#Intercom technician | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

teine-mallaichte · 2 months

Text

Day 1 @augusnippets : gaslighting

Characters: 84 and Colonel Carter

Colonel Carter is determined to create the perfect unthinking, unfeeling, living weapon, and has chosen 84 as their subject. CW: gaslighting, psychological manipulation, manipulative whumper, living weapon wumpee.

Asset 84 master list

Colonel Carter monitored the live feed with a smirk, her fingers drumming rhythmically on the arm of her chair. Her eyes were fixed on the screen, where 84’s distress was becoming increasingly evident. This was the culmination of her meticulous work—a perfect operative who would never falter.

“We’re seeing significant stress indicators in 84’s biometrics,” reported a technician, his brow furrowed as he checked his tablet.

“Excellent,” Carter replied, her gaze unwavering, a sloght smirk on her lips “Inform me immediately when their stress levels hit the critical threshold.”

She turned back to the monitor, her eyes sharp and calculating. Over weeks, she had slowly dismantled 84’s confidence. Small, insidious changes - an almost imperceptible shift in the jumpsuit’s shade, fluctuations in temperature, rearranged items - had finally begun to show through 84’s conditioning. The asset’s facade was cracking.

In 84s quarters, every object was precisely arranged: the cot a foot from the wall, the locker’s latch firmly in place. Yet today, everything felt off, minor yet unsettling shifts.

The mantra that once fortified them now felt like a fragile shield, barely holding back the rising tide of anxiety. “I am 84. I am a weapon. I will endure.” But beneath the surface, doubt was creeping in—an insidious thought whispering, “Am I failing? Boken? What if I am defective?” They touched the tattoo on their neck—‘I am 84’—seeking comfort but finding none. Defective assets were expendable, disposed of, maintaining composure was imperative.

Reaching for the locker latch, they felt an unusual chill. The latch’s resistance seemed to waver, heightening their discomfort. Each glance around the room revealed subtle, unsettling changes—the angle of the cot, the flicker of the lights—distorting their sense of normalcy.

When Colonel Carter’s voice crackled over the intercom, it was both a lifeline and a torment. “Asset 84, report to the briefing room.”

84 hesitated, though they were unsure why, their handler had called, they were meant to react instinctively. Repeating their mantra a few more times they left their quarters, each footfall echoing ominously.

The corridor lights, once steady, seemed to flicker intermittently. Shadows stretched and shifted along the walls, creating an unsettling, almost imperceptible dance. The feeling of being watched, every step scrutinsed, felt suffocating today.

Two armed guards stood at the end of the hallway, their faces impassive, eyes hidden behind dark visors. The sight of their weapons, gleaming menacingly under the flickering lights, added to 84’s growing unease. "I am 84," they repeated again in their mind.

Entering the briefing room, the stark contrast was jarring, the room was dim and grey - unlike the bright white corridor. Colonel Carter sat at the head of the table, her posture impeccable, a predatory glint in her green eyes.

“Sit,” Carter commanded, her voice sharp as a scalpel.

84 obeyed, their gaze flickering nervously to the surveillance camera in the corner. Was it watching them? Had it always been there? They shifted in their seat, trying to suppress the instinct to fidget, their knuckles white as they gripped the edge of the chair.

Carter’s eyes remained locked on 84, her face a study in cool professionalism. “Your performance has been exemplary,” she began, her voice deceptively warm, though a glint of cold satisfaction flickered in her green eyes. “However, there are some concerns. Your stress levels—”

“Stress?” 84 interrupted, their voice breaking slightly. “I do not—”

“Do not interrupt,” Carter snapped, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Flawless performance is the bare minimum. Doubts and weaknesses are the cracks in the armor that can lead to your downfall.”

84’s breathing quickened, their hands trembling as they gripped the edge of the chair, trying to remain still but failing, “I will not fail. I…” 84’s throat tightened, their voice a strained whisper. “I trust you, Colonel.”

“Good,” Carter leaned forward, her fingers steepled, a predatory glint in her eyes. “You’re a weapon, 84 - a crucial asset. But even the best tools need careful handling, or they can break.”

The room seemed to tilt for 84, their senses overwhelmed. The sharp, sterile scent of the briefing room mixed with the rhythmic hum of unseen machinery, adding to their disorientation. “I will not break,” they managed to assert, only barely suppressing the tremor in their voice.

Carter’s eyes narrowed slightly as she observed 84’s reaction, her expression composed but her gaze colder now, more calculating. She leaned back again, folding her arms with a deliberate motion that seemed to dismiss 84’s protests. “Good,” she repeated, her voice softening, but laced with an undertone of authority, "Doubts are natural, but they can be dangerous. It’s vital you stay focused and trust the guidance you’re given.”

84 nodded, their gaze fixed on the metal table. Was it always this color? The surroundings seemed to shift subtly, their sense of normalcy eroding with each passing moment. They glanced back at Carter, whose expression remained neutral.

Colonel Carter’s watched 84, her satisfaction barely concealed. She could see the asset’s attempts to suppress their doubts and fears growing increasingly strained—the twitch of their hands, the slight sheen of sweat, the way their eyes darted around the room as if seeking an escape from an invisible threat.

“Remember,” Carter’s voice softened slightly, though still authoritative, “I am here to support you. You’re on the path to becoming a flawless operative, but you need to trust me completely.”

84’s gaze wandered, briefly fixating on stray details—a scuff on the floor, a flicker of shadow by the door. The familiar now seemed alien, every detail adding to their growing sense of instability. They fought to hold onto their mantra, but their voice, barely a whisper, betrayed them. “I am 84. I am a weapon. I will endure.”

As Carter’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of cruel satisfaction crossed her face. “Good,” she said softly, almost tenderly, “But remember, trust is earned, and perfection is demanded.”

84’s grip on the chair tightened, knuckles whitening as they struggled to anchor themselves to reality. The room seemed to close in, the edges of their vision blurring as their mental defenses crumbled. The shadows lengthened, stretching out like the fingers of a predator closing in.

“Every failure here reflects not just on you but on me. I expect perfection, and I will not tolerate anything less.” Carter’s final words echoed ominously in the dim room.

84’s breathing quickened, the mantra fading into an echo of their fear. The room tilted, and as Carter’s figure loomed larger, their resolve shattered. The asset was breaking, and Colonel Carter knew she had won.

#Asset 84 #84 #living weapon wumpee #gaslighting whump #psychological whump #manipulative whumper #living weapon #aususnippet #promp fill #whump prompt event

9 notes · View notes

raventroll80 · 7 months

Text

A Beast on Mars

Chapter 3 (Rewrite)

The Last Human on Mars

(I wasn't too happy with the original ending to this chapter so I rewrote it. Big thanks to @horseyneigh2002 for giving the new ending a read through before I posted it!)

Edit: I forgot the warnings! This chapter contains description of graphic injury, a lot of blood, and death.

Mim Digsby was a rather unremarkable person, they were just below average height with a somewhat stocky build, but they never thought it’d come in handy until they had to hide from the risen corpse of a security guard. They usually kept their hair short as they felt it was more hassle than it was worth, though they never thought they’d be grateful for it until they watched a co-worker get dragged into the vents by her hair. Mim mostly worked maintenance now, and knew the vents like the back of their hands, but they never knew that it’d ever save them from the demons that now prowled the halls of the UAC.

It had started like any other day, Mim had been scheduled to do some basic maintenance on some machinery in the morning before switching to excavation in the afternoon… that was until the screaming had started. One of the security guards had gone to investigate but seconds later he came running back firing at something howling behind him, then the something pounced on him and began to disembowel the man.

Mim and their co-workers had immediately fled the room only for another one of these… things to jump them. The only warning they had gotten was the stench of sulfur and a flash of red light before that thing, that demon just appeared. It stood maybe six, maybe seven feet tall, its body was covered in thick yellow chitin with jagged spikes jutting out of its body. Its eyes, god its eyes… they burned into them like argent. Mim watched as the imp gutted Samson in one swift motion, his body had dropped like a sack of hammers, his blood spilling out onto the floor. Mim could still hear his screams as the demon didn’t even wait for him to bleed out, thank god they hadn’t looked. The lockdown alarms were blaring but the doors refused to shut, something was wrong with the protocols… if the lockdown wouldn’t engage properly then there’d be nowhere for people to hide. Emerson, a technician, suggested that they go and manually engage the lockdown at the southside control room, given their lack of options everyone agreed to go. But things only got worse from there.

Mim had to lead the small group of survivors through the maintenance tunnels, during this they had passed through an observation deck where a large almost ape like monster shattered the glass. Georges and Amsbury got dragged out by the air pressure while Harris had been grabbed the massive monster. Within seconds their group of five became a band of two, Mim and Emerson had barely made it to the cargo elevator when they were jumped by yet another imp. It had managed to slash Emerson across the chest before Mim was able to blast its head apart with the shotgun she had taken from a dead guard. The demon slumped over, it’s bright red blood pooling on the floor. Mim had tried their best to stop the bleeding but it just kept pouring out. They tried convincing Emerson to come and look for a medical station, but he refused, claimed that he was fine, that it only looked worse than it actually was…

God why did they believe him…

As the elevator came to a stop the two heard the chime that accompanied an announcement over the intercom, but instead of VEGA or some other automated message it was Dr. Pierce and pit formed in their stomachs as she spoke.

“I believe in honesty, especially now, in what will be your final moments in this world. All the rumors, the human sacrifices, the Hell portal, the demons… it’s all true…”

The two gave each other a grave look before climbing the blood-soaked stairs as Dr. Pierce continued her speech.

“My brothers and sisters be thankful, you will be the first, you will have a seat along side them just as I will in what will become the new world, they create for us… starting now…” Instead of another chime indicating the broadcast was over a demonic scream blared over the intercoms.

Emerson was able to stop the broadcast from repeating before forcing the lockdown protocols to engage. The technician looked out over the Martian landscape, the blue sunrise slowly creeping over the horizon.

“If Pierce is already on their side, then how many of the others are too… if we just leave it on then some, some cultist could just swing by and turn the lockdown back off. Hel- fuck, we don’t even know if VEGA is still on our side!” Emerson said in frustration, staring down at the consol with a contemplative look.

“Then what do you think we should do…”

“You think you can shut the power off?”

“Yea, there’s a main generator not too far from here. I can use the access vents to get to it. What are you going to do?” Mim asked, not entirely sure what to make of the situation.

“I’m gonna lock VEGA out from accessing the terminal digitally. If he’s really on our side then he can come turn the power back on himself.”

Emerson initiated some sort of malware or firewall before giving Mim the go ahead and Mim jumped down into the maintenance vent. Through the dark tunnels of wires and metal Mim crawled, until they found the main generator. They logged into the access terminal and shut off the power to the Res Ops facility. Mim hoped they’d given people enough time, or that there were any people left. It was deathly quiet as the facility shifted to emergency power. Normally it wouldn’t, but with the emergency lockdown protocol in effect prior to main power shutdown the facility forces the use of the backup generators. The quiet of the facility felt crushing as Mim crawled back to the control room. Something felt off as the mechanic drew near. It was too quiet, something was missing…

“Emerson!” Mim called out as they realized that they could no longer hear the technicians ragged breathing.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit…” they muttered as they scrambled out of the vent but it was too late. Emerson was dead.

The man was slumped over, his back against the console, clothes drenched in blood. Mim took a few shaky breaths as they processed the situation. Chances where the casualties were in the thousands, and if they were being realistic… then Mim Digsby was possibly the last human left on Mars.

“God damn it Emerson… why didn’t you listen to me,” Mim pressed their forehead against Emersons before stumbling out of the control room, their body was still shaking from the shock and reality of the situation. They needed to find somewhere safe, somewhere to hide and hope there was anyone left to rescue them.

Mim didn’t know if it had been hours or days that had passed, somewhere in that time they had managed to find a chainsaw. Why was there a chainsaw on Mars? Who cares, it’s a chainsaw! Like they were just going to pass the offer of a free chainsaw in a time like this. Besides, chainsaws are great communicators when it came to the undead. Just as Mim had finished airing their grievances with a zombie they’d found in a locker room an explosion boomed from outside, causing the lockers to rattle and Mim to jolt and accidentally wedge the chainsaw deeper into the corpse. Before they could try to remove the weapon, another explosion rocked the room and demons began howling as what sounded like heavy artillery went off.

“Was it the marines? The Elite Guard?” Mim abandoned the chainsaw and climbed through an access vent to the offices above to investigate the sounds, though what they saw was far from what they had been hoping for. There, just outside the building was a behemoth of a monster clinging to the very structure they were standing in. The creature appeared to be fighting the demons outside of the locker room, though fighting was a strong word for what was happening, it was more of a bloodbath if anything. The room shook violently as another explosion rocked the cargo bay outside. The glass rattled menacingly but thankfully didn’t shatter, thank god. Mim scurried back from the window as the behemoth slaughtered the last of the demons. In their haste, Mim had knocked over a chair and alerted the massive demon. They had barely made it into the vent before the behemoth was tearing its way into the room.

Mim quietly watched as the massive creature began searching the room. Was it looking for them? God they hoped not, that thing just tore through the building like it was cardboard! Granted this wasn’t the strongest of building in the Mars facility, but the point still stood that this thing, whatever it was, would catch Mim within seconds. The mechanic watched as the creature inspected the health station in an almost curious manner. Tilting its head inquisitively, before turning it slightly as though it were listening to someone or something. Its curiosity apparently satisfied, the great beast turned around and proceeded to smash in the glass to one of the storage rooms.

