Day 38
Sabre's P.O.V.
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"AAAAA!" I jolt awake as a high-pitched beeping fills the room, followed by a piercing shriek of alarm. I sit up just in time to see Green throw my alarm clock across the room.
"Woah woah woah!" I frantically scramble out of bed as Green's hands begin to glow, ready to decimate the little machine. I reach for the alarm with one hand and press the button, making it fall silent. "It's okay."
Green eyes the clock distrustfully as I set it back on my nightstand. The world slowly rights itself as the blood stops rushing to my head and the adrenaline dies down. Between the eventful wake-up and the eight hours of sleep I just got, I'm definitely feeling awake for the day.
Violet Leader gave direct orders to the Colorless Guard to double-check my sleep schedule, and under fear that they would find Green in my house, I decided to obey. Maybe Violet Leader's right, because I do feel a lot better, even if I have to deal with a very confused, very skittish Green.
"Sorry." Green mumbles, pulling M's spare cloak tighter around himself. "It... sounded like the village alarms." I don't ask what he means as I pull some clothes out of my closet.
"It's alright, Green. Just wait downstairs, okay? Don't go outside. I'll be down in a second."
He obligingly leaves, letting me get ready in peace. I sigh, glancing out of the window toward the street, where a few steves are out for early morning chores. They hurry more than usual, but at least they're outside. The last time the kingdom faced danger, nobody wanted to leave their house.
Speaking of not leaving the house...
I hurry through my routine, knowing the upcoming talk I need to have. When I arrive back downstairs, Green is waiting patiently at the table, eyes fixed on me.
"Here." I tell him, tossing him an apple and taking one for myself. I sit across from him, and we munch in silence as I try to figure out how to break the news.
"Sabre? Are you okay?" he asks after a while.
"Yeah." I assure him. "I've just got a lot to do today." It's true. I've already planned to visit the Red Kingdom again while I can. Violet Leader told me to take the day off, which means he probably has a lot planned for me during the upcoming weeks. My days of sneaking off without notice seem to be over. "Also, I need to talk to you."
"About healing the others?" Green asks hopefully.
"No, about staying secret." I correct him. He looks confused, so I carefully explain. "I'm sure you've noticed that the steves around here are a little different than the ones you're used to." He quickly nods. "Well, because you look different, I'm not sure how much they'll trust you, especially your powers." I say in a rush. "Your energy is- well- way stronger than theirs. They might see you as a threat."
"But... I'm not."
"They don't know that."
"Sabre?"
"Yes?"
"Do I have to stay here?" Green twists the apple core around in his hands, watching it as it spins. He won't meet my eyes. "There are infected steves everywhere! What if I get sick again? Can't I just evacuate and build a home somewhere else?"
Panic builds in my chest. If Green goes out on his own, he might get himself hurt, or in trouble. At least here, the infected are in quarantine, and the streets are guarded from crime. Who knows what infected steves are still roaming around outside? Besides, if he uses his powers... someone might get seriously hurt.
"No! I mean- it's all under control here, Green. All you need to do is stay inside and wait, alright? Keep the cloak on, and-"
"-But what if-"
"Green, please." I sigh. "I know you're worried, but it's going to be fine. I've got some things to do today, alright? I'll be back in the evening." Green nods, pulling his hood down further and turning away. I feel a little bad leaving him like that, but after everything, I can't just ignore the Red Steves. I stand up, pulling Assistant Steve's teleportation device out of my inventory as I do. I quickly leave the house, knowing that any unexplained lightning inside will bring the guards running.
It isn't long before I'm back in the Red Kingdom. Since I'm relying on the teleportation device instead of M, I head straight to the labs.
At the sound of lightning, Assistant Steve wheels into the room, going so fast he nearly falls down.
"Oh, it's you." He crosses his arms, unimpressed.
"No need to sound so disappointed."
"Are you here to return my teleporter?"
"Nope!" I pop the 'p', strolling right past the robot and into the far side of the lab, ignoring the quarantine room altogether. I don't want anything to do with the Professor right now. "Actually, I had something to discuss with M."
Assistant Steve trails after me, maintaining an annoyed expression.
"You shouldn't teleport into the lab without alerting me first." he snaps. "There are several experiments that only cause lightning if they're unstable. The noise is quite alarming."
"So you're saying I startled you." I translate.
"No, you moron." the robot huffs, but offers no other explanation.
"How are the Professor and Leader?" I ask, privately wondering if Assistant Steve will follow me all the way to M's house.
"Similar."
Well that's vague.
"Okaaay." I mumble, flicking the lever to open the tunnel entrance.
"Why do you need to speak to the Red Apprentice?" Assistant Steve buts in.
