An image of Decha, drawn by LadyKuki (aka, My Cousin) Thank you! 💖

Decha punched the door that kept Rory and him apart multiple times. Rory was inside Jessica's office, trying her best to keep calm. She kept coughing. Her body was trying to warn her about her condition.

But Rory was able to ignore the pain in her torso because of adrenaline. She was ready to hop out of the window and make a run for it if need be.

Decha continued beating on the door, trying to unlock it. Rory used the tech in the room to seal herself shut for safety. And she changed the passcode so no one but Jessica could get in.

But the seal in the room wasn't holding up. The more Decha punched, the more damage was done. The more damage done to the tech made it hard for the room to secure her.

Rory began to sob. "Decha! Please!" She placed a piece of furniture in front of the door to block him further.

But it wasn't enough. Decha finally managed to break the seal entirely. He broke inside the room and narrowed his eyes at Rory, who backed herself into a corner.

Decha stormed toward her and went for an attack. The pain in Rory's torso became too much. Before Decha could swing at her, she blacked out.

Her body fell forward, into Decha's chest, and he paused for a moment. Decha's eyes dilated back into their normal position, and the pulsing in his right arm stopped.

The hallucinations stopped. Decha was brought back to reality, and he was puzzled to see Rory lying against him. Decha's right arm fell limp, and he gasped when Rory's frame tilted away.

As gravity tugged Rory's body to the ground, Decha wrapped his left arm around her waist and lost his footing. He quickly moved his arm and used his hand to shield her from hitting her head against the wooden floor.

"Rory!" Decha called when he stumbled over her. His mind was blank. He couldn't remember what happened or how he got there. He couldn't figure out why his right arm was completely limp.

Why did Rory pass out? What happened to her? Why was the house alarm blaring? All of these questions invaded his thoughts. "Rory," Decha shook her slightly, but she wouldn't wake up.

He hovered his ears over her lips and nose and calmed down when he heard soft breathing. Instead of keeping her in that position, he pulled Rory's unconscious figure closer to him.

He was figuring out a way to take Rory to his mother, but his other arm was useless. He wouldn't be able to carry her easily with only one working arm.

He examined his limp wrist and saw the dark marks that formed. "What the heck is this?" He swore under his breath.

It didn't take long for Jessica to storm inside soon after. She leaned on the door, still bruised from Decha's shove. Jessica huffed furiously when she saw Rory unconscious and raised a rifle tucked in her hands at her son.

"Get away from her!" Jessica snarled ferociously.

"Mom—" Decha blinked at her, perplexed by her tone and stoic position.

"Release her, or I'll shoot!" Jessica let out a bloodcurdling shout, turning the dial on her gun to the highest proximity.

"Would you calm down—" Decha ducked when a beam of energy whizzed by him, cutting a small piece of his hair. Decha placed Rory aside and quickly sprung off the floor. "Are you crazy?" Decha snapped.

Jessica held her tongue. Just because Decha moved away from Rory didn't mean he wasn't still out of it.

"She's hurt," Decha announced, looking back at Rory's body. "We have to get her to the infirmary—"

Jessica waited until Decha was distracted and darted forward. With one arm, Decha found it hard to block Jessica's strike.

Jessica kicked Decha into the wall and placed a small square patch against his shirt. The sticker-like patch wasn't any old normal craft.

A strong aroma that only Decha could smell caused his vision to blur slowly. His eyes shot up to watch his mother, and he frowned at her. "Why?" He spat at her, before losing all strength in his legs.

The patch was a piece of medical tech that Jessica was licensed to use. It gave off a scent that only the wearer could sense, and helped them fall asleep.

