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currentfandomkick · 4 years

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Why Marinette Hates Tim

Marinette blames Tim next summer for all that happened. Why? He cursed her with a vague theory. And Max and her Both know give her a clue and she has to follow it to solve the puzzle—a fatal flaw for her, Puzzler, Hero Stalker (Tim), Riddler and her father, Professor Strange (even if he is using an alias and supposedly dead as far as legal documents go).

Hero Staker Tim swore he’d become Robin if the current one left. It was a joke between them, she thought. Then he vanished the next summer, the first one where there wasnt any Robin mentioned anywhere. It was eery.

Then, then Timothy Drake, heir to some company-who looks a lot like her Hero Stalker—is a Wayne. And there’s a new Robin. This... deeply bothers Marinette. Why? New Robin seeks her out and talks a lot like Hero Stalker. And has a too similar movement pattern and tells.

And wasnt Hero Stalker Tim from a rich but high on neglient at best family? Didnt that happen to Timothy Drake before ending up as a Wayne?

Her that puzzle peice was central to figuring this out and goddamnit. Frost, who hates gossip, told her to just look up the rich families with kids Hero Stalker’s age and see who looked like him and to leave from to his lab and antidotes already.

Frost accidently gave her the vital method to see if Hero Stalker was that dumb to be become Robin after Robin the Second (Jason) was brutally murdered. The answer was yes.

And now Marinette had a crisis. She knew Batman’s identity was Bruce Wayne. How? Tim calls Bruce his dad. New Robin slipped and called him dad. And Tim is New Robin since Tim is Hero Stalker and no one else came close to looking like Hero Stalker from the data pool which involved more hacking than she ever thought she would do.

Marinette, a child, figured out who Batman was by age 9 becuase his new Robin/former Stalker was too obviously himself. She is embarrassed on his behalf, and honestly debates asking Riddler to separate him and Bats in a non-lethal puzzle trap just to lecture him. Becuase what the fuck Hero Stalker! If she can figure it out, then everyone else can too! Probably(?) likely. Either way its bad!

She doesnt though... Riddler puts together she’s concerned for the new Robin, traps Bats in a different puzzle maze from Robin, who is stuck with a grounded Marinette. Why was she grounded, easy. She got caught returning stolen jewlry on camera. It was punishment for failing basic stealth—always take out any witness.

And instead of pointing out she knows who Bats is, she tells him to work on a different persona since ‘i made you weeks ago. Its pretending to be someone you’re not completely is all. I have to do that around Maman and Papa all the time, and whenever i go out with anyone really. Up your secret identity game already!’

Riddler is busy with Bats and didnt do cameras. Why? “Im not redesiging a perfectly good grounding maze every time. They take time and i dint always have it. Its time economics Batman. I dont know what our lovely Princess said or did to your Robin. He’s fine though, see? No major injuries.”

Tim relized Marinette knew Hero Stalker was batman’s new Robin. This meant one thing—he could still help her and the RKC now! Why? He knew even if they made him out, they want to help people and never be like their parents, duh. And if they added to his budding information network with incredibly accurate information so long as he didnt rat them out to Batman, its fine.

Afterall, Pixie Pop wants to help poeple and is working the rouges into vigilantes to help more than hurt, and is doing a great job of it for the most part. So if Pixie Pop is Princess who’s the maybe kryptonian and her powers align with that theory, so what? Superman has an heir already and a bio!son too, apparently. Lois didnt tell him since they werent together then and yeah. So really, Superman didnt need another kid, and Pixie Pop didnt want another dad—“i have Papa and Father and now four of my friends’ dads in Paris called dibs on partial custody. I have more dads than i need for a quartet. That is far too many dads and i refuse to get another one!”

Then Marinette is talking to Alix and finds out about an old director at the Lourve her dad knew, Diana Prince. Marinette was working on a Wonder Woman inspired outfit, and knew her history of Wonder Woman thank you. Its just...

Wonder Woman appeared just after Miss Prince Left. And from the videos Alix sent of her new hero, she was terrifyingly similar to Wonder Woman. Not only did they look alike and have the same hair style preference, it was the same face if she did facial recognition with Markov, her robot son with Max. Then there was gait, generao stances and how she interacted with men and women so differently as both people and damnit. Same person.

She curses Hero Staker Tim for this. She now has to hide two hero identities. Why her?

