Neo pov
Suddenly waking up and realizing that you don't know where you are or what's going on around you is terrible and frightening. However, the subsequent realization that the person who is most important to you may not be by your side, and that their current whereabouts and fate are unknown, is even worse.
So, without even recognizing the situation, without trying to remember anything, I panicked and jumped up from my lying position to sit down. This sudden movement caused momentary numbness and dizziness. But I didn't even pay attention to it. The lack of memory and momentary confusion did their job.
My eyes scanned the room I found myself in, looking for answers to all my questions. However, instead of helping me, it gave me even more confusion and filled me with even greater unrest. The place where I was didn't look very comforting. In fact, it resembled someone's basement.
The gray, peeling paint on the stained walls perfectly matched single ventilation opening, in which a rusty fan was slowly spinning . Making a squeaking sound with each rotation . Many rusty pipes and cobwebs adorned the ceiling. And a single, quietly humming light bulb illuminated everything.
An old wooden bench and table stood in the corner. Next to them, against the wall, were several tin cabinets with traces of rust. Only then did the smell hit me. Unpleasant and stuffy, difficult to describe accurately. However, It was definitely something related to a combination of fungus, moisture, dust, rot, and sewage. Not strong enough to induce a gag reflex, but it certainly made breathing difficult.
' What's ... What's going on ? '
I thought, confused, and only then did I feel something or someone squeeze my hand. Focusing on it, I felt the delicacy of that small hand, I recognized its shape perfectly.
' Kurumi !!! '
I thought, turning to look at her. She was lying right next to me, but her condition made my heart sink. The joy I felt at finding her disappeared, replaced by fear, concern and anger.
There were many dried drops and drips of blood on her pale face, all of which had apparently flowed from her hairline, which in some places was still covered with undried blood. The second thing I saw were her legs, her knee had definitely been dislocated. The other leg, on the other hand, was very swollen. Definitely broken
She was covered in dirt, and her clothes were obviously torn and wet. And I don't even want to know what they were wet with, because I know it definitely wasn't just water. Her hair, which had been neatly arranged, now were all messed up.
As for the rest of her injuries ? What I saw was definitely not everything. But I didn't even have a chance to check it properly; not everything can be seen with the naked eye. As for whether she was in pain ? I didn't even ask whether she was in pain; that would have been a stupid question. Because no matter how hard she tried to hide it behind her calm expression , the pain was written all over her face.
Seeing that she was still lying there, instead of doing something as she would already do it , I already knew that something was definitely wrong. Still, she looked at me with relief, not bothered that she looked like she had been hit by a train.
' Idiot, as usual, she cares more about me than herself. But I have no right to say that when I'm the same . '
I thought, leaning over her and using my free hand to brush her hair away from her forehead. Just so that our eyes could meet directly. And looking into those eyes, I was transfixed.
"Hello, my sleeping beauty... We're alive,"
She said, as a bright, self-satisfied smile lit up her face. However, I neither felt nor understood her reason for smiling. Not only did I have no idea what she was talking about at that moment, but also ....
' Yes, we may be alive, but you are suffering. '
I thought, looking into her eyes. Kurumi, as usual, read my face and just smiled before squeezing my hand.
" The pain will pass, but we will never get our lives back. "
She said, and then her face froze for a moment. Then a slight grimace of pain flashed across her face.
" Do you remember what happened ? You look a little confused just now Neo ."
She asked, ignoring the previous conversation, and instead focused on me. Despite my worries, I knew that I couldn't do much until I got my own condition under control. So, calming my mind, I focused on everything that was taking place today.
' The mission, then a fight, and then.... Oh, yes, then we fell , and Kurumi use her clones to surround us , to cushion the fall.'
I thought, as my head finally cleared and everything came back to me. Then , feeling that something is wrong I looked at myself to check my condition and compared it to Kurumi's.
' ? '
I'm fine. Even my clothes didn't have a single stain or tear on them. I didn't feel dry throat, fatigue, or hunger. My strength had also returned, even my aura. I felt the same way as when I left home . Kurumi, however, looks like she fought for her life and almost lost.
' What the hell really happened then ? '
I thought, feeling a disturbance that forced me to look at her. And at that moment, I already knew that she would want to hide something.
