[pixelenchanter]

New Scars (Part 8)

A small heads-up before we start: I will be going on hiatus for a large portion of this summer. Depending on how my schedule works out, this my be the last part of this for a while. I am not abandoning the series, and I apologize if I leave you all on a cliff-hanger, but finals are quickly approaching and I will also be studying abroad this summer. I will write more when I can, but new chapters will become very infrequent for a while. 

With that being said, I hope you all enjoy this next part.

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Warning: nightmares, panic attack, amnesia

Images flashed before his eyes, shapes and colors whirling through his vision. Green. Static. Steel. Blood. They came faster and faster, the sound of screams and static filling his ears. Someone was laughing. At every scream they laughed. There was a tugging sensation, and cold steel bit into his neck.

Yan watched carefully through the glass as the man inside twitched, tossing and turning at whatever nightmare he was seeing. She felt a pang of sympathy. Sure, she might not know who this man was, but it was obvious he was suffering. She knew the pain of nightmares all too well.

Nearby, Ollie was having a quiet argument with his brother. “Please. He’s in pain. Can’t you see that?”

“I couldn’t care less how much pain that glitch is in,” Blue growled back. “He’s nearly killed you the last two times you were in the same room as him. You’re not going in there.”

There was a soft ping, and the elevator doors slid open. Red’s frown deepened as he stepped out of the elevator and caught sight of his brothers. “I got an alert of a power drain. Why is the holding cell activated?”

Wordlessly, the other two androids parted, giving Red full view of the cell, as well as the man inside. Red’s eyebrows shot upward. “How did you catch him?”

“He somehow got inside Ollie’s systems. I managed to get him out of them.”

A look of concern crossed Red’s face as he quickly surveyed his brothers. He noted the scorch marks on Ollie’s shirt, as well as the subtle flashing of Blue’s core that indicated he was low on power. One thing at a time, Red. “Are either of you damaged?” They both shook their heads. “Ok. In that case, you both need to go charge. I can keep an eye on things here.”

Ollie grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, I’m actually at 140% power right now. I don’t think I’ll be charging for a while.”

Blue shook his head. “I can charge later. There’s still a lot that has to be done.”

Red was adamant. “Nothing that needs your attention specifically, Blue. Now sit down and do a charging cycle before I make you.”

Blue opened his mouth to protest, but at that moment a holographic screen projected in front of him. Low Power: 10% Remaining. He grumbled under his breath as he pulled a charging cable from his pocket and left to find an outlet.

Ollie smiled faintly as he watched Blue leave. Turning, he caught sight of the concern in Red’s eyes. “Ollie, tell me the truth. Are you ok?”

Oliver’s smile was smaller than normal, if a bit more genuine. “Yeah, Red. I’m ok. Blue and Yan were watching out for me.”

The girl in question was watching the cell again. She saw the man’s eyes fly open, full of fear and panic. She saw his hands shake as they flew to his throat. It didn’t matter that the cell was sound-proofed. She knew what it looked like when someone was panicking so much they couldn’t breathe.

The androids were too engrossed in their conversation to notice the quiet hiss of the cell opening. They didn’t notice until they heard the static emanating from the open door. They looked over just in time to see Yan rush in and the cell door close behind her.

“Yan!” Ollie lunged forward, only to find Red’s arms encircling him, holding him back. “Red, let me go! I have to get her out of there!”

Red’s grip was stronger than steel. “You’re not going in there, Ollie. We’re androids. He’s a glitch. He’s designed to kill us.”

Coolant was leaking from Ollie’s eyes. “He’ll kill her, Red. I can’t let him! I promised!” He saw Yan approaching Anti where he crouched in the corner. “Yan, stay away from him!”

Inside the cell, Yan was completely unaware of the android screaming for her to stop. The one-way glass showed only her reflection, and the soundproofing cut out all outside noise. The only thing she focused on was the man in the corner.

He was crouched low, back pressed against the wall. His hands were holding his throat, his whole body trembling as he tried desperately to breathe. His wide eyes met hers, and Yan saw the pleading look in them. Help me.

She knelt down next to him, reaching out slowly. She stopped when he flinched away. “It’s alright.” She tried to keep her voice calm. Her mind was racing. What was it Dark did? Right, breathing. “Focus on me, ok? Just focus on me and breathe.” Gently, she reached forward and placed her hands over his. She drew them away from his throat, placing one on his chest and the other on hers. “Breathe with me. In for four, hold for seven, out for eight.”

She saw his eyes widen as he stared down at his hands. Glancing down, she saw the blood that was seeping into the cloth of her shirt. It was only when he looked up at her with fear in his eyes that she saw the gash in his neck.

