#edit: holy hell i think this breached containment a bit

[transformers-earthspark]

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Go to "Blog Settings" -> "Visibility" -> "Third-Party Sharing" and turn on "Prevent third-party sharing for [blog]". (This post shows how to do it on browser and on mobile.) You need to do this with every sideblog. (Note: The option in settings might not appear if your app hasn't updated yet. You can still opt out via browser.)

Spread the word. Everyone on Tumblr needs to know about this.

[tales-unique]

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S: SECURITY BREACH HEADCANONS FEAT CAT ANIMATRONIC READER Glamrock Montgomery Gator Edition

A/N: As previously stated, I split these headcanons up because they got way waaaaaaaay longer than expected! Please enjoy these Glamrock Monty headcanons There will be NSFW present in this list so MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

Glamrock Montgomery 'Monty' Gator:

INTRODUCTION

Lets just say that it was, in the loosest term of the word, an introduction.

Monty isn't exactly pleased to have yet another animatronic to compete with and it totally shows.

Fixes you with a harsh glare that sets you on edge.

You know how cats puff up when under threat?

Yeah that's you right now.

Monty doesn't even try to contain his laughter — you look like a pom-pom!

"What's the matter pussycat, did somethin' scare ya?"

Oh he isn't going to let you live this down.

Nor are you going to lose that nickname anytime soon either.

His blatant teasing earns him a laugh out of Roxy and a giggle from Chica but Freddy is quick to scold him for trying to embarrass you. It's your first time meeting them, he shouldn't be so mean!

Monty, true to form, doesn't hold back his fury at golden boy and ends up storming off before anything else can be said.

It was just harmless teasing! Why did he have to go and make it out to be a big problem?

You certainly don't follow Monty, but that doesn't mean you don't feel slightly bad that your first impression of him was, well, that.

ON THE CLOCK

Don't expect Monty to give you much, if any, attention while you're both working because that gator has little patience as it is and he isn't wasting any on you.

He doesn't expect you to give him the time of day either given that Freddy golden boy Fazbear is usually on hand to give you any assistance you need.

Why would you after how your first meeting with him went down? You likely think he’s a massive jerk anyway.

He may keep a sporadic eye on you, especially if you come to his golf course, and aside from the occasional remark he stays mostly to himself.

Unlike Freddy he won't intervene if there's an incident unless it's something serious, and even that's at a push.

You're an animatronic; you're supposed to be able to take a beating.

That being said, when he spots a group of older kids deliberately trying to break you, with Gator Golf clubs no less, he does stomp over to give them a verbal chewing out.

Sends them out with a day ban for their behaviour and a message to their parents.

Not on his golf course will they get away with that shit.

Monty will help you up, supporting you easily ( holy hell you’re really close to him and wow you feel soft, is that replica fur? It reminds him of Roxy’s hair, only shorter and— shit, stop! ) since he’s an animatronic and he’s strong, duh.

Quickly throws in a teasing remark about being a damsel in distress getting hounded by a bunch of kids to distract himself.

He doesn't find the way your ears press tight to your head as you shoot him a fiery glare cute.

And he definitely doesn't feel his internal systems run just that bit hotter when you flash him a kind smile regardless and thank him ( a genuine one to boot ) for helping you.

Hurriedly shoos you off when maintenance comes, talking about how he only did it because the other kids were watching.

“Yeah yeah whatever toots, just get outta here and get fixed!”

He keeps a better eye on you after that, just in case you need rescuing again of course.

Roxy is the only one brave enough to confront him when the gang catch him shooting daggers at anyone giving you a hard time when you’re around, especially in his own zones, causing him to get defensive.

There's no way in hell that he has a thing for you! Nope! Nada! Zilch!

Monty never was a good liar when it came to his feelings.

OFF THE CLOCK

At first you spend next to no time with him when the Mega Pizzaplex is closed for the night and everyone has gone home.

He never really spent much time with the others, often staying in his room or wandering the catwalks in Gator Golf.

Why would he bother when they don’t really want him there anyway?

He’s too angry, too unstable, so he understands, even if it does get under his skin scales.

The others have already gone off to do their own things except you and Freddy, the latter of which has your hand cupped in his own. (Platonically of course but Monty doesn't see it that way.)

AngryGator.png

Why does that damn bear always have better luck than him? It isn't fair!

