Chapter 50

Eliza was walking to her office. Today, she had finally received approval for the research she had been planning for so long. The life of a psychologist-scientist was an endless cycle of inquiry, with breaks consisting of seminars and individual sessions with patients. The other side of the coin was the constant struggle for funding for her experiments.

"Miss Donovan, one of your wards has been hospitalized," Moro informed his employer as soon as she entered the office.

"Good morning to you too, Moro. Who is it, and what’s the reason?"

"Anji Ganet. Diagnosis: general mental and physical exhaustion. Med-bots have already transported his body to the clinic."

"Strange. He was physically healthy. No recorded psychological issues either. Connect me with the medical staff handling his examination."

A few seconds passed, and a screen materialized in the air, displaying a hospital room with the boy and the avatar of his attending physician.

"Hello, Dr. Garrett. I'm Eliza Donovan, the psychologist overseeing Anji Ganet, who is now your patient. What happened to him?"

"Good morning, Miss Donovan. The boy is suffering from exhaustion caused by persistent hemorrhaging. This led to systemic strain. The med-pod detected critical levels and summoned med-bots, placing him in a therapeutic coma."

"And the cause of the bleeding?"

"Overload of the central nervous system. He doesn’t have a neural implant, so the cause of the strain is harder to pinpoint. Cases like this are extremely rare among those without neural networks. Even now, his brain is overactive—and that’s while under sedation."

"What’s the diagnosis?"

"All diagnostic bots indicate signs of accelerated physiological development syndrome. These symptoms triggered CNS overload and the subsequent episode."

"What are the risks, and how is it treated?"

"It’s not curable. The condition is hardwired into his DNA—we can only manage symptoms to prevent life-threatening complications. Right now, the boy is stable. He’ll be placed in a med-pod for a couple of weeks to undergo recovery and accelerated developmental adjustments. This should ease his condition for the next six months. Essentially, his body will just mature faster."

"You were supposed to prescribe him medication. His medical insurance doesn’t cover this kind of treatment."

"You’re right. Here’s the interesting part: the Lunar State sent a request to cover the full cost of his recovery. I approved it—I’m a doctor, after all. My duty is to help my patients. The standard meds wouldn’t have been as effective as proper treatment."

"That’s… unusual behavior for them."

"Agreed. Their involvement in cases like this is rare. Mostly, they fund tech-related research. This is the first time I’ve heard of them paying for some orphan’s treatment."

"I have a request: once the boy stabilizes, grant me access to him in a private virtual space. There’s something I need to ask him."

"What about his guardian?"

"I’ll have their consent."