Author's note/disclaimer: I don't own Cave Story, it belongs to Pixel. So there.

Ah, chapter six. There's not really a whole lot I can say about this except MWAA HAA HAA HAAAAAA! I hope that's helpful. Oh, and blame BW0 for the title. I probably wouldn't have even thought of it if it hadn't been for her suggesting it.

Chapter six- Misery Loves Company

Quote was pacing as he, Momorin, Jenka, Booster and Itoh held counsel. Curly hadn't come back and the five of them knew something was wrong. What they didn't know was what to do about it.

"Quote, sit down. You'll wear a hole through to the bottom of the island," said Momorin.

"Sorry," he replied sheepishly, and found a place to sit. "I'm worried, I can't help it."

"We're all worried. Even through she has done something foolish, she is still the leader of this band," said Jenka. "We will need her back if we are to have any chance of defeating the Doctor at all." The old witch glanced around the group. "Unless there's someone here who could step up and take her place?"

In the awkward silence that followed, there was a lot of shuffling, and no one would meet Jenka's eye. The old witch nodded, humming as though the reaction was not unexpected. "What shall we do, then?"

There was more silence and shuffling. No one had any ideas. Quote was the only one of the group who had any experience fighting, but no one wanted to ask him to do anything, now that he was human.

"Surely someone has an idea?" Jenka gave Quote a glance just as the boy looked up and caught his gaze. The two held eye contact with each other for several seconds before Quote finally nodded, and stood again.

"I have to go out there, find Curly and bring her back," he said.

"Quote, no! It's not safe," protested Momorin.

"I know it isn't. But I'm the only one who can do this. I'm the only one who's suited to this kind of mission."

Jenka nodded slightly. So slightly in fact, that you would have to staring straight at her to notice. "Are you sure you're up to it? You are no longer what you once were, and humans are frail creatures."

"That doesn't matter. It doesn't change the fact that only I can do this." Quote looked determined, but scared. He had right to be. It was dangerous enough on the island for a robot, but now as he was, it would be even more risky.

The boy looked around at the gathered people, as though daring them to stop him, but no one spoke. It was clear that Momorin really didn't like Quote's decision, but she understood that he was right. He really was the only one who had any chance of finding Curly and bringing her back.

He slapped his still bandaged hands on the table, wincing slightly. "Good, it's decided. I'm going to go get my stuff, and then I'm gone."

He turned and walked away from the gathering, startling most of them. Momorin and Itoh hadn't even met him until he had returned to the island in shame, and since then he had been very subdued and nervous. It was a shock to see him taking control.

Momorin scrambled after Quote as he headed to the bed that had been his since he'd returned. It was here that he had kept all his belongings, a small rucksack full of weapons and small trinkets he had found on his previous travels around the island. It was this that he was now headed for, so that he could gather his Spur and go.

Quote was debating whether or not to bring the booster with him when Momorin caught up with him. He was expecting her to go off on a tirade, try to convince him to stay, but it never came.

She placed a hand on his shoulder as he took the Spur and pulled its holster around his hips, setting the booster down. "I know I can't convince you to stay, I'm not your mother. It hasn't been a very long time since I've known you, but I have to admit that I've come to care about you. So you be careful out there, okay? I want you to come back alive and well."

Quote paused and sighed. He straightened up, turned around and surprised Momorin as he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "I know you're not my mother. However, if I could choose, it would be you. Thank you for helping me. I'll be careful, and come back if I can."

It wasn't really what Momorin was hoping to hear, but she understood that he couldn't promise anything that he had little control over. She hugged him back for a moment before he pulled away. "I've forgotten to ask, and I'd like to know so I can tell Curly when I find her, how are the Mimigas doing?"

Momorin smiled. "The cure seems to have worked. Actually, that reminds me. There was a mimiga asking after you. She saw you around the cave and wanted to say hi."

"Oh?" Quote had an idea which mimiga she was referring to. He had seen all of them when he had helped Gero and Hasumi taking care of them. He wasn't really keen on talking to her. If it was who he thought, he was actually a little unnerved by her.

"Yeah, it's the one with the dyed fur. What was her name, Chika?"

