Part 2 - Ch. 11: Awakening
(Time: ?)
*Phyllis' P.O.V.*
"...? Phyllis, what are you doing?"
I squeak and inhale sharply with a start, flinching and looking up in surprise until I immediately relax when I see it's just Rock looking over my shoulder at what I'm doing on my bedroom desk. While deflating in relief from the unexpected jump scare, I shoot Rock a light glare.
"How come you're still doing that? I thought I already told you not to sneak up on me like that!" I complain, prompting the blue eyed robot to smile sheepishly with a shrug.
"Sorry, I forgot you tend to get jumpy when you're in your zone..." He peeks back over my shoulder, smiling slightly when he spots the scribbles and digital sketches on my tablet. "Soo... Who's that?"
I frown and put my arms over my tablet, scrunching my nose in distaste. "None ya' business, that's who. Did Gramps bring you and Roll here for a reason, or what?" I inquire, but Rock ignores my deflecting query in stride.
"Are you making Roll and I a new brother?" Rock presses as I carefully watch him to make sure he doesn't try peeking around my arms. During this, I notice the way he sneakily hides his left arm behind himself. I eye his arm conspicuously, but rather than explain, Rock just grins cheekily and brushes off my look to wiggle his eyebrows.
Of course, I'm left with no other option than to admit to his suspicious, releasing a sigh and rolling my eyes dramatically. "Fine! YES. I'm making you and Roll a new brother... Grandpa Light and Grandpa Wily commissioned me to make two of the Robot Masters line up."
Rock's eyes nearly bug out in disbelief. "Wait, really?! Phyllis, that's great!" The brunette Lightbot cheers, throwing his arms up in excitement and evidently giving me sight of a carefully wrapped green and white box with an orange ribbon around it.
I blink obviously at it, watching Rock's smile become stiff with realization at what he's just done. As he stands there unmoving, stock still and anxious by his revealed item, I spin around on my chair and stand up. A quick lean over my desk towards a calendar pinned to my wall one month behind, I rip off the month of March off to reveal the month of April. My eyes immediately land on a date on the current month- April third to be exact- which is circled with red marker. Next, my eyes flick back down to my tablet and the date at the very top left corner, which blinks back April the freaking third.
Shocked by this revelation, I turn back to look at Rock, who "rocks" (aww, yeah!) back and forth nervously on his feet. "S-surprise...?" He stammers awkwardly with a shrug.
...
"Is it really my birthday already?" I ponder out loud, touching my forehead in confusion. "Man, I totally forgot!"
Rock nearly staggers in disbelief, eyeing the moon outside my bedroom window before giving me a silly face palm that I can't help but laugh at. The day is almost over and it had gone by without me even realizing it... Whoops!
"So if we hadn't come over, you'd be completely unaware? You'd have just gone about your business and gone to bed later? Without any celebration?" Rock asks incredulously, making me bite my lip and look around my room before answering with, "Well, yeah! Pretty much!"
Rock shakes his head with an eye roll, holding his gift out to me with a somewhat nervous smile. "Here, this is yours. Happy fifteenth birthday, Phyllis. I made something for you."
My heart clenches in delight as I take the gift from his outstretched hand, smiling at the way he avoids my gaze in the process. I wonder what he's so shy about, but chalk it up to being nervous about my thoughts on whatever the gift he's made for me is. Due to his anxious disposition though, I eye the box and feel anxiety spread onto me as well.
"Can I open it right now?" I ask, fingering the nicely wrapped orange ribbon. It's silky smooth under my fingertips...
"Of course," Rock replies with a chuckle of amusement, prompting me to immediately pull the ribbon off and open the paper to reveal the white box within. I can see Rock shuffling his feet as I move to open the box and-
I inhale sharply from where I lay, gasping violently for what feels like not enough oxygen as I open my eyes wide in panic. Something is pressed against my mouth and nose, and due to the familiarity of it, I instantly go into a frenzy to pull it off.
I bring my arms up and flail at my face with heavy and mildly numbed limbs, managing to rip the mask off only to feel the stinging sensation of something pinching me in my right arm. The wild noises I make must alert someone, and soon enough, my arms are being pinned down and the mask over my face is being adjusted back in place.
My eyes are open, but I can't see a single thing due to a bright white light that blinds me from above, so I start to go into panic again. I screech under the mask, wildly wriggling my body in an attempt to get whatever is pinning me down off. Even as I manage to free a limb or leg, they are promptly pinned down only moments after freedom, barring me from getting up.
I'm terrified, and my chest is rising and falling faster and faster by the minute.
Next thing I know, I feel a pinch behind my neck and whimper.
I don't understand what's going on other than the fact that I'm not allowed to leave wherever I'm currently at. The pinning of my body down against the slab beneath me and the drowsy sensation of my body falling immediately takes its toll on me when my eyelids begin to feel heavy. I'm pretty sure I faint sooner than the actual drowsy sensation takes hold of me...
- "Phyllis?"
I blink in surprise, hand resting atop the white box lid frozen in place. As soon as I take in my bedroom and Rock's worried gaze, I shake my confusion away and put a relaxed smile back on my face. I was thinking of something, but now it's gone... I really need to stop getting my head stuck in the clouds.
"Nothing, just thinking about something else," I proceed to open the box, my mouth popping open into an 'oh' of shock when I see what's inside. "Rock, you made this?"
I pull out what's inside the box, which is a small key chain with a moss green metallic seashell shaped charm the size of a golf ball. At my awestruck expression, Rock grins in excitement and reaches forward with regained confidence to take it in his hands.
"It opens up too- so you can store small items and stuff like chips, fuses, and screws," Rock explains, opening the star up so it reveals the silver interior of the hollow green star.
"It's really cute! I love it!" I chirp as he hands it back to me.
He murmurs something under his breath when our fingers brush. Upon giving him a questioning look, the Lightbot flushes red and shakes his head. Hmm... Guess he's just talking to himself.
