The Phantom Light Is Fading (And You'll Never Break The Spell)
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Ava and Simon are just faster by a life saving smidgen. Ava doesn't die, Simon doesn't loose his arm. The black blox is saved.
Radiation poisoning aside, everyone is alive and safe. The black box may hold secrets to save the remaining people of The Quiet Rapture. Simon has earned his freedom.
Or, that's what Simon thinks before waking up in an isolated, locked room with a one way window and a door just big enough for some food to be passed through.
Tags : Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence / Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies / Medical Isolation and Quarantine / Mutation / title is from Iron Lung by Musiclide / Blood and Gore / Medical Inaccuracies / im sure of that / Canon-Typical Gore / Transformation / Simon might be a bit ooc / Body Horror / Religious Discussion / Kinda / Teeth Falling Out / No beta we die like SImon / Monster The Convict | Simon / vomiting / non sexual nudity
i think i might have just fully thought out the ending to the fic... i should make a timeline soon but theres only one more thing left to decide and i think ill have to think more on that, but otherwise i think im very happy how the story is so far.
In the scale of the universe you serve a greater purpose - Chapter 4
More changes and an attempt at an apology
It must be dead hours, because banging on the door doesn't alert anyone nor make anyone check on Simon. After the first few teeth fell out, it has been an awful cycle.
Every about half hour, Simon guesses, the pain would subside, the blood would stop flowing from his swollen gums, and his teeth would stay in place. Then when Simon thought it would finally be over, another bolt of pain spreads through his jaw and something pushes out his remaining teeth. Blood is a given, the nasty iron taste would keep filling his mouth no matter how often he washes his mouth out.
Now he stands in front of the door, hands shaking as he continues to bang on it hoping that someone would get fed up from the noise and check on him. His back is turned from the rest of the room, which is currently coated in blood and had teeth scattered about. He doesn't want to face the mess he made.
He too is also soaked with his blood. What was once an already stained and clearly worn thin grey shirt had turned the front of it into a disgustingly heavy and blood soaked fabric. When the blood first started to drip down and soak the shirt, he took it off to perhaps preserve the shirt as best he could, but when he saw that the blood started to stain his chest and torso bandages, he began to panic.
The reasonable part of his brain told him that it was from his mouth, yet the panicked part told him that even more of his body was changing. So Simon pulled the shirt back on dispite the uncomfortableness.
Only three teeth remained in his head, an incisor on the top, and a canine and premolar on the bottom. He had no doubt the next episode would claim the remaining teeth, but maybe someone would come with something to ease the pain. He doubts that they had the means to stop them falling out, so he doesn't linger of the thought of a false hope.
His gums throbbed with a hot pain as more blood pooled in his mouth, continuing to hit his fists against the door. "Please, anybody!?" He screams out. Blood splatters on the door with every hit. "It hurts.. So fucking bad.." He sobs, hands sliding down the door. His knees collapse under him as he falls to the ground.
Everything was crashing on him at the same time, fatigue, pain, dizziness from bloodloss.
"Please.." He weakly cries out. Vision becomes blurry as his eyelids begin to close agaisnt his wishes. Perhaps it's for the best.
=======================
Kneeling in the shallow blood, Simon looks up to the dark stormy sky. A nasty sense of deja-vu hits him hard as he stares at the eye. Was it judging him? Was it just watching him? Maybe it didn't even see him. No, it does see him, it is of course staring right at him.
You belong with us at the bottom, Simon.
The female voice from before speaks as blood begins to move and swirl around his knees.
It's where you belong. With Us.
Do the right thing, Butcher. And you may return to us.
Its within you. Let It Out.
Let It Out. Let It Out. Let It Out. Let It Out-
The voice purrs as it repeats in his head. "Shut up" He growls, his hands coming up to cover his ears. This action only made the voices ring louder in his head.
"Leave me the fuck alone!" He screams. Blood ripples out from him, yet the voice doesn't falter. He finally rips his eyes off the eye and looks down at the blood.
He tries tear his knees off the blood, but tendrils crawl over his legs to cement him in place. Twisting his body around as much as he can, he tries to rip off the tendrils. Hands working fast but the blood works faster, every tendril he ripps off a thicker one replaces it.
