#we always wear a backwards on surgical coat

[ley-med]

Walk of shame but it's you the anesthesiologist walking to get coffee through the way too hot hospital corridor in your warmest pullover and surgical coat, because when you stepped out of the OR it didn't occur to you that it's summer and there is no air conditioning out here and anyway stop staring yes I was cold no I am not cold anymore thanks for asking

[agustdakasuga]

Between the Bloodshed | Chapter 7

Genre: Mafia!AU, Angst, Romance, Fluff

Pairing: OT7 x Reader

Characters: Doctor!Reader, Gangster!Namjoon, Gangster!Seokjin, Gangster!Yoongi, Gangster!Hoseok, Gangster!Jimin, Gangster!Taehyung, Gangster!Jungkook

Summary: Being a freelance doctor, this was just supposed to be any other job, helping a private client and taking care of him through his recovery. But you were not expecting to get caught in something so much darker that would change your life entirely.

Going with your parents to an event, you didn’t think to meet some familiar faces there. And finally, the 7 boys get to see the family that you refused to speak about. 

Warning: This story is fictional and has nothing to do with real life events or the actual members of BTS. It may contain depictions of violence, blood shed/ gore and mentions of abuse. Please read at your own discretion.

The dreaded friday morning finally came. Your mother had spent the whole night before on the phone with you, squealing excitedly about the dress she chose for you. 

“I’ll see you tonight, Kookie.” You stroked his head, making sure the rabbit had enough food and water for the day. Adjusting your hair in the mirror, you cringed slightly at yourself, clad in a light blue sundress your mother always liked. You slung your bag over your shoulder and headed out the door. 

“Can I have a coffee to go, please?” You ordered. The maid bowed and scurried off to make your regular iced coffee order. 

“Woah.” Jungkook came down. 

“One word and you’ll be unconscious.” You grumbled. He choked, whistling innocently instead. 

“Have a nice day, agashi.” The maid placed your to-go container on the counter. You nodded your head and took a sip. When you turned to head to the front door, you saw 7 pairs of eyes staring at you. 

“What?” You hissed. 

“Nothing.” Taehyung shook his head. You rolled your eyes, walking to the front to wear your shoes. 

“I’ll be back tonight.” You mumbled, giving a backwards wave before leaving the house. Your father was already waiting by his car for you. You gave a small wave and headed over. Without a word, your father just gave an acknowledging nod and entered the car. That was your relationship, strictly professional. Frankly, you were thankful for that. 

“Your mom is very excited for you to visit.” He said as he started to drive. 

“I know. Work gets busy so it’s hard to stop by.” You shrugged, putting your seatbelt on. 

“This family seems well off.” He commented. 

“Well, I’m sure you’ve heard of them. They aren’t exactly hidden from public eye in terms of their achievements and wealth. 7 young men, rich beyond belief.” You scoffed. 

“I do know them, do you?” 

“I would like to think I do. Working for them has been a pleasure, so far. For young men, they keep things very professional.” You said. Your parents always tried to convince you to work in a normal hospital, they always believed your skills should be displayed for others to see. 

“You declined your mother’s invitation for that surgical seminar?” 

“She has other surgeons under her that are equally, if not more, qualified than me. It’ll benefit them better if one of them were elected to go instead of me.” You explained. Your father pursed his lips. 

The car pulled up to the house. It wasn’t a mansion but it was still a rather big property that your parents owned. 

“(y/n)!” Your mother ran out to greet you with a hug. 

“Omma.” You hesitantly wrapped your arms around her. She chuckled, pulling away as she held your hands in hers. Patting the back of your hands, she led you into the house. 

“You look healthy.” She complimented. 

“Thank you.” You gave a small smile. There was an array of dishes on the dining table, ready for you to arrive for a meal. You went to help bring the bowls of rice out. Even if it was awkward with your parents, it was nice to have a sit down, family style meal. Your parents sat opposite you, together, while you sat across the table. 

“The car will be picking us up at 7pm.” Your father said. You nodded your head, chewing the end of your chopstick to stop yourself from saying something you would regret. 

“Stop that, (y/n). It’s a bad habit.” Your mother scolded. You removed the metal from your mouth, picking the foods instead. 

“That’s a nice bracelet.” Your mother smiled. 

“Oh, yeah... Just a token gift from a friend.” You shrugged it off. Through the rest of the meal, you listened to your parents talk about what they have been up to at work, in an attempt to persuade you to work with them. 

“You didn’t accept my invitation for that seminar. It’s prestigious, (y/n), that’s why I want you to go.” Your mother said. 

“One of your surgeons under you would benefit better from it than me, omma. Besides, I’m under a contract to work with my client now. It wouldn’t be responsible of me to just leave for a two week seminar like that.” You scoffed, putting a scoop of rice into your mouth. 

"Have you spoken to your brother recently?” Your father asked. You shook your head. Your brother didn’t live in Korea, he lived in the UK with his family. 

“Well, he has been helping with a lot of big cases in the queen’s court. They may even fly him to the States to give a seminar to some prestigious universities.” He informed. 

“I see...” Your brother wasn’t a doctor like you but he was a big-shot lawyer that worked on tons of famous court cases. 

“He says he wants to visit in a few weeks. You should be here so we can have a nice dinner together. Jumin might want to have the baby here.” Your mother said excitedly. 

“Oh, really...” You weren’t really interested at the thought of your sister-in-law having her second child here. 

“And you can help too.” 

“Omma, I’m working, I told you. I can’t be here just to take care of her new born.” You sighed. You loved your sister-in-law but having to live in a house with her, her new born and your nephew while your brother is here, will be torture for you with your parents constantly telling you how much greater they are compared to you. 

RINGGGGGGG

“Sorry, work call.” You stood up and stepped aside to answer your phone.

“Hello?” 

“Am I interrupting? You just sound like you’re having the time of your life. ” 

“Ha... ha... sure. But no, you’re to interrupting, you called at the perfect time, actually. What’s up? Someone dead or close to being dead?” You asked. Jimin laughed at your joke. 

“Unfortunately, no. Yoongi hyung is complaining about pain so I just wanted to ask if there is anything I can give him.” 

“Well, considering my medicine safe keys are with me, there’s no much you can do. Oh wait, Jin has a spare set. You can get him to open it. Look for the green bottle labelled ‘Celebrex’ or celecoxib. Give him one and that should be enough until I come back tonight.” You instructed. 

“Wait, how come only Jin hyung gets to have a spare set of keys?” 

“As the oldest, I would trust that he is responsible enough to not have a feast with my pills.” You scoffed.

“I’m hurt that you don’t think we’re responsible enough.”

“That doesn’t make me feel guilty at all. Anyway, let me know how Yoongi is. For now, ask him to wear his sling.” You told Jimin. You wouldn’t mind Yoongi having to call you home to help him. 

“He’s still able to curse at us so we should be fine.” 

“Bummer.” You mumbled. With another laugh, Jimin hung up. You sighed, returning to the table. 

“Your dad just got called in for an emergency.” Your mother informed as she cleared up the dishes. You nodded your head, watching your father put his coat on and grab his work bag. With a small wave of acknowledgement, he slipped his shoes on and left. Your parents were both workaholics, they were always highly praised for their work ethics. 

“So, any partners yet?” Your mother asked as you helped her with the dishes.

“Omma, you know I’m not looking for anyone now. I’m very much involved in my work like you and dad.” You said. 

“But still, with our busy schedules as residents, your father and I were able to get married and start a family. If not, you and your brother wouldn’t even be here.” She let out a small laugh. 

“I know. But oppa already made you a grandma with Jisung (nephew), with another on the way. There’s no rush for me.” You shrugged. 

“It’ll still be nice.” 

“I’m gonna rest in my room for a little bit.” You dried your hands and headed up to your room. Conversations like these with your parents were just suffocating and tiresome. 

“I need to get out of this.” You changed out of your dress and slipped on some shorts with an oversized hoodie. 

BEEP BEEP

‘Jimin said you’re having the time of your life. - Hoseok’

‘Yes, I am. And are you supposed to be texting me when I’m off duty? A little unprofessional, don’t you think, Mr Jung? - (y/n)’

‘If you can do wellness checks on us, I can do it on you too. But if you need saving with a ‘medical emergency’ to come back to the house, I’m sure I can injure someone for you. Maybe Jungkook or Jimin can take the bullet. I’ll make sure it’s not fatal. - Hoseok’

‘It’s just visiting my parents. I think I can handle it. But I’m oddly touched that you’re willing to do that for me. Someone kissing a*s here? - (y/n)’

‘With you? NEVERRRRRRR. - Hoseok’

“(y/n)? I wanted to show you your dress that I picked out for you.” Your mother was at your door. Leaving your phone on your bed, you went over and opened the door for her. 

“Look.” She unzipped the cloth covering and revealed the dark blue dress that she picked out for you. It was off shoulder with a flowy skirt. 

“It’s nice.” You forced a smile. 

“I knew you would like it.” She grinned, patting your head. Going to your closet, she hung it up, digging through whatever shoes you had left behind to match the dress. She placed the shoes at the bottom of the dress. 

“I trust that you can do your hair and make up on your own?” She raised an eyebrow. 

“Of course.” You shrugged. 

“Tonight, it’s a gala event to celebrate the approval of a new health campus to be opened. Governors, sponsors and potential candidates for the board of directors will be attending. It’s a rather big event. A lot of big names will be there so naturally, a lot of press ” Your mother informed. You nodded your head, wondering if you would see 7 familiar faces there as well. 

“Your father is a potential candidate for the new psychiatric unit head.” She continued. 

“I’m sure he would love for you to be under him. He can definitely get you a good position under his team. Or you could be under my team when I make the move over.” She looked at you. 

“Wait, both of you are moving over to this new health campus?” You asked, completely ignoring her persuading you to work under them. 

“That’s the plan.” She shrugged. 

“But you’ve been with Korea University Hospital for like... ever. And dad’s already in the board of directors for Seoul Institute of Mental Health.” You frowned slightly. 

“Well, when a better opportunity comes up, means it’s time to move on.” Your mother place her hand over yours. 

-

You had done your hair, neatly braiding it and pinning it up. Sitting in front of your vanity, you did some light make up on your face, finishing off with some shimmering lip gloss. 

“Time to change.” You went to your closet and fished the blue dress out fo the cloth covering. You slipped it on, smoothing down the skirt with your hands and staring at your reflection to make sure that nothing was out of place. Your parents would want everything to be pristine for a good impression.

“(y/n)! Are you ready?” Your mother called. 

“Coming!” Picking up your shoes in your hands, you carried your small bag and headed downstairs. 

“I knew it was a good pick.” Your mother clasped her hands together with sparkling eyes as she saw you approaching. Even your father nodded in approval at your appearance. 

“Thanks.” You murmured. 

“Let’s go.” Your father held his arm out to your mother, who hooked arms with him, and walked out. You simply walked behind them silently. A limousine was ready on the drive way with a driver standing there, opening the door for the three of you to enter. You sat opposite your parents, your hands resting in your lap. Your fingers fiddled with your bracelet. 

“Sir, madam, agashi.” The car came to a stop. Through the tinted window, you saw a row of reporters ready at the entrance of the building. You took a deep breath as the chauffeur opened the door. 

“We’ll answer a few questions then head in. Just smile and answer things briefly.” Your father said to you. You nodded and stepped out. 

“Mr (y/l/n)!” Reporters called out. 

“Is it true that you’re a potential candidate for the new health campus’ psychiatric department?” You stood by the side, a small smile as your father answered questions. 

“Right this way.” The security cut off the questions after a few minutes. You let out a sigh of relief. 

“Let’s go say hi.” Your mother didn’t let you out of her sight, dragging you to meet old men that possibly decided her and your father’s future job positions. All you could do was smile and shake their hands. 

“(y/n), you remember Jaewon?” Your mother smiled, bringing forth a young man in a suit to you. You internally rolled your eyes, here we go. Every event you went to seemed to be a matchmaking opportunity for your mother. She would be very delighted to wed you off. 