He huffs and looks away when you notice that he’s still there, ready to just leave since it’s clear he’s not wanted.

Cue a look of shocked confusion when you’ve turned down Freddy’s invitation and run to catch up with his stomping pace.

Monty isn’t sure why you would want to be around him — surely you’ve heard all about his explosive temper, right? How he breaks the S.T.A.F.F. Bots that come into his room when he’s had a rough day? That the others are too scared to even speak to him half the time because they think he’s going to rip them to shreds?

He really can’t wrap his head around how you can look up at him and not see a rampaging beast; a monster.

True to form he glares down at you with narrowed, suspicious eyes, arms crossed tightly over his chest, and it’s only when you shrink a little under his gaze that he sees how imposing he is compared to you.

“The hell d’you want?” Charming as ever.

He’s hoping you’ll just leave him be so he can wallow in his isolation like he’s used to. Abrasive is safe in his books.

So Monty isn’t really sure what to say when you ask if he’d like to hang out with you, maybe in the arcade or a round or two in Fazer Blast? But only if he wants to!

You don’t want to pressure him, you just thought you’d ask.

The others ask him sometimes too, especially Freddy, but it never sounds as authentic as it does this time. Aren’t you worried he’ll get mad and break something — break you even?

Montgomery_Gator.exe has stopped working.

He snaps, quite literally, out of it when you gently nudge his arm.

You recoil back so sharply and suddenly at his low, guttural growl and flash of razor sharp teeth and claws that a pang of remorse flits across his circuitry.

You’re silent. He’s silent. This is awkward.

When this sort of thing happens he’s usually stalking away before anyone can actually say something and in the beginning that works. Freddy holds you back, telling you to let him simmer down.

Gator is so overstimulated by your authentic kindness that he needs to go punch the walls just to vent.

Eventually you start following after him, if only to apologize for overstepping his boundaries. He lets you stay longer and longer each time.

He isn’t used to someone being concerned about him like that so he brushes it off rather coldly at first. It's only after he realized that you actually mean what you say that he starts to try his best not to be so closed off around you.

You’re making the effort so he might as well try. What’s the worst that could happen? He actually makes a friend? Hell, he even starts to like ya?

The thought makes him vent steam like a train.

He never initiates, it’s always you, but he does leave hints; impatiently lingers around for you, waiting for you to catch on, claws clanking noisily on his arm. Huffs too, lots of huffing.

Definitely acts aloof and totally over it when you do invite him to hang out.

Is, in fact, not over it. Far from it. He's all over it, actually.

Poor guy really enjoys being around you and he doesn’t have a clue how to process that.

OH NO, HE DOES HAVE A CRUSH

The old adage that boys will pick on girls that they like very much applies here.

Monty will always have a teasing remark at the ready when he sees you, that is if he hasn’t already jumped out from behind a pillar or something to scare you.

Takes great pleasure in seeing you puff up and hiss at him, your tail standing to attention all fluffed up.

There’s times when he’s being playful and it’s all a joke and then there are the times where he’s doing it out of spite to work out his anger; it’s surprisingly easy to tell which is which since his body language is the easiest to read out of everyone.

At least he's consistent in the fact he's always doing something to you, even if it is annoying sometimes.

Plus he hasn’t actually injured you yet so that’s a bonus!

Not that he would ever intentionally hurt you. That is, well, it just wouldn’t be cool, would it? Pfft, not like he really cares though! Unless...?

Except if someone else decides to try and do it to you they’re in for a world of hurt.

"Hey! Don't you dare call them that!"

"B-but you just did!"

"Yeah, but you ain't me, are ya little guy?"

Gets in a lot more trouble than normal for telling off the kids because of it.

Security bot runs into you? Yeah, that thing is hurled into the nearest wall. Cleaning bot knocks you and the tray you're carrying over? Yep, it’s being torn to shreds!

It’s the only real tell that he has that tips the others off that maybe, just maybe, Monty may like you more than he’s letting on.

That and the way his tail sways from side to side ever so slightly when you’re talking to him. He almost got caught once when you laughed, really laughed, at one of his jokes and the metallic echo of his tail thumping the ground could be heard over everything.

Aggressively ( see violently in most cases ) overreacting to things that bother you seems to make sense to Monty when it comes to showing how he feels, since white hot rage is the only intense emotion he’s used too; it’s familiar and he understands it, even if he doesn’t always understand where it’s coming from or why.

