#fusionfall fic

[edorazzi]

Lil bit of comfort art! Invisible Sun by lightning_bird on AO3 (@elecktrum on Tumblr) is one of my top emotional support fanworks. I come back to the series every few years and fall in love all over again! 😭

#powerpuff girls #dexter's laboratory #fusionfall #cartoon network #blossom utonium #bubbles utonium #buttercup utonium #professor utonium #patrick utonium collects additional children using the purest dad energy: the series #caught myself wondering what dexter's surname is when OBVIOUSLY it's utonium. who cares what it was before these guys got him #also i would link the fic but i think tumblr dot hell is still weird about anything leading outside the website :/ #josie's art

[mrenickma]

Chapter 1 of my Cartoon Network: Fusionfall fic is now LIVE!!

#cartoon network universe #fusionfall #dexters laboratory #powerpuffgirls #ben 10 #samurai jack #megas xlr #kids next door #my fanfiction #crossover fic

[the-13th-rose]

Fusion Demongo

“Do you hear me, fools?! Your pathetic little resistance is only prolonging the inevitable! Your souls belong to me, and this world belongs to Fuse!”

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 6 / 7  (original inaccessible)/ 8  (original inaccessible)/ 9

#roseboard #mongopost #hhhh fusionfall fic when @ me

[ballerinapriincess]

Fics from the Flower Inventory ;

;; Sorry for the lack of activity these past months! I've been dealing with some stuff IRL that has consumed my attention.

;; In celebration of completing my Rainbow Garden in Animal Crossing and the 10th Anniversary of this blog, I thought it was time to unearth some fics I drafted on Google Docs some years ago, under a document I used to list hybrid flowers I was breeding in Animal Crossing, dating back to 2021.

As someone who has Dyslexia, it was more comfortable to write these as drabbles, or ficlets. The Flower Inventory Series contains 3 FusionFall ficlets, testing two styles of writing. They're currently undergoing revisions to make sure the writing flows and the tone holds. The fics will be linked below as they are posted.

🌸 Flower Inventory, p. 1 A DeeDark drabble in third person, describing the end of the day at Mandark Industries.

🌸 Flower Inventory, p. 3 A DeeDark drabble also describing the end of the day at Mandark Industries, but from Mandark's perspective. Written last, but posted second for continuity.

🌸 Flower Inventory, p. 2 A third person drabble describing a day in Dee Dee's life as a "Hero". Posted last as it is still under review.

Special thanks to everyone that helped me proof these! See you next week!

#;; Hiiii!!! #✿ 。° :: { out of character ; } #DeeDark #Dee Dee #Mandark #FusionFall #The Flower Inventory #;; I was originally going to post them on AO//3 but when I received my Invite I found out the page was run by Z//on//st sympathizers #;; so they'll go on Tumblr #Hiatus Adventures

[elecktrum]

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

From the fic writer ask!

Hmm . . . quite a fun question!

For my Chronicles of Narnia fics, I'd recommend Into the West. It's very Peter-centric, but has lots of drama and adventure and angst. If Edmund is your preferred king, go with Black Dwarfs, Blue River. The snark and sarcasm flies far and fast as Edmund works to win over a clan of Black Dwarfs who want very little to do with this annoying human boy who shows up and won't go away, so of course they adopt him but don't bother to tell him.

For FusionFall, I'm torn between Invisible Sun and A Time for Heroes. Invisible Sun deals with Dexter learning how to be part of a found family (while dodging ranks of villains from Townsville, charming the Powerpuff Girls, and turning physics on its ear). A Time for Heroes deals with Dexter learning how to be a friend, specifically with Ben Tennyson, who won't take no for an answer. For an added bonus, the Fusion Dexter makes his debut, and the Kids Next Door kick some serious butt and blow stuff up.

And for Final Space, I have to go with Kalibar. Yes, it's a long beast, with time travel and an accidental marriage among other things. But it's got drama and romance and gobs of action, and it sets the pace for my take on the Final Space universe. Plus, Avocato goes absolutely feral at one point.

#fanfic #chronicles of narnia #fusionfall #fusion fall #final space #avocato #dexter's lab #code name: kids next door #peter pevensie #edmund pevensie #narnia #ao3

[themostfinalofpams]

Do you have any other ships involving the GGG? For example, a lot of people who ship Acercup also ship Snubbles and just out of curiosity...