Yan saw his panic return, heard his breath hitch in his throat. Stay calm. If you’re calm, he’ll be calm. She gripped his hands as he tried to put them back on his throat. “You need to focus on breathing, ok? It’s just a scratch. I can bandage it. You just breathe.”

The man nodded shakily. Yan reached over and took the blanket laying on the floor nearby. She ripped a strip from it and carefully wound it around the man’s neck. “There, see? All better.”

The man nodded. Then, in a horse whisper, “Thank you.”

She smiled gently at him. “It’s no problem. I have nightmares too.”

The man looked at her in surprise. “How did you-?”

Yan laughed softly. “It takes one to know one, I guess. My name is Yan.”

The man hesitated, eyes darting around the room. He took a shaky breath before saying, “Anti. I…I think my name is Anti.”

She frowned. “You think?”

Tears welled up in the man’s bright blue eyes. “I don’t know! It sounds right, but I…” He sobbed, the tears streaming down his cheeks. “I can’t remember.”

Without hesitation, Yan reached out and pulled him into a tight hug. Outside of the cell, two androids stood frozen, watching as their sworn enemy collapsed crying into the young girl’s arms.

Please let me know if you want to be added, removed, or switched lists!

New Scars Tag List: @ferociousfangirlofmanyfandoms @dannerism @221biotchplease @nuclearkitty101 @wifi-anon @bubblegum-borb @thewinterunicorn @itssquirreloverlord @starjames-pma @dragons-armors @average-egos @unipugsat221b @realcanadianmoose @spaceykidd0

General Tag List: @theinvisiblespoon @snarkyowl @written-stone @ekhoecho @silver-owl413 @sketchy-scribs-n-doods @dxmurei @princessbelix

[wifi-anon]

Me: doesn’t ship Logince

me: watches the most recent Sanders Side video

me:

me: fuck.

[pixelenchanter]

New Scars (Part 7)

Wow, finally got time to write more! Sorry for all the delays in this fic. Classes have been keeping me really busy lately. This part is a bit longer than some of the others to make up for it. Also, shoutout to @littlelostshadow and @princessbelix for the help on getting over my writer’s block. This probably would have taken even longer without them.

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Warning: blindness, sensory overload

Please let me know if I need to add any warnings. I’m not always sure how to label some of this stuff.

Blue sat at his desk in the hub, scanning through the holographic screens projected in front of him. He heard the ping of the elevator from down the hall, but didn’t pause in his work. He vaguely registered the sound of a voice speaking, growing louder as it approached. Soft voice, higher inflection. Consistent with observations of the newest ego, Yan.

He glanced up as he heard footsteps enter the room. He saw Yan guiding Oliver, one hand on his arm, the other on his back. Blue froze, staring. “Wha-a-a-t happened?” His voice glitched badly as he spoke.

Ollie turned his face towards the sound of his brother’s voice, but Blue noticed that his gaze was a bit off. Is he staring over my shoulder? Why isn’t he looking at me?

“Blue? Is that you?” The uncertainty in his brother’s voice stopped Blue dead in his tracks. Why wouldn’t he know it’s me?

The holographic screens in front of Blue vanished. “Yes, it’s me. What’s wro-ong?”

Oliver grimaced, putting a hand awkwardly on the back of his neck. “I was in the kitchen with Yan and got hit with a power surge. I think it shorted out my optics.”

Blue shot to his feet, the chair he’d been sitting in rolling away across the room. In three quick strides he had closed the distance between himself and the others. Taking hold of Oliver’s arm, he felt a flash of regret as the yellow android flinched at his touch. “Sorry.”

Ollie shook his head. “It’s ok. Just wasn’t expecting it.”

With Yan’s and Blue’s help, Oliver was carefully maneuvered through the room and into a chair. Blue let out a sigh. “Ollie?”

The gentleness in his brother’s voice was so unlike his normal tone that it caught Oliver’s attention immediately. “Yeah, Blue?”

“I need to get a look at your optic systems. It might be a bit more comfortable for you if you power down for awhile. I can bring you back up when I’m done.”

Blue noticed Ollie’s hesitation before he answered. “If it’s possible, I’d rather not shut down right now.” There was an edge to his voice that Blue had rarely heard. His eyes flashed for a moment as he searched his memory for reference. Fear. Oliver was afraid.

Blue put a reassuring hand on his brother’s shoulder. “It’s alright. I just thought it might make you a bit more comfortable. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Pulling up another chair, he sat down behind Oliver. “I’m going to get started. If you need me to stop for any reason, just let me know.”

