Ch.207Danger Zone! (5)

#207

Still lying in the hospital bed, Dexter faced a reptilian alien in a white coat holding a tablet.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Dexter. The last time we met was around this time last year, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right, Dr. Rau-h.”

Looking at Dexter’s face, which was still swollen despite having gone down considerably, Dr. Rau-h shook his head.

“This seems to be the worst injury I’ve seen recently.”

“…Just tell me the examination results.”

When Dexter, already aware of how his face looked, spoke curtly, Dr. Rau-h nodded in understanding.

“Well, severe fatigue… It seems to be an issue stemming from the depletion of the nanobots you were administered. You received them at our hospital, correct?”

“Yes, yes.”

“I see… Since we have your previous measurements, there’s no need to measure again… We’ll send you nanobot ampules soon.”

After clicking through the tablet a few more times to check Dexter’s condition, Dr. Rau-h nodded again.

“Other than that, there are no particular abnormalities. The Earth doctors did an excellent job with the treatment. For the time being, abstain from alcohol, get plenty of rest, and don’t forget to drink lots of water. After administering the ampule, you should avoid excessive exercise for a while.”

“Yes, yes.”

Hearing Dexter’s disgruntled response, Dr. Rau-h shook his head and said:

“I thought you might be doing better since I heard you no longer work under Chairman Eliya. But if you keep abusing your body like this, you’ll face serious consequences in your later years, truly.”

“It’s the bad guys who are the problem, not me.”

“My goodness… your way with words hasn’t changed. Well, let’s meet at the Dust Devil sometime.”

“Yes, see you then.”

After Dr. Rau-h gave Dexter a nod and dispersed like smoke, Judy, who had been sitting beside him listening to the conversation, turned off the hologram projector on the table and said:

“You two know each other?”

“He was my primary physician when I worked under that Eliya fellow. It’s been quite a while since we met, so he has the right to nag.”

As Dexter made a bored expression suggesting he found the nagging annoying, Judy pouted and said:

“I’m the one who wants to nag you! Please listen to what the doctor says. I don’t understand why you treat your body so recklessly.”

Judy stroked Dexter’s swollen face and pursed her lips.

“Alright, alright. I’ll be careful. So, what about the file I asked for?”

“You won’t rest even when told to… really…”

Judy couldn’t win against Dexter, who insisted that while he would like to rest comfortably, he needed to finish what he had started.

Judy took out her phone, showed him the audio file, and said:

“Himena and Jesse said they’d be working late today, so I brought the file for them.”

When Dexter looked at her as if urging her to play it right away, Judy played the recording.

[Always… I’m sorry… It was our… wrongdoing… and my… mistake… for standing by… I’m sorry, Olivia…]

The secretary’s final words, spoken as if his breath was about to be cut off.

Since it was essentially a dying declaration, Dexter pondered the content while forcibly lifting his still uncooperative hand to stroke his chin.

“Wrongdoing… Did they do something wrong?”

“As for that… well. According to what Himena and another agent found out, he wasn’t from Earth but from another planet. Cho, Chongyuon? Something like that.”

Despite Judy’s awkward pronunciation of the alien word, Dexter could tell which planet the man was from.

“Jungwon…”

Thinking of when the Twin Bird Demon came to Earth in an abomination’s body, Dexter could guess how someone who used martial arts might have been brought here.

‘Since he also learned martial arts, the Twin Bird Demon could have brought him too.’

Then what was the relationship between the secretary and the Commander?

‘He called her Olivia without any title or rank, and spoke informally, so they must have been close.’

While they did seem close, Dexter wanted to focus on the fact that the secretary had used the word “wrongdoing.”

“Before he died, the secretary said ‘our wrongdoing’ and ‘my mistake for standing by,’ right?”

“If he said ‘our,’ perhaps the secretary belonged to a separate organization, and that organization committed some crime against the Commander?”

“Why do you think that?”

“Well, he said ‘my mistake for standing by,’ didn’t he? It suggests that the organization committed a crime, and the secretary couldn’t bring himself to stop it, essentially allowing the Commander to suffer.”

Dexter continued stroking his chin thoughtfully.

“Then, what about ‘always been sorry’?”

“I think it’s a confession that the secretary carried a debt of conscience toward the Commander because of that incident.”

“A debt of conscience.”

Dexter recalled Rascal’s testimony from when he had met the secretary directly, before Rascal disappeared.

‘He said the secretary spoke very respectfully and formally to the Commander. Like to a superior.’

But the secretary’s final words didn’t treat Olivia like a superior.

‘Rather, it was closer to atonement and pity… compassion for wronging her.’

No one would feel compassion for their boss on their deathbed.

“What if the secretary committed some wrong against the Commander and decided to serve her as repayment for that debt?”

“You mean the victim controlling the perpetrator? The aggressor?”

“Not the aggressor, but the bystander.”

If he had handed over his leash to the Commander as a form of atonement, it might be possible.

Dexter made this conjecture while staring at the ceiling.

“What did the secretary really want?”

