“So, we’re thawing out patient 433 today?” Cool fluorescent lighting illuminated beige walls and slate-grey tile. The clicking of heels on the cold, hard floor was the only other sound besides the voices of the medical personnel; the inquirer, a petite young woman in her early twenties with bleached blonde hair cut in a page-boy bob. Beside her strode another woman probably a decade her senior; she loomed almost a foot taller than her subordinate, and her jet-black hair was pulled back into a tight bun with her bangs framing bespeckled eyes.
“Yes, hence all the extra security.” The doctor replied, her voice a husky alto compared to the nurses melodious soprano. “The ANBU security detail should be here in half an hour, so we should have plenty of time to take our final readings before they arrive.” The two approached a door near the end of the hallway, the doctor using her I.D. card the retinal scanner to deactivate the locks. The double-dot opened on automatic mechanical hinges, revealing their surprising thickness. The weight and girth of these doors seemed more suitable for a bank vault than an entrance to a hospital room.
The room was relatively spacious for a secure underground vault. The walls on either side of the doors and to the left and right were covered in mechanical equipment and computer screens, each displaying a different readout on the status of the prisoner-patient they were connected to. In the center of the room was a standard medical table and all the equipment necessary to check vital signs and give a standard physical examination, as well as stabilize the patient should any complications arise.
The two approached opposite walls and began checking over the readouts on the various pieces of equipment as the doors swung closed, occasionally marking something on their clipboards. “His vitals all look good, nothing out of the ordinary. It appears he hasn’t suffered any negative effects from the prolonged carbon freeze, but we’ll be able to tell more definitively when we thaw him out.” The nurse said nonchalantly.
“Great; I’m still reading his chakra levels as having maintained their original levels as when we froze him. Mark down that his demons chakra signature is minimal, would you? It’s barely registering on the charts.”
“Yes, doctor.”
Several more minutes passed by in relative silence as the two went about their business of marking down readings and waiting for their security detail to arrive. The expected buzzing of the intercom brought the pair back from their silent reveries The nurse approached the intercom panel beside the door and depressed the call switch. “How many nights does the lion sleep?” The passphrase changed on a daily basis; and, if the response was incorrect, the security button was right next to the call button, and was hardwired to the Torre.
“3-1-2…” A muffled voice answered. The nurse immediately activated the door release and the armored gates opened wide, revealing their security detail; four black-robed and masked ANBU operatives. The team entered silently, crossing the room and taking their positions near the back wall. It was only then that the medical personnel approached their patient. Mounted on the back wall was a 6’ by 3’ steel frame; the patient stood rigidly at the position of attention within, completely frozen in silvery carbonite.
“Alright, lets get this show on the road.” The doctor said with a sigh. Simultaneously, she and the nurse began depressing buttons on either side of the frame, each one clicking loudly and flashing twice before going dim. “Would two of you mind catching him and helping him to the table?” The doctor said nonchalantly to the ANBU guard as she and the nurse continued pushing a plethora of seemingly random buttons. One of the ANBU nodded (presumably the leader of the group) and two of his (or her, neither the doctor or nurse could tell) underlings positioned themselves on either side of the frozen prisoner. “Thank you. Initiating thawing sequence… now.” The doctor depressed the final button and stood back as the device began to emit a low hum. Slowly, the surface of the carbonite began to glow, radiating outward from the patients nose and expanding to cover his entire body. Almost instantly, the surface of the carbonite melted away, revealing the prisoners tan, weathered skin, chocolate-colored hair, and caution-orange prisoner jumpsuit.
The unconscious prisoner fell forward with a sigh into the arms of the waiting ANBU. The pair half-dragged, half-carried the man to the table, tossing him onto it unceremoniously before fading back into the shadows. The nurse shot them a reproachful glance before approaching the table and adjusting the patient until he was lying on his back, arms by his sides and legs stretched out on the table. After a moment or two, he began to stir, a low groan escaping his lips as his face contorted to ward off the bright fluorescent lights. He tried to sit up, but the nurse pushed him back down with a gentle hand on his chest.