"Chaco," Quote corrected, cringing inwardly at the name.

"You know her?"

"We…met once or twice. I had to go through her fireplace in Grasstown not long ago…"

"Well, maybe you should say hi before you go?"

Quote shrugged miserably. He really didn't want to se the mimiga, but Momorin had already started leading him to where the purple furred female was staying. Chaco was sitting up and smiling as the two approached.

"Mr. Traveler!" she exclaimed as she saw Quote. "Is that really you? Those glasses are really cute!"

Quote didn't meet her gaze, uncomfortable in Chaco's presence. Somehow, Momorin never picked up on his discomfort, or else she probably would have made an excuse to get him out of there.

"Hi, Chaco…" he said, trailing off. He didn't know what to say to the girl.

Quote still didn't really understand what had happed that night, but it had made him very uneasy. He had been hurt, and needed to rest. Chaco offered him the use of her bed, for which he had been grateful, but he hadn't been expecting the female mimiga to climb in with him. At his request, she had gotten out again, but the next morning, he woke to find the girl snuggling into his chest. He had no idea of what she may have done to him while he had been asleep, and he had taken extra care to avoid her from then on. Nothing on the island had frightened him as she had.

"You never came to visit again, were you busy?" Chaco asked, still smiling warmly at him.

"Uh…yeah, and honestly, I'm a bit busy now, too," he replied, thankful for the excuse to leave. "It was…uh, nice to see you again."

"Don't be a stranger!" chirped the purple furred female.

Quote waved a hand feebly as he shuffled away, suppressing the urge to shudder and still refusing to face the girl. Momorin followed behind him. Somehow, she had interpreted his reaction as the complete opposite of what it had been, seeing it as shy instead of disturbed. He didn't really want to talk about it though, so he changed the subject as soon as they were out of Chaco's earshot.

"I really can't afford to dawdle here any longer… It shouldn't take more than a couple days for me to find Curly and get back, if all goes well. If we don't return in, say three days, then…" He trailed off, unsure of just why he was being so specific. He didn't want Momorin to worry about him, but there was something wrong about setting a date for your own death.

"You be careful."

"I will," he replied, flashing her an unsure smile as he turned and headed for the exit, weapon in hand. Momorin stood and watched him go until he had disappeared into the inky blackness of the cave. She continued to stand there, staring after him for several more moments before turning and heading back inside.

X X X

He didn't really know where to go. He had never gone past the outer wall before, and though he had a map, it wasn't the same as actually being there. He wasn't sure where Curly would be, but he still had to look.

Quote met little resistance as he made his way to the teleporter, jumped to Arthur's house and made his way through to the Egg Corridor towards the outer wall. The monsters had learned from the past that if they wanted to stay alive, they should stay out of his way. It wouldn't take him long to reach his destination.

He had planned to use the Booster to reach the top of the outer wall, but he realized halfway there that he had forgotten the machine. He was going to have to climb; it would be difficult, but he would do it if he had to.

Quote reached the end of the Egg Corridor and pulled open the door leaded to the hatching room. He paused as he came across the shards of Nero's egg, recalling the way he had essentially abandoned the baby dragon on the balcony. He really hadn't expected things to turn out the way they had; he hadn't expected it to take so long to overthrow the Doctor. He felt bad about it, but he couldn't do much about it now.

Quote knew he had little time, and pushed through the door leading to the outer wall, the farthest he had ever gone through the island. But he had no time to dwell on thoughts of his desertion and Kazuma's resulting death, startled by a sudden cry.

"Huzzah!"

Balrog stood before him, the large boxy creature grinning at him. Quote instantly grabbed for the Spur, but Balrog waved his flippers to stay him from shooting.

"Can't we just talk?" he asked.

"Does your master allow that?" Quote shot back, annoyed. He didn't have time for this.

Balrog bounced on his feet as he replied. "Well, not really, but I don't really want to fight."

Quote lowered the Spur slowly. "So you'll let me go?"

"Not if you're planning on going up, sorry."

"Do you know where Curly is?"

"Is she that female robot?"

"Yeah."

"The masters' got her locked up with the mimigas in the Plantation. Is that what you're after?"

"Are you going to let me go get her?"