After all, that’s what you do right? When you’re friends with someone? When you like someone? You protect them, right??

His heart is in the right place he just needs a little guidance.

So he finds it very confusing when you tell him that he doesn’t need to react so harshly over the littlest of things, but you make sure to tell him that you appreciate what he’s trying to do.

Tries to take what you’ve said and apply it but learning patience is hard when he’s always struggled with it. However with you helping him he feels like he could actually do it this time.

One on one time with you certainly doesn't make the growing feelings he has any less intense, in fact it’s making it worse.

So Monty does as he always does when he’s thrown off kilter ( and violence isn’t a valid option ) — he resorts to sarcasm and teasing remarks.

Only this time he lays it on real thick, invading your space and doing as much as he can get away with to get a rise out of you; he wants you to look at him, talk to him, hang out with him. It’s possessive and unhealthy, stemming from deep rooted hatred of being pushed aside and abandoned in favour of others.

It’s a good thing that you see him for what he really is — a passionate, talented animatronic who cares about others just as much as anyone else does, if not more so — and all that he has the potential to be. You're probably one of the only ones who does see it anymore.

It all comes out one night when he’s taken you up to one of his favourite spots; the catwalks above the Gator Golf courses.

Monty grabs your hand and twirls you around as you walk, playfully commenting on how small and sweet you are; easy pickings. He’ll run his claws through your fur, a dangerous taunt, that causes you to shiver and he’ll laugh all low and gruff, like gravel.

It’s like clockwork, really. You’ve come to expect his need to push your buttons; it's nice seeing his more playful side.

He’s real when he’s alone with you — no trace of the inferiority complex that plagues him.

But then things change and he goes off script; starts lingering in your space, closing the gap between you both with firm hands on your waist.

“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue, baby?”

You’re not pushing him away, not trying to escape, so that’s a good sign. Maybe he actually stands a chance to shoot his shot. Aim for that winners spot he's always wanted.

It gets even better when you tell him that nope, not a cat, but a gator sure has.

SurprisedGatorface.png

It’s the first time he’s been a stuttering mess and it wasn't caused by faulty wiring; he can tell you’re smug about it from your little grin.

You can tell he's happy from how his tail clangs loudly on the ground with each thump.

Now that's what he calls a hurricane hole in one.

BEING IN A RELATIONSHIP

Surprisingly his insecurities become worse when you first get together because Monty still believes that there's no valid reason you'd choose him.

This guy might seem like he's got confidence for days but in reality it's so fragile.

A definite fake it till you make it kinda gator.

So it takes a lot of patience on your end to get his pessimistic wiring to believe that he has you and he won't lose you just because you play a round of Mazercise with Freddy.

That doesn't mean he isn't over the moon that you're together though, he just can barely believe it.

Clingy but in that clueless I just need to be around you because I don't know what else to do when you're a couple kind of way. He's not quite sure what being with someone is like so he's winging it and you like being around each other so why not.

Monty does get more frustrated a lot quicker because of how little knowledge he has on this and even though he could benefit from advice he's reluctant to accept it. Especially from Freddy.

But once he does finally get the dynamic between you two? He's unstoppable.

True he isn't perfect but he's willing to learn anything and everything that it takes to be a good boyfriend ( oh shit he really likes the sound of that ) to you.

Pet names, pet names galore. Babe, baby darlin', pussycat, sugar, doll, kitty, princess/prince, , lil' lady/guy — the list never ends, but pussycat is his personal favourite since it's the first thing he called you outside of your name.

When I tell you that this guy flirts like a Greaser in the 50's oh my god.

Full on will come up and lay his arm over your shoulder, not giving any thought to what you're doing, and press a kiss to your cheek.

Tips his glasses down with a smirk and winks at you when you look up at him.

"Hey, how you doin' baby?"

Definitely will pick you up and haul you over his shoulder for fun, clap a hand on your ass for good measure.

Also likes to hold you so you're sitting in his bicep so he can show off just how strong he is.

Will immediately stop if you're not messing around and clinging onto him for fun. Lot's of apologies, cups your face, tells you shit, babe, I'm sorry, I'm real sorry!

Truly, honestly, hand on electronic heart does not give a single fuck about anyone else when you're in the vicinity ( except what his protocols and programming demand for humans, obviously ) because why would he when you're there??

