Bright spotlights shined down on me from above. Their light was that of the unnatural Wall lights, but I couldn’t be back in the Wall. Last I remembered I was…

It all came rushing back. Dan picking me up, Casia being dragged next to him, and - and it was fuzzy. The sound of buildings crashing down. We were buried! Was I dead? I tried to move, to look elsewhere, but I couldn’t. Wasn’t death supposed to be freedom from this earthly body?

If I wasn’t dead, where was I?

“Her eyes are open!” A voice I didn’t recognize exclaimed.

A face appeared above me, darkened by the bright lights above them.

“Can you hear us Liv? If you can, blink.”

I blinked as requested.

“Can you move?” The person asked. I tried to open my mouth, but it didn’t seem to be responding.

“If you can’t, blink three times.”

That was an easier request. I forced out the three blinks.

“That means the paralytic has fully worn off yet. Don’t worry too much, we used a paralytic to keep you from moving while we were operating.” His face pulled out of my vision leaving only the bright lights in view.

The only people that talked like this were Wall people. I was back in their hands for some reason.

“While the paralytic wears off, I will tell you a little bit of your situation. First off, I am sure you will be happy to hear you won’t need the months of rehab you needed last time you were in our medical center.” His voice had entered into droning out information.

If only he would tell me what happened and how I got here. I didn’t care about myself. I cared about Dan. I had seen him. He had picked me up, I was certain of that.

“Unfortunately in the crossfire in the castle you were shot in the back. The bullet was lodged in your spinal column. While this prevented damage to your internal organs, it completely destroyed your spinal column. You will be unable to ever walk again without robotic accessories,” His robotic voice cut through my thoughts.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

What!? I couldn’t just not walk. If I survived, if Dan survived, then we had to finish what we started. If the city wasn’t destroyed, we could implement my requests that I had for the King.

“We will provide you with a wheeled chair to use as soon as your paralytic wears off. Your protection borg will assist you with all of your needs.”

Protection borg? What was he talking about?

“The elders would like to see you stabilize the City before making any decisions about future options for your body,” He kept talking.

I wished he would go back to that confusing statement about the borg and explain it. What did he mean?

“While the elders want you to fix the City first, once you are finished with the city we have a number of options available for your consideration. The first option is a simple exoskeleton. This will allow for walking, but will be a bit bulky. You will still have the issues that a paralyzed person has, and your body will probably only have five to ten years with the strain you have put on it between the radiation from outside the Wall and now the paralysis of your lower body. This solution could be a temporary solution.”

I already knew I didn’t have a ton of years left to live. The fact that I was somehow alive was a miracle of the Wall.

“The real solution is to turn you into a cyborg as well! It's the best way to preserve your life and memories!” His voice rose in pitch and spad up with excitement. “We can make your legs as good as new. Make your organs never fail! We can give you hundreds of years to enjoy with your fellow borgs!” He was almost screaming now.

“Landon!” A woman’s voice cut through his rant.

“Oh, sorry. I’ll be leaving now.” His voice was quiet and diminutive now. Footsteps and a door.

“Landon can get a bit excited. He was supposed to keep to telling you about the situation.” The woman sighed. “Can you make any noises yet? Not speak, but just try to make an mmm sound.”

I focused on myself. The inability to move itched in my mind. Speak! Make a noise! I wanted to so bad. Just the vocal folds. I was breathing. If I was breathing, all I had to do was move the vocal folds. “Mmm” I did it! I heard myself!

“Wonderful! You should be fine soon. I’m going to give you something to help you sleep again, and when you wake the paralytic should have completely worn off.” She patted my shoulder. I could feel her patting it, but I couldn’t move the muscles in it. I could hear things clanking, and a machine beeped.

“Alright Liv, enjoy your nap. Next time you wake it should be a lot nicer of a wakeup. And don’t worry about anything. Your borg here will be watching over you.”

Those words again! My borg? What were they talking about? And where was Dan?”

“MMM,” I managed to make a noise again, but no one answered.

The world grew hazy, and the bright lights dimmed away.