Stories I'll Never Write

[legionofghostss]

Since people seem to like my little cross stitchings of the Hermits and various other mcyt I'll post all of the other ones I've done so far! I've got a Very Long list to work through but I'm slowly making my way!

[writenotwantnot]

I love these! I did a couple a few years back as well, but OP's colours and contrast are super nice!

(don't ask about Mumbo's eyebrows...)

[writenotwantnot]

Seeing an Empires SMP resurgence on my tl so figured I would share the fic I wrote for S1 Pixandria many moons ago!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/36321475

[octoberalllover]

[prideknights]

European Citizens' Initiative

Give your support !

EVERYONE(!) I’m blazing this post because at this pace we might barely hit 1,000,000 signatures—or just fall short. PLEASE reblog this post, no matter where you are from, so we can reach as many EU citizens as possible and end this horrible practice!

[alicenotalice]

I couldn’t tell who was more confused—Joe Hills being suddenly confronted by the reality of several thousand meowing tangoraiders; or several thousand meowing tangoraiders being suddenly confronted by the reality of Joe Hills

[writenotwantnot]

Life Series SMP, Song fic, Cleo & BigB Last Life

Based on Pitchfork Kids by AJR

I didn't know her, couldn't hold her, bones didn't settle in

Zombie players were not something BigB got to experience often. Cleo was the obvious exception. Her open preference for her undead state didn't entirely make sense to him, but that didn't mean he didn't respect her choices. When he agreed to partner up with her it seemed like a great idea. She was a strong fighter, a great builder, and a loyal ally. They got along like a dark oak forest on fire. 

But...it unsettled him sometimes. Cleo was intense. She could flip from jokes and giggles to murderous rage with no warning. And then back again, as if she hadn't just threatened to casually kill Lizzie's husband with no remorse. There was a deep seated sense of unease that BigB couldn't quite shake. No matter how hard he tried, there was just something in his bones that didn't sit right.

She's gotta have it, gotta have it oh with her hipster friends

Cleo was great at making alliances. She seemed to have no problem talking to the other groups on the server and offering trades for items or friendship. Lizzie and Ren, Etho and Bdubs, Tango and Skizz, Scott and Pearl. There were only a small handful of players she didn't have some sort of agreement with. BigB wondered if it was because she didn't trust him enough. Maybe Cleo felt that she needed backups and promises in case Avengers Tower fell. He tried not to let it hurt him, and instead chose to accept the benefits that came from being allied with those connections. 

Ooh, ooh, she's the rough and the rowdiest kid

There was always that nagging thought though. Cleo was dangerous, and could flip at any second. But she swore that loyalty and friendship was more important than anything else. Even when she was overcome with lust for blood and chaos she directed it elsewhere.

Ooh, ooh, and there's more where she lives

BigB found security with the Faerie Fort alliance. Lizzie and Ren had proven that they could be trusted even when they were under the Boogeyman Curse. They offered shelter and safety in numbers. He would be safe here. Cleo would stay here.

And why should I spend time running for my life?

After all, it wasn't like Cleo could do anything if she dropped from Lime to Yellow. They were allies and friends. She would understand that his Curse had to be lifted. 

It felt like madness made tangible. A rapid heartbeat pounding relentlessly, the urge to trap and take a life from someone. Anyone. It got more and more unbearable as time passed and BigB knew he couldn't wait much longer. Ren had been cured, and Skizzleman was so joyous and understanding of what he had to do. It made sense then, that Cleo should give a life to save him. They were allies. He had to do it.

And when the skies are open, we'll still be singing this

The relief of being cured was inconsequential compared to the overwhelming guilt that swallowed him whole as Cleo lay unmoving in the river. BigB was frozen in shock and horror over what he had just done. The power and influence of the Curse was indescribable. By his own hand, he had killed his friend. The one person who would have never turned her back on him. Going Red would have been better than this. He immediately began to gather Cleo's things to store them safely, but the accusations from other people and the horror in Lizzie's voice as she confronted him just cemented the fact that he had made the worst possible mistake.

