#tw: child experimentation mentioned

[starlightshadowsworld]

When Snow Falls

Chuuya notices somethings off with Tachihara and learns the government's human experiments didn't end with him.

Spoilers for Stormbringer.

TW for child abuse, human experimentation and there's a mention of suicide (Tachihara brings up his brother.)

@tachiharastanacc An attempt was made 😅

........................

Chuuya knew this was none of his business, but when had that ever stopped him. The mission with the Black Lizards earlier had gone as smooth as ever. But there was something amiss.

The Black Lizards had been fighting their way out. But it didn't escape Chuuya they had been protecting Tachihara. Rashomon seemed to hover near the other boy when the bullets started firing.

Gin was at Tachihara's otherside and Hirotsu would look back at him often, with concern.

Chuuya had looked through Tachihara's files, there was no mention of prior injuries or incident reports. And the kid wasn't weak, far from it considering he made it to the Black Lizards.

And yet, Chuuya recalled Tachihara's performance on the mission. He'd executed his attacks well, but he moved slower than usual. 

Chuuya hadn't gotten a good look at him, but Tachihara had been pale. And when he thought no one was looking he'd wince.

And yeah maybe he was just sick and pushing through it to complete his mission.

But Chuuya's instincts screamed at him that was something wrong. Something beyond some simple sickness. 

His instincts had yet to fail him. With that in mind, and dread in his stomach Chuuya took off into the night. 

Finding Tachihara wasn't hard. It didn't take long for Chuuya to spot him sitting at the docks. Tachihara didn't notice Chuuya approach until he was right behind him.

Not a good sign for someone who's team mate was Gin. Someone who Tachihara frequently caught sneaking up on him.

Tachihara blinked, looking up at his superior. His legs were dangling off the edge and his arms wrapped around himself like he was cold.

Chuuya froze at the sight of him. He hadn't gotten a good look at him during the mission. But up close he could see just how bad the kid looked.

In the dim light of the docks, Tachihara looked like a corpse.

"Shit..." Said Chuuya, before he could stop himself. Tachihara's hands were at his sides, gripping the edge of the docks. They were shaking and it was clear he'd lost weight.

He smiled at Chuuya, and it made Chuuya sick to know that if he wasn't aware something was clearly wrong, he might've bought it. Just how long had Tachihara been putting on this carefree facade? 

"Nakahara? Hey, fancy seeing you out here." Said Tachihara, he was suprised to see the executive. The man would usually be having tea with Kouyou at this hour.

What was he doing out here?

"Tachihara" said Chuuya, making it very clear he wasn't going go entertain this sharade at all.

Tachihara's smile wavered, before it fell entirely. He was almost glad, because it meant he didn't have to pretend anymore.

He didn't need to keep lying to the people he loved. 

Tachihara smiled, it was genuine unlike the last one. It was wistful and sad as he looked to the moonlit sky. "I'm dying" It was said so quietly that Chuuya thought he'd misheard him. 

"What?! What do you mean?! Are you hurt?!" Asked Chuuya, he swore he'd not seen an incident report earlier. Had he been wrong? Why was Tachihara out here and not in the infirmary?! 

Tachihara shook his head, relaxed like he hadn't just dropped a bombshell. "Nah. There ain't a scratch in me. My body's just, shutting down." He debates whether to explain or not. "Might wanna sit, it's a long one."

Chuuya raises an eyebrow, but moves to sit beside him and gestures for him to go on. 

"When I was a kid I looked up to my big brother. He was the perfect model son and everyone wanted me to grow up to be just like him. I hated it, more than anything."

Tachihara snorted. The irony that he had tried everything to avoid being like Shunzen. Only to follow in his footsteps like an imperfect copy. 

"He was a soilder who got sent out the Great War. He didn't die in battle, not the physical kind that is... He killed himself."

Tachihara could still remember that morning. His dad had been hysterics and his mum was yelling at the medic on the phone for lying to her.

He'd just been sat in the middle of it all, forgotten and confused. 

Chuuya wordlessly took off his hat bowing his head in respect. Tachihara was suprised by the sentiment. And touched by it all the same. Chuuya didn't apologise to him, nor offer him empty words.

Not like everyone else had done.

Tachihara had to look away lest he started tearing up. "With him home, the pressure only grew. But instead now it was that it should've been me."

And maybe this was Tachihara's karma for being the brother who survived.

"I said to hell with that. I rebelled, I broke the rules, got into fights and my grades went down the drain. I got caught up in a bank robbery, there was an explosion... I don't really remember it, only that I should've died."

Tachihara took a deep breath that rattled his lungs. "My brother, he had an ability. He could turn metal into shapes from stories and poetry. I was jealous he had one, and that night I learned I had one too." 

Tachihara raised his hand and the metal chain on Chuuya's hat swung back and forth at his command.

He winces, putting his hand down, cancelling his ability. "He could make shapes but I can bend metal to my will. In the same way you bend gravity to yours."

Chuuya can only look at him in shock. To think Tachihara had an ability this whole time and no one had known.

The small show seemed to have sucked the energy out of him. But Chuuya could sense just how strong Tachihara truly was. "Why hide it?"  

Tachihara looks down at his now shaking hand, ashamed. "I'll get to it, I promise." Chuuya frowns, but let's him continue. 

"So I managed to save myself, but barely. I was crushed under rubble but I was saved by the police. When I woke up I thought I was in a hospital. But it only looked like one, it was a secret government lab."

Chuuya's blood ran cold. He swore his heart stopped.

Tachihara, didn't notice and kept talking. "The scientists saved me, but their was a price." Tachihara took another deep breath, it was painful to recount.

"They put me back together, but there was something different. My body wasn't as it was before."

Chuuya knows he should say something, anything. But he can't, his mind is blank. All he can do is sit and stare at Tachihara, at this kid with horror.

Finally, after only a moment but felt forever Chuuya managed to bring himself to ask. "Kid... What did they do to you?"  

Tachihara smiled sadly, closing his eyes. "You know, to this day I still don't know." He admitted, and if that didn't break Chuuya's heart, what would?

He knew, he knew what it was like to feel like your body wasn't yours. To feel like a microchip implanted into a robot, it was a pain he wouldn't wish on anyone. 

"What was their goal. Cause I'm guessing they didn't save you out of the goodness of their heart."

There was always a goal, always a project and a purpose that these sick bastards had in mind. 

For Chuuya it was Arahabaki, for Verlaine it was Guivre. He didn't think it was the same for Tachihara, to create an ability singularity.

The kid's ability was strong but not that strong. 

"Whatever they did it was experimental. It didn't save me completely, I'd need monthly "examinations" a touch up if you will, to keep me alive. They'd only do it though if I accepted the position to become the fifth Hunting Dog."

The Hunting Dogs were a group of elite gifted, hell elite didn't even begin to describe to them.

They were the top squad of the military police. It was said one of their members were equal to the strength of an army of gifted.

Chuuya didn't put much stock in rumours like that, but they don't come from nothing. "You accepted because without them you'd die."

Tachihara finally looks at Chuuya, his eyes shining with greif and shame.  

"Yeah, I did. I was trained, if you could call it that. I was cut up and put back together, over and over. I became what they wanted, and agreed to join the Port Mafia as a spy."

He doesn't let himself move, doesn't let himself look away. The shame weighs on his heart but looking away now would be the cowards way out.

But maybe he was already the coward, given Tachihara had intended on letting this all die with him.

"Tachihara, why are you dying?" Asked Chuuya, his voice soft and kind. The exact opposite of what Tachihara expected, he just admitted he was a traitor... Why was Chuuya being so nice?

"I... What?"

"You said they'd keep you alive so long as you did what they asked, right?" Summarises Chuuya, getting a nod from Tachihara. It takes all of his own training for Chuuya to stay calm. 

"So why aren't they doing that now?"

Realisation blooms in Tachihara's heart, because Chuuya figured it out. He laughs, he's not entirely sure why but he laughs. It rattles his entire body and it brings him to tears.

"I wasn't supposed to like you guys. It's the first rule of being a spy, don't get attached. But... Fuck I got attached, too attached. I gave a report, I missed some information that would've hurt the Port Mafia. It would've cost lives and I couldn't do it."

Tachihara wrapped his arms around himself. It took a lot of effort just to move them. It hurt so much, like his soul was on fire.

"They found out. Pushed my my maintenance day till end of the month. That's why I'm dying, Nakahara. Cause they know, and I know I can't wait that long."

Those bastards... Chuuya was going to kill them. Government or not, he was going to make them feel the pain of being crushed by gravity. Who forces a child to make such a choice?! 

Tachihara coughs, blood staining the floor before him. He smiles "they think I'll crawl back and beg for forgiveness but I won't."

There's a fire in his eyes, a stubborn determination even in his weakened state. "I cleaned their system of everything I ever told em. It's all gone."

This, this was strength. Chuuya could only marvel at the sacrifice Tachihara had made. And he wasn't the only one. 

There's a moment of silence before Chuuya holds up his phone. "Did you catch all of that, Boss?" He asks, Tachihara looks at him in shock.

He hadn't seen Chuuya subtly call Mori as they started talking.  

"Oh yes Chuuya, but Tachihara I have my own question. Why would you go so far for us? You know what the Port Mafia does to traitors." Asks Mori, his voice coming loud and clear from the speaker phone.

Intrigue colouring every word. 

And while he couldn't see him, Tachihara still bowed his head in respect.

"It probably sounds stupid but... Ever since that day, I was treated less than a person. I survived, but I wasn't human anymore. I was a government lab rat."

If Chuuya didn't want to kill them all, that certainty made his blood boil.

He's all too familiar with the craving, the dull ache in your heart as you wonder it that's enough to make you human.

To question whether you were the original. To think you were simply lines of code imbeded in flesh. It had damn near broken Chuuya, and he had people who loved him.

He had crumbled in the hands of those who believed, unwavering that he was human. Chuuya couldn't image thinking that for years, and suffering alone.

The fact this all was going on under his nose, pissed him off. Chuuya had swore to protect those he cared about, and he'd failed.  

Tachihara, unaware of Chuuya's turmoil, was turning over Mori's question in his mind. He chuckles but it's not funny. 

