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kalcifers-blog · 1 year ago

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MAG 10185 - Comatose

JSE EGOS X THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES

Fanfic/Statement.

Written by Kalcifer

(Loosely inspired by this fanfic by vanyzvat!!!!)

⚠️CW: descriptions of gore, hospitals, psychological horror, mental deterioration, acts of violence and loss of sanity.⚠️

Please move forward safely!!

Statement of Doctor Henrik Von Schneeplestien, regarding a patient that never existed. Statement documented November 16th, 2018, read by Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London. Statement Begins;

You see a lot of things as a doctor. A lot of very awful things. Things that you wished to never return too. I used to be able to not let things get to me, and I used to do it well.

One time a woman died in my care, aged 21. That was the first time something like that got to me. She was so young so- ready to begin her life. She was healthy too- a complete accident that took her away too short. And I couldn't help her- it drove me mad.

I don't even know how long it took me before I was able to sleep at night, but eventually I did, knowing that focusing on using her memory to motivate me to do better would allow me to save more people than wallowing in my own self pity ever could.

What I'm trying to make you understand is that I am used to seeing people during their worst moments and I am used to being able to come back from it. It's part of my job to be able too you understand.

This is why- this case- it, it worries me.

I want to believe I just lost my mind. I wished, I so utterly wished it was as simple as that. But I wouldn't be here if that was the case would I?

This all started two years ago. October 31st. I was appointed to overlook the care of a patient that had been put in a medically induced coma- after he had apparently, mutilated himself with a 7 inch kitchen knife. I won't go into detail but the wound was bad. And in my own professional opinion, the fact he survived at all was nothing short of a miracle.

I- I try to picture the man I was looking after for months. A year? I- don't know how long it was. But the image of him, it shifts in my mind- it warps like sand and everytime I think I can clearly picture him- he's faded into something completely different.

The one thing I do know for certain is that vibrant green hair he had, it was the first thing I noticed about him before I had to see that, horrid wound on his throat. I expected it to fade during his time with me. But it never did. The day he left it was just as vibrant as it was the day he arrived.

Each time I entered his room- (room 10-185) my head would start spinning. I got what I needed done, I- I attempted to treat him with the same humanity I did with all my patients, especially those who are in such conditions as he is. But every time I entered that room I felt the pressure of an intense migraine push at the front of my skull and I found myself hurrying out of his presence more times than I can count.

It was, routine as always, leaving his room only a few minutes after I entered, rushing towards the nearest bathroom when I noticed it- blood- my own blood, trickling gently down from the corneas of my eyes, staining my otherwise cleaned hospital mask. I hoped it was just my, apparently terrible vision but the blood it- it just looked too red- too vibrant- it reminded me of the man's hair that refuses to fade.

I started seeing things about three months before he left. Shadows that quickly escaped my vision as soon as I tried to look at them. The machines he was hooked up too- switching from a heartbeat monitor to awful, graphic images of visara. The lenses in cameras shifted to look like piercing eyes, flickering to stare at me and to never break their contact.

The wound should've healed by then. It should've. The man should've been dead at that point if he kept bleeding the way he did. But he didn't. He wouldn't die he just lay there. A sickening imitation of death, a mockery- towards me.

That's what it had to be. It was some cruel joke. Towards me, to give me this patient- this thing, to cause me my breakage. Why something would do this is beyond me, and why me? Its something I wished I could give an answer for.

But nothing ever changed. I just got worse. I stopped cutting my hair I think, I only barely followed the hospital guides for cleanliness as much as I could- as much as my tormentor would let me before the water in my shower turned to acid in my mind. Causing me to jump out screaming- it never was of course. It always had been water. The marks that plague my skin say otherwise but it's impossible for it to be anything other than water.

You would think the day the man left the hospital would be a joyous day for me. That I would be happy to see him finally be removed from my life. But no. Of course not. Why would I get any respite from this torment?

I came into the room, disheveled as always. And he wasn't there- I almost didn't notice it- I had gotten so far down my own delusion that I barely noticed that his presence wasn't in the room.

I almost cried with relief, until I saw the flickering of the lights. It- it was just an electrical issue- something that could be fixed- I tried to reason with myself- but the pit in my stomach knew- I just knew it was him.

The hospital stopped making noise that day. Everything stopped, it was like the world had paused. No one was there, I checked. And I checked again. And it was only the third time, after I had checked every room, every inch of the hospital, that I finally returned to room 10-185. And where my patient was waiting for me.

He was facing the wall opposite the door from which I entered. His hair was still that green colour- it- it hurt to look at. I tried not to look, but I couldn't, I felt the blood pour down my face as my eyes grew overwhelmed at the sight of the man and, all the features I can't even place in my mind.

And then- he spoke- his voice was something that could only work after doing what he did to his own throat, the very thing, the action that tied me to him. He said "I think I'm ready to be checked out. Thank you, doctor"

He turned to stare at me. At least his head did. The rest of him stayed statue still. I could hear his bones pop and his flesh tear, as he forced himself to look at me. And gave me a large smile, the blood from his throat, gushing out from between his rotted teeth like a broken faucet.

I'm sure I blacked out, I had to. Because the next moment I remember, I'm in the office of my superior. Being given the information that I had been fired. I'm sure that's what he said. The ringing static in my ears was so loud at that point, I could only piece together what he was telling me.

I didn't care at that point. I just wanted the figure that loomed over his shoulder to stop staring at me with its bloodshot eyes and broken smile.

I have no where else to go now. No one in my life that's cared to stick around will believe me. I have nothing but my story and my diminishing mind. Hopefully, I can finally get some rest at night. It is so hard too when you're being watched.