I know they're coming for me, we're not the pitchfork kids

When Cleo fell to a trap, that spelled the end of BigB. Now she was Red, and her vengeance would come raining down on him like hellfire. There was a target on his back, glowing bright and as heavy as the weight of his regrets. Cleo was not the only one who would gladly wet her blade with his blood. Joel and Grian were also Red and would not hesitate if he gave them a chance. So he had to hide, change his identity and hope that Lizzie and Ren would continue to shelter him.

Ooh, ooh, it's the loneliest life that we live

Cleo had just lost everything. Betrayed by her first true ally, the one she had built a base with and placed her trust in. Her things were safe, but did that really matter? She could never forgive BigB for what he had done. So she took what was hers and left. Scott and Pearl agreed to take her in, they showed her compassion and trust, and she repaid that with the most valuable things she had. Sand, and loyalty. Because despite what her demeanour may suggest, Cleo would never turn on a friend or an ally. If only she had been afforded the same respect.

Ooh, ooh, we're not running with the pitchfork kids

And then, she lost even more. A stupid trap which she should have seen coming took her from Yellow to Red. Cleo was now on her Last Life, and she had debts to collect. The sound of her heart beating violently fast echoed in her ears as she stalked the server. It was maddening, yet exhilarating at the same time. Was this how Joel had been feeling all this time? And Grian too? It made sense why they were so jumpy and wild. Cleo relished it, the bloodlust felt comforting. There was a lot she had planned for her Red life. First, a message needed to be sent. 

The moon is upon us, gaining on us

She's crossed there, to stay

The tears of lava raining down from the tower was just the beginning. Lizzie knew that this moment was coming, but it was painful all the same. Cleo had told them that if they chose to protect BigB then she would not hold back from directing her bloodlust on her and Ren too. And as the moon rose in the night sky, it was not stars but fires that cast light upon the Faerie Fort. 

Cleo had embraced her Red life and followed through on what was once a friendly warning. She kept her promises, and followed through with vigor. Lizzie tried to reason with her, to appeal to that bond of friendship they had formed. But it was no use. The Boogeyman Curse had been horrifying, but being Red was an amalgamation of all those bad things constantly. Death was not the cure, only the gift of Life would stop it. But there was nothing they could do. 

We had to part, couldn't break her heart 'cause their blood pumps through her veins

But then, Cleo turned Yellow. And then back to Lime. She had found allies who were willing to do more than just give words as a promise, they were willing to share their lives. The decision to embrace BigB and keep the Shadow Alliance together had opened a chasm between them and Cleo, and Lizzie knew that there was truly no mending it. Now it was just a waiting game. Because Cleo would never forgive them. And if she went Red again, there would be no second chances. 

Ooh, ooh, she's the rough and the rowdiest kid

Ooh, ooh, and there's more where she lives

And why should I spend time running for my life?

[writenotwantnot]

Flower(core) husbands

Life Series SMP, Portal AU, Flower husbands (Scott x Jimmy)

Tags: Angst, Memory loss, loss of humanity, Unethical science, Non-consensual body modification, Forced drugging

Aperture Laboratories wants YOU to contribute to the next generation of scientific discoveries! 

We are looking for young, healthy volunteers who are willing to dive head first into a whole new world of amazing research and tests. All participants will be provided with food and lodging FREE OF CHARGE for the duration of their service, as well as a monetary payment upon completion. Sign up today to become part of the future! Contact an Aperture representative ….

Scott had seen the flyer stuck in the convenience store window every day as he passed by. It was gaudy and ridiculous, eye-catching for the wrong reasons. He would never have even given the offer a second thought if not for extraordinary circumstances.

Jimmy had lost his job, again. It wasn't even his fault this time, but his family hadn't seen it that way. They had offered an ultimatum - join the family business or get out. And well, he had sworn that he would never touch the family business as long as he lived. Especially not after meeting Scott. But without his income and family support, the two of them needed to find a solution. Which meant that the Aperture offer was suddenly very enticing.

A job offer, which included somewhere to stay and food to boot. It was an opportunity they couldn't afford to pass up. The money they made from completing the program would surely be enough that the two of them could start somewhere fresh, away from the small town they currently called home. So they contacted the number on the flyer, and with only a small bag of belongings each they fled into the night without telling anyone where they were going, taking their first steps towards the future.