“Holy shit, holy shit, I need to fucking leave” Mim hissed to themselves and they started to shimmy further into the vent. That glass was at least an inch and a half thick and that thing just shattered it like it was nothing.

Mim heard the creature walk back out to the cargo bay, catching a glimpse of it beginning to scale the wall, it’s clawed gauntlets digging into the stone. Part of them was slightly in awe of the massive beast, but overall Mim was terrified. The massive thing, looked to be nearly 16 feet tall, it could probably eat them in one bite if it wanted to. Mim shuddered at the thought, “Nope, nu-uh, nah…” The monster’s armour was complex, not too unlike that of Hayden’s Elite Guards though it was a deep green colour instead of the guards imposing red and black armour. Though Mim couldn’t shake the feeling that they’d seen it before…

A raspy hiss rattled from behind the mechanic, filling them with dread before sharp claws dug into their legs and dragged them off into the darkness of the facility. Mim was barely able to let out a scream before their head was slammed into the vent and everything went black.

As the Slayer climbed up the walls of the cargo bay, he heard a faint sound echo from below. As quick as it came it was gone, but the sound was unmistakable. It was a scream, and not just any scream; a human scream. The Slayer looked back down to the platform below, should he go look? What if they were already dead? He watched as several field drones entered the room below and fanned out. One of the drones separated from the group and hovered up to him. That familiar chime sounded in his helmet garnering an annoyed growl from the behemoth.

“I apologize for the repeated interruptions but one of the nearby cameras picked up what I believe to be a human scream. The sound originated from this sector and I wanted to know if you heard anything. The cameras have been malfunctioning, replaying audio and visuals from the start of the incident. I do not know what is causing this malfunction but it is impairing my ability to search for survivors so I will need your help in locating any potential survivors.” The Slayer huffed, clearly getting impatient with the AI.

“I do not know what your stance is on humans as a whole, but I can tell you already have a distain for the UAC. But I must ask that you please keep an eye out for any survivors.” VEGA waited for a response from the Slayer, but all he got was a soft growl from the behemoth.

VEGA left the Slayer to return to his mission, concern starting to build in his processors. Could he trust the Slayer to protect, let alone inform him of any survivors? VEGA hadn’t even been able to recover the field drone that he’d destroyed, he couldn’t even find any evidence of its existence aside from a few scraps from the outer shell… did he eat it? No, he couldn’t have. The Slayer may be a brute, but even he should know that a drone wasn’t even remotely edible. Right?

He could only hope the Slayer would be kinder to a human than he was to a machine.

The Slayer followed the elevator tracks up the chasm and into what appeared to be a mining tunnel or a cut-through point in the facility. The tunnel was long and dark, lit only by the dim string of lights that hung from the walls and ceiling. Checking his map, the Slayer confirmed that this was indeed the way forward. The giant grumbled as he walked down the cold tunnel. He was certain there was a faster route to the gore nest but VEGA was (regrettably) right. As much as he wanted to tear the UAC apart, he needed to be mindful of any potential survivors. Sure, the chances of anyone surviving this long were slim, but he didn’t want to take that risk. As he walked through the tunnel he passed by a group of corpses. Bodies both human and demon were strewn about, it appeared this group chose to make this their final stand, though it was clear the battle had no winners. Further investigation revealed that in an attempt to close off the tunnel or possibly destroy the Gore Nest ahead, the workers had loaded containers of explosives onto trolleys and carts, their lids hastily removed in a last-ditch effort to try and blow up the attacking demons.

There, slumped against the wall was a human barely clinging to life, staring at him with a fearful expression smeared across their bloodied face. Their body was heavily scarred; thick deep gashes across their stomach, their clothes torn and drenched in blood, a large chunk had been taken out of his right shoulder, their left leg had been torn to bloody ribbons while the right leg was nothing more than a bloody stump. The Slayer froze, not sure how to proceed, how the poor man was still alive was beyond him.

Slowly, the Doom Slayer approached the injured human, who quickly held up a small rectangular box, causing the behemoth to freeze. They had a detonator, if he wasn’t careful and scared the human too much then he’d bring the whole tunnel down on both of them. Carefully the Slayer his gun down and raised his hands in the air. The human gave him a suspicious look as he took his finger off the button but still refused to drop the detonator. Once again, the Slayer began to slowly approach the human, his tail slightly raised as to not let it scrape across the ground. Eventually the Slayer managed to walk up to the dying human and sat down next to him, the next few moments were oddly peaceful given the circumstances, the human had even put down the detonator and leaned his back against the wall.

The human huffed and closed his eyes, seemingly trusting the Slayer not to kill them in this moment of respite, their breath ragged and shaky. Carefully, while their eyes were closed, the Slayer wrapped his clawed hands around the injured human’s torso and pulled him close. The human in question, quickly scrambled in an attempt to grab the detonator before but all they managed to was aggravate their injuries, so instead he threw his arms over his head and braced for whatever violent end he was about to meet… but it never came.

Instead, they were placed in the lap of this strange behemoth as it removed its gloves and helmet. The creatures face looked almost human but not quite right, it-he? Stared down at the man before gently lifting their body up once more, but instead of biting his head off, the Slayer instead held him close to his chest. A soft rumbling began to emerge from deep within the behemoth.

The Doom Slayer leaned his back against the well as he felt the human slowly begin to calm down, but something felt… off. Instead of the grooved stone of the tunnel, the Slayer’s back was leaned against the cool metal of a wall, the sharp stinging scent of chemicals assaulted his nostrils. Where was he? Mars? No, that’s not right. He wasn’t stationed on Mars, it was Phobos he got sent to… wait. If he was on Phobos, then why was he holding a miner? Miners weren’t stationed on Phobos. The Behemoth huffed, stale cave air filling his lungs, the rancid chemical smell quickly fading from his memory as he felt the human squirming under his grasp.

The Slayer quickly realized that his grip on the human had gotten tighter, hurting the poor thing. The Slayer loosened his grip and tried to give the poor man a reassuring pat with the pad of his thumb which only garnered frightened whimper. Feeling even worse for the dying human the Hellwalker tried to croak out an apology as he set the human back down in his lap, but all that came out were garbled bellows as blood began to bubble in his throat. The no-longer man quickly stopped his attempt only to realize the miner had gone still, his eyes glazed over and lifeless. The behemoths shoulders sagged and huffed as he came to the realization that the human had died.

Looking back down at his bloody hands and chestplate, down at the dark red blood from the human mixing with the bright crimson of the demons. Gently he set the still warm body down upon the cold stone of the tunnel and made a mournful sound the taste his own blood tingled in the back of his throat. As the Doom Slayer stood up, donning his helmet once more, sorrow quickly turning into anger as he remembered why he was here and that Hell was to blame for this. Checking his map, he confirmed that the Gore Nest was at the end of this godforsaken tomb, and with a vicious snarl he snatched up the crates of explosives and charged down the tunnel with blood on his lips and fury burning in his chest.

Within seconds the Hellwalker found himself at the end of the tunnel looking out into a much larger cargo bay. Across from him, the Gore Nest hung, suspended by thick sinewy cables that attached themselves to gore covered support beams. From his position, the Slayer could see the Gore Nest’s beating heart and a circle of zombies knelt around a sigil. The Unchained Predator threw the crates onto the demonic structure before lobbing a grenade towards it and firing. An explosion shook the room and the Gore Nest screamed in pain and with a running leap the Doom Slayer jumped onto it, shoving the still burning barrel of his shotgun against its putrid heart and fired.

#my writing #g/t #giant tiny #troll! doomguy au #A Beast on Mars #the rewritten chapter is also up on my ao3 too #tw gore #tw graphic injury #tw death

10 notes · View notes

oliverreedmasterass · 1 year

Text

Credits and shoutout to @starcatcherkiszka for the fic idea!!

In case you want something to listen to while you read: ✨Summer of 69 Playlist✨

Words: 3.8k

Warnings: language

Synopsis: Greta Van Fleet somehow manages to travel back in time to the Summer of 69, during the Woodstock Art and Music festival. You can only imagine what hijinks they’re going to get up to.

____________________________________________________

“How much longer do we have to stay here?” Sam groaned from his spot on the carpeted floor of their soundbooth, staring up at the paneled ceiling with dread.

“Until we get this track right,” Jake called to him as he took a seat on a rickety old stool for a quick rest. “We’re almost there.”

“You said that 25 minutes ago,” Sam protested. “You big liar.”

“It is almost 2am,” Danny pointed out from behind his kit. “Maybe we’d be better off giving it another try tomorrow.”

“We’re close though,” Jake stood back to his feet and strapped his guitar on. “Trust me, we’ll get it in the next three takes.”

“This is agony,” Sam groaned.

Josh came over the intercom from behind the mixing board with a bit of feedback, making Jake, Sam, and Danny all jump.

“Ready for take 21?” he asked. Sam scowled at his brother but finally shook his head in frustrated acceptance and slowly rose back to his feet with a loud crack. Jake gave the audio technician a thumbs up and they heard the metronome sound ticking in their headphones, counting them off. “Play your hearts out, boys,” Josh told them.

Much to Sam and Danny’s dismay, Jake wasn’t satisfied until 15 takes later. Sam had tried to run out of the studio on multiple occasions, but Josh kept grabbing him and tugging him back to the booth, reminding him that their time in the studio was costing them an arm and a leg, and he was being a big baby. So, when Jake unplugged his guitar from the amp with a crackling snap, Sam had every right to let out a deep groan and collapse back to the floor in relief. Danny tossed his drumsticks off to the side and then, in a similar fashion, flopped beside Sam.

“I just want this album to take us to the next level,” Jake tried to defend himself. Both Sam and Danny held up their hands to make him stop talking.

“I thought take 4 sounded great,” Danny said. “I don’t think we needed 36 takes.”

“My tone wasn’t quite right,” Jake shrugged. “I feel really good about take 36 though.”

“That one’s definitely the one,” Josh agreed as he entered the room. “That’s gotta break our personal record, huh? Sixteen hours in the studio is pretty impressive.”

Sam let out another deep groan.

“We can come in late tomorrow,” Josh looked to Jake for confirmation. “I think we all deserve to sleep in a bit.”

“I think I deserve to not come into the studio for a week,” Sam tried to barter. “I want to camp out in the middle of nowhere where I don’t have to look at any of your stupid faces or think about stupid music or sound mixing or bass lines.”

“Wow,” Danny sounded genuinely hurt. “Okay.”

“He’s just crabby,” Josh consoled Danny. “He gets like this when he doesn’t get his nap.”

Sam shrugged like he couldn’t argue with Josh. Jake finished tucking his Gibson into his guitar case and then joined Josh, standing over Danny and Sam. He was starting to form some pretty impressive bags under his eyes because, even though he was the night owl of the family, playing for that long and that hard really did take a toll on him.

“I’m gonna go to the lobby, can I grab you guys anything from the snack bar?” he offered in an attempt to make a truce with his disgruntled bandmates.

“I’ll take a bag of SunChips,” Sam decided from the ground.

“Just a water, please,” Danny gave Jake a small smile. Jake grinned back, a wave of relief washing over him that at least Danny wasn’t pissed beyond belief at him and his perfectionism. Thank god Danny was such a naturally understanding person at heart because, god, did Jake do things that would set any other person over the edge.

Before Josh could put in a request, Jake waved goodbye and booked it out of the room, putting his head down to hurry to the lobby.

“Wait, I want a banana!” Josh called after him.

“Sounds like a you problem!” Jake yelled back.

He reached the lobby and, after a quick scan, made sure to fetch everything that Sam and Danny wanted, and went out of his way to forget Josh’s banana. The exhaustion was catching up to him fast, so he fixed himself a cup of coffee to help him get back to his house in one piece and then turned on his heel to return to the studio. As his white vans clicked down the linoleum floor, he started to whistle the guitar part for one of their new tracks. His eyes were set on their studio door at the end of the hall but, out of his peripheral vision, he saw something that made him slow down. His whistling faded and he pivoted back around on his heel to face the door that he had just passed to his left. He pursed his lips as he took in what looked like a beam of bright light trying to come out from behind the door. Overwhelmed with confusion and intrigue, Jake backed up even farther so he was directly in front of the door, and had to squint his eyes to inspect it. Standing closer to it, he could feel that the hallway was significantly warmer.

“What the?” he whispered. If his arms weren’t full of food and drinks he would have grabbed for the door handle, but instead he squeezed his eyes shut and reopened them to make sure what he was seeing was really real. The white light pouring from the cracks in the frame looked pretty damn real.

Just to make sure his exhausted brain wasn’t playing tricks on him, he turned away from the door and hustled back to the studio. Sam, Danny, and Josh were all sprawled on the floor now, but they lifted their heads up slightly as Jake let himself back into the booth.

“I need to show you guys something,” he said as he handed Danny his water, Sam his chips, and gave Josh a middle finger when he held his hands out for a banana.

“Hey man, fuck you,” Josh frowned at his brother. “I don’t want to go with you if you’re gonna be mean to me.”

“No, please, I promise, you’ll want to see this. I need you to see this.”

“Did you drop an entire case of beer again?” Danny let out a yawn.

“Just, come with me,” Jake decided to reply, since he really wasn’t sure how to even begin to describe the door. Plus, he liked there being an air of mystery about the whole thing.

Even though Sam had been the most vocal in his frustration earlier, he was apparently the most willing to humor Jake since he clutched onto a nearby wooden stool to pull himself upright. Danny watched his friend stand up and, with a sigh, joined Sam and Jake. They all looked down at Josh, who was laying on his back with his arms folded over his chest.

