#truth serum whump

[auroragehenna]

AI-less Whumptober

Day 11 - Fright/Freaky Friday (Hallucinations, truth serum, “Why would you even say that?”)

TW/CW: Interrogations, truth serum Word count: (585)

Imagine though. Imagine Whumpee had been torture for hours. Possibly days-weeks or even months. They’ve been interrogated restlessly and mercilessly. But now their Whumper has let off of them. Suddenly they‘re being left alone. It was unnerving. Had they finally given up?! But then Whumper opens the Whumpees door again and ruins the sweet tensed illusion…:

Whumpees head lifted at the sound of their cell door opening. They hadn‘t heard it in a few days, only the sound of the little food tray.

Whumper entered the room, their usual cat-like predatory behavior passively set. With casual steps they approached Whumpee.

All they could do was stare up at them through matted hair, too tired and too scared to actively fight back they again resulted to their words: „I won‘t tell you what you want to know. Just give up already. I will die with this information, I‘ve proven it time after time.“

Whumper hunched down on their knees in front of their victim. Deceptively gentle they pushed the matted hair out of their scarred face. „That you have.“, they mused. „And you did truly a miraculous job at keeping the secrets, I will personally make it my duty to ensure your friends learn of your loyalty. Alongside a little videos.“, they added more quietly. „And I’m not here to torture it out of you this time, you‘ve successfully proven that that won‘t work. Noo I‘m here for another reason.“, Whumper explains sweetly. They hold up a small glass vile filled with an unnaturally blue fluid. „Drink up, sugar cube.“

Whumpee‘s eyes widened at the elixir, they had no idea what it was but they surely couldn‘t trust it! They couldn’t trust Whumper! They started to panic, lips pressed together to a thin line.

Whumper sighed but their face portrayed more amusment rather than irritation. They hammered their hand onto a button in the stone wall and Whumpees chains shortened drastically, effectively getting pulled back into the wall. Then they grabbed their face and hit it against the dark, stone brick wall, pressing their nose closed with their fingers.

Whumpee’s scrambling was reduced drastically by the length of the chains now but that only enhanced their panic. The sheer fear of the unknown and Whumper(‘s demeanor) bringing tears to their eyes. The threat of more pain or an excruciating death. Then they couldn’t breathe, they couldn’t breathe, and the secrets they‘ve been guarding for so long burned inside their body like the burning of their lungs. Eventually they had to surrender and gasp for air and instantly Whumper shoved the veil inside their mouth and forced them to gulp all of it down.

Whumper smiled satisfied at Whumpees horror and their chocked coughing. It shouldn’t take long now.

„What-What did you give me?!“, they managed to choke out between coughs.

Whumper stretched out a hand to ghost fingertips over Whumpees bare arm and delighted in the terrified whimper it drew out. „Oh its just a little serum, it took me a while to get though. And what its gonna do…“ They moved their fingers to Whumpees mouth and brushed their thumb over their dry and broken up lips. „It will simply…loosen your precious tongue a little for me…“ They smiled sadistically and watched the information process in their little prey‘s mind.

Loosen their tongue. But…That couldn’t mean…No! It couldn‘t possibly be a…All that they…Everything they sacrificed. All that they endured only for it to mean Nothing!? Only for their will to be removed by a few drops of chemicals!? It couldn’t be! Not after everything. Why? The universe couldn’t possibly be this cruel…! They opened their mouth subconsciously as if to say something even if they woudln’t even know what but Whumper put a single finger onto their lips, effectively silencing them.

„Now…What were you going to tell me, again?“

Taglist: @ailesswhumptober , @yourlocalgaefae33 , @princessofhe11 , @greatkittencloud , @bisexuawolfsalt

@shattermind-8

[slippedtheknot]

Whumpmas Day "Two"

Hot Chocolate + Caught in a Storm + Truth Serum

(also a disclaimer: I'm using a random number generator to pick my tropes and well...this is going to be fun)

TW: DRUGGING

Whumpee tucked his chin down; pinning his own hands to his neck to conserve as much warmth as possible. Whumper and his men were still in the distance.

Whumpee could hear them plain as day....

Henchman had slipped a truth serum to Whumpee in hopes that he'd spill his secrets. It was so obvious too. Henchman was being halfway decent for once.

"Here you go, Whumpee." Henchman handed Whumpee a Styrofoam cup of steaming brown liquid.

"What is this?" Whumpee dipped his tongue in, only to be met with bitterness.

"It's called hot chocolate." Given by Whumpee's expression, it was a rhetorical question. "It's December, if you didn't know. I wanted to give you something good for your one month anniversary."

His ankles pulled through the thick, heavy snow at such an agonizingly slow pace Whumpee thought about stopping; letting Whumper's men catch him.

At least he never had sand whipped in his face.

[serickswrites]

Truth

Warnings: captivity, torture, restraints, physical violence, bruises, truth serum, drugging, noncon drug use, video recording, hostage sitaution

"Please, don't," Whumpee begged. "Please, you don't have to do this." They shook in the restraints Whumper had used to bind them to the table. They watched Whumper with wide, terror-filled eyes, as Whumper advanced on them, syringe in hand.

Whumper back handed Whumpee hard. Whumpee whimpered with the pain. "Don't speak until I speak to you," Whumper growled. "And besides, I want to do this, Whumpee. You have what I want. And I always get what I want."

Whumpee could feel their lip swell from where Whumper had struck them. They knew their face was bruised from Whumper's rough handling of them. But still, they didn't want Whumper to inject them with whatever was in that vial. "Please," they tried once more. Surely, Whumper would be reasonable.

Whumper grinned wickedly as they stabbed Whumpee's arm with the syringe. "No," they said as they depressed the plunger.

Whumpee's veins were on fire. Every part of them was on fire. They couldn't breathe through the fire. Someone was screaming. It was them. They were screaming. Every single cell in their body was on fire.

Whumpee had no idea when the flames receded. They had no idea how much time had passed. They only knew that Whumper was speaking gently with them, stroking their hair, talking softly. They sobbed. It was all they could do. They were too weak to even turn their head towards Whumper.

"There, there, my sweet. I have one more little treat for you. Smile for the camera." Whumpee felt another needle in their arm. Felt a coolness wash over them. It was a welcome relief to the fire that had consumed them. "Now, you are going to answer all of my questions. And then we will send this video to the person who will actually give me what I want."

"Yes, Whumper," Whumpee heard their voice. But it wasn't their voice. It was dull, no inflection. And yet they felt their lips move.

"And remember, Whumpee," Whumper snickered, "the truth will set you free. So be honest."

"Yes, Whumper."

"Does Caretaker have what I want?" Whumper said from somewhere to their left. They heard Whumper take a step closer. Whumpee couldn't answer that question. They had to keep Caretaker out of this.

"Yes," Whumpee said against their will. They tried to turn their head, but couldn't. They were to weak. Whatever Whumper had given them, it hadn't given them energy. It just made them speak, though they didn't want to.

"Will Caretaker give it up for you?" Whumper said as they leaned over Whumpee, phone in hand.

Whumpee didn't want to answer. They couldn't answer. Because then everything Caretaker had worked for would be undone. "Yes." Whumpee closed their eyes against the tears. Though they hadn't wanted to speak. They had to. Whumper made them. Hopefully Caretaker would forgive them. If they lived long enough for Caretaker to find them.

Whumper climbed onto the table with them, pinched their cheek. "You hear that, Caretaker?" Whumper said as they flipped the camera so that both they and Whumpee were in the frame. "You'll give me what I want for Whumpee. So come get your Whumpee. Or you'll be picking up the pieces from here to kingdom come."

Whumpee squeezed their eyes shut once more. They had failed Caretaker. Failed and let themself become a hostage. Caretaker had to leave them. Caretaker couldn't come get them. It would be all for nought. "You have two days to collect what I desire and get here, Caretaker. Or Whumpee will face the consequences. Won't you, Whumpee?"

Whumpee nodded as tears flowed down their cheeks. "Yes, Whumper." They told the truth. However, this truth did not set them free.

[kybercrystals94]

Embroidered Skulls

Read here on Ao3!

Febuwhump 2024 | Day 20 | Prompt 20: Truth Serum

Rated: G | Words: 1092 | A slight mishap leads to some honest answers. [Character Focus: Tech, Hunter, Echo, Crosshair, Wrecker]

I am steeling my little heart for season 3…so light hearted whump is being served here today ^_^

“Ah, you’re back,” Tech says, glancing up when Hunter and Echo clamber up the ramp of the ship. “Wrecker and Crosshair should be returning in short order as well.”

Hunter and Echo exchange glances, wordless communication flashing between them in microexpressions Tech cannot read.

“Did the extraction go according to plan? Were there any issues?” Tech asks.

Echo stiffens at the question, and Hunter turns away to drop the small crate of serum on one of the crash seats.

“It…went. It was fine,” Hunter says, his back still to Tech. “We’re fine.”

“We’re fine,” Echo agrees with a sharp nod.

Tech narrows his gaze.

“I mean…” Echo continues, looking uncomfortable. “We’re not injured. But there was a mishap.”

“Echo,” Hunter groans.

“A mishap?” Tech presses. “What sort of mishap?”

Echo shifts from one artificial leg to the other. “Well…”

Hunter spins around, pushing Echo aside. “We lost one of the vials. That’s all. It was destroyed.”

“One of the truth serum vials?” Tech keeps himself carefully composed. “Were either of you exposed?”

Hunter huffs, crossing his arms. “Were you exposed?”

“That is not a logical response,” Tech says, deadpan.

“Yeah, well,” Hunter sputters, “Why aren’t you answering the question?”

Tech rolls his eyes. “No. I was not exposed because I wasn’t there. I’m going to assume that you both were exposed which explains why you are behaving erratically.”

“You can’t tell Wrecker or Crosshair,” Echo pleads.

“Echo! Stop talking,” Hunter cries.

“You stop talking,” Echo shoots back. “You’re the one asking Tech if he was exposed to the serum you dropped half a klick away!”

“That’s because someone didn’t make sure the second latch on the crate was secure!”

“Oh, so it’s my fault?”

“Yes!”

“At least we now know that the serum is effective,” Tech sighs, picking up the crate of drugs to stow away before Wrecker inadvertently causes more mayhem.

“Tech,” Hunter cries, trailing after him, “is there an antidote?”

“The effects should wear off on their own with no detriment to your health.”

“But Tech…”

Tech locks up the crate and turns to his brother. “Hunter, do you honestly think I have an antidote to a newly discovered truth serum just lying around in the med kit?”

Hunter hesitates. “Yes?”

“That was a rhetorical question, but I appreciate your honesty,” Tech says with a barely concealed grin as he brushes past Hunter back into the main hold.

“Tech, this isn’t funny!”

“That entirely depends on which side of the argument you’re on,” Tech says. “And I’m sure that Wrecker and Crosshair will be on my side.”

“You can’t tell them!”

“I won’t tell them anything. The two of you on the other hand…”

“Maker, Tech, you have to help us,” Echo says.

A distinct voice bellows outside the ship, “We’re back! Did you miss us?”

Hunter and Echo give Tech an beseeching look, and he almost pities them.

Almost.

Wrecker comes bounding into the ship followed by the much more sedate sniper. Crosshair hits the control to close the door before turning on the group still crowded in the hull. “Is something wrong?” he asks, taking off his helmet.

“Why would something be wrong? Nothing’s wrong,” Hunter says quickly.

Too quickly.

Crosshair smirks. “What did you do?”

Hunter’s jaw tightens, but he keeps his mouth shut.

Crosshair’s gaze slides to Echo. “What did he do?”

“Hunter broke a vial of the truth serum,” Echo says.

Crosshair’s face goes slack with surprise for a moment before a wicked grin curls across his face. “Did he now? That’s unfortunate.”

“What does that mean?” Wrecker asks, looking concerned as he glances between the color drained faces of Echo and Hunter.

“It means that loose lips crash starships, Wrecker,” Crosshair says.

Wrecker looks puzzled for a moment before it clicks, and he smiles broadly. “Ah, I get it.”

“There’s nothing to get,” Hunter snaps. “Tech, get us out of here. We have a mission to complete.”

Tech nods and heads for the cockpit, Echo following closely behind him.

“If you think I’m going to help you not inadvertently answer incessant questions, you are mistaken,” Tech says, settling into the pilot’s chair and flicking switches for the startup sequence.

“How long will it take for this to get out of our systems?” Echo asks.

Tech sighs. “I may know many things, Echo, but even I have my limits. I would need access to the research and chemical makeup of the drug to accurately answer your question.”

“Give me your best guess.”

“You will not like it.”

“Tech!”

“I would estimate that you and Hunter will experience the effects of the drug for approximately one standard week.”

“No! You’re lying!”

Tech smiles. “At least one of us can.”

Echo drops into the copilot’s chair with a growl. “You’re the worst.”

Tech gets them situated in a hyperspace lane before a tangle of cajoling voices approach the cockpit, and Hunter enters followed by Wrecker and Crosshair. Hunter sits down, and turns his chair away from his siblings.

“C’mon, Hunter,” Wrecker says, “Don’t you want to tell us?”

“No!”

Crosshair chuckles. “He’s telling the truth.”

“Shut up, Cross.”

“But really, Hunter, we need to know…where’d you learn how to embroider skulls onto your bandanas? Or do you have them done somewhere? And if that’s the case, then where?”

Hunter decidedly keeps his jaw locked shut.

“It would be more effective if you asked the questions individually,” Tech offers. The look of utter betrayal Hunter shoots him is heartbreaking, but the engineer simply shrugs. “This is a research opportunity I am unwilling to pass up.”

Echo chuckles, drawing Crosshair’s attention. “You know something about this, don’t you?” he asks, pointing at the cyborg accusingly.

Hunter’s eyes widen, and Echo swallows.

“I’m not sure what you’re asking,” Echo says, evading the question carefully.

“Where does Hunter keep his art projects?”

Echo scoffs. “Hunter doesn’t do art projects,” he says, looking relieved. A fatal mistake.

“Where does Hunter keep his embroidery kit?” Tech specifies.

“In a box under the nav computer. There’s a hollow behind the main hard drive,” Echo says.

