brain-jarred

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in my evil fucking lab doing whatever the fuck

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ur first and last recent emojis are ur gender now. mine is 🅱👨‍❤‍💋‍👨

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i went to the dentist today and my dentist honest to god said “can i ask you a question…….what the hell is in your mouth”

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Moodboard for tfw you are a man made of psychic jelly.

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Chapter 5. Cactus

Light. Not filtered through darkened glass or produced artificially. Real actual light. It was morning, and the sun was just beginning to rise. Hal began to run away from the facility, trying to cover as much distance away from it as possible. Param followed. They ran until the facility was a good distance away, and then they stopped. Hal looked at the sun, and then immediately regretted it. “Ow.” He said, rubbing his eyes. “What?” Param asked, concerned.

“The sun hurts my eyes, don't look at it.” Param just stared at Hal before also looking at the sun. They not only looked at it, they stared at it, confused. “It’s not hurting my eyes.” They said, “It must be because you still have human eyes, and I have the clearly superior robot eyes. “I dont care.” Hal said, continuing to walk. “We just escaped certain death, and we almost killed a child. I was afraid you were going to just be okay with going through with it.” “Uh.” Param looked surprised. “What!? No. I wouldn't be okay with that. I was afraid that you would be okay with it, and then I would have to go along with it.” They said, trying to hide the fact that they really didn't see any issue in it. Like it was just their job? But seeing Hal’s face back there… It made them not want to be like this.

They wondered how Hal did it, how he could be so callous yet caring. It was easy to see him as the cold one out of the two of them, it was easy to see him as the brains, and Param as the heart, but that really wasnt true. Hal still clung stubbornly onto his humanity, where Param only had small scraps of it left. Most of these scraps only remaining for Hal’s sake. 

But enough about that, they were out there. Outside. Param took a moment to look at their surroundings. The sunrise casted oranges and pinks across the sky and ground. And...sand. The ground was very sandy, and there was a strange- wait. “Oh my gosh, that's a real life cactus!” Param said, rushing over to the plant.

“Why are you like this- wait that's actually kind of cool-” Hal looked away and sighed. They had to admit, it was cool to see something new, even if it was a bit stupid to dilly dally when they were more than likely being chased right now.

“We need to focus.” He said, putting a hand on Param’s shoulder. “We can't mess around with a cactus, not when we are on the run like this.” Param made direct eye contact with Hal as they ripped off a chunk of the cactus. “Why.” Hal said exasperated. “You never know.” And then param walked away. “Wh- Where are you even going to put it?” Hal asked, following param. “Where do you think?” Param opened up their chest cavity and put the cactus in with the extra Nutrient Solution they always kept there.  “Okay then.” Hal said, accepting this. “Listen. We can't get distracted by random stuff, trust me, I am also tempted to lick the sand right now, but I won't, because I have a thing called self restraint.” “Why do you want to lick the sand?!” Param questioned. 

“WE CAN'T GET DISTRACTED!!” He dodged the question. He took a deep breath. “We are in a serious situation and I feel like you're not being serious.” Param was quiet for a moment.

 “Hal.” They began. “This is the worst day of my life. Everything I have ever known has crumbled around me. I don't know what we are going to do, I don't know if I will even make it out of this alive, I probably won't. I don't have much faith in that. I just...I want to spend what little time I have left having fun with you. I just want to savor this.” They said sincerely. 

And finally they broke down. “I’m so fucking scared, Hal.” They said, wrapping their arms around themself. “I'm scared and I don't want to die.” 

Hal hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. They continued to walk as he leaned against Param. “Me too. I'm scared too.” he admitted. “I'm terrified of either of us dying. I don't want to lose you! That's why I am so focused on us getting away from that place because I don't want you to get captured.” He explained. 

“Maybe you think it's inevitable that they're gonna get us - and maybe it is- but look at us right now! Look at how far we’ve gotten. This is the farthest we've ever been from that place. I say that we keep pushing our luck. We can savor everything when we are safe.” Hal said, offering a reassuring smile with his eyes. Param thought for a moment before nodding. “Yeah. You're right. Let’s get to walking then.” “We are already walking.” Hal said, trying to lighten the mood. “You know what I mean.” Param smiled.

And so they walked. And walked. And walked. The sun rose and it bore down upon them, Param was unaffected by the heat, but Hal was another story. “Slow...slow down.” Hal said, stumbling after Param. His movements were sluggish, the two had been walking for an hour and a half at this point. “What's wrong? Did you look at the sun again?” Param asked, concernedly looking back at Hal. Hal stopped for a moment to just catch his breath. “It's too hot out here, the sun is cooking my brain.” He was exaggerating somewhat, but it really did feel like way. The psychic ectoplasm that made up his body wasn't able to sweat or cool him down. He dropped to his knees. “Oh jeez. Uh. Hm.” Param tapped their chin. They took a moment to consider their options. “Ok! I got it.” They said, snapping their fingers. They then leaned down, and picked up Hal, who immediately stood up. “Oh, uh. No thanks.” He said, wrenching himself away. He felt weird about letting Param carry him and he would rather not deal with those emotions at that second. He stood up, willing himself not to fall over again. “Alright then, get cooked then.” Param shrugged, and then started walking away. 

Hal followed.

