#md evil au

[ziekkfreak2-0]

You're telling me Mur Dered these Drones? Crazy.

Initially this was supposed to be fanart of @megbanned 's Evil!Uzi from their Evil Murder Drones AU but my design strayed so far from the original that idk if it still counts... I guess this is more just my interpretation of Evil!Uzi? Or an OC?? Well she's cute so that's all that matters honestly.

Alt versions under the cut!

Just a regular robo-gal!

Oh hey, wonder what that symbol means?

*dying sfx*

[straw-bearie-432]

AU fanart for @megbanned Evil AU! Evil!Uzi is just the cutest

[l0ln0n4m3f0rm3]

Fanart of Evil!N from @megbanned 's Evil!au

This is just a WIP lol

Still working on it

[prittiswaggy-co]

INSANE!AU - Serial Designation N

divider by. @/rwuffle

Extra infos under the cut since I couldn't fit it all in the drawing *cough* (cw: spiraling/self aware character??)

N seem to easily forget names & faces, but will always be polite.

His behavior changes drastically at night, he often talks to himself/stare at a blank wall or just zone out with trex hands and his legs slowly giving out. Resulting in him sitting on the floor with a blank stare.

Dog-like mannerisms, Tessa tried to fix it but it never was successful, but hey, that's not a big deal if he sometimes whine or growls or just like to sleep on people's lap if his battery runs out, plus it's effective if one of his friends is having a panic attack! (Woof?)

He seems like the most 'normal' drone from their little group, is as funked up as them, just good at repressing it. He doesn't have a choice.

Hopeless romantic w/ V, they're both so lovey dovey but there's always this invisible wall separating them, secrets and always secrets.

Good with hands, bad with feets. (Goodness why are his feets like a ballerina's?) He can handle up to 50 wine glasses but trip and broke them all in a few seconds. His walking is always slightly curved, not a straight line but he does his best to not end up eaten by the crows

Tessa's favorite? At least that's how some drone sees it...

N doesn't wear any jackets, too annoying + I hate drawing them

N doesn't mention V in his enjoy because he's unsure about his feelings, but she does have a big place in his heart though, or pritti just forgor uuuu

Infected. They're all are anyway. Why are you questioning it

Over do anything, this is normal for him anyways, what was he made for if it wasn't to be useful? ...

...

...

Someone is calling me.

Wrists or joints in general can be painful if he overused them, Tessa always makes sure to clean & oil those rusty joints! She promised him new ones when she could go outside again. One day.

He likes to play pretend with his little sister, somehow she always ends up being a surgeon and him the patient! But at least they often have tea parties after with warm oil :3 yummy

[luciluck2046-md]

Yeah random idea

Murder Drones but Uzi has to fight N's seven evil exes cuz N is so chill like that.

Or the opposite.

N has to fight Uzi's seven evil exes

Sorry guys the scott pilgrim takes off brainrot just got to me (even if I watched the anime like three months ago)

[rainbow-trout-art]

Evil!Uzi was created by @megbanned!

[irenespring]

House M.D. Fanfiction: A Clearly Discernible Line, Chapter 1 (House/Wilson)

Chapter 1: We're here to learn, aren't we?

Chapter can be read here!

----

It's finally ready for publication! I have made so many posts about this (from planning to publishing) so I am so glad to finally be ready to share the first chapter (of ten) of my Hilson School for Good and Evil AU!

THIS FIC SHOULD STILL MAKE SENSE WITHOUT ANY PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF SGE. If you have a question I will answer immediately and possibly address it in the fic text for future readers.

Fic will be updated every Friday. I have a multiple chapter buffer in case of writer's block or unfortunate circumstances, so I don't anticipate any issues getting this fully updated on time.

Yes, this AU sounds crazy. I am cashing in my "please trust my writing and read this weird AU" chips while only having seven published fics. But it still should make sense!

On that point, I would like to give my eternal thanks to @jameswilsonsupremacy for their help with finalizing the plot of this fic (the whole thing is plotted!) and making sure it is understandable to someone not well-versed in SGE. Also sorry Lucas I just realized you share a name with Professor Lucas from the School for Good and Evil. He's a side character in SGE, not a deliberate reference. I know it's weird to randomly see your name in fiction.

