Mother X: Father

by Tatsurou

We Blinded We With Science

Moondancer, Ness, and Paula all lunged forward to try and catch Jeff as he started to tumble down the rubble pile. Rather than trying to catch himself, however, he grabbed something at the side of his backpack and pulled. Four robotic manipulators shot out of his backpack, hitting the ground and bending to bleed the momentum so that his glasses weren't even scuffed when he hit the ground. They then pushed them back up so he was back on his feet. "Well, so much for managing to look-"

"This is amazing!" Moondancer breathed as she looked over the robotic arms. "How'd you get the joints so small? Did you shape them with...wait, tool marks? No mental power at all? How'd you get them so small and sturdy? It looks almost as flexible as Starman bio-metal, but without the liquid aspect!" She ran her hoof over one of the joints, then jerked her hoof back in surprise as the entire limb flexed in response, the tip shifting from a gripper to a sharp point. "Wow! No wonder the Geeg are scared of what human machinery can do..."

Jeff blinked in surprise as he guided the limbs back into the pack. "They're...really that impressive?" he asked in awe. "I mean, I'm pretty sure you've seen more advanced-"

"Oh, I've definitely seen technology that functioned at a much higher level," she agreed, "but all of it was shaped with mental power. To see something like this shaped entirely by hand..." She clambered up Jeff's side, sticking her head into his pack for a closer look at the mechanisms. "Wow! Is this low-level spatial compression maintained by a shake-motion power source? Is...is that a pedometer as the generator hookup? This is incredible! What sort of chemicals do you have in the battery pack to generate that much power from the shaking of walking? Wait, is the spatial compression focused on the battery pack too? It's bigger on the inside too? Did you really build this yourself?"

Jeff chuckled nervously. "Well, I had help, but yeah..."

Ness grinned widely. "Well, I don't think you have to worry about how we see you. Don't suppose you have some way to get us out of here before we turn into zombies? Maybe those limbs will stretch to the hole in the ceiling?"

"Not that far," Jeff admitted. "But I think I could handle the door." He walked over to the door and tried the handle. "Locked, huh? And...yup, keyhole!" One of the limbs extended before inserting the tip into the keyhole. There was a brief shake, and the door swung slowly open. "That one isn't one of mine, but I did incorporate it into this..."

"Here!" Moondancer declared, handing Jeff the Combinulator, the Broken Antenna, and the Miscellaneous Robot Parts, along with hanging her last Star Charm around his neck. "That ought to help you stay safe while we fight our way through all the undead."

"A-are you sure you want me?" Jeff asked nervously. "I mean, tech aside, I'm not very strong, very nearsighted, kinda shy...and more than a little reckless-"

"Those last two describe three of us dead on," Moondancer pointed out flatly, gesturing from herself to Ness and Paula.

"I dunno if I'd call myself shy..." Paula pointed out playfully.

"So you'll fit right in," Moondancer promised.

"Well for now, we need to figure out where to go to not be infected," Ness muttered worriedly. "Think the Healer at the Hospital could help us?"

"We could ask," Jeff allowed. "If that proves a dead end, I saw the zombies doing something in a large circus tent south of town."

"Then we've got a plan," Buzz Buzz declared, swooping back to swing around Ness's head.

As Ness turned to lead them out, Jeff could only stare. "Did...did that insect just talk?"

Moondancer turned and glanced at him. "The talking, brightly-colored unicorn swarming over your tech doesn't bug you, but Buzz Buzz does?"

"Well, your cranium is plainly large enough to contain a fully developed brain," Jeff explained readily, "not to mention your throat large enough relative to body size to contain a viable voice box. But...how would all that fit in a space smaller than my pinkie fingernail? I mean, I suppose I could conceive of some sort of micro-shaping of the cells for the brain and voice box, but his voice would be a lot more high-pitched!"

"Actually, I'm not speaking aloud," Buzz Buzz explained. "It's PSI transmission. I'm just shaping the thought so your minds interpret it as hearing it in your ears because I've discovered in my travels that larger beings prefer to hear with their ears over in their heads, for the most part."

