Page 126 of Interion

“I didn't know squad members had mental barriers.”

“Only the high-ranking ones,” he replied. “But that doesn't concern you, does it? You just said you don't have time to listen to me.”

“Exactly. Just do your job, Serguei, and leave the blocked parts as they are. I don't want to have to explain to the gorgon matriarch why the information exploded,” I said, focusing on the surgery. “If they're stored, they're important.”

“If they're stored, they're dangerous,” Serguei retorted suspiciously.

“They might be, but that's not the issue right now. We need to save her.”

Serguei grumbled and disappeared. He returned a few minutes later.

“I just finished putting the thoughts and memories back where they belong. It was a complete mess.”

“Thank you!”

“But something's wrong with her speech and intelligence. She's not thinking normally. Take a look.”

I focused on the frontal lobe, scanning again. My power probed, searched, and swept through every system. I found nothing.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I had her replaying an old memory, but she can't speak or think straight.”

I investigated again, millimeter by millimeter, now that I knew the exact area affected. Just when I was about to give up, I found the problem. The speech and intelligence systems were wired backwards. Recognizing the error, I disconnected and reconnected everything, which took almost an hour. Serguei stayed with me.

“Done. Everything's fine now. Congratulations, girl.”

“Thank you, Serguei.”

“Don't thank me until you know what I'm going to ask of you.”

“Does everything have to be a trade? Couldn't it be simpler?”

“How else would I keep ties with people? This way is more fun.” He laughed, and I rolled my still-closed eyes. Then he left me alone.

I opened my eyes and finally took in the perfect, gleaming brain I had restored. Now I just had to reconstruct the three protective membranes and then the skull bones. I looked around, stretching the stiff muscles of my neck, and realized the nurses I'd started the surgery with had been replaced. Three human doctors stood there now, along with Lorenzo, and all four were staring at me. I almost lost my train of thought when I saw them.

“How long have you been here?” I asked, startled.

“About two hours,” Lorenzo said, smiling.

“And why didn't you help me?”

“Because we've been working nonstop for sixteen hours, and I don't have a single drop of power left. We didn't want to interrupt—you're doing well.”

“Why don't you go rest?” I asked, reconstructing the last protective layer. When my power touched the cells, the tissue stretched and reconnected, tracing its original shape.

“Because we're witnessing something never before seen in elemental medicine,” he said proudly. I was afraid to look at him directly and lose control of the regeneration.

“What about the other patients? There were twenty in total.”

“We've done everything we could. They're all in recovery now. We distributed them among the hospitals—five are here, six more are at the fae hospital, and the rest, those with minor injuries, stayed at the human hospital.”

A wave of relief washed over me. No patient had died, just as I'd promised Zion. I stayed quiet and continued—I was almost finished.

The bones required even more elemental power. Their solidity didn't demand concentration like the brain neurons did, but a raw, massive amount of power. So I pulled even more from the elemental well, enough to make my hands emit white light. I held the patient's bald head and sent everything in one massive surge. The skull and scalp began to reconstruct at an incredible speed, and the doctors leaned in to get a better look.

“How many hours have I been here?” I was tired—so tired. It wasn't my gift that was drained. It was my body that no longer obeyed me.