“If what Dexter says is true, wouldn’t he have wanted the Commander to be happy?”

“Would someone who wants another’s happiness experiment on innocent people and cause chaos for ordinary citizens living in Las Vegas?”

In response to Dexter’s sarcasm toward the Commander, Judy, who had also been a victim of the incident, smiled awkwardly and said:

“There are many stories of people who sacrifice their lives for others.”

“Except they’re sacrificing other people’s lives, not their own.”

When Dexter grumbled, Judy, finding his behavior cute, stroked his forehead and said:

“Anyway, rest a little more. Oh, would you like some tea? I think it was from Himena’s housekeeper. She gave us some tea that’s good for health.”

“Ah, Ms. Renata. Gifts are best used right away.”

When Dexter nodded, Judy prepared to brew tea by putting water in the coffee pot on the table.

And so another day passed.

* * *

Callahan, a medical officer and doctor belonging to OSA, was dumbfounded watching a patient who had been bedridden for a week now perfectly fine after just three days, inhaling hot dogs that Emily had bought.

“…Are you really a patient?”

“After getting the nanobot ampule, my strength just came rushing back.”

“And even if it’s a private room, who brings more than 10 hot dogs to an injured patient?”

“Dexter asked for them.”

“You should have refused!”

Callahan erupted at Emily’s brazen response.

Then, seeing the hot dog wrappers piled high in the trash can beside the bed, Callahan pressed his temples firmly.

“Let’s just drop it…”

“You’d better give up on my eating habits. So, why are you here?”

In response to Dexter’s question, Callahan cleared his throat and said:

“The detailed diagnostic test results came back, and we found something quite unusual.”

“Something unusual?”

“We discovered mutated genes in your body, and they… have an excellent compatibility with the nanobots in Mr. Hughes’ body.”

As soon as Dexter heard about the mutated genes, he knew they were the HH genes inherited from his great-grandfather, Howard Hughes.

“We’ll need to research more, but researchers in the biotechnology division of the Science and Technology Department are suggesting it might be the source of your strength.”

Research on genes unique to Dexter couldn’t be done in a short time; it would naturally require long-term study.

“There’s even talk about creating super soldiers based on your mutated genes.”

“It seems like a difficult path to judge based on just my single case.”

When Dexter smiled bitterly, Callahan cleared his throat again.

It was essentially the same as telling someone who had nearly died that they survived because of their mutated genes.

“Ahem, you said you recently received nanobots? Your fatigue seems to have improved significantly. You should be fine as long as you don’t overexert yourself.”

“Yes, thank you. So when can I be discharged…?”

Callahan looked at one of the hot dogs on the hospital bed table and said:

“With your current physical condition, you could be discharged as early as tomorrow.”

After adding “no matter how healthy you are, eat your meals outside,” Callahan left the room, and Dexter finished his meal by drinking the cola on the table.

Emily, who had been watching him silently, threw the trash on the table into the trash can and said:

“Are you going to look for the Commander?”

“I need to know where she is first. I’m not going to just rush in blindly.”

“So you’re not going to do anything until you find the Commander?”

“No, I’ll be running around trying to find her.”

“Why?”

After cleaning the table completely, Emily looked at Dexter and said:

“Why do you have to be the one running around?”

“Why, you ask?”

Dexter got up, pressed down the trash in the bin with his foot to make more space, and put the last piece of trash Emily was holding into the bin.

“Because I can.”

“Do you have to do it?”

“It’s too late not to.”

“Can’t we just… leave everything behind and… live happily, just the five of us… somewhere no one knows about?”

Dexter smiled at Emily’s words.

“Maybe after it’s all over.”

“Why not now? We could solve everything by getting on your spaceship and leaving right away.”

“You seem particularly stubborn today.”

Dexter sat down next to Emily with his now smoothly moving arm and patted her shoulder.

“I told you.”

“…Because you can, and because it’s too late not to?”

After Emily repeated his words, Dexter added one more sentence.

“And because I’ve found people I can’t lose.”

Emily paused at those words.

“That’s what you said in the bunker.”

“Isn’t it a bit different from what I said then?”

Dexter chuckled, but Emily was serious.

“I… don’t want Dexter to get hurt anymore.”

Emily stared into Dexter’s eyes.

“I wish Dexter would… just give up.”

Tears welled up in Emily’s green eyes.

“So…”

“You’re asking me not to go?”

Instead of answering, Emily nodded, and teardrops rolled down her cheeks.

Dexter embraced her and said quietly:

“At least now I have someone who cries for me.”

In Dexter’s arms, Emily hugged his upper body tightly with both hands, as if not wanting to let go, and said:

“But you’re still going to go.”

“I have to.”

At Dexter’s firm response, Emily was silent for a moment before quietly saying one word:

“…I hate you.”

“Can’t help it if you do.”

And so, Emily, who had never thought about others her entire life, nestled in Dexter’s arms and for the first time wished for someone else’s sake:

‘Please, don’t get hurt any worse than this.’