The Director finished what she was doing a short while later and, exhaustingly, got up from her seat to envelop me in a friendly hug. I could tell the poor woman was past the point of exhaustion and was well into some new kind of delirium. I’ve never seen her like this before, even when she was waiting for me to finish making Toby.

  “Woah, I think you need some rest, Abigail,” I said, easing her into the couch beside me. “Or at least get something in your system besides coffee. The kids will be heartbroken if they saw you like that.”

  “I wish I could, Will,” she sighed, “But hopefully you can help now that you’re here. And you don’t have to worry about Alice and Toby. I’ve sent them away from the hospital, for the time being. They’re staying at Bob’s place with Molly. It’s the only facility that’s secure enough to house them. I believe you’re acquainted with the man?”

  “Uh, yeah,” I said, “We’re old friends.”

  Abigail nodded slowly. I wasn’t sure how much she knew about my background, but it was clear that she knew more than what I initially let on; still, she didn’t appear to resent my little secrets. I was glad of that, I liked the Director, and I didn’t want to sour our relationship with all of that extra baggage. I’ll have to sit down with her one of these days and try to explain the entire situation. But clearly, today was not the time.

  “Anyway, the situation’s bad, Will. It’s… never mind, I’ll explain it all in a bit. Do you want something to drink? Eat?”

  I shook my head. “I’m fine, thank you.”

  Speaking of drinks, I remembered Greta’s gift from earlier, I took out my own flask of her home brew and poured some for Abigail instead. It was still piping hot. Now, I know I just said she should probably drink something other than coffee, but the poor woman needed all the extra juice she could get.

  She took the offered drink and savored it. “Gods this is wonderful. Best brew I've had, did you get it from that village you took the kids to?”

  I nodded and refilled her glass.

  She took another long sip. “Thank you for doing so much for taking them out, by the way, even when I know you’re busy. I’ve never had the chance to properly thank you, Will, so, well, thanks.”

  I chuckled. “It’s hardly a chore, Abigail. The two helped me more than you can imagine as well.”

  She gave me the first carefree smile since I saw her. “In that case, I should have asked you to get me some of this coffee as well!”

  I laughed harder and poured some for myself. “It is good, but what’s going on, Abigail? You seem haggard. Just let me know what I can do to help.”

  The Director nodded toward Molly, and the doll vanished from sight. A moment later, a new form started to congeal within the office space, feeding off the ambient energies of this material plane. The form eventually coagulated into an all too familiar, chubby figure, although his usual Hawaiian shirt was replaced with a much more formal suit. It appears that my friend’s visit wasn’t for pleasure either.

  “Oh, that is weird,” Big Bob said with a frown, “I don’t think I can ever get used to coming here like that.”

  Another individual appeared next to Bob but with none of the apparent distress of my friend. Molly - in her full, complete form - simply walked into the room from a particularly dark shadow and gave my old pal a friendly pat on the arm.

  “We’ll get your portal set up soon,” she assured, “But that’s a discussion for another day.” She turned to Abigail and I. “Good evening, Director, doctor.”

  The Director got up from her seat and shook the hands of the other two. It was kind of weird seeing her so formal towards Molly, since, well, the doll's always here. “Thank you for coming on such short notice, Master Babylon and Mol-” She faked a cough, catching her mistake. “I mean, Lady Malice.”

  I swore I saw Molly smirk then, but before I could blink her expression was back to her normal indifference. Even Big Bob didn’t seem like he’d say anything out of place today, so whatever this meeting’s about, it must be important. I wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, but from the formal atmosphere here, I got up as well and shook the hands of my two friends.

  Abigail gestured for the two newcomers to sit on the opposite couch and straightened her posture. “I apologize for the mess, but now that we are all here, I think it best to tackle the problem at hand. First, I think it best if we fill Dr. Walter in on the situation first.” She paused. “No, I think it’s best to explain the entire situation from scratch so that everyone present is on the same page. Please feel free to add anything that I might have missed,” she turned to Bob. “I know you have more insight on the Central Collective than I do, Master Babylon.”

  My friend nodded and indicated that Abigail should continue.

  “I’m sure everyone already knows about the situation here,” The Director began, “But it bears repeating in any case. The Invaders, or the Central Collective as I now know them, have been manipulating and exploiting my home’s resources and infrastructure since before I can remember. They send batches of patients that try the hospital’s capacity, taxing both our staff and our resources.”

  I nodded, as did Big Bob. Molly must have clued him in on the finer details of this.

  “However,” Abigail continued, “That is only the surface level of the corruption that the Central Collective has brought upon us. It is an open secret that many of the investors and stakeholders are on the side of these vile invaders, and that is the crux of the problem today.”

  I think I heard about these unsavory individuals in charge of Hope's Memorial when Abigail was ranting earlier, but I wasn’t sure where they fit together in the grand scheme of things. They sounded important if they could boss around a literal god, though.

  The Director sighed and took another swig of her drink. “They were content to leave us alone before - what with us being but one small hospital out of many - thus Hope’s Memorial got by easily enough, even though they were never too pleased with me running the show here. All of that’s changed, however.”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “How so?” I asked.

  “The bastards have always known that Alice is our only chance of fighting back, but they have allowed her to remain dormant here because they thought, naively so, that she would never grow into a legitimate treat.” Abigail sighed and gave me a warm, affectionate look. “I would have never thought it too, truth be told, but Dr. Walter made the impossible possible, and my daughter’s growing faster than anyone had anticipated.”

  I blushed at the compliment, ignoring the grin on Big Bob’s face upon seeing me like this.

  “Give her a few centuries, no, even a few decades, and I can imagine a world where all of this will change under her care.” The Director’s face darkened again. “But the traitors who sold their souls to the Central Collective have noticed this change. They are not blind.”

