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itsbenedict · 3 years

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I didn’t post about everything I played this year, so here’s my opinions on the stuff I played that I didn’t make a rec post for:

Raging Loop

Raging Loop is one of them twisty meta Zero Escape-y branching-path visual novels where an ensemble cast is trapped in a mysterious circumstance where people are dying gruesomely, and you have to find out what’s happening and stop it by looping a bunch.

I can’t wholeheartedly recommend it, because... it tries to have its cake and eat it too with the supernatural elements. Clearly magic is real and has important impacts on the scenario, but then other parts are trickery you’re supposed to see through, and it’s entirely uninterested in cluing you in to how that trickery was accomplished. Not exactly a fair play mystery, in that regard- you have to kind of just be along for the ride, rather than try to figure it out.

That said, it’s a good ride- pretty strong character writing, and the central conceit of the Werewolf/Mafia-style murder scenario creates really interesting drama. It’s more concerned with making itself feel clever than letting the player feel clever, but it’s still well-paced and gripping and has a pretty decent resolution.

Detective Grimoire

I recommended Tangle Tower, the sequel, pretty strongly- and this one, while obviously a little rougher around the edges with the art and mechanics (the suspicion tracker system is a total dud; I didn’t even realize it existed until I realized I was missing an achievement for using it), it’s still pretty darn good. Really fun character designs and animations, fully-voiced, and a solid whodunit backing it all. Plus- while the two are more or less self-contained, the continuity threads with Tangle Tower raised some really interesting questions.

Contradiction - the all-video murder mystery

This one was pretty fun, largely on the strength of the actors. The main mechanic of interrogating people on evidence and using their own statements against each other was some good stuff, too. Definitely had that Phoenix Wright quality to the deductions, and Jenks is a really fun character. (Had a few points where progression was just linked to standing in a certain previously-abandoned area of the map where a clue was suddenly there for no reason, there- good thing it had a hint system.)

As a mystery, it could use a little work- most of what you end up finding out is sequel bait (for a sequel that never actually came together, unfortunately), and the actual whodunit is just sort of hiding in the cracks of all that. And... cornering the culprit just sort of happens out of nowhere once you’ve got your hands on the right piece of evidence, without much fanfare. You’re following up on leads like usual, you find a little lie in someone’s testimony, and then- oh, shit, they’re just confessing everything! Unlike all the previous times you questioned them and they were super evasive like everyone else! And then the game is over.

All in all, it’s pretty meaty and entertaining and I’d recommend it, but unfortunately the creators have moved on to other things, so there’s not going to be any follow-up on the stuff it left unresolved.

Ikenfell

Ikenfell is a tightly-designed RPG about kids at a magic school, with Paper Mario-style action command mechanics and a battle system that makes a big deal out of careful positioning and movement, which was really enjoyable. The difficulty’s a little high (I recommend always always always speccing into max damage because killing things before they kill you is worth more than any amount of defense, speed doesn’t work, and healing is cheap), but I found it really satisfying.

There’s... something... off? About... I don’t know how to put it, it’s... doing that “yes, everyone is queer and mentally ill, deal with it” thing, which, sure, okay. But for a lot of them it’s such a background thing, like... half the playable cast is unambiguously nonbinary, but like... I don’t know if it’s trying to make some statement on how there are no rules to being NB and you can 100% perform a particular binary gender presentation but still count, or if they wrote the whole story and then changed the pronouns of some of the characters for Representation Points, or what. Probably the former? I dunno, it just feels weird. Maybe I’m just not woke enough to Get It.

(unrelatedly: why the heck is the official art they use everywhere so... off-model? none of them look like they do in-game- they look like the creator commissioned someone to draw a group shot with one reference image each and didn’t tell them anything about the characters. how much you wanna bet they commissioned a friend and it came out wrong but they were too polite to say “sorry, no, this is wrong, can you do it over?”)

Trails of Cold Steel IV

Hoo boy. It’s... not great, and it’s not great in a pretty predictable way for an even-numbered entry in the Trails series. It happens every time- first there’s a game in a new engine with new characters and a new world to explore, and it’s really nice and does interesting things... and then it ends on a cliffhanger, and then there’s a sequel game in the same engine with the same characters and the same world, reusing as many assets as possible. Also the League Of Generically Evil Anime Supervillains is there causing trouble for reasons they refuse to explain, and the plot is a storm of magicbabble and macguffin-chasing that makes little to no sense.

Cold Steel IV is that for Cold Steel III, full stop. Welcome back to all the same places you visited last game, except this time there’s some stupid magic apocalypse happening (not that it stops you from taking the time to do random sidequests constantly, of course). The whole “oh, the evil curse mind controls people and that’s why they do stupid bullshit that’s in no one’s interest” plot point is leaned on super hard, and it’s just a big yawn the whole way through.

It’s still really fun, though, because the battle system remains really well-designed. (The same battle system that was just as fun in Cold Steel III, mind you, but it hasn’t gotten old.) And- though they’re struggling to square it with the dumb mind control apocalypse plot, the NPC dialogue continues to make the world feel believable and lived-in. They don’t slack on the parts that make Trails good- it’s just the parts that make Trails bad are making themselves more evident than ever.

did finally get to date Towa though so that’s a win

One Step From Eden

OSFE is... uh. It’s fucking hard is what it is. It’s sort of a deckbuilding roguelike, and there’s this combat that takes place on a grid, and- wait, it’s like Mega Man Battle Network, it’s exactly like Mega Man Battle Network. Man, I forgot about that, but the mechanical influence is extremely obvious. It’s MMBN meets Slay the Spire.

Except it’s super duper hard as hell, because unlike MMBN you can’t pause and swap out chips or anything- everything is just always happening so much, all at once, everywhere, and you have no recourse but to git gud and learn all the enemy patterns and the behavior of your own spells and develop the twitch reflexes necessary to not fucking die from all the shit that’s on the screen always.

(What’s the story? Uhhhh, there was some kind of magic apocalypse, and some anime girls are trying to reach a city for some reason that doesn’t really get explained ever. The game doesn’t really care to build its world at all- it’s all mechanics plus a little token character dialogue that doesn’t say much.)

The point is it’s really frickin’ hard but I am an epic pro gamer and I got ALL THE ACHIEVEMENTS, MOTHERFUCKER. If you’ve played it, I expect you to be really god damn impressed with me, okay???

A Short Hike

This one was really relaxing! It’s a platformer where you explore an Animal Crossing-y island of cartoon animal people, collecting mobility upgrades- but like, mainly it’s about straight chillin’. The flight controls are fun and there’s lots of little secrets to find and it’s just a nice time that doesn’t drag on too long. Not too much to say about this one.

Pokémon Sword

Ehhhhh.

I’m not here for the hot takes about how Dexit is good actually. Development hell happened, they had to make cuts for time, I get it. It’s disappointing and makes the game a little bit worse, but it’s not the end of the world.

Apart from that... perfectly serviceable? The Wild Area could’ve used a little more technical polish (as could most things in the game, really) but was a step in the right direction, giving the player a wider array of early-game team-building options than ever before. No HMs is good. Story and characters were kind of nothing, but that’s par for the course. “At least this time they’re not shoehorning in some kind of stupid evil-team-wants-legendary-pokemon-to-destroy-the-world apocalypse plot”, I thought to myself before they managed to shoehorn one in at the last minute with zero buildup- but, hey, beats wasting half the game on it.

It’s nothing special and it’s missing a lot of polish, but its problems are mainly due to being rushed, and presumably next gen they’ll be able to reuse a lot of the models and animations (maybe even improve the animations so they’re not so boring??? a man can dream) and make something interesting. SwSh seem like they were testing the waters for something else, and not taking too many chances in the meantime.

(yo why would you sell all these cosmetic items and then turn them all off during gym battles, though)

Hades

Hades is- oh, who am I kidding? Everyone knows Hades, it’s the game of the year, greatest thing since sliced bread, Supergiant are heroes, yada yada yada. I’ve played almost 300 hours of it and I’ve completed everything except all the Resources Director levels (currently a Sigma Wraith), it’s extremely fun and you don’t need me to tell you that.

Petal Crash

It was that thing the Paranatural creator helped on? It’s, uh. It’s a block-sliding puzzle game thing, sort of in a Puyo Puyo vein. It has fun character designs and some good dialogue, like you’d expect from Zack’s involvement, but it didn’t really leave an impression otherwise (besides how got dang infuriating some of its Turn Trial puzzles can be.) The story is... kinda heartwarming, kinda didactic, kinda childish, not especially deep or interesting. Hard for it to be, when it’s told through little bits of fluffy character dialogue that exist to set up a puzzle battle as quickly as possible. Not super recommended unless you really really like block-sliding puzzles.

Hollow Knight

Man, why’d I sleep on this for so long? It’s a metroidvania platformer with heavy Dark Souls inspiration, in terms of tone and difficulty and death mechanics and environmental storytelling. And it’s... apart from all that, just really good as a game, with tight controls and juicy movement and great animation. Progression is linked as much to mastery as it is to upgrades collected- I found myself in lategame areas facing down things that would’ve killed me ten times over at the start- not because I had the best gear, but because I’d learned the game’s language and understood how to move in ways that wouldn’t get me killed.

(Usually. Sometimes I’d walk into a room and sit on a bench and suddenly there’d be a boss fight and I’d get slaughtered. Ain’t that just the way it goes?)