Puts you on a pedestal because duh you deserve it! Also will actually put you on top of one if he can, unless you're really not a fan of heights.

His competitive streak just got a whole lot higher — for anyone that isn't you, of course. Monty is a show off by nature but now that he feels he needs to impress you it kicks into overdrive.

Luckily he simmers down fairly easily when you gently stroke under his chin and tell him that he's doing just fine, it's just a game. Lots of lovey dovey huffs and chuffs; he really likes it when you scratch there and, well, anywhere, but mostly there.

You can bet your sweet ass he will play the house down at the shows when you're in the audience, especially if you tell him how much you love his bass solos. He always invites you to come watch him practice, both on stage and in his room, and even will write new stuff just for you.

Monty will try to get you nice gifts from time to time but it's not a priority; he'd rather just spend quality time with you.

He did get one of those little plush dolls of you that they make of all the animatronics with the intention of giving it to you, but he ended up keeping it in his room. It sits next to his plush on his vanity.

Yeah Vanessa isn't even going to try telling him that he can't have you over for a sleepover, she'd sooner take on the trash compactor in a fight than him.

This pleases the gator greatly.

Monty will actually try to keep his room in working order for once since it's not romantic if you come over and there's debris and broken S.T.A.F.F Bots all over the place.

Not that you notice because alone time in his room often means hot and heavy make out sessions. Sorry, he doesn't make the rules.

[ NSFW ] SEXUAL ENDEAVORS

Limber up buttercup because Monty is going to give you the workout of a lifetime.

Monty will make it so you're nothing but a spent, limp noodle ( which is quite the feat given that you're animatronics made out of metal ) by the time he's done with you so don't expect to do anything for a while after.

Kinky, kinky gator! Hornier than the devil and hotter than hell; he's always running wild for you.

Pleasure is pleasure that's best shared together; a give and take kind of gator but he sure does love it when he's given a good and proper servicing, if you catch my drift.

Monty is a hot and heavy lover, but underneath all that handsy, fiery sex there's an undercurrent of intense, passionate love.

While he doesn't actively think about foreplay he does enjoy making a game out of the act and that gets you revved up just as good.

Hope you like oral because he is going to pin you down but your hips or your thighs and go to town on you, no ifs, ands, or buts.

"That's it sugar, tell me just how you like it, awh yeah there you go."

Definitely is the most experimental of the group; he wants to try anything and everything at least once with you so that every time is enjoyed to the max. However he will respect it if you adamantly refuse to do something.

Monty is a big dominant top beast in the sack, feral and predatory, until the first time you take over.

This gator is practically obsessed with control and being in control so getting him to relinquish it takes a lot of preparation and TLC but oh my god the first time he finally relented and let you take the reins and the pressure of performing was taken away? The pay off was so so worth it.

Have you ever seen a temperamental behemoth gator animatronic with anger issues melt into a chuffing, purring mess? Well, you have now.

It's unleashed a side of himself that Monty never even knew existed, or could exist, and he absolutely fucking loves it. He really enjoys being praised and taken care of, especially when you ride him.

Will absolutely consent to having his hands bound but don't be mad when he accidentally breaks free in his excitement.

Aftercare is somewhat awkward at first but he gets better over time. He really likes to just bask in the afterglow with you, when you're both panting, hot messes. Holds you close to his side, pressing his nose into your soft fur.

Love-bites, scratches, marks, and even some ( minor ) denting sends Monty's pride skyrocketing, whether they be on you or himself; relishes in the confusion it causes the maintenance staff — it's like an inside joke between the two of you.

Will feel just the tiniest bit disappointed when you come back all fixed but it's overshadowed by how much he cares about you in any state.

"Damn doll, look at you lookin' all pretty, all that for me?"

There might be ego involved but no one makes you feel as good about yourself as Monty does and you make sure to return the favour tenfold — you've got each others backs like that, always.

[fundeadasylum]

All the Silverware and Dishes are Poisoned

I am literally the worst for writing this.

Teslaverse. Definitely not canon. Alternate ending for the Severance Contingency thread. This is not a happy one shot.

Warning for suggestions of violence, gut spills, guilt trips, vivisections, and a slow spiral into madness.

EDIT: I wrote this five hundred years ago and I still hate myself for it. And for some reason you psychos wanted to see it, so here it is.

