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k1nky-fool · 2 years ago

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They Called Her Mania

Part 3/?

Masterlist

Doom Slayer/ OC (Mania)

Pairing: M/F

Rating: Explicit (NSFW)

Warnings: horny filth, size kink, oral (f-recieving), some dom/sub dynamics, but both are switches.

For @ninjarose23 because you were kind enough to comment on my last chapter.

-X-

It was unfortunate what he found on the other side of the gate. There was minimal demon resistance. Apparently it actually took a bit longer for a place to fill back up after he'd cleared it.

He procured his helmet, and he found the sweater that Mania had left behind. However, her twig was in a less than ideal condition.

It had completely snapped in half; probably the result of a larger demon stepping on it. More unfortunate that the demon hadn't at least gotten stuck in the foot with the nails, but the bat was not in any state to be repaired.

He would definitely have to find her a new weapon. Mania had said she was near-sighted. Which meant the majority of guns would be out of the picture. Not to mention, she was also nearly half his size, so any of the wide-range, heavy weapons were also not viable. Though there was definitely one gun she would probably thrive with: shotgun.

It wasn't a good idea to try to hit a demon with a shotgun at long range anyway. But a sawed-off barrel and a melee weapon would be right up her alley. It was absolutely stunning to see her work with a melee weapon.

Small, soft, Mania, that could kill anything she came across, and leave him begging just to let him touch her. The thought of holding her came back full swing, only now he wished he'd ignored Vega, and pinned her to the workbench just to see how much of her fantasy she'd let him get to before stopping him.

"Your heart rate has risen with no exterior motivation, and I am reading a spike in testosterone." Vega commented.

There was never a time he wished he could smack Vega before, but he was coming dangerously close to it. "I'm heading back."

The portal opened, and he stepped back into the threshold of the Fortress. Mania was nowhere to be seen. He headed back to his workshop, taking off the armor, and leaving the retrieved items there, while he went off to take a shower.

He didn't know how many hours he'd been awake at this point, but Vega hadn't mentioned that he was nearing the edge of his sleep schedule, so he would continue on for now.

Mania was still absent, and she didn't come to the workshop. He knew she'd talk to him when she was ready. But he couldn't pressure her into saying or doing anything. He certainly couldn't pressure her into trusting him.

The slight burnout from working tirelessly on his armor repairs was getting to him, though. Vega would have to run a diagnostic on his armor, anyway. Instead of burning himself out further, he took a book off the shelf and left to rest in his room.

Surprise came when Mania was waiting for him outside the bedroom. She looked frozen in place, struggling to say anything at all. He just opened the door, and let her step inside first.

It took her only a moment to be sure of her choice and take his invitation. "Umm… your room is bigger than mine."

"The Fortress was a command center. This was supposed to be a general's room, but yours was a vice commander's." He explained. She looked around at his excuse of decor. Most of it was just guitars, shelves of vinyl records and video games, and old Metal band posters.

"Well, you certainly found your niche." She chuckled, though the silence he left open made it awkward, and it was getting to her. "I- I'm sorry I freaked out on you. I- I just… you've been nothing but kind to me, but I still- … you didn't deserve that, and you-"

"I'm not angry at you." He interrupted her rambling. He went to sit down on his bed, leaving enough room for her to do the same if she wanted. "You got scared. It happens." He said, "The least I could do is trust you with my name."

She pulled his tags out of her pocket, undoing the small tangle. "Flynn B. Taggart." She read off. "I figured you were probably a marine. I knew a few that worked at the shop and you remind me a bit of them the way you carry yourself. At least it's not the same as army guys."

"Figures nothing much had changed in the hundred years I was gone." He chuckled.

"Well, I find military guys are creatures of habit." She remembered. "Even you have your habits."

A teasing smile spread across his face. "Oh, you've been looking into my habits now."

"Not on purpose" She defended, sitting down on the bed with him. "You're just really obvious."

"I am not-"

"You have terrible posture when you're around the Fortress," She began, "but every time I walk into the room, you straighten right the fuck up."

"Alright, you found one habit-"

"You also bite your tongue when you're concentrating." She pointed out.

"I- " she was right.

"You also crack your knuckles like I do." She listed, "And when you zone out while working, you hum the tunes of Metallica songs. And those are just small habits. Imagine what I could find in a month or even a year." She added.

"And what makes you so good at finding my habits?" He asked.

"Well, being a little scared of you made me try to analyze the hell out of you." She shrugged. "But most of it is because you are very difficult to ignore."

"Oh? And why's that?" He smiled.

"Well, you're absolutely massive, I'll start with that." She teased, barely managing to hide her snickering.

"Really? Maybe you're just small."

"I am quite tall for someone of my profile, thank you very much!" She feigned offense, and still laughed.

"Then why are you so easy to pick up?"

"Flynn!" She laughed as he wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her, only to plop her back down on the soft mattress.

"What else?" He asked, holding himself up so he didn't fall on her.

"Well, you certainly aren't difficult to look at." She chuckled, looking up at him, pink dusting her cheeks. "Makes it a little easier to pick up on things when I'm looking at you anyway."

"Mania-"

"Tara."

He actually felt his heart leap at her correction.

"M-My name is Tara Callaghan." She said softly.

Tara. It was a beautiful name, for a beautiful woman. It wasn't riddled with distrust, or something a demon would ever say. It was hers.

"Tara." He repeated. He was close enough to her, that he could hear her take a fast breath in and out, and he could even see her pupils dilate, even as her eyelashes fluttered. "I like that name."

The rise and fall of her chest became more sporadic as she glanced around his face for some clue, anything that could give her a hint as to what was going on in his head at that moment.

Flynn himself wasn't fairing much better. Just the fact he was paying such close attention to her eyes, and her breathing told him enough. He wasn't searching for anything as he glanced around her face. He simply admired her.

Tara's hair fell around the pillow like a dark halo. Green eyes still looked around to solve the puzzle that was Flynn Taggart. While her face usually held an array of freckles and spots, each one was disappearing in the low light, the redder her face became. Her mouth opened as though to say something, but it was like she was still pulling the syllables out of her brain while Flynn's grip on her side tightened the more he thought of what he wanted to do to her. It took everything in him to not give in, but the thought of scaring her away was more terrifying than any demon he's faced.

"Flynn." She said it almost like a warning, but it came out mostly like a plea.

I'm fucked.

"Tara?" She had much clearer attention on listening to him now. "May I kiss you-"She didn't wait a second to let him finish asking before she'd grabbed the sides of his face and claimed the kiss for herself.

Flynn also figured he wouldn't waste time, and kissed her back with the same eagerness she'd attacked him with. She really did kiss like she meant to fight him; some personal inner rampage they'd both been holding back, only for her to draw it out of him when he was trying to keep it under control.

He let his hand leave her side, running it up her stomach and chest, and taking her face in his hand, forcibly slowing her down a tad. She couldn't stop the way she whined, as his pace slowed.

Flynn was effectively holding her down, and making her take it slower. It wasn't easy to get her buzzing excitement to turn to a deliberate pace, but he wasn't budging. Tara's frantic pursuit gave in to her need to show him she could be good. At least this time. She could let him take the lead, and not have to prove she was too strong to be taken care of.

She didn't want to be too strong for this; Flynn was a weakness she wanted to accept. But when his fingers trace her jaw like feathers, he wasn't a weakness, but a carer. Tara could be vulnerable, and Flynn would touch her like he knew just how raw she was under her shell she just abandoned.

He pulled his lips away from hers, and moved from his spot on the bed. He got up on his knees, and easily pulled Tara's legs open to let him sit between them. He leaned over her, tracing touches up her ribs, and kissed the soft spot of her pulse on her neck, feeling just how rapid the rhythm was that made her mind rush. More kisses to her neck made her whimper, and tense for only a second at a time.

"Tara." He rasped. "Do you want me to stop?"

"Please don't." She breathed out. "Please, don't stop, Flynn." It stirred something in him the way she begged him to keep going. It was like he'd been waiting years to hear her say that.

Despite his teasing, he knew he was quite intimidating, especially now that he could see his hands in intimate comparison to her body. Flynn's hand covered from just under her ribcage, to dangerously close to her hip bone.

Flynn also knew his strength. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, or worse, scare her. He tried to keep all of this in mind as he let himself sneak a hand under the tank top she wore. "Still alright?"

"Yes- please just-" Her words died out in the moan as he slipped his hand under her bra and easily palmed her and pinched a nipple. "-Fuck.."

She took the opportunity to lift her whole top over her head, leaving her bare chest beneath him. He was about to enjoy what he had, but her fingers in his short hair, pulling gently stopped him. "Your turn first." She commanded.

