Yuki's sleep-talking was no longer news to the monitoring staff. Kitagawa knew the drill and answered in a calm voice:
- "Do not be afraid, Sinon-san. You are in a hospital, remember? You are cared for and protected. Nobody will get you".
The doctor checked the patient's vitals on her pad: the indicators were nominal, except for a hormonal surge indicating raw fear. It was enough to administer a mild dose of a sedative. Sinon Yuki was not yet showing significant signs of improvement, and medication was simply keeping her afloat, not solving the underlying problem. Therapy is in order, but so far, Sinon was apparently not ready to talk about her traumatic experience. The staff at the ward of Wakkanai has seen worse cases and could be patient.
Fort Wakkanai
The kusarian was in panic. ''I feel.. I feel I will lost my mind. I.. I saw a shadow struggling me...'' Said Sinon. She took some deep breath to calm a bit. ''If.. if it happens... Can you.. kill me?'' While she looked at Kitagawa.
Her mind was so messy and her ideas were not making sense. ''Or... tie me to the bed... Kitagawa, I am lost. What should I do?''
Kitagawa was calm as always. She has seen cases like this of pilots who had undergone mind control.
- "Sinon-san, the staff will do its best to help you. If you like, we can try stronger medication to "brute force" these thoughts out of you. There is a risk, however, that you will partially lose your emotions or even personality... So until now we have refrained from such drastic measures.".
In an unusual for her manner, Kitagawa looked dead serious in the eyes of Yuki:
- "But if you cannot take it any longer, we can try it. It has helped some patients before. But for the others were not so lucky...".
Kitagawa knew that Sinon's deathwish could not be granted. Not our of Doctor's Oath but rather because of the higher-ups. The nature of nomads' mind control is not fully understood, and yet another test subject will not be wasted. Kitagawa shivered. If Yuki loses it, the KOI will prod her, test her, and maybe even dissect her. Even death is preferable to that but Kitagawa was not in charge of such decisions. Yet as long as the treatment continues - nobody can interfere.
Fort Wakkanai
Sinon Yuki listened carefully to Kitagawa's words. That medication supposed to be efficient to brute force out her thoughts sounded somewhat interesting.
She already lost her legs and an arm. And loosing emotions or personality might be a big risk but she was ready to take the risk. Doing nothing for a long moment was not her cup of tea. Sinon sighed. ''I want that medication. If it can helps me to get out fast, I have no other choice. I take the risk.''
A few days have passed since Yuki agreed to undergo the risky treatment. Kitagawa was not visiting during the wait and medical droids performed most of the procedures in her stead. However, the doctor was coming online via a video chat to let Sinon know that the medical treatment in question required certain bureaucratic procedures to be settled before it could be administered. Little did Yuki know that the KOI did not want her to receive the treatment infringing her as a study material and possibly wiping out her memories critical to understanding the chain of events that had led to her current condition.
Finally, the wait was over. As the door opened Kitagawa walked in accompanied by two nurses and two men in military uniform. It was time.
- "Konnichiwa, Sinon-san. How is your feeling today? I am glad to inform you that we have got a "go" on your "brute force" treatment. I am still obliged to warn you of the possible negative side effects but seeing the determination in your eyes I believe you insist. These two nurses will assist me in the procedure should you lose control of yourself. The military... The KOI insisted they observe the whole process. This is part of the deal".
One of the military with a lieutenant insignia smirked:
- "We are here for your own safety, Sinon-san. We wish only good for you and your soonest recovery. If the thing goes not as planned, however, this is where we come to play".
The man grinned as he demonstratively put his hand on a shocker hanging on his belt.
- "Yoshi... Lie down and relax, Sinon-san.".
Kitagawa nodded to the nurses and the two brought in a machine seemingly designed for assisting blood circulation and admixing doses of the medication in the process. With a few quick moves, Kitagawa inserted a needle into Sinon's vein through the forearm and pushed the button on the machine, launching the latter into a humming spin.
- "Try to stay relaxed. You might feel dizzy and sleepy but try not to lose consciousness. The process will take up to an hour. Hopefully, everything will go well..".
