[A strange, cubic mass of floating, tumbling organic matter hovers on the work table. It casts a gilded glow down on the floor in front of Luke.
Viktor is here, sprawled on the ground in nothing but his underwear, upper body littered with runes carved into his flesh, and he slowly gathers himself up while coming to his senses.
With dawning horror, Luke realizes along with Viktor, that the sand on the ground is actually a pile of ashes.]
[WHY ARE YOU NAKED??? THIS IS LAB SAFETY 101 YOU IDIOT
Wouldn't it be funny if he shouted that. But no--he can only watch as Viktor moves forward, and then as he turns to walk away. Luke's gaze is fixed on the pulsing purple object, but his body moves on instinct at the shift of energy in the air, not unlike the explosions he's encountered in the past. If he can, he'll try to catch Viktor before he hits the ground.]
Luckily, for reasons, Luke has experience with people Going Through Shit--as disorienting as all this is, his first inclination is always to help. So he shifts, steadying Viktor, and angles his body to try and shield him from the Core as best he can. If he were alone, he'd investigate, and it still draws his gaze as it spins--but Viktor is breaking down, so Luke turns his attention to him.]
Okay. [He speaks soothingly, but firmly, in the hopes that Viktor can hear him.] Come on, we'll go.
[hey? why does luke HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THIS TOO? HELLO? SHAKES HIM UPSIDE DOWNNNN
He clutches at Luke like a lifeline. The skin of his torso and shoulders and upper arms are raw and angry where he's carved the strange runes into his flesh. One hand is mottled purple, one leg mottled purple and twisted together with metal. Both pulse with the same color the spinning organic matrix gives off; when it thrums, so too does Viktor's hand and leg.]
I didn't mean to... I didn't... It was an accident...
Despite the clinging, he doesn't force Luke to haul his bag of bones the whole way. He stumbles after, trying to get his leg to work like it's supposed to work. Once they get just far enough, his body sort of glitches for half a second, then glitches more, until he is thankfully no longer naked, but in the usual outfit he's wearing in the Belly.
[HIS TWIG ARMS ARE TRULY SO FUNNY. LUKE ISN'T EVEN BUFF BUT LOOK AT THE ARM COMPARISON HE COULD FIT THREE VIKTORS INTO ONE BICEP.
He's glad Viktor is clothed, though, and that he seems to be coming back to himself. He doesn't mind steadying him for as long as Viktor needs, though he doesn't force him once Viktor seems able to stand on his own. Unfortunately, as much as he hates memshare and would want his own privacy to be respected, he has to ask.]
[He's shaking his head repeatedly, putting his face into his hands, running his hands back through his hair.]
No... No, it's... I realized... it... it learned. It was learning. It was responding... to organic material. Like... [He pauses, voice quivering briefly.] Like my blood.
It... holds the key. It holds the key to life and death. Somewhere. I was trying to find it... I was trying to stop... [He glances up, ashamed.] I was trying to cure myself. I was testing it on me.
[Of course it does... at this point, Luke would almost be more surprised if that wasn't what it was. Scien and Dahut, Eunhyuk and Viktor, and himself--it's the strangest of commonalities tying them together. Luke's always been a protective sort, and he'd naturally picked up the mantle of trying to get them all home the moment everyone woke up, but it's undeniable that their ragged little group is on a different level, for him.
So maybe it's that bias, or maybe it's because he believes Viktor is a good person, but he just returns Viktor's look steadily. As far as he's concerned, it sounds like extremely stupid behavior--but it's not like he doesn't get it. And if Viktor was only hurting himself, not others, well... that's his decision.]
You had to know that was reckless. [Luke points it out, because it needs to be said.] ...But it's understandable.
[He puts his face into one of his hands, still ashamed.]
I know... I know that. But it was only supposed to be reckless for me. No one else was supposed to...
[Desperation made him foolish. The thought of dying before he barely started with his life, snuffed out before he could accomplish anything he wanted.]
She walked in... It was an accident. I didn't expect... Sky, our assistant. She tried to stop me, but the Core...
[Maybe he should say something kind and reassuring--it's not your fault or you didn't know. But Luke's kindness doesn't often come in the form of unprompted absolution. He rests a hand on Viktor's knee, and his expression isn't cold or unsympathetic, but... well. Nothing he can say can bring Sky back, and to him, it's obvious: there is no magic key to life and death. Not one that comes without a cost. Viktor should've known that nothing good could come from an object that demanded blood.