"Nope, sorry." Balrog's tone was light, almost jovial, but Quote could see a hint of something in his eyes. It seemed as though the boxy creature had not been lying about not wanting to fight. There was no other choice, though. Quote had to go on.

"If I beat you as I am now, will you take me to her?" he asked.

The situation reminded Quote somewhat of the Boulder Chamber, and he found himself longing for Curly to be there with him. Although, if she had been, he would never have had to come this way.

"Do you think you can?" Balrog asked.

Quote fell into a battle ready stance, Spur raised and ready. "I'll try."

Without another word, Balrog jumped towards the little boy. The ceiling was too low for the boxy creature to get the height he would normally require, so Quote had lots of time to scramble aside and fire off a couple of quick shots. They slammed into Balrog's side with seemingly no effect at all as he came in to land, spinning around towards Quote again with a speed that belied his size.

Quote had to be careful not to fall off the side of the island as he dodged Balrog's attacks. The box continued to leap at him, but it didn't really seem like his heart was in the battle. The boy didn't want to hurt him, but he had to defeat him somehow.

Holding the trigger, Quote began to charge the Spur, hoping a stronger blast would have more effect. He knew Balrog had several attack modes besides just trying to leap on things, but the box was refraining from using them, perhaps to keep from damaging the delicate infrastructure.

The slight chirrup of the Spur signaling a full charge distracted Quote just long enough to allow Balrog to dart forward and bowl him over. Yelping in surprise, the boy toppled over, his weapon knocked from his hand. With no one holding the trigger, the Spur discharged, the beam cutting into the ceiling above Balrog. A metal support beam was severed by the laser and came crashing down on the boxy creature's head.

Quote scrambled out of the way, scooping up the Spur, as loose stones previously held in place by the support began to rain from above. Balrog had just shrugged the metal off as he disappeared beneath falling stone.

For a moment, everything was still and silent. Quote stared at the place where Balrog had disappeared in shock. He hadn't wanted to hurt him, but he didn't know if even Balrog were tough enough to survive that.

He didn't really realize what he was doing until he was already on the rubble pile, digging. Balrog had once helped he and Curly, and now he felt he should return the favor. Though he had to fight the giant box, he couldn't help liking him. It would have been easier for him to shift the larger rocks had he still been a robot, but he did his best.

"Balrog, can you hear me? Are you okay?" he asked as he continued to slowly shift the mass of boulders. There was no reply, and Quote really started to worry. He lost track of time, but the pile didn't seem to get any smaller. He was beginning to think he wasn't going to accomplish anything when he finally spotted Balrog through the mess. "Balrog! Come on, show me you're okay!"

The pile began to shake and Quote jumped off as rocks showered to the ground as Balrog stood up. The large box blinked and took a few moments to fully regain his senses, still surrounded by the pile of debris from the destroyed ceiling.

"Balrog?"

"I think you win," Balrog said finally, a slight grin crossing his face. "Why did you help me?"

Quote didn't really know how to answer that question. It had just seemed like the right thing to do at the moment. "Well, I guess we're even for the boulder chamber, then?" he replied lamely, shrugging.

"Huh," was all Balrog said for several moments. Then he broke into a large smile. "Well, you won, so I guess I have to carry out my end of the bargain." He lowered himself to the floor as much as he could and held out a flipper for Quote to climb on. "Get on and I'll take you to your friend."

Quote knew it wasn't a good idea to be so trusting, but he couldn't help feeling that Balrog wouldn't go back on his word. After making sure the Spur was holstered once again at his hip, he took hold of the flipper the boxy thing held out for him and levered himself up until he was sitting on Balrog's head.

"Hold on, 'cause here we go!"

With that, Balrog ran forward and jumped from the side of the island. Quote's stomach gave a lurch as the two fell downwards for several seconds before Balrog started to flap his flippers. Their decent slowed and then they began heading upwards as the boxy creature flew towards the entranceway to the storage room.

If the situation hadn't been so dire, Quote may have actually enjoyed the trip. Riding on Balrog was much like riding a flying horse, only without the benefit of a saddle. It wasn't a very long journey before the two reached the jail cells, and Quote jumped down from Balrog's head.