"I'm not even the first person to be the fifth Hunting Dog. I'm just the next one they picked up. That's, why I had to hide my ability, from everyone so no one would know I wasn't the first.

And I probably won't be the last. Being in the Port Mafia, it's the first time I've felt human. I couldn't let that be destroyed, no matter what."

"I've heard enough" Says Mori and Tachihara falls silent. "Chuuya, I trust you to deliver him to Infirmary 4B. It's the closest one to your location."

"I'm on it." Says Chuuya. Tachihara raises his head, confused. As if reading his mind, Mori chuckles.

"Oh Tachihara, the government might have decided you weren't worth saving but last I checked I was the Boss. And all you've done is prove you're truly one of ours. You're going to live, and that's an order."

Tachihara let those words run through him, he was shocked to say the least. "I... Okay" is what he ended up saying, because words were failing him. Mori just chuckled again, signing off. 

"Why did you...?" Trials off Tachihara, looking at Chuuya in shock. Chuuya smiles, it's sad as it is kind. "Cause I know what it's like, to be ripped apart and turned into a government lab rat."

He rests a hand on Tachihara's shoulder. "But kid, nothing they do takes away that you're human." 

Tachihara looks at him, akin to a starving man being handed food. He's spent so long questioning his own humanity.

And for someone to look him in the eye, and say 'you're human' with no hesitation....Tears well up in his eyes and he's powerless to stop them as they fall.

Chuuya hugs him close as Tachihara sobs. He let him down, he let him down and allowed this to go on. Not anymore, Chuuya was going to protect him. Just like he should have all along.

He helps him to his feet, practically carrying him to his bike. And from his bike to the infirmary.

"Could you..." Tachihara trials off, embarrassed and Chuuya chuckles ruffling his hair. It takes Tachihara aback at first, no ones done that since his brother died. 

It was nice. 

"I'll be right here when you wake up." Promised Chuuya, nodding his head to a nearby chair. Tachihara smiled "thanks, Nakahara, for everything."

Chuuya rolls his eyes with a fond smile. "Call me Chuuya, and kid you don't need to thank me for anything. The Port Mafia is my family, that includes you."

Tachihara chuckles "alright, but Akutugawa might be my cooler older brother." He narrowly avoids Chuuya's playful swat and laughs. Tachihara is eventually lead away as the Port Mafia's medical team do their jobs.

Unfortunately, Tachihara would still need the maintenance no matter what they'd do.

Tachihara's body had been fundamentally altered in a way that could not be reversed. But at least now, everyone knew and would make sure he could get through it all painlessly and humanely.

Less human experimentation and more regular surgery.

He wasn't a lab rat.

He wouldn't be ever again.

Not if Chuuya and the rest of the Port Mafia had any say in it.

Akutugawa had been livid, he'd berated Tachihara for being an idiot the moment he was cleared to go home. Tachihara just listened, suprised and was informed Akutugawa had stormed in and hadn't left his side at all.

Hirotsu had patted his shoulder with a kind smile. Higuchi had bought a basket of snacks and had chastised him for keeping it all a secret. Gin had been right there guarding the door.

Chuuya kept his word, having been fantasing what to do with the Government scientists involved. The rest of the Black Lizard chiming in their preferred torture method. 

And Tachihara? He had never felt more loved. 

[powderrblue]

beg her now for one more day (ask her for the strength to stay)

Hadlee glanced over her paperwork. More of the usual met her eyes. Accidents with the lights, carousel needed repairs, deaths, wire maintenance, a 'revived' employee. Revived, resurrected, whatever it was called. Fuck Showfall's projected religious imagery. Couldn't even leave their glorified necromancy machine alone.

She was yanked out of her thoughts by blaring alarms and red, blinking lights. Drones rushed by a second later, leaving Hadlee beyond shock or confusion.

A string of multilingual curses slammed into Hadlee's consciousness.

She recognized that voice instantly.

A million emotions flashed through her mind- none of which she was prepared for- least of all the lightning bolt of fear that lodged in her core.

Hadlee all but launched out of her chair, running towards the center of the mall as quickly as the already gathered crowd would allow.

"Pey, fucking c'mon, where-" they murmured, gaze sweeping the room for any sign of Paislie's reddish blonde head.

And there it was, in the middle of the room. Randy and Henrik appeared to be wrangling him away- unless Paislie had been actually fighting Henrik, it was impossible to tell- but it had Paislie kicking and clawing at Randy's arms anyway.

"Paislie!" they shouted without a second thought, freezing in confusion when Randy looked up and shook his head at her.

"Okay- okay, shit-" Hadlee took a deep breath. The crowd probably wasn't letting Randy take Paislie away from the loud environment, which had to be setting both of them off.

They turned to head back to their desk. Get everyone out of the main room, give everyone room to breathe for fuck's sake, how had this escalated so fast-

"Evacuate the main floor," she found herself droning over the intercom. "Thirty minute drill."

An unscheduled emergency drill would likely get her in trouble later, she knew.

Well then, she'd just deal when the time came.

Returning to the place she'd last seen the declining actor, Hadlee glanced back over the now emptying area.

A larger group of drones herding a small figure towards the laboratory made Hadlee realize what had most likely happened.

"Pey?"

Said seventeen year old was still in Randy's grip, the hands over Paislie's own the only thing keeping them from hitting the wall and probably breaking bones, with how worked up Paislie was.

"Paislie."

They sobbed again, finally relaxing.

Randy didn't let go.

"They were gonna do something to Cade," Paislie managed out. "She said- she told me they'd leave Cade alone, it's not fair, you shouldn't have let them have her," they murmured. Their voice was worn out from screaming, and their hands and face carried blood that probably wasn't their own.

"Paislie. You can't fight the drones."

"I was keeping them away! I would've done it, I would-"

"I know you would have," Hadlee interrupted. "But for how long? What then?"

Paislie shook their head, probably having realized the futility before starting the fight.

"She- she reminded me of Reese, I couldn't not do it, Hal, please-"

Hadlee knelt down beside Randy, slowly shifting the crumpled figure there from his arms to her own. "I know, shh, I know. Breathe, Pey."

"I'm gonna throw up," Paislie murmured, clinging to Hadlee's arms.

"No, you're not," Hadlee corrected gently. "Your brain just doesn't know what to do right now, okay? You gotta breathe, is all."

When Paislie didn't answer, Hadlee took the opportunity to glance over at Randy. His arms were (very predictably) bloody and marked, and Hadlee could almost swear she saw bite marks.

"You good?" they asked, fighting for all they were worth to keep their tone calm.

A nod was the only answer.

Hadlee didn't blame him. Even barring the overwhelm of a whole crew of drones- Paislie seemingly wasn't too different from previous actors Randy had reportedly tried to raise, speaking from what little Hadlee herself knew. And Showfall being- well, Showfall- those probably weren't great memories to be reliving anyway.

"The lab's probably not an ideal destination right now. There's a first aid kit at my desk you can use, if you don't mind just going to the showers. If anyone asks, I'm getting the drill exemptions ready for you and-" she paused, realizing Henrik was nowhere to be seen.

"He's masked," Randy supplied. It was the easiest thing to say.

"Got it," Hadlee acknowledged with a nod of her own. "Thanks for- all that."

Hadlee held back a sigh as Randy wordlessly headed out of sight.

The whole thing was not ideal.

It felt strange, but what in this forsaken place didn't.

Not to mention, the tense atmosphere of the situation would probably take days to subside.

Hadlee could only pray that she wouldn't be filing paperwork about either Randy or Henrik tonight.

"Hal?" Paislie's voice finally whispered. Hadlee would've felt grateful Paislie was still talking if the sound of it weren't breaking her heart.

"What's that?" they asked as gently as they could, running their fingers through Paislie's hair.

" 'm sorry for getting you in trouble."

"No," Hadlee insisted, holding Paislie closer. "It wasn't your fault."

His thin frame only shook more, curling up into Hadlee.

"I don't wanna go," he finally whispered. "I don't wanna leave Cade."

"You won't," Hadlee said, barely managing not to tear up.

Paislie shook his head. "Even the lab couldn't figure it out, you don't know that."

The reminder that was hardly needed as a reminder still stung. Hadlee wouldn't change it for the world, she loved Paislie like the older sibling he shouldn't have lost in the first place.

Even so, Hadlee couldn't bring herself to imagine how much it would hurt. How much it was going to hurt.

They shoved the thought away with a deep breath.

"Well, you're not there yet. Let's go find your medicine."

Hadlee held her composure, easily lifting the younger and carrying them in the opposite direction of the lobby.

"Kitchen time tonight?" she asked as loudly as she dared without letting her voice waver.

Paislie offered a nod in reply, leaning exhaustedly into Hadlee.

They'd both be fine, Hadlee repeated to herself. They'd just have to get through today. Maybe something good would happen tomorrow.

Maybe.