Silence settled in the room. It was time to wait and see the result.
Fort Wakkanai
Months of nightmares have passed since Sinon decided to have the medication the most efficient to cure her. Her nightmares have been worse and worse with the waiting and today, the 26th October, the day has come. When the doctor Kitagawa entered and asked how she was feeling, at first, she was about to say that she was not feeling good. Howerver, when she mentionned the good new, hey eyes brighted. Her nightmares will end. That's what she believed.
She did not pay attention to the soldiers.
When it was time to start and when Kitagawa told Sinon to not loose consciousness, the kusarian putted all her efforts to stay awake during the process. She was determined to end this hell for good. During the hour of the process, Sinon Yuki simply was focusing on her past and nothing else. Her moments within the forty-sixth and more. Sinon did not open the mouth since the beginning of the day.
Over a week has passed since the medication was administered. All this time Yuki spent in a semi-vegetative state, coming to her senses just to fall unconscious again. The treatment she had received was not new yet still experimental given that there had been not that many test subjects with appropriate conditions to verify its effectiveness. A team of doctors under the supervision of Kitagawa was overseeing the recovery of Sinon with great attention, and so were the KOI agents.
This day Sinon was finally fully awake without drifting into the embraces of Morpheus. The medics seized the opportunity to evaluate her state, the KOI listening every word said.
- "Konnichiwa, Sinon-san. You are finally awake! The treatment must have been harsh on you, so many side effects. On the bright side, you are alive and your physical readings are nominal. I cannot yet say so about your mental state, however".
As she spoke, Kitagawa kept darting around Sinon with various tools checking patient's state.
- "... the reaction of the pupils to light is within the norm, albeit a bit slow. Your MRI indicates that some brain parts have been affected by the medication more than expected. We presume that you should not be hearing voices anymore. Your cognitive functions appear to be intact. The downside is that some of your memories might have been impaired. How do you feel? Do you remember who you are, where you are, and what happened to you?".
Fort Wakkanai
The treatment was, effectively, hard on Sinon. She sometimes fell unconscious even if her willing was strong. With the days after the beginning of the treatment, she began to stop hearing that voice in her head. It was such a relive. However, she has lost some memorises. As said doctor Kitagawa, it was one of the side effects.
The 5th November 829 A.S, Sinon Yuki was perfectly awake. She seemed to be fine. Kitagawa entered in the room where Sinon was with some tools to check if Sinon was fine. When Sinon saw the doctor, a wave of confusion hit her. The kusarian wondered who was she. Then, Kitagawa asked her three questions in one. Who was she, what happened and where was she at this time. The only thing she said was the following sentence: ''Who are you?''
It was concerning but at the same time, it was not because loosing memories was one side effect. However, when Sinon said that sentence, she stared at the doctor, ready to self-defence. Nonetheless the fact she has lost her some of her memories, her body seemed to remember how to fight.
Kitagawa instinctively shook and stepped back to the guards.
- "Calm down, SInon-san! We are doctors, we have been trying to help you, heal you. Can't you remember?".
She pointed at various sensors and pipes connected to Yuki's body.
- "Don't act impulsively: nobody is threatening you. On the contrary: if you keep moving too much without the medical equipment disconnected from your body properly you will end up hurting yourself. Better lie down and try to relax. Seems like your memory has been impaired after all. We will need to run a few tests. If you have any problems remembering your past - tell us and we will provide you with your CV and the records of the recent events".
Fort Wakkanai
The kusarian ended up to calm down a bit. The pipes and sensors restrained her to act with impulsivity. She laid down on the bed.
Sinon did not remember the previous events. She did not remember who she was. However, she had the conviction to be named Sinon Yuki. Staring at the ceiling, she broke the silence. ''Who am I? Where are we? Why am I here?'' She took a short break before to continue to talk. ''Can I leave? How long I am here? ''
She wanted to leave this place and sooner would be the best for her taste. But reality is something else. Perhaps the doctors will prefer to keep her because she was amnesiac.
![[Image: wRlzTev.png]](https://imgur.com/wRlzTev.png)