(Headmaster Hand)

Twenty-four hours.

That's all it takes, in the end, to get us back into Onett.

After all that hassle. It was simple, really; all we had to do was follow the river. I really should've thought of that before we started diverting into the Forest, leading to us getting lost, getting us attacked and getting captured. Real smooth.

All the same, I'm glad! I'm thrilled that we're finally in Onett, without having had to deal with too much delay, this time. I think some of the school's Wilderness Survival kids along the river were a little surprised to see their headmaster and a bunch of strangers pass by them as we travelled, but there we go. That's that. I'm not a headmaster anymore.

I'm glad we've escaped the Onett First Brigade, too. I'm surprised - but again, glad - that Ike came along with us. I suppose nearly being executed by his commander would tarnish his opinion of the brigade just a little. That and the large explosion, killing Captain Strong. Strong - I'd met him before a couple times, looking into some suspicious drug activity at the school. The useless bugger never found any 'conclusive evidence' to do anything about it… but I still have to be a little sad he's gone.

As for right now, we're traipsing down a side alley, tired and miserable, looking for an abandoned house to take advantage of. The house of some rich man that went to war. The chances are, with Porky's plan in full swing, there's no chance of anyone of those people coming back, so I don't feel too bad about taking their house. Even though it is technically stealing. And breaking and entering. But, it's life or death, right? If we hung out in the Onett streets, we'd be butchered. Setting up a 'basecamp' of sorts will allow us to get moving with operations. With figuring out what to do.

It's on Prince's Avenue that we strike gold.

There's a big city house, like any other, but with all the lamps unlit, and the grass untamed - sure signs that nobody has been living there for a while. The garden gate is unlocked, the front door looks wooden and easy to get through. So we check for anyone nearby, and when we don't see anyone, we stride up the garden path. Reggie picks the lock, and slides open the front door, and relieved, we pile into a lavishly furnished hallway.

Our journey is over.

Finally, we can rest.


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~~o00o~~

Chapter 44 - Ladybirds and Bumblebees

(Lucas)

~~o00o~~

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'An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.'

'Experience demands that man is the only animal which devours his own kind, for I can apply no milder term to the general prey of the rich on the poor.'

Like a blister on the earth, hidden under a mountain of concrete. Like a sea of oil and grease, concealed beneath the wave of change. Sprawling lazily, heaving with despairing screams, blood painted walls, guilt.

When there is division, there is filth. Physical division, mental division, the scum-covered river, carrying black ships of children to be sold at auction. Splitting Onett into the Westside, and the Eastside. Into the rich, and the poor.

Everyone knows, and everyone turns their faces away.

Eastside; the Smoke Farm. Coal mines and factories churning out thick, grey plumes. Black substances oozing into the river waters. The workhouses - where the scraps at the bottom of the barrel are stored. The dead dogs. The worthless. Where pain serves as currency. To be sent there is a fate worse than death.

The first and second residential districts: mazed streets, crawling with shadowed alleys and drugs, where momentary happiness is a pill away. Where the footways are overflowing with gangs, knives, rotting slurries of sewage festering on the sides of the road. Where every doorway and every bridge is somebody's bedroom. Where houses pile haphazardly without a second thought, bricked and dismal. That is the eastside - dismal.

The westside meanwhile - centred around the marble spires of the Government Quarters, not that the Government Quarters are integrated into everything else - tall, wooden fences surround it, banishing protesters, banishing complaints. Silence rings out from within, echoing ominously.

Then come the postcard areas of Onett. To the right of the Government Quarters is the rushing train station, polished and clean, great arches marking the route to London. There's the food market, and the Onett University, alongside the financial district, where arrays of offices and hotels stand firmly alongside the river. Those are the places they say that dreams are made of.

From there, the third and fourth residential districts spread, rows upon rows of terraced townhouses, uniform and precise. There's space inside each for the richest of men to indulge in luxuries of their choosing. Fortune Alley lies nearby, rows upon rows of the gambling inns and taverns, many frequented and owned by the local gang, The Sharks. Keep out of their way, they'll keep out of yours, but they'll make a quick penny off of you in seconds. Greed is their patron, and they honour it daily.

Behind that, announcing their presence with garish colours, are the other buildings, the Western Hitch, the place that nobody talks about. Alluring signs and arrows drag in the richest, filthiest of men, to indulge in the pleasures of bodies, of touch. It's the oasis where screams ring out, echoing through the night, where boys become men.

It's the one place I daren't enter. It's where the pleasure houses are.

Beneath their masks, the biggest, greediest businessmen have slowly taken over the city. Porky has taken footholds in every enterprise. He takes for himself what cannot be given to others - it's how it's always been, men of the Westside, enslaving the paupers of the East. The rich own the city. Not the government. They own all the pleasure houses, they own the residential districts. The government facilitates it all - turning a blind eye as children are swiped off of the streets, plunged into a world of hell in the workhouses, the brothels, or the trader ships. The people know, but they do nothing.