I don’t like actively ship it, but I definitely headcanon that Ace and Snake used to be a couple sometime before Buttercup joined their band in FusionFall. They were like the parents of the group and Billy, Arturo, and Grubber were like their kids. (Hence why in i’m not in love, I made them become their legal guardians once they became emancipated minors)

I did once read an unfinished fic where Blossom and Snake were paired up and that seemed like an interesting dynamic, but I’m not sure if it necessarily made me ship it, but I did find it really interesting.

I’ve gotten a few requests for Snubbles and I probably would write a fic about them one day, I just sort of know how they’d start interacting and hanging out together outside of their respective groups, but I couldn’t come up with anything besides that.

I’m also kind of curious how Big Billy and Bunny would interact. I think they’d be cute as friends at least.

#shipping #fusionfall #ppg #the powerpuff girls #snubbles #acercup #buttercup x ace #ace x buttercup #blossom x snake #ppg headcanons #fusionfall headcanons #Billy x bunny #long post #snace #snake x ace #Ace x Snake #bubbles x snake #snake x bubbles

[silyabeeodess]

FusionFall Writing Prompts: Oct. 2019, Prompt #2:

Dexter and Mandark are getting help from… Albedo?  That doesn’t bode well… But a new upgrade to your Spinal-ARCH sounds amazing.  If you help with testing, you’ll be one of the first to try the device’s improved ability to mimic certain alien species.  Will it be worth it?

I have ideas for both prompts this month, but I’m starting with this one since it’s the longer of the two and there’s some ideas I’m eager to explore in it.  Should be divided into four or five parts total, depending on whether or not I’ll keep the middle ones shorter.  Enjoy!

It wasn't normal.  The summons had been sent out to nearly every research participant shared between Dexlabs and Mandark Industries—and the rivaling boy geniuses that ran each company may very well have called everyone to Tech Square if it wasn't for the war keeping so many of them busy. Summoning this many research participants at once meant only one of two things: A disaster or a breakthrough.

Silya's muscles tensed as her Spinal-ARCH reconnected. For not the first time she was glad that she had missed most of the device's initial testing phases, before a salve had been developed to numb the flesh as it attached itself to a person's back—adhesive plates of a strong, but flexible alien alloy pressing against skin and thin needles piercing through it to reach bone.  It wasn't quite as painful as it sounded, but she released a habitual, baited breath all the same.  Then she stretched to make sure it had locked on properly, rolling her shoulders and shrugging on a plain tank.

Outside of routine inspections and repairs, she wasn't used to taking the device off.  She probably should have more often than she did, but once it was on it was comfortable enough to forget about easily.  Her Spinal-ARCH may as well have been a part of her own body. A sidelong glance at the other young women in the locker room—curled lips, terse shoulders, and faint shudders all reflecting a distinct unfamiliarity—hinted that the lax sense of protocol was mutually shared.

Every research participant's Spinel-ARCH had been updated: Increased data, improved storage, and a new program developed to better filter Imaginary Energy.  It had been a long while since the last large update and Spinel-ARCHs were already widely distributed among Fusion Fighters as a part of their standard gear.  After a day with them off as the alterations were made, everyone was curious about the two-week long tests that awaited them.  

Which would begin immediately.  Walls of blue-tinted steel surrounded the research participants from every angle as they followed one another out of the locker rooms and into a wide gymnasium. A fenced walkway two stories above wrapped around its perimeter.  There, Dexter looked over the crowd with Computress at his side and a tablet in hand. A few minutes passed as the last stragglers entered, then the boy-genius waved them all to attention:

“Greetings, everyone! Thank you for coming on such short notice,” he began, examining data as he spoke, “By now, you all should have received and reattached your Spinal-ARCHs.  I will be brief: This latest update to the device should allow you take on full transformations of certain alien species.”

After he typed some control onto the tablet, two tiny drones hovered close to the wall to project a sequence of holographic models that were recognizable to almost everyone present, nicknames given by a certain hero reciting in their minds: Big Chill, Way Bad, Ghostfreak, Ampfibian—alien forms all somewhat altered to better fit a humanoid frame.  An excited murmur fell over the crowd.  