A low growl escapes from him as he claws at it more. The cycle continues until his back aches from twisting his back. Snapping his body back forward he huffs. His legs even more covered than when it first started.
The voices come back even louder. He snaps his hands up to his ears once again. He feels something sharp dig into the sides of his head, right where his fingers cover his ears.
Before he could process what that meant, The voices suddenly hush as he hears something plop right infront of him. He doesn't get a chance to see what it was as something suddenly shot out of the blood and stretched up far.
Suddenly the voices became panicked yet quieter.
NO! WE WERE RIGHT THERE!
DON'T LISTEN TO IT, SIMON. WE WILL BRING YOU TO TRUE SALVATION.
The voices fade as a warm feeling pulses through his body, an odd sense of calm easing his nerves.
Something forces his breathing to even out. Only then does he look up to the massive structure that shot out of the ocean.
It covers the eye that stared him down, with something braching out in every wich way. It was completely covered by shadows, yet Simon could tell blood had not touched it dispite where it came from.
For the violent voices turned into gentle whispers, all with reassuring statements, not one begging him to join a monster nor to turn his back on humanity.
Taking a deep breath in, he closes his eyes and breathes out.
========
Simon opens his eyes to a familiar sight of yellowish tinted light and walls he recognizes.
He stares at the celling as the calm feeling slowly seeps out of him. Parts of his last moments awake and his dream come back to him in bits and pieces. When his mind finally solves his memory, his body jerks upright as his tounge slides around his mouth, feeling for the lack of teeth.
His eyes dart around. Everything has been cleaned up. Simon would have thought of the nightmare sequence of his teeth falling out could have been his imagination, if not for the faint streaks of blood someone must have missed. Surprisingly, he feels fine. The hot pain had completely disappeared.
His tounge meets his soft gums, not a single tooth left. His lower jaw rests closer to his upper jaw in an uncomfortable and new position, gums touching gums.
Simon almost gags at the feeling. Instinctively rasing his hand up to his mouth, his fingers brush against something rough and patchy in place of his cheeks. A line of the same running down his jaw.
He only now realizes he is on the bed when he scrambles to grab his small mirror. Looking in, he notices his cheeks have becomed scabbed and scaley. From the ends of his mouth to his cheekbone, a thin dark red line connects it. It almost looks like his skin is starting to split. The same could be said about the line running down his jaw, and now that Simon is able to see, halfway down his neck.
The mirror slips out of his hands, and only by a miracle that it doesn't shatter. Simon shakes his head, as if doing that would shake off the new patterns on his face.
Drawing in a shaky breath, the speaker crackles. Ava's voice is enough to startle Simon out of his rising panic.
"Good, your up."
"Could you at least give me five damn minutes to process shit?" He manages out. He is surprised at how clearly he can speak. There is a bit of a lisp and mumbles but overall its clear enough.
"We have news regarding your changes. And tomorrow we should have an update to determine if you need to stay in quarantine or not."
"Oh" Simon squeaks out. Dispite not knowing if it was good or bad news, he felt guilt crawl in him for snapping. "Sorry."
A small sigh escapes his mouth, nerves starting to rise. He already did this with David, he could do it again...
"For everything, the camera-"
"Yeah, you already apologized. In the SM-13 and to David. You don't really need to keep repeating this. You should really save it for Jack if he ever comes by."
Simons head snaps up. He remembers That name.
"He's alive?"
"Miraculously. Somehow the radiation dissipated, not only for him but for David and I as well."
Simon is shocked. Surely blasting basically a Cancer ray shouldn't have "cleared up" in a few days, if at all actually.
"As I was saying, however" This slightly stuns Simon, as if Ava haven't dropped something he thought would have been medically impossible. He hears papers shuffling over the speaker. "Unfortunately your changes seem to have speed up now that you're awake. I'll skip on the technical details but by the scientists calculations, you may only have two months before it changes you fully."
Simon takes a shaky breath in- only two fucking months.
"Like I said a few days ago, we are trying to find how to stop it atleast. If we can do that then at least we won't have to loose more people to-"
"You plan on sending more people down?" He asked appalled, the statement being so casually said made him snap out of his shocked state. Voice slightly rising, "After everything? After what you felt too? Thats why you kept me alive, to test on me?!"