“Whoa there, easy now. You’ve been out cold for a while now. Why don’t you just sit back, try and catch your bearings.”
”Where am I?” His voice croaked, throat dry from lack of use.
“We’re in a secure room beneath the Aesculapium; we’ve just revived you from immurement. We need to ask you a couple of questions, ok?”
”I can’t see… everything a blur…”
“That’s completely normal for how long you’ve been under. You should regain your sight in a couple of days. Are you ready to answer these questions?”
”Sure…”
“What’s your name?”
”Narashi Jo.”
“Rank?”
”Chuunin.”
“Age?”
”What’s the date?” She told him. ”I’m eighteen, then…”
“Do you remember why you volunteered for immurement?”
”I had an unregistered Jinchuuriki. I lost control of it and…” A short pause punctuated by a deep sigh. ”I let it hurt someone I love. I came in under my own power with orders from Sennin Hikari to return to service as soon as possible.”
“Very good! You don’t seem to be suffering from any short-term memory loss. That is sometimes a side effect for prolonged carbon freezing.” The doctor said satisfactorily as she and the nurse began checking Jo’s vitals.
“Everything seems to be functioning, no abnormalities.” The nurse said. The doctor nodded and returned her attention to her patient.
“We decided to defrost you because your demons chakra signature shrank considerably. Can you explain why that is?”
”We came to an understanding. He won’t be a threat anymore.” The doctor waited for him to elaborate further, but decided to continue after a short silence.
“I see... well, if it does become a problem again, you’ll be receiving a visit from more of them.” She motioned towards the ANBU guards. “And I don’t think immurement will be an option next time. As of now, we’ll be admitting you to the main hospital for observation. You’ll be under a security detail until you finish your recovery and report back to the Sennin. After that, you’re on your own. Any questions?”
Jo shook his head, silently complying as he was transferred from the table to a wheelchair. Only one question burned in his mind as he was wheeled to the elevator; but, even if they knew the answer, he was sure they wouldn’t tell him.
”Where’s Saeko?”
{MFT: 1224}
[OOC: I'm Back!]
“Yes, hence all the extra security.” The doctor replied, her voice a husky alto compared to the nurses melodious soprano. “The ANBU security detail should be here in half an hour, so we should have plenty of time to take our final readings before they arrive.” The two approached a door near the end of the hallway, the doctor using her I.D. card the retinal scanner to deactivate the locks. The double-dot opened on automatic mechanical hinges, revealing their surprising thickness. The weight and girth of these doors seemed more suitable for a bank vault than an entrance to a hospital room.
The room was relatively spacious for a secure underground vault. The walls on either side of the doors and to the left and right were covered in mechanical equipment and computer screens, each displaying a different readout on the status of the prisoner-patient they were connected to. In the center of the room was a standard medical table and all the equipment necessary to check vital signs and give a standard physical examination, as well as stabilize the patient should any complications arise.
The two approached opposite walls and began checking over the readouts on the various pieces of equipment as the doors swung closed, occasionally marking something on their clipboards. “His vitals all look good, nothing out of the ordinary. It appears he hasn’t suffered any negative effects from the prolonged carbon freeze, but we’ll be able to tell more definitively when we thaw him out.” The nurse said nonchalantly.
“Great; I’m still reading his chakra levels as having maintained their original levels as when we froze him. Mark down that his demons chakra signature is minimal, would you? It’s barely registering on the charts.”
“Yes, doctor.”
Several more minutes passed by in relative silence as the two went about their business of marking down readings and waiting for their security detail to arrive. The expected buzzing of the intercom brought the pair back from their silent reveries The nurse approached the intercom panel beside the door and depressed the call switch. “How many nights does the lion sleep?” The passphrase changed on a daily basis; and, if the response was incorrect, the security button was right next to the call button, and was hardwired to the Torre.