And so the sun continued its path in the sky, eventually after a whole day of walking and mindless conversation, the sun dipped below the horizon. “We should probably stop.” Hal said, resting a hand on a rock. He looked really haggard, and his body was goopy. It left a blue residue on the rock where he sat his hand. “Yeah...I’m getting a bit tired.” Param admitted. They sat down. They were slightly nervous when the sun began to set, they didn't like the dark very much, but it was okay since the moonlight illuminated the desert well enough. Still, it put them on edge despite this. They didnt know why they were afraid of the dark. Hal also sat down, his lab coat was stained blue with all the sweaty psychic residue. He leaned back and sighed, glad to finally be out of the heat. A few stars poked out of the sky, tiny white dots in a sea of indigo The two just sat there for a few moments. The desert was quiet, and the research facility was far beyond the horizon, that place the two had lived in for the entirety of their living memories was out of sight now. Param was starting to regret leaving. Sure, killing an innocent child wasn't something that they liked, but she had only been one person! The rest of the people that they did vivisections on were guilty or already dying, it was fine! Everything had been fine. Param turned away from Hal, and sighed. Why? Why had such a simple look made Param throw away their entire work life? Now they were stranded in the desert, with no real sign of civilization. Maybe Param should have just ignored it. Maybe they should have shot Hal a glare, mentally told him to suck it up, and went through with the procedure-

“Hey Param? Can I have some of those uh- solution packets?” Hal asked, interrupting Param’s ugly thoughts. “Oh- Sure.” Param took out one of the packets and handed it to him, they then looked away into the distance, back the way they came. They looked and saw no sign of civilization, no sign of home. They just wanted to go home, and wanted this nightmare to be over. They just wanted a world where they weren't so impulsive, so reckless and foolhardy that they threw a fucking bonesaw at Dr. Brian. Dr. Brian was pretty nice, despite his cold exterior, Param knew that. They knew that this was the wrong way, this was the wrong path to take. But there was no going back. And so they laid down their head and sighed, trying to ignore Hal’s presence, trying to ignore the part of them that didn't regret it at all.

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Prologue, part 2

BREAKING NEWS Interview with Justice of the Meteor Brigade October 24, 1992

 I was lucky enough to catch Justice after the Meteor Brigade’s battle with a mutant bear today, and I kept him long enough to ask for an interview with him about life as a superhero and some questions all of us want to hear answered. You’ve all seen the news lately, and now, it’s time for it to be confirmed. Sitting down in the top floor of an apartment building, I conducted the interview everyone has been waiting for. Here is a sitdown interview with Justice, the leader of the Meteor Brigade. 

Interviewer: Good afternoon, Justice. Thank you for agreeing to this interview—really, it’s more of an honor than I could ever express. Is it difficult leading the Meteor Brigade? With all the monsters you have to fight all the time, I imagine it must be tiring.

 Justice: It’s not as tiring as you’d think! Really, I enjoy it. I get to hang out with my best buds all the time, and really, it’s great! Keeping you guys out of danger is what we live to do.

 Interviewer: I see. I’m glad you all don’t see it as too much of a burden. Have you ever worried you all will fail to defeat the mutant creatures? They look terrifying. 

Justice: There have definitely been some times where I was worried things weren’t going to go as planned, but with that sort of thing, you have to keep your head up and act like nothing bad is going on. The team and I all have our superpowers for a reason, and we’re going to use them. We’re here to protect everyone. That’s our responsibility. 

Interviewer: Scientists as of lately have done more research on the mutant monsters, and they’ve found connections to meteorites that came from space. The properties in the creatures’ blood seems to match those of the meteorites. Would you happen to know anything about this? 

Justice: I do, actually. That’s something Vrain has told us about. Vrain is an alien from outer space, you know. Those meteorites are very powerful, actually. They’re what gave the Meteor Brigade superheroes our superpowers, and they’re also, unfortunately, what’s mutating these creatures. I

Interviewer: A double-edged sword. We were very lucky that you all had your own encounters with the meteorites, or else our city would probably be destroyed.

 Justice: I don’t like to imagine that! I’m very grateful that the team and I found the meteorites, too. Protecting you guys may be a full-time job, but it’s very rewarding, and the team has all learned so much since we formed three years ago. Learned enough that I’m able to be here with you answering questions. 

Interviewer: It is a privilege. You all have been named public heroes, celebrated in the streets, spoken to schools and at conferences…we’re all very lucky you encountered those meteorites. Do you think the power of those meteorites could be harnessed by other humans like you all? Except for Vrain, of course. 

Justice: Well…I don’t doubt it could be…

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BREAKING NEWS Billionaire Investments Allow for Anyone to be a Superhero November 29, 1993 

Due to recent groundbreaking developments, contributions from a local billionaire and a team of eager scientists have led to a new possibility that will let the Meteor Brigade fight alone no longer— harnessing the power of the mysterious powerful meteorites that gave the Meteor Brigade members their power, scientists have created a way for anyone to become a superhero, no matter who you are. 

“It really is an incredible feat,” the man in charge of it all, who chose to remain anonymous, told me when I asked for comment. “Upon the formation of the Meteor Brigade, I was asking myself the question. Why? Where did they come from? Why are they so powerful? I’ve been following the team closely, learning all I can about them, and now I understand. Those mysterious meteorites contain DNA-altering molecules that empower anything they touch, and it works most effectively on humanesque creatures. 

That’s the reason why all of these mutant animals keep attacking our city. Those molecules work differently on those animals. They’re not like us humans. And now, any human that wants to be as powerful as a member of the Meteor Brigade can become one at little cost. Anyone can be a superhero! It’s a child’s dream come true.” The billionaire’s dream has already produced results. I’ve seen people jumping abnormally high, super-climbers, and more running around the city. They even help fight against the mutants that try to attack. I watched the Meteor Brigade attack a mutant cat recently with the help of at least five new heroes—they all looked like civilians, but they had super abilities. 

I could see that the Meteor Brigade seemed to be faltering a little bit. Understandably, they must be stunned by the new additions to their protection of the city. After the battle, when the large, mutated cat was lying on the ground, defeated, I saw the heroes all descend to flat ground. The new heroes all gave each other high-fives and laughed gleefully, looking very prideful in their assistance with the battle. The Meteor Brigade, however, all huddled together in one big clump, all eyeing the new heroes closely. We haven’t heard much from the Meteor Brigade about the new research and heroes, so I took this opportunity to try to find their thoughts.

