Operator Kroos woke up in the infirmary. Her body hurt a lot, but she could still move. The medical Operators told her she would probably be discharged tomorrow with some medication. She couldn't wait to get out. Being cooped up in the infirmary had made her start to get a bit stir crazy, even if she'd only been there for a day. At least she had Fang to keep her company. When she looked around out of boredom, something on the table next to her caught her eye. They were napkins. One had the words "Get well" messily scrawled on it and the other was rolled up in what looked like a golf tee. "Eh?" she thought aloud. She glanced over and saw one by a sleeping Fang as well. "When did these get here? Does somebody want to go golfing with us? Why? I don't play golf."
_____
Operator Savage held the "flower" close. Like the "letter", it was poorly made and resembled a golf tee more than anything, but it was the thought that counted. She knew Amiya had excellent penmanship and would have brought her actual flowers from the greenhouse, so it couldn't have been her. The Cautus Operator smiled at the gesture and mused to herself, "Thank you, Doctor."
_____
Operator Matterhorn found himself surrounded by his colleagues. Operator Courier at one side and Young Master Enciodas Silverash fiddling with a napkin to transform it into something akin to a flat-top Aster on the The other. "Young Master? What are you doing here?"
"What does it look like, old friend?" the young man smiled warmly, a rarity these days. "I've come to pay you a visit. I heard you were injured when defending our ally, the good Doctor of Rhodes Island."
"That is correct, Young Master," Matterhorn nodded. "How fares the Doctor?"
"From what I have gathered, he is quite well. I suspect he is responsible for the crude letter and... this," he gestured to the paper flower in his hands. "It looked like a stalactite before I got a hold of it, but it is possible it was supposed to be a flower."
Matterhorn looked to his side and saw a napkin amongst various other letters wishing him well. "The Doctor was here?"
"Unless you and that kind blacksmith produced an heir I don't know about, in which case you would be more than overdue for a celebration and vacation time, the Doctor is the one who left you the letter with childlike penmanship," his employer handed him the paper trinket and the napkin before cocking his brow at him, "Unless..."
"Lady Vulcan and I are merely friends," Matterhorn shook his head.
Enciodas shrugged and said, "Well, you can thank our ally after all, then." The Young Master stood up and began to depart. "The other letters appear to be from my sisters. If you see them, please send them my regards. I am glad you are well, my dear friend. Come along, Weiss."
"I will, Young Master," Matterhorn pledged. "Thank you for coming to see me." When they left, he examined the rudimentary gifts he'd received. When did you leave these here, Doctor? And how? Your injuries were overall worse than mine.
_____
Amiya frantically searched the halls. When she went to check on the Doctor, his room was empty and his sheets were in shambles. She decided against placing the base on alert to avoid panic, but she couldn't help but feel worried. The medical team didn't have answers on his whereabouts either. Amiya eventually stumbled into Projekt Red's room, but she was also gone. Don't panic, Amiya. Red has always been able to recover quickly. It doesn't mean she's in trouble too... Not that Doctor is in trouble... But what if he IS?! Rhodes Island's young leader groaned in frustration and continued her frantic search. In desperation, she decided to check on the other Operators injured during the Chernobog operation. Her check paid off as she found Projekt Red stalking around the hallway containing the rooms of Operators Orchid, Texas, and Perfumer.
"Red!" Amiya cried out in relief. The grey Lupo jumped and whipped around to face her, instinctually brandishing a non-existent dagger.
"Oh, Amiya... how are you?" Red relaxed her stance.
"Red, I can't find the Doctor anywhere," she explained the situation. "I'm worried he may be in trouble. Have you seen him?"
Red's eyes narrowed at the mention of that word. "Red has... Trouble... From where?"
"It's just a feeling, where is he?"
"Making last delivery... But if trouble..." a scowl crossed Red's face before she darted away from Amiya and barged into Perfumer's room. "Doctor! Trouble! Must move."
Then Amiya heard his voice. "Trouble? Where? We have to secure the infirmary! Red, we need to get security!"
"Red will lead." Red bolted out of the room and scanned the hallway. "Clear. This way, Doctor."
"Wait, Red, that's not what I..." Amiya trailed off when she saw her friend leave the room. With casts on each leg and both arms in slings, the Doctor scuttled out of the room with a sense of urgency. He looked like a very tall, panicked crab with his movements. When he caught sight of Amiya, he called over to her. "Amiya!"
"Doctor!" Amiya rushed over to him. "I'm so glad you're alright!"