Development has obliterated the once modest farming town. 'Progress' has torn it in two, torn man itself in two. The same men who walk the streets in their suits and ties devolve into naked savagery in the pleasure houses as they reap their rewards of their work. The same men with their smiles and their charming looks take commission, as they sentence your children to suffer.

In Onett, if a powerful enough man wants you, he will get you, and he will destroy your life. It's a form of courtesy here.

As my father says; there is no such concept as good, in Onett.

Only survival.

"It looks even worse from the outside," Toon Link notes, studying the grimy peaks of the townhouses, their intimidating faces lit only by the dingy gas-lit street lamps. It's as if they're meeting, muttering to themselves, that we're not welcome. I gulp. I live here for goodness sake - but even I'm nervous of these streets. Especially at night. At least it's the Westside we're in, I think to myself grimly. That's where Ness lives, and Toon Link too.

The road is hauntingly empty. I suppose a lot of people must be out at war, or out in New Pork City. Though, I wouldn't quite call this place a ghost town yet; the occasional drunkard still staggers by with a shout in our direction. But the city certainly isn't alive. Not anymore - no bustling crowds, no homeless people begging. No horses and carts.

Claus shudders beside me, but not from the cold. "I don't l-like this place.. very much."

I pat him faintly on the back, my mind again drawn to his impressive display of PK power by the river. "Neither do I, Claus. But, there's seven of us. Strength in numbers, r-right?"

"Until we have to split up," Ness murmurs, shivering. I wish I'd brought a coat, then I could've given it to him. "We can't all go to one house. What's the plan going to be?"

Toon Link looks up. "Pit, how would you like to come to mine, stay there for the rest of the week? That's got to be better than walking all the way to your house, yeah?"

Pit exhales a great sigh of relief, immense gratitude painted on his face. "Please. That'd be amazing. Thank you so much."

"Red, you can come to mine," Villager adds. "My mother thinks you're a good influence, you'll be welcome there."

"Alright," Red agrees.

"In that case, Claus and Lucas, my house?" Ness suggests. "Is that good?"

I nod. "That's good."

And so, we continue down the streets.

"Tomorrow, we can meet at the market," Toon Link suggests. "Everyone knows where the meat stall is, right? We'll meet at 9am. Then, we can go and find Jeff's dad - Dr Andonuts - we'll go to his place, ask him a couple questions, find some things out about the Future Humans. How's that?"

"Fantastic," Villager nods, approvingly, as we reach our junction. "We'll be there on the dot."

"So will we," Ness says, coming to a stop. "Right - we're that way, so… See you in the morning, then."

Toon Link raises a hand. "See you."

We part.

It's a bit of a blur, as Ness, Claus and I make our way down Ness's street, until we're faced by his big bungalow. We just have to hope that someone's in - or we'll be shivering outside all night in the cold. But my relief, a warm, orange glow comes from the gas lamps inside a window - and Claus and I stand behind Ness as he makes his way to the front door.

"Mother should be fine with you staying," Ness says easily as he knocks, twice. "It might take some explaining, though… But it'll be fine, right? She thinks you're amazing, she does. Yeah."

"Will your father be home?" I ask, nervously.

Ness shrugs. "Could be… but we'll stay out of his way."

"Where are we?" Claus asks, confused, but before I can answer, the great door swings open. I blink in the bright light of the front hall, as a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair steps forwards, blinking once, as if she cannot believe her eyes.

"N-Ness?"

"Mother!" Ness exclaims. "You're okay! Please, can we come in? We need somewhere to stay for a few days, and-"

She cuts him off. "N-Ness? What are you doing here?" Her voice is quiet, but not pleasant, in fact, her face holds only fear. Her eyes are bagged, and her hair a mess.

Ness shifts, a little put out. "Mother? We - we're in danger - please, we have to come in, Lucas is freezing, and-"

She interrupts him again, her voice on tenterhooks. "But..." She rapidly looks behind her, before standing aside. "Get inside. Quick. But be quiet. Please."

Hastily, we bustle through the door, and I relish in the warmth of the hall washing over me. Ness's mother rapidly shuts the door behind us.

"What's going on?" Ness asks, worriedly, taking off his shoes. "What's up?"

Ness's mother walks stiffly down the hall, leading us into the parlor. "I think I'm the one who needs to ask you that, Ness."

Ness gives me a worried look. We enter the parlour, and nervously, I sit on a sofa, next to Claus, who huddles up to me in confusion. I have the horrible feeling we're about to be told off, pretty badly.

"Mother-" Ness starts, but the blonde woman's gaze is stern.

"Listen to me, Ness. And please, answer me truthfully."

He recoils. "O-Okay. Sorry."

Ness's mother takes a deep breath, before speaking. "Ness, what exactly are you doing here? You're supposed be at school. Have you been expelled?"

"No!" Ness exclaims, defensively. "It's the wilderness survival week. We decided to come here, because there was a… we forgot… food..."

Ness's mother folds her arms. She can clearly see there's more to the story, but she doesn't press the issue. "...I see. And who's this?" She indicates towards Claus.

I speak up. "He's, he's brother, ma'am. U-Uh-"

Her eyes fold with disbelief. "Lucas? Your brother?"