 I tried to request commentary from Justice after the battle, but, unfortunately, he leapt away from me rapidly after giving me a strange look. I wouldn’t be surprised if soon, every single person in the city has superpowers. Perhaps we all could become a new era of the Meteor Brigade ourselves with these new, incredible abilities, and it’s all thanks to the billionaire and his investments in such a complex field of research. With the new heroes, the world will have even more protection against the strange, mutated creatures that plague our city. Now, any human, regardless of where they came from, can be the hero they dreamed of being when they were a child. Let’s all save the world together, but this time, as superheroes.

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BREAKING NEWS President Ruthson, dead! A tragedy befalls the nation. January 1st, 1994.

It is with a heavy heart we must announce the death of our nation’s leader, President John Ruthson. He was murdered last night, at exactly midnight. The new superheroes that had helped the meteor brigade have betrayed us, led by the no longer anonymous Billionaire beneficiary, Lincoln Little.  What's worse, they are being headed by their own leader, who has sought to call himself “Superego.” This real life super villain broke into our office early this morning, and demanded an interview be published, or else our brave reporters would be killed. Viewer’s discretion is advised in the following interview.

Interviewer: So why? Why did you murder the president? Superego: It wasn't a murder. It was an execution. But I will tell you the reason he had to die. I will tell you now. Our goal as the utopians is to usher in well...a utopia. *Chuckles* It's simple, really. The president, and his cabinet, the jury, every secretary, every government worker, and their allies, are standing in the way of that. Interviewer: So you…”executed” them.

Superego: Yes. Interviewer: Just what kind of utopia are you trying to create? Superego: democracy is a sham. It works well enough on a small scale, but on a national level? No. It's too slow, too inefficient. It only serves to stop the natural course of evolution. To put it bluntly, and perhaps in a way that fails to capture its beauty, we seek totalitarianism. One ruler, who knows what to do, what best course of action to take the nation. Now, a normal human has flaws, they make mistakes. But a superhuman? Well- A superhuman would make the perfect leader. If we can just find out how to give one the perfect combination of powers, a perfect leader could be born, and would lead our species into the next step of evolution. Interviewer: (it was at this point i was too horrified to say anything.) Superego: I will be taking my leave then. (I was disturbed at how gently he said these words, almost shamefully)

And with that the interview ended. I will leave you all with one final warning. If you are a politician, seek shelter immediately, the goals of the utopians are no doubt to take over the world, and their first step is the murder of every single goverment worker and politician.

And for everyone else...be safe, and may god be with us all.

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BREAKING NEWS Thousands dead! January 27th, 1994

Over the past month, thousands of politicians, government officials, and workers have turned up dead. From small town mayors, to the supreme court. Every official who has worked at the white house is dead, killed by the 10 superhumans who make up the utopians. The meteor brigade has tried to protect them, but unfortunately, they failed to save them. A dark age has descended upon the USA, and other countries are reporting their politicians dead as well. We had no time to conduct a full interview with the meteor brigade, as they are busy protecting who is left, but we did manage to get a few words from justice. “Everyone...everything is looking dark right now. And I know it all seems hopeless, but we are going to get through this. We may have failed to protect those who have died, we may have our backs against the wall, but I can see that the utopians are getting reckless. They think that you, the people, are weak. They think they can just push you around. They can't. I know that even if their plan succeeds, even if they manage to take over the world, you will not stand by. You will not watch as they slaughter freedom. You will fight back, even without powers. Because, because everyone is a hero, and everyone has the power to save the world.” Thank you Justice. 

Thank you meteor brigade. We must have hope.

BREAKING NEWS

Justice has died.

January 30th, 1994 Justice, also known as Quincey James Vonyant, died yesterday at the age of twenty four years. 

There are no words to describe the light that we as the people have lost. No words can describe how utterly horrific his death was. He was murdered by Superego, and his body was found under rubble, headless and mangled. He died saving the mayor of Wichita, kansas. His twin sister, Clairity, who has revealed her civilian identity to be Clair Lily Vonyant, gave a few words at his funeral today. She asked that they not be printed, to which we obliged. Quincey’s funeral was short, for fear that it would be attacked by the utopians. He now rests in Southwillow graveyard. 

Quincey Vonyant was a bright young man, full of life, full of bravery and courage. He was saddled with the duty of protecting the world at only 19 years old, barely an adult. And yet despite his young age, managed to do it with grace and with a smile. He gave up his pursuit of going to college and becoming a doctor in order to be a hero fulltime. 

He had a beautiful heart, and loved kids. He often read to them at public libraries across the world. But despite all these good traits, it is important to remember that despite all his powers, his public image, and his heart, he was human, like us. He wasn't just a perfect person with no flaws or sorrows, he had them. I knew him well, speaking to him and interviewing him often has that effect. I lost a friend. And the world has lost a hero.

But we must remember his last words given to the press, and words he said often. Anyone can be a hero. And it's at times like this, we must rise to the challenge that the world has thrown at us. We can't give into despair, we must honor his memory, and hold onto hope.

BREAKING NEWS: Superego and utopians defeated, and the end of the meteor brigade.

February 17th

In a field out in Nebraska, Clarity avenged her brother and the thousands of people that superego killed. There was snow on the ground as I looked on at the catatonic body of Superego. He was not killed, but his brain was utterly shattered. I think we can all safely say good riddance. He will never use his mind to hurt others again.

[brain-jarred]

Prologue, part 1

BREAKING NEWS Miracle Heroes Save Town from Unexpected Catastrophe August 19, 1989 

Today, our city experienced an event like no other—a giant, mutated squid attacked the city, shocking the people and sending the town into chaos. The squid seemed bent on attacking the people, who all tried to escape as it wrecked buildings and crawled its way through the streets, separating families.

