Chapter 12: Malco
"What's going on out there?" Kazuma called from inside the locked building. "Is the fight over? I couldn't see much of it."
Quote nodded feebly.
"Yeah, it's over… that was Balrog, Misery's partner. She turned him into a giant frog."
"They were BOTH here? You must really know how to handle yourself if you got out of that encounter alive. Uh, any progress on getting this door open?"
He still had to think of a solution for that issue. As he tried to reorient himself after the battle, his eyes settled on the robot. When Balfrog had knocked it off, it landed a short distance away from Quote and partially embedded in the dirt. Although it threatened him earlier for intruding, he felt that its contribution in the fight (even if it wasn't intentional) was at least deserving of a thank you.
Grasping the robot's legs, he pulled upwards on it until the whole thing was free from the ground. It whirred back online and looked at him with its red eyes. This time, however, no trace of malice was evident in its gaze. Quote wasn't entirely sure how he could tell that from a machine (which should not have been able to emote much at all), but he could nonetheless.
"T… thank you for saving me… you are a good person. And very strong, I might add!"
Now that it wasn't squawking out threats of destruction, the robot's voice could be understood as high-pitched but distinctly male.
"Actually, I think you saved me during that battle toward the end. If you hadn't jumped in I might have been eaten."
"Is that so? Well then, it was very kind of you to return the favor…"
His voice trailed off as he stared directly at Quote. Abruptly, his eyes widened once again.
"My apologies! Where has my formality programming gone? I didn't realize I was in the presence of a soldier!"
The confused Quote held up his hands to calm him down.
"Relax, I'm not really with any armies right now… I think. Most of my memories are gone, and I don't remember anything past about six hours ago. From what I've heard, though, whatever war was going on has been over for a long time."
"That is troubling indeed. I was stationed here with Retrieval Team 9, but I eventually lost contact with them. I too can no longer recall our exact purpose on this island… does this make us 'friends,' sir?"
Finding a strange kinship with this robot wasn't how he'd expected the meeting to go, but having more allies was an improvement on the situation in his eyes. Whether or not he would ultimately regret accepting the energetic robot's offer was something he could worry about later.
"Uh… sure. I'm Quote."
"A pleasure to meet you, Quote! I am Malco Unit 2, though you may simply call me Malco. Though I do not possess many combat-oriented skills, I have been programmed with upmost expertise in navigation and analysis. I'm sure I can lend you some assistance in… whatever your quest is! Now, what can I do for you?"
He blinked in stunned silence. Malco came across as both pushy and eagerly generous, a bizarre combination which left Quote unsure of what to say. The robot never faltered in its stare as it anticipated a command/request.
"Hey, young man! What's taking so long?" the two heard Kazuma shouting.
"Is somebody in there?"
As long as Malco was determined to help in some way, the soldier figured he could start with freeing Kazuma.
"Yeah, there's someone stuck inside that building. No key works for the door, and it's too rusted to open anyway. Do you know any other ways to get him out?"
The robot almost bounced excitedly.
"Ah, of course! I have just the solution, allow me to fetch it! Fear not, trapped individual, you shall be liberated in no time!"
Malco darted off toward the Power Room (which now sported a gaping hole in the wall where Balfrog had burst out), making a noise that sounded suspiciously like cackling. With nothing else to occupy himself at the moment, Quote turned his attention to Kazuma behind the wall.
"What can you tell me about the Doctor? Sue's mentioned him a few times."
"Nothing good. He's like a demon… we think his plan right now is to mutate the island's Mimiga using these strange red flowers so he can launch an attack on the surface world. Can't say why, he's just insane."
His breath caught in his throat as he recalled the crazed Mimiga from the Egg Corridor. If he really had become like that by eating a flower, then the potential horrors of those plants became abundantly clear. That enemy had been a chore to deal with; an entire army of them sounded nothing short of nightmarish.
"From what I understand, the Doctor hasn't found the source of the red flowers yet. If we want to stop him we'll have to get there first and destroy them all."