Statement ends.

After some research into this statement we have confirmed that Dr. Schneeplestien, a German man who had been living in England for upwards of 15 years, did infact work as a surgeon in the Manchester Royal Infirmary.

He was subsequently let go from his job, after neglecting his work for upwards of 15 months. It had only came into light that he was doing so, 3 months before his, very abrupt departure. He had apparently, lashed out at his superiors when he was confronted about this, leading to his almost immediate suspension- as well as arrest for assault towards a police officer, as he was forcibly removed from hospital property.

Henrik had apparently, grabbed a surgical scalpel from his lab coat- and had stabbed one of the officers in the collar. The man survived- but it is interesting to me that Henrik had very clearly, aimed for the same area as the wound of the patient he was looking after, apparently was.

Speaking of the patient- he very much does not exist. The is no record of anyone remotely similar to Schneeplestien's- albeit very vague description of the man, ever being admitted to the Manchester Royal, or existing in the first place.

I was initially tempted to appoint this in the discreated section. As to me it very much reads as the ramblings of a, clearly mentally unwell individual. However one thing that was found when doing this research, is what happened leading up to this statement being made in the first place.

Henrik Von Schneeplestien, was apparently, taken into the custody of the research facility known as I.R.I.S. a facility which, has very similar areas of study to The Magnus Institute. And apparently, take their findings with a lot more agency than the likes of The Magnus Institute. They seemingly, had allowed Henrik to make this statement to gather evidence towards- something.

I did try to reach out to them, as a follow up on this. To figure out what they could possibly need this research for. But apparently, everything about the case of Doctor Henrik Von Schneeplestien, is completely classified information. And legally, this is the only information available to the public about the doctor in any form.

After making this statement, it seems that I.R.I.S had effectively wiped any pre-existing public information of the doctor himself- other than this statement of course. For what reason, I don't know.

That just begs the question- what does I.R.I.S have to hide? I have this nagging feeling that this will not be the last we hear of I.R.I.S- or the likes of the former doctor either..

...End recording.

#jacksepticeye #jse egos #jse #the magnus archives #tma #tma style fanfic #jse community #henrik von schneeplestein #jse fanfiction #fanfic #jse ego fanfic #kal writes #kalcifers blog #kalcifer

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crystalninjaphoenix · 23 days ago

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Safe For Now

A JSE Fanfic

SepticHeroes AU: Part 36

First Part | Previous Part | Read on AO3 at CrystalNinjaPhoenix

This came out a bit longer than intended... it's 7k words. What can I say? For some reasons Septic Heroes just flows for me. Jameson has been rescued, and Jackie needs to pretend that he doesn't know that happened. He also decides to help out Chase, who's struggling with the knowledge of his past and what he should do with it. Meanwhile, JJ settles down into the safe house. You could count this chapter as the beginning of the next "arc" in the story... and boy am I excited for what's to come :3c Enjoy!

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Bring bring! Bring bring! Jackie woke up to the sound of the Red Line ringing. If he had a nickel for every time this happened... but this wasn’t the time to grumble about that. He suspected what this call was going to be about. The League had reported the breakout, processed it, and was now alerting him, since he was the main Hero who’d dealt with the Puppeteer.

Alright. He’d better stay calm. He’d better make sure he seems unaware. Taking a deep breath, Jackie sat up and grabbed the Red Line, answering the call. “Hello?”

“Windstorm! I—Jackie!” That wasn’t Magnify’s voice. He expected a call from his handler, but instead, it was from someone else. Lorelai. “Did you know—Do you—There was a—”

“Lorelai?! Hey, hey, c-calm down,” Jackie said. “Is there a problem? Do you need help?”

“I’m fine,” she said. “More importantly, did you get the memo?”

“The memo? No.”

“We’re not supposed to talk about it, but... there was a breakout.” Lorelai whispered that last part, as if afraid she would be overheard. “From Byrthon Vault, of all places.”

“What?” Jackie gasped—perhaps too quietly in proportion for how bad this news would be to any Hero.

Lorelai didn’t notice, though. “I-I know! And two villains escaped. The Puppeteer and Pathos. R-reports said that this Specter villain probably helped them break out, and maybe that Cat villain who almost assassinated me?”

Oh shit they knew everything. “That’s an... interesting combination,” Jackie said slowly.

“Yeah! I-I know that you’re probably going to get a call from Magnify any minute, but I wanted to check on you first. These villains... they’re all from Daindover, o-or the nearby area, in the Specter’s case. They might be coming for you.”

“I... Yeah, I-I realized that.” Jackie didn’t want to say too much. Maybe it was paranoid of him, but he looked at his phone lying on his dresser next to where the Red Line usually sat, and didn’t want to risk Anti-Virus hearing anything.

“Look, if you need any help with any of these guys, let me know, okay?” Lorelai said. “I’ve gone back to Evoritch, but it’s not too far from Daindover. I can get there really quickly, especially if I use the helicopter.”

Jackie laughed a little. “Do you just... have access to a helicopter casually?”

“For a bit longer. The League is just storing it nearby. They tend to let choppers and jets sit in different cities for a couple months.”

“Interesting... I do remember seeing small planes with the League of Heroes logo flying around when I was younger.” Jackie nodded to himself. “I thought that there might’ve been some special thing happening. Or that they were for Moonstone or something.”

“I mean, I guess they could’ve been? Maybe while she was still living there but still had national Hero status. She’d have needed them to get around to far away problems.” Lorelai hummed thoughtfully. “Anyway. The point is, if you need help, let me know, okay?”

