Symptom waited. There wasn’t much he could do at this point as the machines whizzed and the the faint noise of shoes clamoring on the other side of door kept in motion. Weapon was in there, being pulled apart and put back together. It was different here, not like the city. Hell he didn’t even know he had a brother for the longest time. Back there the steel walls were close than ice and from the horizontal view, everything seemed surreal and dead. Rainyday was different, the machines were music and every incision was a melody. It gave symptom hope that Weapon would be up and running in no time, ready to orchestrate the next plan of action.

The digital dream void was awful. It was all nightmare and no comfort. 0’s and 1’s in an endless sinking pit, a stressed electric aware state, where nothing was tangible and there was nothing. No memories to dream of, just encrypted data chocking every hole you had.

Weapon woke with a gasp of relief. Like release from a plug that was extracting your soul. The few around him either jumped away or wore an expression of greatest relief, it made him smile. A few medical droids backed away. “Fuck am I glad we lifted you guys from the city. You too Leta.” He smiled at the young girl, a city girl who had lost her job at the green zone medical center in Battery City the day Hazel and Weapon had chosen to raid it.

“Grateful you decided to come along with us, you probably saved my life.” She grinned and knocked on the droids she called her friends. “Just returning the favor, as best I could at least. I was so lost and panicked without Hazel here and…” She stopped and looked away with a mixture of frightened and chagrinned.

Weapon removed the monitors and various things strapped to him, trying to sit up with pained grunts, but shoving away the ones who reached out to help. “Don’t worry about it L, nothing we can do about it…. I’m just glad you’re here.” She handed him a glass of water. “All the tech parts seem to be working just fine. Mech Droid ran diagnostics and fixed up all the fractures in your spine. Luckily the steal iiiiis first grade and triple layered so no wires or whatnot was hurt, nothing a reboot and nano tech immune couldn’t take care of. Most of the damage was in your head, I-”

“Where is Symptom.” He stood up and stumbled some, eyesight focusing and colors melding in and out of proper shape and hue. He could hear the wiring as his pupils focused.

“Hey wait I gotta give you this whole spiel, you gotta take it real careful you hear me your bio-tissues in the frontal lobes are still healing you gotta-” “Yea yea take it easy I know.”  

He couldn’t concentrate on what she was saying to him even if he tried. He couldn’t remember at the moment the specifics of what went down, if Symptom had been hurt or not. He pulled the door open and smiled with a shock to see the man right in front of him. “Well that was easy, usually I have to search for three days to find you around here.”

Leta came up behind him making cautious and worried gestures to Symptom, “Weapon you really need to stay laying down we’re not done and-” Weapon turned and placed his fingers over her mouth, her face blushing immediately. “Just a minute Doctor I’ll be back. Promise”

Symptom could hear mumblings from the other side of the door but just assumed it was Leta or someone else. He knew they were working quickly but time seemed to move so slow, so many unanswered questions. Pacing the entrance door his anger and frustration began to get the best of him, it wasn’t until the door opened and there staring right at him. Just as quickly Symptom’s anger extinguished when he grabbed sight of the other man. His words seemed to break him away from the infinite stare where he found himself trying to think of something to say. “..The ole place seems smaller and quieter when you’re under, guess it would make sense for you to find me quicker.” He had heard the woman behind Weapon speak to him, finding himself spacing as they exchanged a few more words before Weapon turned back around to face him. Symptom looked back at Leta who still wore somewhat of a concerning frown. “Leta, I promise he’ll be back, I won’t let him wander off.” Symptom shot to Weapon, an eyebrow raising just in the slightest. Without waiting for a reply he moved a bit to give Weapon some room to walk with him down the hall. It wasn’t long until Symptom began bombarding him with his own questions. “Do you remember anything?.. Damn, you scared me half to death out there, for a second I really didn’t think you were gonna make it. You can’t go dying on me just yet, we got a industrialization to conquer.’ He joked, the truth was Symptom had been tense the entire time the other was under, the countless sleepless night could attest to that. He got quiet for a moment, thinking he was coming off too strong emotionally. “I’m glad you’re alright, just don’t do that again.” He grinned, sliding his hands into his pockets as thy reached the inside of the library doors.

Weapon gave off small giggles and then burst into gleeful laughter, “Industrialization to conquer! Yesss mhhhmhmhmm.” He kept grinning, Symptom was acting pretty strange and… emotional. They were both such fucked-up wrecks, it was beautiful this mess of torment and feelings they endured. He took the moment of flaring anger in strides, that he had been so weak and defeated, all before the eyes Symptom and most likely The Woman herself. “Trust me,” He spoke in clenched teeth, running his fingers across the dust of the books, “I don’t plan to.”

He closed his eyes and thought a little more clearly know on the events that took place, placing aside his anger, containing it for another time, “I remember… that droid.” There was a growl in his words. “The mother fucker, he knew my moves before I made ‘em, he stopped me cold…. And then you stopped him.” His fingers flicked out and danced with imaginary electricity.

“He had said….” He grunted in frustration and pain, turning to look at Symptom. “He said something about Her… tell me, tell me everything that happened. I can’t trust my own mind….” He was frowning now, could he not trust his brother’s mind either? He felt weak and tired again and took a seat in one of the large comfy sitting chairs, head in hand and fighting his demons. It all felt so off. Felt like a trap, a setup, The Woman waiting patiently for the moment when the trigger would appear and her clone boys would fire up and desolate the zones from the outside in. He had nightmares about it, and how glorious it felt.

“It was over faster then I think either of us thought. I just remember you running ahead before I even had time to draw you were sinking your weapons right into one of their skulls. That exterminator though…” Symptom took a deep sigh, he remembered him as well. He remembered that not everyone who was trained by him actually lived to see past Zone two. His death rate would more than likely impress the hell out of Weapon but he would learn that soon enough. “.. From what I’ve been briefed he was one who trained Korse and he wasn’t even his best apprentice. He knew your moves because he designed them, kinda makes sense though, ya know? He was smart, he wouldn’t make anything that he couldn’t take down…Had we both been in separate I’m sure he would have been able to get away with it too. So you getting beat to shit wasn’t exactly the worst thing that could have happened, in fact you saved our asses because of it.” He turned to look at the expressionless features on Weapon’s face, he was distracted and the culprit was really eating at him. Symptom moved in behind the armchair the other was sitting in and placed his fingers on both sides of his scalp and began moving his fingers in circular motions. “I have a feeling even if you weren’t banged up you’d still have the same look on your face. Wherever your mind is wandering, tell it to come back. You’re too weighted as it is…” Symptom was digging himself deeper, knowing that a part of Weapon’s wandering mind had a lot to do with the disappearance of Hazel. He moved his hands off of Weapon’s scalp and spoke softly. “Wanna see how I did it? I’ve been practicing since I’ve figured out I could do it, it took a while and I may have had a few incidents in my room but nothing to bad.” He smiled as he held his hands close together. Barely touching he closed his eyes and concentrated, his fingers flexing in the slightest as his knuckles grew white and the color began to drain. Soon enough a couple of sparks began to ignite until a silver and blue stream of electricity circled in his palms before extinguishing back to sparks and smoke. “It takes a bit of energy out of me, that’s probably why I don’t remember much after it happened. I didn’t think it was going to do much but with you down I didn’t have anything to lose, I just got so angry and the next thing I know I’m trying to drag you back home… I don’t even know what happened to the exterminator.”