I look down at my toes, not wanting to meet her eyes, for fear of what I might find there. "Y-Yeah, we sort of… found him…" I trail off

There's a silence, and her gaze lingers on Claus a while longer, before she turns back to Ness.

"The rumours going around your school, Ness... They're awful - awful things, I'm being told. Rumours of monsters, disappearances, killings…"

Ness whispers quietly back, "The rumours are true, mother."

There's a tense pause.

And suddenly, the woman's resolve crumbles completely, as she bursts into tears, rushing forwards, hugging her son. "Y-You never wrote to me, Ness! I didn't know if you were alive or dead! The only letter we had was from Lucas - telling us you were in a coma! A-And when your Headmaster didn't contact us - Ness, I was worried out of my mind!"

I watch any happiness Ness had left slide out of his face, replaced with crushing guilt. "I-I'm sorry mother, a lot happened…"

"Sending a letter takes minutes, Ness! Please… I know you're getting old, but don't forget me completely!"

Ness practically shrivels up. "I-I'm sorry, mother..."

I lightly squeeze his hand.

She furrows her brow, pulling apart from him, eyes red and puffy. "What's h-happening, Ness? Up at your school - what's happening?"

Ness and I exchange a nervous glance. We know we can't tell her the full truth - she'd freak out. She'd completely freak out.

"...It's been sorted out now," Ness lies, keeping his eyes low. "People were going missing - but they caught who did it. Who was taking them. It was - it was Porky Minch."

"Oh, I know all about that Porky," Ness's mother glowers, her lips tight. "Filthy, filthy man. Keeps trying to interfere with your Father's mining business. I swear, if I ever get my hands on him..."

"And he's taking people to his city," I add. "He's enslaving them."

She shakes her head, aghast. "I knew it. I knew it! I tried to tell them, tell them all, but everyone's going! Everyone's running away from this war and this virus!"

I secretly thank my lucky stars that Ness's mother hasn't heard that Porky is going to be our new headmaster. If she knew, there's no way she'd ever let us go back to school.

"We decided to come home, and make sure everything was… okay." Ness says, miserably. It's a half-lie, but it works, as his mother's expression softens.

"Of course we're okay. I'm worried about you, though, Ness. And you too, Lucas - you're both so brave - it sounds like it's been horrible out there..."

"It has," Ness admits, before adding, "Is there any food?"

The blonde woman barely cracks a smile at his antics. "We've already eaten dinner here. It's really late, Ness. I suppose, out in the wilderness, time might've escaped you... The cook's gone home for the night - but I- I'm sure I can make you some sandwiches. Yes. And the three of you can get yourselves cleaned up, in the meantime. I don't want dirt being tracked all over my house."

"So, we can stay?" Ness asks, hopefully.

"Of course you can stay! Just…" Her expression dips again. "Watch out for your father, Ness."

Ness's expression wavers. "Huh? Why's that?"

"He's in an especially bad mood. He has been all week, because of Porky, and because of the strike. Now, come on. Off you go. Scrub off in the basin. Oh, and, Lucas, I'd like to have a word with you, please."

I nod, a little worried. "Okay, ma'am."

"What about?" Ness asks, defensively.

"Nothing to concern you. Now off you go - go on!"

Obediently, Ness leads Claus down the hall, to the bathroom. I, meanwhile, stay in my seat, nervously facing the woman in front of me.

When Ness is gone, she closes the door, and sits briskly back down. "So - Lucas - that boy - he's your long lost brother?"

Quietly, I nod. "Mm."

"You've never mentioned him before."

I rub my arm, feeling small. "He - well - ran away, eight years ago. Porky took him, then used and tortured him. He got away somehow, and... We found him in the woods."

There's silence, again. Her mouth opens and closes in shock. She presses herself back in her seat, closing her eyes with momentary agony, muttering. "Why, God, whenever something bad happens, does it have to happen to Lucas?"

I bite my lip, sensing her discomfort. "I can - I can take him, ma'am, and we can stay at my Father's place if that would be better-"

"No!" Ness's mother exclaims, with some force. "Sorry. But certainly not, I know how you're treated there. You need to be fed, watered, you need a haircut. Look - you're all skinny again. And heaven knows your brother needs some tidying up. What's his name?"

"Claus."

She nods. "Claus. An anagram of your name?"

I make to reply, but I pause. I'd never realised that before. "Yeah. I guess so."

"Hmm…"

I rub my cheek. "Is that - is that everything?"

"Not quite I'm afraid," she says, her expression turning grim.

I gulp.

"Lucas, I think that you should make an extra effort to stay away from my husband, for the time that you're here. In fact, it's probably best if he didn't know you were here at all."

My heart sinks. "Howcome?"

"Your father - he began a series of strikes in the mines, asking for better pay. Reasonable in my opinion, but I don't make the rules... Your father, he was fired, but it's created ripples of chaos amongst the workers. So.. I don't think Ness's father would be too pleased to see you. Or Claus."

I nod meekly, suddenly worried. My father got the sack? "I-I understand, ma'am. Is he here now?"

