(A/N: It's sweet chapter sixteen and I bet you're pretty curious after what's been happening in these past couple, especially with what I left you with in the last one. No, Ghostfreak still isn't going to be making his return (but that is happening soon), but his name does come up. That's all I'm going to say, enjoy reading the new chapter.)
U-X-V-*I-o-0-o-0-o-I*-V-X-U
As soon as he heard the blaring sound of his alarm, Patelliday pulled himself out of his watery bed and put his armor on. He would be lying if he said he had a pleasant night of sleep after he was allowed to see Layla, he was wide awake with a nervously pounding heart for what felt like hours before he eventually fell asleep out of exhaustion.
His shift would be fairly short that day, he wanted to spend the rest of it with his adopted daughter after she was released from the infirmary. He also submitted a request to use some of the compensatory time he accumulated through the overtime he worked for so many years. By his calculation, he had roughly two or three months worth of time to make use of, but only intended to take a week off from his duties.
Before leaving for the tasks he had to do for that day, he decided to see if anyone tried to contact him during the night. At most, he expected to find a message from Dr. Uril, but there was nothing from her or anybody else who worked in the infirmary. Instead, he saw that Max tried to call him dozens of times within the span of over an hour.
He knew it was an emergency if he tried to make contact with him so many times and quickly made an attempt to get ahold of him. Did he discover something important about Layla?
"Hey, Max, I just got all of your missed calls," he told him in a slightly joking tone when his hologram appeared. Although he sounded flippant, he was actually very concerned.
"I'm glad you finally called, I really need to talk to you," he informed him in a solemn and earnest manner, which did little to calm his longtime friend's nerves.
He nodded in a timorous mien, "Okay."
He sighed and started to tell him what he discovered, "Alright, so I was watching television with the kids and I noticed a story on a news channel. Apparently, the entire top of an old clock tower was stolen from a school."
He was perplexed by his story but nodded again nonetheless, "Okay?"
"Well, this is going to sound crazy, but the school the clock tower belonged to is the same one Gwen tried to get admitted into a few weeks ago. The same place Layla could have died in," he revealed.
Patelliday's jaw dropped in shock, he attempted to speak, but nothing came out of his mouth. After seemingly like an eternity, he was finally able to utter, "What…?"
"It's also where Ghostfreak, Ben's transformation, was destroyed," he added. "Ghostfreak was his Ectonurite form. I think what happened to Layla is that she had a strange reaction when it was removed from the school."
It was a lot for him to process and, to be frank, he hardly believed or understood it, "But what does it have to do with her?"
He could tell that he was in denial, trying to ruminate on another possible solution, "Patelliday, she's an Ectonurite too. When you remember the fact that Ghostfreak didn't try to hurt her at all and even protected her, there's only one conclusion here. Layla is directly related to whomever supplied the Ectonurite sample for the Omnitrix, making Ghostfreak her relative."
He was utterly flabbergasted and unsure of how to react to this revelation, "Wh- what?! Are- are you-"
"I'm sorry, partner, but I'm ninety-nine percent certain of this," he affirmed. "You can do a DNA test-"
"I- I have to go, Max!" he exclaimed, distraught.
"Patelliday, wait!" he yelled, trying to stop him from disconnecting their conversation and doing something he knew he would regret. "I know you're shocked and I completely understand why, but this doesn't change anything. Remember, she's your daughter. She cares about you and I know you care about her."
He took in a deep breath and exhaled sharply and shakily as he calmed himself, the fingers of his hand on his face and head, "You're right, Max, I'm sorry. It's just-"
"I know, trust me. I know," he assured.
"So… what do I do now? Should I tell her?" he inquired.
"If you want to," he responded. "I can't stop you from doing that. But if you do, make sure it's easy for both of you to understand, not just her. Also, don't make her feel overwhelmed or anxious, we really shouldn't guess what could happen if she's stressed. Ultimately though, it's your decision; realistically, I can't tell you what you should do."
He nodded, solemn and uncertain, "Okay. I'll think about it when I see her later today."
He gave him a slight nod of his own, "Alright, goodbye, Patelliday."
"Bye, Max, I'll talk to you later on," he replied.
Almost the same as their conservation the other day, he disconnected their call. He didn't give him a farewell gesture, only frowning as the hologram disappeared and the communication system on his gauntlet was turned off.
With a lot on his mind to comprehend, he left his quarters to fulfill his duties for the day. He felt as though he had an ultimatum to decide, and he wasn't sure which one resulted in the better scenario.
Layla found herself wandering inside of a dark void, unsure of where she was. Her bare feet made a pitter-patter sound against a ground that did not exist. Underneath where she walked was a purple mist-like spiral, swirling like a galaxy.
