Kendra pressed both hands against the reopened abdomen while the fighter's completed recovery came apart under her palms. The white support thread reversed into a blue drain line, transferring sealed blood back through the seam the surgeon had closed.
The independent healer slammed her core housing against the table edge as the reversing light intensified. Mercy Spire's recall protocol treated the finished recovery cycle as inventory still bound to an active subsidy serial.
"Stop the pull," Kendra said, keeping pressure while the monitor dropped past the threshold it had cleared.
"I do not own the subsidy route," the healer replied, her voice tight as blue light climbed her wrists, "the purchase receipt listed residual support rather than remote repossession."
Vasa reached the table before the surgeon finished calling for additional packing material. She photographed the serial number, subsidy clause, recall screen, and blood trail without touching the core housing.