[lone-starlight]

[It's late. It's late and Star should be asleep, snuggled in their quilt alongside Diamond. But they aren't. Instead they're at the window, staring out at the snow and trying to keep their tears and laboured breaths quiet, trying to keep the bile down their throat after their latest nightmare]

[They were in that hospital again - just as pristine and sterile as they remembered - and they were in that god forsaken hallway again. Having gone through this so many times before, they'd practically memorized the locations of the most noteworthy items - the key, the wire necklace, and a star-shaped pendant they found in a more recent venture. It pushed like a button and had stray wires sticking out of it... they have a pretty good idea as to what it was for, but it still makes them sick to think about it for too long]

[They immediately went for the key this time and ran to unlock the door - a game of chance, really, sometimes they win and unlock some buried horrible memories, or they get mauled by the Security... it feels wrong to call the thing torturing them in their dreams "Seki" so... they don't]

[Just as they put the key through the lock, they heard it; that horrible, static growl at the end of the hall, now accompanied by beeping, the thing's attempt at speech that they can't understand. It started to dash on all fours down the hall as Star scrambled with the key to open the door. Those claws scrape at their mind as it gets closer and closer until-]

[Star finally opened the door and slammed it behind them. They expect the monster to slam into it, try to claw its way in, but... there's nothing. No slam, no scratching, not even his growl or morse speech]

[They didn't wanna check to see if it was still there, so they locked the door and turned to the room they've walked into]

[It's the mall again, this time they've walked in through one of the tunnel doors leading to the various shops and food court booths, the same one Ranboo and Charlie ran away from the drones through. So, they assumed they were in Charlie's booth, just without all the streaming equipment - not surprising, in their memory it didn't exist yet]

[Hopping the counter, Star looks around. It's different being in the mall than seeing it on the sidelines, it all feels so much more daunting, making their skin crawl from the feeling of eyes all around them]

[Without any goal in mind - except staying away from that operation room, you know what you saw - they wander around the mall, looking at the various sets of shows, now long past. There was a room covered in sand, cacti, and had what looked to be an old western saloon. There was what looked to be a rooftop set - surprising, Star half expected Showfall to stick their actors on an actual rooftop for those scenes, but maybe they had one too many "accidents" with that. It's probably a bit more difficult to put someone back together once they splat]

[There was a set that stood out to them the most, but they couldn't think of why - now though, they have a couple of guesses. It was a simple set, just a bench in what looked to be a park, a little piece of outside in the company's isolation, complete with trees, grass, and a dirt trail, the walls covered with beautiful but clearly fake scenery. On the bench, facing away from Star, two men were sat, looking at their fake view. G'uncle Germ and Papa, the memory provided. They never would've guessed otherwise - Puzzler looks... so different, almost like a completely different person... maybe he was. And their Dad... they still can't see his face, still can't remember]

[When the man on the left talks, however, it is undoubtedly their Great Uncle Jeremy. He clacks his cane against the floor]

"... Are you truly sure about this plan of yours?"

[Their... their Dad just nods his head]

"Mhm."

"What if it fails?"

"It won't. I've thought of every possibility, and I've made sure that this will work. Have a bit of faith in me, will ya, old man?"

[Star hears the smile in his voice and tries to imagine it... but come up blank]

[There's another clack and their dad quickly slides away from The Puzzler, laughing but rubbing his shin in pain]

"Be serious, Lucian!"

"I am! Everything will be fine, Jeremy! So relax!"

"How do you expect me to relax if you refuse to clue me in on this scheme of yours! This could very well be a suicide mission and you won't tell me."

"..."

[Lucian turns to the slouched man to his left and rests a hand on his shoulder. Star can't see his face, but they can imagine the sorrow and guilt from his voice]

"Jeremy... you know why I can't tell you. Hell, it was risky enough to even tell you I had a plan to get out of here in the first place, you know this."

"... Yes, yes I'm aware. I apologize, my friend. I just... cannot help but worry."

"Heh, these shows are really bringing out the father in you."

"As you insist on reminding me, I am but an old, old man."

[They both chuckle to themselves, looking back at the wall. There's a door, clearly printed over, but it is definitely there... Star can feel the two men staring at it]

"Just... promise me one thing, Lucian."

"Of course, Jer. Anything."

[The cane clicks against the floor a couple of times, as Star hears the faintest sound of electricity]

"When you leave this place... do not return, at any and all costs."

[Lucian is silent, staring at the printed pond in front of him, considering his friend's words]

"Lucian, please. This place is... it is no place for a father and his child, I know this just as well as you do. And Aster... that little star needs you to be there for them. When you leave, take them far, far away from here, travel across the country if you must. Just... don't turn back. Move on from this prison, forget about us... promise me this, Lucky."

[The Puzzler has now taken the taller man's hands in his own, forcing Lucian to look him in the eyes]

"Please, my boy..."

[Their father pulls one hand out of the old man's grasp and wraps his arm around Jeremy, holding him gently. This felt like a goodbye, a personal moment Star was intruding on, but they couldn't bring themself to look away]

"... I promise."

[Finally, quietly and carefully, Star backs away from the park set, feeling queasy as they turn their back on the two men]

[He promised... he promised and he lied. He must've, right? If he hadn't lied, then he would've been there, he would've watched them grow up, he would've been there to help with the bullying, sing them to sleep, hug them when nothing felt real, hold them when they needed his strength. He would have been home, but he went back. There's no other explanation, or rather, there is but it didn't make sense. Why would he leave again? Why did he go back?]

[Star was spiralling - truly feat within a dream, but they just love to do the impossible - walking through the mall, not thinking of where they were going...]

[Which is probably why they ran right into a drone as they rounded a corner]

"Shit-"

[Before they could run, the drone grabbed them by the wrist, yanking them towards it as several more drones came to circle around and grab them, tugging and dragging them to...]

[A grate rattles. They look at it and see Security, their usual tormentor, desperately yanking at the door of its cage, screaming and crying for, presumably, its own freedom. In any other situation they'd feel bad for the thing, but right now they're in such a panic, the only thing they're thinking of is just more confusing]

[This isn't a memory, they've never seen SecuriTV outside of The Social Experiments, they know this. Somehow, they know this, somehow they know it just didn't exist during their stay. But how, why?]

[They don't have enough time before they're thrown into a pitch black room and shutting the door. Trying the handle proves to be fruitless, so they just start banging on the door, screaming and crying and just generally being childish... before they hear a voice again]

"Oh, Little Star... how many times must we go over this..."

[His voice is so sickly sweet, they can taste it like poison burning their throat shut. They don't want to look at him - if they look that makes him real - but the man clutches their shoulder to face him, then grabs their chubby face in one hand, forcing them look him in the eye]

[That mask... that wretched fucking mask remains unreadable, but the eyes behind it have a cruel sort of amusement in them, as if he was taking joy in seeing their fear. He probably was, with or without the mask]

"You just never learn, do you?"

[He turns and drags them to that table, not the table, please, please, please, anything but the table, I'll be good, I swear, I'll be good. Please, just lemme go back to my Papa!]

"Oh, Starlight... I'm afraid it's far too late for that."

[Too late]

[Too late, too late too late Too Late]

[He straps them down to the operating table and, while flicking a syringe, stares at them while they struggle and cry and Beg]

"You're just always too late, aren't you? Perhaps you can learn one day."

[Aster begs, begs, begs, and begs, crying for their Papa, G'uncle Germ, for Barlie, but the man - can he even be called a man anymore? - he just chuckles as he approaches with the large needle]

"Let's see how long you last this time, little one."

[The needle jabs their arm and they can't even focus on that pain before the liquid starts burning in their veins, their blood, their whole being. Everything hurts, everything's burning, please just make it stop, please, please please please-]

[That's when they woke up, not with a scream, thank god, but they were still drenched in sweat and tears. They'd carefully extracted themself from Diamond and their quilt, praying to whoever is still out there that the kid doesn't wake up. They didn't, again, thank god, and now... here they are. Sitting at a windowsill feeling like absolute garbage]

[They don't want to write that dream down for the dream logs... in fact, they just wanna forget the dream entirely. But they know they won't, not with a dream like that. And now, they just have more questions, questions they also don't want to think about]

[So, instead, they just curl up into themself, and cry]

[iloveluxu]

I feel like people aren’t legally obligated to have an opinion on the light-heartedness or darkness of the tone of the kh series until they learn that the main character, a fourteen year old boy, commits suicide in the first game

[gviral]

tw for child experimentation and suicide mentions

william, as we all know, is not a good person (though he certainly likes to think that he's not all bad). i was a bit iffy about incorporating the whole orphanage thing from the remake into my portrayal, but in the end i decided to include it because i like what it adds to william's... evilness. he's always been good at compartmentalizing and sort of... "turning off" his empathy, if you will, especially when it comes to his test subjects. it's natural for him to view the people around him as simply a means to an end, or even an enemy (unless you're a part of his inner circle, in which you will be much more privy to the "sweeter" side of william). he did try to "care" for child subjects in some capacity, keeping lollipops in his operating room and "rewarding" them for willing / active participation. he'd always get a bit sad for every one that failed, though it was more in part because they failed to bond properly with the virus and not because he... y'know, killed a child. they were all "necessary sacrifices." also important to note that he would get unreasonably angry if his subjects found ways to kill themselves, because in his eyes it was a waste of resources. in any post re2 verse, it's difficult for him to cope with the ultimate failure of the G-virus because that means having to acknowledge that every single person he killed was in vain, and he IS in fact a terrible human being.

[runelocked]

ETERNITY IS A REALLY LONG TIME, SHE’S RIGHT. AND WILLIAM CAN’T BLAME HER FOR WANTING A CHANGE. Even if he could, he wouldn’t: he’s leaping at the chance to talk, to stop the torture, if only for a while. As wary as he still is, something relaxes in his expression: he forgets, sometimes, that she is ONLY A CHILD.

At her words — no thanks to you — his mouth falls open, a retort ready on his lips. In my defence, he wants to say, I really had no idea what would happen. You were an experiment. But before he can speak, his brain catches up with his words, and thankfully shuts them off. The last thing he wants is to land himself in some kind of worse hell because of his insolence.

And there are questions he wants to ask her, of course. What did it feel like, being trapped in that suit? Why did you remain behind while others moved on?— Was it really just such a strong desire to make me suffer? How did you make this place? What’s next? … But for now, he keeps himself carefully guarded. He’ll ask difficult questions later, maybe. When he’s loosened up.

Still, William can’t help but snort, just a little cynically. “Normality,” he quotes dryly, “like ‘normal’ for us now isn’t life inside an old rotted suit. It’s been so long I don’t even remember what normal is.”

Sure he does. Normal had been extended smoke breaks cut short helping a child with a scraped knee, or sleepless prideful nights working on a new (non deadly) project for the diner. Normal had been Sunday family dinners and lollipops subtly dropped to children playing without friends and the warm delight at finding his favorite brand of coffee always stocked in his office. …But this office doesn’t really seem capable of normality. Homesickness stirs in him like a loose tooth, and William frowns at her.

“Tell me something about yourself then,” he says. It comes out less demanding than he wants it to sound. “Something from before. I’ve told you something: it’s only fair.”

CONTINUED. / @remnantbound

[razzle-zazzle]

Whumptober Day 20: people don't change people, time does

Found Family

4390 Words; Pooter Pile AU

TW for child abuse, attempted murder, unethical experimentation, blood mention

AO3 ver

“Gisu!”