Just as he was about to ask for more information, Malco returned carrying a large metal object.
"For you, kind sir! Use it to demolish that rusty old door! I would have made a bomb instead, but there was no time to gather materials. This will do nicely regardless."
Quote stared blankly at the missile launcher being handed to him. On reflection, it had likely been stored in one of those crates in the Power Room. He took it from Malco's metal claws and rested one end of it on his shoulder, finding it much lighter than it looked. Even stranger, while he had no memory of ever wielding such a weapon, his mind seemed to already know how to.
"I could have used one of these back when I was a soldier… muscle memory, perhaps."
Kneeling down, he took aim at the door of the locked building.
"Stand back!" Malco cheerfully called. "The door's coming down!"
He locked onto his target and pulled the trigger. A gray blur rocketed out of the weapon and impacted the door with a massive explosion. Inwardly, he feared that the blast may have seriously injured Kazuma, but the sound of harsh coughing on the inside proved that he was alive and well.
"Perfect destruction has been confirmed! And with a mere 6.52% collateral damage to the overall structure, too!"
Indeed, the building was still standing (although visibly shaken). Quote and Malco rushed inside once the smoke from the blast had cleared. Greeting them was the sight of Sue's brother, who was older than he'd sounded upon closer inspection. He had to be in his mid-twenties, at least.
"Could've given me a bit more of a warning… who are you, anyway?"
The robot loudly answered before he had a chance to say anything.
"Greetings, human male! I am called Malco, and my friend here is Quote. I'm so happy to see you safe and sound!"
Kazuma's puzzled expression showed that he hadn't expected an introduction on such a personal level.
"Right… anyway, thanks for saving me. Starving to death in that room would have been better than having to work for the Doctor, but not by a whole lot. Can you lead me back to Mimiga Village? We have to save-"
He was abruptly cut off by the sound of his teleporter (which, despite only going back and forth between an especially dangerous location, he'd assumed was broken anyway) whirring to life. All three of them stared in surprise as another human emerged from the light vortex and stepped forward. He was rather short in stature, about Quote's height, and looked to be in his sixties. Both men wore white lab coats, but the newcomer's showed signs of far more wear. His red-lensed eyeglasses, short white mohawk (easily his most peculiar trait), and very pale skin gave him the appearance of a miniature ghost.
"Professor Booster," Kazuma said aloud, "you made it out!"
"Indeed I did," he replied in a gruff voice. "How's Sue? Is she safe?"
Kazuma's face fell in dismay.
"Sort of… she's being kept in Mimiga Village to try and barter with the Doctor. He took one of them away, and the remaining residents are hoping to get their friend back by offering Sue up instead. This young man came in her place to help me escape, along with his… uh… robot companion."
Quote had been silent the entire time, unsure of how to contribute to the discussion. He heard the two men briefly talk about the Doctor and one or two other people he wasn't familiar with, doing his best to follow their conversation. Malco, on the other hand, didn't appear to be paying attention at all and was quietly humming to himself.
"I'm afraid our problems have just begun," Professor Booster said after being fully caught up. "The Doctor has discovered the whereabouts of the red flowers, and he's gathering the Mimiga for mutation when he obtains them."
A chilling silence fell over the room. Quote understood why; he'd seen firsthand what a Mimiga was like after being exposed to red flowers.
"The war…" Malco muttered at his side, breaking the tension at last. For the first time since he'd introduced himself, he actually looked rather downcast. He didn't elaborate on his thoughts.
Professor Booster turned his attention to the other two people in the room at last. His eyes focused particularly on Quote, and he stepped closer to get a better look. A look of surprised recognition passed over the old researcher's face as he stared at him.
Kazuma cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Professor? Do you know this person?"
"…no… we've never met. At any rate, we should hurry back to the village. Time is short, and Sue could be in danger along with the other Mimiga. We're the only ones who can stop the Doctor now."