“I will,” Jackie said. “I-I’m sure I can handle this... But thanks.”

“No problem. Call me whenever. Bye.”

“Bye.”

No sooner had Jackie hung up than the Red Line started ringing again. He sighed, and picked up the call. “Hey Magnify. I think I know what you’re going to tell me but you go first...”

One call later, Jackie was fully awake. He glanced at the time on the Red Line. It was noon. He’d slept pretty late—but then again, he’d been up pretty late last night, spending some time with Chase, and then unable to sleep afterwards from his nerves about what was going to happen next, now that JJ was out.

... and apparently Pathos, too, wait a minute! Chase hadn’t mentioned that last night! How and why did Schneep and Marvin decide to break out a crime lord?!

Jackie shook his head. Well, he couldn’t ask Chase now. He knew Chase’s schedule, and he should be at work right now. Maybe he could text him, but he wanted to get ready for the day first. He should probably go out on patrol today... he hadn’t gone out in a while, and people would start to get worried about where their Hero had disappeared to. Not to mention that would be expected, for a Hero to be more active after villains broke out from prison. He had to keep up the appearance that he wasn’t involved so the League wouldn’t get suspicious.

He thought about all this as he went about his morning routine: getting breakfast (cereal), taking a shower, and getting dressed. And then, as he left his room to go back to the living room, planning to check the local TV news before leaving, he heard a “Jackie?”

“Ohholyfuck!” Jackie jumped in surprise, launching himself up into the air, pressing his back against the ceiling. Then he got over his surprise and casually floated back down, pretending he hadn’t done that. “Chase?” He knocked on Chase’s bedroom door. “I didn’t realize you were home. I thought you had work.”

“Yeah, I called in sick,” Chase said. “I... didn’t want to go.”

“Oh.” Jackie was quiet for a minute. “Can I come in? Do you want to talk?”

“Yeah, you can come in. Dunno what I’d talk about but... I’d like to try.”

Jackie opened up the door and walked in. Chase was lying in bed, still in his pajamas. Frosty was laying next to (and partially on top of) him, a cloud of white fur with two big dark eyes. Jackie said nothing, just walked in and sat down in the desk chair. “So... you’re still thinking about the family thing, I’m guessing?” he said.

Chase laughed. “Do you expect me to just stop thinking about that after one night?”

“No. Of course not.” Jackie shook his head. “I just... Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.” Chase rolled over, lying on his back instead of his side, lifting Frosty up so he could move before letting him go. Frosty was totally unbothered by this, gently lying his head on Chase’s chest. “I just... I-I... Thank you for what you said last night. Really. But... I still can’t help but wonder why they haven’t tried to contact me in any way. Maybe Anti-Virus was involved somehow, I-I don’t know. But... I think that if they really cared, they’d try.”

“You don’t know that,” Jackie said quietly. “Maybe they just... didn’t have the time or money or something.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Chase nodded. “Good point.”

“Do you... really think Anti-Virus is involved?” Jackie asked quietly.

Chase glanced at the dresser where his phone was. “No... not really.” He gave Jackie a significant look. “Hey, uh... I left my charger in the living room. Can you plug in my phone? I kinda have a dog on me.”

“Yeah, sure.” Jackie got up and grabbed the phone, quickly going back into the living room. Chase had indeed left his charger in here, so he plugged in the phone before returning to Chase’s room, sitting down hard in the desk chair. “So...”

“It might not be specifically Anti-Virus,” Chase muttered. “But Gwen said that a technopath could delete most of my digital records, leaving only some of the boring stuff to divert suspicion.”

“I see...” Jackie said slowly. “Um... what... wh-what did Kanchana tell you? About your... past?”

Chase took a deep breath. “Not much... I don’t think we knew each other too well. But she mentioned Stacy, my wife, and Abby, my... daughter.” He paused for a moment, blinking back tears in his eyes. “I-I was part of her hench organization, HAUC. I could use a handgun, apparently, and worked there for six years, starting when I was twenty-one. I kept it a secret from Stacy, and when she found out, she left, and I tried to go legit for them. The last Kanchana heard from me, I’d gotten a job through SepTech’s Reform Program.”

“Yeah... the Reformation Program...” Jackie repeated. Then he laughed. “You remembered that pretty well for a guy who can’t remember what he had for dinner last night.”

“My memory isn’t that bad,” Chase mumbled.

“What did we eat last night?”

“Pizza. From Mara’s.”

“Hm. Touche.”

“Anyway, I-I don’t know why I can remember this so clearly when I don’t remember other facts easily,” Chase said. “It... must have made a strong impression on me.” He laughed. “Of fucking course it would, though.”

“How... h-how do you feel about having a family?” Jackie asked. “I-I know that’s probably a dumb question, but... I-I’m wondering if you... Would you want to go find them?”

Chase was quiet for a bit, idly scratching behind Frosty’s ear. “I don’t know... I-I want to learn about them, at least. And... if I really do have a kid, I want to... I think I should be there for her. To help. That’s what your parents are supposed to do, you know? I-I don’t know if they’d want my help, either of them, but... I should probably tell them about the accident, at least. So they know.” He bit his lip. “But... h-how would I find them? What if they didn’t keep my last name? We’d only have two first names to go off. I-I don’t think Kanchana knew them, so she wouldn’t have any information.”

“Hm... I don’t know.” Jackie shook his head. “I can do some detective work, if you want. Heroes do that sort of stuff a lot. We start with Stacy Brody or Abby Brody and work from there. Maybe they have some social media pages or accounts we can find.”

“Oh!” Chase gasped. “Jackie! My fucking YouTube channel!”