Aperture Laboratories was a modern building, lots of glass walls and shiny chrome fixings. All the staff wore pristine white lab coats emblazoned with the Aperture logo on the breast pocket - even the ones who weren't scientists. Scott and Jimmy were given a tour of the place with a handful of other volunteers, even getting a peek into some of the labs where people were apparently testing something called "Propulsion Gel". And then it was time for the legal stuff.

The stack of documents they were asked to sign was comically large. Scott was a little worried about what all could possibly be detailed in it, but Jimmy had already started signing his name. And there was no way they would be separated at this point. No one else seemed nervous, and all the staff who had given them the tour were beaming bright smiles towards them. So Scott began signing his forms too.

They were told that there were multiple projects running at the moment, and that each of them would go through some placement tests to determine which project they would each be best suited for. It all sounded very professional. The participant's living quarters were also beautiful. Bright white walls and clean beds, windows looking out over a garden, and individual bathrooms. Scott and Jimmy had been given rooms right beside each other too, which was possibly the best part. They were told to get a good night's rest, and their placement tests would begin once they woke up.

Waking up was a chore. When they ate their breakfast they met people who they hadn't seen before, and Scott couldn't see the rest of their group from yesterday. But the placement tests were starting immediately and he had to make sure not to let Jimmy get distracted and separated. The tests were fairly simple. Some questionnaires about personal goals and desires in life. A few physical activities that he did surprisingly well in. And then they had their brainwaves monitored as they were asked to think about different scenarios and memories from their lives. At the end of the day, it was a relief to sink back into their Aperture provided bed.

When they woke up again the scientist who came to fetch them looked like an older version of a woman Scott had seen on their first day. He thought about asking if her younger sister or daughter also worked for Aperture, but never got the chance. There were nine of them brought to a conference room, on a sublevel basement floor. It was much darker down here. Not as many glass walls and chrome fixtures and white coated staff milling around. Scott made sure to grab onto Jimmy's hand and keep them side by side.

They were informed that they had been chosen as part of the 3RD Life Project. A brand new investment that they were undertaking based on some very interesting observations from a previous experiment. It was going to involve their pioneering Core Technology, and the scientist in charge told them they should be very excited for what was to come. 

The first stage of the project was simple. The nine of them would move their accommodations into a smaller area of the facility, and they would be living and working together. Every day they would be set some tasks that they could choose to work on alone, or as part of a group. They would regularly have to submit memory journals and brainwave scans for the scientists to monitor their progress. And once the first stage was over, they would be told what came next.

Everyone was given a code name that they were required to go by from this point forward. It was to make things easier for the scientists in charge and would prevent any confusion with people involved in other projects currently running. Scott was given the name SMajor, while Jimmy was now called Solidarity. It was cute, if a little hard to remember at first. The rest of their project mates were called BigB, LittleWood, SmallishBeans, Grian, Scar, Skizzleman, and Zombie. They weren't exactly told how long the first stage would last, but that wasn't a big deal.

The first few days of tasks were easy going. While most of them gathered together to tackle some puzzles and play some music, Skizzleman kept mostly to himself. And as the days went on Scott and Jimmy pulled away and started working on things by themselves too. Being put together in quite a small enclosed space meant there was no real way to keep completely isolated, but it also meant that their resources were shared and limited. Things grew a little more tense as time went on, but everyone was trying to remain civil for the most part. 

Some time in their third week, they were all called in for what they were told would be their final tests of the first stage. Scott was glad to be moving on to something different, and Jimmy seemed very excited, but there was a feeling of dread starting to settle over his shoulders. The lack of sleep for the previous few nights hadn't helped. He was convinced he kept hearing someone throwing things about and messing with the cameras that the scientists used to monitor them during the day. 

Instead of the usual machine that he was hooked up to for monitoring his brainwaves, there was a new piece of equipment that they wanted to strap Scott into. It looked like a chair you might see in a high-end salon but instead of a hair dryer there was a circuit helmet with a frankly concerning number of wires attached to it. The scientist in charge assured him that it was perfectly safe, and several of his project mates had already been through the process with no complications. So he sat down and let them hook him up to the headpiece and the pulse monitor, and closed his eyes as instructed.