“Echo!” Hunter gasps.

Crosshair and Wrecker exchange thrilled glances before racing out of the cockpit. Hunter goes after them, ordering them to leave his stuff alone.

“How did you find out about Hunter’s sewing project?” Tech asks wryly.

“Eh, I found it one day when I was doing repairs.”

The two are quite a moment while they listen to the indistinct squabbling and laughter behind them.

“But really, Tech, how long until this stuff wears off?”

END

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[kabie-whump]

♡ Febuwhump Day 20: Truth Serum ♡

@febuwhump

Content: torture, waterboarding mention, blood in mouth mention, claustrophobia mention, burning mention

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Stoic Whumpee who is really good at hiding their reactions from Sadistic Wumper

It pisses Whumper off. They’re doing this for entertainment, but Whumpee refuses to do so much as whimper. It’s as if the torture doesn’t even effect them.

So Whumper feeds them a truth serum.

“Does this hurt?”

Whumpee coughs, freezing water dripping from the tips of their choppy hair. “Yes, but it’s bearable.”

Okay. New method.

“Does this hurt?”

Whumpee spits out blood before they answer. “Yes, but it’s bearable.”

New method.

“Does this hurt?”

Whumpee flinches slightly at the absent click of the lighter. But still: “Yes, but it’s bearable.”

There had to be something that Whumpee couldn’t find bearable. Something that shook them to their core.

“What’s your biggest fear?”

“Tight spaces give me panic attacks.”

Bingo.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

[oliversrarebooks]

fuck you, I'm a goddamn menace: the truth is...

Prev > Masterlist

This came about as a result of the Choose Your Own Whump poll! The winners were:

secret underground facility

whumpee who is traumatized and hiding it badly

creepily intimate whumper

the corruption was infecting their thoughts, turning them against their allies

tw: restraints, beatings, physical and emotional abuse, drugging, needles, poison, truth serum, mind control

One year after the city's second-most notorious villain, the technomancer Morgan, was taken in by the hero team for medical treatment...

Morgan cracked his eyes open and immediately had to shut them again, blinded by obnoxiously bright lights.

He was woozy, barely awake, and his entire body hurt -- especially his right hand, which was throbbing with pain. It almost felt like some of his fingers had been broken, but he knew from experience that that would hurt far worse than this, unless...

The dreamlike haze slowing down his mind confirmed it. He was on some pretty strong painkillers. It was the sort of thing that would have sent him into a blind panic before, terrified of being incapacitated, but lately he'd been getting used to it. When he'd worked for Salcedo, the city's nastiest supervillain, he never received any form of painkillers, his boss far preferring to use his painful, torturous healing ability to re-injure Morgan and heal him back wrong again and again. A punishment for meeting his defeat at the hands of heroes, or looking at Salcedo wrong, or anything else the boss dreamed up.

That had all changed since he'd officially switched sides. No matter how badly he screwed up, no matter how much he irritated the shit out of the heroes, they always provided him with proper medical care, complete with ample medication. The feel of a hospital bed underneath him confirmed it: he must be in the heroes' infirmary, and that meant he could actually relax. 

He'd have to deal with Arthur, the team leader, and his unwanted concern and pity later, of course. That was absolutely a thorn in his side. He was definitely not looking forward to it.

Morgan shifted slightly, his wrists sore, and realized that he couldn't. He was restrained? And not with soft, comfortable restraints either, but hard metal ones. 

That couldn't be right. The hero team hadn't seen fit to restrain him in almost a year. He'd somehow managed to establish trust with them -- an uneasy, fragile trust, but trust nonetheless -- and he couldn't remember what he'd done to break that trust. The last thing he remembered was fighting his former boss at the city power plant, Arthur shouting his name... and then it all got blurry. He'd been injured, somehow, and he had a vague memory of collapsing into a dirty puddle with the sounds of the fight still raging around him.

He'd been fighting alongside the hero team, on a mission with them, taking out Salcedo's communications equipment and drones left and right. Why would they restrain him now, when he'd been helping them? He used his technomancy to feel out any nearby machines, and found it unresponsive. They'd used power suppressors, too.

The realization forced his eyelids to fly open, and as he adjusted to the painful light, an all-too-familiar ceiling swam into view. Harsh, bare, buzzing fluorescent lighting flickered too close to his face.

He wasn't in the heroes' infirmary at all. He wasn't even in a civilian hospital or a jail infirmary or a psychiatric ward. No, he was in Salcedo's lair, drugged and restrained. The first time he'd been captured since he'd betrayed his boss and started fighting by Arthur's side to stop his plans.

Oh, fuck.

The surge of adrenaline cleared his mind enough to think. Salcedo was going to torture him, that much was certain. Salcedo punished Morgan with beatings, starvation, and torture even for small mistakes -- one of the primary reasons Morgan had finally defected -- so he didn't even want to think about what his punishment for open betrayal would be. The fact that he was still alive at all could only mean that Salcedo was plotting something truly nasty.

Why was he drugged, though? The restraints and power suppressants had him entirely at Salcedo's mercy, and drugs were never a technique he had favored, since he didn't want Morgan's mind dulled to the pain and stress. Since he was already physically restrained, the only answer Morgan could come up with was that the drugs were necessary to compromise his mind. And that wasn't a comforting thought in the slightest.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

He would be rescued, wouldn't he? The hero team would definitely notice he was missing. They'd figure out what happened to him. He'd have to deal with Arthur's smug fucking face over rescuing his stupid ass again, but even that embarrassment was a vast improvement over whatever Salcedo had planned. There was no way Arthur would pass up the opportunity to preen and gloat over his heroism. He'd definitely go out of his way to rescue Morgan for that reason alone.

Unless he didn't.

Unless the hero team decided a half-reformed villain barely in control of his own powers wasn't worth it. Unless they were only putting up with him because it stopped him from being a nuisance. Unless they thought back on the things he'd done as a villain and decided he deserved whatever Salcedo had cooked up for him.

God fucking damn it.

He hated them sometimes. Hated their easy laughter and their camaraderie. Hated the way they awkwardly tried to include him in the group like a weird kid at recess. Hated Arthur's flawless smile, and his sickening dedication to doing the right thing, and how quick he was with a reassuring word, and how he worked so hard he had to practically be forced to rest --

Yeah, he hated them all, and they probably hated him too, and they'd be glad if Salcedo lobotomized him. He never should have defected in the first place. 

Morgan heard footsteps approaching the door, and shut his eyes again just as it opened. The sound of Salcedo's heavy combat boots approaching him was enough to send panic spiking through his heart, but he tried not to show it on his face, stubbornly pretending to be out still.

"I know you're awake, Morgan," said his former boss's deceptively smooth voice. "Don't embarrass yourself."

Morgan didn't twitch a muscle.

"You're a smart man. Or at least, I thought you were before you went and pulled this little stunt. The point is that you know very well where you stand right now."

So do whatever torture you came here to do and spare me your self-important monologuing, he thought. I'd rather have my fingernails pulled out than listen to you.

"You betrayed me, Morgan."

Here it comes.

"I gave everything to you. An unhappy teenager from an unhappy home, like so many others, but you were different from them, weren't you? You had potential. You had brains. And most of all, you had that wonderful little gift of a power. And I gave you everything. I trained you, I funded your lab and your inventions, I gave you food and a roof over your head. I forgave you for all of your many mistakes with only... sensible punishments." 

Morgan tried not to flinch as Salcedo got even closer.

"And yet, you betrayed me."

Morgan tensed for Salcedo's fist a moment before it connected with his cheek, pain blossoming from his shattered cheekbone. The pain was chased by a warm stinging feeling, Salcedo's healing power, before he was cracked across the face again. Breaking faces only to heal them and break them again was one of Salcedo's signature moves, and Morgan could almost tune out the familiar beating, especially since the painkillers dampened the sensation. His ears were ringing, and he knew he'd be severely concussed with his face swollen beyond recognition if it weren't for Salcedo healing him after each punch, allowing him to prolong the beating as long as he liked.

It was only when Salcedo slowed down and gave Morgan's mind enough time to recover from the assault that he finally decided to crack his eyes open. "Is that all?" he said, knowing that his fate was sealed whether or not he provoked the supervillain.

"That was just your punishment for the time you broke into headquarters and damaged some of my henchmen and equipment," he said. "Your punishment for betrayal hasn't even started yet."

"Hm, let me guess what it will be. Is it punching me in the face? Or maybe you want to mix it up a bit and punch me in the kidneys. Or get spicy and kick me in the --"

With no change in expression, Salcedo grabbed Morgan's injured hand and twisted, the bones audibly cracking. Morgan couldn't retain his straight face, and a sad little whimper escaped from his lips.

"Now that I have your undivided attention, allow me to explain exactly what is going to happen to you. Anticipation is half the fun, you know," he said, the sickening green light from his fingertips mending Morgan's bones back into place, a process almost as painful as the initial injury. He pulled a capped syringe full of a clear liquid from his pocket.

"If you're banking on me being scared of needles..." Morgan bluffed while internally screaming. He'd rather have the beating. At least those were predictable.

"Of course not. I'm banking on you being scared of what Marcy in the chemistry department has been cooking up since you've been gone." He tapped the side of the syringe. "It's not quite a mind control drug, but it's a good start -- a combination of potent truth serum that dulls your mind, and a sedative that makes you highly suggestible. The tests we've conducted on henchmen have been most amusing."

"...So what? A truth serum? You think the hero team trusts me with some secret information? They don't. And they have official protocol to change out the passcodes when anyone's captured, so you're not going to get anything useful."

"Oh, Morgan, don't worry your pretty little head. I'm not expecting you to be useful for your information. I have much better plans than that." 

Morgan's struggles were futile as Salcedo pushed the syringe into his arm and pushed the plunger. He didn't know what the fuck Salcedo thought he was going to accomplish with this and didn't want to find out, and he especially didn't want his mind put out of commission for any length of time. 

Salcedo's smug face was both infuriating and unreadable. What was his game? Morgan knew he had better figure it out before -- before --

-- before whatever was in that syringe shifted his mind out of gear. He pulled against the restraints again, shaking his head, as though it would somehow stop or slow the deep fog settling in over his mind. His eyelids grew heavy and lidded as he blinked slowly up at his wretched former boss, the intense sense of dread muffled as it became more difficult to think clearly.

"That looks to be kicking in nicely. I'm guessing you're ready to tell the truth now. Just let it all out," said Salcedo, grabbing his chin and looking into his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

Morgan wanted to spit in his fucking face, but instead... "Groggy. Out of it. What the fuck is in that stuff?"

"It's a miracle drug, isn't it? That's why Marcy is a star employee and you're an also-ran. I only wish I could use this on Arthur. See what the city's shining hope really has buried deep down inside."

"There isn't anything buried," said Morgan before he can think twice. "He really is just that fucking heroic. Makes me sick. ...And jealous." He shook his head again, trying to could do anything to clear that uncomfortable fog. He had the dim feeling that he hadn't meant to say all of that, that the drug was working, but he didn't seem able to resist. The words came out before he could measure them.

"Is that so?" Salcedo chuckled. "Is that why you betrayed me?"

"No, I betrayed you because you're a fucking miserable sack of dicks who beats me for fun," said Morgan, fire cutting through the fog. "You think consequences will never apply to you, that there will never be any repercussions for treating your henchmen like shit smeared on your shoe. I can't wait until they all turn on you. I hope they kick your fucking teeth in."

"How charming," said Salcedo in a strained voice. "Now, I realize you can't help expressing your true feelings while you're high off that drug I gave you, so it would be unfair of me to punish you." 

Then he smashed his fist across Morgan's mouth, allowing Morgan to cough up a mouthful of blood before healing him.

"Listen to me, Morgan," said Salcedo, this time grabbing his face with more force and purpose. "You will listen to me, and you will absorb everything I have to say."

"No, no --" Morgan tried to pull himself free, but he'd always been physically much weaker than his boss, and the drug cocktail wasn't helping.

"You've always been a villain, haven't you? I found you and I molded you int a villain, one capable of terrorizing the city on so many occasions. Have you forgotten that?"

"No..."

"And you enjoyed yourself. You loved making your gadgets, you loved watching the civilians scream and cower. You loved the feeling of power and control. And you still love it."

"I... I do..." he said. He'd been fighting so hard to suppress all of that lately, to show the hero team he could be more than just a villain, that he could do something helpful for a change... but deep down inside, a part of him missed laughing maniacally while riding some mechanical monstrosity through the city.

The truth was, heroics was fucking hard. Civilians were unpredictable and frequently ungrateful, and with the hero team, he was no longer allowed to blow them off and make them someone else's problem. He had to work had. He had to care.

"That's right, Morgan, you miss being a villain." Salcedo's voice was like a snake tightening around its prey. "It's all you were ever good for. It's all you'll ever be good for."

That was exactly what Morgan often felt late at night, in his bunk in the heroes' headquarters, wondering what the fuck he was doing there and how long it could last. "I'm..."

"It's all you'll ever be good for," said Salcedo with more force, letting it sink into Morgan's compromised brain.

"It's all I'll ever be good for," he repeated in a dull voice, resistance crumbling. 

"You hate trying to be a hero. It's too hard. You're awful at it. You're tired, and you want to give up. You want to give in."

He really was so, so tired. "I want... I want to give up..."

"You hate working with the hero team," Salcedo hissed in his ear. "You're jealous of them, aren't you? How they're praised and fawned over while you rot in the shadows, fighting for the smallest scraps of recognition. How they don't trust you."

"I..." A memory flashed through his mind. Arthur convincing him to join in on the team's horror movie night. Julie, the youngest, screaming, while Toshiro criticized the effects. Laughing, eating popcorn, forgetting for a moment who and what he was.

He couldn't forget for long. He could see it in their eyes, in their hesitance, how fragile the trust was.

"You'll never be one of them. They'll never trust you. You're a villain, and that's all you'll ever be."

It was true, wasn't it? They would never trust him. He'd escaped Salcedo, only to spend his time scraping and clawing to get the hero team's trust. Fighting to be something he wasn't, when he knew, he knew, he'd never be good enough for them.

And this was the proof, wasn't it? They weren't coming to rescue him. No one was coming to rescue him.

