You Monster - Chapter 6
AO3
Oh now shit’s going down whooops~
Dan’s progression through the test chambers became slower and slower as days, then weeks, passed. Soon, he wasn’t progressing at all, merely spending days on end with his knees pulled to his chest in the elevator, begging Ross to get him back to the surface. Tell the scientists he couldn’t do it, he needed to leave. There must be some way for Ross to get in contact with them.
But there wasn’t. They were just stuck there, Ross awkwardly attempting to watch over Dan as he refused to eat and only slept when he couldn’t hold his eyes open anymore. Every waking moment was spent weakly begging for freedom and tears. There were so many tears.
After a while, the tears stopped from dehydration. Dan was burdened with headaches and shaking muscles, not used to being so malnourished.
“Is this what it means to be human?” Ross asked, though his tone was uncertain and meek. “Just suffering?”
“‘M surprised you don’t know,” muttered Dan. “I would’ve though you’d be another human to robot experiment.”
There seemed to be a small spark in the bright blue of Ross’s eye, but nothing that Dan noticed. The little robot stayed quiet, taken aback by the venom that dripped from Dan’s words. He was so bitter, so torn up by these test chambers, but Ross just couldn’t place why.
“Grump Science Laboratories wouldn’t put something as volatile as a human in something as perfect as a robot’s programming,” BRIAN piped up. Dan almost lost his cool right then. “Humans are too emotional. They let the smallest inconveniences distract them from their goals.”
Tears that Dan’s body couldn’t afford to give up formed at the edge of his eyelids. He curled in tighter, his fists tightening until his knuckles were white. “You’re so dense,” the man gritted out. “Don’t you remember anything?”
“I remember everything,” BRIAN chirped proudly. “I have an extensive database of every piece of information I’ve ever been given. From the moment I was activated to right this second, I have everything catalogued and filed away in case it becomes necessary at a later date.”
A loud groan escaped Dan’s throat and he stood on shaky legs. “I can’t take this anymore! I can’t take you.” He stalked forward, though didn’t dare to leave the elevator. His feet could hardly make it off the ground with how stiff and weak they were, leaving him to shuffle along the small interior of the glass-encased area. “Fuck, Brian, why do you have to make this so hard for me? Why do you have to make everything so hard?”
“Daniel,” Ross called from his spot on the floor. “Why don’t you come sit back down and calm down for a moment? That sounds fun, right?”
“You’re killing me!” Dan demanded, ignoring the desperate calls of his companion. “And the worst part is—“ As Dan stalked closer to the entrance of the elevator, the doors snapped shut around him. “The worst part is that I knew it before we even got married…”
BRIAN’s voice crackled through the elevator’s speaker, much smaller as it came through the contained area of the closed elevator. “Another subject gone mad from isolation, so sad.”
“I went through all this shit because I love you.” Dan pounded his fists against the wall, the glass around him trembling from the force. “I let you get away with so much because you meant something to me.” Another pound, the elevator following with a creak. “I only told you no once and you ignored me. Why couldn’t you do something for me, Brian?” Another pound. The lights in the elevator sparked and blew out.
“If you continue with your irrational tantrum, I cannot be held responsible for the damage you cause to this laboratory.” BRIAN’s tone was cold as ever.
“I’m—I’m over it, Brian.” Dan was choking back sobs with ever pound now. “I’m going to find you and I’ll fucking unplug you. I’ll do it. I did so much for you, and all I get in return is nightmares.” One of the thick pulley cords snapped above them, making the elevator snap to the side and throw Dan back. “You can’t hurt me anymore, Brian. I don’t care what you want anymore. This is what I want.”
With a vicious smack to the ground with Dan’s already reddened and bruising knuckles, another cord snapped.
“Oh Daniel,” BRIAN teased, “it’s such a shame I have to be the one to tell you this.” One more pound. “You will not succeed.”
The last cord snapped, and the elevator plummeted.