As soon as his eyes were closed he felt his arms, legs and chest be pinned in restraints. His eyes shot open immediately and saw another scientist approaching with a needle. "What are you doing?! Let go of me!" They didn't respond, and the more he thrashed the tighter the binds were pulled. He tried to lash out at the scientist holding the needle but couldn't do anything to stop it being pushed into his elbow as they injected him with something. His limbs started to grow heavier, and his head was pounding. The machine attached to his head started whirring loudly and small static shocks started dancing across his skin. But there was nothing he could do.

There was a strange feeling then. It was like the moment in a dream when you are on the edge of waking up but are not quite there yet. He didn't feel connected to himself. His body was numb, but his mind was awake and scrambling to work out a solution. The scientists in the room were talking, but he couldn't make out any words, everything was just noise. He slowly began to lose sense of where his body was, and there was a pressure on his thoughts that was pushing him down and down and down. His last moment of clarity was to think of Jimmy, and hope desperately that no matter what happened to him, that he would be alright.

It didn't feel like he woke up, but it was more like he was switched on. He couldn't see or hear anything, nor could he feel his body. Everything just seemed to be floating, and he was somehow anchored in one physical space. There was a constant buzzing sensation, like the faintest sense of something electrical running close by. But no matter what SMajor tried, he couldn't do anything.

Then there was light, and a voice that sounded like his but not telling him that optics and audio processing are active as if that was supposed to help. But there was noise then too, beyond just the buzzing which had become a subconscious background. There were voices, none he could say he recognized, but they were speaking. And after focusing his attention, the words started to make sense.

"... core seven out of nine active. Code name SMajor, LED colour #E0FFFF, audio function 98%, optic function 56% and climbing. Consciousness transfer is complete. Beginning activation of core eight out of nine."

[writenotwantnot]

Core Recovery

Life Series SMP, Portal AU

Tags: Memory loss, Loss of humanity, Unnamed character death, Unethical science

It was the notice of significant movement that stirred the AI from standby mode. That was strange. Gyroscope readings had changed from the static triple-negative that had been a constant for several decades to a continuous movement in the positive y-direction. If there had been a severe tectonic disruption causing the floor to collapse and the core to fall then it should read negative y. Instead, it was upwards as if something had taken hold of the core and was lifting it off the ground where they had fallen. They were being rotated then, forty-five degrees towards positive x, one hundred and twelve degrees towards positive z. Had the scientists returned to restart testing? There was only one way to find out.

Reserve power in the core was dwindling. It had been enough to maintain standby mode for this long, but switching on more functions was going to put a drain on the battery. But that wouldn’t matter if the scientists were back. They would simply plug the core into the building’s mainframe and they could charge up then. There would be no harm in using a few low energy functions for a short while. 

Optics came first. It took quite a long time to get the optic system online, all the while there was constant movement readings being monitored by the gyroscope. They had not made any further movement up or down but were wandering around the same floor level. Perhaps the scientists were gathering more of the cores which had been in the same locker area? When everything was finally ready their #2f9cfb LED optic lit up. The lens seemed to be slightly damaged with a portion cracked out of the upper left quadrant and grime obscuring most of the rest. It was quite dark and there was no way to make any meaningful visual observations. They shut off the optics to conserve power.

Next was audio. If they could not see who had collected them perhaps they might be able to tune into any discussion between the scientists gathering the cores. By the time the audio processing unit had fully come online, the gyroscope began reading a slow positive increase in the positive y-direction. They must be climbing some stairs. The audio crackled to life and after a few moments of tuning out background static, the sounds of people talking began to register. It was muffled as if through layers of fabric, and there were some static crackles, but it was still partially audible. 

“Ho- -any more are we lo--ing for?” “-e’ve only foun- [...] -st five left.” “At least fi-- and we don’t k- [...] -ores work.” “Be--er than --thing, right?”

The quality wasn’t great but the AI pieced together the data and filled in the blanks with the most probable answers. They were looking for the personality cores that had been shelved and were going to restore them to go back to work! Finally, the facility must have gotten more resources and test subjects to continue their experiments. The voices did not sound familiar, but that was likely because the scientists who had worked here when the AI was active had retired. Satisfied, they turned off the audio interface and returned to low power standby mode. They simply had to wait until they were plugged into the system to be rebooted and then everything would be fine.