Weapon was watching Symptom, a lost and almost innocent look on his face. Their circumstances were so fucked up, he felt the despair of all pulling on him like weights woven between his bones, laced through circuits. A momentary smirk flicked over him as he took in Symptom’s energy, something like sweet, or domicile, something. And when his fingers touched his head he tensed more than he already was. But the touch of his partner was more than wanted and he eased back, letting his muscles relax and closed his eyes. He let out a quiet moan, always a sucker for touches and attention. He was moving his head against the fingers, eyes closed and then frowning from the pain, and how Symptom saw it so clearly. Still touched and confused that he cared… Thankfully he didn’t have to dwell on it too long as Symptom showed his new trick.

Weapon watched with wide eager eyes, it was incredible. And then yet again he was frowning. He thought of those fingers just on his temples. He thought of all this time that Symptom had been in this home, wandering alone while he just drowned himself in vices in locked in rooms. The little trick was meant for him. She gave him this gift so he could make the final move once he got his hands on him again. He realized his jaw was clenching too hard. He opened his mouth dropping his jaw and stretching it out, then gave a sigh, moving his mouth to those electric fingers, painted with ink and the purpose of murder. It was driving him crazy, this guillotine perched over his head, both of theirs, of fucking everyone’s.  He opened his mouth to touch against the fingers, sighing against them and licking. He look up to Symptom, and then turned completely, knees on the chair to face him. The wild unease was back in his eyes, the morphine having wore off, and he grabbed Symptom’s hands, putting them back on either side of his face. “Come on.” It was a soft urge, plethora of emotions flashing over his pale features. He wanted it. He wanted to have and end, the restlessness was eating him away. Caring so much was too fucking hard. “Come onnnnnngghhhhh. Do it!” He screamed that time, hands shaking against the wrists he was holding as his old self switched on, unhinged. “It’s what it’s fooooor. Come on!”

Symptom was used to the ever-changing emotions that appeared on Weapon’s face, he was used to him being on edge, sometimes even more than himself. It was in the moment that when he felt Weapon’s soft wet tongue turn to the sides of his face that seemed to snap Symptom back into something entirely different. 

He could feel the surges shoot up his own arm. The repressed memories played  dug their way back into his subconscious, the woman’s voice shrilled through his mind. Not only did he have Weapon alone and weakened but he had the other begging to end it. Symptom’s heart began to race, he was trying to fight off this need to kill his brother but he couldn’t pull his hands away, he only gripped tighter. “Don’t……don’t make me do this…..I .. I can’t.” His short breaths escaped through his fractured words, the feeling intensified. He wished someone had come with them, he wished someone was right there around the corner with a gun pointed to his back. It would have been hopeless, Symptom would have found a way to finish them off before they had a chance to reload. No, at this time, it was them. the way it had always been, the way Symptom wanted it to end.

“Weapon… I don’t want to do this! Call somebody…. I can’t stop!” His hands relaxed for a moment still resting on his face. Symptom closed his eyes, he recounted the first day he had began his mission, the first day he laid eyes on Weapon and how it should have been that day. It wasn’t supposed to be this long, he wasn’t supposed to become one of them.The anger filled Symptom slowly, the only problem was he wasn’t sure who it needed to go to anymore. He watched his brother’s eyes, a lethal dose of desperate rage consumed him and Symptom felt he had the only cure. “Weapon…I…… SOMEONE HELP, COME QUICK!” Symptom screamed out, afraid his hold wasn’t going to last much longer. He pleaded to his brother one last time but the feeling took hold of him again. A shock wave of anger surged through him, the piercing voice of the woman shot through as he felt the colts surge down his arms and through his finger tips. He could see Weapon’s expressions go from angry to a paralyzing shock. It only lasted for a few moments but it felt lie an eternity before Symptom ripped his hands away from his face. He wanted to pick him up but he could see the sparks still emiting from his fingers. “SOMEONE! I NEED HELP!!!” Symptom collapsed to the ground, watching Weapon’s body start to convulse, there was nothing he could do. He reached to hold the other’s hand but the sparks were to much and only made his appendage jolt more violently. He could hear hurried footsteps racing to the entrance followed by the sounds of angry screams and the blunt end of a hard object.

He saw it. Weapon could see the programming in his brother’s eyes. he knew that algorithm. He knew the look and he knew how it would feel, that code written in synthetic blood, pumping and urging on. His eyes were wide and desperate, his defeat still heavy on his conscience, a self-sabotage that had grew on its own violation was screaming and moaning for the final shot. One good blast and he didn’t have to worry anymore about Symptom turning on him, about where Hazel was, about Her getting her hands back on him, it could all be over. Right?

The frown and panic on Symptom’s face was beautiful, he could feel the pressure tightening on his skull but also he could feel the restraint and resistance in the muscles too. His brother was so strong, he was fighting against his programming and boy was it beautiful. Maybe even worth all the trouble they went through to get him there. Weapon was smiling as Symptom was screaming, how beautiful they both were, it made him happy. Rage and desperation, he could taste it, his brother was made the same as him. The resistance was lovely and so was the moment when the programming kicked in, a tragically pretty devastation, he felt the grip take hold and his body thrummed with the pre shock energy, he felt high and powerless, he growled in defiance and then the shock finally came. The vision of Symptom full of anger and power seared in his thoughts. The blast was deep and quick, pain throughout every cell he had, biological and synthesized, extreme sharp pain for one second and then black. But the black was quick to fade back to the awful white and then together they danced dangerously in static, shocking static. Pain in surges over and over, shooting through him for what seemed like hours. But he still felt his body, he felt his existence through the pain, he would have laughed if he could. Maybe he did. Eventually the static stopped, it all stopped. Like the plug was pulled and the battery was fried years ago.

Again he was in the digital nightmare. This time though it was mixed with his other dreams, his real ones. Ones and zeros and desert and stars. Weapon crawled out of the dreams eventually, crawling out of dreams that seemed to last for ages sucked. He woke to see the droid was over him, it’s many digits working on his brain, working on his circuits. He tried to move, to speak, but the droid beeped and hit a switch and Weapon went back to dreaming.

The next time Weapon woke it was dark and quite. The droid charging silently at his side. He was in a new room. There were candles in the distance and as he rose and looked around, a weakness covered him but not pain, just exhaustion. He was in bed and there was another bed beside him, Symptom curled up and fast asleep under the blue covers. Weapon grinned. It felt like reality but he was aware that it could still be a dream. He could be in his own matrix in his head, but it didn’t matter really, not if it felt real to him. He moved off the bed, feeling the resistance behind him he reached back and pulled the plug from his neck. Thankfully he was still conscious. He crawled into bed with Symptom, hands petting softly before he wrapped his arms around him and pulled him tight settling into the pillows. “Hey. You alive? Groan once if you can here me.” He felt warm and Weapon was filled with that haunting sensation of… comfort. It felt so good, to be this close to him. So good. “Hey… wake up.”

