Missing Piece

Chapter 18

Shachi turned back towards his Captain, confused. Tears streamed down his face as he clutched the severed head of his best friend in his arms. "M-my head hurts and it's... it's hard to hear, Captain." He managed between sobs, still not fully comprehending what was going on. "B-But Captain, Penguin... Penguin is!!" He thrust the head towards the doctor as if showing off a prized possession in a show and tell class. Except he was sobbing all snot and tears. "W-What do we do? Penguin's dead! Captain help! Save him!!"

Law eyed the black cap in silence. "Shachi-ya." Law called and the sobbing man sniffled in response. "That's not Penguin." He sighed and when the other managed to calm down enough to look his way, Law pointed towards the other medical bed where a hatless person was resting. "Penguin's sleeping over there. His hat fell off, so I left it on the model." He explained.

Shachi slowly turned the bust around. The black cap with the letters PENGUIN stared back at him. The yellow bill shadowing the face. He sniffled and with gentle fingers he grasped the yellow bill and ripped the hat off the bust. He stared at the face. His sobs no longer present, but tears continued to flow silently down his cheeks. The wide eyes of the half face and half muscle anatomy head stared back at him. Heat rose to his cheeks and Shachi lifted the model, ready to chuck it at the ground for tricking him—

Law quirked a brow.

"How dare you try to trick me, Penguin!" Shachi hissed, slapping the unconscious mechanic with his own hat. The model placed perfectly on the ground where Shachi had fallen off his bed earlier.

"Let him rest, Shachi-ya." Law picked up the severed head and placed it back on the shelf from where Shachi had grabbed it in his groggy state. He picked up the triangular shades next to it and an empty cup. "Glad to see you are feeling much better though." He filled up the cup with water and handed it to the other who took it graciously, not realizing how parched he was.

He placed the shades on Shachi's crossed knee and took a seat on the chair next to him. Law waited for the other to finish, before picking up where he had left off earlier. He tapped the pen against the clipboard. "Shachi-ya, what happened before you fell ill?"

Shachi replayed the events of the day in his mind. They had arrived on the island. Split up for errands. Stumbled across Charlotte. Got captured. Missed the rendezvous time. Night came. Charlotte left them and escaped, but not without telling them how to get out first. Then they spent the rest of the night trying to escape the small room. Then the sun rose, and he saw The Change happen and then the brat showed up and he sneezed on the kid and then he woke up here. "A lot." He summarized with a grin. His grin fell when he met Law's unimpressed stare and an air of seriousness fell around Shachi as he repeated the day's event in more detail.

"You saw the Change?" Law asked, pen still from tapping. "I thought you couldn't see because it was too dark."

Shachi scratched the back of his head, "It was, but the sun was rising so I guess there was some light and I just... witnessed it. A blanket of snow just falling out of nowhere! It was like an avalanche but vertical! It was so sudden that there was a whoosh of cold wind that struck me when the snow hit the ground!"

Law frowned. Brows knotted together. From what Shachi said then it was likely that that gush of wind carried over the virus or the body went into shock from the sudden temperature drop and fell ill. But Zālians abided by their belief of Working Hours so most wouldn't get sick... unless Zālians didn't actually listen to that rule as much as they like others to believe. If they wholly believed and relied on the Remedial Core to cure them, then there would be no risk in getting sick. That would explain why there hasn't been an outbreak of the fast-acting virus yet. The rule breakers weren't willing to risk it with the core missing. It would also explain why the core went missing at night when no one should have been up.