Bitter Fox keeps staring at her silently, almost perfectly still. Almost imperceptively, pupils shift downwards to her hands, gripping the tera orb and the cattle prod. Even when these items are released, the unusual air doesn't fade.
[ERR: PROGRAM 0249 // FAILSAFE CANNOT ENGAGE. PLEASE RESET IMMEDIATELY.]
Not much longer. This was the culmination of it all. Everything, all of that suffering, all of that planning, it's led to now. Not much longer. The static doesn't relent, even at this piercingly familiar string of words. Going away. Away from here. Away with her.
And yet.
The static won't relent. Those eyes are distant, and it's unclear if anything is happening behind the wheel.
HATE. FEAR. ANGER. PAIN. IT WON'T STOP. WHAT IS THE COMMAND TO FOLLOW? MY HEAD HURTS. HATE. HATE. FEAR. PAIN. PAIN. WHY WON'T IT END? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?
Until.
Memories come back, just on the edge of that blinding static. Memories of others.
A woman, calm in demeanor. A specter, who did everything he could. A painter, who spoke of hope. Her brother, who never stopped trying to help them. Her sibling, scared but never giving up. A mii, extending kindness. The chef, who sympathized with her suffering.
Memories... of those who mattered. Memories of the words they spoke to her when she needed it.
For the first time, she looks at Lovrina, and feels nothing but contempt.
It's your fault.
ALL OF THIS WAS YOUR FAULT.
Lovrina was the one to give her this curse. Lovrina caused all of this pain. Lovrina hurt her. Lovrina used her to kill countless people who were too close to the truth. Lovrina caused all of this. If it wasn't for her, then she never would have...
Lovrina killed Adam.
All at once, the static in her head shifts.
[ERR: PROGRAM 0249 // FAILSAFE CANNOT ENGAGE. PLEASE RESET IMMEDIATELY.]
The fox screams and leaps the remaining space between them, teeth sinking into her forearm and claws digging into whatever they could reach. Once she realizes what she's done... She begins to shake her head as vigorously as possible.
She's going to do as much damage as she can to you, in exchange for everything you've done to her.
Her vision goes red. Was this how he felt in his final moments? How either of them--? Tutu yelps and scurries away. She doesn't know where to. She doesn't care.
Her heeled boot kicks Bitter Fox in the stomach. The Tera Orb is punted at Bitter Fox's head, shattering. She'll just get another one. Make Naps hunt one down. Find another subject. Scrap it all, start over.
Lovrina runs. She doesn't look back. She clutches her arm, tearing off a piece of lab coat from one of the discarded bodies. Not like they'll need it anymore. She rushes to the elevator, frantically hitting the door close button just before Bitter Fox can get in. It doesn't matter. Nothing matters but her survival.
In the safety of the elevator, Lovrina wraps her wounded arm. She leans against the wall, watching as the numbers tick upwards to the ground level.
She doesn't relax. Not until she's out of the facility. Not until she's hailed a cab to the airport.
And in the backseat of the taxi...
She begins typing.
Somewhere deep in the Umbrella headquarters, away from the rampaging beast, a purple Sylveon hides within one of the vents, curled up and shaking. She's gone. Her trainer is gone.
The face doesn't reappear around the doorframe. The darkness doesn't reappear either, a sign that she hadn't moved from her position out of sight.
There's an itch somewhere in her brain, an urgency that tells her to listen to the command. The longer she ignores it, the more a deep nausea sets in. Within that same space in her head, a numbing static increases. The two opposing sensations almost cancel out.
She can't think around any of it. She can't focus.
[ERR: PROGRAM 0249 // FAILSAFE CANNOT ENGAGE. PLEASE RESET IMMEDIATELY.]
Until, within the blink of an eye, the fox stands in front of Lovrina.
The darkness sets back in, an icy temperature overtaking the warm air. Her expression is blank. Not in the usual way.
It's hardly that same docile 'awaiting the next command' way of looking blank. No, this blank expression more closely matched that of something dangerous and unpredictable, something that could strike at any moment.