It felt like grief, it looked like it too. The smell of rotting desperation stuck in his mind, burying him under the heavy coat of black that was drowning him. Was she there watching him, disappointed in what should have been one of her greatest accomplishments. Maybe she wasn’t, it didn’t matter, he would never be rid of her, not while he was operational.  There were voices, they weren’t hers.. nor were they Weapon’s. The voices becoming clearer but the blackness continued to embrace him. A cold wet line traced up the inside of his arm, the kind of cold that finds a way of staining your whole body. It could be sleep paralysis but why make a machine that can’t reboot itself less humanely. “Is he awake? How can you tell?” The only words Symptom could make out as a muffled voice chimed in. He was awake but he couldn’t move. This wasn’t an accident and he could do nothing about it. “I don’t know if you can hear me, I hope you can.I can’t kill you but that doesn’t mean I can’t make this harder for you.” Symptom could hear a metal utensil being lifted off a scraped surface. It wasn’t long before a deep and slow moving sharp pain inched it’s way up his arm. He could feel himself screaming but his body made no movement. He could feel the other picking apart the skin oh his arm and pinning it back. The only indication they had of his reactions was the heart monitor that gripping against his chest. “Oh, I’m sorry Symptom, you’ll have to let me know if that hurts, here, if you just  move your finger, I’ll stop...no? I’d hate for you to feel any of this.” The more the other dug around in his arm the more Symptom fought to just flinch. he could feel the inside of his arm being disassembled without being removed. Searing hot tools, burned through metal and bone, wires being ripped out. foreign objects being shoved and replaced while screws were mercilessly being lodged and centered. He could feel the pins being taken out as a dull needle was used to sew him back up. “One down, one to go.” Symptom let those words drown him as he began to fall back into the blackness, the cold wet streak being painted across his other arm. He could swear he heard the others fighting to try and get him back but he was far too gone, burying himself in mother grief once more. A voice spoke softly in his ear, afraid of what that meant. Did they get him back just in time to do whatever they needed to do with his other arm. No, not this time, he could feel his fingers move, even wrapped in heavy bandages. As Weapon asked, Symptom groaned, these limbs didn’t feel like his, they had done something but he could only guess. Before he could say anything else, the voice from the operating room spoke up. “Weapon, sir. It would be greatly advised that you keep your distance, we don’t know what else Symptom is capable of and one more attack like that could be fatal.” Symptom felt his face flush red, he couldn’t speak, he could barely speak all he could do was shift his bandages in his direction. “ahh yes, thank you for reminding me. Symptom. We had them removed. not your arms just your weapons. We’re going to have to keep you a while to make sure there’s nothing else that could surprise us later down the road. You wouldn’t want to hurt your family now, would you?” He sounded like her. All Symptom needed was maybe even an hour, just long enough to get out of bed but he stopped in his thoughts. He felt Weapon’s grip tighten around him, not a protecting grip but one that would have the other running, if he could even make it to the door in time.

Symptom waited. There wasn’t much he could do at this point as the machines whizzed and the the faint noise of shoes clamoring on the other side of door kept in motion. Weapon was in there, being pulled apart and put back together. It was different here, not like the city. Hell he didn’t even know he had a brother for the longest time. Back there the steel walls were close than ice and from the horizontal view, everything seemed surreal and dead. Rainyday was different, the machines were music and every incision was a melody. It gave symptom hope that Weapon would be up and running in no time, ready to orchestrate the next plan of action.

The digital dream void was awful. It was all nightmare and no comfort. 0’s and 1’s in an endless sinking pit, a stressed electric aware state, where nothing was tangible and there was nothing. No memories to dream of, just encrypted data chocking every hole you had.

Weapon woke with a gasp of relief. Like release from a plug that was extracting your soul. The few around him either jumped away or wore an expression of greatest relief, it made him smile. A few medical droids backed away. “Fuck am I glad we lifted you guys from the city. You too Leta.” He smiled at the young girl, a city girl who had lost her job at the green zone medical center in Battery City the day Hazel and Weapon had chosen to raid it.

“Grateful you decided to come along with us, you probably saved my life.” She grinned and knocked on the droids she called her friends. “Just returning the favor, as best I could at least. I was so lost and panicked without Hazel here and…” She stopped and looked away with a mixture of frightened and chagrinned.

Weapon removed the monitors and various things strapped to him, trying to sit up with pained grunts, but shoving away the ones who reached out to help. “Don’t worry about it L, nothing we can do about it…. I’m just glad you’re here.” She handed him a glass of water. “All the tech parts seem to be working just fine. Mech Droid ran diagnostics and fixed up all the fractures in your spine. Luckily the steal iiiiis first grade and triple layered so no wires or whatnot was hurt, nothing a reboot and nano tech immune couldn’t take care of. Most of the damage was in your head, I-”

“Where is Symptom.” He stood up and stumbled some, eyesight focusing and colors melding in and out of proper shape and hue. He could hear the wiring as his pupils focused.

“Hey wait I gotta give you this whole spiel, you gotta take it real careful you hear me your bio-tissues in the frontal lobes are still healing you gotta-” “Yea yea take it easy I know.”  

He couldn’t concentrate on what she was saying to him even if he tried. He couldn’t remember at the moment the specifics of what went down, if Symptom had been hurt or not. He pulled the door open and smiled with a shock to see the man right in front of him. “Well that was easy, usually I have to search for three days to find you around here.”

Leta came up behind him making cautious and worried gestures to Symptom, “Weapon you really need to stay laying down we’re not done and-” Weapon turned and placed his fingers over her mouth, her face blushing immediately. “Just a minute Doctor I’ll be back. Promise”

Symptom could hear mumblings from the other side of the door but just assumed it was Leta or someone else. He knew they were working quickly but time seemed to move so slow, so many unanswered questions. Pacing the entrance door his anger and frustration began to get the best of him, it wasn’t until the door opened and there staring right at him. Just as quickly Symptom’s anger extinguished when he grabbed sight of the other man. His words seemed to break him away from the infinite stare where he found himself trying to think of something to say. “..The ole place seems smaller and quieter when you’re under, guess it would make sense for you to find me quicker.” He had heard the woman behind Weapon speak to him, finding himself spacing as they exchanged a few more words before Weapon turned back around to face him. Symptom looked back at Leta who still wore somewhat of a concerning frown. “Leta, I promise he’ll be back, I won’t let him wander off.” Symptom shot to Weapon, an eyebrow raising just in the slightest. Without waiting for a reply he moved a bit to give Weapon some room to walk with him down the hall. It wasn’t long until Symptom began bombarding him with his own questions. “Do you remember anything?.. Damn, you scared me half to death out there, for a second I really didn’t think you were gonna make it. You can’t go dying on me just yet, we got a industrialization to conquer.’ He joked, the truth was Symptom had been tense the entire time the other was under, the countless sleepless night could attest to that. He got quiet for a moment, thinking he was coming off too strong emotionally. “I’m glad you’re alright, just don’t do that again.” He grinned, sliding his hands into his pockets as thy reached the inside of the library doors.

