and anyway I'm coming around to time travel stories that don't necessarily try so hard to make it make sense; the ones that branch out and loop around and rip time apart while the protagonist still perceive time as well do, that is, linearly and going forward. because whatever it is we call time can be all kinds of incomprehensibly fucked up but our brain will still try to make sense of what we perceive as we usually do, linearly and going forward.
Though the news of their return wasn’t as well-broadcasted as the news of their botnapping, it was made known to the general public that Time man and Oil man had returned to Light Labs under mysterious circumstances. It seemed that nobody would get to know the scale of Wily’s blundering today.
One of the people who were made aware of this was Fretta, who was currently tending to her comatose sister. By this point, the chances of her waking up looked pretty slim, and if she didn’t get her sister help soon, then Zoose’s magic would have only delayed the worst.
She was so focused on tending to Gale’s needs that she almost didn’t notice what was playing on the news in the background. In fact, if it weren’t for Compan, she wouldn’t have registered what was being said. it was only meant to be background noise, after all.
“Uh, Fretta, you might want to listen to the news.” Compan advised, turning up the volume. Casting a quick glance over, Fretta saw an anchorwoman speaking, with a picture of Time man and Oil man in front of Light Labs.
“..while Mega City police have no leads on how these two returned home, I am sure I speak for all of us when I say that we are simply glad these two are no longer under Wily’s control and can go back to working at the Institute.” The anchor then continued on with the next news story.
Fretta immediately understood what Compan was getting at. “Oh! So you think I could get Time man to help me with Gale? That’s an excellent idea! I’ll go call the Institute right away- can you turn the TV off?” Click. “Thanks.”
Pulling out her cellphone, she dialed the Institute’s number.
“Hello, you’ve reached the Institute. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. Can I help you?” A woman’s voice sounded from the other end. She must be a receptionist of some sort.
“Uh, yes, this is Fretta Fermatta. I don’t have an emergency exactly, but I do urgently need to speak to Time man.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No, ma’am, but my sister is in a coma and is missing half her brain so I really need to talk to Time man.”
There was a pause before she replied, “I’ll tell him to call you back, but whether or not he responds is up to him.” The woman then hung up.
Fretta groaned- Time man had always been a bit distant- would he even call back? After a good twenty minutes of her pacing the room had passed, she was beginning to think he wouldn’t when suddenly her phone rang. Swiftly pulling it out of her pocket, she answered the call, holding the device up to her ear.
“Hello? Fretta Fermatta here.”
“Hello Fretta. I was made aware of your call earlier.” Yes, it was Time man! Fretta felt herself being flooded with relief. “I know you you said it’s not an emergency but I’m bringing over an ambulance anyways. It will be here in a few minutes to pick up you and your sister. I will be waiting in the entrance to the ER section. I expect you to be punctual.” Once again, another sudden hang up, but that was okay. Her sister was going to be getting help. Everything would be alright.. hopefully.
When the ambulance arrived, it didn’t arrive with wailing sirens, but rather with a knock at the door. When Fretta went to answer it, there were three men waiting, all in their Institute uniforms. Two of them were holding a stretcher.
“You’re Fretta, right? We’re here to transport your sister.”
“Yes, that’s me. She’s right over there.” Fretta pointed to her sister and the man peered around the door to look. “Oh, and uh, please come in.” Realizing her minor social faux pass she quickly opened the door, and the three men stepped inside. Fretta noticed that they made sure to wipe their feet before entering- how polite.
She then watched as Gale was loaded into a stretcher. Despite her gruesome appearance, the men didn’t comment on it and remained professional the entire time, which she was thankful for.
The ambulance ride was largely uneventful, save for one of the men asking her various questions about Gale and her condition. Fretta answered each one, and before long they arrived at the Institute.
Stepping out of the ambulance, she watched as the men wheeled Gale inside, and she followed closely behind them. Upon entering, she saw Time man sitting patiently in the waiting room. he stood up when she approached, and held out his hand, which she shook.
“Good, you’re on time. We’ll have to discuss the details of your sister’s condition. While the nurses get Gale in a stable setup, let’s discuss. Come, I’ll take you to my office.”
The next hour was spent with Fretta and Time planning out the procedure. Since this would involve both surgery and prosthetics, Time couldn’t do this one his own and would need Fretta’s expertise. This was something that she was quite happy to provide.
After planning out the prosthetics, Time explained the plan.
“Okay, so the best way to go about this would be to get her into a stable condition, which we’re doing now. We’ll have the artificial section of her head be permanently attached. I mean, we can still remove it if maintenance or surgery is needed in the future, but it can’t be casually removed because it will be in charge of some rather important bodily functions.”
Fretta nodded to make sure he knew she was listening, and he continued.
“Now, due to the nature of the alloys and materials used to create realistic bodies such as the one I have, it’s highly likely that Gale’s body will reject them, so we’ll need to acquire different metals. They’ll be harder to shape, but they’ll be more sturdy, lightweight and resistant to wear and tear. However, despite this, I suggest that when you build these parts for her you allow for a means of customization. It’s not necessary for her physical health, but it’s been shown to be a considerable benefit to a patient’s mental health, and as her sister I’m sure you want that.”
“Of course. This is probably going to be really hard for her. I want her to be as happy as she can be.”
Time nodded. “Now, the artificial brain and everything connected to it is the only thing we need quickly. I understand that this is a massive undertaking and I will get you as much help as I can. Perhaps even Dr. Light could assist you.” He didn’t seem to notice the slight twitch Fretta’s face made as he said this. “While you make the rest of the prosthetics with the team I assign you, Gale will be undergoing psychiatric evaluation and physical therapy, and then further physical therapy once the prosthetics are in place.”
Fretta butted in here, “Just... one question. Will I be able to quality for some kind of assistance for paying this off? I’m... Well, my own line of work hasn’t been entirely successful lately, so I’m starting to run out of funds as it is and I won’t be able to afford all of it.”
“Well, there is one thing you could do. We’re a bit lacking in the roboticist department since most people in the field would rather work independently. If you agree to a partnership with us then I would waive the fee entirely.”
Fretta nodded earnestly. “I think that would be a huge benefit to both of us. I would like to get a contract though.”
“Of course, of course. I’ll go over all the details with you when the time comes. Now, let’s go check in on Gale’s progress, there’s some data we’ll need in order to continue.”