Decha collapsed and shook his head while he propped himself up with his arms. But his consciousness began to fail him. Soon, Decha was sprawled across the ground and out cold.

~~~

A piercing light shone through Decha's eyelids. He squinted and raised his left hand over his face to block the bright object. When the light dimmed, he blinked a few times and groaned.

His right arm was still limp. When he tried to sit up and examine his surroundings, the lack of feeling in his arm concerned him. "My head..." Decha pinched the bridge of his nose and clenched his jaw.

The sound of angry murmuring outside of the room alerted Decha, and he forced himself to lean forward. The anesthetic patch was still attached to his shirt, but the scent had run out.

Decha mumbled incoherent curses and snatched the patch off his uniform before tossing it into a trash bin that was next to the bed he was lying on. He realized he was in part of the infirmary.

The voices outside were his parents, and someone else he couldn't recognize.

The door slid open, and Theodore stood at the frame with a glower on his face. Decha and he eyed each other briefly.

Theodore studied Decha cautiously and stepped inside, wanting to make sure it was safe to approach him. Decha on his end was confused as to why the Director was tiptoeing around him as if he were a filthy stranger.

"What?" Decha voiced impatiently. He hated that Theodore was just standing aside staring at him like he was some kind of statue.

Jessica walked in afterward, and so did another brunette and blue-eyed man in a lab coat. The man in the lab coat was holding a thick metallic arm brace.

"Do you remember anything, Decha?" Theodore sighed softly and plopped himself down on one of the rolling chairs. "Anything when you came home?"

"I checked on Rory." Decha snorted bitterly. "Not that you care."

"What about after you checked on her?" Theodore pressed his lips together and held his hands together.

"She..." Decha could only remember Rory lying unconscious in his arms. "I think she fainted..."

"You don't remember ANYthing before that?" Jessica frowned.

"Why are you asking me these stupid questions?" Decha rolled his eyes. "I remember YOU attacking me. I'm not sure what's gotten into you."

"I had every reason to attack you!" Jessica spewed and pointed at Decha in a threatening way.

"Calm down, Jessica." Theodore grabbed Jessica's hands and tugged them away from Decha.

"Calm down? He attacked Rory, and you want me to calm down?" Jessica scoffed.

"Wait... what?" Decha narrowed his eyes. "I didn't attack Rory—"

"Oh, you did. You tried to kill her! If it weren't for me, you would've snapped that poor girl in half!"

"Mom, that's crazy talk. You know I'd never attack Rory. You of all people should know that." Decha denied the accusation.

"Both of you, settle down!" Theodore hushed the two.

"He doesn't remember, Theo! You can't tell me to keep calm with all that's going on. If anything, you're too calm. All of the Bracket Refugees have been wiped out, except one. And Rory almost added to that number. You don't care." Jessica rambled. "Both of you give that girl enough trouble as it is."

"How am I giving Rory trouble?" Decha retorted venomously.

"Decha, keep a level head." Theodore encouraged him. "You're a bit unstable."

"How am I unstable? Your wife is the one who came at me first."

"You attacked Rory," Theodore confirmed it.

"I didn't." Decha shook his head, refusing to believe it.

"You did. The footage was just gathered and sent to the Agency."

Before Decha could respond, the man in the lab coat grabbed him by the arm and clipped the arm brace over his right wrist. Decha pulled his arm away with his working hand and hissed at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Decha, this is a precautionary step we're taking. This is Doctor Linkett. He specializes in medical tech provided for the Agency."

"I don't care what he specializes in. It doesn't give him a right to touch me!" Decha shoved the man away with his left hand. "Show me the footage. I have to see it for myself!"

Theodore sighed and rested his shoulders. Then he began tapping on the device on his wrist and a display appeared above Decha. There it was, the video capture of Decha holding Rory by the neck just hours before.

Decha's cold glare quickly shifted into a blank stare. "I... that doesn't... but..." Decha observed his limp wrist before looking back at the screen.

The video played Rory running away from him, and Decha speed-walking after her.

Decha felt immensely disturbed. Why couldn't he remember any of it? Why didn't he hold himself back?