"Amiya, thank goodness you're here. Red thinks there may be trouble. We need to protect everyone here. Put the base on-"
"What?! No! Doctor, there is no trouble," she stopped him. The Doctor cocked his head and turned to Red, who also flopped her head to one side.
"But you told Red... Doctor is in trouble," Red stared quizzically.
"No, Red, I told you I thought he might be in trouble."
"Oh..." the girl dropped her head. The Doctor stared at Amiya in silence for a while, the mask obscuring any hints to what he may have been thinking.
Eventually, he snapped his fingers and declared, "This operation was a rousing success! Good work, everyone!"
"Did Red do good?" Red perked up and her tail began to wag.
"You did FANTASTIC, Red!" he exclaimed. Oh no. "You too Amiya! Great work!" The pair began to cheer and Amiya pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Doctor, what did your sanity levels look like before you left your room?" Amiya demanded. Her friend stopped for a moment before apparently getting lost in thought.
"I think the number on top said 'zero', so that means I have lots of room to get more of the brain-symbol stuff," he said. Amiya sighed. It came from a place of genuine relief, but it also shared its existence with frustration.
"Red, please escort the Doctor back to his room," she ordered. Her Lupo associate straightened up and grabbed the Doctor by his arm and tried to pull him along, but he wouldn't budge.
"Amiya, I am okay. There's still so much I need to do fist," he objected. "I will go to set up my office."
"Doctor, I'll give you a salted egg yolk flavor chocolate if you go back to your room," Amiya said.
"Red, please guide me back to my room."
"... Does Red get a chocolate too?"
_____
Several Weeks Later
The Doctor slaved away at the pile of paperwork on his desk. His memory still hadn't returned to him, but he appeared to be in better health. Of course, with better health came more responsibilities. Fortunately, he was not alone in this task. Operator Meteor had been assigned as his assistant that day. It was Amiya's idea to have him work with Operators off the battlefield as well in order to build trust. He didn't mind it. In fact, he'd been hoping for an opportunity to get to know everyone better anyway. In terms of assistants, he liked Meteor. She had a kind air about her and encouraged him not to overwork himself, something he quickly learned he had a tendency to do.
"Doctor, I have completed the combat reports for our most recent mission," Meteor informed him and turned in a small, neat pile of papers.
"Ah, thank you, Meteor," he nodded while working away at his own pile. "Would you mind taking those along with these papers here to the copier and then archiving them?" The Kuranta sniper hesitated a bit.
"Umm, I can try, but, I must warn you, Doctor; I am not very good with electronics," she confessed. The Doctor looked up from his paperwork and saw her embarrassed expression. That's right. Her file mentioned she's from a village in the woods.
"That's alright. It's very easy. I can show you, if you'd like," he offered and stood up before she answered. They both made their way to the machine and he instructed the Operator on how it worked. "Simple enough, right?"
"I think I understand now, Doctor. Thank you," Meteor nodded. He moved out of the way to let her try it. The first three pages were successful and they celebrated each small victory. And then, on the fourth page, the machine began making an odd noise. "Doctor, is it supposed to sound like that?"
"If it is, Amiya didn't tell me about it," he stroked his chin and examined it more closely until Meteor gently, but firmly, pulled him back.
"Doctor, I smell burning coming from it," she cautioned. Sure enough, the smell of burning reached the Doctor as well and he could see the machine begin to smoke. Thinking quickly, he unplugged the machine, but it was already too late. The machine went up and flames and they both began to panic. A fire alarm went off and Meteor shouted, "We need to leave, Doctor!" They both bolted for the door, snatching any loose, completed paperwork on the way out and shoving them into his jacket.
Operator Shaw met them in the hallway after they escaped the sprinklers by a narrow margin. How did she get here so fast? "Don'tworrychief. We'lltakecareofthisfireinnotime. Pleasejuststandclear." He let their fire Chief work and checked on Meteor.
"Are you alright, Meteor?" he asked the downcast Operator.
"I'm fine, Doctor. I must apologize for destroying the machine. I told you I am no good with them, even if I have been trained and the task is simple," she held her arm and avoided eye contact.
"It wasn't your fault, Meteor," he assured her. "You did fine. It definitely was not user-error. You should be proud you were able to operate it."
"Really?"
"Really. I have a feeling Closure just gave me a defective copier." Fortunately, the fire hadn't caused any major damage to the office aside from scorch marks where the machine combusted and a ruined pile of unfinished paperwork.
"Should we go see Amiya or Doctor Kal'tsit?" Meteor asked. The Doctor examined the paperwork they'd managed to save and pondered for a moment.
