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fatgumsurpremacy-remastered · 1 year ago

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It Takes Time to Sew a Doll Yan. Vox x CIS. FEM Reader.

It Takes Time to Sew a Doll. Yandere Vox x Cis. Female reader. PT 1

Warnings: Creepy dreams, stalking, hits, kidnapping, intimidation, panic attacks, insomnia referenced not explicit, non con touching (not sexual), hypno, dirty thoughts, mansplaining, misogyny, the use of the pet name DOLL, use of the pronouns she/her.

Please leave a comment if you like it or not-

@bloodypeachblog @omniuravity Dedicated to my besties.

Vox knew he was spiralling.

With each static passage of electricity through the maze of wires in his body he felt his resolve crumble further… every second consumed by images flashing carelessly across his face.

Why couldnt he get rid of these pervasive thoughts?

When he dreamed he was happy, the bright colours would fade to black and from the black, came the black and white visions he knew deep down he couldn't ascertain. That certain kind of sweetness rid from the newer movies spewed from his own companies, that loss of perfect innocent love that he strove for. In life he couldn't get romance right, and in his resting hours his subconscious begged him to pursue that sickening farce of a “family”. .

He always awoke to his screens playing that same damn scene, under a cork tree on the top of a grassy hill he sat, wife in his arms, head across his lap as he waxed on while the sun set. A beautiful- unattainable picture that zoomed out to the suburbs he rotted away in during the final years of his life. No matter what remedy he tried, nothing could soothe the hallucinations that plagued his sleep-addled mainframes.

It was beginning to interfere with his day to day.

The office- a drab, but often chaotic environment buzzed just a little differently when Vox walked in that day, people gasping and awwing at their screens before hiding the monitors from him. Something was up. But there was little energy on Vox’s behalf to really care about what lower staff were doing, so long as they were getting what they needed to get done, done.

He should have suspected, however, that it was buzzing about him.

Throughout the day the chattering that he could hear all the way in his own office died down the second he stepped in the room, so- to save himself the headache- he decided to trudge up to his lookout and find the cause of the issue.

There right there.

Across all the screens in hell- save his own companies monitors was the scene, but across the bottom- like the reels in the TV broadcasts, was the phrase- “Have you seen this person, if found return to the VVV tower, Vox’s office, compensation of up to 1 mill will be received. No harm will come to the person. Thank you for your cooperation.” It was a start for him.

Like the electricity that ran through his own body he ran through the building- towards the recording studio- and into his chair, forcing all staff to their positions immediately. The red lights on the cameras blinked mockingly, as if compelling him to stop before he’d do something he would regret. Snapping his fingers, Vox quickly forced all screens in the studio on him, each crystal clear monitor, displaying his own nervous face. “Good evening ladies and gentlemen, citizens of hell-'' he began, covering the edge with the quelling smoothness of his voice, “ignore the video you are seeing on the screens. It was a technical error- and nothing else. As for the young lady in this video…” He trailed off as a feed of video faded into an ages-old monitor. A beautiful display of passion… of love, and life.

“She's not of any importance to anyone here at Voxtech, so rest assured, she does not need to be brought in for any consolation, and any attempts to give this woman here will result in you being politely escorted from the premises. Thank you for your time, this has been a Public Service Announcement.” His hands raked down his face as the screens went dark, the cords keeping them close making themselves scarce as Vox gestured away wildly, his body slumping from the overexertion of nerves. WHY THE FUCK- WAS THIS HAPPENING?

Small glitches wrought hiccups through Vox’s spine, his head hung-desperate for sleep- or at least for a decent cup of coffee, when three sharp knocks sounded. “Oh jesus- Francis! Francis can you tell them I'm a little bus- WOAH HOLY SHIT-” Vox ducked right as Francis came flying above his head. Quickly, to spare himself the equipment bill, Vox gestured for the tvs to move as his accountant was flung through. When he turned to chew out whoever was responsible for potential property damage a weight was shoved into his chest, when it writhed he dropped it.

Disgusted by what it might be.

“Now who exactly-” “Where's the million?” “Excuse me?” Vox asked incredulously, blinking rapidly as he stared into the red eyes of the sharks before him. The poor thing on the ground only then became noticeable to him, and his heart dropped to his feet as he heard quiet crying.

“The million.” “OH! Gentlemen Im so sorry- you see, that wasn't a real advertisement. I can understand your confusion though!” He proposed with a wide swing of his hands. “Well- I can tell you even I was stumped when I saw that. But rest assured it wasn't real…meaning…” he said with a small pout, chastising the men. “You won’t be getting anything. Now I'll see to it she gets home safe, bye bye now!” One of the two was about to make a fuss before the room burst blue for a split second, disorienting him.

“The exit is to the left off the balcony and onto the ground gentlemen, I trust you’ll stick the landing.” Francis, who had been recovering during the duration of this conversation, limped raggedly forward to excuse the two who had intruded. There wasn't much contest as the men shucked their heels into the ground and were essentially wheeled out. Nosy faces of employees peeked from every corner to determine the cause of the commotion but were broken by one of Vox’s well placed whistles.

In an instant he slammed the doors and rushed back over to the bag laying still on the ground, nothing but a shaky tremble as he drew nearer. Something about this warmth was familiar- if not at all strange. It felt warm from the inside out- especially as he placed his hand between her shoulders to see if her breathing evened out.

She wasn't asleep.

“Mamm?” he uttered, tapping her shoulder with a soft tone as his claw barely edged her arm. “I know you're awake, I am going to gently take off your restraints. You're safe and completely in control here.. Now, lay still for just a moment as I take these off of you ok?” Before waiting on a response his clawed hands tore through the knot that raised sad welts on the inside of her wrists. She flexed them before sitting up and going for her burlap sack. The clothes she wore were not fitting for her at all… perhaps he could fix that. A nice blue and red number with a lace collar maybe? He wanted to ponder the idea before the bag was thrown in his face and her white stockings started their scramble off the floor, and upwards.

Now- Vox for who he was took this in stride, choosing to watch as she grabbed the nearest thing to her, (a stapler) and pointed it at him. He raised his hands, and backed away, keeping a cool face, topped with his award winning smile.

“Hey doll, you can go ahead and put that down. I am not here to hurt you. I'm sorry my tv’s acted up the way they did.” Cords wrapped around a wheely chair and sent it under her, causing her to sit harshly and spin as the cords brought her closer to vox. “Hi.” He said with a cheesy smile as he plucked the green stapler from her hands and tossed it to the ground.

“We got off on the wrong foot.” The woman only glared, eyes red from overexertion, features twitching with rage. “I'll start with my name. I am Vox- and you areeee?” Urging her to speak annoyed the two of them equally, Vox because he didn't get to put a voice to the woman he had been dreaming of spending the rest of his eternal life with; and her, because she obviously would rather die.

“Y/N.” she seethed, bitterly spitting the word out at him as he swooned from her voice. “Gorgeous, you go by that?” No answer. “Bah, who needs names anyway right? I mean- names, what is a name? Is it a word, noun, adjective? You know-” he said, spinning on the back of the chair as it soared around the room, making the woman dizzy. “I'm just gonna keep calling you Doll, m’kay?” He pinched her cheek between his fingers, relishing the shocked and disgusted look he drew from her as he pulled it back.

“I think it fits! Now- you probably don't want to go home in thooose-'' he said, gesturing to her entire body. Clearly annoyed she feinted him, causing him to stumble over his words before t’sking her. “Aht. Aht. You could have met a worse fate if I didn't protect you back there… don't get smart with me…”

They both stayed like that for a minute before Vox knew he had her where he wanted her, his smile growing roguishly. “A-Atta girl!” he laughed. “I knew you could be good if you really wanted to, now, let's get you up and measur-” She cut him off. “I just need a t-shirt, and some pants..” her gruff tone astounded Vox, who pursed his lips into a smile and nodded, hands still ready to place where he needed. Placing them down he nodded, mindlessly tapping around the desk for his coffee before grabbing the cup and confidently choking down left out grape juice. “That can be done.” and in a flash it was, electricity buzzed where the old clothes were most fucked and in their place an oversized VoxTech Stars shirt hung over her. She grasped at the shirt- confused at its size before a pair of comfy sweats satiated her mind. “Now now, dont worry about how fancy you look. You're a guest here after all, everyone will know that. I have- err ...uhhh…” he said, stalling, “just about eight-ish hours left before I can clock out… can you please-” he asked with big eyes and some half assed prayer hands, “stay put until I get off?”

Her jaw dropped and eyebrows furrowed, only easing after she stared into his face. Eyes twinkling, and reflecting the colours that blinked rapidly in his eyes. To spare her from growing weary Vox sauntered forward. “How susceptible-” he whispered, holding her back with one hand and her face with another as he looked deep into her eyes, not expecting to see himself back in them. God he looked a mess, hat askew, colourful lines of stress breaking across his face, ruining his CRT scanning. The distance felt unreal, the hypnosis felt necessary, though it hadnt ever before. If there was any doubt before Vox condemned it, smiling softly as his finger trekked from her ear and down the column of her neck, doubling back around and going back over her shoulder as he released his gaze and hugged her.

Hope crossed Vox’s mind as he held her tight, mind screaming at him to just kiss her there and have her dream the same as him… but slowly he let her go, holding her by the shoulders a fleeting second, as the nigh’ comatose state of the woman bothered him.

With eyes rolled all the way around his head he let up, his control waning until she was just left tired, and headached by the experience. Soft groans escaped her mouth and Vox kept his shut because he knew if he opened it, it would divulge all those juicy nights of soft summer suburbia to a woman who couldnt give a flying fuck.

“I know it feels like a needle through the brain but hey! It's not an actual needle.” That phrasing would only be slightly uncomfortable, as the rest of the day made hell, HELL.