"I'll get to-"
"Oh, Sabre!" I'm cut off as M appears in the space above, beaming down at us. Despite his smile, his eyes look tired. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"Sorry, are you busy? I can find some other time if I really need to-"
"No, you're fine." M steps down into the tunnel. "I could use a break anyway. What did you want to talk about?"
"Well, the Violet Leader just put a quarantine on the Rainbow Kingdom." I recount. "And seeing all the infected steves, it's got me thinking... it spread so quickly with just one tiny breach. And with the redstone infused in your blood, the Red Steves are more contagious than anyone else. So I thought... I wanted to know if you would let me take the redstone out of your blood, for safety reasons." I would suggest taking his energy altogether, but it's too risky. I still don't know what it's doing to the Violet Leader. Besides, if M had his energy removed, he couldn't teleport over if he needed help, and the Red Steves would get suspicious.
A thoughtful look crosses M's face, just as Assistant Steve's buttons flash rapidly, his machinery letting out an agitated whir.
"Absolutely not!" the robot cries. We both round on him, confused.
"Why not?"
"It's untested! Besides, it would be impossible for you to understand a procedure as complex as the Professor's, much less undo it."
"I'm willing to give it a shot." M says confidently. "Sabre's right. I'm the one with the closest contact to the infected steves. If anything were to happen, this kingdom probably wouldn't stand a chance. Besides, separating the redstone might also increase my healing capabilities." He shoots me a grin. "Which I'm going to need if I keep hanging out with you." I fake offense, but we both know that he's right. Danger seems to follow me everywhere.
"Red Apprentice-!"
"Assistant Steve, give it a rest." I sigh. "M, which path did you take to the labs earlier? The one that avoided the quarantine room?" M gestures for me to follow him out the door, tossing me a cloak to hide my identity. From the corner of my eye, I can see Assistant Steve zipping away as the tunnel closes behind him.
"I'm telling the Professor!" he threatens. I merely shrug.
Getting a good look around the room, I spot a long scroll of heavily annotated paper on M's desk. Upon further inspection, my friend has ink marks staining his hands, some spots even smudged onto his face.
"Leader's work?" I question.
"Speech for tomorrow." he corrects. "The Red Steves aren't happy that I disappeared, especially with the Red Leader nowhere in sight. I have to make sure nobody riots." The words send a chill down my spine. I didn't realize there was so much unrest in the kingdom.
"I hope everything goes well." I tell him as I throw on the cloak, an exact copy of M and Green's. How many of these does M have?
"Thanks."
We make our way through the kingdom much more slowly than I anticipated. M keeps having to stop and talk to the Red Steves, who thankfully don't pay much attention to me. Now that I'm looking for it, I can see the worry in their eyes as they talk to M, asking about the Leader and Professor, wondering when they'll be back.
"The Red Leader hasn't decided yet." M repeats. "And you know the Professor. He's probably just busy, lost track of time again working on his experiments. I'm sure he'll be out of the lab soon enough."
Finally, we reach a small building on the outskirts: M's actual house. I nearly forgot he lives here, and that he's only taking residence in the leader's house temporarily.
"Origin, I've missed this place." M sighs, opening the door and ushering me in. "Come on, I'll show you where the tunnel is."
Apparently, M has a similar tunnel built into his floor, one that leads to a different section of the lab. I wonder how many of the buildings in the Red Kingdom are connected to the lab, and how many of the Red Steves know about them.
Together, M and I walk through the tunnels, staying quiet as we make our way closer to the lab.
"Are you sure about this?" I ask after a little while.
"Of course I am." he says solemnly. "In fact, I've wondered about the Professor's decision for a long time. I think I'd rather live like a normal steve without having to worry so much about getting injured. Especially if the redstone makes us more likely to get infected." I nod, surprised and a little relieved by his decision. "You do know how to remove it, right?"
"I'm pretty sure." Really, how different can it be from removing anything else? A couple hoppers should do the job, as long as I calibrate them to only remove redstone, and not M's energy altogether.
The walls of the tunnel eventually give way to iron and concrete, the sign that we're officially in the lab. I press a button in the side of the wall, causing the door to open up into a new room.
"I- um- how do we get to that machine room from here?" I ask my friend, trying to assess the unfamiliar room. I forgot how much of a maze the Professor's lab was.
I tense as a faint noise sounds nearby, wondering if we accidentally activated something, only to realize it's the rolling of wheels. Again.
Assistant Steve pokes his head into the room, looking awfully smug.
"The Professor wants to speak with you." he says in a sing-song.
"I could not care less." I reply, matching his tone. "C'mon, M."
"The Red Leader forbids his Apprentice from completing any procedures without permission." Assistant Steve adds.
