Professor Clodbottle's Assistant: Part Two

      Still, she thought, she was Professor Clodbottle's assistant after all. She shouldn't be so surprised at his invitation, but it still made her so excited to be here.

      They had just finished a wonderful meal, with a sugar petpetpet diorama for dessert, and Professor Milton Clodbottle cleared his throat, gathering the attention of everyone in the room.

      "My fellow petpetpetiologists, it is with great pleasure that I present to you my latest discovery, made with the help of my assistant, of course." He smiled and nodded towards Ray.

      "Now, what if I told you that it was possible to have a Mootix that was more productive at everything it does? It can even tend to the Habitarium flower itself!" A low murmur of interest rose from the crowd, and Professor Clodbottle smiled. "Well, I have discovered such a Mootix! Behold!"

      The Professor uncovered a diagram of the new three-antenna Mootix, as well as a Habitarium that contained them. Everyone immediately stood up, eager to get closer and see the petpetpets for themselves.

      "The published report will be available first thing tomorrow morning," the Professor was saying, "in case anyone is interested in seeing exactly how these Mootix are more productive."

      "When will these Mootix be made available to the public?" one Shadow Bruce asked.

      "We need to have a stable population in the Habitarium Laboratory first," Professor Clodbottle replied. "Once we do, they will be assigned to Habitariums randomly, much like normal Mootix are now."

      "Will the normal Mootix become obsolete? Or will you ensure that the normal-population remains intact?"

      "Variety is ideal in any Habitarium. Because this new gene is dominant, however, it would be easy for it to overtake the normal population. But my assistant and I will ensure that the two-tail antenna variety of Mootix does not become obsolete."

      More questions were asked, and Ray found that her smile became more and more tired as she fought the sleepiness that tugged at her. Finally, Professor Clodbottle announced that any further questions could be addressed to him via Neomail, and Ray started to help him gather up his things.

      But their path out was blocked by the Shadow Bruce. "Hello," he said. "I didn't get to introduce myself properly. My name is Professor Iresbuckle."

      "It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor," Clodbottle replied.

      "I was wondering if you perhaps wanted to collaborate your research with my own," Iresbuckle continued.

      "Currently, I do not need any more partners, so I must decline for now. If you would like to send me an example of your research, however, I can consider it more carefully," Professor Clodbottle said.

      "I hope you do consider it carefully," Professor Iresbuckle said. "It would be in your... best interest."

      And with that, the Shadow Bruce walked away. Professor Clodbottle watched him for a moment.

      "What a particularly sinister Bruce," he said to Ray. "Be sure to watch out for him. Come on, then. Let's get this back to the lab."

      They hauled the delicate Habitariums, diagrams, and petpetpets back to the laboratory, and Professor Clodbottle did one last check before deciding to ho home.

      "Just lock up when you leave, Ray," Clodbottle said, waving her goodbye. She waved back at him, yawning as she watered the Habitarium flowers in the control group; she hadn't had time before the convention.

      Finally she set the watering can down. She could barely keep her eyes open; the Habitarium laboratory was nice in dark, with only a few lights from the Habitariums on. Wearily, she sat down at her desk and leaned her head against it, falling promptly asleep.

      A loud crash woke her what felt like moments later; she jolted awake and heard someone cursing. She squinted through the darkness, and for a moment didn't see anything. Then she spotted a huddled shape. Someone else was in the lab.

      Her heart started pounding in her throat, and Ray resisted the urge to scream.

      Someone else was in the Habitarium Laboratory.

      She reached behind her, searching for anything she could use as a weapon. Her hand came in contact with the metal watering can; she gripped it, moving it slowly so that the little bit of water still inside wouldn't slosh around. Slowly, she inched towards the intruder.

      When she was a few feet away, her foot stepped on something sharp; involuntarily, she sucked in a breath, and the intruder jumped, hearing the sound and realizing that he or she was not alone. They started running towards the open window, and Ray whipped her hand back and then forward, catching them on the head with the can. It bounced off of their skull with a thud; the intruder stumbled for a moment, dazed, but then still managed to climb out of the window. Ray hobbled over to it, searching, but she couldn't see anyone.