Flynn didn't even let himself think over it before his shirt was on the floor. Anything to enjoy the half naked blessing under him.

She moaned and gasped as he gave small pinches to her exposed chest. Flynn let himself indulge in putting a hard nipple in his mouth, and letting Tara scratch at his scalp, being unable to get a grip on his short hair.

His short hair became more of an inconvenience to her as he made his way lower, making quick work of her shorts, exposing her wet, dripping, pussy.

However, he didn't let Tara off easy. Flynn took his time, giving soft kisses to her thighs, still playing it safe and not biting. He couldn't wait to hear her come completely undone at the mercy of his tongue, but he wanted to hear her ask for it.

"What do you want, Tara?" He asked, confidently, knowing she would struggle with her request.

"Mmm- you know~" It was like music to hear the strain in her voice, trying to get the words past moans and heavy breathing.

"I'm not sure I do know." He placed a kiss so close to her throbbing clit that she almost felt like punching him, but all she could manage was a weak attempt at pushing his head where she wanted it. They both knew that her strength was nowhere near enough to make him do anything he wasn't already planning on doing. "Use your words, Tara."

"I- I- please, Flynn- just-" Tara whined at him.

He's barely touched her and she's falling apart. "Please what?"

"Please- fuck- make me cum on your tongue." She broke.

That's all he really wanted to hear. "Well when you ask so nicely."

His tongue licked from her hole to clit before he sucked hard enough for her to see stars. Not even ten seconds in and she could feel the tension building up in her core. Flynn didn't slow at any point, despite how she clawed and attempted to pull at his hair, or how her soft thighs squeezed around his head.

What was simultaneously the worst and best of how he circled his tongue around her clit, was that she couldn't pull him away, or push him down. Flynn locked his arms around her hips, and no matter how much she struggled, there was no moving against him unless he wanted her to.

"Fuck! Flynn, I'm- I'm gonna-" she completely fell apart as her thighs tightened around his head and she all but screamed out.

Flynn savored how she spasmed around his tongue before he got up to take a look at her. Tara's chest rose and fell at an unsteady pace, slowing ever so slightly as she came down from her high.

She sat up, and accepted his kiss as he came up also. Tara could taste herself on him, but she didn't really care. She also placed kisses on Flynn's jaw and throat as he removed the rest of his clothes. Though, Tara had no intentions of letting him stay in charge.

The second he was slightly off balance, Tara gripped him and flipped him under her.

"Fuck- Tara!" He groaned out as she grinded down on him.

"I think it's my turn." Tara chuckled as she looked over his form under her. Many on Earth saw him as a god. Many more in hell imagined him as a titan or a legend. There certainly was some sort of power trip that was not wasted on Tara as the thought of holding a god beneath her went through her mind.

Though as of now, he wasn't The Slayer. He wasn't a god, a titan or a legend. Flynn was just a man. A man she trusted and wanted to get absolutely ruined by, but still just a man.

Tara moved on top of him, dragging a massive, twitching, cock up and down her dripping pussy. Flynn was clearly trying to control himself by holding onto the outside of her thighs, but she could tell he was slowly losing it with how his fingers dug into her flesh, and would probably leave little bruises.

"-Tara, please."

Suddenly his desire to hear her beg for him to make her cum was understood. "Please what?"

She could tell when he realized the script was flipped on him. Once at breakfast, again at the scanner rig, and now while she kept his release just out of reach until he asked her for it. He always kept away from eye contact before eventually coming to terms with how he'd been bested.

It was quite entertaining to watch his face while his mind blanked of all coherent sentences while she felt down his chest. "I'm not moving until you tell me what you want."

"Make me cum." It was almost like he was angry with himself that it took him so long to form the words. "Please."

"I'll take that." Tara smiled, finally sinking down on his thick cock. It was difficult to take him. When he finally bottomed out, she had to stop for a moment to adjust to the size of him. Tara might need to admit she was a little too ambitious, but she was eventually able to move, lifting her hips and falling down again, earning a soft groan from Flynn.

He could tell she was struggling, but it didn't bother him. Instead, he sat up, and wrapped strong arms tightly around her waist and hips. He started lifting her and moving with a slow, deliberately rough, pace, as he buried his face in the crook of her neck.

Tara was seeing stars. Her arms wrapped around his neck, losing grip on her self control every time he hit that one spot. As her second orgasm built up, Flynn's thrusts became quicker and sporadic, like he was more desperate to feel every inch of her.

He began mumbling low assurances into her neck as she cried with how rough he became. "You're beautiful. It's ok, you're doing so good. You feel so good. It's ok." Flynn gave small kisses to her pulse and throat in between sweet words.

"S' so much."

"You can take it. It's ok." He assured her again. The rough pace, with soft words sent her over the edge, and he was followed soon after.

Neither of them moved while coming down from the high. Neither wanting to let go and have to process anything else for a while other than being wrapped up in each other's arms.

When they did move, he was hesitant to let her touch leave him. Tara noticed, and gave a soft smile. "I'm not about to disappear, Flynn."

He hummed in response. "Still don't want you to go."

She couldn't help but giggle. "Then come with me to the shower." That sounded like a good idea.

The two of them got cleaned up, though the whole time, he still didn't let her leave his touch for more than a few seconds at a time. Somehow, Tara didn't mind. If anything, she also seemed to not want to leave his touch for any longer than she had to.

Flynn didn't ask her to stay, but she didn't leave. They both seemed to agree it was too hard to separate for the night. Well, at least to sleep, since it was always night in space. Regardless of the hour, it was the easiest Flynn had gotten to sleep in years.

-Tara-

She was the first to wake up, though he had wrapped an arm around her waist, and rested his head on her chest. He was heavy, so Tara definitely wasn't going anywhere any time soon, but she also didn't really want to. Honestly, his weight was more comforting than awkward.

Flynn stirred slightly as she absentmindedly guided gentle fingers through short hair. Somehow it wasn't strange to see him like this. Like he wasn't worried about anything. His forehead where his brows were always scrunched together was softened and his breath was steady and slow.

Tara had certainly never seen him like this before, yet didn't feel new at all. Like he'd always meant to be this soft, but just couldn't while he was burdened with consciousness. While there was always something to be worried or angry about.

Ever so slowly, he became more aware of the waking world. Not that he seemed all that happy about it, but the way he stiffened, and tightened his hold on her waist told Tara that he was definitely awake. "Good morning, love. You look like you slept well."

"Why'd I have t' fuckin wake up then?" His groggy morning voice, paired with how low his voice already was, made it sound like a lion was arguing instead of Flynn. He was many things, but a morning person was not one of them.

"Because as fun as last night was, we still have shit to do."

"Why do I even wanna get shit done?"

Sure, she'd pull the card. "Because if you wanna repeat last night, then we gotta do shit."

Flynn rolled over and sat up as quickly as he could given that he had less than enough brain function to do so. "Fine, I'll get shit done."

"That's what I thought." Tara chuckled, placing a brief kiss on his cheek. She got up and stretched, earning a few satisfactory pops from her back and shoulders. "Did you find my twig yesterday?"

Flynn's expression changed from tired to slightly guilty. "Yeah, about that. Twig didn't make it back from Lima in one piece."

That sucked. "How bad is it?"

"Completely snapped in two. That baron probably stepped on it." He said, "But I did bring it back. Even as busted as it is."

That hurt a bit, but it was just a baseball bat with nails in it. Something like this was bound to happen eventually, it was just unfortunate that it was now, when usable weapons were few and far between. "Thanks for bringing it back anyway. What am I supposed to use for a weapon now?"

"Vega and I are working on something." Flynn promised as he got up. "Along with trying to find something to get you a little more armored in the field."

"You know I need to be a little more mobile than you."

"We can handle it. Don't worry. We won't send you into a fight with something that'll get you killed." He offered. "In the meantime – you know how to use a sawed-off shotgun?"

Tara eyed him suspiciously. "If it weren't the end of the world, I'd call you a cop. But yeah, I have some experience."

Flynn nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer. He turned his back to her as he lifted his sleep shirt off, revealing quite the array of red scratches that she had left The night before. "Then you'll do fine. See you in the shop?"

"Definitely." She chirped awkwardly, turning on her heel and moving on light feet from the door.

"Hey, I want that T-shirt back!" He yelled after her.

"No 'ya don't!" Tara head him laugh in the distance

-Flynn-

The workshop was exactly how he'd left it, which was always a good sign. Though, he had a feeling today would be long before Vega became a pain in the ass.

"Enjoy your night?" The AI asked.

"Yes I did, smartass, thanks for asking."

