Chapter 42: Doctor Momorin Sakamoto
The three Mimiga whom Curly had rescued spent much of the walk talking quietly amongst themselves, but Quote and Malco hung onto every word of her story. Their reactions were exactly what she'd expected; the former was completely silent but would at least slightly emote when she described the carnage they'd encountered, while the latter would not only gasp in shock but also vocally comment on anything he deemed appropriate (that is, most of the story). They were exactly as she remembered.
For the most part.
When recounting her tale to them, she didn't mention Quote holding her hand, even if it was for a brief moment. There was no doubt in her mind that they were the best of friends; how could they not be after everything they'd been through together? Even so, with her memory back she could now recall once thinking of the male soldier as slightly more than that. Curly decided that keeping it to herself, at least for the time being, was for the best. Times had changed, and it wouldn't be fair to assume he felt the same way toward her when he couldn't even remember that far in the past. Besides, she was able to recall how she once felt, but that didn't mean she still felt that way… that made sense, right?
"Ugh, this is dumb. We've got bigger things to worry about than how I used to feel. That's all in the past."
Still… the way she'd felt when he hugged her earlier…
Quote listened intently to Curly's recollection, but he also kept a watchful eye on Jack, Mahin, and Sandaime (the Mimiga Village farmer, who'd introduced himself at some point during the walk across the Plantation) as they followed Malco's lead. The three couldn't just go back to working in the fields without someone noticing them out of jail, and there were no easy ways back down to their home in sight. He couldn't even find the teleporter Kazuma and Professor Booster had used to escape. Either it had been destroyed at some point, or it was hidden so well that not even the soldier could track it down. Hopefully the Mimiga would be able to take refuge with Sue and Kazuma's mother until they had defeated the Doctor.
As serious as her story was, he couldn't help but continue to feel elated at the mere fact that Curly was with him again. He still may not have been able to remember his past for himself, but that hardly bothered him anymore. Quote somehow felt like the two other robots completed him. It amazed the soldier to realize just how much they meant to him personally.
Malco was excessively talkative at times, but he had always considered the needs of the group before his own and never demanded recognition. He had a natural eagerness to him, assisting however he could at the slightest provocation. Quote couldn't hide it; he'd grown to appreciate the excitable robot as a strategist, navigator, and friend over time.
As he'd just learned, he and Curly were built to work as a unit, the perfect team. She meant more to him than just that, however. Out of all the people he'd met, Curly was the only one he could fully trust to cover his back. They had fought through just about everything the island had thrown at them- twice, counting her story- and developed what he saw as a bond stronger than iron. Something about just being in her presence motivated him to do his best, and she definitely pulled her weight in combat as well. He couldn't have asked for a better partner.
Finally, they arrived at what Malco called "the bunker." Quote watched him pull a concealed metal panel aside, revealing a descending set of stairs.
"Here we are! There is just one problem: a password is required to get inside. I don't suppose anyone here knows it?"
"I do," the soldier responded, walking down the steps in front of everyone else. He double-checked the paper Sue had given him with a frown.
"It's just 'cave story' backwards. What kind of password is that?"
Quote shook off the thought and knocked on the wooden door at the bottom. A peephole slid open, behind which a pair of stern brown eyes looked him over with the slightest flash of recognition.
"What's the password?"
"Yrots… evac…" he said, hoping he'd pronounced it right. That seemed to be the case, as a series of clicks indicated the door was being unlocked.
"If all those people out there are with you," the woman said, "tell them to hurry up and get in here before someone sees."
Nodding, Quote motioned for them to follow him as the door swung open.
Malco went down the stairs last, after Curly and the three rescued Mimiga, and pulled the metal panel back over the entrance to hide them. He walked into the hideout to find that the white-furred creatures had continued their private discussion in a corner of the cramped room, leaving him and the soldiers to speak to their host. Locking the door behind them, the middle-aged woman finally allowed the robots to get a better look at her.
The family resemblance was strong, as she had the same height, complexion, and dark green hair color as Kazuma. Her lab coat and long hair were both dirty, looking as if she'd just been working on an engine or some other device. Only her brown shirt and matching pants beneath the coat looked remotely clean, even then the fabric in both was frayed in certain spots.
"You," the woman said to Quote, "must be the hero Sue's been talking about. She didn't mention more than one robot, but any help we can get is welcome. I'm Momorin Sakamoto, her and Kazuma's mother. Nice to meet you all."