#vox x reader #vox x female reader #yandere vox #yandere vox x reader #yandere vox x female reader #yandere vox fic #ITTSD pt.1

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carnagewizard · 8 months ago

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#alien #computer #technology #alien gf #horror #space horror #movie #alien 1979 #nostromo

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goldbiz · 2 months ago

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the origin of the supersuit.

booster gold, aka. michael jon carter's history with the suit starts off back in his timeline, the 25th century. after the scandal that ended his football career michael sought out work as a janitor / security guard at the metropolis space museum after regaining some of that pride he had lost but also realising that there were no other prospects lined up for him. one night after lots of drinking and the desire to change the tracjectory towards where his life was heading, he stole a bunch of gear and took off for the past. the first suit, the mark 1 is still a mix of different tech that he acquired in the future.

materials.

the outer layers of a fabric that conceals the mechanical wirings inside consist of a sleek but blended element of a fine futuristic-leather-like-material that is form fitting while also not limited to a strategic metallic gold like armoured plating on areas of protection including the chest piece where his 'star' logo is positioned, his wrist gauntlets / gloves that are attached to the mounted blaster rays and leg areas. the boots, the collar in some designs are all made of that same fabric that additionally is lightweight, durable, and reflective in a subtle way. since setting up shop in modern day metropolis, goldstar inc. booster has brought on / invested in the best scientists / engineers possible to study the tech and create more modified and enhanced versions to accommodate to different situations whether that is pr events / formal or to just spring into the action on the go and depending on the threat, these modifications could be more armoured or more light. down below is the following / general additional tech in booster’s ensemble:

the power suit.

the overall power-suit that booster gold wears is not only a fashion choice, but is filled with advanced technological advancements that also serve as an overall power supply to all the other tech and wiring connected to it's mainframe. beneath all the padded leather and armoured plating, the suit also allows booster to have super strength and rapid manoeuvring.

booster shots.

nicknamed 'booster shots' these wrist-mounted blaster rays are always used as pure offense. each wristband has the capabilities of firing out directed energy rays at the push of a button / lever type thing that is concealed beneath booster's gloves. the force of the blasts also can be adjusted to either simply stun opponents or or create actual destructive blasts. unless it's called upon in a moment of need, booster's default settings are always set to stun mode. rarely ever will he use the destructive mechanisms unless he really needs to take on big threats because the wrist blasters take the most strain on the overall power supply booster relies on to power his entire suit’s system.

vision goggles / visor / enhanced sunglasses.

one of the most important pieces of tech in booster's ensemble is his eye vison goggles, later remodified with another design in the form of sunglasses to blend in with a more modernistic / casual setting. these goggles function as IR sensors that allow him to do things like detect body heat, night vision, facial recognition / biometric tracking, comms and hacking integration, vital signs monitoring, environmental hazards and microscopic vision.

legion flight ring.

one of booster's favourite pieces of tech is his legion flight ring, originally designed by the legionnaire brainiac 5, it harnesses an alien-like metal to provide the one who wears with it with the power of flight. it took a little tinkering around and getting used to at first but since becoming acquainted with it, booster has discovered that the wearer does not need to be actually wearing it rather than just have it be in close proximity but it's not something that booster risks personally, especially if he might need it's aid in unexpected places. the ring has also been able to help booster translate many different languages on earth, and regions within the vicinity of space / beyond.

thrusters attached to boots.

probably the most 'superficial' aspect that has been implemented into his ensemble since the legion ring carries all the weight and that is the thrusters attached to booster’s boots. booster likes to personally activate them when he's showing off some big feats in town square or he's putting on some kind of a show for his audience. and even on personalised assignments, he just thinks it's one of those things that looks cool and gives his overall look a little flair. their only good use is that they help to break a fall by allowing some positioning and manoeuvring. this is one of the main upgrades the engineers in-house took a liberty in adding additionally.

headset / communications system hidden inside cowl or in the form of a headset earpiece.

this one isn't so far and ground-breaking in technological advancements but more or less a simple communications device that allows booster to communicate with skeets or anyone that needs to reach him on the fly.

force field belt.

specifically in the original suit's design, one of the many items michael jon carter stole was a force-field belt originally belonging to the legion of superheroes. since becoming acquainted with it, it has since been integrated into the suit's system making it's usage rather obsolete but it is able to generate force fields capable of deflecting missile blasts or even preventing oxygen-loss in the vacuum of space.

other versions / enhancements.

public relations suit.

this is version of the suit is purely reserved for pr events because it sheds away a lot of the technology required from his main suit. it's practically just made of regular leather fabrics with minimal wiring on the inside. booster is still not useless in his suit, it has built in tech like his booster shots if he needs to stun any opponents / bad guys. the main noticeable differences of this suit really include shedding off the traditional cowl and goggle look, opting for more traditional sunglasses which is the only piece of tech that comes with the suit that still retains all the features that would featured in the goggles only with modifications in materials engineers at goldstar inc. had to accommodate to. for this look in particular, booster really wanted the ensemble to look more 'sporty' as a callback to his football days hence why it has a nascar-like design. it's intention is to be more modernistic to appeal to a more zestful audience. booster has done cover shoots, attended talk-show interviews in this suit and has attended pr events where he's more representative for his sponsors as a mascot as opposed to needing to be there with a save. this suit is filled to the brim with sponsor patches / logos.

mark i.v2 suit.

this reinvented take on the original mark 1 armour is identical to booster's original suit. it's changes are more cosmetic rather than being functional. one of the major changes includes that instead of opting for an all gold look for the gloves, they are now blue with armoured wrist gauntlets now added additionally that hold the trigger buttons to activate his booster shots. the biggest functional difference to this suit is that it's sleek design makes it less sturdy than the original and far more easier to move in.

additional pieces / the booster jacket.

the jacket is where things start to become prominently more about aesthetics. it's tailored to look like an ordinary leather jacket only with the blue and gold colours on standby. it has the patterns you could find on the ordinary booster ensemble and is once again more or less worn for more colder weather or just to simply look good at public relation events when the nascar ensemble becomes too much of a drag to put on. booster loves this jacket, he makes sure it's always taken in to a professional cleaner that checks for deep stains, or if the lining or the zippers need repairs.

the cape.

the cape was something that came and went rather swiftly, booster's audience instantly caught onto it as a cliché and according to skeets, his faithful automaton, his approval rate took a massive dive. anyway, he has not ever worn the cape again but sometimes when he's feeling frisky, he might try it on for size behind closed doors.

#headcanons.#meta.#study.#i had all these other images for references but it was looking messy :))#there are so many other suits to go through but these are the main three rn in my canon the leather jacket doesn't count :')#will probably update this as i incorporate more of them #sorry if there's any grammar errors #i kinda proof read it but was really excited to post it :))#q.

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wooahaeruby · 6 days ago

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Chapter 49: Taking Control

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With a few texts to Rheia and full access to everything in Pandora, you were set on trying to get into Monsta X’s mainframe. It was a task to keep yourself busy and try to help the cause overall.

You had been at it for days on end, running through every program, dark web back access, and piece of code you could get your hands on, but each option came up empty. It was a pain in the ass, frustrating to all hell even, since you weren’t getting any answers.

Tossing your headset off, you sighed, putting your head down on the countertop to give yourself a break from staring at the screen for hours on end.

“Nothing?” You jumped up, completely forgetting Wonwoo had entered not long ago, sitting on the couch, playing a solo video game.

“Nothing at all. It’s hard to even find what Rheia was talking about now, or if it was even real. I’m starting to think that there was a spoof and whatever Rheia had was just a front.” And you still couldn’t figure out the numbers, they were haunting you.

“You sound fried. You've been down here for hours every day.” He paused the game, patting the couch beside him. “Come sit and forget about it for a little while. If you are going to continue to go in circles, there isn’t a reason to persist until something new pops up.”

Heaving a sigh, you stood up from his desk and shuffled over, falling into the spot beside him.

After your date on Sunday, Cheol had dropped you off at Jeonghan’s room, a goofy grin on his lips the entire time the hand off happened. It was a little funny, seeing the grin on Jeonghan’s face as he opened the door and the broody pout on Joshua’s lips when you shuffled in and the door was shut.

Joshua didn't let you up from bed the entire night, not until you all went into the city the next day. It was the first night in a long while that you spent at your apartment, but sleep found you easily nuzzled between your significant others.

Tuesday, with you still in the city, Seungcheol took you for lunch and dinner, to – mainly – Joshua's dismay. Jeonghan just smirked the entire time. You were wined and dined, keeping your, now, second kiss a secret only for now. Maybe until Joshua settled. Maybe until Seungcheol decided to be cheeky. But for now it was your secret.

“I’m going to take a break later.” You voiced your thoughts to Wonwoo, seeing the quirked side of his lip in a smirk. “I’m serious! If I can’t figure out something to help, I might lose my mind.”

“If only things could be spelled out to us.” Wonwoo stared at the game once more, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. “But I’ve learned that’s too easy.”

“They will never make our lives easy, that’s the whole point of the Big Bad Evil Guy – Group in this case.”

Your friend only chuckled low at your comment, eye scanning across the screen as he played. You didn’t move your eyes from the screen either, watching each of his moves, how he defeated boss after boss, exploring the semi-open world the game provided…

Yeah, you didn’t end up going back to finding any assemblage of Monsta X’s firewalls or whereabouts. Your eyes were already hurting before Wonwoo said anything, tired and dry from the constant gaze on the monitors, four to be exactly. He had upgraded recently, you noted.

Trudging upstairs, it was relatively quiet in the house. Most of SVT were in the city, working wherever necessary. Wonwoo was only here since he had a rare day off thanks to Cheol. Though, you thought you heard someone else in the house, shuffling around earlier, but it could have just been Wonwoo…

You turned into the kitchen, meeting the sparkling brown eyes of Seokmin, who was pouring himself a cup of coffee.

“Hey!” He cheered, a brilliant smile on his face. “Have you been down there all morning and most of the afternoon?”

“Uh, yeah, why are you here?” You moved past him as he leaned against the counter, sipping the scalding drink.

Seokmin hummed, “Cheol owes me three days off for something so I decided to take today off…I’m meeting my sister for dinner tonight, but she lives a few hours away now so I’ll need to get on the road sooner or later.”

A smile bloomed on your features, “I’m glad you can go see her, Minnie. I hope you enjoy dinner.”

“Planned on it,” He said cheekily, even looking a little shy as he stared into the mug. “She will probably kick my ass for not going out to see her sooner, but I can handle it. I…want to see her before everything happens with MX.”

You understood, it made sense, there was a lot that could happen and probably would happen. Some of SVT has family left, you know of Seungkwan’s family and Vernon’s sister, even Wonwoo’s brother. No one really knew how the next weeks might go, preparing for the worst wasn’t the worst idea around…

“I think, either way, that it would be nice to see her, Min. Enjoy the company even if the drive is long.”

Seokmin continued to drink down his coffee as you looked in the fridge for something easy to eat, but…you need to go food shipping for the house soon.

“How do you fuckers eat so much, even when you aren’t home? It’s actually insane.”

“I dunno, metabolism?”

The disappointment must have been noticeable on your face by the way he chuckled. He was such an annoying brother to have…

You settled on something simple; stealing a pack of Jihoon’s precious ramen that he had hidden in the back of the bottom shelf of a lower cabinet, behind some barely used items. He didn’t know you found it one day while cleaning things in the house and you would continue to be a stealing gremlin even after he found out. Perks of being you.

Staying by Seokmin’s side until he left, he promised to text you once he arrived and when he left before you even had a chance to ask. He squished you into a tight hug, rocking side to side before he hurried out, leaving you smiling in his wake. Wonwoo hadn’t emerged from Pandora and your body thrummed to do something other than sitting around at home or in front of a computer for another minute.

“Wonu?” You stepped into the man cave that Pandora was, hearing the rapid fire clicking of the controller stop instantly.

“What’s up?”

“Do you want to go out? I don’t know where, probably to the food store – I wanted to get out of the house and wanted to see if you’d like to join too.” His eyes flickered to the game on the screen for a split second. “You can say no, dude.”

He opened his mouth, pausing for a moment as he motioned towards the screen. “Can I-”

“Yes, finish the fight, you of all people should know I wouldn’t not let you do that.” You laughed, nodding your head to the stairs. “I’ll wait in the living room.”