"You hate them, Morgan. I know you do. You hate them more than anything."

"I... I hate..." The corrupting voice was twisting his thoughts, making it hard to think anything but what he was told.

"That's right," he coaxed. "You hate them. And you hate Arthur most of all."

Arthur. That's right, he hated Arthur. Arthur with his perfect smile. Arthur with his words of encouragement. Arthur telling Morgan that he believed in him, believed he could be something better, as though he had any right. 

Arthur, who probably knew by now that he was wrong, that Morgan was no better than any other villain, who wouldn't be lifting a finger to rescue him from the trap he'd inevitably found himself in.

"You hate Arthur," Salcedo insisted.

"I..."

It should be so easy. It was the truth: he did hate Arthur. And he hadn't been able to resist the serum up until now. Why was he choking on these words?

"You. Hate. Arthur."

"Of course I don't hate you," said Arthur, once, on a quiet, moonlit night, sitting on top of a building, guarding a museum from an impending heist. "You're a clever guy and a hard worker, and you can do the right thing when it really matters. And the villainy? I'm not saying it's okay, because it definitely wasn't, but I get where it comes from. I do. Any of us powered people could've gone down the same path."

"I don't," said Morgan under his breath.

"What was that?"

Morgan's voice caught again. He did hate Arthur. Hated how much he wished he could see Arthur's dumb fucking face as he kicked down the door. Hated how much he wanted to be in the heroes' infirmary, with Arthur checking up on him and delivering a snack or book of puzzles, instead of here.

He hated how Arthur made him want to be something more than just a villain, and how fucking hard it was, all the time.

"I don't hate Arthur," Morgan said more clearly, unable to stop it. "I want to hate him, because it'd make everything so much easier, but I don't. I can't."

Salcedo recoiled in disbelief, a look of shock and disgust on his face. "Oh, for fuck's sake. You can't be fucking serious. He hates you, you know. He's foiled your plans so many times --"

"He doesn't hate me," said Morgan with more confidence. "He said it himself, every time I asked him. And he doesn't fuck around with that kind of thing. If he says it, he means it. It's infuriating."

"Fucking hell. I suspected, but --" Salcedo grabbed Morgan by the front of his flimsy medical gown, pulling him close enough that he could feel hot breath on his face. "Are you in love with him?!"

Morgan froze.

No. Fuck no. That's what he wanted to say. No, obviously not.

But he couldn't.

His head pounded.

"I don't know."

"You. Don't. Know?" Salcedo screamed in his face.

"I don't know!" The fog in his head was so thick, making it impossible for him to think through his words. "I don't know how I feel about him -- or about anything -- or if I'm even capable of --"

Salcedo grabbed his head and slammed it against the medical bed, sending his ears ringing. "Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck! The one fucking thing I wanted you for, the one fucking thing you were going to be good at and you can't even do that right -- what kind of useless, idiot villain can't even hate the man who beats him into the ground once a week --" His laugh was harsh and bitter. "Oh hell, maybe you actually like that. I bet you do. Fucking little freak."

Morgan ignored the insult, trying to push aside the insinuations that he really, really didn't want to think about in this state. Salcedo had wanted him for something. There was a point to all of this apart from psychological torment. He tried to grasp that thought with his slippery mind, recognizing its importance. "What were you going to have me do?"

"Be a sleeper agent. Stoke the fires of hatred within you. Let the hero team rescue you, pretend everything was normal, and then when their guards were down, kill them all."

His chest tightened. "No -- I don't want to -- I won't!"

"Oh, it's beyond obvious you won't. I can see that now. You're not only useless, you're fucking delusional. So it's on to plan B."

"Plan B?"

"Remember these?" Salcedo held up a glass vial. Tiny, iridescent insects were flitting around inside, crawling up the glass and bumping against the lid.

Morgan surged forward in the restraints. "My babies!" he said, in the tone of someone reuniting with a long lost pet. He certainly did remember them -- his mechanical mosquitoes, one of his favorite inventions, which he'd had to leave behind during his semi-involuntary heroic turn. These small drones were easy for Morgan to control with his technological powers. They could be used for surveillance or distraction, equipped with tiny tools, or used to inject small amounts of potent drugs, incapacitating enemies and guards with sedatives or hallucinogens. On one memorable occasion, he'd laced them with the common cold, ensuring that the heroes would stay home while he raided the semiconductor factory. Good memories.

"They're my 'babies' now, I'm afraid," said Salcedo, pulling the vial further out of reach. "It took a while to override your protocols and reprogram them, but I think the effect will be worth it. You always used them for disgustingly non-lethal purposes. I've always wanted to change that."

He shrank back, not liking where this was going. 

"They're fitted with a potent and especially painful neurotoxin, but they won't sting you immediately. No, they're programmed to hide in your clothing until disturbed. When Arthur comes to save you, that's when you'll get the privilege of watching his excruciating death, knowing he died in agony trying to save you."

"No, no, there's no way. He's not even going to come save me, you know, he's --"

"Oh, you fool. He's already on his way." Salcedo shoved a gag into Morgan's mouth, clasping it firmly shut. "Don't want you warning him. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more important business." He opened the vial, and the little mosquito drones flew out and nestled in Morgan's medical gown, in the restraints, even in his hair. With his power suppressed, he was helpless to control them. He could only watch as Salcedo left the room.

Morgan screamed through the gag, accomplishing nothing but straining his throat. He had to come up with some sort of plan, but his head was swimming from stress and drugs and he couldn't hold on to any one thought long enough to formulate a strategy. 

It didn't matter. Salcedo was wrong. No one was coming to rescue him.

...He must be imagining the sounds of a fight, drawing closer...

Prev > Masterlist

@cardboardarsonist @zeiniszein @crystallizedmidnight @mistythedritten @pigeonwhumps @sowhumpshaped @sparrowsage @sunshiline-writes @dont-look-me-in-the-eye @i-eat-worlds @a-formless-entity

[sowhumpful]

You'll tell me everything I need to know.

[whumpninja]

Whump trope:

Truth serum.

Like literally everything about it.

Now imagine a character who's hiding something (like a trauma of theirs or their past or something) from their team and they got hit with truth serum in some way.

Now they have to try to not start talking in front of the team until itbwears off least they spill the beans at any potential question.

Hey, where’s tulip anon with the “whumpee can’t lie” trope? Got something for ya!

YES. YES YES YES. Team whump like this is SO FREAKING DELICIOUS

I love forced reveals of any kind, but for me it’s always better when whumpee has to do it themselves. Especially if they’re trying so so hard to keep the secret and eventually it just spills out. And their mind just starts spinning with what the team is going to think of them and what the reaction will be and they just. Spiral. It’s SO GOOD

[poetry-in-blood-and-brain-matter]

Telling the Truth

Whumpees who are forced to reveal important information that endangers the people they care about

Truth Serum:

how do they take the serum- swallowing or injection

The physical intimacy of forcing whumpees jaw open, whumper pushing their finger into the hinges of whumpees jaw, and holding their nose there forced to swallow

Injection, either quick needle jab or a slow IV drip

the fear of whumpee not knowing what it is until its too late

or knowing exactly what is being done to them and still not being able to stop them

Supernatural/fantasy- beings that cannot tell lies

maybe their truth-telling was always a point of pride, but after being kidnapped its turned against them

maybe they liked being a trickster and subtly manipulating people but still (always) telling the truth

or- its always been something that never benefitted them but it was never used against them in such a way

whumpee answers vaguely while there anxiety climbs as whumpers questions get more specific forcing whumpee to reveal more and more

Both:

maybe they bite there tongue untill it bleeds(or clean off)

clenching their jaw till it hurts

long term guilt or self-loathing

[cepheusgalaxy]

Better than a whumpee injected with a truth serum, is a whumper who can detect lies, me thinks

[serickswrites]

Give Me the Truth

Warnings: captivity, torture, restraints, truth serum, forced to watch, blood, wounds, stabbing, impalement, unconsciousness, unclear character status

"You just need to give me the truth, Caretaker," Whumper said as they circled Whumpee. They had chained Whumpee up with standing cuffs in full view of Caretaker. Whumpee looked exhausted. Between the amount of time they had been standing and the blood loss from Whumper cutting them, Caretaker was sure Whumpee was bone tired.

But they never complained.

Caretaker strained against the ropes keeping them bound to the chair. "I have been telling you the truth! I really don't know anything! Please, let Whumpee go! Hurt me instead!"

Whumper rolled their eyes. "Lies to not benefit you, Caretaker. And they certainly don't benefit Whumpee."

"I don't know anything!" Caretaker growled. "HURT ME!" They shouted as they watched Whumper put down the knife and look at other torture implements.

"I guess we can give this a try," Whumper said as they selected a vial. "This won't hurt, Caretaker. But it will make you talk."

"Don't....hurt them," Whumpee said weakly as Whumper started towards Caretaker.

Whumper chuckled, "Oh, Whumpee. You are so cute. Their pain in minimal compared to yours." They stood behind Caretaker, staring at Whumpee with a wicked grin. "But I need to the truth."

With Whumpee shouting their protest, Whumper stabbed the needle into Caretaker's neck and injected them with truth serum. Caretaker immediately knew that something was different. They could feel the serum working. Not that it would change their answer. They didn't know anything, truly.

"Now, it will take a few moments for it to take full effect. But," Whumper said as they grabbed a pole from the corner, "it doesn't mean we can't have fun, right Whumpee?"

Caretaker's mouth went dry as Whumper gave a few test swings of the pole like it was a bat. Whumper was going to beat Whumpee if Caretaker didn't tell what Whumper thought was the truth. But Caretaker had been truthful. Even having the truth serum on board wasn't going to change their answer.

And Whumpee would suffer because of this.

"Are you going to give me the truth now?" Whumper asked again.

"I have been telling the truth! I don't know!" Caretaker shouted.

Whumper frowned. "You need to stop lying, Caretaker. Whumpee will suffer." They raised the pole again. "Tell me the truth!"

"I HAVE BEEN! I DON'T FUCKING KNOW WHUMPER! STOP IT!"

With a frustrated growl, Whumper thrust the pole upward into Whumpee. The pole entered Whumpee's flesh just under their rib cage and came out their back in a wet squelching sound. "NOOOO!" Caretaker screamed as Whumpee choked on the blood filling their mouth. Their breath came in short, pained gasps.

Whumper turned and looked at Caretaker with a feral grin. They turned and twisted the pole in Whumpee. Whumpee cried out weakly. "Give me the truth and this all stops. Give me the truth and Whumpee might get a chance to live."

"I have told you the truth, Whumper. I wasn't lying," Caretaker sobbed. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Whumper frowned. "Then I guess you're going to have to live with the consequences of your lies. Whumpee will, too," they glanced back at Whumpee, "though not for very long, I imagine."

"Please, Whumper! Help them!" Caretaker screamed as Whumper left the room.

Whumpee sputtered around the blood in their mouth. "'s......'kkkkkkk," they finally managed to gasp out. Their eyes were unfocused and hazy as they struggled to remain standing in the cuffs.

"Hold on, Whumpee. Just hold on. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I'm going to find a way to get them to help you. I'm going to find a way to get you out. Just please, Whumpee, hold on." Caretaker's words tumbled from their mouth. They needed Whumpee to hear them. Needed Whumpee to acknowledge them.

Whumpee blinked wearily as they nodded their head. Blood dribbled down their chin and dripped onto the floor. Blood dripped from the tip of the pole onto the floor.

"Just hold on, Whumpee," Caretaker repeated as they wracked their brain for a way to escape. They had been trying to escape for so long. But Whumpee needed them now. They had to find a way out.

Whumpee didn't reply as their head lolled forward. "No! Whumpee, no! Keep your eyes open! Hold on, please!"

Whumpee didn't reply as their body grew limp, standing cuffs pulling their arms tight above their head. The pole slid further into their body, blood flowing more heavily from the wound. "Please, Whumpee, stay with me! PLEASE!" Caretaker screeched as they watched Whumpee hang limply in the chains, their body completely impaled by the pole.

They had to do something. And fast. They had to save Whumpee. Had to stop Whumper. Had to get Whumpee to help. And they had to ensure that Whumpee was still alive and would stay alive.

Tags: @mousepaw @jumpywhumpywriter @knightinbatteredarmor @hufflepuffwritingstuff2 @anightmarishwhump

@steh-lar-uh-nuhs @celestialsoyeon @st0rmm @ay5ksal @pedro-pedro-pedro-pedro-pe

[chaotic-orphan]

Febuwhump: Day Twenty

Truth serum— @febuwhump prompts

Is it Whump? If you squint, your honour.

TW: needles, fear of needles, needle phobia, being injected against will, restraints, kidnapping, grogginess, fainting, consent issues,

*~*~*~*~*

Journalist didn’t wake to their alarm or their phone ringing, both of which were the only things to rouse them from sleep. They groaned as they woke which, to be fair, was a usual thing because it meant they had to get up and work or meet a deadline or something equally groan worthy.

What was not usual was waking up strapped to a metal table. That was a new one, even for journalist.

I bet i am restrained, they thought, then tugged their arms for good measure. Oh, yep. Definitely restrained.

Cliché.

Which meant—

“You’re awake,” said Villain, a smile in their voice. Journalist craned their neck awkwardly trying to see Villain but groaned with the effort and the weight of their head like it was filled with lead. “Oh, yeah, no. Don’t move.”

“Got it,” Journalist groaned as their brain rattled in their head, making the room spin. “Uh, why am I here?”

“We need to have a little chat.”

“We had a little chat like — two days ago,” said Journalist with a groan. “It was far more civil and less dizzying.”

Villain finally came within view of Journalist and they had three heads. That was very different than last time they saw Villain, but alas, who was Journalist to judge.

“It’s actually about something we talked about,” said the Villains. Then they smiled coyly. “And Darling, get your facts right, we spoke three days ago.”

“Fuck,” Journalist whined and pulled at their restraints that clicked taut. “My boss is gonna be pissed—“”

“It’s fine,” said Villains with a shrug, now there was only two of them, the third having left the conversation. “Just tell them you were kidnapped.”