"Now... We should definitely go downstairs and stuff. To the kitchen. Because you're thirsty. You know?" Rock begins, prompting me to cock my head to the side until he gives me a wink. All at once, I understand when he looks at my calendar again.
"Oh! Yeah! I sure am thirsty!" I giggle, taking Rock's outstretched hand and catching that familiar glint in his blue eyes as he begins to pull me back out of my room.
My fingers never let go of the green keychain, hearing the metal jingle against the charm as I'm removed from my bedroom. I can already guess what will happen as I turn towards the kitchen corner. The kitchen is dark, but with one quick grin in my direction, Rock shifts to flick on the light...
I grunt loudly under my plastic mask, eyes snapping open to that blinding light above me once again. What is it? What's happening? Where are Rock and the rest of my family?
I don't move this time. Surely as long as I don't struggle, they won't put me back to sleep, right?
I blink my eyes rapidly under the light, turning my head slightly to look around at the white figures along white backgrounds. Everything looks white- everything blends in.
I whimper under the mask as I shrink back into the soft material of a bed with my sore body, which rightfully aches all over. I can barely flex the muscles in my arm without a stab of pain travelling up to my spine, and it's awful. Patience... Patience and the brightness should be bearable enough to last and see through.
I blink some more to help with the process, squinting every time I try to see past the glaring light. What it is, I have no idea, but eventually I grow tired of it. I make another grunt of disapproval and shove a hand forward to swat at it, pain hitting my arms two-fold when my wrist makes contact with a lamp neck and knocks it's head aside off from above me. As soon as the light is out of my eyes, I gasp softly in surprise under my mask and promptly start to blink again. It's just a lamp? Alright, that's somewhat settling...
Ever so slowly, I start to make out the squares of ceiling tiles above me- lined into squares by thin blue tubes that look to have small white lights travelling through them like Christmas lights. A few more blinks and I see the colors flush in vibrantly into my retinas- the cones in my eyes processing the world just a little more until I compel myself to bravely lift my head to see if anybody is around.
In an instant, I register this to be a hospital, which only puts me in even more confusion. What am I doing in a hospital?
Was I in an accident? ... Is it safe to move already?
I sit up slowly with much effort, rolling onto my side with a hand over my mouth as I repress the urge to cry out in pain. Once I'm able to scan the room, my eyebrows furrow in further confusion.
There's no one in this room but me.
Surely they all heard that I'm in a hospital, right? This is... They're probably still on their way is all. Yeah! That's probably it... Why didn't the staff let me stand up before? Should I get back in bed until someone comes in? Or don't they have a remote to call in a nurse near my bed? They usually do...
I fumble around the sides of my bed until I see the buttons on the rails of my bed, prompting me to press a green button that reads "call nurse" above it. As I pull my finger back, I hold it against my chest. The pressure of even pushing a lousy button hurts! What happened to me?
Well, I was sort of panicking when I was trying to sit up before... I'm guessing they want their patients to at least be lucid before they start stumbling around the hospital hallways.
I struggle to slide out of the hospital bed and stand, letting out a small groan as soon as I pull the sheet of the hospital bed back to reveal the ugly blue and white polka-dot hospital gown I have on. Dear god, this dress is fugly! Cut will never let me live this down if he sees me wearing it... And don't even get me started on Peter. He'd take pictures and plaster it all over the internet!
Where are my clothes?
I glance around wildly until I see a plastic bag on a chair in the corner of the room, prompting me to speed walk towards it despite the pain in my body. I nearly fall upon approaching it, but throw my arms out in time to catch myself on the armrests of the chair.
"Ugh..." I groan as I pull myself back up, looking around at the empty room to see if anyone's come in and seen my embarrassing fall. Still, there is nobody in there except me, but that fact doesn't dull my embarrassment any less. I feel like I'm being watched.
After catching my breath, I finger the fabric of the clothes and get down on my knees so I don't have to hold myself up anymore, unfolding the clothes only to find that they're not pieces of clothing I recognize. Speaking of clothing... What was I even wearing before all of this? And again, what the hell happened?
A gasp from the entrance of the room has me jumping back in alarm, but instead of quickly recovering onto my feet, my weak state makes me fall back with a pained yelp as my head hits the tile flooring ungracefully. If nobody saw my previous embarrassing fall, someone definitely saw it this time...
"Oh, are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!" A guyish voice speaks up as he closes the distance between the two of us. strong arms link under my armpits and help me sit back up, rubbing the back of my head as I turn to face him.
The nurse is a guy with short blonde hair and a septum nose piercing, who openly gawks at me as soon as I turn to face him, pushing the curls of my hair out of my face to see me better. He makes no comment as he stares, his brown eyebrows nearly fusing with the brown roots of his natural hairline until he seems to snap out of his trance and picks up his fallen jaw with a stiff smile that looks like he's trying to tame so it doesn't curl across his face. He looks... Excited. And it's a tad bit creepy, if I'm being honest with myself.
I blink my magenta irises at his gold eyes- which match the top of his short hair as he pulls his clipboard closer to himself and grins at me despite the disturbed expression slowly growing on my face.
"You really do look like her..." He seems to reminisce, prompting me to give him a raised eyebrow of confusion as my anxiety subsides to his statement. Like who?
"Who's 'her'?" I ask, only to suddenly straighten and touch my throat in surprise. My voice is back... But was it gone before?
The handsome nurse shakes his head with a slight smile, walking closer and taking my hand in his much to my surprise. Before I can say anything about it, he starts to pull me back over to the hospital bed, helping me stand up with his support. Before I can say anything about it, he starts to pull me back over to the hospital bed. "Oh, babe, that's not what you need to be worried about," he says, helping me back into bed until he notices something and exhales a puff of air with an eye roll.