 It seemed like it would be an impossible thing to defeat, as no human had ever encountered such a beast. However, today, a miracle occurred. While everyone in the town was running for their lives, five brave souls came to the town’s rescue. 

Being on the scene myself, I was stunned as I watched these five heroes come together with unique abilities I’d never seen before. I documented everything I could from the battle in hopes of sharing just how unique and incredible of an experience it was: The five heroes seemed to show no fear against the gigantic squid as it shrieked and threw its tentacles around at them. I watched a tall, green-skinned creature run circles around the squid at an unnaturally fast speed—I could hardly see them at all. This frustrated the squid, causing it to continue letting out horrible shrieks as it tried to keep up with him. Another one of the heroes, a rather muscular hero, used what appeared to be super strength to grab onto the squid’s tentacles and hold them down, making it harder for the squid to attack the heroes and cause even more destruction to the city. 

Meanwhile, another hero, a red-head with scruffy hair, appeared to use a deep red liquid to blind the squid, making it all the more difficult. The final two heroes, who appeared to be twin heroes, as they were wearing the same deep blue costumes and had the same dark, curly hair, seemed to be levitating objects at their command. At first, they were levitating chunks of buildings to help hold down the squid’s legs, but once the squid was subdued, they switched to using a long strand of wire from a telephone pole nearby to tie the squid, making it impossible for the squid to attack at all and ultimately defeating it. 

The people of the city were absolutely shocked. Nearby, I could see mothers with their children, the mothers looking incredibly worried as they tried to comfort their babies, but the young children looked something even more than inspired. Superheroes, as I had always thought, were supposed to be stories for children of that age, but now, I’m learning that they’re more than that. With whatever that monstrosity that attacked our city today was supposed to be, I’ve learned that superheroes are indeed very real, and I’m sure this won’t be the last we’ll see of them. I feel honored to have caught one of the heroes in the blue suits. He informed me that his name is Justice, and his teammates include Hemo-girl the blood manipulator, Atlas-man the strong, his twin who shared his ability, Clarity, and Vrain, an alien creature with inhuman speed. According to Justice, this group of heroes will not be leaving us anytime soon. Together, the five heroes make up the Meteor brigade, and theyre here to protect our city.

BREAKING NEWS Anniversary of the Meteor Brigade’s Formation August 19, 1990 

Today marks the anniversary of the Meteor Brigade’s first rescue of our city and their continued work to keep our city out of harm’s way. Just today, I watched from the sidelines as they fought a mutant pigeon. I watched its huge wings batter as the Meteor Brigade worked flawlessly to contain it. Vrain worked to get innocent civilians out of risk, saving kids that had ventured curiously towards the team of heroes and other people who could not save themselves. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the heroes worked together with smiles on their faces and laughing gleefully as they easily subdued the pigeon, eventually causing it to be lying on the ground with its wings around itself while the five team members stood in front of it, looking triumphant. Over the past year, the team of heroes has been idolized, with many people of all ages showing their support for them through posters and parades and other events. Recently, a mural was completed on one of the walls of the city buildings. It is a mural of the Meteor Brigade with all five members looking upward. Behind them is a background that looks like outer space, and above their heads written in fluid cursive, it says “Thank you Meteor Brigade!” with a heart afterwards. 

Though the Meteor Brigade was at first hesitant to say much in public, they have grown since then, with some of the heroes even coming to school to proclaim how anyone can be a hero, even if they’re not a superhero like the ones from the Meteor Brigade. I myself attended one of these conferences, which Justice, the leader of the group, was speaking at, to hear the words for myself, and I found them to be quite endearing and well-chosen. 

I could see kids’ eyes were wide at the sight of one of the Meteor Brigade superheroes speaking to them, and afterward, it took all of the teachers’ efforts to keep them from swarming the poor hero. It has become quite clear that we are very lucky as a people to have the Meteor Brigade among us. Without them, we would be practically defenseless against the horrifying beasts that have come to plague the world.

 It was announced recently that research is being done on the mutated creatures to find out why they keep coming to existence and attacking the town, but nothing has been found just yet. While we wait to find out more about the horrifying creatures, we should all give our huge thanks to the Meteor Brigade for one whole year of repeated rescuing of our city and saving of lives. It was a miracle that they came to us on this day one year ago, and it is a miracle that we still have them now. Thank you, Meteor Brigade, for being so brave and saving all of us from unimaginable destruction. We couldn’t possibly thank you enough for your contributions to the protection of our town, but we can try our very best. Come attend the Meteor Brigade anniversary parade on Main Street this Friday! Admission is free!

BREAKING NEWS Meteor Brigade Named Public Heroes, Ceremony this Saturday May 7, 1991 

After once again saving our town from another mutant creature—this time a mutant pig—the Meteor Brigade is finally receiving an honor they more than deserve. Just a few hours after the large animal was subdued, the mayor held a conference that was aired on the local news station where he declared that the Meteor Brigade has done more for our city than anyone has ever done for perhaps any city in the world, and he named the five Public Heroes, a declaration that was met with much applause and cheering from his audience.

 The mayor addressed the last two years of the team’s rescues with a smile on his face and gratitude in his tone, saying that the five were all blessings from a higher power, and even if we don’t know much about the mutant creatures, we are lucky to have the Meteor Brigade and their unique abilities to keep us safe from them. 

According to recent research, it has been found that the mutant creatures appear to be normal animals with altered DNA, but so far, no one has found out how these creatures’ DNA have been becoming altered. There are theories that include a secret mastermind capturing animals, experimenting with them, and releasing them, and even theories about the mutant creatures being alien lifeforms, but no proof of these theories has been found just yet. I tried to ask Clarity what she thought of this theory when I came across her earlier today, and all she had to tell me was that it could be a possibility, but she and the rest of the team are unsure and need some time to do their own research.