" I'm not sending anyone else down, I told that to the C.O.I when they asked me too. As much as I hate the idea, i'm in no position to tell them what to do. I'm really sorry for this situation they put you in, but i'm already in deep shit for getting you out, you know."
Simon lowers his head slightly. He forces down the thoughts of his remaining time left.
Ava says silent for a moment. "I should apologize too, for no one checking in on you. There should have been someone outside your door at least every hour to check in on you. I have to do some investigating to see why you were bleeding out for hours." A small noise escapes him. "Simon, I'm really trying to swing everything in your favor. You don't deserve this."
"...Thanks."
"I uh.. The doctors did an emergency look over. I have the list of what appeared. Do you want to go over it by yourself?" Ava asked in an tone Simon never thought she had. Something akin to a softer voice, yet still having that professional edge. "You deserve to know what is happening to your own body."
Simon pulled his knees to his chest, almost a pitiful scene if Simon was aware of it. However he doesn't notice it while he tries to bat away the thought of a timer on his life.
"Can you read it?" He asks weakly, tears threatening to spill. If his 'Brothers' could see him now, they would have laughed at the situation he was in. The Butcher curling into a ball and crying. Simon is too tried to care.
The next couple of days were filled with doctors and scientists coming in an out with PPE that seems to be on a budget. Now that Simon was awake, he was being asked a multitude of questions and having mini physicals almost every day.
Doctors were interested in his reflexes and health. From what he gathered he's as healthy as before he went in. Heart beating normally, breathing is even, normal eye coordination, almost everything a doctor could check with you.
The scientists however, were gathering more than just blood samples. Oh no, the scientists were swabing his mouth, in his nose, even in his ear. Once they even trimmed off some hair for tests.
To much of Simons dismay, today is no different. One doctor had just finished reapplying bandages to his arms. His torso and legs haven't changed, but more scales have broken through his arms. Now, scales traveled up his arms and stopped at his shoulder. The scales weren't even in uniform, they break out from the skin in an unpredictable pattern leaving an ugly sight on his arms. Gaps that don't have scales are flesh that is bloodied and blistering, soon to be scales as well.
Simon wonders if the powdered food brick he was given once a day was laced with painkillers, because at most he feels tiny itches around the tender changing skin. He wonders if its also laced with something else because he feels abnormally calm about this situation. Becoming something else, scales growing out of his skin, he thinks he should have atleast a pit in his stomach from this.
When he first woke up was definitely a shock and very emotional, but after that he just felt...
... He just feels tried from the scientists questions. Or... Maybe thats why, he's too busy with the stream of people coming in an out with makeshift masks and washable gloves to worry about himself. That must be why.
The door shuts with a click, and locks after the last doctor leaves. Bringing up his arms, he looks at the fresh bandages and waits. Pretty soon specks of blood start to soak through. Simon hums and sighs. He drops them and looks towards the black window. Usually after a while when the last testers leave for the day Ava comes back and tries to chat for a while after a series of questions.
It's hard to tell if she actually cares about him. Probably not, orders or whatever. But Ava seems to try anyway. She asks about his life before. On Eden. With his brothers. She once tried to ask about The Tree, to which Simon must have given her such an evil eye that even she backed off the topic.
Simon always gave shorter answers. Nothing that they don't already know about Eden anyway.
Simon sits on his bed and waits. Not particularly much to do besides it. He looked over to the corner of his room, which has a toilet, sink, and small shower head not too far away. He's pretty sure it's just a hose. For privacy, oh how they generously lent him a curtain to put up. This was worse than the cell they kept him in.
He could take a shower, he hasn't done that yet in the few days he has been up. But the doctors clean his arms good enough, and he really doesn't want to peak under his other bandages.
Shuffling from the speaker cuts though his train of thought, and Simon glares at the window. He wonders what Ava may ask him this time. More questions about his life? He almost groans before someone speaks.
"Hello Convict." And Simon does groan because of course this asshole would want to see him, if not to harass him. "What? Oh, you don't want to talk to me, right. The last time we talked you told me to shut up. Well, that's too bad because Ava is currently in a meeting. So you're stuck with me."