[ERR: PROGRAM 0249 // FAILSAFE CANNOT ENGAGE. PLEASE RESET IMMEDIATELY.]
She's not saying anything. The tendrils of the encroaching darkness swallows the artificial lighting, making for something painfully devoid of any sensory input. The silence alone was suffocating. The intensity of that stare was enough to put anyone on edge.
Something was critically wrong.
Until, at last, she communicates telepathically.
They were in the way.
The tone is wrong.
[ERR: PROGRAM 0249 // FAILSAFE CANNOT ENGAGE. PLEASE RESET IMMEDIATELY.]
Why is she scared? They're not supposed to be able to turn on their trainers. She programmed them that way. She fixed the old Hyper Mode glitch. She perfected them. There's no way.
Stop trembling. Stop. What's wrong with--
The telepathic message hits her right in the brain. Lovrina's eyes widen. She takes a step back, ready to sprint at any moment. Another puts her behind Tutu, who looks up at her curiously. She thumbs the Tera Orb. There's still a chance. Bitter Fox hasn't attacked just yet. Maybe she can be talked down.
"Bee-Eff. Honey bunches." She pouts. "They so weren't in the way. They were totally gonna help us get outta here." She pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. Oh Arceus, she can't believe you're making her do this. She's going... to have to... be... nice.
Bleugh.
"I... totes forgive you!" Lovrina holds her hands up. See? She's so gonna surrender and everything. She even put down the cattle prod. "All you gotta do is calm yourself down..."
"And we can get outta here! Go on a lil vacay! I know a great private island, by the by--"
Bitter Fox had spent a long time screaming. Screaming herself hoarse, her voice close to giving out as she just.
Kept.
Attacking.
Clawing and tearing aimlessly at almost anything that moved. It won't stop, the static is too loud, why won't it stop, it hurts, why won't it stop. Fear. PLEASE STOP. Anger. Fear. KILL ME. Anger. Sorrow. PLEASE. Rage. IT WON'T STOP. Fear. Anger. PLEASE END ME. Fear-
[ERR: PROGRAM 0249 // FAILSAFE CANNOT ENGAGE. PLEASE RESET IMMEDIATELY.]
It all stops cold at the sound of the elevator opening. Lovrina, meanwhile, would get to see a simply horrific scene upon rounding the corner.
Bodies scattered the narrow hall, blood pooling every which way, including smeared along the walls. It should have been a warning siren for anyone else to see the culprit at the end of the hallway, face rounding one of the doorways of the lab, just staring.
Before retreating.
What does Lovrina have to be afraid of? It's her weapon. She forged the beast herself, programmed it to follow orders...
[ERR: PROGRAM 0249 // FAILSAFE CANNOT ENGAGE. PLEASE RESET IMMEDIATELY.]
Darkness retreats into the lab as she walks away. As if she didn't hear the command. The weapon was already acting up, as was in-line for reverse mode, and yet...
...Does this feel different to you, Lovrina?
[ERR: PROGRAM 0249 // FAILSAFE CANNOT ENGAGE. PLEASE RESET IMMEDIATELY.]
There might have been a time when this would have shaken her.
Pyrite Town... was there any worse place for a kid to grow up? Let alone two starving orphans, digging through trash for their next meal and scrounging for whatever shelter they could find. This was the way the world really worked. Dog ate dog. The weak got trampled underfoot. Without all the laws and regulations and comfort of the League system, the world was cold and cruel.
And even that cushion wasn't enough to protect you when it really mattered. Wasn't it, Gold?
Tutu whimpers at the sight of so much blood, her ears pressing closer to her body. "XD002, shut up," she growls, no trace of sweetness to her voice. One hand tightens around the Tera Orb. The other reaches for a cattle prod.
"Ohhhhhh Bitter Fooooox~!" Aaaand it's back. "So I know I totally said we can blow this dump up for all I care when we were done, but you so gotta be more careful 'bout which fuses to light! I mean, I guess killing those scientists defangs False Prophet either way, but it's such a hassle when I so already promised to help them!"