Gisu looked up at the sound of the door slamming open. Dion let his leg fall back to the floor, his arms securely wrapped around the book he was carrying. Gisu felt a trickle of amusement as Dion stalked over to her, slamming the book on the desk.

It had only been two days since Raz ran off. Dion had come to surprisingly quickly after being thrown like that—maybe it was an acrobat thing. But he had had the worst headache, so it was nice to see him moving with his usual energy, again.

It’d be even nicer if Raz hadn’t run off, but still.

“I know where Raz went!” Dion exclaimed. “Is trying to go. Whatever. But I know where it is!” He flipped the book open, revealing it to be a photo album. Gisu got only a moment to glance at what she assumed were Dion’s baby pictures before he flipped to the page he wanted. “There.” He pointed at the picture of the family all assembled before the Aquatodome—it must have been a few years old, because Gisu couldn’t see Queepie anywhere, but she could see a much younger Mirtala held aloft in Donatella’s arms.

“Cute photo.” Gisu commented, totally not focusing on the massive grin on younger-photo-Dion’s face. “What makes you think Raz is going there?”

Dion pointed at the photo—at the background of the photo, Gisu realized, his finger tapping the mountain dominating the landscape. “When Raz hit me with his… psychic thingy, I think…” He trailed off, searching for the words. “Psychic bullshit involves mind stuff, right? Like thoughts and feelings.”

“Yeah…” Gisu nodded.

“And I’ve been seeing the same fucking mountain since he hit me,” Dion continued, “Which means it’s probably, like, an afterthought of it.”

“After-effect,” Gisu corrected.

“Yeah, that.” Dion agreed. His hands moved as he spoke and paced around, and it was utterly fascinating, even as his words kept coming out stream-of-consciousness style. “So I keep seeing this mountain, and it’s so familiar, like an itch in the back of my mind, yanno? So I start digging through our old albums, because I swear I’ve seen this mountain somewhere before, and I know it’s important, so I kept searching and—”

“And then you found it?” Gisu asked, trying not to let too much fondness creep into her voice. A little bit is okay, but it’s too early to be getting sappy.

“Yeah!” Dion nodded emphatically, once again by the desk and tapping the photo. “It doesn’t look exactly the same but I know that that’s the one. That’s the mountain that Raz is going to.” He looked at Gisu with so much intensity that she thought he might burst, and said, “I keep feeling like I need to go there.”

Gisu leaned back in her chair. “Do you?”

“Yes!” Dion threw his hands in the air. “No? I don’t know!” He paced a small half-circle, “But that’s where Raz is. Is going. I’m sure of it!” He turned to Gisu once again. “I don’t know what to do about this.” He admitted. “I don’t know who I’m supposed to tell.”

“Well, I think—” Gisu stretched, getting out of her chair. “—that what happens next is obvious.”

“Really?’ Dion lit up. “I knew you’d know what to do! You’re really smart like that.” His face flushed, and Gisu had to take a moment to fight off the butterflies in her stomach and the heat on her own face.

“Yeah.” She smirked, grabbing Dion’s wrist. She started pulling him back towards the door.

“We’re going on a field trip!”

+=+=+=+=+

Three huffed as he leaped up over a boulder, his levball making the jump easier than climbing up by hand. Even still, this was exhausting.

But it needed to be done. He only had a little bit further to go, anyway—it had taken him a week just to get this far, and the sun had long set behind him, and he couldn’t waste anymore time.

Really, though, did Ms. Naumann have to build her lab halfway up a mountain? Three had his levball to help, but this was ridiculous.

Still, there was nothing Three could do. He just had to get there, and make everything right. So he’d do it, even if it was tiring.

He had to.

+=+=+=+=+

“I think we made pretty good time!’ Gisu chirped. And really, they kind of did. Five days to make a trip spanning across a few states—thank god for comprehensive bus routes. And her levboard. Couldn’t forget how important her baby was to this whole operation.

“I’m still not sure how you convinced me to go along with this.” Dion muttered, staring up at the mountain looming before them, the sunlight behind him casting his face in shadow. “Or why we’re doing this alone.”

“Because it’s faster that way.” Gisu offered, already setting up her board. Sure, they could have a nice little hike up the trails, but they were here on a mission. Raz had a two-day headstart—they couldn’t waste time. “C’mon.” She held out her hand, and Dion took it. Grumbling under his breath but joining her on the levboard regardless. “Let’s go find Pooter.”

+=+=+=+=+

Three crawled through the vents as quietly as he could. Benefit of the lab being half-underground, he supposed—the vents themselves were surrounded by solid rock, making them more than capable of supporting his weight.

So he crawled along, his mental link with Four helping him navigate to the bunks without issue. It took a while, and he had to wiggle a bit to get through some of the tighter turns, but he made it.

The room the clones all slept in was halfway into a natural cavern, of sorts, with a large open space above the beams holding up the lights. Three telekinetically undid the screws on the vent cover, and quietly removed the panel, holding it in the air to keep it from clattering on the ground. He crawled out onto the bunk bed directly below it, the top cot softening the impact. Once he was clear, he replaced the vent cover, but set the screws to the side—this would be his exit.

“Three?” Four’s voice cut through the room—the lights were off, right now, but Three could already feel his brother’s mental presence beginning to surge.

“Four!” Three practically lunged for his brother, his arms wrapping around Four’s shoulders with all the strength he had. I missed you I’m so happy to see you again I missed you I missed you I missed you

“Three!” Four returned the hug, pulses of missed-you and ribbons of golden elation flowing through their connection. I missed you I’m so glad you’re safe I missed you I missed you I missed you

Eventually, Three pulled back. His face crumpled, his eyes stung, and he slammed his face back into the crook of his brother’s neck. “I missed you.” He murmured, his thoughts echoing the notion.

“I missed you too.” Four returned, echoing back the same. He pulled back. “You gotta be quick,” he started. “Ms. Naumann’s been acting really weird lately.”

Three took a breath. Right. No more tears—mission now, sad later. “Weird how?”

Four winced. “Like she’s scared of something.” He mumbled. “I think…” He tried again, “She told me to call you back in a few days. I think… I think she’s going to terminate us.”

Three’s blood ran cold. The world pressed in on him, crushing weight squeezing all the air from his lungs—

Three scowled. “That’s not going to happen.” He declared. “We’re going to get Six and Raz and we’re going to get out of here.” He was done being scared of Ms. Naumann. She was wrong. She was wrong and Three felt none of the respect he’d had for her. She was wrong.

Four nodded. “It’s this way—” he started—

Something fell from the beams above to the floor beside them with a thud and a grunt, making Three and Four flinch back in surprise. The figure uncurled, groaning as it stood—

“Wh—how did you get here?” Three whisper-shouted. “Why are you here?!” Of all the—for the sake of—really? Of all the people who could have somehow followed him, it was Dion?

“Raz.” Dion started, “You have ten seconds to explain—” He stopped short, his eyes darting between Three and Four.

“Why are there two of you?” Dion’s voice went up a few notches, grating against Three’s ears. He was looking back and forth between the two of them, confusion leaching off of him in waves.

Three put his hands up in a placating gesture. “Look, Dion, I promise I’ll explain everything later.” He said, trying to ignore the way Four was starting to vibrate next to him. “When we have time.” He promised. “But I need you to not mess everything up right now—”

“Uh uh.” Dion interrupted, hands on his hips. “No way. I’m not doing anything until you explain yourself.”

“We don’t have time—” Three insisted, gritting his teeth. Why couldn’t he have been followed by someone with sense, like Frazie? Frazie was cool.

“I’m not hearing an explanation.” Dion hissed. “So I’ll ask again: What the fuck is going on here?!” he demanded—

“I find myself wondering the exact same thing.”

Three froze. Dion’s eyes were wide as he stared at the doorway behind Three. Oh no. Oh no.

Three turned around slowly, like the air around him was suddenly full of glue. Oh no no no.

None other than Ms. Naumann stood there, her lips pressed into a thin line. All of Three’s resolve dissolved under her gaze, like a wadded up napkin being tossed into the trash. Oh no.

“And who are you?” Ms. Naumann turned her attention to Dion, who looked as much like a deer in headlights as Three and Four felt.

“...very confused.” Dion admitted.

Ms. Naumann raised a hand to the bridge of her nose. “Right.” She sighed. Her hand moved to her temple, her look of resignation turning to one of concentration.

Three yelped in surprise as an arm wrapped around him, lifting into the air in a single burst of motion. Ms. Naumann shot a psi-blast, and Dion ducked under it to slide out the open door behind her, not once losing momentum even as he leapt up into a run, Three and Four tucked against his sides.

“Which way do I go?” Dion demanded, as Ms. Naumann’s footsteps echoed behind them.

“Left!” Four shouted, even as Three’s head spun trying to remember the layout. Dion skidded to a near-halt at the next intersection, deftly using his shed momentum to pivot into a turn to the left. “I still want an explanation!” He nearly screeched, following Four’s directions to duck to the right.

“Later!” Three reminded him. He squirmed in Dion’s arm until he was facing backwards, watching as Ms. Naumann came up behind them. “She’s gaining!” He shouted, and Dion picked up the pace.

“Do something then!” Dion made another turn, his grip on Three and Four tightening to keep them from slipping free.

Right! Three concentrated, lining up his shot—

Ms. Naumann’s eyes widened in surprise as Three fired. She ducked to the side, and the shot only grazed her—but she ended up stopping entirely, so Three still allowed himself a moment of silent victory. He was useful! Another shot brought down a light fixture, blocking her path. Even more useful!

Dion slid to a halt, the sudden stop jarring to Three. He squirmed, trying to see what had brought them to a halt—

“How do I open this?” Dion demanded, and Three managed to turn around entirely. They were blocked by a door—the playroom door, it looked like.

“Get me to that keypad.” Four said, and Dion moved to hold him up in front of it. Four tapped in the code—

Four hissed and pulled back his hand. “Dammit.” He muttered. “She changed it again.”