All of a sudden, a crude stone road built itself under her, following her previous steps. The once dark and monotonous void became a combination of pink and purple, reminiscent of a sky.
There was nothing in front of her, but when she took a step, an extension of the road was formed. It forged itself with each new step she took.
She looked down at the bottomless nihility, discovering that the spiral was no longer there. When she decided to look up, however, she found it, directly above her.
Instead of walking and continuing to develop the path, she stared at the swirling motions over her, it was almost hypnotic. Then, it suddenly dropped and surrounded her, causing her to jump in alarm.
She tried to take a step, but she couldn't; she was still capable of moving, only unable to travel. The ground behind her crumbled and fell into the deep nothingness, turning into dust, all that was left was a small section under her feet.
Black and white striped tentacles emerged and wrapped around her. Her heart was racing, she was terrified of what they might do to her. However, she noticed that they never tightened their hold, they were simply around her, like arms giving a comforting embrace.
She relaxed when she realized the intention was not to harm her. The tentacles started to slowly move, but they still never constricted her body.
She then began to hear a disembodied voice speak to her, "I know who you are. I know what you want. I know you. Come find me." She tried to communicate with it, but she could not get any words out of her mouth.
The tentacles unraveled and disappeared into the swirling mist. It started to spin faster and grew as it encircled her like a twister. She was levitated off of her stone platform, which also turned to dust like the rest, and spread her arms outward slightly as she closed her eyes.
When she eventually opened her eyes, she was met with a ceiling. She was still inside of her temporary room in the base infirmary. She would be in her own room soon, she was being discharged in only a couple of hours.
She shifted and sat up slightly, feeling a little stiff since where she slept was more of a berth than a bed. A moment after she did so, the door opened and Dr. Uril walked inside from the doorway.
She smiled kindly, "Hi, good morning. Did you have a good night of sleep?"
She returned her smile with a nod, "Yep, I did. What about you?"
"Oh, I was… how do humans say it? Out like a light," she answered. "I was very tired last night."
"Really? Sometimes I have a hard time falling asleep," she mentioned.
"Aww… I'm sorry to hear that," she told her sympathetically. "Do you have a lot of things on your mind? Is that why it's difficult for you to sleep?"
"I suppose the thoughts in my brain start running out of nowhere," she replied.
She nodded understandingly with a light hum, "I see. Have you tried drinking warm milk or tea before bed?"
"No, I haven't," she responded. "I think I might have tried milk before, but I've never tried tea."
"I could recommend some flavors and varieties you might like," she offered.
She gave her another smile, "That would be great."
Dr. Uril decided to get to the purpose of her arrival, "Before I forget, I wanted to tell you that you have to go through a couple of tests before you can be released. It's standard protocol, I'm sorry."
She understood why it had to be done, she would not complain, "It's fine, I'll do whatever I have to."
"Okay, give me one minute," she told her, holding her index finger upright.
She left the room as she started tapping on her tablet, leaving her alone to think. While she was excited that all she had to do was allow a couple more tests to be conducted on her, she was also nervous about it.
She had quite a few medical tests done on her in the past twenty-four hours, but she was always afraid that one of them would show something life-threatening. She hoped that after these last ones, she would never have to worry about them again, at least not for a while.
A couple of minutes after leaving, Dr. Uril returned with a gurney, "Please get on this and I will take you to the exam room."
She wasn't entirely sure why she could not walk but didn't ask any questions. She got onto it with help from her physician, sitting on it but not laying down, which was not protested.
She was taken to the exam room Dr. Uril mentioned, which was an empty space with only a counter occupying it. There were a handful of items on the countertop, some of which she had never seen before.
The doctor grabbed a couple of the things she laid out and put the two nubs into her ears and placed the resonator on her chest, listening to her heartbeat. Satisfied, she draped it around her neck for the moment and used a hand-held device to shine a light onto her eyes, observing how they responded.
She nodded to herself and turned off the device, "Okay, your heart rate is good and your eyes are responding nicely, which means your brain is functioning normally."
She grinned and clapped softly, "Yay! Is that all?"
"If only it was that easy," she laughed as she put the medical items away on the counter. "No, unfortunately not, that was just to check your basic vitals."
"How long does it take to do all of the tests?" she asked.
"If all goes well, it should be finished in less than an hour," she answered.
"I guess it could be worse, I could be here another whole day," she commented jokingly.
"Then I would have to get you a lab coat and start calling you 'doctor'," she bantered. She put the results into her tablet and sorted through the other items she had on the counter.
Additional tests were conducted on her for the next half-hour, primarily ones that analyzed minimal bodily functions such as temperature and reflexes. She was given a clean slate of health in all of them, she felt victorious, but knew they were not finished yet.