 I asked her if she thought that they would eventually have an answer for why the mutant creatures were rising, and she told me that there must be an answer out there somewhere, and the Meteor Brigade was determined to find it for the good of humanity. Hopefully, with the combined efforts of scientists and the team of heroes, we can have an answer for this mysterious phenomenon that has been wreaking havoc to the city. Even with the looming though that someone could be causing such massive destruction on purpose, it is time to take a brief break from chaos to celebrate. As the conference was too soon after the Meteor Brigade’s most recent rescue, they could not attend, but they have been invited by the mayor to come to a celebration on Saturday to officially receive a token of thanks from him. The ceremony will be at the local park, and there is a $5 per person admission fee. 

There will be food, art, rides, and most importantly, the Meteor Brigade themselves. It is unknown if the Meteor Brigade will be allowed around the general public due to their status as celebrities in the city, but they will all be able to be seen walking onstage to receive their honors from the mayor. Don’t miss this big event! Come to the ceremony to give the Meteor Brigade the thanks and honor they deserve—it will be a spectacle to behold, just like everything else the superhero team does.

[brain-jarred]

Superego, Shattered.

[brain-jarred]

Superego

[brain-jarred]

POV: you are about to have your brain removed by a bug cyborg with the morality of a weasel on drugs. 

[brain-jarred]

Chapter 4. Step

Dr. Param closed the door behind them, and shoved a filing cabinet in front of the door. The other scientists banged on the door for a few moments, before giving up and going to get help. Dr. Param backed up. “YOU FUCKING IDIOT!” Dr. Hal shouted, grabbing Dr. Param by the shoulders and shaking them. His breath was shallow and quick. “YOU IDIOT!! WHY DID YOU LEAD US TO A DEAD END?!” “I-I DON'T KNOW!” They said honestly. “I panicked!” they added, glancing at Stella, who was just sitting there, stunned and quiet. 

Hal let go of Param and took a step back, before putting his hands on his face. “Nonononono…” he muttered. Everything was falling apart, their life had never been perfect, but this was the worst thing that could have ever happened, their contract was going to be voided and they- Hal stared at Param. “You-” sixteen years of knowing each other washed over Hal. “You're going to die.” He said, with dread in his voice. 

Dr. Param. A scientist that was dedicated and loyal, friendly and helpful. The kindest person that Hal knew was going to die. No! Not him! Anyone but him! Hal just stared as he realized that if he hadn't stared into Param’s eyes, if he hadn't begged them with his mind, then they would have been able to live to see the end of their contract. But that wasn't possible anymore. He had doomed them both. Now all three of them were going to die, not just one. “Param- i'm so-” His voice cracked as the weight of what was about to happen washed over him. “I'm sorry. For everything.” He said, knowing he didn't deserve param’s forgiveness.

Param just looked at him, they looked at the ground. “I'm sorry too.” they looked up “Don't you dare say you did anything wrong-” Dr. Hal said, voice shaking. “You didn't do anything wrong.”

Dr. Param just looked at him sadly and shook their head. “So that's it then?” Stella piped up. “Yall are just going to lie down and die!?” She said, fists clenched, and with an outraged voice, but her eyes held pure and utter terror.

The two scientists blinked and looked at each other. “We broke our contract...it's what we deserve…” Dr. Param muttered. “What the shit. Man, this place is fucked up.” She said crassly, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms. “You two are the worst and wimpiest villains ive ever met.” She said, rage barely masking fear. “Wimpy?!” Dr. Param said, offended. “Villains?” What are you-” “SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME!” She interrupted both of them. “We are going to die if we can't figure out a way to get out of this place, but believe it or not, this isn't the first time i've been kidnapped by yall. Now I'm going to call my mom, SO BE QUIET.” She took her phone out of her pocket and dialed a number. The phone then made a beeping noise, and the screen went black. “What the?!-” She said, squinting at it. “This can't be happening. Are you kidding me?! No-no-no!!” She said, her anger turning to ice cold horror and fear. “I’m going to die- I'm actually going to die.” She said, staring at the black screen, as if trying to will it to turn back on. The only reason she hadn't been panicking, the only reason she was more angry than afraid, was her one lifeline. And it was gone now. FUCK!!

The door began to bang again. “Oh no.” All three of them said in sync.

The door busted open, but it wasn't a scientist who bursted through. It was Xander Cho. Atlas-man. Stella breathed a sigh of relief, she had never been more happy to see her dad, but the reaction was the opposite from the other two people in the room with her. He immediately double punched both of the scientists and threw them across the wall, his expression was full of rage. He grabbed his daughter, and rushed out of the room. Sirens began to blare across the laboratory. 

“OH MY GOD THAT WAS ATLAS MAN!” Dr. Param exclaimed, eyes huge. “YEAH! But we don't have time to ask him for an autograph, we gotta get out of here!” Dr. Hal said, rushing out of the room. He theorized that Atlas man was distracting the others, and this could be their one chance to escape!

“Ok. Ok, how are we gonna get out of here, you need a pass to get through the doors.” Dr. Param questioned, running after Dr. Hal down the hall.