“Huh?” Jackie blinked. “Oh! Do—do you think you can reach them with that?”

“Maybe? I-I haven’t shared my full name in a video yet—and I probably shouldn’t, now that I think about it. Not if my best friend’s gonna be a hero with a secret identity.” Chase grinned. “But... maybe I could mention that I’d found out about my family. A-and maybe, somehow, the video would make their way to them?”

“Well... you’ll probably have to share some details for it to make sense to them,” Jackie said. “And I don’t think you should mention that you’re a former henchman. I know that you’re not some evil villain, but if you mention a detail like that online, other people are going to attack you thinking you are.”

“Oh, yeah, definitely.”Chase nodded. “But... if I mention Stacy and Abby’s first names, maybe they’ll realize... I don’t know. Do you think it’s dumb?”

“I think it’s worth a shot,” Jackie said. “As long as you’re careful about it. Though I’m sure if you asked Schneep he’d tell you not to do it.”

“I-I’ll think about it,” Chase says. “Maybe I’ll also search for them online... casually. Not in an... intense way.”

“Hey, like I said, I can do that for you,” Jackie said. “I know how to find stuff out.”

“Hah... yeah, I wouldn’t mind.” Chase smiled. “But uh... if you find someone that might be Stacy, don’t... don’t reach out to her. Just tell me a-and I’ll do it.”

Jackie nodded. “I will. I promise.” He paused. “You were part of the Reformation Program, huh? I wonder if I could talk to Dr. McLoughlin about you. Maybe they have information on your past.”

“I think Anti-Virus or whatever other technopath interfered with my shit would’ve deleted that,” Chase muttered.

“Maybe... but it’s pretty hard to get into SepTech servers... even though Anti-Virus clearly did it before...” Jackie trailed off. “If... I-if Anti-Virus really is the reason why all your stuff was deleted... that means he was active at least two and a half years ago. And that... worries me. Cause why would he delete your stuff, and then wait two years to start causing problems?”

“I have no idea. I’m not good at this hero stuff.” Chase gently pushed Frosty away and started to sit up, queuing Frosty to help push him upright. “Maybe he was always doing illegal shit but he got more ambitions. Or maybe I was just like... practice for his powers or something.” He sighed. “That second option would make him just cruel.”

“He seems like a cruel guy,” Jackie said. “After all, he made JJ do terrible things without any thought for what it was doing to him, or Dahlia, or any of the people who were being controlled.”

Chase nodded. “Um... you know, I wouldn’t mind if you talked to Dr. McLoughlin about me, just in case. I-I mean, I doubt the guy would know me. He’s like... important, you know?”

“And you’re not important?” Jackie interrogated, leaning forward.

“I mean like—relatively,” Chase said. “If you’re about to say I’m important to you... thanks. Th-that means a lot whenever I hear you say something like that.” He smiled. “But seriously. The guy partially owns and runs the biggest tech company in Europe. I think that no matter what I did in my life before this, there’s bound to be a bit of a difference in our statuses.”

“Hm. Good point.” Jackie leaned back. “But you never know. I think it’s worth a shot.”

“Yeah... I think so, too.” Chase nodded. “So... if you want, you can go talk to him, just in case.” He swung his legs out of bed. “Now, uh... do you mind? I gotta get ready.”

“Oh yeah sure.” Jackie stood up. “I’ll probably stop by SepTech today to see McLoughlin, if you’re okay with it.”

“Of course bro, do whatever. But is it really okay to just stop by?”

“He told me it was. I’m assuming that holds up.” Jackie shrugged. He started towards the door, then stopped. “Oh! By the way, do you know where JJ is staying?”

“No, you’ll have to talk to Marvin or Schneep about that,” Chase said.

“Cool, cool. I’ll see if I can meet up with them after my talk with McLoughlin.” Jackie left the room. “I’m going out on patrol soon, by the way.”

“Good luck!” Chase said.

“Thanks.” Jackie smiled, and closed the door.

===============

Beeeep! Beeeep! Beeeep!

JJ jolted awake to the sound of an alarm. He was instantly on alert, but as he looked around his surroundings, he calmed down again. This wasn’t the Vault. This was somewhere else. The walls were painted a neutral beige, the carpet a dark gray. There was a long wooden dresser and a small table and two chairs made out of the same type of wood. Clearly part of a set. He was lying in bed, the mattress much softer than the cot of his cell in the Vault, the heavy comforter luring him down into sleep again.

He was in a designated safe house. Kanchana had driven him here last night, along with Soren—wait where was Soren?! And actually—what was that alarm?!

JJ threw the blanket aside and ran out of the room, darting out into the connecting hallway. Smoke was pouring from an archway. He pulled his shirt over his mouth and leaned into the room, squinting through watery eyes. A wooshing sound, then some clouds of cold white smoke, and the black smoke started to die down. Soren coughed, waving the black smoke away with one hand while holding a fire extinguisher in his other hand. He cursed furiously—and then noticed JJ standing there and immediately stopped. “Uh... sorry. I was... trying to remember how to cook.”

It’s not going well, is it? JJ commented.

“No, no it’s not.” Soren smiled slightly. He was wearing some of the clothes that they’d found in the dressers of their room. It seemed Kanchana had thought they’d need them—which she was right about, given they couldn’t just wear the Vault jumpsuits the whole time. She said that she’d only guessed the sizes, leaning on the bigger side just in case, and relying on loose designs (which was not JJ’s style but he would take anything over the jumpsuit). The white T-shirt Soren was wearing was a bit big, falling off one shoulder, but the gray sweatpants were a bit short in comparison, ending just above his ankles. “Well... did you sleep well?”