"I, for one, thought you would kill each other a week ago."

"Well, we didn't."

"Even still, it only took you three weeks, one day, fourteen hours, and sixteen minutes to decide to sleep with her instead."

"That long!?" Tara joined them. "Damn, I must be losing my touch."

"For Tara, it only took two weeks, three days, two hours, and eleven minutes to decide to sleep with you. Which happened only an hour after deciding she wouldn't have to kill you."

"Fuck yea, it did."

Flynn was struggling to keep up. "What the hell is happening?"

"Either being horny is a competition now, or we're getting slut-shamed by a robot."

"I mean no offense."

"Then we're competing, I guess." She deduced. "And I'm winning."

That was something he could understand. "Then you won't be for long."

Tara bounced her head from side to side in thought. "Nah, I don't think I'll fall behind."

"That sounds like a challenge." He teased.

A mischievous grin spread across her cheeks. "If you can surprise me by the next mission then…"

"I get to be on top." He supplied surprisingly quickly.

"Fine. I'm only agreeing because I don't think you will." She said, "And if you can't, then I get-" she looked around the workshop until her eyes landed on the weapon rack. "Then I get to shoot the Gauss Cannon at a Girl's Night."

"Deal."

"You gonna take a swing, or are you gonna wait until I least suspect it?" Tara laughed.

"I know exactly what will surprise the hell out of you, and I don't need to be subtle to do it." Flynn let himself drift closer to her.

"Oh? Care to enlighten me?" She took another step closer to him and gently pulled on his belt with a smirk.

He towered over her. He knew how big he was, and Tara seemed to be completely unfaltered by it. Hell, she was attracted to it. "No."

She laughed as he stepped back and began working at his station again, fixing his armor. Flynn tried to pay her no mind for now, but even with her simply sitting on the floor, going through holograms about demons, she somehow kept drawing his attention.

Eventually he turned on a playlist, hoping it would distract him more than she was. His plan backfired on him when Tara began humming along to songs she knew, and even when she didn't know one, she picked up on the melody enough to follow along. It made it far too easy for Flynn to realize that he loved her voice.

It had been hours, and Flynn had made some good progress on his suit repairs. A few more small fixes and it would be good as new. Tara for her part, didn't look any less burnt out. She laid flat on her back, scrolling through one of his old discoveries on Mars about Summoners.

One song ended and the next began. It was a slow, jazzy song, one he remembered his mom liking back in the day. Most of those memories felt so far away that it was like he was remembering a fact that he'd been told about someone else. Not like it was his own life.

But this was his own life, and if he had it, he was gonna use it. Flynn strolled up to Tara. She shot him a confused look when he offered a hand to help her up. It was break-time and goddammit, they both needed to stop using their brains for a little.

She skeptically took his hand and he helped her up. Flynn was met with very little resistance as he pulled her to him and started swaying her with the song.

Tara barked out a laugh, settling into the dance easily. "You're just a big doofus, aren't you?"

"At least when the armor is off." He chuckled back, swaying side to side with Tara to to slow swing of the song.

The two fell into comfortable silence. He'd be lying if he said this didn't have the same effect on him as he was trying to have on her.

In moments like these it felt far more intimate than having her in his bed. Simply having her close, enjoying the warmth of her waist in his hands and her head resting on his chest in quiet lull with the music. Like he was trying to tell her that the only thing that he could ever ask for was for her to stay.

Please, just stay.

Tara gasped slightly and lifted her head for a moment like some realization just hit her like a truck. Green eyes searched his face for some clue, and ultimately landed on the exact conclusion he was waiting for her to find.

"Shit." It was spoken like the word had surprised her.

There it is.

The way to surprise Tara wasn't to make a smooth move, or say something that made her face turn red and her knees weak. No, it was to show her that she was safe. Truly, unconditionally, safe.

The song ended just as slowly as it started. Her forehead dropped against his chest as she let out a defeated sigh. "You win."

"I'll stash that away for the future." He placed a kiss on the crown of her head as he held her there. Eventually he let her go sit down once again after their little break, and he got back to work on the suit.

Flynn could get used to this: having someone else in his workspace, just to enjoy having the company. Hours could go by and he would just be happy that she chose to stay. Every once in a while he'd see Tara shuffle or move around. Maybe he should get her a chair, or something softer than a scavenged rug to sit on.

A soft "Oh fuck." Came from where she was laying on the floor.

Tara had found a picture from the Lazarus project with a sleeping demon set into a wall somewhere in Hell, but she looked terrified.

"What is it?"

Standing up, she brought the hologram to him. "She look familiar?"

Oddly enough, she did. Really, the thing looked like a Summoner, but six times the size with more gold than he'd ever seen on a demon, running along spines and embedded in her head. It looked like the bony wall had swallowed most of her, and she lay sleeping there.

"That's the original Mania." Tara said, pulling up another report. "Dr. Hive on Lazarus was trying to wake and weaponize her. When that didn't work, they just harvested the energy from the prison."

"That's the energy they used on you?" He asked.

"Yeah… she was a titaness. Records at her prison say she was feared and respected across her realm, but she decided to conquer territory that didn't belong to her. Other titans didn't like it, all that much and they turned on her. But her energy stayed within the prison, even in her sleep. Every so often, her energy would build up enough and influence working minds to attempt freeing her."

"So Hive wasn't as smart as they thought."

Tara laughed. "Maybe not. I think they definitely weren't as objective as they thought. This report is nothing but hypocrisy from them about the nature of Mania. They just thought they were built different."

"What about the demons?" Flynn asked, idly fiddling with wiring while they spoke. "Why do they call you that?"

"I think some may actually have me confused with her." She guessed. "The more coherent demons can tell that I'm at least mostly human. But I don't know if they call me that because it's the only name they have for this energy, or because they believe I'm some kind of reincarnation or something. Honestly, I hope I never find out."

"That's a smart choice." He agreed. "I don't usually read the reports unless I have to figure out how to kill something I haven't met before. Everything else is just fucking aggravating."

"Fair enough, but unfortunately this means I have to find an answer to a question before it finds me and answers itself." Tara figured.

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"If the Hell Priests conquering Earth give more than one sleeping titan energy, then what does that mean for Mania and me?"

#doom oc #doom fanfiction #doomguy x reader #doom slayer #doomguy #doom slayer x oc #doom slayer x mania #doom slayer x reader #oc mania

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k1nky-fool · 3 years ago

Text

They Called Her Mania

Part 2/?

Masterlist

Doom Slayer x OC (Mania)

Pairing: M/F

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic descriptions of violence, canon typical violence, mentions of human experimentation

Most of her time was spent exploring. Despite the fortress being a spaceship, it was massive. There were gadgets and mechanics that she could only have dreamed of while studying.

The ship had running water, electricity, and heating. The life support systems were greater than anything that had even been theorized by humans, and yet somehow the entire fortress was self-powered. The energy that kept things running essentially generated itself like the argent wells on Mars.

Mania wanted to crack it open and study every tiny piece of the place she sought as asylum. In fact, every time she found something new, she traced it all around the ship, asking Vega questions about what made it work until it got to the engine room.

She had access to most of the demon files that Vega had, and many personnel files from the UAC and ARC, but of course there were certain things that Mania was simply not given access to.

This created an awkward stalemate between Mania, Slayer, and Vega.

Mania was insatiable when it came to knowledge. Literally anything about the mechanics of the fortress, or the information Vega compiled about the UAC, ARC, or any form of demon research, she was on it and trying to study any tiny piece of it she could get her hands on.

Slayer was distrustful of her. To him, someone he didn't know, trying to figure out him and his secrets was a threat. To him, Mania was scouting him out, and preparing to either sabotage him, take something, or straight up kill him. Slayer had stopped her, on day one, from entering the engine room and must have ordered Vega to lock the door and keep her out. He was the reason she didn't have access to everything she wanted.

However, Vega was more than happy to give Mania everything she wanted. But because he was specifically assigned to Slayer, and not to Mania, he obeyed the orders he was given. Mania did point out that full sentience meant that he didn't actually have to take orders from Slayer, but he was a loyal friend if nothing else. Mania had no moral choice but to respect that. Still, he offered everything that wasn't explicitly forbidden.

Slayer's ultimatum was clear: you don't get to know more about me until I know more about you.

Which was fair, even if it was frustrating. Mania knew she meant no harm, but there wasn't really a way to convince Slayer of her innocent intentions. Words and even actions could very easily be dishonest, so Mania would respect his boundaries, and hope that eventually she could build his trust over time.