Anyway, on top of all that it’s just charming as hell, with a really unique and well-realized world full of little bug people. I love how, like, your character is clearly some kind of eldritch abomination, but it’s small and cute and so everyone (besides enemies that attack you on sight because they’re possessed by some kinda evil mold) is like “awww, who’s this little guy? want some help, little guy?”

(except Zote, who is just an ass hole. i love him.)

#game rec #also some game non recs #long post

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thatshankcallednewt · 4 years

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The Death Cure: Gally - Forgive You in a Heartbeat; Part Three

If case you missed Part One//Part Two... [ tags: @heartache97 ]

Gally shot up in his bed, sweating and puffing anxiously. He looked around the room nervously, waiting for a Crank or a Griever to appear, but nothing lurked in the dark except for the sleeping bodies of Newt, Thomas, Fry, Brenda and Jorge. He swallowed the dryness from his mouth and got up from his bed. He wandered barefoot over to an open balcony of the old building and leant on it, staring out into the city ruins.

The Last City was lit up blue and white, and he could hear white noise even from where he was, which was far out of sight. Tomorrow night, or technically, that night, they would break into the city and execute phase one of their plan: kidnap Teresa.

It was the best plan he had to go on, and although Thomas seemed to hate the idea of it, he agreed that it would be the only way to extract their trackers so they could get inside WCKD’s building undetected, and have knowledge on where they kept both Minho and you.

Maybe the idea of seeing you again kept him from sleeping properly. But he never slept properly, anyway, even in the Glade he would find himself wandering around in the night until he either practically collapsed from exhaustion or you’d comfort him enough for him to fall asleep.

He missed those night when you would sit next to him, listen to him talk, or you talk to him. When you would hold his hand or touch his face. When he escaped WCKD and found Lawrence, he regretted never kissing you when he had the chance. He always wanted to, but he was never sure if you were only joking around. And he hated the idea of the Creators, or WCKD, watching him.

He sighed into the night air. If it were up to him, he’d go in, guns blazing, right now. But he knew that that would be stupid and careless. He just couldn’t stand the thought of you being trapped in there, being used for their experiments. But he knew you were strong, and he knew he’d find you if it was the last thing he ever did.

“Can’t sleep?” a voice asked sleepily, as a pair of bare feet shuffled onto the balcony. Newt leaned on the railing beside Gally, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He stared out into the ruins with big eyes, now wide from the sight of it all.

“Mm,” Gally said, looking at the city again. “You?”

“Haven’t slept a wink since we left that shank place,” he replied, yawning. “Bloody tired though, exhausted, actually.”

“Yeah,” Gally said, “I know the feeling.”

“You always walked around the Glade like some kind of insomniac,” Newt remarked, as he pulled up memories of seeing Gally trampling through the grass in the middle of the night.

“That’s because I was… am an insomniac, Newt,” Gally laughed, shaking his head.

Newt chuckled, “Right,” he shook his head too, “you bloody know what I mean.” He paused, “Are you thinking about her?”

Gally sighed. Newt could always tell what was on other people’s minds, he had some kind of talent for it. Maybe he could read minds. That was why Newt got along so well with Alby back in the Glade, during the first days. Gally swallowed, “Yeah, I guess I am. I’m always thinking about her.”

“You thought she was dead?”

“When I didn’t see her with you guys, I thought the worst must have happened.”

Newt nodded, remembering the many nights he spent trying to comfort you. You weren’t as much of an insomniac as Gally, but you had your fair share of sleepless nights, especially in the Scorch, and especially after Gally’s “death”. “She misses you.”

Gally looked at Newt a moment, his eyes widened a little.

“Don’t act so surprised,” Newt said, amused, “she followed you ‘round like a bloody puppy back in the Glade, don’t you remember? If she had a tail, it would have wagged every time she saw you,” he laughed.

Gally laughed too, remembering the first time he saw you in the Box. How he grumbled when you wouldn’t leave him alone. But you persisted with him, talking to him when no one else would bother, learning the kind of person he really was. He remembered how you slowly but surely became friends. He smiled at the memories. Then, all of a sudden, he realized that you would think he was still dead. He frowned, “How was she? Before WCKD got her?”

Newt twisted his mouth in thought. He stared out at the ruins again, the night breeze shifted his hair a little. “She was a mess… but she’s strong. She just kept going, I guess, like all of us.” Newt breathed out a soft sigh, releasing the pent-up stress from the day. He tugged at his jacket collar and continued speaking, “She told me… after we got out of there, she said that she hated what you did, and she was angry for it, but she could never hate you. She said that if you ever came back, she would forgive you in a heartbeat.”

Gally looked at Newt for a little while, unsure what to say. He had often wondered what she thought of over what he’d done to Chuck. If it weren’t Grievers or Cranks, it was the death of Chuck he’d dream about. He closed his eyes, briefly, and then nodded. His eyes opened and they stung with emotion, and he swallowed the lump in his throat. “What do you think they’re doing to her? To Minho?”

Newt’s hands clenched around the railing, “I don’t like to imagine it. But I know that they’re both stronger than anyone I know.”

“You’re not worried we won’t find them?”

Newt thought about it for a little while. He took his time to choose his words carefully. “I think we will,” he nodded, “I think we will because… because none of us would leave any of ‘em behind. This isn’t some quick, get in and get out bullshit heist. This is a rescue mission. They’re our friends, and we would do anything for them, right?”

Gally nodded, firmly, “Right.”

Newt patted Gally on the back, “Try and get some sleep, I know it’s hard, but we gotta try. Tomorrow’s gonna be a big day.”

***

You woke up. The sedation wasn’t as heavy as usual, so it didn’t take you long to regain control over your body and become fully conscious. You weren’t sure how long you had been out, but it must have been a while.

Your mouth felt incredibly dry, so you took the water bottle they left on your tray and unscrewed the lid before gulping down the cool liquid. You wiped the water from your mouth with your sleeve and glanced out the window through your door. There weren’t as many people walking by as usual, so it must have been much later in the day. Had you been out a whole day?

You blinked against the harsh light from the corridor. As you peered out the window, down the hall, you squinted. You couldn’t see as many security guards either and it was much quieter.

You sighed. You went to screw the lid back onto your bottle when you fumbled with the thing and it dropped to the floor. It rolled around on the cool surface and slid under your bed. You knelt onto the cold floor and stuck out an arm to reach underneath your bed, your fingers feeling for the lid.

Your fingers found something else. A thin, cool, plastic square. You pulled it out from under your bed and inspected it. It was one of the nurse’s I.D cards. You stared at it a little too long and you realized it would unlock your door if you pressed it against the scanner.

Suddenly, an alarm resounded through the building. You jumped up from the floor, quickly re-screwed the fallen lid back onto the bottle and shoved the I.D card into your bra, under your shirt. You sat down on your bed, your heart beating fast inside your chest. Your eyes darted across the room and then you looked out the window.

Officers ran by your room without a second thought. They were headed elsewhere in the building. You let out a sigh of relief and quickly stood up from your bed. You waited until all personnel had cleared your hallway and then slid the I.D card over the scanner.

You jerked the door open once the locked clicked and you peeked your head out from your room. This was your chance, your only chance. You exited your room and let the door shut slowly behind you. You were on edge, but you forced yourself to think clearly.

You had to get some kind of weapon to defend yourself and possibly threaten with, there was no way you were going to make it out of this building without one, otherwise they’d easily lock you up again by jabbing you with a needle. And, you had to somehow find Minho.

You followed the hallway where the soldiers had disappeared to. You crept slowly and cautiously, and every now and then, you pressed your back up against the wall and waited for a doctor to pass by. They seemed unphased by the alarm that had rung out through the building only minutes earlier.

Finally, you reached a corridor with an officer. He was the only one, and he stood just past the door you were to go through. You carefully scanned the I.D again and the door clicked open. You pushed the door all the way.

You wondered if you should try passing the officer, and just hope he wouldn’t notice that you were a WCKD prisoner, but when you saw him reach for his gun at the sound of the door closing behind you, you jumped at him.

You grappled with him for the gun he held in his right hand. He slammed you into the opposite wall and you ducked when he aimed his gun and shot at you. Whatever it was, exploded against the wall and sizzled out quickly when it hadn’t hit its target. You ducked again as he shot another time and charged him. Your arms wrapped around his waist as you took him to the floor. He tried grabbing for your arms but missed. You leapt for the gun that had fallen out of his hand and slid across the floor, but you felt his hand clasp around your ankle.

It happened in slow motion, one minute you were in the air, your arms outstretched for the gun. You felt his fingers wrap around your ankle and yank you back. But it was too late because your fingers had a grip on his gun. As he pulled you across the floor toward him, you turned and aimed the gun at his chest and pulled the trigger.

Some kind of bullet hit his chest, but it didn’t pierce his skin, instead it snaked out like a spider’s web and electrified the officer until he rolled around on the floor, stunned. You stared at the gun in your hands, you hadn’t seen one like it since escaping WCKD the first time.

You gulped and turned away from the soldier and ran down the hallway. Your bare feet echoed along the hard floor, almost slipping over a few times. You slowed to a quiet creep when you heard a voice up ahead.

“Turner!?” an unrecognizable man’s voice echoed, “Turner, you okay back there?”

You concluded that he was referring to the soldier you just stunned, but you couldn’t fake a man’s voice for the life of you. So, instead, you did the next plausible thing and jumped out from where you were hiding and shot at the man blindly.

He yelped in surprise and stumbled to the floor, writhing with the electric shock.

