Chapter 21

Poppy heard the thump that signified someone falling out of a portal. She broke her link to the internet and exited her arcade game to resume her physical form. She ran to the hallway whose coordinates the exit point had been set to. The hallway was crowded. A good sign.

She sifted through the bruised faces and fluttering bandages, intent to confirm her suspicions. There: a tattered white coat, shredded pink shirt, and broken stethoscope. Poppy carefully manoeuvred through the dazed forms and pulled Emu into a hug.

"Emu! I'm so glad you're safe!"

"Poppy."

She could almost hear the smile in his voice but it was still a surprise when he collapsed in her arms.

"Emu?!"

He waved her off casually.

"I'm alright. Just need to sit down for a bit."

Poppy assessed that statement for herself as he settled on the floor. She took in the light burns on his arms and upper body and pursed her lips as she noticed the less than casual hand gripping the one leg straightened at an uncomfortable angle.

"Sento's still out of it. Is there a Doctor?" Banjo's voice rang from behind her.

She spun to see that Build was indeed unconscious. The number of bandages visible beneath his tattered cloak was alarming too.

"Takeru needs treatment too," Akari called.

"I'm ok, Akari Help Build first."

One look at him told Poppy Ghost was definitely not ok. The red eyes, pale skin, and sallow cheeks coupled with a head bandage indicated a concussion.

"You are not ok!" Akari agreed with Poppy's assessment.

"We have to get to the others in the Gamma World," Takeru insisted, standing quickly before trying to sink inconspicuously back against the wall.

"Other Doctors are helping your friends," Poppy said. "Wait here."

She didn't wait for a reply and returned later with the best doctors left in the ward excepting Emu himself.

Banjo lifted Sento onto a gurney and he and Grease followed the doctors as they rushed Build away.

Akari helped a reluctant Takeru to a different gurney and they left too.

Poppy returned to Emu just as the doctors reached him.

"I'm ok," he said. "Help the others."

Poppy pulled him up using both hands and sat him gently onto the waiting gurney.

"A doctor is no good to anyone injured. Let them take a look," she advised.

Emu quietened and Poppy went with them into the intensive care.

What she saw over the next two hours was nothing new for her but it would have left those with weaker stomachs in need of special care themselves. Akari, Banjo, and Kazumi had been asked to leave politely some time ago and Poppy found herself thinking of them as she removed her gloves.

She exited the intensive care unit calmly and all three stood up at the sight of her.

She smiled.

"None of them were in serious danger," she relayed, aware of the tension.

All three visibly relaxed.

"They're all sleeping at the moment. You'll be able to visit them soon."

"How bad was it?" Akari asked quietly.

Poppy hesitated.

"They need time to recover," she said tactfully.

She didn't want to relay that Emu had been the best off and even his recovery time was looking to be at least two weeks.

"Are the three of you ok?" Poppy asked, trying to change the subject.

Banjo wound his arm vigorously.

"Just a few bruises," he said with a lopsided smile.

Kazumi nodded agreement and Akari shook her head to indicate she had no injuries.

"They were attacked by that Rider we saw?" Poppy asked.

All three nodded.

"Did you find out who it might be?" Akari asked.

"I finished analysing the list," Poppy confirmed. "And there's something you need to know."

"The Rider is Amu Kimura," Poppy bought up a visual of the Rider on the nearby screens.

"A girl?!" Banjo spluttered.

"She's that strong?!" Kazumi asked, equally aghast.

"How do you know for sure?" Akari, ever logical, asked.

"She worked on Enigma."

There was a shocked silence.

Poppy continued. "She left a little before the Engima experiment went wrong to start a new project. They were working on strengthening humanity's immune system. She was fired last year for working on a virus. She wanted to kill any humans without strong enough anti-body mechanisms without medicine. She wanted to stop the mutation of basic viruses due to medical intervention. She believed with those with strong anti-bodies would be more durable and diseases would advance at a rate which science could keep up with."

The shocked silence continued.

"I believe a version of the virus she was working on has been released into the Gamma World," Poppy finished sympathetically.

"But it is affecting almost everyone."

"I have heard that those in the Gamma World had their physical bodies preserved in a cryogenic state and used an eyecon form to live an almost immortal life up until recently."

"Yes," Akari confirmed, ignoring the shock on Banjo and Kazumi's faces.

"I believe that perhaps their immune system did not fully develop during this time. Most of them have probably never even encountered a common cold before, let alone a virus like this one."

"Do you think it was her intent to kill them all?" Akari asked.

Poppy shook her head. "I suspect she wanted a closed system to test her virus. She likely found out about the Gamma World through her connections and the Enigma research. With such a limited population and it's disconnection with other realms, it would have seemed the perfect opportunity."

Akari shook her head. "That's so cruel."

"I assume she got to the Gamma World initially using the regular portals your friends have been making to transfer supplies and expose their populace to the Regular World. She will have judged the frequency of these portals and disguised herself as a returning citizen before leaving through the next portal when she was done."

Banjo and Kazumi looked at each other.

"So this lady made everyone sick, right?" Banjo asked, scratching his head. "But why did she attack Sento?"

Poppy turned to him. "She did not want anyone interfering with her experiment."

"That's it?" Kazumi asked.

Poppy nodded sadly. "I believe so."

"This lady needs someone to teach her a lesson," Banjo said, smashing one fist into his other palm.

"Agreed," said Kazumi.

"Isn't she trapped in the world Emu was?" Poppy asked.

"Yep. She's a sitting duck!" Banjo grinned.

"I think-"

Akari's suggestion was cut short by a crash.

Poppy turned and ran back into the CR Lab.

One of the windows was shattered and a dark figure stumbled toward her.

Banjo and Kazumi grabbed their bottles and Akari pulled a strange device from somewhere. Poppy held up her hand, squinting her eyes. Something about the figure looked familiar. It lurched closer, overturning a tray table with a crash and tripping on a cord. It reached her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Where's Emu?" it asked desperately.

And then Parado collapsed.