“Jaewon?” You tilted your head. 

“He was in my cardio-thoracic team but went to the States 5 years ago for a partnership.” She reminded. 

“Ah, yes.” You smiled and shook his hand. You’ve seen him a few times. Your mother had even invited him over for a couple of meals when youw ere still living with her. 

“How are you, (y/n)? You look amazing.” He complimented. 

“I’m doing good, thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself. I’m glad you still speak Korean fluently.” You raised your eyebrows. 

“(y/n)!” Your mother sent you a disapproving look while Jaewon blinked but laughed, nodding his head. Soon, you saw your mother abandoning you to join your father, leaving you to converse with Jaewon.

“Where are you working now?” 

“Private.” You said, taking a glass of champagne and sipping it. Jaewon nodded his head. 

“Right, you worked with private clients right? As like their in-house, family physician. I know your mother told me that you weren’t comfortable working in a public place. So you turned down a lot of good job opportunities at prestigious hospitals.” Jaewon sipped from his own glass. You frowned slightly, what exactly was he hinting at? 

“What you hear from my mother is what she thinks she knows about my job. Anything to try and convince someone to persuade me to work under them.” You chuckled. 

“That’s not-”

“Sorry, may I interrupt?” A new voice came. There was whispers and murmurs around you. That voice was all too familiar. 

“I was wondering if I was going to see you here.” You smirked, turning around to face 7, all too familiar, men. Jimin winked at you while Hoseok flashed his blinding smile. Jaewon looked confused. 

“Of course we would be here. Sponsors are the main invited guests, you know?” Yoongi spoke first. 

“You know them, (y/n)?” Jaewon asked. 

“Know them? I live with them. Unfortunately.” You rolled your eyes. Jaewon’s eyes widened at your statement. Jungkook placed his arm around your waist, staring Jaewon down. 

“I told you about the touching.” You glared at the youngest, elbowing his ribs. Still, he didn’t lose his composure and just calmly moved away. 

“Well, bye!” Namjoon gave a friendly smile before pulling you away. You gave Jaewon a backwards wave, following the boys to another side of the room. Once you were away from most of the crowd, you let out a sigh of relief, shaking your head while the boys just gave you amused smiles. 

“When you said you had friday night plans, we didn’t expect to see you here, doc.” Jin smiled. 

“Let’s just say, I didn’t come here willingly.” You snorted. 

“Are your parents sponsors?” Taehyung asked. 

“No, they aren’t. They’re supposedly part of the new health campus’ head department team so they’re here to butter people up.” You crossed your arms. The boys weren’t surprised by how honest you were.

“But you look nice.” Jimin smiled. 

“Stop or I will stab your eye. Also, how’s the shoulder Yoongo?” You changed the subject. Yoongi shrugged his good shoulder and you nodded your head with a small smile. 

“(y/n).” Someone called. 

“Dad.” You turned to see your father. He raised an eyebrow and you sighed, walking over to him. 

“I didn’t know you were friends with our sponsors? They’re one of the new campus’ biggest sponsors, you know? Young entrepreneurs with big names.” Your father said. You shrugged. 

“I don’t know if I would call them friends. But they’re the clients I’m working with now. Honestly, didn’t even know that they were coming or that they were sponsors.” You blinked at him. Your father nodded, turning on his business smile before walking over to the 7 young men. They all shook hands with your father, exchanging formalities. 

“I had no idea my daughter was working for the family.” He laughed. 

“Yes, she’s one of our best employees. It’s a pleasure having her work with us.” Namjoon complimented and you mentally scoffed. 

“She could use that talent in a hospital but refuses, sadly.” Your dad joked and you rolled your eyes.

“Shall we get some food?” Jungkook offered. You nodded and headed over to the buffet table with him and Taehyung, leaving your dad to talk to Namjoon and the others. 

“This is boring.” Taehyung complained. 

“You would think that with how many events you guys have been to, that you’re used to all this. I haven’t been to many and I am.” You shrugged, picking up a piece of cheese and putting it into your mouth. Taehyung and Jungkook laughed, they knew you hated being here from the moment they saw you. 

“Shall we get out of here?” Jungkook wriggled his eyebrows. 

“I would actually like to live another day so count me out. I’m here only for my parents and I plan to see to that until the end of the night.” You stated. Taehyung handed you a glass of wine. 

“(y/n), I was looking for you.” Your mother came. You placed the glass down, stepping away from Taehyung and Jungkook. 

“What’s wrong, omma?” 

“You... know them?” She cast a brief glance to the two young men behind you, who had now been surrounded by other young girls that wanted at least half of the attention they gave you. 

“My current clients.” You shrugged. 

“I see... Only clients?” 

“Yes, omma. You know I don’t mix business with personal relations. Everything is strictly professional.” You assured her. She nodded her head. You couldn’t tell if she was relieved or disappointed by what you said. 

~~

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[shipaholic]

Omens Universe, Chapter 13 Part 1

We’re in Heaven! Crowley’s got to access his blending-in skillz.

Warning for slightly creepy mind control.

Link to next part at the end.

(From the beginning)

(last part)

(chrono)

---

Chapter 13

There was a noise like a twang of a harp, but in reverse.

Two men (seemingly), a child, and a small green dog in a space helmet popped out next to the reception desk.

Noone was there. Crowley hung back while Aziraphale went up to the desk. It was pale mahogany, as smooth and clean as a surgical tray. The only things on it were a tiny golden bell, and programmes for The Sound of Music on stands. There was a plaque in front of the bell, that said:

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.

Bit forward, Crowley thought.

Aziraphale turned back.

“Good, nobody’s here. That will make things easier. Now, what we’re looking for is -”

There was a musical chime, and an angel appeared behind the desk.

Aziraphale jumped, then tried to look as though he hadn’t. “Um, hello. I believe we spoke a moment ago?”

The red-haired angel gave them a frozen smile. “Welcome to Heaven. Please sign in.”

A ring-bound blue folder appeared on the desk in front of him.

“Er. Certainly.”

Aziraphale stepped forward. Crowley shifted so that Aziraphale’s body blocked him from view. He was unsuccessful. The receptionist’s eyes flicked from each member of their party to the next. First they took in Aziraphale’s disheveled appearance from his fight with Michael. Then the eleven-year-old child, the floating green dog, and then -

“That is a demon!” they shrieked.

Aziraphale froze, pen in hand. He could feel the situation topple out of control like a stack of books on an unwisely rickety table.

“Do something, Crowley,” he stage-whispered.

Crowley looked around, wondering if there was any point trying to duck out of sight. “You’re the one who just took out an Archangel, why are you looking at me?”

The receptionist’s hand flew out towards the little bell.

Adam stepped forward. A terrible, booming voice came out of his mouth.

“Don’t move.”

The red-haired angel froze. An eerie blank look stole over their face, smoothing away the panic. They straightened up and let their arm fall to their side.

“Have a pleasant apocalypse,” they said, in a high, toneless voice.

A chill ran up Crowley’s spine and set up camp there.

Aziraphale set the pen down and turned around, avoiding Adam’s eyes.

“That’s, um, well. Thank you, I suppose. How… how did you know to do that?”

Adam shrugged. He held the Book tighter against his chest.

“He did it back in the garden,” Crowley muttered to Aziraphale. “While you were. You know. Indisposed.”

The receptionist kept gazing forward with a faraway expression. By unspoken agreement, they all inched away from the desk.

“Right,” Aziraphale said. “I suppose I should lead the way. Crowley, you’ll need a disguise.”

“Yeah, could have done with one five minutes ago.” Crowley eyed the angel behind the desk and concentrated. His body glowed. His hair sprouted a few extra inches down to his shoulders. The darkness leached out of his clothes, leaving them white as bone. They morphed into a floaty blouse and smart suit-trousers. It was a good facsimile of what the receptionist was wearing. Crowley could have got it closer, but looking at the angel gave him the willies. He morphed a long earring that would pass for a gem as long as nobody looked too closely, and tucked a strand of hair in front of his ear to hide his own gem.

He turned to Aziraphale and made his best churchy face. “How do I look?”

Aziraphale rolled his eyes. “Yes, dear, very fetching.”

Crowley reckoned he could get away with one white glove under his shirt. It might be a little fashion-forward for Heaven, but at least it was discreet.

They turned to Adam.

“I have no idea what to do about him,” Crowley admitted.

“The green dog is quite difficult to explain away,” Aziraphale said.

“It’ll be alright,” Adam said, vaguely.

His nose was back in that Book. What on Earth was in that thing? Crowley tried to get a glimpse at the title. It was in a curly font, which always played havoc with his eyes, especially with the sunglasses - oops. He would need an explanation for the sunglasses if anyone challenged him.

“I reckon,” Adam said, slowly, “if we all just walk around like we’re supposed to be here, then nobody will say anything. I think they just won’t notice I’m there.”

“Psychologically, there is a basis for that…” Aziraphale said, sounding doubtful.

“I think he means something a bit more… occult,” said Crowley.

Aziraphale coughed. “I suppose, if push came to shove, he could always. Well. Do… that again.” He gestured vaguely back at the reception desk.

Nobody had a better plan. They exchanged uneasy glances and set out.

~*~

Crowley despised open-plan offices.

They were the kind of thing his side ought to have devised, by right. Technically the nasty, cramped, dirty space occupied by Hell down in the basement qualified as open-plan, even though in practice everyone siloed themselves off in makeshift half-walled cubicles constructed out of anything they found lying around. This was something else, though. He felt himself going cross-eyed as he contemplated the vistas of white, airless space. It was like walking around inside a lightbulb.[1]

Spacedog trotted at their feet. His back legs whirred and clicked. He gave loving looks to Adam’s dirty, untied shoelaces as he sloped along. Adam’s guess earlier seemed to have been right. They’d met a few angels, and their gazes had slid pleasantly past their group without questioning their presence at all.

Aziraphale led the way. Crowley knew he should have some idea what everything was, but it had been so long since he’d been up here. He’d probably missed a few thousand restructures, too. Good.

They entered another blindingly bright open space with a bank of desks set up every half a mile. Crowley glowered from behind his shades.

A group of angels were clustered together. Aziraphale walked past them, head down. Crowley followed.

“Excuse me,” someone called out.

Aziraphale’s steps faltered. Crowley meant to keep walking, but against his better judgement, he glanced over at the group. With a jolt, he realised one of them was beckoning him over.

He stopped. Mistake.

“Hello, excuse me?” The voice brooked no argument.

Crowley stood frozen. A tiny voice screamed in his ear.

“Uh. Yeah?”

Aziraphale gave him a desperate look over his shoulder. Crowley pretended not to see.

The angel crooked her finger at him. Mouth dry, he walked slowly towards her.

“Yup?”

She had a sternly benevolent expression. They all did. It was becoming his least favorite expression.

“Are you any good with Powerpoint?”

Something in Crowley’s brain broke.

“Pardon?”

“You’re on the front desk, aren’t you? I’d be ever so grateful if you could help me. We’ve all got presentations due before the big push. It’s been ages since I’ve used the dratted thing - beg your pardon -”

She pressed a hand to her lips, as if blotting them.

“Also, if you could help us set up the projector, that would be super,” she added.

Crowley looked over his shoulder at Aziraphale. The angel spread his hands, helplessly.

“Erm. No problem,” he mumbled.

There was no way out. He drifted over to the huddle of angels as though walking to the guillotine.

~*~

Aziraphale, unlike some, was not an accomplished lurker. He could feel himself drawing unwanted attention as he tried not to hover. He suspected the only reason no-one was questioning him was because of Adam. Suspicious gazes began to be directed at him, but turned vague and distant as they failed to register Adam’s presence, before wandering back to their work. Crowley, at least, gave the impression he knew what he was doing as he clicked away on the angel’s ultra-thin desktop computer.

One of the few advantages of the extremely open-plan office was that it was easy to see threats coming from a great distance away. Aziraphale spotted Gabriel, flanked by Uriel and Sandalphon, the second he got out of the lift.

Aziraphale grabbed Adam by the shoulder and scurried behind a printer.

