CHAPTER 20

Jasmine had never gotten a surgery before. The girl felt jittery, nervous about the what-ifs, even though the nurses had assured her everything would be fine and it would be like falling asleep and waking up.

“Alright, Jasmine. Why don’t you try to get counting back from one hundred.” A doctor said, smiling behind her surgical mask— it wasn’t Sorge.

Jasmine nodded, her nose and mouth completely covered by the silicone mask she wore.

“One hundred, ninety-nine, ninety… eight…”

---

Veronica stood side by side to Hermann, along with Franz. She peered down the elevated platform toward the thousands of people. The crowd was restless because they had heard of the fight at the National Assembly. The attack had leaked and was now plastered all over the news. As for her?

She had never had so much fun. Feeling the soldier’s skull crumble at her hand, being thrown around by a flying man— dragged across the walls and the ceiling of the chamber. The fight against Palmer and her tearing off his arm as he retreated from the building. It had all been enjoyable. Veronica felt tingles run down her spine as she relived the moment inside of her head and smiled. She’d never felt so alive. However, some parts still bothered her, like the slight itch she had felt when seeing Jasmine choke on all the sand. New things bothered her, especially new things she didn’t understand.

The girl stopped daydreaming and focused on the crowd. The attack had been the final straw, and after retreating back to the Presidential Palace, the Senators that had survived had granted Hermann full authority around the nation. That was when he had decided to hold a public speech in the middle of downtown— of course, it was heavily guarded by soldiers and TIA agents. The street was packed full, and cars had cleared it hours ago, being forced to go around. She felt her ears rumble as a helicopter flew overhead. This might have been the most people she’d ever seen in the same place.

Veronica didn’t care much, though, mostly wanting to return to fighting. This was entertaining, sure, but not as entertaining as being slammed into the earth by an enraged flying man. She yearned for conflict, and so she hoped the MSA would use this opportunity to attack again. Hermann tapped on his microphone and coughed a few times to signal the speech was starting, and the loud buzz from the mass ceased. Tens of thousands of eyes looked up at him, one man. Their Marshal.

It was starting.

“My beloved citizens, children of Azeris.”

It began with a simple melody. A hook to catch the people’s attention. Hermann’s voice boomed, but Veronica wasn’t so sure it was due to the microphone or due to who he was. A man of the people, who had defended their country to the last.

“I am sure most of you have already heard of the vicious attack that took place in the heart of our nation today. For a second time, the Metahuman Salvation Army, a group of terrorists, has deemed it appropriate to strike at us. At your sons, daughters, parents, and friends. I am sure they thought there would be no consequences to their actions.” Hermann said, his voice slowly growing in intensity.

Veronica observed closely and noticed he had no speech prepared. He was improvising.

“Up until today, that fact would have been true. The dastardly Senators that you elected refused to govern and hunt these fanatics down! Well, today I saw no more! Our country will not take this abuse any longer. We take, take and take, and yet we refused to strike back until today. I declare to you, my fellow Azerians, that action is coming. Not soon— this is not an empty promise. I have said many times before that I am not a politician. Decisive action will be coming later today. I will announce sweeping reforms that will not only improve your lives and the lives of your families but also take down the dregs at the MSA!” Hermann screamed into the microphone as he gestured with his hands wildly.

He looked first at Franz and at Victoria, and then grabbed both of their hands with his and lifted them into the air.

“But I know that some of you may take this declaration the wrong way. Alongside me are my most trusted agents, Franz Thomas and Veronica Fischer. They were there during the attack and protected me with their lives.” Hermann stated, his voice getting slightly calmer. “And they are both metahuman through and through.”

A gasp ran through the crowd.

“Metahumans are not inherently evil, and today I show you the proof. They will be instrumental in taking back our country. The people of Preusen will be avenged! This way, we will beat them at their own game. Already, the TIA is working twenty-four-seven to locate their assets, and without petty restrictions, we are going faster than ever before.”

He paused for a few seconds, letting the statement simmer.

“And to our fellow nations who may be watching this speech through whatever means they have, be it espionage or other means of subterfuge, I tell you this: Azeris will not fall. It did not fall when thirty-five nations invaded, landing on its shores, it did not fall to its own sins during the civil war, and it will not fall to this petty organization. Welcome us back into the world! I would welcome diplomatic envoys and ambassadors with open arms! I am not King Carl, and I opposed his actions every step of the way until I had enough, and I rebelled with my fellow soldiers.” The Marshal said. He took a deep breath.

“Lastly, I would like to make a call to order.” He stated more seriously. “What is happening in the north of our country is inexcusable, and these riots must cease immediately. The war cannot be won if our own people are fighting against us— because yes, this is a war. The third one in most of your lifetimes, and Allfather, I am tired of wars. This is our great trial, and just like our forefathers did before us, we will succeed. Our ancestors are smiling upon us. May the Allfather be with you.”

Silence washed over the crowd. Then a few claps turned into thunderous applause and incoherent hollering. Veronica looked to Franz and saw him visibly swallow at the implications of this speech. Azeris had just drastically changed, for better or worse, but all she knew was that it was going to be thrilling.