The third was debatably Ivy and Harley’s fault, but defiantely still Tim’s. Why? He was the one that got her hooked on Barry Allen’s cases, and pointing out that he didnt see meta as bad or evil but as people who can be good or be civilians peacefully. That, she needed that with how much vitrol she had to swallow about her powers indirectly from everywhere but her school and some parts of Gotham.

In her defense, she is a nerd here. A nerd. So realizing the The Flash is also the forensics guy from Central City that she kinda follows on all her social medias, watches the cases of unfold, and knows has a reputation for being late a lot like her but is still well liked. So she may fangirl about his cases with Hero Stalker erm. Tim now, still.

And if one day she managed to pout at her father enough to get him to agree to let her go with Harley and Ivy to Central City for a few days to see the meta museum they just opened up (technically the Flash Museum, but Marinette didn’t care. It was focused on metas not being horrible and that meant a lot to her scared, meta closeted butt).

And then her favorite forensic investigator, The Barry Allen, shows up? Best day ever. He’s nice! And concerned about how much of his cases she knows. Its not her fault this time though! Hero Stalker—Tim—sent her a case of his that went cold and she liked his science and yeah. New hero added to her listpersonal heroes list.

Harley isn’t even mad, just amused as Marinette fangirls over someone that isnt her and Barry has no clue how to respond as a tiny child know him as Barry Allen and thinks he’s awesome? Why?? He is happy but so confused and Iris is dying until Marinette cites cases that she shouldnt know about and tiny child why, how, when and where did you get that information!

The only answer is a friend likes cold cases and has no qualms hacking to find interesting ones, if he’s stumped then Marinette (Jill Smith mr. allen sir!) gets to try. And she is good at it since she can ask an officer in France (officer Raincomprix) about logistical things, common error margins and then puzzle it all out herself from there.

Somewhere she mentions absently that her mom doesnt like her science-y side since her dad was a bad person and liked science but she still likes learning and helping, even if the family buisness is food and service and they want her to either take over or become a designer. She’s thinking maybe for people woth disabilites so she can do more mental work and toy with hiw things bend and move and such.

Iris and Barry are ConcernedTM and debating how to get custody, or get her away from her mom or both. Probably both—no science allowed for a clear science obssessed kid is a red flag for bith of them that somethinf is very wrong. Harley and Ivy wave it off as “trust us, her mom aint budging.”

then the Flash is needed because of some gorilla—Marinette was more focused on an outfit on display and muttering over aerodynamics and friction. Barry is Concerned (smart kid, likes helping, potentially a league ally?) before he bolts, determined to get more on her when he returns and possibly see if he can get cps involved.

Marinette only notices that her hero moving so fast and oh god she did it again damnit! That was superspeed. And only one speedster had similiar measurements, the Flash.

She cant even tell Hero Stalker now because he’s Robin and the Justice League would Flip if they knew she knew 3 of their hero’s identities. She just hit her head and said “i did it again!” Harley pats her head while Marinette burrows into her because why is she a danger to the Justice League and secret identities! She doesnt want to be or to know damnit!

Tim sneezes in the distance and wonders who’s talking about him behind his back this time. He messages batgirl about this bad feeling he has and she laughs it off as the boy developing Batman’s paranoia.

Her Fourth solve was Green Arrow. It was an accident! She swears. She just saw oliver queen with a bow and arrow in a video shooting. and noticed he had a very distinct and familiar style to someone but not who. Then compared it to various archers as her brain was nagging. Then saw a green arrow video and cursed herself again then Tim five more times.

She sent a message to Rose asking why she’s a danger to all secret identities. Rose tells her it is her curse for being too damn smart and not leaving things alone.

Marinette tries reallly hard not to figure out the next one. But really, it should have been an earlier solve and she’s mad at herself for missing it for so long, even if it was more aviodance than denial.

Admittedly this one should have been an earlier solve, but she was very little when she found out about the surgery and everything and it was uncomfortable damnit! So she did what any reasonable child would. Ignore it. Then she went over the file to see if maybe she could possibly target parts of the kyptonian DNA in her to weaken it. And saw who the intended donor was, Clark Kent, a reporter that has impossible luck with big hero scoops, is never injured or rescued, and never been sick. He also looks like... one quick photoshop of his glasses onto superman with a clothing change and she sees her usual disguise technique on goddamn superman. She is overwhelmed with this as ‘oh god superman will kidnap me if he finds out!’ And hides from him whenever he’s in the region—be it France or Gotham.