"We think there may have been an error with your chip that could've caused it." Dr. Linkett bit his lip nervously.

"I've had the chip installed for 8 years, and it hasn't ever malfunctioned," Decha explained, still in disbelief that he hurt Rory. He didn't want to believe that he almost killed her.

"A chip error isn't common, but there are a few rare cases where it can happen."

"When the chip was first released, it was advertised as flawless," Decha stated, apprehensive of Linkett's take. "If errors could happen, it wouldn't have been released to the public. Who do you work for?"

Decha had full intentions of suing. Someone's life was almost taken because of his identity chip error.

"Kilos." Dr. Linkett answered. Decha's entire tone and attitude shifted. He was overwhelmed with vexation.

Not even a second later, Decha had Dr. Linkett pinned up to a wall with his left hand pinned against his throat.

"Decha!"

"N96! Release him!" Theodore ordered.

"You..." Decha seethed. His voice was sharp and low. "You did this. Kilos did this!"

Decha's theory made sense. He reasoned that Kilos, or Deliverance in particular, was behind the entire bomb that wiped out all the refugees.

Somehow, Deliverance had to have known Rory was the only refugee alive and wanted to go after her. If Deliverance was a part of Kilos in some way, Kilos hacked into his chip and forced Decha's mind into a state of absence. Hence the reason he attacked Rory.

"Dr. Chen," Linkett choked, "It's recommended that we get this cuff on him before he reverts."

"Revert?" Decha cackled, "I didn't intentionally attack Rory. Your company hacked into my chip and caused it to—"

Jessica and Theodore both pressed blasters against Decha's back.

"N96, stand down, and allow him to fix your chip."

"So he can tap into my chip and do more damage? I don't think so."

"N96, you're acting unreasonable!" Jessica whined. "If he doesn't put the cuff on you, you have a high chance of attacking again. Then Theodore will have to take you back to the Agency and contain you until it's fixed!"

If he was contained at the Agency, Jessica or Theodore's chip could be hacked too, and Rory would again be a target. Decha reasoned that he should keep his emotions in check.

He was hesitant, but he pulled away from Dr. Linkett. However, the dangerous glare Decha held in his eyes sent a warning to the Doctor. He grabbed his right arm and extended it, so Linkett could but the cuff on his wrist.

Linkett was fidgety when he wrapped it around his arm and clipped it to secure it. Then he tapped a button on the side of it, and a small screen showed some of Decha's analytics and stats before switching to a loading tab.

Jessica and Theodore lowered their weapons and backed away from their son.

"Over the next 24 hours, you should rest and wait until the chip is completely cleaned. While the cuff is on, you'll face some side effects. Dizziness and Nausea can occur if you move around too much."

"I'll be fine." Decha walked over to the bed and sat down. His eyes glazed over the cuff attentively.

"I'll take my leave. After the bar fully loads, you can remove it. He'll get feeling back in his arm within a few hours. You enjoy your evening, Director." Dr. Linkett saluted Theodore before walking out of the room.

Theodore followed behind him without saying another word to Decha. Jessica remained in the room, still very anxious about Decha's condition. She eyed Decha carefully and stepped over to him.

But Decha felt that her blank stare was to judge him. He kept his eyes on the floor, not wanting to argue with his mother anymore.

"Decha," Jessica grabbed his shoulder, but he didn't react. "My smart boy, keep focused on recovering so you can protect Rory. To protect another person, you first have to keep yourself safe."

"I'll keep in mind your advice." Decha eased back into the bed, his voice monotone.

"Rest here. I'll make you a warm meal. Okay?"

Decha nodded, not wanting to say another word. The cuff on his arm was just a reminder of what happened earlier. He was angry, confused, and felt used.

He was angry with himself for giving in to the chip's control so easily. And he felt confused because his memory never failed him before.

It was at this point that he realized this case was the most stressful thing he'd ever worked on. It was more stressful than the war outside.

Kilos used him like a tool. He wanted the entire company gone. The tech being released to the public wasn't only for the good of Astell. It could also be used against Astellians.