But Mania wasn't exactly inclined to trusting either of her hosts. Vega asked about what university she went to, and she couldn't tell him. He was a hyper-intelligent AI after all. If he could find her university, then he could probably find her name and files. She refused a proper medical scan for her few injuries, because Vega could easily access her DNA and run it against hospital records in the city they found her in, once again easily finding her name, and possibly even records of the experiment done on her.

Mania didn't trust Slayer, he didn't trust her, and Vega was stuck in the middle of this, trying to mediate between two hard headed mules while neither one of them wanted to be the first to open up.

If Vega had a head he'd probably be hitting it against the wall, trying to knock himself unconscious.

Unless he was standing in between Mania and some juicy info, Slayer made himself scarce. She barely even saw him passing her in the hallway. Always in armor, either on his way up to what Vega said was his forge, or down to the lower levels that she was told were for the gym and a room where Vega could bring demons in for practice that they called "The Prison."

Which was a little intense for her taste, but who knows how long this guy's been alone for. And it was just another area she wasn't allowed to go.

However, she ran into him in the kitchen one morning. Mania was tired, and almost had it in her to just ignore him. However, the slayer made that difficult with the lack of armor he wore.

He was clearly still in sleeping clothes. A tight, metal band t-shirt, and sweatpants not unlike the ones she'd been given. His helmet was haphazardly thrown on as he grumbled around the kitchen, searching for something convenient to snack on for breakfast.

Unfortunately, she already knew the convenient snacks were smuggled to her room where she would pour over endless amounts of demon and tech information that Vega was allowed to give her.

What she did find here was a bag of powder pancake mix. Mania looked around for pans until she found one hung from the wall that was way too high for her to reach. She still gave it her best shot from her tip-toes on the ground. Even stretched out as far as her body could possibly go, she fell almost a whole foot short.

She heard a snort of laughter from behind her. She couldn't see his face, but she could tell he was getting a kick out of this.

"I don't see you being so helpful!" Mania berated.

He held his hands up in surrender, saying this mess was her own.

Mania tried jumping, but still couldn't get a grip on it to lift it off the hook. The slayer behind her leaned against the counter with his arms crossed, waiting.

Usually Mania would climb on the counter or find something that could get her there. But the pan was above the stove which was not safe to stand on, and the slayer had a bad habit of all the chairs either being on entirely different floors of the fortress, or being far too heavy for her to carry even a short distance.

With all her options thoroughly stomped out, she gave in. "Slayer… a little help?" She asked, turning around.

He still stood, tilting his head to the side like it wasn't enough.

She knew what he wanted. "Could you please help me get the pan down off the hook? I'll make you some pancakes if you help me out."

Slowly, he pushed off the counter, stepping forward. What he didn't do was allow her to get out of his way.

It was a lot easier to tell he was a fucking mammoth of a man while being cornered by him. Had to be at least a foot and a half taller than her, and damn near three times her size. This realization was not made easier by the fact he had essentially pinned her between the oven and a lot more visible muscle than she had really ever seen in her life.

The pressure was only present for a moment before he took a step back with the pan in hand.

Mania tried to reach to take it from him, but he pulled it away, holding it above his head.

Motherfucker-

Her face burned with embarrassment, or something similar, she wasn't keen on finding out. Mania took a deep breath in, and huffed out a pout. Then an idea came to mind.

Who knows how long he's been alone for?

Her hands went to his stomach, and she pushed him back a bit, perhaps letting her fingers rest on toned abs for a little too long. Mania hopped up in an attempt to take it, but the contact from pressing fully against him also lingered. A second jump was pursued, but not without taking a fist full of his t-shirt in a fruitless persuasion to get him to bend down a bit.

Heartbeat hammered in her ears but that wasn't even the worst of it. The wildfire beneath her skin or the vivid heat on her face and ears was probably the worst.

Still she took her shot.

She was close enough to the counter. Her foot caught the edge, and with enough of a jump, she pushed off the counter and snatched the pan out of his hand and fell to the floor with easy grace.

"Thank you, sir!" Mania happily chirped, and began making breakfast.

The maneuver seemed to have caught him off guard. The slayer stood in the same spot just staring at her.

"What?" She asked, mixing the batter absentmindedly. "I didn't have nothing to build off of before I started fighting demons. I was actually a national parkour champion in high school. It was more of a hobby in college."

He stood awkwardly, as she knew full well that he couldn't talk. His hand hesitantly made a thumbs up in response.

Mania cackled, pouring the batter into the pan. "Quite the conversationalist."

Slayer didn't have many responses in his non-verbal arsenal. He just shrugged.

"It's fine. I'd much rather have someone that doesn't speak at all to someone that doesn't know when to shut up." She mused, pattering all around the kitchen, finding utensils. "But that being said, if you ever do want to talk to me, I certainly won't be complaining."

Mania smiled and handed him a plate stacked with a decent amount of pancakes for a man his size before she started on her own.

He nodded his thanks and took off with her gift to his own living space.

With him gone, something felt wrong. The man hadn't spoken once and was quite a nuisance to her, yet somehow the kitchen space felt lonely with him out of sight. There was something strangely domestic about him, here at the fortress. Mania knew that being nothing but terrifying and powerful was impossible for any human, no matter how annoying they were being. Even if that human being was something akin to a legend that was veering dangerously close to myth for most.

Maybe she was just curious. It was already odd to be living in someone's house and not even know their name. Not to mention the only conversation she'd really had was with a disembodied voice that could watch her from anywhere in the fortress.

Mania went back to her room with her own helping of pancakes to begin her research for the day.

Vega had something new for her. "You now have access to the files of mechanical upgrades Dr. Olivia Pierce designed for Revenants."

"Wait, really!?" She jumped, immediately scrolling through the screen to find the file that was previously locked. "He changed his mind?"

"A fair trade." Vega clarified. "If you recall, you gave him some information about yourself. This is The Slayer's exchange."

"Oh…" was it trust or just an illustration of his lack of it? He didn't want to owe her, so he made sure to give her something before she could demand something. Maybe she'd never know, but right now they were back in a stalemate.

She caught him again later as he was leaving the fortress. The gun he carried with him looked almost as heavy as Mania herself, and she didn't care to admit the thought gave her pause.

Slayer did notice her by the pillars, waving goodbye as he stepped through the sparking gate. She couldn't help but smile as he left.

"Hey, Vega?"

The AI blipped into the room "Yes?"

"Where's he at? On the planet?" She asked.

"There is a map on the teleport console with his exact location if that is of interest to you."

"Ah, thank you!" She called, hopping over the console to find the screen.

The map was labeled in an excessive amount of numbers for coordinates, but she eventually figured the interface out. The blinking dot on the screen zeroed in on South America.

"Damn, he's in Peru. What's he after in Lima?"

"There is a damaged planet-wide scanner in an abandoned ARC facility. With the right repairs and modifications, it can be used to locate Hell Invasion leadership."

"Hmm… would they even be hiding on Earth?" She asked.

"There are several worlds that they could be hiding on. The modifications will need to be for widening the search criteria to several channels from both Earth and these other worlds." He explained.

"Slayer doesn't strike me as a handy tech genius. Modifying a planetary frequency scanner to include alien signals is not an easy mod, even if you have the right parts." Mania mused.

"The Slayer is competent with his own equipment repairs and modifications, but you are correct that he is not officially trained in advanced mechanical engineering." Vega advocated. "I can guide him through the process."

While that made some sense, it didn't change the fact that Vega was just a highly intelligent, artificially conscious, computer. If there wasn't a database for him to search through, he would be just as clueless as the Slayer.

"Do you have a way to pick up on these alien signals?"

"The frequencies and transmissions will be difficult to decipher and detect, but I am certain it is not impossible."

"Oh yeah?" Mania chuckled. "I'm sure Slayer will be excited to take on the task."

"If it is more difficult than he can handle, then I might ask you to utilize your training in the field of advanced mechanical engineering." Vega suggested, making Mania freeze.

"Uh… I didn't even get my Master's. The invasion started before I could present my thesis." She admitted. "And I never got a chance to really work at a level that could come anywhere near preparing me to work with advanced alien tech."

"You are not confident in your abilities?"

"I- I just don't want you or Slayer to think that you can rely on me." She said, "I don't want to disappoint you."

Vega went quiet for a moment.

"I have noticed you are more inclined to learn from experience." Vega recalled. "Perhaps I can convince The Slayer to give you some Argenti materials to work with."

"You'd do that for me?" She asked.

"I can try." He offered. "Despite his callousness, he is not unreasonable."

"Thank you, Vega."

-Slayer-

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't still thinking about Mania's little stunt at breakfast. The vague distraction was hardly a problem as he burned through fodder.