"Thank you, Balrog," he said, nodding to him.

The boxy creature grinned sheepishly. "Just don't tell anyone I helped you again, okay?"

"You have my word. It's too bad we're not on the same side."

Balrog smiled, but didn't reply as he turned and left, leaving Quote alone in the hall. Cells lined both walls, containing upwards of about five mimigas each. He couldn't see Curly from where he was, so he started walking down, checking each cell.

Some of the caged mimigas ignored him, sitting to the back and trying to remain unseen. Others begged him to free them, and a couple even yelled abuse at him. He ignored them all, though it pained him to do so, and kept searching.

X X X

Balrog thought he had been unseen as he took Quote to Curly, but a sudden voice stopped him dead in his tracks as he left the jail hall.

"Balrog! What are you doing!?"

"Misery! Uh…"

The witch crossed her arms, glaring angrily at the big box. "Did I just see you helping that boy?"

Balrog blinked. "Uh…no?" he replied, with a nervous grin.

"Get out of my way, you idiot!" Misery raised her staff, and struck Balrog with a bolt of lightning before brushing past the stunned creature and into the cell room.

X X X

"Quote, what the hell are you doing here?"

Curly was in one of the cells near the end of the hallway, before it opened into an empty room. She had been quite surprised to see Quote, and angered. "You should be back at the base taking over for me, not out here!"

Quote replied as he set about shooting the lock off the cell door. "You and I both know I'm not fit to lead an army anymore, Curly. They need you, not me."

She sighed angrily, knowing he was right though she was loath to admit it. "We need to free the mimigas before we go at least."

"I know you don't want to hear this, but I don't think we have the time. Misery or the Doctor could show up at any moment."

Curly's retort was cut off by another voice. "He's right, you know."

The two spun around to see Misery making her way down the hall towards them. Quote frowned and dropped into a battle ready pose. "Go, Curly! Get out of here while I hold her off!"

The two had no time to speak as the witch raised her staff and began her attack, Quote jumping aside to dodge the deadly bolts while firing back with his own weapon. Curly, on the other hand, ran to the cell she had once been in, and urged the now free mimigas to run for the exit. As they did as she told them, she ran to the next cell, and smashed the lock with her robotic strength, able now to reach them from the outside.

Quote saw what Curly was doing, but was unable to do anything about it as he continued to hold Misery's attention, determined to give Curly the time to escape, even if it cost him his own life. Otherwise, his mission would be a failure, and the island would be doomed without the female robot.

Quote dodged another bolt from Misery, firing back at the witch before trying to locate Curly again. She was still over by the mimiga cages, though only a couple of the enclosures still remained occupied.

"Curly, I told you to get out of here! Go!" He paused to parry a blow from Misery's staff, and pushed her back. "I can't hold her off forever!"

"I'm almost done! Just hold on!" Curly shouted back. Smashing the lock, she opened the final cage. "There, I've got them all! Let's go!"

The female robot began leading the liberated mimigas out of the prison, away from the combat. She was unable to help Quote in his battle even if she wanted to. Without a weapon, she was no match for the witch. Quote knew this, and waved her on as he continued to fight, intent on holding Misery back for as long as he could to give them a better chance at escape.

He was distracted for only a second, checking on Curly's progress, but that was all Misery needed. The bolt she summoned didn't actually strike Quote, but it tore up the floor beneath his feet and sent him tumbling into the wall. His head barely hit, but it was enough to stun him momentarily and he collapsed. His glasses fell from his face and skittered across the floor, luckily unbroken but still beyond his reach.

The witch laughed at the young man, and walked over to his side, paying little attention to the escapees. They were unimportant. At the moment, she had other things on her mind, and she was sure she would not get a chance like this again.

She kicked Quote over onto his back, eliciting a moan from the unfortunate boy. He was dimly aware of her removing his gloves, not completely conscious; yet alert enough to be confused by her actions. Sudden pain brought him back to full wakefulness as the witch woman summoned thorny vines to snake around his wrists and ankles, pulling taunt to effectively hold him in place. He could feel the warmth of his blood seeping from multiple puncture wounds.