Ness's mother pats me on the shoulder. "He works late, so not yet. He probably won't be back for another hour. But tomorrow, Monday, he works at home, so…"

"Stay out of sight, out of mind. Got it."

She gives me a smile, as I stand. "You're a good kid, Lucas. Thank you for writing to us. And thank you for looking after Ness."

I turn faintly pink. "No problem."

"Now go on, you. Go get cleaned up. I'll set about making some sandwiches, how does that sound?"

I smile politely. "That sounds great, thank you."

She smiles back, though it's heavy, and she moves into the kitchen. I walk into the bathroom - it's a quaint room, panelled with wood and floral tiles, with a jug of water and a dish on the sideboard. There's a large copper bathtub on one end, and an actual toilet too, a rarity around these parts. Ness is fortunate - like the boarding school, his house is connected to the newly integrated Onett plumbing system (though that system is just to pump all waste into the river) which means he can have luxuries like those in his house. I wouldn't say I'm envious, but I don't particularly enjoy the process of having to use the Brick Pit, which is essentially the toilet for my whole street.

"Claus, you're looking better," I smile, as I see him. Ness has got to work with a jug and a sponge, and has successfully washed a majority of the dirt off of Claus's body. He almost looks human again.

Ness tosses me the sponge. "If you finish cleaning him, I'll go fill the tub with some water for you."

I nod. "Ok."

Ness goes off to get a bucket, and I get to work on Claus's hair. It's a big tangle - hopefully Ness's mother will be kind enough to shorten it down a bit - but I manage to get some of the mud out, being very careful not to get any water on Claus's more electrical aspects. Unfortunately, removing the mud makes them quite a bit more visible, bright silver contrasting with the dull grey flesh of Claus's face. It also becomes apparent just how skinny he's become - it must've been ages since he's eaten a decent meal. I find myself worrying, as I finish my work. We'll make sure he eats tonight.

Ness empties buckets into the tub, until it's full. "There wasn't enough time to heat the water under the fire I'm afraid, but it's better than nothing..." he rambles. "What did my mother say? I hope it wasn't about the ladybirds and the bumblebees..."

I laugh. "The ladybirds and the bumblebees?"

"Sorry - the birds and the bees, you know, uh-" he blushes. "Sorry. But what did she actually talk to you about?"

I explain.

Ness groans. "I'm sorry. That sucks. Luckily Father isn't home too much, but still."

"It's okay."

Ness's shoulders slump, as he looks into the water. "It's really not. You deserve better… do you want to bathe first? I'll see if Claus can get himself a nice haircut."

I nod. "If you're sure… I'll be quick."

Ness gives a thumbs up, before leading Claus out, and closing the door behind him.

He's really tired, I conclude, as I undress. Shorter replies are always a symptom of him being tired. He's been so busy over the last few days, with everything that's gone on, and we've barely had any sleep, or any food. And there's still work to be done tomorrow… yawning, I clamber into the tub, ignoring the freezing cold that suddenly washes over me.

It'll all be over, any day now.

At least we've actually made it to Onett. And secretly, I think that Ness's house is really cool. Much better than my place - here, there's loads of rooms, loads of Things to see and Places to hide. Back in my house, we have a cupboard sized kitchen, a single bedroom, and a living room. Nowadays, Father takes the bedroom for storage and for sleeping, so quite often I sleep on the couch. I'm sorry to admit that I'm rather ashamed of it. But at least it's not a workhouse - at least I have a roof over my head. It's not fair for me to complain.

I'm not sure how we're going to find Dr Andonuts tomorrow. That Jeff guy didn't really give any indication of where the man may be - but I suppose, he'll be in some laboratory somewhere. We'll check the Onett map. It'll be fine - and when we've got to him, hopefully we'll know some more, some more about the link between Porky's life and theirs. We just have to watch out for the ominous presence of the virus.

That dumb virus. It really has sat on the backburner in my mind - I can't even remember what they named it in the end - but it's unfortunate in its timing, as no doubt it's driving out even more people from the city. And the city being in quarantine too, that means no outside help is coming. Great.

I submerge myself in the water. I quickly get used to the cold, and it's good not to be covered in mud, blood and sweat, but I do still hate the sight of my naked body. I take the chance to examine my ankle too; it's not too bad, a little swollen, but it's sitting back in place, by some miracle, which is a huge relief.

I climb out of the tub, deciding I'm clean enough. I find a nice red and yellow towel, and wrap it around myself, and grabbing my filthy garments, I leave the room, upon which Ness chucks a set of clean clothes at me.

I peel the underpants off of my face. "Hey!"

He grins. "You'll be needing these. Also, Claus looks so different now, you wouldn't believe."

"Really? Where is he?"

Ness points to the drawing room. "Mother's just finishing his hair off now. But - maybe uh, get dressed first. Head into my room if you like."

I nod. "Thanks."

