(Aaaaaand, I'm back! You didn't think I forgot about this did you? Ha, I just can't really type on weekdays. But you can always expect a chapter on weekends.)
(I've probably kept you waiting long enough. You want to read it yes? And don't forget to review!)
(Oh yeah, aaaaugh! I keep forgetting to put the copyright stuff.)
(All characters belong to Atlus, along with some of the dialogue.)
"Stiles, I need you to do something." Victor tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for Derek to respond.
Derek shuddered, and slowly turned around, a look of horror pasted onto his face. "Is it another one of those stupid puzzles? I really hate those things."
"Unfortunately for you, yes, it's two puzzles. You want to save the secretary's life? Then you gotta do the puzzles." Victor literally dragged Derek back to the lab, causing several nurses and onlookers to snicker. Derek weakly said hi to Sidney Kasal as Victor dragged him past.
"Victor, don't choke him or I'll reduce your working hours." Sidney called without a glance back.
Victor immediately loosened his hold and allowed Derek to independently walk towards the lab.
Inside the lab, the frozen vomit mix from three days ago was still there. Derek winced involuntarily; the mix seemed to have grown little brown, black, and green spots of mold all over it. He suppressed the urge to empty his stomach, and glanced over at the table he had worked at last time.
Angie was there again, solving the puzzle herself. Along with Tyler, who was watching her. Derek caught a glimpse of Angie's completed puzzle before she hastily took out the pieces and mixed them up, and stood up. "Ready for more puzzles, Doctor?" She asked.
Derek groaned. "To be honest, no."
"You'll be fine." Angie assured him. "It only took you an hour last time." There was a hint of sarcasm in her tone, and Derek caught it.
"Very funny, Angie."
"ENOUGH OF THAT!" Victor bellowed, causing both of them to jump. He pointed a finger at Derek. "You know what to do, so get going."
Derek immediately scrambled into Angie's vacated seat and grabbed the forceps.
Tyler laughed. "He might not look like it, but Derek used to copy off my tests!"
"H-Hey, that was a long time ago!" Derek snapped, focusing his gaze on the puzzle.
3: 30 PM
Start
"These puzzles are a lot bigger than the last one, but don't worry, the theory is still pretty much the same." Angie lectured. "But that doesn't mean the puzzle is the same." She added as an afterthought.
Derek rolled his eyes. "That's a lot of comfort." Picking up a purple piece, he placed it in a random spot. A blue piece went next to it and a red piece was below the purple.
3:40 PM
"Hmm, I thought you'd be good at puzzles and things." Leslie Sears, one of the many nurses at Caduceus had stopped by to see where Tyler was. An amused look danced in her eyes.
Derek groaned. It was turning out just like last time, it took him hours to do it and everyone showed up to make fun of him. In his nervousness, Derek knocked over the tray of puzzles pieces, scattering them over the floor. "Gah!" Derek scrambled around trying to gather them up, and his hand and Angie's met on the same puzzle piece.
"Um…" A small blush formed on Angie's cheeks, and she picked up the puzzle piece, handing it to Derek.
"Thanks…"
4:00 PM
"Speed isn't everything, concentrate, and find your own answer." Dr. Stephen Clarks, another surgeon at Caduceus, had dropped by as well to see why everyone was holed up in Victor's lab, which he hinted was cramped and messy.
"I finally did it!" Derek shouted suddenly, startling everyone.
"Hmm, that doesn't look like the solution…" Angie remarked, looking at Derek's puzzle and the solution. "Nope."
"Huh? You're kidding me. I have to do this again?" Derek moaned as Angie took out all the pieces and replaced them on the tray.
"Hurry up Stiles, I don't have all day." Victor paused. "Well, I do, but I don't want to spend it with you."
4:30 PM
Half an hour later found Derek muttering every swearword he knew under his breath, the puzzle almost done except for one piece that didn't quite fit in the empty space.
"It looks like there are problems your Healing Touch can't solve." Even Sidney had come in to watch Derek struggle futilely against the evil enemy that was the puzzle. Tyler and Leslie had long since left to 'do some important business' as Tyler put it. Dr. Clarks was on the verge of leaving as well when magically Derek somehow completed the puzzle.
"Ugh, I can't feel my hands." Derek gasped. "Am I done?"
"No, there's another one." Angie pointed to the other puzzle on the corner of the table that Derek had missed.
"…Crap."
"Don't look so down. Come on, let's try the next one!" Angie smiled at him, which lightened Derek's mood considerably.
"Victor owes me when I'm done with these stupid puzzles."
(End chapter three.)
(You guys kind of depressed me, I mean, what's so bad about the puzzles? They're one of my favorite parts of the game. In the mission with two puzzles, it only took me five minutes to solve the first one. Also, it IS possible to get all the puzzle pieces in the puzzle and have it wrong.)
(See ya next time!)