Before he could say anything, she knelt down beside him and placed a hand on his chest. "It's a bitch, isn't it? Being tied down, subject to someone else's will?"

"Let me go!"

Misery slapped him. "No." She smiled, a cruel expression as she traced a finger down his middle to the base of his shirt before sliding a hand under it. Quote's eyes snapped wide in surprise as the witch began to stroke him.

"Wh-what are you doing to me?" he asked, scared and confused. He didn't understand what she was doing, or the way it was making him feel. He just, somehow, knew it was wrong.

"I cannot speak ill of my master," Misery went on, ignoring Quote's question. Straddling him, she rolled his shirt up, running her hand across his bare chest. His back arched at the sudden sensation, and he yelped in pain as the vines holding his wrists dug their thorns further into his flesh. "The curse prevents it, but I am as much a prisoner to he as you are now, to me."

Quote whimpered, tears of pain and fear stinging his eyes. The witch didn't let up, her fingers sliding down his chest to his belt buckle. As she began to work the clasp, she continued. "That man…has chosen to use me for purposes other than just serving as his minion… You would not believe the things he has had me do to him, the things he has done to me."

"Please…stop…" Quote's voice sounded pathetic even to him. He had no idea what Misery was talking about, and he didn't want to know. There was something to her touch, though, that made his body tingle; the sensation would have been almost pleasant if his instincts hadn't kept screaming at him that it was wrong, terribly wrong. This wasn't how things should go.

"It has been decades since I've last known the touch of a real man." She ignored him once more as she pulled his belt free and tossed it aside. "My body craves that contact. You are the only candidate on this whole island who is able to provide it."

"I…I don't know what you're talking about…" And it was true, he didn't. This still didn't stop the witch.

"Then allow me to show you." Misery knocked his hat violently from his head and dug her hands into his hair, pulling it roughly. Quote's pained exclamation was choked off as the witch leaned in and pressed her lips viciously against his. Forgetting momentarily about his restraints, he tried to raise his arms to push her off, only to cause the thorns to dig even deeper into his wrists. The witch woman continued to hold the kiss despite his attempts to twist out of it.

It disturbed Quote to find that, though one part of his mind screamed at him to fight the witch off, another found Misery's touch quite appealing. His body almost seemed to be ignoring his brain, wanting the witch to continue, but to continue to do what he still wasn't sure, and that thought frightened him more than anything.

Misery pulled away and straightened up, though she was still straddling him. He gasped for air, having been unable to breathe while the witch had been kissing him. He spluttered and spat angrily; wanting to take a hand and wipe it fiercely across his mouth, but the vines still twisted about his wrists prevented it. His reaction only caused Misery to laugh.

"That's hardly the worst I'll do to you," she said. Quote fell silent and still, glaring up at the witch, trying to seem defiant, but only coming off as shaken and scared. Misery stood and, Quote blinked, began to undress. Her pale skin glistened in the torchlight as she knelt down beside him once more, her hands moving towards his waist.

"No… Stop, don't touch me! Stop it!" he cried in desperation as Misery's hands found his zipper and she began to remove his pants and undergarments. The vines prevented her from stripping them off completely, so she settled for pulling them down as far as they would go.

Quote bit back a sob as Misery's hand brushed across him. Despite the thorn vines and the witch's usual demeanor, he couldn't help finding that she was being rather gentle with what she was doing, even if he still wasn't clear what it was.

She continued to stroke him, and he couldn't help moaning. He still knew it was wrong, but his body was ignoring his brain, basking in the sensations. He lost track of how long Misery continued to touch him, whimpering regardless of the pleasurable feelings. He had given up trying to stop her, knowing it would be of no use. At the same time, he couldn't figure out why she was doing it. He had been expecting her to torture him after capturing him, inflict some unimaginable pain, not the pleasant sensations shooting through his body.

Only a few moments had passed before Misery stopped her caressing touch, and Quote hoped she had finished with him, though he knew deep down she wasn't. The witch straddled him again, sliding herself down onto him, and he jumped at the sudden jolt of delight, his husky moan cut short by a yelp of pain as the thorn vines bit into his wrists once more.