I watch in confusion as he reaches down by my side and pulls up a thin tube leaking a clear fluid, taking hold of my left arm firmly to stick it back to a needle and bandage I hadn't noticed stuck in my arm before. As soon as it is reattached, a sensation of discomfort floods over me. I don't like that thing being in my arm...
"Alright, now that you're all re-accommodated-" he begins, until I cut him off to begin my own little interrogation.
"Who's clothes are those?" I ask straight away, pointing with my good hand towards the chair opposite of my bed. "They're not mine, so who's are they?"
He turns to glance momentarily at the chair before looking back at me with a shrug. "Well, they're yours now, sweet cheeks. They found you bare ass naked when you came in, so I figured I'd use my break to get you something a little more comfy." The nurse pauses to snicker at me a little. "You were pretty much brain dead when they brought you to the ER, but here you are! No more partying that hard, babe. I don't know what you took but we were all real scared for you when you started foaming at the mouth and spasming yesterday afternoon. Don't worry though, that's what this is for-" he stops again to pull out a pen from his scrub's front pocket and tap the bag of clear fluid hanging beside my bed on a metal hanger. "-basically your wonderful drug detox! We found traces of things that had absolutely no business being in your bloodstream. Should be finished flushing them out in the span of tonight and tomorrow..."
I shake my head, frowning in offense at the news. "I didn't take anything. I don't like parties either," I sass, narrowing my eyes on him as I push my messy curls behind my left ear to see him better. I can see the way he stiffens when my face comes into view again, but I do my best to ignore it and cross my arms to show that I'm not taking any of his bullshit.
"...Regardless, Princess, we still found things in your bloodstream yesterday. Anyways, now for the big question, my darling-" He starts again, but I quickly snap, "Don't give me stupid pet names."
He raises his hands and steps back a little, as if I might bite him or slash my nonexistent claws in his direction if he doesn't. The expression on his face is no longer admiring, but rather stunned due to my rude demeanor... Good.
"Alright, alright. You were found naked, honnn..." I shoot him a vicious look, "-Miss. No clothing, no items, no identification card. We have no idea who you are or who we need to call to come get you. You've been in here for three days under our care as of tonight, so will you shed some light on who you are, please?" By now, he's gotten his professional hat on and is no longer gawking at me like I'm some kind of angel, looking down at his clipboard to check on some information.
"Oh, um... Right," I say, relaxing and taking a deep breath to think, which is embarrassing considering the question is just regarding my damn name. "I'm, uh... My name's..."
The nurse looks up, mildly flabbergasted at the way I trail off as I look around for something to jog my memory. Fat chance the pictures of happy patients (what bullshit) will help me remember who the hell I am...
"Oh, boy..." The nurse exhales with a grimace, scribbling on the clipboard quickly with that pen he pulls out of his pocket- which I only then notice is a black gel glitter pen. "Well, what do you remember?"
I bite my lip and pause to think before I answer him.
"...Lights. Bright, blinding lights. The kinds that give you headaches when you look directly into them," I thoughtfully answer until I remember the other bright things in my life- at least the ones whose names I can recall so far. "Rock, Peter, and Cut are my family- about a half of it... There are other names I can't remember yet, but I was just thinking about those three moments before you came in."
The nurse looks slightly pale as he stares at me, no longer scribbling on his clipboard. "Ma'am... Would your name happen to being with an... 'F'?" The nurse asks, prompting me to scoff in irritation.
"Oh, please... It starts with 'Ph' for 'Phyl-'" I pause as I hear what I'm blurting out. "...Phyllis. My name is Phyllis Wily-Light!"
I grin and look towards the nurse in excitement, on the brink of jumping onto my feet in joy. No wonder he was excited to talk to me then! Maybe he had an inkling that I was the granddaughter of Doctor Wily and Doctor Light?
As my eyes land on him though, I find the nurse wearing a look of discomfort on his face. "What? What is it?" I ask, watching as he looks back at the doorway of the room and back at me in mild shock.
"E-excuse me for a moment..." He barely manages to say before he is speed walking out of the room, clipboard at hand as he scribbles even more on it with jerky movements.
I blink in confusion as I watch him leave, my eyes trailing after him until I am once again alone in my room. Do I really have to sit here by myself again? He didn't say I had to stay in bed...
I proceed to start getting out of bed again, until the nurse is speeding back in the room and marching right up to my bed with a look of disapproval when he notices my shift in position. "Nope, back in bed with you. No walking until tomorrow, got it? You're just going to end up hurting yourself if you try right now," he scolds me, pushing me back into my original position and watching my eyes flicker down to the clipboard he's rested on my lap to move me.
I immediately frown when I notice the date, which reads December thirteenth, 212X. My eyes widen and I let out a small snort of amusement. "Uh, you're about a hundred years off... Don't ya think?" I joke, pointing at the mistake on his clipboard and watching his eyes flash with unease as he snatches it off of my lap and turns to leave again, giving me only a glimpse of the card hanging around his neck, which bears the name Lyle Brosnan next to the crest recognizing him as a registered RN.
So this goof's name is Lyle, I make sure to remember, looking around at the empty room until I see a screen embedded in the wall behind me which displays the name as 'Unknown' and my age as nineteen. Alright, that's weird... Did my birthday recently pass or something? I don't think it did... I could have sworn I turned eighteen a couple months ago.
I frown carefully and ease myself on my knees to face the wall behind my bed, raising my hands to touch the tabs at the top of the screen which each displays a couple of virtual files on my health and complex information of what was apparently found in my bloodstream... The tube of clear fluids makes it a little hard to reach up to the screen and I already hate the idea of having it stuck in my arm, but I don't take it out only because I know it's for my own good.
While I'm tapping on options and overlooking the information on my file (which is near empty on many other things due to not having my actual medical files), I halt my curious fingers when my eyes notice the date blinking at the top right corner.
December 13th, 212X.
