So, things get a bit disturbing in some parts of the lab. Just a heads up.

As Aya made her way down the hall she noticed an oil drum covered in soot from the fire. That'd explain why the fire spread so quickly. Aya did have to wonder why a spilt oil drum hadn't been cleaned up before. That's not exactly something to leave until the next day.

Aya headed down the hall. It let out into a room chock full of laboratory equipment, tools, and countless specimens preserved in jars of formaldehyde stacked on metal shelves to the left and right for God knows what purpose. Yet more rested on a lab table in jars and glass cases. Several of them contained what appeared to be babies with various deformities. Two bottles containing eyes sat in the center. Aya was reminded of Mütter Museum Father had taken her to on a trip to America. She knew for a fact that He had purchased many of these specimens for his work, but she was sure that this was not the case for all of them.

Her suspicions were soon confirmed when she caught sight of one of the eye bottles. While its twin contained a variety of eyes in many colors. The bottle next to it, however, contained only one pair of silvery blue eyes. Aya was briefly taken in by the sight of them Even in this form, they were some of the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen. Aya recalled the girl from the fireplace, and her description of the eyes the Doctor took from her. She pocketed the bottle. She hoped to find the girl further in.

At the end of the lab were rows of glass cylindrical vats containing larger specimens. There were three on the left and two on the right. One on the right was empty, while one on the left had been shattered.

That can't be good.

Aya noticed a chemistry set on a smaller lab table near the right vats. She wondered if it would come in handy in the future. The Doctor had given her some pretty advanced lessons in science to supplement her education.

Aya headed down the torch-lit hallway to the Lab proper. The hall was stacked with crates of supplies for the Doctor's work. Aya had been down this hall many times before. Rarely was she allowed in the basement, but the few times she was were more than enough to fuel the involuntary journeys she took in her dreams. Aya froze as she entered it, the screams of countless patients she'd heard in her dreams seemed to echo throughout the hall. She began to feel dizzy, and wobbled as she stepped forward. The hallway seemed to stretch out endlessly before her, turning a journey of a few yards to one of miles. She paused for a minute, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. The hallway was normal now, and for now, the screams seemed to die down. She hesitated as she turned the knob. The door slowly creaked open and Aya cautiously took her first steps in.

The lab was a mess. Flasks and specimen jars lay broken all over the floor. Documents were scattered in a heap, soaked with blood and formaldehyde and Lord knows what else. To the right wall, a woman in a green and white high-collar dress and a white nurse's cap lay collapsed on the floor.

"Maria!" Aya rushed over to the woman. Despite her disdain for the woman, she found herself worrying for her.

"Mistress…"

"You're wounded…"

"Ah… But I will be fine…" She didn't sound too convincing. "Forget me, escape somewhere safe! It is… dangerous here…"

"Where's father? I heard him scream from my room."

Maria perked up at the mention of the Doctor. "That's right… I must save the Doctor." She took one step, and then doubled over in pain.

"You can't go on like that."

"But- "

"Maria, what happened to Father?"

Maria struggled to get out the words. "The Doctor is Further in… His wife, she…"

Aya pounced on those words immediately. "His wife? My mom? What do you mean!? Maria!"

No response.

"Maria!" Aya shouted again, to no avail.

"My, it seems she's passed out." Aya heard a familiar, silky voice come from across the lab.

"You again." Aya had forgotten about the strange salesman. Mr. Ogre stood in the far left corner of the lab, near the entrance to the basement catacombs.

"At any rate, it sounds like your father has gone on ahead. Deeper into the underground maze…"

"What did Maria see? Mom passed away right…? What's going on here?" Aya needed answers and she needed them now. "Don't tell me the curse affected her too…"

Mr. Ogre chuckled at the irony of her question. "You'll only be able to confirm your suspicions by pressing further on, won't you?" He departed through the steel door, which groaned loudly as it opened.

"What a weird guy." Aya muttered to herself.

Nonetheless, he was right. She would have no choice but to go further into the basement. She sighed, and headed for the door. As she stepped away from Maria, she noticed a small object by her feet. She must have dropped it earlier. She recognized the key; it was to the locked room in the right hallway. Aya pocketed the key. She'd return it later.

Aya headed through the door that led further into the Lab Complex. The hallway was lined with vats that contained humanoid figures with completely blank features. Aya could only guess what they were for. At the end of the hallway, the Doctor lay prone, battered, and bloodied. A tall woman with long brown hair in a green dress stood behind him, holding him by the shirt collar. The woman had a large, bloody puncture wound in her chest.

"Father!" Aya exclaimed.

Aya stood in shock. She immediately recognized the woman.

"M…Mom? Is that you mom?" As she spoke, the woman yanked the Doctor through the door, slamming it shut behind them.

"Wait!" But it was too late. They were gone.

Aya stood in shock. The color had drained from her face.

"No way… Was that really mom…? There's no way I mistook her, that was mom. So even mom is…? It must be the curse, right?" As soon as she said the words, she knew the answer. Of course, it was the curse, the question was, why would the curse bring her back?

"Haven't you noticed?" Mr. Ogre's voice came from behind. Aya turned around, startled. "This tragedy was brought about by the power of a woman's curse. The malice toward your father… That malice transformed into a curse, seeking out your father's death." He spoke as though there was any way she could possibly have figured that out.

"Could that woman be…?" She already knew the answer.

"So you do realize. Yes, your mother. "Mr. Ogre seemed a bit to casual about the revelation.

"That can't be right!"

"Why do you think that?"

"Because mom loved father! She even understood his work… And he loved her back. Wasn't mom happy? I couldn't believe she has a grudge against father." Aya wracked her brain for something, anything that could have made her this angry. Suddenly she had a realization. "But… maybe mom didn't like father being with Maria… I don't want it to be true… But…" She honestly couldn't think of a better explanation. In seven years, she'd never seen them fight over anything else. Aya turned to the door.

"So you'll go find the truth?" Mr. Ogre interrupted.

Aya didn't respond, she continued through the door.

Does mom… hate father…? That can't be right… She promised!

Aya remembered something as she thought.

Maria's key! Maybe she has something that could explain all of this!

It seemed like a bad idea to turn back now, but if there was anything that could help her, she needed to know as soon as possible. She turned and headed back through the door.

If you're not sure what the Mütter Museum is, it's a museum in Philadelphia dedicated to various biological oddities. They do indeed have jars of specimens much like the ones in the lab.