Undisclosed Location
20. November, 3070
Slowly, ever so slowly, the Black lightened to gray; and the empty void of silence grew louder. The unconscious state slowly became conscious. As Tai-shu Andre Takeda awoke from his coma, his subconscious mind panicked. He could feel his legs kick feebly, but were quickly restrained. Takeda tried to move his arms, his right arm felt stiff, but move it did. The moment his left arm began to move, a searing pain caused Andre's eyes to tear up. I can move, I can hear. I am alive. Andre tried to speak but his tongue was thick, and he was becoming aware of a sharp pain coming from his chest, and his breathing was labored. The Tai-shu knew those injuries well. Several years back he suffered similar injuries after ejecting from his stricken Avatar. I have been heavily medicated. I have fractured several ribs, and I have a collapsed lung.
Takeda had still not attempted to open his eyes, but the narcotic fog was slowly lifting and he could hear several voices in the room, few of them he recognized. "Easy Tai-shu. We had to sedate you. I am administering a counter-agent now. Please remain calm and still." It was a female voice, calm,yet stern. Takeda could feel his senses sharpening quickly as the medication neutralized the anesthesia. Someone, probably a nurse, was elevating the bed Takeda was on, allowing him to sit up. Finally, Takeda was able to begin to open his eyes slowly, allowing his pupils to adjust to the light. "Where am I, and what happened?"
A gruff male voice with a staccato tone answered. "You are in a safe location Tai-shu. You were in an accident. You were lucky."
Takeda laughed, which he instantly regretted as his busted ribs lanced fire up his side. His eyes focused on the man. His appearance matched his voice. His face was stern, his gray hair cut close to his scalp. His uniform was disheveled and he wore an ISF pin. This is not good. Why is the ISF here? "How am I lucky?"
The Combine spymaster simply looked at the small tri-vid player mounted on the wall. Within his right hand he held a remote which he used to turn up the volume. Andre looked at him, and to the doctor who was watching the screen intently. Following her eyes to the screen, Takeda looked at the screen. The video showed several buildings either on fire, or extinguished but still smoking. There was something familiar about some of the structures, but Takeda could not place them. He began reading the subtitles as they scrolled by on the bottom of the screen. "No..." Andre shook his head, trying to clear it. He opened his eyes and read it again. "It can not be true.."
But true it was. Tai-shu Andre Takeda was looking at the the Imperial Palace, on fire and in ruins..
With his stomach in knots, and fighting back bile and nausea, Takeda spoke in the barest of whispers. "What in the Christian God's name has happened?"