Jeff blinked for a time. "Okay, that makes sense," he allowed thoughtfully. "But how exactly can you-"

"And I'll happily answer any further questions when we aren't on a time limit in regards to Ness and Paula turning into zombies."

"Oh, right," Jeff agreed, flushing slightly in embarrassment. Ness, Paula, and Moondancer all suppressed their giggles.

---

A blue haired Healer identical to the one in the Twoson hospital looked Ness and Paula over carefully. "Well, I have good news and bad news," he told them softly. "The good news is I recognize the infection and know exactly what it is and how it will progress."

"What's the bad news?" Ness asked worriedly.

"There's nothing I or the doctors can do," he offered apologetically. "The only thing that can theoretically treat this type of infection is, according to ancient records, 'the planet's sacred light'. Said light is known to raise the dead and cleanse all illness and pain. However, I have no idea where said light could be found or how to apply it."

"Sounds like the light given off by Your Sanctuaries," Paula pointed out to Ness. "It was...really refreshing when it washed over us back at Lilliput Steps."

"How long do we have to find a treatment?" Moondancer asked worriedly.

"Six," the healer answered calmly.

"Six what?" Jeff asked in confusion.

"Periods of unconsciousness," the healer answered calmly. "A strong will and mental focus prevents this infection from spreading. Each time you lose consciousness - whether from being knocked unconscious or from sleeping - the infection will spread further. However, if you don't sleep when you need it, it will spread faster as your will and mind weaken from sleep deprivation."

Ness blinked worriedly. "...I don't want to know why you know this particular infection in such detail, do I?"

"You do not," the Healer confirmed. "However, no medicine known to Earth will help you, unless the 'sacred light of the planet' proves to be effective."

"Guess we'll have to work fast and careful-" Moondancer began, only to duck as a blast of golden light shot out of Jeff's hand.

"Whoa!" Jeff called out in surprise, staring at the several doll-like monsters that fell to bits from the blast shooting straight out the hospital doors. He carefully pulled his finger off the trigger of the device he was holding, now obviously some sort of ray gun. "Okay, fixing that antennae up while waiting was definitely a good idea! Think I'll call this the Gaia Beam!"

Moondancer glowered at him for a time, then turned back to the others. "Or we can just stay behind Jeff and use PSI to snipe the PSI users."

Comments

[Daemon Wolf 22]

Seriously, why can I only like and Favorite once?! This deserves so many more!

[Emtu]

For some reason I get the feeling Jeff is going to upgrade the Borange Ray in some way.

[FTKnight]

..... the Gaia beam..... well before the normal time one would get it.... you are merciless to the enemies in your stories when you can get away with it.

[KVFFour]

8598472
Fuse the guns! It's now a rifle of lasery doom!

[Dark Feather]

8598444
I have questioned that my self.

[Ororon35]

''Well that's not fair at all.''

[Omega C]

8599213
"Im sorry...We don't give a fuck."

[Dirty Bit]

Got a Dark Souls vibe from the infection explanation.

If only Jeff were this badass in the game

[The Feline Bard]

Gee, hope Jeff's back can take carrying the party

[F14m3rz]

Moondancer turned and glanced at him. "The talking, brightly-colored unicorn swarming over your tech doesn't bug you, but Buzz Buzz does?"

I think the generalization of this conversation from Diaries of a Madman sums it up the best.
{Main Character: You're a magical talking unicorn, and you don't believe in ghosts?
Generic Unicorn: *nonplussed* Yes.}
Everyone has a certain weirdness threshold; sometimes it works in reverse. And that's okay.

Ness blinked worriedly. "...I don't want to know why you know this particular infection in such detail, do I?"

"You do not,"

An associate of his probably had narcolepsy.

[Tatsurou]

8600077
So...did you like the update?

[F14m3rz]

8600081
Oh, I thought it was okay. It was a bit short, but it was cute enough seeing how Moondancer was going all ga-ga over Jeff. Hope Tony doesn't get jealous.
Still kinda want my father-son drama, though.