You neared his fallen body, feeling a little sorry for putting him in so much pain. You eyed his outfit briefly, suddenly wondering if it would work as a disguise. Your eyes darted down the hall, you still had a ways to go, and you still had to find Minho, and you were certain you wouldn’t be so lucky every time you stumbled into a WCKD soldier.

You licked your lips nervously and checked the hallway for any signs of life before hitting the guy hard in the head with the end of your gun. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell unconscious.

You grabbed his arm and slid him into a storage closet. It was dark inside, but you had to make do, so that no one would notice your presence. You quickly got changed into his uniform, it was a little baggy in some areas, but it would do. It was much better than wandering the hospital in patient scrubs, barefoot. Now you had a helmet to mask your face.

You left the soldier inside the closet and closed the door behind you, after checking if the hallway was clear. You held your gun close and walked down the corridor, trying to act as if you were supposed to be there. You glanced at the digital bulletin boards as you passed them, hoping to make sense out of the information plastered on them but to no avail. It was a longshot to think they would just display Minho’s whereabouts in any old hallway.

Then there was a buzz of static and a comm inside your helmet echoed, a voice fizzled and said, “Prisoners spotted on the fifth floor, backup needed now!” There was an echo of yelling in the background and then the audio was cut off.

Your eyes widened at the suggestion. Prisoners? Your heartbeat climbed in your chest as you picked up speed, running through hallways, passing flashing lights and doctors alike. They didn’t bother to question your appearance.

You were about to enter into an open elevator when a voice yelled over the mic that they had jumped through the window and landed in the pool, in the main courtyard. You hesitated between the open elevator doors and the stairwell that would lead directly to the courtyard. You turned towards the stairs in a last-minute decision, and rapidly descended them two at a time. Your boots echoed in the empty stairwell and your breath became short with nerves. Surely, the “prisoner” was Minho, it had to be. And if it weren’t, then maybe you could save whoever it was anyway.

You approached the door and threw it open with a sudden surge of nervous energy. You quickly scanned your surroundings and spotted a group of WCKD soldiers dressed the same as you, heading for the pool in the middle of the courtyard.

You ran to catch up to them, and they didn’t question your arrival. Their guns were aimed at three people splashing around in the water, broken glass littered the concrete around the pool and still fell from the window above. You glanced up at the smashed window and spotted Janson briefly before he disappeared, probably on his way down.

You swallowed and looked at the boys. Your heart leapt in your chest when you recognized Thomas, Newt and Minho as they clambered up the side of the pool. Thomas and Newt’s faces were revealed but they were clad in the same uniform you had on. They must have snuck inside the WCKD building in search for you both.

“Don’t move!” a soldier yelled as he advanced towards them, his gun trained on Thomas.

You quickly raised your gun to the soldiers. You shot at them without a moment’s more hesitation, in the chest, one-two-three—

“Stop!” one of the WCKD soldiers yelled before you could shoot him down with the others. He dropped his gun and his arms were raised above his head. “I’m on your side!”

You hesitated, keeping your aim on his chest still. You breathed heavily under the mask. You glanced at the boys who stood at the edge of the pool, just as confused as you were. You ripped your helmet off and tossed it to the side, and a look of relief passed through the boys’ eyes.

“Y/N!” they yelled in unison, and quickly climbed up the concrete steps towards you, dripping wet.

You flashed them a smile, “Miss me?”

The soldier with his arms above his head in surrender slowly removed his helmet, revealing a pair of blue eyes you thought you’d never see again.

He eyed you a moment, dropping his helmet to the ground. It clattered over the concrete. “Yes,” he said slowly, in response to your question.

“Gally…?”

#tmr imagine #tmr #tmr gally #gally #gally x reader #gally/reader #reader insert #gally fanfic #fanfiction #tst #tdc #the death cure

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gustafsnightangel · 3 years

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A Softer Side Part 4

The line stayed quiet, minutes felt like hours.

“Buyer approaching.” Davis confirmed as the sleek limousine pulled up.

“Buyer and seller exiting the vehicles.” Jerry stated and fell silent as the two parties conversed.

“Thank you for your exemplary merchandise selection year after year Mr. Raven.”

“Always a pleasure Mr. Chang, I know she’s not your first, but you’ll be hers.” He chuckled.

Oh the things Karl wanted to do to this man before arresting him, the rage bubbled up and almost swallowed him whole.

“This one is for my son.” The Asian buyer said with a smirk. Karl could fucking hear it in his tone.

“The eldest or youngest?” Arthur asked hauling the teen out of the back seat, getting her to her feet, the beauty stumbling as Arthur dragged her to Chang.

“The elder of the two. His tastes run on the wild side and he’s a little bored.”

Strand’s blood boiled, he knew what wild side and a little board meant for this girl, tied up and tortured for the rest of her existence, whether that was minutes or hours, weeks or years was only determined if she could live through each second.

The handover went smoothly, the teen secured into the buyers limousine, and both parties went their separate ways.

“Team B closing in.”

“Team A following Donovan.” Jerry said as their car tailed Arthur on a service road. One of his team had placed a tracker on his vehicle as the exchange was in progress. “We’re clear team B move in and tighten the net, secure the girl and arrest those assholes.”

“Copy and with pleasure.” Davis said gruffly.

“Strand?”

“I’m here.” He said calmly.

“Just tell me when you want me to flip these locks on her cuffs.”

“Not yet. Wait until he’s on the freeway, too soon and he’ll think it’s a setup. I’m hoping he just thinks some water got into the cuffs when he doused her.”

“Just tell me when.”

“Will do.” He clicked the mic of his com off and kissed her temple. “Sweet girl are you ready to get out of here?” He flicked the flashlight on dimly and set it upward to light the room. Her face tilted back to look at him, those soulful eyes making his chest tighten and ache. “When we remove your cuffs I want you to go hide by the toilet ok? In that little nook where he can’t touch you. Can you do that for me sweet girl?” Her head nodded as a finger brushed over his jaw, his lips. “We can’t.” He said gently. “I’m no good for you.” Regardless of his words she kissed him sweetly, a parting gift perhaps, a message that she understood, he couldn’t tell, she was clouding more than his senses.

“We’re about thirty minutes from you.” Jerry said.

Pulling his phone up he rested it against her cuffs and looked at her. “You ready?” Her nod at him, her trust in him, her kiss, he was so torn. “Flip the locks Jerry.”

“Copy.”

Strand watched as the numbers streamed by and fall into place like a futuristic slot machine.

“Fuck!” He spat when the screen flashed DENIED in big red letters. “Jerry?”

“Working on it.” The kid breathed and the numbers whirled again to give the same outcome.

“Jerry what the fuck!?” He ground out between his teeth and calmed as her hand stroked his scruff. How could she be so calm he wondered? Resigned herself to the prospect of never being free, he thought.

“I’m working on it, the signal might be too weak to engage the locks.” Hint ground out between his teeth.

“Up you get sweet girl, on your feet, slight change of plan ok?” He would not panic or lose his shit. Helping her to her feet he watched as her body shook at the exertion. “Can you walk over if I help?” She nodded and he was astounded at her inner strength. He helped her shuffle over to the filthy toilet, the chains clinking on the concrete, they were just long enough. “Can you fit between the toilet and the wall, I know it’s cold and uncomfortable but I want something between you and h...” She held onto him, stretched up on her toes and kissed him again. Something primal stirred in him and before he could stop himself his hand had cupped the back of her neck and he deepened it. It was only her manacles digging painfully into his chest as her fingers scrunched in his shirt that brought him back to the present. “Sweet girl.” He breathing ragged and rested his forehead against hers briefly before she pulled away and settled where he’d asked her.

“He’s about a mile out Karl.” Jerry said, working furiously to boost the signal to his phone.

“Hold the phone to the lock ok? I need both hands now.” Once she had the phone wedged between her wrists he tucked the coat around her to try and keep the chill out of her bones.

“He’s pulled up Strand.”

“Copy.” Draping the coat over her he readied himself for a fight, hand to hand it would be, this fucker deserved nothing less.

“Buyer secured, teen transported to hospital, full guard.” Davis reported and left it at that.

“Copy.” Some good news at least, Karl thought.

“In the house, up to the second level.”

“Don’t flip the locks yet.” Strand whispered. “It’ll spook him, let him come down here thinking he’s going to get what he wants.” His snarl was guttural. “Once I engage, flip the locks. If it goes south she needs to be free, you guys need to be in position to get her out. At all costs you get her out, am I clear?”

“Perfectly.” Jerry said.

Karl waited, the quiet movements relayed in his ear about the man above, no, the monster above. He thought he’d seen his share of monsters in the military only to find the home grown ones much worse.

“En route to basement, team A standing by.”

“Copy.”

His weapons were stashed with the pack, he had none on his person. He glanced at the shrouded form in the corner before switching his flashlight off and readying for battle. The slow slide of concrete against concrete made the hairs on his neck to bristle.

“Oh my sweet Lenore.” Arthur purred. “Such fun we’re going to have tonight my dear.” The glee in Donovan’s voice curdled Strand’s stomach.

Strand waited in the shadows, tucked in the nook out of sight. Arthur would see the chains to where Jane Doe was, would see the shrouded figure when he eventually dropped down into the room. Karl would strike first and hard, although he wanted to drag this out to beat the ever loving shit out of this guy, he also needed to get her to safety, to get them both out of this hell hole.

Arthur climbed down and turned, Karl saw the brief knit in his brow as he realized she wasn’t sitting in her usual spot huddled against the wall. His head only made it as far as a half turn as he followed the chain before Strand sent him flying into the wall face first, the sound of bone meeting concrete oddly satisfying.