I would also like to thank users @a-case-of-the-ace , @thatpersonwithbooks , @deanbane , @everytuesday, and @atmaligaya for their encouragement when I was thinking about whether to attempt this AU at all given it's niche nature, and when I was writing (and having writer's block issues!).

---

Fic teaser:

James Wilson, new student at the School for Good, is excited to live out his destiny and make his own fairy tale. He excels at everything: weaponry lessons, history tests, smiling class. He just doesn’t exactly feel true love for any of the girls. But that won’t be a problem. It’s easily faked. In fact, a surprisingly alluring Evil student is going to help him keep up his ruse. He’s totally covered. Gregory House, new student at the School for Evil, has finally gotten away from his father. He’s also found the first home he’s ever had... at a school built for training villains. He has books, magic, and teachers who don’t suck. After a chance encounter with a Good student, he might even have a friend. His life is finally making sense. So, there we have it. Their fates seem sealed. James will go on to star in a fairy tale and in young girls’ dreams. Gregory will cause some manageable mayhem, then take the under-the-radar magical academic track that produces some of the few Evil students who live to get gray hair. Nice endings tied with a bow, just like the elusive School Master likes. Except here you are, reading their Tale. Which begs the question: what went wrong?

---

I would love to hear what you think about this chapter on either AO3 or here on Tumblr! I totally understand the anxieties inherent to commenting, the executive functioning demand, or the time demand, so I totally understand if you are not comfortable. But if you are able and like the fic, it would be great to know! It always makes my day and is super helpful for writing motivation.

[premamelody]

more md wof au stuff I kinda rush sketched

quick review I basically replaced the abslutesolver with the breath of evil bc almost 1 to 1 match and all solvers are animi. the last resistance against the HiveWings were thousands of years ago and failed. HW basically demoted silkwings into barely even dragon, a flamesilk managed to get out and burn silkwings out of an animus removal enchantment, silkwing animus appeared and at first they tried to control them by forcing one to make a collar that permanently restricts it but it worked so well they tried to control one out of fear. the boe was ditched years before and the othermind decided to get revenge by taking over discarded silkwings. Cicada was the first, enchanted by an infected animus to be an animus, and all goes similarly. it forced some silkwings into metamorphosis to be these weird hive-night hybrids labeled SwarmWings. animus silks get the special treatment and became silk-nights instead

first one is my idea of heart nori who in this au is onvia. onvia had experimented with growing a part of the BoE to control herself years before her death but was fully infected by the time she was able to use it. instead she only had access to the piece after dying, kind of rebirthed into the mindspace of her own that she had reign over. she eventually grabbed a leafwing corpse to control bc being an unmovable plant is boring. I thought of making it a canon character before I remembered those corpses would've disappeared centuries ago whoops. Also yes she decorated the leafwing with accessories bc why not.

second image is n meeting onvia. also there's solver uzi. incomparison to her silkwing appearance she has a bulkier build and some foresight. also have her learning how to fly with webbed dragon wings (n has no idea what he's doing but is there to catch her so he's doing his best. i actually had planned to have swarmwings have nightwing wings and i might change it to that depending on how much im willing to modify the hivewing base like that.)

tawny, tessa in this au. tawny is the daughter of a lady of a hive and ends up being the remaining hivewing royal after the othermind massacre on the hives. she was crowned at such a young age and thus very stressed and full of guilt. luckily (not) th othermind eventually found tawny to know too much about it to live and after a few times the hivewings stopped some infected silkwings, it just sent one into the throne room and killed her lol. and then wore her body ofc that happens in this au but I'm not gonna go into that until the next sketch :)))).

[roseofhybrids]

Human Uzi AU

Since last episode fucked up immensely this AU, I’ve decided to add one of the latest revelations to the plot of this AU… but with a twist.

Now Uzi and Tessa are a mirrored version of each other: a human that thinks to be a robot and an (admittedly very human-like) robot that thinks to be an human.

Only that while Uzi will come to (very reluctantly accept it), Tessa won’t.

After all how you would react when a younger version of yourself that looked like got badly merged with Cyn tells you that you’re just one in a long line replacements of a long dead person?