“3-1-2…” A muffled voice answered. The nurse immediately activated the door release and the armored gates opened wide, revealing their security detail; four black-robed and masked ANBU operatives. The team entered silently, crossing the room and taking their positions near the back wall. It was only then that the medical personnel approached their patient. Mounted on the back wall was a 6’ by 3’ steel frame; the patient stood rigidly at the position of attention within, completely frozen in silvery carbonite.
“Alright, lets get this show on the road.” The doctor said with a sigh. Simultaneously, she and the nurse began depressing buttons on either side of the frame, each one clicking loudly and flashing twice before going dim. “Would two of you mind catching him and helping him to the table?” The doctor said nonchalantly to the ANBU guard as she and the nurse continued pushing a plethora of seemingly random buttons. One of the ANBU nodded (presumably the leader of the group) and two of his (or her, neither the doctor or nurse could tell) underlings positioned themselves on either side of the frozen prisoner. “Thank you. Initiating thawing sequence… now.” The doctor depressed the final button and stood back as the device began to emit a low hum. Slowly, the surface of the carbonite began to glow, radiating outward from the patients nose and expanding to cover his entire body. Almost instantly, the surface of the carbonite melted away, revealing the prisoners tan, weathered skin, chocolate-colored hair, and caution-orange prisoner jumpsuit.
The unconscious prisoner fell forward with a sigh into the arms of the waiting ANBU. The pair half-dragged, half-carried the man to the table, tossing him onto it unceremoniously before fading back into the shadows. The nurse shot them a reproachful glance before approaching the table and adjusting the patient until he was lying on his back, arms by his sides and legs stretched out on the table. After a moment or two, he began to stir, a low groan escaping his lips as his face contorted to ward off the bright fluorescent lights. He tried to sit up, but the nurse pushed him back down with a gentle hand on his chest.
“Whoa there, easy now. You’ve been out cold for a while now. Why don’t you just sit back, try and catch your bearings.”
”Where am I?” His voice croaked, throat dry from lack of use.
“We’re in a secure room beneath the Aesculapium; we’ve just revived you from immurement. We need to ask you a couple of questions, ok?”
”I can’t see… everything a blur…”
“That’s completely normal for how long you’ve been under. You should regain your sight in a couple of days. Are you ready to answer these questions?”
”Sure…”
“What’s your name?”
”Narashi Jo.”
“Rank?”
”Chuunin.”
“Age?”
”What’s the date?” She told him. ”I’m eighteen, then…”
“Do you remember why you volunteered for immurement?”
”I had an unregistered Jinchuuriki. I lost control of it and…” A short pause punctuated by a deep sigh. ”I let it hurt someone I love. I came in under my own power with orders from Sennin Hikari to return to service as soon as possible.”
“Very good! You don’t seem to be suffering from any short-term memory loss. That is sometimes a side effect for prolonged carbon freezing.” The doctor said satisfactorily as she and the nurse began checking Jo’s vitals.
“Everything seems to be functioning, no abnormalities.” The nurse said. The doctor nodded and returned her attention to her patient.
“We decided to defrost you because your demons chakra signature shrank considerably. Can you explain why that is?”
”We came to an understanding. He won’t be a threat anymore.” The doctor waited for him to elaborate further, but decided to continue after a short silence.
“I see... well, if it does become a problem again, you’ll be receiving a visit from more of them.” She motioned towards the ANBU guards. “And I don’t think immurement will be an option next time. As of now, we’ll be admitting you to the main hospital for observation. You’ll be under a security detail until you finish your recovery and report back to the Sennin. After that, you’re on your own. Any questions?”
Jo shook his head, silently complying as he was transferred from the table to a wheelchair. Only one question burned in his mind as he was wheeled to the elevator; but, even if they knew the answer, he was sure they wouldn’t tell him.
”Where’s Saeko?”
{MFT: 1224}
[OOC: I'm Back!]