I frown and shake my head in confusion, only to hear the telltale sound of quick footsteps approaching my room from outside in the hospital hallway. Rather than contemplate the two dates on Lyle's clipboard and the hospital computers, I quickly get back to the main screen and spin around to get back in an innocent position as Lyle re-enters the room with his clipboard and a look of frustration written across his face.
"Alright. So... We have a bit of an issue going on with finding your, erm... Medical Files. No worries though, this won't stop the health care we are giving you and you won't have to pay a cent if it turns out you don't have a viable health insurance plan. Just sit tight and let us handle everything. For now, I'll go get you something to eat. You're probably really... Really hungry," Lyle says, turning to leave until I reach out to grab hold of his wrist and stop him. He turns back curiously, gold eyes meeting mine unflinchingly.
"Um... I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. I'm a little moody when I first wake up- but you didn't deserve the attitude I gave you," I apologize, even though it's not what I actually want to say to him.
Is it really 212X?
"Oh," Lyle seems surprised by my apology, but gives me a soft smile that I can't help but smile back at when he reaches over to rub the top of my head comfortingly. "No worries, I understand. Just rest for now."
I release his wrist and watch carefully as he leaves. As soon as he's out the door (thankfully, he closes the door this time), I get out of bed and pull the needle out of my arm, leaving the bandage to keep the hole covered as I make my way over to the new clothes left on the chair in the room for me.
Every part of my body begs me to just get back in bed and rest, but I don't turn around, picking up the simple red sweatshirt hoodie and pulling the top of my hospital gown down to pull it over my bare torso. Unfortunately, that airhead didn't think about underwear or shoes for me, so these will have to do for now until I get back home...
"Take your time, champ..." I murmur under my breath as I make several glances towards the door, pulling the black jeans on under my gown until I have them zipped up and buttoned properly, ripping the tied gown off easily so that I stand in my new outfit ready to take on the world.
Before I rush to the door, I walk back over to my bedside when I notice that Lyle's left his pen. I glance back and click it open, scribbling on a spare notepad yet another apology. Hopefully he doesn't take this personally or anything... Something about this hospital is just really weird!
First things first, get out of here. What hospital is this anyways?
I walk out of my room carefully, nervous as I pass the doorway and into the near empty hallways. It isn't until I see nurses sparing me fleeting glances that I realize my chance to escape is right then. The nurses at the front desk don't realize I'm a patient under 'critical watch' which is a term coined for patients hospitals will outright refuse to release until their exams are done and health are back to tip top shape.
Was I in that bad of condition to be put under critical watch? I wonder, walking past a few insomniac patients taking their own spins around the hallways. Thankfully, I don't see Lyle as I find the elevators and press one of the buttons, waiting for the elevator to arrive. It seems to take forever to my mind though, and I eventually growl in frustration and turn to go find the stairwell towards the left wing of the hospital. I'm just about to leave the elevator lobby when I suddenly hear the ding of the elevator finally arriving and spin around to return... Until I spot Lyle exiting with a hospital doctor beside him.
My eyes widen like dinner plates as I race to another hall parallel to the elevator lobby, hiding behind a wall and listening as Lyle speaks to the doctor. It's only them talking, so I can clearly make out what they're saying due to the acoustics of the empty halls, along with the sound of their shoes hitting the tile as they walk.
I'm a little sour that I don't hear the sound of a cart of food, but decide there's no point considering I'll already be gone by the time the guy brings it to my room.
"I actually think that girl is the real missing granddaughter of the ingenious Doctors Thomas Light and Albert Wily, Sir," I hear Lyle say, taking slow breaths as I resist the urge to slide down the wall and take a seat. I already know that once my butt hits the floor, I'm not going to wanna get up again.
They're talking about my grandfathers, I realize, smiling at the thought of seeing them again. They must be so worried! Especially after those incidents with...
...I really don't want to ruin things by thinking about those things...
I hear an exaggerated sigh and frown a little at the execution, waiting for the doctor to say something.
"I understand what you're saying, kid, but... It's just impossible for it to be her. Scientifically, the doctor's missing granddaughter would have already died a long time ago- she went missing back in 20XX when she was eighteen and has been missing ever since. That's over a hundred years of being AWOL, that girl left and never came back is all. I heard she was insane. She probably snapped after Doctor Wily went crazy with the idea of taking over the world... There isn't a lot of information on what happened with those two doctors kept in our records, but if that girl is the real Phyllis Light-"
"-Wily-Light," Lyle audibly corrects.
"-Yes, then she must be using some kind of super anti-aging cream..." The doctor continues, their voices slowly growing further and further as I stand behind the wall stiff with disbelief at their words.
"So then... Why do they have the same face?" Lyle asks, prompting me to move up a little closer to watch them hurry down the hall and towards the entrance to the center I've recently escaped from.
"Are you sure it's the same face? You're the only one who's actually researched about that girl, and you're a mega fan of her work. You might just be excited and seeing resemblances that aren't actually there..."
"No, I'm absolutely sure that they have the same face. How long are we keeping her, by the way? She looked antsy to leave last time I was in there," Lyle speaks up, as I tail them carefully, making sure not to appear too suspicious to the eyes of strangers.
"Well, those things we found in her bloodstream? After we took out the fluid IV yesterday night, they seemed to start reappearing again. I don't think she's going to get out of here until we completely get rid of whatever's in her body. If we take out the IV too early or stop giving it to her before it's entirely neutralized, they'll only reappear and spread through her bloodstream again. I want to do a few more examinations on her as well- this might be a virus that could spread to other people if she were to go out and socialize. Just as a precaution, we should take a little of your blood for a check-up and have you wear a mask in her presence," The doctor says, leaving me to stop tailing them now that I've heard enough to understand a little of what's going on.
"Alright, Doctor Eddel..." I hear Lyle agree rather begrudgingly, as if he dislikes the idea of having his own blood drawn and/or wearing a mask.