“Oh no, I mean pissed with you,” said Journalist. “You can so goodbye to any more favourable articles.”

Villain snorted then disappeared from view again.

“They will!” Journalist told them earnestly. Villain then reappeared beside Journalist’s left arm. Only one of them now thankfully, and a giant fucking needle.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” Journalist shrieked, kicking their feet against the table trying to get away from whatever the fuck Villain was about to do. The sound of the restraints clacking against the table didn’t do anything to ease their panic. “Wait! Wait! Wait! Villain please, I’m— oh god, I’m terrified of— I can’t—”

Villain’s eyebrows furrowed as Journalist descended into a panic attack. They quickly lowered the needle out of sight but Journalist’s eyes were already rolling to the back of their head and their body went limp.

Villain stared, stunned. Then brought the needle up again and while Journalist was passed out injected them with the contents, thumbing down the plunger. Villain set the needle down on a table faraway from Journalist and sighed.

They should have known Journalist had a phobia of needles. Idiot, but… it had to be done. Villain had to know once and for all.

They walked back over to Journalist and lightly tapped their cheeks to wake them. Journalist moaned in protest, but then blinked up with bleary eyes at Villain.

“Relax,” said Villain softly when Journalist’s eyes widened again. “It’s gone. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Shit, I’m sorry for fainting on you,” said Journalist with a breath, relaxing back against the table. Villain chuckled lightly at Journalist.

“You’re such a polite hostage,” said Villain and basked as a red blush climbed its way up Journalist’s neck and spread to their cheeks. “You’re blushing!”

“Shut up,” Journalist said with a huff, with no real malice behind the words. Villain hummed and stepped closer, brushing the stray hairs from Journalist’s forehead. They loved the way Journalist’s eyes shuttered at the movement. When Supervillain said the truth serum made people putty in your hands, Villain wasn’t expecting this.

Villain ran their hand lightly through Journalist’s hair as they began their gentle interrogation.

“Journalist?” Villain asked. Journalist hummed in response. Villain smiled. “I need to ask you a question, and I need you to be 100% honest with me.”

Journalist hummed again. “Okay Villain.”

Villain licked their lips, suddenly nervous. Here it was. This was it. Journalist was right here in front of them, injected with truth serum ready to spill their secrets and Villain was hesitating?!

“Are you…” Villain began then cleared their throat. “Are you Hero?”

Journalist smiled dreamily. “No.”

Villain paled. “No?”

“No,” Journalist said again. Villain’s hands froze in Journalist’s hair. Journalist let out a small keen in the back of their throat, whining at Villain’s pause. Villain resumed more out of shock than anything.

“You’re not Hero?” Villain asked again. They were almost certain…

“No, I’m Journalist.”

Villain blinked. Okay, they weren’t expecting this. Hero wasn’t Journalist? Then—

“But our conversation, you said your source was 100% about Hero?”

“Yes,” said Journalist with a smile. “It was.”

“Your most trusted source?”

“Yes.”

Villain frowned, something like jealousy settling in their throat. “Is Hero… your lover?”

Journalist giggled, actually giggled at Villain’s question. “No.”

“Then who is your most trusted source?” Villain demanded.

“Me,” said Journalist. “The best person to validate facts is yourself, Villain. So I had it on good authority that my information was correct.”

Villain frowned. “But how did you—”

“I’m the Hero/Villain liaison for the city news, Villain, I don’t just have late night rendezvous with you.”

Villain deflated. They really didn’t expect this conversation to go like this, but this— they thought, they were a fool. They should have never done this, curiosity killed—

“But you are my favourite.”

Villain’s heart leapt in their chest. “I am?” Villain asked, their voice coming out in a whisper.

“Yes,” said Journalist. “You’re always kind with me. Hero’s too serious and annoying.”

Villain snorted again. “They are. So… you’re really not Hero?”

Journalist giggled. “Villain, don’t be so cliché. I’m not Clark Kent.”

Villain smiled softly at Journalist. “Though, I don’t like the way you kidnapped me. My boss is gonna be so mad at you.”

“I know, Journalist.”

“And stabbing me with a needle? Not a great look for you, you can’t just do that without consent.”

Villain laughed. “I didn’t even need to give you truth serum did I? You say whatever is on your mind anyways.”

“No time to think up lies, Villain. I’m a busy person.”

“You are,” said Villain.

[huffle-dork]

Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 3: SCLERA

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

When everyone starts to wake up- they realize they’ve been moved out of the main lab space they were brought into and put somewhere entirely new. The walls are bright white- almost blindly so. Alt, Schneep, JJ and Jackie all find themselves in separate small rooms. Each one has a tiny bed (that they weren’t even put on) and a collection of monitors along one wall. A camera whirls up in the upper corner, focusing on their every move. Windows are placed along two walls on each cell, positioned so they can all see each other. 2 rooms facing the other 2. Alt and Jackie on one side. JJ and Schneep on the other.

As they all wake up and take stock of their bodies- they’ll all notice there’s now a cuff on their ankle, tethering them to the wall.

Alt instantly starts to panic, trying to pull at the cuff or glitch- but he gets shocked for even trying, causing him to cry out. JJ isn't far behind in the panic department. He runs up to the window, pressing his hands against it and staring through the glass. He tries to cast some magic to break through the window but receives a similar shock.

Jackie's first instinct is to pull at the cuff, testing its strength. No good. The tether is sturdy and the cuff itself is tight around his ankle. "Fuck!" he shouts. His eyes dart around this small cell. There's a bed at least—that's good. A camera—bad. Monitors—unusual. He feels his breath quickening but he refuses to panic like Alt and JJ are. This can't be too bad. He's been through worse. At least this time he has the smallest bit of hope that someone will find him. Surely the others from this world will come looking for their friends.

Schneep feels around the room, getting a hold of his surroundings. The sparse furniture and small size mean he's quickly able to get a hang of it. Which... does not bode well for what's going to happen to them. If they don't care enough to give their subjects more than a bed, that's not a good sign of these people's intentions. He can sense souls nearby. It must be Alt, Jackie, and JJ...but...

JJ stares out the window at the others... and realizes something. The Jackie across from him... He's different. You're not my friend Jackie, he signs, staring at him.

Jackie looks up and shakes his head. "No, sorry. It's a bit hard to explain."

“Fuck!” Alt shouts, his voice breaking a bit at the end. He staggers to the windows and looks over at the others, “Fucking shit I… I’m so sorry guys- this… none of this was supposed to happen! I… I never thought they… that they’d get Chase…” he grits his teeth and then hits his fist against the window. “Fucking shit-!”

“Don’t blame yourself, Alt,” Jackie says quietly. “I don’t think any of us could’ve predicted that.”

Schneep shakes his head. “I should have run when you told me to instead of coming back. I would be more help out there than in here.”

“It’s fine Schneep… you’re not one to leave your friends…” Alt mutters.

JJ looks at him as well. That’s Schneep but… it’s not any Schneep he knows. I’m sorry, I’m very confused, he signs slowly.

“Don’t worry about it, you were tripping balls the whole time, that doesn’t exactly lend itself to a clear head. Fuck that Overdose woman.” Jackie runs a hand through his hair. “Basically we took you and Alt to the hospital because you were in danger, but it turned out to be a trap and we all got captured. You’re in another universe, by the way. And me and Schneep also aren’t from here.”

“Oh, so this Jameson also uses sign language?” Schneep comments.

“Yeah, what do youohhh shit, right, you wouldn’t be able to read signs if you’re blind!” Jackie gasps.

Schneep chuckles a little. “No, I would not. My JJ and I have a system, but I think it will be difficult if we are all in separate rooms.”

“I can relay it for now, don’t worry,” Jackie says.

JJ looks around some more. He still seems pretty confused, but nods slowly.

“By the way, where is other Chase?” Schneep asks. “I cannot feel him nearby.” Maybe he should go looking? Can he leap out of this cuff? “Ow!” Nope, the moment he starts, there’s a distracting shock.

Alt looks guiltily at Schneep and sighs, “…you won’t be able to use your powers here… not unless they want you to.” He looks sad and glances down the hall. “…I dunno where Chase is… but I’m guessing they’re… they’re gonna keep… using him.” He shudders and grits his teeth, eyes flashing brighter in anger.

Alt slowly takes a deep breath then looks away, “…I’ll catch you guys up though… fill in some gaps. So… I heard you all got sucked in here by… by rifts. They’re… new. The device I used to visit you all just… broke. And Basically the rifts are broken holes that suck people into different worlds …or even different timelines. but I… I thought they wouldn’t be able to come here but that’s… another long story. JJ- like when you all fell here these are… other versions of our friends I’ve met. I’d… explain how they’re different but-“ He glances at the camera in his cell and glares at it. Then he deflates, “…fuck it. I think they already know more than I think… Schneep is from a world where… his Anti is made of black magic… and he’s also Jackie and Marvin fused together. 

“And Jackie is… from a world where everyone but Anti is… well evil. Jackie’s trying to be better now though and their Chase has been put through some massive shit but… his Anti? He’s one of the most powerful ones I’ve met. He was able to get me, Bro and Jackie home after the TRVLR broke.” He laughs dazedly and shakes his head, “…I’ll have to try to see if I can c-contact him to get you all home but I… now we’re here and…

He shakes his head and looks between Jackie and Schneep, “Oh and for you two… JJ here is a magician in his world. Like me… he uses mainly ice magic though. But in his world… everyone’s roles are switched around from how you and me know things… like- their Jackie is a doctor… and their Schneep...  Volt- he’s a superhero.”

The others listen to Alt talk for a while, staying quiet, their expressions all varying types of shock. Once Alt is done, they look at each other with wide eyes, really taking the other two in.

“I know you said your Anti was evil, but… you didn’t say your Anti was me,” Jackie says to Schneep.

“It didn’t come up—though I don’t know if I would have told you if there was an opportunity,” Schneep replies. “I am not sure how to tell someone that they are part of a black magic abomination.”

“Well Alt just did it,” Jackie points out.

Schneep chuckles. “He did, didn’t he?”

“It’s easier for me to say I think… since I’ve been to every one of your universes.” Alt says with a shrug, “If I didn’t point out and learn your differences you’d all blend together…”

“But… also… the Anti from my world is gone now,” Schneep says slowly. “I… do not want to talk about him too much. It is in the past.”

Alt perks up at hearing Anti is gone and he smiles warmly, “You guys saved them? That’s… that’s great. I’m glad that… that’s over.” 

Schneep nods. "Yes... we are so relieved it's over," he says quietly.

“Oh.” Jackie blinks. “Well, uh, Jameson. Do you have an Anti?”

JJ nods. Nothing like yours, though. Anti is just a normal person there—one of my dear friends. Not some fusion or… whatever your Anti is.

Jackie repeats JJ’s words for Schneep, then adds with a shrug, “Anti is Anti. I think the closest description is some sort of electrical being.”

JJ nods. Are we really… that bad in your world?

“Are you really that bad? Uh… I don’t want to upset you or anything but… yes, absolutely.” Jackie nods. “I mean… my Schneep could probably get better, his case is kinda complicated, but my Jameson is… the worst. Just… just the worst.” He shudders.

JJ’s shoulders slump. He’s not sure how to respond to that.

Alt looks at JJ with understanding. “I know it’s hard to hear that J… but you and him are completely different. You’re the jaunty Jackson, you’re you.” He then laughs a bit bitterly and shrugs, “and well… if it makes you feel any better… I’ve really only met one bad Jameson… there’s way more evil Antis out there…” He grips his arms and lets himself feel for a second before shaking it off.

Schneep decides to brush this news off. “So… I am a superhero in another world.”

JJ blinks and smiles. A very brave one.

“Do I have powers, or…?”

In a sense. You have a lot of advanced technology.

Schneep nods. “I can see that.”

Alt laughs, “Volt is super cool Schneep… you’d like him.”

JJ still looks a bit disturbed by the news of an evil him, but he nods in agreement with Alt's statement. You do sort of remind me of him—more than the Schneep from this world.

"Yeah, it's strange," Jackie adds. "You definitely also remind me of my Schneep...but you know, a sane one with morals."

Schneep laughs. "Hearing you does sometimes remind me of my Jackie, too. And I know I have not interacted as much with you, JJ, but if Jackie is accurately translating your signs you at least speak a lot like mine."

"Doing my best." Jackie shrugs.

“God… if I had my spells books I’m sure I could find something to help you understand better Schneep,” Alt grumbles.

I may know something that can help, at least letting you understand my signing, JJ offers. Though… seems I can’t use my magic here. He looks down at the cuff.

"The JJ in my world also has magic," Schneep says. "Though... he is not a magician. It is very strange, he simply... gained magic one day. Very specific magic, too. It can help others, but not himself."

JJ tilts his head. He might be a warlock, then. Sometimes if a human is desperate enough for something, and has already been exposed to lots of magic, they gain magic of their own that's targeted to helping them achieve that goal.

"Yes, that does sound familiar," Schneep says slowly.

"My Jameson has magic, too... but it's not like either of those," Jackie mutters. "It's all contained in his pocket watch."

Oh, so he's a witch, then? JJ asks.

"Yeah, I've heard others call him that."

Alt looks very interested in the break down of different kind of magicians. Huh… interesting. He’s heard Mag call himself a sorcerer… is that what Alt is too…?

Jackie laughs. "You know... I think our three worlds might have more in common with each other than with this world. I mean, I'm sure this world is great, but things feel... different."

I've been here before, they ARE slightly different, JJ says. It's interesting.

Schneep tilts his head, thinking. "Perhaps... our three worlds are close to each other. And that is why a rift appeared in each of them."

Alt nods with a hum, “That makes sense… you all were really close to each other on the list the TRVLR had. Though…  I dunno. I’ve definitely noticed that outside of mine and JJ’s worlds… that every other one had our friend group in pretty similar roles. Like… Schneep is normally a doctor. Jackie usually fights crime somehow… Chase is usually, normal? Sometimes a dad… mostly a dad actually now that I think about it. Marvin’s a magician… or powerful. JJ too… usually Marvins and JJs are like… really close… and JJ usually has something to do with… time? Old fashioned if nothing else… and Antis are… glitches. Evil electric… things. Not human…” He digs his fingers into his arms, shivering as he remembers all the horrible antis he’s faced. “…there’s other exceptions but… that’s a pattern I’ve noticed.”