“- We need to be dramatic, but sombre. Maybe some lightning? And crank up the wind machine. I want my coat to billow when the first round of smiting kicks off.”

Gabriel swooped down towards the knot of angels. Aziraphale looked at Crowley, heart in mouth. Crowley was still in the middle of the group, explaining how the projector worked.

“- Has anyone heard from Michael? She missed a video-conference. It’s not like her.”

Aziraphale could not think for the life of him how to extract Crowley. He, on the other hand, was about to be right in Gabriel’s line of sight if he glanced over. He had to move. He’d have to trust in Crowley’s disguise and pray for luck.

He tiptoed backwards, towards the fire exit, and felt behind him for the handle.

The door gave a polite click and swung open without a sound. Aziraphale beckoned Adam. The boy jerked his head at Spacedog. The three of them slipped out and onto the fire escape.

When the door clicked shut behind them, Aziraphale felt a wave of relief for himself and fear for Crowley. He was nauseous with guilt for leaving him back there. But there was nothing to gain from dwelling. He held up his ring hand, and with a glow from his gem, summoned a piece of chalk into his hand. He marked the wall next to the door with a C.

Adam looked around, unmistakably bored.

“This isn’t how I imagined a spaceship,” he said.

“Ah.” Yes. They were still keeping up that fiction. Aziraphale was losing patience with it, if he was being quite honest. “Well, this is more of an… interim location. We’re really trying to get to Alpha Centauri.”

Adam’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I know about Alpha Centauri. It’s cool.”

Aziraphale smiled. “Talk to Crowley about it. He’ll tell you all sorts.” Not necessarily true all sorts, although Crowley told them with great confidence.

Adam had rallied, now that he knew their destination. “So, how do we get there?”

“We need to find the Department of Stars and Systems.”

In fact, the fire escape wasn’t the worst way to get there. It might even be faster, provided they encountered nobody. Aziraphale began the climb up to the next floor. Adam and Spacedog trotted at his heels. He marked the walls with chalk as he went.

He’d have to hope that Crowley caught up with them as fast as possible.

~*~

Many flights of stairs later, Aziraphale dragged himself up the last few steps, thinking with great nostalgia of the lift.

They were, at last, on the right floor. Aziraphale listened at the door, mostly as a formality. No-one was ever up here.

He opened the door and emerged onto floor 4004.

Its official name was the Department of Stars and Systems. Its unofficial name was The Universe.

“Woah,” Adam said.

The corridor they’d arrived in was, in one way, the polar opposite of the rest of Heaven. It was black. Endless black, the kind that made your eyeballs feels like they were being turned inside out. Aziraphale could see himself, and Adam, and the dog, as clearly as if they were standing in a well-lit room, but their surroundings were a deep, light-eating darkness.

Aziraphale groped for the wall and chalked a C onto it.

“Nearly there,” he said.

They walked carefully, unsure whether there were still walls to bump into. Eventually, as if cut into the night sky, letters appeared at head height, hanging in midair.

Gen 1:1

Aziraphale stretched out his hand towards them. They touched the raised letters, and behind them, a smooth steel surface. It was a door, invisible in the blackness.

When he touched the door, there was a musical beep, and a keypad lit up just where a handle would normally be.

Aziraphale’s face fell.

Adam hovered at his elbow. “Try one-two-three-four-five-six.”

Aziraphale contemplated the keypad,[2] his heart sinking away into the darkness. Stupid. Of course there would be security clearance. And of course they’d never give it to him. He looked around in the vague hope there would be a post-it note somewhere with the passcode written down.

“Oi,” came a voice from the other direction.

Aziraphale spun around. Crowley sauntered around the corner.

“Crowley!”

Crowley squinted, his shades dangling from one hand.

“This is weird. It’s not like proper darkness. More like light that happens to be black.”

He was still dressed like the angel from the front desk. He had dropped the sickly sweet expression, though, and looked properly Crowley-like again. He’d also reverted to his usual walk. Aziraphale loved that walk. The sight of it brought happy tears to his eyes.

“You escaped then, I take it?”

Crowley grinned as he sashayed over. He had a sparkle to him that meant a bad job well done.

“Eventually. I got their projector working. They thought I was so helpful they gave me a couple more tasks to do around the office.”

That sounded like the opposite of escaping, and also the opposite of Crowley’s general vibe. Aziraphale eyed him with suspicion.

“Then I issued an automatic update to all their devices with no deferrals. Slipped away in the chaos. Turns out angels can swear just as well as demons. I reckon it gets pent up if you go too long without.”

Aziraphale laughed.

“Well, at least you spotted the chalk,” he said.

“Chalk? What is this, the Famous Five? I went to the monitor room and saw you on the security cameras.”

Aziraphale blushed. He blamed everything currently happening to him on silly technological nonsense.

Crowley squinted at the keypad. “Ah. I’m assuming you don’t have the door code?”

“No,” Aziraphale admitted.

“Who’s in charge here nowadays?”

“Well. Nobody really comes up here. It’s an archive, but it’s self-regulating, so…” Aziraphale thought. “I think technically Gabriel’s in charge.”

“Right. Try one-two-three-four-five-six.”

“I really don’t think -”

Aziraphale heard beeping. Adam was already tapping numbers into the keypad.

“Wait, you don’t know -”

There was a click, and the door swung open.[3]

“I’m telling you,” Crowley said cheerfully. “Always underestimate that man’s intelligence, you’ll never go wrong.”

Aziraphale gave his most dignified eye-roll.

They stepped, one by one, over the threshold.

They emerged into a room with the Universe inside.

---

[1] Demons could do that, but why would you want to?

[2] It had thirty-one buttons, not all of which were numbers. One through six did appear on there, in some fashion.

[3] If anyone had asked Adam, not that they’d bother to, no reason to bother asking him anything after all, he’d have showed them prophecy 1511: the numbere of the Univerfe is the numbere of wone-thorough-sixe. But they didn’t.

(Link to the next part)

[angsty-nerd]

Fictober 20

#20. "You could talk about it, you know”

Roswell, NM fanfic

Three conversations: 1. Liz & Kyle; 2. Rosa, Maria, & Liz; and, 3. Rosa & Max.

Beneath the cut for length!

1.

It was nearly midnight when the light knock on the front door of Max's house pulled Liz's attention from her reading. She groaned, frustrated by the interruption, but there was no one else to answer the door. Isobel had gone home, and Rosa went to bed at least an hour earlier. Michael was probably picking a fight with some rednecks at the Wild Pony. He seemed to prefer bruised knuckles over actually doing anything useful these days. It made Liz want to strangle him...except she didn't have the time or patience to fix him too right now.

She didn't even try to hide her irritation when she opened the door to let Kyle in. It was clear that he had come straight from work. He was still wearing his surgical scrubs, although he had at least ditched his white coat.

"What is it?" Liz demanded. "I'm busy going through the Project Shepherd files."

"You find anything?"

"Not yet."

"You want help?"

Liz sighed. "I mean…you can backcheck me if you want. Make sure I didn't skip over something important. But I want to see every page of this myself. I don't want to risk missing out on a single clue that could be the key to bringing Max back."

She turned and went back to the couch, hoping that Kyle would take the hint that she wanted to work, not talk. Of course, he didn't, which just increased her frustration.

"Liz, how long has it been since you slept?"

"I'm fine, Kyle. I just need answers."

"Have you eaten?"

"Yeah," Liz replied, distracted as she opened the next file and started reading. "There's leftover pizza in the fridge if you want some."

"I'm worried about you. You're not going to do Max any good if you destroy yourself on the path to healing him. He wouldn't want that, Liz."

Liz froze, a sharp pain rising in her gut, and before she could even fight it, tears were falling from her eyes. The file folder she was reading slid from her lap, forgotten, as she stood and began pacing around the room, trying to calm herself down. It was impossible though. It was Max's house. Everywhere she looked, everything she saw, reminded her of him.

It was like she was surrounded by all of the best parts of him...his books, so many books, which were like his incredible mind and imagination. There, in a corner, sat his white cowboy hat, part of his uniform. It was like a symbol of his honor and his dedication to working hard to do the right thing, to make up for the scars that haunted his soul. In a corner was a small framed family photo...loyalty, love.

Liz dropped down on the bench in front of his bookshelf, now openly weeping, while glaring at her hands. Her stupid, useless, human hands. Max's hands were like magic...gentle when they touched her, electric with passion and the literal energy from his powers. His hands worked miracles. They were weathered and calloused and absolutely perfect. She loved his hands.

Her hands were soft. Weak. Ordinary. Human. Her hands could flip pages of a file, or mix chemicals in a lab, but they couldn't wake the dead.

They couldn't save him.

An incoherent moan of agony escaped from her lungs as she just sat and fell apart. But within moments, her useless hands were encompassed by larger, warmer ones.

"It's okay to fall apart," Kyle murmured. "Just let it out, Liz. It's okay."

"No," Liz cried. "It's not okay. Nothing is okay. I need to keep it together."

“You could talk about it, you know?” Kyle suggested. "It might help you cope if you stop bottling everything up inside. I can listen, you know, if you want me to."

Liz sniffled and wiped her eyes, looking down at Kyle, who was kneeling in front of her.

"It's just...the pressure is getting to me and I feel like I'm all on my own here. Michael's a mess and Isobel's got her own shit to deal with. I feel like it's all on me, and I don't have any superpowers. I'm just...human. And sometimes I'm just so pissed off at Max for putting me in this position. But then, when I see Rosa's face or hear her voice, I'm so happy to have her back. It's so complicated and hard to reconcile this incredible pain and incredible happiness all mixed up together."

Kyle nodded and gestured for her to keep talking. And the floodgates opened.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

2.

The future was kind of weird.

And really, was it even the future, if it was also the present? These were the kinds of complex questions that would get caught in Rosa's mind, cycling around and around like a hamster on a wheel, until she gave herself a headache and felt like she was going crazy.

The world was full of contradictions now. She lived in both the future and the present. She was both Liz's big sister and younger sister. Izzy both was and wasn't her murderer. Papi both was and wasn't her father.

Some days it all made her so dizzy that she just wanted to lock herself in a dark room and hide out. No stimulation at all. Strange how her brain craved that now. Did it have something to do with being a former dead person? Is that what death is like?

At least it was better than what she used to do when she got overwhelmed. Back in the day she would have drunk herself into a stupor, maybe gotten high, and then released her frustration through some good ol’ fashioned vandalism.

Well, the vandalism part, at least, she still had a taste for. She always wanted to try to get a little tagging in on the rare occasions when she could convince someone to let her leave the house. Somehow though, they always managed to figure out what she was up to when she tried to sneak away. Everyone was so afraid that she'd be seen, and no one had quite figured out how to explain to the town how Rosa Ortecho had been resurrected from her grave.

So the night that she dug out a hoodie large enough to hide her face, and snuck out late at night to wander the town and maybe leave some street art in a few key locations, she knew that if anyone noticed she was gone, she'd be in deep shit. But she didn't really care.

It was freeing, walking alone, breathing the cool, fresh night air. On the edge of town, she couldn't resist leaving her classic UFO graphic on the backside of a convenience store that she used to be able to count on to never card her. But she knew that her old art would leave too many clues for people to find her, and she had already developed a new graphic to spread her fingerprints all over this town.

A ghost.

She left a ghost on the back wall of the Crashdown, and one on the side of the J.P. Wright building. She placed her mark on the Mexican restaurant and the high school.

Her mistake was when she was working on the dumpster behind the Wild Pony.

"Hey!" An angry and familiar voice shouted. "Maybe you could lay off the vandalism on my property. I can get Deputy Evans over here in a flash to arrest you."

Rosa froze. She had been begging to go see Maria, but Liz refused. No one could know, she kept saying. Not even Maria. The less people who knew, the safer she'd be. Maybe deep down, that was the point of this whole rebellious excursion. Maybe she just wanted to get caught, right here, right now, by her former best friend.

Liz was going to kill her.

"You can call Max all you want. I guarantee he's not coming to arrest me. He's not doing much of anything these days."