---

Jasmine slowly opened her eyes, wondering when her surgery was going to start. It was only after a few seconds that she realized it had already been done. Contrary to what the girl had thought, it hadn’t felt like sleeping at all. When Jasmine slept, she could always tell some amount of time had passed. This, however? It had been instant. One second, she was in the operating room, and the other, she woke up.

Jasmine attempted to speak, but only an incoherent mess came out. She felt relaxed as if her body was floating— either that or this was the softest bed ever made, and her entire body was numb. Jasmine looked down at her wrist and noticed the same cast they’d put on her before, only this time the inside of her wrist felt alien and cold if she focused on it too much. The girl licked her lips as she lifted her other arm, only to notice a transparent tube was plugged into it. She guessed they were drugging her with painkillers of some sort.

Inspecting her surroundings, Jasmine’s bed was surrounded by blueish curtains, but she could hear speaking right outside. She spoke again, this time louder.

“Ghnnn uuup.” She groaned. The words felt dry inside of her mouth.

That seemed to work, however, as a nurse hurriedly opened the curtains and called another coworker over. They asked her a bunch of questions that she was in no shape to answer, which was somewhat frustrating. Jasmine would have bitten her lip if she could.

“Lower the morphine dosage, I’ll go get the form.” One of the nurses said. He was a man.

“Don’t forget to tell Sorge to get here” His coworker exclaimed. “She wanted to see— darn it, he’s gone.” She had a northern accent, distinct from how people usually spoke here.

The woman seemed to examine her wrist and blood pressure and a lot of other things that Jasmine didn’t know anything about. She felt the confusion and numbness diminish as a cold ache settled in her wrist and the cloudiness in her brain dissipated. After five minutes, she felt confident enough to speak.

“Did the surgery go fine?” Jasmine asked.

“That’s what we’re here to figure out, darling.” The nurse answered smoothly. “Just hang on and wait until Jeremy— my coworker arrives.” She continued with a smile.

The fact that she smiled reassured Jasmine somewhat, but it sure didn’t make up for the pain in her wrist.

Where was Franz?

Just as she finished that thought, Doctor Sorge and the male nurse entered through the curtain. This time, she was in regular work clothes and not scrubs.

“Jasmine, How are you feeling?” She asked while dragging a chair into the room. “On a scale of one to ten, how’s your pain?” Sorge continued. She sat.

“I’d say it’s a solid six right now.” The girl said meekly. “I haven’t even tried to move my wrist yet.”

The male nurse— Jeremy— started scribbling down on his form.

“That sounds about right. Let us know if it gets any worse. Next up, do you feel pain in any areas other than your wrist?”

“No, I don’t— listen, you need to get Franz here. If he heals me, I’ll be fine.” Jasmine said, slightly raising her tone.

“Your friend is on his way. I assume he has a lot on his plate right now.” Sorge said with a slight smile. “But you have a visitor that’ll be allowed in right after we finish the questionnaire. Agnes Zimmerman? Wild hair, heterochromia with freckles?”

“She’s my friend. Keep asking the questions then.”

A flurry of inquiries followed about her state, both physical and mental. Once she was cleared, the nurses moved her bed through the curtains. Multiple patients had been here, most in a worse shape than she was. Jasmine was pushed into her room— the room she’d been in before the operation. A commotion was prevalent in the halls of the hospital, and people were agitated about something.

“Is something going on?” Jasmine urged to the nurses. “Was it another attack?”

“Quite the contrary. Um, Marshal Gessner just had an amazing speech during your surgery. Basically, the MSA’s finally going down, thank the Allfather.” The female nurse said with relief.

“I can put the sound on if you want.” Jeremy said as he gestured toward the television. Jasmine nodded.

The news channel was already on, showcasing Marshal Gessner atop his podium, holding both Veronica and Franz’s hands. He grabbed the remote and unmuted the television and they left her to her own devices after notifying her that Agnes would be up here soon.

Jasmine recognized Dominic, the ‘Azeris News Every day’ anchor, and he was sitting at a table in the shape of a semi-circle. Four other speakers sat with him, two on his left and two on his right. One of the guests was currently speaking and the outrage in his tone was clear.

“Honestly, Dominic, I find this quite disgusting. I am as patriotic as they come— I even served during the Great Patriotic War, but Marshal Gessner is going too far here. This is a betrayal of the Azerians’ trust. Who’s to say these two metahumans aren’t undercover agents sent to take the destruction even further?” He said. He was almost obese and bigger than everyone else here.

A bald man with a thick mustache and glasses answered him.

“You say this without an ounce of proof, Theodore. Do you really believe that if they had nefarious intentions— Allfather forbid— they wouldn’t have already done something? They helped fight off the attack. Frankly, I’m more worried about the fact that we no longer have a Senate. Our nation is going in the wrong direction—” He stated, enunciating each word in the last sentence.

“Well, we all bloody know it is! All I’m saying is that I won’t be surprised when the Marshal’s found dead in his room somewhere.”