“Language.” Dion snapped. Three stuck out his tongue. Who was Dion to decide if his brother could swear? “Hurry up,” Dion added. “I don’t like how quiet it is right now.”

“I’m trying.” Four shot back, trying another code. Another angry beep as the pad flashed red. “Ugh, she changes them way too often.” He grumbled, moving to try another one.

Probably because someone’s just a little too clever. Three suggested, trying to squirm out of Dion’s grip. Four ignored his comment in favor of focusing on the keypad.

“Uh uh.” Dion adjusted his hold on Three. “You’re not going anywhere until we’re out of this mess.”

Three crossed him arms. He really wished it was Frazie who had followed him. How did Dion even find him?

“How did you even find me? You were out on the floor when I left.” Three poked Dion’s side.

“You’re the one who practically showed me where you were going.��� Dion muttered, like it was somehow Three’s fault that he’d shown up to mess everything up.

Which… maybe it was, now that Three thought about it. He hadn’t even touched Dion when he’d sent him flying—if it was a burst of unfocused psychic power, then it probably ended up pushing Three’s thoughts into Dion’s head. Whoops.

Four hissed at another failed attempt. Dion tapped his foot against the floor impatiently. Footsteps echoed down the hall. Three gasped. “Ms. Naumann!”

“Okay, time to go!” Dion decided, pulling away from the door.

“Wh—no!” Four shouted. “Six is in there!”

“We’re not leaving him behind!” Three added, “Him or Raz!”

Dion froze. “What—”

The world tilted, and Three fell to the floor. He had only a moment to catch his breath before a telekinetic grasp grabbed ahold of him, too, lifting him up into the air to join a struggling Dion and Four.

“That’s enough of that.” Ms. Naumann declared, already turning on her heel. The hands followed after her, dragging the three of them along through the air.

“Well.” Four muttered, “shit.”

+=+=+=+=+

Well, shit. Gisu scooted further into the shadows. She and Dion had only found Raz—though apparently he was going by Three?—by chance, and then Dion had fallen down into the room the moment he spotted his brother. Who was greeting a second Raz.

And now this lady had showed up, and Dion had grabbed both Razzes and ran. Gisu had no idea how far he’d get, but she didn’t want to get caught, either.

Something that the Not-Razzes had mentioned caught in her mind, and she regarded the door carefully. Six and Raz? Did that mean that there were more Pooters here?

Well, it was as good a lead as any. Gisu levitated down to the floor, and poked her head out the still-open door.

The hallway was empty. Probably.

Carefully, Gisu crept out, holding her board tight against her side. If she concentrated, she could faintly feel Dion’s mind a ways away, frustration ebbing in and out of his mental signal. She wasn’t good enough with telepathy to hold a full conversation with him, though—she was too used to the person on the other end being psychic. Adam could probably hold a connection with seven people all on his own, and Morris was also pretty good at long-range communication—

But Adam and Morris weren’t here. Just Gisu and Dion.

Gisu huffed, casting her mind out further. She didn’t want to alert the scientist lady to her presence, but there had to be something she could use—

Aha! Her mind caught on something. On another mind—

…which reached back. Who are you? They demanded, their presence like waves crashing against Gisu’s mind.

Trying to help. Gisu responded, raising a hand to her temple to track down the other mind.

Like you could help me, the voice scoffed. Okay, rude. You just want Raz, anyway.

Yeah, that was what Gisu was confused about. Why are there so many of you?

The other end was quiet, for a moment, then—there used to be one more. But he’s gone now. A deep sense of melancholy washed over Gisu like waves washing over the sand. For a moment, she almost felt like sand, slowly being pulled into the depths of the anguish bit by bit.

Gisu shook her head to snap herself out of it. I’m sorry. She responded, that sucks.

Tell me something I don’t know. The other mind snarked. But really, why are you here?

Gisu concentrated on everything that had happened in the past several days. The birthday, the breakdown, Not-Raz running off, her and Dion’s chase to reach the mountain before him… as far as explanations went, it was probably really cluttered, a mix of feelings and memories and desires all packaged up into a bundle, with a lot of the needed context missing. But it was what Gisu had to work with.

… The other end was silent for a moment. Then—

A schematic—no, a layout appeared in Gisu’s mind, with a path highlighted in bright blue. Go here, it seemed to say, without saying anything at all.

Gisu followed the path, keeping an eye out for any wandering scientists. How she managed to get around without getting caught, she had no idea—

But she was doing it, which was good. She could worry about the potential implications of being able to seemingly run rampant later.

She came up on a metal door with a keypad to the side. It was flashing, the tiny screen above it saying something about failed attempts. But Gisu only grinned and pulled out her mini-screwdrivers—time to get to work. Pry off the cover, then the pad itself to get at the wires… snip those two wires and join them together…

The door slid open a few moments later. “Ha!” Gisu put away her tools, “Am I good, or am I good?” That was easy. Almost too easy, but Gisu was too busy riding the high of her success to care.

The room she stepped into was larger than the first one, with a small swingset installed at the other end. Mats covered the floor, there was a balance beam—

And there, sitting next to a slide and curled up under the steps, were two more Razzes, regarding Gisu with mild suspicion.

“Okay, which one of you is Pooter?” Gisu twirled her board in her hands, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

The Raz under the slide pointed at himself. “I’m the original.” He said, his voice scratchy and tired-sounding.

“Six.” The other said, leaning against the red plastic.

“Right.” Gisu nodded. She had no idea what that meant—she could guess, though—but that wasn’t important. What was important was getting Dion and the other two and getting out of here. She slapped her palms together. “Time for us to blow this joint!” She declared.

“You mean it?” Raz asked, staring at Gisu with wide eyes. “We’re getting out of here?”

Gisu nodded. “Yeah!” She frowned. “Well, not without Dion,” She amended, “Or the other two.”

Raz blinked. “Dion’s here?” He stood up. “He’s not—he’s not still mad at me for running away, right? I can kind of see what the other mes see, but…” He trailed off, staring at the floor.

“He asked me to help troubleshoot his apology.” Gisu said flatly. “And I’m still missing a lot of the context here, by the way.”

“Oh.” Raz’ mouth worked, for a moment, as he looked for the words. “I ran away,” he started, “And I made it to Whispering Rock…” He contemplated, for a moment, before skipping ahead, “The other me and me swapped places at the Rhombus of Ruin.” He said.

“Oh.” Gisu clutched her board a little tighter. That was—oh. Suddenly, the exhaustion smeared under his eyes looked even more sad and pathetic, like a wet kitten alone in a box after all of the other kittens had been taken. Oh, this poor kid.

These poor kids, Gisu realized, looking at Six. She had heard Not-Raz respond to Three, and he’d called the other Four…

She had never heard anything about a One, Two, or Five.

“Well, this is your lucky day,” she decided, “Because you’re getting out of here. All of you.” Raz perked up at her statement. Good.

“It’s too late.” Six stated. “Three and Four got caught. They’re probably already on their way to being terminated.” He scoffed. “I’ll probably be next.”

Gisu swallowed. That… didn’t sound good. “We’ve still got to do something,” She urged.

Raz nodded, turning to Six. “Don’t you want to see the ocean?” He asked, “Because this might be your one chance.”

Six stared at Raz for a long moment. He scowled. “That’s not fair.” He muttered, standing up to join Gisu and Raz. “You can’t just use my weakness against me.” Still, he was no longer sitting next to the slide, so Gisu counted that as a win.

“C’mon,” She urged. “Let’s go kick that lady’s—”

“Ms. Naumann.” Six interjected.

“Okay.” Gisu started again. “Let’s go kick Ms. Naumann’s butt!”

+=+=+=+=+

Three had never been in this room before. There was a large glass tube—that Three and Four were immediately dumped into—and a control panel that took up most of the space, making the whole place feel cramped. Dion was set down in the only open space on the floor, hands cuffed behind him, and the door wasn’t able to slide shut with him sitting so close to it. He wasn’t conscious—Ms. Naumann had used a burst of mental pressure to knock him out when she drew blood. Three looked away from the bandage in the crook of his arm.

Three had never been in this room before. He could guess at what it was, though. His hands pressed against the glass while his heart threatened to pound right out of his chest—

Twin screams lighting up the shared headspace, hurt hurt hurt hurt hurt hurt HURT—

“Please.” Three tried. Four leaned against him, his weight and his mind a steadying presence, but he may as well have been trying to steady a wobbling tower of cards on a rocking boat in the middle of a storm.

Okay, so that metaphor was wordy. Three was allowed to be wordy, he felt, when there was death looming over him.

“I can see this project isn’t working out.” Ms. Naumann muttered. “Perhaps I’ll have to put it on pause… or maybe taking up a second project will give me some much-needed variety.” She regarded Three and Four for a long moment, her cool gaze betraying not even a hint of the anger that Three could feel leaching off of her.

“You did well.” She said, reaching for the panel. “But I see you’ve been let loose for too long.” Her words sounded too practiced to be sincere, even though she would have only had to say anything. “I will make this as painless as possi—”

“Hey.”

As one, Three, Four, and Ms. Naumann turned their attention to the open doorway, where Dion was still unconscious to the side. Standing next to him was none other than Six, regarding Ms. Naumann with a blank expression.

Ms. Naumann returned to the control panel. “Return to the playroom, Subject Six.” She ordered. “This isn’t a place for clones.”

“No.” Six said, staring her down.

Ms. Naumann paused, turning to look at Six directly. “No?”

“No.” Six repeated, raising his hands.

Ms. Naumann’s voice cut off with a gasp as she fell to the floor, her whole body trembling. Six’ brow furrowed as he stepped forwards, his hands outstretched. “You’re an awful mother.” He declared. “And we don’t like you!” He swept his arms to the side, and Ms. Naumann slammed against the wall with a wheeze. Six’ arms dropped. Ms. Naumann fell to the floor.

“Dion!” And then Raz was in the room, standing next to Dion and fussing—

“Let’s get you out of there.” And there was Gisu, since when was Gisu here, staring at the control panel for a moment before slamming her fist down on one of the buttons.

Three flinched—

The tube opened up. Oh. Oh, thank god.