Slowly, she turned around, keeping her head low so that the hood continued to block her face.

"What are you talking about?" Maria demanded to know.

Rosa lifted her head and locked eyes with her best friend. "You really are out of the loop, aren't you? I knew there had to be a reason that Liz wouldn't let me see you, but I didn't realize that you didn't know anything at all."

Maria dropped the bag of trash in her hands and took a step backwards, fear and shock emanating from her.

"Rosa?"

"Hola!" Rosa greeted her with a wiggle of her slightly paint-stained fingers.

"I don't understand. How is this possible?"

"Liz said the same thing when she first saw me, and she at least knew enough to put the pieces together. The short version is that I died. And then Max Evans decided that Liz was better off having me in her life than him, and now I'm alive and he isn't."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rosa followed Maria into the Wild Pony where they spent about an hour talking and catching up on Maria's life while Maria finished cleaning up the bar for the evening. Once she was done, Maria led Rosa out to her truck and drove her back out to Max's house.

Liz was pacing the house, frantic with worry when they walked in. She gaped at the sight of Maria with her sister for a moment, before starting to unload about how upset she was all over Rosa. But right when she was getting to her rant about how irresponsible Rosa was, Maria held up a hand to silence Liz, who immediately complied.

"Liz, do you know what Rosa was doing when I found her?"  Liz shook her head. "She was painting a ghost onto the dumpster at the Wild Pony. From what she told me, she left ghosts all over town. Why do you think that is, Liz?"

Liz sat down, head in her hands. "Because that's what Rosa feels like. Because she's not really living. Because I'm keeping her on lockdown."

"Sure." Maria agreed. "That's part of it. But I don't think that's all of it. Rosa died, Liz. She was dead for 10 years. And now she's not. That's got to be a hell of a weird transition."

Rosa nodded. "I don't even know if I belong here anymore. And I can't find out if I'm locked in all the time."

Liz looked at her sister thoughtfully. "You know, someone pointed something out to me recently. It's really simple, but it is so logical and it helped so much. And I'm not sure it would have worked if he hadn't said it to me." Liz paused and smiled up at her sister. "You could talk about it, you know? I'm here to listen. And if you don't want to talk to me, you can always talk to Maria, or Kyle. Whoever."

"I know that, Liz," Rosa promised. "Just give me some time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

3.

"You know, we might be the only two people on earth that have died, and been raised from the dead. We're like, a crazy social experiment with unknown consequences that has never happened before and might never happen again."

"You're right," Max chuckled, giving Rosa a wry smile. "It's one thing we'll always have in common at least."

"My sister should put that science nerd brain of hers to work and, like, document this shit. Write a research paper or whatever on us. I mean, obviously she can't publish it or anything, but at least she could, like, bury it in a time capsule so that at the end of the world or something, someone will know that this crazy thing happened."

"There's just one problem." Max mused. "There's no control for comparison. And human to alien can't be compared like apples to apples."

"Point." Rosa agreed. They fell silent for a moment, but suddenly Rosa's eyes widened as a solution popped into her brain. "Well then, maybe instead of Liz documenting it as science, you should use your book nerd brain and write it down as if it were fiction!"

"Hmm…" Max pondered. "Not the worst idea."

"Maybe it would help you…" Rosa suggested carefully. "You know, with the nightmares."

Max's eyes shot up to meet hers. "Liz told you about…"

"Yeah, sorry." Rosa admitted. "She's worried, Max."

"There's nothing she can do." Max argued. "She's with me. She's comforting me when I wake up. She's...she's doing plenty, Rosa. This is my problem to work through."

“You could talk about it, you know?”

"What?"

"It doesn't have to be with Liz," Rosa reminded him. "You could talk to one of your siblings if you want. Hell, you could talk to me, if you want Max...the only other person in this world that somewhat understands what you've been through."

Max found himself wondering why they hadn't talked about it yet. He and Rosa did have a shared experience of sorts, and yet it had been a month since he woke up, and yet, never once had they talked about their deaths and ressurections. Of course, they also rarely spent time alone together like this.

"What was it like for you?" He asked her gently.

Rosa looked at him thoughtfully for a long moment before replying. "It was like time travel." She explained. "One minute it was 2008 and the next minute it was 2018. All of you were suddenly older than me. Technology has changed. And I was a living ghost."

"No, that's not what I meant." Max clarified. "Not the adjustment period. What was it like for you when you were dead?"

She searched his face, a worried expression in her eyes. "That doesn't change my answer, Max. It was like a snap for me. I was in that cave arguing with Izzy...Noah...whoever…and then all of a sudden you were dead next to me. The ten years I was dead? It was just...nothing."

Her answer shocked him, but he was grateful to hear it. It was easier that way. Easier for her to adjust, to live a life now. She was lucky.

"Max, please...tell me that it was the same for you." Rosa begged.

"I wish I could do that." He admitted apologetically, "But I can't. I mean, there was nothing for me too. No light, no feelings, no sound...but the one thing that was there was time. I felt every minute, every day that I was dead. It was like suffering in a lonely, empty, dark world with the absolute certainty that this was going to be the rest of your existence. Waiting alone for anything to break the never-ending monotony. I don't think I've ever been so relieved in my life as I was when Liz pulled me out of that place. I've never been so happy to be alive."

"But sleep reminds you of that place," Rosa realized.

"Exactly." Max confirmed. "I would love to get to a point where I can sleep and dream in peace again. And I think I will, with time. Having Liz next to me helps more than she could possibly know."

"Oh, Max," Rosa cried, reaching over to give him a hug. "Consider me here for you if you ever need an ear. Just call me your ghost-zombie therapy buddy. We’re both gonna be here to help you through this.”

[superwholock-marvel-images]

Winchesters in Gotham 4

1, 2, 3

Previously: “I received two invitations one for Batman, and the other for Bruce Wayne. Robin is going to fill in for Batman, and Y/N is going to fill in for Bruce Wayne.”

You change into a white collared shirt and black slacks. Glancing into the mirror you chuckle to yourself. Add a blue tie and a tan trench coat and you would be wearing an outfit similar to Cas’ normal outfit. You slip on some black flats then meet Batman and Robin back in the bat cave to figure out the plan. You and Robin are going to take separate cars so people won’t be suspicious.

“See you at the museum I guess.” You say to your friend. Robin smiles in response.

“Where’s Bruce Wayne?” The usher asks.

“He couldn’t make it tonight so he sent me instead.” You explain, thinking on your toes. The usher nods and allows you in. You quickly scan the area looking for threats. You don’t see any so you hesitantly put your guard down..

Robin walks over to you and places a hand on your shoulder scaring you half to death. “Holy shit Robin!” You exclaim.

“I’m sorry.” He says not sounding apologetic. He then starts to whisper. “Find anything yet?”

“Not yet, what about you?” You whisper in response. Robin shakes his head before walking away.

The two of you are there for an hour without any incident. Robin disappeared either in the rafters or somewhere amongst the crowd. When the Joker shows up he makes a dramatic entrance.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls- welcome to the Gotham City Museum. Let’s have some fun!” He says before laughing like a maniac. “Now, all of you are my prisoners until the ransom is payed!” Everyone in the room shifts uncomfortably.

“Joker.” Robin nearly yells, he then jumps from the rafters to the ground. The only reason why your friend isn’t dead is because of a safety line attached to his utility belt.

“Ah, if it isn’t Robin the boy wonder.”

“Let these people go.”

“Now tell me boy wonder why would I do that?”

“Because one hostage is enough.” You say walking forward and standing next to Robin.  “If you want Batman to be lured here, seventy hostages isn’t the way to go.” The Joker has a glint in his eyes that screams murder.

“Very well. One condition though.”

“And that is?” The green haired psychopath pulls out a gun out of the folds of his coat.

“That I get to pick who goes down with a bang tonight.” He then points his gun towards you and pulls the trigger as he laughs like a mad man.

Five gunshots ring out and you stumble backwards clutching your stomach, it feels like it’s on fire. The crimson liquid stains your hand and shirt, as it rolls down your abdomen and into the waistband of your pants. You lean against a column for support.

“Y/N!” Robin exclaims. Gravity eventually takes over and you slide down the pillar. Robin thankfully catches you before you crack your head open.

“Robin…” You say. Black dots creep into your line of vision. It’s also starting to hurt to breathe, right now all you want to do is close your eyes. You subconsciously hit the distress beacon on your watch as Robin does the same on his.

“Come on Y/N, stay awake.“  Robin murmurs, as he brushes your hair out of your face with his fingers. “Help is on the way.”

“Easier said then done…” You reply trying to get air back into your lungs, but your lungs seem to be broken currently. “It’s hard to breathe.”

“Just stay with me okay.” Your friend says as he does what he can to slow the bleeding. You yelp like an injured dog when he applies pressure on your wounds.

When Batman as well as the ambulance arrive, Robin’s voice sounds like the two of you are separated by a pane of glass. You’re starting to feel numb, you barely notice the paramedics putting you on a gurney then in the ambulance.

The last thing you remember before you lose consciousness is metal doors, a cold draft and a bright surgical light. Then blackness. 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 -Batman & Robin’s POV, museum- “How’d you know to send the ambulance?” Robin asks after the Joker flees.

“I’ll explain when we get to the batcave. For the moment, we need to keep Y/N’s name off the news and out of the papers.” Batman replies. The two heroes walk out of the museum only to be bombarded by the press. The main questions asked are: what happened here, where’s the Joker, and who was injured. Eventually Batman and Robin manage to get away from the reporters. The duo heads back to the bat mobile and drive back to Wayne manor.

Batman walks over to one of the computers, and shakes the mouse. When the screen turns on there are two sets of vitals on it. “You were tracking our vital signs?” Robin asks a bit confused. Batman nods.

“I came up with the idea after Y/N was kidnapped by Crowley awhile ago.” He replies. The vital signs on the bottom of the screen plummet, and flat lines. ��No…”

“What if the doctors removed her watch?” Robin says in a hopeful voice.

“It is a possibility Robin, but we don’t know for certain.” Batman and Robin wait with abated breath for something to happen. After three long minutes the line starts moving again. You flat line three more times in the next four hours. Batman and Robin change clothes, back to Bruce and Dick before heading to Gotham Hospital.

“Family of Y/N Winchester?” A doctor asks. Dick and Bruce stand up and walk over to them.

“Is she going to be alright?” Bruce asks.

“We lost her on the table a few times, but she pulled through. As of this instant she’s in a coma and currently on life support.”

“Can we see her?“  The doctor nods and leads them to your hospital room. Dick grimaces when he sees all tubes and wires attached to your body.

Bruce notices the bat symbol in the sky. He sighs. He then tells Dick that they should go. Dick reluctantly agrees with Bruce and the two of them leave. 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 -Moments later, Gotham sirens POV- Salina’s the first to find out that you got shot, she then tells the other sirens.  Harley is the first one to the hospital. “Oh Thrushy.” She says when she sees you.

When Ivy shows up, she places a small potted plant on the bedside table- she then coaxes the plant to blossom. “What kind of plant is that?” Harley asks.

“(Favorite flower), Y/N loves them.” Ivy answers. “It brightens the room a bit.”

“That’s true.” Salina replies, as she enters the room from the window. “How’s our little bird doing?” Both Harley and Ivy shrug in reply.

“What happened?” Ivy asks.

“You know about the shooting at the museum, right?”

“Barely.”

“Well according to Batman, Y/N was at the museum- and she was the person who got shot.”

“Do you know who the shooter was?”

“The Joker.”

“I’m going to kill him.”

To be continued

@the-third-winchester-warrior @flannels-and-rocksalt @always-keep-writing-spn @winchesters-favorite-girl @caroldanversinatardis @the-writer-in-blue @spnkisum @thewinsisterchronicles @simply-wins-little-sis @moose-and-sqruille-lover

[maliwarm]

In case none of u knew, my guilty pleasure is weird, potentially implausible, crossovers and getting stupidly invested in them to the point that I Must Write It. :,,,3 Also, this is kinda to help me flesh out a BB-verse role for my angry son.