" Well, we both fell and almost died. We were trapped under the rubble and seriously injured. But someone pulled us out of there and brought us here. We're still in the sewers, but at least we're in a relatively safe place. You were healed by that " person " . However, for some reason, this person left us alone after that . "
Kurumi said honestly although not in detail. Because of which I had even more questions than answers . But at least I got an idea of the situation. However, the questions did not disappear.
' ? ... Who was it? Was it someone we know? But if that were the case, Kurumi would have just said the person's name, right ? So is it someone she knows but I don't ? No , impossible , I know the same people as Kurumi. So it must be a stranger, but who was at the bottom of the tank at that moment ? And why did they pull us out ? Why was I the only one healed ? Was it because I was in worse condition than Kurumi? And that person could only help one person? '
I felt confused, unable to understand, but I didn't question a single word she said. I also didn't ask her anything else, even though I knew she wasn't telling me everything. She was hiding something by not revealing any details.
But I trust her enough to believe that if it was something I should know, she would have told me. She considered the information she gave me to be sufficient , so do I. Besides, it didn't really matter now. There were other problems and worries than that.
'Fuck. How am I supposed to get her out of here ? '
I thought nervously, looking at Kurumi's condition. Getting out of here alone would be difficult, if not impossible, without a map. And now, in addition to myself, I have to take care of the seriously injured Kurumi. I don't even think about leaving her here. So the only thing I could do is carry her on my back.
"Calm down, my little mouse . Don't worry about my condition, I have a plan. I don't know how well it will work or if it will work at all. But if everything goes well, I will be able to walk on my own. So just give me a moment to rest. In the meantime, look around for something useful and try to figure out where we are . Before you do that , just let me take a look at the note on my stomach. Pick it up and bring it in front of my eyes."
Kurumi responded to my unspoken worries, knowing what I wanted to say, as usual . Looking at her, I smiled, confident that I would get her out of here, even if she couldn't walk. But for now all I had to do was follow her instructions and give her time to rest .
As for what she said at the end, I raised my eyebrow when I saw that there was indeed a note on her stomach. However, I didn't comment on it and picked it up. To my surprise, it was covered in incomprehensible scribbles. Unable to make sense of it, I gave it to Kurumi to read. And well, judging by her reaction, she knew what was going on. Despite recognizing it, after a moment she seemed tense and disappointed.
"Thanks for that, now go and see what you can find."
Kurumi said thoughtfully, clearly losing her temper. But well, what could I do about this ? I didn't know what was going on with this note , and Kurumi didn't seem willing to tell me either. I could only put it in my pocket in case it came in handy later. Now it was time to go on reconnaissance.
But in the first place , I had to fight with myself to force myself to let go of her little hand. But time was of the essence, so I stop playing . I let go of her hand and got up from the ground. Only then did I notice the pillow under my head. Kurumi didn't have a pillow, so my immediate instinct was to give her mine. However, Kurumi stopped me.
"In my condition, this pillow may do me more harm than good. "
She said calmly, then closed her eyes to rest. Not wanting to disturb her again , I quietly went to look around , and at the same time tested my fighting abilities with a few quick stretches.
' Well, this confirms what I had been feeling all along. My aura had returned completely . No pain or anything. I'm in peak condition. At most, I feel slightly hungry. '
I thought, noting this as one of the few positives of the current situation. Then I looked around again. And unlike my first superficial glance, now I noticed much more. Including a heavy armored door and a huge drawing framed in a glass and steel display case, hung right next to the door. It depicts many colorful lines, which at first glance may mean little.
But looking at where we were, I guessed what it might be and go there . And I was right. It was a map of tunnels. At least a map of tunnels within the next ten kilometers. Different colors represented different types of tunnels. Sewers, technical channels, tunnels with cables and other things, and even one railway track. Of course, I knew that these weren't all the tunnels under the ground. But I probably wouldn't find these types of tunnels on an official map.
' But we'll definitely come across smuggling tunnels or grimm tunnels along the way. '
I thought, remembering what I learned about this place . Then I focused on the map to familiarize myself with it. Thanks to this, I found our location. Substation 6789356. The same number was written in white paint on the door. It was also in the center of the map, so the map showed the location of tunnels five kilometers around us.