I sure hope it isn't a virus. 'Cause I'm not staying here another minute, these people are obviously crazy if they think one hundred years has passed them. I'll gladly take one of those masks to be safe though, I think as I turn to leave the hospital again, taking a mask out of a nearby trolley and pulling it on over my face brightly as I walk over towards the elevators. I press the elevator button, only to jump in surprise when the sound of an alarm in the center behind me begins to ring, prompting me to break into a run out of the elevator lobby and towards the left wing of the hospital where I can see the stairwell.
"Ow, ow, ow...!" I grunt as I throw open the door and run down the stairs with my bare feet, doing my best to ignore that nasty cold sensation of pure tile under my toes. On the bright side though, at least I'm not wearing heels- that would be a nightmare to run down the stairs in!
The doors above me burst open, but thankfully, I'm already a couple of flights down. My eyes catch sight of a camera as I pass the seventh floor, quickly flipping it off as I pull my hood up over my wild dark green curls and continue running as the thundering sound of the better build guards (I assume) start to get closer and closer.
By the time I hit the bottom floor, I switch to sneaky mode and choose to continue down the stairs, my footsteps as silent as a mouse. I can see a blind on the last camera and use it to my advantage, making sure to slide past out of its view to hide under the stairs at the bottom of the floor. I wait until I hear the guards reach the floor.
"Split up, you take the other door. Remember, she's weak, so don't be too rough with her. We don't want to make her state any worse than it already is," I hear one of the guards say, while the other just scoffs.
"Whatever," the other guard replies, and I smirk as soon as they push the doors open.
Count to ten... Then I'll run to either doorway and get the hell out of here.
...
...
I bite my lip as I wait, taking a few deep breaths until the time is up.
Now!
I run out from under the stairwell and charge to one of the doors, throwing it open and stepping through. My eyes widen as soon as I see one of the guards backtracking my way, heading back towards the stairwell as he looks up from adjusting his jacket. This guard sees me only moments after I spot him, and I charge past him before he can fully react and grab hold of my arm.
"HEY!" I hear the guard shout, running after me as I sprint into the dark dimly lit parking lot and swerve past the many parked vehicles. I already notice how odd and unfamiliar the majority of the cars are, but can't stop and think about it due to the guard chasing after me.
Keep running and don't look back! Even if it hurts! I encourage myself, pushing through my pain to keep heading for the lot entrance- until I see the other guard rounding the lot from outside the entrance, prompting me to skid to a stop that makes my legs and arms throb as I look around for another exit, which I spot in the shape of stairs leading up to the next level. There should be another exit leading out up there, it's still at level with a path leading to the streets.
"Quit running, kid, we've had a long day already!" The guard that's been following since I stepped into the lot shouts as I race for the stairs and begin to climb two at a time quickly, my breathing beginning to grow shallow with exertion.
I'm just about to finally reach the exit when a hand finally wraps around mine, prompting me to cry out in objection when I'm forcefully yanked into the broad chest of one man. "Let go of me! I'm not going back in there, I hate hospitals!" I shout as I struggle in the man's grip. Lord only knows how true that statement is, considering I've already visited enough doctors in the past three years to last a lifetime.
It's because of those things though.
No! I don't want to think about that!
I grunt as I steel myself with my resolve, finding a good position to ground my feet and throw myself back so that he stumbles back towards the stairs. The guard shouts in panic as he loses his balance on a step and throws his arms out to catch the railing. As he falls, I catch the edge of a beam a few feet ahead and kick back at his belly with my left foot, turning my head slightly to watch as he misses the railing and tumbles down the stairs into his buddy further down. All I do is snicker at the mess as they squawk and groan, up-righting myself and continuing away to the exit with little to no more resistance as I hit the sidewalk and make a sharp turn.
I'm running for a while- or at least jogging. A few peeks over my shoulder reveal a lack of anyone tailing me, much to my relief. Considering how many loons are in that hospital... The last thing I need is to be chased from one end of the city to the other.
As I approach a largely populated area of civilians, I finally slow down to a wobbly stroll and peel the hospital mask off my nose and mouth. With my curls in the way, I yank down my hood and stumble in confusion to a bench on the side of the city street.
Where am I? Is all I can think as I look up in wonder at the many tall sky scrapers and buildings around me. People are walking around my bench as I start to breathe in heavily in my panic, pulling my hood back up again to hide the fear I know is scrawled across my face. I've never seen a city like this before. Everything looks... Different. I don't have to look hard enough to guess that this isn't Mega City- but if that's the case, how did I get here then?
"Excuse me, Miss, are you alright?" A voice speaks up, prompting me to lift my head and see if the question is being directed at me.
My eyebrows lift and my disposition starts to relax when I find a rather human-looking robot looking down at me. For a second, I eye him up and down, taking in the red hair and brown eyes with wonder before I begin to look over the design of his gauntlets at the ends of his arms and legs.
"Cool," I blurt out with a smile, before realizing what I've said and shaking my head to focus on what the robot has just asked me. I can see the robot smile bashfully with red dusted cheeks, and I immediately change the topic to save him from the torture. "Oh, sorry... I'm kind of lost, so I figured now is the best time to take a breather before I get even more lost."
The robot, already forgetting my previous comment, immediately offers me a hand to help me on my feet. At first, I stare at it, curiously studying it's shape and the design before I find my hand slipping into his easily. He seems extremely happy at my reaction, and I smile in turn. "You could always ask someone for directions, you know?" He chuckles, making me shrink back slightly in embarrassment as I reply with, "R-right... Anyways, my name's Phyllis."
For a second, the blinks at me, but then he smiles again and gives a slight bow that makes me smile even more. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Phyllis. They call me Diver," the robot brightly chirps, continuing with, "So where are you headed? I'd be happy to help you find your way."
I breathe out in relief. Maybe luck is on my side after all?
"I'm trying to get to Mega City," I say, relaxing my hand in Diver's hold.
In the time span of half a second, Diver's smile vanishes and he rips his hand away from mine as if I've burnt him, causing my expression to shift into confusion as I watch the expression of mistrust cross his features. I drop my hand back to my side and step back a little. Why's he looking at me like that?