      She reached the light switch and flipped it on. The petpetpets who had been sleeping blinked wearily, confused by the sudden change from dark to light. The Professor's chair was near her, and Ray slunk into it, lifting her foot to examine what was causing her pain.

      A sharp, thin slice of glass was lodged into her heel; wincing, she grabbed the end of it and pulled slightly. She searched the wound for any other stray bits of glass, but that appeared to be it. Somewhat awkwardly, she raised her leg so that her foot was underneath the sink and turned the faucet on, letting the water clean the wound.

      Blotting it out with paper-towels, she reached the first-aid kit and removed a large bandage and some ointment, wrapping her foot up before drinking a healing potion. Immediately, the sharp pain dulled, and Ray knew that her foot would be fine within a couple of days.

      She walked across the floor, searching for whatever had broken, and saw that several glass beakers where lying in scattered pieces. She carefully avoided them, not wanting to get another piece of glass stuck in her foot.

      She knew that she needed to alert both the Chia Police and the Professor that there had been a break-in in the lab, but the Weewoos that delivered Neomail where all asleep during the night. What could she do?

      Still limping slightly, she walked to the door and opened it, looking into the night. Brightvale castle wasn't terribly far away, and there would be guards on duty. Perhaps they could help her.

      She ran as quickly as she could through the brick streets of Brightvale, the castle almost upon her. Finally, she crossed the stone bridge.

      "Halt!" a Bori guard commanded her.

      She paused, looking at the guard pleadingly. "Sir, you have to help. There's been a break-in at the Habitarium Laboratory."

      The guard assessed her, taking in her bandaged foot, before turning to his companion. "Alert the captain." The other guard nodded and disappeared into a secret side door, and the Bori turned back to her and smiled. "Don't worry, Miss, we'll take care of it."

      "Oh, thank you!" Ray cried, relieved that they would help her. A small group of guards escorted her back to the Lab, while more went to retrieve the Professor from his home and to contact the Chia Police.

      The Professor arrived first, his hair wild and his monocle-device hanging loosely. "Oh Ray! Thank goodness you're alright. What happened? Why where you here so late?"

      "I fell asleep at my desk. I heard a crash and saw someone in the lab," Ray explained.

      "Who?"

      "I'm not sure," Ray admitted. "I didn't get a good look at them."

      The Chia Police got there shortly after and immediately starting taping off sections of the crime scene.

      "Does anything appear to be missing?" one of them asked Ray.

      "No," Ray said. "I thought for a while that maybe they were after the new three-antenna Mootix, but all of them are here. The only things that got damaged were the glass beakers."

      "Why do you think they were after the new Mootix?"

      "Well... it is a pretty big discovery. And they can make Habitariums more productive, which means more money for the owners of those Habitariums. And...," Ray paused, but then decided to voice her suspicions. "And at the Petpetpet Convention today, there was a scientist who seemed... I don't know... threatening, in a way. And he was especially interested in the new Mootix."

      "What was his name? Can you describe him?" the Chia asked, writing down notes.

      "Professor Iresbuckle, I'm pretty sure. He was a Shadow Bruce, about medium height and average weight for a Bruce."

      "Thank you," the Chia said, finishing whatever he was writing. "We're just going to take some samples from the crime scene."

      "Alright. Thank you, Officer." Ray sat down again, her weariness coming back to her now that all the excitement and terror was mostly over. Her foot throbbed dully.

      "Thank you, Ray," Professor Clodbottle said, and Ray looked up at him. "Without you, whoever it was may have taken something valuable. I owe you big time for this one."

      "It was pure luck that I was here, Professor. I hadn't meant to fall asleep at my desk. But you're welcome."

      "What a terrible thing to happen. I wonder who did it."

      Ray paused again, but she had already told the police. "I said that Iresbuckle might be a suspect."

      Professor Clodbottle nodded. "Yes, I suggested him too. If he's innocent, nothing bad will happen, but acting the way he did, and then a break-in happening the same night?" Clodbottle shook his head. "I'd rather be safe than sorry."