JJ nodded. Very well. What about you? You’re clearly awake before me. Was the sofa that uncomfortable?

“It was actually pretty comfortable... at least compared to the cot I was sleeping on for the past two years,” Soren said.

Well the bed was much better, JJ said.

Soren laughed. “You don’t need to flex on me.”

Well YOU didn’t need to insist on taking the sofa. You could’ve taken the bed. In fact, you should have, I think.

“Really?” Soren raised his eyebrow, leaning back on the kitchen counter. “Why’s that?”

Because you were stuck in there longer, JJ said. Under the effects of the neutrinalin longer. You were... You still are sick. Don’t tell me you’re not. His eyes lingered on the dark circles under Soren’s eyes, on the thinness of his arms.

Soren’s amused smile softened to something more genuine. “...thanks, Jameson,” he said quietly. “That... Thanks.” He took a deep breath. “But, you know, I really just came along for the ride. The rescue was intended for you. I... I really, really appreciate you letting me come along. The least I can do for that is let you have the bed.” He glanced at the stove. “And... try to make some food for you.”

JJ looked at the stove as well. There was a pan full of charred... stuff... on one of the burners, indistinguishable under the foam from the fire extinguisher. What was that supposed to be?

“Scrambled eggs,” Soren said.

Well... if they actually came out right, I would have really liked that, JJ said. Eggs are a delicious breakfast. Even so, I appreciate the effort.

“Thanks.” Soren smiled slightly. “Here, I’ll get this cleaned up.”

No, I’ll get it cleaned up, JJ insisted. You go sit down.

“Hey, this was supposed to be something nice for you,” Soren said. “And besides, it was my mistake. Let me clean up my mess.” He folded his arms.

JJ stared at him, then nodded. Alright, if you insist. I’ll go sit down in that dining room.

“Got it.” Soren nodded, then started opening up drawers and cabinets, looking for cleaning supplies.

The dining room was connected to the kitchen via an archway, and the connecting wall had a window in it as well, through which people in each room could look through and look at the others. JJ sat down at the small dining table, leaning back in the chair and looking around the room. Kanchana had given him and Soren a quick tour of the house last night, but Jameson had been tired and overwhelmed by the events of the escape and hadn’t really taken in the details. He remembered this was a small house—only five rooms. The bedroom, the bathroom, the small dining room and kitchen, and the front living room. And he also remembered they weren’t supposed to open the windows or make much noise... so that fire alarm was a great first start to staying in here. This whole house was pretty plain and undecorated, with light walls and gray carpets. It was very clean, but very impersonal. Like a house full of show rooms.

“Alright.” Soren threw some paper towels into the trash can. The kitchen is more or less clean, though some streaks of white foam remain. “All done.”

JJ raised an eyebrow. What about those streaks?

Soren glanced at the counter again. “...they’ll dry, right?”

JJ chuckled. He stood up and walked back into the kitchen, checking the drawers until he found a towel. A whole drawer full, actually. He grabbed two of them, turned on the sink and ran one under the water, then wiped up the foam streaks. The wet towel went first, and then the water was wiped up in turn with the dry one.

Soren nodded. “Th-thanks, Jameson. I suppose I’m not... practiced. Or maybe I’ve forgotten. Just like how I’ve apparently forgotten how to cook.” His voice was tinged with sadness.

Jameson looked at him quietly for a moment, then put the towels in the sink to free his hands for signing. Do you like cooking?

“...you wouldn’t expect it, would you?” Soren smiled slightly. “But... yeah. It’s... calming. I can’t use my powers on myself to clear my own emotions, so... cooking it is. It’s a good distraction.”

Are you self-taught? JJ asked.

“My mom got me started when I was a kid,” Soren said. “Though when I got older she slowly stopped. Once, when I asked her if we could cook again, she said it wasn’t fitting for a grown man.” He paused. “I think I was thirteen or fourteen when that happened.”

JJ made a face.

“Don’t be like that. She was a lovely mother. Just... a bit old-fashioned.” Soren sighed. “Well, I taught myself to cook after that, so no harm done. What about you? Can you cook?”

I can make basic dishes... Like pasta and waffles.

“That’s a unique combination.”

That’s what first came to mind, I don’t eat them during the same meal. JJ laughed silently. But neither me or my sister were very good cooks. Our parents didn’t cook much either, honestly.

“Sounds like I’ll be the one making the food then,” Soren said. “Because Kanchana said we couldn’t order takeout. If I need anything specific, I can ask her when she checks on us.”

If you cook, I’ll clean after, JJ said. That sounds fair.

Soren nodded. “Sounds fair.” His eyes drifted to the cabinets. “But, uh... for now, let’s stick with cereal for breakfast.”

‘Breakfast’ was a bit of a stretch, because it turned out they’d both slept into the afternoon. Still they both prepared cereal, eating at the small table together. Soren, I have a question, actually, JJ said near the end of their ‘breakfast.’

“Yes, James?” Soren asked.

When... when do you think the neutrinalin effects will wear off? Jameson asked.

Soren went very quiet. He put his spoon in his bowl and folded his hands. “Hard to say. There’s not a lot of data for people who’ve been affected by neutrinalin for so long. Or at least, no data that’s publicly available. I... guess it’ll be a day, at least.”

JJ nodded slowly. He asked because even the plain Cheerios they had were causing some nausea to roll around his stomach. So clearly the side effects weren’t over... and he guessed that the main effect of the neutrinalin, the power-muffling, would last as least as long as that.

“Though, you have more to worry about than just the neutrinalin.” Soren pointed at JJ’s wrists.