“Huh. Well… I guess there are… similarities, then,” Jackie says slowly.

“Not too many,” Schneep says. “In my world, Marvin and Jamie are not close at all. They are really barely friends, in a way.”

And those roles don’t fit my world at all, JJ adds.

“Well he did say there were exceptions,” Jackie points out.

“Still… if anything is possible, surely there are many worlds that don’t fit those patterns,” Schneep says. “It’s simply that maybe… maybe this is a pattern in the worlds we can reach, and it breaks down the farther away you go.”

“Yeah…” Alt shrugs, “Universes get… messy. Usually you can tell who’s who based on looks though or like- certain behaviors or mannerisms. JJ always has a mustache or is mute somehow, always uses some type of sign language. Jackie always wears red or a red hoodie, Schneep is always German. Usually brunette. Chase always wears a hat at the very least… he’s the easiest for me to recognize though.” Alt laughs a bit hollowly. “And Antis…” He touches his neck and then pulls away his mask to show his scar. “…if they don’t glitch then… they usually have a wound like this. Or… green eyes… sometimes green-blue, like mine.”

Alt quickly reties his mask and sighs, “But… yeah… that’s basically the gist of patterns I’ve seen. We’re always together too… always connected somehow.” He smiles a bit, “…I think that’s… cool, you know? You always wonder if… you’d know your closet friends if things were different…”

"Your closest friends," Jackie repeats a bit darkly. He shakes his head. No, he shouldn't be jealous of others. Just because things didn't work out in his world doesn't mean it's anyone's fault. "Well... I guess it's kind of... sweet, somehow, that these people always find each other."

Alt gives Jackie an apologetic smile. “…you all were friends before…” He tries to say before shaking his head. “Again it’s… complicated.”

JJ frowns. There isn't a Chase in my world, though. Then he pauses. You said he usually wears a hat...? Why does it feel like he's forgetting something? Like... he's on the edge of a cliff and about to tumble into an important realization?

Alt makes a bit of a choking noise at JJ’s comment and then swallows nervously. “S-Sometimes there’s gaps… I-I wish I knew what… h-happened to your Chase, JJ…”

Schneep chuckles. "So you have an impressive mustache, too, Jamie. Good to know."

JJ is distracted from his thoughts by that comment. He grins. I'm quite proud of it, too!

Alt laughs, “Never met a JJ with a bad mustache! Unless they couldn’t grow one yet.” He smiles thinking of the younger JJ he met.

But then he sighs and looks at their surroundings. “…now that we’re caught up with that… I guess I should tell you guys about this place…” he waves his hand at the cells. “This is Sclera… Jackie, JJ… it’s similar to your IRIS. Except Sclera is more focused on studying magic with science than just… science. So… they know how to handle super powered people… or strange things like… people from other worlds.” He rubs his wrist underneath the purple bands on his right arm. “…they’ve captured me before… experimented on me… I-I don’t know what they’ll try to do to you all but…” He swallows shakily, looking scared.

"Oh..." Jackie isn't sure what to say. "I... I'm sorry. F-from what I've heard from Anti about IRIS... that's bad."

JJ shudders. He sits down on the bed, pulling his knees up to his chest. Alt... Not too long after we got pulled into your universe, something similar happened to my friends and I. Well... a lot of stuff happened before that. But eventually we were all taken by our IRIS. So... I know what you've been through.

Alt’s expression falls, “JJ I… I’m so sorry…” He grips at his wrist, “…no one should ever have to go through that.. I’m…” He growls in frustration and his hands light up with his magic as it reacts to his emotions. He gets shocked for that though and he yelps and stumbles back. 

Schneep is quiet, looking troubled. "I... think there is an IRIS in my world, too. B-but they just make technology. I have not heard of any sort of... experimentation..."

Alt shakes out his head and addresses Schneep, “On the outside… that’s what these companies do. Experiment in secret to push their futuristic tech to the masses… trying to gain more control…” he growls, “It’s fucked.”

“Aw… thank you for the glowing endorsement, Mr. Brody~!” Dr. Cornelius’s voice echoes down the hall.

Alt glitches in surprise and then yells out as he’s shocked again and tumbles to his knee as he holds his stomach. “Motherfucker…!”

Coming down the hall and towards their collection of cells walks in Dr. Cornelius, Overdose… and Chase. Dazedly and stoically following after the scientists.

“Hello gents~ have a good nap?” Overdose giggles.

"Oh fuck off," Jackie growls, as close to the cell windows as he can and glaring. "Fuck both of you. Fuck you so hard."

“Oh- the tough one’s feisty~” Overdose giggles and goes to meet him at his window, grinning wide. “I like that… they’ll be fun to break~”

“Jin, please don’t rile up the subjects too much,” Dr. Cornelius chuckles.

Jackie just glares back at Overdose. He's not going to be broken. He's not going to give them the satisfaction. He's not going to cry or scream or beg. He's had enough of that.

JJ stays where he is, looking at the doctors silently. He tries to stay calm but can't help but shrink away. It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay—he has to keep telling himself that because he doesn't know what he'll do if he stops.

Schneep inhales sharply. "Chase?! Chase is that you?!" He can feel him approaching—is it true? Is he really being controlled by the scientists?!

Chase looks over at Schneep, something flickering in his eyes, but Cornelius snaps and his focus is brought back towards him.

“Yes it is~ Chase has been a wonderful helper for us here!” The mad scientist laughs.

Alt gets up and slams his hands against his window, his eyes burning bright and toxic with held back magic. “The fuck did you do to my brother?!”

Cornelius grins at Alt and then looks back at Chase and shrugs. “You know what? I think it’d be better to hear from him. Hero, why don’t you tell Alt what got you here, hm?”

Chase’s eyes slip shut and he slumps a bit, before he shakes his head rapidly and seems to wake up from his daze. He looks out at the others and seems panicked. “W-What…? How- no…! Alt I-!”

Cornelius snaps his fingers, “Hero, stay focused.”

Chase stiffens and looks a bit scared but he mumbles out. “I… a-after the TRVLR broke… I… I was trying to find more information about the rifts and I… I wound up here.” He looks at Alt with tearful eyes, “I thought they… they could help. I thought it’d be different- just getting i-information-! I thought I knew the risks… I thought it’d be okay- I’m sorry Alt, I’m so so sorry- I wanted to help-!”

“That’s enough, Hero.” Dr Cornelius snaps and Chase’s mouth shuts and the emotions drain off his face as he stands stoically still once again.

Alt watches his brother get controlled by the man who tortured him and- he can only stare back with a heartbroken expression. 

“And from there… we slipped in.” Cornelius grins, “Just enough so he would be none the wiser… a few subliminal videos here- some experimental things he could try for us in exchange for information…  soon enough we were able to make a pretty little sleeper agent out of Mr. Fantastic~ while he was none the wiser.” The doctor sighs though, “It was tricky to get a hold of though… there’s some kind of mental block that prevents true mental control. But… luckily there are other ways to control a body~”

Schneep staggers back, listening to Bro talk. The control this Dr. Cornelius displays over Bro's actions... it's bringing back awful memories. Memories of what happened to his own Chase, with Anti. Then he walks up to the glass, practically trembling with rage. He doesn't say anything, but his eyes change color, his scleras darkening to black and his irises turning a greenish turquoise.

JJ shakes his head, stunned. Seeing someone who he knows as a brave hero, acting like this... it's terrible. You're sick, he says, not knowing if they'll understand him.

"Yeah, they are, aren't they?" Jackie mutters in agreement.

Dr. Cornelius merely shakes his head at the others' attempts at insults. "Are we sick? Perhaps... only to those who don't see the good in what we do~! We're on the way to capturing magic for the masses to use! To understand its principles like they should be understood... by logic."

"How are you doing this...?" Alt asks quietly, glancing back at Chase.

"Hm? Oh, how are we controlling your brother?" Dr. Cornelius grins sharply, "It's fascinating, really! We're using a similar process to that dormant chip of yours Alt~" Alt stiffens and grabs his wrist, holding it close to his side. "We're capturing the energy that fuels his power- and only taking a bit of his brain power. Mostly controlling the limbic system and the thalamus- and generally leaving the cortex alone in case we need to influence something there~" He giggles. "We found that only in trying to control the whole of his mind was when we would get the... snag. That moment where something would hitch and he would break it. But, now? Well... these last few months have been very enlightening~"

Alt then yells in anger and hits the window. "You fuckers-!" He screams, electricity starting to rise around him. "I'll kill you for this-! I'll-!" He then screeches as Dr. Cornelius seems to click something in his pocket and Alt is shocked even harder than he has been. It only lasts a few short seconds, but Alt screams as his limbs jolt and jerk out of his control. He can't help but slump into a heap in his cell, clutching at his chest.

Jackie and JJ watch in horror. Schneep flinches upon hearing Alt scream. "Alt! A-are you okay?!" he shouts, facing towards him, a concerned expression on his face. JJ also rushes to the side closest to Alt, pressing against the window and staring at him, hoping he's alright.

"I-I'm okay S-Schneep..." Alt tries to pant, "I... I'm... ngh... 'm fine-" 

"Holy shit," Jackie whispers. "Do you mean—does Chase know what's happening? Or do you—a-are you blanking out his mind?" Both options are terrifying for different reasons. 

"Mmm... a little of both- though mostly the latter." Cornelius grins at Jackie. "He'll only know what we want him to know."

 "You—you fuckers,” Jackie growls. “You motherfuckers!" It's like his Jameson and Marvin started some sort of company to standardize their fucked up business.

JJ shudders, looking back at Overdose and Cornelius. Well, at least one of them understands him. What are you going to do to us? he asks, not sure if he wants the answer but needing to know.

Overdose giggles at JJ and prowls close to him too. "Oh excellent question! Right now... we're just gonna... get to know each other a little better."

Suddenly, mechanical arms shoot out from the walls of their cells. They grab the boys with one arm while the other presses a syringe into the vein on their necks. The injection burns through their veins but soon enough they're released.

"Holy shit!" Jackie's first instinct is to punch the robotic arm, but that only—"Ah fuck!"—hurts his hand. JJ reacts similarly, trying to use his magic but only receiving a shock in response. Schneep yelps and tries to squirm out.

Alt heaves, holding his neck with a look of panic. "W-What was that?!"

"Oh.. you'll see~" Overdose giggles.

Soon enough, they all find their vision getting blurry. Any panic they were feeling starts to flow out of them like water- they start to feel themselves relax. Their heartbeats slow, their breathing gets shallower and everything seems to start to... float. It's similar to how being on ecstasy felt but there's no undertone of panic or pain. It's just... nice.

Dread immediately fills JJ's chest as the effects start, with it being all too familiar to the drug from before. But that dread slowly fades. He giggles a little, swinging his arms as he stands.

Schneep blinks. He tries to walk up to the window but trips over the cuff's tether and falls. He pats the ground. It's still there. Yeah. He's not hovering. Would that be possible, though? These guys are weird and magic. "Mein Gott..." he mutters. "I haven't... felt... like this... ever." He shakes his head. "This... this isn't... good, I think..."

Jackie paces around the cell, trying to see if he can force the effects away with motion. But no, it's not really helping all that much. It just gets harder and harder to walk until he eventually gives up and slumps against the bed. He blinks wildly. His scars aren't hurting as much. That's good, what is Schneep talking about? That's good.

Alt tries to push himself up but finds himself falling over and over. He would normally be angry but he... doesn't feel that. Where did all his anger go? He staggers to the bed and climbs up it clumsily so he can at least see the others. But, that's when his limbs refuse to work anymore and he slumps against the wall, blinking up dazedly. "...what... is this...?"

He doesn't get a response- only one of the monitors on the wall sparking to life. On it- a simple colorful spiral. It has none of the colors that make Alt flinch or feel fear. No these are... nice colors... yellows and blues and whites... Jackie, JJ and Schneep get the same thing on their monitors, drawing in their gazes. Well, except for Schneep... the effect is lost on him.

Overdose giggles, "Why don't we start simple, hm? Let's start with everyone telling me your full names, ages and where you come from~"

Alt feels his mouth falling loose- the urge to answer stronger than anything else. Even as some distant part of him screams not to. That screaming part of him is smothered by the fog overtaking his whole body. "..An... A-Ant..hea... Taran Brody... 27... B-Brighton..." He can’t help but shudder after saying that name. He hasn’t heard that in a long long time.

"Anthea?" Overdose smirks at Alt. Alt manages to find her gaze and growls, baring his teeth, "C-Call me that and I'll rip you apart with my bare fucking hands-!"

Jackie panics for a moment, but... there's no purple in those spirals. But.. spirals... he shouldn't... Huh. It's kind of fun to watch them go... circle... swirling... He finds himself answering the question without really thinking about it. "M'name's Jackie... Jackie Parker. But I used to be Julia. I'm... I think I'm... 29 now? 'm from... this city called Mirygale... Not a good city, I think... but it's mine..."

JJ blinks, staring at the spiral. His head feels foggy... but not the bad kind of foggy. It's a good foggy. He didn't know something like that was possible. "I'm..." He clears his throat. "Jameson Daniel Jackson—" He coughs wildly, throat too hoarse to keep going. Signing it is, but he'll have to be careful. His hands feel distant. 28. From Mirygale, Britain.

Schneep shakes his head, trying to fight off these effects. He hears the others respond... or he hears Jackie and Alt and assumes that JJ does the same after the coughing. He takes deep breaths. Maybe... he should save his strength... for something more important. What harm could come... from this question? "D-Dr. Henrik von Schneeplestein. Th...thirty years old. I live in Mirygale... i-in Britain, but... I grew up in Arzhorchal, i-in Germany."

Overdose shrugs and- well it seems her and Dr. Cornelius are taking notes. "Very good boys! Glad to see it's working~ Now let's see... what should I ask you all next?"

She looks at Schneep, JJ and Jackie, "Hm... Mirygale boys- We know you're from different dimensions... so why don't you tell us how your cities are different?" She laughs, "We already caught a bit about how your... little groups are different. Maybe this serum wasn't really necessary, loose lips~"

"Fuck you fuck you fuck you," Jackie says, though it lacks real bite. "We can talk 'f we wanna."

