Are you Nancy? Nancy Morgan?

[Present]

She had woken up with a gasp because the last thing she remembered was unusual.

The doctors, who were unaware of the chip insertion, rushed inside the ICU to see why a neurosurgery patient woke up 10 minutes after the surgery.

While Roth and Sebastian had just left the operation theater to give the successful news to her parents, she had been transferred to the ICU… She unexpectedly woke up, sitting straight?!

Being told she had woken up, both the scientists rushed to the ICU. They hadn't allowed her parents to see her yet.

"Nancy?" Roth called her as she saw her seated straight.

"Roth?" She called him, showing no memory loss since she remembered him. "What the hell happened? Why am I here?"

Yeah, alright. She was fine.

"Fascinating!" Sebastian exclaimed in joy. "Are you not in pain?"

Nancy shook her head.

"Why do I have to be in pain?" Nancy asked. "Oh shit! Did my car crash?"

"What is the last thing you remember?" Roth asked.

"I was on my way to get my car fixed… It was making weird sounds and pulling brakes on its own." Nancy muttered. "What?!" She asked as she didn't receive an answer or reaction.

"I think we should have her shifted to a ward," Sebastian advised.

"A ward? Hello? I'm good as f**king discharged!" Nancy wasn't buying their story. "Why am I even here?! Goddammit!"

"Why is she angry?" Sebastian confusedly whispered to Roth.

"She is just like this," Roth replied as he whispered before clearing his throat. "Alright Nancy, we'll shift you to a ward and run a few scans. Then we'll send you home."

Nancy narrowed her eyes to stare at them. Though she was much younger than them, the tension in the air with her stare made them nervous unexpectedly.

She wasn't the type of kid you would want to argue with.

She snapped off her IV, and their eyes went wider than the night sky that had no ends.

She stood on her two feet and slicked her hair back, moving her head vigorously before walking out of the ICU in front of them.

Oh no, they couldn't stop her, though.

But should that be a problem?

Walking out of the ICU confidently, she faced her family and friends sitting outside waiting for news, only to see their daughter walk out herself with bandages on her head.

"NANCY?!" The reaction couldn't get any more surprising.

----

"Why are you here?" She asked after years of hard thinking. She wanted to sound as stern as possible.

"Well," Hertwig murmured. "You might run away, so I am here." He added, with a sarcastic tone.

She was sent to a ward, as promised.

Nancy stared at him with narrow eyes. She could tell him to shut up, but he wouldn't listen. Hertwig being almost an age fellow but a prodigy annoyed Nancy. Anything she would say would be ten levels lower than everything he would say.

She was a debater by birth. But oh, was it impossible to start an argument with Hertwig.

"Hey. Don't do anything stupid now. We were really worried about you." Hertwig said, the first time without sarcasm.

"Was my condition that bad?" Nancy asked.

"The doctors had given up on you. Until Roth and Sebastian came by."

Nancy didn't think 'the something new' she wanted in her life would almost take her life away.

"Don't worry. I am a man of steel,"

"… 'Wo'man of steel."

Nancy was discharged the next morning after her delirious fights. She wasn't going to stay at the hospital when she was all good!

She was ready to go to college, but Laura wouldn't let her. Why would she anyway?

The sun was almost setting when Nancy finally left her house to walk around, wearing a poncho on top of her shirt. It was September, so it wasn't cold. But Nancy felt cold for some reason.

She kept staring at her feet, covered with her favorite black fleets, as she walked down the alley when she came across a familiar face.

"Nancy, isn't it?" The man ended up recalling her first. "I am Sebastian. Roth's colleague?" He swung his finger in the air, with his eyebrow raised, trying to make her remember.

Nancy was irked while nodding. Why do people always think brain surgery patients have memory issues?

"I am glad to see you are alright. I was present with the other surgeons and Roth during your surgery."

"Oh… Thanks, I guess." Nancy looked away as her walk was practically ruined by this guy.

Sebastian knew she wasn't interested, so he opposed a question.

"Do you feel any different?"

This girl in front of him liked to argue.

She shook her head in confusion. Right. She hated his face. She didn't hate his appearance, but the aura he gave off.

"You mean you don't feel any smarter?"

"No. Why would I?"

"You have something others don't. You're special, Nancy."

To Nancy, he looked like some old man who lost his way to his house. She didn't care about whatever he was talking about.

"There's something inside you."

He continued with his talks. But the last statement made her slightly wonder. Slightly.

"W-What?" She asked hesitantly.

"A ch- "

Roth cut his words off by pulling Nancy away from him.

"Sebastian! We talked about this." Roth said sternly, pulling Nancy behind him.

Though she was annoyed, he grabbed her hand. She tried to break free. But he only held it tighter.

"Telling her what she needs to know," Sebastian replied, slowly moving his hand underneath his coat at the back of his belt.

Roth could tell something was going on when he saw Sebastian put on a more unusual face.

"Let me get this straight. Who made your puny invention compatible with her? Me. Who does she belong to? Me."

"You aren't serious, are you? She doesn't belong to anyone. I told you! Our work was just to save her life, that's it!"

Nancy was confused at this point. What exactly was going on?

"I want Nancy. That's all…" Sebastian said, staring at Nancy.

"Woah! Excuse me? You can't just say you want me. What the fuck?" Nancy backed off with a confused yet disgusted expression.

Sebastian pulled out a gun from his belt behind him. As he quietly stared at the gun, pressure grew for Roth.

"W-What are you doing? Are you out of your mind?!" Roth said as he shoved Nancy behind him completely.

"Is that a toy gun?" Nancy whispered, not wanting to believe it was an actual gun.

"I won't hurt her," Sebastian said as he pointed the gun towards them. "Just hand her over, and I'll leave quietly."

"Huh? 'Hand her over'? She is not a thing, Sebastian. I know your plans." Roth muttered, tapping Nancy's hands slowly.

At first, she panicked, feeling uncomfortable.

Later, she somehow figured it was a morse code. But how did she know? She didn't remember learning such a thing!

The last finger-tap made her run in the opposite direction while Roth pushed Sebastian back with all his might.

Sebastian fell and lost grip of his gun when another young man shoved Roth away as he appeared from behind a tree. Roth had managed to kick the weapon away before rolling down on the ground. Nancy could still be seen running away as she caught the face of the young man with blonde hair. He looked somewhat familiar.

However, she focused on running away, as fast as she could and as far as she could.

Roth quickly managed to get up on his feet just to receive a blow from the young man, who was helping Sebastian to get up from the ground. Nancy was out of sight.

Roth took it as his chance to escape as well, kicking the young man's leg, restoring himself, and running out of the alley quickly.

"Forget me! Go after them!" Sebastian shouted to the young man as he stood up on his own.

The young man nodded, charging towards Roth. Roth knew Nancy would run straight, so he changed his directions as much as he could to keep the man away from Nancy.

Nancy, however, was totally out of breath. She stopped after running straight to the New York Police Department. She made it to a safe spot at least.

Should she report this? Yes!

She quickly went inside the police station.

"Okay, okay! Listen!" She shouted at the first guy she saw. "This dude pulled up a gun at me and-"

"Are you Nancy?"

An unfamiliar voice of an unfamiliar man made her turn around. She swallowed the lump in her throat as he asked her again.

"Nancy Morgan?"