>We Have Questions
Maggie proved to be a good friend, but she was also one big maggot...or some weird, symbolic facsimile of such? "Magdolene" shimmers and ripples with millions of wriggling, seething little larvae, and you have to admit you're having a lot of difficulty looking directly at her.
That hug felt like getting a massage from lukewarm tapioca pudding.
That hug felt like getting a massage from lukewarm tapioca pudding.
FERN:
So wait a minute here, what do you mean you're Hospital Staff thanks to me?
So wait a minute here, what do you mean you're Hospital Staff thanks to me?
MAGDOLENE:
The memories are still clickin' back inta' place, but apparently yer lookin' at the surgical ward's core conceptual manifestoid of Biodebridement Therapy, apparently lucky enough to work right under Doctor Circula Tori, if ya don't mind me swoonin' a moment!
Swoon!!!
Okay.
The memories are still clickin' back inta' place, but apparently yer lookin' at the surgical ward's core conceptual manifestoid of Biodebridement Therapy, apparently lucky enough to work right under Doctor Circula Tori, if ya don't mind me swoonin' a moment!
Swoon!!!
Okay.
FERN:
I'm not real up to speed on my medical terminology. What therapy?
I'm not real up to speed on my medical terminology. What therapy?
MAGDOLENE:
Bio-debridement! The gentle way to scrub a patient of any biomass what's gone too sour to salvage! You'll be happy to know I gave ya a quick taste and ya ain't got hide nor hair of necrotic tissue, but if you ever do...a cleanin's on me, hon!
Bio-debridement! The gentle way to scrub a patient of any biomass what's gone too sour to salvage! You'll be happy to know I gave ya a quick taste and ya ain't got hide nor hair of necrotic tissue, but if you ever do...a cleanin's on me, hon!
FERN:
Ha. Haha. Th...thanks. That's great. Thanks.
...None of that explains how your job is my faul - er - my doing.
Ha. Haha. Th...thanks. That's great. Thanks.
...None of that explains how your job is my faul - er - my doing.
MAGDOLENE:
Oh! Right, right! WELL... I'm not so sure it's gonna make much sense to ya', no offense, but when ya helped Mother Maggie and her gal pals break their subzone out of the preservator's control, well, ya set her right on track to her algorithmic conclusion as the alpha conceptoid of myiasia. Center of everything maggotly! Wherever maggots and their convergent equivalents might manifest throughout existence, that's a little bitty piece a' Maggie at work, includin' yours truly! Reckon without your assistance, my very field a' medical work - and my very self, by extentiation - woulda poofed plumb outta realness! Retroactively-like!
Oh! Right, right! WELL... I'm not so sure it's gonna make much sense to ya', no offense, but when ya helped Mother Maggie and her gal pals break their subzone out of the preservator's control, well, ya set her right on track to her algorithmic conclusion as the alpha conceptoid of myiasia. Center of everything maggotly! Wherever maggots and their convergent equivalents might manifest throughout existence, that's a little bitty piece a' Maggie at work, includin' yours truly! Reckon without your assistance, my very field a' medical work - and my very self, by extentiation - woulda poofed plumb outta realness! Retroactively-like!
FERN:
Okay, I barely understood that...except that Maggie's become some kind of...maggot god?
Okay, I barely understood that...except that Maggie's become some kind of...maggot god?
MAGDOLENE:
Become one? Hmmmmmm, yes n' no. Existence is a tricky rascal. Ya could say ya helped her "become" what she now reprysents, but ya could also say that's always what she's been, and ya just stopped that from gettin' undone. Reckon her subzone weren't meant to end up on the chopping block to begin with. OH!
Become one? Hmmmmmm, yes n' no. Existence is a tricky rascal. Ya could say ya helped her "become" what she now reprysents, but ya could also say that's always what she's been, and ya just stopped that from gettin' undone. Reckon her subzone weren't meant to end up on the chopping block to begin with. OH!
FERN:
...Oh?
...Oh?
MAGDOLENE:
Got another memory back, there! Yeah, pretty sure we figgered out there was some kinda' clerical error. One little bitty typo by some paper-pusher wiped Maggie's protected status and nearly scrubbed her 'n her subzone back outta reality!