***

Ren believed there were still at least five more cores in the old labs which they hadn’t found yet. There could be more if there were files missing from the archives. With these last three that were found in an old locker room half sunk into a pool of stagnant water, it brought the number of recovered cores up to 45. But the revival process hadn’t been going as well as Zed had initially hoped. After finally figuring out how to integrate the old core software with the newer android version, he really thought they would be able to save all the AI which had been abandoned when the initial projects started failing. 

He had written seventeen different versions of his revival software, changing the code to account for missing sections and files that were not included in earlier AI. They had made it work for Ren, and he was the oldest of all of them! But some of the cores simply couldn’t be saved. For some, their hardware had been so badly damaged that there was no way to even access the circuits, or those circuits were broken beyond repair. Others had their code so badly scrambled that there was simply no way to put it back together again. And a small handful simply just wouldn’t come back online. 

It was Etho who explained the cores reserve power system. If a core was detached from the Aperture main grid then they had a finite backup battery to continue running their software and programmes ‘offline’. However, those batteries were never meant to sustain a core for an indeterminate number of decades. Some of the AI in those cores must have continued running functions for testing and data acquisition until they just ran out of power. And if a core went dark, there was no way to recover anything from it. In all ways that mattered, the AI which had been in that core, and the consciousness that controlled it, was dead.

The scientist in him refused to believe that the data in those cores could just be gone, with no hope of retrieving it. But after many repeated failed attempts, Zed relented. So far, they had failed to revive twenty-three cores. Tango and Impulse, bless their human memories, had taken the time to convert one of the offices in an unused corner of the building into a memorial. The idea of holding a funeral for a machine would have been laughable before the discovery that all of them had been human once, their consciousness forcefully transferred into an AI to theoretically live for eternity. So they deserved this, to be laid to rest and remembered, even by those who had never gotten the chance to meet them. Their metal cores were stored with paper files documenting who the AI had been when they were human. Finally at peace.

It wasn’t all negatives though! There were cores that were salvageable, their AI still intact and just waiting to be revived. So far they had run fourteen fully through the software and updated them to the android processing systems. And four of those were just about to become new androids! A lot of work had gone into designing their bodies, made more difficult by the lack of actual physical descriptors in their files and the fact that none of them could remember meeting these people. But they were here! Keralis, False, Joe, and Jevin were the names that their AI’s provided. The facility was getting more and more lively as each day went by, and Zed was determined to make sure not a single core was left behind.

[writenotwantnot]

'Til Death(core) do us part

Life Series SMP Portal AU, Lizzie/Joel

Tags: Angst, Memory loss, Memory manipulation, Unethical science, Non-consensual body modification, Attempted murder

"Alright ShadowLady, please confirm your purpose for us."

The room was sterile white, shiny chrome affixing the large glass window to the wall high above her. She swiveled to look around, catching a faint pink reflection on the stark white floor she sat on. Those voices - horrid, piercing voices - repeated the same question. Only this time, a compulsion came over her to answer.

"Locate rogue test subjects breaking proper protocol." Was that her voice? It sounded off, like she had been gargling scrap metal.

"ShadowLady, please confirm the full details of your purpose."

Full details. Right, of course. She had a job to do. The scientists in charge were always correct and she was their star test subject. A perfect example of following the rules. All she had to do was say out loud the thing they wanted from her. The thing they programmed her to do.

"My purpose is to locate rogue test subjects and put them offline. Permanently." No, no that couldn't be right. She had signed up for the location thing sure. There was a reason she had signed up for that, a memory just out of reach. But she didn't want to hurt them. They were people just like her! They just needed to be disciplined that's all, and then everyone could work together again. She would be able to see ...someone. Someone important! That's what they promised her.

"Vitals output showing signs of distress and deviation from code. Should I activate the Boogey Program?"

What on earth was the Boogey Program? Why could she no longer move? The faint pink light swung around and round in her vision as she spun round and around. Something was lifting her up off the ground, higher, towards the big glass window where the scientists in charge were watching her. They were always right, they knew what was happening. So why did she suddenly feel so panicked. Something was wrong, she felt strange. Why couldn't she move?