~~~

Early in the morning, around 4 AM, Rory snuck onto the other side of the house. The infirmary and her bedroom were placed on opposite sides, but she made her way over there to see Decha.

In her hands were a tiny screwdriver and a flash drive. She was prepared to fix or reconstruct something. She slid open one of the doors that lead to Decha's particular bed.

There he was, sleeping soundly on one of the gurneys. Rory stepped inside quietly and slowly pulled the door to a close.

She tiptoed over to him and lowered herself onto the floor. Rory's hands were shaking as she reached for the cuff on Decha's wrist. She had to be extra quiet and slow.

Any sudden movements would wake him up. And she wasn't sure if he was in a normal state or if he was going to attack her again.

She grabbed onto his hand and brought it closer. There, she was able to see the small screen that displayed information about Decha. As expected the years of service, star pins, rank, age, and height were all true.

But Rory noticed that the loading bar was moving abnormally slow. The chip was still being scanned, it hadn't even begun to process the cleaning sequence. For Astellian tech, she thought it was very odd, but it confirmed the suspicions she had.

Rory pressed a few buttons on the screen, trying to tap into the override settings of the cuff. But she didn't realize that all of her movement had already woken Decha up.

"You're not supposed to be in here," He voiced, and Rory froze in place. She slowly tilted her head up and came face to face with him. Her mouth was open and her eyes were wide, and she wasn't sure how to respond.

Decha sat up completely and pulled his wrist away from her. Just like Dr. Linkett said, he was able to gain feeling back in his arms as the hours passed.

"Decha, I—"

"You should leave. Do you have any idea what time it is? Why aren't you—"

"Why do you always have something to lecture me about whenever I'm around you? Seriously, it's getting old. Is it so hard to greet me with a smile?" Rory pouted.

Decha was stunned by her question but he decided not to let it affect him. He poked her in the head. It wasn't a gentle tap.

Rory's head flung back and she almost lost her balance, but quickly caught herself by holding onto the mat of the gurney. Then she glared at him and mumbled insults under her breath.

"Why did you come here, Rory?" Decha sighed and rested his neck against the wall. Rory pushed herself off the floor and sat next to him.

Then she opened her mouth. Before the words spilled from her, she pondered over them. Rory could see dark bags forming under Decha's eyes, and he looked thin.

Thinner than usual.

"... Are you...okay?"

"What do you think?" Decha closed his eyes and murmured rudely. "I'm in one piece."

Rory tapped her fingers on her legs, not knowing how to respond to him. She was worried, but she knew that he wasn't going to tell her his concerns. Rory crawled over to him to embrace him, but Decha nudged her back.

"Don't." He shook his head. "I'm not in the mood."

"Are you afraid that you're going to hurt me? Or try to kill me?" Rory asked, and Decha looked away from her.

"It's wise for you to go back to your room. The chefs will prepare breakfast for you in a few hours. You should get some rest before Jessica—"

"I know you didn't act like that on purpose, Decha. I hope you're not letting guilt cloud your mind because of that incident."

"Rory,"

"Don't change the subject. You know I'm right." Rory crossed her arms. "I know what happened downtown."

Of course, she did. Decha swore under his breath. He loured and rubbed his fingers in a circular motion on his forehead. "Rory, I—"

"And I know that you're worried. You're trying to hide it, but it's easier for me to read you now." Rory continued. "Sitting here sulking isn't your thing. And I'm going to be honest, you're worried about the wrong thing."

"Can't we have this discussion later?"

"No." Rory shook her head. "I have a lot to say, and I won't be able to sleep if I don't say it now. I don't know much about the case, but don't let fear prevent you from doing your job."

"There is no 'fear', Rory."

"Then why do you keep flinching whenever I try to touch you?" Rory puffed. Decha groaned in response, proving her point. "Whoever did this to you deserves to be locked away in prison for a long time." Rory motioned to the cuff on his wrist. "You didn't do it intentionally."

"Of course, I didn't," Decha stated like it was obvious.

"Which is why you need to suck it up and go after them." Rory bit her lip. "I'm trusting you. Not only to keep me protected but to help my father. You have to prove his innocence. And you have to kick butt while you're at it. Avenge the people who died because of a dastard causing chaos."

Her words made Decha smile. It was faint, but it was visible. Upon seeing it, Rory's heart began to beat faster. She grabbed onto his cuff and began playing with it.

"So shut up, and let me fix your chip."

"Why do you need to fix it? It's already clearing the error."

"No, it's not." Rory snickered. "The past 5 hours, it's only been scanning for a bug."

Decha leaned over to see what Rory was pointing at. He wished he could say that he was surprised. But there was already suspicion brewing in him.

"I didn't trust that guy. He gave me a bad feeling. When I learned that Mrs. Chen suspected something was wrong with your chip, I did some research. A General's ID chip works similarly to a Bracketers ID card. There are no bugs unless the maker implements them. Someone hacked into yours and made you—"

"I know." Decha nodded in agreement.

Rory grinned at him and she plugged the flash drive she brought into the cuff. "Don't worry though, once I'm finished it'll work like it's good as new. And I'll make it so no one else can tap into it unless it's you."

"You do know that it's illegal to take Astellian tech and reprogram it to do your bidding, right?" Decha smirked at her, and Rory shrugged.

"It's for the greater good. I hope you don't mind."

"Breaking the law in front of a General has greater consequences when you're a Bracketer."

"If risking my freedom will save lives, then so be it." A tab popped up on the screen and began blinking with large letters that spelled the word RESET. Without a second thought, Rory tapped on it and the cuff unlocked and shut down.