"This is a miracle. How am I still alive and fully functional?" Joe muttered under his breath as cold sweat cascaded down his back.

"Cerebral microfractures and haemorrhaging, radiation, hidden cancer cells... God, isn't that a perfect recipe for disaster?" Joe shook his head in disbelief, his mouth opening and closing without pause. He was rendered speechless.

'If these conditions were left to accumulate for long, I guess my life would have been short-lived, even if I had survived every tumultuous event.' Joe inhaled sharply, the thumping of his heart increasing with each passing realization. He swallowed hard and then released a tired sigh.

With a resolute look etched on his face and determination oozing off his blue eyes, Joe stretched out his trembling hand. With a few simple commands on the holographic user interface, the Med-Pod's artificial intelligence initiated the treatment protocols.

[Re-atomization in progress...] The automated voice declared as warm light from the overhead scanner began showering his whole body. Joe felt a scorching sensation as the unseen nanorobots drilled into his body system. Due to the severity of his medical conditions, the healing process wasn't almost instantaneous as shown in the movie.

[Reconstructing...]

Five minutes later, Joe felt a comfortable feeling wash over his being. It was as if...

"I have been reborn." Joe methodically sat up and started appraising his hands.

"My skin is like that of a newborn baby." He traced a steady finger across his smooth skin, his mouth wide open in amazement and wonder. The results were truly magical. "All the scars have been purged."

Joe then directed his gaze to his chest and found his serious injury had been perfectly regenerated. He tentatively placed a hand over his chest, feeling the defined muscles and his new ribs. In the movie, Kruger, the antagonist, had his whole face blasted off by a grenade, but Med-Pod 3000 regrew all of his tissues.

"I'm Joe Petersen." Joe self-introduced himself. After a few seconds, he nodded to himself. "My vocal cords have also experienced significant improvements. My voice is...sexier."

Joe climbed off the Med-Pod 3000 and nearly tripped over his own feet. His quick reaction allowed him to steady himself before he kissed the floor. "Wow, what is this feeling? I'm levitating."

After a moment, Joe regained his balance. His body control had reached an almost perfect level as his bones cracked in excitement.

"This level of regenerative healing is currently only speculative, but here, it's the real deal. The Regeneration Cradle had similar 3D bioprinting capabilities." Joe flexed his arm muscles before he redressed.

"Now this makes me want to bring the Med-Pod 3000 back to my room for in-depth research." Joe flashed a manic grin at the med bay, however, his face fell after a moment's thinking. It would be too risky to possess such a sophisticated piece of technology when he was basically a nobody. Joe needed to cement himself on the ladder of power and authority first. How would the world react to something akin to an immortality elixir of the legends? Human greed was terrifying, and when basically everyone wanted to extend their lives, you can imagine the chaos that would be there.

Joe put aside the thought and looked at the Casio watch strapped on his left wrist. "Only twenty minutes have passed since I landed in this universe."

"Well, that's my cue to return." Joe gave the Med-Pod 3000 and his surroundings one last glance before diverting his attention to the black portal.

"Before I explore the place, sufficient preparation is crucial." Just as Joe was in the middle of thinking, suddenly, alarms began blaring noisily.

It nearly made his soul leave his body, as Joe instinctively sprinted towards the portal. There was no use sticking around to find out when he wasn't bulletproof or super-powered enough to resist most harm.

Magically, Joe disappeared from the Elysium universe and reappeared in his room, nearly knocking back his chair. Joe dropped down on the floor, his breathing ragged due to the adrenaline rush.

His heart was beating so fast that he could hear it in his ears.

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"Fuck, that gave me the worst scare that I'd ever expected. Are there still people in that damned world?" Joe cursed harshly while staring at the ceiling, dazed by the sudden turn of events.

"Wait... the time? I haven't checked the time!" Joe spoke with urgency as he lifted his left wrist to observe the time.

"What? T-There is no time difference. Could the time flow be synchronized between the two universes?!" Joe wondered as he frantically stood up.

"The date. I've to make sure I'm still on the same date." Joe leaned over his desk to look at the calendar.

"Good, good, good. Very good." A huge smile spread on his face before a deep laughter reverberated all over the room.

"Damn, It's a relief I'm not ten years into the future or something. That would have been awful, but I wonder if I would have been saved from Thanos's snap." The tension began melting off his face as Joe exhaled relaxedly.

Suddenly, Joe heard his door's alarm ring, and he swept his eyes toward the left monitor. The face shown on the feed made all the giddiness inside him evaporate, replaced by a complicated expression.

