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Once there no longer seem to be any briar beasts around, Marina plucks a nearby mintshroom and crushes it under Cleve’s nose, jolting him to full alertness. “Thanks, doc,” he says, as she helps him sit up. She does a quick inspection to confirm that he didn’t suffer a concussion. “What about you?” he asks.
“Just some bruises from being slapped around by the vines,” she assures him.
“I didn’t think I’d ever learn the literal meaning of bushwhacked,” he says wryly as he climbs to his feet. Marina cannot help but chuckle. “But we’re alive for now!” he adds positively. Bella flutters up to him to make her delivery, and he reloads his rifle.
Marina glances around nervously. “Let me assure you that this is not typical here in the Garden of Chiron. I knew there were briar beasts as part of her facility. But they shouldn’t be roaming around the park attacking random people!” she tells Cleve.
“That seems like a problem,” Cleve agrees.
“Yes. Something’s wrong. Very wrong,” Marina says. “But fortunately, it doesn’t look like there are any others out here—” Cleve points his flashlight around and settles it on a trail of vines separate from the recent scuffle. “Now,” Marina amends. Bits and pieces of broken-off briars indicate that several other briar beasts have traveled through the area recently. “So I guess they really are roaming,” Marina says grimly.
“Just two attacked us, right?” Cleve asks, not sure if he missed anything after getting knocked down. “There’s two in total?”
“Two attacked us,” Marina agrees. “But I don’t know how many there are overall.”
“Ugh! What is wrong with this lady?! She has a whole forest of them roaming around the city?”
Marina mulls over the situation. “It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing Mariah would do willingly, not on purpose,” she says quietly, thinking aloud.
Cleve raises an eyebrow at her. “Mariah?” Up until now, she’s been saying that reckless scientist is the one running these creatures.
“Dr. Gupta could be doing things to him that have unintended side effects, like using him as a conduit. Mariah’s demonstrated that he can interact with Chiron wildlife. Whatever she’s doing to him could be resonating through the area and upsetting the briar beasts.”
“There are just briar beasts here? Just loose?” Cleve is appalled. It’s like if back on Earth a town just happened to have wolves in the main square.
“They live on this planet too, Cleve,” Marina shoots back.
“But they attack people!” He gestures back and forth between the two of them, bruised and scraped as they are.
“Only when they’re agitated or hungry,” Marina replies defensively. “Look, we just need to get to the lab and save Mariah. If my hypothesis is right, and that’s what’s happening, that’s how we stop this.”
“Briar beasts are normal? They just…?” Cleve mutters, shaking his head in disbelief. Then he bursts out, “Should’ve had my rifle this whole time!”
“They aren’t normally roaming the streets like wild animals! They’re normally here, trained at this lab. This is more evidence that Mariah’s probably inside. And who knows what is happening to him!”
Cleve waves off Marina’s renewed arguments. The most important thing she’s said is that Mariah is probably inside that building up ahead with unlocked doors. Cleve’s not in great shape, and he knows it, but this is a time-sensitive mission, so he readies his rifle and starts crossing the park toward what looks like a small single-floor house.
As they near the lab, there’s another minor squabble, this time over who should go first. Marina saw the burnt briar beast enter the building, and indeed, pieces of scorched vine litter the entrance. As far as she knows, it hasn’t left yet. With Cleve more heavily injured than she is, she says she will take the lead. Cleve considers himself more expendable, though. If anything happens to him, Marina’s got a better shot at finding someone to come help. “I’m your doctor, and I’m going first!” Marina insists.
“Fine,” Cleve says. He doesn’t care who’s in charge, and he doesn’t want them wasting any more time. There could be a briar beast pummeling Mariah right now!
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