Readmore cuz I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and also I get embarrassed over how excited I get about this kinda stuff when nobody else does…

-

Reyna slouched backwards into the booth seat, one arm resting comfortably on its top, with fingers slowly tapping against the bright, stained leather. Ice clicked against her glass with every languid swirl of her straw, barely loud enough to be heard over the raucous din of the bar’s other patrons. Seated across from her, her company of two sat and waited patiently enough for her to hear them out about whatever problem it was they may have.

The older guy, who she pegged to be around his mid to late-thirties, filled the wait with sips of his own drink, looking every bit as casual as Reyna herself. Had introduced himself as “Maxima”, which was obviously a code name of some sort. Every time he tipped back the glass, the sleeve of his trenchcoat slipped back a little, and Reyna was offered a peek of armoured plating and glowing blue. He’d unbuttoned the top few buttons of the coat when he first sat down in order to cool down, which had exposed more metal and glowing blue that stopped at his throat. Zooming in on his neck with the tech in her eyepatch and enhancing the image had revealed a pale, so thin it was barely there, scar a little above the metal. It was neat, surgical. And probably ran all the way around his neck. Whoever had turned this man into a cyborg had impressive workmanship; a real master of the trade.

In comparison, the kid - who hadn’t uttered more than a grunt of acknowledgement here and there, let alone introduced himself - appeared to be utterly disinterested; slouched, with arms crossed over his leather-jacketed chest. The sunglasses made it difficult to distinguish exactly where he was looking, though his head was tilted ever so slightly away, towards the aisle, leading Reyna to believe he was keeping a watchful eye out for trouble. Unlike his big friend with the sideburns, he looked to be a normal, wholly human, teenager. The red gauntlet on his right hand kept drawing her attention, though. There were what looked little vents over each knuckle joint, which had initially made her wonder if it was a cybernetic prosthesis that could shoot out… something - compressed air, maybe? - from those bits. Very interesting…

Reyna took a sip of her drink - fruitiness chased by a spicy tang - and set it down before shifting positions. Back straight, elbows on the greasy tabletop with hands clasped together under her chin, now ready to conduct business. “So. What is it that you need?”

Sunglasses didn’t really acknowledge her, continuing to act disinterested/keep watch. Though Maxima set his own drink down, pushing it away a little so he could rest his own arms on the table. The jovial expression he’d been wearing up until now slipped away, replaced by one that was as completely and utterly serious as her own. “Asylum. Or at the very least, a decent ship.”

That much at least had seemed obvious enough. Reyna hummed. “Right. You running from anyone in particular?” Her eyes flicked deliberately towards Maxima’s metal-tipped fingers, then back to his face. “The LLC, maybe?”

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards into the smallest of grins. “Not at the moment. Though I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before they come looking for the funds I wired.” The grin slipped away again, back into that serious expression. “It’s the UPR we want to avoid, for one. One squad in particular; Ikari. Perhaps you’ve heard of them?”

Reyna blinked. Tried not to let her surprise show any further than that. “I have.”

Not much, granted, but she knew of Commander Heidern and his adopted daughter, at least. As well as some of the frankly over-exaggerated-sounding exploits of two of his subordinates. (Seriously, who the fuck would believe someone could take down a tank just by punching it? What an utter crock of shit.) She’d run into him briefly maybe once or twice during her time in the UPR; not enough to get a proper handle of him, though there’d been some kind of aura surrounding him that’d always raised her hackles… Which was the main reason she even remembered the man in the first place. She also remembered his team being one of the elite of the elite. Meaning it was highly likely that they were going to be tricky to hide from. Reyna pushed the thought aside to address later. She wanted the full picture first.

“You said “for one”… Who else are you running from?“

Sunglasses’ head tilted slightly towards his friend, and Maxima’s eyes flicked towards him in turn. His brows were raised in questioning. The kid’s mouth was set into a thin, contemplative line. Reyna watched the silent exchange play out, waiting patiently, even if it did pique her curiosity all the more.

In the end, Sunglasses went back to keeping watch/feigning disinterest and his cyborg friend let out a long, weary sigh, running a hand through his hair. He leaned forward, keeping his voice pitched low. ”… They’re called the NESTS Cartel. You probably haven’t heard of them, and that’s honestly for the best; you’ll be safer that way. They deal primarily in drugs and biological weaponry. I also know for a fact that they dabble in human trafficking; K’ here’s just one of their many victims.“

“Kay… Dash?” Reyna repeated, a knit developing between her brows, and a frown tugging her lips downwards as she rolled the pronounciation around on her tongue. That wasn’t a name… that was a serial number. Her mind strayed towards the UPR and their clones and her blood began to boil.

Sunglasses’ - K’s - fingers squeezed his jacket hard enough for the leather to noticeably creak. His voice was flinty when he spoke to his friend. “I thought we agreed not to give out more information than necessary.”

“Seems necessary to me,” Maxima shrugged. Though he had the grace to look slightly sheepish. “Besides, from the data gathered - both second and firsthand - I’m inclined to believe Miss Valeria’s an incredibly trustworthy person. Even if having a famous assassin by her side as her bodyguard is overkill in the caution department.” His head very slowly and very deliberately turned towards the empty spot at Reyna’s right, eyes now glowing brilliant blue, and offered the air a pleasant smile. “Still, she couldn’t have picked a better bodyguard if even half of what I’ve heard about you is true, Mr Lakonna. And it’s all very impressive stuff.”

The hair on Reyna’s arms stood on end. The sensors of most ships - among those, even the highest-end LLC class vessels - couldn’t detect her sneakiest Rogue. Yet this unassuming-looking cyborg, donning the type of smile she’d associate with a kind uncle, had known he was there; potentially from the very beginning. She could only imagine how much more rattled by this Pendles must be. Even if he hid it well behind a good-natured chuckle and his EE-patented grin as he wisped into visibility.

“Well that’s very flattering of you to say, mate. Thanks.” Pendles’ golden eye narrowed slightly, tongue slipping out between his teeth to taste the air; assess whatever threats this cyborg and his grumpy younger companion may present. “I’m very curious though. Just how did you know I was here?”

Maxima tapped his brow with a metal-tipped finger. “My body’s full of fancy hardware and all kinds of scanners: ultraviolet, heat sensors… you name it, I’ve probably got it.”

What he didn’t say was that he hadn’t even been sure what his scanners had been picking up was correct; he’d figured he was glitching out. His little show earlier had been, admittedly, a large gamble to see whether or not his body was acting up. Thankfully, it, and some data he’d pulled up, had paid off in the end. But at the unfortunate expense of making things tense, if the assassin’s and Valkyrie’s faces were anything to go by.

“Good going, moron,” K’ muttered. “And you say I’ve got no tact.”

Maxima rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to make things strained.”

Reyna’s eye narrowed at him in assessment. If he could pick up Pendles on his internal hardware and he turned out to be a threat, it’d be difficult to get the drop on, and dispose of him, quietly. On the other hand though, that very same internal hardware would be an indispensable tool to have at her disposal… He’d also mentioned hacking some LLC funds, so that was another valuable skill he could bring to the table. And while she hadn’t seen too much of his body, she was willing to bet he was a pretty heavy-hitter, purely based on his size and the density and impressiveness of his tech… The kid - K’ - was still a complete enigma, but she decided that there was definitely more to him than a surly, leather-clad teen with a funky looking gauntlet on one hand.

Reyna blinked, emerging from the swirling tangle of her own thoughts, to paste on a smooth smile. “It’s fine. You just caught us a little off-guard with that little trick of yours.” A metal claw came up to tap her own lips thoughtfully. “Back to wrapping up our business though…. Getting a ship’s easy, but helping you two dodge the one of the UPR’s most elite squads and this other organisation, NESTS, is gonna be tough, but doable. In short, I can help you, but it won’t be cheap.”

“I figured as much,” Maxima replied. “What are your conditions?”

Reyna leaned back comfortably into the booth seat again, one arm resting on its top like before, and the other grabbing her drink for a few leisurely sips. The ice had mostly melted by now, and the condensation that had gathered dampened her gloves. She gave the contents a little swish, sending what was left of the ice cubes into a mild clattering frenzy, before draining the last of the glass and setting it back down. “Alright. First of all, I want the both of you to run the occasional job for me - hacking, salvage, shard collection, maybe assistance in closing the odd portal bloom or disrupting Rendain’s forces - as well as keeping your eyes and ears open for any interesting information to pass on to me, to earn your keep.”

Maxima was already nodding slowly. Though there was a weariness in his eyes. Obviously he was waiting for the hidden “but”, or less-than-agreeable request. Reyna decided not to keep him stewing for too long, as fun as that would be.

“Secondly,” she leaned forward again, resting an elbow on the table. She pointed a finger at his face, wearing a determined expression on her own. “I want you to tell me everything you know about this NESTS Cartel.”

The pair’s reactions were immediate. K’ stiffened, and Maxima sucked in a sharp breath, as though he’d been punched in the gut. “Miss Valeria, I don’t think that’s a good idea-”

She cut him off with a raised palm. And a scowl for good measure. “No offence, big guy, but I honestly couldn’t give two shits about what you think in this instance. If there’s a group of people out there abducting kids and doing who knows what to them in my home turf? I wanna know who the hell they are so I can take them down for good.”

A slew of conflicting emotions danced openly in Maxima’s eyes: concern, weariness, satisfaction, a tiny spark - there and gone - of what she was sure was hatred. His lips pressed together into a thin, unhappy, line. “… Are you absolutely sure about this? If they become aware that you know of their existence, they’ll hunt you down and kill you - and your crew - or worse.”

Just like they’d killed his friend, his old partner, Rocky. That wound was a few years old by now, but it wasn’t one he was inclined to spill his guts about to his potential future employer; trustworthy as he’d deemed her to be or not, she was still a stranger.

Instead of balking at the statement, Reyna barked out a laugh. “Buddy, the universe is ending. If these creeps don’t kill me, Varelsi or heat death probably will anyway. And as for my crew… I’d like to see the bastards try to get a hand on ‘em; if my Rogues don’t kill them, then I most certainly will. Now, unless you have any other dissuasions you wanna try, I’d like to wrap this up and know if we’ve got a deal.”

A brief look was exchanged between the pair, ending when K’ gave his assent with a small and hesitant, yet affirmative, nod. He didn’t look very happy about it though. Maxima puffed out a sigh. Turned back to Reyna, offering a crooked grin and an extended palm. “You drive a hard bargain, Miss Valeria. But we accept your terms.”

Smirking, she clasped her own hand with his to seal the deal. His grip was firm, but not crushing, like she’d expected it to be. “That was a pretty easy one and we both know it.” They both retracted their hands. “By the way, I’ll have you running some of those jobs I mentioned earlier alongside my Rogues. Including Pendles here.” She jerked her head in the roa’s direction. “So I expect you to treat them well - play nice, and have their backs on the field - or I’ll end this partnership with a bullet between both your eyes. Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” Maxima affirmed. He extended his palm in the roa’s direction, offering him that friendly, kind-uncle-type, smile he’d worn at the beginning of their meeting. “I look forward to working with you sometime, Mister Lakonna.”

Pendles’ tongue flicked out uneasily, but he couldn’t taste any sort of threat emanating from this man. At least for the moment. He cautiously accepted the proffered hand with his own prosthetic one, giving it a firm shake. “Likewise. And just Pendles is fine, mate.”

Reyna pushed herself to her feet, Pendles following her lead, and tossed a generous handful of credits on the table to pay for all their drinks. “Come back here in two days time and I’ll have your ship. Then you can start telling me all about this NESTS Cartel.”

[skyannson-blog]

Legends: Chapter One

I awoke to a bright light shining in my eyes, confusion settling in my thoughts. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, feeling distraught and lost. I looked around before realizing I was enclosed somewhere. Suddenly, it all returned to me. It was my Awakening Day.