Her friends think its hilarious, Marinette feels sick from it. She doesnt like this and is genuinely scared for her life and family’s safety now. And we all know how nervous marinettes are.

If at one point batman tried to talk to her on patrol and somewhat suceeded. As in, she spoke beofre bolting.

“I didnt figure out who boyscout and amazon and boltbrain and arrowhead are! Or you and the batfam! Bye!!!!” Yes, clearly Marinette can lie very well.

Batman sees through it and feels sick. He forces a league meeting asap and fills them in.

“this kid put five of our identities together and cant even lie. We need to recruit them.”

“Batman, is this that kid KF mentioned to me?”

Batman nodded. Flash sighed. “Okay. We are on a manhunt for a kid kyptonian that is terrified of all of us, very smart, and may have an active gotham villain as a parent. And somehow knows me and—wait. bats, do you have any pics of your rogues in civilian clothing? I need to test a theory...”

A few minutes later and “oh my god that little kid i met as a civilian figured me out!”

A few days later Flash finds her by acccident as a civilian kid in broad daylight on her own in Central. He doesnt show he knows she knows, And finds out she’s waiting for her babysitter to finish a class.

Flash just asks about a case he put together as Barry Allen that she might know about and...

“Uh, mr. Flash? Why are you asking me? The lead florensics was Barry Allen.”

He tries insulting Barry Allen—he’s late and sloppy and—

only for Marinette to defend him to the death. “He’s late because he stays up late working on other cases. Appearances and organizational skills arent what matters with his expertise mr. flash! He even foghts for metas to have their circumstances and powers impact on them considered dueing sentencing!”

Flash is very touched and shocked. only then he manages to get out of her that where she lives (france) being meta is a life sentence to “a living zombie And jail-time for being born a lot, even if it is t in normal prisons. And you know what? Mr. Allen stated so many times that you need to contextualize powers and abilities and intent in his testimonies for meta cases. Back home youre put in prison for defending yourself...” she tugs at her sleeve here.

“Maman screamed at me when she found out a few kids were getting stalked and i helped out and someone got it on tape. Not becuase my powers showed or anything—father made a treatment so they dont, well, they stay off when i use them and follow all the behavior and environmental rules so they cant put me in one of the centers. But she, she’s stills cared someone will try to check me for abilities back in France, and that she’ll lose me. She doesnt always realize i have them until things like that happen...”

Flash is desperately trying not to adopt her. Wally would love a little sister, and Superman has enoguh kids, Bats does too. he is oreventing arrow form having another one as she’s powered and that isnt a good when working with Green Arrow unless the meta is his girlfriend. And the girl loves science—come on!

batman, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman and Superman heard the Feance bit over comms and suddenly it hit them that the kid could be in danger for existing and that an entire country villified being meta to an extreme. That the girl is in hiding and probably using an alias constantly. Batman mentally adopted her ages ago and is now in Worried Dad mode like Flash and apparently Superman was falling into it too. Wonder Woman is in righteous rage mode and ready to fight france herself if she has to—no imprisoning metas for being metas!

Flash decided to be direct since he knew she trusted him as Mr. Allen and knows he’s Flash.“So, am i allowed to know which powers you have?”

Marinette shook her head, visbily distressed and floating skightly. “If, if they ever find out i cant. I cant risk Maman and Papa and Father. I dont know everything but Father only started being a good person after the, the incident where he had to go into witness protection. Maman is dead as far as a lot of people are concerned, or she never existed. Papa doesnt know about any of it. I cant. I cant risk what they worked for by being outted.”

Flash is very concerned. “Thats a lot of pressure to put in yourself, especially at your age.”

marinette didnt make eye contact then. “I have to. If i dont people can connect dots and dashes and blips. Father says its easy for him too and that possibilities are just what we’re both hardwired for but. But i shouldn’t catch as many as i do—my teachers keep saying i need to dial it back and stop catching on so fast and blurting it all out but, i just...” marientte is visibly drowning under the pressure to act not-meta and keep her family safe.

“Sounds like youre a real smart kid.”

“Smart kids dont get caught.” She meant herself with her jewlry returns, Flash thought she meant the JL, and tried to redirect the conversation.