“You’re gonna miss out,” Jake told him.

“I’m already missing out on a banana, I don’t care.”

“Suit yourself,” Jake shrugged. He opened the door for Sam and Danny, and they disappeared from the studio. Jake tried to catch a glimpse of the mysterious door as he led Sam and Danny down the hallway and grinned when he saw that the light was still pouring from it. Behind them, Josh’s footsteps grew closer as he ran to catch up.

“I’m getting a banana, I don’t care what Jake’s showing you guys,” Josh explained himself, though he didn’t move past them to the lobby. Instead, they all cautiously approached the door.

“The fuck?” Sam asked when he caught sight of the rays of light.

“Who’s supposed to be in there right now?” Danny asked.

They checked to see if any names were listed on the calendar posted next to the door, but there was nothing.

“It looks like it’s open,” Josh announced. “But maybe Helios is dropping a track in there,” he added as a second thought.

Sam was studying the door, deep in thought.

“Maybe someone left some lighting equipment in there for a music video or photoshoot?” he guessed. “And they just forget to turn it all off?”

“Are we gonna open it?” Josh turned to Jake. Jake was staring intently at the door once more, debating the pros and cons of opening it.

Con: there could be something weird behind there

Pro: there could be something weird behind there

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Danny spoke up. “Why don’t we just let management know, and they can send someone over to check it out? I just wanna get back to my bed and sleep.”

“Don’t you think it’s funny,” Jake started, his eyes still focused on the light, “that we write an entire album about a heavenly gate, and now we’re facing something that looks exactly like that?”

“It is strange,” Josh admitted.

“It seems to me like it’s something we’re meant to open,” Jake decided. He was, of course, talking out of his ass, but he wanted to provide a better reason for opening the door other than that he was curious and he had a hard time determining the severity of the consequences of his actions.

Danny opened his mouth like he was prepared to give a rebuttal, but before he could get his word in, Jake lurched for the rounded door handle and, through grit teeth in response to the heat of the doorknob, twisted and pushed it open. Almost immediately they were all blinded by the light, which they responded to with grunts, flinching away.

“Okay, maybe those aren’t set lights,” Sam said while he covered his eyes with his hands. “Jesus Christ, that’s blinding.”

Josh reached into his jumpsuit pocket and retrieved a pair of sunglasses, which he quickly put on. Unfortunately, he quickly discovered that the glasses did next to nothing to spare his eyes from the searing beam. What he was able to see, though, was Jake walking directly into it.

“What are you doing?” he called out in shock.

“It’s not gonna hurt me,” Jake said over his shoulder.

“Literally the one thing they tell you is to not go towards the light.”

“This feels like a different kind of light.”

“What the hell does that mean? How do you distinguish the difference between light?”

“Are you gonna grab him or keep arguing with him?” Sam asked from behind Josh, just barely opening his eyes so he could see what was going on. “He’s gonna do something stupid.”

“Uh, guys,” Danny’s voice shook.

“What?” Josh and Sam asked.

“He’s gone.”

Although it was near impossible to see anything other than the striking white color pouring out of the door, it was clear that Jake was no longer standing with them.

“For the love of God,” Josh groaned out. “Why the fuck did he do that?”

“You were distracted with Sam and he shot me some finger guns and hopped through the door,” Danny caught them up to speed. “Do you think he’s dead?”

“He’s not dead,” Josh was quick to respond. “I would have sensed it.”

That earned him a snort from Sam.

“I swear, there’s academic articles out there about twin telepathy,” Josh felt it was worthwhile in that moment to defend himself against his younger brother’s scrutiny.

“Jake?” Danny cautiously called into the light, “Are you in there, bud?”

They were met with deafening silence.

“Literally say anything,” Danny tried again, panic rising in his voice. They waited a few beats, but not a single sound was uttered from the other side.

“We have to go in after him,” Josh declared. “And drag his stupid ass back here.”

“I’m not going in there,” Sam shook his head. “I’m going to bed.”

“You know you’re not gonna be able to sleep because you’ll be worried about Jake,” Josh raised an eyebrow. “C’mon, Sam.”

“I want you both to know that being in a band with all of you has easily taken years off of my life,” Danny told the two brothers. Then, he faced the door, let out a short huff, and stepped through it.

Sam’s face was scrunched in discomfort, not only from the light, but also the situation at hand. It was unclear what laid beyond the door, and Sam had no rational explanation for what could be going on, but he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that he wasn’t going to enjoy a good night’s sleep in his own bed for a while.

“Do you want to hold my hand?” Josh asked, holding his sweaty palm up to Sam. Sam looked like he was contemplating it for a second, but finally pushed it away and pointed at the door.

“We’re going through there together, that’s all I want.”

Josh couldn’t argue with that so, after giving Sam a reassuring pat on the shoulder, they stood together and squeezed through the tight door frame, entering into the light.

It was a bizarre experience: while standing near the light had provided a similar sensation to being in front of a fire pit, once they moved deeper in, the air actually grew colder, like the Michigan winters from their childhood. The light continued to sear their eyes, building in intensity to the point where it was still bright with their eyes closed and covered by their hands. Sam and Josh both felt some kind of force latch onto them at the same time, which they responded to with nervous squeaks, and then, like a nightmare roller coaster, they lurched forward.

If Sam wasn’t so terrified, he would have smacked his older brother for whooping with glee as they were thrust in some unknown direction at a speed that Sam couldn’t fathom. While they whipped around, he was burdened with worry about how they were going to safely stop and, more importantly, exactly where they were going to stop. Their bodies jerked to the left and to the right, and then Sam felt a warmth that they were rapidly approaching.

“Brace yourself!” He thought he could hear Josh yell over the rush of wind that was passing by Sam’s ears. It was hard to move, but he managed to shakily reach his hands up towards his head and cover it, alongside pulling his knees up into his chest in the fetal position. He opened his eyes for a brief moment, still stunned by the brightness of everything, but saw Josh slightly up ahead, doing flips in the air while yelling out in joy. Just beyond Josh, Sam could see that the white light was starting to break into some kind of green hue. And it looked like that was directly where they were headed.

It happened so fast Sam couldn’t process anything that was happening in real-time, but they shot out from some kind of cloud, did a freefall for about ten feet, and then landed with a thud in a grassy field. As upset as Sam was with his brothers for forcing him to jump through some mysterious, magic doorway, he was grateful that Josh had half a heart to warn him about a landing. Still, he was in shock from everything, so he opted to lay in the grass, facing the sky that had magically cleared of any strange clouds or scalding heat.

“Oh shit, are you dead?” he heard Josh ask to his right. The sound of Josh’s footsteps came closer, and then he saw his older brother leaning directly over his head, his eyes bright. “Hiya, Sammy.”

“Hiya,” Sam softly replied back. “What the fuck just happened?”

“Probably something the human mind can’t comprehend,” Josh replied with a smile. “I wonder how far away Jake and Danny are.”

At the thought of poor Danny going through that on his own, Sam sprung back to his feet, which seemed to surprise Josh since he backed up a few steps.

“They can’t be too far away, right?” Sam asked. Josh shrugged. They both took a second to scan around them to get a better sense of where they could possibly be. Low, rolling green hills surrounded them on all sides and, in the distance, a grove of trees were standing tall. The air was humid, but a light breeze made it easier to breathe, which Sam sucked in. “It feels like the east coast,” he commented. “Up north.”

“I don’t think we’re in Nashville anymore,” Josh agreed.

“Danny?” Sam cupped his hands around his mouth to shout. “DANNY?” he tried again.

“Hey, hey,” Josh put a hand on Sam’s shoulder to stop him. “We don’t know where we are. I think we need to lay low until we find more answers.”

“I just want to find my friend,” Sam frowned. “He could be hurt for all we know.”

“We’ll climb to the top of one of those hills and get the eagle eye view, how about that?” Josh attempted to compromise. “You should be able to see him from up there.”

Sam couldn’t argue with that logic, so they set their sights on the tallest hill and started to climb. Sam didn’t appreciate how evident it was that he was ridiculously out of shape, but he was glad that he could pretend to be intently searching around for Danny while he was actually catching his breath. He and Josh stood back to back, scanning around, trying to catch a glimpse of anything that even slightly resembled their band members when Josh let out a small gasp.

“Found them,” he announced.

Josh tugged on Sam’s shoulder to point him in the right direction, and Sam couldn’t help but let out a chuckle when he caught sight of Danny and Jake about 100 yards away, walking side by side through the grass, entirely unscathed. Without another word, Sam started to jog down the hill towards them. Sure, he was out of shape, but he needed some form of consolation that they were okay and they hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of their lives by passing through that damn door.

“Oh, thank God,” Sam was greeted by Danny when he approached him and Jake. “We had started to assume that you guys stayed behind.”

“What the hell is going on?” Sam demanded Jake, moving past Danny to grab ahold of Jake’s loose button up shirt so he could pull him close.

“Still working on an answer to that one,” Jake choked. “Will get back to you soon though.”

“Let him go, Sammy,” Josh said as he approached the group. Sam looked hesitant, but after hearing Jake make a few more gagging noises, he threw him back down so he stumbled around a bit before regaining his balance. “I’ve got a couple of theories about what just happened,” Josh continued. He held up three fingers, which his bandmates wearily watched. “One,” Josh started, “we’re dead.”

“Man, I hope not,” Danny commented.

“Two,” Josh pointed to his second finger, “we somehow managed to find a portal that brought us to a different dimension.”

“That could be fun,” Jake looked around at everyone and was met by frowns.

“Or three, someone drugged us back at the studio.”

“I’m feeling like it’s gotta be option three,” Sam declared. “The other two are baloney.”

“I hope we went through a portal,” Jake’s mind was somewhere else. “Wouldn’t that be cool?”

“Not really,” Danny murmured. “I kinda want to go back home.”

“It’s an adventure!” Jake exclaimed, clapping his hands together. “An opportunity for us to grow and learn things about each other!”

“That sounds awful,” Sam’s brow was furrowed. “I’m not in the mood for any kind of self-discovery or whatever.”

“You’ve got no other choice, Sammy boy,” Jake clasped him on the back, which nearly sent him toppling over. “You stepped through that door, now we have to find our way back.”

“I hate you,” was all Sam could say in response.

Jake seemed to take no offense to that, since he linked arms with Josh and started to skip away from Danny and Sam, down the hill towards the horizon, singing at the top of his lungs,

“We’re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!”

“What do you think is going on?” Sam turned to Danny after watching his twin brothers skip off into the distance. Danny looked as troubled as Sam felt, which at least brought him some comfort in knowing that he wasn’t the only one in the group who was capable of even a sliver of rational thought.

“I couldn’t tell you, but I can confidently say that I’m on the brink of panicking.”

“You and me both,” Sam sighed. Together, they followed behind Jake and Josh, who had managed to move so far ahead that they were ant-sized in the distance. “We’ll be okay though, I think.”

Danny looked like he really wanted to believe Sam, but there was still a deep frown stuck on his face.

“I really wish Jake thought sometimes before he did things.”

“It’s pretty hard to turn him away from bright, shiny things, Danny. No amount of convincing could have deterred him away from going through that door.”

“Hey! Guys!” Josh was hollering to them.

“What?” Sam screamed back.

“We found something!” Josh’s voice could just barely be heard. Danny and Sam exchanged a quick glance and then tore in Jake and Josh’s direction. Even though they were trying their hardest to remain composed on the outside, both of them were dying to know what situation they had gotten caught in.

When they reached Jake and Josh, they saw that Josh was closely studying a piece of paper that had been left strewn in a muddy patch in the field. Jake leaned over Josh’s shoulder and seemed to be scanning the words as well, his eyes dancing around the page.

“What’s that?” Sam pointed towards the damaged paper.

“It’s a clue,” Josh looked up. “A huge clue about where we are.”

“I didn’t know this was possible,” Jake mused to himself from behind Josh with a joyful chuckle.

Danny couldn’t tolerate the anticipation anymore since he ripped the paper from Josh’s hands and quickly skimmed it over.

“What. The. Fuck,” his eyes were wide as he lowered the paper. “What the actual fuck.”

Jake gave Danny a childlike grin.

“Right? Right?” He could barely contain his excitement. Danny twisted the paper around so Sam, who was feeling really confused, could take a look.

“Three days of peace and music,” he read aloud. “Bethel, New York. August 15-17, 1969.”

“So you guys think,” Danny was trying to make sense of everything, “we traveled back in time?”

“To the summer of 69,” Jake’s smile stretched from ear to ear.

“Lord help us,” Sam moaned, letting the paper fall back into the mud.

#greta van fleet #gvf #greta van fleet fanfiction #greta van fic #gvf fanfiction #gvf fanfic #sam kiszka #jake kiszka #josh kiszka #danny wagner #woodstock #1969

32 notes · View notes

celestial-robots · 1 year

Text

Finding Equinox

A Sun & Moon X Reader Story

Chapter Six: Activity Check

First | Previous

Word Count: 6092

Summary: It's the start of your second week and the Pizzaplex is busy with crowds wanting to see the newly-repaired Glamrocks. While going about your day, you let it slip that Sun and Moon are still active, and the head technician insists on checking things out. Should be fine, right?

Author’s Note: I meant to finish this about two weeks ago, but unfortunately life got in the way. You know how it is. Anyway, I won't waste any more time, you guys have already waited long enough XD Hope you like the chapter!