“Gentlemen, please calm down, or I’ll have to mute you. On the topic of the Senate, we have political pundit—”

“Jazzie?” Agnes’ voice rang out as she opened the door. Jasmine could tell she’d been worried, but the girl smiled instantly when she saw her.

Jasmine strained to sit up, her wrist still ached. She returned the smile as Agnes rushed toward her, embracing her in a hug.

“I was so, so worried, Jasmine. How are you? Are they treating you well here?” She asked, analyzing every nook and cranny on her body. Jasmine felt like she was in her mother’s company— that hurt.

“I’m fine, it’s just my wrist… and my head, I guess. How’s Sepp? He was shot.” Jasmine quickly asked, gripping her sheets.

“I don’t know, they won’t tell me anything. Fucking stupid hospital rooms, I swear. Do you want food? I brought snacks, some juice, but I also have water if you want. And a book! I got the book you were reading yesterday if you want to—”

“Breathe, Agnes. I already told you I’m fine. Franz can fix me up as soon as he gets here. Who was the other wounded?”

“Ah— it was Nicholas, but he only came in for minor injuries since Franz was busy, he’s fine. Noah died…”

“I saw.” Jasmine muttered as the image of his corpse flashed through her mind. Twisted. “I didn’t know him, but I still feel like crap. At least it looks like it was instant.

“Listen, I need to apologize to you. I feel like— I think I failed you during the battle. I didn’t— couldn’t do anything. I just watched while you fought. I couldn’t bring myself to shoot properly, and I just aimed in their general direction.”

“You don’t need to apologize. It wasn’t ideal but it sort of worked out.”

“No, let me finish. We all had the same training, and yet I can’t do anything. I feel so useless here, but you and Veronica are doing all the work. The way you stood up to that Palmer guy? I could never have done that.”

“You were protecting Gessner with Franz, you weren’t useless. He lived thanks to you.”

“Franz is a wimp, he doesn’t count. Well, I suppose I’m a wimp too, I guess. I just wanted to say I was sorry, and that I’ll do better next time.

“Let’s hang out until Franz is here.” Jasmine said, smiling. “I was watching T.V., but we can do something else.”

“I noticed, but I still don’t understand why you watch these scumbags. Put on a show or something.”

“Nothing good playing at these hours, usually. Here take the remote.” She said, throwing the television remote onto her lap. “I just want Franz to get here ASAP so I can finally move my fricking wrist.”

“Wow, ‘fricking’? Must be really bad then, I feel ya. How’s your head, by the way?” Agnes asked as she swapped in between the channels.

“It feels fine— just tight. Probably the bandages, I think.”

“Good, good. Ah— Inspector Dennis is playing, there you go.”

“You love this series way too much. You could have just let me watch the news if you were going to put this on.”

“Nah, the news suck.” Agnes said, grabbing her good hand. She played with her palm, pressing her fingers into it.

“What’re you doing?” Jasmine asked, feeling her palm dampen.

“Massaging your hand, duh. Want me to stop? My dad used to do this to me all the time.”

“No, I’m good. I have sweaty palms, though, it’s kind of gross.”

“You’re not gross. Chill out, I’m just helping you relax.”

The girls relaxed as they waited in the hospital room. Even though Jasmine disliked what was playing on television, it did help her take her mind off her hurting wrist. The girl thought back to her fight in the chamber and felt a gun in her hand even though she had none. She heard the loud pops ring in her ears and the gurgling of the man she had shot in the throat. Jasmine bit her lip.

He drowned in his own blood as he bled out.

Franz, Angela and, Veronica entered the room. Unlike Agnes and Jasmine, they still wore their suits and even had their guns with them. Angela nodded as she stood by the door.

“Jasmine! Allfather I’m sorry. Hermann forced us to stand in for his speech. I would have come sooner if I could.”

“I understand, Franz. Can you fix me?” Jasmine said, almost begging.

“Of course. Here, let me just…”

Franz put his hand on her head, provoking her to flinch. Her wrist and head went numb for a few seconds, and a relaxing feeling washed over her. A few seconds later, he was finished. Jasmine took a deep breath and made a fist. No pain yet.

She rotated her wrist and beamed. It felt amazing, fresh— no— better than it had been before.

“It’s perfect,” Jasmine said, chuckling slightly. She felt euphoric. “Thank you, Franz. Thank you so much.”

“It’s what I’m here for. Sepp’s already up and about, so I’ll be going to Nicholas. Angela?” Franz asked as he rolled his shoulders.

“Yeah, I’m coming.”

Her tone had completely changed compared to how she had sounded this morning. She was more human, letting emotions seep into her voice. She was obviously worried. Franz nodded, and they left, leaving them with Veronica.

The short-haired blond girl stood tall, her blue eyes glinting in the bright hospital lights. There was no blemish on her skin, nor was there a trace of tiredness or anxiety on her face. Veronica stared at them— the same girl who had bashed an MSA soldier’s face in, who had fought toe and toe with their leaders, and she asked.

“How are you feeling, Jasmine?”