With Wonwoo roped into food shopping and maybe more, you were going to pick up some face masks and see if you could convince him to sit with you…

You did notice he grabbed his nice, fancy camera, remembering the one he got you for Christmas, sitting in a pile of almost all other presents from the holidays in Jeonghan’s closet. You had mentally added it to your list of shit to get back to once everything was settled, once Monsta X was said and done with, when you weren’t always looking over your shoulder. Beneath Wonwoo’s thick jacket, between that and his layers, you knew he was carrying a handgun, hearing him check the magazine clip before holstering it, concealed well. That…was a conversation you wanted to bring up again with your… Three boyfriends, and probably a few others so everyone was on the same page.

Wonwoo, on the way to the food store, asked you to pull over near a trail entrance learning into the woods. You obliged, interested in what he was going to capture, finding a safe spot to pull off. The moment the engine cut, he was hopping out of the passenger seat, shuffling down the trail as you tried to catch up.

He stopped here and there, capturing the decay and stillness that was nature in winter. You fell in step behind him as he continued down the path, letting nature guide his photography.

You heard the rustling of the dead brush not far from you, meeting the red eyes of a pure white rabbit that quickly scurried away. Wonwoo didn’t stop much, wandering without concern between each shot he took. The trail opened to a clearing, dead grass crunching under each step. Trees were dried and gray, near lifeless until the spring came back around. The area was unsurprisingly void of people with how frigid it was, almost silent, neither of you breaking the stillness.

A few steps behind your friend, you took in the mute scenery cautiously. It had been a long time since you came anywhere close to a trail, the home body you were, and you didn’t like the decrepitness that the winter woods were. It felt hollow and dreary, much like how you felt after…everything. A shiver went down your spine as you pushed the thought away.

“We should come back when it warms up.” Your gaze fell on Wonwoo, his focus on the fallen branch branches, all tangled up as they hung from weeping tree limbs.

With a gloved hand, he pushed his glasses up when he finished his shot, nodding. “It’s fucking cold out here.”

The puff of laughter had a small plume of breath appearing in front of your face. “Then can we go? My hands are going numb.”

On the trek back to the car, he showed you the raw photos, yapping on and on about how he would edit them later to look even better. You didn’t stop him, hearing the joyful lilt to his voice, not that you would stop him anyways. He only stopped talking as you drove the rest of the way to the store, the radio filling the space around you. You enjoyed the silence the both of you could sit through.

Food shopping, despite the amount you ended up getting, went quickly with Wonwoo. You went through every aisle, strolling casually as items were tossed into the cart, running through a mental list of different meals to know what ingredients to collect. Wonwoo insisted that, since it would more than likely be the two of you for dinner, to get easy food from the freezer section and you humored him, piling some boxes into the cart.

It took decent Jenga and Tetris skills to put most things into your car’s… frunk , front trunk, with some at Wonwoo’s feet and on his lap. You did get a text from your Fourway chat that they wouldn’t be home as Wonwoo thought. Wonwoo went into the Squad chat you had made, confirming that you were with just him for the night until Seokmin came home late that night.

“So…move the console upstairs?” Wonwoo must have read your thoughts as you peered over at the living room TV.

“Oh, definitely, dude.”

You both lost track of time between different games, sprawled out on the couch with piles of blankets, pillows, snacks, and platters of junk food. Seokmin let you know that he arrived via text somewhere in that period.

You did manage to get Wonwoo to sit with the face mask that you bought. His hair was pushed back by a headband, wildly sticking up in different directions atop his head, glasses on over the sheet mask. You both looked ridiculous, a little horrifying with the cartoon animals printed on them, but you sent a picture to the chat with all the guys with the caption of ‘ wish you were us, huh?’. Both of you were flipped off the camera and you laughed together for a good bit after, especially when texts flooded in from a few of the guys asking Cheol to let them go home.

That got a ‘ Really, Mo?’ and ‘The faster some of you work and get shit done, the faster you can go home’ .

You did not feel back at the chaos you created.

It was nearly ten-thirty when Seokmin informed you he was going to start heading back, a two and a half trip ahead of him. You asked if he would be alright to take the drive so late, which he assured he’d be a-okay.

By midnight, you were yawning along with Wonwoo, and there was bare minimum clean up that followed before you parted to sleep. You fell asleep not long after your head hit the pillow, jolting awake when Seokmin came in from the garage, trying to be quiet, but he must have ran into something based on the curse he let out.

Then, you laid there, attempting to fall back into slumber for god knows how long, staring up at the ceiling. Seokmin would feel terrible if he knew he woke you up, so you promised not to tell him in the morning. You’d need a fuck ton of coffee if you ended up staying awake the whole night.

So you did the only thing you could think of to maybe bore yourself to sleep; think of all the ways you could get into MX’s servers. You loved the skills you had, but you also knew they could be boring when you needed it to be. Somewhere in the mix, you recalled what Wonwoo had said earlier in the day.

If only things could be spelled out for us.

“Oh…my god.” You sat up instantly, grabbing your phone off the nightstand as things, somehow, became clearer. “Oh my god, that’s it-”

Hastily, you threw on some pants and darted out of the room and down the hall to Seungcheol’s office, needing something to write on. You found a notepad under some scattered documents and started to write out all the numbers that still had on your phone.

First month: 5 - E, 13 - M, 15 - O, 19 - S, and 21 - U Second: 1 - A, 3 - C, 7 - G, 8 - H, 20 - T, and 21 - U Third: 9 - I and 14 - N Fourth: 31 - Z / Maybe 1 - A? Fifth: 1 - A, 16 - P, 18 - R, and 20 -T

You were the only thing that happened in December, you were one. You were A.

Mouse caught in a trap.

“These sick bastards.” You scoffed, staring down at your discovery with abhorrence.

Your stomach churned horribly, a new found anger and dread settling in the pit of it. You had to tell someone, find someone awake at this time, which – glancing at the time, it was just past three in the morning. There were two, maybe three or four of the guys who would be awake.

Pulling Soonyoung’s number, hitting call, you remember skimming the group chat and he was closing Quarts with Jihoon.

“‘Yellow?” Soonyoung’s voice came through happily, music still playing in the background. “Why are you up?”

“Who’s that?” Jihoon was heard not far from him.

“Couldn’t sleep, knew you guys would be awake.” Your free hand was shaking and you clenched it into a tight fist at your side.

“Whoa, you sound ‘lil angry there, Mo, what’s up? Wait, let me put you on speaker so-” You heard the phone clatter to the floor and a startled yelp from Soonyoung.

“Nice job, idiot.” Jihoon sounded close before addressing you. “ What’s going on, you okay?”

“Physically, yes, aside from not being able to go back to sleep.” You shot a glare at the notepad. “Remember how I said that the dates from the sabotages meant something? But I couldn’t figure it out?”

Both hummed in agreement.

“Yeah well, I just figured it out.” There was a shake to your voice. “It’s all planned, all of it. The number dates correspond with a letter, it spelled out ‘ Mouse caught in a trap’. I’m…I called Soon right after I spelled it out.”

There was a moment of silence over the phone.

“Okay, well, that fucking sucks.” Soonyoung spoke first, exclaiming in pain with the sharp sound of a slap heard. “Ow! What was that for!?”

“You are terrible at comforting people, dude.” Jihoon scolded, sighing. “Mo, do you need someone to come home?”

“Nah, I’m okay,” You sighed along with the second man, sitting down in Seungcheol’s chair. “But I’m probably gonna come to the city tomorrow, be around everyone. I called you because I think I needed to tell someone or I would have woken up Wonu or Minnie.”

“Give you guys a call in the morning to fill them in.” Soonyoung hummed. “ We are closing up-”

“Who is ‘we’?”

“Jihoon has been closing up so we’ll be heading home soon.”

“Try to get back to sleep. At the moment, nothing else has happened so this has to be a scare tactic. I’m not saying to not overthink it, but try not to.” Jihoon definitely was better at words than Soonyoung.

“I know, I had that nervous, scared energy in my stomach, along with the anger.”

“Which is understandable, it makes sense. They hurt you, you probably won’t feel safe until they are dealt with. But seriously, get some sleep. We can talk more tomorrow, okay?”

“Thanks for answering the phone, guys.” You sagged in the chair, the anger somewhat fading to stagnant fear.

“Always, day or night! That’s what family is for, Mo.” Soonyoung hollered and you held those words in your chest, heart squeezing.

You wished them both a goodnight, dropping your phone on the desk once the call dropped.

Hate was a good work, loathing even – it best described the feeling deep without your mind. It made you ill, knowing they were still toying with you specifically, even more so your family and friends. It made you feel small, weak, powerless, but you’d swallow down those unwanted emotions and turn them into unbridled strength, even if it was pure strength of spite. You were going to help end this with everything in your power.

You needed a plan to manifest, but first and foremost, sleep was necessary.

Tearing the page from the notepad, you shuffled through the house until you were met with Seokmin’s door. Gradually, you opened the door to slip in, trying not to make any noise, slipping in and letting your eyes adjust to the lack of light. He snored rhythmically under the covers, able to see some thanks to your phone screen lighting the way to the edge of his bed.

Seokmin jolted for a moment when you peeled the blanket back, a sound of bewilderment leaving him upon realizing there was no threat, only you. With a murmured apology, you slid in next to him, letting him stare at you, eyes half-lidded and disoriented. Seokmin muttered something incoherently before moving himself close, getting snuggled up to your side.

As you settled in, pulling the covers up, Seokmin wormed his way closer until his arms wrapped around one of yours, head bumping against your shoulder. He was really warm, but the feeling was more than welcoming, comforting. You appreciated his sleeping brains and you fell asleep yourself.

You woke to an empty bed but the blankets tucked snugly around your body.

Sucking in a deep breath, you managed to slowly sit up, tired eyes gazing around the room, letting the events of the previous night catch up to you. Glancing to the nightstand, your phone rested atop the torn note page and you groaned.

The door swung open quickly, thankfully not thudding against the wall, as Seokmin paraded in with two mugs and a half-awake Wonwoo trailing behind.

“Good morning~!” Seokmin handed you a mug, the warm, mild smell of coffee perking your senses up more.

Wonwoo took a seat by your feet near the foot of the bed, shoving his hands between his thighs to warm up. Seokmin got to the other side of the head, criss-crossing his legs as he sat down, humming to himself as he sipped his drink.

“Jihoon texted me that you called Soonyoung last night.” Wonwoo’s groggy voice met your eyes, hearing him clear his throat. “At three in the morning.”

Bastards.

“Then you crawled into bed with me. Was everything okay?”

Taking a long gulp of your coffee, you grumbled, feeling their eyes on you. “Couldn’t sleep, tried to fall asleep, then I remember what you said yesterday about having things spelled out for us and something clicked in my head.”

You grabbed the paper off the nightstand, seeing the scribbled mess of words and letters from your findings. Handing it over to the older man first, Seokmin scooted over to read over the page, adjusting his glasses. They shared a look, quick and nearly missed, before Seokmin spoke up.

“Guess you got spooked? Not that I minded the cuddle buddy for the night.”

You gave a quiet laugh, drinking down more coffee. “A bit, but I’m okay. I told Ji and Soon that I was going to head to the city today.”

Seokmin bobbed his head in a nod. “Well, good thing we need to be there, right, Wonu?”

