists, and I find myself unable to advise further. He’s pretty set on this, so I ease off the gas.

It’s night time right now in the artificial world Ark emulates, at about 2000. Outside the room’s window, there are simulated stars in the sky dome, just barely visible. I can’t remember what the real night sky looks like, but I’m sure this is a cheap imitation. I’m sure the Commander would agree.

“Well, I’ve got to get going. Your discharge initiation was privately handled by me, so you’re free to go given you feel good on your feet,” Magnolia says, sliding away from Nine once he seems confident standing. “Ah, let’s remove that bandage before you go…”

She reaches to him, and while the Commander flinches a touch at her contact, the woman undoes his bandaging rather efficiently. Revealed from underneath is a seemingly average right eye, dark hazel in color. As far as I can see from where I am, he looks no different than he did earlier today. Even the bruising he would have had has been taken care of with modern cosmetic medicine. Fit as a fiddle.

“How’s the world look?”

He closes his left eye, then opens it and closes his right. He closes his left eye again and looks a little surprised.

“... I can zoom in on things?”

“Yup. You’re also looking at the world in 16K definition. Any more than that and it’d be rather ridiculous, so the model was stopped at just that for the sake of necessity. It can be toggled in settings, which you can activate by pressing your temple lightly. If you have any questions on your right eye, you can always shoot me a message on Blabla. As you probably already planned, don’t go talking to people about it. It’s not necessarily a braggable thing to have your body parts replaced. Though, I don’t peg you the type to brag anymore. At least when you’re sober.”

“Haha…” Nine breathes off a laugh, and rubs his forehead. “This was stressful.”

“... Let’s get you to your apartment,” I suggest, keen to get him out of here.

“Yeah,” Nine agrees, and looks to Magnolia with a deep nod of his head. “Thank you. Without you, this would have been a disaster. I’m sorry our date didn’t turn out as planned.”

“I should be thanking you. If you hadn’t been there when Pai Die went berserk, we would have had much more to cover up… Given a cover-up would even be possible. Yes, I think that bionic eye evens out our debts, don’t you think?”

“... If it clears the field, I’m fine with that. I’ll be counting on you.”

“We’ll plan another date with less surprise clowns for you.”

“I’d appreciate it.”

Magnolia pops her lips, casually ready to head off. “Well then, that’s it for me. I’m retiring. I was hoping to get to know what your apartment looks like… But I’ll save it for next time.”

The Commander swallows a lump in his throat. “R-right.”

With that, Magnolia paces out of the room, the door sliding shut behind her. Her hips sway a bit as she walks, but even as she does such a motion, it's clear she’s exhausted. I find myself wishing her a good rest. Now alone with the Commander, I pan my gaze back to him, and he’s sitting back on his bed, hands covering his face.

“... Commander Nine?”

“.... Uuuugh…” He groans lightly. “... Sorry… Today was just… a lot. I lost an eye?”

“... Yes,” I affirm, “... You did. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s… it’s alright, I just wasn’t expecting any of this.”

“I can imagine, Commander. You were brought here against your will…”

“... So you do believe me, then? That I’m someone that took over your commander’s body?”

He looks somewhat earnest that I’m showing signs of believing him. His eyes are wide, brows turned to worry, and he’s clearly fretting the idea that I might still reject him. He’s still dressed somewhat in his formal wear. His suit jacket is hung up behind the bed, stained with his own blood. White pants still on his body, too, have drops of blood on them. Thankfully, nothing is torn. I nod my head, affirming his hopes.

“I have no reason to think you’re lying despite how strange it is,” I say. “You’re clearly an honest person, unlike the Commander before. Beneficially speaking, it’s in my best interest that I trust and believe you. All that aside, you’re still the Commander of Purem. I must support you however I can, no matter what state you are in.”

That response, although riddled with logic, seems to comfort the commander immensely. He slumps a little, rubbing his left eye briefly in self-soothing before holding his head a bit. He seems to be in fine condition, so for a moment I wonder what is keeping him from having already walked out of the medical ward. After all, it’s grown clear he’s no fan of medical practice. He’s quiet for a moment, but he’s calm, and that’s all I can really ask for right now I guess.

The Commander pushes himself up, a hand hovering over his head. He was probably filled with a number of medical concoctions to get him looking as normal as he does now, but the pain is likely still there in some capacity. It has to be.

“Commander, as per Magnolia’s request,” I say, although it’s less of a request and more that I was voluntold, “I will need to accompany you to your living quarters for the night to monitor your wellbeing. Is this alright?”

“I mean, it’s probably a good idea…” the Commander mulls. He seems to be thinking about something that makes him hesitate, but he shakes his head, followed by a soft, regretful ‘ow’ as a shock of pain rings through his skull from moving too abruptly.

“Let us be off, then,” I say, and position my wheelchair to let him go first. After all, I’ve never been to the Commander’s living quarters.

We gather our things and depart from the medical ward and make our way to his apartment without so much as a word.

[[ CHAPTER 08 END ]]