Part 7: Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News

Chapter 6: Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News



The town of Oputa was a short walk from the Biosystems lab. Most of its working population had supported the lab's operations in some capacity. With the lab shut down, the whole town seemed to have sunk into depression, and the newly unemployed wandered aimlessly through the streets.

I started walking around town and questioning the locals, hoping to find some information about the events at the lab. After the tragedy that a simple failure of communication had caused back at North Bridge, I wasn't going in without knowing absolutely everything I could about the situation there.



Many people were still having a hard time coming to terms with what had happened. The way I saw it, there were only two ways the Biomonster release could have happened: either there was some kind of error in Mother Brain's systems, or somebody had deliberately sabotaged the lab. Both possibilities were equally unsettling, and both left many questions unanswered. On one hand, why would a system that had worked perfectly for 400 years start failing now? On the other, what motive could anybody have for damaging the systems that kept us all alive?



As usual, there were plenty of people who expected Mother Brain to solve all of Mota's problems on her own. Mother Brain had done many wonderful things for the Algo system, but she still relied on agents like me to help implement her plans. A little appreciation for my work every once in a while wouldn't go astray.




Others had given in to despair. It was true that Mota had fallen on hard times, but that was no excuse to give up. We were still better off than in the dark days before Mother Brain, when Palmans on Mota lived in isolated towns separated by endless stretches of desert. What Mother Brain had built, Mother Brain could rebuild.



Apparently, when the Biosystems lab was still operative, it used to manufacture high-grade medical sprays including Star Mist and Moon Dew. Their healing properties verged on the miraculous. I'd be sure to keep an eye out for any stockpiles that remained in the lab.



So Mota's leading producer of drought-resistant crops had gone out of action soon after the worst drought in four centuries began. That couldn't be a coincidence. As hard as it was to imagine anyone wanting to turn Mota back into a desert, foul play was starting to look like the most likely explanation.



A few members of the native race of Mota were living in town. Most of Mota's population was descended from Palman colonists, but there were still a few native populations here and there. The natives were hardy and resourceful, but, well, they tended to be a little dim.



The natives were also known for being less than picky in their eating habits. Many of them survived by scavenging through garbage, eating anything remotely organic and selling anything remotely useful. At worst they were harmless parasites; at best, they helped Mother Brain's systems run more efficiently by repairing or recycling old machinery.



So the lab's recorder had been left in the basement. Good to know. That ought to narrow my search down a little.



Unfortunately, the basement wasn't really designed to be human-accessible, and the only way to get there was through a maintenance shaft. Not good news, but at least I knew what I was in for.



A piano teacher, eh? I didn't really care for classical music, but at least it was an honest job, and I couldn't blame anyone for wanting entertainment with the world the way it was.

Nei tugged on my sleeve. "Can we listen to him play? Please? I've never heard anyone play a real piano before."

I smiled. "Of course, Nei." Even if I wasn't interested in the music, I did need a break.

I asked for directions to the music teacher's house: it was to the northwest, in the outskirts of Oputa.

A well-groomed man answered the door. With a slight lisp in his voice, he warmly invited me into his house.



 If you say "yes", this opens a music test. 

He waggled his eyebrows at me as he spoke, and emphasised the word "play" a little too heavily. I quickly decided that the kind of relaxation he was offering me was not the kind I was looking for.

"Um, actually, maybe not right now..."



Ustvestia put a hand on my knee. I glanced around the room, looking for a window I could leap out of to make a quick escape.

"Well, actually, I'm kind of busy right now. I've got to go!"

Without waiting for him to respond, I got to my feet and scooted out the door.

Rudo followed me out almost as quickly, with Nei lagging behind. She looked up at me, eyes wide with confusion and disappointment. "Why didn't you ask him to play the piano for us, Rolf?"

"He was..." I thought about how to explain the concept of sexual harassment to Nei, then gave it up as a bad job. "I'll explain when you're older."

Well, I certainly won't be visiting him ever again. Maybe I should just go home for a while.




Before we left, we checked out Oputa's shops. They were well-stocked with ceramic weapons and fibreglass armour: effective, but expensive. My budget stretched far enough to afford a pair of ceramic claws for Nei, which were enough to cheer her up again.



We teleported back to Paseo and spent the next two days at my home. Rudo seemed a bit restless, but I think we all needed some time off. The Biosystems lab was bound to be swarming with Biomonsters, and we couldn't risk going in without being fully prepared, both physically and mentally.



Our rest was interrupted by a visitor. I opened the door and was greeted by a tiny young woman with red hair. She looked at me with a nervous but earnest look in her eyes.


Biomonsters. I will be glad to assist you, though I am not much of a fighter. But I can heal wounds."

It looked as if my reputation was starting to spread -- not that I'd done much to deserve it yet.

"Glad to have you aboard, Amy. Nei and I know some basic healing techniques, but there have definitely been times when we wished we had a fully-trained medic."

Rudo frowned. "Are you sure about this, Rolf? If she can't handle herself in combat, she's a liability. I don't want anyone else throwing their lives away because of us."



"Please," Amy said, "give me a chance. If I have to learn to fight, I will. I've seen too many people horribly injured by Biomonster attacks to sit back and do nothing. Treating the wounded isn't enough for me any more. I want to help you fight back against the Biomonsters."

I looked at Rudo. "I'm willing to give her a chance if you are. What do you say?"

Rudo stared stonily into my eyes. A strained silence filled the room.

Finally, he spoke.

"I hope you know what you're doing this time, Rolf."