Finally got around to redesigning my old character, Subject 204. UNFORTUNATELY now he's a cringe overwatch character I made because I wanted to make my silly little cringe ship art.
I am terrified of sharing it ngl because I've never drawn oc X canon character shit before but yknow, life is too short to not be a little cringe.
Also ignore the side profile drawing, it's my first real time drawing it so....
He used to be a Titanfall 2 character that I loved dearly, until people started stealing his design and using my artworks of him for their own pilots. Because apparently cat ears on helmets is a very wanted detail. If you've known me for a while, you know the old 204 design lmao.
Redesigned my Titanfall character because I was tired of people using him for their own character gallery. So now I can use him outside of the Titanfall universe too
This is 204, a wraith stuck between being corporeal and incorporeal. He wears this exosuit as a type of life support.
He's a very grumpy boy who don't particularly like people.
The flashlight shone too brightly in their faces. Belle squinted against it and felt her anger boiling. It surprised her to feel the frustration bubble up like this instead of fear at the sight of a gun pointed at them and a flashlight blinding them.
Ruby, with her hands still up, started to move in front of Belle, in an effort to protect her in case the cop fired his gun again.
“DON’T MOVE!” The cop noticed, his finger dangerously close to pulling the trigger again.
Here’s a spoiler/teaser/preview for what’s to come in the chapter I’m working on for Subject 204.
This was rendered by the ever amazing @konako since I wanted to see how she was going to interpret Ruby and Belle’s ~~undercover~~ looks.
Story Summary: Belle is accepted into an exclusive internship at a facility that studies supernatural occurrences, gifted individuals and cryptids. Something about their methods rubs Belle the wrong way, but she tries to let it slide… until she finds out about Subject 204. [RedBeauty; very possible Swan Queen; Maybe Sleeping Warrior] [Regina, Emma and Mulan will be key characters either way]
Notes: Thanks to everyone who gave their input on a possible change to our update schedule! I should be able to maintain the daily sched until around Monday or Tuesday. Then we'll see from there how well I can keep up.
Also, just gonna give you guys a bit of a warning. This chapter will be kinda heavy.
One more thing, if you're liking how this is unfolding, you should think about checking out Konako's story, The Storybrooke Habitats, it has some pretty similar themes because @konako and I apparently share brains sometimes.
When she'd been escorted into the examination room, she had expected treadmills and weights, like what she was usually put through before the full moon. Instead, there as a large tank, practically an elevated swimming pool, with platforms and monitors around it.
It was different and she couldn't help but stop to take in her new surroundings.
"Move!" One of the guards holding the other end of the pole hooked to her collar jerked her forward and she stumbled, just barely managing to regain her balance. They had cuffed her hands behind her back again and she would not have been able to catch herself if she'd been fallen over.
The jerking movement meant the silver lining the inside of her collar was pushed against her throat and the pain made her angry. A growl was already starting to rumble in her chest as she turned to glare at the guard. This was the one she didn't like.
Gaston.
He met her eyes without backing down. One hand was gripping the pole tightly, but the other was holding the prod. It sparked to life and the sight of it made her heart beat fast. "What's the matter, Wolfie? Did I upset the skinny little pup?"
Heat building up behind her eyes, jaw clenching, teeth pushing against her lips, she growled. It was frighteningly easy to imagine swiping at him with her claws and biting into him and shaking his limp body around. She wanted to.
She felt another yank, this time from her left. The guard holding second pole hooked to her collar was also brandishing his prod.
They were ready to subdue her if she went feral.
And she was so close.
So.
Close.
Forcing her shoulders to relax and her jaw to loosen up, she put great effort into fighting back the wolf that was trying to take over. The guards took advantage of her pause and jostled her forward until she was right in front of a cage set next to the pool.
The cage was just barely higher and wider than herself, maybe a tight fit for a bigger man like Gaston, but still enough for him to stand stiffly inside. And the thought of that was fun to imagine.
"Ready to go for a swim, dearie?" Dr. Gold strolled over, clipboard in hand, Dr. Hopper following close behind. "There wasn't time to go shopping for a nice swimsuit for you though."