He thought for a moment. “Uh- the cafeteria! It has a glass ceiling!” He said thinking quickly. “How are we going to get up there and break it?!” They were both running down the ruined hallways, Atlas-man carved a path of destruction through here. “We are going to have to climb.” he said after a bit of thinking. “I CAN'T CLIMB!!” “I’ll carry you!” “YOUR ARMS ARE MADE OF JELLY!!” Dr. Param was panicked. “And you called me rude-” suddenly Dr. Hal spotted sunlight. There was a hole. It looks like this was where atlas man broke out. Hal grabbed Param’s hand. He stared into their eyes for a second. This was it. The first time either of them would be outside in sixteen years.Param stood rooted to the ground, there was fear in their eyes. “Pear, we need-” “I can't.” They interrupted. This was all they knew, this facility was their home. “You can.” Hal said, grabbing the side of their face. “You're going to. I’m not letting you stay here and die.” Param closed their eyes for a second, and nodded. “...Alright.” They said hesitantly. 

And so the two of them stepped outside

[brain-jarred]

The escape

[brain-jarred]

Chapter 3. Vivisection

The next day the two scientists met up by the operating theatre. Lab coats clean and fresh, ready for the task set out ahead of them. They nodded to each other silently, and they headed inside. Dr. Brian was standing above them, on a balcony above them, just watching them. Dr. Sarah was busy doing something else, and the conclusion that Dr. Hal came to. Usually Sarah was right beside her uncle when they did vivisections. Yet another strange thing that Hal noticed.

Dr. Param wheeled out some tools, and looked up to Dr. Brian. The lead scientist cleared his throat and looked down upon the two of them. “Today,” he began holding a folder in his hand. “You will be operating on a person i am sure that the two of you already know about.” He said, opening the folder. “Her name is Stella Vonyant-Cho.” If Dr. Hal had blood, it would be running cold. If he had a heart it would have skipped a beat. Stella Vonyant-Cho.

The daughter of Clair Vonyant. sixteen years old. A child. 

“Her father’s name is Xander Cho, and he was the one who raised her more than her mother.” Dr. Brian continued. “It is theorized that they have a stronger bond. Dr. Param, you will be creating a memory of him bringing her in for a routine check up. Dr. Hal, you will be taking on his persona.” he said coldly, as if he were discussing a rat that needed to be exterminated. Dr. Hal looked at Dr. Param, trying to see their reaction to the fact that they would be killing a child today. Dr. Param just smiled. They smiled. They smiled and nodded. “Alright!” Their tone was cheerful.

Dr. Hal didn't want this to be real. He didn't want this to actually be happening. Why…? What use would this have?! Why were they ending a life that had barely started?! Dr. Hal felt trapped. He was suddenly and acutely aware that he had no choice in this matter. He had to do this.

And the worst part, was that Dr. Param did not appear to see any issue in this. They just seemed to be okay with what was about to happen next. How. How the hell were they able to feel like that? Dr. Hal didn't understand. This wasn't like the other vivisections. This wasn't a terminally ill patient.

This wasn't a wicked death row prisoner. This was a child. Dr. Sarah wheeled her in. She was unconscious. But her eyes were twitching, she would wake up any minute now. “You have 3 minutes to prepare.” Dr. Brian said, sitting down in a chair. Like a tyrant on his throne as he watched an execution. He didn't notice Dr. Hal’s hesitance and horror, because Dr. Hal managed to keep a neutral expression somehow. Dr. Hal and Dr. Param both nodded. The grim task that they had three minutes to prepare for ahead of them. Dr. Hal looked at sarah. She was looking at the wall. She walked out of the room, not making eye contact with either of the operators. 

This couldn't be real. Dr. Brian...he wouldn't do this! This had to be some sort of nightmare! A nightmare that Dr. Hal would wake up from any minute now. Please. Please just let this be a nightmare- “Hal?” Dr. Param interrupted his thoughts. “Are you ready?” They asked. He hesitated. “Yes.”

She was awake now. She looked over at Dr. Hal. “Hey dad?” She asked, not suspecting a thing. She totally trusted the projection that Dr. Hal had put up. He walked closer to her. “Yes hon?” He asked, trying to maintain a fatherly and comforting tone. He was going to try to atleast make this as painless as possible for her. It was all he could do now. He had no power, he was trapped, trapped, trapped in this game where he had to trap her in a world that wasnt real. “Do you think they're going to have to give me a shot?” She asked nervously. He paused, gulping. “No, I don't think so.” He lied. As Param came in with some tools. They smiled at Hal, and nodded for him to keep going as they got everything ready. “They're just going to take your blood pressure, listen to your heart, and look in your throat. Just to make sure you don't have strep.” He said reassuringly. They were still in the operating theatre, even though to her it looked like a regular doctor’s office. “I actually don't feel sick anymore.” She said, “I think I'm good.” “I know.” He continued to lie. His hands were shaking, though she couldn't see them. He couldn't do this, he couldn't do this. He was going to puke, he couldn't do this. “But we are already here, so just let the doctor check you over.” She sighed. “Alright.” She said clearly annoyed, but not panicked. He took a deep breath. “Tell you what. After this lets get mcdonalds.” She furrowed her brow. “But you hate mcdonalds? Shit. Who knew Xander hated mcdonalds? “Well, I don't hate their fries.” He said, scrambling for a lie. “Everything else is pretty gross though.” He said casually. Dr. Param came in with the tools to extract her brain, they began to strap her legs to the table, they would have moved onto her arms too, but they paused. They looked at Dr. Hal with a neutral expression. Dr. Hal began to wonder if Dr. Param was having thoughts of hesitance. Dr. Hal suddenly had a thought. What if I don't do this? What if I don't have to kill her? And what if Param feels the same way? They suddenly placed a hand on Dr. Param’s arm. Just a touch, but it was highly unusual. Dr. Hal wasn't going to try and do the impossible if Dr. Param wasn't going to help him, because he knew that he stood no chance alone against the likes of Dr. Brian. He took his arm off Dr. Param as Stella spoke again. “How long until the doctor will get here?” She asked. Dr. Hal hesitated. He said nothing, he just looked at Dr. Param. He made the allusion say some vaguely comforting things as he stared into Dr. Param’s eyes.