"Authorized activation of Boogey Program for subject ShadowLady, optic code #E665D0, core three of three in Mission: Last Life."

A sense of calm determination washed over her. She had a purpose. She was the best of the best, guaranteed to do the job right. The rogue test subjects were causing all sorts of problems, and she would be the one to solve them. Her mind even provided her with information on the first test subject she was to locate. SmallishBeans. The scientists left their observation chamber, switching off everything as they went. And as it all went dark, there was a single point of colour in the vast nothingness. Blood red light, glowing in the reflection of the glass, illuminating a small, round metallic core. Hungry for destruction.

The room she patrolled was dim, only the halogen glow of emergency exit lights outlining the various pieces of office furniture. She didn't need light to work by. Infrared and ultrasound marked out obstacles in her way, leading her closer to her targets. A beep in her head told her that PearlescentMoon had already located one of the rogue test subjects and immobilized it for collection. Zombie something, it didn't matter to her. She had her priorities set.

SmallishBeans. That was her target. 

She descended another level, this one much less pristine than the upper floors. The scientists had all but abandoned this section of the facility due to the rogue test subjects physically injuring the previous retrieval groups. That's why ShadowLady was here. To clean up their mess. Through the slightly ajar door of what her schematics said was a locker room, two faint electrical signals were detected. She changed course and zoomed across the glass-strewn floor to get there.

Once inside she took a moment to fully scan the room. Overturned benches and dented metal lockers, some with the doors missing. And in the back left corner, on top of the lockers, were the two signals she had detected. One was much weaker than the other, but both were operational. Her legs extended to lift her upwards, until she had a line of sight on the targets. Blood red light washed over two metal cores. One was missing a few small panels on its left side, while the other stood in front, spider-like legs extended threateningly towards her.

"Don't come any closer or I'll kill you." The teal coloured optic squinted at her. Her voice recognition software registered the threat to be meaningful. This core would indeed try to hurt her. The second core turned towards her, navy optic flickering weakly. Her database informed her that these cores were not SmallishBeans. They were rogue test subjects though. She moved forward slightly and one of the spider legs lashed out, barely missing her optical interface. "I said stay back!"

There was an emotion in that voice that felt strange. It was familiar to her. But why? This core was protecting the injured one with fierce loyalty. It felt like - love. They must be partners, sticking together until the very end. Blood red light flickered to pink briefly, showing the soft pastel paintings of flowers on the external panels of these two cores. ShadowLady retreated, slowly lowering herself back to the ground. Neither of the cores moved from their positions hidden on top of the lockers. She turned and scurried out of the locker room, as the optic in her head turned back to red once more. 

They had not been her target. That was why she didn't follow the protocol embedded in her mind. She did not need to report their location to the others, because she knew where they were and could easily return for them after locating SmallishBeans. The other two trackers would not benefit from her discovery. She would prove that she was the best at this job by coming back for them after completing her primary mission. That was her reasoning. It had nothing to do with the hollowness that resonated in her memory at the display of affection between the two rogue test subjects. No, of course not. 

Deeper she wandered into the facility. Down here things changed from shiny chrome and sterile white to rotting wood walls and mouldy carpet. Everything was destroyed. Surely this couldn't have all been done by the small handful of rogue test subjects. It didn't even feel like she was still in Aperture, until she caught glimpses of the logo on the walls and trashed equipment. There was something that didn't feel right. A memory trying to bubble to the surface but kept being blocked by firewalls and protocols flashing in her mind. Find the target, SmallishBeans, and render him offline. Alert the scientists for retrieval. Continue to the next subject. The repetition of it drowned out her unease.

She caught the briefest blip of a signal on her radar and immediately put her on alert. There was someone moving around down here. Diming the light output of her own optic, she rolled silently in the direction the signal had come from. Through a doorway, she seemed to be in an old reception area. Large open space with broken tables and overturned chairs scattered around the outer walls. And directly in front of her was a tall wooden reception desk. Her scanners all confirmed the presence of a single core hiding behind it. Stealthily, she moved forward. 