Dexter noticeably stood a little straighter as he continued, “You will note that these are not perfect transformations.  As these forms will encase around your physical bodies, they will mimic your physical limits.  However, I am pleased to announce that—in each form—you may experience different enhancements through the manipulation of imaginary energy.  Testing these enhancements will be the primary objective for this week’s experiments. Today, you are free to explore each of the transformations for yourselves as my scientists and I monitor your progress.”

The quiet chatter between the research participants increased.  Silya looked away from the holograms still flashing through the different alien forms to her own hands.  Nearly every Fusion Fighter wanted to explore the limits of their imaginary energy: She was no different.  There were a few, rare full transformations in the Spinal-ARCHS datalogs, but for the most part transformations were restricted to minor extensions from their bodies—tentacles that lacked complete coordination or wings that couldn’t actually support them because they simply weren’t strong enough.  If Dexter and Mandark had really found a way to expand on their current abilities…

All of a sudden, Computress tapped Dexter on the shoulder, giving him a slight, reprimanding look.  The redhead blinked at the android before his proud expression somewhat hardened.  He raised a hand to silence the crowd once more. “I feel I should mention,” he frowned, “that this update is—in part—thanks to the cooperation of the Galvan scientist Albedo, whose specialization in alien technology benefited our research for these new transformations.  Given his history with Ben Tennyson, however, I understand should anyone have their reservations.  You may leave the experiments at any time with your Spinal-ARCH redacted to its previous update, but if you do so now please exit outside before we begin momentarily.”

Saying that some of them had ‘reservations’ was putting it lightly.  The very mention of the false Ben’s name sent many into a bewildered, bitter chatter of suspicion.  Even most those who weren’t major fans of the teenage hero had heard of the Galvan: He was slated along with all the other large reports of villains who had sided with the Fusion Fighters for one reason or another.  Some even had the displeasure of meeting him in-person. Why Dexter or Mandark would team up with him was beyond them.

However, for all of their wariness against Albedo, they did trust Dexter.  There was no telling what was happening over at Mandark Industries—where Mandark’s own group of lab rats was likely receiving the same kind of speech—but only a handful of people squirmed through the crowd to exit the gym from the right.  As the doors opened, they could see a small group of Dexbots waiting for them. Luckily for Dexter, their numbers were shockingly about the same.  

Silya was surprised that she herself stayed rooted were she stood, her fists gripped tightly to her sides. The more reserved, rational side of her mind cursed her, but she wanted this.  She became a research participant at Dexlabs for two reasons: The pay was great and the potential to explore groundbreaking territory all too tempting. It came with big risks, but just as big rewards.  For her own ambitions, she hopes one of those rewards would include gaining better mastery over her own imaginary energy.

Whatever their reasons—loyalty, curiosity, insanity—the bulk of the research participants stayed behind. Most all of them weren’t new to questionable or unorthodox tests: Their bosses had already weeded out anyone who would shrink back at their mad science several times over.  Some of them had handled prototype explosives, dipped in vats of fusion matter, and travelled through time.  They weren’t the sort anyone could chase away easily.

Dexter knew that all too well, and once again grinned at those who remained.  He pressed a few more controls on his tablet and the gymnasium slowly began to alter while the group watched on, unphased.  On the left side of the gym, platforms and poles rose from the floor in a kind of miniature obstacle course; targets popped out from behind hidden panels along the wall; the sliding door to the storage closet unlocked, giving them access to everything contained within.

“Take each of the transformations slowly,” he instructed, “and take note of any physical changes that may occur.  Each of you will need to submit a full report of your experiences before you leave the lab. You may use any of the equipment, but should you experience any pain or discomfort at any point, speak to one of the Dexbots present immediately.”

With that, the research participants split up.  Silya glanced at the still-looping hologram footage.  The Big Chill form was the closest to her usual transformations: All types of wings—while difficult for those without experience to summon—were popular among most Fusion Fighters.  To this day no one could actually fly with them, but they could give a bit of a lift and added protection when one had to jump from extreme heights.

A faint tingle dully thrummed along the slope of her back as the Spinal-ARCH activated, already hijacking messages from her brain to her spine and throughout her nerve fibers. She envisioned a set of wings fluttering gently behind her; softer than what she was used to, lighter, moth-like. Sure enough, they emerged from a split-second spectacle of light as her imaginary energy concentrated into a solid form—fitted on top of her clothes and the device, but mentally cabled to her nervous system like any other part of her body.  If it weren’t for the way they fit over the fabric, it’d be impossible to tell that they weren’t a true part of her.  