Ness disappears down the hall, and I meander into Ness's bedroom. It's always been a nice space, even if sort of devoid of anything fun. He's got a nice, comfortable four-poster bed, table and chairs in the middle, a decently sized desk with a stack of paper upon it, a tall oak wardrobe, and of course, James the pot plant on the windowsill. Don't ask why we named the plant, but we did, and it is fantastic.

I change, and sneak a peek under Ness's bed. I grin - that's where Ness keeps anything he doesn't want his father to find. That includes, naturally, all of my letters I've ever sent him, various stuffed toys, paintings, the like. Ness's harp stands clumsily out of place in the corner as well, dusty, and no doubt out of tune. It's been quite some time since he's had lessons, I'd wager. I quickly dry my hair with the towel, I get dressed, and I make my way into the drawing room.

My mouth opens with surprise as I observe the new boy before me.

He looks completely different! His hair is back to a fiery orange, all short and neatly clipped around the sides. His face - there's clean skin, the birthmark on his neck, he's wearing actual clothes, and best of all, he's smiling. He's smiling! Overwhelmed, I move forwards. This is Claus. Not the Face, not some monster, he's Claus again.

"Much better, huh?" Ness's mother smiles, faintly.

"Yeah!" Claus claps, pleased. "Very much better!"

I nod. "Agreed. Thank you for doing all this, ma'am-"

She waves a hand. "You're like a second son to me, Lucas. There's no worries at all."

I smile, trying not to consider the unfortunate connotations that would have for Ness and I. I have to wonder if we'll tell her - tell her exactly what we are. But still, I keep a polite face.

"Thank you."

Ness dashes in. "Alright! Where's the food at?"

His mother laughs. "Ah, Ness. You never change. It's in the dining room - now, come on. Especially you, Lucas. And Claus. You need some fattening up."

Ness licks his lips. "All ready to be cooked over a fire. Roast Lucas, my favourite."

I swat at him. "Shut it, you. Come on. Food."

We lead Claus into the dining room, where a generous spread has been set out. There's some nice-looking corn bread, a few apples, and some slices of what looks to be venison. Glad, I tuck in, and Ness and Claus do the same.

"This place is very nice," Claus says, muffled by the cornbread.

"Don't speak with your mouth full," I chide. "But yes. It is lucky. It's very kind of Ness's mother to let us stay."

Claus puts another hand to his short hair, as if he can't believe it's there. "I look… small again."

"You look much better," Ness reassures him. "Hey - your father might recognise you now."

Claus's eyes light up with hope. "Really?"

"No doubt."

"Can we go see him - see him now?!"

I pat him on the back. "Not right now, Claus. It's all dark at the moment, and we've got a lot of work to do."

His face falls. "Aw…"

"But we'll go see him soon…" I wince. "I promise."

Claus beams. "Yay!" He tucks right back into the cornbread again.

When we're done eating, Ness's mother sternly sends us to bed, deciding that we all look 'utterly exhausted,' and to be honest, I'm in no fit state to argue, so Claus goes over to sleep on the couch, leaving Ness and I to lie together in his four-poster; a familiar situation, from every time I've stayed over.

There's no energy left for talking, as I snuggle up in Ness's arms, and drift off.

I'm awoken by heavy knocking.

"Ness? Ness, come on now."

It's a man's voice. Blearily, I open my eyes.

It's a man's voice.

My stomach suddenly convulses as Ness stirs in my arms, and I look madly around the room - there has to be somewhere to hide!

The knocking repeats, harder this time. "Ness? Ness! Wake up. You'd better open this door, or I'm coming in!"

Ness jolts to attention, suddenly cursing.

"Three… Two… One..."

Hastily, Ness throws a blanket over my head, and I let out a muffled squeak as the door is thrown open. I go limp, making sure I'm completely covered - I mustn't be seen. There's loud footsteps as Ness's father thunders towards us - my heart leaps into my throat, and I silently will my arms to stop shaking so much. I feel Ness hastily clamber out of the bed, hopefully obscuring his Father's vision of me.

"G-Good morning."

The older man speaks with a harsh tone, that sends shivers down my spine. "Ness. I am told you are skiving off of your studies. Is this true?"

"Only - only the wilderness survival week, Father-"

Smack.

I stifle a gasp at the noise.

"I've raised you better than that!"

I hear heavy breathing, as Ness's footsteps track back towards me. "I-I'm sorry, Father-"

The man's fury subsides, and I hear him step closer to the blanket that I'm beneath. I grip tightly onto the sheets, desperately trying to hold myself still.

He grumbles. "I suppose it's just as well. Because as luck would have it, Ness, I've found you a nice girlfriend."

My entire body feels as if it's sinking underground.

"A-A girlfriend?" Ness repeats, his voice high.

"Yes, you insolent child. A girlfriend. Since you seem to be so incapable of courting, I have taken the liberty of finding you someone myself."

I hear Ness's mouth open and close. "I- I uh- I don't want a girl-"

There's another angry step forward. "You don't want a girlfriend? Ungrateful boy! Have you turned into a faggot, or something!?"

"No - no!" Ness exclaims, rather too hastily. "I'm just - focusing on school, like you asked!"

"Don't you take that tone with me! You should have both. You're supposed to be a man, Ness."