Said man scratched his cheek violently, the skin blooming bright red, along with such a man sniff in from his nose. He even slow blinked. “Can we get food before we head to deal with shit?”

“Second the idea,” You chimed in, nodding. “Diner in town?”

They both agreed easily, moving to get up and their day properly started. You weren’t surprised to see Seokmin up early, he always was, but you were joking with Wonwoo as he stumbled through the house to get his stuff that he was up early. He muttered that Minghao and Jun woke him up with a confirmation that they completed their mission , letting him know they’d be on their way home. You felt a little bad that those types of communications had to go through him to get securely to Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and Joshua.

Your small trio grabbed brunch, with Wonwoo riding with you all the way to the city after. It was agreed that you’d bring him to the warehouse, meeting Seokmin there. You’d tell those at the warehouse of your discovery, then you’d…figure out the rest from there. Maybe go back to your apartment…

Only Seungcheol, Mingyu, and Vernon were in the office, the younger two at the conference table while the leader was at his desk. Seokmin was barely through the door behind you before Cheol was asking him to see Jeonghan across town with Vernon for something. You gave them both a sympathetic wince as they quickly left. Mingyu greeted you and Wonwoo warmly, a stack of files – for the clubs he informed you – sitting before him. Seungcheol was focused on a message on his phone before the device was tossed aside with a huff.

“Hey guys,” He properly greeted, eyes dull and eye bags heavy. “Wonwoo, I need you to head over to ATZ, Yeosang believes Monsta X left something on their servers when everything went down and needs help getting into it.”

You tossed your keys at Wonwoo, watching him fumble to catch them. “Take my car, I’ll steal Cheol’s if I need to go anywhere.”

“I never agreed to that.”

“Girlfriend privileges.” Both you and Mingyu spoke, a smile breaking out on the taller man’s face before giggling.

Seungcheol denied nothing, only slouching back into his chair, giving a sharp roll of his eyes.

You let your gaze wander over Seungcheol when Wonwoo left with a promise not to wreck your car and Mingyu returned to his paperwork. Cheol didn’t sleep, it was evident to the world based on his body language. You wouldn’t be surprised if he was mostly in the same clothes as the previous day. He was staring up at the ceiling, letting his eyes slip closed slowly as if he’d fall asleep right there. When was the last time any of them got a proper, long rest or vacation?

“I figured out the numbers,” Better to get it over with to maybe let Seungcheol rest.

Said man’s eyes opened wide, sitting up straight. Mingyu placed his pen aside to give you all his attention. You went on to explain the numbers, their corresponding letters, and the message it all spelled out. The anxiety you once had was now only annoyance and hatred. You placed the page on Cheol’s desk from your pocket, watching him peer over it with a long, weighted sigh. Both men didn’t look pleased, but you brushed them off with a lazy wave of your hand.

Oh well, really.

Seungcheol slouched a second time and you strided around his desk, clicking your tongue in disappointment.

“Go back to the penthouse and rest.” You didn’t ask, he’d say no if you did, and would make excuses.

He shot a glare at you.

“Would you look at the time-” Mingyu gathered the files quickly, looking at his watch. “I should get to Quartz, lots to do-”

“For fucks sake.” Seungcheol sighed for a third time .

Probably for the best , you thought, hearing him leave quickly, hollering back a ‘good luck!’ back to Cheol.

“I’m fine, just didn’t sleep well.” He continued to glare, weakly you might add.

You leaned against his desk, scoffing as you glanced about the room. “No one to act tough for, Cheol. You look ready to pass out while sitting up.”

There was a fight before his eyes, like he wanted to argue, but the glare dropped, along with the last bits of his energy it seemed.

“It’s been hard to sleep the last couple days.” Based on his tone, it seemed hard to admit. “I tried everything I could to find them and my mind has been racing too much to get some shut eye.”

You dropped the defense in your shoulders, stepping closer to gently rest a hand on his cheek. Seungcheol learned into your touch, shutting his eyes tiredly. Your heart swelled, running your thumb over his cheek. Reaching up, he took your hand, lacing your fingers together as a pout formed on his lips.

“Nothing more can be done currently, we are doing everything we can. Rest a little before chaos begins, you’re going to need it.”

Gazing upon you, Seungcheol stayed quiet, taking your entirety in slowly, sighing through his nose. You tilted your head to the side, letting him savor the peace.

“I have a lot to do, Mo, I can rest later, promise.”

“Hm…” You hummed, asking as if you were actually thinking his words over. “Nope, I’m sure I can hold down the fort while you go get some rest.”

The snort, followed by a carefree laugh from him had you laughing as well.

“Don’t laugh at me!” You grinned, seeing some light come back to his expression. “Who knows, maybe I’ll do great and you’ll have a new assistant.”

Seungcheol continued his laughter, pulling you close until you stood between his legs. He let your hand go to hold your waist, lovingly staring up at you. “I wouldn’t be able to work if I had you this close everyday.” There was a suggestive lilt to his voice that had you raising a brow.

“Seems like a you problem if you can’t keep your hands to yourself.” He tightened his hold on your waist ever so slightly.

“What can I say? You are a very pretty distraction.”

“And you need sleep.” Leaning down, you placed a sweet kiss to his lips, hearing him hum happily. “I can handle myself and SVT for a few hours, just leave your phone.”

“And if someone calls?”

You brought your hand to your face, miming a phone with your thumb and pinky extended. “ King’s phone, this is Mouse. How may I help you?” Your voice was sickeningly sweet, like a bimbo secretary on some drama show.

“That will go over like a lead balloon.” He chuckled. “And if they ask where I am?”

You continued in the same horrid voice. “Oh? Where is he? Well, currently he is busy doing none of your fucking business . Can I take a message?”

“One day, you will get your ass kicked-”

“Eh, already did,” You shrugged, a smirk on your face. “And because you said something so mean, you have to go back and sleep. What’s your phone password?”

Seungcheol, prior to reluctantly leaving, asked you to make note of who called and to go over the files he placed on his desk, needing someone to check over the math on the numbers for errors. Invoice reviewing, in simple terms. You teased him that you’d figure it all out with ease and pushed him from the room, needing him to forget about work for a few hours to sleep.

The files were extensive, well documented and notated. They were for Pledis Shipping , the monthly income for January and the last few days of February. Every little cost was accounted for, down to stationeries for tax purposes. It was amazing to see just how much came in from that side of the business alone. While you couldn’t say you worked closely with business expenses before, you could do some decent math and review invoices to take at least one thing off everyone’s plate.

You were a generous amount through a folder, maybe two hours in if you had to guess, when Cheol’s phone lit up, the shrill of his ringtone on the lower end.

KHJ

Swiping to answer, you grabbed a blank sheet of paper to write anything important down.

“ King’s phone-”

“ Mouse?” Hongjoong asked, confusion laced in your nickname. “ Where is Seungcheol?”

“Forced him to get some sleep, I’m playing leader for a while, what’s up?”

The leader hummed over the line. “ Wanted to update him on the thing that Yeosang found, the encryption. But first…You and Seungcheol, huh?” There was a teasing snicker.

“Yep, Cheol and I.” You rolled her eyes, snickering along. “But he looked like shit this morning when I came here so I forced him to get rest. I’m running some numbers for him, taking calls, you know.”

“Well, I’ve now lost five hundred bucks to Minji, so thanks for that.” He joked. “ But to actual business, Yeosang and Wonwoo are still working on whatever Monsta X left, but it could be a spoof to mess with us. Neither of them seem hopeful. I informed DC and SKZ so their techies are checking servers. I would check SVT’s things again if there is anything. Didn’t want to interrupt them to tell Wonwoo though.”

“Got it.” You quickly scribbled down some notes, placing an asterisk beside the part of reviewing your group’s servers. “Fucking blows.” You muttered and Hongjoong agreed, adding that the entire situation was weird, how Monsta X were very much an in-your-face type of chaos, not stubble and sneaky. That made your stomach do summersaults, asking no one in particular what they could have planned.

“ I don’t like it either, the longer they are quiet, the more worried I become.”

“You and me both.”

“You doing alright?”

“Yeah,” You nodded to yourself, leaning back in the chair. “As best I can but I’m not letting them shake me as much as they did before.”

“I expect nothing less from the resident badass. You have many shoulders to lean on now.” There was someone talking on his end of the phone and Hongjoong scoffed. “Hey, I gotta handle this. We’ll speak later, Mouse, bye.”

With the call ending, you returned to your meticulous math and reviewing, playing some music off your phone to fill the dull space. You weren’t bothered by anyone for a while which let you work quickly, completely in the zone, humming along to whatever song played. You were thankful you hadn’t found any issues within the documents. Adding sticky notes that the files were finished for any final review that was necessary.

The shrill of Cheol’s phone broke your concentration a second time, Evil #1 staring back at you. Before you could greet Jeonghan, he was already talking.

“Hey, so we have a small problem – Or well, a big problem but we can handle it. But we are going to need to get out of the city to handle it further-”

“Uh-” You cleared your throat. “What happened?”

“ Mouse? Why do you have his phone?”

“Hi to you too, he is back at the penthouse, hopefully sleeping.” You grabbed the notepad. “What happened?”

“Nah, wait a minute, he let you have his phone and left? Because you told him to? I don’t even know his phone password! I’ve known him since we were younger!”

“Is that a problem?”

“Babe, listen to me very closely-” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “ That’s really fucking hot- You have weird ass magic-”

“I’ll take the compliments later, babe , tell me what's going on so I can tell Cheol later.”

“Too long, don’t read; we came to check out the dealer he ordered stuff from, but he took our money and ran. So, Vernon managed to track him down and we need to pay him a visit.” Your boyfriend sighed, you could mentally see him pinching the bridge of his nose. “ I’m going to come back with S- Tempest, Watcher, and Omen, gotta change and get some man power then head out. We have eyes on the guy but he has a following too.”

“Alright,” You wrote down what was necessary to tell Cheol, “I’ll see you back here soon, do you want me to have Sona gather some people?”

“ Yes, you are a godsend.” He praised, filling the three with him in on the plan. “I’ll see you soon, love you.”

You hummed. “I love you too, drive safe.”

Standing from Seungcheol’s desk, you stretched your stiff limbs, weeks since you sat at a desk working as such. At least Wonwoo’s desk setup was ergonomic.

You left the office to the balcony just beyond the door, phone in hand in case you didn’t see Sona. Looking about the bottom floor, you dialed her number quickly, watching as SVT’s people moved about with their work.

“Hey, what’s up?” She answered on the second ring, thankfully.

“I need you at the warehouse if you aren’t here already. Loki needs a group to roll out with and I need you to help gather them.”

Sona stepped through the warehouse doors not a second later. “ Did he say how many?”

Shaking your head, you leaned against the railing. “The deal they went to went bad, they found the guy and wanted to pay them a visit , you’d know better than me about how many he will need.”

“ Heard,” She started towards a group of people, calling out names and giving out orders. Sona placed the phone between her shoulder and ear, telling the slowly groaning group to gear up and wait for Loki to arrive. You thought about hanging up, but as the group dispersed to gather what was needed, Sona made her way over to the stairs, hanging up in the process.