------------------------------------------

The weekend passed without much of note. You finally had that doctor’s appointment Monday morning to talk about your back injury. Sure, that resulted in scheduling another appointment on Wednesday for an X-ray (because apparently that couldn’t be done on the same day), but at least you got a doctor’s note saying you shouldn’t be doing any hard manual labor. Now management would have to be careful about what tasks they’re assigning to you. You made a quick stop at the library after the appointment to scan the note into a PDF, emailed that to management, and then drove out to the Pizzaplex.

There was a line out the front doors when you arrived, so you went in through a staff entrance in the loading dock. Then as soon as you left the staff-only tunnels, you found yourself in a crowd of customers. “Holy shit,” you whispered under your breath. The public areas of the Pizzaplex were absolutely crowded!

Well, that made sense, didn’t it? The Glamrocks were finally back. Sure, only half of them, but people loved the band. No wonder everyone was coming here to see Roxanne and Chica’s return.

You were curious about them, too. But not as curious as you might have been before. You’d already spent the whole week with an animatronic, the novelty of how the robotic band members worked had worn off.

Speaking of the animatronic you’d spent all last week with, time to go to Daycare! Better hurry before they started slamming you with tasks.

It took a few extra minutes because of the crowds, but as soon as you entered the Daycare area everyone abruptly cleared out. It was silent except for the bouncy music playing over the intercoms. You walked right up to the wooden doors and pushed your way inside.

“Heeeeello!” Sun popped up from behind one of the play structure’s tubes. He waved and skipped on over. “Welcome back, friend! It’s been so long!”

You laughed. “Hey, Sun. I missed you.”

“You did? I missed you too!” Sun’s rays wiggle. “I’ve been so busy! Look at everything, it’s all cleaned up!”

“Uh... yeah, I’m surprised.” The play area was brighter, all the colors more vivid. The cart of cleaning supplies was sitting by the wall with bottles knocked over and splashes of dirty water around the wheels. “Uh... you remember I said you didn’t have to clean the whole time, right?”

“I do, but...” Sun tapped his fingers together. “O-once I started going I couldn’t stop! Couldn’t stop until alllll the supplies were used up!”

“Hmm...” You frowned. “Well, I guess you probably have like... programming or something. But, uh... still. You could’ve taken breaks or something.”

“I couldn’t, I really couldn’t! Clean up, clean up.” Despite the cheerful little chant, you could have sworn there was a nervous edge to Sun’s voice. But before you could think about it that much, Sun moves on. “Oh! But I didn’t forget about what you said. You wanted to see some drawings, right? Here, over here!” He hurried over to the desk and picked up a few pieces of paper, holding them out to you.

“Oh cool! Did you have fun?” You followed him and took the offered papers, flipping through them. They looked more like kids’ drawings than anything else, with shaky lines and scribbled colors. Most of them featured the Glamrocks and other Fazbear-related things, but one of them was different. “Hang on, is this me?”

“I hope you don’t mind!” Sun said hurriedly. “But you drew such a nice picture of me that I wanted to return the favor. I know it’s not as good as yours, but here it is!”

“Awww.” You smiled. “It’s fantastic, Sunny boy. I like how you drew my hair. And all of these have such great colors!”

“Really? I-I snapped a few crayons so I thought I was pressing too hard.”

“Oof. Yeah, be careful with that. You’re a whole-as—you’re all mechanical and stuff, you’d be a lot stronger than us fleshy guys. But there’s nothing wrong with pressing hard to get those bright colors. I used to do that, too.”

Sun clapped his hands. “I’m so glad you’re happy, friend! I suppose it was a bit fun. Here, you can keep them if you want!”

You shook your head. “No, I couldn’t do that.”

“Oh really, I don’t mind!”

“...Alright. How about I keep the one of me and you can have the rest of them?” You separated that from the stack and put the remaining ones on the desk.

“Hmmm, okay! That’s fair!” Sun fidgeted with the stack on the desk, making sure the edges of the papers were all lined up.

“Great.” You carefully slid Sun’s drawing into your backpack. “Hey, I noticed you drew the Glamrocks. Did you know Chica and Roxanne are back?”

Sun’s face rotated, confused. “Back?”

“Oh! Right, you wouldn’t know! Something happened to the Glamrocks, like... a while ago. The Pizzaplex was closed for about a month. No one really knows what happened, but uh, at least Chica and Roxanne are back again.”

“Are they okay?” Sun asked.

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen them yet,” you admitted. “Did you... know the Glamrocks?”

“Well, not too well, but we used to sometimes take the kids out for trips into the rest of the Pizzaplex!” Sun said. “They would visit the band sometimes! So sometimes we would see them. I-I don’t think think they would remember me, though.”

“Hmm. So you guys are just, like, coworkers and not friends. That makes se—”

Ping! “New task added!”

“God da—!” You cut yourself off with a scowl and looked at your FazWatch. Two new tasks had been added. Cleaning up a mess in Chica’s Cupcake Factory, and rescrewing some vent covers that had fallen off. You sighed. “I’m so sorry, Sun.”

“It’s not a problem! You have to do your job.” Sun nodded understandingly.

“Yeah. But I’ll see you again today, I promise.” You smiled.

“Okay! I’ll look forward to it! Can you take the cleaning cart out with you? It’s been taking up space ever since I used everything up.”

“No problem, man.”

After quickly dropping off the cart of used supplies at the nearest janitorial closet—probably not where you should put it, but you were in a rush—you headed off to take care of the tasks.

The new crowds in the Pizzaplex meant you were forced to take the utility tunnels most of the time, which resulted in you getting turned around more than once. Stupid winding underground hallways. The more time you spent getting lost, the more tasks appeared on the FazWatch. At least you were getting used to the stuff they had you do here. A lot of cleaning, some maintenance, moving things around. Not too difficult. The most difficult task proved to be putting on the vent covers again, since some of them were in high, difficult-to-reach places.

It was a bit strange, actually. There was no sign of wear or anything on the vents or the screws holding them in place. Why did they fall off? They looked fine to you. But then again, you didn’t know anything about vents. Were they usually this big? A person could easily crawl inside.

Finally, everything was done. You headed back to the surface and were just about to leave the staff-only areas when—

Ping! “New task added!”

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” you shouted.

Something clattered behind you. You spun around and saw a familiar face. It was that blonde kid from last week. Jeremy. Apparently he knocked over a trash bin, sending it crashing into three other identical trash bins lined up next to it. “Oh sorry!” he said. “You just—I was coming to say hi. Did I bother you?”

“No, no, don’t worry.” You walked over and helped him right the fallen bins. They were all colored to look like Roxanne Wolf. “Jeremy, right?”

“Yeah. And you are, uh...” He paused. “Sorry, I’m not good with names.”

“It’s fine.” You told him your name again. “And don’t worry about me shouting, I’m just frustrated with this thing.” You checked the FazWatch. “All these constant tasks.”

“Yeah, they never stop, huh?” Jeremy laughed nervously. “I, uh... this is my first job, is this normal?”

“Depends on where you work. But yeah. It’s just annoying when you have something you want to do.” You sighed.

“Oh! Did you want to go see the show?” Jeremy asked.

“The huh?”

“The show’s starting soon!” Jeremy’s eyes lit up. “I haven’t gotten to catch one yet! It won’t be the whole band but I bet it’ll be awesome anyway!”

“Oh. Showtime.” You paused, reading the new task. Cleaning up some tools in Parts and Service. That could wait, right? You were a bit curious. “Y’know what? Let’s check it out together.”

“Awesome!” Jeremy jumped at the chance. “Come on, I know how to get to the stage from here.”

Showtime happened five times a day on the stage in the atrium. You wondered if every time slot was this popular, because the massive atrium floor was absolutely packed with people. Most of them families, and most of those families with little girls; clearly, little boys weren’t as interested in a show with only Chica and Roxanne.

“Who’s your favorite?” Jeremy asked you as the two of you stood at the very back of the room. “When I was little I loved Foxy, but they don’t have him here anymore, so I guess Monty’s my new favorite. He’s cool.”

“Really? Uh... I never really thought about it,” you said. “I guess... Freddy or Bonnie, maybe?” Honestly, you were never really drawn to one animatronic in particular. Until you stumbled into the Daycare, that is. Did Sun and Moon count?

“Oh that makes sense.” Jeremy nodded.

You raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I dunno, they’re just... the classics. Older people tend to like the older characters.”

“I’m only like, eight or nine years older than you.”

“Yeah? That’s a whole decade.”

You laughed.

The atrium lights dimmed. The distant stage was lit up with pink, purple, and white spotlights. The crowd cheered in excitement. You saw a little girl in pigtails climb on a bench to try to see over the adults in front of her, showing enthusiasm that clearly wasn’t matched by the brown-haired boy next to her. Then, rising up from the ground, you saw the silhouettes of two tall figures. TV screens on either side of the stage showed a close-up for the people in the back: Chica and Roxanne, waving at the crowd. Everyone cheered.

“God, I wish we could get closer,” Jeremy said. “We should be able to, cause we work here and everything.”

“Well, I mean, I’m technically a technician, so maybe I can see them really up close some time,” you said.

“Really?! Cool!” Jeremy smiled. “Hey, if you ever get the chance, could you—this is gonna sound stupid, but, introduce me? Sometime?”

You smiled back. “Sure, I can try and do that.”

“Awesome.”

The show was short. Chica and Roxanne only preformed a couple songs, possibly limited by just the two of them. But it was fun. Like a mini concert. You didn’t know Chica could sing; Freddy had always been advertised as the lead. And the two of them moved so fluidly, like they weren’t robots at all but actually alive. Or maybe any mistakes were hidden by the fog and flashing lights.

The show ended with Chica grabbing the microphone and announcing, “Thank you all for coming! Roxy and I will be in Rockstar Row until our next performance!”

“Stop on by to say hi,” Roxanne added. “We might even hand out autographs!”

And then the stage they were standing on lowered, taking them out of sight. The Pizzaplex announcer said, “Thank you for attending the Fazbear and Friends Glamrock Show. Come back at 9:00 for our next one!”

“That was so cool, right?!” Jeremy said, looking at you and grinning.

“Yeah, really cool. Wonder what it’d be like with all of them.” You checked your FazWatch. “Ah, shit, I still have to do that one task before I can take my break. How do I get to Parts and Service from here, again?"

"I hear the stage elevator leads down there, so if you're brave enough you could jump on up there,” Jeremy said jokingly.

“Ha ha. I’ll figure it out. Hey, thanks for suggesting this. See you around?”

“Uh, yeah, sure!”

“Great.” You smiled at him. “See you later.” And you broke into a run.

Luckily you found your way down there quickly. But Parts and Service wasn’t as empty as you expected. The moment you walked in, you noticed activity in the big glass cylinder in the middle of the room. “What the...?” you whispered. You slowly walked forward and peered through the glass. Inside was a woman you recognized as Pamela, the head technician. She was bending over an exoskeleton laid out on the table/chair thing in the middle of the cylinder. There was no plating on the exoskeleton, but there was a bright red mohawk and a row of sharp teeth. “Jeez,” you muttered. Montgomery Gator had looked better. “Alligators. Can they kill your children? ... Yes.”

A few seconds passed while you tried to figure out what Pamela was doing. Then she straightened up and immediately saw you standing there. You started a bit, feeling strangely guilty, then gave her a wave and a nervous smile.

Pamela nodded once. It was hard to read her expression. Hopefully she wasn’t freaked out by you watching.

The door to the glass cylinder slid upwards and Pamela walked out. You immediately started talking. “Sorry, uh—I came down here to sort some stuff and I saw you and I wondered what you were doing—is that Monty? He looks weird without the, uh, shell thing—”

“Yeah, I’ve been finishing up his repairs,” Pamela said. “You’re new. Have you heard what happened to the Glamrocks?”

“Uh... no.”

“You’re on the same page as everyone else, then.” Pamela walked over to the computer by the cylinder and clicked something on the screen. “The day shift left one evening, then came back and found them all wrecked and the security footage gone.”

“Oh. That’s... that’s weird.” Really weird. “Wrecked like... smashed up?”

“Yep. No one knows what happened.”

“Maybe... someone broke in to destroy them?” You speculated. There were enough people out there who hated Fazbear Entertainment. Surely one of them would be crazy enough to do that.

Pamela shrugged. “No idea. What are you sorting?”

“Huh? Oh, right.” Your task. “Apparently there were a lot of tools in disarray...” You glanced around. There was no obvious mess in sight.

“Oh those.” Pamela nodded. “I took care of those before I started on Monty for the day.”

“Really?” When had she had time to do that? Well... you had delayed for a bit watching the show. You felt a bit bad for putting it off now. “Uh, sorry for leaving that for you. I-I’m still getting used to the layout of this place—”

“You probably wouldn’t have known where to put them anyway,” Pamela dismissed.

Your shoulders tensed defensively. She was right. But she didn’t have to say it like that.

“Want to see where it’s all kept?” Pamela asked.

“Oh, uh... no thanks, I wouldn’t take up any more of your time.”

“It’s fine. I’m almost done with this guy, anyway.” Pamela gestured back at Monty in the cylinder.

“Well, I, uh...” You checked your FazWatch. There were no new tasks after the sorting one. “I, uh, actually have more stuff to do.”

“Where?”

“Uh—in the daycare.” You were so surprised by Pamela’s unexpected ask that you said the first spot that came into your mind. And honestly, it wasn’t wrong. You did have stuff to do in the daycare. They just weren’t Faz-tasks.