Simon scoffed, what was he supposed to say? That he saw a shadow in the back of the sub that sure as hell wasn't his? This guy probably wouldn't hesitate to send him out on the account of insanity. So instead he just hummed and turned his head to the side, so he could see the window from the corner of his eye.
The person from the otherside loudly scribbled something down. Did Simon get a name for him? If he did he couldn't remember. Was it Dan? Darren? Davis? Something with a D. Not that he would actually call him by his name as long as he keeps calling him 'Convict'
"So, Convict." He said with more venom than needed for the procedure of questions that he was sure were lined up for him. "Any noticeable pain, soreness, or discomfort?"
He glanced down at his arms. "Its just itchy. Hey, they doctors were just in here, they already asked the same thing."
"You might tell the doctors something different than what you say to me. Anything else or are you just itchy?"
"What do you mean by that? You don't trust me enough to keep my shit straight?"
"I don't trust you for jackshit Convict. After what happened at Filament-"
"Noboby fucking believes me- I didn't blow up Filament station! That was never supposed to happen!"
"I really don't care Convict. You were the one at the scene of the crime. Now, any other growth or any new urges?"
"Urges? Urges? Are you fucking serious?"
"Answer the question Convict."
Simon tightened his jaw. Yeah he has urge to kick the shit out of this guy, but anyone who comes in contact with him probably does too.
"I have a name. I'm sure it's somewhere on the chart."
"Jesus Christ-"
"Don't bring him into this."
A sigh from the other was heard though the speaker. Simon looked towards the window again. A chuckle was heard.
"Why, your afraid that he wouldn't aprove of you're little cult background?" Simon slightly tilted his head in confusion.
"What are you talking about? Edens not a cult. Jesus died on an Olive Tree back on earth so the soil can be plentiful from his blood. You see where that got everyone..." Simon mubbled that last part. "It what he died for. So something can thrive in the soil."
He remembers Fathers teachings of earth man named Jesus who was nailed to the tallest, thickest Oilve tree to ensure the Earth may be green and lush for the rest of humanity. He remembered how where ever Jesus walked a variety of vegetation would sprout from his path.
A laugh startled him. "What the hell? An Olive tree? No, he died on a cross for humanitys sins. What the hell does Eden teach you guys?"
"Okay now that just sounds ridiculous. At least the tree sounds more believable."
"That a guy bleeding into a tree makes the entire world beautiful? That's more believable than a guy dying on a cross for humans sins?"
They both were quiet for a moment as if they're overthinking the absurdity of the sentence. Simon nodded, "Okay well, when you put it like that both reasons sound a bit far fetched."
"...yeah. So no urges?"
"Fuck off."
"Hey man, I just have to ask the questions on the paper."
Simon sighed and rolled his eyes. After a moment he replied. "No, I don't have any urges besides maybe puching you specifically."
"I'll put down violent."
Dispite what he said, Simon had a feeling he was joking. He's a bit calmer now, thats good.
"I'm sorry. For telling you to shut up. I was scared and I..." Simon breathed as he tried to make something up not too far from the truth. "I thought I heard something close by the sub. And I didn't want it to hear me."
The other clicks his pen a few times.
"And the radiation. I didn't know it was-"
"You already apologized for that. I already told you it shouldn't have been able to happen in the first place."
Simon opened and the closed his mouth, trying to find the words to say. Were they less on a bad foot than before? Simon hoped so...
"Thats all the questions for right now. Ava will be back tomorrow-"
"Er- wait. I don't know if I ever got your name."
"It's David. I'll be back when Ava off is in her meetings. See you, Simon."
Simon hears the door click. Well. He does know his name. Sighing, he is left alone to his thoughts again. He looks toward the nightstand. A half eaten food brick was wrapped up from this morning, or whenever he woke up.
Grabbing it, he unwraps it and begins gnawing on the brick. It's a hard powdered block which can break in smaller pieces and dissolves or becomes mush depending on what kind you get.
The one he was given was the dissolving type, which usually leaves a coating of a fizzy layer in his mouth. If he wasn't already used to it, he would have gagged.