So he just lets Viktor explain, and nods gently.]
Was it... what, some kind of defense mechanism? Do you know?
[As someone crushed into the pavement by guilt and shame, no amount of reassurance would help anyway. He did that. It was an accident, but it doesn't matter. He did that.
Gently, he shakes his head.]
No. It... It reacts to stimuli, it accepts transmutation. She tried to pull me away, but... all I could think about was being so close. So I grabbed the Core anyway. It took her... as payment. It reacts to what's organic, and she was the perfect exchange.
But again, Luke just nods, listening quietly. It's tragic, it really is--and he thinks Viktor is certainly less to blame than he probably feels he is, but. It's very true: At the end of the day, she's gone, all because of something Viktor was studying for his own reasons. Luke can't say he understands exactly how Viktor feels, but he doesn't not get it, either. He stands by what he'd said earlier.]
[Luke opens his mouth--but whatever he was about to say is lost as the lab, along with the Core and the ashes of Viktor's slain friend, vanish.
Instead, they find themselves in a hospital ward, the steady beeping of medical equipment filling the air around them. The ward is empty, save for one bed--the figure in it is familiar to Viktor, though younger than the man beside him now. The present-day Luke has frozen, his face ashen; the one on the bed trashes, clutching something in his hand.
Sunlight streams through the window, yet the hospital room seems to grow darker, and the whispers, louder.
Join us.
It's only fair.
Why did you survive?
Slowly, the shadows begin to form into hands--they reach for the young Luke, whose eyes remain tightly shut.]
Viktor immediately stiffens. His heart leaps into his throat. He reaches out to grab a fistful of the clothes of Luke's shoulder because the familiar stringent smell, the sight of the hospital shoots ice through his blood.]
But Luke--the Luke Viktor knows--seems to be out of commission. The nightmare has caught hold of him too, his eyes wide and his breathing shallow as he watches the memory play out.
The shadows grow, evolving into figures, though their faces are unclear. They loom over the Luke on the bed. All the while, the voices continue.
Why do you cling to life? Will you leave us behind?
They grab at his legs, pulling. He thrashes harder, though he still refuses to let go of whatever is in his hand.
It's only fair. Join us. Join us--
The hospital door slams open. It's enough to jolt the boy on the bed into wakefulness, and the shadowy figures vanish. He's instantly seized with a harsh coughing fit, curling into himself as the machines beep and whirr frantically. Viktor can catch a glimpse of a doctor striding quickly into the room and over to the memory Luke, before the vision fades.
The only reason he unlatches from Luke is because he is worried about Luke 2. Panicked, he jumps unsteadily to his feet as if he thinks he really can do anything to ward off a pack of violent, taunting shadows.]
Stop!
[The door opening also startles him, too; he jumps in place, his breath leaving him momentarily. The cough dredges up a very familiar anxiety in him. He steps forward, but the whole scene slips through his fingers like sand. It's almost like it was a nightmare.
He stands and tries to make his heart be still, slowly glancing back at Luke.]
[Wouldn't it be funny if I was like "surprise he was actually a secret twin all along"
But no--left on the floor is the same person that's always been here: the Luke that survived, despite it all. He has one hand to his mouth and the other at his chest, as if he's braced for a flare-up even though he hasn't had one since his death. When nothing happens, he lowers his hand, breathing unsteadily--only then does he seem to remember he wasn't alone, glancing up at Viktor through his bangs.]
I--[...] Sorry. You shouldn't have had to see that.
After a moment of hesitation, he goes back to Luke, carefully crouching beside him. The fingers he puts on Luke's shoulder are tentative, just in case Luke doesn't want to be touched.]
You don't have to apologize for something I've seen in my own self.
[WHY DOES EVERYONE HERE KEEP CONVERGING AT THE WORST PLACES???]
[He doesn't flinch--but he's still extremely tense under Viktor's hand, and though he meets Viktor's eyes, there's something guarded in his expression, like a stray dog lashing out to protect a wound. And it's extremely unfair, but that's simply the sort of person Luke is: A man who has a thousand ways of getting his hands on the secrets of others, all while guarding his own so fiercely that only divine intervention could force them out.
But despite their similarities, he doesn't want Viktor to get the wrong idea. If his cards are going to be yanked out of his hand, then he wants to at least take control of the narrative.