If the JL was out then...

“If you cant tell me, can you at least tell me you have someone to talk to about these things?”

“Auntie Quinn and Rose. Rose doesnt like you guys though.”

Flash laughed a little at that. “Alright, fair enough. Who made her mad? Was it arrow?”

“Batman.” Marinette frowning as she said the enxt bit. “Something about her being given to someone that should never be allowed bear children? She rants a lot so i cant always keep up.”

Batman internally bangs his head against a table. Outwardly, he says “Ivy’s daughter, rose. That girl, she’s the Princess.”

The assemebled winced. They all pushed for Rose to be sent toback to her mother, Ivy, since they didnt trust her with any available mentor and Ivy was usually a low ranking Gotham eco-terrorist pacified by wayne gardens and green initiatives. Apprently Rose has a lot of sway over the Princess too.

Marinette changes the conversation while. Waiting for her babysitter, Ghoul, to leave class. She needs a distraction from her situation that the Flash was willing to give her.

“Can i look at the case again? Something doesnt add up... there! See? Its close to the Speedsters that leave marks at those angles but only if they really mess with the speed force and the spacetime continuum! But theres no evidence of that, its a lightning meta, Possibly using it to teleport since no one came in or out on camera. Its a slight angle and all but...”

Flash decides Marinette will join the Justice League one day or so help him! He also decides to target france’s anti-meta policies and possibly kidnap Marinette.

The League isnt letting him. But he has a fan of Barry Allen who is handling Gotham’s criminals and beign given slack by them... albeit also raised by in-part. But the girl has a strong moral compass that is a lot like most of League’s so.

He’s fighting Bats for custody on principle. His fangirl, he has dibs!

Dont know why it ended up with Flash becoming a ‘Marinette is my daughter now’ person but why not? Wally would like her as a sister, probably.

Marinette blames all of this and the future consequences on Tim. She hates her vanishing freind for this.

#maribat #bio!dad au #bio!dad strange #marinette strange dupain cheng #accidental secret identity solves #my au #my ideas #justice league is trying to get mari and there will be a custody battle #not just between heroes and rogues #but each other becuase yep. too many claims #wait until she gets tikki and diana throws her hat into the mentor ring

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justboringtextposts · 3 years

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People who have never experienced clinical depression just don’t fucking get it.

And that’s why they’re surprised when people die.

It is not just being a little sad. It’s not even being really sad. It’s being so sad that you don’t want to be alive anymore.

They said “He told me he was really struggling with depression, but I thought he was dealing with it okay. Or I thought he was coping. I never thought he’d do this..blah blah blah.”

When someone says “I am struggling with depression” what that really means is “I’m not sure I want to live anymore.” That is how you should interpret it.

At least in my opinion that’s what it is. For me that’s what it means.

I don’t go try to get meds adjusted or let on in any way to my friends and family that I am down until it gets to that point. Until I am having suicidal thoughts every day, multiple times a day.

Maybe it’s different for others, but considering the amount of people who kill themselves I doubt it.

And I’m not trying to blame anyone. It is no adult’s responsibility to save another adult. I expect that no more than I would expect you to cure your friend/spouse/whatever’s cancer. Once you are an adult, nobody owes you that.

But I guess the difference is that it’s physically impossible for you to keep cancer from killing your friend, but it’s actually possible to keep your suicidal friend alive if you want it badly enough.

But it’s not your responsibility.

But you also don’t get to be surprised by it anymore than you get to be surprised when someone with cancer dies. In either case a person has died from an illness that we know can be fatal. Yes, depression can be a fatal disease.

So when they say they are suffering from clinical depression that means that they are telling you that they have a potentially fatal illness. What you do with that information is entirely up to you, but you can’t say later that you’re shocked because nobody told you this was a possibility.

And yeah I know that it’s certainly less fatal than many other diseases. And I don’t know the exact percentages, I’m sure no one does because it’s not easy to collect those statistics.

But you shouldn’t be surprised. And again, I’m not saying you should have done something. You were too caught up in your own problems which may have been just as bad and even if they weren’t that bad they were YOUR problems and you have the right to, in fact you probably should, put your own needs before anyone else’s.