She just stared, not sure how to comprehend the situation. Not sure if they were joking. Not sure if this was some test to see how she would react. Not sure about anything. Not able to understand anything.
Dr. Gold raised his eyebrow. "Something the matter, dearie?"
Everything was the matter. This was different. This was difficult to process. Did they want her to just… freestyle or butterfly or whatever the swimming forms were? What was going on? What did they want her to do?
She opened her mouth and tried to get the words out, but they just got caught in her throat and wouldn't come out. They got jumbled up somewhere between her brain and her mouth and it was difficult to choose how best to formulate her thoughts.
Did he really mean that question? Was he expecting an answer?
Licking her lips, she shifted her weight from one bare foot to the other, still at a loss for words. She wanted to ask questions. She wanted to understand.
This was all still so she could be cured, right?
Dr. Gold wasn't even paying attention anymore. He was going through his notes and writing things down.
What was the use? He didn't really need an answer from her anyway. She closed her mouth and just looked down at the floor.
"Keep the cuffs as is or let her have her hands for this?" Dr. Gold's question was directed to Dr. Hopper, who looked vaguely uncomfortable and kept glancing at her like he pitied her. Like she deserved any pity after what she'd done to Peter. After what she'd done to several schoolmates and a teacher.
This monster didn't deserve any pity.
"I… I'd rather we unclasp them?" Dr. Hopper seemed to shrunk next to Dr. Gold, even if the latter was much shorter. "That would make it easier to see how she fares against any tests involving running water…?"
"I say keep the cuffs on." Dr. Gold didn't even look like he considered Dr. Hopper's suggestion. "We don't know how the bars will fare against her strength. If she breaks them, our results won't reflect what I'm looking for."
"But…" Dr. Hopper quieted at the superior scientist's glare. "…okay."
Dr. Gold turned to the guards, "Keep her still."
The guards nodded and tightened their grips on the poles. At Dr. Gold's instruction, Dr. Hopper started putting the sensors all over the subject. They were a different type this time, maybe some waterproof version of the ones they usually hooked up to her when she was doing the other tests. He struggled with the ones meant to go on her head. There was a time when her hair had been smooth and silky. Now it was tangled and rough and getting caught in the wires.
"I don't know why we don't just shave that off already." Dr. Gold seemed to notice the mild struggle.
She couldn't help the growl that reverberated through her throat.
Dr. Hopper heard it and jumped back in alarm. The guards were quick to act, using the poles to pull her down to the floor, and two more guards came to pin her down.
What was the issue? It was just hair, wasn't it? Why was she being so defensive about it?
Stupid little memories ran through her mind of Granny braiding the strands, many years ago. A lifetime ago.
"Igor, get me a razor. Something like the one we used on 115." Dr. Gold shot orders at one of the assistants before striding over to the subject and crouching next to her prone form.
There were knees planted across her back and boots keeping the poles, and by extension, the collar touching the floor. She tried to squirm and kick her way free, until at least one guard started pinning her legs down.
Electricity jolted through her, catching her off guard and causing her to scream and thrash underneath the guards pinning her down. When it passed, she was breathing heavily and feeling dazed. The anger and hot energy was building up inside her and trying to come out.
She had to fight against it.
It couldn't be wolfstime yet. Her headaches were still sporadic, but not continuous. It was very soon, but it wasn't upon her yet.
Right?
She was still breathing heavily when the feeling finally passed.
"That mane of yours isn't anything to be proud of anymore anyway." Dr. Gold's tone was low and irritated as he took a fistful of her hair, pulling until her scalp hurt and her neck strained to follow the direction he was pulling. "Tests will run by so much more smoothly with this out of the way."
He pulled out the few wires and sensors that Dr. Hopper had managed to tangle into the mess.
"Now just stay still."
The buzz of a razor hummed through her ears. She screwed her eyes shut as the sound got closer and closer.
It was hard to eat with her mind abuzz like this. Belle found herself just toying with her fork as she sat across Aurora in the pantry. There were other scientists and assistants here, but it wasn't anywhere near as crowded or noisy as the cafeteria at school.
"Are you alright?" Aurora asked. "You seem distracted today. And you're usually so focused."