Weapon gave off small giggles and then burst into gleeful laughter, “Industrialization to conquer! Yesss mhhhmhmhmm.” He kept grinning, Symptom was acting pretty strange and… emotional. They were both such fucked-up wrecks, it was beautiful this mess of torment and feelings they endured. He took the moment of flaring anger in strides, that he had been so weak and defeated, all before the eyes Symptom and most likely The Woman herself. “Trust me,” He spoke in clenched teeth, running his fingers across the dust of the books, “I don’t plan to.”

He closed his eyes and thought a little more clearly know on the events that took place, placing aside his anger, containing it for another time, “I remember… that droid.” There was a growl in his words. “The mother fucker, he knew my moves before I made ‘em, he stopped me cold…. And then you stopped him.” His fingers flicked out and danced with imaginary electricity.

“He had said….” He grunted in frustration and pain, turning to look at Symptom. “He said something about Her… tell me, tell me everything that happened. I can’t trust my own mind….” He was frowning now, could he not trust his brother’s mind either? He felt weak and tired again and took a seat in one of the large comfy sitting chairs, head in hand and fighting his demons. It all felt so off. Felt like a trap, a setup, The Woman waiting patiently for the moment when the trigger would appear and her clone boys would fire up and desolate the zones from the outside in. He had nightmares about it, and how glorious it felt.

“It was over faster then I think either of us thought. I just remember you running ahead before I even had time to draw you were sinking your weapons right into one of their skulls. That exterminator though…” Symptom took a deep sigh, he remembered him as well. He remembered that not everyone who was trained by him actually lived to see past Zone two. His death rate would more than likely impress the hell out of Weapon but he would learn that soon enough. “.. From what I’ve been briefed he was one who trained Korse and he wasn’t even his best apprentice. He knew your moves because he designed them, kinda makes sense though, ya know? He was smart, he wouldn’t make anything that he couldn’t take down…Had we both been in separate I’m sure he would have been able to get away with it too. So you getting beat to shit wasn’t exactly the worst thing that could have happened, in fact you saved our asses because of it.” He turned to look at the expressionless features on Weapon’s face, he was distracted and the culprit was really eating at him. Symptom moved in behind the armchair the other was sitting in and placed his fingers on both sides of his scalp and began moving his fingers in circular motions. “I have a feeling even if you weren’t banged up you’d still have the same look on your face. Wherever your mind is wandering, tell it to come back. You’re too weighted as it is…” Symptom was digging himself deeper, knowing that a part of Weapon’s wandering mind had a lot to do with the disappearance of Hazel. He moved his hands off of Weapon’s scalp and spoke softly. “Wanna see how I did it? I’ve been practicing since I’ve figured out I could do it, it took a while and I may have had a few incidents in my room but nothing to bad.” He smiled as he held his hands close together. Barely touching he closed his eyes and concentrated, his fingers flexing in the slightest as his knuckles grew white and the color began to drain. Soon enough a couple of sparks began to ignite until a silver and blue stream of electricity circled in his palms before extinguishing back to sparks and smoke. “It takes a bit of energy out of me, that’s probably why I don’t remember much after it happened. I didn’t think it was going to do much but with you down I didn’t have anything to lose, I just got so angry and the next thing I know I’m trying to drag you back home… I don’t even know what happened to the exterminator.”

Weapon was watching Symptom, a lost and almost innocent look on his face. Their circumstances were so fucked up, he felt the despair of all pulling on him like weights woven between his bones, laced through circuits. A momentary smirk flicked over him as he took in Symptom’s energy, something like sweet, or domicile, something. And when his fingers touched his head he tensed more than he already was. But the touch of his partner was more than wanted and he eased back, letting his muscles relax and closed his eyes. He let out a quiet moan, always a sucker for touches and attention. He was moving his head against the fingers, eyes closed and then frowning from the pain, and how Symptom saw it so clearly. Still touched and confused that he cared… Thankfully he didn’t have to dwell on it too long as Symptom showed his new trick.

Weapon watched with wide eager eyes, it was incredible. And then yet again he was frowning. He thought of those fingers just on his temples. He thought of all this time that Symptom had been in this home, wandering alone while he just drowned himself in vices in locked in rooms. The little trick was meant for him. She gave him this gift so he could make the final move once he got his hands on him again. He realized his jaw was clenching too hard. He opened his mouth dropping his jaw and stretching it out, then gave a sigh, moving his mouth to those electric fingers, painted with ink and the purpose of murder. It was driving him crazy, this guillotine perched over his head, both of theirs, of fucking everyone’s.  He opened his mouth to touch against the fingers, sighing against them and licking. He look up to Symptom, and then turned completely, knees on the chair to face him. The wild unease was back in his eyes, the morphine having wore off, and he grabbed Symptom’s hands, putting them back on either side of his face. “Come on.” It was a soft urge, plethora of emotions flashing over his pale features. He wanted it. He wanted to have and end, the restlessness was eating him away. Caring so much was too fucking hard. “Come onnnnnngghhhhh. Do it!” He screamed that time, hands shaking against the wrists he was holding as his old self switched on, unhinged. “It’s what it’s fooooor. Come on!”

Symptom was used to the ever-changing emotions that appeared on Weapon’s face, he was used to him being on edge, sometimes even more than himself. It was in the moment that when he felt Weapon’s soft wet tongue turn to the sides of his face that seemed to snap Symptom back into something entirely different. 

He could feel the surges shoot up his own arm. The repressed memories played  dug their way back into his subconscious, the woman’s voice shrilled through his mind. Not only did he have Weapon alone and weakened but he had the other begging to end it. Symptom’s heart began to race, he was trying to fight off this need to kill his brother but he couldn’t pull his hands away, he only gripped tighter. “Don’t......don’t make me do this.....I .. I can’t.” His short breaths escaped through his fractured words, the feeling intensified. He wished someone had come with them, he wished someone was right there around the corner with a gun pointed to his back. It would have been hopeless, Symptom would have found a way to finish them off before they had a chance to reload. No, at this time, it was them. the way it had always been, the way Symptom wanted it to end.

“Weapon... I don’t want to do this! Call somebody.... I can’t stop!” His hands relaxed for a moment still resting on his face. Symptom closed his eyes, he recounted the first day he had began his mission, the first day he laid eyes on Weapon and how it should have been that day. It wasn’t supposed to be this long, he wasn’t supposed to become one of them.The anger filled Symptom slowly, the only problem was he wasn’t sure who it needed to go to anymore. He watched his brother’s eyes, a lethal dose of desperate rage consumed him and Symptom felt he had the only cure. “Weapon...I...... SOMEONE HELP, COME QUICK!” Symptom screamed out, afraid his hold wasn’t going to last much longer. He pleaded to his brother one last time but the feeling took hold of him again. A shock wave of anger surged through him, the piercing voice of the woman shot through as he felt the colts surge down his arms and through his finger tips. He could see Weapon’s expressions go from angry to a paralyzing shock. It only lasted for a few moments but it felt lie an eternity before Symptom ripped his hands away from his face. He wanted to pick him up but he could see the sparks still emiting from his fingers. “SOMEONE! I NEED HELP!!!” Symptom collapsed to the ground, watching Weapon’s body start to convulse, there was nothing he could do. He reached to hold the other’s hand but the sparks were to much and only made his appendage jolt more violently. He could hear hurried footsteps racing to the entrance followed by the sounds of angry screams and the blunt end of a hard object.

