Chapter 44: Liftoff

Sand shifted underfoot as Cthulhu strolled across the subterranean desert. He never enjoyed going there, where the stuffy heat got on his nerves easily, but the reptilian wasn't one to complain about his own discomfort. After all, his problems were nearly over if all went according to plan.

His long cloak left a trail in the sand behind him as he approached a rusted-out hut. Several barks came from inside once he was within smelling range of their sources, and sure enough a quintet of white-furred dogs greeted him at the door. He paid them no mind, brushing past and walking inside with his head bowed respectfully.

"Greetings. I come bearing news of the soldiers."

The only other occupant of the small room was, of course, the elderly witch Jenka. Her reaction to seeing him was the same as every occasion they met: a pitying stare, and a regretful sigh. Cthulhu, in the interest of time, got down to business right away.

"They are currently in the Plantation, and are no doubt reunited by now. Curly Brace washed up there as predicted, and I kept her under my custody until her companions arrived. I am confident that together they will defeat the wearer of the Demon Crown and destroy the Core at last."

Jenka rubbed her forehead.

"Preventing a repeat of the war from ten years ago is crucial for the sake of the world, but I beg of you to reconsider your attitude towards the Core. You must know what will happen if it is destroyed!"

"I do," he hissed, smirking. "The island may fall, and the inhabitants may be endangered, but that is an unfortunate necessity. Once this place strikes the earth, the source of our troubles will be eradicated after all these years. Is this not the best solution?"

To his frustration, she still wouldn't see his logic.

"Believe me, Cthulhu, I know exactly why you want the island to fall. But I can't in good conscience agree with your reasoning for the lives that would be put at risk. You're already taking enough chances with these robots. They will no doubt have to face my daughter before making it to her new master, and even if they succeed they still have him to contend with."

His scaly fingers curled up into a fist, which he slammed against a wall. The entire room shook with the impact, and Jenka's dogs growled at him.

"'Risk,' you say? You wish to lecture me about the conservation of life? It was YOUR inability to end a single life that allowed the Demon Crown to flourish like it has! You are equally to blame for this! You know nothing!"

Jenka sighed.

"It would appear that you've lost your heart as well as your skin. Those scales suit someone like you. Go on, then. Lead your soldiers to victory if you're so confident in them. I hope the innocent lives that will be lost are worth it to you."

Cthulhu snarled and stormed out, preparing to return to the Plantation. She didn't understand. She couldn't possibly understand.


Quote wasn't aware of the exact moment that he'd woken up, but he did know that he was feeling fantastic even after such a short rest. His fatigue from the last few hours had completely vanished, leaving him focused and calm. Nothing could surprise him now… except, perhaps, for the knowledge that he wasn't alone in the small bedroom.

It took him a moment to realize that the compressed gray cube in the corner was Malco. With his limbs withdrawn, the robot was about a third of his normal height. His eye lenses were the same dull red as they had been after their fight in the Egg Corridor, and he stared straight ahead without making a sound.

More noteworthy was Curly, who he couldn't see anywhere at first. The thought that she could be with Momorin outside hardly lasted ten seconds, as it soon became clear where she really was: in the bed next to him. She was facing the other way and seemed to have intentionally positioned herself as far from him as she could. Quote looked at her with a light smile, both embarrassed that they'd shared the bed and strangely comforted by the same knowledge. He couldn't explain it, but something inside him wanted to stay there with her for a while longer.

Shaking off those confusing thoughts, he walked out the door to the bedroom to find the hideout less populated than usual. Jack, Mahin, and Sandaime were still huddled together, but Momorin and the rocket were missing. The main entrance was slightly ajar, indicating that she'd gone outside. He exited in pursuit, climbing the stairs out of the bunker and back into the Plantation.

Sure enough, Momorin was nearby with her creation and a small white shape that he soon recognized as Itoh. The former human had worked up the courage to leave his hiding place after all. Both of them were positioning the rocket beneath the enormous hole in the ceiling, no doubt in preparation to send Quote and his companions to the Doctor's base. As he approached, however, he noticed just how quiet the cave was. The Plantation was empty. No Mimiga, Drolls, or even red flowers could be seen. It was as if they'd simply vanished into thin air while he was asleep, and the thought gave him a knot in his stomach. Was he too late?

"I was wondering when you'd get up!" Momorin called, waving him down. "The rocket is all but finished, and not a moment too soon. It seems the Doctor has harvested his flowers and is preparing to make the army of Mimiga. If Itoh hadn't come here himself, this would have taken much longer to complete."

"Well, I knew you could use the help!" her assistant said proudly. "Besides, I'm not a world-class engineer for nothing. I'm just putting the finishing touches on the ignition, and we should be ready to launch."