So, a human Uzi and robot Tessa

I'd say it also adds more depth to the line of human-like androids Uzi believes herself to be at the start. While in the original draft that acted mostly as an explanation for how she didn't think anything was amiss, in this new version you can add an extra layer by having Tessa actually be that model of android. It'll establish the existence of that type of robot, without an immediate connection to Tessa herself. It would also explain how Tessa thought she was human when she wasn't.

Sounds like an interesting variant of the "last of their kind" trope. Often when that kind of character is written, they only believe themselves to be an endling, when there's actually some more of their kind around. They meet them, and then must choose between the blood family or found family. Cept, in this case, said blood isn't actually one of them. Which, I can't think of any pieces of media that have handled it that way. I'm sure there must be a few that have, but none come to mind right now.

Would also make any conversation where Tessa tried to comfort Uzi about being human a bit ironic. With her seemly speaking from experience about what it's like to be one, when in reality she's going off of implanted and fabricated memories.

It would be nice to have two parallel conversations with them. One where Tessa tries to comfort Uzi about human. A connection through being some of the last members of their kind, surrounded by people very different from them.

And one where Uzi tried to comfort Tessa about being an entirely different species than you thought you were. A connection through the experience of realizing your form isn't what you thought it was and that you were lied to about what you are.

Two mirrored interactions with different outcomes. One where the person grows to accept themself, and one where they refuse to.

Also, for bonus angst points. Depending on how close you want the two to be. You could have Uzi take some comfort in having another human around. Like, when she starts to accept the fact she's a human, part of the reason could be that well, Tessa's one, and she's not that bad. Only for that to be dashed when it turns out her friend is another robot, just like everyone else she knows.

It could even act as a way to test her resolve. How would she react to finding out? Would she start to question herself again now that her proof that humans can be good is gone?

The answer, of course, which you can either have Uzi reach on her own or have it pointed out to her by a friend(s) of your choice. Is that, after the journey the group has been on, Uzi herself would be proof that humans can be good.

[conniewoof]

Murder drones personality AND ship swap au where—

Okay this is for sure done before **somewhere** BUT oh well

— ahem. ONTO THE MORE INTERESTING STUFF‼️

V takes the place of N in terms of personality and role. Vuzi becomes real?! She gets bullied—abused? Bad with words—by J. V is still short. SHE ACTUALLY GETS HER SCARF TOO!! And cuz it’s V she likes dogs more than cats. Also yes she still can’t see very well 💔

J is actually some what reasonable but instead of being mean to N she’s mean to V, but like instead of disappearing Uzi manages to make her be nicer and she apologizes to V. J actually tries to be better and yea!!

N takes the role and personality of V. He get put in time out chair and chain 💔

Do with this what you will

I might make art of it tmr if I’m not DYING 💔

Probably more stuff in my head that I dunno how to put into words… and that’s it for this post! I think-

Speaking of art I might do an art dump later, and by later I mean if I still have energy after tagging and posting this

[megbanned]

MD Evil!AU FAQ

Okay, time to do this x'D I'm gonna update this if needed

1: Why is it called "Evil" and not "Opposite/ Anti/ Reverse"?

For short, Evil twin who do the opposite.

This started as a joke from a description of what a contrary version (Evil) of Uzi would be like, eventually turning into something more like an AU where their personalities are opposites or even something like a "What if"

2: Does the earth still exist?

Problaby- yes

3: Khan is a good father who takes care of his daughter?

Yeeees 4: Tessa is still alive?

Yes

5: Do the events happen the same?

There are some parts that happen differently but they don't alter the order of the story that much.

6: How does the solver work?

It affects the same way, only that it was created by humans instead (as an attempt to create a bio-mechanical weapon in drones), this version makes it easier for the host to use (The host can use it to create life or destroy it) but still needs the oil to avoid overheating, but yes, at first the host can get out of control. The host can still develop these bio-mechanical parts.

7: Why N and V have their colors changed and J doesn't?

It was Uzi who gave V and N different looks, since when she met them they had their original colors, and Evil Uzi, being so kind, wanted to help them get unique looks for their personalities (that's also why Uzi has other hair and clothes) J did not change since Uzi did not get to know her at all since J killed herself.

