Chapter 3

Mobotropolis, Keplerian Republic

October 16, 2092

"Good morning, Dr. Robotnik." Amadeus said, standing up to take the human's hand as he entered the private room within the Republic Army Medical Center. Geralt Robotnik's head was now completely bald, sans his greying mustache. He shook the fox's hand and then focused his attention briefly on the eyepatch that was covering the fox's left eye.

"The answer is still no, eh General?" Geralt asked.

Amadeus flickered his remaining eye. "As always."

"Another day, perhaps. We will probably argue about a bionic eye until we are in our graves." Geralt sighed with good humor. Then he looked at the upright Rosemary Prower and took her left hand with a gentle squeeze. "Good morning Mary. How is our mother and soon-to-be-son?"

"Tired but he is not." The retired army captain turned teacher groaned as she pressed her hand to her bulging abdomen. "He seems to kick more when I haven't eaten."

"Forty and a half weeks." Geralt took out his tablet computer and looked over her records. Then he pointed it towards her abdomen and switched to a diagnostic imaging application. "No sign of distress from what I can see. Good weight reading albeit on the smaller side." Then he switched to the telemetry monitoring application. "Your vitals look good as well. I think we can have OB/GYN begin with inducing."

"Breakfast?" Rosemary asked.

"No, though you'll have fluids. We don't want you chucking on your boy, do we? After it is all over though, you may eat to your heart's content." The human even took out a small grape sucker from his pocket, waggling it. "Well, at least this won't do harm." He unwrapped it and held it out to her, getting a dirty look. But Rosemary took it into her mouth.

"Farfar!" A small female voice could be heard behind Geralt. He turned his head and suddenly felt two arms close around his leg. Turning slowly, Geralt reached down and lifted a blonde-haired girl of no more than three, wearing a blue dress.

"Ah, little barnbarn. Maria!" He smiled at the girl and rocked her in his arms. "I should have known you would find me as soon as I unwrapped a klubba. Ah, General? Would you mind fishing one out for me?"

Amadeus nodded and reached into Geralt's labcoat pocket to withdraw a yellow sucker, unwrapping it. She stared at the fox as he held it out to her. Before she took it, the little hand pressed up against his nose and scratched at it. Amadeus instinctively twitched his nose.

"Valp!" Maria Robotnik exclaimed.

"No, no. Not a puppy." Geralt smiled apologetically. "A räv, Maria. A räv. She keeps thinking every Keplerian like you is a puppy. Especially being around Poul's Malamute."

"She is adorable." Rosemary said, holding her hand out to Maria. Geralt moved closer and she took the girl's small hand, smiling. Then a tall, blond haired man entered with a dark haired, equally tall woman beside him. Geralt turned to face them.

"I'm sorry, father. She got away from us." The man said.

"Oh no harm, Poul." The woman slowly took Maria from his arms and slowly set her down.

"Your grandfather is not a candy machine," she admonished gently. "He has to take care of the people here."

"Well being in a hospital doesn't seem to discourage her at least." Amadeus observed. He knelt to eye level with Maria and blinked. "I promise you though, once my little boy is old enough you'll have him to treat as a valp. Just don't fatten him up." He wrapped his tail around her and tipped his hat before rising.

"Right." Geralt took out his tablet and made a request in the hospital system. "Well, the inducing team will start in about fifteen minutes. Let's give the Prowers some privacy, if we could please?"

"Of course." Noomi Robotnik replied, gently tugging at Maria's hand. "Let's go little one."

"Goodbye polisman!" Maria laughed softly as they walked out of the room. Amadeus straightened up and looked at Rosemary, who had an amused smile on her face.

"Nine months and a week. Finally, here." Rosemary said, taking her husband's hand.

"Not only did you bring me a republic to build but a child too." Amadeus reflected. "All of this, the young here are your children too. They may have made me a general, but I know truly who the platitudes should go to."

"I'm just happy to be teaching the children how the universe works now instead of how to blow it up." Rosemary said quietly. "We're fortunate also that the humans came as friends. Very fortunate."