She was surprised by how dense the wings felt though, especially compared to what she was used to. The lack of true substance was what made their instability so frustratingly obvious her.  For the moment, Silya tried to brush it from her mind: She wanted to complete the transformation before anything.

It took a few minutes. She watched in fascination as her imaginary energy continued to materialize, black and blue plates shifting over her like a thin, flexible suit of armor. They ran over her arms, her legs, her torso until they lastly began to fit along the more subtle angles of her face.  She held her breath—this part was new, and she had to clasp onto the vision of a helmet to keep her concentration from breaking.  A strange filter that barely stained everything a faint green settled over her eyes as the ‘mask’ finished constructing itself.

To ensure a complete, stable transformation it was often better for Fusion Fighters to watch them take shape whenever they experimented with something new.  Fortunately, the gym had a series of wide mirrors along part of one wall, where a crowd had already gathered.  Not everyone went ahead with the full transformations, but nearly everyone who had was over there.  Silya jogged the short distance to them, brushing shoulders to reach an empty frame, and stared at her own reflection.  The sight of the apparition before her was jarring, but besides a few mistakes—which quickly patched over themselves to match each of her mental corrections—it seemed perfect.  There she was, a strange, human copy of the Necrofriggian race; shorter, with a more feminine waist and eyes dipped closer to their true peridot color instead of the bold lime or malachite the species was better known for.

Her heart leapt. There were a few other ‘whole’ transformations within the datalogs, but most of them seemed off in some way or another to her so she rarely used them.  This was the sort of big step she wanted to take…

Again though, she noticed something strange.  In her excitement, her wings gave an instinctual flap.  Silya felt her body actually rock in place at the motion, not expecting the subtle force behind it.  Reaching back across her shoulder, her fingertips gently traced the edge of one wing.  She actually felt as though there were nerves under it, twitching at the new sensation. It did feel more real than any of her past attempts, but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly how that was the case.

Startled shouts rose over the casual ambience of the gym.  Although at different phases, around a third of the research participants who had activated their Spinal-ARCHs also started out with the Big Chill transformation. One of the other girls who had only summoned her wings thus far tested them out with a few, powerful flaps—and was apparently just as unprepared for the force behind them.  It threw her body forward and the people around her moved away to avoid a near collision.  She stumbled, but caught herself.

Or rather, her wings did.  Clumsily, yes, but they clearly pulled her back, dragging her a few centimeters with her toes lightly grazing the floor.  Those nearby looked at her in astonishment, the girl hardly able to make sense of what happened herself.

It took seconds for the others to begin to test out the strengths of their wings.  Silya gently moved her own and smiled along to the excited chatter that picked up once again as each person made little discoveries to their new transformations. The awkward, uncoordinated handling could easily be blamed on a lack of practice, but they did feel like they truly were a part of her—the product of a second skin.  She looked up to where Dexter still stood watching them over the walkway railing to find the boy-genius practically grinning from ear to ear with pride. Enhancements… she shook her head, That’s the understatement of the year.

It was times like these when she loved her employer’s mad science.

Silya didn’t even bother touching the equipment for now.  She just found a relatively empty, little corner of the gym to continue practicing her dexterity with her new ‘body.’  She only wished she could practice longer with it, but she didn’t want to risk straining the device or herself yet and she’d need to make time to test out the other forms before the day’s experiments ended.  Guess the third scientist’s the charm—even if Albedo’s a crook.  

All-in-all, things were looking up.  

END OF PART ONE

Continue: https://silyabeeodess.tumblr.com/post/188177587074/fusionfall-writing-prompts-oct-2019-prompt-2

#fusionfall #fusionfall fic #Dexter #Dexter's Laboratory #dexlabs #research participants #spinel-arch #fusionfall retro #computress #ben 10 #video games

[splashtail]

<- hes thinking abt fusionfall

#splash rambles #fusionfall #oh my god i wanna do hc refs of all the characters but i dont know as many details as i fould and dhfhfjvjfjrifjg!!!!!!!! #i have a solid design for ben tho ... letterman to differenciate him #and the sector v i love them #plssss if anyone wants to talk to me abt FF id legit looove it i dont think theres any good servers for it anymore sooo... #mannnnnn oh my god oh my god #i have so many reelings esp after that fic i read gfhfhgjgj!!!!