  Big Bob took over from there. “Or more accurately speaking, the Origin Matrix and the Overseer have noticed the change. The only saving grace is that they don't understand how she had managed to grow so much. They don't suspect our doctor here.”

  I nodded, but then another thought hit me. “Wait, if they're after Alice, then will they be fine away from here? Are the kids safe?” I asked. The last thing I wanted was for two children to be tangled up with all this crap.

  Molly raised a comforting hand. “They are safe, that I can personally guarantee.”

  Bob grinned. “I got a whole building decked out for our two little godlings. They’re playing with that lizard Mol- er, Lady Malice brought back right now, and my facility’s built to withstand my own experimentations, so there’s no fear or any mishaps there. Between Xalla’s friends watching the place and my own security, nothing short of a battalion of Xollons will breach the compound.”

  Molly smiled and gently squeezed my chubby friend’s arm. “The kids are treating this as a nice vacation, a little reward for helping out at the hospital. You can be at ease on that front, Walter. They will be fine, maybe a little too fine given their new environment, and you know that I will be there to ensure their safety as well." She gave Abigail a wry smile. "Good luck calming them down when they get back.”

  “That’s a chore I’ll gladly welcome,” the Director added with a tired sigh. “But I must thank you again, Lord Babylon. You don’t know how much it means for me to have them somewhere safe. You’ve already done so much for my hospital.”

  Big Bob laughed. “It’s not a problem at all, I’m glad to help Lady Malice’s family.”

  “I’ll make sure that he knows how much we appreciate it,” Molly added with a wink. “Thoroughly.”

  I had to stifle a grimace seeing the two flirt. I could never get used to it, nor could I keep some of the more disturbing images out of my head… let’s just be happy that both of my friends are happy and call it a day.

  “Anyway,” The Director interrupted, “This brings us to the root of the problem. Due to Dr. Walter’s stunt when he was last here, I am being called to a formal meeting with the investors to explain why several hundred patients were able to escape our care.”

  “Ah… that’s my fault,” I grumbled.

  Abigail shook her head. “Hardly. You had to do what you had to do back then, and it was because of your actions that we were able to make so much progress against Central. Plus, this is just an excuse they’re using to tie me up with bureaucracy. Those slimeballs would have come up with something else had you not done that.”

  I nodded slowly. “And why are they forcing you to attend that meeting?”

  Big Bob slowly raised his posture and answered. “Because there will be another Trial scheduled for this Hospital among another group of Aspirants. My informants tell me with absolute certainty that a siege mission is to take place here that coincides with the Director’s absence, and it’s one that will involve a very large number of advanced Aspirants.”

  Abigail’s expression hardened and I saw the mug she was holding shake along with her rage. “Those fuc- those people know that they can’t touch Hope’s Memorial when I’m here-”

  “Hence the meeting,” I finished with a frown. “How long are you gone for?”

  “It’ll take me a day to get there, another day back, and the thing’s scheduled for 5 days total. Regulations state that I can’t leave the meeting early without risking my position as Director, so there’s a week where I’m forced away from here.”

  “By why even assault Hope’s Memorial?” I asked, “What’s the point of trying to destroy one tiny hospital? Er, no offense, Abigail.”

  Molly shook her head. “I’d imagine it is to try to destabilize Alice. The girl grew up here, and having her home destroyed could very well undo all of the progress we’ve made so far. All of her memories of growing up are within these walls.” Molly sighed and shook her head. “I’d imagine they would hope to kill the child as well, but I imagine that the Central Collective understands how difficult of a task that would be.”

  “So to summarize,” I muttered, “They’re going to keep the Director away from here so they can launch a full assault on Hope’s Memorial using an army of Aspirants.”

  “Ones that have completed more than five Trials,” Big Bob added, “Last I’ve heard, but probably nothing too powerful; there are still regulations about who they can send to here, thankfully.”

  “...An army of stronger Aspirants,” I continued, “And the only people who are tasked to guard this place are the few guards and the medical staff. What about the rules? Do they still apply?”

  Abigail shook her head. “They might hinder the intruders initially, but without me here, the Laws of the Hospital will weaken. I wouldn’t be surprised if they fail entirely within a day or two of my absence.” She turned to me. “Which is why I need your help, Dr. Walter. The staff here won’t be able to handle the assault alone. They need someone to lead them while I’m gone. I know it’s a lot to ask, especially after everything you’ve already done, but…”

  I gave her my patented smile and a gentle pat on the shoulder. “As if you have to ask. I’ll keep the hospital safe while you’re away, Abigail, that I promise you.”

  “Thank you… I’ll announce your new position to the staff after this.”

  New position? Eh, I’ll worry about that later, but there was one more thing that I was curious about.

  “Say, Babylon,” I inquired.

  “Hm?”

  “There will be a time limit for the Trial, right?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, it’s set to end in seven days. Exactly the time when the Director’s away.”

  “And they’re doing that so that they’ll all be gone before Abigail can come back to ruin their day, yeah?”

  Both of my friends nodded at the same time.

  “So, what if the Director was able to come back a bit earlier? By, say, a day?”

  Abigail sighed. “That’s not possible, Walter. The distance between the meeting place and Hope’s Memorial can’t be shortened, even with the best technology available.”

  “And before you ask,” Molly added, “It’s in the same plane as the hospital, so I cannot assist her either. There are no shortcuts, or at least none that we can implement on such short notice.”

  I smiled and produced one of the tokens I had Noe craft earlier. The three of them looked at the thing with curious expressions. Before long, Bob couldn’t help himself and snatched the thing out of my hands, turning it over and over in his hands as if he were lost in his own little world for a moment.

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