"And to you as well! My name is Malco, and my friends here are Curly Brace and Quote."
She nodded to confirm she understood, then cast a glance at the three Mimiga in the corner.
"Who are they?"
"Oh, we just busted them out of jail," Curly replied. "They followed us here."
"I see… well, I suppose you three can lay low here until things are safer."
Malco heard them all offer their thanks before going back to their conversation. His attention was still on Doctor Sakamoto.
"Am I correct to assume you are hiding from our adversary in here?"
"Yes. I took my chances working at the Doctor's side for a while, but once he found those Demon Flower seeds I stopped being useful to him. He tried to have me thrown off the island, but I was able to get away and set up shop down here. I think he wanted to get rid of me personally… chivalry's dead, you know that?"
Something about the acidic tone in which she spoke of the Doctor caused Malco to wonder just how long the two had been on bad terms- perhaps even before their expedition to the island. Momorin didn't dwell on it for long, which he decided was a good thing. They had to focus on planning his defeat.
"I don't know if you noticed, but if you were to look up outside you'd see a huge hole in the Plantation's ceiling. At the top of it is the island's balcony, where the Doctor has his throne room. I'm building a rocket to bring you there."
She gestured to a flat-topped, white and blue device sitting nearby. It was shaped like an octagon with four booster packs around the sides. Various panels were detached from it to reveal unfinished circuitry.
"This is gonna carry all of us?" Curly asked, staring at it with a frown. Malco was thinking the same thing, as it lacked any seats and looked quite narrow in general.
"Like I said, I wasn't counting on three robots," Momorin replied, "but it should be big enough for you to squeeze onto it together once it's finished."
"What can we do to help?"
She looked at the unfinished rocket, then to the group again. Specifically, to their unofficial leader.
"Young man- your name is Quote, right? I see you have Professor Booster's jet pack. Could I borrow that for a while? The jets on the rocket use similar technology, so I need the template."
The soldier nodded without a word, removing its straps and giving it to her.
"This is a good start, but I also need a power supply and the remote control for it…"
"Have you lost the remote?"
"Not exactly. It's being built by a colleague of mine named Itoh. I don't suppose any of you met him?"
"I have! I can find him for you."
Momorin's face lit up.
"Really? Yes, that would be an enormous help. He should be done putting it together by now, wherever he is. About that power supply… the automatic sprinklers used by the Mimiga should have enough electrical power to get this running. I just need one of them."
"I'll take care of that," Curly chimed in. "I think I already know a way to get it."
To the side, Quote pointed to himself as if unsure of what he should be doing.
"You've been the most active of us all," Malco said. "You should rest before our final battle."
Curly nodded.
"Yeah, you just take it easy for a bit and we'll handle this."
He opened his mouth to protest, but the two of them were already darting out the door to complete their respective tasks.
"So, now that you can recall your past, is Quote any different than he was back then?" Malco asked.
"Not really. He was just as single-minded during our mission as he is now, and he was even less expressive for a while. It took me a long time to get him to open up a bit."
He chuckled to himself.
"You must have a knack for that, because you've done it again. The two of you were likely built to complement one another perfectly."
"Yeah…"
Malco wasn't looking at Curly, but based on the tone of her voice she was almost certainly smiling. She and Quote shared a connection stronger than either of them possibly knew, a fact which he had realized as far back as the Sand Zone. He understood that the two were the real heroes of their mission, and that they were more likely to be remembered for their efforts than he was. It didn't matter to him, though. He'd been programmed to help soldiers in the field, after all.
"This is where we must part ways for now. I have to return to where Itoh was, while you should be finding those four children."
Curly looked surprised.
"How'd you know I was going to look for the Colons?"
"You volunteered to obtain a sprinkler used by the enslaved Mimiga. You have personal connections to certain workers here. Logically, you intend to enlist their aid in the completion of your assignment."
She shook her head with a laugh.
"Right, I shouldn't have doubted you. Sometimes I think we don't appreciate your skills enough. I'm sure if you'd been with us ten years ago we would have done much better."
"I am truly humbled that you think so highly of me. In any case, we cannot delay! Go find the Colons!"
As they separated, however, Malco allowed himself to smile at her praise. He vowed not to let either of them down, not because of his programming but because they were his friends.
