The Reconstruction

[Huhuh]

The operating theatre was ill lit, save the flood lights shining upon the immobile form of Corporal Stone. It gave the impression that it was some bright monolith in a sea of darkness. The only sound that was audible was the tapping of fingers upon a keyboard. Then there was silence as Doctor Bynes held his finger over the initiate key. He breathed in slowly and spoke "Arise..." The key depressed with a clack.

Stone's mind was somewhere between here and nowhere. Memories and dreams intermingling to form a cloudy haze of uncertainty. "Am I dead or alive? If I'm alive, what is left of me? If I'm dead, am I about to find out what lies beyond?" Suddenly, as if being dragged down by an anchor, Stone's consciousness was pulled away from the haze. Stone gasped awake. His back arched as he felt the pain of his injuries and his arms flailed as if they had their own mind. Stone looked to the lights and squinted; he recognized the equipment and realised he was still alive. His vision leaped forward as if looking through binoculars then back to normal. "What's wrong with me?!"

"Nothing is wrong with you, in fact, you've been improved." Stone flinched at the sound and turned to Bynes. His eyes could see little of the man's features while his vision adjusted. The man suddenly erupted from the darkness in shades of orange and yellow. Stone was more afraid than he had ever been before. What was going on?

"I am Doctor Bynes, I saved you from the Retribution before it was annihilated."
"Yes, I... recognize you."

Stone was afraid to look at himself. What would remain? He took a deep breath and looked down. His arms were of black metal and polymers that gleamed in the light. His chest was lined with several implants that sat just under the skin. Stone screamed. He knew he would lose his arms, but he wasn't prepared to become part machine. "What have you done to me?"

Bynes adjusted his spectacles and lifted a datapad to his face, a satisfied grin decorating it.

"The series 3 type B augmentative prosthesis I have installed include:

• Cranial implants for advanced use of machines and of course control of your other augmentations.
  
• A prosthetic eyeball, capable of enhancing sight with features such as infra red vision and 10x zoom.
  
• Retractable lenses to protect your eyes during combat.
  
• Titanium alloy ribcage replacement capable of producing a miniature graviton shield to protect the heart.
  
• Titanium alloy high performance arm replacements with retractable combat blades and a cigarette lighter.
  

I trust you are satisfied?"

Stone looked down again. He moved his arms experimentally; a blade swung out startling him and cutting a large slice out of the table.

"So what part of me is still human?"
"Sadly, everything below your ribs and most of your face. I do wish I was given more to work with."

Stone sighed. Clearly unhappy at his lack of choice in the matter.

"You may rest for now. I'll have an assistant move you to your accommodations in a few hours."
Bynes began walking into the darkness, towards the door. He stopped for a moment and turned to Stone to say one last thing.

"Oh and congratulations, you're one of a kind."

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