Chapter 13
Sol survivor
"==}-Max?! MAX?!-{==" Max snapped awake, on top of a hospital bed, with Arlene and Poppie sitting next to her. "Ugh… my head… what happened?" Another troll entered the room, this one was holding a clipboard in her right hand, and a pen in her left. She was dressed in a white lab coat with a dark red symbol printed on the pocket of the lab coat, black pants, dark red shirt, with a pair of mechanics goggles on top of her head. "hellO dOctOr hOutek!" "Hello, Poppie…-_-" She turned to look at Max. "I see your finally awake, Max.-_-" "Yeah, what the hell happened. Either that battle with the drones ended with one hell of a victory party, or I lost… mind helping me remember?" "well… YOu didn't win exActlY… but At the sAme time, YOu didn't reAllY lOse either." "What do you mean? Come to think of it, what happened?! The last thing I remember was charging some drones, and then boarding the spaceship!" "==}-I remember what happened… Kamen rider Arachne broadcasted it for us all to see… the two of you fought for what seemed like hours, as we were all forced to watch the fight… a fight that had no definite victor.-{=="
Max nodded and tried to get out of the bed, only to have doctor Houtek push her back… "Max, I regret to inform you that you won't be getting out of bed for a while.-_-" "W-why?" "look at your legs. Or, rather, lack there of…-_-" Max lifted the covers to see that, indeed, both of her legs were missing! "W-what happened?" "thAt's whAt everYOne is still trYinG tO Find Out… YOur FiGht bAsicAllY ended with sOmethinG destrOYinG the Fleet oF ships thAt were cOminG tO eArth." "And how long have I been out for?" "==}-It's been about 10 days since the battle and a week since some people found you floating in the middle of lake michigan… you were in a coma, mumbling something about machine men, and how they were already here among us.-{=="
"Now then, Miss Matthews, despite the injuries sustained in your fight, you're body has healed rather quickly, and you'll be let out of the hospital later today, though you'll be in a wheelchair for the next week and a half. You should avoid doing any more Kamen Rider-ing until you've gone through physical therapy, and received new prosthetics to replace the absent half of your limbs.-_-" Max's eyes widened, "b-but-" "No buts, I'm afraid…-_-" Max sighed. "I understand, doctor Houtek." "Good. I'll be back with a wheelchair shortly.-_-" As doctor Houtek left the room, Arlene turned to Poppie and said, "==}-Would you give us a moment alone?-{==" "sure, sis. GO riGht AheAd." Poppie got out of her chair and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.
Arlene was looking down at her lap, with her hair obscuring her eyes. Max tried to speak, "Arlene, I-" Arlene interrupted her, "==}-Max… I made a mistake…-{==" Max shrugged nonchalantly, "everyone makes mistakes." Arlene shook her head, as drops of some dark yellow fluid ran down the side of her face. "==}-No, max… I forced you to use the sol driver… I should have been the one who was putting myself in harms way…-{=="
Max's smiled faded, and she said, "A-arlene, I-" Arlene's tone changed from sadness to anger, as she said, "==}-I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen ever again… I'll protect the world by myself, so they'll never hurt you again…-{==" Max reached her hand out to comfort Arlene, "l-look, Arlene, what happened to me wasn't your fault-" "==}-It was, Max. The Sol driver… it was destroyed in your battle with Arachne. They found you stuck in the armor… You nearly died because of me. Well, I'll make sure it doesn't happen again…-{==" "Oh, please, this is hardly your faul-" "==}-DON'T LIE TO ME! THIS IS ALL MY FAULT, AND YOU KNOW IT!-{==" "Arlene! Calm down! You're acting irrational!"
Arlene looked up at Max, with tear streaming down her face. Before she got up, and walked towards the door. "==}-I'll go get the car…-{==" And left the room. Poppie entered momentarilly, carrying a bottle of soda in each hand. "heY, mAx. i'm sOrrY iF Arlene seems A bit… mOOdY…" "Irrational is a better description, but, moody works too…" "YeAh…" Poppie handed Max one of the sodas. "Thanks, Poppie." "dOn't mentiOn it…" Poppie opened her bottle as she took a seat next to Max. The two of them just sat there, quietly sipping their soft drinks for a few minutes.
"... i'm sOrry, mAx…" "Hey, if it's for the watermelon disemboweling chamber thing, totally forgiven." "he-he-he, iF OnlY it were thAt. I ActuAllY wAnted tO i'm sOrrY FOr beinG A bit… pricklY, when we First met… i-it's just thAt…" Poppie's voice seemed to fade. "What?" Poppie took another sip out of the bottle before she said, "cAn i tell YOu A stOrY?" "Sure." "Arlene And i cOme FrOm AlterniA. the plAnet is run On A blOOd-bAsed caste system, with purples beinG the hiGhest ranked in the system…" "So, you'd be like some kind of celebrity back home?" Poppie's tone changed from one of fond reminiscing to a tone that reflected the painful memories she was recalling. "nO. mY clAss, the purple blOOd Are meAnt to becOme chucklevOOdOOs… and we essentiAllY use magic to afflict people with nightmAres… but… i didn't wAnt AnY pArt OF it… peOple i knew As Grubs chAnGed, theY were all nice people, but they all let their pOwer GO tO their heAds… theY FOrced Lusii to teAr eAch Other ApArt for sport. i tried tO speAk Out, but nobody listened… i becAme An OutcAst… AlOne. until Arlene shOwed up On my doorstep One dAY, And well, the rest, As theY sAY, is histOrY… but, when you AppeAred, i thOuGht YOu'd tAke mY sister AwAY…" Poppie's voice trailed off slightly, as she took another sip of the soft drink. "sOrrY, i knOw it sOunds kind OF pettY." Max shook her head, "No, I understand. Though, I am honestly concerned for your sister right now…" Poppie Nodded. "YeAh, thOuGh, nOt much AbOut her hAs chAnGed, iF YOu cAn believe it… Arlene's… OkAY, there's nO wAY i cAn sOFten this, she's A wOrkAhOlic."
Max rolled her eyes as Poppies resumed drinking, and spoke in a faux-british accident, "truthfully, a startling revelation, Miss Raizer!" Poppie snorted, clearly trying to restrain a laugh, but instead ejecting the contents of the plastic bottle out through her nostrils and onto her hoodie. "Y-you okay, Poppie?" Poppie grinned as she turned to look at Max, and replied in her own faux-british accent. "sArcAsm is unbecOminG OF YOu." Max laughed, and said, "you know, this is probably the most smiling I've seen you do since we met!" Poppie shrugged, and said, "I guess, but getting back to the subject of Arlene, I think the reason she's acting like this is because she thought that her tech was unbeatable… but now… it really isn't."
Max sighed, and looked down at her soft drink, before taking another sip. "So, what now?" Poppie looked up at Max with a puzzled look on her face. "whAt dO YOu meAn?" "I'm not going to be able to protect the world now. And I'm not sure if Cerrul and Xander will be able to protect the world by themselves." Poppie sat there for a moment, thinking silently, before she said, "I hAve An ideA, but YOu hAve tO keep it A secret FrOm Arlene." Before Poppie could share the details, she was interrupted by the door opening, and doctor Houtek walking in, followed by her assistant, who was pushing a wheelchair. "Sorry that took me so long, my assistant accidentally read the room number on the sheet upside-down… apparently…-_-" Her assistant was a troll in white lab coat, with buck teeth, messy hair, and a green undershirt.
A few moments later, Doctor Houtek and her assistant brought max down to the parking lot, where Arlene was waiting for them. The car ride back to their home was silent, as all of them were wondering, who would protect the earth now…?