While he was chewing off peices, he thought about the sapling in the pedant. He wonders how the previous prisoner obtained it, from the Last Tree he knows, but usually leaves and peices of bark are already sacred enough. He never really saw a sapling like this, only heard about stories of some.
Its no wonder why the C.O.I took it, they probably wanted a tree of their own. For him, nothing could replace The Last Tree. Its branches spread far and its leaves were vibrant. It was beautiful. He just wishes he could have done... other things than what he was tasked to take care of it.
He wonders if they got a new-
Crrrk!
Pain shot through his jaw as he spit out the brick peices. Simon tasted all to familiar iron in his mouth, and his eyes caught red splatters on the ground where he spit.
In the fizziness of the food and blood, he spots... No...
Simons breathing quickened as he rose to his feet, grabbed his pocket mirror and sped over to the sink. Blood filled his mouth, and without thinking he spit out more blood.
Tink!
That awful noise caught Simons ears. He didn't look though, he didn't want to see the blood in the sink.
But he had to see at some point right? He had to know. If he didn't, the scientists and doctors would have pried open his mouth sooner than later. He looks at the mirror in his shaking hands. Slowly, he brings it closer and looks in his mouth with it.
The first thing he notices is the dark crimson dripping out of his mouth. The second thing is the gaps where some of his molars should be. They all haven't fallen out, there's at least five left.
Another strike of pain shoots through hid jaw as he instinctively spits out more blood. He hears something clink against the metal sink...
Make that four molars left now...
Wiping off the blood from his mouth, he stands over the sink for a while. He bites back a sob caught in his throat. Either from the pain or from the reminder that he is slowly becoming something other than human.
Ever quicker through the motions; a new life will start anew - Chapter 2
Simon begs Ava as her sub begins to rise. "You promised!" He was still stuck at the bottom, Ava just took the transfer. She lied about bringing him up. It was stupid for Simon to believe her anyway. Who the fuck would care for a convict like him?
He knows begging is useless, but he cant help himself to do anything other than it. He looks towards the speaker, then the porthole. This was always how it was going to be. He was never meant to return. He weeps for the future he drew in the sand.
Overcome with grief, he falls to his knees. Unnoticed to him, the SM-13 had been filling with blood the entire time, and it splashes around him as he drops. He doesn't notice the tendrils crawling up his body, covering and tightening, as if they were trying to squeeze and pop Simon like a pimple.
The tendrils close around his neck, choking him as he stares at the speaker, hoping for anything from Ava, that she's going back down for him, that they're actually pulling him up. Nothing but the struggled breathes he takes.
YOU SACRIFICED YOURSELF FOR A WORLD THAT WON'T EVER UTTER YOUR NAME.
Simons vision becomes dark, was it from the lack of oxygen, or the blood submersing him fully? He didn't know. The last thing he saw was the speaker. That damn speaker, the last thing of a human connection he received.
=======================
Simon sits up and gasps harshly. It had felt like the wind was knocked out of him. His mind races- he was just in the SM-13, wasn't he? Being choked as Ava abandoned him. He squeezes his eyes shut.
It takes a minute for Simon to realize he's not on the SM-13 anymore, and a minute more to control his breathing. When he finally opens his eyes, he notices the light grey tile beneath his feet, then notices the bed hes sitting on.
"Simon? Oh god, Simon!" He hears with the same static interface he heard in the sub, this time clearer. He hears Ava, who he had just dreamed about leaving him at the bottom on the ocean. But that wasn't real. He escaped the ocean. Ava did get him out.
His eyes dart around, where the hell was he? Dark grey walls, a light with just the faintest hint of yellow, a table right beside his bed, and a room the size similar to the cell he was in before the SM-13. "Where the hell am I?" His eyes land on a large dark rectangle thats planted on the wall. A fucking one way window.
"You put me in another fucking cell." Simon whispered in disbelief.
"No, it's not- we had to- it's-" Ava takes a shaky breath. "I know what you're thinking and i'm sorry."
"You promised me I was free."
"I did, and you are"
"This doesn't look like fucking freedom!"
"Because we don't know if you're contagious or not yet!"