“So you’re in charge?” She raised a brow, sliding into the space beside you, joining in on the people watching. “We saw King leave. He looked pissy.”

“More like playing secretary. Answered some phone calls, looked over some files.” You shrugged. “Is there a secure laptop around here that Archivist uses? I need one for something.”

“If he does, I don’t know where it is. Majority of the time he is a one man team and occasionally brings others in for his stuff.” You huffed at her words. “Best to contact him and ask.”

But he was busy with Yeosang. You huffed a second time.

“I’ll figure it out. Thanks for gathering a team, he didn’t sound too happy over the phone.”

“Yeah well, I assume they lost a lot of money so I wouldn’t be too happy either.” She peered down at her phone. “Any MX news?”

“Rumor has it they might have left something on the servers.”

“And you need a computer to test that theory?”

“Something like that. I’d like to be useful with the skills I spent years learning.”

“Nice fancy degree.’ Sona drummed her fingers on the railing. “Since you are currently in charge, do you want me to go with him or stay here?”

“Again, only an assistant- But that isn’t my decision to make. I should call Shu- Hades to let him know what's going on.”

Sona snorted quietly. “I’ll tell Loki to stop up here before leaving if you don’t come down.” And she stepped away, leaving you in solitude to call Joshua, completely unsure of where he even was today.

You’d mess with him by calling from Cheol’s phone.

Typing in Seungcheol’s pin, SVT’s start date – 0526 – which you teased him about, you went through his contacts until you guessed Joshua’s name. Evil #2. You also found your own – Angel with a pink heart emoji. You would be sick with how much you’d lay into him later for being cute.

It took no time for Joshua to answer, instantly rambling about a couple late trucks due to a weather delay for Pledis , which answered your main question.

“You good, Cheol?” He asked when you didn’t reply until you snickered. “You aren’t Cheol-”

“Don’t hang up!” You scurried into the office, shutting the door behind you. “I have his phone.”

“ Wild!” He laughed, “Why?”

You sat on the couch, kicking your feet up on the small coffee table. “Did you see how shitty he looked this morning? I sent him home to sleep like I was his mother.”

“Everyone is right, you have magic.” Joshua mused. “Enjoying the power?

“Immensely, but I did call you for a reason.”

“Yes, ma’am, what’s going on, boss ?”

“Not you too, please,” But you smiled. “Hannie, Vernon, Chan, and Seokmin are taking a team out of town since someone stole from us, that dealer Cheol wanted them to check out. They tracked him down and will be rolling out soon. I’m waiting for them to arrive back. I also heard from Hongjoong, but no dice on the stuff found on their servers yet.”

“First day on the job and you are already organizing a hit team.” Joshua sounded a little too happy for that. “But thanks for the heads up. Have him call me if he needs more back up, I’m at Pledis all day today. Seungkwan is here too, but I can spare him if necessary.”

“Got it, I think Hao and Jun should be back and resting from their thing, I can rope them in if things go south.”

“Kinda like you in charge, no one is bitching at me.” The flirting was thick. “ Could get used to it.”

“Keep talking like that and I’ll take the job offer from Minji.”

He clicked his tongue, scoffing in offense. “Over my dead body, sweetheart.”

“Promise?” You said sweetly.

“Cheeky, you are lucky I'm in love with you.”

“Until the day you die.” You purred. “Now get back to work. Hopefully I’ll see you later.”

He mirrored the sentiment, the call dropping as you hauled yourself up to stand. You still had the paperwork to finish, maybe you’d explore the warehouse, having never looked around properly.

Checking the time, it had been nearly four hours since Cheol left. With his phone in your possession, you had no idea if he was asleep or on his way back. You did have to fill him in, but that was a later issue, things were running fine aside from Jeonghan’s current issue. Though, he seemed to have a plan so you weren’t too worried. You were curious how much money was stolen by the asshole they were going after. You’d ask later when it was said and done.

Taking the stairs two at a time down to the bottom floor, you spotted Sona with her group, more or less waiting around for Jeonghan to arrive. They milled about until you approached standing a little stiff as any conversation hushed.

“Jesus, please don’t act like I’m some scary being,” You could see Sona holding in a snicker. “I don’t bite.”

“I don’t know, Mo,” Sona stepped to your side. “They might be scared you’re crazy.”

Covering your mouth as you laughed, the workers looked at each other warily. “Crazy? Probably. I have done some wild shit since joining SVT.”

“Remember, some of their first interactions with you were when you ran in after Fenris got hurt. Then almost everyone heard very quickly about the guy in Ruby.”

“Ma’am,” One of the men, spoke up, raising a heavily tattooed hand. “No offense, but you are intimidating. Deceivingly scary, like a cat can be. However, I do see you as tenacious and intrepid.”

Several others nodded and you beamed, bowing your head to them respectfully.

“Thank you, I appreciate it, along with all the hard work everyone puts in here.” You did end up smirking though. “If any of the main group give you a hard time, come find me.”

“What are you, team mom?” Sona nudged you with her elbow.

“They-”

“Are we bothering Mouse?” Jeonghan’s smooth, mischievous voice came from behind you. You rolled your eyes.

A few scrambled to respond but you spoke first to give them a break.

“You are more of a bother, Loki . Don’t you think?”

“Ah~” He stepped forward, arm snaking its way around your waist, placing a kiss on your temple. “Only for you.”

“Don’t you have a job to do?”

“Oh~ Bossy, power got to your head?”

You took his chin between your thumb and index finger, planting a quick, fleeting kiss to his lips, patting his cheek after. “In your dreams. Get your shit and get on the road.”

Moving out of his reach, you greeted Seokmin, Vernon, and Chan. “ Jester and Hades are available if you need backup. I can contact Shadow and Echo too.”

They went off quickly to gather items for themselves, coming back not ten minutes later. Chan was hiding a series of knives, seeing some of the metal catch in the light, Vernon had a single handgun, some full ammo clips, and brass knuckles, and the other two wore double holsters, extra magazine clips on hand. Jeonghan was messily tying his hair up, calling out exactly where they were heading and Vernon sent out a message with a picture of who they were looking for. Seokmin added that, for the disrespect of stealing, they were looting the entirety of the place, since it seemed the guy was hiding at his main hub. It was KOS, Kill On Sight.

“Good luck.” You stopped Jeonghan with a gentle brush of his hand as the group started out the doors, Sona staying back. “Be careful.”

His gaze softened, cupping your hand and kissing your forehead. “Always, my love. I’ll call you later once we are all done.”

“Call if you need back up.”

“Promise.” He muttered the words into your hair, policing another kiss to the crown of your head, giving a tight hug before parting. “Hold down the fort for us, boss.”

“You know it.”

Wonwoo had returned back from ATZ a little over two hours after Jeonghan’s team left. He found you lounging on the couch, going through the files still, looking around for Cheol. The leader didn’t return, really you were going to check on him once you had finished what you were working on. You filled Wonwoo in on the current status of events, no word from Jeonghan, but Wonwoo or Cheol (or you, since you had his phone) hadn’t heard anything.

No news was good news for these things, you learned.

He returned your keys, letting you know Mingyu would be picking him up to train, another fight at the club coming up relatively soon. You asked him about a secure laptop when he mentioned the ATZ servers coming up with a spoof. Hongjoong texted you, not Cheol, that SKZ and DC were spoofed as well. TXT didn’t have anything either.

He frowned when he reminded you of the computer you received after your apartment got torn apart. Wonwoo chuckled at you, only to tell you that MX was messing with everyone, there wasn’t anything of importance left. You agreed, but both of you agreed it wouldn’t hurt to look. He sent all the information for ATZ over to you so you know what to look for.

You gathered all the documents you were reviewing, plus the notepad, deciding to leave not long after Mingyu picked up Wonwoo.

You stopped Sona, telling her to keep you informed on things as time went on, which she half-saluted at as you walked away.

The penthouse was quiet when you arrived, gently closing the door behind you. The lights over the kitchen island were on, enough to see a majority down the hallway. You didn’t see a soul in sight, Minghao and Jun were still probably knocked out since they were out last night. You could cook if the fridge had anything of sustenance.

Creeping down the hall, you peered into a few rooms, finding Jun passed out in one and Minghao in another, thankful you woke neither with how light of a sleep the latter was. You found Seungcheol asleep in the very last room, limbs tangled in the comforter, face buried in the pillow.

You were going to check if he was breathing as a joke, but the snore he let out was enough to answer the question.

Keeping his and your phone in your pockets in case of any calls, you hurried back to the kitchen in the hopes to start on something to eat. There wasn’t a surprise in your mind when the fridge was packed with old take out and definitely some moldy containers of homemade food. You did make a disgusted face as you cleaned the shit out.

You internally joked that they needed to hire both a cleaner and a cook.

With some luck on your side, you managed to find an unopened box of pancake mix and some eggs that weren’t past their expiration date, determining the best course of action was going to be breakfast for dinner until more food was bought. You did order a package of bacon and different fruit from the store.

Half way into cooking, Minghao stumbled through the hallway into the living area, face puffy and lips pouty. He rubbed his eyes to clear the sleepy blur from his vision, stopping his steps. He honed in on you, still coming to consciousness as he started to move close, sitting at the kitchen island.

“Sleep okay?” You turned to the stove to check on everything, peering over your shoulder to him.

Minghao nodded, ruffling his messy hair. “Yeah, we got back early and luckily everyone was gone so no disturbances came through.”

“Hungry? I’m almost done so I was going to wake up Jun and Cheol.”

“Cheol’s home? And asleep?” The surprise was evident in his tone as you refocused on cooking.

“Blah blah blah, girlfriend powers,” You waved the spatula in the air. “Blah blah blah I played leader while he came back here. Hannie is out on an op, I need to feed you guys then tell him shit, then finish up what he asked me to do.”

His signature giggle was infectious, making you giggle along. Minghao stood to help finish up, shooing you away to wake the other two. You started with Jun, easily, gently shaking him away. He looked up at where you stood with sleepy confusion, stretching his long limbs as you told him there was food in the kitchen. Jun needed a little more coaxing to get up, letting you tug him by the hand.

Stepping into where Seungcheol rested, his rhythmic breathing and snoring filling the air. It was nice to see him getting such a deep sleep. He didn’t move since you checked on him when you came to the penthouse.

You sat on the edge of the bed, grinning as you could now see how squished his full cheeks were in the pillow. His hair was sprawled on his pillow and in his face wildly. You had a pang of guilt in your chest that you had to wake him up.

Reaching out, you slowly ran a hand through his hair at the back of his beck. He inhaled sharply, all the muscles in his body tensing at once but you didn’t stop, twirling the strands around your fingers and smiling at how soft it was. Seungcheol barely opened his eyes, muttering your name when he caught sight of you. Under the covers, he stretched out, a groan and popping of joints leaving his body. You ran your hand down his back, letting him awaken on his own time.

“What time is it?” He asked, finally rolling over to his back and rubbing his face.

Your hand now rested on his chest, drumming your fingers on his sternum. “Almost five I believe, when did you fall asleep?”

He cleared his throat, taking your hand into one of his own. “Like, almost immediately after I laid down. Guess I really needed the rest.”