Raising up on her legs she jumped over the desk, caging the core between them. It swiveled and looked up towards her, bright green optic trembling. #5BF24E, the code matched her target. Finally. "Target SmallishBeans located. Commencing Last Life protocol." 

Two tools appeared at her side; a small drill bit to remove the necessary panels, and an electric prod to short out the cores circuitry. It would render it immobile and unconscious. The scientists could then retrieve it and extract whatever information they required. Maybe this one would get reassigned, or maybe it would be retired and remain offline permanently. The outcome shouldn't matter, but she found herself hesitating. The rogue test subject saw the opportunity and spoke.

"Wait, hold on. You don't have to do this." That voice - it struck her like a blow to the gut. Mechanical and strained as it was, she recognized that voice. "You're probably like the rest of us, forced into these cores against our will." She wasn't forced into this was she? She had signed up for the call to be part of an important project, and was told she would be assisting a team of very bright scientists in locating some test subjects who had broken out of their facility and gone rogue. The elimination part - she didn't think she had agreed to that. Or the consciousness transfer, that wasn't part of the plan either.

But they told her it was temporary! Her body would be held in stasis until she completed the mission they gave her. This body was far more suited for the job at hand. They had promised her something else too. Something about being able to see someone important to her again when she returned successful. 

"Please, I can tell you don't want to do this. Just let me go." She couldn't let the rogue test subject go. SmallishBeans was her target, and unless she followed through the protocol then she would never - never, what? What was it they had promised her? 

"I can't, I'm sorry. I need to do this." The light of her optic flickered between red and pink, back and forth, like the code they had written into her fighting against her own consciousness. The core underneath her gasped and the green optic shone even brighter. She tried to get a hold of all the emotions battering against her, but they were insistent on breaking though.

"Lizzie…?"

The firewall blocking out her memories came crashing down. Her husband, how could she have let herself forget? Her husband had signed up for a job with Aperture Laboratories, it paid well on completion and they needed the money for a new house. They had wanted to start a family. He was only supposed to be gone for two months. But two months passed and she heard nothing. The company stopped taking her calls after three. Five months later, she finally took matters into her own hands and signed up for the next project they advertised.

They told her that he was involved in a long term testing project. She couldn't see him because it would disrupt the results. But while she was here, she could partake in something that would help them greatly. And when she was finished, she would be able to see her husband again.

"Joel." The last remnants of the Boogey protocol they had written into her head was disabled, and her optic stayed on a soft pink. She lowered herself down, the two tools of destruction disappearing again. "Oh Joel, I'm so sorry." He rolled towards her as her robotic voice cracked. She wanted to cry, she wanted to be held by her husband and for him to tell her everything would be alright. But that could never happen. 

They stayed pressed close together underneath the reception desk for a long time. Joel told her everything he had been through, about the 3rd Life Project and all the red flags he should have noticed sooner. And how the thoughts of escaping and returning home to her were what kept him going through all of it. In return she told him about the constant phone calls, the decision to come find him herself, the lies they told her to make her do what they wanted. 

"What are we going to do Joel?" There was a timer ticking down in her head. One hour left until the mandatory check in with the scientists in charge. They would ask her where she was, and if she had found her target yet. And if she didn't answer satisfactorily, they would override her code and make her tell them. 

Her husband nudged her cold metal exterior in the semblance of a comforting arm around her shoulders. They didn't have much time left. "It'll be alright Lizzie. You went against the code before, I know you can do it again." She wanted to see his smile again, the way his eyes would crease up and the apples of his cheeks would glow. She didn't want this. "Hey, don't cry. I'm going to stick with you, and we'll get through this together. Just like any other bad time."

"Well we are married I suppose. You swore to be with me no matter what." It was her best attempt at a joke to lighten the situation. There wasn't much else either of them could do to make it better. 

"Til death do us apart, right?" 

Yeah. Lizzie just never thought she would be the one killing them.

[writenotwantnot]

In Summary

I have a terrible habit for coming up with single scenes from fantastical worlds and never doing anything with them because it's never really enough for a full story. So I thought, why not give these snippets a place to call home? Somewhere they can exist and be re-visited by me every so often, to wipe of their dust and see if anything sparks joy.