Pamela raised her eyebrow. “In the daycare? That place has been closed for months. No one even uses the theatre or party rooms anymore.”

Shit. “Yeah, well, uh—doesn’t mean there aren’t problems!” You laugh nervously. “Like, uh, that animatronic in there. There’s probably a ton of problems with him, being all stuck in there.” Stop talking stop talking stop talking—

“Wait, you mean the Daycare Attendant?” For once, Pamela’s neutral expression broke into surprise. “They’re still up and running?”

“Uh... y-yeah.” You were also surprised. “They’ve... been active this whole time. Shouldn’t you know that? As the head animatronic technician?”

“I’m fairly new to the job, to be honest,” Pamela said. She ran a hand through her dark, curly hair. “I was working here while the Daycare was open, but I assumed that they’d shut down the Attendant when it closed. Maybe even scrapped them. Shit. You’re right, they probably have a lot of problems if they’ve been active this whole time. Hang on. I can help. Give me a moment.” She walked over to one of the rooms along the edge of the main Parts and Service hub.

“Oh. Well...” You wanted to say ‘that’s probably not a good idea, Sun has anxiety issues that probably wouldn’t be helped by the head technician appearing, and Moon is still a wildcard who might attack you.’ But what you actually said was “Yeah. Sure, come on.”

“Great.” Pamela ducked inside the room, then reappeared with a red duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She shoved a weird two-pronged tool into the bag and zipped it up. “You lead the way.”

The walk to the Daycare was awkward. You couldn’t really think of anything to say so you didn’t say anything. Pamela didn’t start a conversation, either. But you couldn’t help but feel you should be talking. If not to make small talk with your boss—she’s your boss, right?—then to explain what’s been going on with Sun and Moon. At least let her know about your quest to reopen the Daycare. But how the hell are you supposed to say that?! ‘Hey I know that kids were hurt and went missing in the daycare but I want to make it so they can go in again because I’m emotionally attached to the Daycare Attendant’? That sounded insane.

Eventually, you arrived. “Hey, um...” you said, finally finding your voice. “Do you mind if I head in first and tell S—the Daycare Attendant that you’re coming?”

“Sure.” Pamela nodded. “Going to slide in?” She pointed at the ‘Slide Into Fun!’ sign.

“Wha—no, of course not!” Though you still wanted to try that sometime. “We’ll just... walk down to the doors.”

You quickly walked down the stairs, Pamela behind you, and up to the big wooden doors. Pamela hung back as you pushed open one of them and ducked into the play area.

“Welcome back, friend!” Sun was straightening the barrels again, but he jumped up as soon as he saw you. “They really keep you busy, don’t they?”

“They really do.” You sighed. “Uh, Sun. So. I ran into someone, and I-I might have mentioned I was going to the daycare, and... well, someone else is coming. Is that okay?”

“Oh! Yes, of course, I’d love to meet another new friend!” Sun visibly perked up. He practically ran over to the door and skidded to a halt, bouncing with excitement. “Who is it? Are they going to help us?”

“Um... maybe. I-it’s the head technician.”

Sun instantly froze. “It is?”

“Y-yeah, I... mentioned you and how you’ve been, uh... active this whole time, and how that might mean, uh... problems. With...” You gestured vaguely at him. “...with your body. Like, joints and stuff. So—”

You were interrupted by the sound of the wooden doors opening. Spinning around, you saw Pamela shoving her way inside. “Heavy, huh?” she grunted. “Don’t think a kid could open these. Seems a bit stupid for a daycare.”

“Pamela! Hi!” You gave her a little wave. “Uh, so—this is Sun. I mean, you said you knew about him, but this is him. Sun, this is Pamela.”

“Hey.” Pamela walked over to the desk, letting the door close on its own.

You glanced at Sun. He wasn’t saying anything, staring at Pamela. Then he started. “Oh! You’re new!” he said. “Hello, friend! Welcome to the Superstar Daycare!” He gave a big, sweeping wave over his head.

“Hey. Thanks.” Pamela nodded. She cleared a spot on the desk, pushing aside the random stuff on top, and set her duffel bag down on top of it. “I saw you around before. But you looked different.”

“O-oh, really?” Sun dropped his hand. “Well, I’m not the only Daycare Attendant! There’s also... Moon.”

“Yeah, them. Or... him?” Pamela looked at you as she unzipped her bag. “You used ‘him’, right?”

“Uh, yeah, they’re both ‘him’s,” you said, a bit surprised at Pamela asking. You weren’t expecting her to clarify Sun and Moon’s pronouns. “They, uh... they share the same body, but when it’s light, it’s Sun, and when it’s dark, it’s Moon.”

“Really?” Pamela tilted her head, curious. “Two AIs in one body. With a light trigger. That has to be hard to code.” She glanced at Sun, giving him a quick once-over, then looked down and took something out of her bag. You recognized it as a laptop case. “Impressive.”

“Oh.Th-thank you?” Sun sounded a bit uncertain. He probably wasn’t sure how to reply. You reach over and grab his hand supportively. His head turned to look at you, and then he gently clasped your hand as well.

"You mind if I ask you some questions, Sun?" Pamela said. She unzipped her laptop case and took out the computer inside. It was unusually colored: pink and white with a big bow decal on the back.

“Yes of course! I mean, no! I-! mean, I don’t mind at all! Ask away.” Sun gave a little laugh. He was once again swaying slightly on his feet.

“Great.” Pamela looked down at her computer screen, typing and clicking. “You’ve been here in the daycare the whole time?”

“Yep! But... Moon’s able to go out and about. The roaming protocols were restricted for me, but not for him.”

“How have you not run out of charge?”

Sun paused. “W-well, there’s a charging cable in our room that I use. I always use it! Always. Always. Just in case someone shows up!” There was a manic hint in Sun’s voice that worried you. You squeezed his hand, wondering if he would even feel that. He did, and he gave a slight—very slight—squeeze back.

“Hmm.” Pamela nodded. “Have you been especially active while you’re in here?”

“Sometimes! More now that my new friend’s been checking in on me!”

Oh shit that was you. You stiffened a bit as Pamela turned her attention to you. “I mean—I-I’ve been coming in... occasionally...” you said. “To... see how things are going.” You noticed Sun’s face rotate, as if confused. But he didn’t say anything.

“Hmm. That explains why you knew the Attendant was still active.” Pamela looked back at the computer screen. “Sun, have you had any trouble? Stiff movement, broken parts? Software errors?”

Sun hesitated. He looked at you, as if silently asking permission. You thought about it, then shrugged, unsure if Pamela should know about Moon’s possible glitch. Sun looked back at Pamela. “Nope! I’ve been having no issues! None at all! Perfectly functional!” That might have been a bit of an overcorrection. “N-no need to check anything!” That was definitely an overcorrection.

"Calm down, Sun," you whispered.

"Right, right, sorry!" he whisper-shouted back.

"Don’t apologize, nothing was wrong, it’s just—”

“I can hear you, you know,” Pamela interrupted.

Both you and Sun stiffened. “Uh, sorry!” you said. “We weren’t ignoring you or anything—”

“It’s fine, I’m checking some information, anyway,” Pamela said. “Old stuff. Schematics. Shit, this file is dense.”

“No swearing in the daycare, new friend!” Sun said automatically.

You were more concerned with something else. “Wait, you’re looking at Sun’s blueprints?”

“Well I’m not exactly familiar with his design,” Pamela said. “It’s pretty different from the Glamrocks I’m used to. There’s some coding data here, too, but it’s way too much for me to look at right now. Not to mention everything else in this file. Really big ‘Incidents’ section.”

You looked at Sun, trying to gauge his reaction. It’s hard to read with his never-changing expression. But he was holding your hand pretty tight. Not tight enough to hurt, but it’s definitely noticeable. “Uh, let’s focus on one thing at a time,” you said.

“Right.” Pamela nodded. “I’ll trust what you say, Sun.”

“You will?!” Sun sounded surprised. He hurried to cover it up. “Well thank you, new friend! It’s always good to trust each other!”

“Not always,” Pamela muttered darkly. You almost couldn’t hear her. But she, too, quickly moved on to cover it up. “There’s just one thing I want to check. I want to see what happens when you switch into night mode. Then ask Moon some questions, since he has different features that might need maintenance.”

Silence. “You... want to see Moon?” Sun asked. His posture was stiff, worried.

“Yeah.”

“Um...” You raised a hand to get attention. “Moon is... Moon’s kind of... unpredictable. He, uh—”

“Yeah, I know the basics,” Pamela said. “Don’t worry. There’s a note here that the Daycare Attendant can’t roam behind the security desk in the daycare. I don’t think that’s changed.”

You look at Sun. “Is that true?”

“That’s very true, friend!” Sun agreed. He relaxed. “I-it will probably be fine if you and Ms. Brooks stay behind there. Besides, that’s where the lights are.”

“Oh. Okay. So... are you good with going lights-off right now, then?” you asked. “It’s okay if you’re not. Pamela can come back some other time.”

“No no, it will be fine.” Sun put his hands on his shoulders and turned you so you were facing the light controls. “Go ahead! J-just remember to turn the lights on again soon! The lights are supposed to be on during daytime.”

“I remember, Sun.” You turned back and gave him a smile and a thumbs-up. “I’ll turn them on really quick. It’ll be alright. Don’t worry.”

“I-I won’t.”

You walked towards the light controls, leaving Sun standing there, fidgeting again. “On three,” you said to him and Pamela. “One... two... three!” And you hit the button.

The darkness was instant. You hurried over to the desk, where Pamela’s laptop screen was now the only source of light in the daycare. With its glow and the light coming in through the glass around the play area, you could see the transformation starting. It wasn’t as... intense as the last one you saw. Probably because Sun wasn’t screaming. But the mechanical noises and jittering animatronic limbs was still upsetting to see. Sun fell over right as you reached Pamela’s side. And didn’t stand up again.

“Hello?” you called.

A blue-and-white hand grabbed the edge of the desk. Then another. And then Moon’s face slowly rose over the edge. “Naughty naughty,” he said. “Not naptime yet.”

“You don’t sound too upset at that,” you said casually.

Moon chuckled. In one smooth motion he jumped onto the edge of the desk, crouching on its surface. His red eyes landed on you, but then he quickly noticed Pamela and turned to stare at her. Was it just your imagination, or did you notice Moon tense up?

“So you’re Moon.” Pamela was shockingly calm given that a giant animatronic with freaky red eyes was only a foot away from her face. “I’m Pamela. I’m the head technician here. Your friend—” Her head jerked towards you “—told me that you and Sun were still active, which I didn’t know.”

Moon’s face swiveled over to you. “You told?”

“No!” You raised your hands defensively. “I just—mentioned I was going to the Daycare and—and things just sort of spiraled from there.” You glanced at Pamela. “Not that I was going to keep them a secret from you or anything—"

“It’s fine,” Pamela said, doing stuff with her laptop. You glanced at the screen and saw dense text paired up with a drawing of the Daycare Attendant’s inner workings. “I’m just here to check that everything’s still functioning with you. Is it?”

Moon didn’t answer. But he did return to looking at Pamela instead of you, which was relieving. He leaned forward, inching his face closer to hers. Pamela, to her credit, didn’t flinch.

“You know, I don’t think... Moon talks a lot,” you said haltingly.

“That’s fine. I work with the DJ sometimes, he doesn’t talk at all. I can work with this.” Pamela clicked to a different page on her laptop. “Sun said that he didn’t notice any problems. So it’s probably okay. But it says here that the two of them have different features and protocols, so there’s always a chance something’s gone wrong with their individual systems. I’d like to know if that’s the case, Moon.”

Moon’s head twitched. “All fine.”

Bullshit.

“Alright, then.” Pamela nodded. “It’s always good to run a check-up anyway, so if you two ever want to come down to Parts and Service—"

Moon leaned even closer to her. “All. Fine.” His voice was a low growl.

Pamela finally reacted, but only to lean backwards. “If you say so. In that case, there’s nothing more for me to do right now.” She shut her laptop and looked at you. “I don’t want to get in the way of whatever you were doing here. You can handle it, right?”

“Uhhh yeah.” You glanced at Moon. “I can take care of myself.”

“Great.” She put her laptop back into the case, and put that back in her duffel bag. “I’ll leave you here.” And she promptly walked away. Pamela wasn’t much for small talk, was she?

With Pamela now leaving, Moon turned his attention to you. He leaned closer. Unlike Pamela, you weren’t confident enough to stay in place while that happened, and took a couple steps backwards. “You told,” Moon said.

“I didn’t mean to,” you insisted. “She just started asking questions and I-I panicked. And I can’t tell her to not do something, she’s, like, technically in charge of me, so when she invited herself along—Why do you care, anyway?” You folded your arms. “Is it because you don’t want anyone knowing what the hell your deal is?”

“No swearing in the daycare,” Moon said.

“You do that, too? Well, I guess it must be in your programming or whatever.” You sighed. “Look. I’m not gonna tell Pamela anything you don’t want her to know. But she is the head technician. It might be good to have her on our side. Why are you so—so—weird about what’s happening?”

Moon’s face rotated. You could have sworn he looked thoughtful. “Naughty kids must be punished.”

“Okay. What does that mean in this context?”

Before Moon could say anything else, the lights in the Daycare all turned on again. “No!” He jerked backwards, falling off his perch on the desk. “No more lights! No more naps!” Mechanical clacking sounds filled the air. Moon slammed his head against the side of the desk, dislodging everything as he growled and struggled. And then everything stopped.