Maybe some things are still a bit vague but I tried XD

[the-unknown-void]

VAGUE IDEA

don't apply too much logic to it, it'll probably fall apart, it's just the thought that's cool

put Murder Drones characters into Portal, replacing the Portal characters Cyn as Glados, Uzi as Chell, N as Wheatley and can just add any other characters as whatever, it's not perfectly the plot of Portal BUT just like the plot of Portal, N is chosen to be shoved into Cyn's body to let Uzi escape- Cyn's programming causes him to go crazy, turning him evil D: Oh no Cyn is reduced to a heart(like Nori in the series) and now Uzi and Cyn have to work together

M-Murder Drones X.. P-Portal AU. . .

[brynn-lear]

Prompt: Yandere!Dottore x Reader... But make it a House MD au. A/n: this idea has been rotting in my brain for such a long time... Yeah no I won't budge, Pantalone is our beloved Wilson lol. Word Count: 600 (this is a throwaway drabble)

You HATE working for Doctor Zandik’s diagnostic team.

No, that’s a lie. Everybody lies. You don’t hate working for him— you’ve grown desensitized.

The doctor’s “methods” are deeply rooted in misanthropy. Yet, his eloquent and annoyingly charming way persuasions act as a get-out-of-jail card for (most) instances of ethical and medical malpractices. Your colleagues, Dr. Sohreh & Dr. Krupp, remain equally tired of being in their positions. However, the Fontainian tragedy to all this is the screwed-up fact that none of you considered resigning. You three need him.

Krupp swallows his anger each time Zandik orders him to break into patients’ homes. As Zandik loves to remind the dean of medicine, there will be no ethics committee dilemma if all his people clean their tracks right. Why Pierro keeps him in his hospital despite being a significant liability to Morepesok Teaching Hospital? Your morals will never understand. Prioritizing genius over following proper procedure didn’t sit right with you. Then again, you were only hired because of your family’s connections, not merit…

Work for Zandik until you hate him; once that threshold is passed, work until you start vomiting out the evil you’ve done for the greater good. That’s the only thing other staff members had for advice. There’s nothing after step 2. Your soul WILL fight with your body. It was only when you started feeling bile rise to your throat on random occasions that you realized there must indeed be something broken in your psyche after years of working under him. You thought the advice was played out in dramatics. It wasn’t.

“(L/n), need a little help here,” Krupp called out as he rummaged through the patient’s trash. “Can you pass the gloves?”

After you did as told, you leaned by the patient’s piano. “Fever, fatigue, and a persistent cough. Standard symptoms for most of our patients, but—”

“This is Zandik.” Sohreh shakes her head, finding this situation wholly amusing. While you and Krupp scavenged through Zandik’s trash and forgotten candy wraps (he is unsurprisingly disorganized), she had her eyes set on his documents. “The patient is our boss. We just broke into our boss’s house like we’re actively pushing his own medicine down his throat.”

Pierro ordered you three in secret to investigate if Zandik has been ill, which opened the gates of let’s-all-break-into-his-house-for-fun for coworker bonding exercise. 

“What if this isn’t anything serious?” Krupp muttered, absolutely disgruntled. “Maybe we’re just overthinking this Zandik Is Sick conspiracy theory.”

“If it’s not serious, it’s boring.” You paused. “And he doesn’t do boring.”

Sohreh breathed in.

“Hey, guys? You might want to check this out.”

Upon hearing Sohreh’s grim tone, you and Krupp immediately grabbed the file she was holding and skimmed through it.

…

“This is his medical history. There’s blood work and imaging tests here… showing elevated white blood cells, and— a biopsy?” Krupp raised an eyebrow.

“Cancer,” Sohreh spoke, letting out the thoughts Krupp was too afraid to say. “He thinks he has cancer.”

“No, no, that’s not it.”

Sohreh and Krupp turned to look at you.

“What do you mean?”

You shifted uncomfortably. “Look at the name.”

“What name?”

“Name of the patient.”

You let go of the file as Sohreh and Krupp eagerly found that they had somehow missed the person.

The two paled.

“(Y/n)—”

“It’s mine.” You sighed. “Those are my tests. I’ve been hiding it from the rest of the staff except Doctor Pantalone from Onco.”

“You have—”

“But why?” You looked down, unsure as to how you felt.

“Why does Zandik have these files?”