Three and Four wasted no time in making their way out of there, standing next to Gisu. The room was getting really crowded, now, there was barely any room for anyone to move around—

“You.” Ms. Naumann was already pushing herself up. “You insolen—”

A pair of shiny metal handcuffs thwacked off of her head, clattering to the floor. Three turned back to see Dion standing, muttering curses under his breath as he rubbed at the base of his thumb. “And stay down.” He added.

Ms. Naumann did not stay down. She hissed, and before Gisu or Six could do anything to stop her, she spoke. “Initiate System Shutdown, voice code 4-18-4-25-4.”

Alarms started blaring. Ms. Naumann disappeared with a pop, leaving them all crowded in that tiny room.

“Time to get out of here!” Gisu declared. Raz launched himself at Dion, who scooped up Four and Three in his arms once again. Gisu threw down her board, grabbed Six, and hopped on—Dion hopped on next. “Which way?”

“Down that hall, then take a right!” Four instructed, as Gisu’s levboard rocketed off down the halls. “Now left!” Three had to grab Dion’s vest to avoid falling off as Gisu turned—this was so much worse than when Dion had been running. But with the countdown blaring over their heads, Three didn’t have it in himself to say anything.

“And out that door!” Four pointed. But the door was closed!

Gisu raised her hand and pointed with two fingers. Lightning blasted out down the hall, hitting the door just moments before her levboard got there—

Her board flew out into open air, leaving the smoke from the blasted door behind them. The hidden lab rumbled, the whole mountain seeming to shake—

The whole world spun, Three tumbling right out of Dion’s grip as the board was flung forwards. He tumbled through the air and into the undergrowth, rolling across the ground before coming to a stop.

The sky was a brilliant shade of orange above him. Morning already?

Fuck, he was exhausted. The world was still spinning, a bit, and he could hear everyone shouting or groaning as they picked themselves up. Four was okay, though, and Raz was out—that was all that mattered.

With a tired groan, Three let his eyes slip closed.

[vendettavalor]

Anonymous said: “📂“ -> For the S.W.O.R.D.S team (individual or as a whole, up to you!)

⚔️ Random Headcanon // ACCEPTING ⚔️

// all of the above actually - and none of them are useless❤️

S.W.O.R.D.S. - General

Following the failure of Project Nemesis and the escape of her test subjects, Zaccarian's operations put into question were oficially shut down. The end of Project Z also meant the destruction of all files and records related to the project. Well - almost. There were exactly two people who had full, unrestricted access to the original documentation. Those were Andromeda Zaccarian herself, and Margarita Alacan prior to her going AWOL. All other copies, database archives, and backups of the project ever existing were deleted following the Project's formal shutdown. For the sake of the team (and at the request of Lupa), Margarita has withheld all information on the project, including the real names of all of the members. To date, none of the original S.W.O.R.D.S. know their real names, birthdays, or any other information about themselves prior to becoming child test subjects for Zaccarian's Project Z.

CAPTAIN CONRAD CURTIS

// Unlike the rest of the team, Conrad Curtis was infected with the Z-Virus long after the rest of his team. He wasn't part of the initial project, but was infected in a follow-up rescue mission after Zaccarian had kidnapped the S.W.O.R.D.S. again. While captured, he was exposed to a more advanced and more stabilized version of the virus. His mutations are the result of a combination of gator and gorilla DNA. He's unlike the others solely because he has full control over his mutations and does not suffer the negative effects of genetic alteration from the virus. This is just a longwinded way of saying that the team playfully refers to him as Kongzilla.

DOCTOR MARGARITA ALACAN

Like Conrad, Margarita is infected by the virus later on in the timeline after being capture by Zaccarian trying to reclaim the S.W.O.R.D.S. and revive her long-dead project. Her variation of the virus is also stable and without side-effects due to purification and perfections made over time. Her genetic makeup is re-engineered and mixed with that of a Japanese Sable and Megachiroptera Bat. Following the recovery period after their escape from capture, Margarita develops the habit of making a lot of random, cute noises. She often finds ways of working while hanging upside down and develops a new fascination and comfort with climbing up into high places to relax.

OFFENSIVE SPECIALIST LUPA

Lupa's mutations from the Z-Virus gave her the genetic makeup, habits, and physical characteristics of a wolf. As a result of this (and some instances that occurred when she was still a test subject) she wears a muzzle and refuses to eat meat. She also refuses to allow herself to bite people in case it triggers her natural instinct to devour them. But one big exception she allows herself in terms of animal products is bones. Lupa loves gnawing on bones for hours on end. Especially if it's stewed because she loves to scrape out the marrow inside and chew on the cartilage that stays stuck on the edges and ends of the bones. Often times, if she's too busy to chew on a bone she will bury it/hide it to dig up and gnaw on later as a treat to herself. It's one of the few pleasures she allows for herself.

ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST BUFFY

Buffy was one of the most affected, and yet most resilient members of S.W.O.R.D.S, during her time as a subject. Her repeated recovery from various exposures led to her becoming one of the most promising subjects with nearly five different types of DNA being integrated into her cells: rabbit, kangaroo, aardvark, porcupine, and Plant 43. The combination of both animal and plant DNA integrated into her native genome means that Buffy has a very special connection with plants. She can make them bloom, she can make them grow, and she can control plants to obey her whims and make them appear to act on their own. During the active period of her team, the ability was mostly used to attack and defend by disarming enemies and strangling them with vines. These days, Buffy uses the ability to spur on the growth of their garden plants so that her team has something to eat. The amount of blooms that also grow all over her body means that Buffy is routinely covered by bees and butterflies while she naps.

RECON & INFILTRATION SPECIALIST STAR

Being one of the most heavily affected by her Z-virus infection, many of Star's critical organs and accessory limbs are supported by integrated cybernetic systems that help keep her alive and functional. To some, it sounds like a grim fate. To be kept alive by machine parts and hand-made software. To Star however, it's just fine. Her upgrades mean that she is able to modify and update her body to do whatever she needs it to. She can suppress pain detected by her nervous system, react faster than any fully organic being can, and further enhance the abilities of her mutated form to be a perfect infiltration and stealth specialist. Having to take care of her cybernetics mean that Star also has a high interest in mechanics and software in all sorts of other fields too. Phones, computers, servers, hacking, code-writing, programming, design and digital art - you name it, she has a claw in it.

HEAVY DEFENSE SPECIALIST JUDE

Jude's mutations include a bear form with several additional mouths, including those on his neck, back, and abdomen. His saliva includes a powerful acidic enzyme with a strength that compares to the hydrochloric acid of his stomach. His tongues are their own prehensile limbs that can grab and drag targets into his maws to be devoured. While he does have control over when the digestive enzyme is released, naturally, the lingering product of these acidic glands can cause him some discomfort. To alleviate this, Jude makes himself large logs of alkaline or calcium carbonate-based snack chews in order to nullify the effects of the acid in his mouths. Additionally, if one is feeling brave enough, he will allow them to play with the tongues of his mouths. They're quite friendly and playful, and they mostly smell like mint. All one really has to do is get over the slimy texture.

SCOUTING & WATCH SPECIALIST RAY

Ray's mutation feature hyperactive bone growth as a result of his amplified cervid DNA. While the shape of his antlers may start off and progress in the shape of a moose's, the rapid growth will eventually have them looking more like overgrown white-tail antlers with multiple main columns and tines. After the velvet on his antlers sheds and they've hardened up, they'll often be very heavy and cumbersome. While Ray prides himself on taking care of his antlers, there comes a point each year where trimming and grinding them down is not enough. He has to clip them off entirely. For a while, he sulks. But once they start growing it again normally, he'll perk right up and go back to grooming himself as meticulously and as dutifully as he always does.

SUPPORT SPECIALIST MARIANA

Mariana's neck and rib gills give her the ability to breathe underwater. Paired with how thick and insulated she is, cold water doesn't post a problem for her. Likewise, Mariana feels more at home in the water anyway. She tends to a coral reef and large field of undersea plants that she uses to make medicines and salves for her team. These underwater paradises attract sea life, including fish that she feeds and feeds on. Her most well-kept secret it an underwater home made within the coral of her reef. She has a comfortable bed, and air pocket, and many chests and storage units where she keeps things like rocks, stones, shells, plants, and other treasures and trinkets she's collected over the years. If nowhere else in the world feels safe, that little coral house always will.

LITTLE ALICE

Alice is the youngest member of the S.W.O.R.D.S. at just six years old. Rescued during one of the later raids of Zaccarian's facility, which was still operating in secret, Alice was one of the first children to be born with an innate Z-virus infection. Her infection was, like Conrad and Margarita's, stable and perfected. Her genetic mutation contained samples of all the existing species in Zaccarian's existing database. As a result, it's predicted that Alice can take on the mutated shape and abilities of any number of species. For the time being, her transformations are largely guided by emotions and take on the small, baby versions of the species she mimics. She has little to no control over any of her abilities, and not many of them are well-defined. She's doted on by all of the members of S.W.O.R.D.S. like their own child. And while one day she may choose to follow in their footsteps and become an agent, for now, Alice enjoys the comfort and delight of having the childhood that the rest of her family never got to have.

[laffy-taffy-creations]

Real Heroes

Warnings: mentions of trauma, past experimentation, child experimentation, mentions of kidnapping, death mention

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And the award for No. 1 Hero is, as it has been for the last 11 years, NM!" the speaker announced.

I forced myself to keep my nerves under control. In just a few moments, they would ask if anyone had any objections, and I would raise my hand. I subconsciously searched for the hand of one of my teammates standing next to me and grabbed on to it. S ended up being said teammate and gave me a comforting squeeze.

The speaker finished up their speech which mostly boiled down to 'obviously he deserves this because it's him'. "Now, for something that I'm almost certain is useless, does anyone in the crowd object to this?" they asked.

I squeezed my eyes shut as I forced my hand as high as it could go. I heard a few gasps and murmurs. When I opened my eyes, most people were looking at me. "I…I have an objection," I said, trying to make myself sound as confident as possible.

There was some tense almost silence for a bit before I said, "Am I allowed to go up?"

"Please do!" the announcer said.