Misery's body was hot against his as she moved against him, and he felt his own temperature rising as his thoughts grew more and more addled, no longer able to recall why it was such a terrible thing she was doing. His instinct had lost out to his total lack of knowledge about such things.

Without any real conscious thought on his part, his body started to move in time with Misery's as much as it could while restrained. She gasped in surprise, and smirked down at him though she said nothing. Lowering her head to his neck, she started to bite it gently, drawing another moan from his lips.

Time seemed to slow down, and with each movement of their bodies, the sensations continued to mount until Quote didn't think he could stand it anymore. He didn't want to stop, but the sensations were almost more than he could stand, and they were just getting stronger. He felt like he was losing his mind.

Quote wanted to speak, to beg the witch to stop, but he couldn't get the words out. Misery would have ignored him anyway, her movements growing faster by the moment as she built towards climax. And though he didn't really understand, he was too.

He couldn't stop himself from screaming out as he came, Misery echoing his cry as she reached climax as well. For a white hot moment, all thought was abolished from Quote's mind as the feelings flooded over him. He had never felt better or worse than how he felt now.

Spent, Misery collapsed on top of him, breathing hard. Quote's thoughts came back to him slowly, the first thing he was aware of was the witch's hot breath against his neck. The feeling that something wrong has just happened came back to him in a torrent, overloading his emotions so that he could barely keep from outright wailing. As it was, he couldn't stop crying weakly, having no strength left after what Misery had done to him, and from blood loss.

For several moments, the two continued to lie there, Quote sobbing quietly. It almost seemed to him that Misery had fallen asleep, until she shuffled and lifted herself slowly from him, stretching languidly.

Laughing, she ran a finger across his jaw line. "You know, you're not bad. With a bit more experience, you could be the best I've ever had."

He didn't reply, still sobbing, his head lolling to the side because he didn't have the energy to lift it. Misery stood and took a few moments to redress before she turned her attention back to him. She redressed him before uncurling his restraints, the vines twisting off and away, disappearing back where they had come. He didn't try to move once he was free, unable to do so even if he had wanted to.

It took Misery a moment to realize that the vines had done more damage to Quote than she had expected. His right wrist was covered in the little bleeding puncture wounds she had expected, but his left was coated with blood. One little thorn had caught in just the wrong place and torn open an artery. The witch took up her staff and cast a quick healing spell, closing the injuries.

If she hadn't glanced at his face before preparing to take him to the Doctor, she never would have noticed just how pitiful Quote looked. He hadn't stopped crying, wet tracks running down his dirt smudged face. She wasn't sure why she did it, but the witch couldn't help reaching out her hand and wiping the tears away.

He sniffled, staring up at her, surprised by the sudden, unexpected show of kindness. The witch had done something terrible to him, and now, it was almost as if she were trying to make it up to him. The thing was, Misery had never taken the time to observe the results of her actions. She had always tried to pass off the fighting to others if she could, and when there was no other choice, she would do it quickly and leave without another look.

Now, she had no choice but to face what she had done, and it surprised her to find she regretted it. It had been centuries since the last time she had allowed herself to feel remorse or regret. She found it strange to be feeling them again now, after all the monstrous things she had done in the past. Though it was clear that this had been done of her own volition and not on command from a master, and was worse than all the killings she had been ordered to carry out.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the apology stuck in her throat. It wasn't easy shaking off hundreds of years of fixed behaviour. And why was it Quote that she suddenly gave a damn about?

Shaking her head, Misery's expression hardened as she raised her staff once more to encase Quote inside a transportation bubble. He floated there, still snuffling, though done outright crying, following the witch with his eyes, a look of weary confusion on his face. She turned away, sure she would soften again if she faced him for too long, and teleported herself and her prisoner up to the Doctor's lab.

Date was again busy at his table, engrossed in the project he had started several days ago, Misery still didn't really know what it was. She didn't really care at the moment, though.

"My lord?" she said, to draw his attention.

The Doctor turned and his expression at once became mildly annoyed, though he was interested at the same time. "What is this?" he asked, pointing to the bubble where Quote continued to float forlornly.

"An intruder. He managed to free the female robot, and she in turn escaped with many of the mimiga captives. I was only able to capture him."