His eyes seem to finally look me up and down, eyeing my messy curls, the hospital mask clutched in my left hand and the lack of shoes on my feet.
Or maybe I should stop getting my hopes up about things ever looking up for me, I think, taking another step back with a crestfallen look as I force myself to turn away and walk away from the robot. It looks like he doesn't want to help me anymore after that, and despite not understanding, I decidedly respect his need for space.
I don't understand why that upset him... I'm just trying to get to Mega City, do people here not like Mega City residents? What was that robot created for anyways? His name is Diver, so maybe he works on underwater works? I don't know... I just want to go home.
I shiver, looking up when something pricks my nose gently. From the dark night sky, I can see small contrasting white flakes falling down towards me as I stop to watch. More prick my nose on the way down, and I clutch the front of my sweatshirt thankfully when I realize what they are.
Snow? I think, catching a few in flakes in my hands and looking at them curiously. They melt immediately as they touch my palm, and I wipe the melted water on my pants as I hug my shoulders and look around for a place to go. People are aimlessly passing me, giving me no second glances as I spin around and get on my tip toes to find some kind of help center.
Maybe not though... People who work at that hospital I woke up in are probably looking for me, and oh joy, I passed by the insignia and name of that place maybe a hundred times on my way out and I managed to completely forget about retaining the hospital name anyways!
Alright, then find a library or something! Or...
I stop turning around when I find what looks to be a small ray of hope in my otherwise bleak list of options, immediately skirting around the crowd of people towards it on careful, throbbing legs. I still feel like complete shit- but regardless of my state I want to get home first. I want to jump into my warm bed and curl up in the sheets...
Which home? Home with Peter and Pate? Or home with Grandpa Wily? I think, slowly recalling the argument I'd had with my mother last time I spoke to her. I walk up to my destination and push open the door, tossing my hospital mask in a trash bin by the entrance as I recalibrate my focus on finding what I need: a map.
The sound of an electronic beep echoing through the more or less empty little store has me jumping slightly, remind me to be wary of my surroundings in case I need to bolt out. Lavender violates my nostrils in unholy amounts, but I press on in towards a wall with many papers and pamphlets of things to do.
"Welcome to the good ol' visitor center, lil' miss!" An obviously male voice brightly twangs from somewhere near the back of the store, causing me to jump yet again as I swing around to see a man raising an eyebrow in slight confusion at my edginess and appearance. "...Aren't ya a bit young to be a tourist? Where are yer parents?"
The man looks around me towards the glass door leading outside, but I just give him a scoff and a look of slight offense. "I'm eighteen, sir," I correct him, before adding, "-and I'm not a tourist either, thank you very much. I'm just here to see if I can get a map of... Here."
The man, looking to be in either his thirties or forties, twists his face up in confusion, but points towards the wall opposite of me. "Right there, lil' miss..."
I throw the older man a nod and go where he's indicated, shuffling through the papers until I find what I'm looking for. "Do I have to pay to take it out? Or can I-" I begin, just as the man raises a hand to stop me.
"They're free, sweetheart," The man says, which immediately has me pulling one out and opening it up to see where the heck I am. I do scowl at the cute nickname though, cause sheesh, I didn't even let both my Gramps call me that. "...Are ya lost?"
"Yeah. I'm trying to get to Mega City," I say offhandedly, this time purposefully saying it to see if I get a similar reaction to that of the robot from before. The top of the map reads my location, a place I've never heard of in my life called: Abel City.
Where in the heck is Abel City in relation to Mega City? I wonder to myself in slight frustration.
Immediately, the old man walks around the counter with a scowl on his face, so quickly that I look up and have to scramble backwards towards the door before he can get within five feet of me. The expression on my face must relate some of the unease and fear I feel though, because he stops when I look back up at him.
"...Ye're not a mechaniloid looter, are ya? Ya look too young to be workin' for the Emerald Spears, even at eighteen. Them lunatics better not be recruiting the impressionables..." The old man has this piercing glare narrowed on me, and I shift back slightly in an attempt to get some space.
"I don't work for anyone! I'm just trying to get home, I live in Mega City," I add, shaking my head at his statement. What are the Emerald Spears?
A snort leaves the man, and just like that, the exasperation on his face hardens. "Oh, that's rich... I don' appreciate bein' lied to, lil' miss," he says, inching back towards his counter.
"I'm not lying! I live there! Right on Bidium Avenue with my grandfather, it's close to an expensive shopping district- Um..." I pause to inhale and close my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose as I lift the hand with my map in frustration towards my head. "I-I can't remember the name, but it's popular shopping district. They always use the plaza to host these dog and rabbit shows."
When I open my eyes and drop my hands on my sides, the old man is giving me this twisted look that borders both disbelief as well as surprise. "I'll be damned. Ya've read up on yer history of that place, haven't ya? Well, why don' ya escort yerself outta my workspace- Get back to yer fancy library and keep on readin'... Lord knows it's better than whatever them Emerald Dafts got ya doin' to be initiated in their gang."
My mouth pops open in shock. "Do I seriously look like a gang member?! I'm telling you the tru-!" I begin, stepping closer and clutching the map I've gotten so tightly that it folds and crinkles under the pressure. This seems like enough to make the older man pull something out from behind him, tucked in the waistband of his pants. There is a moment of pure silence as I shut up at the sight, raising my hands with a frozen expression of unease.
He points the gun to my face without a sliver of remorse across his hardened features, not a bone of his body shaking as I stare down the barrel of the pistol he holds in his hands. His fingers are knocked on the trigger, his thumb resting on the safety yet not releasing it. It's obviously a warning- one that says I've got a limited amount of time and chances to turn and leave before he actually takes that safety off.
"Get. Out," He enunciates carefully, prompting me to reach over to put the map back- until he snaps, "Take it with ya, I don' care. 'S long as I don' see yer face in my shop again... I've got a great memory, so don' think ye can fool me."