"I'm still amazed at the pace things are going. Seven years and a modern power system discharged soldiers getting jobs on and off planet. These computers as they call them. Our little one is going to be growing up amongst it all, he will know more than us." Amadeus flickered his tongue out.

"As long as things continue on course." Rosemary said. "With our daring general looking after us." She reached out and stroked his nose like Maria, getting the same twitch. "You have no idea how happy you make me, Amadeus."

"You chose me though. Could have stayed in the Republic Army, perhaps with someone with both eyes, but you chose me." The fox ran his tongue out against her hand.

"There is no one that can stand up to you." Rosemary concluded, pulling his face in gently for a kiss.

9:24 AM Keplerian Capital Time

New life finally came into the republic with a few careful shots of medication and an intensive procedure helped along by Geralt, an OB/GYN specialist and the nursing team. But the first thing that they had noticed other than the feeble wailing of the newborn fox was that he had a second tail.

"This didn't show very well on the scan." Geralt said in consultation with the inducing team while a nurse held the bundle of fox and blanket. "But it's functional. Is there a history of polycaudality with your families?" he asked the two foxes.

"Polycaudality?" Rosemary asked. "Multiple tails? Not in mine."

"Nor mine, though it's been heard of but rare." Amadeus chimed in.

"Hm." Geralt watched the OB/GYN press their stethoscope to the little fox's chest before giving a nod.

"Otherwise healthy in all respects. What is his name?" A nurse asked while the other slowly brought the newborn fox to set in Rosemary's arms.

"Miles Annorax." Amadeus said quietly, reaching out to stroke the little fox's ear. "Latin for soldier if I remember your text correctly. A human name seems fitting for him. Annorax for her father." Then his ears relaxed as Miles seemed to calm down in their presence.

November 21, 2100

Skåne University Hospital

Lund, Sweden

A green flashing light upon the top of the red Ford Excalibur had gotten Geralt Robotnik through the knot of traffic that plugged up the streets in Lund. It was an entitlement for a physician, especially one with hospital privileges at a trauma center. He parked hastily near the emergency department and got out, tablet in hand as he quickly rushed in through the emergency entrance for staff.

"Professor Robotnik!" Amanda Palme, the chief resident for the emergency department spotted him and pointed him in the right direction to go.

"When did they arrive?" Geralt asked urgently.

"Thirty minutes ago. Mrs. Prower came by air ambulance from Sturup and the general brought him and his son by car."

"Thoughts?" Geralt was going into diagnosis mode.

"It's strange, late-stage toxicity from radiation poisoning." Palme described. "Nausea, diarrhea, fever, headache, extreme fatigue, bloody vomit, fur loss. White counts are very low, no response to neupogen, Prussian Blue, DTPA or potassium iodide. Liver and kidney functions are bad too."

"Have you found a source?" Geralt asked.

"We're still looking but her husband says that she shouldn't have been around anything like that. She's-" Palme answered before being cut off.

"A teacher now, yes. But previously she worked with weapons grade atomics." He stopped and then looked at the woman. "What about the son, the general? Any sign of sickness with them?"

"None that we can tell." Palme said. "Shall we have them checked?"

"Yes. But we'll assume unless there's a positive finding that the source is localized to her. Start parenteral nutrition, standard round of detox, continue transfusions until plasmapheresis can start. Also, if Amadeus is clear, type and match him with her for possible bone marrow donation. Otherwise get in touch with her family."

"What about the son?" Palme asked. Geralt shook his head. "Definitely not in guidelines. If we can't get a family match, check the local database with human donors." Fortunately, Keplerians and humans could cross donate blood and organs at least.

They entered Trauma Room 2 and Geralt didn't even notice Amadeus standing outside. The fox went in after him and then froze, staring at the humans that were working over Rosemary's body. The ECG monitor was making erratic beeps while a nurse was pressing down on her chest, making compressions.

"Blood's all sludged up." Dr. Erik Quist, the lead resident on the code growled as he stared at the dark red solid matter that was slowly churning into an intake line. "No matter how quickly we put it in, it's all sludged."

"Have you tried another point?" Geralt asked.