[cizzle-freezy]

Art Dump (Oct. 20, 2020)

NOTICE: A LOT of this stuff is being rewritten! Stay tuned!

EDIT: Things have been updated, so the older images are removed.

[Click for better quality!]

So for this art dump, I decided to focus more on Ten and Lara’s backstory a lot more. Been figuring out their timeline and such.

Things to note: FusionFall is beginning to become a lot more prominent in my roleplay circle, especially since it’s become more of a galactic war, instead of just focusing on one world. Many of these pictures in particular focuses on a whole other world that initially had nothing to do with FusionFall (since it was based around Flipnote), but I decided I wanted to recontextualize that world’s end as it falling to Fuse.

Now with that out of the way... Context for each image under the cut.

1st image: What started it all. Me realizing that a lot of Ten and Lara’s life has been influenced by the war against Fuse, not just the past 3 years. Hence a lot of FusionFall imagery. Meant to be dream/nightmare-like.

#art #digital art #traditional art #FusionFall #fusion fall #ink #death mention #Character Design #original characters #i guess also fan characters?? #lore dump #art dump #i might share my rewritten fic revolving around fusionfall and flipnote #maybe #only if people are interested in seeing it #concept #concept art #doodles #doodle dump #meme #cizzle scribbles

[pinktwinkiezoppo]

Ok, so I was reading through the FusionFall wiki and I stumbled upon two parts, regarding the player going into the future zone. Well, not the player themselves, but the zone.

Ben- "After the Tech Square battle, it is unknown what happened to Ben. Thus, he is presumed dead."

Rex- "In the Future, he could be seen speeding around on the Rex Ride."

And my benrex brain went: Rex, riding to help get Ben back to DexLabs to treat him from bad injuries.

Or something like that...I can't write a fic about this yet because, despite playing the game, I don't have all the specific lore ^^;

I didn’t get to play FusionFall but like I REALLY wish I did because it looks and sounds super cool but I don’t know much of the lore (don’t worry I don’t care about spoilers)

but this is good angst material right here

Imagine Ben gets hurt BAD and Rex trying his hardest to get Ben to DexLabs (like speeding on his Rex Ride so he can get Ben there in time) so his wounds can get treated but Ben ends up dying there because his wounds were too severe

This got sadder than I meant it to

#ben tennyson #rex salazar #benrex #fusionfall #asks #death tw

[mrenickma]

Chapter two of RotFF is now LIVE!!

#cartoon network universe #fusionfall #crossover fic #my fanfiction

[ao3feed-genrex]

to burn away and leave no ashes

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/FmOYi7P

by ViterWrites

when fire burns, it burns bright. when fire burns, it burns awhile.

when fire burns, who does it burn for?

when fire burns, what is left in its wake?

what remains when the last flames flicker out?

Words: 1145, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Generator Rex, Ben 10 Series, Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Rex Salazar, Ben Tennyson

Relationships: Rex Salazar/Ben Tennyson

Additional Tags: Realistic Fusionfall, Tragedy, Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Acts of Selfless Heroism, this is very much not a fic with a happy ending, aka: rex's mission and what happens, updates will be irregular but will hopefully be, ben is referred to by they and he, They're Just Teens They Don't Heckin Deserve This

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/FmOYi7P

#generator rex #genrex #IFTTT #ao3feed

[elecktrum]

If/when you find intrest in doing Fusionfall fics again, would you be willing to write about some of the lesser mentioned characters (Mandark, Princess, the Ed’s, Mac and bloo, etc)? You seem to have a very good grasp on how you see and portray the characters in your world, and I’m interested to see more interaction between them, or seeing their thought process. Mind you, I’m not trying to rush you. I don’t know much about Final Space, but I completely understand being heavily invested in specific media.

If a story idea hits, I'd definitely get writing. I think a story told from Princess' very shallow point of view would be hysterical!

[supernovacase]

...I have way to many hypes going on at once. I either hyperfocus or multi-hype like mad.