The powsup bracelets were still cuffed there. Last night, Kanchana had looked at them, frowned, and said, “Give me two days to figure out how to get rid of those. For now... I think the radio signal for them won’t reach far, at least.” So, JJ had been left to change into some of the provided pajamas with them still on. Honestly, I’m pretty used to them at this point, JJ said. Though I can feel them... especially when I bend my wrists. Hopefully they won’t be on for much longer, though.

“Yeah,” Soren muttered. “I’m sure the sickness will be gone soon, James. And then our powers will come back.”

JJ nodded slowly. I... wouldn’t mind not having my powers, though... He signed slowly.

Soren blinked. “Ah. Let me guess. You don’t like controlling people, do you?”

Do you?

“My powers don’t control people. The most they do is make it hard to think rationally through all the emotion. People can power through that. Timekeeper and Windstorm were both able to.”

WOULD you like controlling people? JJ asked.

“...no,” Soren said quietly. “It... would come in handy, but... that’s a line I won’t let myself cross.”

Exactly. JJ nodded. That’s what I told myself too... but then I crossed that line, anyway.

“So?”

Jameson looked up at him in shock.

“Look, they already put you in prison for it,” Soren said. “You’re currently on the run. You’re already being punished for your actions. Don’t punish yourself as well. You did a bad thing. So?”

So, people were hurt! Jameson said. I wouldn’t be surprised if I put people in therapy!

“Yeah...” Soren nodded sadly. “That’s true. But you can’t go back in time, can you?” He looked at JJ silently until he shook his head. “The most you can do is try to move on. Try to be a better man.”

Jameson looked down into his bowl of soggy cereal. He took a deep breath. If you weren’t a crime lord, you could be a therapist.

Soren chuckled. “You know, organized crime actually keeps crime levels down, over all. I’m not the sort of guy to cause chaos. I just... I-I was... doing what I...” He trailed off. “Well... maybe if I ever go clean, I could consider that. Though I don’t know anyone who’d allow me to get a license to practice.”

Do you think your powers could be helpful for such a thing?

“Hm. Yes.” Soren nodded. “If people could... explain their feelings without getting overwhelmed... or if people who were more repressed could have a little nudge to break through that dam... And my powers don’t work if I can’t see someone, so if the experience is bad, at least it won’t last that long.”

JJ tilted his head, looking thoughtful as Soren said that. Do you think... if... once your powers come back... you could... He hesitated. I sometimes get... I feel very... bad. Scared, and... sad. I would never force you to do something you wouldn’t want to do, of course, but...

“I’d do that for you, James,” Soren said quietly. “Not all the time. That wouldn’t be good for you. But I’d do it for you when you needed it.”

He felt some tears come to his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away. Thank you. He took a deep breath. Now... we should probably clean up.

Soren smiled a bit. “I’m not actually done with my cereal, let me finish first.”

JJ chuckled. Of course. How dare I.

The two of them finished quickly, then washed the bowls and put them away, trying to figure out what they could do for the day without leaving the house.

===============

“I don’t know, Windstorm, I don’t know everyone who goes through the Reformation Program. Basically none of them, actually. And even if I did, I don’t have the best memory. This would’ve been three years ago? Eugh.” McLoughlin leaned back in his desk chair, making a face. “I don’t know... Why do you need to find this guy, anyway?”

Jackie sighed. “It’s a long story. I... I think it might be related to Anti-Virus.”

“Ah shit.” McLoughlin went pale. “What, is this... is this Chase Brody his secret identity?”

“Possibly,” Jackie lied. “But he might just be another lead.”

The two of them were in McLoughlin’s lab, right next to a table with a bunch of disassembled technology. McLoughlin’s SAM hovered in the air, camera aimed down into a mess of circuit boards, while his right eye glowed green—apparently he was currently projecting the camera feed into his eye for a close-up view of the ‘guts’ as he called it. Jackie hovered nearby. Not literally, just... standing awkwardly.

McLoughlin bit his lip thoughtfully. He glanced at the mess of tech and took out his single-button remote. “Hey, make a strex pattern on the board in the center of SAM’s vision.” In response, two delicate robotic arms reached down to one of the circuit boards. One held it in place, and the other started messing about with the surface, some flashes of white light flaring off from the point of contact. “And while you’re at it, pull up the Reformation Program files for three years ago. Put them on Monitor 5E.”

The nearby computer monitor lit up with lines of text, overlapping each other. “Oh!” Jackie said. “Do I... look at that?”

“Hang on,” McLoughlin said, pressing the button again. “Search files for information on Chase Brody.”

The text flipped over each other. “Searching,” said that robotic voice. “No results found.”

Jackie frowned.

“Well... if you’re right about Anti-Virus deleting files, then it wouldn’t show up anyway,” McLoughlin reassured him.

“Is there any way I can... look through that manually?” Jackie asked. “Just to be sure.”

“Yeah, go ahead. It’s a touchscreen but if you want a keyboard to use, press that button with the... keyboard image on it, haha. One will pop out of the bottom.”

“I’ll be fine, but thanks.” Jackie walked over to the monitor and scanned it. There was a search box, a scroll wheel... yeah this all seemed normal.

“Need a chair?” McLoughlin asked.

“Nah, it’s fine.” Jackie hopped into the air, folding his legs beneath him as he sat on a pocket of air. He tapped an arrow to pull up one of the files, then scrolled back to the files dated to the beginning of the year. Time to look for Chase’s name.

About fifteen minutes passed in silence. McLoughlin continued to work on whatever he was working on while Jackie searched. Eventually, though, Jackie sighed and touched back down to the ground. “No luck?” McLoughlin asked.