[thedoodlenoodle14]

Ok sooo...a cool person ( @regretfullyrave ), convinced me to create a post about a few of my OCs for my future murder drones AU called "It lives on Ebony 8" and welll.....here it is! XD

I'll also first say that my AU takes place on a completely different Exoplanet called Ebony 8 (which instead of being ice and snow is mostly just forest and rivers, no oceans tho, unfortunately), but still used to be inhabited by humans before the disassembly drones attacked 😅

But, here's a list of my MD OCs! :3 or at least, the OC's I think are most important XD

1. Xane- Grumpy boi Xane! XD Before he was sent to earth, he, as well as two other disassembly drone ocs, Beta and Green, had a virus implanted within them which became known as "The Dark Matter infection" (which sort of gave Cyn an easy access to, not take them as hosts, but use them as puppets instead). Although Xane loves to fight, he hates to fight when controlled by Cyn and wishes to find a cure.

Other than that, Xane may seem pretty threatening, but deep down he's a big softie (he won't admit it tho XD)

2. Eric- Eric is my worker drone oc, and possibly the main character of my AU 👀 his parents once studied the disassembly drones and the The Dark Matter infection and after their death, Eric continued their work, but also befriended Xane and helps to find a cure for him.

Eric is smart, but not a very good fighter XD but he's kind and willing to give second chances. He finds disassembly drones way more fascinating than scary too lol

3. Green - (creative name, I know TvT) Just like Xane, Green also has the Dark Matter infection. When she landed on Ebony 8, she took a lot of damage. Her weapon system was damaged beyond repair, leaving her somewhat defenceless. However, without her weapon system, she couldn't easily overheat, meaning she didn't have a need to kill worker drones for oil. She actually ended up befriending a worker drone colony and becoming sort of a protector of them. Green is pretty chill and laid back tho and not overly dramatic like Xane XD

4. Beta - Once again, he has the Dark Matter infection too 😅 he's still a character I'm developing, but from what I can say, he's a pretty jumpy and paranoid dude and always nervous. And his best friend is a cat called Milo! :3 (Beta is a major cat person XD)

(I don't have an updated design for him yet 😅)

5. M - M is the leader of one of the disassembly drone squads (Xane's ex-squad too). She...uh...also killed Eric's parents...heh....😅 M is also kind of in love with Xane (despite Xane not feeling the same way at all XD), but M is pretty much a psychopath. However, I do want to continue developing her and perhaps giving her some motivations to her actions. Like...I know M is pretty evil...but I do believe she might be capable of change somehow.....just gotta keep developing her character 😅

(I also don't have an image for her yet XD)

6. Cortex - one of my newer Ocs, who was originally a worker drone, but I changed him to a disassembly drone instead XD He's M's twin brother, but I haven't developed a solid backstory or personality for this character yet. All I can say I that...he's not at crazy as M 😅 I'm still also trying to decide whether he would be a villain or not, but I have been thinking of giving him a similar role to J in some way.

As an added bonus, here's a little concept of Cortex when he was still a worker drone in development 👀

But yea...those are just the OCs that I think are pretty important in my AU so far :D they're all a work in progress and will probably change over time (except Xane, of course) :3

Also, go follow @regretfullyrave. They're cool! :3 And I also don't wanna get charged for tax evasion by W lmao

[luciluck2046-md]

BABE WAKE UP UZI DRONETALE AU DROPPED!!!

Genocide Uzi will be in a other au, most probably called DroneTale Genocide.

Facts & HCs about DT!Uzi:

-She fell down while on cleaning duty around the spire(I will explain the legend later)

-She had a little incident with an experimental railgun

-Still short af (this time 1.36 without shoes, so that's 6 cm taller than GF!Uzi)

-Has a slightly different design than GF!Uzi.(Yeah I just felt like going closer to canon if I'm making a crossover AU)

-Red eyes, red core(didn't draw that yet. Cores are the alternative versions of Souls) That's the sign of SOLVER POWERS DETERMINATION!!

Facts about DroneTale:

-All the Disassembly Drones will have full names- different from those of Glowing Future- and colorful eyes.bMore exactly:

•N becomes Nyx (no it's not a Panic!AU reference even though I love it. It's more like a reference to Marlet and her final form - I never finished even pacifist UTY. I absolutely love her design) He has blue lights. Theme song(a mix of those)

•V becomes Victoria (SHE'S THE MEANING OF VICTORY, IN GENOCIDE SHE IS VICTORIA THE VICTORIOUS - not Undyne the Undying XD) She has red lights. Theme song(a mix of those)

•J becomes Jay (I mean she does take Muffet's place... Damn it's going to be a Bird Meeting™ not Spider Dance) she has green lights. Theme song(a mix of those)

-It takes inspiration from both UT and UTY. N is more like a mix between Marlet and Papyrus. Since they're both the chill sweethearts that try to catch you using puzzles only to befriend you.