Symptom waited. There wasn’t much he could do at this point as the machines whizzed and the the faint noise of shoes clamoring on the other side of door kept in motion. Weapon was in there, being pulled apart and put back together. It was different here, not like the city. Hell he didn’t even know he had a brother for the longest time. Back there the steel walls were close than ice and from the horizontal view, everything seemed surreal and dead. Rainyday was different, the machines were music and every incision was a melody. It gave symptom hope that Weapon would be up and running in no time, ready to orchestrate the next plan of action.

The digital dream void was awful. It was all nightmare and no comfort. 0’s and 1’s in an endless sinking pit, a stressed electric aware state, where nothing was tangible and there was nothing. No memories to dream of, just encrypted data chocking every hole you had.

Weapon woke with a gasp of relief. Like release from a plug that was extracting your soul. The few around him either jumped away or wore an expression of greatest relief, it made him smile. A few medical droids backed away. “Fuck am I glad we lifted you guys from the city. You too Leta.” He smiled at the young girl, a city girl who had lost her job at the green zone medical center in Battery City the day Hazel and Weapon had chosen to raid it.

“Grateful you decided to come along with us, you probably saved my life.” She grinned and knocked on the droids she called her friends. “Just returning the favor, as best I could at least. I was so lost and panicked without Hazel here and…” She stopped and looked away with a mixture of frightened and chagrinned.

Weapon removed the monitors and various things strapped to him, trying to sit up with pained grunts, but shoving away the ones who reached out to help. “Don’t worry about it L, nothing we can do about it…. I’m just glad you’re here.” She handed him a glass of water. “All the tech parts seem to be working just fine. Mech Droid ran diagnostics and fixed up all the fractures in your spine. Luckily the steal iiiiis first grade and triple layered so no wires or whatnot was hurt, nothing a reboot and nano tech immune couldn’t take care of. Most of the damage was in your head, I-”

“Where is Symptom.” He stood up and stumbled some, eyesight focusing and colors melding in and out of proper shape and hue. He could hear the wiring as his pupils focused.

“Hey wait I gotta give you this whole spiel, you gotta take it real careful you hear me your bio-tissues in the frontal lobes are still healing you gotta-” “Yea yea take it easy I know.”  

He couldn’t concentrate on what she was saying to him even if he tried. He couldn’t remember at the moment the specifics of what went down, if Symptom had been hurt or not. He pulled the door open and smiled with a shock to see the man right in front of him. “Well that was easy, usually I have to search for three days to find you around here.”

Leta came up behind him making cautious and worried gestures to Symptom, “Weapon you really need to stay laying down we’re not done and-” Weapon turned and placed his fingers over her mouth, her face blushing immediately. “Just a minute Doctor I’ll be back. Promise”

Symptom could hear mumblings from the other side of the door but just assumed it was Leta or someone else. He knew they were working quickly but time seemed to move so slow, so many unanswered questions. Pacing the entrance door his anger and frustration began to get the best of him, it wasn’t until the door opened and there staring right at him. Just as quickly Symptom’s anger extinguished when he grabbed sight of the other man. His words seemed to break him away from the infinite stare where he found himself trying to think of something to say. “..The ole place seems smaller and quieter when you’re under, guess it would make sense for you to find me quicker.” He had heard the woman behind Weapon speak to him, finding himself spacing as they exchanged a few more words before Weapon turned back around to face him. Symptom looked back at Leta who still wore somewhat of a concerning frown. “Leta, I promise he’ll be back, I won’t let him wander off.” Symptom shot to Weapon, an eyebrow raising just in the slightest. Without waiting for a reply he moved a bit to give Weapon some room to walk with him down the hall. It wasn’t long until Symptom began bombarding him with his own questions. “Do you remember anything?.. Damn, you scared me half to death out there, for a second I really didn’t think you were gonna make it. You can’t go dying on me just yet, we got a industrialization to conquer.’ He joked, the truth was Symptom had been tense the entire time the other was under, the countless sleepless night could attest to that. He got quiet for a moment, thinking he was coming off too strong emotionally. “I’m glad you’re alright, just don’t do that again.” He grinned, sliding his hands into his pockets as thy reached the inside of the library doors.

Weapon gave off small giggles and then burst into gleeful laughter, “Industrialization to conquer! Yesss mhhhmhmhmm.” He kept grinning, Symptom was acting pretty strange and… emotional. They were both such fucked-up wrecks, it was beautiful this mess of torment and feelings they endured. He took the moment of flaring anger in strides, that he had been so weak and defeated, all before the eyes Symptom and most likely The Woman herself. “Trust me,” He spoke in clenched teeth, running his fingers across the dust of the books, “I don’t plan to.”

He closed his eyes and thought a little more clearly know on the events that took place, placing aside his anger, containing it for another time, “I remember… that droid.” There was a growl in his words. “The mother fucker, he knew my moves before I made ‘em, he stopped me cold…. And then you stopped him.” His fingers flicked out and danced with imaginary electricity.

“He had said….” He grunted in frustration and pain, turning to look at Symptom. “He said something about Her… tell me, tell me everything that happened. I can’t trust my own mind….” He was frowning now, could he not trust his brother’s mind either? He felt weak and tired again and took a seat in one of the large comfy sitting chairs, head in hand and fighting his demons. It all felt so off. Felt like a trap, a setup, The Woman waiting patiently for the moment when the trigger would appear and her clone boys would fire up and desolate the zones from the outside in. He had nightmares about it, and how glorious it felt.

“It was over faster then I think either of us thought. I just remember you running ahead before I even had time to draw you were sinking your weapons right into one of their skulls. That exterminator though...” Symptom took a deep sigh, he remembered him as well. He remembered that not everyone who was trained by him actually lived to see past Zone two. His death rate would more than likely impress the hell out of Weapon but he would learn that soon enough. “.. From what I’ve been briefed he was one who trained Korse and he wasn’t even his best apprentice. He knew your moves because he designed them, kinda makes sense though, ya know? He was smart, he wouldn’t make anything that he couldn’t take down...Had we both been in separate I’m sure he would have been able to get away with it too. So you getting beat to shit wasn’t exactly the worst thing that could have happened, in fact you saved our asses because of it.” He turned to look at the expressionless features on Weapon’s face, he was distracted and the culprit was really eating at him. Symptom moved in behind the armchair the other was sitting in and placed his fingers on both sides of his scalp and began moving his fingers in circular motions. “I have a feeling even if you weren’t banged up you’d still have the same look on your face. Wherever your mind is wandering, tell it to come back. You’re too weighted as it is...” Symptom was digging himself deeper, knowing that a part of Weapon’s wandering mind had a lot to do with the disappearance of Hazel. He moved his hands off of Weapon’s scalp and spoke softly. “Wanna see how I did it? I’ve been practicing since I’ve figured out I could do it, it took a while and I may have had a few incidents in my room but nothing to bad.” He smiled as he held his hands close together. Barely touching he closed his eyes and concentrated, his fingers flexing in the slightest as his knuckles grew white and the color began to drain. Soon enough a couple of sparks began to ignite until a silver and blue stream of electricity circled in his palms before extinguishing back to sparks and smoke. “It takes a bit of energy out of me, that’s probably why I don’t remember much after it happened. I didn’t think it was going to do much but with you down I didn’t have anything to lose, I just got so angry and the next thing I know I’m trying to drag you back home... I don’t even know what happened to the exterminator.”