I nod nervously and begin to walk backwards, until I feel a pain in the back of my knee and buckle slightly with a wince and a soft hiss. Too scared to tend to it at that moment though, I turn away right as he begins to lower the pistol. His eyes are focused on my palm, the one that isn't holding my newly acquired map, but rather than stay and find out if he'll actually shoot me, I hurry out of the visitor center with a slight limp.
At least I got what I went in there for... So much for the warm welcome in this city. What is it called again?
As I turn the corner and slow to a stroll that will put less pressure and stress on the leg I've probably pulled a muscle in, I unfold the map and walk past a few people to lean against a wall. No point in walking if I don't know where I'm going yet.
Abel City.
I leer with squinted eyes at my map, using the many city lights and billboard glows to scan around the area before looking up to find some indication of the street I'm on. Immediately, I spot a street sign straight ahead.
Okay, so I'm at the corner of Millsweek and Arrow... I note, tapping the pockets of my sweatshirt and pants- until I sigh and gently thump the back of my head against the wall behind me in remembrance. Right... These aren't my clothes and I don't have a pen on me like I normally do.
I shake my frustration away to look at the map again, opening it more when I'm unable to find Mega City. I see two other cities across a desert to the left of Abel City, which piques my interest with its familiar name- Wasteless Badlands. If the Wasteless Badlands are left of Abel City then...
My finger drags north of the desert- towards an unnamed plot of land incidentally cut off from the actual map itself as well as Abel City and the desert, only giving about a few centimeters of its presence running along a small part of the upper part of the page.
That's it! I realize, despite the land not even having a name placed there. That's strange, why would people not put Mega City on their maps? I don't understand the deal with all these people!
I fold my map back up and stick it in my pants pocket, tucking it in deep before pushing off of the wall and testing my leg. Seems like the cramp from before is gone, but from what I saw on that map? I highly doubt I'm in any shape to walk that distance to Mega City on foot...
Maybe you don't have to walk at all, your moldy brained idiot, I think, touching my chin in thought. I need a communicator! Private or public- doesn't matter! I can just call my family to come pick me up! DUREUREUR!
"I'm such an idiot...!" I mutter to myself out loud, face palming and just about to walk away until a hand firmly wraps around my right wrist, sending my alarm skyrocketing when I look up to see who is tugging me closer.
"Yeah! You are," A familiar gold-eyed blonde with brown roots and a nurse's badge hanging around his neck replies, leaning in close and getting in my face. "I just got the lecture of my life because I decided to not strap you in that bed, you know? I was trying to be nice and look where it got me! They kicked me out for the next two weeks 'cause they're convinced I need a vacation!"
I can't help but relax immediately, and as soon as I do, Lyle releases me and crosses his arms to give me a look.
"Well?" He says after a minute of silence from me. "Got anything to say then?"
I blink at him and back down at my feet for a second, right before remembering my immediate conclusion I'd come to before he scared the living daylights out of me by popping out of nowhere. My eyes brighten as I look back up at his taller form, grabbing his hand in hopes to play on his soft side- considering what he'd just told me.
"Do you have a communicator I could use for a second?" I inquire off the bat, watching his eyebrows drop and knit together as he slouches slightly. Obviously he was waiting for an apology, but... Eh, I got bigger things to worry about than his current feelings.
"...Yes," he answers with a moody huff, digging into his black cargo pants pocket to fish out a fancy looking, thin blue device that my eyes widen at in shock as soon as he places it in my hands.
"Um, wow. Swanky, but... I've never seen a communicator like this," I admit, baffled at the device as I power it on and scan the options of applications and menus. Eventually, I recognize a pattern and it all clicks. "Oh wait! Never mind, I got this."
I tap on a selection that looks promising, and grin when a number pad pops up. Lyle watches calmly with interest as I begin typing Grandpa Light's device number, and hold it up to my ear patiently as I wait for the call to connect. At first, there is an odd beep, followed by a buzzing before an automated female voice starts to speak.
"Our apologies, however, the device number you've inputted is invalid. Please end the call and try again."
I raise an eyebrow and pull the device from my ear, glancing down at the number on the screen with a scrutinizing leer. No... The number is correct.
"Problem?" Lyle asks, raising an eyebrow as he watches me end the call and delete the input of numbers.
"Um... Let me try another number," I hesitantly reply, typing in Peter's number next. The automated female voice picks up almost immediately this time, and I end the call to type in Grandpa Wily's device number.
Before I know it, I've used every number I know in my head- even Cecilia's number.
The device claims all to be invalid.
"I think your device is broken or something- it's saying all my family's communicator numbers are invalid," I say, pausing to eye the date at the top and add, "Also, the date on it is as wrong as the dates in your hospital."
Lyle takes back his comm. device and immediately turns it back on, tapping the number pad on and typing in a string of unfamiliar numbers. He holds it up to his ear and waits, offering me a side glance that makes me wrinkle my nose in distaste. Is he trying to prove something?
"...Hello? Andrew, is that you? Yeah, this is Lyle Brosnan. Hey, I was wondering- can I go back to work yet?" Lyle asks with a sarcastic grin that only widens when he pulls his device away to the audible dropped call tone that comes after his query. With that, he turns off his device and sticks it back in his pocket. "Works fine to me."
"If it was fine, my calls would have all worked too," I insist, watching Lyle cross his arms as he leans against the wall to listen to me. "...I don't have time to entertain you. I'll just walk."
I'm just about to turn away when he grabs my wrist again, pulling me back much to my disbelief. Before I can snap at him and get mouthy, he drives a finger into the bend of my arm- making me yelp and slap his hand away at the sharp soreness.
"What the hell was that for?!" I bark, but he just rolls his eyes and lets me rip my wrist out of his grip.