“Now Jerry.” He growled and trusted the team to do what they’d been ordered to do while he took this guy apart. “Hello Arthur.” He said flatly as he hauled the now semi conscious man to his feet by his collar. “Not so tough now it’s not an infant, or 16 year old teen scared out of her mind are you?”

“Who the fuck are you?” He choked groggily.

“I’m surprised you don’t remember me. You slipped past me once before in Dallas, almost had you, would have had you if it wasn’t for a shitty team who didn’t care about runaways and kidnapped babies. But this team, well you got real unlucky there pal because this team is ready to flay you alive.” His tone was low and lethal.

“Her locks are free, she’s free Strand.” Jerry said gently, hoping his boss wouldn’t kill this guy with his bare hands before the end of the evening.

“How many Arthur? How many girls have you stolen and sold over the years, I know you keep count.” He grinned, knowing full well Jerry had those numbers but he wanted it from the horses mouth.

“Are you arresting me?” Arthur asked slyly.

“Not yet, maybe not ever if I don’t get the answers I like.” Karl’s tone was flat.

“You can’t threaten me.” He seethed.

“The fuck I can’t. News flash Arthur, I’m not the police, I’m not with an agency bound by restrictions and rules, and I can’t be bought. I can do whatever the fuck I please right now.” To emphasize the point he punched him squarely in the abdominals. Arthur doubled over and retched as he tried to suck air into his lungs.

“What made you like this Arthur, or should I call you Allen Raven?”

“Lawyer.” He gasped, the shock at the mention of his real name giving him away.

“I haven’t arrested you so you don’t need one of those just yet.” Strand was on a roll now, doing this for Jane Doe’s benefit more than his own. And that was bullshit, twenty years he’d hunted this fucker, time for him to pay up.

“Was it your wife dying in childbirth? You know you blaming her for the child’s death was pretty insensitive.”

“Shut the fuck up.” He growled.

“Is that why you stole this girl, groomed her to be your replacement wife for a punching bag? Someone to take your anger out on? Someone you could rape and torture because of your own failings?” Arthur stayed silent, probably a good thing considering Karl was fighting the urge to choke him with his bare hands. “Did you play happy families Allen.”

“Don’t fucking call me that.” Mmmm Karl thought, struck a nerve, time to keep the pressure on.

“Did you bring the babies down here with her for a time and force her to nurse, to care for a child that you stole for the simple purpose to sell to pedophiles and rapists. You’re fucking disgusting.” He spat.

“Did you set her free yet?” He grinned, the giggle as the sound of a weapon being racked as the bullet was chambered echoed around the room. “You know she’ll turn on you, my little Lenore.”

“She’s free, and she’ll make her own choice. And her name is not Lenore. She’s free to choose her own name.” Please don’t make me fight you sweet girl, he pleaded silently.

That smirk was wiped off Allen’s face as the barrel of the Glock pressed against his temple.

“Looks like she’s made her decision.” And he breathed a silent sigh of relief. She whimpered as her hand shook, pressing it harder against his temple, the flinch from Allen satisfying in its own right. “Sweet girl he’ll suffer more in prison, I guarantee it. Especially where I’ll send him.” Her eyes darted from one man to the other, the monster that raised her, the man that freed her. “It’s not in you sweet girl, it’s not who you are.” He could see her struggle with the rage and years of torment urging her to end his life, her hand far from steady as the other came to its aid.

“Do it Lenore.” Allen spat and grinned at Strand. Karl pulled him off the wall and slammed him back into it hard, the impact causing the older man to cough and wheeze as he tried to breathe.

“No, you don’t get to talk to her anymore Allen, especially to beg her to take your life and give you the easy way out.” He seethed. Using his forearm against Raven’s throat he looked at her, the terror lining her face. “Sweet girl look at me.” He murmured tenderly, waiting until her gaze fell on his. “If this is what you really want I’ll step back and you can take the shot, I’ll even help you, but just know, he’ll suffer more where I’m sending him.” His free hand covered hers over the pistol, her breath shuddering out as she lowered the gun.

“You always were weak Lenore.” Allen gasped. Strand didn’t stop her tiny fists beat into his head, any place she could reach, her weak limbs making her punches no more than a stinging tap.

“The only weak one here is you Raven. Preying on infants, children.” He growled, pulling her close, her strength snapped she collapsed against him, sliding to the floor weeping. “You get everything Jerry?”

“We did boss.”

“Good, come and get this piece of shit out of my face before I wipe it off the face if the earth.” He didn’t relinquish his hold until he saw Davis at the top of the opening. A burly forearm reached in, grabbed Allen roughly and hauled him up, half dragging, half climbing the ladder. “Book and transport him. Tell Meekland he goes to Hades 6, no exceptions.”

“You got it boss.” Davis cuffed the still wheezing Allen Raven and escorted him away.

Now for the next problem he thought, his own energy waning, how to get her out of here without freaking out. She was curled at his feet, fingers desperately clinging to his pant leg, quiet sobs racking her frail body. “You’re ok sweet girl.” He murmured, his fingers gently brushing her head in an attempt to soothe. “So brave, so strong.” He crouched down, much as he’d done when he first laid eyes on her and waited for her to respond. “It’s all done sweet girl, we can leave at any time, no rush, when you’re ready.” Sitting on the floor she leaned into him and just held on, the need to let the confrontation level out on her system.

A million thoughts ran through Strands head, the syndicate finding her at the forefront.. “Jerry?”

“I’m here.” He said gruffly, Karl could hear his fingers typing furiously.

“I’m texting you something. Do as it says, no questions, I’ll explain later.”

“Will do.” He said moments after Karl heard his text tone ping over coms. She needed a safe place to recover, to heal, and he’d see she got exactly that. Then and only then would he hunt the others down like the dogs they were.

“You’re ok sweet girl.” He soothed as she inched into his lap, the need for something to ground her. “So proud of you.” He said gently, glad she’d not give him the easy way out. “Hades 6 is perfect for him to live out the rest of his what will be a miserable existence.” He murmured, his voice calming her, the tense fingers relaxing against his chest. “An off planet prison full of the worst this world has to offer. Thrown together to eat or be eaten. Child rapists and pedophiles don’t receive warm welcomes there. He will suffer the same torment and hell as you did. It won’t be a quick death for him.”

“Strand?”

“What is it Jerry?” He asked as she looked up at him.

“I have a car ready for you, I’m driving.” He stated, not giving his boss an inch of wiggle room and Karl couldn’t help the smile.

“I’ll be out when I’m out.”

“Copy.”

“You hear that sweet girl? Our ride is here.” Soft eyes looked up at him, the uncertainty in them killed him. “I know you have no reason to trust me, no reason to believe anything I say, but...” Her fingers brushed over his lips silencing him. “I wish you’d talk to me.” He whispered against them, knowing she would when she was ready. “Jerry, clear the house for the next little while.” He said quietly. “I don’t want anyone seeing her.”

“Roger that boss.”

“Can you stand for me sweet girl?” He asked softly. With his help she got to her feet, her body barely strong enough to hold itself up. Strand stood and collected the pack after stowing the few bottles of water that were left. Holding out his coat for her he helped her into it, the weight of the thick wool almost bringing her to her knees. He buttoned it up, covering as much of her naked form as possible. “Very stylish.” He chuckled and saw the hint of a smile tug her lips, it was something. “When Jerry has cleared the house we’ll go up ok?” His fingers stroked her cheek in an effort to comfort, this would be difficult for her. She clung to him, the real fear he would leave her down here. “I’m not leaving you sweet girl.” He kissed her brow and held her close. “I’m not leaving without you.”

“House is clear boss.”

“Copy. Coming out.” He pried her arms from around him and dipped down to her level. “Look at me sweet girl.” He said gently, those sea green pools looked back and he drowned. “Trust me, please, I know it’s a lot to ask of you, but please.” Her slight nod as tears streaked her cheeks broke him. “I’m going to have a peek out first and then I’ll help you up ok?” She nodded again and he stepped away.

Collecting his weapons and shouldering the pack he climbed up the makeshift ladder and peered out.

“He boss.” Jerry smiled.

“Jerry. Take these and get in the car, I’ll be out with the girl in a moment. Don’t look at her, talk to her, touch her. She doesn’t exist at the moment ok?”

“Copy that.” He nodded and took the pack and weapons from Strand.

Dropping back to the floor he found her huddled in the corner, much how he’d found her that first night. Crouching down he waited until her eyes found his. “Ready to go sweet girl?” He held out his hand, she had to come to him. Karl watched in amazement as she shoved the fear down and took a chance, took the hand that was offered, trusting a man she barely knew. “There’s my brave girl.” He led her to the ladder and helped her climb up supporting her weight as much as possible. It was a tight squeeze through the opening, the concrete scraping his spine as he lifted her out and onto the basement floor. She froze as he pulled himself the rest of the way out, on her knees in the fetal position, motionless, barely breathing. He wasn’t equipped for this, fire fight, sure, beating someone bloody absolutely, a fragile mind and emotional state, not so much.

Sitting on the floor next to her he stroked a finger down her arm and the keening whimper gutted him. “You’re safe sweet girl, it’s just you and me in here, in the whole house. He’s not here, remember?” It took him nearly twenty minutes to coax her into his lap again, her rigid body relaxing once his arms had secured her to him, clingy it would be, he thought wryly. Fuck he hated clingy, but in this instance he’d make an exception. “Curl into me sweet girl, I’m going to carry you out ok?” He murmured gently. Pulling the collar up to shield her face from view and her eyes from the blinding work light he knew would be upstairs, he stood and shifted her to get a firm grip. “Close your eyes for me l.” He said as he started toward the stairs, she didn’t need to see or be reminded of anything up here in the house. Once on the main level he wasted no time moving to the front door, his long legs eating up the linoleum eager to be free of this shithole.