Was it that obvious? Belle wasn't sure yet if she should tell someone about Emma's ability to communicate telepathically at a more elaborate range and frequency than what she was letting on. On one hand, there was some obligation to report it to Dr. Gold since he needed this kind of data to be able to keep his studies as accurate as possible. On the other hand, there was the ethical concern of any consequence that may befall Emma and Regina if it was discovered that they were capable of more than what they were letting on.
At first, she was leaning towards the former, but now, after seeing solid evidence of a Subject 204, Belle wasn't sure what to think.
There was a desperation to Emma and Regina that made it hard for Belle to continue assuming that they were just playing games. That, and during the moments that Emma would send thoughts towards Belle, there were often emotions tied to those thoughts. Emotions like Emma's genuine worry and fear.
Belle sighed and rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "I don't know. I feel like I have a lot on my mind."
"Was it because of the other subject files that were in Dr. Whale's box?" Aurora prompted. "When I arrived early this morning, he was going through the files and kind of put things away abruptly. I just figured he was studying some data that we weren't yet authorized to see."
"That's probably it." Belle halfheartedly got herself to eat bit of her lasagna.
"But…" Aurora was chewing on her bottom lip. She glanced left and right before leaning forward, voice lowered to a whisper. "Emma spoke to me."
Belle froze in the middle of forking food into her mouth. She put the utensil away and leaned forward as well. "You too?"
Aurora nodded.
"What did she say?"
"Not a lot…" Aurora squirmed a little, glancing again behind her. "Just that she'd like to get to know me better and she wanted to know what I hope to gain from this internship. And she might need my help with something."
Belle felt her eyebrows rise. That wasn't what she was expecting. Perhaps Emma and Regina were being more careful this time around, getting a better feel of people before laying out any cards.
"The thing is, Dr. Gold did warn us about Emma being an exceptional con artist." Aurora shrugged. "So I'm not sure what to think. She seemed nice enough. Well as nice as anyone infiltrating your head with messages can be."
Aurora frowned. "Wait, so did she talk to you, too?"
"Sort of…" Belle hesitated, not quite sure if it was a good idea to share what she knew with Aurora. "She showed me what her quarters looked like."
She paused.
Took a deep breath.
"And she showed me the image of someone. Someone whose file I saw among Dr. Whale's papers."
Aurora glanced around again, then made eye contact with Belle. "Maybe we could talk about this tonight? We might be late."
Air.
She needed air.
Her lungs were on fire, her head was on fire. Everything was on fire inside of her. There was the burning behind her eyes, the sharpening of her teeth, the lengthening of er claws. The wolf was trying to save her.
Darkness was creeping along the edges of her vision as she struggled to surface but her wrists were chained to the bars of the cage and the cage was submerged deep in the tank and she was drowning.
Maybe she deserved it. Maybe this was the fate that she should have had all along. She didn't need redemption or a cure. She needed an end. That way, she wouldn't be able to hurt anyone anymore.
Just as she was releasing what little air was left in her lungs, she felt the cage starting to rise. When it finally broke the surface just enough for her head to be above water, she coughed and spluttered and sucked in as much air as she could.
The hospital gown she'd been wearing for… a while, was sticking to her skin and it felt cold and itchy and though she was rarely affected by temperatures, she actually found herself shivering.
They brought the cage up higher until it was completely out of the water and she could slump against the bars.
"Our readings say you came close to shifting that time." Dr. Gold said. "We're getting close to finding the threshold between the two forms."
She was lightheaded and drained, but unless she was mistaken, it sounded more like they were trying to get her to shift than get her to stop the shift. Unless she was delirious from coming close to drowning several times, it was starting to look like all their recent tests were more to trigger the wolf to come out than to improve her control of the wolf.
As the thought crossed her mind, anger started burning through her again and she tugged at the chains, trying to get closer, trying to get lose, trying to attack.
"Calm yourself, dearie." Dr. Gold's hand hovered over the button that would bring the cage back into the water. "I'd rather not have to replace this equipment."
What was she doing? These were scientists trying to cure her of her monstrosity. They had nothing to gain by turning her into a monster, right? A monster would just be a danger to them.