Got another memory back, there! Yeah, pretty sure we figgered out there was some kinda' clerical error. One little bitty typo by some paper-pusher wiped Maggie's protected status and nearly scrubbed her 'n her subzone back outta reality!
FERN:
...You sure that was just a mistake?
...You sure that was just a mistake?
MAGDOLENE:
Welllll, admittedlike, I reckon that there error mighta been nudged along by somebody who ain't none too keen on this here medical facility. Somebody or other maybe messin' around with ways to get us staff outta the picture.
Welllll, admittedlike, I reckon that there error mighta been nudged along by somebody who ain't none too keen on this here medical facility. Somebody or other maybe messin' around with ways to get us staff outta the picture.
FERN:
The Parliament?
The Parliament?
MAGDOLENE:
That's the varmints! That's one of the things I was gonna tell ya when I was rollin' 'round in that heap'a juicy biovessels...but I reckon y'know even more about them kooks than I do.
That's the varmints! That's one of the things I was gonna tell ya when I was rollin' 'round in that heap'a juicy biovessels...but I reckon y'know even more about them kooks than I do.
FERN:
I'm not sure. Most of the staff here don't seem to know anything. The Parliament's blocking that somehow, but, you seem fine, and so does Doctor Man. You uh, wouldn't happen to know much about him, would you?
I'm not sure. Most of the staff here don't seem to know anything. The Parliament's blocking that somehow, but, you seem fine, and so does Doctor Man. You uh, wouldn't happen to know much about him, would you?
MAGDOLENE:
Land O' Goshen! Doctor M's still got it together?! Good for him!
Land O' Goshen! Doctor M's still got it together?! Good for him!
FERN:
So he is really a doctor here? To be honest, I still couldn't be sure.
So he is really a doctor here? To be honest, I still couldn't be sure.
MAGDOLENE:
Oh...er... well... now ya mention it...
I 'spose I can't be all too sure of that neither. He is an outta-towner, and his integration into the Hospital ain't entirely stable. Always reckoned that may be because the hospital itself weren't too stable when he showed up, and I always reckoned that were just unfortunate co-inky-dink, or maybe he found himself a route here on accounta whatever's eatin' up this place, collapsin' zones and whatnot.
Which reminds me of the other not-good thing I was gonna tell ya.
Oh...er... well... now ya mention it...
I 'spose I can't be all too sure of that neither. He is an outta-towner, and his integration into the Hospital ain't entirely stable. Always reckoned that may be because the hospital itself weren't too stable when he showed up, and I always reckoned that were just unfortunate co-inky-dink, or maybe he found himself a route here on accounta whatever's eatin' up this place, collapsin' zones and whatnot.
Which reminds me of the other not-good thing I was gonna tell ya.
FERN:
Lay it on me.
Lay it on me.
MAGDOLENE:
Preeetty sure my head's only screwed on as right as it is - if I can say so myself, a'course - on accounta my office got ate up by this musty ol' deadzone before the Parliament did whatever it did to muddle up the other staff.
In which case...I reckon that might catch up with me if I were to set pseudopod back into the Hospital proper. I could get back to my job in the surgery wing workin' under sugarveins, don't tell 'er I call 'er that, and I reckon that might benefit the Hospital's overall stability, but on the other hand, I might end up just like the other higher-level staffers. A'blivious to the imminent threat and maybe even a direct threat to yourself.
I ain't ENTIRELY Maggie, but enough Maggie's in here that I ain't wanna hurt my friend.
Preeetty sure my head's only screwed on as right as it is - if I can say so myself, a'course - on accounta my office got ate up by this musty ol' deadzone before the Parliament did whatever it did to muddle up the other staff.
In which case...I reckon that might catch up with me if I were to set pseudopod back into the Hospital proper. I could get back to my job in the surgery wing workin' under sugarveins, don't tell 'er I call 'er that, and I reckon that might benefit the Hospital's overall stability, but on the other hand, I might end up just like the other higher-level staffers. A'blivious to the imminent threat and maybe even a direct threat to yourself.
I ain't ENTIRELY Maggie, but enough Maggie's in here that I ain't wanna hurt my friend.