Dr. Uril submitted all of the results into her report, she felt proud of herself, her medical staff, and her patient. She had to care for people who also suffered from minor issues, but their vitals showed they had weak immune systems. Tragically, she lost a couple of them, but this was one of the most joyous examinations of her career.
"Okay, I have good news for you," she mentioned, smiling. "We have only one more test left to do."
She eagerly wrapped her arms around her physician's shoulders, "Yes! I'm so happy!"
She gave her a light pat on her back, "I am too."
When they separated, she asked her, "What is the last test?"
"A full body scan," she responded. "All you have to do is be as still as you can while the machine scans you, okay?"
She nodded, "Okay."
The final test would not be conducted in that room; instead, she was taken to another one several doors down the hall. In the new room was a series of computers and a cabinet that was separated from an empty space by a large glass wall.
A nearly invisible door appeared in the transparent wall and the gurney was wheeled to the middle of the emptiness. Dr. Uril walked away for a second to open the cabinet, taking out a large vest.
After helping her patient with it, she patted the head of the gurney, "Go ahead and lay down."
She did as she was told and leaned back until she was flatly situated on it, the vest felt heavy on her chest and stomach. She wasn't sure what its function was, but figured she would find out sooner than later.
With preparations finished, Dr. Uril left the spacious room for the computer system on the other side of the glass. Over the microphone, she told her, "Okay, just relax."
She looked up at the ceiling and did nothing but take in both deep and shallow breaths as she waited. Although she was unsure of what she was waiting for or what to expect.
Suddenly, a section of the ceiling opened like automatic doors and a black rectangular screen emerged. Other than its arrival, there was nothing significant about it from her viewpoint.
"Close your eyes," Dr. Uril advised.
She shut her eyelids, still unsure of why she was doing so or what would happen. Through the thin skin over her eyes, she could see a light over her body, most likely from the screen.
She kept her eyes closed for several minutes before she heard the doctor's voice, "All done. You can open your eyes now."
She did so and watched as she came back to her with a wheelchair, causing her to think she found something serious. "What happened?"
She noticed her nervousness and realized why that was, "Oh! Relax, you have nothing to worry about, your scan showed positive results head to toe. The wheelchair is just standard procedure."
Her face lit up, "Wait, does that mean…?"
"Congratulations, you're going home," she smiled.
She helped her take off the vest and she jumped to the floor with it no longer on her chest. She never thought she would relish in the feeling of ten pounds removed from her body.
As she sat down in the wheelchair, she asked her, "Did you tell my father?"
"Yes, I did, he's on his way," she replied.
Patelliday waited in front of the infirmary for Layla to arrive. His concern for her condition was overshadowed by the conflict in his mind. He was still pondering whether or not to tell her what he learned from Max. Ultimately, a DNA test would have to confirm it to know for certain, but he was confident in his deduction.
She deserved to know where she came from, what her heritage was. The only reason he considered not telling her about it was her reaction. He was worried about how she would respond if she knew what she was and who was likely related to.
This was one of the most important and difficult decisions he would ever have to make. With every passing moment he waited for her, his heart beated faster and his mind raced in circles.
The doors of the infirmary opened and he saw Dr. Uril pushing the wheelchair Layla was sitting in. He was admitted as a patient plenty of times - just as any Plumber was - and wasn't worried, he knew it was simply protocol.
She stood up and hugged him with a grin, "I'm happy to see you."
He patted her back, whether out of nervousness or not he wasn't sure, "I am, too. I'm glad you're alright."
Dr. Uril smiled, "And I am happy to tell you that she has a clean bill of health."
'Except for her amnesia,' he subconsciously thought.
When she noticed that he was the only one not smiling, she asked him, "Are you alright, Magister?"
"Hm?" He looked at her and nodded, his gaze returning to his adopted daughter afterwards, "Yes, I'm fine. I just lost a little sleep again."
She could sense that there was something else other than insomnia bothering him, but she was in no position to pry, "Alright."
"Come on," he told Layla. "Let's go home."
U-X-V-*I-o-0-o-0-o-I*-V-X-U
(A/N: And… done! Whew! I'm not going to lie, this took me a little bit longer than I thought it would take. The chapter is also a few hundred words I initially thought I would be, which is not a bad thing.
I think you know what's coming up pretty soon, but the biggest question is: what will Patelliday do? Will he do the right thing? Or does he withhold it for a while? Well, you'll have to wait and see what happens. :) ;)
I hope I have you hooked on this enough to have the patience to wait. Unfortunately, the wait will be a little longer because I have a lot on my schedule coming up, so updating is going to be a bit hard. I'll do what I can and things could change, but for now, you'll just have to be patient and wait.)