-I will make a post with everyone's theme songs and mix of songs(damn I make too many promises)

-It follows the Pacifist route of UT. Some characters will have a totally changed personality, some will be missing.

-The non-boss monsters will be replaced by little helper robots. Example: Froggit is replaced by Serial Number F5066IT.

[pigeonwhumps]

Courtroom

MD-264N masterlist

So um. You may notice this is not my Whumptober story. This is bc my brain decided it would only write this today. But enjoy anyway! At least I'm writing more than a sentence or two again!

Taglist: @wolfeyedwitch @den-of-evil @dustypinetree @cardboardarsonist @skittles-the-whumpee

@whatwhumpcomments @whump-tr0pes @snakebites-and-ink @painful-pooch @i-eat-worlds

@a-funeral-romance @rainydaywhump

An AU of MD-264N based on this prompt by @lumpywhump. Morgan goes on trial.

1.4k

CWs: living weapon whumpee, minor whump (discussed), past minor whump, meltdown, unintentional attempted self-harm (head banging), guns, gunshots

"I do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth."

Asha glances across at Morgan worriedly. This is the make-or-break evidence of the trial, she's sure of it, she hasn't seen what Blue has to present but she's seen the medical aftermath of it, and she's seen Blue's reaction (she knows exactly when he cracked the files because that's when he brought her the widened cutlery for them, visibly seething). The problem is that Morgan hasn't visibly reacted to anything so far today, and Asha doesn't think that'll help in the eyes of the judges.

Also, against all medical advice, Morgan is standing for the trial. It's standard. They shouldn't be, not on that ankle, not if they don't want to make the permanent damage worse. They didn't even walk here, but apparently weapons don't get seating if they're being reprimanded, so they won't sit now.

But it's been hours, and Asha is really worried about that ankle.

Blue clears his throat and Asha snaps her attention back to him.

"As you all know, Morgan has been with the Regime's Ministry of Defence since they were eight. Within their file was video and written evidence dating back to then. Your Honours, you have the written reports in your evidence packs, but there's videos that I am going to show you chronologically." He clicks a remote control and the screen changes to the hallway of a normal-seeming family home, books and toys scattered around. The 'play' triangle is superimposed over it. "Morgan's parents were well-documented protesters, though by the time they were eight they'd both stepped back from the movement to raise their child. Morgan had several disabilities and powers, both of which put them in danger. They were known as Lili then, and this video, of their... I suppose you could say recruitment, if you want to follow the government's euphemisms, is the last evidence we have of them having a name rather than a serial number until Rhian Williams named them Morgan upon their arrival here. If I may play the video, Your Honour?"

The head judge nods, and the video starts.

There's a high-pitched giggle off-screen, and then a kid charges into view, holding a battered notebook with sticky bookmarks sticking out of the side.

Asha's breath hitches. This must be Morgan. They don't look eight. They're so small.

"Hey!"

Morgan – Lili? – giggles again. A woman runs in, grabbing Morgan around the middle and lifting them into the air. Their long brown hair flies around them, mixing with her light hair.

"Got you! Now give me my notes back!"

There's a movement in the courtroom and Asha glances over. Morgan's dropped to the floor. At first Asha thinks it's just their ankle, but then they get up, clawing at the thin wooden rail attached to the plexiglass sides. Their eyes are fixed on the screen, and at first they look no more emotional than before, but tears stream down their cheeks, and their hands tremble.

"No!"

The woman smiles and snatches the notebook. "Too late. Let's see what you've given me."

As the woman flips through the pages, Asha notices the subtitles for the first time and her breath catches in her throat. She was focused so much on Morgan she didn't notice the language switch – she's not sure how that happened. But Welsh. Morgan's Welsh. A different part of Wales to herself, it sounds like more of a borders accent to Asha's north Wales, but they're Welsh. Can they still speak it? Would it help them if she did? Make them feel less alone?