Anyway, my brain keeps wanting to take everything and cross it over with FusionFall

#dumb nova things #like y'all #y'all don't know how i am over this game #i have written SOOOOO many angsty crossover fics with other stuff and FusionFall #Throwing a character into the future and tweaking it so they're stuck there for awhile has SUCH angst potential #like UGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH #FusionFall #FusionFall Legacy #FusionFall Retro

[themostfinalofpams]

Completely! Her heat and his cool really make for an interesting play off the other. Plus, in almost every fic the boys quickly become Buttercup's big brothers, which makes it all the more interesting and fun. I particularly enjoy seeing fans develop her and Snake's relationship, since he's the most afraid of her, then usually turns out to be the most protective. Have you read "Life Happened, Kid" by Exotic-Dreams or anything by "bananamilk_strawberrycow"? If not,recommend 100%!

Their personalities compliment each other so well. I think if we had gotten a FusionFall TV show (which I still hope they’ll make one day lol), they would’ve been one of the biggest ships to come out of it. The potential is there, it’s just that the CN characters didn’t get very fleshed out within FuFa, which I guess is kinda hard to do within that type of MMORPG.

The Gangreen Gang coming around to Buttercup and becoming a part of her family is one of my favorite things. Even though I am the oldest sibling, I always kind of longed for an older sibling to take care of me and be in charge, so I think that’s kinda why it appeals to me so much personally? It just feels right. Even within the original cartoon, I really felt the Billy, Arturo, and Grubber genuinely liked being around her and would’ve become her friends if Ace hadn’t tried to take out Blossom and Bubbles. (Which is why if people have only seen the original cartoon and aren’t familiar with FusionFall’s lore, I could totally understand having zero interest in Ace and Buttercup as a couple)

I haven’t written fan fic or read anyone else’s in ages, but I will definitely try to check those out.

If I get the energy and time outside of my projects, I’d still really like to continue writing my sequel to i’m not in love. I’m just not sure when.

#PPG #fusionfall #powerpuff girls #the powerpuff girls #acercup #ace d copular #ppg ace #ppg buttercup #buttercup utonium #buttercup x ace #ace x buttercup #Long post

[silyabeeodess]

FusionFall Fic: Wayward Souls

(Over the Garden Wall in FusionFall, requested by @tonixman, might be due for a part ii because I kinda like this idea.)

As another soldier spawned from the nearby Resurrect ‘Em in a flash of gold fire, Wirt asked himself yet again why he was even there.  He couldn’t fight on the battlefield: All he could do was help the ones who did during recovery.  And, for the most part, that was a joke since the Resurrect ‘Ems did most of the work.

The newly revived fusion fighter was unconscious--maybe it was their first time or they suffered a particularly bad death.  One of the other field aids dragged them onto a nearby mat to rest, double-checking them for injuries in case the process wasn’t complete. That too was just a formality at this point. So long as the Resurrect ‘Em worked, the body should be completely healed.  The real issue was that it took people a little longer to catch up to their own deaths mentally.  

Wirt watched on the sidelines as their helmet and armor was removed, and all of a sudden pictured Sara lying in their place.  Right: Other than the seriousness of the invasion, that was good reason for him to be there.  His crush had joined the war effort as soon as she could sign-up.  If he couldn’t protect the people he cared about on the warfront, the least he could do was offer some support.

Someone called for him, pulling him out of his thoughts, “We’re out of tea.  Brew another batch.”

“Right!”  He jogged over to the table of outdoor appliances to get to work.  At first, it annoyed him a little that they set up this camp just outside of a suburb when they could be working from any of the homes open to fusion fighters--they were even in-view. He got used to it though, considering himself to be in a much better position than the ones who barely gave themselves the time to dust off before charging into battle once again.  The aids needed to be just as swift and prepared.

While there was often at least one medic among them, their main job was to brace soldiers after resurrecting.  Denied the rest typically given after dying, their souls needed to recover most.  Assuring them that they were alive and well, offering small comforts until they could spring back to their feet, were everyday tasks.  

Granted, to do that, they used some not-so everyday means.  As Wirt stared at practically glittering contents stewing in the tea kettle, he inwardly winced.  He’d stopped looking at the ingredients for things a long time ago, finding one too many of Underworldly origins that disgusted him. It was better not to know. 

He’d just about finished up when he spotted a familiar, tiny figure running down the hill from the streets above, an unruly patch of brown hair bobbing above a river of tall grass. 