“None.” Jackie shook his head. “Do you keep paper copies of this stuff?”

“Probably somewhere. I don’t know where, though.” McLoughlin grabbed his remote again. “Where do we keep the physical file copies?”

“Please be more specific,” said the computer’s voice.

“For the Reformation Program.”

There was a pause. “No location for physical files on record.”

McLoughlin blinked. He looked at the remote.

“So... did you get that fixed, by the way?” Jackie said, glancing at it.

“Huh?”

“Last time I was here it kept insisting that a door was unlocked when it wasn’t.”

“Oh fuck, right.” McLoughlin shook his head a little, as if to clear it. “I did some diagnostics. And also... physically took it apart. It seemed fine to my eyes, but the computer picked up on a dead mic. So this is actually my second remote. I’m getting a new mic in soon to fix the first one.”

Jackie frowned. “That doesn’t make sense... it could hear you fine, it was responding fine, it just... wasn’t unlocking the door.”

“...huh.” McLoughlin looked at the remote with wide eyes. “I-I don’t... have an explanation for that, then... I haven’t had any problems with it since.” He frowned. “I’m... I-I’ll do more diagnostics. Maybe the problem is with the assistant. Maybe Anti-Virus fucked with it while he was hacking all my shit.” He groaned. “I really hope there’s no problems, though. It took way too long to make.”

“...huh.” Jackie felt a shiver up his spine. “Uh... do you think it’s lying about where the paper copies are being kept? If your assistant has been hacked?”

“Maybe. I-I’ll ask some staff members if they know where we keep the paper files, then get back to you through the League.”

“How’s the League treating you, by the way?” Jackie asked. “With the whole... weaponized SAM situation.”

“They’re fine. The most problems they cause are that I feel like I’m being watched a lot. They have their own squad of technopaths, you know. Checking out all my stuff. I-I get it, but... still.” McLoughlin sighed. “I guess I brought that on myself for being lax in security. Still no leads on who could’ve put those SAMs in there?”

Jackie shook his head. “No leads. It... still looks like you did it. I-I want to be clear, though, I don’t think you did, despite all evidence.”

“Well that’s fucking dumb,” McLoughlin said.

Jackie burst into laughter.

“No, seriously, Windstorm.” McLoughlin looked him in the eyes. “If all evidence points to something, the people need their Hero to believe the evidence. A-as much as I appreciate it, you can’t afford to be blinded by emotion.”

The laughter died down. Jackie looked away. “I... I-I know that,” he said quietly. “I just... I-I want to hope that... I can keep an open mind. I think I’ve been a bit... biased in the past.”

“Well... don’t overcorrect,” McLoughlin said gently.

“Do you want me to arrest you?”

“God no. Especially since I have no idea how those SAMs got there. I’m just saying. I wouldn’t personally blame you. And I think you should, you know... You know, keeping an open mind doesn’t mean you’re ride or die for someone who might be a criminal.”

“Yeah.” Jackie smiled slightly. “But... innocent until proven guilty. The SAM thing is incriminating, but if you could be arrested for that, it would’ve happened by now.”

“Well... technically I am on house arrest,” McLoughlin said slowly. “I can’t go anywhere but work or one of the SepTech locations. Possessing weapons like that is still very fucking illegal. So... here’s this.” He stuck out his leg and rolled up his pants a bit, revealing a black band around his ankle.

“...ah.” Jackie wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Did the League just... do that?”

“Yeah.”

Jackie frowned. “That seems like something the police should’ve decided.”

“They ran it by them.” McLoughlin shrugged. “The equipment is theirs, though. It’s supposed to have a superpower suppression mechanism built in? Which I don’t get why they’d waste that on me. But there’s a League guy by the front desk, you saw him when you walked in, probably, he can turn that on if he wants. Dunno why he would. I don’t have superpowers. And these can’t be affected by that.” He flexed his prosthetic fingers.

“Better safe than sorry, I assume,” Jackie said.

“It’s fine, I wasn’t going anywhere else anyway,” McLoughlin said, pulling his pants leg down. “I’ve always been a bit of a homebody.”

“Still... Sorry about that.”

McLoughlin laughed. “It’s fine, I totally get why it happened. Now... back to your guy. I’ll talk to the admin staff here and ask them where the paper copies are being held.”

“Yeah, you said that. Thanks, I’d appreciate it. Uh, let me know when you find that. And also let me know if you find any... signs of people breaking in.” Jackie knew that the last occurrence had been Schneep checking things out, but there was a chance other people were doing the same. “Or, you know, let me know if your employees do anything weird, too. It might be an inside job.”

“Of course.” McLoughlin nodded. “You’re heading out now, then?”

“Yep. But you know how to reach me. Thanks for letting me stop by.”

“No problem.” McLoughlin smiled. “Stop by anytime. Any time at all.”

===============

There was a knock at the door. JJ immediately stiffened, the book he was reading falling out of his hands. Soren looked up as well. “I got it,” he muttered, putting his own book to the side and standing up. The blinds were drawn, but he still ducked low as he got up out of the armchair he was sitting in and carefully, quietly walked over to the front door. He ducked down to the mailbox and carefully peered out, making sure not to draw attention. Then he looked back at JJ. I think it’s the Specter, he said, signing more slowly than JJ usually did.

Jameson let out a sigh of relief. Let him in.

Soren nodded and stood up straight, unlocking the door and pulling it open a crack. “Come in,” he said, then opened it wide enough for a person to come in.

Schneep hurried into the room as soon as the gap was big enough. “I-I am so sorry for coming in at no notice, but, well... There is no way to give you notice ahead of time without a phone.”