She was oddly confident for someone in such a strange place. Was it really because she trusted him, or was she just happy to not be surrounded by demons? Mania had to feel like she was in dangerous waters. Not that he wanted her to feel that way, but she still hasn't told him her actual name, which gives him the impression that she still thinks of him as some kind of threat. Yet despite all of the understandably concerning things in the fortress, Mania had no problems allowing him to get close to her.

Admittedly, He could have given her more time to get out of his way when he pinned her against the stove. Which was why he let her easily push him back. But she still didn't take that opportunity to leave, and that gave him some hope.

But even he had to confess to himself that she was adorable. Her actions weren't hesitant, but she looked like she was about to collapse. He could see her face was entirely red as she pouted. And the way she practically flew through the air was impressive. She also made some damn good pancakes.

He knew she had to have some kind of physical skill in order to have survived on Earth for as long as she did. When Mania found him, it was clear she'd picked up on survival skills fast enough to stay alive. And now that she was with him, she was still wary of trusting people.

He supposed it was more understandable than most things about her. Only she really knows how many people she's gone to for help, or how many places she found as a refugee only for demons to find her, or for the people to turn their backs on her as soon as she became more trouble than she was worth.

There was no way of knowing exactly what was going through her head. And until she trusted him or Vega enough, they wouldn't even know how demons found her, or how she was so powerful against them.

His inner thoughts were halted by a stray blade shot that managed to clip his helmet. The Slayer was quick to turn and fire at the two dread knights, but he managed to miss both of them. Of course he would be lucky to only find a few dread knights here. An arachnotron scuttled over the rubble, taking aim, and also hit his helmet.

He ran for cover, even though he knew it wouldn't last long. The seam where the helmet attached to the suit was broken by the first shot, and the second had destroyed the plating, leaving the wire exposed and burning his neck.

Instead of wasting any more time, he just tossed the helmet aside. His head would be exposed, but he'd be damned if he let anything get close enough to his head anyway.

One of the dread nights found him easily, but it was easy to kill it since it got too close. Sticking his knife through its skull usually did the trick.

Abandoning his cover, he took close aim at the arachnotron's tail gun, successfully blowing it off. However, it still came at him and he had to keep shooting at it while dodging its claws and the other dread knight's blade projectiles.

He slammed the arachnotron back into the wall before using its own claw to stab it through the eye. While that was the end of the metal spider bitch, it didn't take long for the Slayer to realize he'd made a mistake.

The wall was unstable and the cement ceiling crumbled, burying him and the dead demon's body in the rubble.

"Shit." He growled, trying to move his armored body free of the rubble, but he knew he wouldn't be fast enough. The dread knight was closing in. He really hoped he wouldn't die like this. All the demons he's killed and this would be the way he goes out? Kinda pathetic.

The demon screeched and charged at him, but its head was quickly bashed in by a familiar baseball bat.

Mania didn't wait to see if it was dead, she just kept swinging the bat at its body, cursing at it until it burned away like they always do. She growled, scanning the area again to see if she'd missed anything.

"The fuck are you doing here?" He grumbled, still trying to break free of the rubble.

"The fuck am I doing here? Apparently, I'm saving your dumbass!" She yelled back. "Vega said he lost your location, and that he couldn't open a portal to you. The teleport apparatus wasn't working, so he sent me with a new tracker so you had a way to get back to the fortress."

That… made sense. Both the tracker and apparatus were in his helmet which was currently out of commission.

Shit my helmet.

His hand went to his head, realizing that not only had she seen his face, that he also spoke to her. Mania strolled up to the pile of debris he was stuck in.

"Don't worry about it. I was probably gonna see your face eventually, but for now let's just try to get you out of this mess." Her bat clattered to the ground as she started digging through the rocks.

The body of the arachnotron burned away which left enough of the stones unbalanced enough to roll off the Slayer. His armor was still intact, even if it was probably not as strong after taking the whole fucking ceiling. Still, it was enough to protect his bones.

He was able to step away as Mania was picking up her bat again.

"You should go back to the fortress now." He said, readjusting the armor on his shoulder.

"I think the fuck not." Mania laughed.

"It's safer for you there." He argued back.

"Listen here, fucker." She pushed the handle of her bat onto his chest plate. "Some Frankenstein motherfuckers decided to play build-a-bear with my DNA, and I don't want to tell you shit, because I don't know shit 'cause you won't tell me."

"I'm not gonna-"

"I'm not done." She tapped the handle against him again. "I'm tired of dancing around like an idiot, trying to figure out how to give you the info you want, while I'm trying to find the shit that I need."

She took her bat off him and smiled. "So for now, let's both stay alive. Let me back you up."

He wanted to say something, but he wanted to make sure she was done this time. When she didn't continue, he took a breath.

"We'll talk when we get back."

"You sure? Or are you gonna dive into your mancave to not be seen for three weeks again?"

"We have a mission." He said sternly. Mania chuckled behind him, following as he led the way.

"Still quite sparing with your words eh?"

Now that he could talk, he somehow didn't have a lot to say. She filled the lull of conversation with pointless chatter, and he didn't mind it all that much.

The pair found themselves in a massive echoing room. The scanner they needed was near the center of the rig that filled the room, which meant a lot of meticulous deconstruction.

"So, Vega says you're here for a scanner. And I take it you're pretty much screwed as far as getting it up and out of here." She was rambling, but it made him stop.

He looked over to her, but she was just spinning her bat in her hands like a bored child.

"And Vega's not here to guide you through safely dismantling a planetary scanner in a way that you could then have it teleported out of the facility and still operational enough to easily repair and modify." She mused, setting her bat down in the ground, and looking up at him with a smile. "I don't know how you'll do this by yourself."

The cocky little minx.

This was her way of holding a frying pan out of his reach.

"Mania… a little help?"

She bounced her head from side to side. "Hmm. I dunno.."

"... Please help me dismantle the giant planet scanner?"

"Why, I thought you'd never ask!" Her bat clattered to the floor as she lifted her baggy sweater over her head, leaving her in a black tank top and her shorts.

He'd be lying if he said he had no reaction at all. His first instinct was to look away, but finding her comfortably bouncing on her toes made things less awkward. She was fairly muscular for someone of her size, and with less scars than he imagined. He hadn't seen her uncovered arms until now, and he wasn't expecting to see her shoulders and back were covered in grey tattoos. All of them resembled some kind of Irish pattern.

"I can handle most of the fine details in getting the scanner out, but I'll need you for the heavy lifting and keeping a look out for demons."

"I can do more than heavy lifting."

"Definitely." She agreed. "And I'll probably need help with the upper fluctuating cells, because even I barely figured those out. But as of now, your most useful skill is slaying demons. It's better if we divide the work and hope we don't get torn apart."

"Hope we don't what-"

"Let's go!"

Immediately, she jumped up to the side of the wall and began climbing the wiring and piping until she got to one of the long bars that crossed into the massive rig. Despite the beam being easily seventy feet above the concrete floor below, Mania walked across it like this was fun for her.

The Slayer himself had an easier route. With a running start, the jets on his boots made the gap between the ledge and the rig an easy jump.

"There's two levers just below where you landed on either side of the rig! Pull them both!" Mania's voice echoed through the room.

He grumbled, but followed her orders. He could see Mania above him, climbing without any fear. She was pulling two levers of her own as he obeyed her.

She pulled her second lever just after he did. The entire room lit up in red light, and an alarm began blaring from all corners of the room.

"What the fuck did you do, Mania!?"

"I was hoping power had been cut off to the facility, but I guess the old electric lines are still kicking in Peru." She laughed. "Stay tuned, we're about to have company!"

"You're either insane or just stupid."

"My dude, I’m literally called ‘Mania!’ This one’s kinda on you."

His apparatus was fucked, so he couldn't have new guns teleported to him like he usually would. All he had was a semi-automatic rifle and this thing ate up ammo like a bitch. Not to mention he had to keep Mania alive, and take her orders to get the scanner out of here.

The first wave ran in from the lower levels mostly imps, and a hell knight or two. Slayer took aim at the imps and managed to trim their numbers down by half. He could only take out one hell knight before noticing the level they came in on had a few imps and another hell knight barreling in.

"Mania, you have incoming!" He called out.

"Incoming!? Make them stop coming, I'm busy!"

"I'm also a little busy at the moment!"

"I don't have a weapon, dipshit!" She growled.

"Then improvise!"

Only a few seconds went by before there was a thunderous explosion from around where she was working.

"The hell was that!?"

"I fucking improvised! I've almost got it open, but the other fluctuating cell is gonna blow." She warned before another explosion sounded.