"I don't have to listen to him, either." I tug on M's hand, only to realize he's frozen. He gives me an apologetic look. "M?"
"He is my leader." M sighs. "I'm technically still under his authority, even if you're not."
"...Fine." I say after a beat. "Then I'll go talk to him." I whirl toward the robot. "Lead the way, Assistant." Assistant Steve smirks, wheeling away toward the quarantine room. I walk after him, leaving M alone behind me. It's been a while since I've seen the Red Leader, and while I have no desire to talk to the slightly insane, fire-wielding steve, I'll do whatever it takes to help keep M safe.
The quarantine room is almost unrecognizable without the vines covering every inch of it. Instead of the green light and plants that I'm used to, it's a pristine white, the color interrupted only by the two Red Steves.
Professor Red doesn't make a sound as I approach, probably realizing that I don't want to talk to him. The Red Leader, however, makes plenty of noise for the both of them.
"You are not running a potentially dangerous procedure on my Apprentice." he says right off the bat, crossing his arms. "I will not allow it." I copy his position, settling in for a long argument.
"M's already given me his permission." I counter. "Life will be a lot safer for him without something altering his biology."
"Not if reverting it hurts him! You might pretend to know a lot about steves, but how in the Overworld are you supposed to know the specifics of the Professor's procedure?"
"I've read plenty of textbooks on steve biology. Several of them from your own kingdom!"
"That's not enough!"
"Well what's your perfect solution, then!?"
"Do it to me first."
Silence fills the air. I stare at the Red Leader, who is far calmer than I expected.
"Is this a good time to mention that I have the procedure mapped out already?" Professor Red pipes up. Our eyes fix on him. "You know, just in case?"
"Assistant Steve," I turn to the robot, who is gaping at the Leader. "Go find those papers." He leaves, silent for once, as I focus on the Red Steves once more. "How do I know you're not using this as an attempt to escape?"
"I'm not. You can have Assistant Steve help guard me, if you want. I just- he's my apprentice, Sabre. He's got to lead the kingdom. No amount of sickness will make me forget that." His voice strains at the end of his sentence, and for the first time, I notice the faint signs of illness. The pale complexion, the dark bags under his eyes, the rasp in his tone.
The Red Leader is definitely getting worse.
"Fine, but if you run, I'm going through with M's wishes, alright?" He nods, ducking his head.
I exit the quarantine room, and soon run into Assistant Steve, whose arms are laden with a stack of papers. I pull off the top one to see a blueprint titled 'The Extractor Machine'. Perfect.
"Can you collect these materials for me?" I ask him, already heading to the room where I built the last machine. I don't wait for his response, too focused on the task at hand.
Maybe I shouldn't be letting the Red Leader do anything outside of the quarantine room. Even if he doesn't try to escape, it wouldn't be difficult for him to lash out with his fireballs and burn me, maybe even damaging some of Professor Red's equipment. But I can't think of a different option, or even pretend that I'm not relieved at his offer. Despite what the Red Leader might think, he's not the only one who cares about M.
I set to work, examining and reexamining the Professor's notes along the way. His building style is very different from mine, so it's hard for me to tell which redstone parts do what. In the end, I have a weird-looking contraption made mostly of deepslate bricks and redstone lamps. Behind it trails a complex network of redstone that was probably made to be hidden in a wall somewhere. I choose to block it off with glass instead, just in case fire gets thrown around. I don't trust myself to put it back correctly if anything gets broken.
Time to get the Red Leader.
Back in the quarantine room, he's pacing around back and forth as Professor Red watches. I hesitate, my confidence in the plan decreasing by the moment. The Leader doesn't exactly look... sane anymore.
"Hey, calm down." I tell him, only to have him whirl around toward me.
"I am calm!" he shouts, fire igniting in his hands. His face turns even redder, and the flames extinguish into smoke. "I am calm." he repeats more quietly. "Let's just go." I decide to brush it off, waving for him to follow me back to the new machine.
The Red Leader keeps looking around, wringing his hands and suppressing the smoke rising from them. I realize he's more nervous than he'll admit. I try offering him a smile.
"It'll be okay. I'm sure the Professor's crazy science will pull through."
"Yeah." he agrees, not sounding confident at all. "Let's hope so."
By the time he sees the machine, tiny flames light in his fingertips, which move rapidly around with his nervous energy.
"Are you ready?" I ask, already poised by the activation lever.
"Wait!" To my surprise, the words come not from the Red Leader, but from Assistant Steve. The robot steps backward into the room, arms cradling a giant stack of redstone. "You'll want this in the hoppers."
"I already have redstone in there." I huff.
