Crystal of the Dead

Chapter 19: Finally Some Answers

Author: C.T.J.

Cris and Cath now looked at each other with worry, Lore did not mention that she was not alone. Was this another trap? From the canape-like space climbed down two figures. The first one resembled an old man with no hair on his partially decaying scalp, his right arm was replaced with a metal arm. He was wearing a lab coat and a pair of safety goggles. The other figure was much smaller, about the height of a ten-year-old child, they were wearing what looked like a nightgown their light hair braided into two thin braids. Both of them were wearing the same masks as Lore. 

"Oh, you're back already?" asked the old man with a shaky voice while he waddled his way to them. "Welcome, welcome! It's been a while since we had visitors," he stretched out his metal hand for Cris and Cath to shake. 

Confused by the surprisingly welcoming approach of this neurodroid both of them shook his hand. "H-hello, I'm Cris, this is Cath, what is your name?" 

"I'm Doctor Otto and this is Harper," the old man pointed at the child who was shyly hiding behind his coat. 

"Forgive them they're timid," said Lore, "Come on Harper, aren't you going to say hi to our guests?" The child waved. "And are you gonna say hi to mama?" the child then quickly walked towards Lore, hugging her.

Mama?... Are they a family? Cris thought to himself. Were they a family before they died or did they become a family afterward? This is fascinating... 

"Please sit down," the old man gestured to the table. Cris and Cath sat on one of the couches, still confused by the neurodroid's kindness. The three neurodroids sat down opposite them.

"Doctor, our friends told me that they need help with fixing their friend so that they would guide them to their destination, do you think that you could help?" Asked Lore.

"While of course! I'd be more than happy to. Now, where is this friend of yours?"

"Um, here," Cath took out the head of the dead man from her bag and placed it on the table. Now that the neurodroids could see the head under the bright light of their room, they all went silent.

"Liem..." said the doctor under his breath...

"Yes, his name is Liem," nodded Cris.

"Well, his human name is Liem, his robot name is Scrapper, and before we knew his name we called him Mr. Head... He has a lot of names," added Cath.

Lore gently put her hands on the head's face, "love... what did they do to you?" she started crying.

The doctor put his hand on Lore's back, "don't worry, it'll be ok. We'll wake him up."

Cris looked at Cath with a look of concern, since she was the one who decapitated this neurodroid, on the other hand, he did attack her, and how was she supposed to know that his family was still semi-alive?

The doctor turned to them, "Thank you for bringing him to us. Liem left a couple of months ago and since then we had no intel about where he went or what happened to him."

"Oh, um you're welcome? Honestly, we didn't even know he had any... remaining relations," ... That might've been offensive, thought Cris. "Why did he leave? Why are you guys hiding in the walls like this?"

Lore looked up at Cris, "Because the Master came back. You know that."

"No actually, I did not."

"Yeah, we have no clue what's going on here. We know that there's someone called the Master and he controls the neurodroids, but we have no clue what he wants from us or who he even is," said Cath.