“Hey, Wirt!  Wirt!” Greg beamed as he reached the table, holding up a plastic bag, “Woo-woot!! The choco-train has reached the station!”

Wirt spotted a handful of empty wrappers mixed in with the candy where clearly his little brother had helped himself, but didn’t mention it.  In the past, he might’ve scolded him, but he’d grown to be more patient.  He played along with a soft smile, motioning to the soldiers resting nearby, “Good work, Conductor Greg.  Think you can finish delivering the goods?”

“Aye, aye!”  Just like that, he was off, darting from person-to-person to give each of them a piece. Their parents wouldn’t let Greg officially sign-up for the war, but he came to help Wirt nonetheless.  He’d become a regular face for Wirt’s co-workers, and since the areas surrounding Resurrect ‘Ems were usually safe, they didn’t mind the visits.

Part of recovery was inspiring soldiers to use their five senses--almost like how one might for anxiety.  It helped ground them within their own bodies.  If the soldiers were unconscious, Greg left their treats lying next to them.  He made sure everyone--including the aids and any nanos that hung around--had some candy before walking back to dump the rest of the bag onto the table. 

By then, Wirt had walked away with the kettle in-hand, passing it off to his senior.  Left to himself once more, another, typical thought entered his mind as he looked around for something else to do: He’d gotten far more used to this than any sane person should be.  

Not to say the their world wasn’t weird enough on its own, everyone had some kind of story to tell.  Grappling with death just happened to be his.  For a while, he dismissed everything that happened to him and his brother one Halloween night as nothing more than a dream.  The more time went on though, the more similar dreams he had and the more supernatural things he saw in his waking hours... He started to wonder if their journey through the Unknown hadn’t been some kind of purgatory.  The two of them had nearly drowned, after all, but the idea that they had been that close to dying was hard for him to accept.

Being here, among so many that did die and were only given their second chances because of the war, he couldn’t just dismiss the idea either.  However, the Resurrect ‘Ems were almost instantaneous: When a soldier was killed in-battle, their consciousness only lasted so long outside of their bodies before they woke up in a place just like this one.  Since their souls were bound to the supernatural devices, they had no memory of being anywhere else.  It was direct transfer.  If it wasn’t, well... Without a nano with a revive ability, it typically meant they’d become one of the army’s rare, true casualties. 

In short, whenever he’d asked, no one had ever even heard of the Unknown.  Wirt considered finding an Underworlder to talk to about it, but even if he found answers, he was almost scared of what they’d be.  He wanted to live a long, normal life, without any out-of-body experiences or monsters to trying to take over the planet!  If he pried, he’d probably be giving that up.

Wirt squat down by a young man who wasn’t much older than himself, checking him over.  He looked fine, his breathing steady and no visible signs that he was having a nightmare. It was uncommon, but not out of the ordinary, for some to sleep longer than others upon revival.  The memory of dying alone was enough to cause people to pass out.

There was talk, among the aids, that more people were staying unconscious for longer periods.  Even the haphazard types who became disturbingly familiar to the Resurrect ‘Ems needed more time to rest now.  Since the war dragged on, it was theorized that it could be a kind of widespread weariness: Morale was low and people were getting tired, their bodies responding in-kind.

He glanced over his shoulder to where the newcomer still lay.  They hadn’t woken up yet either, but at least they were stirring.  Hopefully, they’d be up soon.

He was about to get up when a quiet tune froze him to his very core.  Someone was humming softly: Another fusion fighter--a girl--was sitting up on her mat with her back to Wirt, looking at holograms.  He watched her in silence until her hums turned to whispered words:

“Come wayward souls that wander through the darkness, There is a light for the lost and the meek, Sorrow and fear are easily forgotten When you submit to the soil of the earth...”

Memories of a deeper, distant, and far-less pleasant voice filled his mind.  He raced over to her, taking her by the shoulder so abruptly that he startled her.  However, the way she jumped was nothing compared to the horror that rose inside him.  

Wirt fought to reign his nerves back as he asked, “H-how do you know that song...?”      

She blinked at him, confused by his outburst before turning inward.  She couldn’t seem to answer that for herself, no matter how much she tried to think.  Her eyes drifted to the ground innocently, “I don’t know... I must’ve heard it somewhere.”

He really hoped she hadn’t.  

Continue to Part 2

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