She clutches the prod tightly. Any movement and it'll be fully armed. Her hands are trembling. Ignore it.
"You're a smart cookie, aren'cha?" She tilts her head innocently. "How about you come outta hiding so we can have a little girl talk?"
@tetramulti || well well well if it isn't the actions of my consequences--
The elevator doors open.
Lovrina struts out, eyes glued to the screen of her P★DA as she roams down the hall. Tutu follows close behind, sticking close to her master. She's seemed off since the Adam incident. More jumpy. More... downtrodden?
Probably nothing to worry about. It was like when XD001 had those teething issues after the S. S. Libra attack. That was temporary. She found a fix to that.
Tutu was the least of her problems right now, though. Just look at these readings! Ohhh, she's seen Reverse Mode in action, but this is different. Off the charts, even. She'd be frankly more impressed if her fellow traitors recent hires weren't suddenly dropping off as well.
Like this guy.
She frowns at the body underneath her feet and kicks him aside as she strolls around him. What a waste. It's not worth dirtying her platform heels for him.
"Ohhhh, Bee-Eff~!" Lovrina makes a few kissy noises as she reaches for the Tera Orb. Tutu freezes up, watching her master closely as they round the corner. "Bee-Eff, where aaaare you?"
I don't know what that grease-stained, knobby-kneed, balding idiot Chef did to poor little Bitter Fox, but whatever it is seemed to kickstart the Celebi genes in her. She's become far more resistant to all attempts at corruption. It's like her entire body's trying to fight it off at once. And she's winning.
So, obviously, I'm super annoyed. I'd have to dust off one of my shelved XD-project ideas to get anywhere further, and I doubt Cadaver's gonna let me anywhere near his onion anytime soon. Any lesser scientist would've called this a failure.
But hey, let's not sweat that. Focus on the small victories, yeah? At least she's still suggestible.
I did manage to plant a... certain seed in her head. One that she's totally taken to heart.
Lovrina hums to herself as she watches copy after copy of Umbrella records slide out of the printer. All of Wesker's logs, experiment schematics, capture and containment protocols... even some older files, all with modified dates of retrieval. Tutu sits patiently by a taped-up security camera, washing her paws as she waits. Even still, Lovrina could only marvel at how easy this all was.
False Prophet, so soon after dying, had insisted on making himself a prime target again. And he took her precious Bitter Fox with her.
Well, that was just fine. It gave her all the ammunition she needed to work behind his back.
Operation Leech Seed was well under way. Lovrina had made her rounds across Wesker's employees, looking for the ones who she could tell were easiest to target. The deserters after Wesker's death and Sea Angel's creators were a good start, but if Cipher was to come back, she needed more. Whether they were there under duress or disloyal enough to take a better deal, Lovrina would be there with a smile and an under-the-table offer.
One little problem, however, still remained. First Man was loyal. Frustratingly loyal. He needed a different approach.
And luckily, he was out of town as well.
Lovrina takes the documents, stacks them, encloses them in an envelope. She safely ejects her new flash drive and snaps it back in its case, concealed as a tube of lipstick. Some of these were important documents.
Shame they were about to fall into her hands.
She steps away from the printer and gives Tutu a nod. Without hesitation, the Sylveon rips the tape off the camera and hops down to her feet, trotting by her side.
"Well, Tutu, that's that." She giggled disarmingly. "We should so take a little detour and stop by Adam's desk."
"Maybe he should totally think twice about the passwords he sets next time."
He said that to you? He actually said that to you?
...
Ugh. That heartless bastard. Look, I know it doesn't fix anything, but I really appreciated what you did with it. I'm gonna miss visiting that little devil every day. And getting to know you guys, also.
...
But, hey. Before you relocate, I gotta ask. Why put up with him? You know he's temperamental. You know he treats you as disposable. It's like he doesn't know how hard it is to find good, loyal--
...
