The Zetta Sonic
Sleepy

As soon as he arrived at the shelter, Jayden followed Caitlin to the generator room. Professor Otto provided Alex with additional power. That should be enough to wake him up. But not so. Alex sleeping. His condition is also weakening. Jayden hopes to be allowed into Zetta Sonic's room on the X-06 floor but Vanessa's doctor evicts him.

Finally, Jayden chose to rest, at least sleep for an hour. Afterwards, he gave an official report to Nadira. Then he fixed the broken equipment today. Jayden spends his time in the equipment room, right next to the computer room.

Like other rooms, this room is dominated by white with line lights. This room is spacious. There is a main room behind the door, the rest is divided into several storage rooms with bulkheads and sliding doors from glass.

Jayden was in the main room. The walls are filled with shelves filled with equipment. A large table is located in the middle of the room. There's an extra pair of lights flanking on the edge. This kind of additional lighting is always necessary when dealing with tiny and complicated circuits.

While repairing, Jayden heard the sliding door of the room open.

“It's two in the morning!” Tiger's in. He no longer wore his uniform, but a long-sleeved grey suit complete with boots.

“You don't rest?”

“I should have asked,” reply Tiger. He moved across Jayden, sitting in a swivel chair, observing how Jayden deftly reassembled the laser gun Alex had used earlier.

In fact, not many tools were damaged that day. Alex's clothes will be fixed directly by the professor. Jayden was simply asked to change his protective layer. The rest will be handled by Caitlin. Jayden was not involved when they made pieces of hexagons as uniform material. Other than Alex's shirt, other items require little maintenance, such as the laser gun.

“Axks condition continues to decline. You know that?”

Jayden shrugged as he glanced at his tiny tool lying near his equipment. “I can monitor his condition from Flipad as long as he wears his bracelet.”

Tiger frowned. “Flipad?”

“He named the tools around him. He called the Sonic bracelet Zet-Arm. Like a child.” Jayden had no intention of telling Alex a mockery about the powder box. His hand kept the laser gun in the foam box. The box itself is made of hard plastic material and is locked with a code. “Alex will last.”

“You hope Alex will survive.”

“No. I knew that he would survive.”

“Nobody guarantees that. Not doctor Vanessa, not professor Otto. You are hiding something from us.” Tiger brought his face closer, trying to see Jayden closer despite the wide distance between them.

Jayden throws a knotty smile. “I always hide something.”

“You won't tell me?”

“Depends on condition. There are some things I need to make sure of first. For example, who are you on whose side. I'm not risking my job here. I'm risking my life here.”

Tiger squinted his eyes, was about to speak but cancelled it. He was waiting for what Jayden would say next, but the young man continued the job without any intention of continuing the conversation.

Tiger is moving too. “Cube one hour to leave this room. Otherwise, I'll drag you back to your room. You need rest.”

“One-time sweet. Since when have you been so attentive?”

“Why is that?” Jayden rolled his eyeballs. “Because I'm the operator?”

“Because you're the only one who believes he'll survive.”

Jayden doesn't need to be told anymore. Tiger is obviously on the side of Zetta Sonic, which means on Alex's side, which also means on his side. After Tiger left, he felt worse. Deep down, he wasn't sure that Alex was going to live. He only had some suspicions regarding Dragon Blood and why Alex could survive.

An hour passed quickly. Jayden finally returned to the room. After forcing himself, he was finally able to fall back asleep. An hour and a half, no more. Jayden woke up more tired than before he was resting. He went down to the X-06 floor where Alex was.

As expected, Dr. Vanessa was there. He slept with his head on a high table, near the computer desk. The table was just put there. Before, the table was in the kitchen. I don't know why they moved him in this room. Maybe professor Otto and doctor Vanessa want to talk about Alex with a bar feel. The high table was also equipped with a high swivel chair like in the bar.

Doctor Vanessa moves in, noticing Jayden's presence there. “Oh, what time is this?” tanyanya raised her head.

“Almost six.” hours Jayden glanced at the watch in his hand though didn't really see how many numbers it contained. Action reflex.

“I fell asleep long enough, like.” Doctor Vanessa yawned, her hands covering her lips that were no longer covered with lipstick. Still, he looks charming. “I so remember the times while on duty in the emergency department.”

“Rest, doctor. I can replace you looking after him, if I may.”

“Your eyes are marsupial, Jayden. You also need sleep.” Doctor Vanessa is watching Jayden. “But,” added, “maybe I can rest first. An hour or two will not hurt. After that, we can change again. How?”

“I'm used to staying up, doc. Don't worry.”

The doctor smiled. “I know. It's just, this is all new to us. This experiment. The crash. New volunteers. A teenager. Everything went unexpected. I wish I could digest it little by little. In fact, everything went fast. I don't even know what to do for Alex to survive. I feel a mess.”

Jayden shakes. “You've done your job well, doc.”

Doctor Vanessa smiled. He reached out to touch Jayden's cheek, which was bruised by Tiger's hit. “Cheal perfectly. Man has the ability to heal himself even though he eats time. I wonder about dragons. Why did Dragon Blood not give Alex the ability to heal himself instead gnawing at him from within like a parasite.”

Jayden speechless. He remembers that Alex had said the same thing. Parasites.

As if sobering, Vanessa's doctor shook his head. “What am I talking about?” Himself laughing. “I started to slam. Must be tired. We all know that Dragon Blood is not real dragon blood but just the name of the experimental liquid. Professor Otto said that Nadira had proposed the name Goblin Blood but that sounds ridiculous.”

Vanessa's doctor's laughter made Jayden smile. “If that were true, I called Alex with Gob instead of Sonic.”

“You two are like sisters.”

“Neg,” says Jayden. “We are like.. partner in crime. We are both hackers.”

Doctor Vanessa shook her head. “You tried to protect her without you knowing it, Jayden. Actually, I think that's a good thing. Now, just how much will you intend to protect her? We know that Nadira is trying to use him.”

Jayden did not answer. Doctor Vanessa was right. Nadira tries to use him to save the world. Noble purpose but a slightly less precise way. Jayden doesn't worry about Nadira taking advantage of Alex, he worries about Caitlin. That girl could do more harm to Alex than Nadira.