dhibooks Chapter 689: Work On Your Timing.
Chapter 689: Work On Your Timing.
Returning to Neo-Vatra and swapping places with his resident AI, Dante sat down in his office on the second floor of the Red Oni Club and went through his to do list. It has been about a week since his last training session with Oliver, so he had to check on his progress. There was the surgeries for his underlings as well.
’Now that I think about it...’
Dante recalled the conversation he had with Larry about his old implants, which now sat in his storage. That led his to an idea he could only wonder why it never occurred to him before.
’Say, Volcan,’
[Yes?]
’You can upgrade anything, so long as it’s a part of my body, right?’
[Indeed.]
Hearing the reply, the corners of Dante’s mouth began to rise. When he discussed his idea with Volcan, his resident AI was both shocked and intrigued. It was the solution to a small problem that made things rather inconvenient, but if they were to succeed, it would change how they would do things going forward.
[I have constructed a frame based on your idea.] Volcan said. [I cannot confirm whether it will work, but it might be for the better if we attempt it.]
’Alright. I will contact Suzuka, then.’
~[ ]~
[
Suzuka: You want me to make you a WHAT!!?
]
Dante was well aware that his favorite Gearhead was softspoken and never raises her voice. Even then, he felt that he could hear her yell at him through the reply she sent.
[
Dante: C’mon, Suzu.
You know You’re the only one I can rely on.
Suzuka: Stop it.
I’m gonna barf (Disgusted emoji)
Fine.
But you’ll owe me.
Dante: I’m afraid of what you’ll ask for.
]
So far, Suzuka hadn’t made anything he requested for free. On top of the commission fee, she would always ask for a scan of one of his armors. Dante had no problem with that, especially now that he no longer has to worry about VOLCAN’s strain. Still, scanning the higher Level armors takes way too long, and as grateful as he was, Dante didn’t like to spend hours just standing there.
’Well, it is the price.’ He thought. ’No choice but to pay it.’
[
Suzuka: I would have to finish the last piece of your MBI set first.
You’re okay with that, right?
]
’I guess there is no escaping that, huh?’
Dante had no choice but to agree, seeing how Volcan’s design required it to work. In the meantime, he had no choice but to attempt things the difficult way.
[
Dante: Hey.
There is something I want to try.
Are you free right now?
]
The reply arrived soon after.
[
Larry: Is it something you would normally make an appointment for?
Dante: I can’t move ahead with my plans without it.
Larry: Fine. I will be waiting at the Workshop.
]
Stopping to check in with Carlos, Dante went down to the depths of Hollowgrid. This time, he chose not to leave his clone behind, instead making it known where he was going. This was to confuse anyone who might be spying on him by making it seem as if he was undergoing regular maintenance, when the reason for his visit to the doctor was something else entirely.
"Hey," Dante raised a hand in greeting.
Larry stared at him for a long moment before heaving a sigh, moving aside to let him pass.
"You really need to work on your timing," Larry said. "I’m not your private doctor, you know?"
"That sounds like a great idea." Dante said. "Why not come work for me?"
"Didn’t I already reject you?" The lanky doctor shook his head. "In the first place, shouldn’t you be looking for a different surgeon?"
"Why? You’re retiring already?"
"Not that..."
A moment of silence fell between them as they walked. Just as they were about to reach the entrance to the shower room, Larry spoke again.
"I didn’t think you would come to me after... after what happened last time."
"Let’s not worry about that for now."
Things have been a little strained with the surgeon since their last operation. Knowing he had connections with the Gear Cult lowered Dante’s trust, but it wasn’t to a point that he would abandon him entirely. For now, he had Volcan keep an eye on the guy, looking for any suspicious behavior. What little they found showed that he met with the woman who represented the cult before their meeting, but they haven’t been in contact since. That didn’t mean Larry was in the clean now, but Dante doubted that he could trust him the same way again.
"Well, if you say so."
After going through the laser bath, Dante emerged into the operation room. Larry was there, having already changed into his light blue scrubs.
"I already have a idea of what you’re trying to do, but..." Larry said. "Are you sure about this?"
"Well, you could call it an experiment." Dante said. "Don’t worry. I’m already working on something that would make it easier."
Until Suzuka was done with his newest request, they had no choice but to do things the tedious way.
"Alright, then."
Larry gestured to the operation table, and Dante went and lay down on his stomach. What was about to happen might turn out to be one of the most horrifying things a human could experience, so Dante had to take a moment to brace himself.
"I’ll begin now."
As DAEDALUS’s mechanical arms moved into position, the lanky surgeon took his scalpel and moved closer, ready to make the first cut. After this, there might be only one more surgery where he would have to cut him open. It might even be the very last surgery they would have.
When he considered that, Dante got a bit sentimental. He has come so far, and only one more step separated him from becoming a full cyborg. Once he crosses it, he would have gotten so much closer to achieving his goal.