"Not this kind. It's powered by the core." he explains. "A genius such as the Professor would never-"
"-I get it." I interrupt, grabbing the redstone and beginning to break the glass around the wiring, getting to the hoppers. If I have to hear another speech about how brilliant the Professor is, Assistant Steve and I will end up in another hour-long argument. "...Isn't the core the giant explosive?"
"Well, duh."
The Red Leader seems to share my doubts about this plan.
"...And it's safe?" he asks.
"Relax, moron, there's only a 20% chance of explosion!" he chimes. "Wait... 19%."
"Don't listen to him." I tell the Leader. "I've taken out most of the explosive stuff. Nothing should blow up."
"You're not supposed to tweak-"
"Leave." I tell Assistant Steve. He's certainly not helping the Leader's anxiety. He sticks out his tongue before flouncing off. I roll my eyes, then replace the glass, having already made the changes.
"For the Red Apprentice." The Leader mutters to himself, shaking his hands so the red sparks die off. Without any encouragement, he steps into the machine. Surprised at how easy that was, I run over to flick the lever.
At first, I wonder if it's working. Nothing seems to be happening. Then I remind myself that the Professor's machines don't always work like mine. Just because the machine isn't coated in lightning doesn't mean it's a dud. It just makes everything... anticlimactic.
I sit cross-legged on the floor, trying to decide when to turn the machine off. Is it done? Is something supposed to happen when it's done?
I hear something whistle and bang, and jump to my feet before realizing it's just a firework. It must have been hidden in one of the Professor's customized parts. The green sparkles are followed by a little chime.
...I guess it's finished, then.
I turn off the machine, watching as the Red Leader comes out.
There's something different about him. His eyes seem a little brighter, his posture a little straighter. He seems surprised, holding out his arms and inspecting them, trying to see some kind of visible change.
"How do you feel?" I ask.
"Not bad." He says slowly. "Actually, I feel a lot better." He smiles, his shoulders relaxing. "I didn't anticipate that."
I hadn't, either.
"Stay there for a minute." I tell him, breaking the glass again to get back to the wiring. A tiny suspicion flickers in the back of my mind as I fumble through hoppers and chests, throwing out a couple of salmon that probably weren't necessary. I need to find the output. Why are the Professor's machines so complicated?
My hands find something sand-like, and my breath catches. I stare down at the redstone, which is slightly brighter than normal: the results of the core, no doubt. It's weird to think that all of this was just inside the Red Leader. I try to ignore that gross thought, and sink my fingers deeper into the chest, searching.
I touch the cool glass of a familiar vial.
"Um, Sabre?" The Red Leader asks as I tug out the bottle, eyes scanning the label. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah." I can't help the incredulous laugh in my voice. "Yeah- it actually is."
"Are you two done in here?" Assistant Steve whines, coming up to the glass and peering around to find me. "The machine's done, you moron."
In response, I hold up the vial of sickness triumphantly. Assistant Steve falls silent, surprised.
"I'll go get the Professor!" he says once he comes to his senses, then promptly falls over as his wheels screech against the floor. After pushing himself up again, he whirs away.
"We should probably get out of here." I tell the Leader, realizing that Assistant Steve is about to bring an infected steve in close proximity again.
"I don't understand." he murmurs as I lead him in the opposite direction of the quarantine room. "What happened?"
"...You know the super-powerful redstone in your blood?"
"Yeah."
"Well, we already know the sickness is attracted to it. That's why I wanted to remove it from M. But apparently the connection is strong enough that the sickness continued to latch on when I removed the redstone."
"...Oh. OH."
"Yeah." I laugh at the Leader's suddenly elated expression.
"...Where's my Apprentice?" he starts looking around like M might be crouched in any corner, hidden just out of sight.
"We're heading right for him." I can't help the smile stretching across my face. Especially when I hear a distant 'COME ON PROFESSOR' echoing down the hall.
"Sabre, did you get ever- Leader?" M squeaks, eyes wide at the sight of his mentor.
"Apprentice!" In less than a second, the Red Leader runs forward, scooping the younger steve into a hug. M looks bewildered and happy all at once, and I take a step back, trying to let the Red Steves have their moment.
"Y-you're okay? You're okay!" Tears stream down M's face as he hugs his leader fiercely. "I was really worried."
"I'm here now." The Red Leader assures him. "I can help you."
He wraps an arm over the other steve's shoulders, guiding him back to the tunnel. M leans into his leader's shoulder, and although I can't see his expression, I have the feeling that he's smiling.
When the Red Leader sends a glance back, however...
I can see the sadness in his eyes.
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Word Count: 3,639
Yay, Red Leader's back! (Hopefully this will make up for the not-so-happy chapter I have planned for Saturday.)
For those of you who don't know, I've decided to celebrate Pride Month this upcoming June by doubling my uploads for this book. Expect to see a lot more chapters in the near future!