So, even though his voice is rough, reluctant--]
It's not--[...] It was from a gas attack. That's why I was in there. [He looks away, back in the direction of the hospital bed, as if he can still see it.] The medicine my team received was contaminated.
[And. Well. Viktor can probably guess the fates of the others, after what they just saw.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Viktor is here, sprawled on the ground in nothing but his underwear, upper body littered with runes carved into his flesh, and he slowly gathers himself up while coming to his senses.
With dawning horror, Luke realizes along with Viktor, that the sand on the ground is actually a pile of ashes.]
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Wouldn't it be funny if he shouted that. But no--he can only watch as Viktor moves forward, and then as he turns to walk away. Luke's gaze is fixed on the pulsing purple object, but his body moves on instinct at the shift of energy in the air, not unlike the explosions he's encountered in the past. If he can, he'll try to catch Viktor before he hits the ground.]
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Tauntingly, the Core hovering on the table twirls, pulsing. Viktor lands somewhat on his knees and mostly in Luke's arms.] Not again, [he's mumbling.]
Not again. Let me out. [A little louder, wilder:] Let me out!
I don't want to see it again...
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Luckily, for reasons, Luke has experience with people Going Through Shit--as disorienting as all this is, his first inclination is always to help. So he shifts, steadying Viktor, and angles his body to try and shield him from the Core as best he can. If he were alone, he'd investigate, and it still draws his gaze as it spins--but Viktor is breaking down, so Luke turns his attention to him.]
Okay. [He speaks soothingly, but firmly, in the hopes that Viktor can hear him.] Come on, we'll go.
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He clutches at Luke like a lifeline. The skin of his torso and shoulders and upper arms are raw and angry where he's carved the strange runes into his flesh. One hand is mottled purple, one leg mottled purple and twisted together with metal. Both pulse with the same color the spinning organic matrix gives off; when it thrums, so too does Viktor's hand and leg.]
I didn't mean to... I didn't... It was an accident...
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Also no wonder Viktor and Scien don't get along, they're the same fucking person. CAN YOU GUYS STOP CARVING YOURSELVES UP FOR SCIENCE.
He doesn't say that, though, and instead just tries to guide Viktor away from the Core, watching it out of the corner of his eye.]
I know. [He doesn't know shit, actually, but he wants this vision to be over, so it doesn't matter right now.] I've got you.
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Despite the clinging, he doesn't force Luke to haul his bag of bones the whole way. He stumbles after, trying to get his leg to work like it's supposed to work. Once they get just far enough, his body sort of glitches for half a second, then glitches more, until he is thankfully no longer naked, but in the usual outfit he's wearing in the Belly.
THANK GOD.]
Thank you...
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He's glad Viktor is clothed, though, and that he seems to be coming back to himself. He doesn't mind steadying him for as long as Viktor needs, though he doesn't force him once Viktor seems able to stand on his own. Unfortunately, as much as he hates memshare and would want his own privacy to be respected, he has to ask.]
That was...?
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He takes a moment to try stopping the shaking to his arms. It's not happening.]
The... The Hex Core. It's the... Hex Core. What I was... working on last.
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Well, if he's still shaking, then Luke is going to try and guide him to sit down so he can crouch down in front of him, worried.]
And it attacked you?
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No... No, it's... I realized... it... it learned. It was learning. It was responding... to organic material. Like... [He pauses, voice quivering briefly.] Like my blood.
It... holds the key. It holds the key to life and death. Somewhere. I was trying to find it... I was trying to stop... [He glances up, ashamed.] I was trying to cure myself. I was testing it on me.
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So maybe it's that bias, or maybe it's because he believes Viktor is a good person, but he just returns Viktor's look steadily. As far as he's concerned, it sounds like extremely stupid behavior--but it's not like he doesn't get it. And if Viktor was only hurting himself, not others, well... that's his decision.]
You had to know that was reckless. [Luke points it out, because it needs to be said.] ...But it's understandable.
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I know... I know that. But it was only supposed to be reckless for me. No one else was supposed to...
[Desperation made him foolish. The thought of dying before he barely started with his life, snuffed out before he could accomplish anything he wanted.]
She walked in... It was an accident. I didn't expect... Sky, our assistant. She tried to stop me, but the Core...
[The sand on the ground was ashes.]
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So he just lets Viktor explain, and nods gently.]
Was it... what, some kind of defense mechanism? Do you know?
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Gently, he shakes his head.]