Symptom waited. There wasn’t much he could do at this point as the machines whizzed and the the faint noise of shoes clamoring on the other side of door kept in motion. Weapon was in there, being pulled apart and put back together. It was different here, not like the city. Hell he didn’t even know he had a brother for the longest time. Back there the steel walls were close than ice and from the horizontal view, everything seemed surreal and dead. Rainyday was different, the machines were music and every incision was a melody. It gave symptom hope that Weapon would be up and running in no time, ready to orchestrate the next plan of action.

The digital dream void was awful. It was all nightmare and no comfort. 0’s and 1’s in an endless sinking pit, a stressed electric aware state, where nothing was tangible and there was nothing. No memories to dream of, just encrypted data chocking every hole you had.

Weapon woke with a gasp of relief. Like release from a plug that was extracting your soul. The few around him either jumped away or wore an expression of greatest relief, it made him smile. A few medical droids backed away. “Fuck am I glad we lifted you guys from the city. You too Leta.” He smiled at the young girl, a city girl who had lost her job at the green zone medical center in Battery City the day Hazel and Weapon had chosen to raid it.

“Grateful you decided to come along with us, you probably saved my life.” She grinned and knocked on the droids she called her friends. “Just returning the favor, as best I could at least. I was so lost and panicked without Hazel here and…” She stopped and looked away with a mixture of frightened and chagrinned.

Weapon removed the monitors and various things strapped to him, trying to sit up with pained grunts, but shoving away the ones who reached out to help. “Don’t worry about it L, nothing we can do about it…. I’m just glad you’re here.” She handed him a glass of water. “All the tech parts seem to be working just fine. Mech Droid ran diagnostics and fixed up all the fractures in your spine. Luckily the steal iiiiis first grade and triple layered so no wires or whatnot was hurt, nothing a reboot and nano tech immune couldn’t take care of. Most of the damage was in your head, I-”

“Where is Symptom.” He stood up and stumbled some, eyesight focusing and colors melding in and out of proper shape and hue. He could hear the wiring as his pupils focused.

“Hey wait I gotta give you this whole spiel, you gotta take it real careful you hear me your bio-tissues in the frontal lobes are still healing you gotta-” “Yea yea take it easy I know.”  

He couldn’t concentrate on what she was saying to him even if he tried. He couldn’t remember at the moment the specifics of what went down, if Symptom had been hurt or not. He pulled the door open and smiled with a shock to see the man right in front of him. “Well that was easy, usually I have to search for three days to find you around here.”

Leta came up behind him making cautious and worried gestures to Symptom, “Weapon you really need to stay laying down we’re not done and-” Weapon turned and placed his fingers over her mouth, her face blushing immediately. “Just a minute Doctor I’ll be back. Promise”

Symptom could hear mumblings from the other side of the door but just assumed it was Leta or someone else. He knew they were working quickly but time seemed to move so slow, so many unanswered questions. Pacing the entrance door his anger and frustration began to get the best of him, it wasn’t until the door opened and there staring right at him. Just as quickly Symptom’s anger extinguished when he grabbed sight of the other man. His words seemed to break him away from the infinite stare where he found himself trying to think of something to say. “..The ole place seems smaller and quieter when you’re under, guess it would make sense for you to find me quicker.” He had heard the woman behind Weapon speak to him, finding himself spacing as they exchanged a few more words before Weapon turned back around to face him. Symptom looked back at Leta who still wore somewhat of a concerning frown. “Leta, I promise he’ll be back, I won’t let him wander off.” Symptom shot to Weapon, an eyebrow raising just in the slightest. Without waiting for a reply he moved a bit to give Weapon some room to walk with him down the hall. It wasn’t long until Symptom began bombarding him with his own questions. “Do you remember anything?.. Damn, you scared me half to death out there, for a second I really didn’t think you were gonna make it. You can’t go dying on me just yet, we got a industrialization to conquer.’ He joked, the truth was Symptom had been tense the entire time the other was under, the countless sleepless night could attest to that. He got quiet for a moment, thinking he was coming off too strong emotionally. “I’m glad you’re alright, just don’t do that again.” He grinned, sliding his hands into his pockets as thy reached the inside of the library doors.

HEY DANGER DAYS BLOGS!

If you run a Danger Days blog of any variety (Aesthetic, killjoy rp, etc)) reblog this! I always follow every DD account I can, and yet new ones are always cropping up! Let’s like/reblog this to create a little archive of sorts

Things that go bump in the night (2)

Weapon felt his limbs and the resting excitement in his mind wake and stretch on the way to the exit. He kept a favorite black handled knife in his hand, spinning it in anticipation. He huffed and smiled at Symptom as he threw his shoulder against the doors to open em, “Hehehe you’re such a fucking tease, let’s go see this surprise.” He stepped out but turned back, the fresh air giving him a hit of his old self again, “Hope it’s not a trap,” he lifted the knife which wobbled loosely between this finger and thumb and booped Symptom lightly under his chin with the edge, “You’re starting to be nice, hate to have to ruin the mooood.”

That old wide mouth clenched teeth grin popped up and he turned away with an asylum laugh. When he got far enough away from the building he turned and gave a wave to the roof where River would be perched and watching. She called out, “Keep your boots tight!” He laughed and threw his hands up, “Always.” He moved forward, everything behind them was radioactive and required a mask and suite to enter. He glanced at Symptom, “Mordor Gandalf, is it left or right?”

