The deathclaw had indeed done more than rattle Nick's insides: wires that were already falling apart from age had split and frayed as he'd been tossed around the arena, and rusted mechanisms that somehow still managed to turn were dented and knocked askew from the creature's grasp. The claws that had torn through his clothes had made it to his synthetic skin, leaving marks and rips along his side, but only managing to shred a few of the wires to his leg beneath. There were support rods and tubes that were bent, some cracked beyond simple repair.

But it could have been worse. The metal plating around his primary processor, while it had a few new scuffs and dings, had protected the device inside, and though his body had taken a beating, his head and synthetic brain were nearly untouched by the deathclaw's assault. And on top of that, he lived with a woman who had the mind of an engineer crammed into her brain, someone with enough know-how to assess his state and maybe put him back into some kind of functioning order. Valentine was indeed a lucky man.

And that's the first thing on his mind when his system finally does reboot. It takes several minutes for his processor to run through its emergency diagnostics, checking for the bare minimum of what he needs to be brought around. It whirrs and ticks quietly, scanning for the necessary components. Eventually, his body twitches slightly as a current runs through him. There's a spark from left side where his arm used to be, life coming back into the body as his eyes light up.

They narrow as Nick blinks a few times, his brow furrowing in confusion as he tries to sort through the ongoing processes in his head. He attempts to pick himself up; his remaining arm shakes from the effort, prompting him to stick to the floor for now. "R... Rey? What happened?"

Given what he can see of Rey and her tools from his vantage on the floor, he already knows the answer to that. So much for not making her worry.