“Clearly.” You let him toy your fingers, watching his eyes close. “I made food, Jun and Hao should already be eating. Hopefully they haven’t eaten it all.”

“Food sounds amazing.” You stood when he hauled himself to sit up, heaving out a huff as he got to his feet as well.

Once you turned towards the door, strong arms caught you around the waist. Seungcheol pulled you close until your back was flush against his clothed chest. He pressed his face into your neck, placing a gentle kiss to the side of your throat. Your hands rested on his arms around your middle, smiling at the affection and leaning into his body.

“Thank you,” He mumbled into your skin, “for forcing me to get some rest and taking care of today.”

Seungcheol leaned some of his weight onto you, just enough that you could hold him up easily, but you could feel the unspoken, unseen weight there.

“That’s what I’m here for, Cheol, now let's get some food, come on.”

You were happy Jun and Minghao didn’t eat all the food, leaving plenty for you and Cheol. Cheol asked for the updates he missed, which you filled the three in on, letting them know that Jeonghan would call soon for an update. Hopefully.

Anxiety bit at your insides.

When Jun and Minghao went off to do their own things after cleaning up the kitchen, you tried to go back to the files, but Cheol had other plans. You wouldn’t say you were manhandled into bed, but he didn’t give you much of a choice.

Seungcheol laid on top of you with his head low on your chest, avoiding your brand, arms firm around your middle with some movie playing on the TV. You learned this was one of his favorite ways to hold you; holding you so close, listening to your heartbeat, and no words needing to be said. When you asked earlier why it was his favorite, he explained that it calmed him, reminding him that he didn’t need to worry about you or anything in the moment. You called him the biggest cheese ball on the planet but he only snuggled closer to you somehow. He’d crawl into your skin if he could.

“I read your text messages,” You had both hands in his hair, combing through any knots as he watched the movie. “From when I was gone and unconscious.”

“Oh, uh-” He lifted himself into his elbows, cheeks flushed a deep pink. “I forgot about those-”

He gazed at you with a hint of embarrassment, like a child caught doing something silly.

“Things got a little busy.” You booped his nose, using your finger to lift his chin more. “But I am curious about what you wanted to talk to me about.”

Seungcheol searched your eyes, knowing he could only find teasing behind your interest. He moved to be eye level with you, hands on either side of your head as you laid against the pillows, trapped under him. You smirked up at him and his still pink cheeks.

“I’ve loved you since the moment I set my eyes upon you. Since the moment you walked into my office and said my name like you hated me. Since you gave up everything and nothing for us.” He leaned down and your smirk was almost completely wiped from your face. “And now that I can have you like this, right here, almost whenever I want…I don’t know if I’ll be able to control myself.”

“Then don’t.”

Tag List is Open! Taglist Form

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naggingatlas · 11 months ago

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i rly cant get enough of military/construction/other non cozy purpose robots being put into domestic settings. claws meant to shovel dirt and death doing the dishes. wheels that can go over a 100 mph leaving soft compression marks on the carpet. refubishing a gun arm to have a nightlight in it. hair static clinging to the monitor. reading with the quietest buzz of the mainframe in the other chair. you know. se

#yessie.... drixie.... my girls....

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nullb1rdbones · 2 years ago

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CW: mild body horror

so this is my AI AU...i dont have all of the pieces done yet, but I think this will be part one of 3 little collages I'm going to make hehe...the basic summary of the AU is, What if Black Butler BUT ROBOTS????

R!Ciel and O!Ciel are a pair of extremely intelligent bots made by the company Angel Wing (a company trying to put human sentience into robots to specifically help prolong the lives of sick children). The two of them are called RCL and OCL (R-C-L, O-C-L, pronounced just as you'd pronounce r!ciel and o!ciel, since it's cee el) and they're the newest little toy...

That is, until RCL goes missing from their little padded cell of monitored stimulation and information learning. And, then, a strange nebulous 'virus' infects OCL. Suddenly, he's on the run -- or rather, something is running and he's in their arms!!

Sebastian Michaelis (nicknamed, The Daemon, because he almost exclusively codes in hebrew and it looks Very Intimidating) had his eye on these little bots (called: dolls). He wants to know the true depth of their humanity, whether or not they actually 'have a soul' or if its a big hoax. Consider that a morbid curiosity of his. And so by hacking the mainframe of the company and infiltrating, he's finally able to extrapolate what's going on...

Kinda.

Anyway, while they're on the run, they have to crash at the fantastic transgender catgirl hacker (a very common trope, I know) Grelle's bachelorette pad.

details i can't fit in

OCL is 4'4, RCL is 4'5, they're quite a bit smaller and lighter since they're hypertech robots

They can't walk on their own for very long, their legs are functional but they were not designed for that

OCL...um....can bleed. something. something is going on. they're not really sure what he is.

He doesn't remember anything either

Sebastian's current hacker name is DOG because him and Grelle had a kitty motif for a while, but then he lost a bet. At the end of the month hes nerfing his account (like he'd even last that long before being caught)

characters that are important and WILL show up later: Alois, Jim, Claude, Undertaker, Ash, other important ones

something bad happened to RCL. OCL cannot remember it, though :(

no grelle's ears are not real. its a headband for the aesthetic. shes in her playful era. its between the 50 different shades of crimson eras

I've been calling this thing Cosmo Circuits. If you even care

#Cosmo Circuits #black butler au #sebastian michaelis #ciel phantomhive #r!ciel #o!ciel #grelle sutcliffe #grell sutcliff #ai au

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callmearcturus · 2 years ago

Note

Stumbles in covered in dust to pass you a note that says "Arc please your analysis of the strange priesthood (your words)/odd mysticism (mine) of the IMF in Dead Reckoning, I need it urgently"

(It is such an integral part of the movie and its just one hell of a lore drop and I also have Thoughts about it and how it makes So much sense for Ethan's MILF era but you first you first)

bless you and all your endeavours

SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE FRANCHISE

I want to talk about the evolution of the IMF. Because one of the things that always kind of confused me about it was what it actually was. Is it another three-letter agency or is it a task force inside the CIA or... is it something else entirely?

IMO the answer changes over the course of the movies. In MI1, there is a concrete institution, the mainframe for the IMF is inside Langley, thus it seems to be part of the CIA. And it's kind of the villain of the movie honestly; the IMF mole hunt gets Ethan's team killed and almost gets him killed because he can't turn to the very agency/group/force that he's supposed to be working for to get assistance.

This idea of a group that is very rigid is continued/heightened in MI2 and MI3. The IMF misleads and lies to Ethan. They are still be bad guys. In MI2, Swanbeck uses Ethan to manipulate Nyah without cluing him in and is upset that Ethan didn't bring back the deadly super-virus for them to have. In MI3, the entire IMF just feels like the FBI in structure, all the visual signifiers casting it as a discount FBI. And that's echoed in the way the IMF handles its agents, the rigidity of the structure, the oversight, the centrality of the headquarters-- it all points to the IMF being a weird 9 to 5 govt job until someone goes on a mission.

There is a hierarchy, there is a director and assistant director and mission handler and tech team and all this shit, right.

Then we reach the McQuarrie Trilogy-cum-Quadrilogy, and things begin to change.

In Ghost Protocol, there is a feeling that the agency (if that's what the IMF even is) is more... amorphous. It's made clear there are safehouses and caches just shoved in various corners of the world. There are mentions of a headquarters (specifically, that it doesn't exist anymore) but when its time to get a new mission, Ethan hands them out from fuckign Seattle, and then walks off into the smoke to his next one. After Benji and Carter have their disastrous mission that sets off the plot, they don't circle up at HQ in the same way that happens in MI3, they are just directed to go grab Ethan, and clearly they find a place to grab some gear beforehand. The IMF is decentralized.

Then oh fucking boy, Rogue Nation. The CIA absorbs the IMF's assets and all we see is the CIA's HQ, not any central location of the IMF itself. Even in the intro when Brandt is monitoring the team going after the package on the plane, he's clearly in some shipping containers-turned-monitoring office. And Ethan going rogue survives by picking over the abandoned remnants of older safehouses.

Another interesting pivot happens in RN. Ethan is explicitly the functional leader of the IMF by example. There is no new secretary to give orders and hasn't been for years, there is no director, the closest thing we get to a hierarchy is Brandt who could allegedly "authorize" things but the agents just.... dodge him by not looping him in.

The idea of a structured organization is fully jettisoned in favor of the modern IMF, which mostly seems to be a lot of people under the radar working together to share information and execute missions.

Emotionally, Ethan is the leader of this new type of IMF, and we are in the movie that truly sets off on the idea that Ethan's ethos is that... he can't handle casualties. It's the blunt object used to hurt him, the way Lane murders the IMF plant in front of him, and his expression of haunted shock is vivid and clear.

All the way back in MI1, Ethan stopped Krieger from killing a bystander, telling him they didn't leave a body count. And by RN, that's become the bedrock of the IMF, the idea that the lives of the many are never more important than the few, and the IMF agents will destroy themselves in the name of getting everyone out alive. There are no acceptable losses.

This is bad, frankly. It is a very bad weakness for a super secret spy to have. But it is TEXTUALLY the entire point of Fallout, that Ethan can't let Luther die. In RN, he couldn't let Benji die. He couldn't let that random French cop die. Over and over, Ethan is given a choice between "save a ton of people" and "save one person" and keeps picking both, and it hurts him every time. It is unreasonable and demands so much from him.

And I have been wondering what that was building to, and Dead Reckoning lays it out.

The IMF as a formal institution doesn't exist anymore. There is no director, there's no hierarchy. What we see of a possible HQ is not the IMF, its everyone else in the intelligence community. As Kittridge explains, the IMF is a mail drop where they "leave word" and hope someone inside the group gets it and takes care of it. There is no oversight because each agent is basically a self-contained satellite.

AKA the way Ethan has found he works best. For every. single. fucking. movie. the IMF has been a hindrance at best and The Bad Guy at worst.

When we meet Ethan in Dead Reckoning, he is a man standing in an old building with sturdy walls and high ceilings. He initiates a new member and tells them they made the right Choice. It is the reassurance of an elder member to a novice.

Because I think... Ethan has essentially guided the IMF to this. How the fuck does anyone survive when there is no hierarchy, there is this creed of Save Everyone Yes Everyone, how do they do that?

Well. Everyone in the IMF lives by simple rules. Any IMF agent looks to another and says "your life will always mean more to me than my own." And the details don't matter. There is no exception to this.

The reason Ethan is alive is because his life means that much to his team, and their lives mean that much to him, so they survive by prioritizing each other in a way that borders on irrational.

This is where I think we get into the weird priesthood/odd mysticism of the IMF. They are a self-selecting group of people fanatically devoted to the preservation of everyone, and are skilled enough to back it up. There is a level of altruistic devotion there that's absent from the other agencies. Hell, Kittridge is back and when we catch up with him, he's fucking trying to buy the key to the fuckign Entity! Once again the CIA is evil, shock of shocks.

In a franchise where the CIA is always evil and the IMF As An Organization isn't better, the only moral choice seems to be to opt-into caring radically about everyone. It's the only counterpoint possible.