Oh?
C'mon, Doctor. Spill the tea. I'm no snitch.
...
Your wife? And your kids? Geez. No wonder you don't fit in around here. You never wanted to be here to begin with, huh?
...
Look. I so don't do this for just anybody, but... I'm so, so sorry about Sea Angel. And it feels bad, leaving you five in the lurch like this. So this is what I'll do.
I'm putting together my own research team. After I'm done here, I'm heading back home. Restarting my old organization. Getting some research done.
And I want you five on my team.
...
Think about it! All the cute, cuddly animals you can ask for. None of the risk to human life. And a great insurance plan. Plus your family'll be nice and safe and sound away from those guys.
Ugh! What is going on next door? They've been screaming for minutes now. Don't they know I'm being brilliant over here? Geez, we're all scientists, you'd think they'd so know the importance of a calm working environment.
...
Ugh. That totally tears it. I'm going next door and--
...
...
Sea Angel? Sweetie?
...
At least I know it works now, but... ugh.
Looks like I don't have a choice now.
Time to proceed to the next phase of Operation: Leech Seed.
You mean some giant creepy ghost just... swooped in and killed him? Like that?
Huh.
Thought we'd have better safeguards regarding that kind of thing here.
...
Yeah, for sure. Just between you and me, the lack of safeguards here's so cramping my style. I mean, take my current project. She was tearing through your coworkers like butter, even before I hit her up with shadow energy.
So y'all have, like, no way to protect yourselves? No barriers? Cattle prods? Panic rooms?
That's, like, super dangerous.
...
Oh, you bet my previous organization totally planned for those kinds of things! It's already oh so hard to recruit people willing to do our kind of work. Losing them left and right's a liability. Wesker's totally shooting himself in the foot, treating you good folks like trash!
...
Keep this between you and me for now, but... I'm planning on starting a new branch of my old organization. And I'm so gonna need some hands to get it up and running. If you wanna keep doing the job you're doing, but safer... I can make something work.
@gildead: i hear the harrowing echo of a morally bankrupt pink scientist from orre sometimes.
we need to get her out of your mind immediately. there is never a good explanation as to why you can hear a scientist in your mind other than that they are up to no good; whether they claim to have morals or not.
So, after my first Shadow energy infusion on B███ F██, some really interesting stuff happened. Starting with life's favorite pathetic punching bag, Cadaver.
According to the rotting, molding onion that continued his eternal torment, Cadaver apparently started freaking out just as badly as our dear B███ F██ did! All the fun stuff was involved. Death threats, angry thrashing, an apparent Shadow aura... It was just like a Shadow Pokémon entering Reverse Mode, but on a human. That being said, it does give me some ideas for where to take future XD-series projects later on, though I'll have to work the kinks out of it.
Unfortunately, said onion had to step in and play hero by undoing all my work. Bummer.
Speaking of onions past their expiration dates, I checked on B███ F██'s samples post-corruption and, uh... wow, okay, this is weird. It looks like her cells are in a constant state of self-purification. Just as they charge with shadow energy, they suddenly cleanse themselves. Seeing as B███ F██ is apparently part Cadaver, I've gotta wonder... is there some Celebi in there as well? I'd ask False Prophet about this, but... well, he's been busy.
Obviously I'm so not telling First Man about any of this. I trust him just as far as I can throw him. I thought about feeding him to my beloved XD002, but I think he'd give my poor baby girl indigestion. Maybe there's some other way I can be rid of him. Hm.
Anyway, I'll keep monitoring B███ F██'s process. It's so annoying that she's purifying herself, but I'm so a problem solver! I can absolutely bend this to my benefit. I'm sure she'll be all the harder to purify now.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a teacup to photograph my sweet baby Sea Angel sitting in. Fingers crossed it doesn't absorb this one.
Lovrina then returns to her far more pressing task at hand... taking photos of Sea Angel in the little mini Lovrina costume she's fashioned for it before the silly little thing absorbs it again.
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