An inconsistent burning felt like it was making a hole in his throat, perhaps it was the idea of what was sure to be approaching them in a few short minutes but never the less it was a surprise after all and the only way you could truly destroy one was by not presenting it. A flick of cold metal awoke him from his thoughts followed by Weapon’s laughter as they made their way out the door. It wasn’t until Weapon and him were out far enough, and that Weapon had turned to face Rainyday, that there she was, little River waving them off, waiting for anyone who would dare challenge the family that resided there. “Left, just past the rubble of all those busted looking vehicles. It’s not to far from there.” It was barely out of vision of Rainyday, enough to where River would be able to see someone approaching but depending on the radiation, possibly not enough time to get there. Symptom had thought about this spot, that way the other residents wouldn’t think that it was much of a plot to get Weapon hurt or worse. “There’s been something bugging me lately and if I don’t get it out of my system I’m kind of worried about the consequences.” They reached the area Symptom had mentioned before, scraps of metal thrown about the wasteland as if the wind scooped them into a pile and thrown them out into the desert. A perfect place for anyone seeking to take refuge. He waited until Weapon took a seat, his unsettled eyes watching Symptom and the bat. “Many times when you were locked up in your room I thought about leaving, I told myself I wasn’t stuck there and I could walk out anytime. Well the day came when I was tired of just saying it and grabbed what i needed but right when I opened the door Whisper was there. She asked me to help her find something she’d lose. It was this little tin can and it held a bunch of little trinkets she collected out in the desert, so I helped her and it got my mind off of leaving until the next day. Of course lo and behold she was at my door again, asking me to help her find something else, so I figured I’d put off walking away for one more day but that was going to be it. The next day she wasn’t there so I just headed out and right before I got to the main door she was standing there. I told her I had to go and I couldn’t help her find anything that day and you know what she said to me? She said she hadn’t lost anything yet but she wasn’t about to lose me.I mean, fucking Destroya, what do you say to that?!” Symptom’s grip tightened on the bat, unable to tell whether he was fighting the urge to hit someone or break something. It was still incomprehensible that another being cared that much for him. It wasn’t something he was used to and he wasn’t sure how to react. It was if all the drugs pumped back into his system only this time, the feelings weren’t synthetic, they were real in their rawest form. “I didn’t leave and I don’t regret. The only times I think about it is when I see her or you or any of the other residents. For the first time since I got here, I don’t feel like I have to try and escape. And then it hit me…” Symptom paused to listen, a whirring of a vehicle against the sand had been called in and was heading towards the two. Symptom took his bat smashing in a window of one of the unhinged car doors before giving another look at Weapon. “I’ve been trying to fight for the wrong side my whole creation. I figured it’s time we start giving back the same kind of treatments that have been given to us. What do you say Weapon? It’s about fucking time we started our own desert revolution!”

As they walked he turned at listened with narrow eyes at Symptom’s talk of building up and consequences. He felt the very same, but was as it that was building inside of his clone brother? Some of the same? Something terribly different?

He picked up a rock to sharpen his knife on as he listened to the story, almost smiling sometimes and there was maybe even a nod or two in his back and forth wavering head. He laughed at the end, shaking his head. “It’s impossible.”

He could feel the tightening energy in Symptom, realizing now that there was something more buzzing inside of him. He watched carefully and ran his tongue over his sharp teeth, preparing for whichever way this passion was headed.

His head snapped up with Symptom’s at the sound on the horizon. He stood, eyes wide with an angry glare. He turned back to Symptom at the smashing window. Shock rocking him at the words he thought would never come again. How long was that basement interrogation? How long had it been since they went their own ways with unwritten terms of misunderstanding? And suddenly now, this was the surprise? He had uncovered his eyes? Had Symptom really woken from the blindness?

In that tiny moment he was tormented with the emotions, with the paths of consequences fighting like…. used tools inside of him. The sounds of the Better Vehicles was close now, no time to question or burden with potential treachery. He was gunna enjoy this revolting unveiling and ride the waves of violence to they’re chaotic end. Just like they were always meant to.

He smiled at Symptom and pulled out his pistols. It was only two vans but Weapon had a hunch there would be at least two scarecrows inside. Arms up, each pistol pointing at its own black van he reveled in the moment and unloaded. The sound of metal grinding swept over them with the wind. One van lost both front tires and swerved hard into a barrel roll. Weapon was laughing with excitement, dropping his empty clips and reloading. The other van kept going fast but the dead driver inside couldn’t evade the huge bus, half buried in sand, it was heading towards. A big boom later and all the little white men began to pour out. Blasters rained around them. “Hit the gas kill em all!” Weapon flashed a last huge grin at Symptom before he sprinted off.

He jumped with knee thrusted forward and took down the first Drac. He could hear the man’s chest crunch under him as he rolled away, shooting at the others. The white’s dropped hard from his real bullets and though the sight was lovely he quickly put the guns away and opted for his knives. He could hear the thuds of skulls against Symptom’s bat and took a moment to watch as his own blade wrenched through a gut and hands were trying to fight him off. He was laughing in glee when he saw the scarecrow emerge from the toppled van. He was tall and all clad in black, a cape and a huge black panama hat. “Oooooo heheheh how daaaangerous you looook!” The man grunted and dusted off his clothes, but as quick as lightening he had his blaster out and firing. The white blasts barley missed his head as he fell back, rolling off of a body and getting to his feet. He was barely up though when he was jerked back by a hit to his shoulder. He grabbed at the wound, it wasn’t a blast, it was a bladed star. Before he could react there were more blasts, pulling out the blade he slid behind a barrier. Taking a chance after a round of blasts he ducked out and threw the star back, it hit the man in the chest.

A strange voice came from the man, deep and mechanical. “What a good shot you are… Nexus 7.” Weapon snarled at the man, he hated it when they made it personal. He charged again, flipping one of his own blades out from his belt and hitting the man in the neck. There was an electric spark and whirring popping sounds. The man blasted and threw another star at the same time. Weapon dodged the blast but couldn’t catch sight of the blade. It cut open his left shoulder and blood began to pour, but he didn’t stop. Blades held backwards he swung a fist and got the man in the jaw, cutting through the plastic on the man’s cheek, leaving a grin of metal and wires. They both fell with Weapon’s momentum. His hat flew off and revealed a clear outer skull showing all the wires and motherboards inside. “Full droid fuck.” The droid crow spun and kicked Weapon hard in the head.

He saw stars in the black sand and heard the digital voice again, “She will be pleased to see you in such good shape, getting along nicely with your brother too it seems.” He was swinging his blades in front of him, still unable to see from the fog in his brain. The droid laughed and he used the sound to aim another blade. He heard the crackling hit and the fog cleared just enough for him to catch sight of Symptom running his way. He was kicked again though and it all went black with red stars.

As quick as he was to even think to speak, Weapon had already bolted towards the suits that were beginning to return fire towards them. Symptom’s grip on the bat tightened as he ran shortly behind his brother. There wasn’t much time to think and all noise had become muffled against the winds that would pick up, whether it was natural or from the fight he couldn’t tell. The first drac to get passed Weapon couldn’t have been easier to handle as Symptom swung the bat against the other’s skull. Home run, he thought as the body fell to the ground with a loud thud. It wasn’t until Symptom felt a shot just graze past him that he looked up to see two more headed his way, still clutching the bat in one hand he reached for his knife and started charging at them, carelessly dodging as much as he could before jumping forward and sinking his knife into the first one’s face before clubbing the other’s knees with the bat. The cracking noise was almost as hypnotic to him as the skull from before. He pulled his knife from the drac’s face and turned it on the other. “She’s coming, she’s coming for both of you and your new family….. Help us take him in and we’ll leave for good.” The drac uttered, his last feeble attempts at having his life spared only to go in vain as Symptom slowly pressed the blade into his throat. “And we’ll welcome her too when she gets here but if she is able to hear me from your little mic let her know this. There is nothing left for her out here and if she decides to come, they’ll be nothing left of her either.” He grit his teeth before twisting the knife and pulling it out. He looked up to see Weapon take a hard hit to the head and watched as he fell. One last scarecrow had the advantage but that wouldn’t stop Symptom. He got up and started running towards the scene, it was a trick and he would play into it if need be. Symptom reached his brother who was fading pretty quickly but before he could lift a finger to help him, the scarecrow had him by the throat and was hoisting him up.  “He’s as good as dead and you.. well, you’ve been skipping your meds, haven’t you?” The eager man in white retrieved a medic gun and pressed it to Symptom neck pulling it’s trigger. The uncomfortable yet warm daze sent him spiraling only for a moment before his clouds had drifted and his anger subsided. Symptom dropped his knife and bat to the ground, hearing the groans of his brother on the sand beside him. He knew Weapon could see what was happening, he could almost feel the same defeat his brother was feeling.  “That’s better, isn’t it? Now, don’t you want to go back home, your brother can come with us. Your mother is waiting.” Symptom took another breath, as strong as the dose was it still sparked something in him, something he had remembered. He reached out and gently touched the face of the scarecrow. “Mother, you say?… I remember mother gave me something to bring him home…but it looks like she didn’t tell you. Symptom grabbed with his other hand the other side of the Scarecrow’s face, his energy focused and a smile forming in the corner of his mouth. Small yet powerful emissions of static began producing in his palms and fingertips and into the other’s head until he could hear the wiring began to sizzle causing his head to explode from the back. As he fell to the ground Symptom looked down at his hands, the last bit of static weakening before fading out completely.  Symptom pulled away from his thoughts only to see his brother still trying to manage to get up, He turned to him and carefully put his hand on his head. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. Just stay down for right now, we’ll get up when you can see straight.” He grabbed Weapon by the  scruff of his collar and pilled him closer so that he was leaning in his lap. “You hurt?.. well beside that nasty fucking gash in your head? You been shot?