I think its significant that in Dead Reckoning, with this new evolution of the IMF, we only see Ethan and the team in old buildings. They are fading remnants. They can't pass on the responsibility to family, so they keep watch for others who have what it takes. They are a small, dwindling group, and they are the only people that can destroy the Entity.

Punct and I have talked about how Ethan defeated the Syndicate by infecting them with humanity basically; through Ethan's influence, Lane becomes vicious and petty in a way he'd like to deny, but he is motivated by his connection to Ethan more than his ideals. Similarly, I think Ethan and his ilk have infected the IMF with this strange solemn duty, and act as guiding stewards. It's an ideal that will die, but until it does, they will keep saving everyone they can, because no one else will.

#arquiving #dead reckoning spoilers #mission impossible #hello i am obsessed with the evolution of the IMF

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wyervan · 7 months ago

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hiiii just wanna start off by saying I love your art style and general vibes ✨️ I'm a stay-at-home partner always in search of fun things to do, and I've recently gotten back into art after not engaging with it since I was a kid (largely because your sun n moon fixation rubbed off on me 😭). I've never tried digital art and it looks cool! Do you have any advice for a beginner like me?

Oh it makes me so happy when people say I inspired them to start creating again 😭 The DCA and the fandom brought me out of my own years-long artistic funk last spring. Clown power, yeehonk 🤠 🤡

I’m planning a significantly longer post in response to an ask I got ages ago all how I learned to draw the way I do, so lookout for that.

But in the meantime, here’s a couple things I can think of off the top of my head:

Specific tools don’t matter much. I currently use Procreate and would recommend it if you have an IPad. It’s an extremely simple but effective program.

On desktop, I use Clip Studio Pro, but Krita is another program I’ve used and liked AND it’s completely free.

I do also have loads of experience with Photoshop and other Adobe products but can’t recommend them at the price, not to mention they’re not super beginner friendly.

Hardware-wise, I almost exclusively use my IPad to draw because it’s so portable. I also have a Huion Kamvas pen tablet monitor that hooks up to my desktop. But I started doing digital art with a dinky lil Wacom tablet that was less than $100. There’s definitely a bit of a disconnect at first, not looking at where you’re drawing but rather on a screen, but you get used to it.

Bottom line is to use whatever tools are convenient and comfortable for you! I even know of a great artist that exclusively draws with their mouse. I realized I hated sitting at a desk and that stopped me from practicing digitally. I got an IPad and now it’s much easier for me to work comfortably on what I love.

Point two I’d like to make is take advantage of the capabilities of working digitally. This means using the godsent undo button to your heart’s content. Download fun brushes to play with and add texture. Use perspective grids. Turn on line stabilization so your strokes are extra smooth. Like what you’ve sketched so far but want to try something different? Duplicate the layer and work from there so you can go back to the old version if you change your mind. Radically change the colors or values with adjustment layers. Use clipping masks. Abuse the liquify tool.

A lot of this might sound like gobbledygook to a digital art beginner but just googling any of this terminology will get you loads of tutorials and information for your specific setup. Also I’m happy to go into details about specific digital art techniques I’ve picked up with over a decade and a half of experience.

Finally, and most importantly—make what you want to see in the world AND what feels good to make. This ofc is not exclusive to digital art, but I always want to stress this to new artists. I realized after I got into the DCA fandom that I had been letting shame, fear, and perfectionism keep me from creating the content I was really interested in making. But then man, idk. Frickin’ robot clowns amirite ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ it’s like there was a secret agent sent into my brain and he uploaded a DCA virus into my mainframe or smth idk hacker style. tktktktkt. they’re in.

Anyway. Hope this helps! Feel free to send another message if u have more questions :3

#If anybody wants to pitch in with their two cents pls do!!#ask #art advice #tktktktkt. they’re in.

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writenotwantnot · 1 month ago

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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.

#Life series #traffic smp #portal au #My Writing #unethical science #loss of humanity #zedaph #rendog #tango #impulse #Etho #hermitblr

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labyrinthofsphinx · 1 year ago

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Statistical Outliers

Part 7 of drabble. I'm calling it. I'm just writing them long now. Also, this one has Valentino and Angel, just as a heads up. Nothing graphic but a warning. Also a little suggestive because, again, Valentino.

“Welcome to the show everybody! Hope everyone’s been having a marvelous week!”

Vox spun in his chair, greeted to the captive audience behind his televisions. The morning show was a fan favorite, always has been. Honestly, he takes a lot of pride in it. It’s just him for the most part, spouting off whatever relevant nonsense there was for the time. He gave a brief recap of what was going on in the world above, something he had to sneak in from sources that actually went up there. If he got a few details wrong, eh, no big deal. It’s not like anyone can fact check him down here anyways. For the newly introduced to Hell, it was a good way to grab their attention. And that only meant more viewers in the long run.

“Coffee’s done.”

The kid ran over into his monitor room, pulling his attention away from his cyber studio for a moment. The smell of warm coffee jumped up to greet him, and he gladly took it off the kid’s hands. Ah, as perfect as last time.

“Still a crap cup of coffee.” He said. The kid didn’t believe him anymore. He just swayed happily in place as Vox kept taking sips.

He kind of wanted to squeeze the ever loving hell of out him. He settled for roughing up the top of his fur.

“Hey, I just fixed that!” He tried to bat back the invading assault, but Vox had much bigger hands and a much longer reach. There was little he could do.

“Yeah? Complain to someone who cares.”

The programs went on, switching from news, to commercials, to the morning sitcoms. He noticed the kid paying attention to his spy drones’ footage, of his fellow hotel mates dragging themselves out to go look for him again. Alastor noticed the camera. He posed for it, the smiley freak. He flicked the footage away, switching it to the camera just outside.

Velvette was there, pacing. She was deciding how she wanted to start this, Vox knew. Was she going to try for the innocent act? Was she going to storm in raging? She had a hundred different faces for her followers, but Vox fell for exactly zero of them.

Delighted, he took another sip of coffee.

“Don’t say a word.” He told the kid.

Bang! Bang!

“Vox! Open the fucking door, now!” Brattish it is then! Wonder how long she’ll keep it up. “And fix the fucking Wi-Fi! It’s been buggy all day!”

“Be there in a moment, Vel!” He lied. “Still running some new security features into the mainframe. The Wi-Fi will probably be a little spotty for a while!”

“Ugh!” She screamed. “Is my toy in there with you? I couldn’t do my morning post without him!”

Vox rolled his eyes playfully. The kid had to cover a laugh with a hand.

“Yeah, he’s here! Not to worry, I’m taking good care of him until your done with all those projects you’ve got!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Give him back right fucking now! He’s mine! You gave him to me!”

“And I’m just taking him off your hands until you’re less distracted, Vel! If you have more than enough time for pranks, surely you can finish those clothes for Val, draw up plans for the next season, and throw out a few more ads for our products.” Act like a child, don’t be surprised when you’re treated like one.

His sharks have taken a special interest in the kid, and not in the ‘I want to eat it’ way. It was rare that Vox let someone into his space for long. Even Vel and Val were only momentary intruders. Sure, they saw them in the conference room, but they tended to ignore them since nothing fun ever came from the conference room. The kid couldn’t have been more enchanted by his vicious friends. He didn’t touch the acrylic on Vox’s orders, but he was getting as close as he could and ogling.

“Vee, come on! That’s not fair!” She called out, a little more pained this time.

Ah, already switched from ‘Vox’ to ‘Vee’. The Wi-Fi thing must really be bothering her.

“Can’t be helped! Not to worry, the update is almost done.” He lied again.

He gazed out into the sea of his audience. Many of them had those headphones of his, quite a few of them had the eared version. Some odder cases seemed to be trying to make the standard one look like those special editions, but the ears were wrong and didn’t glow right. He noticed though another new fad popping up. Long shirts and oversized hoodies with homemade designs on them, especially running up the arms. In particular, different tread marks seemed to be of interest. Huh. One look at the kid explained that one.

It wasn’t widespread yet, but he could see the pattern before it emerged. Velvette would pick it up in no time, patent it, and let it sell like hotcakes. Well, best let her get started on it then.

“Darling,” Velvette’s voice was much softer this time. He did always like being called ‘darling’. Something about it just rubbed the right way. “please open the door? The prank was just a stupid-”

The doors opened themselves. The kid gave him a look, a joke hiding behind his lips. Vox quietly shushed him.

“My dear, I’m sorry about the wait. You know how absorbed I get into things.” He said, swinging his chair around as she walked up the catwalk. “The update should be done now. Let me know how it works.”

She checked her phone for a second, then brought herself back to look at him.

“You’re not still mad? Right?”

“I wasn’t mad to begin with! Only concerned. Can’t have my best girl stressing herself out and pulling herself too thin. Next time, if you have an issue, just bring it up. You know I’ve got a fix for everything. Especially ways to de-stress.”

With that, he snapped his fingers. His former technician that had been dangling above the shark tank, paralyzed by a complete excess of volts running his system, was unceremoniously dropped. The kid pulled back in silent horror as the man was quickly ripped to pieces. He looked like he was going to hurl. That’s what you get for mistaking his sharks as friendly dogs, he wanted to tease.

Velvette watched with half interest. Then, from the blue, she jumped up and kissed the side of his face. Her black lipstick left an obvious mark, but she didn’t wipe it away. Must be feeling slightly possessive then, he assumed. She pulled him in for a quick pic, being sure to get the kid in the background looking around the room. She didn’t post it though, instead made it her new screensaver.

She was still for just a moment, then she stole his coffee mug and took a sip.

“Ugh, Vee, you have the worst taste in coffee.”

Velvette was the type to go to a coffee store and make the barista regret ever getting up in the morning. If she was at the bar, she was just as bad to the bartender, especially if the drink didn’t look good enough for Voxtagram. His tastes were a lot more simple. Nothing he drank ever made her happy. She still insisted on trying it though, almost every time. Lipstick stains on his mug and his face, she was finally content enough to head out.

“Cutie pie, come on! We’ve got work to do. Val’s whores aren’t going to dress themselves.” She called the kid over with a flick of her finger. He didn’t immediately follow. Instead, a silent exchange happened between him and Vox.

Yeah, go with her. She’s fine.

And he bounded after her.

When the door closed again, Vox took to his chair. Vel’s lipstick added a sweetness to his drink that wasn’t there before. He always liked how it tasted, but maybe next time not in his coffee. Before him, Hell kept turning. The morning news gave way to the TV specials and his reality shows. ‘Yeah, I Fucked Your Sister, So What?’ was showcasing a double feature, two sisters and one guy. He’s not sure if they were going to kill each other first or their so-called man.

Whatever the case, he scrolled through some of his other work in the meantime. A few inventors tossed ideas up to him, hoping to gain favor and get their products endorsed by the biggest tech name in Hell. Most of them were scams, and not even well-hidden ones. He put a special tab on these ones and set them aside. He had a special show for those types, one where he, Velvette, and Valentino sit in hotseats, picking apart people’s designs and ideas. Vox already did all the work behind the scenes. He knew which ones were worth the investment. It made for good television whenever all three of them seemed to agree that an idea was great, and it also was just as good when an idea was so bad that they dropped the presenter into the tank below.