"I-I don't... I-I don't know a-about their cities," Schneep gasps out. "I-I just—i-it's a normal enough city, I think..."

"Not mine," Jackie mumbles. "It's not a good place... there's fucking crime everywhere... a dozen different gangs... and drug dealers and shit..." He looks at Overdose and flashes a grin that can only be described as feral. "An' all the coppers and shit h've been corrupted... most of them, an' more than usual, I mean. Same with... lotsa officials and shit... The city's fallin' apart, really..."

JJ shakes his head, shocked. That's not what mine is like. Mine is fine. We have... He falters for a moment. What do good cities have? Parks... and stage theatres... and trains...

"We don't have trains," Schneep mutters. "Just a lot of office buildings... Crime, but... not like Jackie is d-describing..."

I like it there, JJ says. I... want to go back... I want to go home... He feels tears welling in his eyes, and he hurriedly covers his face to wipe them away.

Alt dazedly looks over at JJ to see his signs and he clumsily tries to push himself up, " I'm g-gonna get you home JJ..! I promise- W-We'll figure something out, o-okay?"

Overdose rolls her eyes, "Alright- let's get a bit personal then. I see you all have quite the bit of trauma amongst you~ How'd you all get your scars and such? Or lose your voice, in that one's case." She points towards JJ. She grins at Alt, "You too, Mr. Illusionist. Tell us how you got that pretty scar of yours?"

Alt growls and glitches slightly- which gets him shocked again. He bites back the pain and then slumps back against the wall, falling back under the drug's pull. "... I was kidnapped... when I-I was 15." He tries to fight saying more but it just slips out, "They... t-they tied me up by my neck- cuz I bit one of the fuckers who took me. I didn't know I could glitch then... but I... I managed to do it and slipped through the binds... the ropes cut my neck though." He dazedly rubs at his neck, feeling the healed skin of his scar.

"I'm... I-I'm so sorry, Alt," Schneep says quietly. "You shouldn't h-have gone through th-that..."

"It was a long time ago," Alt replies distantly, "... its fine."

JJ blinks dazedly. He's always explained it away as an animal attack, but he finds that excuse isn't coming, and instead, the truth spills out. This being called Distorter lured me out of town, made me think a missing friend was there. But it was just Distorter. He attacked me. He wanted to kill me so he went for the throat. I'm only not dead because I have a friend who can divine things, and she knew I'd be in danger. But the damage was still severe.

Alt watches JJ as he signs and inhales sharply, "Distorter... y-you could talk before? T-That fucker...." He spits.

Jackie shudders. "I don—I don' wanna talk about—I-I don't want to talk about what M-Marvin did—I don't... I..." He tries to shake himself awake—but then he looks at the spiral again, and his efforts are in vain. The words come out anyway. "I got... shot and stabbed a lot... when I was out fighting, but... th-the worst of it... was after a magician I knew, Marvin, he... decided he didn't want to put up with me anymore. His magic... burns... It doesn't always leave marks, but when it does, it... burns. I-I don't know how long I spent—" He swallows a lump in his throat, curling up a little. "—it was a year, I think, I-I was stuck down there. H-he hated me. Especially after he... changed. H-he wanted to hurt me as much as possible before he killed me. I... I would've died... if Frederick hadn't found me." His visible eye goes distant.

Alt's eyes widen as Jackie tells his story. He knew some of it but, "A... A year? God... Jackie..."

Schneep turns to face Jackie, stunned. "That... th-that is h-horrible, I-I am sorry. I don't know if it'll help, but I—" No. Wait. This is the important thing.  He shouldn't say this. Not when there are these terrible people listening. And yet, now that he's started, it's hard to stop. "I—I was—I-it was magic that—that is why I cannot see, I—" His body starts to tremble. "Anti, he... h-he took my sight. I-I don't think... he knew it would happen... but he... he..." The word is on the tip of his tongue. Nightmare. Nightmare. Nightmare Nightmare Nightmare—

He suddenly shouts and tries to leap out of the cell again, but cries out as the cuff shocks him for his efforts. But he's not thinking of that word anymore, so he can't say it. Good. Good.

Alt jumps as Schneep shouts and tries to scramble up to look at him. "S-Schneep?! Are you okay??"

"I-I'm... f-f-fine," Schneep says, breathing heavily.

"Damn- you all have been through a lot," Overdose mutters as she scribbles all this down. "Interesting... very interesting... Think this is something we could use, Doc?"

Dr. Cornelius grins, "Oh, absolutely..." He eyes the others and hums, "Why don't you all tell us how your abilities work? Alt can be the exception again, we have a lot about him." He giggles. Alt glares at him and bares his teeth.

JJ shakes his head... it's not a no, it's just him trying to find the words to describe magic as he's always known it. I... learn spells... and I cast them. It's very simple... I think. I like... water and ice... and healing. But I can do a lot of things. Teleport... make shields... I can turn into an animal but I don't do it often... Some spells need gestures or spell words or my mask to focus them... Or I guess I could use a wand instead? Or a crystal ball? He trails off, looking thoughtful.

Jackie laughs somewhat hysterically. "A-abilities? Motherfucker, I don't have any special powers—other than a p-pretty high pain tolerance, I thi—" He covers his mouth. He shouldn't say that he doesn't have powers. He shouldn't say that. Not in front of these doctors. "I can still d-do a lot, th-though," he stammers out, voice somewhat muffled. "Sometimes spells aren't as fast as fists."

"Ah- sorcery... very interesting." Dr. Cornelius hums. He then eyes Jackie and smiles. "...even without knowing what you went through, I know what black magic scarring looks like... you are still a fine specimen to study, Mr. Parker~" He giggles a bit madly. "Oh... there's much to discover there... I wonder how much power lies dormant underneath~"

"I'm... not sure how it works," Schneep says slowly. "I simply... think about it... and I jump to somewhere else. Or I grab something that was not there before. I don't know what happened to make me this way... Something about m-my soul..." Are those two things his only abilities? Well, he can sense souls, too, but... something tells him to push that back. To resist revealing that. Better they think him completely unaware of his surroundings.

Cornelius studies Schneep too, "... curious. Very curious. You can disappear and reappear like Alt but... without the electricity. That is fascinating... definitely something we can try to uncover more about..." He looks to Overdose, "Dr. Sun, any other questions you think we should ask?"

"Oh yes... let's see..." Overdose hums. Then, she grins wickedly. "Give us all your weaknesses. Anything we can use against you."

Since he wasn't brought into this round of questioning, Alt's attention was brought back to the spiral on the wall. So, he answers almost immediately, too lost in the fog to try to fight it. "...loud noises... I... I have m-mysophobia... e-especially if it sounds like s-static... h-hypnosis... m' not very s-strong without my... my magic..."

JJ's eyes flicker. He recognizes that this is something he shouldn't answer, so he folds his arms to stop himself from signing—but as he does so, the words are spilling out of his mouth, anyway. "Not a physical fighter... and if I use too much magic I get sick and collapse. And I... I don't like being... watched... or ignored... a strange contradic—" He coughs again, unknowingly demonstrating another weakness.

"I don' like fire," Jackie mumbles, staring at the spiral on the wall. "Don' like... burning. I can... endure a lot, but... that... M-my head's prob'ly fucked a bit, too, I wouldn't be surprised if my James'n did some stuff... I don't know." Some tears line his eye. "I'm... I'm a bad person... I know that. Tryin' t'be better but... I know it. Maybe th' way scars hurt still is... fate's payback..."

Schneep turns towards Overdose's voice and waves his hand in front of his eyes. "I'm fucking blind, you... you... du verdammter Idiot, du Dummkopf, du Trottel..." He trails off into mumbling German insults.

"Alright alright yeah yeah it was a general question, asshat-" Overdose mumbles. Dr. Cornelius claps his hands. "Well then! This has been very enlightening~ I think that's all we need for now. Why don't you boys try to rest that off, hm?"

He looks at Bro and nods his head. "Hero? Why don't you keep an eye on them for me?"

Bro nods, "Yes, doctor." He goes to stand right at the edge of their cells, straight up against the wall, held at attention like a soldier. He's been here listening the whole time... and there's almost no way to tell if he understood anything that was revealed. Except the slight trail of tears on his cheeks, but his face still remains expressionless.

"Grand! Welp! We'll see you all in a bit~" Dr. Cornelius calls as he and Overdose walk out of the hall. The door shuts loudly and then... silence. Overwhelming silence.

Alt eventually whimpers and goes to curl up, pulling at his hair. "...I hate this... I hate this...!" He mutters through a bit of a choked up voice. "Fuck them... fuck all these fuckers...! Argh-!"

"F-fuck," Jackie breathes. As the serum is fading and his senses are returning, he begins to really process the shit they're deep in. "We just told them all of our fucking secrets." He feels a little sick just thinking about how he told them about what Marvin did to him. Even if he didn't go into detail, he didn't want them to know any of that.

JJ chokes back a sob, pressing his hands into his eyes. What are they going to do next? How are they going to exploit everything that they just told them? He raises his head slightly, and notices Bro. He crawls closer, right up to the windows. Chase, I don't know if you can understand me right now, but we'll get out of here. We will. We'll all be okay.

Bro's eyes flit to JJ's signs and his eye twitches slightly. His hand seems to tremble. But, he can't get himself to respond any other way to him. 

Schneep takes a deep breath. "There are—there are others outside," he mutters. "They—they must be worried. W-we just—i-if they do not come, nothing is perfect in any case. No defense is unbreakable."

"T-The others don't know we're here!" Alt stammers in panic, tears in his eyes. "They probably thought we w-went to the Dooms...! They don't know S-Sclera found us! A-And even if they did... w-what can they do?! Jays a t-therapist! Jackie can do parkour and sorta fight but... h-he's not an escape artist...! H-Henny can do some magic but I... I don't think it'll help here and t-then he'll just get captured too and I... t-that can't happen- H-Hen can't- I-If he got s-stuck here too I-I...!"

"W-well, they will notice if we are not there—" Schneep stammers.

"They won't k-know to look here I... I don't even know if we're s-still in that other hospital-" Alt mutters.

"Alt, hey, hey, deep breaths," Jackie says, scrambling across the cell to get as close to Alt as possible. "He won't get stuck here. None of them will. I-I can—I can do everything I can to make sure they don't, if they show up."

It's fine if you need to cry, but try not to spiral, JJ says gently. We can't get lost in bad what-ifs. I'm sure these people want you to be freaking out.

"Yes, exactly," Jackie says. "If you're freaking out, you're easier to fuck with. Deep breaths, Alt. Deep breaths."

Alt looks at the others with red-rimmed eyes and nods, trying to control his breathing. "... I'm sorry... I know it's not my fault you guys are here I just... I'm so sorry you're all caught up in all this shit... none of you deserve this..." He lets his tears fall quietly, rubbing at his eyes. "B-But you're right... w-we can't give them the satisfaction of freaking out..."

"For what it's worth, I do not blame you at all," Schneep says quietly. "No one is to blame, only those rifts." Assuming those rifts were freak accidents and not caused by someone deliberately, but he doesn't think that'll help for Alt to hear.

"None of us blame you," Jackie agrees.

And if we were not here, you would be here alone, JJ says. He gives him a small smile. I'm glad that you have company, at least.

Jackie nods. "Anything we can do to help..."

Alt lets out a bitter chuckle, "... I hate that you have a point JJ..." He curls his knees up to his chest. "...I'd be more of a wreck if I was alone..."

He's quiet for a second before he looks back at the others with determination. "...which means I have a clearer head... w-we can think of a way out of this." He leaps off the bed, still a bit dizzy but he starts to pace. "Okay... god I can't say too much but... we gotta... figure something out..."

He looks at Jackie and signs close to his chest, trying to avoid the camera, can you break your cuff? or- do you have anything hidden on you to try?

Jackie blinks. He thinks. They took my staff. And I was at home so I didn't have any weapons on me, he signs back. But might as well try. He pulls at the cuff, but finds it too tight to really gain much traction. That's gonna aggravate the scars around his ankle. He sighs, patting himself down anyway. Hoodie, pants, hair—hair. His eye widens slightly as he grabs onto part of his braid. There's something hard in there. Maybe something sharp.

You know we're leaving Schneep out of this conversation, right? JJ says. Not that Schneep minds. He looks deep in thought.

“Ugh I know-" Alt sighs, "I'm trying to figure out what I can do for Schneep..." He starts to pace again, "...his glitches aren't like mine... i-if we can break his cuff somehow then... then maybe?" He looks up at the monitors and all the electric things in the room. His eyes slowly widen, "...maybe I can drain the electricity...!"

"Hmm?" Schneep blinks to attention. "Well, yes, I never even thought about it as glitching before. More like forming a wormhole. I am sure that if this shackle was not shocking me... the things they use for you would not be effective. I'm not getting where you are going with the electricity, though. What would you do with it once you have it?"

Alt nods, "...I dunno i-it could be risky but... the cuffs are electric too. If... If I could find a way to maybe drain enough power or- m-maybe short out the systems...! Then... maybe that could be enough...?" He sighs, "But... that also feels dumb- I'd probably get massively shocked for even trying that... They know I can glitch into electric things so... they might be expecting something like that... Or I could overload myself..."

Through their mutterings, they don't notice another nodule that pops out from the wall. Something that looks like some sort of gun. Without warning, it shoots a beam of black purple magic at each of the boys, lighting up their systems with burning hot black magic.

Dr. Cornelius's voice crackles on one of the monitors, "Well gentleman! Hope you enjoyed your rest but... can't have you all discussing these kind of things~ sooo! It's my turn now~! Let's see how you all react to this!"

Alt gasps as the magic hits him and he falls to his knees. His eyes try to turn black and he grits his teeth as the magic crawls up his skin like veins. "N-No-! No not... t-this shit again...!"

JJ yelps, spinning around to see the gun retreat back into the wall. A hot, irritated feeling spreads across his shoulderblade, outward from the spot where the beam of magic hit. He suddenly feels sick, falling forward, arms trembling as they hold him up. Bits of blue magic spasm outwards involuntarily, triggering a shock each time it happens. He soon cries out and collapses fully. The magic shifts color, bright red joining the bright blue.