As Quote watched, helpless inside his magically conjured prison, the Doctor scowled, stalked forward and backhanded the witch, sending her tumbling to the floor with the force of his blow. "Are you telling me this boy was all you could capture? You let my army escape!"

Misery picked herself up slowly, bowing. "I am sorry, my lord."

Date folded his arms and scowled down at her. "I suppose there's nothing that can be done about it now." He glanced at the overcrowded cages lining the room. "Relocate some of these mimigas to the Plantation, and throw him in with them. With any luck, his little friend won't be too eager to come back and get him. Unless you believe you could do a better job next time?"

Misery didn't reply. It was an unfair question; she couldn't answer it without making him angry somehow, and she knew it. He would still be angry even if she said nothing, but at least it never seemed as bad as though she had responded.

Misery was never ready for it when the Doctor attacked. He moved faster than she expected, and before she had time to dodge, he had already connected with his fist. The witch collapsed under the blow, and Date left her there as he turned back to the table he had been working at. She stood slowly, wiping blood from her lip as the Doctor spoke once again. "Now do what I told you."

Quote watched the whole exchange from his floating prison. He saw the witch scowling at the Doctor's back as she started warping mimigas from the overcrowded cages down to the Plantation. Once she was done, she warped herself and Quote as well.

The cells were fuller now than they had been when he had first arrived, but he was surprised to see one still empty. It was to this one that Misery was now taking him. He didn't say anything as she floated him into the cell and released him from the bubble. She didn't go in, closing the door once he was inside.

Quote sat, watching the witch silently, too tired to really do much else. His expression was blank, and Misery couldn't help being annoyed by it. "I made sure you got a cage to yourself, so be grateful."

He still didn't reply, but Misery could see a change in his expression she couldn't quite read. After a few moments of silence, the boy turned away from her, laying down facing the wall. Misery knew then there was no point in trying to talk to him, and left him to himself.

X X X

The headcount was wrong. Curly knew she had freed twelve mimigas, so counting Quote, there should have been thirteen. But there was only twelve. Quote was missing.

"Damn it," she muttered, as she watched the rescued mimigas as they were led off by doctor Gero for a checkup. Quote never should have come to rescue her, she knew. She could have gotten free on her own somehow. How could he have been so stupid?

She slapped the wall in frustration, knowing it would be foolish to try to save him now. If she were to free him only to be captured again herself, nothing would have been accomplished. He would only come to rescue her again, and she couldn't let it come to that. She hoped he would be okay until she got the chance to try once more to defeat the Doctor, and in turn, free his captives.

"Curly!" Momorin came running towards the female robot, a look of concern on her face, though she seemed happy enough to see Curly. "Where's Quote?"

It was the question Curly didn't want to answer, since she really didn't know the answer to begin with. "I'm sorry, Momorin," she said, trailing off, unable to face the woman.

Momorin's expression became worried. "He's not…?"

"No, no," Curly interrupted, unwilling to leave her with the wrong idea. "I don't think he's dead. But he's probably been captured."

"What do you mean, probably?"

"I mean I don't know what happened to him. He was supposed to be following me and the mimigas, but he wasn't here when we arrived. I think Misery caught him."

"We have to go save him, then."

"We can't."

Curly was well prepared for Momorin to argue, but she was surprised when she said nothing. For several moments, the two looked at each other in silence.

"I know that," Momorin said at last. "But…I don't want to lose another son… Even if he's not mine by birth."

"I understand, Momorin, but it's too risky. And it wouldn't make much sense to risk my freedom to save him after his sacrifice to save me."

"I will go on my own, then."

"No!" And now Curly was angry. It had seemed at first she was going to be sensible about it, but now, she could see that wasn't the case. "Don't be stupid! You would only get yourself hurt out there!"

"Well, it's more than you're willing to do," snapped Momorin, and she stalked away without giving Curly a chance to reply.

The female robot didn't know what to do. She scowled after Momorin, uncertain if the woman would actually try to go after Quote or not. She didn't think she would, she would know that she would need help to accomplish anything.

Curly shook her head, and headed off to where the mimigas were getting their checkup. She would keep an eye on Momorin, it was all she could really do. For now, there was work to be done.