Simon is taken aback, "Why would I be contagious?"
Ava took a deep breath, "Right. Let me explain. After you made yourself an exit and passed out, We had you cleaned up and looked over for any injuries. The medics found something."
His hand instinctively reaches up to thumb over the leather and rivets of his sheath, a nervous habit he grown up with. To his horror, his hand meets cloth. He pats down his body, only finding thin clothes he knows he never had before. A long sleeve shirt with pants that stopped just above his ankles.
Ava, noticing his frantic search, stopped her explanation "The C.O.I gave you new clothes. Your old ones were soaked with blood and some fleshy material growing on it. We had to dispose them after a thorough examination."
"My sheath, my pendent, they didn't-"
"No, I know it may be a bit hard for you to understand but sometimes they have a heart. Your sheath is clean and disinfected in storage. But the pedant... Scientists opened it up and are attempting to germinate it to grow a new tree. We don't even know how you got it- you certainly didn't go in with it."
"I found it."
"In the sub?"
"In the sub."
Ava sighed, and continued. "The doctors found something growing-"
"You said medics the first time."
"Oh my fucking god Simon! Look at your arms!"
Simon looks at the window, then slowly outstretches his arms. Looking at them, he hesitates to roll his sleeves up, but does so in quick motions.
What he finds on his forearms are blood soaked bandages. His hands work faster than his mind, unwrapping them with little care. A disgusting rotten smell fills his nose as flesh tears off with the bandages.
Simon felt lightheaded, and was glad he was sitting. If he were standing, he was sure he would have fainted.
"W- what the hell?"
His now bandage free arms had dark crimson splotches decorating his skin, stopping just before his wrist. Some were bloodied, some looked... less bloodied.
Simon lets out a shaky breath as he brings his right hand over his left arm, wiping blood away. To his horror, he didn't feel tender flesh, but instead he felt a smoother surface protruding and creating a pattern on his skin.
Simon read about the many animals they once had. Pigs, birds, reptiles. His mind lingers on Fish He remembers how the biology book talked about how some fish had smooth scales. Its the closest thing he can associate with whats growing on his skin. He was growing fucking scales.
His breathing became panicked, mind racing, and entire body violently shaking.
"No, no no nonono-" He began to pull off his shirt to see if anything else was growing out of him. He found more bandages wrapping around his torso, but they weren't bloody. He threw the shirt onto the bed then began to roll up his pants legs, only to find the same state of his torso was in.
Just a tiny amount of relief washed over him. It was just his arms. He didn't want to think how fast that would change.
"We haven't noticed anything else changing except for you arms and your..." Ava trailed off. Simon shot his head and attention back up to the window, dread filling his stomach.
"And my what?" Simon rose to his feet. "My what, Ava?" He was slowly walking towards the window. He could faintly see his outline, but nothing specific in his reflection. The window with the light wasn't enough to see a complete reflection.
The sound of Ava sighing and something being dropping came through. Then a drawer he hadn't noticed before popped out. Simon peaked inside, a small hand mirror was facing up.
He reached in and grabbed it, the drawer snapped shut when it was out. He hadn't looked at the small mirror he cradled in his hands yet, but instead staring at the window.
"It's not as bad as your arms." Taking a deep breath, Simon slowly lowered his gaze to the mirror. Looking over his face, a red mark dragged across his face right over his eyes, the same deep crimson that litters his arms, yet not covered in blood or scales.
But his eyes. He stares at his eyes. No longer were they a deep brown. No, the brown was replaced with a vibrant red color. He nearly dropped the mirror. That couldn't be him, there's no way.
He began walking backwards as if he was trying to get away from the reflection. It didn't help as he was still holding the mirror, staring at himself.
"It's the only thing so far that changed. We are running so many tests to see what..." Her voice becomes quiet before clearing her throat and starting again.
"We are almost done trying to see if you are contagious or if this is just from direct contact from the blood. We have separate tests to see if we can stop or even reverse it. We only have so many scientists working so as soon as the your first results come back, the sooner they can start working on how to stop this."
"What if i'm gone by then?! This-" He waved his arms, "Only just appeared didn't it? How fast am I going to-"
"You have been out for three weeks, Simon."