"Ow!" Schneep rubs his arm where the blast hit. "What the...?" His vision flickers—static swarms in from the side, taking over the blackness that's usually there. "Ah! Ah!" The sudden light after such darkness is painful. He presses his hands to his eyes, but of course, there's nothing he can do to block it out.

"Hey!" Jackie gets to his feet and spins around, glaring at the camera. "Huh?! So you guys are feeling threatened?!" He spins around. "Alt?! Are you— He suddenly stops, wincing. His scars are aching. They do that sometimes, but this is a spike in pain. A spike... that's not coming down. In fact, it's becoming more intense. "F-fuck. What the—wh-what did you d--" He cries out and staggers over to the bed, sitting down. "Wh-what's happenin—" And he cries out again.

He presses back against the wall, taking deep breaths. Breathing through the rising pain. This is fine. Whatever this is happening, it can't last forever. "Ack!" His eye! His eye is burning! His hand shoots up to his eye-patch, pressing against it. The scars on the back are... glowing, slightly. And so are the ones on his face. It's a dark, dark glow, a strange black light that's purple around the edges. He shudders. As the pain intensifies, so does the glow. He falls to his side—then shrieks and turns over so he's lying on the side that's less scarred.

Alt digs his fingers into the floor and bites back a scream. The magic is eating up his own- corrupting it. Turning it into something it's not. He hears the sounds of his friends in distress and he tries to glitch up, only to be met with another shock that sends him back down on his hands and knees with a yell. He bends his head down and then- starts to giggle. Bright purple is trying to fill his irises around pure black sclera and Alt can't help but let out a manic sounding laugh, even if his face looks pained doing it. He heaves, trying to push it back, but magic is crackling around him.

Dr. Cornelius is so intrigued by what JJ's and Alt's magic is doing- he shuts off their cuffs. If anything bad happens- the hero is there to stop it. And- their cells have better protection than the last time Alt was here.

"Wh-what is happening?!" Schneep asks. "Alt?!"

Jackie hears the strange laughter coming from Alt's cell but he can't look towards it. He picks up the pillow and bites onto it. He's not going to scream. He's not going to scream. Even as his scars burn with agonizing acid, he's not going to let them hear him scream. The strange black glow is brightening.

JJ gasps, lifting his head to look at Alt. His eyes are glowing—a blue core surrounded by red light. With the cuff's magic suppression deactivated, more and more magic splashes off, almost liquid in its movement. Every place the red droplets hit, they spread, becoming a thin layer of red ice. The temperature in the cell lowers enough that JJ's breath comes out in steam.

He staggers to his feet. Suddenly, it doesn't hurt anymore. He presses his hands to the window, red frost spreading from the point of contact and yet not blocking the spot where he's looking. He watches Alt... and his eyes flash with rage as more of the red consumes the blue. His head whips back over to the camera in the corner. Well—why not take this chance?! He throws a bolt of red magic at the camera.

Surprisingly, it connects, splashing over the device in a burst of light. Electricity flies from the camera, a crack forming in its side, and it starts to smoke. JJ grins triumphantly, an unusual malicious bite to his smile.

"What?!" Cornelius's voice says over the comms.

Alt's head snaps up to the sound of the camera breaking, still giggling a bit with black-ish tears falling from his eyes. "J...?" The cuffs- they aren't on..! Alt takes this moment to try to see if he can cut through his connection- but his magic isn't responding to him like he wants it to. Trying to use his magic only makes his core burn and this- madness infesting him go faster. He laughs again a bit of pain in the sound but tries to curl up, twitching and digging fingers into his hair. "JJ-! ah-! t-try to g-get out...!" Alt cackles loudly, trying to fight against the force eating at his core.

"Hero! Don't let them escape!" Dr. Cornelius orders. Bro's eyes burn with blue and he stands more at attention, watching the cells carefully.

JJ's grin widens. The cuffs aren't on? How foolish. How utterly, utterly foolish.

He can't teleport while connected to something—he tried that before, last time he was stuck somewhere like this place. So he sends a spray of sharp magic at the tether, cutting through it. And the moment he's free, he teleports outside.

Bro instantly locks onto JJ as he teleports out the cell and quickly tries to tackle him down.

JJ laughs and teleports again, avoiding Bro's attack. He sends another spray of red magic out, a wide fan that can both hit Bro and the window of Schneep's cell behind him.

The magic scratches against the window but it doesn't break.

It also hits Bro but he doesn't stop in his stride, going to  punch JJ in the face. Bro's fist slams against JJ's face with such force that it knocks him to the ground, stunned for a moment. But he gets up surprisingly quickly, and spits something into his hand. A tooth in a puddle of blood. He puts the tooth in his pocket and grins at Bro, eyes glowing red, blood rimming his gums. This is fun. He hears whispers at the edge of consciousness, urging him to keep going.

He lunges forward, cold red magic trailing behind him, and swipes at Bro's chest with translucent red talons.

Alt tries to stagger to his feet. Chase and JJ are fighting... he needs to help he needs to- destroykillmaimchaoschaoschaos- Alt yells out in pain and grips at his head, twitching and glitching as magic builds up stronger around him. I-It's so hard to fight it-! He doesn't want to hurt the others though...!

JJ teleports again, suddenly behind Bro. Red magic wraps around Bro's neck like a rope, and JJ grabs either end and pulls. If he can get Bro out of the way, SCLERA can't use them! He'll take away their weapon! That's what they get for hurting him and his friends!

"Wh-what is happening out there?!" Schneep gasps. He's managed to push through the brightness to pay attention to the outside—and he can feel a stark difference in JJ and Alt's souls.

Bro chokes, eyes wide, as he scrambles to find a way to get the magic to let go.

"NO!" Alt shouts and in a burst of purple glitches- he's outside the cell too. He attempts to grab JJ and pull him away from Bro as purple lightning crackles loudly around his body.

Bro slumps to the ground, coughing and heaving. Trying to catch his breath. He seems to have a bit more clarity in his eyes.

JJ gasps as Alt pulls him back. He twists around and looks at him in anger. "Don't you understand?!" he shouts, rough voice breaking. He laughs a little. "Do you hear them too, Alt?"

Alt slams JJ back into one of the walls, giggling madly as his eyes fill with corrupted magic. "I do- I-I feel it- I hear it!" He digs nails tight into JJ's shoulders, momentarily enjoying the idea of bringing him pain. His eye twitches and he tries to tell JJ through a twisted grin, "W-We c-can't listen...! We g-gotta try to fight JJ-!"

Then, in a glitch his eyes darken and a more sinister smile curls on his lips. "... then again... " He laughs manically and presses closer to JJ, "what color do you think we bleed now?! I... I- I wanna know!" He throws JJ to the floor and staggers back, giggling wildly. "E-Everything is purple...! Everything is dark-! Has it dyed me inside?! Has it dyed you?!" He keeps laughing- laughing laughing laughing-

"Alt?! Jamie?!" Schneep rushes up to the window, banging his fist on it. "Snap out of it!"

JJ doesn't react to Alt throwing him around—it doesn't really hurt all that much, or at the very least, the pain feels distant. Once Alt throws him down, he staggers to his feet again. "Do you want to see?" he whispers hoarsely. "Allow me to help!" A red crystalline knife appears in his hand and he slashes at Alt.

Alt staggers back and manages to whip out his own purple tinted knife to catch Jamie's. He grins wide and giggles, pushing back against JJ's knife. "I'll find out myself!" He cackles and tries to push JJ back and slash at him. JJ jumps back, avoiding the slash. His heart is pounding in his chest, and he grins with manic excitement. He lunges back forward, his knife glowing brighter as he aims to stab Alt's shoulder. Alt glitches out of the way, laughing crazily. He flips the knife in his hand is about to try to strike again when-

Sudden loud alarms start blaring, bathing the hallway in red light.

Alt screeches and immediately goes to cover his ears, curling up against the noise. "N-NO!"

JJ looks at the alarms in surprise, and then back down at Alt. Well—it's not fun if they're not both participating. He instead rushes to the nearest cell—Schneep's—and sends a ball of magic at it.

The magic rocks the window a bit but, it still manages to stay sturdy.

Bro blinks spots out of his eyes, trying to focus. There's... so much noise. What's happening?  "...Alt...? J?" He whispers hoarsely, trying to push himself up.

Alt gasps and claws at the sides of his face like it will get rid of the noise. "S-Stop it...! Stop it!"

Soon enough, jets pop out from the bottom of the hallway and start to spray that same sweet smelling smoke that Overdose used to knock them out earlier.

Schneep perks up at the sound of the jets. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" He gets up and rushes towards the window, pounding on it in the vain hope that he'll be able to break through after the damage JJ did. Meanwhile, Jackie's barely able to lift his head to look at the smoke filling outside.

JJ staggers back, looking at the smoke. He quickly covers his mouth and nose with his shirt and starts blasting the jets with magic. The jets are easily destroyed, but the blasts are sending magic up into the air and swirling it faster and faster around the boys in the hallway.  

Bro is too disoriented to try to fight- but he sees Alt struggling and tries to reach out.

Alt curls up smaller and smaller, purple eyes darting around in panic. Then, it morphs into anger as purple fully takes over his eyes. "I said- STOP IT." He throws himself forward and finds the nearest spark of electricity he can feel- and then channels all his magic into overloading the system. The lights flicker and the alarm cuts off. The lights don't go completely out though- just dim. but any remaining monitors and cuffs start to short circuit. In fact, they burst so massively in Jackie’s cell the window cracks and then shatters. After this, Alt pries himself away from the wall and staggers back before he collapses onto his back, dazedly blinking out at the thinning fog. But it's quiet...

Schneep can feel access to his powers again.

Schneep leaps out into the hallway, grabbing JJ and shaking him. "Fucking stop!"

JJ staggers back, staring at Schneep with wide eyes. They're still glowing, but that core of blue is back, peeking through the red. His body shakes suddenly as he suddenly feels sick.

"Alt! Bro!" Schneep leaps to a spot between the two of them, quickly checking both their pulses and breath. "Jackie! Help!"

Bro jumps as Schneep appears but gets a more wakeful look in his eyes. "S-Schneep-!" He tries to stagger up and grab Alt, "Alt? Alt?  Can you hear us?"

Alt blinks sluggishly and looks at Bro blankly, the purple fading from his eyes. His sclera is still black but he smiles. "C-Chase...?"

Jackie pushes himself up, breathing heavily. His scars are still glowing slightly, but the burning sensation is fading. He gets up, gritting his teeth, and staggers over.

But... there's an odd feeling coming from the hallway now... a crack in the ground, dark black, pulling at the boys in the hallway's clothes.

"Do... do you f-feel that?" Jackie asks. 

Schneep pauses. His eyes widen. "No. No, it cannot be."

Both Bro and Alt stiffen as they hear the others and looks towards the crack as it expands, the wind picking up more.

Dr. Cornelius can be heard brokenly through the damaged comms, "No--! The-- readings-- be-- rifts-!" Then, it fizzles out into static.

"Rifts?" Schneep looks towards the sound of the comms. "They know about the rifts?"

"Of course they do, if they knew we were from other worlds!" Jackie says.

Bro looks guilty, “I-I told them about them…” he mutters.

Alt gasps and tries to scramble away on instinct then looks at Bro with panic as he sees the wind affecting both of them, "I-It's pulling us in too?!"

"I-I guess so?" Bro answers in a panic. He looks towards the others and then reaches out a hand, "M-Maybe if we all stick together- it won't separate us into f-freaky timelines and shit! Maybe it'll take us to one of your homes!"

JJ nods and grabs onto Bro's hand, not saying anything in response. The red is quickly fading from the magic that flutters around his fingers.

"I guess anywhere is better than here!" Jackie grabs onto JJ in turn, holding onto his arm with one hand. His other grabs onto Schneep's wrist.

Alt narrows his eyes and then looks at the rift. “J-Jackie is right- anywhere is better than being stuck here!”

Schneep doesn't protest. "That makes sense to me—We better stick together, yes? Safety in numbers."

Bro nods in determination to Schneep, “We will.”

Alt sticks his middle finger up towards the ceiling, “Fuck you!”

The rift gets bigger and bigger and soon enough, is big enough that Alt gets pulled in- followed by the rest of the group. Down down down into rushing pitch black night… the sounds of that awful lab fading away.

[em-writes-stuff]

truth serum

day 21 of @febuwhump

whumper, caretaker, whumpee

1084 words

warnings: cursing, captive whumpee, recaptured whumpee, drugging, syringe use (not a hospital setting)

~

Caretaker stares at Whumpee, tied up across from her. He’s sleeping, almost peacefully in the chair. His chin rests against his chest and his arms are tied behind the back of the chair, keeping him upright. 

She fights against her own binds, wriggling under the ropes tying her to the arms of the chair. Her feet are bound to the legs of the chair and her chest tied to the back of it. She rocks the chair, almost falling over when the door opens. 

“None of that, Caretaker.” Whumper says, slinking into the room. 

She unrolls a piece of fabric on the table, showing off a large array of tools. 

“What are you doing?” Caretaker asks, eyes darting from the tools to Whumpee. 

Whumper rolls her eyes, “Oh, calm down. This isn’t for him. Not yet at least.'' She walks away from the table and stands in front of Whumpee. “It would be nice if he would wake up though, wouldn’t it?” 

She backhands Whumpee’s cheek, pulling him from his sleep. His eyes fly open, dazed and disorientated.

First, he sees Whumper, standing over him with her hands behind her back, then he sees Caretaker tied up behind her. 

“Let her go!” He shouts, fighting against his restraints. 

Whumper clicks her tongue, shaking her head. “You used to have more respect for me.” 

She shrugs and turns away from him. Caretaker’s eyes follow her back to the table. “It’s fine, I know you’ve done a lot of work to forget all about me. We’ll fix your behavior after a few days, don’t worry.” 

Whumpee shakes his head, seeing the large syringe Whumper picks up from the table. “Don’t…don’t do that. Please.” 

“I just want to get the truth.” she says, walking toward Caretaker. 