She slumped back against the bars.
Already, she was a danger.
"Good girl." Dr. Gold was again speaking to her like she was a small child or a difficult pet. "Now I think we'll wrap up for now. We can continue this test another day. Maybe on the fullmoon or after. Still, it's interesting to see that you're capable of holding your breath far longer than any human, probably longer even than records set by Olympic swimmers."
She looked at him, hoping he'd explain to her the reasons behind the more difficult tests they'd been running recently. He probably wasn't going to do that because she asked. Most of the time, he just told her bits and pieces. Whatever he felt like explaining to her.
At the very least, she wished he would at least reassure her that this was all still for the purpose of curing her.
A whine made its way past her lips.
"Sorry?" Dr. Gold raised his eyebrow and looked up from his clipboard. "What's the matter, dearie?"
The words couldn't come. She could only look at him and hoped he would understand.
His hand went to the controls and her heart pounded against her chest faster than ever as she anticipated another plunge into the water. Instead, the cage moved closer towards Dr. Gold until it reached the end of the pool and stopped right in front of him.
"I understand you're under a lot of stress right now." Dr. Gold reached over and she flinched involuntarily as his hand came closer and closer to his face. She shut her eyes tightly, but instead of any rough treatment, he ran his palms through her shorn hair. There wasn't much left, but it was unevenly cut since it was a rushed job. She felt like there were still tufts sticking out longer than the others.
The feel of his palm rubbing her head and face made her cringe but there was a small, desperate, starved part of her that leaned into his touch. "Keep your eye on the prize, alright? We're doing everything we can to better understand the limits of your condition so we can cure it."
That was a familiar explanation. Even Dr. Whale gave it sometimes.
"One day, you may not shift anymore." She opened her eyes and looked at him. "We're working our way towards that day."
It was getting late. Belle had already finalized her notes and packed up the paperwork she was studying. Everyone else was also finishing up. Tamara was filing again for clearance to bring some work home. Aurora had her bag already packed and approached Belle.
"So I'll call you over Skype tonight?" Aurora asked.
"Yeah." Belle said. She wasn't sure yet how much she should tell Aurora since Emma didn't seem keen on giving much information just yet. "Let's talk later. I'll just go and check on something."
Waving goodbye to Aurora, Belle headed down the hallway to Dr. Gold's office. He'd told them several times that they were welcome to drop by anytime they wanted to consult him. Maybe she could try seeing how much he meant that offer.
A few knocks at the door were met with no response.
It was possible that he wasn't inside or he didn't want to be bothered.
Her curiosity was eating away at her and the picture of the frightened teenager just wouldn't leave Belle's mind. It didn't line up completely with the image that Emma had given. That foggy, blurred woman seemed taller, a little older. Maybe in her twenties.
Of course, it was possible that Belle's mind was just trying to fill gaps and make connections where there were none.
Belle found herself pacing outside the door, even touching the handle a few times, only to change her mind and start pacing again. This was stupid. What was she going to say?
Hi, Dr. Gold, I accidentally saw the file of Subject 204, can I see it properly because Dr. Whale took it away before I could finish reading?
That wasn't going to work. Not even if he was "fond" of her, as Emma had said.
"Belle, dearie, what are you doing here?"
Awkwardly spinning around to face him, Belle fidgeted and tried to figure out how to answer that.
There was way too long a pause before she finally managed to say, "Hi."
Dr. Gold raised an eyebrow and reached over to open the door to his office. "Is something the matter, dearie?"
"Sort of?" Wow. She was doing a terrible job of sounding like the eloquent and intelligent graduate she wanted him to see her as. He was probably already having second thoughts about inviting her to apply. Probably doubting accepting her into the program.
And now her mind was running away from her.
"Sort of." Dr. Gold gestured Belle into the office and showed her to a seat near the desk. It wasn't as organized as Belle had imagined. The walls and counters were covered in miscellaneous trinkets. It made the office look more like a pawnshop than a place to get work done. If it weren't for the file cabinets, Belle would have wondered if this was really an office where Dr. Gold did any actual work.
Dr. Gold shrugged off his labcoat and hung it on a hook at the door. Belle noticed there was an unusual amount of lose hair. And it wasn't grey like his own hair, but darker. Black or brown.