It made everyone feel like they had a shot at getting a contract with the big bosses, if you were willing to bet it all.

And, personally, he always loved watching them squirm, even when he knew he wanted the product.

It wasn’t too long later that he decided that he really ought to check on Alastor’s loser squad. Now that the kid was gone and he didn’t have to see the sad eyes, he brought it back up.

He nearly had a heart attack.

Alastor’s malicious sneer was dangerously close to one of his drones, too close for the camera to survive the onslaught of his dark magic. Symbols and green wisps of evil started to strangle the life out of the little machine. Al’s yellow teeth contorted like a snake and goblin shark hybrid.

“Hello, old pal.”

Vox disconnected the drone. He just completely shut it down, dragged the code from the mainframe. If he even tried hacking in, the whole system would fight to push him out, considering it the same as a virus.

Everything is fine, Vox. You’re fine. Deep breaths.

The kid’s still here. He’s fine. He’s with Velvette.

…but just to be safe.

He found him right by Vel’s side, holding a bunch of clothes in his arms as they climbed down the levels in the elevator. See? He’s fine. Nothing bad’s going to-

Wait. Were they going to Val’s studio?

He spat out his coffee. Vel? What were you doing? You can’t take him in there with all those…well, Val’s people.

It got worse. It got so much worse. Because Angel Dust was there early, already on set and already ready to jump into that sultry little dress Vel made for the movie poster.

Oh, no. No, no! Bad! Very bad!

Vel, do something! Get him out of there! Wha-! No! Don’t just walk away! That dime store whore doesn’t not need your attention as much as the kid does right now!

Vel walked off to dress the girls, leaving the kid holding a great big pile of clothes, in the middle of Val’s set. Angel Dust looked like he had the wind dragged from his sails. Even the makeup could only do so much to cover up too many sleepless nights. He dragged his feet and sat down in his studio chair, a sigh ripping from him.

“You know, I really wish on days like these that I wasn’t trying to stay sober.”

Apparently, those big ears weren’t just for show. Despite everyone else in the room, and the smooth music, and the re-wind of Val and his director’s cut of the film, the kid lit up.

“Angel?”

The spider reacted like someone just shot something hard straight to his brain, like he might be concerned he was going crazy. All eight eyes sprung wide as the kid put the clothes down on a nearby loveseat.

“Drift! Oh my God! You’re alive! Holy shit!” He leapt up, arms open wide to grab him.

Panic leapt into his chest. He didn’t know the specifics of Val’s deal. Did it only apply if Vox handed him over? Did it only mean they had to ‘try’ to find the kid? What did he specifically mean about the return policy? There were too many ‘ifs’. Far too many for Vox to let this go any further.

He tore into the wires, moving as fast as possible. Lightning could move almost as fast as light could. Even following the current, Vox made it in more than enough time to rip right out of the nearby camera and directly in between the two of them.

All around, everything buzzed. The lights flickered. His rush left a small wake of rumbling sound, echoing with the acoustics of this place. He kept a smile plastered to his face, but anyone could tell it was more of a threat.

Angel, surprisingly, jumped straight from shock to rage.

“You motherfucker-!”

“Now, now.” Vox started. “Let’s not do or say anything you might regret.”

“Ah, Angelcakes! I see you’ve met our newest little pet project.” Val sauntered over from his director’s chair, stepping up behind Vox. His four arms dipped down. Two of them grabbed the kid by the shoulders, keeping him snugly in place. The other two played with his face, grabbing his muzzle much too hard and forcing him to look up at him. “He’s just adorable. The perfect little plaything.”

The kid was shaking. He couldn’t struggle from Val’s grasp, and he’s not even sure how much he could breath with Val holding his face like that. Worse, how Val had said that. Even to Vox, it sounded wrong.

Which is so weird, because he knew that Valentino had no interest in kids, ever. Not because he was bothered by it or something, but more so because kids weren’t ‘sexy’.

That didn’t change the fact that, that had creeped the fuck out of Vox.

And if it had creeped Vox out, he can only imagine what Angel’s mind jumped to. Soul contract be damned, Angel looked ready to tear Val’s face off.

“If you touched that kid, I swear to god-”

“Val.” Vox interjected. His new speakers drowned out any other sound in the place, including the rest of Angel’s little rant, just in the nick of time. “A word. Alone.”

Valentino was a little too pleased with himself. He put the kid down slowly before directing Angel back to the set. The whisp of smoke formed a chain for a second, tethered to the spider’s neck.

“Sit right there and don’t move. I’ll be back in a minute.”

While Val was doing that, Vox leaned down to the kid quickly.

“You okay?”

“He can’t do that to Angel.” He argued, coughing as he wrung his hands by the harsh lines now imprinted on his neck.

“He can do whatever he wants to Angel. He owns him.”

“That’s not fair-”

“Fair or not, Angel’s an adult. He made his own decision.” Did he really believe that? Sort of, consent was always questionable with addicts. “But if you don’t want to get him or yourself into worse trouble, don’t move. Don’t go to Angel. Just stay right here until I get back.”

It destroyed him on the inside, Vox could see that. All he wanted to do was run over and check on his friend. But, thankfully, it seemed like he trusted Vox’s judgement enough to heed his warning. He stayed still, tail pulling between his legs as the surrounding employees just seemed to notice what was going on.

Vox gestured for Val to follow him to Angel’s dressing room. It was mostly soundproof, for obvious reasons, which made it ideal for what Vox had in mind. Val strolled in, but not before giving one last look between the two hotel mates. It made Angel’s skin crawl again.

“What is it, Vox? Can’t you see I’ve got things handled?”

Handled? That was what he counted as ‘handled’?

He slammed the door shut behind him, shocking Valentino.

“Oh, Val. What do you think you’re doing?”

Reflexively, the moth backed up a bit. His antenna flicked in alarm. Vox could be scary when he was angry. And when he was truly pissed?

“I was…I was…” The words seemed to die on his tongue for a moment. “I was securing an asset. I want Angel back and you’re getting too attached to that brat and-”

“You want Angel back?” His voice warped as he stepped too close to Val, where he had no room left to back up. “Is that really what you want?”

“Um…yes?” He sounded uncertain now.

Vox’s teeth bared too wide to seem friendly.

“No, Val.” He said, his voice coming back down. “You don’t want that.”

“Yes, I-!”

He grabbed his collar, pulling him down to Vox’s height for the time being.

“No, you don’t. You don’t want to force him back like that. You want to prove him right? That the only reason he is here was because he had to be? No. He should want to come back to you.” His harsh grip turned softer, claws combing through and dancing towards the line of his neck. Val gulped.

“You want him on his hands and knees. You want him begging to be back in your arms.” While his one hand teased, and plucked the first button off Valentino’s shirt, his other hand wrapped around. He dug into the flesh of his back, just by the base of his spine. Val squeaked and dragged himself closer.

“But…but the kid-”

He chuckled.

“Were you worried I forgot about you? You?” Vee tower was his plaything. It was all an extension of him. Like an arm, he could twitch the nerves to pull as he pleased. Holographic screens played across the walls. The whole room beamed with light, before flicking to different scenes.

Valentino posing for a shoot. Valentino with blood on his hands and fresh gun smoke in the air. Valentino stretched out across his lounge, counting his money. Valentino laid out on Vox’s sheets, inviting him over with a lick of the lips.

“You’re a star, Val. My star. You think there’s ever a moment I’m not watching you? You think that there’s another soul in this decrepit place as intoxicating as you?”

Valentino eating his chocolates a little too slow. Valentino ruthlessly tearing apart a rival. Valentino dancing around the room in the morning wearing Vox’s robes.

“There’s no one like you, Val. And there’s no one that can take my gaze off you.”

He pulled down, dragging him into a dip. Instinctively, Val’s legs flew up to wrap around Vox. His whole body shuttered with delight as poison dripped hungerly down his face.

“Oh, you’ve ruined me.” Valentino said, almost groaning. Vox knew he’d be thinking about this and only this for the rest of the day. His arms interlocked around Vox’s neck.

“Not yet. Maybe tonight. But I don’t want to hear any more nonsense about me not keeping my eyes on you.” Vox teased.

The way Val was looking at him now, the minute they started making out no other work would be achievable today. And, if Vox had it his way, Val wouldn’t be able to walk afterwards.

“Now, we really have to do something about yours and Angel’s new deal.”

“Oh, screw that. He can come back when he begs for it.”

That’s exactly what Vox wanted to hear.

…

Composing himself to look somewhat professional was harder than he expected. Val had messed up his jacket in his pursuit for purchase on his back. He’d also messed up his bowtie, something he’d unfortunately neglected to notice until after the kid gave him a funny look.

“Angelcakes, back to shooting.” Val directed with a wave of his cigarette.

Angel’s face dropped in panic.

“Val, the deal. What about our deal? You’re supposed to give the kid back!”

“Correction.” Vox interrupted. “The deal was if I found the kid, and I gave him to Val to give to you, then you’d come back to work, fulltime.” He went over the specifics with Val right before walking back in. He was a stickler for wording. “And I don’t feel like handing him over to anyone.”

He walked up behind the kid and, purposefully, put his hands on his shoulders a little tight.

“I think I’ll keep him.”

The spider’s eyes all focused on Vox, fury rising in his throat.

“You think that I’d just let that happen? Oh, Smiles has been wantin’ an excuse to knock your head off. Just wait till I tell ‘em.”

“Nobody is telling anyone, anything.” Val mentioned.

“Oh yeah?” Angel challenge back.

“Oh, yeah.” Val confirmed. “If you try anything, there won’t be a kid left to rescue, Angelcakes.”

The kid was being so well behaved, mouth zipped tight. Angel could assume from what Val said that Vox had his contract, and the kid’s attitude only played into it. Was it worth the risk of the kid getting his soul ripped apart?

Angel’s face fell.

Yeah, didn’t think so.

Then, surprising Vox, the kid ran over and grabbed Angel in a hug.

“It’s okay.” He swore. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”

A few tears slipped out Angel’s face, especially when they had to let go. Vox snapped his fingers, and the kid ran to his side again.

“We’re leaving.” He said. If Vel wanted him back, he could pick him up from Vox’s room again. Val blew him a kiss as they walked back into the lift.

When the doors closed, a weight pulled off his shoulders.

“Thank you.” The kid looked up at him, and odd truthfulness to his words that shook something in the core of Vox’s head.

“…for what?”

“For saving my friend. I’m not…it’s not worth the price he’d have to pay.” He pursed his lips. “And he never would’ve let me go unless you made him. So…thank you.”

Despite himself, a grin pressed to his face.

“I didn’t do it for him. Maybe I’m getting used to the annoying buzzing sound of your voice. It’d be a shame to get rid of it now.”

Oh, fuck me. The kid was happy now. Cuteness aggression was a bitch. He kinda felt like squeezing him until he popped.

“I like your voice too.”

He grabbed his muzzle and playfully closed it.

“Shut up, kid.”

Part 1/ Part 2/ Part 3/ Part 4/ Part 5/ Part 6/ Part 7/ Part 8/ Part 9/ Part 10

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