To Be A Warrior

Chapter 58: Mushaboom

"Okay, Callista, you're approaching Pittaway Farm. It was a fungus farm owned by Comansys, the company Moonchild used to run." Sam winces. "Yeah, sorry. With this and the Glass Protocol, it's bit like a revisit of your greatest traumas... Are you feeling okay?"

His question comes out hesitant, and I just shrug in reply. "I suppose. I feel better than I did two days ago. It's... hard to move on. Er-well, I guess, it's hard not to get pulled back into the cycle of not moving on, but I'm feeling a bit better. 'M gonna talk to Maxine about... some of it, like you suggested."

"And how do you feel from the... you know?"

"The nanites?"

There's a beat of silence. "Yeah."

"Honestly, like shit. Stupid things made sleeping impossible because of how much I ached. Doesn't seem to be messing with my performance though, so that's good, and it's obviously not hurting me because no ghouls have randomly shown up. I'm more worried about Nicole stealing that file of Pro. Feive."

He hums. "I don't know why she'd steal it, but we can't really ask her since she's very good at disappearing when you need to find her. She's already read the file. What more could she want? Not like she can tell her base much about it. That file only talks about Feive's failures."

"I don't know," I say with pinched lips. "Nicole wanted to report this back to the A.M.T.B., but I don't think she ever got the chance. I mean, there's not much she can report, and at the moment it's not like she has much proof to send in. Plus America's mostly worried about distributing the cure and making sure no V-Types manage to get there."

"Right. I suppose we've got other things to worry about right now too. Like you. Feeling okay still? No Moonchild echoing around in that pretty little head of yours?"

I laugh. "No, she's gone. Er, well, along for the ride, I guess. Haven't heard from her in a good minute. Maybe she's like, hibernating? Dormant? I don't know. If something triggers her, it'll probably be easy to spot."

Sam clears his throat, although he doesn't sound super thrilled about the fact that Moonchild could show up. "Yeah. Yeah. Uh, the farm-yeah. Amelia found it for us, actually, which is uncharacteristically nice of her. Maybe she's feeling competitive with Valmont. Obviously, I saw the presents he sent you, Five. Amazing! Heart's desire type stuff."

I grab my backpack strap. The clothing Valmont sent was nice, although I didn't exactly think it was necessary. He sent them as a way to say sorry, although I don't really think he had anything to be sorry for, besides giving A.N.N.I.E. access to the Glass Protocol ages ago. But he had no idea his AI was a nut case.

"Did you know he sent Janine Field Marshall Montgomery's actual desk to say sorry for rogue A.N.N.I.E.?" He continues with a laugh. "She can't fit it in her office, so it's sitting in the greenhouse now. A-Anyway, sorry. Yeah. Mission. Fungus farm. Comansys grew mushrooms there for medical research. As the Edda's still under a pile of molten rock and we don't know where to find that neutralizer Jones needs, we need something else to fight the V-Types, at least for now."

I nod, my eyes on the building. "Makes sense, and Veronica did say she thought it might be a fungal infection-the zombie virus."

"Correct! So we hope the farm as a really good fungicide. Uh, the door into the facility is that green one. Should be able to open it without a lockpick."

"Well, if not, I brought my handy-dandy one just in case... I think. Or was it in my other back-" I cut myself off when I grab the door handle and open the door. "Oh. Guess you were right."

I take a single step in and-

"Five, I never like to interrupt," Moonchild says, appearing beside me, and my eyes widen in shock. She doesn't notice. "I'm a very peaceful person, but-"