Whesto Dwanian

[Whesto]

H+ Clinic - Part 1 - Augmented Reality

Whesto was coming in and out of consciousness from his wounds and pain. His Core marine group, The Voidstalkers, promptly arrived with him at the H+ Clinic and handed him over to medical staff. Sedation was administered immediately. Before it could take effect, Whesto promptly grabbed one of the staff by the arm and sat up, he shouted "AUGMENTATIONS!". Then passed out.

The marines informed the clinic that Whesto had been in battle and hit by some Nomad-related weaponry and had been screaming for augmentations in hatred since then. The medical staff noted and sent the marines away and took Whesto further into the clinic, rushed for surgery. Whesto was scanned and evaluated with extreme precision.

At first, Whesto was out cold, just a black void. Staff was working diligently with their advanced equipment. Seeing to the fatal wounds themselves first, a body broken, cut and lacerated in many places. These parts would be replaced with augmentations, especially the eyes since Whesto couldn't see.

Then the process started.

Images, recent memories and emotions started to flood Whesto's mind. Still sedated, but in some dream-state. At first he felt fear, everything was spinning, nothing made sense. Then he relived the battle and he remembered how easily he'd been defeated by an infected. Then hatred arrived like a cold shower. It balanced out, turned into determination once again but with lingering anger.

Suddenly, an electric shock surged through his nervous system and jolted his entire body. Whesto started to gain some consciousness. A sensory overload hit his brain and everything was spinning again, Whesto grunted. "Hold on Centurion, we're almost there" he heard someone say. "There, now relax". Whesto's vision was still like a black void, but he realized he could feel his body to some extent. He didn't recognize it. Things didn't feel like they did before. Sedation still in his system.

"We need you to focus, Centurion. We need your eyes open for the next step". Whesto opened his eyes, a black void. He then felt his eyelids being held in place. Strange sounds, muffled voices and weird sensations. His eyes were being augmented.

Time went on, Whesto did not know for how long. He struggled to stay awake or conscious during the procedure and went back to dreaming. It was calmer now, silent. A relaxing, almost euphoric sensation washed over him. A counter-drug to the sedative. He came back slowly.

"Welcome back, Centurion. Your vitals and statistics are looking really good". Whesto didn't answer, half awake, half stuck in dreaming. He remembered why he had been sent to the clinic, and the helpless frustration hit him again and he got mad. He clinched his fist over the railing on the table he was laying on. A creaking noise and a crack echoed in the room. He tore it right off.

Safety measures kicked in and strapped Whesto's limbs to the table. "Easy, Centurion. Focus. You should be alert soon, when you are ready open your eyes". As the medical drugs cleared Whesto's senses came back, but they were elevated. Very unfamiliar. He opened his eyes, seeing a staff member behind a transluscent screen with various images and texts alternating.

"Welcome back, Centurion. Your wounds have been repaired and necessary augmentations have been installed. As per your request, additional augmentation upgrades have been as well. The Core sends its congratulations".

Whesto now fully aware looked at himself, feeling his body. There was no pain, his sensory input and reflexes like nothing he'd experienced before. He noted his new augmentations by looking, feeling and being showed a chart on the screen in front of him.

• Visual augmentations
  
• Cybernetic enhancements, arms and legs
  
• Skeletal replacements
  
• Spinal regulators
  
• Neural upgrades
  
• Various minor repairs and tuning
  

Whesto didn't know what half of it meant, but after his initial empty thoughts, he was relieved. He certainly didn't want to get severely wounded, but he did want his upgrades. Some were needed to save his life and some would aid his crusade against the Nomads, among others.

A moment was dedicated to standing up and walking around. Whesto moved around and got a feel for his new body, looking at his arm and hand he'd used to tore off the railing previously. A camera was on and showed Whesto on a screen underneath it to let him see himself. He noticed his eyes glowing with a faint blue glow.

"Very good, Centurion. Now please sit in this chair so we can calibrate and upload the AI". The staff member held out his open hand towards the chair.

AI?

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