———

He tried keeping track of the days and he managed it for almost a month.

Then they did something and he lost heaven only knows how much time and after that he gave up and just let the hours pass.

They were much more careful with him this time. Maybe careful wasn’t the right word. They certainly didn’t treat him nicely but they didn’t treat him as a child either. He was an object to be contained and studied again. The thought chilled him to the core and made him feel sick.

When he ran screaming at the door, pounding and scratching at it, calling for his friends, they shackled him to the wall.

He had no idea where Simon was.

His mind unhelpfully provided him scenarios about just what they were probably doing to Simon.

He threw up against the wall until there was nothing left in his stomach and then dry heaved until he thought he’d choke to death.

****

He fought back when they came for him. He scratched and bit and hit and kicked anything he could reach. Then they tasered him and he woke up sore and teary-eyed strapped to a chair in that horrible, bright orange straight jacket.

They had to wait for him to calm down before they could get a word out of him.

“It was Agent Kass! He said—“

“We know what happened.” They interrupted him a lot, talked down to him. Dib didn’t think it was just because he was a kid, “What we want to know is where the scip you and your…associate stole is.”

They wanted Zim. Of course they did. Dib felt a flare of protective jealousy—Zim was his project—before he settled for glaring at them. Panic clawed at his chest and he couldn’t stop the quivers shaking his frame. There was no way to get out of this, not now. They’d be watching him too closely.

When they put him back in his cell, chained to the wall by his ankles and a length of steel cable, he shouted a swear word at the closed door.

Kass would have been proud.

****

“Pathetic.”

Dib jolted and stared around the room, eyes wide, chest heaving.

He could have sworn—

But no, that was silly.

He put his head back in his knees and closed his eyes again.

He tried to remember how to breathe.

****

The room looked smaller. He knew, rationally, that it was not. But it felt like every time he sucked in a breath, the walls moved in a little closer.

Dib held his breath to see if it would stop the walls from shrinking in on him. It didn’t work mostly because he couldn’t hold his breath from that long. He decided to stop looking at the walls and went back to trying to worm a finger under the cuff on his ankle. There was an itch under there that was driving him crazy.

“Oh yeah, I’m sure it’s only that driving you crazy. Just an itch you can’t scratch.”

Dib looked wildly around the room, panic making him shudder.

He’d heard it that time, he knew he had.

He knew that voice.

“I’m a little hurt, kid. I thought you’d be happier to hear from me. I mean, at least I’m someone to talk to, right?”

“No,” Dib blurted, eyes wide, still looking around for the source of the voice. A source he knew, he just knew, he wouldn’t find, “Because you’re not—you can’t be—you—we l-left you—“

“Left me out in the Void.” Future Dib’s voice finished for him. It was a sneer, a curl of disgust and hatred that made Dib flinch,

“I really should find a way to thank you for that.”

“N-no, no! You’re not really here! This is—this is some kind of trick!” Dib shouted at the ceiling, at the locked cell door, standing on a shaky soap box to try and convince himself, “Y-you guys think I’m gonna f-fall for your—your mind games!? Or whe-whatever! Not happening! Let me out of here! Let me go! LET ME OUT!”

“That’s funny,” Other Dib’s voice chuckled coldly from nowhere and everywhere at once,

“I said the same thing.”

****

“Where’s Simon?”

“—about where you’ve been these last few—“

“Where. Is. Simon.”

“—really don’t think you’re in any kind of position to be—“

“Where’s Simon!?”

“—if you don’t calm down, we’ll—“

“WHERE’S SIMON!? WHAT’VE YOU DONE WITH HIM!?”

“—containment breach! Just—“

“IF YOU’VE HURT HIM I’LL KEH—I’LL KILL YOU! WHERE IS HE!? WHERE’S SIMON!?”

“—someone get this kid under control—“

“—holy shit! He’s—“

“WHERE IS HE!? WHERE IS HE WHERE IS HE WHERE IS HE WHEREISHEWHEREIS—“

****

The new cell was smaller but the ceiling was higher. The walls were padded and there were cameras high up in every corner of the room. Dib tried to reach them but he kept falling and eventually decided it wasn’t worth the bruised tailbone.

He was no longer allowed out of the cell without a straight jacket.

It had been oddly satisfying to bite that agent hard enough to break skin.

“This is just rich.”