A path was made and I let go of S's hand as I walked towards the stage. People naturally let me through and I took several calming breaths as I ascended the stairway to the stage where everybody could now see me. It was now or never, every person in the city would recognize me as the person who objected to NM being the No. 1 Hero, if I didn't make my case now I probably couldn't ever again.

"You're one of the hero trainees, right? What's your name?" they asked. NM recognized me almost instantly once I was on the stage with him.

I forced myself to speak. "Yes, my codename is Blackout… I was the trainee that led the charge on the lab hidden in the forest a few months back," I said. I wished there was a better way to do this without having me stand so close to him, even though he was at least 10 feet away.

The speaker seemed intrigued and was treating this like some sort of interview, "so you're one of the best trained under his watch, right?" It was insulting, like they were trying to poke holes in my arguments before I made them by attacking me. It was disgusting.

"Just because I'm one of the best trained at the academy he teaches at doesn't mean that it's because he trained me, I learned the most from my actual teacher, my classmates, and my training before I was at the academy. I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask questions with the goal of making my statements debunked before I make them, I do notice what you're doing and it's absolutely gross, now may I have the microphone so I can explain?"

That stunned the announcer who silently nodded and gave me the microphone. I took a deep breath. This was it. Everybody would know.

"How about I start off by putting it bluntly. That lab that was hidden in the forest? Was his."

There was muttering amongst the audience and visible disbelief on most people's faces.

"The way I knew about it, and why I led the mission? It's because I was one of the experiments there, and I was the only one who escaped. He wasn't allowed to know about the mission until after, but if you saw his face, you would know as well as I do that he was both scared, and absolutely furious."

One of my friends shouted out, "He absolutely was!" Another gave me a smile and thumbs up.

"Why? Because he was more at risk for being outed. And here's where I would like to make my case. He doesn't deserve to earn the award this year. He didn't deserve the award any years prior. I was taken from my parents at the age of 9. I woke up one day, no clue where I was, who anybody around me was, or where they'd taken some of my things including my mask that everybody now knows me by."

The audience was completely silent and I could feel my heart racing in my chest. Several of my teammates were making hearts with their hands towards me. One of them mouthed out 'you got this' to me. Here comes the big part. Deep breaths.

"I was tested on there for 4 years before I finally got out, and had to wait 4 more years until I had enough personal influence to even believe I could save the others." I laughed a bit, "And do you notice the issue there? We all needed saving. Saving is the job of a hero, and if the number 1 hero knows about something they are able to change to save literally over 200 people, they should do it. But he didn't. Because he was the one running that lab."

I started getting angrier the more I talked about it, "I am not the only person that suffered from this, one of the youngest experiments was Rullo. 3 when his experiments started. He never saw the actual world until he was 11 when we saved him. I was 9 when I had to be put through this. I was 13 when I ran away and the saving of all of them was put on me because it wouldn't stop until someone saved us. And I was 17 when I led the charge. I couldn't speak up until now because I was too scared that no one would believe me and still am because who would believe a 17 year old trainee over the number 1 hero? My testimony alone won't be enough."

I felt the adrenaline running through my veins. I was doing this. He was going to get what he deserved for taking all of us from our families.

"And before anyone tries to say I'm twisting things and changing the narrative," I continued, "I'm not. I'm not even Japanese, I'm American. My parents and I, we were visiting for an annual trip. I have never seen them since. And based on the others in the lab, I can say with certainty most of us are foreigners. I'm European-American. Zharata is Chinese. Rullo is Italian. Sayovai is Northern African. Agno is Greek. It's like the best display of diversity, and it's a lab to use people as experiments against their will."

I stomped my foot, and a giant black spike shot up from the floor, and went back down just as quickly with a zap of electricity. "See that?" I asked the audience. I snapped and the scenery around all of us changed from a giant concert-like venue into a massive ballroom, then pitch black darkness with perfect lighting so people didn't freak out as much, then a giant room resembling those each experiment series was held in.

"All of this is real. It's not fake, like my publicly known power, Illusion. This is one of the powers that was forced upon me," I said. The ceiling opened and all of the scenery swept itself back to me from under all of the attendees. I waved my hands and an array of knives appeared over my head, and with one sharp gesture all of them hit the stage floor below me, leaving massive slits in it as they disappeared into a mist.

"I was one of many, my experiment series was all about testing how many separate powers the human body could withstand, he didn't care about ethics or anything, some people got their genetic code changed through painful processes that took months, he never cared and didn't even recognize me when I joined one of the groups of trainees. He didn't care, he oversaw it, I was part of it, I watched it, at least 2 people died in my specific line of experiments and I saw so many more. At least 20 people died while I was there!" I shouted.

Then everything I'd been saying hit me like a truck. I struggled to keep my breathing under control. Thousands if not millions of people, if not the entire country heard my claims just now, no doubt almost everyone was watching the live broadcast with me as the center of attention.

Keep your cool, all of this is on you now. Amongst the sea of shocked faces I had to remember where my friends were, and they were smiling, still sending me loving gestures and mouthing phrases meant to calm me.

"I'm not kidding when I say I wouldn't be here right now on this stage telling basically the whole country what he did to us if not for my friends and teammates. Don't think the absurdity escapes me either. But I know what I saw. And we saw him specifically during his annual trips to check on how the lab was running. His signature is on all the documents for the testing and experimentation of each and every one of us. He has to overview all of our files before signing off that we were an optimal next subject. And dammit, do I need to bring up that I was 9 again? Or how Rullo was 3?" I could feel the tears in my eyes forming, invisible to the public because of my mask. Another deep breath.

"I know everything I'm saying sounds horrific, and comes as a major shock to most if not all of you. But I ask you this. How do you think I felt when I finally escaped, no parents, no home, no connections, into the wide world of your country, and found out he was the face of goodwill here?" I said, voice beginning to shake. "And with that, no, I don't not believe he deserves to be titled as the number 1 hero. Thank you for listening," I finished.

I signaled to my friends I was done and handed back the microphone, but it took a bit for the announcer to register that I was done. I wasn't too surprised. After they took it, I walked off the stage and once I was down the steps and back in the crowd I rushed to the nearest exit, the announcer continuing on with the ceremony but none of the words reaching my ears.

"You did so well!" S ran up to me once I made it to the parking lot. I couldn't respond, my breathing was very obviously shaky. I was surprised it took that long and she wrapped me in a hug. I started to break down crying into her shoulder.

The others had spotted me soon after her and had made their way over. "Hey, that was really good, I'm so proud of you for being able to do that," CG reassured me. L gave me a hair ruffle, which was a lot for him, even if we were semi-close. "You did really good up there OV," K said with a smile.

"C-can… can we go bac-ck to th-the car?" I asked, trying to regulate my breathing again through my tears.

"Of course," CG told me. SG had stayed silent the whole time, but when S let me go to walk back she held out her arms like she wanted a hug and I let her give me a squeeze.

K laughed while walking back, "I'd send everybody a text but it looks like they know already." I gave a small giggle, as did the others. He typed something on his phone, and I felt mine buzz in my pocket so I guess he sent something anyway. I hadn't realized then, but thinking back it was buzzing several times throughout the honoring.

I don't know if it was out of courtesy or stress, but I didn't exactly remember any notifications during my speech. I'd have to look but I was so grateful already if they did.

We walked back to the car, which was spacious since it had to fit 5 passengers with the driver, and I was both happy for the space next to me and the ability to lean on the shoulder of one of my friends. And I had a lot to process.

I finally did it. Everybody knew. Now we had to wait for the public execution. Either me, or him. And I don't think I was ready to deal with any of that right now, right now I just needed to sink into the comfort of my friends, lulled to sleep by my drained energy and the gentle vibrating hum of the car around me. If only sleep would actually come for me.

[griim]

Gemma's father

the 'twins' father, who’s greed has led him to do horrible things.

tw: child experimentation, experimentation, memory wipe, abuse, child abuse, burns

Matthew Harding the patriarch of the Harding family, or so he would claim, is the type of man who says ‘no’ isn’t in his vocabulary. He is the typical corporate man who sees himself as high and mighty. When it comes to a family he is the farthest thing from a father, unless that is you were his son. His pride and joy. During the time that he worked for a corporation, Matthew helped run his sector with little to no regard to human rights, he figured this was his playground. It was because of these actions that the twins (Gemma and Christian) were born. After their birth Matthew did everything in his power to hide the fact that he had children, leading to them having no birth certificate or IDs. Once the corporation had fallen he hid in the shadows, licking his wounds. Months were spent finding the resources (because money wasn’t a problem) to remake the chair and the corporation in which he helped run.

After some time he had gained some friends within HYDRA, some were willing to fund his little ideas. Though money wasn’t the problem, it was more of they kept him running under the radar and got him the scientists and men to do the job. Once putting the machine together he needed a subject, and he knew just where to find it, his daughter. Without warning, he had taken his, seven-year-old daughter from her bed and brought her into the room where he had built the machine. Ignoring the pleas and cries of Gemma he had her strapped down, then with a push of a button seven years of her life were gone. Just. Like. That. But that did not come without a cost, one Matthew was willing to pay. His daughter suffered burns and memory loss due to this.

Noticing that the machine worked but still needed to be worked on, Matthew released Gemma and told the men to try to tweak it. Each time using Gemma as the test subject, at some points even having his son bring her into the room. Telling his son that she had volunteered for this and wanted this to happen, in the name of science. As the twins aged he began to teach his son the ins and outs of everything related to what he had been doing, telling him that ‘no’ was not in the Harding’s family vocabulary. Watching his son grow up he saw himself in Christian knowing that he would continue on the family legacy, while his daughter if she lived would not remember any of it. Whatever it took Matthew would have this machine up and running, besides who would know what was going on? Or even believe it.

[amoirsetpacis]

carnation, iris, & lilac!

[ x. ]

carnation; what is your muse's relationship with their gender? how so they express or not express this relationship?

Vash doesn't particularly have what I would call a 'strong' relationship with his gender, though and doesn't particularly think much about it. However. He's not cis lmao.

iris; if your muse could convey one last message to someone they have lost or left behind, what would it be?

