Chapter 3: Debt and Ignition

 [ VESSEL CLAIMED: ANASTASIA WHITMORE ]

 [ SOUL INTEGRATION COMPLETE: 100% ]

The glowing prompt flickered once, dissolved into a cascade of faint cyan light, and vanished into thin air.

At the front desk, Nurse Sarah typed rapidly on her monitor. She looked up from her screen, her eyes brightening as she smiled warmly.

"Anastasia Whitmore," Sarah said, checking her screen. "There you are. The system found your record and verified your file, everything is completely cleared now."

Sarah turned back to the room, carrying a neatly folded stack of clothing. A simple dark pair of trousers and a plain cotton blouse that had been brought in with her. She set them on the edge of the mattress.

"Your discharge papers are all set," Sarah added gently. "And the gentleman who brought you in three days ago is waiting downstairs in the main reception lobby. He came by to check on your status."

Anastasia changed quickly, the simple clothes fitting her slender frame cleanly. She walked down to the glass-paneled hospital lobby, where a middle-aged man in a faded jacket stood up from the waiting chairs.

"Miss Whitmore?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Anastasia said, her tone polite yet measured. "Nurse Sarah mentioned you were the one who pulled me out near the riverbank."

"I saw you lying near the water's edge on my way home," the man explained, offering a relieved smile. "I'm Marcus. I'm just glad to see you upright and walking. Do you have someone picking you up? A ride home?"

"No," Anastasia replied calmly. "I don't have a place to stay tonight."

Marcus blinked, surprised by her quiet candor, before his expression softened. "Well... my place isn't anything fancy, just a small apartment ten minutes down the road. But you can spend the night until you get your bearings sorted out."

"Thank you, Marcus," she said quietly. "I accept."

Marcus's home was a modest, compact apartment; A small parlor, a single adjoining kitchen, and two tiny bedrooms.

As they walked into the parlor, the air directly in front of Anastasia's eyes shivered. A sharp, glowing blue text box snapped into existence, floating right in her field of vision.

 [ SYSTEM ACTIVE: STANDBY MODE ]

Anastasia froze in the middle of the room, her heart giving a sudden thud. She looked at the floating blue light hovering in front of her face, then looked at Marcus, who was walking toward the kitchen counter.

"Marcus," she asked, her voice tight with caution, "can you see this blue light floating right here in front of me?"

Marcus turned around holding a glass of water, looking at the empty air in front of her with a mixture of worry and confusion. "Blue light?" He chuckled gently, shaking his head. "Miss Whitmore, are you sure the doctors checked your head properly before letting you leave?"

Before she could answer, a seven-year-old boy came running out from the hallway, hugging Marcus's waist. "Dad! You're back!"

"Hey, Leo," Marcus said warmly. "We have a guest tonight. Go wash up for dinner."

Minutes later, the three of them sat around the small wooden dining table. Marcus served a simple meal of roasted meat and potatoes. Anastasia ate slowly, her mind racing as the interface hovered silently at the edge of her vision.

Suddenly, Leo gasped.

Anastasia snapped her attention across the table. The young boy had gone rigid. He clutched his throat with both small hands, his face flushing red as he tried desperately to draw breath. A thick piece of meat was stuck deep in his throat.

"Leo!" Marcus panicked, slamming his hands onto the table. He stumbled out of his chair, his hands shaking so violently he couldn't think straight. "Leo! What's wrong?! Help, God, he can't breathe!"

PING.

The air rippled with an electric hum, expanding into a dark crimson warning window directly across Anastasia's vision.

 [ EMERGENCY MISSION DETECTED ]

 [ OBJECTIVE: Save Marcus's son from choking. ]

 [ TIME LIMIT: 15 SECONDS ]

 [ REWARD: $500.00 USD (Direct Transfer) ]

 [ BONUS REWARD: System Inventory Feature Unlocked (Slots: 5) ]

 [ FAILURE: Target Death ]

Anastasia didn't hesitate for a second.

She vaulted across the small wooden table. She grabbed Leo by his shoulders, spun him around, and leaned his body forward over her arm.

With measured, concentrated force, she brought the heel of her hand down hard, delivering a sharp upward strike directly between the boy's shoulder blades, once! then twice!

THWACK.

A hard piece of unchewed meat flew from Leo's throat, slamming onto the floor.

The boy took a sudden, violent gulp of air, sobbing as oxygen rushed back into his lungs. Marcus dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms tightly around his son.

"Leo! Oh God, Leo... breathe, son..." Marcus sobbed, looking up at Anastasia with pure gratitude. "Miss Whitmore... you saved him..."

Anastasia stood back, her breathing steady, as the glowing light above her eyes shifted from crimson to bright gold.

 [ EMERGENCY MISSION COMPLETE ]

 [TARGET SAVED SUCCESSFULLY ]

 [PROCESSING REWARDS... ]

 [ +$500.00 USD TRANSFERRED TO REGISTERED ACCOUNT ]

 [ UNLOCKED: SYSTEM INVENTORY (SLOTS: 5) ]

 [ INCOMING SYSTEM INSTRUCTION: ]

 "Funds have been issued to your registered account. Proceed to the nearest National Bank terminal tomorrow morning to collect your official debit card and claim your capital."

Anastasia stared at the glowing prompt as it slowly faded into the air.

The System was functional, responsive, and funded. Tomorrow morning, she would have her first physical capital in her hands.

She looked out the small parlor window toward the distant city lights.

Two years. Five hundred dollars. The revenge had officially begun.