The upper part of the room filled with smoke and he could hear Mania coughing. But the echo soon became shallow, telling him she was now inside the rig, trying to get the scanner out.

"How's it going out there?" She asked.

"Just perfect." He noted. "We just gotta hope nothing bigger shows up."

There was a low screech from the upper level. The doorway was busted open and a Baron of Hell launched itself at the rig, clutching the side just above the Slayer.

"Oh yeah, you just had to test it, didn't you?" She groaned.

Slayer rolled his eyes, and scrambled up the side of the rig away from the baron to hopefully gather more ammo before it could attack. "You want me to knock on wood or something? Back in my day, shit was made out of wood!"

"Back in your day? Jesus, how old are you!?"

He loaded a new mag into the gun, looping around the curve to shoot down at the baron. "That's a surprisingly difficult question to answer!"

The bullets did almost nothing against the baron and he was running out of them fast.

"It's free! And I'll bet Vega almost has the portal open too!" She announced as he began hearing her crawl out of the rig.

He saw her climb out the side, with the scanner slung across her back being held with a makeshift strap made of wire. However the baron took notice of her. Mania scurried up the side again to evade it, but it was fast.

The portal back to the fortress opened horizontally on the floor a good fifty feet below them.

The fuck is she-

Mania didn't waste any time in just letting go of the rig and allowing gravity to take her. The demon swiped at her as she fell, but missed her face by only a few inches. It dropped after her, but Slayer did the same, opening his knife and impaling it through the skull. He didn't have enough time to kick the dead demon out of the way, so he used its body to brace for impact.

The red lights blinked away as he entered the fortress at freefall speed. With the damaged state of his suit, the burning body of the baron was enough to cushion the landing and not break his legs.

Mania had managed to catch the corner of the stairs with her foot and use the position to change her momentum and cartwheel into a standing position like some acrobat version of what she did with the counter. She landed gracefully, while he was stuck knee deep in a fiery monster from hell.

Slayer rustled himself away from the corpse and stood, looking up at Mania on the stairs.

Her chest was still heaving from the adrenaline. Black hair flying every which way. She was definitely bruised. Grease stains were wiped across her forehead, hands, thighs, and clothes. Even when he'd found her she didn't look worse than this.

Yet, as Mania stood in a mess, a smile slowly cracked across her face, and she began laughing. She jumped up and down in her excitement, giggling like he wasn't in on some joke.

Though, her smile was contagious. He'd seen her smile before, but never like this. She actually looked happy.

"You're insane, you know that right?" He chuckled.

Mania calmed herself down, but she didn't stop smiling. "Oh my god, I didn't die!"

"Not for lack of trying." He teased, as she kept giggling.

"Oh! And we got the scanner!" She held it up above her head. "Mission success!"

Slayer stepped up the stairs, taking the scanner and looking over it. The thing was entirely intact, and the exploding cells didn't damage it at all. Mania was a woman of her word, it was well within her skill set to complete the mission.

"You did good." He nodded. "But maybe I should get you a more practical weapon."

"My twig!" She whined, looking back at the gate that had long since closed. "It's gone…"

"Don't worry about it. If you need another weapon, we can definitely find you one." Slayer eased.

"Yeah, but that was my twig. It… has some sentimental value." She said, "It's been with me since before all this started. I used it to threaten my friend's ex-boyfriend. Turns out demons and creepy scumbags function the same way."

There was a lot to unpack there, but he was glad she was sharing. "I'm gonna have to go back for my helmet. Maybe I can get your… twig back."

Mania lit up quickly. "You'd do that for me?"

"Sure." He shrugged, putting the scanner under his arm and began heading back to his workshop.

"I better see you later." She warned.

"Or what?"

"Fuck around and find out."

"-When you two are done attempting to find the difference between banter and threat, please connect the scanner to the workshop consul to begin running the diagnostic." Vega interjected.

Slayer grumbled and Mania barked out in laughter. He made his exit, the workshop door locking behind him.

He did as Vega asked, connecting the scanner and watching the screen. Only for it to pull up a progress bar that moved at a snail's pace.

"It will take a moment to route the functions of ARC technology to the Argenti mainframe of the ship." He explained.

In the meantime, Slayer made quick work of his damaged suit. The damage to the impact compressors would take some time to fix, and he didn't have parts to replace them. The armor itself was dented almost beyond recognition, but repairing the plating would be easy.

"Mania is once again reviewing the files you have granted her access to. And she has once again attempted to find a way around my seal on the Lazarus and Eurydice project files." Vega signaled. "She is not gifted with advanced coding, but I am surprised with what she has managed to learn in only a week of attempts."

Slayer ignored him. That progress bar wasn't running any faster, and his armor wasn't gonna fix itself.

"You are upset."

Oh boy, here we go.

"You sent Mania down to the mission. She didn't have a gun. She wasn't armored at all, and she had no idea what would be waiting for her." He chided. "If I was swamped and dead, she'd be walking into a trap."

"I understand your concern."

Damn robot sincerity.

"However, these are the same objections I gave to her before she left." Vega advocated. "I did not send Mania to the surface. It was her choice to offer support when I notified her of your lost signal."

She… chose to come after me?

"Do you have the security footage of the fortress after I left?" He asked.

"I keep security records of the ship at all times. Only in your and Mania's bedrooms do I repeatedly delete said record if there is nothing to note suspicion." Vega stated.

The screen opened in Mania's room, where she had made it as much of her own as she could with no personal items but her twig. It seemed Vega had helped her put together a playlist like Slayer did when he was working.

Suddenly her music cut out, and Vega replaced it. "I seem to have lost the Slayer's signal on Earth."

Mania's head jerked up as she processed what was just said. "What do you mean?"

"The Slayer is no longer visible on my scanners. The tracker in his suit has gone offline somehow. Without his tracker and teleport apparatus, he is stranded on Earth."

She stood to her feet. "Is he alive?"

"His vital readings are still healthy. However, I have no way of contacting him. I have reason to believe he is still in combat. His vitals display that he is currently active."

Mania took off running through the fortress, catching her twig off the wall as she went. "Where can I find a working tracker and teleport apparatus?"

"There is a functional apparatus in The Slayer's workshop. However, I must advise that you stay in the fortress. You have no armor, and your weapon is impractical for the combat ahead."

Mania got to his workshop door with no problem, but it was locked down by Vega. "I've survived this long with twig, so it'll have to be enough."

"My orders are to lock areas that the Slayer has forbidden you from accessing." Vega insisted.

"I don't give a shit, Vega! Either he's fucked, or I can bring him home. So open the fucking door, or I start ripping shit out of the wall until it opens itself!" She slammed her fist on the door, and her voice sounded choked.

A moment went by in silence. "I am unlocking the door for you now. The apparatus is on the workbench next to the broken praetor suit belt."

Mania darted and found the component, taking only a glance at the room she wasn't allowed in until now. "Mancave of the century with this guy."

She was out the gate in the next eight seconds.

Not that Vega had the option to lie, but he had to see for himself the person Mania actually was. He wasn't entirely sure what this meant. Maybe he was just surprised that she'd risk her life to back him up. Was she just scared? Honestly, it's difficult to find an ulterior motive behind panicked self sacrifice.

"She is outside the workshop now."

"Let her in."

"Certainly."

-Mania-

She jumped when the door actually opened for her. What exactly was she planning on saying to him?

Mania wanted information, and she knows the exchange she has to make to get it from him. However, there were a few ways she could gather information on her own before having to make more trades.

Now she finally had the chance to observe his workshop. Slayer was working on the repairs of his suit as she made her way down the stairs, he straightened his posture as she came into view. He had a bookshelf with plenty of scavenged books from wherever he found them. There was a wall that all of his guns hung up on, but upon further inspection, the fixtures were in an item teleport array. There were even a few guitars and a bass hung up on a different wall, and even a PC gaming setup.

"'Mancave of the century,' as you mentioned." Slayer chuckled.

"Ah… Vega showed you some kind of security footage."

"I have questions, and I know you do too."

"If I answer you, will you answer me?" She asked.

"So long as I can trust that you're not gonna lie to me." He leaned against the workbench. She could tell he was watching her closely.

"If you trust me, I need to trust you." She countered. "Ask your first question."

"Let's start easy." He said. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where you found me. But I will admit that it's not the most relevant place I've been." She answered. "The fortress clearly isn't human technology. Where did you get it?"

"I spent a bit of time with an order of alien people in an organization called the Night Sentinels. The Fortress is a stolen, and albeit damaged command center from a civil war that I ended up leading." Slayer recalled, but he must have noticed her strange expression. "I know, it's a long story. Where did you get all your mechanical skills?"