For a second, Whumpee relaxes. Whumper wasn’t going to hurt him. She was walking away, she was going to…Caretaker. 

“Stop it!” He shouts, “Stop it! She hasn’t done anything to you!” 

Whumper turns her head, silencing him. “That’s better. Now, you need to shut the fuck up while Caretaker and I chat. Got it?” 

His head hangs, chin hitting his chest and squeezes his eyes shut. 

“He’s always tried to be defiant, but as soon as you remind him who calls the shots, he does whatever you tell him to.” Whumper says, almost fondly. 

Caretaker looks at Whumper, trying to be intimidating, “Let us go.” 

Whumper rolls her eyes and plunges the syringe into Caretaker’s thigh. Caretaker wails in pain, neck straining and fists clenched. The rope across her chest digs into the skin through her shirt, tearing the flesh and drawing blood. 

“Why…are you doing this?” She pants. 

Whumper lets the syringe clatter to the floor and bends down, hands on her knees in front of Caretaker. “We’ll give it a minute to really enter your system then we’ll get started, how does that sound?” 

“Fuck you.” Caretaker spits. 

Whumper clicks her tongue and shakes her head, “So vulgar.” she grabs a fistful of Caretaker’s hair and pulls it, forcing Caretaker to look up at her. “Tell me the truth now, are you ready to start?” 

“No.” Caretaker says, eyes widening. “I don’t want to do this. Make it stop.” 

Whumper lets go of her hair and shakes her head, “I’m afraid I can’t, but don’t worry. The serum is quick acting, it’ll go away in two or three minutes. So let’s get started.” 

“Do you…care about Whumpee?” she asks, standing next to him. 

“Yes.” 

She cups his chin with her hand and pulls his face up to look at Caretaker. “Do you want to keep taking care of him?” 

“No.” Caretaker says, shaking her head frantically. “That’s not what I meant, Whumpee. You have to believe me.” 

“Quiet.” Whumper says. She pulls on Whumpee’s chin, making him look at her. “Did you hear her? She’s on truth serum and she says doesn’t want to keep taking care of you.”  

‘That’s not what I meant!’ Caretaker wants to shout. ‘I want him to get better. Enough so that he can go on his own without needing me!’ but the words don’t come. 

“Tell me, do you want him to live with you anymore?” Whumper asks, running a hand through Whumpee’s hair. 

“No.” she tries to defend herself, to tell him that what she wants doesn’t matter. That if he wants to move out, he can and she’d support him every step of the way, but the words get stuck in her throat. 

A tear wells in Whumpee’s eye. Voice breaking, he asks “Do you want me to go back home with you?” 

“Don’t answer that, it’s a boring question, isn’t it, Caretaker?” Whumper interrupts before she can answer. 

“No.” 

No, it’s not a boring question. Yes, she wants him to go home with her. Yes, she wants to keep taking care of him, yes she wants him to keep living with her. 

“Oh,” Whumper says, pulling away from Whumpee. “Maybe it wasn’t a boring question. Do you want him to stay with me?” She smiles deviously and shakes her head, “That was another silly question, wasn’t it?” 

“Yes.” Caretaker cries. 

Whumpee sobs, leaning forward in his chair. Whumper smirks at Caretaker, pulling Whumpee’s head against her side and patting his back. “I know it’s hard to hear. But you’re a burden to her, so you know it’s best if I let her go and keep you here, right?” 

He nods, “Just let her go. Don’t hurt her, please.” 

Whumper nods, “I wasn’t planning on it. I just needed you to hear her…to make sure you didn’t get any silly ideas about escaping this time. Because now you know how she feels.” 

Whumper pulls away from him, letting his head jerk to the side. She walks up to Caretaker and unties her wrists from the chair, then her ankles. “Let’s get you out of here before anyone realizes you're missing.” she leans in close to her ear and adds, “And before the serum wears off. I don’t want you to say anything to confuse Whumpee.” 

She helps her stand up and leads her out of the room, slamming the door behind them. Caretaker fights against her weakly, “Why would you do that?” 

Whumper shoves her into the back of a van, “I already said. To stop him from getting any silly ideas.” 

She slides the door shut and Caretaker sits there until the door opens again and Whumper pulls her out of the van and throws her on her lawn.  

[dr-abitat-blog]

Day 11: "Why would you even say that?! (Truth Serum)

@ailesswhumptober

T/W: Captured, Interrogation, Truth serum, Pain, Ladywhump, referenced incarceration camps

"Any luck?"

I barely hear the gruff voice of Leader over the persistent ringing in my ears. Rough gravel digs into my cheeks painfully. The world lurches violently as I attempt to sit up, gasping in pain.

"Nothing so far. She's a tough nut to crack."

"Every nut has their weakness," he murmurs darkly. "Get her up."

I cough. Beads of red soak into my lips. The fresh gash from the metal studs in his glove stings in the open air. The blow was hard enough to send my glasses clean off my face. A sharp crack reveals their location — crushed underneath Leader’s heavy booted foot. As I attempt to pull myself back to my knees, hands rip at my hair.

"Up!"

I yelp as I'm roughly dragged upwards. My feet scuffle against the dusty ground, trying to twist my head around despite the cruel grip on my dark wavy strands. Everything around me is an indiscernible blur without my glasses. 

Nngh, I can barely see anything—

"You're still not willing to talk?" he asks, voice deep and husky, "Not one word?"

I give him his answer with a silent glare of defiance. The other guards flank me on either side, each locking my upper arms in a tight grip. Sturdy power-suppressing cuffs keep my wrists chained behind my back. Cuffs that I'm all too familiar with...

Keep quiet, Cass. You're not going to give them anything.

"...heh. Fine. If that's how you want to play. I reckon you'll be changing your mind in about...ten seconds."

Nothing you do could make me talk… I vow fiercely.

Still, I brace myself, both body and mind for whatever 'persuasion' he has to offer. The only way I can keep calm right now is to imagine written scenarios playing out in my head — all of which end in me kicking them where the sun won't shine. My vivid descriptions are soon cut short by another painfully sharp tug on my hair. 

"Open her mouth."

My heart flutters in dread.

“W-wait—no don't you d—aggh!”

I jerk my head insistently as the hands grab at my face. The ugly one on my left wrenches my jaw open, the second squeezing my cheeks firmly as Leader approaches me. I get a flash of his hand pulling something from his jacket — a tiny capped vial of colorless liquid. Silently, he steps over and unscrews the cap. "The less you struggle, the easier it will be."

"Nnngh!"

I attempt to growl at him, pulling and twisting my head as he starts to tip the contents of the bottle forcibly into my mouth. In a last ditch attempt to avoid it I work up a mouthful of saliva and spit at him. Perhaps that is what prompts them to immediately plug my nose. I choke frantically, struggling to breathe as they keep my nostrils tightly pinched shut.

"That's it. Down the hatch — swallow."

I fight it. I fight it with everything I have — but the instinctive demand for air is stronger. Eventually it goes down my throat. Every bit of his 'offering'. The other two step back, letting my body drop to the floor between them. The dirt stains my torn black jeans as I start to writhe on the ground, coughing. "Good. Now we might finally get somewhere."

Leader crouches down next to me, slowly lifting up my chin with his gloved hand. "Let's start at the beginning, shall we? What is your name?"

"Nngh..."

I stare up at him with gritted teeth, flexing my fingers behind my back. I begin to respond with the most stupid name in existence because no way am I telling them my real—

"Cassandra."

Wh-what?!

"...Cassandra?"

"...C-Cassandra Reed...Ghadavri..." I continue, suddenly realising what I'm telling him.

B-but—no! No, I-I didn't mean to—Cass, what are you—w-why would you even say that?!

"Tell us, Cassandra, do you happen to go by any other names? Any...illegal aliases?"

I feel my eyes slowly widening. The words bubble up through my throat. I have a horrible feeling that it's to do with whatever stuff he just forced down it

No — fight it, FIGHT IT!

I try to. I honestly try to. I even resort to biting on my tongue but then — the pain hits.

"I-I— no—nngha!"

I choke, lurching forward. Electrifying spasms shoot across my body, burning my nerves. Fire radiates in my chest. My forehead pounds. I find myself uselessly writhing in a desperate effort to avoid the pain. My tongue bleeds as I harshly bite down on it, shuddering on the ground.

"The more you fight the truth, the more it will hurt," he declares callously, watching my whimpering form without mercy. "Definitely less messy than a traditional interrogation, wouldn't you say?"

"Hnnk! S-stop—nngh— K-Kin—et—ica...!"

The name is dragged from my lips with a small sob. "K-Kinetica...former...side...kick..."

The words are an effort to get out seamlessly through my gasps of pain, but it's enough to satisfy them.

"Sidekick? So you're a 'sigma'?"

"Nngh...y-yes..."

"And your powers? What are they?"

I cough, shivering from the prickles raging all over my skin like little needles. 

"I-I...t-tele...kinesis..."

My captors murmur together quietly in response. I barely catch what they're saying. Not until Leader reaches out to pat my head. 

"I see — and what were you doing out here on your own?”

He suddenly yanks on my hair with a growl. “Spying on us for them, were you?"

"Gnngh...them? Who—"

"Who else could I possibly mean?" he snaps impatiently. "The Pheno Group —  the Government — well, were you?!"

I blink at them tearily, shaking my head desperately. 

"N-no...I-I don't...work for them. W-we were just...trying to find shelter from—"

“‘We’?”

A guilty sob escapes me.

N-no—

"Who else was with you? Give us their names."

When I don't answer immediately, he uncorks the vial again, bringing it to my lips. "Alright. Looks like you need another dose already."

“N-no!” 

I cry out in panic, trying to shuffle away, but they pin me in place long enough for him to pour the rest of the liquid down my throat. I gag on it pathetically, coughing and spluttering until the waves of  agony return. It's enough to knock me onto my side, curling my legs into my stomach to protect myself. My strained shrieks of pain soon morph into helpless sobs as nothing takes the torturous sensations away. Nothing...except the truth.

"Nngh—E-Ec—lipse—" I grind out, tears spilling down my cut cheeks, "B-Bore—alis...P-Phoe—nix—nngha..."

One of them scribbles the names down frantically as I squeeze my eyes closed. "W-we're all...trying to fight them. Th-they took our friends...we had no choice but to…t-to run or we'd...p-please...don't hurt them..."

Another wavering cry of pain. Leader's expression is difficult to read.

"So...you're fugitives then? And they're after you?"

I merely nod my head in response, unable to meet his gaze. Silence falls between us. After a few moments, he speaks up again. "...good girl."

He folds his arms across his chest. "Thanks for being so honest, Cassandra. No further questions for now. Just keep telling us the truth and that serum won't come back to bite you. Easy, right?"

"Gnngh..."

Forcing my eyes open, I stare at their blurry forms, ignoring the tears trailing down my face. "S-so...what now? Y-you call the Dog Catchers to take us to the camps?"

"No. Not planning on it."

Even in my current state, his answer takes me aback.

Wh-what did he just—

"They'd just come and arrest us all anyway, so no. You won’t be going to the camps yet. Instead, you’ll be staying right here whilst we go and round up your little friends — all we gotta do is plug their names into the database and we'll find them soon enough."

I grit my teeth weakly. I try to drag myself up again, but my body just flops against the ground uselessly. All I can manage is a helpless shake of my head. 

"D-don't hurt them..."

"That entirely depends on how cooperative you all are. On our turf, you play by our rules. If you don't — things get messy."

He turns on his heel. "Keep the cuffs on her, just in case. I'll go and inform Mother. She'll want to know about our latest catches."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Rest up, Cassandra."

Nodding gruffly, he sweeps out of the tented area, glancing over his shoulder at my sprawled shaking form in the dirt. "Welcome to Tartarus."

[waywardwizzard]

It was late, most of Serenity's crew already asleep. River was curled up on the extra bed in the infirmary, her face turned towards her brother's, her breathing matching his.

Mal sat on a chair between the two med beds, idily keeping an eye on the door. He wasn't taking any chances, not after everything that had happened.

The rustling of fabric brought Mal out of his reverie and he glanced at Simon, smiling slightly when confused blue eyes met his.

"Hey, doc', how're you feelin'?"

Simon mumbled something, turning his head to look at River, smiling softly when he saw the blanket thrown over her.

"She passed out not long after you did. Today's been hard-"

"Wish you were my dad," Simon suddenly mumbled and Mal froze, his smile slipping.

"Shen me?"

"Would have been better," he went on, looking at the Captain through half-lidded eyes.

He tried to move his leg and hissed, sluggishly trying to throw the blanket off. Without thinking, Mal put a gentle yet restraining hand on his ankle, stopping him from moving. Rolling his head, Simon looked at the hand on his ankle and giggled, trying and failing to tap the Captain's chest. Frowning in concentration, he tapped Mal's arm instead, his eyes drooping.

"See. Better. You- you care."

Mal shook his head and folded his arms, looking at the doctor like he lost it. Maybe he did. Whatever Zoë drugged the doctor with was off limits whenever it was Mal's turn to keep vigil as far as he was concerned.

"I'm gonna let that slide, doc', 'cause you got shot and all-"

The doctor smiled, his eyes sliding closed.

"Mhm," he slurred, "Kaylee, she, she w's right. Ya ain't mean."

Before Mal could think of anything to say, Simon was out like a light, his head tilted to look at his sister.

"He's right," River whispered in a sing-song voice, glancing at the Captain with sleepy eyes, snuggling into the thick blanket, " 'for sons and daughters and fathers and everything and nothing, tis family in every sense if not in blood'."

Giving the Captain one last smile, she also drifted off, leaving the Captain with his thoughts and the ghosts hiding in the shadows.

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Author's note-

I'm almost done with febuwhump. Yay but also not.

I hope this one is alright, today's been busy (I'm done reading through 2 of my 5 subjects thank fudge) and I was struggling getting their voices right. But, I'm not gonna lie, I kind of like this one.

The line River's quoting at the end is a line out of one of my own personal poems I'm working on titled 'Duct tape' (it's a working title😂) (also, if you would want to read the whole thing and the others I'm working on, please let me know <3 they aren't good but I'm past caring tbh)

Love y'all so much <3