"I-"

"You will meet with her. She will come here, for dinner, tonight, and you will dress well, and she will be yours. Is that understood?"

Ness's voice tremors. "Yes, Father."

"Good. Now, if you're going to laze about here, you can get right to studying. Okay?"

"O-Okay, Father."

I feel the floor lift, as Ness's father steps back. There's a resultant click as the door opens, and he leaves.

My muscles relax.

Light blinds me, as Ness throws the blanket off of my head. "Oh God - Lucas, what am I going to do?!"

I sigh, sitting up, pulling my boyfriend down into a hug. "It's okay, Ness. You'll just have to… style it out, I suppose."

"It's going to be so awkward!"

I pat his back. "I guess when you and her are alone, you can just tell her you're not really interested."

"But she's coming over for dinner!"

I crack a slight grin. "Ness, for real, the world might be ending, and you're worrying about that?"

He closes his eyes momentarily, clenching and unclenching his fists. "You're right. Yes. Of course you're right."

"I'm always right. Now, what's the plan going to be?"

"The plan?"

"For meeting Dr Andonuts. How are we gonna sneak out the house? Your mother said your father's working from home today."

Ness stands, waving a hand dismissively. "I sneak out all the time. We'll go through the kitchen window, of course."

"Of course."

He prods me, with sudden enthusiasm. "Come on, then! The others will be waiting!"

I follow him out to the kitchen, where the cook smiles at her workstation. "G'morning, boys. What can I do fer you t'day?"

Ness quickly shuts the door behind him, making sure his father won't overhear. "Have we got any of those nice pastries at the moment?"

"Certainly. One each?"

"If that's alright with Lucas?"

I nod, quickly pocketing a map on the side. "Yes please."

Whilst the cook goes into the pantry, Ness quickly hops onto the surface, undoing the window latch, revealing the pleasant walled garden behind. I follow him, as the cook hands us each a pastry.

She raises an eyebrow. "Sneaking out again, hm?"

"Don't tell father?" Ness pleads.

She gives another smile. "My lips are sealed."

"Thanks!" Ness exclaims, as he slips out of the window, pastry in hand.

"Thank you," I echo politely, as I follow, unceremoniously falling onto a flower bed.

"Right!" Ness chirps, as the cook shuts the window, taking a bite of the pastry. "Mmm, these are good - oh yeah. They said they'd be by the marketplace, right?"

"I think so," I reply, getting out the map.

Ness rolls his eyes. "Of course, it's on the other side of the Eastside. Just our luck."

"Better than it being at the bottom of Giant's Mine," I reason, lightly. "And, hey, we can have a lovely romantic walk, just the two of us."

"Do you think Claus will be alright with my mother?" Ness asks, nervously.

"Yeah, it's for the best he stays behind. I don't want to get him into any more danger. He needs rest. Now, come on - did Toon Link say we're meeting at the meat stall?"

"I think so..."

When the smell of raw meat hits our noses, we know we're in the right place. This is further confirmed by a giant sign reading: BUTCHERS! that adorns a red-and-white awning, covering the array of meats.

"Where are the others?" Ness asks me worriedly, but Toon Link steps out from behind the stall.

"We're on time, unlike yourself. You ready to go?"

"Yep."

"No Claus?" Villager asks.

"No, figured he deserves a bit of rest," I reply, pulling out the map. "Now, apparently we just need to go around the financial district, and then we'll be there. Andonuts's lab."

Red taps his foot agitatedly on the ground. "What will be there?"

"Heaven knows," Villager replies, a hint of worry in his voice. "But never mind! Let's go and find out."

The journey isn't long. It mostly consists of discussing what kinds of bizarre technologies may be within this mysterious lab - on the map, it just looks like a misshapen shelter. I figure we won't be there long enough to find out too much. We'll just pop in, we'll ask a few questions, and that will be that.

But it's not all too promising when we arrive at an overgrown, and altogether abandoned-looking building.

Ness frowns, as he swings open the iron gate. There's what looks to be a pathway through the meadow-like front lawn, to a scorched wooden door, leading into the looming facility. The bricks are scarred, some blackened, there's metal plates over windows, and steel chambers jutting out all over the walls. Altogether, it has the image of an apocalyptic wasteland.

"I'm not so sure about this…" Villager mutters.

"Andonuts probably just doesn't have time to garden," Ness comments, pushing through a bramble bush.

"What - you think we should still go in there?"

Toon Link claps Villager on the back. "No harm in it. If it's abandoned - there'll be no problems at all. Relax."

Quietly, I think going into this place might be a horrible idea, but I opt not to make my worries heard. There's nothing good to be said about ruining the team's morale. So after a struggle through the jungle, we eventually reach the door which is, disappointingly, locked.

"Probably means someone's home," Toon Link comments, knocking, and sure enough, after a couple of seconds, the door is swung open to reveal a man.