Somehow it was difficult to think back before the apocalypse. "Family business. I've been messing with all kinds of mechanical repairs since I was a kid, but I did go to Carrington to learn more advanced engineering."

"And you've worked with stuff like the scanner before?"

"Yeah. The family company also did some on-sight work. I was often called to the UAC for some tricky stuff when their mechanics couldn't figure it out." She replied. "Even though I managed to stay away from employment there, someone eventually found out about my financial situation and exploited that."

"My turn to ask a question." She chirped. "How old are you actually?"

Slayer chuckled, but he still struggled to come up with a number. "Umm… biologically, probably around thirty-three. Chronologically, maybe somewhere around a hundred-fifty. Give or take a decade, comatose, in a sarcophagus."

"You really don't know how to answer a question without confusing the hell outta me."

"That makes two of us." He grumbled. "Were you on Mars?"

"For about nine months. I escaped when everything started literally going to hell." She shrugged. "However, I know that I was kept away from Vega, and they tried to keep me from Dr. Hayden. Most likely to ensure the secrecy of the experiment being carried out on me."

"How secret was the experiment?"

"I didn't even know it was happening until it was already too late." Mania shook her head. "They let a pinky loose in my workspace and watched to see what happened. I was as surprised as they were to have it charging at nothing."

Now she knew she only had difficult questions left to ask. "People don't become legends like you for doing nothing. How did you become the Doom Slayer?"

He took a long breath in. He knew something like this was coming. "It's a long story. And I don't remember a lot of it because most of it was spent in a sarcophagus, and the rest was spent in hell in a delirious rage. Anything in the way of that rage was torn apart, so I became well known because of that." Slayer stared at the ground and didn't meet her eye line. "Whose decision was it to keep you away from Vega and Hayden?"

"Dr. Hive, but I'm fairly certain they got their orders from Dr. Pierce. Hive was working on the BFG project before being recruited to Lazarus." Mania answered. "I'm trying to figure out exactly what the Lazarus project did to me."

"I hate to tell you this, but that file is scarce at best. Everything was either scorched or never recorded in the first place."

"I'm aware of that. But that file might just have a bit of information that I don't know. Especially if I can cross reference it with the Eurydice Project, which you also restricted most of." She could only hope that was the case. But she knew as well as he did that the files would only be a fraction of what she wanted.

"How does your demon control work?" He asked, looking up to her.

Mania tensed up, knowing the demand she had to make. Even though it was entirely possible she would get shot down once again. "Give me the Lazarus files and unlock the rest of Eurydice, and I'll tell you everything I learn. As of now, I'm still a little fuzzy on the details."

Slayer pondered for a second. He looked her up and down, and turned back to his screen for a bit. Eventually he came to his decision. "Fine." He agreed. "I'll have Vega release the files. And I expect you to tell everything you learn from them."

She was actually holding her breath that whole time. "Thank you."

There were two things he was still curious about. "How did you find me in Albuquerque?"

"That Marauder." She answered, unknowingly answering his other question. "He found me down the street a few blocks away. I managed to get the jump on him. I found a pistol but emptied it into his face, and I broke his horn, but he got distracted when we saw the Girl's Night headed your way."

"The what?"

"Girl's Night. It's what I call a group of Cacodemons." She clarified. "When he started heading to the storehouse, he took out a couple of the Cacodemons, but I was able to use the last one to give me a ride to the roof."

"You rode a Cacodemon?"

"Yeah, Cacodemons either can't sense me the way everything else can, or they just don't give a shit. I remember a lot of experimenting to see if they could get Cacodemons to notice me."

"How did it end?" He asked curiously.

"Some Bulgarian scientist from the cybernetics department got suspicious of Pierce. I don't know how or why, but she was climbing ranks fast, and eventually got fed up with the lack of reports from Lazarus. So she took matters into her own hands with Dr. Hayden and about a dozen security officers trailing behind her."

"What did she do when she found out?"

"After everyone was removed from the Lazarus facility to the lobby, Pierce confronted the scientist and Hayden. She didn't say a damn word to Pierce before giving her a mean right hook, and spitting something at her in Bulgarian." She chuckled, remembering the scene. "Hayden had to pull her away."

"No clue who she is, but I kinda wanna meet her." Slayer admitted.

"If I may interject." Vega said politely. "The scientist you are speaking of sounds like Dr. Aneliya Kostadinov."

He pulled up a personnel file on Slayer's screen. "She began at the UAC only a month after Pierce began her work on Lazarus, but had been in communication with Dr. Hayden for six months prior to her education at the UAC."

"Hey, that's her!" Mania grinned. "What project was she working on?"

"Kostadinov was a particularly skilled student of cybernetics. After only four weeks of being employed, she was appointed as the co-leader of the Icarus Project." Vega stated. "The Icarus Project was the engineering and repair of Dr. Hayden's cybernetic body."

Mania shot Slayer a look, only to find him already giving the same expression.

"Say, Vega…" Mania smirked. "You wouldn't happen to have any record of personal relationships in the UAC, would you?"

"Much like in the fortress, I had access to all functioning security outlets on Mars, and all Human Resource files." He confirms.

"Would you happen to have knowledge of Ms. Kostadinov's personal relationships?" She asked. "Say, perhaps regarding Samuel Hayden?"

If Vega could chuckle, she's sure he would. "Dr. Hayden and Kostadinov never went through the official HR documentation to disclose a romantic relationship. Therefore, they went to great lengths to keep said relationship a secret. Including disconnecting the security cameras in Dr. Hayden's office, and censoring my ability to provide information about their interactions."

Mania actually laughed at the disappointed and disgusted look on Slayer's face. "Drama on Mars!"

"I don't need to know how that works." He sighed. "I don't wanna know how that works."

"What? You never wondered if a girl could find a ten foot tall robot man attractive?"

"Never have, never will." He took off, pacing around the workbench, trying to find something to busy himself with.

"Not even a little?" She teased. "I mean, that height is only part of it. Personally, I could get behind having a guy be able to pick me up and- motherfucker!"

Slayer wasted no time snatching her off her feet as she laughed.

"Oh yeah? You want a guy to pick you up and what?" He held her by the waist, smiling up at her.

"Damn, you're really tall."

"But that's only part of it, you said." He teased back at her. "And what was the other part of that?"

Mania rested her hands on his shoulders comfortably. "Well, I like a guy that can pick me up and hold me down." She smirked.

"You might be a little too brave for your own good."

"Well, I'm not dead yet, and I have yet to find myself in an unwanted scenario using this method." She giggled.

"The scanner diagnostic is complete." Vega sounded all too happy to interrupt.

The Slayer set her down on the floor, giving her a quick glance up and down before turning to the screen on his desk. He didn't say anything else. Not even a dismissal, which almost hurt. Mania made her way out of the work room to start her own work.

-Slayer-

He breathed easier now that she was gone.

"Are you alright? Your heart rate is much higher than your average resting rate."

"I'm fine." He stated firmly. He really didn't need to get grilled by a robot about how he reacted to having an attractive woman in his arms.

Why was she so damn soft?

He'd seen her bash in a hell knight's skull, use a cacodemon like a balloon, and drop fifty feet, nearly getting decapitated by a baron. Plain and simple, she was a badass. Yet she felt so soft and small to hold. It was just difficult to believe someone could be capable of both.

Starting on the scanner was a lot more difficult than he thought. Even with Vega's guidance, the thing was basically an alien life form. He'd been messing with the thing for hours now, and it wasn't making any more sense to him.

Vega piped up. "We will need components from Argent D'nur to complete the celestial scanner."

Of fucking course we do.

"It will take a while for me to locate the required components-" Vega cut off quite abruptly. "Mania is requesting access to the prison."

"What!? Why!?"

"She has learned something from the files and would like to test it for herself."

"She doesn't have a fucking weapon."

"Mania is confident in her hypothesis. She believes it may give vital insight to the functions of her disorienting ability." He argued on her behalf.

"I'm talking to her myself." He groaned, grabbing the assault rifle off the wall, and making his way down to the prison that Mania was locked out of.

"Oh, hi! I thought you were busy." She jumped.

"I was. Until you decided to do the single dumbest thing on the ship."

"I can explain how it works." Mania offered. "But it's easier to show you."

Slayer considered her offer, but shot the thought down. "And if you're wrong, you die."

"You can back me up. You have a gun, use it if you think I'm about to die." She shrugged. "Please."

"Mania, your plan is to walk into a horde of demons, and see if you can fuck with them." He argued. "I hope I don't need to tell you how stupid that is."

"Just come in with me." She said, pulling his hand toward the locked platform.

He let out a long sigh. "Vega, take us down." He ordered. "But, I'm not backing you up."

