The Best Detectives in the World

Chapter 2: THE NEIL WATTS?!?

"Wait, wait wait wait wait wait," said Dr. Williams, following his partner into the building. "Our patient is the NEIL WATTS?!"

"Yes, for the thousandth time, he is. Quit your fanboying, don't you want to look like a 'highly trained professional'?"

"Ok, ok I'm cool," said Dr. Williams, clearly not cool. "It's just, I know you've told me before, 'Manda, but, I mean, come on. What could THE Neil Watts possibly want us to fix in his life?"

"Well, when we get there I'll look at the paperwork, and then I'll tell you."

"Fiiiiiine."

Together they went up to the main desk. The clerk didn't question why they were here, she just asked which room number it was. The white lab coats were a common occurrence, and everyone knew what they meant.

Some of the people in the lobby gave small smiles, knowing that someone was going to be made happy today. Others gave solemn frowns, seeing death as two technicians in lab coats.

Nevertheless, the pair took a keycard from the clerk and made their way to the elevator, eventually reaching the right floor, then the right room.

"What do you think he'll be like?" Asked Dr. Williams. "Maybe suave? Charming? Intelligent?"

"Guess we'll find out soon," said Dr. Bayer, swiping the keycard.

For a world-renowned scientist, the apartment was surprisingly messy. There were empty Chinese food boxes and pill bottles on the table, Pokemon cards on the ground, and one, droopy flower on the windowsill.

"Wow," said Dr. Bayer. "This is, um-"

"INCREDIBLE!" Shouted Dr. Williams. "I can't believe he loves Pokemon! I mean, management yelled at me when I left an Ekans in my cubicle. Wait till they get a load of this!"

"Jack. You're drooling."

"What? No, I'm not," Dr. Williams said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "Anyways, where's Neil?"

"First off all, you're not on a first name basis yet. Second, he should be in the bedroom. There should also be a medical doctor here, too."

As if on cue, they heard a small crash coming from down the hall. Peering in, the technicians saw the patient, prepped for the procedure, and the doctor, looking at an overturned medical tray.

"Is everything ok, Doc?"

"No," he said. "It's just this shoddy equipment. I mean, I know this guy's a big SigCorp scientist, I do, so why did the team send me out here with this garbage? That's the real question."

He sighed, bending over to pick up the equipment. "Sorry, sorry, I know you're here to do your job. Don't let me stop you from setting up the thing with the thing."

The technicians stared at each other.

"Ok," said Dr. Williams. "I'll set up the machine, you find the paperwork, sound good?"

"Okie dokie. Um, excuse me? Sir? Have you seen the paperwork anywhere?"

The doctor looked up. "Oh, right. You guys need that stuff. It's on the kitchen table."

As Dr. Bayer left to grab the file, Dr. Williams set the machine on the ground and pressed a big, red button. Immediately, the machine transformed from a briefcase into the three-foot, backbreaking monstrosity of a Sigmund Corp memory machine.

"Hey," said the doctor. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"How does it feel? You know, when you...?"

Dr. Williams looked at the patient. As much as he admired Neil Watts, and he admired him A LOT, he couldn't help but feel sad. The patient was lying in bed attached to a heart monitor, knocked out under the influence of drugs designed for the procedure. Only the sound of a steady heartbeat monitor broke the silence.

"It feels...confusing." He said at last. "On the one hand, you're giving them everything they've ever wanted. But on the other, you know they're dying. Not as in 'we're all going to die someday,' but, actual death. And it's sad. For us, for the families who might be there while we work. But, I like to think that it's worth it. Don't you agree?"

The doctor nodded as Dr. Bayer stormed in with the file.

"So according to this," she said, fuming, "he wrote down 'send in a pair of technicians, and I'll tell them in person. Well, in person in memory.' Can you believe that? He's sending us in blind — on purpose."

"Cool!"

"Not cool! I know the company lets things slide for celebrities, but seriously?!"

"Welp." Dr. Williams grabbed one of the machine's helmets. "Only one way to help him now."

Attaching the helmet to Neil Watts, the technicians proceeded to put helmets on themselves.

"Remember," said the doctor. "You need to finish before he dies. You have the remote health status device, right?"

"Yep." Dr. Williams responded, lifting his helmet off of his head. "They're attached to the system now. Definitely makes life easier for us. Maybe not the patients, cause, you know, they're dying and everything, but-"

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Stop talking."

"Jeez, ok. I thought you liked my jokes."

Taking a seat, he put his helmet back on and activated the machine, diving into the memories of Neil Watts.