Please. He thought desperately 

Param slowly shook their head. It seems that they understood Hal. And they were fully intending on doing their job, that's what Hal got from it anyway. Shit. He was really going to have to do this. He took a deep breath. And he made the doctor come into the waiting room. He glanced at Param. They were looking at the tool that would cut open Stella's skull. Dr. Hal may not have liked Clair Vonyant, but it wasn't fair to just murder a kid because of the sins of their parents! But there was no getting out of this situation. “Alright!” Dr. Param said cheerfully. “Can you open your mouth?” They asked. Stella opened her mouth. And then two things happened.

Dr. Param quickly cut the straps that were holding stella with the bone saw, and then they threw the tool at Dr. Brian, hitting him square in the jaw, and he fell over in his chair. 

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” He shouted as he struggled to get up. Dr. Hal’s concentration on the illusion broke, and Stella was exposed to the operating theatre. “What the?!-” She said, sitting up. “Come with me if you wanna not die!” Dr. Param said, grabbing her. Oh my god, they felt the same way as I did! Their smile was just a cover! Dr. Hal thought, glancing around the room, before running for the door and opening it. He quickly ran out of the operating theatre, with param and stella behind him. But there was a new problem. How the heck were they going to get out of here?! There was no escape. As the three ran down the hallways, a few scientists exited some doors and started chasing them down. Dr. Kai  and Dr. Lint both were hot on the trio’s heels. “Stop!” Dr. Kai shouted. 

Five sets of footsteps pounded down the familiar halls, Dr. Param knocked a water cooler over to buy some time. 

Stella was extremely disoriented, having your brain be messed with does that to a person. Which was why she was just going with this. 

Dr. Hal was thankful for that, but still incredibly panicked as he ran alongside Dr. Param. What were they going to do?! They couldn't run like this forever, they were going to get caught, and their contracts would be voided, and then-

A bolt of white hot dread pierced Hal’s heart. They were going to die. 

He looked to Dr. Param, who had a determined expression on their face. But there was also fear on their face. They suddenly ducked into a room, and Dr. Hal followed, only to be met with the worst possible sight. A dead end.

[brain-jarred]

A cover for chapter five thats coming soon!

[brain-jarred]

Chapter 2 Pear

 After the operation that ended in the two scientists parting ways for a bit, Dr. Hal finally left his room. He glanced around and saw that Dr. Param was still laying their body on the chairs outside the operating room, with a sad expression on their face. Dr. Hal sighed, and walked over to them. “Hey, Pear.” Pear was a nickname that Dr. Hal called Dr. Param sometimes. Mostly when he was being nice to them. “Sorry for snapping at you. You didn't do anything wrong.” He said, looking at his feet. Dr. Param smiled. “Thanks. I’m sorry too if I was a bit overbearing or annoying.” “You werent.” Dr. Hal sat next to his colleague. “You were just trying to be helpful.” He added, looking at a motivational poster. The poster had been there for sixteen years. It was a picture of a lake with a caption in bold white text that said “SERENITY” It was Dr. Hal’s favorite, because it was the least annoying of them all. “Yeah.” Param nodded. There was an uneasiness to their words, like they still wanted to bring up something, but did not want Dr. Hal to be mad at them again. They sighed and looked away. “Um. yeah.” They said suddenly very interested in the yellow carpet Dr. Hal took notice, and knew that Dr. Param wanted to bring up the work thing again. He didnt really know what to do about that, he really didnt want to talk about it again, because he knew he would get snappy again, but at the same time he also wanted to make Param feel comfortable, and this tension between them really sucked. “Look, pear, I’m just. I think-” Dr. Hal looked around, not sure what to say next. “I think i just need a short break. Like a vacation, and then maybe i’ll be less agitated all the time. I was wondering if you wanna take a vacation with me?” He asked. Dr. Param thought for a moment. “Sure!” They nodded. “Could be fun. Just like. Uh. A boy’s get away. Except that I'm not a boy, but you know what I mean.” “Boys can be gender neutral if you want.” Dr. Hal countered, draping his arm behind Dr. Param Dr. Param snorted. “Yeah, sure. Still not a boy.” They said, laying their hands on their lap. Or rather, hand and weird needle thing on their lap. They seemed to be more at ease with the vacation thing. This wasn't the first time the two of them had taken a vacation together. They never actually went anywhere for their vacations, that wasn't permitted. Mostly they just hung out in the green house. It was the nicest place in the campus. It was almost like being outside. Dr. Param stood up suddenly. “Let's go to the cafeteria.” They said to their colleague. They thought that Hal looked tense, maybe some nutrient solution would make him feel better? The two of them didn't exactly eat normal food, but they both needed basic vitamins and fuel for their human brains. Dr. Hal also got up “Sure.” He said. “As long as you don't repeat the yogurt incident again.” “Hey! I told you not to bring that up again!” Dr. Param playfully hit Hal. “Then don't try to put yogurt directly onto your brain, you idiot.” Hal laughed. “IT WAS A ONE TIME THING!!” Dr. Param retorted, not genuinely mad, but trying to act like it.

It was moments like this when the two scientists truly appreciated each other. Maybe things werent...ideal. Maybe being contractually obligated to remain in an underground space for the next 34 years wouldn't be great, but at least they had each other. And that was all that they needed. At least thats what Param told themself. They werent sure if He felt the same way. He did not in fact feel the same way. He was in fact very antsy to get out of this place. He just wanted to leave already, though he didn't allow himself to fully think these thoughts, always pushing them to the back of his head. But Dr. Param? He was content to just experiment on the subjects for eternity. As long as Hal was there, everything would be okay!

Everything was okay.