The sound of footsteps approached from behind, and Quote turned around to see Curly, Malco, Jack, Mahin, and Sandaime all coming toward them.

"I'm feeling great!" the other soldier cheered with a grin. "Well, except for being woken up by an alarm for some reason. Was that necessary, Malco?"

"You stayed asleep no matter how hard I shook you! I didn't have a choice. Why Quote didn't wake you up himself is beyond me; he was right next to you."

Curly's face reddened, and she looked at the ground. Quote fought the urge to laugh out of fear that she'd take offense to it.

"There! It's finished," Itoh announced. "There's just barely enough space for the three of you, so you'll have to stay close together. We don't have any time to waste, get on!"

Quote climbed onto the rocket platform's edge and stood with his back to the center of it. Curly joined him to his left, and Malco to his right. He wrapped the tow rope around all three of them, tightly binding them together. Momorin approached and handed him the Booster as promised, which he held close to his chest.

"You're our last hopes to stop the Doctor, but I have faith you can do it. Now then, the rocket is designed to carry you up without putting too much pressure on your body, so just sit tight until you reach the top. That hole leads straight to the outside of the island, with nothing in your way. Just be sure to jump off once you get there; it'll take a while for the rocket to recharge for Itoh and me to use."

"You are coming as well?" Malco asked.

Momorin nodded.

"The helicopter we arrived here in is up there. We're going to get it running to leave this island after you beat the Doctor. Any questions?"

Neither Quote nor his companions said another word, so she held up the remote and placed her finger over a switch.

"Alright. Good luck up there. If anyone can do this, it's you three."

"Go get him!" Itoh added.

The three Mimiga from the village all clapped and shouted their own encouragements. Seeing them made Quote wonder what they were going to do about the Core. If any mutants had already been made, then according to Kazuma and Professor Booster the only way to save them was by destroying it, but doing so would cause the island to fall anyway…

"Ready?" Momorin called. "Three… two… one… launch!"

She flipped the switch, and the rocket flared to life beneath their feet. Despite what she'd said, he could feel a rather strong force pushing down on him as they rose into the air. It wasn't exactly painful, but Quote felt his legs begin to shake from the effort it took to remain standing. The jets roared, and their ascent sped up even more.

"Y-y-you doing alright?!" Curly shouted over the deafening noise.

"My body feels like it's shaking apart!" Malco cried.

"J-just hold on," he said with his teeth clenched. "I think we're almost there!"

They passed through the darkness of the ceiling within seconds, and almost immediately afterward they were surrounded by a blinding light. The rocket cut out at the apex of its launch, and began to fall back down into the Plantation. Quote's eyes were struggling to adapt to how bright the environment was, but he could see solid ground right in front of them. Just before the rocket could descend too far, he flung himself as hard as he could off the side, dragging Curly and Malco with him by the rope around their waists.

They landed in a pile together in the dirt, with Quote at the bottom due to how he'd jumped first. Somehow, he'd turned around in the scuffle and was laying painfully on his back. Not helping was Curly, who had landed on top of him so their foreheads clashed against one another and caused the two to simultaneously cry out. He supposed it could have been worse; Malco's bulkier frame and sharp edges made breaking his fall much less desirable. As it was, he'd landed to Quote's left with a metallic warble.

"Ugh… everyone okay?" Curly asked, rubbing her head.

"The landing could have been easier, but I've suffered no major damage. Quote?"

He groaned, feeling like his body had been crushed from the impact. The soldier unhooked the tow rope and allowed his friends to separate at last, and the three laid there to reorient themselves for just a moment. They were all on their backs, nursing various injuries and trying to get the feeling back in their legs from the ascent.

"Hey," Quote said aloud after a moment, "look above us."

After their entire underground adventure, which had taken them across seemingly endless caves and tunnels, they were outside. The open sky loomed all around them, just beginning to tint a pale orange as the sunrise emerged from below the island. Entranced by the sight, the three robots sat up and stared at it together like they had vowed to back in the Labyrinth.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" Curly gasped.

"So this is the sun… if the situation were not so dire I could stay here and watch it for hours."

Quote got to his feet and checked to make sure they all had their weapons. Spur, Bubbline, and King's sword were still in his possession, while Curly had her machine gun- its new blue color catching him off guard for a moment- and Malco had Napalm. Shaking off the pain from their landing, he laid his eyes on their final destination off in the distance: an ancient-looking white marble temple, towering several stories above the robots with pillars and stone statues in various states of ruin lining the path toward it. Quote clenched his fists as he stared up at the building, knowing that their final battle was at hand.

It was time to confront the Doctor.