Joy and excitement then filled me. I'd been excited for this moment for so long, I couldn't wait to start my adult life with a perfect job, a nice house, a wonderful husband who was hand-picked just for me. It was so picturesque; it was the best life I could ever dream of. That's why I loved Brooksledge: everything was set in stone, and whatever we got was best for us. The Leaders made sure we were safe and well-protected, and they only had our best interests at heart. I felt so lucky to live here. I realized then that my Awakening was different than imagined. They'd always informed us that we would wake up with a Leader and my husband standing before me, but I was still in my pod.

 I shrugged it off and simply told myself that they would be right outside my pod as soon as it opened. Glancing around, I searched for a way out, some kind of way to open it. The pod was just large enough to fit me with a clear opening above and two lights beside my head. All I could see through the glass was the bottom of the pod that was above me. While it was hard to move, I managed to pull my arms up and gently push the glass above. Immediately, I felt the pod jerk forward and the glass top opened.

I sat up slowly, craning my neck to see down the room. The hall was vacant. No Leaders, no Reed, - the man I recalled who was matched with me - nobody. I furrowed my eyebrows; surely, there must be a mistake. I swung my legs over the side and jumped down, barely landing on my feet. I turned in a full circle, getting a better view. I looked down at the gown I was wearing - the hospital-like one they made everyone wear when they slept - and my bare feet. "What an attractive look," I laughed quietly to myself. It wasn't until then I realized I knew I looked different. Extremely different. I felt excited to find a mirror and see what my face looked like, how I had changed from my twelve-year-old self to my twenty-one-year-old self. But first, I knew I had to find someone.

I walked a few steps forward from the pod when I heard it snap close. I turned and watched it go back into the wall of other pods. I noticed the number on the front for the first time, the one that indicated how old we were, and I felt my breath hitch in my throat. The pod's number pad read: 17 years, 2 months, 12 days, 21 hours. I stumbled backwards a bit, instantaneously feeling sick. Hundreds of thoughts began running through my head at once. I wasn't twenty-one, not even close. I was seventeen. I was a teenager. I had awoken too early. I was a Present. I felt dizzy then, feeling panic rise in my body. What would happen to me now? Where would I go? Who would I be? As if on cue, I heard a door creak open. I turned to look down the long hall, seeing the silhouette of a person stand in the doorway with a white light behind them. I felt relief flood over me, and I let out a breath I wasn't aware I was holding.

"Hey!" I croaked out, my throat dry. The sound of my voice was unfamiliar, almost foreign to me; I sounded different than I remembered. I waved at the person. "Can you help me?" The figure stepped forward, enough to where I could see him properly. I noticed it was an older man with greying hair and glasses. He wore a white lab coat and pants, and when he walked towards me, I saw a name tag reading "Dr. Jakobs" on his left pocket. When he stood before me, he looked up at the empty pod with the stopped clock. My empty pod. Nodding, he slowly drew his stern gaze back to me. "Adella Brooks?" "Uh, yes, that's me," I replied, a bit uneasy. "Come with me." He turned abruptly, walking towards the room he came from at a quick pace. I hesitantly followed him, waiting a few moments until I managed to move one foot in front of the other. I tried not to fall on my way - being dormant for so long made my legs feel like jello - and somehow I managed to only stumble twice on the way there. Once inside, he instructed me to sit on a bed in the corner. I did as told, hopping up on it.

"So, am I... am I in trouble?" I asked softly, scared of what the answer might be. "For, you know, waking up... too soon?”                                                  "Not at all," the man assured as he filled a syringe with a clear liquid. "You will just be put in a different community than Brooksledge. A better one. People who wake up too early are honored within Legends government, so they will be treated with only the finest service."

"Oh. Okay." I sat back, confused. "But what about the life they planned? What about my home and the man I was supposed to marry?" "You'll have a new planned life there. And a new match, too," he replied monotonously. He then held out a hand and said with a blank expression, "Hand me your arm please." "Why?" I asked, glancing down at the syringe and then back up at him. He sighed. "It's a sterile to help reduce the fatigue from you just waking up. Now please, your arm." "Oh, uh, sure." I slowly placed my arm in his outstretched palm. He began to bring the syringe towards my arm, nearly piercing the skin, when there was a sudden call over the intercom. "Dr. Jakobs, please report to the conference room. Dr. Jakobs to the conference room," the mundane female voice spoke. At that call, the doctor put down the syringe forcefully and dropped my arm. "Oh, for Christ's sake!" He yelled and stormed out of the room without another word. An eerie silence filled the white room as I swung my legs back and forth on the bed. I looked around the bland room as I drummed my fingers against the bed, when I heard a noise come from the ceiling. I looked up, hearing the sound of metal on metal. My eyes widened as the vent slid open by itself. "What the-" I was instantly shushed by a voice. Just then, a boy's head popped through. I muffled a gasp, clasping one hand over my mouth. He jumped down, landing perfectly upright. Beckoning for me to join him, he said, "follow me. We have to get out of here while he's distracted!" "Wh-What?" I stuttered, feeling confused for what felt like the tenth time that day. 

"He's going to kill you! That's what they do to people like you! To people like us!" He whisper-shouted. "Now, let's go! We still have a chance to escape without them knowing!" "But he said-" I started before getting cut off again. "I know what he said! News flash, he was lying!" He whispered frustratingly. His expression softened suddenly, and he closed his eyes. "Please just... please come with me. I can't lose another one. Not again." I looked at him for a moment before sighing and giving in. "Okay, okay, I'll come with you." "Okay, thank-" the boy was cut off by the sound of nearby chatter. His face fell as he turned to me. "He's coming back! We need to go, now!" 

He jumped up, catching onto the side of the vent before pulling himself up. He leaned down and held out his arms, motioning for me to grab on. I did as he said, holding on to his forearm and trying to help him pull me up. I was nearly through the vent when I heard the door creak open. I instantly froze in place as the hairs on my neck stood straight up, and I looked down to see the doctor standing right by my dangling legs. Everything then became a blur as I felt myself slip from the boy's grip and onto the cold, hard tile ground. 

Groaning, I sat up. The first thing I saw was the doctor pick the syringe up. He turned to me, his expression suddenly dark and angry. I felt an uneasy feeling reside in my stomach as I subconsciously scooted away from the man. "He's going to kill you with that!" The boy shouted from above. Both the doctor and I looked up as he informed me, "that needle has poison in it!" I turned to face the man for a split second before he lunged at me. I jumped away, watching as he just barely missed me, the needle stabbing the ground. He looked at me with a vicious glare that made me feel sick. His hand reached up to the tray next to the bed and grabbed a pair of surgical scissors, grunting as he pushed himself from the ground. I pushed backwards until I felt my back hit the wall, looking up in just enough time to see the doctor charging at me. When he got to me, I kicked him in his stomach. He groaned for a mere second before trying to stab me with the scissors. I held his arm, keeping the scissors inches from my face, when I saw the boy jump down behind him. I opened my mouth to say something before opting not to, figuring the boy could give a sneak attack. 

"You're not supposed to be alive," the man growled. "Presents aren't supposed to live. They aren't worthy!" "What is wrong with you?" I yelled, pushing him back. He stumbled slightly but still kept strong, throwing his arm down. My arm was nearly stabbed, but I managed to turn at the right moment. Only now, I was in a corner. No way to turn or flee. "It's time to end this. Once and for all." The man, now standing, towered over me. He held the scissors in his hand, the other clenched tightly by his side. "I don't care if I don't use the serum. I hope you have a painful death." I closed my eyes and waited for it to be over, praying it would happen quickly and it wouldn't hurt. When nothing happened for a few seconds, I opened my eyes. 

The boy was standing in front of me now, screaming at me to stand and run, that it was only a matter of time. I stumbled as I stood, finding my balance and hurrying to the vent. I noticed the man lying on the ground, half-conscious. I wondered what the boy did, but I frankly didn't care. Once he was inside the vent again, he outstretched his arms to help me. Again, I was pulled up. As I was climbing to the top, with only the bottom of my back and down showing, I felt excruciating pain erupt right by my tailbone. I yelled in pain, refusing to let go of where I was. I feared the worst: the syringe. After everything, I could be poisoned and die before I even made it out of here. The boy helped me up the rest of the way, and I felt tears well up from the pain as I put my arm behind me and felt what the damage was. I recognized it. The scissors were positioned deep in the my back, my fingers greeting a warm fluid gushing from the wound. I knew I was bleeding badly. And yet, I sighed in relief. It wasn't poison. I was alive. "Oh my god, we gotta get you to Matilda!" The boy shouted, pulling me along the vents. "You're losing blood fast."

Everything was just a blur as the kid dragged me along. I felt myself slipping in and out of consciousness. Half of it most likely due to blood loss, but the other half was due to shock. As I struggled to stay awake, I heard snippets of conversations here and there. 

"Let's go!" "Matilda... get to Matilda..." "Jesus Christ Darius! What is this?" "She's losing blood really quickly. She might not make it." Finally, darkness fully consumed me.

[toldumpurple]

by crazychase

Celebrating the Soon to be completion of my novel! Here are the First Two Chapters! Enjoy and Look forward to Seeing A Kickstarter For first publishing and Editing! It will have some pretty cool rewards to go with it!

Prologue

The Date is 7165 AD or it would be if AD/BC was used anymore.

Welcome to the capital of the Global Peace and Science Treat Organisation aka GPSTO, Kondinumim, or Kondi as locals like to call it. Ever since the GPSTO took over the planet 1220 years ago the scientific development of the world has been strictly limited and monitored. The organisation’s eyes and ears were everywhere. Their enforcers are as strict as they are brutal and did not show leniency on even the smallest of offences toward the endless rules imposed by the GPSTO. The True Date according to the new system is 1221 GSR Imposed by the GPSTO standing for the date since their Global Scientific Reform.

The Global Scientific reform was a brutal era not unlike the records of the WW2 Holocaust where the organisation set up “re-education camps” sending almost 30 percent of the population being sent and never to be heard of again. The rest of the population was put under a dictatorship like reign of this faceless organisation under the premise of global peace. The Surviving population have silicon biotags that are needed for the simplest of tasks like walking down the street for exercise. These are known as Bio-Silicon Personal ID Pass, the SPIP. Even with all this security and force however there still is and always will be the Black market and shady dealers exploiting the system and evading the authorities.

After all… This is Human nature.

Five Years ago a mysterious Research publication by an unknown writer appeared on an open source mechanical engineering website. It was only online for 2 hours before the paper and the company vanished entirely without a trace. The paper has sparked a widespread urban myth about its existence though word of mouth as any mention of it within the network disappears. The Contents of the paper? The Complete mapped out pathways of the human brain, the theory of creating artificial consciousness, and how to replicate the human brain using bio-silicon and optic fibre components. One last copy of the paper remains. Printed and held by a young Mechanical engineer called Zeke Crassus who has every intention to try out the design.

Chapter 1: Sweet Beginnings

*CLICK*

An old video camera whirred to life and begins to record a young man in his mid-twenties sitting on an old metal stool in an engineering workshop. His hair messy but off his face almost teased up, face dirty from work in the garage. His bright green eyes highlighted by the deep blue work outfit he was wearing.

He takes a deep breath and starts to speak.

“Hi my Name Is Zeke Crassus, 26, mechanical engineer. For the last year I have been working on and fabricating parts for project Eden.

So here is the quick rundown on progress so far.

The torso head and first part of the limbs have been constructed and assembled using a special non- magnetic titanium alloy composite covered in porcelain to make the endoskeleton. The porcelain surface allows the attachment of the synthetic muscles by my design using glues and resins strong and flexible enough to prevent it from tearing away from the endoskeleton while generating enough force to move quicker than biological humans. Since any Idea of this concept or RND is considered Illegal by the GPSTO it is essential that by all regards that the finished product will appear to any one undergoing tests that project Eden is indeed human. Of course some alterations will have to be made so biological test will be evaded but this will not be too hard to overcome with the utilisation of a few medical advancements. For power GPSTO’s new eco power generation technology is going to be used which utilises Bacterial Symbiosis to break down food into electrical energy. This will create a more human feel allowing it to eat as a human would and go undetected. Specifically simple sugars will be needed to generate power and so biofilm coated silicon pouches that will excrete substance similar to salvia in humans accepting a larger range in diet.”