"Both arms, legs and neck." Quist grumbled. Geralt then drew up Rosemary's sheet, looking at her legs when Amadeus finally spoke.

"What's going on with her Gerry?!" The fox murmured. Geralt turned and frowned, seeing his friend standing there, arms shaking.

"You can't be in here Amadeus. Not like this." Geralt said quietly.

"Is she going to die?!" The fox raised his voice as he started to fidget, going towards the bed, getting looks from the staff. Geralt went for him, pinning his arms to his sides as Amadeus struggled.

"You have to let them work, Amadeus. We're doing what we can!"

"Damn you, that's my wife!" The fox continued to struggle, freeing an arm to backhand the human across the face. Geralt caught him by the wrist and used his weight to push him out towards the doors.

"Now you've gone too far!" Geralt bellowed. Amadeus continued to struggle until Geralt smacked him across the muzzle. "I will not have you fighting in there, especially in front of her like that!"

"I'm...I'm sorry-" Amadeus' voice went up an octave. Geralt then lowered his head, slowly letting go of him, mustache twitching with guilt.

"I should not have struck you. That was a barbaric thing to do to a friend and a patient's husband." He lowered his hands away and then took off his glasses, massaging his forehead. "Her condition is very critical, but we are going to do what we can to save her. Everything humanly possible, but even our technology has its limitations." He raised his head and looked the fox in the eye. "I cannot lie to you either and guarantee that we will succeed. If the worst happens, we have to think about Miles."

"I'll-I'll retire." Amadeus sputtered, his eye darting around. "I don't know though if I could do it. I've had my regrets, not being there all the time. The republic has relied on me for so much as well."

"The first duty is to family." Geralt said, squeezing the fox's shoulder. "I swear to you, I will try everything possible. I'm going to go back to her. All right?"

Amadeus held his breath for a few moments and then exhaled sharply.

"All right." The fox said resignedly. Geralt nodded and released his shoulder, walking back into Trauma 2. He looked upon the faces of the team and read more than what he would get from the monitors from their downcast expressions.

"Asystolic for the last few minutes now. No response to epinephrine or to compressions." Quist reported while he continued to press upon Rosemary's chest. A side door opened with a portable scanner being pushed in. The radiology technician attached the framing rails at points on the gurney, giving Quist time to attach a mechanical compression device to Rosemary's chest. The technician then started real-time analysis, starting at her head.

"She's gone. So much occlusion from the blood sludging, all these clots in the carotid alone, starved for blood since she lost consciousness." Geralt lamented while Palme stopped the code clock on her phone. He looked over at the frozen display, time of death at 5:22 PM. Then he walked over to the technician, staring at the holographic cross-sections that were appearing as the scanning beam ran back and forth. He recognized the damage done to the woman's organs and stepped back.

"Definitely radiation poisoning. All blood that has been sent to the lab is to be secured down in the morgue. All case personnel are to submit to exposure screening, including myself. I also want Field Marshal Prower taken aside and retested. Call Lund University and request a chemist as well as their senior pathology professor. Finally, request an inspector from Malmo." Geralt said, slowly bridging his hands together in finality.

The technician had shut down the scanner and began detaching the framework before placing it back on the cart and wheeled it back towards the side door. Geralt could hear someone going back through the main doors and speaking to Amadeus. He slowly turned to face the fox and took off his glasses, fidgeting with them with a sad sigh.

"She was set on this path well before coming in." The human said quietly. Amadeus looked at the flat tracings on the monitors and then back at Geralt, eye twitching.

"She's gone?" Amadeus instinctively reached up and started to chew on the middle knuckle of his right index finger. Then he started to walk towards the right side of the gurney, lowering his head down, pressing an ear to her mouth. Nothing but silence, even more while he moved his ear down to her chest, no movement, still no sound. Then he pressed his nose to Rosemary's face, blinking as hot tears fell from his eye. He tried to hold back, but the barriers that let Field Marshal Amadeus Prower watch men fall and die had collapsed. A harsh, feral screech came up from the fox's throat as he uncontrollably shook, cradling his dead wife's head.