Jasper finds himself inside the empty, pearlescent space once again. He remembers this dream from the night before and quickly scans the area for the dark figure. It doesn't take long for him to find it, and while still far from him, it is much closer than before. He tries to call out to it again, but just like before, he is unable to speak. He tries to float closer to the figure, but again, it doesn't get any closer.
As Jasper stares curiously at the figure, he hears a faint voice echoing in the distance. He looks around for the source of the noise as it grows louder, but there is nothing around him but pearlescent space and the mysterious figure. Eventually, the noise grows loud enough for him to make out what the voice is saying.
"Jasper... Jasper, wake up... Jasper!" a man calls out to him.
Jasper wakes up in another infirmary room and sees Sebastian leaning over his bedside as he shakes his shoulders.
"Finally," Sebastian sighs with relief as Jasper opens his eyes.
As Jasper slowly wakes up, he starts to remember what happened. The memory of losing his arm flashes into his mind, and he quickly sits up and pulls his arms out from under the sheets. He is shocked to see that both of his arms are perfectly fine.
"Was it a dream?" Jasper mutters to himself.
Sebastian chuckles as he sits down next to Jasper, "Unfortunately, it wasn't."
Jasper stares at his arms, "How am I alive?" he questions.
"Cronus doesn't let Agents die so easily if they can prevent it. You broke nearly every bone in your body, but we managed to salvage your mind." Sebastian explains.
Jasper looks at him, confused, "Why am I healed already? How long has it been?" he asks.
Sebastian glances over at a digital clock above the door, "It's been about 16 hours, but you didn't heal. Your previous body was beyond repair, so we gave you a new one," he answers bluntly.
Jasper rolls his eyes, "Great," he sighs sarcastically.
"So what happened?" Sebastian questions.
"Isn't it obvious?" Jasper laughs.
Sebastian chuckles again, "Well, we had our assumptions, but I didn't think you would actually try to kill yourself."
"That isn't exactly what happened, I slipped..." Jasper mutters nervously.
Sebastian stares at him for a moment before busting up laughing. Jasper smiles before looking at him and bursting out in laughter as well. They laugh together for a moment until it slowly fades into pensive silence.
Sebastian breaks the silence, "I'm gonna assume you didn't read my letter. You should have come and seen me."
"For what? So you could have assigned me to a new squad and we could act like nothing ever happened? Jasper asks.
"Not exactly. I don't expect you to forget your friends. I wouldn't want you to." Sebastian says.
"So then what did you want to talk about? I still don't remember what happened. I can't give you any information," Jasper lies.
"That's fine, I had no intention of asking you about that anymore. I have a proposition, one that I think you would be interested in," Sebastian says.
Jasper looks curiously at Sebastian, "And what would that be?"
"Have you ever heard of the Collector branch?" Sebastian asks.
Jasper shakes his head no.
"Most people don't know, but there are multiple branches of Agents that work for Cronus. One of these branches is known as the Collectors. They are a much smaller unit of Agents that primarily work solo, and rather than sealing fractures and fighting Latent Entities, their sole objective is to explore Latent Space at their own pace and collect valuable items for Cronus," Sebastian explains.
Jasper's eyes light up, "They work alone and don't fight?" he asks excitedly.
"Not unless they have to, but as I'm sure you know, Latent Space is a dangerous place," Sebastian replies.
"And how does someone become a Collector?" Jasper asks.
"Well, normally, Collector positions are reserved for highly experienced Agents that are more likely to survive on their own. However, in some cases, Agents can be accepted through recommendations." Sebastian explains.
"So you can recommend me then, right?" Jasper asks.
Sebastian chuckles again, "I don't have that much power, unfortunately."
Jasper's excitement quickly fades. "Then why are you telling me all this?"
"All I said was that I don't have that much power, but the General does," Sebastian answers.
Jasper laughs, "And what makes you think someone like me could get a personal recommendation from the General herself?"
Sebastian smiles, "I have no clue why she would do something like that, but she did."
Jasper's excitement returns, "You mean I already got the position?"
"Only if you want it, but before you give me your answer, here is your bill," Sebastian replies as he hands Jasper a tablet.
Jasper examines the tablet and sees a long list of medical expenses. Jasper's jaw drops as he reads through the list. His excitement quickly fades as he reaches the bottom and sees the total.
"5.2 million credits... Since when did Agents have to pay for their medical care?" Jasper mutters in disbelief.
"Normally, they don't, but Cronus only covers the cost of work-related incidents, and new bodies aren't exactly cheap," Sebastian replies.
Jasper stares at the tablet, "How am I supposed to pay this?"
"I forgot to mention, but Collectors aren't paid a salary, they are paid in commission based on the value of the items they collect. So, if you decide to join them and do a job, you could potentially pay it off a lot quicker than a standard Agent would be able to." Sebastian explains.
"I'll do it," Jasper immediately replies as he continues to stare at his bill.
Sebastian laughs, "Great, come by my office when you're discharged and we can work out the details," he says as he gets up to leave.
Sebastian stops in the doorway and turns back toward Jasper, "And please don't try to kill yourself this time, I'll be waiting," he says before closing the door and walking away.
Jasper tosses the tablet to the side and sinks into his bed as he stares blankly at the ceiling.
"Fuck," he mutters to himself.