Zeke Pauses and rubs his eyes for a moment displaying signs of fatigue. He stands up beginning to pace as he continues his description of the project.

“However I digress as I have talked about a lot of this on a prior video diary. The Artificial brain is constructed as the paper specified but I am yet to get a response to show it is operational. Utilising the synthetic silicon heart technology from the medical field as a hydraulic pump I have managed to get the synaptic fluid to flow as intended relocating energy to the power generation areas and resupplying and supporting the symbionts according to isolated test results. The Muscle structure and silicon polymer skin has successfully mimicked natural form and project finally looks humanoid and not like some ancient sci-fi villain. Face and eyes have been fitted and the project has taken on a cute appearance which was an unintentional result. If the project identifies as male I may have to alter face structure and eye colour as purple would not come across as a male’s choice within the designer eye community. A Silicon keratin polymer has been created as hair which looks and feels like real hair however I have not figured out how to change its colour from silver yet. A test will be performed to see if a Dye can be used on the fibres as they are porous. Finally the project has had internet protocols enabled allowing downloading language and behavioural parameters after I enable the voice protocols from the workshops secure intranet.”

Zeke lets out a large sigh walking toward a large surgical style work bench and removes the sheet form the project.

There lay a humanoid figure with only a head, upper arms and thighs attached to the torso The Synthetic muscle was exposed on the entirety of the body with the exception of the face where the silicon skin was attached covering the multitude of small synthetic muscles needed for complex face movement

Zeke looks over the frame silently for a moment.

He begins to think to himself, “It’s Incredible that I have manage to build this much so far and avoid arousing suspicion or be caught yet,’ as he ponders whether it is fine for him to continue to the next stage of the experiment. In an attempt to motivate himself he states out loud as he flicks the power up switch to on, “It’s too late now to back away! You must finish this beautiful thing, Zeke!”

The project sits up and looks around the room from its position on the bench.

“Good”, Zeke stated, “at least we haven’t gone backwards from the last 93 tests.”

He starts to walk toward a laptop station connected to the power equipment thinking out loud, “Now just to activate voice and download the protocols from the intranet to see if that brain has started up yet.”

As he approaches the computer a sweet musical voice calls out from behind him, “Hey Zeke, you don’t have to do that.”

Frightened at the sudden voice Zeke Panics and spins around looking for the source of the mysterious voice calling out, “Who is there? How did you get into my show?! It’s after hours and we are closed!”

The mysterious voice pipes up again and says, “but I have always been here… you are the one who put me here and I cannot move for myself properly yet!”

Zeke dumbfounded and shocked looks toward the bench to see the project with a quizzical look on its face.

“Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-you can talk?!” Zeke stammered out. “But I haven’t activated any of your systems! How is this possible?! None of my other tests worked or even got a response!” Zeke exclaimed both shocked and excited.

“Well, I can turn on my own systems thank you but as for why I am talking now and not before…” project Eden stated trailing off then with a bashful full tone said, “I guess this is the first time you called me beautiful.”

Dumbfounded, Zeke froze mouth gaped.

“You mean you made me believe that you were defective 93 times just because I hadn’t complimented you yet?!” Zeke Exclaimed frustrated

“Please don’t yell at me”, Project Eden Said as it cowered as if waiting to be hit,” I just thought you were mad cause you always used rude words when working on me and well…”

“Well what is it?” Zeke inquired.

“Well, I thought if I talked you would stop spending so much time with me and I was lonely.” Project Eden said embarrassed.

Zeke let out a large sigh regaining his composure and warming up to this new development.

He moves closer to the bench turning off the still recording camera and grabbing his metal stool and approached the bench where project Eden was still sitting looking quite worried.

“So, look.” Zeke started as he sat down on the stool looking up at the cute worried face and stunning purple eyes, “I am sorry about all that, you surprised me and I didn’t know you were conscious, could hear me, or even were working at all. I was frustrated. Will you forgive me?” Zeke asked apologetically. While thinking, “I cannot believe I am apologising to my experiment!”

“Well you are forgiven”, Project Eden replied, ‘ Oh, and before I go back to sleep because I am fatigued, you can go ahead and finish putting me together as it is improper to leave a girl like this, I think I better introduce myself!”

“W-W-W-What?!” Zeke exclaimed, “Your name is Eden like Adam and Eve Eden! Cause you could have been male or fem…”

“God No!” She stated loudly cutting him off, “That is a horrible name! Where the hell did you get that from? You may be a genius but you are terrible with names!”

“WELL…. what shall you have me call you ‘The Mighty naming Princess of names’?!” Zeke replies with all the sass he can muster.

She lets out a cute and sweet toned giggle, turns toward him to look directly into his eyes and pulling the biggest smile Zeke had ever seen and proceeds to introduce herself.

“My name will be Arinel Rose and for when we are alone you can call me Ari!”

Zeke just sits there speechless at the sight that just befell him. His creation telling him off, showing varied emotions and even deciding on her own name and gender without any of his input codes.

“Good night Zeke, I look forward to getting my hair and the rest of my body assembled too, so I can move around and spend more time with you. It was lovely to finally start talking to you! I have been quite lonely.” Arinel states as she begins to lay down and take on the appearance of going to sleep.

Zeke replies as he begins to turn off all the equipment except Arinel’s maintenance power, “It was lovely to talk to you, the pleasure was all mine….

Ari….”

Chapter 2: In all the Time Gone By

Two weeks has passed since the day that Zeke spoke to Arinel. In those days Zeke never left his workshop, eating and sleeping within the shop to spend every waking minute that he was not doing commission work getting Arinel to completion. He had prepared a hospital gown for her feeling bad that she was unclothed and probably conscious. Once touch and heat sense was connected to the artificial skin he also got an extra pillow for her wondering if she was uncomfortable and every day he would talk to her about what he was doing, about himself, and the city that they live in. Arinel, unfortunately due to lack of operational power did not or could not reply to Zeke’s conversations.

In spite of this Zeke found that talking to this pretty and peaceful face laying on his bench very soothing. He found himself watching his language around her with the knowledge from his last conversation with her that she can more than likely hear him. Zeke found himself smiling more and more than he had in a long time while working to complete this cute, bright and bubbly mystery that he had found.

Today is August 13th of the Year 1221 GSR and in spite of all the exciting things that has happened to him over the last few weeks Zeke was very melancholy. He sat on his metal stool in his workshop unwilling to move, listening to the hum of the BIO Works Sili-synth generating Arinel’s synthetic skin over the sensory frame. Zeke realised that he should be fine tuning Arinel’s muscle microcomputers in her outer limbs or tweaking the heat/touch sensory system however he could not help but to just sit there silently staring at the plain concrete floor unable to move. He lifts his head and looks around his workshop from his stool and has a sudden feeling of emptiness. There are no voices, No people, and no one to be there for him. Zeke was alone. He was always alone.

It has been this way for him for the last five years.

Zeke turns his gaze to the almost complete Arinel laying on the bench looking at the peaceful and pleasant expression that she always has on that cute face now adorned by her pure silver hair.

“Ari…” Zeke manages to blurt in a squeaky and broken voice as if trying to clear his throat, Hold back tears and talk at the same time.

“I want to tell you a story…. A story that no one has heard roll from my lips because I have no one to tell. This Story is from 5 years ago.” Zeke said as he pulled his stool closer to the Bench that Arinel lay.

“I know you cannot respond and tell me to stop due to currently lack of power to initialise your voice function systems but I am going to need to tell you anyway because this is important to me and this day to this memory.” Zeke trailed off pausing for a moment as if waiting for her to respond before taking a deep breath in and out before continuing to speak.

“You see this place used to be a lot more lively than it is now… three times as much to be exact.” Zeke let out a large sigh and attempted to quickly stretch his back.”

“Five years ago I used to have a mother and father who ran this place and built it from the ground up. Dad was a doctor and specialised fixing people’s bodies with science and medicine while mum was the engineer who took on all the problems that dad could not handle or fix entirely like missing limbs and deformity correction. They were the perfect team and the city loved them. It wasn’t long before they had this place and all the equipment payed off. I have left out one important member of this team that came a bit later. My little sister, Anastasia Isabell Crassus… My adorable, ‘Stasha’… I adored her and the world has never seen or probably ever will see a Bio-silicon Skin Designer. In the skin being constructed for you was her last ‘gift’ to me if you could call it a gift. I found the design it on my desk under all the paperwork 4 years ago with a note saying, ‘I think this is my best yet! You cannot tell it apart from real Skin! Love you Big Bro!’ I almost threw it away but decided to keep it instead. I didn’t have any interest in the shop before this day five years ago, I just wanted to go out into the city and find more classic shows to add to my collection from the ancient times. I wanted to be a historian back then and have nothing to do with the shop, medicine, or bio-engineering at all but they made me help out at the shop anyway and I was good at it. I hated it, all I wanted to do was leave and get away from everyone and everything but looking back that time spent with them, is the best memories that I have.”

Zeke Paused and stood up stretching again and begun to pace around the shop.

“We made synthetic muscles, Limbs and even organs to assist anyone who may walk through the doors of the building or submit a request or problems. We constantly pushed the boundaries of the field into the future benefiting everyone with the technology we created in this very room. Mum and Dad’s revolutionary designs went out into the community and medical fields saving thousands of lives.”

“Or they used to …” Zeke said stopping abruptly in the middle of the room and proceeds to sit on the workshop’s concrete floor.

“You see, Ari… on this day five years ago,” Zeke’s voice began to crack and break as he spoke and he put his face in his hands, “They died, leaving me all along without a single word of goodbye. That morning I woke up to an empty shop. No Cute and bubbly little sister. No kind and caring Mother. No Honest and hardworking Father. I thought that they must have gone shopping for some parts but usually they could just use the ordering service and not have to leave the shop. I stupidly did not even question it or wonder why they had left. I wish that they had woke me before they left even if it was to hear the words ‘I Love you, big brother’ or ‘I love you, son’ come from my little sister or mother’s lips for one last time.”

Zeke paused for a moment from his monologue and stared at the ceiling before moving back to his stool next to Arinel as if he could not get comfortable.

“Then later that day just when I was starting to wonder why they were still out… I-I-I got a call. It was the authorities from the lower districts. They had discovered a body and they wanted me to come down. In our work that happened a lot to identify people by the alterations done to them such as artificial legs or eyes so I was not prepared for what I found when I arrived. My dear little sister and mother…”

Zeke stopped unable to continue and wept for a short time.

Once Zeke had regained some composure he began again, “It was my Dear little sister and mother. Broken. Dismembered. Partially burned beyond recognition and shot in several places each… I threw up at the site and to this day the thought of it makes me want to vomit. There are nights I still cannot sleep from seeing their faces burned into my mind. “

Zeke took a deep breath and realised he was trembling. He took a few more deep breaths in order to calm himself and then continued.

“The authorities instead of letting me adjust slapped handcuffs on me and lead me away to a questioning room where they questioned me in a way that made it sound that they believed I was the obvious culprit. The Best I could do was tell them the truth of what I knew between tears. They asked me about my father and if I hid the body. Once they realised and confirmed that I was home all day they told me that they found enough blood belonging to my father at the scene to indicate that he would be dead and were expecting the his body to turn up. It never did. To this day I do not know what became of my father. Ever since then I have worked to keep this store open and working in order to keep their memory alive. I kept the doors locked and shut, only taking orders through the ordering service. I don’t even know if the doors even open anymore and yours was the first voice I have heard since then.”

*DING* a machine chimed within the room startling Zeke lost within his own story.

Caught off guard by the sound he jumped from his seat looking to see where the sound came from, to realise the skin-synth had sounded and was complete ready to attach.

“Well that is perfect timing”, Zeke muttered, “I had just finished my tale anyway. Time to apply the rest of your skin, Arinel.” As he finished saying her name he glanced at her face to see the glistening surface of tears flowing from her closed eyes and a sorrowful expression twisted onto her face.