I don’t expect anyone else to save me. I don’t want to be a burden to anyone at all. At all. And that’s why I’ve been hiding that it’s coming back for years now. Not perfectly, but doing a decent job I think. I only admitted it a few months ago because it had gotten so bad I could no longer hide it. I didn’t want to admit it. I still tried to downplay it. Just casually saying, “I’ve actually been really depressed.” or “I don’t think my meds are working anymore.”

I am not your responsibility. I do not want to be a burden. I know that this is my problem, not yours, and I don’t expect you to solve it for me. As a matter of fact I’m not sure I could live with the guilt I would feel at how much of a burden I was being if I ever got that kind of help from someone.

I think that’s how all people with major depression feel. It’s extremely hard for me to go a doctor and be honest about how bad this mental illness is and please could they give me some medication that might save my life. It’s extremely hard for me to be honest with my therapist. But that’s the only way I have of getting treatment. So we don’t get treatment or we don’t get the right treatment because we couldn’t be honest about how bad it really is.

It’s not like any other disease where they can do a blood test or run you through an x-ray machine and have the data, the diagnostic proof, come out the other end. “Oh yes, people who have this result on this test are 100x times more likely to kill themselves than others, clearly there is something wrong with their brain.”

No, I have to go and tell them about something I’m ashamed of having. I feel like the hoarder who has to let normal people come into their house and look around and say things like “how could you live like this?”, “you know this is not even remotely normal, right?”, “how can you stand this?”, and “Why? What made you like this? Why? Why? Why?”

And that is the only way for those people to get help. The only way is for them to let someone come in and see all these things that they are ashamed of.

Why are we ashamed of our depression? Because so many people don’t think it’s real and that this is just who we are. This is just our personality. And fuck, we don’t have any evidence to prove otherwise, so we don’t know what to believe. Some tell us it’s just our personality, others say it’s a disease like any other...we don’t know what to believe.

It wasn’t until a few months into taking the medication that finally worked for me 8 years ago that I started to believe that maybe, just maybe, this illness wasn’t all my fault. Because I couldn’t deny the impact the medication had made on my life. It was real. It was tangible. Things like “I don’t spend 5 hours crying a week anymore” and “I haven’t thought that I wish I was dead in 2 weeks”.

Since then I’ve mostly believed that this was a real disease. A disease that there was a treatment for. That refusing to get treatment was as stupid as a diabetic not taking insulin. So I try to think of it that way. Try not be ashamed. Not to see as my fault. Not to believe it’s just my personality or my mental weakness, unable to handle the challenges of life like others can.

But the fact remains that we still don’t have any proof, any definitive, scientific means of diagnosing it or explaining it. Which means that the possibility remains...maybe the impressive results of the meds are just the placebo effect. Maybe this is just who I am. And so I’m ashamed.

I’m ashamed to go and tell people that life doesn’t feel worth living.

And it’s hard enough to get treatment for a disease which nobody is ever blamed for, like cancer. It still fucking sucks to have an illness that might kill you. But add on top of that that you have disease which you’re ashamed of. And the only way to get help is to tell people that you have it and tell them how badly you have it and you can’t prove it and you can’t be 100% sure but you think it might kill you so you’re here trying to save your own life.

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waldos-writing · 7 years

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The Dig Initiative: Chapter 23

The Log of Dr. Fletcher

Internal Registry: Dr. Melissa Fletcher, PhD in Neuroscience 2032, Psychiatry in 2032, subseciality clinical neurophysiology from 2032-2035, general practice 2036-2046; moved to Hope General Care in 2044.

Brought in as a consultant for Montemille trials, 03.10.2044. Per her mentor, Dr. Yorick Juliens:

…if, on record, I would admit that Dr. Fletcher would be a keen eye for clinical trial 212. She has an unwavering patience and an inhuman amount of decency for these individuals, which would be seen as a weakness except for her work with interrogation and integration. Her open kindness, while an asset to help control and/or console the individuals, has so far not deterred her from what is necessary to see the trial moved forward to the potentially fatal step in our procedure. She knows what is at stake. And she is comfortable with the knowledge that this is going to help people in the future. We are close to successful turnover, and I believe moving from NVRA to NARA will be successful. I would gladly have Melissa on my team.

Fletcher joined in the second round of NARA pre-trials at Montemille facility in 2035. Charged with seventeen of the sixty patients who had survived the first neurological enhancement drug testing led two sessions of augmented reality simulation with the prototype WsTWD, precursor to the eventual Westwood Trial simulator.