The woman's eyes widen. "Baby, you–"

A door latch clicks off-screen. "Honey, I'm home!"

Morgan grins and scrambles off the woman, running for the edge of the screen. "Tad!"

Their dad enters the video, catching Morgan around the waist and spinning them in a circle. "Hey little monster. How was your day?"

"I decorated mam's notebook! And I've been practicing my writing!"

"Here, have a look," says Morgan's mam, passing the notebook over with a smile. Their dad's grin widens.

"You wrote your name? And a whole sentence?"

Morgan nods enthusiastically.

"She did indeed. She also coloured in my notes at the same time, but I'm sure my professor won't mind too much."

Morgan's dad ruffles their hair. "Well, I think this calls for celebratory pancakes. Why don't you go and pick out the mould?"

Morgan nods and charges off-screen. Morgan's dad wilts and he runs a hand through his hair. Their mam kisses him.

"Hard day at work?"

"No kidding. I got the number for that specialist, but we don't have long. If anyone catches wind of Lili..."

"We don't have long. But let's leave today for celebrating Lili. 50p she chooses the Archimedes mould?"

"I'd be a fool to take that bet." He puts an arm around her shoulders and they wander off-screen. There's nothing for a minute, just a blank hallway with no sound. Whatever camera bug this is by the former regime, it's good quality.

"Hey baby, what'd you choose?"

"Archimedes!"

"Your favourite. Come and help me with–"

There's a fast, loud banging on a door. "Ministry of Defence! Open up!"

Someone curses. Morgan yelps.

"Lili, I will always love you. Now run. Just like we practiced."

"Mam? Tad? What's–"

"Go! We'll catch you up."

A running child's footsteps. Morgan's dad strides into the hallway and takes down a framed painting, unlocking the safe beneath it and passing a gun to their mum.

She cocks it. Was it already loaded in there? Who were Morgan's parents?

"I love you."

"And I you."

The door crashes in. The sound of gunshots fills the room, and not just from Morgan's parents. They–

"No!"

The scream is strangled and wet. Asha glances around to see Morgan on their knees, their head in their hands, rocking. They look devastated.

The video doesn't end there, as Morgan's dragged on-screen, kicking and screaming, smacked around the head until she stops, and all of this over her parents' bodies, splayed out on the wood, blood pooling around them.

There's a makeshift height chart just visible in the last shot, the pencil marks on the wallpaper sprayed with blood.

This video ends here, with Morgan's removal, but it's not the only one. Asha doesn't know how Blue can stand there and present these so calmly. There's one very soon after, with Morgan's head newly-shaved, a shock harness and mittens freshly fitted, and they look so cold. They're in shock, they're an orphan, but they're not allowed to grieve, the attitudes of the handlers makes that clear. They don't understand but nobody's giving them a chance to do so.

And so it continues. And so Morgan grows up. Never spoken of as a person, never given an inch, locked into the tiniest room, shocked until they stop moving, stop speaking. Stop resisting. Trained, punished. Taught to kill, punished when they resist, hesitate, react violently to the harsh sounds and movements and actions. Hurt until they stop hesitating, forget that they can, perhaps forget that they were ever anything but a weapon, forged in the fires of pain and desperation, purged of everything they don't actively need in an effort to survive.

But the nightmares never stop. They still haven't, Asha knows. She just didn't have the context until now.

Meanwhile, present-day Morgan is getting worse with every piece of evidence. Scrambling back when certain people come on screen, and freezing, and pleading with the videos when they think they're going to be punished. Their face is blotchy with silent tears, and they keen, rocking back and forth in distress from the latest video (active mission testing).

And then they start trying to bash their head against the plexiglass, and one of their guards has to restrain them. Asha should be there, she's their doctor, but she tries to stand and someone official shakes their head at her. It's not fair, she knows she's part of the trial, but she– she–

"They've survived worse, they'll be okay," whispers Rhian hoarsely. Asha nods, unable to speak. She should still be there.

She aches to go to them. She knew it was bad – only a fool would see a young person wearing an electroshock harness and think it wasn't – but she didn't realise it was this bad.

But she can't. She's not allowed, she can't risk the trial, they won't let her. All she can do is sit here and watch uselessly as Morgan's heart is ripped wide open, all over the very public courtroom floor.