Jerry waited by the SUV and Karl shook his head when he went to say something. The kid, to his credit, caught on, snapped his mouth shut, turned and climbed in the drivers seat. Strand climbed in, a somewhat difficult task with a body in his arms. Once the door was shut he tapped Jerry’s chair twice to say he was good to go, his partner wasting no time hightailing it out of there. They drove in silence, the tremble in her body had eased and when he glanced down an hour or so into the journey he found her watching him.

“You ok sweet girl?” He asked softly and her subtle nod had him breathing a little easier. She shifted and peeked out at the city whizzing by, her hand shaking as it reached to touch the glass of the window. Resting her head under his chin he felt her drifting, emotionally exhaustion had finally come to claim her.

“Thank you.” Karl said as Jerry turned onto Mia’s property. “She’s asleep.” He added as Hunts eyes met his in the rear view mirror.

“No problem and I get it boss. With Allen in custody all those assholes online are going to be looking for his business partners, associates, anyone connected. Anyone and anything they can get their hands on to keep the girls coming in.”

“At the moment only Allen and I know what she looks like, I need to keep her identity under wraps. Do you know if he has photos of her?” Strand asked as he stroked gentle fingers against her head.

“I can check. They’re still processing the house so I’ll have a mountain of data to wade through when I get back, but I highly doubt it. She was a tool, someone beneath him.”

“Can you work from Mia’s?” He asked.

“All I need is an internet connection. I packed figuring I’d need to be here for a bit, I have all the electronics from the house.” He shrugged and Karl smiled.

“We’ll knock that green off you yet rookie.” He muttered.

“Mia said there’s a rec room I can setup in with a bedroom off the hall.” Jerry murmured as he turned onto Mia’s property.

“Do that, settle in, I don’t want anyone knowing where we are.”

“Am I going to lose my job if I don’t report in?” He asked seriously.

“If you do they’ll be firing me too. Meekland’s a bitch, but she knows I’ll protect the girl and use whoever I have at my disposal to do so. It’s more my ass on the line than yours.” Which was the truth, although Strand had to wonder if those at the office were more involved that he’d originally thought.

“Well it’s worth it, I’d rather get fired for doing something right than turning a blind eye to this clusterfuck.”

“You’ve got my vote kid.” He saw the welcome party on the front porch. “Slow down and stop before you get to the flamingo on the right.” He said seriously, pointing at the garish pink plastic flamingo nailed to a fence post. Jerry slowed to a stop where he was directed and waited with a chuckle at the flaming pink lawn ornament.

“Now what?” He said slightly nervous as he laid eyes on the tiny woman crouched behind a sniper rifle on the porch.

“We wait.” He shifted slowly into view, taking up the middle section of the back seat so Mia had a clear look at him, and a clear shot if she decided to take it.

“This has me a little on edge boss.” Hunt said and Strand snorted.

“This is nothing, Mia will have you on edge permanently.” His phone lit up and he answered the call.

“Who’s with you?” She growled.

“Jerry and the girl, that’s it. Anyone following us in is fair game.”

“Afghanistan.” She added abruptly.

“Victor Charlie Echo 93757293 Archangel.”

“You’ll do Strand, come on in I’ll get the water on for coffee, you look like shit.” Her demeanor changed so abruptly Karl chuckled as he hung up.

“She hasn’t fucking changed a bit.” He grinned.

“You speaking in code?” Jerry smirked as he pulled around the back of the house to keep the car out of sight.

“Something like that. We were special ops, only we know those codes. If they were to come from your lips, she would have shot you dead.” He chuckled at Jerry’s audible gulp. “Take the gear into the house, meet Mia, get set up, this may take a bit.”

“It has to be terrifying for her.” Hunt said softly, Karl could see the kids heart breaking for the woman in his arms.

“Give Mia the rundown, you’ve been on coms through all of this I know you heard it all.” Was all Karl said as he sat there with Jane Doe.

“Will do.”

Strand sat in the car and held her close while Jerry stowed the gear inside and brought Mia up to speed. She didn’t stir, the sheer exhaustion and paralyzing fear had pulled her under hard which in some ways was a blessing. He only opened the car door when Mia came out and waited on the back porch for him. Bundling her into his arms he carried her lifeless body into the house and felt the tenseness drain from his system at being somewhere even he felt safe, the place was a fortress.

“Good to see you Strand.”

“I wish it were under better circumstances.” He sat in a large recliner and felt slightly embarrassed at being so dirty in her sacred place.

“She’s under deep.” Mia said gently, her gaze scanning the frail body wrapped in a huge woolen coat.

“Yeah.” His sigh was weary.

“Hang here with her I’ll make a tea and some soup, you’re almost asleep on your feet too.” Mia smiled at him, damn it was good to see a friendly face.

“Long few days.” He felt his eyes droop, the wave of exhaustion beckon him under and he dropped into sleep like a stone. Feeling her shift he instinctively held her close before she settled again, the movement only pulling him back to the surface enough to know they were safe and he could sink into sleep once more.

It was the itch between his blades that woke him, the intense feeling he was being watched. He slowly reached for his Glock, the movement of shifting in his sleep with a woman in his lap masking the draw of his weapon. Without a sound he pointed it at those pair of eyes and held steady on the trigger at the familiar chuckle. Cracking an eye open he saw Mia sitting not far from him.

“Easy slick, if I wanted you dead you would be.”

“Fuck you.” He huffed, the grin in his tone cracking her smile wide.

“She’s been eyeballing me for the last half hour.” Mia said nodding to the girl in his lap as he looked down to see her intensely focused on Mia. “I reckon she thinks you smell and need a shower, and could do with a burger.

“She’d be right.” He yawned.

“Do you have a name little lady?” Mia asked and the girl just shook her head. “Well Jane Doe it is. How about you and me get you soaking in a nice hot bath and let this guy go shower, because he’s really on the nose.”

Jane looked up at Strand, permission, she was asking his permission to do normal everyday functions and this tore at him.

“Up to you sweet girl. I need a shower and food, and I think you’ll like Mia’s bath tub.” Her fingers gripped his shirt. “I’m not leaving, you’re safe with Mia, and Jerry’s in the rec room crunching source code and financials no doubt. This place is a fortress, no one gets in or out without Mia knowing.” Jane looked at Mia and smiled a slight smile when Mia winked at her.

“Can you walk with me or do you need help?” Mia asked and stood, holding out her hand.

Strand saw the terror cloud her eyes, felt her fingers tighten on his shirt at her outstretched hand. “You’re safe sweet girl.” She’d been so brave, so strong, and he hated seeing that fear reflected in her entire body, but they both needed to get clean and eat. She nodded, that plea in her gaze haunting him. “I’m not leaving you.”

“He keeps his word Jane.” Mia said gently. “I’m alive because of this dude, he kept me safe.” She glanced at Mia and then back to Karl, the tentative move off his lap to stand on shaky legs making Strand want to beat the shit out of Allen all over again. Karl wanted to kiss Mia repeatedly as Jane hesitantly stepped toward her, positive progress.

He watched her go, the occasional look back over her shoulder confirming he’d made the right decision to stay put for the moment. “That’s my girl.” He sighed, damn he was bone weary tired as he scrubbed a hand over his face. He could hear Mia’s voice, the in jest digs she took at him to try and cheer the girl up, take her mind off everything.

“He’ll still be there Jane.” He heard her say and not a second later she peeked around the corner at where he was sitting. He’d wait until she was in the bath before taking a quick shower, they didn’t need her having a meltdown due to separation anxiety because he was in the other room.

“Do you want some help washing or you got it?” Mia asked, the fact she appeared a moment later was progress Jane was happy cleaning herself and soaking a few years worth of filth off. “Go shower while you can.” Mia said standing in the doorway. “I hope you kicked the shit out of the guy that did that to her and he no longer draws breath.”

“Hades 6.” Strand growled. “After beating the shit out of him, to a point.”

“Even better, I know a few guys there I can put in a good word for him.” Karl smirked, god he loved Mia like a brother.

“You did the right thing with her Karl, don’t second guess yourself. She’ll be safe here.”

“She’ll never be safe Mia.” He sighed and got to his feet. “I’m going to shower. Come get me it she freaks out. Don’t tip water over her head.” He cautioned and retold what he’d witnessed.

“Fucker.” She seethed as she went in to sit with Jane Doe and settle her in.

“Yeah.” He trudged off to his usual room when he was here, the large California king begging him to come sleep in it’s silky cotton sheets for a month.

He stripped, making a mental note to burn the suit he’d been in for nearly three days and turned on the shower. It was a groan of bliss as he stepped under the heat, the massage heads pounding the dirt and sweat from him. He scrubbed himself four times over before he felt clean again and wrapped a bath sheet around his slim hips. Dressed in sweats and a white shirt he padded out to the living room in bare feet.

He smiled and softly chuckled at the sight, a far cry to what he was expecting on his return. Mia was cutting Jane’s hair, the unruly mop looking more sleek and stylish than the filth coated dreadlocks they were before.

“We’re getting our glam on.” Mia said cheerfully. “Your burger has ten more minutes, it’s not nearly dead enough for you Karl.” He watched Jane carefully, her eyes taking everything in, glancing at him, then Mia, then all the doors and windows.