Mad… Quite mad, Jeff had described Dr Andonuts as. And the man's appearance certainly suggests so. Instantly my mind goes to the kind of person you'd envisage when you think of a crazy scientist: Two grey tufts of hair stick out from either side of his head, a plump moustache covers his mouth, and he seems to be wearing bulbous goggles, and a spotless lab coat. More interestingly though are the burns and marks on his arms. Why are his arms so filthy, if his coat is so clean?

The man extends a finger, still holding the door open. His voice is low, and gravelly. "I saw you…"

"Dr Andonuts?" Villager asks, nervously.

He leans forwards, his voice dropping down to only a croak. "...That's me, boys. What do you want?"

We exchange a glance before, taking courage, Toon Link steps forwards. "We want to ask you a couple of questions. About Porky Minch, and the Future Humans."

A flash of recognition strikes Andonuts's face for a split second, before it transforms into concern, then resolution. He steps back, raising his bushy white eyebrows.

"I suppose you'd better come in, then."

I take Ness's hand. Silently and in sequence, we step inside the old doorway into a cavernous hall. It smells of wet paint, but looks more like a bomb site. More black chars coat the walls. There's dents and scuffs in the threadbare carpet below our feet.

"Your house doesn't look to be in such good shape, Mr Andonuts," Villager comments, as the door ominously swings shut behind us.

Andonuts sniffs once, sharply. "'Tis fine, boy. Oh ho, to imagine, my work is my mess, my mess is my work."

"Where are we going?" Ness asks.

Andonuts speaks without turning. "Th' lounge. Don't want you interfering with any of my inventions now, do I?"

"Of course not, sir." Villager replies politely, giving us a well-masked worried look.

The lounge is somewhat nicer than the hall, in that there's less holes in the walls and ceiling. Unfortunately, there are a number of suspicious stains on the solid looking wooden chairs that stand around, that make me very hesitant to sit down.

Andonuts waves a loose hand towards the chairs. "You make yourselves comfy, and I'll tell you what you need to know. Would any of you like a cup of tea?"

"Yes," Red replies.

"That's a shame, I don't have any."

There's an awkward pause.

Villager puts his hands together, as I look nervously around at the walls. I get the impression that this house-lab hybrid could well collapse at any minute.

I speak. "So, uh, the Future Humans. We're friends of your son - Jeff. We thought we'd come and visit, because we know you helped Porky to create them…" My voice trails off. I don't want to sound too accusatory.

Dr Andonuts's lips tighten. "Yes. That I did. Innovation, he promised, not war…" He wheezes, disconsolately. "Bloody man."

"So, he tricked you?"

"By all definitions, yes, he did. Though, perhaps I was foolish to allow…" He wheezes again, putting a hand to his chest. "Foolish to allow him to overcome me… I was so focused on technology…"

"How do the Future Humans work?" I press.

Andonuts shakily raises a hand to his temple. "My boy, that is a long, long and complicated explanation… I… I do not see why… wouldn't want to waste your time..."

"It's what we came here for," Toon Link says, firmly. "It's important. We won't tell anybody else."

His eyes dart to the side. "Wouldn't tell anybody else? Even my son?"

"No, we wouldn't tell Jeff," I assure him.

"Then…" The old scientist coughs, leaning ominously forwards. "Then, I shall begin."

We listen.

"Ah… it was a couple of years ago, it was. The man himself came to my lab door. I'd seen him around, you see, but I didn't know how he'd found my place. Discovered a while later that this building had been added to the map…" He lets out a short bark of laughter. "So much for a secret laboratory. But, he showed up, and he had a business proposal, he did. A big folder of ideas… blueprints. Magical monsters and mythical creatures that he'd invented. So I let him in. The wife and Jeff, you see, they live in the town, out of the way of my lab. Safer there. In case anything explodes…" His eyes glaze over, slightly gleeful.

"And then, pl- uh, people, he, he had invented a version of people. With metal and steel, he'd, he'd combine them, he'd upgrade - he called it an upgrade, that was his idea... The future humans. It was, it was insane, it was crazy, it would never work, but, Porky paid me… paid me to work on his ideas… enough to send Jeff to boarding school, to university! I couldn't say no, you understand me? I had to accept…"

We slowly nod.

He coughs again into his hands. He looks a real state - scarring on his face, on his arms. It looks as if his hair hasn't been cut for weeks. His skin is a dull grey. Poor guy.

"And so… I worked, I worked for days in the lab. Porky, he'd come, he'd see my progress… he came to the house in the city once, he did, gave my wife a nasty shock…"

Ness shifts besides me. "Did you reach a breakthrough?"

"Well…" he raises his wild eyebrows. "I began experimenting… I found the body, the essence of life, it needed to… to accept the metal, the… influence, the programming. Accept Porky's control… it was a puzzle, a puzzle to be solved. But, a high enough voltage of electricity, to the brain… enough pain… throw the mind into madness. Overload it completely. I… I had to rob graves, at first. A nasty business, bodysnatching, but I needed them, to try… to reanimate them, alive, again… and, and after nearly a year... it worked. Enough programming, enough metal, the cells from a living body, Porky's... it was enough. They came back to life. They obeyed his will."

I shudder. "That's horrible."