"Wait, wha-"

Instead, Slayer handed the rifle to Mania. "You're going to back yourself up."

"Uhmm… I'm not great with long range weapons." She wavered. "I've shot some guns before, but I'm actually very near-sighted."

Mania used to wear glasses?

"Then you better figure out which blurry blobs you can shoot, and which you gotta run from." He argued. "There's a scope on it if it's that far away, but it's not that big of a room."

Mania looked over the gun with slight concern. Eventually she simply nodded, and placed it at her side, ready to be aimed.

In the prison, Mania took a quick glance at everything, likely planning her route.

Slayer pointed to the center of the arena, as he made his way up a higher platform. "Head on down, I'll be a safe distance away."

"As if you need a safe distance." She scoffed.

"Of course I do. You have my gun." He pointed out. "I'm counting on you to not get me killed."

"I've seen you rip demons in half with your bare hands."

"And if you're right about your ability, I won't have to today."

Mania huffed, but still went down to the main floor.

"I only need a handful of zombies for the first demonstration." She told Vega.

Sure enough about six or seven zombies appeared around the arena as Mania began walking around the edges. She didn't have her gun anywhere near ready anymore. Instead the strap was around her shoulder and the weapon fell on her back.

He was about to remind her to keep her weapon up, when she approached one of the zombies, but he was left surprised at what he saw. It didn't attack her. It quickly stepped away, out of her path, and it began making its way to the center of the arena.

It only took her one lap to have all the zombies crowded together in the center, where a few of them would hit each other, but none of them made a move for Mania as she circled their huddle.

"It works sort of like a scent to them. But in order to explain it, you need to understand demons on a deeper level than how best to kill them." She began. "Demons have what can really only be described as a class system. Less powerful demons are low class, and the more powerful they get, the higher their class is. However, if a low class demon can kill a demon of a higher class, they become more powerful. Which is why they attack each other."

That made sense. "So where do you fit in here?" Slayer asked.

"I'll get to that." She said. "Demons have sort of energy levels according to their power and class. And other demons can sense and read this energy according to their own power level. The more higher class demons they kill, the more powerful they become."

"I don't like where this is going."

"The energies that were infused into my body, were the same as the ones they read." She explained. "Essentially, they all think I'm a demon. And a very powerful one at that. They call me Mania… we'll get back to that."

"Wait, but you said they were trying to make you some kind of demon commander." Slayer remembered.

"Yes, and I initially thought they failed, but now I'm not so sure." She pondered. "High class demons can also command lower class demons to do their bidding. Unless they get defeated by one of their own subordinates, then- you get the picture."

"I really don't like where this is going."

"Me neither, babe, but it is what it is." She shrugged, still circling the zombies. "Now that we've established the demon class system and organic energies, here's how I fit into this." Mania casually shot one of the zombies that was knocked out of the circle by the others.

"Zombies have very shitty energy senses. They know I'm here, that I can kill them, and they think I'm powerful. So they stay out of my way, and fly under the radar.

"Notice you've never really seen a Hell Knight actively hunt a zombie. It's because it gains no power by killing it, and they only defend themselves against weaker demons that thought it was their lucky day."

Slayer knew exactly what this meant. "So, very weak demons don't even try to attack you, because they know they're fucked. And stronger ones attack because they think they can command all of hell."

"Almost." She granted, taking aim at the zombie crowd and firing until they were all dead. "This leads me to my next point, about demon intelligence."

"Not two words I ever expected to be near each other." He groaned.

Mania laughed. "Demons exist on a spectrum from feral to intelligent. And I admit, with this I'm working on limited experience with the most intelligent demons out there."

"The Marauders." He supplied.

"Yes. They have great senses with demonic energy, but they still aim at nothing when I circle them, like you saw." Slayer remembered how odd it had looked to see a Marauder of all things be reduced to a delusional mess. "Somehow, they still mistake me for a high class demon, despite knowing I'm human. They call me Mania, and they attack when they feel the energy near them."

"Just how much energy do you have?"

"It's not really how much, as it is, what kind." Mania hissed through her teeth. "How about we see what happens with a slightly more coherent demon. Do you have a Dread Knight?"

Slayer's heart dropped. "Mania-"

Vega still did what she asked, and she was smart enough to keep the assault rifle up, and keep herself moving as the Dread Knight screeched out into the echoing arena. Slayer himself stayed low, so as not to draw its attention.

Mania snuck up behind it, and even though she was making noise across the stone floor, the demon didn't pay her any mind. At least until she shot at it.

The knight whipped around and fired a blade at her, but Mania was quick on her feet, and she fired the gun back at it. The gun was full of ammo when Slayer gave it to her, but that didn't mean she couldn't run out. She kept circling the one demon, but it didn't look to be confused; it stayed with her, and kept attacking as she would occasionally shoot. Either she was fast enough or lucky enough to dodge its pursuit, but that didn't stop him from being the most terrified he's ever been in his life.

What he started to see, however, was that the Knight attacked less and less, as it became weaker. Slayer didn't usually pay attention to demons' behavior, but he noticed this time. It would shake its head after every time it attacked, whether it was frustration or pain, he couldn't tell. It didn't seem to matter when it took a step back from Mania, covered it's face and screamed.

It didn't attack Mania anymore. It scratched at its own face, and cut its own head open with it's blades. The demon couldn't walk anymore; it fell to the ground, having paralyzed itself. Mania strolled up and shot a finishing bullet into its head.

What in the fuck did I just see?

She jogged up to the platform he stood on. "Admittedly, I'd be lucky if I could do that to a Marauder."

"What was that?"

"It seems that the energy I leave behind not only makes me less visible, but will also attack the senses of more powerful demons." She said, "Which leads me to the last point."

She went back up to the platform where Slayer followed her, taking back the gun she offered. "They call me Mania."

"I figured that would be an important detail."

"Well, it's not great." She admitted. "There was an ancient Titaness by the name of Mania several thousands of years ago. The Eurydice Project found evidence of her existence. According to demon legend, she was made of smoke, and capable of reaching into a demon's mind and controlling their fear."

"Understandably worrisome for a demon."

"And also for dumbass, power hungry, humans to want." She agreed. "The energy they used on me was hers. The cultists in the Lazarus facility believed it was her energy that drove the hell expedition personnel insane after too many trips."

"Are you-..." Slayer cut himself off when he realized he didn't know how to ask that question without making it sound like he was about to throw her back to earth.

Despite not actually asking the question, Mania appeared more scared than when she was fighting the Dread Knight. "Am I driving you insane? Am I hurting you?" She finished for him. She took a breath to answer but thought better of her answer. Eventually she spoke, softer than he'd ever heard her. "I don't know. I-... I don't know."

He let out a sigh, and placed the gun on one of the nearby ledges. His hand reached out for her, hoping to bring some comfort. "Mania-"

She flinched away from his touch.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He assured her. "You're safe here."

"Like how I was safe at the bunkers?" She spat, stepping back. The energy she brought likely built up at the bunkers and drew demons to her. Of course they would lock her out.

Her eyes stayed at the floor by his feet, but he could still see her vain attempts to stop the tears from falling down her face. "What's even stopping you from abandoning me?"

"That won't happen, Mania." He attempted to take another step for her, but she looked up at him and retreated away from him.

He hadn't seen her look at him like that since he met her. When she was holding a gun at him, and looking for a weakness that she might be able to exploit for a quick escape.

There wasn't anything he could say to make her trust him. She'd just given him the information he wanted, and she was more vulnerable than anything right now. Mania herself was ready to prove she wasn't vulnerable at all, but could kill him if she had to.

There's nothing I can say for her sake.

So he didn't say anything.

If I can't tell her, then maybe I can show her.

He still wore them. A small breath in and out before he found the chain hanging around his neck. He lifted it off his head and tossed them to her.

She caught it with ease and sent a puzzled glare his way. He grabbed the gun off the table and made his way back to the elevator, leaving her to come up whenever she wanted to.

The scanner would need more time. His best armor was too damaged for him to use it to retrieve his helmet. And her twig.

He would have to use the old one. Not as much mobility, and it got far too hot when he was in hell, but it would have to do for now. He fitted a new teleport apparatus to the inside of the older helmet, and slipped it on.

He took the assault rifle with him, heading up to the gate, and opening it.

"The tracker on your old helmet is still not functional. I can only bring you to the coordinates of the last gate." Vega told him through the helmet. "Do you have anything to say to her?"

He turned to look behind him, seeing Mania standing at the back of the room. Still holding the chain he gave her, she didn't look any less confused than when he left.

He gave her a small wave before pushing on through the portal.

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