Chapter 37: Upgrading The Power Armor
Sophia performed compressions, then tilted Annie's head back to give her breaths, repeating the cycle until Annie's chest began to rise on its own, her heartbeat gradually finding a steady rhythm.
Exhausted and drenched in sweat, Sophia leaned back and anxiously studied Annie's face. "Come on, Annie... breathe," she whispered.
"Status update, Ego?" Zack asked, his voice tight with worry.
"Annie is out of immediate danger, but her condition is still fragile. She's weak, and the oxygen deprivation may leave her disoriented for a while," Ego reported, pausing briefly. "There's another issue. I detected moderate signs of palladium poisoning in her system."
"Palladium poisoning?" Zack's voice sharpened with disbelief. "I've been using MV-01 for years without a problem. How could Annie get poisoned after just a few hours?"
He gently pulled down the collar of Annie's suit, his heart sinking at what he saw. Dark, purplish-black veins snaked from her neck toward her chest—clear evidence of palladium toxicity.
"This is bad," Zack muttered, running a hand through his hair. He knew treatments existed—Ego's database had protocols—but they were working against the clock. Relieving her symptoms had to come first.
He clenched his fists, staring at his sister, who lay pale and still. "Just some chlorophyll juice... that's what we need to start with," he muttered to himself, trying to mask his growing anxiety. But his mind raced: why had Annie's body reacted so violently to palladium? What made her so different?
In just a few hours, the palladium levels in her system had skyrocketed to levels that would take months to accumulate in most people. A faint, strained voice interrupted his thoughts. "Brother..."