[ One of the researchers outside unceremoniously pushes you into the room.
"Take care of this already!"
The researchers' voices ring in your ears, an alarm you're not supposed to ignore. You know what they mean: they want you to dispose of the anomaly standing there. Nearby, a Vector—the unfortunate result of failed experiments—raises an unnaturally muscled arm tipped with sharp claws, ready to tear into the nearest human. The man continues yelling, barking orders at an almost impressive word per second.
It all happened so quickly. From what you can tell, this should've been a mundane experiment. But the restraints malfunctioned at the same time a test subject completed their transformation into a Vector. You think it serves them right.
At the same time, you were also told that your purpose was to aid them in their goals. For humanity's future. Your existence is a boon to them. Your helping hand theirs.
Reluctantly, you raise your arm, about to use psychokinesis to move the researcher away from the rampaging Vector. With your refined control, it should be easy enough to take care of this situation without either side getting hurt. But then he says something that makes you pause.
"Stop ignoring me! Kill it! I don't want to die!"
Something in your blood runs cold. The sight in front of you seems to shift a little, feel a little slower. There's a weight in your chest that keeps increasing. Really? He's going to say all of that in the same breath? When his own carelessness led him into this situation? And "it"? He saw with his own eyes what they used to be. You barely know this man, but you've seen his face around enough. He's not oblivious to the truth behind the Vectors.
And yet he says all of that. Like he doesn't deserve this. Like they deserve all this.
Who are they to decide this for you?
The ice in your veins freezes you. The timing to pull the researcher out of the way passes. The Vector's claws plunge into the man's guts. He screams, falling to the floor with an almost comical thud. The sound should be an alarm, but you don't feel the call to help as keenly as before. Suddenly, the screams shift to something more reminiscent of bleating.
You back away. You know you were told to do something about this, but right now? You don't want to enforce their will. Why did you let them pull you here anyway? You wonder why you were trying to follow them in the first place. That Vector deserves to do whatever they want to that man.
Don't you also deserve to make that choice as well?
While you're staring at the sight, more people enter the room, screaming. All they do is add to the cacophony. Time passes as they try to get the situation under control. You stand there, watching them. You hear their pleas, but every time, you can't help but think that the Vector's rage is valid.
More bodies twist and turn, losing their shape as they're forcibly turned into their own failed experiments. Do they realize the irony in this? Maybe, maybe not. No matter the answer though, this chaos makes it easy to slip past them. That realization snaps you out of the haze in your mind. Someone tries to stop you from leaving, but you dodge the attempt. As long as they expect you to silence them, you don't want to be here.
As you speed down the hall, a true alarm goes off. This time the sound seems to pull everything you've been thinking these past few weeks into one whole lightbulb.
There's a distraction. You've snuck out enough to know the general layout of the colony. In fact, you've discovered an obscure way to leave Theta entirely. Not only that, you know there's another colony outside the walls, the one where the Vectors are being taken. And secretly, that there's one man living there in self-exile. You may not trust him, but Togo and Sana did, enough to entrust him with their safety and treasure. Everything's mostly in place.
Somehow, isn't this the perfect time to leave?
You suddenly stop at that thought.
But if it's really time to leave... The face of a boy bubbles up in your mind, smiling even as his eye bleeds. Smiling because he wanted the favor of the researchers and thought pushing himself would make them turn his way. Something in your stomach churns.
Immediately changing course, you run towards the building you know the boy—Yukinami—stays in around this time. Memories of Yukinami swirl inside your brain, simultaneously warm and cold. You don't think you're mistaken about how he'd respond, but your mind won't stop offering other possibilities. It's not like they talked as much as he did to Togo, back in the day.
And as if everything today wasn't a sign already, you immediately spot him running out of the building alongside some of their fellow test subjects. You raise your voice just enough for him to hear you, and of course he notices immediately, turning his head in your direction. When you beckon towards yourself, he disengages from the crowd, running towards you instead.
Good, they don't have much time to stand here. This time, you hold out your hand towards him. You're not entirely sure why you're doing it like this, but something about it feels right to you. So you might as well.
"Yukinami, if I told you we could leave now, what would you do?" You peer at his face, his false eye, not quite knowing what you're searching for. It's not like you're unaware of what his answer will be.
"Leave with you, of course." The answer's almost immediate, as expected. He easily takes your hand. Even though you predicted his words, hearing it makes you smile for the first time today, something like relief spreading through your joined hands. But it doesn't erase the weight in your chest. "So where to?"
"Somewhere not here." All you know right now is that you can't stay here any longer. You don't know if this will help him. You don't even know if this will help yourself. Is this even the right choice? Who knows? But in your heart, surely killing the Vector in their name wasn't the right one. (Then what would've been okay?)
Ah, no, the two of you can't just stand there. It's time to move. Like you just said, you have to leave now. You can think more about this strange weight inside of you some other time.
Hand in hand, you start to lead Yukinami away from the building, the colony, this life of theirs. And so the memory starts to fade. ]
2/2 cw: body horror, questionable fanfic (thanks yashima)
"Take care of this already!"