"No, Amiya will just worry and Kal'tsit will find a reason to get angry with me," he explained. "What would you like to do, Meteor?"
"Well there is still work to be-"
"Not what should we do, what would you like to do?" the question evidently caught the sniper off guard.
After thinking for a moment, she shyly smiled and said, "I would like to visit the greenhouse. As kind as Rhodes Island has been to me, I do tire of the cold, monotonous rooms and hallways. Seeing the greenery in there reminds me of home just a little." The Doctor smiled beneath his mask.
"Then let's go to the greenhouse."
_____
"Ah, Doctor, welcome in," Operator Perfumer greeted them. "You as well, Meteor. It is a pleasure to see you."
"The pleasure is ours, Perfumer," the Doctor bowed. Meteor took a deep breath to savor the aroma around her. Most rows were dedicated to growing edible flora, but there were several sections dispersed throughout that contained plants there solely for their aesthetic effect. There were even trees scattered about. In Meteor's opinion, this was the most beautiful place on the landship. They strolled along the pathways and merely admired everything around them, occasionally stopping to speak with other Operators.
"I appreciate the company, Doctor," Meteor commented. "I often come here alone. Having someone here with me is nice."
"Well, I am glad you decided to have me tag along," he nodded. "This is very relaxing. Maybe I should come here more often."
"Well, if you would like to join me, I would not be opposed," she suggested before realizing what she'd just said. "Of course, I don't mean-"
"That sounds like it could be beneficial," the Doctor replied. His tone sounded very matter-of-fact but still very genuine. "Maybe we can get more Operators to come here, that way nobody will ever have to be alone when they visit." Meteor couldn't help but smile at the comment. She'd heard rumors of the kind of person the Doctor used to be before he lost his memory. They were horror stories of a cold, calculating, borderline megalomaniacal monster who had sent countless to their untimely deaths for the sake of a cause they believed in. But observing the person in front of her in the greenhouse, she had a difficult time believing that this Doctor could ever be the same person described in those tales.
"That sounds lovely, Doctor," she smiled. On their stroll, they ran into the young Lupo whom Meteor could've been fooled into believing was his ward. She intently stared at a small sapling in one of the decorative pots.
"Good afternoon, Red," the Doctor greeted her to announce their presence. Red glanced over to them with a tail wag.
"Hello, Doctor and Meteor," she acknowledged. "Red is watching plant grow. Big sis... Myrrh said I can grow a plant. It will be strong... Red must take care of it."
"Well don't let me interrupt you," he gave her a wide berth, ruffling her hooded head as he passed.
"I was not aware she had such an interest in botany," Meteor thought aloud.
"I wasn't either," the Doctor said. "But I'm glad to see she's expanding her interests. It's nice that she has something to do off the battlefield." Just a bit further down, they could see Operator Myrrh concluding a conversation with someone. The red-haired Vulpo politely waved to the other member of the conversation, who revealed themselves to be Operator SilverAsh when he walked past her, two small bouqets in his hands.
"Good afternoon, Doctor," he nodded as he passed. The businessman from Karlan stopped with him briefly. "I never did get an opportunity to properly thank you for saving Matterhorn's life. I owe you a debt of gratitude."
"No thanks are necessary, SilverAsh," the Doctor bowed respectfully. "I know he would do the same for me and anyone else."
"Still, I do not enjoy leaving a debt unpaid," SilverAsh gently cradled the flowers in his arms. "Perhaps, once I return, I can treat you to dinner. It is the least I can do. I insist."
"Very well, sir SilverAsh," he nodded. "If you insist, then I will gladly accept."
"Excellent," the businessman bowed, still gently cradling the flowers. "Doctor, Lady Meteor, I bid you both a pleasant day. I will see you when I return to Rhodes Island." They watched him depart before the Doctor checked his monitor.
"Who do you think the flowers are for?" Meteor asked. The Doctor shrugged.
"If he's going back to Kjerag, he may be leaving them at Mount Karlan," he guessed. "His sister used to be the Saintess there." The two didn't spend much more time on speculation and instead returned to enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the greenhouse.
Author's Note:
I think that's a nice place to leave this. First of all, thank everyone who showed support for this story and a massive shout-out to MattSparks0 for expressing a desire to see another chapter. Now here it is. I had a lot of fun writing this. I hope you all enjoyed it. If you would like to see more of this story, please don't be afraid to leave feedback. As always, stay safe and I'll see y'all in the next one.
Trivia
I have had this chapter with its title queued up for four years. Just the title and something to make sure it stayed saved.