"I'm not winning this one." Joe sighed, biting his lower lip thoughtfully. He gave his room a once over and after ensuring nothing was out of place, he left to meet 'HER'.

Opening the door, Joe came face to face with Gwen. She seemed to have aged significantly, but even then, she remained beautiful even without make-up. Her eyes were red, a mix of sadness, betrayal, and anger swirling within them.

She was dressed in a simple white dress that subtly showed her curves while remaining modest. But that was beside the point, Gwen currently wasn't in the mood for spiritless compliments. She wasn't there to slay. She was there to 'communicate'.

"H-Hey..." Joe greeted her with a nervous smile. He didn't need to act in front of her when he perfectly knew he was guilty.

"S-So you can talk?" Gwen glared at him mockingly. "D-do you finally feel comfortable talking to your best friend? No, d-do I even mean something to you?"

"Do I even matter?" Gwen stammered, her voice almost choked.

"You were hospitalized, Joe. For God's sake, you were on a deathbed, Joe! How am I supposed to react when you look..." She pointed her hand at him in both disbelief and livid anger.

"Wait... Y-You look perfectly healed?" A doubtful expression settled on Gwen's stunning face as she studied Joe's unblemished skin. She then narrowed her gaze at the region where he had been severely injured.

Gwen palmed her face and started shaking her head slowly. "I can't believe this. You're simply unbelievable!"

"J-Joe, what sort of secrets are you hiding from me?! Ever since Ronnie left us, you've never felt like the Joe I once knew."

"You've changed. You've become meaner and more selfish. It's like... I don't matter to you anymore." Her voice cracked at the end as she lifted her hand to hide her tears.

Joe's face hardened, seeing her cry. "I'm so—"

"Really? Are you for real? Of all the words you could have picked, 'sorry' was the only thing you could have picked." Gwen couldn't hold her tears anymore, letting them freely flow.

"You're right, Gwen. I-I don't think I'm the same Joe that I once thought I was," Joe said honestly as his eyes stayed on her teary ones.

"I've been selfish, I know that. Everything you've said about me is mostly right, but...I still care and will always care for you."

"It's just that...my life has never been the same ever since my mother left me." Joe looked sideways, a deep sigh escaping his lips. He then took a step toward Gwen, but she responded by moving backwards.

"I need to be stronger. I need to survive Gwen. Only then can I protect myself and you." His intense gaze once again returned to hers, his eyes conveying his vulnerabilities. His truth. Joe couldn't tell Gwen everything. Some secrets were better left untold.

"Who said I needed your damn protection when you're heading towards self-destruction?" Gwen countered, her voice rising.

Joe stepped closer. 'She can't understand. No one can understand.'

"As we speak, I'm breaking piece by piece inside seeing you cry. I-I don't want to see that. I hate that I'm the person that made you cry." Joe moved fast before Gwen could move away and engulfed her in a tight embrace.

"No, no, no, you aren't supposed to touch me. Unhand me this moment or I'll kick your balls!" Gwen threatened, weakly drumming her arms against Joe's chest.

"Shhhh, shhhh, it's okay. I'll take it if it means making you stop crying." Joe lied through clenched teeth. A kick in the balls will even make the man of steel keel over in pain.

"You're lying. I know it will hurt damn good." Gwen sniffed her tears back as she 'lightly' punched Joe.

"But my fist will do just right."

"Ouch. Gwen, you sadistic..." Joe cursed, the sting of the pain spreading all over his body.

"Haha, that suits you right, you dark-hearted bastard." Gwen's muffled giggle reverberated against his chest, and Joe found it cute enough to alleviate the pain.

There was a moment of silence between the two before Gwen broke it.

"Do you promise me that you won't do anything stupid like what you've just done? Do you know how freaked out I was when I heard that you disappeared from the hospital?" She looked at him with upturned eyes.

"I was dead worried that you have...left me...all alone." She tightened her hold on the fabric of his shirt.

"Do you promise not to leave like that without communicating, Joe?" She asked.

"I promise," Joe said gently as his fingers weaved through her soft blonde hair.

"Do you promise not to cast me aside?"

"I promise."

Unexpectedly, without warning, Gwen pinched his tummy. "You better keep your promise!" Her eyes turned scary for a moment before she smiled beautifully like an angel.

"Gwen, are you...are you maybe into S & M play?" Joe asked with a difficult expression showing on his face.

"Joe! I think I'll aim for your balls next." Gwen threatened which made Joe shut up completely.

"You always know how to ruin a moment."

"*Cough*, you can't blame me for being curious."

"Take care of your nethers, buddy."

"Sure ma'am."

…

[Word Count 1768]