There are a few, really. He wants to ask Rem if she's proud of him, if he did a good job. He wants to have a proper goodbye with Knives. He wants to write letters to Lina and her grandmother and make sure they're alright. He wants to be able to tell Wolfwood everything.

lilac; what was your muse's childhood like? how has their upbringing affected them as they've aged?

As a Plant, Vash's aging as a child was incredibly quick; by the time he was technically one year old, he had developed into essentially around 10 years old, with his mind having developed even further past that of his body. Still, in that first year of life, things were good-- he was loved unconditionally by his mother Rem and brother. Both he and Knives grew healthily and well-cared-for. Even after his existence is discovered by another member of the typically cryogenically-frozen crew, Vash's life is full of learning and gentle ease.

Then he and Knives find out about their sister, Tesla, and everything suddenly drastically changes.

Finding out about the cruel experiments performed on the only other independent Plant before them drastically traumatizes them and leads them to see Rem as a threat. Knives immediately faints upon learning the extent of what had been done, and Vash attempts to take his own life-- once before Rem finally reaches them via starvation, the second time being with a knife after she finds them.

Vash hears the sorrow in Rem's voice, understands her pain and regret about what happened, learns that she did everything in her power to try and have what happened to Tesla stopped. He understands this-- but then takes her ideals about human life and completely warps them into the black and white thinking we see him using throughout the series. Even though she did her best, Rem still traumatized him-- he ends up deifying her, taking on this extreme ideology, and paying the price for his naivety and unending trust. The fact that she was their first introduction to humanity also warped him-- because, surely, all humans have this capacity for good, don't they? They are complex, capable of growing and changing and deserving of second chances.

Anyway uh. yeah. his childhood Definitely Still Affects Him, lol.

[shadows-colours-critical]

Corundum looks so silly I wish he was written better😞

If only Corundum wasn't a child abuser that works for a literal slave owner that experiments on children and sometimes kills them and turns them into child soldiers (Dominik.)

[pxison]

You can bet your ass Sora's pregnancies for both Re!ju and the boys were heavily monitored by Germa scientists. There was no way Judge would risk letting slip his very own creations, his blood he would mold into the perfect weapons.

Re!ju's modifications would come after her birth but the boys would have theirs done in utero when they were developed enough to survive the modification surgery. And after they were born, I imagine they were taken away, not giving Sora much time with them so that they can further be tested upon.

[modern-day-kleavor]

[A video is attached.

The camera is stationary, angled towards the black and white checkered tiles that make up the floor. To the left is a radio on a shelf, halfway cut out of the frame, playing some kind of news.

"...eople going missing in the wild area. Officers that have been dispatched to the wild area have also been disapp..."

To the right is a humanoid figure, their top half out of view due to the angle of the camera. They're standing in front of some kind of table, and the body language and way they shift their feet imply that they're doing something with their hands. They're humming a tune, but it's mostly drowned out by the muffled cries and sobs of something out of frame.

A stream of blood suddenly splatters over the edge of the table and onto the floor, continuing to drip onto the ground after the initial splash. The sobbing grows louder, before a sickening crunch, and then there is only the humming and the radio.

"...authorities are beginning to consider closing off certain areas for safety, but families are pushing for police to locate their loved ones tha..."

A shiny Espurr walks into view from the left, approaching the table. It stops in the center of the frame, and slowly turns to look directly into the camera.

The footage cuts out there.]

[sunset-peril]

Lore for Newbies - Special Project Cykes

*The Story So Far*

On October 7th, 2020, Los Kyoto First Responders arrived at GYAXA Space Enterprise's Cosmos Space Center after receiving a call about a dark-haired man carrying a bloody sword. After evacuating the building, police found the dead body of Dr. Metis Cykes on a table in the robotics lab. Her eleven-year-old chronically ill daughter was removed from the crime scene by paramedics before officers arrived and was erroneously declared missing when she was actually taken to the ER for neurosurgery following a stab in the head. Athena's bodily fluids (blood and other fluids associated with stabbing wounds, idk I'm not a biologist) were found on scene. The incident was ruled as a homicide, and the suspect turned himself in before apprehension.

A few days later, a bomb explodes on the HAT-1 rocket, leading to the HAT-1 Miracle. On October 13th, the trial of Simon Blackquill for the murder of Metis Cykes (and stabbing of Athena Cykes) begins and ends. Simon pleads guilty and is convicted with the death penalty. The only witness was young Athena, testifying only 6 days after her surgery. The FBI forcibly removed her from the courtroom, and Simon attacked them. Athena was not seen again after Simon's verdict. A memorial service was held and a gravestone was placed for her on October 15th despite the fact that there was no evidence she'd met with additional foul play.

Four years later, an Interpol field agent named Klavier Gavin was sent to infiltrate a facility owned by the French government. Inside this facility, he found a full-functional pit bull fighting ring. What shook him to his core were the fighters: not pit bulls, not canines at all. Children. Human children pitted against the largest and most aggressive dogs Europe had. He found himself face to face with a female teen, nearly undressed in preparation for her nighttime battle. He asked for her name, then a picture, then fled the facility to report to Interpol the atrocities he'd witnessed that night. A year later, he was in Los Kyoto as a rockstar and prosecutor, but never forgot what he'd done with Interpol. Her name was Venus, and that memory haunted him every day.

Shortly after meeting Klavier that night, Venus defeated the champion dog, becoming queen of the pit. However, she'd gone over the maximum weight requirement of the pits, and she was handed over to the EUAS asylum Sanatorium Lac de Libellules in Paris, France to be euthanized.

Back in Japanifornia, about a year or so later, Phoenix Wright had been exonerated of his forging crimes, allowing him to become reinstated if he so wished. Apollo joined the Wright Anything Agency and the Gramarye shenanigans were over. During the night, Edgeworth called Wright. His sister, Franziska von Karma, had notified him of a human rights case involving a child who was near the same age as the missing Athena Cykes, the sole witness in the Blackquill case he was trying to reopen. Unfortunately, due to the nature of this case, the child needed a place to stay and an employer before they could process her rescue. Knowing that Phoenix was a sucker had a good heart for hurt children, Edgeworth reached out to see if he would take her in. Phoenix accepted in late November of 2026, and a deathly ill Venus was rescued from the Sanatorium on February 15th, 2027 just minutes before her scheduled execution.

Interpol's chosen rescue team, who's specialty was rescuing and rehabilitating EUAS victims, found a shattered spinal tap needle in her spine. The surgery to remove the fragments caused three heart attacks and severe sepsis, Venus' spine had to be replaced from the ribcage down. Initial fears for her survival developed into fears for her rehabilitation, she was extremely fearful of men and the rescue team found evidence for physical, mental, medical and sexual abuse. Venus' was retrained to respond to the name "Athena Cykes", given new memories, had some cosmetic work done, had her PhD reissued under the new name and was given an attorney's badge before being sent to Los Kyoto.

Although her past caused her to interpret many social situations incorrectly, Venus/Athena adapted well to her new free life. The one snag was that she had to wear two medical ID bands on her arm that denoted her as "legally insane" since she officially had escaped a death-row level asylum on circumstances not related to being discharged. With that information, the right person could feasibly rip apart her entire impersonation. If her impersonation unraveled before the 1st-year-anniversary of her rehabilitation placement, she'd be returned to the rescue team where she ran the risk of her captors seizing her again. Despite her trauma and physical issues, she settled down (not in a marriage way, just in the no-more-kool-aid-man-energy way) and made friends. Athena's family and friends took her in as if she really was their missing loved one, and she even found a loved one of her own in her co-worker, Apollo Justice. A man.

Athena/Venus, after a midnight 911 call in November 2027, was readmitted to a Los Kyoto asylum known as Pavilion Crisis Care (why are there so many dang asylums in this lore?) and tentatively diagnosed with a genetic respiratory defect known as "pulmonary vascular endothelial dysplasia" (as far as I'm aware, this isn't a real medical name heheh I just asked an AI to spit something fancy-like out for me) PVED causes the blood vessels supporting the Oxygen-CO2 air sacs in the lungs to be abnormally thin and weak, leading to them bursting (and the patient coughing up blood) when blood pressure skyrockets. Due to her sketchy legal circumstances, PCC tried to retain her, but Apollo was able to get power of attorney over her so he could take her home, as he knew she had PTSD regarding asylums (but didn't know exactly why).

In December, Clay Terran was stabbed and killed in the same building Metis and Athena were stabbed in, directly beneath the robotics lab as two more bombs went off. As the last joint incident was found to be terroristic, this second bombing-homicide was labelled high-priority. As Venus/Athena tries to grapple with confusing fuzzy memories of the building, she finds herself front-and-center for the Courtroom #5 bombing and gains a hemorrhage of the brain from a severe concussion. While Venus/Athena is in neurosurgery, the hospital finds suspicious brain scans dated 7 years beforehand showing the brain death & damage present in Venus/Athena's brain and a scan showing complete brain death under Athena's name.

The day after, Venus/Athena returns to the court to try and defend Juniper, but is rehospitalized when her stiches break following a PTSD episode and upon finding Apollo assaulted in the courtroom ruins.

After Juniper is acquitted and both Apollo and Athena heal from their respective injuries, Apollo takes his leave of absence to investigate Clay's death, and Venus/Athena confesses to Wright about being instructed to impersonate Athena.

*The next chapter of the trilogy begins here*

So that's my nonsense. Make of my nonsense what you will.

If I forgot anything than I'll fix it tomorrow I'm tired. I purposefully left out a bunch of canon stuff because it's not my lore lol.

[princesslizzyafton]

I wanted to keep my family safe. *she shrugs* I wanted to fix the springlocks so Daddy didn't get hurt. I failed even worse than I could have imagined, and still feel guilty, even after I was assured it wasn't my fault. Then I was offered the opportunity to try to help David survive, and I took it. It was so very painful, and I couldn't scream, or Mike would hear and come running... And when I wasn't having blood drawn or remnant injected into my body, I was patching up Mike's wounds, cleaning up broken bottles, and making sure Daddy didn't end up with a massively noticeable hangover.. I did what I had to.

Honestly, it might've been for the best that you died early

🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️

@funtimes-in-the-auditorium

Hello. Who are you?