No. It... It reacts to stimuli, it accepts transmutation. She tried to pull me away, but... all I could think about was being so close. So I grabbed the Core anyway. It took her... as payment. It reacts to what's organic, and she was the perfect exchange.
It turned her to ash right in front of me.
1/2
But again, Luke just nods, listening quietly. It's tragic, it really is--and he thinks Viktor is certainly less to blame than he probably feels he is, but. It's very true: At the end of the day, she's gone, all because of something Viktor was studying for his own reasons. Luke can't say he understands exactly how Viktor feels, but he doesn't not get it, either. He stands by what he'd said earlier.]
2/2
The void is still open, after all; and as they talk, the scene around them begins to shift. Whispers begin to fill the air.
Yes. You should die too.
Luke whips his head to the side, eyes darting around the room.]
...Did you hear that?
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He freezes from both the voice and Luke's reaction. He listens for a second, and then slowly lifts his head to glance around them.]
...Yes.
[HE DOES NOT WANT TO AGREE, but it feels better to agree with someone else when it comes to hearing disembodied voices.]
Who...?
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Instead, they find themselves in a hospital ward, the steady beeping of medical equipment filling the air around them. The ward is empty, save for one bed--the figure in it is familiar to Viktor, though younger than the man beside him now. The present-day Luke has frozen, his face ashen; the one on the bed trashes, clutching something in his hand.
Sunlight streams through the window, yet the hospital room seems to grow darker, and the whispers, louder.
Join us.
It's only fair.
Why did you survive?
Slowly, the shadows begin to form into hands--they reach for the young Luke, whose eyes remain tightly shut.]
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Oh boy.
Viktor immediately stiffens. His heart leaps into his throat. He reaches out to grab a fistful of the clothes of Luke's shoulder because the familiar stringent smell, the sight of the hospital shoots ice through his blood.]
--Luke?!
[There are TWO Lukes!!]
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But Luke--the Luke Viktor knows--seems to be out of commission. The nightmare has caught hold of him too, his eyes wide and his breathing shallow as he watches the memory play out.
The shadows grow, evolving into figures, though their faces are unclear. They loom over the Luke on the bed. All the while, the voices continue.
Why do you cling to life? Will you leave us behind?
They grab at his legs, pulling. He thrashes harder, though he still refuses to let go of whatever is in his hand.
It's only fair. Join us. Join us--
The hospital door slams open. It's enough to jolt the boy on the bed into wakefulness, and the shadowy figures vanish. He's instantly seized with a harsh coughing fit, curling into himself as the machines beep and whirr frantically. Viktor can catch a glimpse of a doctor striding quickly into the room and over to the memory Luke, before the vision fades.
We are back to Luke (singular).]
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The only reason he unlatches from Luke is because he is worried about Luke 2. Panicked, he jumps unsteadily to his feet as if he thinks he really can do anything to ward off a pack of violent, taunting shadows.]
Stop!
[The door opening also startles him, too; he jumps in place, his breath leaving him momentarily. The cough dredges up a very familiar anxiety in him. He steps forward, but the whole scene slips through his fingers like sand. It's almost like it was a nightmare.
He stands and tries to make his heart be still, slowly glancing back at Luke.]
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But no--left on the floor is the same person that's always been here: the Luke that survived, despite it all. He has one hand to his mouth and the other at his chest, as if he's braced for a flare-up even though he hasn't had one since his death. When nothing happens, he lowers his hand, breathing unsteadily--only then does he seem to remember he wasn't alone, glancing up at Viktor through his bangs.]
I--[...] Sorry. You shouldn't have had to see that.
[Memories were bad enough; why nightmares, too?]
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After a moment of hesitation, he goes back to Luke, carefully crouching beside him. The fingers he puts on Luke's shoulder are tentative, just in case Luke doesn't want to be touched.]
You don't have to apologize for something I've seen in my own self.
[WHY DOES EVERYONE HERE KEEP CONVERGING AT THE WORST PLACES???]
I know what it's like to be sick and haunted.
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But despite their similarities, he doesn't want Viktor to get the wrong idea. If his cards are going to be yanked out of his hand, then he wants to at least take control of the narrative.
So, even though his voice is rough, reluctant--]
It's not--[...] It was from a gas attack. That's why I was in there. [He looks away, back in the direction of the hospital bed, as if he can still see it.] The medicine my team received was contaminated.
[And. Well. Viktor can probably guess the fates of the others, after what they just saw.]
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