Stoke is Full of Mutants

The Last Train to Stafford

There was a slight scent of cinnamon wafting through the room. The walls were eggshell white, as were the floor and ceiling. Apolo sat up in bed and looked around them. Craig and Steve were also in beds, but were sleeping. Rubo was lying dormant in the corner. Apolo looked down at their stomach and saw a fresh bandage, they felt a pain there. The pain was acute but manageable. Apolo felt at their face and sensed a fresh bandage around their eyes. Panic surged throughout Apolo, how did they get there? They had seemed to be seconds from death at the hospital. The creature that attacked them did not look the type to nurse its victims back to health.

Steve was the next to wake up. He groaned and reached for his head, though the headache was quickly forgotten as Steve looked around to take in their new surroundings. Apolo had no answers for Steve. He climbed out of the bed, which had bed sheets that were unnaturally white and cushions that were sterile and clean. Nothing like the bed existed in the Ark, and from what he had seen the hospital they had been investigated had been covered with years of dust and grime. This room was like nothing he had seen before. He shook Craig awake, who was equally confused by the room. None of them could fathom how or why they had found themselves in such an alien environment.

All eyes turned to the door as it opened, though Apolo's eyes were covered by a bandage - no one knew how they could see, and nobody had been curious enough to ask. In walked a beautiful but severe looking young woman, though she did not greet the party and instead simply turned and held the door open for someone else. The party watched as a man entered, he was dressed a white lab coat, had a bandana on his head, glasses and also wore a long beard. The woman reached for a folding chair that had been resting unnoticed against the wall nearby and set the chair up so that the man could sit down. The woman spoke, telling the stunned party that "This is Professor K. -REDACTED-, he will answer all your questions." Apolo asked the first question, "Your name is Professor redacted?"

"It's actually Professor -REDACTED-; note the hyphens. But you can call me K if you wish" said the professor. Steve asked "Why is your name -REDACTED-?" The professor looked at Steve with a puzzled expression, "Well my father was Mr -REDACTED-, and I was granted professorship status several years after completing my doctoral thesis, which incidentally was entitled 'How to Irritate and Confuse Idiots In 30 Seconds Or Less'. But I am a busy man, so if you have no more questions then I'll leav..." Craig interrupted the professor and burst out a series of questions, "Wait! Who are you? How did we get here? What attacked us? Why are we here? When can we leave we need to get back to save the Ark!"

The professor turned to face Craig and began to answer his questions, "Well, as I have said a number of times now. My name is Professor K. -REDACTED-, I have a doctoral thesis entit..." Apolo erupted at the professor, "YOU HAVE SAID ALL THIS! What ark are you from? Why did you put us here? What's going on!?" The professor processed the barrage of questions that Craig and now Apolo had peppered him with. He shuffled in his seat and then told them, "I work for EDEN Industries - my ark, if you will - and my job is to help further the human race by... keeping an eye on various... arks and observing their progress. I have watched your Ark with great interest and, well, seeing you about to be killed by that abomination when you were so close to saving your people.... Well I could not accept that scenario, and so I saved your lives. I... neutralised the creature, which incidentally was a creation of the sentry bot you had encountered. I'm surprised that such a primitive machine was able to create life, but... I receive many surprises in this job. I commandeered this room for your convalescence, and you are free to return to your Ark as soon as you feel able... the door is not locked."

The professor stood up as his assistant opened the door. He clicked a button on a remote he was holding and Rubo began to whir into life. The professor then sprinted out of the room, with his assistant keeping pace behind him. Apolo attempted to give chase but could not see which way they had gone to from the corridor outside and soon returned to join the others, who were examining Rubo. They were relieved to find that the vaccines were still stored securely inside Rubo's cement mixer. The giant robot seemed embarrassed and worried that they were unable to explain what had happened or why they had powered off. Craig questioned Rubo about Eden, though the robot seemed genuinely devoid of any information on the topic. All four party members were confused, but, knowing there was no time to waste, they soon gathered themselves and hurried out of the hospital.