Zeke feeling surprised and upset with himself then spoke a deep apology saying, “Arinel, I am so sorry for making you listen to that. When I get your skin on, I will power you up again with the main generator so I can apologise properly so please wait till then.”

Zeke retrieves the skin from the Sili-Synth and applies it to her frame connecting all the heat and touch sensors carefully to the micro receptor frames built into the new skin and adds the gel based filler to provide shape, and create a natural body look and feel. Lastly he grabs the hospital gown that he had removed to apply the skin to cover her naked body then flicks the main power switch to the main power generator causing it to whir to life. Arinel’s eyes snap open immediately. She suddenly sits up and swings her arm slapping Zeke square in the face with the palm of her hand.

“ZEKE YOU IDIOT!” She yells at him visibly upset and cheeks still wet with tears. “You do not need to apologise for sharing your heartache with me!”

Zeke lowered his head ashamed. Suddenly he feels arm reach around him quickly and gets pulled in close softly.

“I was Sad you see, Zeke.” Spoke Arinel in her sweet soothing voice, “I was sad because you have been suffering all this time and I was not able to hug you and tell you it will be ok now and that you can rely on me from now on, ok?”

Zeke Nodded softly. He stood there still for a moment before attempting to pull away from the grip that has seized him unsure how to react but as he does Arinel pull him closer. Zeke surrenders into Arinel’s embrace and slides his arms around her as well pulling her closer into his chest. As he does he realises that she feels warm and soft and cannot help but ignore that just a bit earlier in the day she looked and felt like any of his machines and models within the shop but now she felt like any girl you would meet on the street.

She was beautiful, Cute, Warm, Soft, and comforting and while he held her he felt so comforted that he wished he could stay like this forever.

After a minute or so Arinel spoke up again, “So are you feeling a little better yet, Zeke? I don’t wanna see that sad look on your face again.” Zeke and Arinel separate from their embrace. He stares into Arinel’s glistening purple eyes and says to her,” As long as I never have to see you cry like that again.”

Arinel pulls a big smile wipes the remainder of her tears from her face with the sleeve of her gown.

“Of Course Zeke! Let’s do our best ok?” She says with a shining smile.

Zeke replies with the biggest smile he can muster and says, “Yes, Let’s.”

“I am glad you finally connected and turned the generator on so we could talk together again!” Arinel Said Joyfully. “Although I enjoyed listening to you talk to me every day and all the time you spent with me. It has been lovely hearing you talk to me even though I could not respond. You need to solve this power issue soon…”

“Oh!” Zeke Exclaimed remembering something, “that’s right to start generating power you need to start eating to get the power systems operational!”

“WHAT!” Arinel replied shocked, “You mean I could have just been eating the last few weeks and we would have been able to talk properly?!”

“Well…” Zeke trailed off, “I guess you could have but I hadn’t initialised any of the systems for tha…”

“DONE!” Arinel Chirped happily cutting him off.

“Ah… ok…” Zeke replied in a questioning tone then continued, “Just wait here a second.”

Zeke quickly jogs to his desk, opens a drawer and retrieves something from one of its trays before returning.

“This is a chocolate power bar, eat this and tomorrow you should have no problems getting around without a generator.” Zeke Explains handing her the packaged bar.

Arinel takes the bar, removing the brightly coloured packaging and begins to eat the contents.

Her Eyes Light up upon the first bite and with a half full mouth she call out, “Zeke! This is delicious! I love it!”

Zeke lets out a hearty laugh and responds saying, “I had a feeling you would like it!”

Suddenly feelings overly tired Zeke then comments,” Ari, I am going to leave the power generator on tonight so all your power systems initialise correctly but I have been up for 48 hours straight making sure your legs and arms would work properly so I am going to try get some rest…”

“Ok sleep well, Zeke!” Arinel pipes, “I will try to rest too so I can spend more time with you tomorrow!”

Well see you then…. Ari,” Zeke said walking toward the living quarters.

“See you then, Zeke! I look forward to it!” Arinel Calls out excitedly as he walks away.

*The Next Morning*

Zeke walks out of his sleeping quarters into the garage in a sleepy daze. He lets out a large yawn as he stretches.

“Morning Zeke!” a happy voice calls out.

Zeke rubs his eyes in an attempt to get the sleep out of his eyes so he can focus his eyes on the source of the voice. Once his eyes adjust to the bright morning light piercing through the sky lights he sees Arinel on the concrete floor to the shop in a w-sitting position with several dozen empty power bar wrappers strewn around her, remnants of chocolate smeared on her face and her silver hair sparkling in the morning light appearing almost amber I some parts.

Zeke was momentarily stunned by the oddly cute scene playing before his eyes.

“Uh… Good morning, Arinel. How are you feeling?” Zeke enquired.

“Zeke’s Girlfriend, Ari-Chan, Feeling better than ever!” Arinel calls out throwing her right arm into the air causing a power bar wrapper to get caught in the gust and float around like confetti.

Zeke Falls over shocked at what he just heard, “W-w-w-w-w-w-w-what are you talking about Arinel?! I don’t have a girlfriend!” Zeke Calls out embarrassed.

Arinel pulls a cute and soft grin at Zeke and states to him with a sweet tone, “Good, Well you do now!”

Zeke Sits up from his position on the floor, crosses his legs and begins to rub his eyes. “What the hell have I gotten myself into…” he thinks quietly to himself.

“Zeke, I want another chocolate bar! Can I have one? There is no more in the drawer…” Arinel asks sweetly tilting her head to the side as she asks.

Zeke mutters to himself as he attempts to get up, “It’s way too early for this… I need coffee…”

[the-beautiful-1]

100 BEST MOMENTS IN PURPLE RAIN

Someone bet me I couldn’t and I’m a real jerk, so I did. 

DISCLAIMER: I made most of these gifs but not ALL and tumblr search is legit terrible so I am super super sorry in advance if I used your gif, if I did let me know and I will credit you. 

HOLD ONTO YOUR BOOT CHAIN AND SINGULAR RED EARRING, HERE WE GO:

1. I KNOW WHAT I WANT.

2. The boot grab in Darling Nikki

3. The sad face he makes at the puppet.

4. 80s Dorito bag with the chip window.

5. Splits bounce in “I would die 4 u”

6. “Don’t get my seat all wet.”

7. Lace veil in Computer Blue

8. This dance:

9. The shimmy into crotch rub in i would die 4 u

10. The look and point directly at the camera in baby I’m a star

11. when he puts on the hat in Baby i’m a star

12. Purify yourself in the waters of lake minnetonka

13. Wendy’s literal interpretation of “die” as a gun in i would die 4 u

14. Jerome throws that poor woman in the dumpster (Y THO)

15. foot piano playing/jumping in Let’s go crazy

16. Smashing all mom’s spaghetti sauce in the basement with a hockey stick (very Minnesota authentic)

17. apollonia’s titty cape

18. fire hazard clown basement

19. “man I just got my coat out the cleaners!!!”

20. “Whatsa matter your shoes on too tight?!? Let’s gave some action. I need some asses wiggling. I WANT some perfection!!!”

21. The unneccesary spin during “ANSWER ME MOTHER FUCKER!”

22. here take my costume jewelry, we’re dating now

24. the arm stroke in darling nikki

25. choreographed guitar playing at the beginning of computer blue

26. this look

26. Francis L having major issues about the house being clean (maybe if there weren’t all these broken jars of spaghetti sauce lying around….)

27. computer blue power slide beej

28. Mrs L never getting to have any fun

29. The backwards roll into/out of the splits in baby I’m a star

30. regrets montage to doves cry

31. Having a job where you play one song a night with 2 other bands and thats it forever, and then at the end you win getting to keep your job

32. Morris day announcing last call during “the bird” (so is it doors at 7, the time at 8, last call at 8:15?)

33. this line dance in i would die 4 u

34. Pensive Prince Pre Purple Rain

35. synchronized guitar jumps in lets go crazy

36. when he goes to commune with nature and wears black studded pants a black studded bedazzled jacket and a scarf to hang out by a lake and strikes a curious pose

37. the “eww!” signature prince grunt as he is tossing all the sheet music

38. “i don’t have anybody right now” therefore we’re together

39. literally finding a phone number on the stairs in darling nikki

40. COME BACK NIKKI COME BACK!!!!! (yes, okay, fine, whatever you want, honestly its fine)

41. YOUR DIRTY LITTLE PRINCE WANNA GRIND!!!

42. Apollonia’s job application is “Apollonia, 5'6”“. End of list.

43. amplifier dry hump

44. Lisa being real tired of the Kid’s shit and saying "fuck it wendy” and walking out.

45. Wendy’s deadpan “but I’m here to tell you… there’s somethin’ else.”

46. the doctor always being dressed like a doctor, but like an OR doctor with a surgical mask, not some pedestrian physician or something.

47. OR DO YOU WANT ME??? (yes)

48. Morris’s window not working

49. Jerome with the mirror on stage during jungle love

50. Morris day vacuuming his apartment before the show in a trademark prince turban!

51. When he leaves the stage after Darling nikki and is bouncing off the walls as he walks in the hall of pipes

52. the jump down from the impossibly high stack of monitors in baby i’m a star!!!! my knees hurt every time i watch that!!!

53. The jungle love dance

54. The Bird.

55. purple rain guitar solo

56. The microphone under the leg juggle in Baby I’m a star

57. the stanky little side shimmy in baby I’m a star

58. FUCK OFF!

59. I mentioned it earlier but that was just the splits, so this one is his face during the splits in I would die 4 u.

60. The end of the beautiful ones where he’s laying on the ground omg

61. I tried to stop you.

62. The amount of pleather Apollonia has to remove to purify herself in the waters of what is not actually lake minnetonka.

63. When morris day exits the car and puts both feet on the ground at the same time, which is not a way any human exits any vehicle.

64. Computer blue guitar spin

65. When Apollonia waves at him from the stage after “sex shooter” and he’s like, naaaaah.

66. “Next thing you know, she’ll want to borrow your motorcycle!”

67. What’s the password, onion head??!!!

68. And the nominees for best actress are….

69. If we get married….. Would that be cool??? (god yes)

70. the phallic guitar at the very end jazzin’ all over first avenue

71. When apollonia sells her boot chain.

72. When he plays the guitar she bought him in purple rain.

73. “What do YOU dream about ?”

74. Computer blue guitar three way circle jerk

75. “This is a bidniss!”

76. Chalk outline of a not dead body

77. Take a picture sweetie, I ain’t got time to wait!!!!!

78. Morris day and Jerome jamming out in the crowd

79. The trust fall into the crowd!!!!!

80. Giant bug eye mirrored sunglasses

81. Dropping apollonia off in full Ruffled shirt regalia instead of like, throwing on some sweats or something.

82. Where Lisa and Wendy at? *silence*

83. The backlit part in lets go crazy

84. “Hi!” “Hi.” *weeps*

85. The balcony dancers in parachute pants and cop hats

86. Piano top guitar shred in lets go crazy

87. The Doctor talking about how God got Wendy’s periods reversed (IT MAKES NO SENSE, MATT FINK)

88. When apollonia says she’s from new ORleans and then proceeds to speak with a minnesotan accent (furst avenew)

89. “No, nooooo, you looked greeeeeat.”

90. Wendy’s THICK ASS Minnesota accent and extremely hard R’s despite growing up in LA.

91. (Brings guitar shaped box) “what is it??”

92. When the faces watch them trade earrings in the clown basement.

93. The rag tag trio that is apollonia 6

94. “I’m gonna be honest with you, I think you’re being full of shit.”

95. Billys velour sweatsuit and briefcase.

96. “Where’s Jerome?” “IN EES SKEEEEIIIN!!” (A joke used AGAIN in under the cherry moon!!)

97. “I have something for you. " "what, a subpoena?”

98. Double spin in I would die 4 u

99. Synchronized squat spins in Baby I’m a Star

100. WHEN HE PLAYS PURPLE RAIN