Chapter 23: Upwards and Outwards

Malco felt a little bad about leaving his two fellow robots at the bottom of the crevice, but only just a little. If his plan worked out, then things would be fine for them afterward. He could get the door open and secure an escape route, and Quote could motivate Curly to get back on her feet… hopefully.

To be honest, even though the idea had been his there were several doubts about it in his mind. Malco wasn't a soldier like the other two; he was far less physically skilled or durable. As he began to jump across the various makeshift platforms, he had to be especially careful. The slightest misstep would send him careening back down to a grisly fate. He willed himself not to think about how hard the impact could be.

More uncertain than his chances of success were Quote's. The male soldier was a force to be reckoned with in a fight, but he was certainly no expert when it came to personal skills. Throughout the time Malco had spent observing him, he would rarely say much unless answering a question or asking one himself for clarity. Aside from that, Quote remained relatively silent in conversations, merely listening to others talk and not knowing what to do with himself. Speaking of which, he wondered how Sue, Kazuma, and Professor Booster were doing… they must have been expecting the soldier to return by then.

He pushed all those thoughts aside. Until they got themselves out of that locked room, there was nothing else that could be done. One step at a time, they would forge onward to success. Literally, in his case, as the vertical climb was getting more perilous the higher he got.

There was one other question on his mind, however. If that Cthulhu person had been able to teleport Malco there under the pretense of helping the soldiers, why couldn't he just bring them all out safely? Did he have another reason for them to be in the Labyrinth?


Quote would have, at that moment, done almost anything to be able to switch places with Malco. He didn't care about his aching back or the water in his body (currently leaking out of some unspecified opening in him) at all, he would have gladly attempted the climb himself if it meant he wouldn't have to be stuck down there with Curly. The female soldier was perfectly still and looking down at her lap, absentmindedly rubbing her injured leg. What was Malco even expecting him to say?

Feeling thoroughly ridiculous, he sat down across from her and tried to think of something.

"Uh… are you okay, Curly?"

"I'm fine. My leg's getting better."

Well, at least physically she was okay. The short tone of her reply didn't suggest he'd made much progress in his task, however.

"…you sure about that?"

She looked up at him at last, and the sheer amount of sadness in her eyes made him wish for a moment that she hadn't.

"Yes… no… I can't tell. How okay should I be right now?"

"…"

Curly traced her finger around in the dark mud.

"We killed that girl, Quote. She looked so innocent, so sweet, even though I've never met her before… and we- no, I killed her."

He was silent for a few seconds.

"I… I met Toroko before that. In Mimiga Village, she was adamantly defending another girl named Sue. I didn't have much time to get to know her either, but from what I could tell she was a good person who just wanted to do the right thing for her friends."

Unsurprisingly, that didn't seem to help her mood much.

"Don't put all the blame on yourself," he continued, "because we're both responsible for her death to some degree. But we were doing what had to be done; nothing could have brought her back. And we know who's really behind this."

"…the Doctor," Curly fumed. "I don't care what he looks like, there's no way he's really human. He needs to pay for this."

"I know, and he's going to. But… think about what you told me back in the Sand Zone. We need to keep our heads clear if we want to beat him, right?"

Finally, her expression lightened a bit. It wasn't anywhere near her usual smile, but progress was progress.

"I… I know, I shouldn't get this worked up. It's just, I wasn't expecting that I'd have to kill a Mimiga today, you know? Especially after taking care of those children… god, how can I even look at them again after this once we find them?"

Quote slid himself over so he was next to her and put an arm around her in what he assumed was a comforting gesture. Curly stifled a gasp- such a display must have seemed strange coming from him- but didn't react negatively. She gently leaned her head against his shoulder, and the two sat there for a few minutes without saying a word to one another. Somehow, Quote felt that they didn't need to say anything. He felt a subtle understanding with her, even though they hadn't known each other for long.


With a metallic grunt, Malco finally succeeded in pulling himself onto the next ledge. His sharp-pointed hands and feet had served him well during the climb, as without them he might not have been able to secure a grip on the various platforms. After every jump, he would double-check to make sure that he hadn't dropped his weapon.

Cthulhu had told him to arm himself before going to the Labyrinth, and Malco had done just that. While his combat programming was quite limited- his specialty was in analysis, after all- he was familiar enough with the "Fireball" handgun to use it in an emergency. This wasn't one of those times, as no hostile creatures were around, but the feeling of security was comforting nonetheless.

At long last, after a difficult ten minutes of climbing, he had made it to the top of the chamber. The source of the electronic signal was right in front of him: sure enough, it was an ancient-looking computer terminal. The screen was blinking with a choice.

"Open door?"

"Absolutely," he said to nobody in particular. Malco wasted no time in selecting yes, then turned around to head back.

Oh. Right. It would be another seven or eight minutes going down the way he'd came, if his estimation was accurate. He only hoped that his companions were doing well in the meantime.


"…and that's when Misery showed up, and turned him into a giant frog…"

With the third robot in their group still climbing, Quote had decided to tell Curly about all the things that had happened to him since he'd woken up. She didn't say much while he spoke, instead content to just listen. While she was clearly still upset about what had happened (and he couldn't blame her), the occasional soft giggle of amusement in response to his story was promising. Curly had almost laughed out loud when he mentioned getting hit on the back of the head by Toroko. While he wasn't sure how to take that personally, her mood appeared to be getting better.

The two weren't sitting as close to one another by then, with about a yard of space between them. Quote had moved away so she wouldn't have to lean on him and risk bending her leg, which was almost finished mending itself. Perhaps more honestly, it was to put more distance between himself and the scent of Mimiga fur that faintly emanated from her even now.

Although… he had to admit, the smell had grown on him a little over time. Maybe it was overexposure.

She'd offered to tell him about her experience with the Colons, but immediately after that the door let out a grinding sound and opened. Malco could be heard making his way down the platforms, so the story would have to wait for another time.

Once the third robot had reached the bottom again, he looked over the soldiers with a satisfied expression.

"See? The way forward is right in front of us! How do you feel, Curly?"

"I'm alright, thanks. My leg is a little stiff, but I think I'll be able to walk on it again."

"Splendid! Are all your weapons accounted for?"

Quote checked to make sure he had everything. Polar Star, Bubbline, the missile launcher, and King's sword were still in his possession, and Curly had her machine gun as well. For the first time he noticed Malco holding a gun of his own, but decided not to ask about it.

"We have everything," he confirmed.

"Double splendid! Onward, friends! Let's solve the Labyrinth!"

The excitable robot marched out, humming to himself as he went. Curly got to her feet slowly and tested out her leg. Sure enough, it was in almost perfect condition after the repair procedure.

"Well, let's go. We don't wanna keep him waiting"

"Right behind you."

As he got up to follow her through the door, she suddenly paused and turned to look him in the eyes. The soldier gave him a grin, and he could finally see her cheerful old self coming back.

"Thanks for helping me feel better, pal. I'll be okay from here on."

He doubted she was completely over having to kill Toroko (or if she ever would be), but otherwise he felt elated to have succeeded. Giving Curly a nod and a thumbs-up in return, Quote walked after her to catch up with Malco.