“As long as the burger doesn’t moo when I stab it with my fork I’m good.” He smiled and saw the smile tug Jane’s lips, progress.

“There we go.” Mia said fluffing Jane’s cropped hair and tidying up. Her fingers came up and touched it gingerly and he saw her eyes fill with tears.

“Oh Jane I’m sorry, I should have, I...” Mia was mortified that Jane didn’t like it. “I should have asked you.”

“I think it’s beautiful.” Karl said softly, coming closer so she could reach for him if she wanted to. “It suits you.” Those sea green eyes locked onto his and he felt his chest tighten, god damn it he wanted her. He almost crumbled when her bottom lip trembled, so much change and upheaval in the past twenty four, he was worried she’d implode. “Do you like it?” The tears fell as her head nodded. Bowed before him he had the realization and kicked himself for not seeing it sooner. “Look at me sweet girl.” He waited for those eyes to find his. “That’s all that matters, your hair, your choice, you don’t need my permission to do anything.” That habit would be hard for her to break. He watched as Mia smiled and turned to tend their burgers and fought the urge to kiss her. As her silent tears fell he caved and cupped the back of her neck, pulling her to him to rest against his chest.

“It’s not a Jane Doe haircut though.” He said honestly as his fingers itched to touch the ends of it, feel it fall through his fingers now it was clean. “We need to find you a name sweet girl.” He kissed her brow and lingered, her scent mixed with the jasmine shampoo stirring his arousal. “Something strong and sweet, brave and beautiful.” She lifted her head up to look at him and if Mia hadn’t turned just then he would have claimed that pretty mouth. “What do you think Mia?” He had to divert his train of thought somehow, this was a dangerous line he was skating.

“That sums up Jane pretty good I think.” Mia’s eyes narrowed studying him as she placed a burger in front of Karl and soup in front of Jane. “Soup first Jane, your stomach isn’t going to like half a cow straight away.” She chuckled.

Karl studied her as she turned to face the bowl of chicken noodle soup on the counter, crusty bread beside it. Her hand shook, the ingrained response to wait for permission to eat.

“Sweet girl it is up to you when or if you want to eat.” He murmured. “Your choice remember?” He kissed the top of her head and took his seat. Focusing on Mia he saw her watching him, eyes darting from him to Mia as if looking for a clue as to whether it was a trap or not, was she going to be punished. He started to eat once Mia had taken her seat, the soup and burger looking like it would never fit in her slim frame but he knew she packed it away and burned through it just as quickly.

He watched as Jane’s fingers inched toward the spoon, eyes ever watchful, Mia and Karl ignored it, she had to do this for herself. It was torture seeing her struggle with the basic need to eat warring with the punishment inflicted if she did it without permission, but he let her do it, her terms, her choice. When her eyes flicked to his he winked at her and gave her a slight smile of encouragement, a silent permission. They had to start somewhere. She picked up the spoon and her hand trembled as she took her first mouthful, the silverware clattering in the bowl as her fingers lost the grip.

“Jane.” Mai whispered. “Like this.” She grinned and winked, picking the bowl up and drinking it like an oversized teacup. She made some outrageous sound and slurped which had that slight smile try to blossom on her face. Jane looked at Karl and all he did was smile, maybe that would be enough encouragement without giving permission. Taking a hold of the bowl like Mia had she hesitantly brought it to her mouth and slurped.

“Champion slurper of soup right there.” Mia said and chuckled.

She got half way through the bowl before she stopped, her belly probably overloaded with food, from famine to feast overnight.

“Had enough for now?” Mia asked as she started to clear their dishes and jerked her hand away when Jane protected the remnants of her food.

“It’s fine Mia, leave it there for now.” Karl said gently and gave Mia a knowing look, a nod was all it took for her understanding.

“Well there’s a whole pot just for Jane when ever she wants it in the fridge.” She brought her medical kit to the table and looked at Jane. “Can I look at your wrists and ankles, put some stuff on that will help heal it all up?” Her eyes darted to Strand.

“While you ladies take care of that I’m going to check in with Jerry.” He saw the alarmed look on Jane’s face, the terror filled eyes go wide. “He’s hanging out right through that doorway sweet girl, I won’t be far ok? And besides, Mia can kick some pretty mean ass as well, you’re safe with her too.” He hated putting that look in her eyes, but he had work to do and she needed stability not to be clinging to him every second of every day.

“Let’s get you cleaned up ok?” Mia said as Strand walked to the other room. “Don’t cry Jane, he’s still in the house, just like when you had a bath and he had a shower. You’re both here safe, just in different rooms.” She said swabbing and cleaning Jane’s wrist. “Once we have you cleaned up and I give you a couple of shots of antibiotics you can go into that room too, whichever room you like in this house. You’re free Jane, no monsters live here.” Only the ones in your head, but Mia didn’t voice that particular thought.

******

“Hey boss.” Jerry sighed stretching his neck from side to side content with the loud snap it gave him. “How’s she doing?”

“She’s getting there, showered and fed, it’s slow going.” Karl sighed out.

“You look beat to hell.”

“I feel it.”

“All I can say is I hope that if and when we find my sister, if I’m not the one to find her, I hope you are. Most would have tossed her to authorities or into the system.”

“I can’t do that to her.” He shook his head. “I have no clue how to handle this, but I’ve searched for that girl for nearly twenty years, I just can’t.”

“I don’t think there’s a rule book. You’re winging it sure, but you care, that’s the difference.”

“So where are we at with everything? Get me up to speed so I can go pass the fuck out for 24.” Karl said wearily.

“No chatter on the websites as to the arrest or apprehension of the buyer, that’s good news. Bad news is we’re on a time constraint because in exactly 25 days the second teen should be auctioned off and then a few days after that the third.”

“We’ll want to roll on the makeshift orphanage, before then.” Karl said quietly.

“Figured, so I’ve been pulling all data from them, thank you Davis, to setup dummy girls to bid on. We can work with the teen and bag ourselves another buyer.” He tapped a few keys and brought up the sites he was working through. “I’ve found everything but the homeless or milk money transac...” He stopped and nodded his head toward the door where Jane stood.

“Come on in sweet girl.” He said gently and saw her eyes flick to Jerry. “Remember the guy I was talking to?” He pointed to his ear and she nodded. “This is that guy.” Jerry waved and said a soft hi before turning and getting back to work.

Strand watched as her eyes fell on the screen and her head tilted to the side as of trying to recall something or figure something out. She took a few shuffled steps into the room before stopping and looking at Jerry then Karl.

“He won’t hurt you sweet girl.” She came closer and watched the screen. “What is it Jane?” He asked and tapped Jerry’s arm to stop and give her a minute.

“This is familiar to her.” Hunt breathed, his eyes darting from screen to girl as if it would help him understand. Jerry took a few steps back as she moved forward, now looking at the algorithms he was running for his snooping. Her hand reached out for the keyboard and shook, this was all too real for her, he thought.

With one keystroke she stopped the run and started typing.

“Stop!” Jerry snapped before he could think of the situation or who he was dealing with, the thought of protecting his data searches his only concern, literal days of work. She cowered, retreating back quickly and tripped over the chair in an attempt to put space between her and Jerry, pushing her already overtaxed legs to get further away. “Sorry, shit sorry, it’s just. Fuck never mind.” He took a breath. “I’m sorry I shouted.”

“Damn it Jerry.” Strand snarled.

“I’m sorry, that’s been running for days now and I...” Stopping mid sentence he looked at the algorithm and then back at Jane, her eyes still wide with fear, fear Hunt had put there. “How?” He breathed in disbelief. “Jane’s got some skills.” Karl heard him say as he crouched down to her level.

“You’re ok sweet girl, you were just trying to help.” He smiled. “Sounds like you did.” He held out his hand and she hesitantly took it. “You’re safe Jane.”

“Jane you are a genius.” Jerry beamed at her. “I’ve been able to access one level of data but not the other, his source code....” Jerry looked at Jane and Karl swears his jaw hit the floor. “Noooo, your source code. She... ok I’ma need a hot minute.” Hint stuttered.

“I think we can add smart to that list.” Strand said quietly and coaxed her into his arms. “Breathe sweet girl your safe. Jerry gets a little excited like a happy puppy.”

“Did you just refer to me as a happy puppy?” Jerry grinned.

“See happy puppy.” He watched as she looked up at him and then at Jerry.

“You wrote this?” Jerry asked gently, her slight nod all the answer he was getting as she curled into Strand. “It’s elegant code, beautiful. Where mine is a sledge hammer and just barges it’s way in, yours finesses the tiny cracks and blows it wide open while not being detected or seen.”

“What else you got Jerry, I need sleep.” Karl yawned.

“I have all the photos from the house on here and hard copy, I haven’t had a chance to look through them yet. He has a another record of everything, the undoctored version.”

“He keeping two sets of books.” Karl muttered to himself.

“More than. I’m guessing in that trunk is an air-gapped laptop that has everything in it about the entire syndicate.” Hunt pointed to the two large boxes on the floor full of electronic equipment he’d yet to sort through.

“Look there first thing. You need sleep tonight too.”

“He’s off planet.” Jerry said carefully. “Meekland pulled some strings.”

“Good.”

“Hey, Jane? Can I use your algorithm for a few more searches?” He asked gently, her slight nod lighting up the rookie’a face. “Later I’d love for you to show me more.” She looked at Karl and then back at Jerry and nodded before pointing at his financials. “There something I’m missing?” He asked and her nod made Strands belly tighten. Jerry vacated his chair and offered it to Jane.