“Moon? Sun?” You leaned over the desk and saw Sun lying on the floor on his back. “Are you okay?”

Sun was quiet for a moment. Then he gave you a thumbs-up. “I’m in tip-top shape, friend!” he said in an overly-cheerful tone.

“Hah. Right.” You turned back around to look at the light switch. Pamela was standing there with her hand on the button. “Uh—Pamela, I—maybe you should warn us next time?”

“Sorry.” Her hand dropped to her side. “I didn’t think it would be that... difficult.”

Sun popped up. “Oh, it’s quite alright! All good here!”

“Right.” Pamela nodded slowly. “Hey, actually. You.” She looked at you. “Can I talk to you for a second? Out here?”

“Uhhh... ssssure.” You gave Sun an apologetic glance and made your way over. “This’ll only take a second.”

“Oh. Okay! Of course. Be back soon!”

“Definitely.” You waved, and then followed Pamela out through the big wooden doors. They closed solidly behind you.

Pamela paused for a moment, staring at the doors. Then nodded and looked at you. “So something’s definitely wrong with them.”

Your stomach dropped. “What? What do you mean?” you asked, trying to sound casual about it.

“Well first of all, no animatronics should be making those clacking and rattling sounds when they move,” Pamela said. “They’re designed to be quiet. But that’s probably just due to a lack of cleaning and proper maintenance. The light trigger is what really worries me. It shouldn’t be that... that...” She paused. “It should be a lot smoother.”

“W-well, uh, they’ve been transforming like that the, uh... the whole time I’ve seen them,” you said slowly.

“Hmm.” Pamela pressed her lips together. “I’m just saying. I don’t know if they’re aware of it, since they both said everything was fine, but something’s probably gone wrong with the software or the actual physical mechanisms. I could issue a Service Ticket for them. But I don’t like to do that unless everyone’s on the same page.” She jerked her head back to the doors. “I don’t really care what you do in there with them. But if you could, at any point, convince them to come down for some simple maintenance, that would be great.”

“Uh...” You weren’t sure how to respond to this. “Yeah. I can... I’ll try.”

“Great.” Pamela nodded. “I’ll see you around.” She spun around and left.

“Uh—see you!” you shouted after her. You watched her walk up the staircase and disappear, then you turned around to look back at the play area entrance. A moment passed. Then you sighed and headed back in.

“Is everything okay, friend?” Sun was waiting right outside the doors. “Are you in trouble? Are we in trouble?!”

“Everything’s fine, don’t worry,” you reassured him.

“Oh good!” Sun’s shoulders slumped in relief. “What was that all about, then?”

“Uh... I’ll tell you later,” you said slowly. “For now,” you tapped your FazWatch, “I’m finally on break, so this can’t drag me away. Is there anything you want to do?”

“Oh there’s so much!” Sun gasped. “We can keep fixing things up around here, but no, you probably don’t want to work on your break, do you, friend? We can play a game! I need to practice for playtime again! Oh, no, wait! You should eat something! You’ve been working so hard, you should have something nice while you have a chance.”

“Right, right.” You nodded. “I did pack a lunch. Almost forgot about it.”

“Never forget to eat, friend! Food is the fuel to keep you going!”

You laughed. “Is that a line you used on the kids?”

“Sometimes, but it’s true!”

“It really is.” You set your backpack on the desk, opening it up and rummaging around inside—being careful not to fold Sun’s drawing from earlier. “I’ll eat and we can talk, then once my break is over we’ll see if I have any new tasks.”

“Sounds good to me!” Sun said.

Unfortunately, the tasks did draw you away again after your break, but at least you had fifteen minutes of peace. Sun seemed eager to forget about what just happened with Pamela so he encouraged you to talk about whatever was on your mind. Which was mostly video games. Afterwards, you headed back into the Pizzaplex, where you stayed busy until it was time to go home.

You didn’t forget about what Pamela said about maintenance. She was right; Sun and Moon needed to have someone look at them. They’d been left alone for so long that they probably had a ton of problems, even if they functioned fine. But neither of them wanted it. Moon didn’t like talking about his problems in the first place, and Sun... well, he might go along with your suggestion, but he was clearly anxious about the whole thing. Was he afraid? Were they both afraid? Of what? Maybe... of what the check-up would find?

It was hard to figure out. But you would tell them about Pamela’s suggestion soon. Maybe some maintenance would help them both.

#fnaf security breach #fnaf sun #fnaf moon #fnaf daycare attendant #x reader #y/n #sundrop #moondrop #findingequinoxfic

16 notes · View notes

kopawz · 1 year

Text

what up my dudes it is wip wednesday hope you like funny oc moments before we go talk to kale holed up in his hospital room

The eighth floor was always something of a delicate subject in Vandelay's largest hospital.

To the general public, most aren't allowed anywhere beyond the many doors past the information desk. It seemed like a regular floor meant for cybernetic repairs and rebuilds– until you went beyond them... That was the real eighth floor. But of course, very little information, if any at all, slips through the cracks of those heavy metallic doors.

Until today, apparently.

An indignant and absurdly loud shriek of disbelief rang out in beyond the elevator as the doors chimed open–

"HE'S ALIVE?!" Chai nearly spilled the drinks in the carrier he was holding, and the bag 808 held in her mouth almost fell from its grip in her jaws.

NUR-53 units passing by couldn’t help but flinch, before resuming their work.

“SHUT UP–” Peppermint shouts, shushing him as if that would take back the loud noise. Stepping out of the elevator, she led a stunned Chai towards the information counter, turning to face him. Her voice dipped into an aggravated whisper, "I *just* said NOT to freak out.”

She leaned on the counter, waving to get one of the hospital staff’s attention, "Just be cool, act natural. Technically, I'm not even allowed to tell anyone about this."

He whisper shouts, mildly alarmed, "How come you're bringing *ME* up here then–!? Aren't you going to get in trouble for doing this–?"

"–Don't worry about it,” Peppermint patted his back, and kept snapping and waving to get the receptionist’s attention, “We can talk more about it once we’re in. It'll be like we were never here."

She turned back to the LU-C1LLE that had rolled over, smiling at them–

“Hey, could you page Technician Buffet for me? If he’s not too busy.”

The LU-C1LLE that responded rolled their eyes on impulse, “Sure. Another Vandelay visit, I'm guessing." They sigh, reaching over to the intercom.

The technician in question probably was busy at the moment, but knowing him, that ridiculous man would drop whatever he was doing whenever anybody made the effort to summon him.

“Buffet,” LU-C1LLE's voice rang off over the speaker as the receptionist held a button down, “Buffet to the main desk, please. You have visitors.”

…Shuffling in place in front of the main desk, Peppermint waits, idly tapping her foot to the easygoing song breezing out of Chai’s music player. Chai himself stared at the two cups they picked up on the way to the eighth floor. He was tasked with the job of carrying the drinks, because it gave him something to focus on. The feeling of warm drinks emanating from the carrier into his hands helped.

So, looking at the orders, Peppermint had firstly ordered: A classic cortado in a tall paper cup.

Evidently, that one must be for Kale. So he can still drink! …And he’s alive.

That’s the most surprising thing here. He lived through exploding. And he’s been here the entire time, not dead. Instead of being completely obliterated in a smoldering heap from the battle beside Vandelay towers all those months ago… He lived.

That’s…? Chai isn’t 100% sure how he feels about that. It’s weird. He *should* be angry about that, right? This guy SUCKS! This guy– that’s basically responsible for so much of the crappy things that are still affecting him and everybody else– is alive, and that should suck! But…

He feels conflicted– About WHAT?! There’s nothing to be conflicted about! No part of him should be even remotely happy about this! And yet…

His sock rhythmically tapped against the tile to the cheerful tune.

…There’s this anticipative feeling where an angry ball of nerves ought to be.

He looked over at Peppermint, leaning on the counter and typing something into her tablet while waiting for the person she summoned to arrive. She seemed relaxed for a likely more normal reason: familiarity. She’s definitely visited Kale a bunch of times before, then.

It stung a little that she didn’t say anything about this until now…

She noticed him staring, and paused her typing, “Hey.”

He flinched, “Hm?”

“You’re kinda looking at me like a kicked puppy. What gives?”

“Oh– um.” He shuffled in place some more, “You… really couldn’t tell anyone about this?”

Instead of looking at him, Peppermint just lowered her eyelids, and continued pecking at her tablet, “...Sorry. We can talk about it more once we’re in there.”

She glanced over, “You can ask as many questions as you want once we do, I promise. I think it’ll be a good idea to have this conversation with him. Just trust me on this.”

He stared and nodded, “I never said I didn’t.”

…Man, Chai is going to have a *LOT* of questions once this tech guy shows up.

Alright… Second of all, the second order: A sweet barley tea, and a blackberry muffin which 808 was holding onto for the time being. Peppermint smacked his hand when he tried grabbing the muffin in the elevator– So, it certainly wasn’t for Chai, that’s for sure.

"Ah!" Some tall man wearing a pale coat made a noise, noticed them all standing there as he opened a pair of large, metal doors.

He quickly walked over, pleasantly surprised. This technician seemed to have been pulled from the middle of something, attempting to stuff various wires and connectors to fit sloppily into his already overflowing pockets.

Large, complex goggles that resembled headphones with a camera sat over most of his face; only the bottom of his nose and lopsided grin were visible.

The strange device snug to his face was doing its best to hold down medium-cut, auburn, frazzled hair. His confident stride that he carried himself with (almost) made the man seem distinguished–

Because everything else about this guy screamed anything except professional.

He had a tiny pin of the hospital’s crest affixed to the dark green t-shirt that was stained with… oil? It smelled like oil. Just standing here, Chai could already tell this man smelled like the inside of a car. …Are those fingerless gloves? Okay, maybe this guy was a little cool.

Leaning forward to get a better look at them, his employee I.D. pass hanging from his neck jangled against his torso,

"...Miss Mint! Never not good to see you and your robo-kitty companion! But… Something seems different today,"

“First of all, I don’t usually get summons on weekdays! That, and, well–" Reaching up to flicking the panel on his goggles upward with a small click, he peered through the rectangular hole at Chai with deep black eyes.

They were slightly obscured from the shadow of the goggles’ interior, shadowing his features; very hard to read.

He wore a subtle, confused frown for a few silent moments.

Yet, he still notes with piqued intrigue as he leaned back, flicking the goggles closed again with a pop– "...You brought an additional something with you, I see!"

He crossed his arms, “Certainly, we don't plan on leaking confidential information about what we do here on floor eight," He quirked a brow at Peppermint, "Do we?" …But he was still smiling wide like there wasn’t any real issue.

It was difficult for Chai to tell if his warning was genuine, or just some weird inside joke between her and the technician. Maybe both?

"Heyyyy, Buffet," Peppermint scratched the back of her neck, apprehensive, "I know nobody's supposed to know about who you have up here, but–" She stuffed her tablet back into her pocket, gesturing towards Chai and 808,

"I was hoping you could help me smuggle someone else in this time?"

Buffet hummed, looking again at Chai’s perplexed, tired expression. He did so with a zoomed in goggle lens. 808 reached out a paw to playfully bat the ocular scope.

…So *this* was the ambassador in the flesh?

So much talk of this peculiar man, who seemed to be a frequent topic of conversation whenever Peppermint would visit Buffet's patient. And always spoken of, with such an air of familial fondness! Recently, spoken of with regret and remorse. Her way of making up to her friend for the whirlwind of recent current events, maybe?...

Chai whispered beside himself when Buffet hadn't moved an inch from his thoughtful posture for an entire fifteen seconds, "Why is he staring at me–?"

Peppermint quickly shushed him, "–He's thinking about it! Do you want to be let in or what?"

…Buffet supposes he can fiddle with the visitor registry a bit, to let this oddball accompany her and her cat. It would be comical, really! Especially considering that this young man was the entire reason this long, complicated build project began in the first place nearly a year ago.

He hummed, un-zooming his goggle lens', "I'm afraid to admit, my spitfire friend, that I can't find anything peculiar about your visit to the patient in our careful care today."

"What–?" Chai spoke up, "But, I'm not supposed to–"

"All *I* can see," Buffet interrupted, and spoke matter of factly, "Is that you've brought two service animals to our humble floor, instead of the typical one! Interesting…" His voice faded as he walked away from the information counter.

He returns, holding three bracelets, "Miss Mint, 808, unassuming third party that I am barred from naming for hospital confidentiality reasons– could see your wrists?"

"Thanks," Peppermint snapped the pink barcoded bracelet around her wrist, "For doing this, Buffet. I thought it would help."

"Don't mention it, literally." He grins, swiping the sweet drink and muffin from Chai and 808, downing the entire paper cup in a few chugs.

He launches the empty paper cup into a trash bin, "It is good to help others, isn’t it? You help me remember the wonders of breakfast, and I help you with matters of the heart!– …So to speak."

Peppermint rolled her eyes, walking past him into the hallway, “Maybe try remembering to feed yourself, instead of relying on cheap cafeteria food.”

Turning over the yellow bracelet on his left wrist that matched the one fastened to 808’s tail, Chai was given a different barcode that seemed to capture his attention more than Peppermint’s rapport with the technician.

His bracelet held a minimalist symbol of a dog, which read– “Service animal?” He noticed there was additional text beneath a smaller warning label, "...Nervous?" He mumbled, squinting at the words.

Buffet snapped his finger to summon a small holographic screen beside himself, musing over the schematics of a familiar robotic body as he walked onwards.