      Finally, the Chia Police were done with their work. They took down the police tape and told Ray and the Professor that they could go home. The sun was already nearly up.

      "Take tomorrow –er, I mean today off, Ray," Clodbottle told her. "You deserve some time to recuperate. Here, I'll order you a carriage so you don't have to walk all that way home."

      Ordinarily, Ray might have protested, but right now she simply nodded and let Professor Clodbottle get and pay for a Uni-pulled carriage. She climbed aboard it and returned to Neopia Central much faster than normal.

      She immediately went to her water-bed, ready to sleep for a long time. When she woke, it was already two in the afternoon, and she was glad that the Professor had given her the day off.

      Her siblings were all eager to hear why she didn't come home last night, and, always eager for a good story, they were amazed to hear that she had stopped a break-in at her job. Lina, however, was mostly thankful that she was okay.

      "That was very brave of you, Ray," she said. "How's your foot this morning?"

      "Better," Ray said, patting the bandage. "It doesn't hurt as much. I'll take another healing potion this evening."

      "So was it the Shadow Bruce?" her sister, Sulza, asked. Ray shrugged.

      "It could be. We won't know until we hear back from the Chia Police, and that might be a couple of weeks."

      "But he could go into hiding by then!" Ed, the Striped Aisha, said.

      "Well, they can't convict him just yet," Lina pointed out. "There's nothing that proves he did it."

      Ray took another healing potion that night, and the next morning, when she removed the bandage, saw that her foot was completely healed. Therefore, she had no qualms about walking into work, and she arrived at the lab just as the Professor was.

      "Good morning, Ray. How are you feeling?"

      "Well rested, Professor. What about you?"

      "Very much the same. I did not open the Habitarium-Help window yesterday, which I think was understandable, but it may lead to more work for you today."

      "That's alright. I'll get to it right away."

      Ray opened the window, and sure enough, it was a longer line than usual. The first customer had ten petpetpet eggs to discard, and Ray quickly printed out labels for them and handed the customer a receipt for 2,000 experience.

      She worked her way through ten more customers, before a Red Ruki stepped in front of the counter. He looked very familiar, but a large, ugly bump on his head marred his appearance.

      "You must have been in quite the fight," Ray said, taking his discarded eggs from him.

      "Uh... yeah. Battledome," he explained quickly.

      Ray looked at him again, and realized he was the Ruki who had wanted a Pinchit nester. "Were you able to get a Pinchit nester yet?"

      "No... no. I haven't gotten one."

      "Well, keep trying," Ray said. "If you're lucky, you will. Be sure to keep some Pinchit nester eggs in storage so that, if they die off again, you still have some."

      "'Kay," he said.

      Ray looked at the bump on his head again, and a light bulb clicked. "Would you hang on for just one second?"

      The Ruki looked nervous. "I have a busy day... stuff to do, you know..."

      "I'll be gone for only a moment," Ray assured him. She left the window and walked quickly to the Professor.

      "There's a Red Ruki outside. He has a bump on his head where the watering can would have hit the intruder, and he had wanted a Pinchit nester. Perhaps he broke in to the lab to try and get one."

      Professor Clodbottle looked up. "Keep him at the window; I'll get the police."

      Ray nodded and returned, but the Ruki was gone. "Where did he go?" she asked the next customer in line; he pointed down the road, where the Ruki was speed-walking away.

      "Hey! Stop!" she called; the Ruki broke out in a full run. Without thinking, Ray climbed out of the window and took off after him. With her foot fully-healed, she was able to catch up quickly. With a leap, she tackled him to the ground.

      All those long walks to work paid off, she thought, holding him in place. A few moments later, Professor Clodbottle and the Chia Police arrived.

      "Okay, fine! I did break into the lab. I'm sorry! Just let me up!" the Ruki cried.

      Ray got off of him, and a Chia Police Officer put his arms in handcuffs, leading him away and informing him that he had the right to remain silent. Not that it really mattered, as he had already confessed.

      "That was some quick thinking, Ray," Professor Clodbottle said. "I really don't know what I would do without you."

      Ray smiled. "Well, I'm your assistant, Professor. It's my job."

The End