“Show us what we’re missing sweet girl.” She hesitantly left his arms and shuffled to the chair, her gaze flicking between the two men, so skittish. Her movements were slow at first until she got a feel for it again. “Like riding a bike.” Karl murmured.

Jerry watched in amazement as she stripped away layers of security he’d been slugging away at for days in mere minutes, not surprising since she wrote the code. After setting up an algorithm to chip away at a particular layer she pushed back and stood up gingerly, wincing slightly, she was in physical pain.

“Elegant perfection.” Jerry breathed. “I’d kiss you but it’s not appropriate.” He chuckled and that slight smile tugged her mouth.

“Leave it for tonight Hunt, go have some food and get some rest.” Karl ordered. “It wasn’t a request.” He growled as Jerry sat back down.

“A few more searches to run overnight and then I’m out.”

“Do you want to hang here Jane?” He asked hoping she’d stay, but knowing she wouldn’t. Shaking her head she moved toward the door. “If she screams tonight let me handle it.” He said in a low tone.

“Copy. Her nightmares are going to be brutal.”

“I can only imaging. Good work the past few days, I know it’s been rough as fuck.”

“It’s worth it. We’re shutting them down, keeping her safe, kicking some bad guy ass.”

“Works for me. Get some rack time.”

Jerry peered past him before speaking again. “She’s his cypher Karl, more than getting past his security. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, she knows his secrets and just because of that she’s way more of a target.”

“Find the device, the laptop.”

“If she’s up for looking through the photos of the house we might be able to locate it, it might be in that box I just don’t know.”

“Process the box first thing, get Mia to help out. I don’t want to shove too much of this in her face unless she willingly wants to be involved. If she shuts down we’re fucked.”

“Will do.”

******

As he came into the kitchen he saw her standing by the window, legs shaking from the strain of holding herself up. “Would you like to go outside and look at it?” He asked pointing to the moon. She looked at him and nodded, there was a brief glimmer of happiness in her eyes. He opened the French doors and stepped out, senses on high alert until he’d scanned the area, not that anything would be able to sneak up on Mia’s house.

It had been a long time since he’d stopped and looked up at the moon, the serene beauty of it. He was brought out of his reverie by her tiny hand taking a hold of his. It wasn’t the death grip from earlier which settled him. Time, he thought, time here would see her recover.

He was so mesmerized by the vision of her looking up at the moon, the soft glow highlighting her beauty, he only just stopped himself before his lips found hers. Those eyes of perfect sea green snapped to his and her hand touched the scruff at his jaw. “I want to sweet girl, but we can’t.” He breathed and pulled back. “I’m no good for you and you deserve better.” He was drawn to her, something deep in his soul came alive when he was near her.

She rested her forehead against his chest, a quiet understanding that screamed at him. “Watch the stars.” He whispered. “Make wishes if you see one streak through the sky.” He said stepping back slightly to look up and to put some distance between her and his semi hard cock, she made him feel things his cold black heart wasn’t ready to feel.

They stood watching the night sky whirl overhead, stars falling casting pretty trails, wishes made. “You still need to search for a name sweet girl.” He said gently as she turned to look at him shaking her head. “Do you like Jane?” And smiled a chuckle as she screwed up her face and shook her head again. “I’ll take that as a no.” She pointed at him. “Me? Me what?” His brow knit in confusion until it dawned on him. “No sweet girl. I can’t chose for you.”

He thought about her mother, the name she’d been given by parents that adored her for the few days they had her, too soon for that bombshell, and that part of her life had been over before it had begun. She needed to choose it for herself, help her reclaim her life, her identity, to figure out who she was after Allan Raven.

Bringing up a list of names on his phone he handed it to her to look at. “Scroll through there and see if you like one.” He shrugged, not really certain if he was going about it the right way. She shook her head and pushed his phone back at him. “Sweet girl, I can’t. You deserve to chose who you want to be, what name you want to be known by.” Her head bowed and she stared at the phone screen, hands slightly shaking as she took it from him. “This is your freedom, the freedom to choose.” He kissed the top of her head and stared up at the moon, willing his own emotions to settle. Mia had chosen her own name and he remembered how liberating it was for her, he hoped for the same thing for his Jane Doe. Hearing the phone screen click off she handed it back to him and looked up at the moon before shuffling back inside as if he didn’t exist. He sighed out and dropped his head. “Fuck.” He growled and followed her in when he was sure he had himself under control.

******

“I think that’s the first time she’s seen the moon in a while.” Mia said as he closed and locked the French doors.

“A few years at least, and that’s no exaggeration.” He searched the room for her and came up empty. “She go to bed?” Was she angry at him for not giving her a name, he wondered?

“I don’t know.” Mia shrugged. “She’s free to do her own thing here Strand.” He gave her a flat look. “She’s on overload. You remember how I was after you pulled my ass out of Syria. Let her be tonight, she might settle on her own, she might not, but you need to give her the space to find out. You can’t fix her.”

“I know I can’t.” He ground out, though he wished he could.

“What’s eating you, spit it out.” She challenged, Mia had never backed down from his harshness.

“She wants me to name her.” He sighed. “Like a fucking pet, Mia.” He spat. “It kills me when she looks at me for permission, like I own her.” He was more frustrated with the situation and circumstances than the terrified girl currently under his care.

“Strand she doesn’t know any better. It’s a conditional response, just as Raven raised her. She’s had nothing, no one but him.” She sighed and looked at him. “In a way you’ve replaced him as her master, that’s how she sees it. It’s going to take more than a few days for her to unlearn everything that asshole put her through.”

“I know, it just...” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “She’s under my care Mia, fell under my care the second I laid eyes on her. I want to fix it for her, make it right, protect her from the rest of it that’s coming, because it’s fucking coming, this is far from done, but I can’t. She needs to do things for herself to reclaim her life, but she’s so fucking fragile, mentally fragile.”

“It’s going to take time, and a lot of it. And she’s far from fragile. All we can do is point her in the right direction, she’s an adult Karl, we can’t be her parents and we can’t expect her to be normal overnight, especially when she has no idea what normal is.”

“Speaking of, should I tell her she has parents? Should I tell her the name they gave her? How do we know what’s right for her?” He was snarling at her now, the asshole in him wanting to lash out.

“We don’t.” Mia looked at him and remained calm knowing he needed to release some of the the fury he’d been riding on the past few days. “We’re winging it same as her.”

“She’s never going to be free of Allen Raven, Mia, this will follow her and I can’t stop it.” Deep down he knew the syndicate would hunt her down until she was under their control or dead, both options were unacceptable and it terrified him that he wouldn’t be able to protect her.

“You’re right, but you’re giving her the best shot at a better life than she was in. Look at what you pulled her from.” She pointed to the room where their case was spread out for all to see as she crossed to him and he felt her eyes bore into his. “You’re right, she’s never going to be completely free, but she’s in a better place now than a few days ago.”

@hausofobsession @ill-skillsgard @grandpa-sweaters @authentic90skidd @tuckersgirl @fairlyfallacy @flowers-in-your-hayr @raewritesfiction @stinkerbelle007 @kamie-b @mrsaugustwalker @skrsgardspam @loliwrites @trippedmetaldetector @lihikainanea @fay-walden

#Karl Strand fanfic #a softer side #gustaf skarsgard #sexy as fuck

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sleepyfan-blog · 5 years

Note

As an ending to the slave trilogy, can Ink somehow revert the brainwashing and get all three out and then Dream puts a bounty on his head to cover the last square? Please with a cherry on top?

I hope that you enjoy the ending :D

prompt : Bounty On Their Head

Final ficlet in this series. Previous here.

Fandom: Dreamswap by @onebizarrekai

Characters and pairing: DS Ink, DS Error, DS Cross, DS Nightmare, DS Dream, DS Blue, Meme Squad Poly, DS Errink

Warnings: death threat, cursing, past brainwashing, implied unhealthy relationships

Word count: 2,433

Summary: Ink schemes and plans and manages to pull of saving the meme squad

It took months for Ink to figure out what in the fresh hell Dream had done to his boyfriend and the other’s two only friends. It seemed to be a mix of standard brainwashing techniques along with using the other’s powerful emotive aura in order to influence the other three… There was also the fact that the bastard had somehow figured out how to change Nightmare from a negative spirit into a positive one…

On one hand, Ink could stand being around the other more as the other’s presence didn’t cause him to feel shitty feelings (he was careful not to drink any of his vials that contained negative emotions - he didn’t want Dream to realize what his true thoughts and genuine feelings about this whole damned situation was - he knew that the other could influence him super fucking easily due to his soullessness)… On the other hand, Dream had completely reworked another being’s entire magical makeup because that’s what he decided was best for them.

Ink had also noticed that the brainwashing had to be reinforced regularly - which was one of the main reasons why Dream had politely insisted that Blue and Cross stay in Justice Reigns - along with the fact that he could see the manipulative feathered ass starting in on Blue - albeit in a much more subtle manner, so as not to cause the mercurial outcode to grab his prize and flee to some unknown corner of the multiverse. Whether or not it was due to the unusual nature of their beings - Error was an outcode, Cross had half a Determined Human’s soul and Nightmare, in addition to being quite powerful, was also an emotive guardian and somewhat resistant to Dream’s powers. Moreso than the rest of the multiverse, at least.