The researchers' voices ring in your ears, an alarm you're not supposed to ignore. You know what they mean: they want you to dispose of the anomaly standing there. Nearby, a Vector—the unfortunate result of failed experiments—raises an unnaturally muscled arm tipped with sharp claws, ready to tear into the nearest human. The man continues yelling, barking orders at an almost impressive word per second.
It all happened so quickly. From what you can tell, this should've been a mundane experiment. But the restraints malfunctioned at the same time a test subject completed their transformation into a Vector. You think it serves them right.
At the same time, you were also told that your purpose was to aid them in their goals. For humanity's future. Your existence is a boon to them. Your helping hand theirs.
Reluctantly, you raise your arm, about to use psychokinesis to move the researcher away from the rampaging Vector. With your refined control, it should be easy enough to take care of this situation without either side getting hurt. But then he says something that makes you pause.
"Stop ignoring me! Kill it! I don't want to die!"
Something in your blood runs cold. The sight in front of you seems to shift a little, feel a little slower. There's a weight in your chest that keeps increasing. Really? He's going to say all of that in the same breath? When his own carelessness led him into this situation? And "it"? He saw with his own eyes what they used to be. You barely know this man, but you've seen his face around enough. He's not oblivious to the truth behind the Vectors.
And yet he says all of that. Like he doesn't deserve this. Like they deserve all this.
Who are they to decide this for you?
The ice in your veins freezes you. The timing to pull the researcher out of the way passes. The Vector's claws plunge into the man's guts. He screams, falling to the floor with an almost comical thud. The sound should be an alarm, but you don't feel the call to help as keenly as before. Suddenly, the screams shift to something more reminiscent of bleating.
You back away. You know you were told to do something about this, but right now? You don't want to enforce their will. Why did you let them pull you here anyway? You wonder why you were trying to follow them in the first place. That Vector deserves to do whatever they want to that man.
Don't you also deserve to make that choice as well?
While you're staring at the sight, more people enter the room, screaming. All they do is add to the cacophony. Time passes as they try to get the situation under control. You stand there, watching them. You hear their pleas, but every time, you can't help but think that the Vector's rage is valid.
More bodies twist and turn, losing their shape as they're forcibly turned into their own failed experiments. Do they realize the irony in this? Maybe, maybe not. No matter the answer though, this chaos makes it easy to slip past them. That realization snaps you out of the haze in your mind. Someone tries to stop you from leaving, but you dodge the attempt. As long as they expect you to silence them, you don't want to be here.
As you speed down the hall, a true alarm goes off. This time the sound seems to pull everything you've been thinking these past few weeks into one whole lightbulb.
There's a distraction. You've snuck out enough to know the general layout of the colony. In fact, you've discovered an obscure way to leave Theta entirely. Not only that, you know there's another colony outside the walls, the one where the Vectors are being taken. And secretly, that there's one man living there in self-exile. You may not trust him, but Togo and Sana did, enough to entrust him with their safety and treasure. Everything's mostly in place.
Somehow, isn't this the perfect time to leave?
You suddenly stop at that thought.
But if it's really time to leave... The face of a boy bubbles up in your mind, smiling even as his eye bleeds. Smiling because he wanted the favor of the researchers and thought pushing himself would make them turn his way. Something in your stomach churns.
Immediately changing course, you run towards the building you know the boy—Yukinami—stays in around this time. Memories of Yukinami swirl inside your brain, simultaneously warm and cold. You don't think you're mistaken about how he'd respond, but your mind won't stop offering other possibilities. It's not like they talked as much as he did to Togo, back in the day.
And as if everything today wasn't a sign already, you immediately spot him running out of the building alongside some of their fellow test subjects. You raise your voice just enough for him to hear you, and of course he notices immediately, turning his head in your direction. When you beckon towards yourself, he disengages from the crowd, running towards you instead.
Good, they don't have much time to stand here. This time, you hold out your hand towards him. You're not entirely sure why you're doing it like this, but something about it feels right to you. So you might as well.
"Yukinami, if I told you we could leave now, what would you do?" You peer at his face, his false eye, not quite knowing what you're searching for. It's not like you're unaware of what his answer will be.
"Leave with you, of course." The answer's almost immediate, as expected. He easily takes your hand. Even though you predicted his words, hearing it makes you smile for the first time today, something like relief spreading through your joined hands. But it doesn't erase the weight in your chest. "So where to?"
"Somewhere not here." All you know right now is that you can't stay here any longer. You don't know if this will help him. You don't even know if this will help yourself. Is this even the right choice? Who knows? But in your heart, surely killing the Vector in their name wasn't the right one. (Then what would've been okay?)
Ah, no, the two of you can't just stand there. It's time to move. Like you just said, you have to leave now. You can think more about this strange weight inside of you some other time.
Hand in hand, you start to lead Yukinami away from the building, the colony, this life of theirs. And so the memory starts to fade. ]