He shakes his head. "It was horrible... A horrible business, but to me… a challenge. It had to be, or… or I'd go mad… I needed to test, to test it, on a live body… a living conversion. Porky provided - he had people. People I could experiment on. Unimportant people. Street kids, the like. Took a lot of tries, it did. Some survived the process, but weren't… didn't obey Porky's will, at first. Porky took those mistakes and locked them away..."

My stomach burns.

"...There was the Latin. Pl-Placet, Placet, Placet Auxilium. That's - what they said… but, all was - all was overcome, all overcome… yes..." He puts a hand to his head, as if in some sort of pain. "Eventually, eventually, I found the way… to conceal, conceal the metal, preserve the flesh… make the creations look ordinary, like regular people, like Porky wanted, only then was he happy… he gave me money, he did..."

"Did you have any idea what he was going to do with the creations?" Villager asks, sharply. "Taking the credit for himself - and converting the world?"

Slowly, Dr Andonuts shakes his head, with yet another cough. "N-No… No, I did not… Not until he told me… I tried to stop him, hide the blueprints, but…"

I rub my forehead, anxious. "Do the Future Humans have any weaknesses?"

"No, they do not - I-I made sure of it… I, I followed his plan, to the letter, blinded, blinded by the…" He screws up his face in pain. "Pl- Puzzle."

Ness casts me a worried gaze. Surely they can't have no weaknesses - we've beaten so many before! But then again, they, they were just prototypes… my stomach tightens with fear, and I grip onto my boyfriend's hand.

"Are you okay, Dr Andonuts?" Villager asks worriedly. I cast my gaze back to the man, who's doubled over in his place.

"Y-Yes…"

"What's his plan?" Toon Link asks decisively. "You said he told you - what is it?"

"Starting a war - he started a war, stirred up trouble in Onett, in the- in the newspapers… made up that there was a virus, and put it in the newspapers… meaning loads of people, from - from Tazmily and Onett alike, they'd seek refuge in New Pl- P-Pork City. Where they'd - they'd be converted to Future Humans, and, and he'd convert them all... I tried, I tried to stop him, when I found out, but… I failed."

"What happened?" Villager asks him.

"I hid - hid the blueprints - wouldn't tell him where they were - blocked his p-path - but - but when I tried to oppose him - he - he killed me-"

There's a pause, as we look at each other, slightly bemused.

Red raises his eyebrows. "Killed you? But you're not dead."

Dr Andonuts looks up sharply, eyes blazing. "He did… He killed me... he p-p-put his hands on my neck, twisted it, and then… p-p-p-"

"Dr Andonuts," Villager speaks, evenly. "You're alive. You're talking to us now."

He stands. "Yes… Yes… I am…"

"You must've fought back. He can't have killed you."

The mad scientist's face grins intently at us, as he takes a step. "No… no, there was no p-point fighting back... P-P-Porky… he is the greatest inventor of all time…" He stands abruptly, his head twisting eerily to the side. "H-Haven't you been listening? P-P-"

I hastily bring myself off the couch, as horrible suspicions hit me. "Dr Andonuts, please- please, calm down-"

His head spasms back and forth, as he picks up pace towards Ness , reaching his arms out. "P-P- Calm… I am calm… I am so much, so- s-so much more now… Now I am… His.. but - but they are rising, rising of their own accord, springing - p-p-peeling away from h-him-!"

I pull Ness to my side in defense, rushing to the door, but to my dismay, it's locked. I turn, to see Dr Andonuts coming towards me again, Toon Link and Villager looking on in horror. "What do you mean, Dr Andonuts?"

He coughs, a black liquid dripping from his mouth. "P-P-P-"

Villager quickly stands up, "Dr Andonuts-"

But in a sudden, awful movement, he spreads his arms like a demon, violently throwing his head back, collapsing onto his blackened knees, and out of his mouth, there comes an earsplitting cry.

..

...

"P-P-PLACET AUXILIUM!"


A/N

It's been another two months, hasn't it? Damn it! Exams happened, and then Christmas happened, and I'm totally crushing on someone, and I released some music, and lots of other things happened. Hope you all had a good Christmas, by the way! We're fast approaching the one year anniversary of this fic!

Also, the map! I drew that :0, if you're on FFN you won't have seen it but check out my Onett City map on AO3!

Nice to reveal at long last that the virus in Onett is a fake. WHICH IS NOT MIRRORING COVID-19, WHICH IS IN FACT REAL! NOT A CONSPIRACY! STAY SAFE AND WEAR MASKS!

Something super crazy happened also! I looked up my pen name on Google and found an amino post - and I discovered that someone has done some amazing fanart for this fic?! That's insanee, but big kudos to you, carnivore soup!

Notes:

Dr Andonuts is another canon character from all three games in the mother series. I'm mirroring him creating the chimera hybrids for Porky in canon.

Had to do a lot of research on late 1800s homes for this one… Just take my word for it, that everything in Ness's home is legitimate and normal for the period.

Ness's dad has found him a girlfriend! I wonder who it could be…

Thanks for reading, catch you next time!

~ReadyforTeddy