The two of them continued to walk down the hallways of yellow carpet and off white plaster walls. It was a familiar hallway, the two of them could probably go down it while blinded. As they walked, Hal decided to mention the vivisection, only to find out that Dr. Param had also been told about it. “Its rather short notice, dont you think?” Param remarked. “We usually have atleast 3 days of notice to prepare a strategy, and they usually give us information on how to best deal with them. When i asked Sarah who it was, she said we would be told tomorrow.”

Dr. Hal nodded. It was weird. “Well they did say it was high profile. Maybe they want to keep it under wraps. Heh. Maybe we are operating on the president or something.” The current president, Clair Vonyant, well...she was a controversial figure. A powerful psychic with the power to kill anyone just by concentrating really hard...That was pretty frightening to both of them. Not to mention her unconstitutional four terms as president. 

“I mean, she does kinda suck though.” Param rolled their eyes. “And it would be easy for me to alter her memories, since shes such a public figure and we know a lot about her. Last one we had, we didn't know a lot about. But for her? Easy. You can just make her hallucinate her dead brother and i can alter her memories so that she thinks he never died. There wouldn't be any struggle then.” They said casually, as if they were just discussing causal workplace terms. Which in their eyes, they were. Hal didn't see anything wrong with this either. Just a normal wednesday. “Agreed.” Finally they reached the cafeteria. It was a wide and large room they came upon, the yellow carpet gave way to grey linoleum, but the off white walls were the same color. It had a glass ceiling that showed the sky. Tables were placed neatly around the room. It was always strangely empty for such a big room. Like maybe it was built for more people. There were only 10 people who worked in this facility, Dr. Hal and Dr. Param included. 

There were three in the cafeteria now. Dr. Sarah was eating some lunch. She looked disinterested in the two who entered, more focused on her food. Dr. Hal was disinterested in her too, he walked around her to get to the nutrient dispenser. But Dr. Param took notice of Dr. Sarah, and they headed for her. “Greetings sarah. What are you eating?” They asked. It was some sort of soup. “Tuna soup.” She said after taking a bit to chew her food before answering. She had manners, she would have you know. Her soup looked kinda gross, but she wasn't complaining. Dr. Param nodded. “That's nice. I was wondering...well...I was wondering if there was any way that you could provide more information about the vivisection tomorrow?” Sarah looked at them with an annoyed expression. “I'm eating, Dr. Param. I would prefer not to talk about this right now.”

Dr. Param made a small noise of annoyance of their own, and sighed. “You're right, sorry.” They said as they walked away. They didn't understand what all this secrecy was about. Why would this vivisection be done on such short notice? Dr. Param didn't like it, they didn't like it one bit. This was unorderly. Something that interrupted and destroyed routine. They were soon roused from their annoyed vagaries when they saw that Dr. Hal was waiting for them. 

“Are you done being a detective?” He asked, one arm on the machine, the other sat on his hip. “It's hardly detective work to just ask a simple question.” They retorted, taking a pack of nutrient solution out of the glorified fridge. 

“You would be surprised, i’m pretty sure that's what being a detective is all about.” “So youre saying that I'm Sherlock Holmes now? That's nice of you.” Param smirked, popping the container open and inserting the needle that came with it into the back of their head. But they kept missing the hole. “Can you be like watson and help me with this darn needle?” They asked. “Sure just let me-” click, it was finally inserted into the right place. The juice poured into their brain, which was a pleasant sensation. “Thanks.” They said with a smile. “They should have made your body more streamlined for this kind of thing. Having the hole in the back of your head is a bit inefficient.” He huffed. 

“I actually like my body, thank you very much. I am the sexiest cyborg here.” They said, smirking. “Yeah sure.” Dr. Hal rolled his eyes. He didn't have a mouth, but he was smiling too, with his eyes. Sarah audibly groaned. She was so tired of having to hear those two’s banter all the time. It was so incredibly annoying! She was just trying to eat some soup, she didn't need to hear these weirdos talking about their bodies or whatever. The two scientists looked at her when she loudly groaned, before looking away. The two had an odd relationship with her. She was one of the more friendly scientists, as long as you didnt get between her and her goals. She got up and threw her plastic soup bowl in the trash and walked over to the two of them. “So the vivisection-” She began. “I can't tell you very much about it, but I will tell you that the subject has a fear of the dark.” She looked at her feet, almost shamefully. She seemed to be really hesitant to talk about this, but she was friends with the two scientists, and she wanted to make what was about to come easier on them.

“A lot of people have a fear of the dark.” Dr. Hal remarked. “But I appreciate the morsel of help. Is there anything else you can tell us?” “Hm.” Dr. Sarah thought for a moment. “She also has a fear of being perceived as weak. At least that's what the psychiatric tests told us.” So it's a female then. Dr. Param thought. “Alright. Thanks for the help.” They said brightly. Dr. Hal nodded. He figured that they wouldn't get much more info out of Sarah, and it was getting late. Might as well turn in for the night soon. He tapped Dr. Param on the shoulder and gestured towards his quarters. “I’m going to go to sleep now. See you tomorrow?” Dr. Param blinked, and looked at a clock, surprised at how late it was. It was almost 10 pm. They nodded. “See you tomorrow.” They repeated. Hal walked away as Sarah and Param continued to talk for a little bit. Eventually Dr. Param said goodbye to Sarah as well. Dr. Param’s quarters were the same size as Dr. Hal’s. But they had no bed like he did. They just had a metal table in which they laid their body on. They couldn't feel cloth, so a bed was unneeded. A small pile of junk lay in the corner of their room. Bottlecaps, paper clips and pens that they had collected. They looked at it as they initiated their body to release sleeping chemicals to lull their brain to sleep. Dr. Param was painfully human, despite being unrecognizable as one.

[brain-jarred]

heres another doctor param, i was practicing my shading for this drawing.