Oliver bit his lip and nodded, his whole body stiff. Blue locked eyes with a worried-looking Yan. He tried to give her a reassuring smile before silently projecting a screen.

Yan read the screen Blue was showing her. Distract him. Panic began to build in her chest. How was she supposed to distract an android? She felt her breath catch in her throat as she heard a small hiss. Ollie flinched as a panel in the back of his head slid open.

Before she had a chance to stop herself, Yan’s hand found Ollie’s and their fingers interlocked. Think of something. Think of anything. Just talk about something.

“Ollie, what’s living here like?” Yan blurted out the first question that popped into her mind, desperate for something to distract him from whatever Blue was doing.

Over Oliver’s shoulder, Blue nodded an encouragement to her before focusing on his own task. With the panel now open, he could see cables that connected Oliver’s optic sensors to his processor. Odd. Nothing seemed to be damaged. If Ollie had hit a power surge strong enough to knock out his entire optics system, Blue would have at least expected some fried wires.

He frowned. Something didn’t seem right. His eyes flashed a bright cerulean as he scanned for any unseen damage in the yellow android’s various parts. Not one seemed to be out of place. There wasn’t even any loss of power to Oliver’s eyes. As far as Blue could tell, there was absolutely no reason why his brother couldn’t see.

Blue was at a loss for what to do. When in doubt, turn it off and back on again. Ollie didn’t want to deactivate, so Blue guessed he would have to try unplugging his optic cables and plugging them back in.

Carefully, he braced Oliver’s head with one hand and used the other to slowly work the first cable out of its slot. There was a small spark of electricity as the circuit was disconnected. Ollie jumped slightly, and Blue bit back an apology.

Hang in there, Ollie. Almost done. Blue took hold of the other cable and began wiggling it back and forth, gently freeing it from its port. Another spark of electricity at its disconnection proved that Blue had been right. Power had still been connected to Oliver’s eyes. So why couldn’t he see?

His attention was caught by Ollie stiffening in front of him. “What’s that sound?”

Blue frowned. “What sound?”

Oliver didn’t respond right away, sitting still for a moment before saying, “Blue? Stop working for a second. What’s that sound? Why is it so loud?”

Yan glanced up at Blue with a worried expression. “What sound is he talking about?”

Blue shook his head. He had no idea. He was more worried about the sounds coming from Ollie, whos processor had picked up speed and was now producing a high-pitched whirring sound.

“Yan? Blue? Why aren’t you answering?” Ollie disentangled his fingers from Yan’s, both his hands reaching up to cover his ears.

Blue circled around so that he was kneeling in front of his brother. Ollie’s eyes were shut tight with pain, coolant leaking from his eyes like tears. Gently, Blue reached out and put his hands over Ollie’s, trying to ignore the way Ollie had jumped at the touch.

Ollie felt his hands be guided away from his ears. One came to rest on Blue’s chest, the other on his mouth. Slowly, he felt Blue’s mouth begin to move. His brother was talking. Why couldn’t he hear him? The static in his ears was too loud.

He felt Blue’s chest begin rising and falling beneath his fingers, the movements exaggerated. Realization struck. He wants me to breathe. I have to breathe. Shakily he began trying to copy the rhythm of Blue’s breathing.

Blue relaxed slightly as he heard Ollie’s processor begin to slow down. Glancing over his shoulder, he caught sight of Yan hovering nervously behind him. “Yan?” He kept his voice level and calm. “I need you to do something for me. Ollie needs his optic cables reattached, but I’m worried he’ll panic again if I move. Can you plug them back in for me?”

Yan walked around to where Blue had been standing behind Ollie. She peered inside the open panel, and her eyes widened at the complex array of circuits and wires she saw inside.

Blue noted the panic in her eyes and said, “You should see two cables that aren’t plugged into anything.”

Yan nodded. “I see them.”

“Alright. You should be able to see two empty slots for them to go in.” His eyes flashed as he searched for an analogy. “They should look like USB ports.”

“Ok. Do I just plug them in?”

Blue nodded. “Exactly.” Hopefully this would fix Ollie’s problems. There was a pause, and Blue heard the soft click of both cables reattaching.

Ollie’s hand tightened, gripping Blue’s shirt. He blinked rapidly, his eyes readjusting to the sudden light. But something was wrong. Blue’s mouth was moving, Ollie couldn’t hear him. The static was too loud.

Blue saw the uncomprehending look in his brother’s eyes. Thinking fast, he projected a screen. Can you see now? Ollie nodded, and the screen changed. There is no sound. What are you hearing?

Ollie frowned. “You can’t hear it?” He winced slightly as the static flared momentarily. “It’s too loud. Like static in my ears.”