"...What?"
"This occurred over three weeks and four days. It seems to be slow, so there's time. We don't know if you being awake now will change that but we are monitoring it." Her voice was steady, perhaps her attempt at reassurance. It only came out flat.
Simon shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes. Why do this for him? Are they going to use him for some sick tests? Some fucked up gentic tests?
"Why the hell am I here? Why not kill me? Why are they wasting resources on me?" Simon doubts Ava will tell him the real answer. But he just wants something.
A stretch of silence took over. Simon began to pace, glancing between the mirror and window. "Why!?" Hot tears fell from his eyes. He can't go through this- not after he earned his so called freedom.
"I don't know! I don't know! I wish I had a clear answer for you Simon, but I don't! I'm a fucking captain for convicts being sent down to their deaths! I don't know why i'm here studying you, but thats what the C.O.I wants, okay!?"
Simon slowly sat back down, and put the mirror facing down on the table. This was to much for him, he was transforming into something, and he was captive again.
Bringing his hand to his mouth, he attempts to stiffle a cry. His body shakes with every sob. The voice on the computer was right. <em> What kind of freedom. </em>
Ava says something about reporting this, and that she'll be back later. Simon doesn't care if she returns or not.
One Mistake And You'll Know What Torture Is - Chapter 1
It's currently a race against time, and a fucking fish monster god something! Simon is pushing the SM-13 to go as fast as it possibly could. He just got the transfer from the SM-8, and wastes no time navigating out of the cave system where Ava should be waiting outside.
His freedom is within reach, he dares and lets hope fill his being as he hears Ava though the speaker. "Simon! I need to you get right next to my sub now." Simon looks at the speaker, then towards the porthole. He doesn't know where she is to him, he hadn't gotten any coordinates. It should be fine if he takes a picture-
The screen lights up. Simon hesitates before turning around. He's still sitting down. It shouldn't have gone off...
A vein-like substance was creeping up and grew on the button, forcing it to take pictures non-stop. Simon glances at it before turning to the screen again. That works. He thinks before forcing the implications of what it means down. He can't afford to sit any longer.
Using the pictures as a reference, he pushes forwards again and begins to turn in a way that will get him just right against her sub. It wasn't perfect, but he hoped it would be good enough.
"I'm right next to you." Simon looks at the speaker again. There's nothing said for a half a minute and he he feels his heart stop. She's going to actually get him out right?
Something lightly jostled the sub, and he hears the sound of metal screeching. Simon wants to throw up, he shouldn't have let his hopes up. The monster is here and it's going to-
"The sub attached successfully. Preparing for ascent. You still there, Simon?" He gapes. It was just Ava attaching them. Once again, hope flares within him.
He feels the sub shake before seeing the gauge slowly rise. "I'm... I'm fine." He chokes out. Finally, after all this time. He relaxes in the chair and closes his eyes. He just needs a second to breathe and calm down. He's going to be out of this torture chamber, and he will be a free man.
Fast beeping makes his body jolt as he rips his eyes open. Somethings behind them. Somethings behind them and it's approaching fast. He hadn't had enough time to yell before the whole sub jerks and Simon thrown to the side.
He hears Ava swear over the speaker, and begins to... reassure him? "Simon, we still have you. We're halfway out. Shit, can you go a little faster please?!" She abandons all attempt to steady her voice as she yells frantically, assuming to whoever is pulling them up.
Simon! You can't! The Light is too much for them! They don't deserve it, we deserve it!
Simon struggles to pick himself up, and almost falls again when he hears It. That thing "Ava?" he weakly calls out. "Did you hear that too?" He sits on the floor, preparing for another hit.
"What hell is that?!" She hisses out. Simon glances up towards the gauge. Less than halfway up. He was so close...
YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE US. YOU WILL SEE. YOU WILL SEE WHAT IT IS TO TRULY KNOW THE LIGHT. SIMON. COME. BACK.
The subs violently shudders. Simon places his hands firmly against the floor for stability. His mind is foggy, the adrenaline, his fear, more than likely dehydration as well, cloud his mind. Too much. But the voice cuts though it all like a hot knife cutting butter. The warm, melted butter clings to the knife though, leaving a permanent mark within the butter, and taking out a piece.