NARA pre-trial, WsTWD session 02 with Subjects 01, 09, 22:

Per protocol, Subject 12 has been moved to quarantine. Has started the fever stage. Talk to Dr. Juliens tomorrow about reworking the serum to account high protein concentrations in blood samples. Still having trouble with calcium in urine samples. Josh tells me not to beg. WsTWD session 02 ‘REFORMATIVE DREAM.’ Add to the atmosphere as we introduce them to the test.

Subject 09 and 22 have grade F sedative patches. Is this a Band-Aid solution to keeping them viable after the inevitable? Cold transfusion slowed it down last night, maybe we make it past 48 hours. Izzie had a seizure before the ice bath. Not sure if she will be available for the third session.

Subject 01 has been the most resilient patient in the program. He is perceptive, attentive to instructions by myself and the staff, and eager to please. We just might see our efforts brought to fruition. High hopes. One concern, have to discuss with Josh. While all patients in the program suffer from a wide range of psychosis, Subject 01 hasn’t shown improvement with counseling. Dramatic sociopath personality disorder. Boasts first that he was the second Jesus come, that he was the only messiah of God, and finally that he was God himself and we would all fall at his feet when he was given into his natural powers. Histrionic, narcissistic. Not my first choice. Believe he even stole status as Subject 01 from a John Doe. Research still needed. Concerns of sadism towards Subjects 10, 13, and 19 [note: 10 history of self-destructive behavior must be ruled out). Charmer. Compare to session 01 notes with Josh. Don’t let him play you.

Hypothesis on NARA restructure with scans of Subject 01 CT scan and MRI:

Intent on continuing with the remaining subjects. We’re going to session 3 following track of Subject 01 and Dr. Grailee’s Subject 47. ‘THE PATH.’ How many times….Talked to Juliens. Josh let go. Can’t get a hold of him outside the office. Check for his address. NARA is augmenting the damaged areas. Needs severely underdeveloped frontal cortex to avoid rapid overexpansion. Great news, obviously, for the initial purpose of the clinical trials, but I believe Juliens and his team have ideas for something else. Fever everyone has exhibited is the body fighting off a wildfire tearing through their brain. Whatever the reason, these are the ones who can survive it. Regrowth. Not regrowth, rebuilding. More accurately, freshly building segments of the brain that did not exist before. Maybe we can figure out how to alter this to repair damaged brain tissue.

Strange aura present in the MRI scan. Also, check on the anomaly in Subject 31. According to records, Subject 31 should not have survived NARA injection. Too much healthy tissue. Appears to have been chemically lobotomized. Muscular hypertrophy symptom adverse event. Subject 47 no longer suffering auditory hallucinations but emotional response shutting down. Subject 01 is playing off of her. They’ve made themselves a pair. We are getting close. I’m just not sure to what.

Note from Dr. Juliens dated 10.11.44:

Pulling Melissa off the project. Send her credentials on to Hildebard. Maybe Hope Center will take her. Move forward with the partnerships. Serum for 01-47.

Locke Security Clearance 6

Fletcher, Melissa. Processed through ALTAMIRA 11.14.46. Holding cell standard, order of Lawrence DuVang. Retrieval by Domestic Division Agents Shutters and Poole. Commendation and 3% increase bonus pay. –Check your paystub, think Brandley shorted us, S.

Altamira Data: audio recording with Agent Shutters and Fletcher, dated 01.01.47:

Shutters: Well, Happy New Year! What a surprise. Don’t know if they brought you the champagne I asked. Probably not. Is that the food ration? Mm. Supposed to be that gray, you think? Listen, I won’t argue the validity of that, but, hey, eat what you eat and be pleased it’s there, I guess. How are you liking the place? It’s nice enough, you know? I thought, given your history, you’d rather like working here. Got yourself a whole crew of people under your belt, if you took it. And now, you seen those machines? Way better contact and readout for the trials. I’ve seen the old equipment you guys used to use in Montemille for Westwood? Barbaric! This scanner they have in there is eons better than the old one. So, why do you keep pulling this self-pitying routine like it’s your only saving grace?

Fletcher: I’m not going to be harassed back into this. Is Juliens out there?

Shutters: Don’t know anybody by that name, but it’s not my place, you know. Not my deal. I got my own to beck and call and serve and all, so, you know. Names. Pfft. No, now listen. Please.