Blue froze. Static. It couldn’t be… He pressed a hand against Ollie’s core, flashing a message briefly. This might hurt.

A small surge of electricity emerged from Blue’s fingers and coursed through Ollie. Arcs of it shot off of him and burnt black marks in the walls and floor. Suddenly, there was a bright flash, and the sound of static filled the air. A ball of green energy shot out of Ollie and flew across the room. It slammed into the wall and slid down, morphing into the form of a man crumpled on the ground.

Blue stood, placing himself between his brother and the newcomer. The green hair and black clothes were unmistakable. “Anti.”

Please let me know if you want to be added, removed, or switched lists!

New Scars Tag List: @ferociousfangirlofmanyfandoms @dannerism @221biotchplease @nuclearkitty101 @wifi-anon @bubblegum-borb @thewinterunicorn @itssquirreloverlord @starjames-pma @dragons-armors @average-egos @unipugsat221b @realcanadianmoose @spaceykidd0

General Tag List: @theinvisiblespoon @snarkyowl @written-stone @ekhoecho @silver-owl413 @sketchy-scribs-n-doods @dxmurei @princessbelix

[wifi-anon]

[soft gasp] Anti

[porterr-robinson]

[mop-mod]

“RECENTLY THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE ONLINE CHALLENGING EACH OTHER TO CHEW THROUGH WATERMELON. IS THERE ANYONE WILLING TO CHALLENGE ME??” *smacks head three times with plate* “[UNINTELLIGIBLE]” *gross wet chomping noises*

[shibbpost]

[wifi-anon]

Is - is he okay.

[wifi-anon]

Why completely ignore Christine as a character when you can have meremine?

[wifi-anon]

So I’m watching the panel and someone asked “do you put milk in first, or the cereal?”

Jack: who puts milk in first?

Me: heathens, Jack. Heathens do.

[asrisartarena]

TODAY’S THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE DOWN WITH CIS BUS POST AND IT’S ALSO ANGUS’S BIRTHDAY.

ANGUS IS TRANS (AT LEAST MINE IS).

COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT.

[wifi-anon]

You okay there buddy

[denyinggravity]

here’s your new alignment chart, broadway fandom

[wifi-anon]

This is BMC erasure

[katiesmithkss-deactivated]

Jack: *reads the “always watching” message on the wall*

Jack: “I think I know who the bad guy is of this game…”

Me and everyone else who knows the ending of the game:

[pundaexpress]

Can ants freeze to death?

[sarcastic-pasta-games]

Honestly, we don’t know either.

[wifi-anon]

Someone commented and said that they looked it up and yes, they can.

[your-friendly-anon-deactivated2]

Hey @any muslim followers who see this, please please please stay safe tomorrow!!!

Yes, please please PLEASE do whatever you have to to be safe tomorrow!!!!!

[yesterdaysprint]

Daily Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, March 31, 1956

[wifi-anon]

Y’know... people are allowed to ship things that aren’t boyf riends.

[wifi-anon]

Buy Esper a coffee.

Support the content you love. Buy a coffee for Esper with Ko-fi.com

Hi I’m wifi or like Esper and I do not have money for antidepressants, so if you feel like it wanna help me survive? Tanks.

[therapist-anon-deactivated20220]

YOU ARE NOT TRASH!

I have an anon blog, I am living cringe.

[your-friendly-anon-deactivated2]

<:0

[wifi-anon]

Honestly fuck feelings.

[sarcastic-pasta-games]

Team BOSS!

With Jack having played some of this game now, thus getting us a ton of new followers, I thought it was time to repost the dev list! Because I’m getting all these sweet messages and I want to spread it around, I’m posting the tumblrs of all the people who helped (at least the ones I know; I’ll add more when I know more since we talk through Discord, not tumblr):

Director/Writer/Voice Actor/etc: @katiemarie999

Assistant Everything: @celestialsushi

Assistant Programmer/Artist:@makorietv

Sound Mixer/Video Editor/Voice Actor: @jayikalima

Lead Composer: @mercurytuba

Assistant Composer: @septic-heart-and-mind

Additional Music: @kingofthewilderwest

Credits artist/editor: @creationsofeve

Artists:

@annyalice

@eyllari

@fifelore

@rubbersoles19

@treepelt

@banshee-bear

@nightmarewolf133

@purrtlepuff

@artsandfandoms

Voice Actors:

@citrusstorm

@whatsthepointofthisbloganyway

@melod-va

@misspookamonga

@emmykat-voices

I’ll add more when I find out the tumblrs of everyone. Thank you so much for your support and hopefully you show these guys some love too!

[sarcastic-pasta-games]

Show the team love, guys! :)