"Simon, Simon, are you still with me?" He groans in response "We're almost up, okay? We will be up and that... Thing will be left in the ocean. We got you Simon. I got you."
Simon really knows shes just after the information, everything transfered is worth more than him. But he allows himself believe for just a moment, that someone may actually care about him, even if just a little bit.
He lets his body rest on the side of the sub, looking up towards the lights. "Okay" He replies is a quiet voice. "Okay." His voice cracks on that one, afraid almost.
He feels something crawling up his arm. Gasping from the sudden feeling, Simon tears his hands off and instantly feels something warm beginning to rise up. The blood.
Blood was slowly filling the sub. He scrambles up, the back of his pants and legs bloodied. "It's flooding in here!" He cries out. When he looks back up to the speaker, more veins and a fleshy substance was growing all over the walls. He's going to die in here, when he's already so close to getting out. Of course.
YOU
WILL
NOT
LEAVE
UNSCATHED.
Simon trembles as the voice speaks. His head is pounding as he feels his legs become weaker. The blood has risen past his ankles, if he were to collapse now, he would become soaked and let a greater chance of the veins crawling up him.
He looks at the gauge... Three more notches. Only three more until they rise out of the ocean, then just two more until they reach the station.
The sub violently jerks back, as Simon lands face first in the blood. He couldn't tell if he swallowed some, or if it was his own blood. "What was that? Am I still attached?" Frantically, he rolls over and sits up. Should he risk standing back up? Only to be thrown back into the blood? Or sit in the blood that seems to be alive?
The blood hasn't risen past his chest, but if he were to sit...
"Ava?! Are you still there?" He hasn't heard from her in a minute. Maybe she's dead, the blood took her, the monster tore her off, she drops Simon- "Ava, please!"
"Were up!" And the sounds of the ocean suddenly stop. Simon faintly hears the waves underneath his sub, getting quieter as the subs rise. Grabbing the chair for support, he hoists himself up with hope blazing within him.
He can't tell if the blood is draining from his sub, but at the moment he doesn't care. A scream leaves his throat, an emotional, angry yet alleviating scream. Hes out.
"Fuck you! Fuck you! You didn't kill me, I survived! I fucking survived." He yells out in victor. He kicks the blood. It doesn't do anything, but he kicks it again, like doing such rubs in his victory in the face of whatever was hunting him. Then he grabs the pendant handing from his wrist, and gently kisses it, ignoring the blood that clung to it.
The lights suddenly shut off, and he is reminded of when he first got pulled up. He breathes for a moment, waiting for anything, any indication that something is happening.
He hears voices, not the eldritch, amalgamation of voices he heard. No, muffled voices one would hear from the otherside of a wall. Its hard to make out was is being said, shouting? Simon can pick Ava's voice out from it however.
The speaker crackles, "Simon, you need to open the porthole. We can't access you from anywhere else." Ava voices cuts through.
Using his memory, and feeling around the control panel, he finds and twists the switch. Light starts to enter the sub, not much, but enough so that Simon can see.
Flesh had begun to form around the edges of the porthole outside, Simon doesn't want to think what the rest of the sub looks like.
He spots Ava, who seems to be yelling at someone. He thinks he can see her pointing at him, but between the crack and blood dripping down the window, he couldn't tell.
"Why aren't I out yet?"
"We are trying Simon, the porthole is the only way left we can get you out but we need tools to get it off-"
"Just break the window, please just anything that gets me out!"
"And get shards all over you? Do you want to get cut up and let the-"
"I'm not waiting anymore!"
Simon bangs on the window, then looks at the fire extinguisher. "I'm not fucking waiting!" He sloshes through the blood and rips the fire extinguisher off the wall. Running as fast as he can, dispite the resistance from the blood, he uses all his strength to hurl it towards the window.
The window shatters, and Simon practically crawls over the control panel and throws himself out.
He lands with a crunch from the shards. Everything hurts, maybe it was one too many times getting thrown about for Simon.
Ava yells for him, he couldn't make out if out of anger or worry. Things were starting to blur together, voices become muddled, and vision becoming darker.