His speech was muffled, on account of him having a blackberry muffin lodged in his jaw, "Let's do our best to make this visit brief, for both our sakes, Miss Mint."

Peppermint gave a small smile, "We'll try." She started moving down the hallway to follow the technician, gesturing for Chai to quickly follow them.

#hi fi rush #hi-fi rush #oh buffet roxanne is gonna kill you if she ever finds out you're doing this buddy

14 notes · View notes

impish-crow · 9 months

Text

[TRANSLATION] DIG-ROCK HOUND ROAR vol. 1 - Track 03

Track 3: Things I don’t want to admit

(Bell ringing sound)

Toya: Haru-chan? Kasuga: I've come to pick you up~ Toya: How did you get all the way in here? Kasuga: The entrance and elevator lock were opened by someone passing by. It's a nice mansion~ Excellent security. (Door opens) Kasuga: Good morning, Toya. Toya: Your voice is loud… Kasuga: As you said, I don't want to cause trouble for the neighbors. Pardon My intrusion~ Toya: I told you before that I don't like other people coming into my room. Kasuga: you're not answering your phone--I was worried. Toya: Sit there. I'll quickly change and come out. Kasuga: Sure~ Kasuga: How are things these days? Toya: Just so so. Kasuga: Can you just say you’re in top condition? You being strict with yourself.. Toya: Haru-chan, you praise too much. Kasuga: Humans can receive more praise. That's my motto. Toya: You seem to have come up with that just now. Kasuga: Not at all~ There's a saying that praise can make someone grow, but hitting and destroying doesn't benefit anyone. Toya: Did you say something? Kasuga: …I said I'm glad to see you healthy! Leaving that aside, you change quickly! Toya: Have I ever been late for practice? Kasuga: Nope~ You're truly an honor student. Toya: It’s normal thing. Kasuga: Othes rarely practice, the record is fragmented and the technician patchworks it together delicately. Live is a binge of sound recording, TV is lip-synced and edited. That's not unusual, is it? Toya: I don't care how others are doing. And practicing is not particularly praiseworthy, nor does high skill guarantee success. Kasuga: Your words are reasonable. Oh, that's right. The tie-up for the new song has been decided. Toya: Tie-up…? Kasuga: It's the image song for a game app. We'll release a lot through CMs and promotions. If it goes well, it might be used longer than a drama theme. It should be easy for people to remember. And there's talk of releasing an album with this new song and the single ROAR, syndrome, and Reincarnation… Toya: Toya: Hold on. Talk about the album is fine, but keep the tie-up talk blank. Kasuga: Why? Toya: I haven't heard a single word about it beforehand. I can't consider the content of the job since I don't know what game it is for. Kasuga: Why? Toya: I haven't heard a single word about such matters beforehand. I can't consider the content of the work if I don't know what game it's for. Kasuga: Ah, sorry, sorry. Actually, this was discussed between companies. The deciShion was made recently. I played the existing demo of the song, received a response without problems, so it's okay. Toya: Haru-chan, you said HOUND ROAR is going to compete with skill, right? Kasuga: I said so, and I still sincerely believe that. Toya: I'm not saying tie-ups are bad. However, if we're going to do it, I want to compete with skills. Otherwise…

Kasuga: Toya. Skill, as you mentioned earlier, is not everything. It's the overall average of everything. You, with the backup of Renown Stage, just use it to the fullest to score. Toya: I know that! But… Kasuga: It's okay! Don't be so scared. HOUND ROAR is a good band. I guarantee it. Toya: Haru-chan… Kasuga: Besides, you don't want to lose to the bands of DigPro, right? RUBIA Leopard and Impish Crow.. Toya: …. Kasuga: I got it, leave it to Haru-chan. Don't worry about trivial things; just keep creating the music you love. Toya: … Kasuga: Well then, Let’sgo!

Kasuga: Good morning~ Hey, Toya, try to lighten up a bit.~ Toya: Stop that sugarcoating words. Sogo: Toya! Haru-chan! Kasuga: Good morning, Sogo. Sogo: Both of you… haven't you heard anything from Shion? Kasuga: Shion? Nothing at all. Toya? Toya: I don't know. What's going on? Sogo: I promised to move the keyboard today… went to pick him up, I kept ringing the intercom, and he didn't answer. He didn't come to the studio either. Toya: I don't want to imagine it, but… he didn't collapse at home, did he? Sogo: I'm starting to worry now. Should have asked him to open the door when I went to the mansion… Kasuga: No, no, they wouldn't have opened it so easily. Unless it's family or the police. Sogo: Ah…That’s right…

Shoma: Good morning,, Sogo: Shoma! Have you heard anything from Shion? Shoma: Megane? No, not at all. Kasuga: Any idea where he might be? Shoma: It's impossible… What happened to him? Sogo: He's not answering calls… Toya: How about sending Haru-chan to check his condition at the manShion? Kasuga: Let's do that. If it doesn't work out, we may have to contact his parents to open the door. Shoma: If it doesn't work out… Kasuga: If anything happens, we'll contact you. You guys can continue practicing. Shoma: But… that guy might have collapsed somewhere! It's not the time for a practice! Toya: There's nothing we can do. It's better than wasting time. Shoma: Don't say we're wasting time like that! Toya: Then how should I say it? Shoma: You! Your words are so heartless! Toya: So annoying… Shoma: What?! Sogo: Both of you, that's enough. Shoma: …Sorry. Sogo: Let's calm down for a moment. I don't feel like practicing right now either. Toya: Haa… Shion, that guy…

(footstep sounds)

Sogo: Oh? Haru-chan! Shoma: You're back so soon? Kasuga: …The police just contacted me. Toya: The police…? Kasuga: Shion has been arrested. Shoma: …Huh?!

Shion: … Sogo-san…? Sogo: Are you okay, Shion? How's your condition? Shion: I'm okay… Sogo: Thank goodness… Ah!! you surprised me! Shion: I'm sorry… But why is Sogo-san here? Sogo: I came with Haru-chan. Now, let's go. Shion: Huh? But… Sogo: The police were convinced by Haru-chan. There's nothing to worry about now. Come on, get up. Kasuga: Thank you so much~ I'm sorry for causing trouble. Police: Really, be more careful next time. Kasuga: That's true! I'll make sure to tell him that. Ah, here he is, Shion. Shion: Uh… Kasuga: Save the scold for later! Now, apologize to the police. Shion: I'm sorry… Police: Don't make any confusing actions in the future. And explain the situation more clearly. Since you're an adult. Shion: …Yes. Kasuga: Haa~ It's been a while since I visited a police station. Sogo: A while? Kasuga: …When you work in the entertainment industry for a long time, you experience various things~ Want to hear the details? Sogo: Haha… I'd rather not. Kasuga: So, Shion? Shion: Um… I'm sorry for causing trouble. Kasuga: You did well! Shion: Huh? Kasuga: Calling me first was the correct thing to do. Thinking that Shion relied on me in a crisis, it warms my heart. Shion: No, it's not really like that… Kasuga: Let's just go with that. It's resolved before it could become a bigger issue, and there won't be any hindrance to HOUND ROAR’s activities. No need to worry. Shion: Oh… Kasuga: Sogo, listen to the details. I need to go back to the office. If something troublesome happens, contact me. Sogo: Understood. Kasuga: I’m counting on you~ Sogo: Shall we go too? Shion: Sogo-san… I (coughing) Sogo: Are you alright?! I parked my car nearby, can you walk? Shion: Yes.. Umm.. I have a favor to ask. Sogo: What is it? Shion: I… I don't want to go home right now. Um… Sogo: Will you to come to my place? Shion: Asking for this… I know it's a lot, but… Sogo: I was planning to do that from the beginning. Shion: Huh? Sogo: You're not in good health, and it's harder to be alone, right? Plus… we want to hear the details.

#digrock #dig-rock #dig rock #translation #hound roar #kouno hibiki #endo shoma #hayama touya #hayama toya #kido sougo #kido sogo #onozato shion #kasuga takaaki

2 notes · View notes

jagged1 · 2 years

Text

Damned If You Do

Fandom: Outlast Rating: Gen Characters: Waylon Park Summary: A look into Waylon's thoughts before he ends up in the Engine. Contains: N/A Word Count: ~400 AO3 Link

Waylon's nerves are at their peak. He's so strung out, he thinks one more shock will make his heart give out. He’s been catapulted far too deep into this mess and it might be the stupidest idea he’s ever had, but he can’t let this slide. He does his best to circumvent Murkoff’s security, but it’s probably woefully inadequate.

The sound of a message over the intercom catches his attention, and he immediately is on alert, checking behind him for anyone’s presence. There’s no one there. He hesitates for just a moment before hastily finishing his e-mail and hitting send.

A voice calls into the dark equipment room. Waylon jolts in surprise. Shit, shit, shit, there goes that plausible deniability. He tries to sidestep the guard’s question and rushes towards the Morphogenic Engine. The sooner he’s done, the sooner he can come back for the evidence and get rid of it.

He forces himself to breathe slowly and focus only on the code in front of him. He doesn’t need anyone picking up that anything’s wrong. He’s only barely keeping his cool as it is, buried so deep underground in this terrible room, surrounded by Murkoff employees. He stares at the progress bar, blocking out everything around him and willing it to go faster, when suddenly someone slams into the window in front of him.

He leaps out of his chair, startled out of his wits as the man bangs on the glass, looking as frantic as Waylon feels, begging for his help. The guards grab onto him and pull him back, but he breaks free once more. Waylon backpedals awkwardly when he hits the window again, pleading. Does he know? Can he see it on Waylon’s face that he doesn’t agree with Murkoff? Can anyone else tell?

The security guard on this side of the glass approaches him and Waylon immediately raises his hands in surrender. Oh god, he’s fucked. The technician that’s been hovering over him this whole time intervenes and Waylon gratefully takes the out he’s been given. He finishes fixing the program and is instantly faced with a front row seat to the poor man’s pain and suffering.

He flinches and averts his eyes, unable to stomach seeing the effects in real time, knowing there’s a human being who was desperate for help on the other side of the screen. He can’t help anyone here, not like this.

When he’s dismissed, he hurries back to the storage room, hoping to get away scot-free. Instead, he runs into Jeremy Blaire waiting for him in a trap.

He’s so fucked.

#outlast #outlast whistleblower #waylon park #my fic #my writing

4 notes · View notes

cloudbattrolls · 2 years

Text

Starfall

Chimer Latrai | Civitrecce | A Few Nights Prior

Across the sea in another world, a deal was struck. A demon saved a man from a deadly poisoning at the behest of his kismesis. As payment, it took away the creative potential of his business; the business that had kept the man alive, else the empire would have culled him after the lifelong injuries he had sustained.

No highblood was supposed to live as such a frail embarrassment, decreed imperial law. Not unless they were useful enough to spare.

So long, of course, as that usefulness didn’t run out.

—

Chimer Latrai floated in her personal pool, mulling over both the next meme she wanted to post on her blog and the best way to advance the current architectural debates about invasive data collection.

There was seriously no point to sensors that could place a troll’s hue within a caste or so; expensive and time wasting, and for what? To better target them for advertisements and to try to expose any hemoanons for profit?

She’d argued that if sensors of that level were necessary, they should only be placed around high security areas. There was no reason to let every random business that could afford it exploit them.

That obviously didn’t solve the problem of those high security areas selling the information anyway, but that was another issue entirely. One thing at a time.

Back to the meme. Which was related to the other topic at hand.

‘What if you wanted to mind your own business, but the corner store said you NEED to buy this garbage drink brand?’

Could use some refinement, but she’d pass the idea on to one of the trolls who ran her blog. Her memecrafters, as she liked to call them, did great things with her basic ideas.

Too bad she couldn’t swear in them, but she had to keep the thing appropriate even for wrigglers. It was better for her overall image, plus it was more professional anyway.

Corelo would appreciate that; not that she’d even told him about her blog. Funny kid. She liked him a lot, even if he was technically a gang boss or whatever. It was hard to resent him for whatever no doubt messed up stuff he got up to when he wasn’t working for her when he was just a cute little guy with a bow tie.

“Miss Latrai, please report to the acquisitions office. Miss Latrai, an urgent matter requires your presence in acquisitions.”

She blinked at the intercom announcement. Huh? She wasn’t expecting...well, nothing for it.

The fuchsia quickly swam to the edge and got up, dripping on the polished steps as she turned on her hot-air dryers. They made a low noise as they blasted her, blowing her hair around and rippling her fins. She quickly changed into a more suitable outfit, not completely dry but not wanting to keep her staff waiting.

One short elevator trip later, the doors opened with a ding and she stepped into the acquisitions floor.

“What’s u - oh, wow, you look stressed.” She said, as the teal who’d summoned her hurried up, glasses askew and face sweaty. The woman looked like the very definition of the word harried.

“Miss Latrai, it’s - I don’t know how to explain it, I’ve never seen anything like this before - “

“Take a sec, uh...Hyraal?” She said, trying to remember the woman’s name. “I’m sure whatever it is isn’t world-ending. Like the last few things almost have been. Right?”

“Harryl.” She was corrected, absentmindedly, as she was led to the main display screen.

“Sorry, my bad.” Chimer replied with an apologetic smile, but her employee wasn’t even looking at her.

Chimer’s smile died as she realized why, to be replaced with an expression of deep confusion. Her fins fluttered as she looked the information on the display screen up and down, sure her eyes must be playing tricks on her. The rectangle of liquid crystal was several feet tall and wide, with data laid out in the finest resolution available.