Dib flinched and backed up against the wall, gaze darting around the room. The tracking bracelet on his ankle rubbed his already raw skin. That had been added after the fifth escape attempt. Well, they called it an escape attempt, Dib called it trying to find Simon and get the fuck out of this place.

“Look at you, you’re a mess. See what happens when you don’t follow your destiny, kid? You should have listened to me. You should have become me.”

And there he was, lounging against the locked cell door as if this were a palace. That winning smile was a twisted sneer of victory, his arms crossed across his chest, head cocked at an angle that spoke of observation and scorn. The harsh lights of the room caught the blue of his goggles and splintered it.

Dib make a dry squawking sound and flatted himself against the wall. He wished he could sink through it.

The Other Dib, the one from that hoorible future, the one they’d left trapped in the Void, pushed himself off the door with his shoulder and walked slowly across the room. He owned the space he moved across, exuding an air of confidence that was nearly tangible. Dib wanted to be sick but all he could do was slide to the floor to try and keep as far away from his alternate future self as possible.

“Yh-you’re not real.” He said, trying to sound firm, trying to believe himself. Other Dib’s sneer widened, “You’re not real! They’re s-still trying to get information out of me! This is a trick! Where’s Simon you slimy bastards!”

Other Dib let out a low whistle, stopping a few feet from Dib, “Wow, what a potty mouth you’ve become. Picked that up from Agent Kass, did you? Hey, what happened to him anyway? He was tied up with you in that van, right? Do you think he’s dead? I bet he’s dead.”

Dib pressed his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut. He would not give in to their taunting. He was stronger than this! He would get out of here! He had to! He had to find Simon! He’d find Simon and they’d get out and they’d go back to 1 Tesla Drive and back to Dee and back to Mab and back to home cooked meals and Zim screaming at him. Back to adventures through fizzling portals and shady pasts, back to too many cans of Black Plasma and a fridge that stole eggs, back to ghost hunting shows hosted by idiots with fake equipment, inventions that half worked, the smell of sulphur and burnt wood.

Back home.

“I wanna go home…” Dib whimpered into his knees as he curled up, trying to shield himself from the Other Dib’s onslaught of verbal abuse, “I want to go home…”

****

Light in his eyes.

He squinted and half turned his head away.

Hands on him.

“Suh…”

“SCP-7772 is awake.”

“Sih…”

Something cold in his mouth. He spat it out instinctively. It was forcefully jammed back in and he realized dazedly it was a thermometer.

Why was it so hard to think straight?

“Temperature: normal. Heart rate: slower than normal but that might be the sedatives.”

“Si…”

Metal? Metal. Metal! There was metal!

He jerked. It held fast. A strangled sob shook his voice as he tried to speak,

“Si…mon…”

“Fuckin’ nutcase. Keeps crying.”

“It is a kid.”

“From another dimension, yeah.”

“Still human.”

“Apparently.”

“Simon…!” His voice was hoarse, shaking. Was he crying? What was happening? He felt sick, “Simon! Where’s S-Simon!?”

“Not this again…”

“Shit, kid’s like a broken record. First that Keter and then that humanoid with the weird heart.”

“Think it actually cares?”

“Simon! Simon! Where are you!? Sh-S—h-help! Somewh-one! Simon!”

“Someone shut it up before it gets hysterical.”

Ice. Thin. In his arm. Metal. Heard to breathe. Hard to think straight.

“Pathetic, really. Could have been something. Now look at you.”

“We should just put it out of it’s misery…”

“You almost sound like you give a shit.”

“Hey, bro, why’re you given up so easily?”

…Simon?

****

He tried keeping track of the days.

He tried making plans to escape.

Nothing stuck.

They started leaving the straight jacket on.

It was driving him crazy.

“Oh, is that really the only thing that’s driving you crazy?”

“Why didn’t you ever come find me?”

Other Dib was a regular. Dib had given up trying to get them to stop tormenting him with whatever they were putting in his cell to make him see these things.

Sometimes there was someone else.

Dib refused to look at them.

They had a gaping chest cavity and jagged cuts and there was something important missing from their dripping mass of internal organs.

He’d looked once.

They’d had to sedate him for a while.

“Hey Dib, when you get out do you think we could make a detour to look for my heart? I think they’re keeping it in a jar somewhere.”

He dry heaved on a painfully empty stomach and tried to remember how to breathe.