"Your ligaments are all weak. If you walk all the way to Mega City, you're going to either pass out on the way or pull a muscle. I'll give you a ride tomorrow if you're that desperate to go," Lyle explains calmly, watching me narrow my eyes on him.
"Then I guess I'll risk walking- I'm not staying in this weird city another minute," I comment, turning away to leave. His next words make me stop in my tracks though.
"Okay. Be careful of the badland bandits. And the scorpions. And the coyotes. And the robotic wildlife. And any robotic wildlife traps... Aaand the Emerald Spears. Probably the mosquitoes too- if you don't fancy itchy sores at least," Lyle says, prompting me to bite my lip and look back at him in frustration.
"...I can't wait. I have nowhere to go and I don't know anyone in this city," I state, my tone softening with resignation as I look up at him. For some reason, he's grinning brightly, one hand rising to point at himself as he gives me a wink. I cock my head slightly to the side and stare at what he's trying to say by that, but if it's any indication, I already don't like what he's about to suggest, so I end up answering off the bat. "I don't even know you."
Instead of taking the rejection, Lyle grins and grabs my hand again to shake it. "Hi! I'm Lyle Brosnan and I'm a registered nurse at Blue Trinity Hospital. I live on the corner of Millsweek and Dianthus Drive, and I'm licensed in first aid and CPR. Good? Great! Let's go then!" Lyle explains really quickly, dropping the hospital name and eventually pulling me along by my hand towards the side of the road, where there is a strange machine that resembles a motorcycle sitting on the street. Confused as to what it is, I have no choice but to follow Lyle due to the unbreakable hold he has on my hand, letting him help me on the contraption while he sits at the front and puts my arms around his waist.
I really hope this isn't a bad idea... I think as I automatically tighten my arms around Lyle's waist when he releases my hand.
I yelp as the cycle suddenly starts to hover on the ground, hearing Lyle snicker at my unease from the front before the machine lurches forward and merges with the traffic. Meanwhile, I stare at the passing pedestrians in wonder as we traverse up Millsweek road, my eyes eventually glossing over as I think about what I will eventually have to tell my grandfathers, parents, brothers, and the robots when I get home.
This is just like that time when I ran off. Only this time, it's more like the time I woke up on the kitchen stove... Except in another city I don't recognize at all. I've never been savvy with maps or the locations outside of Mega City or past the Wasteless Badlands, but... I'm sure I've definitely never heard of a city as big as this being near Mega City!
After a few minutes, Lyle starts to decrease his speed as we enter a street, and turn into a driveway where a modest house sits. He presses a button on his cycle and the garage opens up, allowing us to drift inside where another machine much like Lyle's sits- bearing a contrasting violet hue that stands out against Lyle's green machine.
"What are these?" I ask in wonder, looking over his shoulder as Lyle shuts the machine down and lets it slowly descent until it is no longer hovering. "Hover bikes?"
Lyle pulls out his keys and jumps off the bike, turning to watch me as I scoot up on the seat and look over the buttons and mechanics of the bike curiously. "Basically. They're called 'Ride Chasers', if you want to be exact," he answers, putting a hand up to muffle his simper when I finally shift to get my foot off the side. The ride chaser is a bit tall for me, so I only manage to plant my tiptoes on the ground before I lift my other foot and end up stumbling back into Lyle- much to my embarrassment.
"Careful there," he laughs shamelessly as I scramble back onto my aching legs and take a step back from him. Instead of giving me a look, he walks towards a door that leads into the house and presses a button on the wall, causing the garage door to begin shutting with a loud buzz. I jump in surprise and grunt in displeasure at my uneasy temperament, watching the door close behind me as Lyle enters his house. Since my only hope in getting home rides on the nurse, I follow him in quickly, closing the door to the garage behind me.
I'm spending the night at a strange guy's house... My Grandfathers are going to kill me when they hear this, I realize, sighing as I lock the door behind me despite getting no indication to do so from Lyle. I reckon it's safer though, and if he wants it unlocked, he can come back and unlock it himself.
When I look up from staring down at my feet, Lyle is nowhere in sight. I look around and frown, raising my hands and dropping them in confusion. Now what? Where'd he go?
"You can take the guest room at the end of the hall. Used to be my sister's buuut... She's not here anymore," I hear Lyle's voice nearing, until his head sticks out from a corner that leads to some stairs. "If you're hungry, help yourself to whatever's in the fridge though. I'm going to bed."
He disappears around the corner again and I'm left standing in the living room, looking around at the coffee table, couch and large flat television set sitting on the wall in front of the couch. I snort in amusement when I see a sunken in spot on the couch, much in the shape of someone's behind as I walk up the small steps leading to the raised platform of the kitchen, which sits behind the lower leveled living room with a railing separating the two.
It's a nice house, that's for sure. Not too dramatically organized like Mom and Dad's place, but... Rather like Grandpa Light's house. I take a seat on the other end of the couch and lay down for a moment, clenching my hands around the ever present ocean-green stones sitting in my palms. Strangely enough, no one seemed to think twice about them- not Lyle or the other nurses in the hospital, not that man in the visitor center when I raised my hands at gunpoint...
The only reminder of the torturous insanity I'd been recently thrust into.
I close my eyes for a moment, reminding myself of the comfortable guest bed upstairs before I force myself on my feet and climb up the dark stairs, turning off the light to the living room once I find it by the staircase.
I don't remember actually walking to the room, but eventually, I find a visibly empty and feminine room with an empty bed that I plop right on top of without even peeling the covers back. Apparently, my brain is exhausted after the relentless frustration following my awakening in the hospital, and I fall right to sleep without another thought- like if it's even safe for me to fall asleep here.
Sleep now... Think later... I decide as the real world slowly drifts away from me and I enter a realm that surprisingly seems to make better sense than Abel City does.
A/N: Let us descend into the madness, my fellow Fan Fictioners, as we proceed into Part Two. I wonder if X and Zero are around...? Well, we'll just have to see!