“This is a prank, right.” She said, looking at the nearest technician, a yellowblood with an undercut. He shook his head.

“No, ma’am, it’s quite real. You received ownership of Starsight tonight half an hour ago, and as far as we can tell, it’s completely legitimate. All the proper documents are in order, but we haven’t been able to reach the owner - uh, former owner - for comment. Mr. Abnale seems to have gone AWOL.”

Chimer blinked. “Which one is he again? That sounds familiar.”

“Jameth Abnale. Cobalt, eleven and a half sweeps, placed as the business head after the old owner was culled for embezzling funds from fleet, totally remade it and raised its profits by a significant margin. He’s uh...well, he’s actually fair game for any imperial hunters now, because he was legally declared unfit after some injuries he had when he was young. He was granted a cull exemption, but it was tied to his position, so...” The technician trailed off awkwardly.

Chimer sighed. “So whoever did this wants him dead. I don’t know how they pulled it off so seamlessly or why, but I can’t think of another reason. Convoluted-ass way to do it, but that’s where we are, unnecessary schemes and plots central. My real question is, why me? Do they have it out for me too? Plus, I’ve never been involved with him. I remember who he is now, seen him a few times, but we’ve barely talked.”

The fuchsia shook her head. None of this made any sense, but hell, she supposed that fit in with the rest of her life. At least this wasn’t a supernatural mystery, she’d be standing in the corner staring at a wall if that bullshit reared its head again.

She looked at Harryl, who’d managed to calm down a bit.

“Okay. I want investigations on this, obviously, and we need to put out a statement about it. The corps are gonna be on me like vultures to a dead cholerbear, but we can at least do damage control until we have a plan.”

Harryl scribbled down notes, clearly already thinking about said damage control. She was in acquisitions, but nervousness aside Chimer knew she had a keen eye for both property management and news presentation.

The technician bit his lip.

“There’s one more thing, ma’am…we don’t seem to be able to try and transfer the documents of ownership. The option won’t even come up, and trying to modify it to do so just…doesn’t work.”

Chimer stared blankly.

“Wow, don’t like that. That is both weird and vaguely upsetting. Hey, here’s a business! Not one you wanted or that aligns with your morals whatsofuckingever, but a business regardless. Keep working on that, maybe you’ll find something. Get a technopath if need be.”

The yellow nodded.

Harryl looked up, frowning.

“Yeah me too, girl.” Deadpanned Chimer. “Welp. This’ll be fun.”

Her phone vibrated, and she looked at it.

“Oh hey, guess who’s here. I swear he can sense whenever anything happens like spider-troll does.”

This was probably out of the anon’s wheelhouse, but he usually cheered her up with his overly serious demeanor. He was just too fun to joke at. She could use that right now, even aside from his pretty sick mathematic and planning skills.

Both Harryl and the technician looked confused.

“Who, ma’am?” They said almost in sync.

“My favorite pasta boy, Corelo.”

#cloud writes #chimer latrai #and so we go from Demons and Magic to Cyberpunk Dystopia!#finally get to do a plot I've wanted to do for years #The Mind Electric #Corelo belongs to Lard!

2 notes · View notes

pathogenprobinghub · 16 days

Text

How Does an MRI Scan Work: A Comprehensive Guide for First-Time Patients

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a powerful diagnostic tool that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed images of the body's internal structures. If you’re preparing for your first MRI scan, it’s natural to feel a little anxious or uncertain about the process. Understanding how an MRI works, what to expect during the procedure, and how it can help in diagnosis can ease your concerns. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of MRI, including a step-by-step explanation, preparation tips, and answers to common questions.

What is an MRI Scan?

An MRI scan is a non-invasive medical imaging technique that helps doctors diagnose a variety of conditions, from injuries to diseases affecting the brain, spinal cord, joints, and other soft tissues. Unlike X-rays or CT scans, MRI does not use ionizing radiation. Instead, it employs a strong magnetic field and radiofrequency pulses to generate highly detailed images.

MRI is particularly effective in imaging soft tissues, which makes it ideal for diagnosing issues in organs like the brain, heart, liver, and muscles.

How Does an MRI Work?

1. Magnetic Field Generation

The MRI scanner consists of a large cylindrical magnet. When you lie inside the scanner, the magnetic field aligns the hydrogen atoms in your body. Since the human body is largely composed of water, and water contains hydrogen atoms, this alignment occurs throughout your entire body.

2. Radiofrequency Pulses

Once the hydrogen atoms are aligned, the MRI machine sends radiofrequency pulses to disturb this alignment. When the pulses are turned off, the hydrogen atoms realign to the magnetic field, releasing energy as they do so. The MRI machine detects this energy and uses it to create images of your body’s internal structures.

3. Image Formation

The data from the energy released by hydrogen atoms is processed by a computer to generate detailed cross-sectional images of your organs, tissues, and bones. The images are incredibly precise, allowing radiologists to identify abnormalities or monitor the progress of conditions.

What to Expect During Your MRI Scan

1. Preparation

Clothing: You’ll be asked to change into a hospital gown and remove any metal objects, including jewelry, watches, and hairpins, as these can interfere with the magnetic field.

Contrast Agents: In some cases, a contrast agent (usually gadolinium) may be injected into your bloodstream to enhance the visibility of certain structures or abnormalities in your body.

Communication: You will be able to communicate with the MRI technician during the scan via an intercom system.

2. The Procedure

Positioning: You will lie down on a motorized bed that slides into the MRI scanner. It’s crucial to remain still throughout the procedure to ensure clear images.

Duration: Depending on the part of the body being scanned, an MRI can last anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour.

Noise: MRI machines make loud knocking or tapping noises due to the switching of magnetic fields. You’ll be given earplugs or headphones to protect your ears from the noise.

Sensation: The procedure is completely painless. Some patients may feel slight warmth in the area being scanned, but this is normal.

3. After the Scan

Once the scan is complete, you can resume normal activities immediately. If a contrast agent was used, drinking extra water can help flush it out of your system more quickly. Your doctor will review the MRI images and discuss the results with you.

Common Uses of MRI

MRI scans are used to diagnose or monitor various medical conditions, including:

Neurological Disorders: MRI is the gold standard for imaging the brain and spinal cord. It helps in diagnosing conditions like multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, and spinal injuries.

Musculoskeletal Injuries: Soft tissue injuries, such as ligament tears or cartilage damage, are best visualized with MRI. It’s commonly used in sports medicine and orthopedic assessments.

Cardiac Conditions: Cardiovascular MRI provides detailed images of the heart, helping to detect heart disease, inflammation, or abnormalities in the heart's structure.

Cancer: MRI is often used in cancer diagnosis and monitoring, particularly for breast, liver, and prostate cancers.

MRI Safety Considerations

While MRI scans are generally safe, there are a few safety considerations to keep in mind:

Metal Implants: If you have metal implants like pacemakers, cochlear implants, or certain types of metal plates, let your doctor know, as the magnetic field could interfere with these devices.

Pregnancy: MRI is usually avoided in the first trimester of pregnancy unless absolutely necessary.

Claustrophobia: Some patients may feel claustrophobic inside the narrow MRI machine. If you’re anxious, speak with your doctor about options such as an open MRI or mild sedation.

Factors That Can Influence MRI Scan Costs

When planning for an MRI, it’s also important to be aware of the factors that can influence the cost of the scan. For example, the type of MRI (with or without contrast), the location of the facility, and the complexity of the scan can all impact the final price. To learn more about the key factors that contribute to MRI scan costs, you can refer to this comprehensive guide from Clinico Pathology Lab & Diagnostic Centre: Factors Influencing MRI Scan Cost: What to Consider.

This article explains the various elements that affect the pricing of an MRI, including:

Type of MRI Machine: Advanced MRI machines with high-field magnets or specialized features may increase the cost.

Use of Contrast: MRI scans that require contrast agents are generally more expensive than those without.

Location of the Facility: Prices can vary significantly based on whether you are getting an MRI at a private clinic, public hospital, or specialized diagnostic center.

Additional Services: Some facilities may include extra services like fast-track appointments, radiologist consultations, or follow-up scans, which can contribute to higher costs.

By understanding these factors, you can make informed decisions and better plan for any diagnostic imaging needs.

Benefits of MRI Scans

One of the primary benefits of MRI is its ability to provide detailed images without exposing patients to radiation. This makes it especially valuable for imaging delicate or sensitive areas like the brain, spinal cord, and joints. MRI can also detect abnormalities that other imaging techniques, such as X-rays or CT scans, might miss, allowing for earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment planning.

Conclusion

If you’re a first-time patient scheduled for an MRI scan, understanding the process can help alleviate any anxiety you might have. MRI is a safe, non-invasive, and highly effective diagnostic tool used to identify and monitor a wide range of medical conditions. By preparing for your scan and knowing what to expect, you can approach the procedure with confidence.

If you are concerned about the cost of an MRI scan or would like more detailed information about factors that can influence pricing, don't forget to check out Clinico’s in-depth guide on Factors Influencing MRI Scan Cost. This resource provides valuable insights to help you navigate the financial aspects of your diagnostic journey.

0 notes

electricalservicesmnau · 18 days

Text

Level 2 Electrician Cronulla

Our team can also install telecommunication devices on your properties. We have technicians that can bring you antennas, the National Broadband Network, and even home security systems to improve your lifestyle and security. Let us spearhead your projects, and we’ll ensure your home gets the security cameras, alarms, intercoms, sensor lights, and digital products it needs. Installing such devices will be quick with our unmatched services, keeping you away from unnecessary headaches. Level 2 Electrician Earlwood

#Level 2 Electrician Earlwood

0 notes

raventroll80 · 8 months

Text

A Beast on Mars

Chapter Three: The Last Human on Mars

In this chapter we are introduced to a new character and get to see what the start of the invasion looked like from their eyes. Meanwhile, on his way to the Gore Nest, the Slayer makes a tragic mistake...

Heads up this chapter contains a lot of death and a fair amount of blood and swearing

God why did they believe him…

“I believe in honesty, especially now, in what will be your final moments in this world. All the rumors, the human sacrifices, the Hell portal, the demons… it’s all true…”

The two gave each other a grave look before climbing the blood-soaked stairs as Dr. Pierce continued her speech.

“Then what do you think we should do…”

“You think you can shut the power off?”

“Yea, there’s a main generator not too far from here. I can use the access vents to get to it. What are you going to do?” Mim asked, not entirely sure what to make of the situation.

“I’m gonna lock VEGA out from accessing the terminal digitally. If he’s really on our side then he can come turn the power back on himself.”

“Emerson!” Mim called out as they realized that they could no longer hear the technicians ragged breathing.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit…” they muttered as they scrambled out of the vent but it was too late. Emerson was dead.

He could only hope the Slayer would be kinder to a human than he was to a machine.

Slayer thought about taking the explosive with him, but without the detonator they’d be harder to use. As he contemplated the explosives, the Slayer spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. Expecting a demon trying to get the drop on him, he whipped around and fired at the wall, but to his horror he watched as some of the pellets tore through the shoulder and upper arm of a human who had seemingly regained consciousness. The Slayer’s heart dropped as he watched the human fell over writhing in pain. Dropping his gun, the Slayer rushed over to the injured human who immediately threw their hands over their head in terror, causing the giant to freeze.

What should he do? There was no way he could make it back to that health station without hurting the human further, even then their chances of survival were essentially zero. Hell, it was nothing more than cruel luck that the blast hadn’t killed the poor man. There was nothing he could do except to try and to give whatever comfort a monster like him could offer…

The Slayer removed his gauntlets and helmet before reaching towards the dying human once more, and again the human flinched as massive clawed hands wrapped around their body and pulled them towards the towering beast. The Slayer tried his best not to hurt the poor thing further, but the human still writhed in pain as he was brought closer to the Unchained Predator. The Slayer softly tried to shush the human but it did little to comfort either of them. It had been centuries since he’d had to comfort something, did he even remember to mourn them?

Briefly the giant considered trying to give the human a hug but chose not to as he was certain the person would only see it as him trying to crush their tired bones. So instead, he opted to gently rub their back with the pad of his thumb, being careful not to touch or aggravate their wounds any further. It was then when the worker looked up at him, bleary eyed and confused, though he wished they hadn’t. He couldn’t stand the guilt. Slayer tried to croak out an apology, but all that came out were garbled bellows before he started to taste blood. He went to try again but stopped when he felt the humans body go limp and watched their eyes gloss over.

The Slayer sighed as he laid the lifeless body back on the ground and put his helmet back on, the fresh blood smearing over old blood and dried gore. The Slayer looked around himself once more as he took in the fact that the last human on Mars just died in his hands, and he was the one to blame. Sorrow quickly turned to anger as he remembered why he was here and that Hell was to blame for this. Checking his map, he confirmed that the Gore Nest was at the end of this godforsaken tomb, and with a vicious snarl he snatched up the crates of explosives and charged down the tunnel with blood on his lips and fury burning in his chest.

#tw death #tw blood #a beast on mars #troll! doomguy au #my writing #g/t #giant tiny #doom g/t #sorry if anyone got confused last night #I got slapped with a slightly better ending to the chapter and wanted to add it #also sorry if it’s a bit too much #I’m not really used to writing these sorts of things #and unlike most iterations/interpretations of doomguy #troll doomguy (Slayer) has killed humans both intentionally and unintentionally #though he avoids killing humans when he can

4 notes · View notes