JJ stood up. Henrik, it’s so good to see you again. I feel like we didn’t really talk the last time I saw you.

“I-I don’t think we did, either,” Schneep said quietly. He stared at JJ, then rushed across the room and enveloped him in a tight hug.

“Whoa!” Soren blinked in surprise.

Jameson melted into the hug, squeezing him tightly back. Schneep smelled like hand sanitizer. Maybe he’d been at work, at the hospital where hand sanitizer was so often used. Then he pulled back. Thank you so much for the rescue, Henrik, he said.

“It was no problem,” Schneep said.

I’m sure the planning had many problems, actually.

Schneep chuckled. “Well, you are right, but I would go through them again. I only regret I waited so long. This would have been so much easier if you’d let me break you out of the holding cell instead of the Vault.”

I suppose I... wasn’t ready yet, Jameson said slowly. Still, thank you for coming after me anyway.

“What is family for?” Schneep laughed. There were tears lining his eyes.

Soren closed the door. “Nice to see you again, Specter.”

“You as well, I suppose.” Schneep gave Soren a look-over. “I never thought I would meet Pathos in person. And I definitely never thought he would be friends with Jameson.”

“Well... there aren’t many options to meet people while in prison,” Soren said. “You’re limited pretty much to who’s in there. And when I heard the new Puppeteer villain was from Daindover, I got curious... and now here we are.” He shrugged. “In any case, you can just call me Soren.”

“Soren, then.” Schneep nodded.

Are you just stopping by? JJ asked. Or is this business?

“Just stopping by, I suppose. I wanted to check that you were settling in. I am glad I wrote down the address Kanchana shared.” Schneep looked around. “This is... nice.”

Rather boring, JJ said.

“Well I wasn’t going to say it.”

JJ chuckled. The whole house is like this, but I can give you a tour, if you would like?

“Sure, why not?” Schneep shrugged.

Soren sat back down in his chair. “Don’t mind me, I’ll stay here.”

JJ gave Schneep a brief tour through the house, ending in the bedroom. Schneep didn’t say much, only asking if JJ felt that this place was good enough to stay. Jameson assured him that it was. Anything is better than the Vault, really, he said.

Once the tour was over, they returned to the living room. JJ noticed his book was still on the sofa and went over to pick it up, refinding his place and marking it by folding over the corner of the page.

“Oh? What happened to wanting to keep the pages pristine?” Schneep said. “Or did you go on that rant about bookmarks for no reason?”

JJ smiled slightly. That was months ago... But if I could find a bookmark, I would use it. Trust me, we looked.

Schneep nodded. “Is the book... good?”

It’s fine so far. I think I’m not the target audience... I feel like it’s marketed towards young women. But it has an intriguing enough mystery.

“What is it about?”

A woman looking for her long lost sister. JJ paused. Maybe I... relate to the main character.

Schneep’s expression softened. “Ah... I-I will let Jackie know where the safe house is... so that he can update you on his search for Dahlia.”

JJ nodded. I would appreciate that.

Soren idly watched this conversation. “Um... it would probably be suspicious if you all kept stopping by. I know there’s a secret way in, I noticed the trapdoor in the hallway. But... still. There has to be a more convenient way to communicate.”

Schneep nodded slowly. “I-I thought about something, actually.” He reached into the pocket of the coat he was wearing. “I stopped by your shop and found this.” He pulled out a wooden doll, like something an artist would use as a reference for poses. Except its hands were rings instead of proper hands.

That’s by MoniqueCrafts, isn’t it? JJ asked.

“Oh, you recognize it?”

Of course, she’s a great local artist. I wish I could sell the last of the wares she sent me... Jameson trailed off, then shook his head. Why did you grab it, though?

“I-I was wondering...” Schneep said slowly. “Spitfire and Windstorm told me about this encounter they had with crash test dummies and the Puppeteer. So clearly your powers do not just work on humans, but also anything human-shaped.” He took a pencil out of his pocket and slid it into the hand (ring?) of the wooden doll. It fit perfectly. “There is also a wide range for your powers. So... I was thinking you could use this to write notes.”

It was a good idea. But Jameson still hesitated. He stared at the doll quietly.

“...i-if you are not comfortable, it is fine,” Schneep said quietly.

JJ shook his head. No, I can do that. I can.

“You do not have to.”

No... I will. JJ took a deep breath. It’s a good way to start getting used to this again.

Soren smiled slightly. “That’s a good start indeed, James.”

Jameson smiled back at him, then looked at Schneep. But I don’t know if my powers are working yet. He tried, but couldn’t feel his power rising to the surface at his command. So he shook his head. The neutrinalin must still be working.

“That is the sign for neutrinalin? Interesting.” Schneep set the wooden doll down on the table. “I will leave it here for you, then? And when you can make those strings, you can put them on it, and I will pick it up later.”

Sounds good, Henrik. JJ paused. Thank you. Really. So... so much.

Schneep smiled gently. “It is not a problem.”

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Soren asked.

Schneep laughed. “No, it is fine. I do not want to oppose.”

“Impose, you mean?” Soren asked. Schneep nodded, and he continued. “You wouldn’t be imposing. Right, JJ?”

JJ hesitated. Yes... we’d love to have you stay.

“...well, if you say it is fine,” Schneep said softly. “What are we having, then?”

Probably something frozen, since we’re not having good luck with cooking so far.

“No need to share that,” Soren said quickly.

JJ and Schneep chuckled at the same time.

The frozen dinners were fine. But Jameson found it a lot easier to relax with Schneep here as well as Soren. Maybe soon... things could become normal again. Or, probably not soon. But maybe... one day. Maybe one day.

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