[A sigh on the recording, followed by silence].

Shutters: This is between you and me. I don’t know when you walk out of here or if you walk out of here again, but I have questions too, and maybe you’re the only one who has the answers that’s willing to share them with me.

Fletcher: Why would I?

Shutters: Kindness of your heart. Human decency. I don’t know what gets your tinker toys going, just do this for me.

Fletcher: I’m not—!

[Muffled audio, sharp bang of something striking the wall]

Shutters: Just. Listen.

Fletcher: Stay back

Shutters: First thing is I saw your log on the original trials. You had your hand on Subject 01, right? Bonafide numero uno. Our progenitor, right? Cause I can’t tap my finger on who that is, but they’d have to be high up, wouldn’t they? Second things not adding and multiplying is that it ain’t Lawrence DuVang, I can say that plain as day and be right as rain. Man doesn’t have a talented bone in his body. And if that man did get through it all spiffed up and shiny clean…I don’t know. It doesn’t feel right. I don’t…. Who’s Subject 01?

Fletcher: That was so long ago.

Shutters: Wasn’t really.

Fletcher: And I wasn’t the only one there.

Shutters: Only one left I can find.

Fletcher: I don’t even remember who…?

Shutters: Right, you see? You see, I’ve been reading up on this. Swiped myself a good access badge too. Oh I like hunting and finding things, always have, always did, always will. And what I can say is I’ve learned a few things. Things like how they started with the injections but they’re moving on up to this aerosol deliverable type deal originally used on children, can you even believe that? Something in the file about oracles. Don’t ask me what it is, I don’t know. The CM I pulled it out of didn’t know either and, wouldn’t you know it, I still ended up killing him and his augmenter because they just blab to anyone who asks the right way. Can you believe? Well, now they got this plan to go through and disperse it through the CleanAire towers filtration. What a crazy crock that is, isn’t it? Ah, I don’t think I mind as much as I’m saying I mind, more for show than tell. Maybe it’d be good, we get all the turnovers out of the way and, poof, wipe out anyone who doesn’t have that space in their heads to complete it, right? But, see, then aren’t we just giving the gift to people who haven’t been introduced to the program correctly?

Fletcher: They’re going to infect everyone?

Shutters: Right. Heights is our big trial. I think they’re going to take this show on the road, though. Air. All of us have to breath it. Seems like Subject 01 doesn’t even care if he bulldozes right over everyone, and I didn’t think I did either, but I keep imagining if they do this, we’re either outnumbered by the wild ones or we drop the population too low and maybe then we really are out of luck. Plus, I mean, what’s that thing they said about the kids? Child plasticity is great, but for some reason or another it doesn’t stick. You hear about all the littles they killed? Almost 100%. That’s just cruel to be cruel at this point, and I know that. I am right there on the money with that. So they kill too many adults and all the little kiddies. All them dead bodies everywhere. It’s gonna be rotten as hell, can’t you think? Imagine it.

Fletcher: He’s insane.

Shutters: Me?

Fletcher: Yeah, you too.

Shutters: Course he is. Course I am. Had to be. Said so right in the notes, damaged tissue or underdeveloped areas. Big old spaces in the head to make room. But, thing is, whatever all that happened happened, but maybe we don’t let the biggest and craziest of them try and Armageddon us off this rock.

Fletcher: Do you think you can stop him?

Shutters: Well, it’ll take a bit. I’ve gotta get myself a new partner first. The big guy I paired with is dumber than a sock of stones, or whatever it is. I’d do him a disservice not to tap his brain and make him a White Jacket, you know? I’ll get him moved over, if I can. I don’t even really know, ha ha, I don’t know if you can make the jump. Ha! Might just kill him anyways! Oh, Poole, you sonovabitch, I’m…. I’m getting ahead of myself. Just give over the name, let me see what I can pull and I’ll keep you updated. What are you going to do anyways? Leave? Ha ha ha ha—

Fletcher: Diggs. His name was Diggs.

Shutters: Hmm? Diggs. Mmm. Mmmmmmmmmm. Well, look, I don’t have a leg on it yet, but I will. And I’ll let you know what I have when I can. You sit pretty, Pretty. I’ll be seeing you again.

-End Recording-

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#The Dig Initiative #writing #prose #novel #self publishing #this one is formatted wrong #but it's all I can do in Tumblr so

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