****

“I wonder if Dee’s okay…”

“She’s probably dead.”

“….nuh-uh. Mab woulda taken care of her when I never came back. Zim’s probably okay too.”

“Just keep telling yourself that.”

****

“I’m sorry, Simon…”

“That sure amounts to a lot, doesn’t it.”

“Who the hell are you talking to?”

****

“SCP-7772 is mentally degrading at an alarming rate.”

“You want to do something about that?”

Dib kicked his foot off the edge of the exam table so his tracking bracelet banged against the metal edge, glaring at the two men in the room with him. They were all talking about him like he wasn’t there, ignoring him, treating him like something inhuman and not worthy of their attention.

He could see Other Dib in the corner, leaning against the wall and sneering at the room as a whole.

“We’re supposed to keep going until we find out where SCP-7771A and B are.”

“Think it even knows what we’re talking about anymore…?”

“I’m right here, you know.” Dib spat, banging the tracking bracelet on the edge of the table again. It sent a jarring sensation through his leg to his bone, “You could just talk to me.”

They shared a significant look that made Dib’s mouth taste sour. In the corner of his eye, he saw a flicker of dripping red and a hole where a heart was supposed to be. He swallowed the churning in his stomach.

“All right, 7772. Where did you hide the Keter?”

Dib rolled his eyes, “Not tellin’. Besides, he’s probably not even there anymore so even if I did tell you, it’d be pointless.” He sagged back against the exam table, squirming in the straight jacket, “Why don’t you just ask Agent Kass, I bet he’d be more than happy to spill his guts.”

One of them laughed,

“He already did. They’re all over one of the basement containment cells. Amazing how much honey was inside him…”

Dib nearly fell off the exam table as he tried not to be sick. The men started laughing. Other Dib was laughing too.

It sounded like Simon might have been crying.

****

“I’m never getting out of here, am I?”

“Probably not.”

“Maybe if you tried a little harder, you could have saved us both, bro.”

“I…I’m going…to die here…”

“Now wouldn’t that be an ironic ending.”

****

He thought time was going in reverse.

Not going backwards but just. Not flowing the right way.

Because while the hours upon hours of interrogation and threats and physical pain seemed to drag, the time between them was endless. Nothing but limitless spans of time where nothing was happening. There was no one in the room except for him.

Well, him and those phantoms.

Always, always, always the mocking phantoms.

At least they were familiar.

****

The door to his cell was nearly ripped off it’s hinges by the force that threw it open. Dib watched it through a haze of sedatives as it bounced off the wall and nearly slammed shut again. He figured this was probably a dream of some kind, brought on by drugs and exhaustion.

Mab strode through the door, all fury and elegance, grace and danger, her hair wild about her in a cloud.

Oh yeah, definitely a dream. No way Mab would come to a Foundation site for him.

“Oh Dib…” Her had was warm on his cheek and he chuckled weakly. What a realistic dream this was, “I’m so sorry it took this long to get to you. But with only ZiM and I…”

“Wait until she finds out what you let happen to Simon.” Other Dib said in his ear, “Not that Simon didn’t deserve it, but I mean…”

“Hey! I did so not deserve this!” Simon had his hands on his hips behind Mab, scowling. Blood oozed with syrupy slowness over his fingers, “Sure, it’s Dib’s fault but I didn’t do anything wrong!”

Dib closed his eyes and ducked his head with a whimper.

“Dib? Look at me, please. We need to get out of here. It’s dangerous to stay.”

“Sah—Simon.” Dib wheezed into his chest.

A hesitation.

“I know, darling.” Mab swept him up into her arms and headed for the door, “I know. It will be all right. No one is angry with you. We will all be all right.”

****

There were scars.

Marks on wrists and ankles from struggling. Jagged lines from needles ripped harshly away. Raw red cuts never treated properly because someone had gotten mouthy. A sickening set of stitched together lines that no one talked about.

Those were nothing compared to what happened inside their heads.

****

He tried keeping track of the days.

It was easier when he could see the sun moving across the sky.

Mab helped. She helped them both. 

Simon didn’t move like he used to.

ZiM yelled a lot. That helped too, in a weird way. Dib thought ZiM was angry. He never asked.

Time felt like it was moving normally again.

None of them returned to 1 Tesla Drive.

They moved on. And closed the portal behind them.