It took him an additional four months of carefully planned interruptions in those brainwashing sessions - a small emergency here, a call from a crucial backer there, the discovery of a dangerous and sneaky cult or a gang that had manage to steal a couple of JR’s dimensionally capable cars and wreaking havoc - but they were starting to come back to themselves. It also took that long for him to get the other two to agree to allow him to watch the three of them play video games in his rooms within Justice Reigns while Blue was off being sketchy and Dream was chasing down the last of the gang of surprisingly well-armed criminals. One of the three of them needed to stay here - they couldn’t let the public think that the head of JR was worried about those assholes, now could they?

Interestingly enough, Cross was the first to actually wake up, his eye lights brightening suddenly into focus, and a long string of colorful curses before the other tackled him to the floor, hissing “Ink, if you don’t get this power suppressing collar off of me, I will figure out if I can strangle you to death with my bare fucking hands, do you understand?”

Ink couldn’t stop a relieved grin from appearing on his face as he started to fumble with the lock a little “Thank the fucking stars. Hopefully you can help me get the other two back to their senses as well.”

This took a lot of the aggression out of Cross, who let him go and stared in confused surprise “I… What? Wait - don’t tell me you were the one engineering all of that bullshit for the past year or so? I… Why would you do that. You’re loyal to Dream, aren’t you? I mean… You betrayed me for him.” this was said with no small amount of bitter suspicion. “What are you planning, you soulless fuck?”

“What I’ve been planning is to get the three of you un-brainwashed, you salty asshole. Error and I have been dating for three years. We’ve been keeping it on the down low, and I’ve been passing him information about where JR and the feathered shitbag is going to be going as best as I can. Surely you’ve noticed that the three of you have been running into a lot fewer of their patrols before you got fucking captured.”

“Wait, you’re Error’s boyfriend who works in JR who managed to rescue him before we did that one time? Hoooly shit. That… No that does make a lot of sense. Nightmare said that based off of the intel that you were able to give us, you had to be pretty close. I just wasn’t expecting the person to be Dream’s number one assassin… And thank you for not leaving us to rot.” Cross grumbled grudgingly, folding his arms over his chest before he realized what he was wearing “… Eugh. Please tell me you’ve got a spare set of my actual outfit? I can’t believe that I ever agreed to wear this.”

Ink snorted. The light blue shirt and dark grey pants actually looked pretty good on Cross - they also complemented Blue’s colors - which was the point. “Of course. I recreated all three of yours’ usual outfits. I was going to recommend you change anyways, because I wouldn’t put it past Blue to have sewn some sort of tracker in your clothes - magical or otherwise. You don’t have one actually one you. None of you do. I already checked for that.”

“Thanks for that little bit of nightmare fuel. I’m also going to use the shower really quick… You know who and feather butt aren’t going to be back for a while, right? Or are you expecting one of them to come in at any moment?” Cross asked, unsure as to what was going to happen and deeply suspicious of this whole situation. But Ink did appear to be completely genuine, so far at least.

“Dream is chasing criminals across half of the multiverse, and Blue is trying to gather information about how they managed to steal four of JR’s interdimensional cars. Rumor is that they stole a shipment of the latest vehicles from one of the testing facilities while it was in transit.” Ink answered “They shouldn’t be back here for days, and one of us has to keep an eye on the three of you, so. Here I am. I was hoping that all three of you would shake out of it… Because otherwise-”

“Nightmare will go wandering back to Dream, tell him where we are and then we’re all so much more fucked than we were before.” Cross grumbled, rubbing his face with his hands “Right, I’m going to have a shower. Good luck trying to un-brainwash Nightmare.” For the briefest moment, a look of consideration and uncertainty flashes across the taller skeleton’s face, as if he’s thinking about doing or saying something. But all Cross does is sigh and silently walk into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Error who - bless his soul - has had flashes of lucidity for the better part of a month - suddenly stiffens up and sobs a little “N-No… N-Not again…” and curls in on himself.

Ink is instantly at the other’s side, with Nightmare frowning in dazed concern at his friend. “Hey… Shh… It’s going to be okay. I’m going to get the three of you to safety, alright? I’ve been trying to get you in your right mind for a while…”

“I… I… You’re right. Thank… Thank you, Ink. You’ve been kind and supportive and trying to get me and my friends back to their true selves… Also, thank you for trying to distract Blue away from Cross - he’s… Very good at manipulating others, and turning them into his loyal little puppets…” Error muttered, burying his face in his hands and trembling a little, before murmuring quietly “… You didn’t just take me and run. You… You’re… My friends, you’ve been trying to…”

“Well,yeah. You are about them. I may be a soulless asshole… But I’m your soulless asshole and I want you to be happy. They make you happy.” Ink explained, fidgeting a little and trying not to blush at the soft expression on his boyfriend’s face. Honestly, it wasn’t that big a deal. If he was going to betray Dream and piss him off, he might as well go whole hog and save all three of them. Error would never forgive him if he left his two best friends to be twisted like this and try to save them… And Ink could admit to himself that he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he tried to be that selfish, either. Somehow he’d acquired a conscience and it wasn’t due to Dream.

Nightmare groaned quietly, pressing his hands to his face, his shoulders shaking a little. It Took INk a minute to figure out that the formerly negative spirit was crying a little. He edged towards the nearest exit, unsure as to what to do, and having never got along him as well. “Don’t you dare fucking try to leave. You… He had a stars damned illusionary spell placed on me to help fuck with my head. It just faded away. He’s been… I don’t know what all he’s done to me… But you better not fucking decide to fuck off back to Dream. I will find a way to kill you.”

“I wasn’t planning on it. If you don’t remember, Error was also kidnapped and he… That bastard hurt him almost as much as he hurt you. I was going to knock on the door to the bathroom because Cross is taking a shower. There are spare sets of your normal outfits in the bedroom over there for you to change into, to get rid of any trackers you might currently be wearing.” Ink answered bluntly, edging closer to the bathroom door. The water stopped running, which was a good thing.

“… I suppose I’ll believe you for now. I’m guessing you’re Error’s mysterious boyfriend?” Nightmare responded, his voice shaking still, but his eye sockets were devoid of tears as the other looked at him with faded golden eye sockets. “… So what now? Do you have a place for us to run to, or was this an impulsive thing?”

“I’ve been in negotiations with Core Frisk. They don’t trust me worth a damn, which. I mean is fair, but they’ll shelter you three and I’ll be able to stay if I work on the ‘non-destructive’ side of my powers with them. I have no idea what the hell they mean by that, but it’s the only place I can think of that Dream can’t reach. Hell, as far as I know, he has no idea it even exists. They only contacted me after I started working with each of you to try to wake up. How they knew that I really wanted to save you from their bullshit, I don’t know.” Ink responded with a shrug.

“Right, well I’m going to go get dressed - we should probably stock up on supplies before we head to the omega timeline - food and the like is kind of limited there.” Nightmare responded, his eye lights still dull and miserable, standing up and rubbing his face a little. “I never thought that Dream would go quite that far but… Hey, at least I’m not dead.”

“I’ve been stockpiling things at that house that you three have there for the better part of a year. I helped Core make a large section of farmable land before they even agreed to let me stay there more than to drop crap off for them and their little band of refugees. All I’ve been waiting on is the three of you waking up. I’ll get a portal ready.” Ink responded, summoning his brush as Error and Nightmare got up and changed their clothes. The soulless skeleton was aware that Error, Nightmare and Cross were also dating - whether he would be included in their cuddle sessions was up to the three of them. He was simply glad to have a piece of his beloved’s heart.

Cross wandered through the area wearing nothing but a towel and entering the bedroom for clothes, closing it behind them. Ink sat down on the couch, twirling his brush as he concentrated on opening a portal. He was one of the very few people allowed to open portals by the wards that protected this AU. Technically they could go via walking through a door and thinking about the coordinates to the Omega Timeline… But Ink doubted that any one of the three of them would be able to focus enough to do that. Not with the enormity of what had done to them was starting to hit home.

The three of them came out a couple of moments later, Error’s strings curled around a couple of both Nightmare and Cross’s fingers - one of his versions of holding hands, given his aversion to touch. Ink smiled a little at that, startling when he felt a couple of the other’s strings wrap around one of his wrist. Error caught his gaze and murmured softly “Thank you.”

“… You know I’d do anything for you, Error.” Ink murmured. It had taken him longer than he’d like to admit to get his head out of his ass and realize just what Dream really was… But he’d follow Error through hell and back again.

The four of them were sitting down on the slightly squashy but very comfortable couch in their home, hours later after they sorted through the stuff that Ink had grabbed for them, taking a break to watch Undernovella when a breaking news bulletin interrupted their show. It was Lord Fuckface himself “And I regret to inform you that my personal assistant Ink, for reasons unknown, has kidnapped my mate, Nightmare. Because of this I have placed a bounty on his capture of six million G. If you have seen or know where he might be, there is a confidential phone line you can call. If you have seen my mate, please call. I miss him dearly.”

“Miss me being your obedient toy, more like.” Nightmare muttered angrily from his seat, sandwiched between Cross and Error, scowling darkly. The scowl dropped from his face after a moment, and he whispered softly to himself, as if trying to convince himself “… I don’t miss him. I don’t.”

“… I still sometimes miss Blue. Even after all the stuff he did to me.” Error and Cross admit.

Cross clarified “I mean. Before all of the recent bullshit. And yet, still part of me still misses him greatly. But we’ll heal and grow stronger.”

Nightmare nodded shakily, and the four of them continued to watch the soap opera.

#unhealthy relationships tw #ds errink #ds error #ds ink #ds cross #ds nightmare #ds dreammare #ds crue #past brainwashing #my writing

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