"Would you like to tell me more about that 'sort of?'" Dr. Gold's question interrupted Belle's observation of the labcoat.
As much as Belle judged those who used the expression, in her head, she found herself thinking it.
YOLO.
"Earlier today, I accidentally saw some files that…" It didn't feel right to be the kind of person to throw Dr. Whale under the bus just like that. Belle ran her hands through her hair and adjusted her position in the seat. "Okay, let's just say I accidentally saw some files that I'm not yet authorized to see."
Dr. Gold leaned back on his chair. "Go on…"
Well he wasn't talking about kicking her out of the program yet. Maybe that was a good sign. Maybe. Hopefully?
"I'm probably waaay out of line here," Belle said, "But could I maybe have a look again?" That came off a bit rude. Maybe she could add something to make it a little less rude. "Er… authorized this time?"
There was no immediate answer. Dr. Gold clasped his hands over his stomach and seemed to be mulling over the question.
"Which file?"
Belle was too stunned by the question, she choked and coughed before finally responding, "204. Subject 204. Th-there was no name in the file… and I really didn't get to take a good look at it but… It just… looked interesting?"
She didn't think she was being very convincing. At all.
But he was actually considering it.
"We can talk later about how you managed to come across that file," Dr. Gold said, "And I do hope you understand that it's classified."
"Yes, sir." That probably meant that telling Aurora about it might just be out of the question.
"How much of the file did you get to see?"
Belle looked down at the carpeting and tried to recall what she saw. It wasn't much, really. She was more drawn to the picture than the actual notes. A few things did stand out though.
"I remember the word lycanthrope. That's… is that really what I think it means?"
"If you think it means werewolf," Dr. Gold didn't even blink. "Then yes."
Belle felt her jaw drop. "Really?"
"Really." He opened his drawer and pulled out a thick binder. "Subject 204 has been in this facility for several years now. She's an interesting case and we're learning more and more about her every week." He opened the binder and patted the first page. "This binder is only an overview of the data we've collected on her so far."
It was hard to resist the urge to lean over and see the contents of the binder. Dr. Gold seemed to notice since he moved it closer to himself. "I have my doubts about whether or not you're prepared to join the team studying her, but let's try something."
"Sir?"
"Tomorrow is the full moon. Would you be willing to stay at the facility overnight and join us as we run some tests and observe the subject?" Dr. Gold picked up the binder and walked over the a scanner behind his chair. "You probably won't need to do anything, just take notes and share with us what you observe."
He started copying selected pages.
This felt surreal.
Once the pages he selected were done printing, Dr. Gold put them together and stapled them. For a moment, he held the papers close to his chest and looked Belle directly in the eye. "Understand this though, Belle. This is a privilege and the only reason I'm allowing you access much earlier than initially planned is that you excel at interacting with Regina and deescalating her agitation."
Belle swallowed and nodded her head. Excitement was bubbling up within her and she couldn't help but fidget in her seat.
"Here. Go over these files tonight so you have a better understanding of what we'll show you tomorrow night." Dr. Gold reached over and handed the papers to her. "You can come in after lunch tomorrow. No need to attend the morning research session."
"Thank you, sir." With shaky hands, Belle neatly put the papers into a clearbook in her bag. A part of her still couldn't believe she'd actually managed to gain early access to classified files. This was both surreal and exciting.
"Run along now, dearie. I'll see you tomorrow."
Notes 2: So things are starting to pick up and Belle will finally get to meet 204 very very soon
.Also, there's something oddly satisfying about imaging Belle saying "yolo", even if just in her head. She just doesn't seem like the type, which makes it kind of funny.
On another note, I've been trying to sketch Ruby with her new Eleven-inspired 'do but I haven't yet come up with a portrait that I feel satisfied with.
So yeah. How'd you find this chapter and what are you looking forward to next? Have you got theories on how Ruby ended up in the facility? Maybe how she gradually stopped talking? I'd love to hear your thoughts. I have a Ruby-centric chapter I want to do in a couple of days, something that runs through how she ended up here. I'm still finding the right time to work that in.
