Hope in a Hopeless Society

Darkness enveloped, with its gloomy silence being interrupted by a beeping noise every few seconds.

"His heart rate is looking fine, and his oxygen levels have been rising by the day."

"That's good. You've done well doctor."

Liquid dripped in a bag above him.

"We might need to replace his IV drip soon. With a big body like his, he's been absorbing nutrients nonstop over his rehabilitation."

The cushion under his body was soft. But his limbs were wrapped in rugged, solid bandages. Everything was tender under these layers. Some things were broken.

"By the way, how're you guys holding up?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know… Ever since the riots began…"

"Ah… It's been fine, doctor."

"Really? But doesn't it feel odd? Having been looked at as heroes one day only to be looked down on the next...?"

The other male sighed. "I'll be honest with you doctor, I tell everyone it's going okay but it's been really harsh for us Virtues. Especially ever since… Jasper's death…"

"I'm sorry about that Suto…"

"The morale has fallen completely flat, all the more with the riots and words the civilians are saying. We can't do anything about it either. Minister Harrison told us to stay in the hub until further notice while they try to calm the crowds. But I don't think it'll work…"

"You're right. I spoke to him about this the other week, but I don't understand why they still haven't made a statement about the Jenzaya Extinction. It bothers me to see the higher-ups so surprised at the public's reaction when they're responsible for it all.

"I know. But this is worse than anything anyone could have expected. Even the authorities can't control the masses. Fuck…"

"Hey, hey, it's okay—"

"No it's not!" Suto snapped back. "It's not… You don't understand how it feels to be given the task of keeping lives safe, only to watch thousands die outside of your reach! People trusted us… We gave people hope during a time of despair and we… We betrayed them! We left all those civilians of Jenzaya to their deaths while we sat here at HQ cluelessly waiting!"

"Calm down Suto! Calm down… It's not your fault! It's nobody's fault. You guys didn't know it even happened until the day after. You couldn't have done anything about it. It's not your fault."

"But if only—!" Suto choked on his words. "If only we could have known, maybe we could have done something… We would have! We would have done something… Something for all those poor people left to waste under the countless debris… Oh…"

Sobs in his voice could be heard.

"Now we're stuck in a position with nothing to do. How can we help the people who curse our names? How can we bring hope to the people who have now lost faith in us? We can't… We can't!"

"I'm sorry Suto…"

"It's okay… But it isn't… I don't even know anymore… We've been a mess since the news of Jasper and Wardell. And now the entire country is wavering under the control of the Cardinal Nexus. We're on the brim of a revolution… Against us!"

The doctor sighed. "So this is what's become of our society... An outright downfall…"

The two stood in silence for a while, listening to the monitor beep over Wardell's heart rate.

"At least he was able to survive… How much longer do you think until he wakes up?"

"Hopefully soon. I really, really hope it's soon. Listen Suto, Wardell's overdue."

"Overdue?"

"He was supposed to wake up a week ago. He's been unconscious for longer than he should be."

"What…? Why…?"

"I'm not sure. But if he stays like this any longer, he might just be in a deep coma."

Suto was shocked. "A coma…?"

"Yeah… If that's the case, I'll have to start putting him on life support."

"There's no way he's in a coma, right? He was experimented on for extra physical durability. Are the injuries he sustained that bad?"

"They're bad, but we've already treated them. And I know, I also doubt he's in a coma. But I just don't understand why he's still unconscious until now. It's almost like… he's choosing not to wake up."

"Like he doesn't want to? I guess I don't blame him…"

The two sighed at the tragedy that fell before his own eyes.

"If you can hear me, Wardell, I just wanna say I'm really sorry about your sister. I miss you a lot, and the rest of the team misses you too. But if you really are choosing to stay like this, we don't blame you whatsoever…"

"Hey, don't say that! We both want him to wake up, don't we?"

"Doctor, look at the reality that surrounds us. Even if Wardell does wake up, how can someone like him have hope in such a hopeless society?

Time fell silent.

The doctor had no answer.