The pain was pulsing. Symptom moving him kept him conscious, that and the rage he felt in this defeated state. The pains were accompanied by tiny shocks, he realized it was tensing his body, his muscles, the wires, were contracting and releasing. He held a pale bloody hand up, fingers curling and tensing morbidly in a steady beat. “Fuck.” He was growling, thinking of having to call for help, his heart dropping for Hazel was nowhere to be found, his Hazel couldn’t help him now. A panic made the tensing stronger.

He was thankful to have Symptom there, have his hands roaming over him. He reached back with a painful hiss to his back pockets. “Fuck, it’s in the sand somewhere.” He collapsed in his lap, thankful too that the sun was on the horizon behind them as he looked up to Symptom. He could see the room, her smile, his scowl deepened at the thought of her speaking of himself. How much precious time did she spend on plans to get him back? Why did she even bother? All this time he thought he was off scot free, an orphan in the world. Why would one assassin of hundreds be important to her? He was getting nauseas now, thinking of the things she would have done, would have others do to Symptom. Anything to get what she wanted, there were no limits.

He grinned as Symptom raged right along with him. Giggles fizzing from him as Symptom gripped him tighter and caused more pain. It was so good. “Don’t I know it. That right there, the fire you feel, that’s me, that’s what I’m made of. She made me, but now, now…. Rage and defiance. Blood and machinery…. Hehehehheeee that’s our rebellion slogan now.”

He rubbed his face against Symptom’s stomach to smear the blood from his eyes, “She would never come out here. She has no need to, way too smart for that. The city is her battery, where all her power resides. She’d never leave that place….” He went quiet trying to think of anything that could lure her out, but it was hopeless.

“We have to organize clean fast hits, big distractions, and shit like that…. Hmm…. We need to get our hands on some biological warfare.” He started laughing again, grimacing in his smiles at the pain, a soft euphoria coming over him. 

After watching Weapon search for something in his back pocket, coming up empty handed, Symptom looked around to see if he could help find the object. Not wasting anymore time he reached his his own pocket and grabbed his radio and began barking orders at anyone at RainyDay to come and get them. He didn’t wait for an answer before he began putting it back into his pocket, he knew that someone heard him if not already began zipping their way over. Symptom looked back down at Weapon, he was in pretty bad shape, he could almost hear the offsets of the mechanics whirring around in his brother. “Fuck Wep....” Symptom hissed through his teeth, he couldn’t tell if he was more pissed about the city’s lack of commitment by sending a bunch of weakened scarecrow units or if Weapon was right that the only real shot they had at taking out the Woman would be to get closer and make a distraction. “You know she would expect that, she probably wants us to make a scene, just so she can find us easier, set us away from our family. Then again, I’m worried she’ll keep sending units closer to home.” Symptom could hear the faint distant of a vehicle approaching from the direction of Rainy day, It made him sick to his stomach that he even thought of what could happen. He knew they would have to act fast but in Weapon’s state it was going to be a little while before they could and that was something they couldn’t afford. “When do you think she’ll send more? Obviously it’s about a day’s ride if not more to the city...fuck.” Symptom internally was starting to panic, they would know something was wrong when the van wouldn’t come back and then it struck him. “I have to get the van out of here, move it to a different zone... Lead them away from here, I”ll go as far as zone three, always some kind of trouble waiting for anyone not dawning a little color. What do you think?”

A Warning:

Stock of any kind (i.e: BLI issued clothing, nutrient supplements, and other personal supplies) recently imported from Zone 4 should be discarded immediately due to increased radiation reports. This radiation may have effects on any new merchandise, resulting in health hazards commonly associated with highly concentrated radiation traces. As such, please destroy any produce recently acquired from Zone 4. 

Why don't you come out here baby, I got your radiation right here.

Things that go bump in the night (2)

Weapon felt his limbs and the resting excitement in his mind wake and stretch on the way to the exit. He kept a favorite black handled knife in his hand, spinning it in anticipation. He huffed and smiled at Symptom as he threw his shoulder against the doors to open em, “Hehehe you’re such a fucking tease, let’s go see this surprise.” He stepped out but turned back, the fresh air giving him a hit of his old self again, “Hope it’s not a trap,” he lifted the knife which wobbled loosely between this finger and thumb and booped Symptom lightly under his chin with the edge, “You’re starting to be nice, hate to have to ruin the mooood.”

That old wide mouth clenched teeth grin popped up and he turned away with an asylum laugh. When he got far enough away from the building he turned and gave a wave to the roof where River would be perched and watching. She called out, “Keep your boots tight!” He laughed and threw his hands up, “Always.” He moved forward, everything behind them was radioactive and required a mask and suite to enter. He glanced at Symptom, “Mordor Gandalf, is it left or right?”

An inconsistent burning felt like it was making a hole in his throat, perhaps it was the idea of what was sure to be approaching them in a few short minutes but never the less it was a surprise after all and the only way you could truly destroy one was by not presenting it. A flick of cold metal awoke him from his thoughts followed by Weapon’s laughter as they made their way out the door. It wasn’t until Weapon and him were out far enough, and that Weapon had turned to face Rainyday, that there she was, little River waving them off, waiting for anyone who would dare challenge the family that resided there. “Left, just past the rubble of all those busted looking vehicles. It’s not to far from there.” It was barely out of vision of Rainyday, enough to where River would be able to see someone approaching but depending on the radiation, possibly not enough time to get there. Symptom had thought about this spot, that way the other residents wouldn’t think that it was much of a plot to get Weapon hurt or worse. “There’s been something bugging me lately and if I don’t get it out of my system I’m kind of worried about the consequences.” They reached the area Symptom had mentioned before, scraps of metal thrown about the wasteland as if the wind scooped them into a pile and thrown them out into the desert. A perfect place for anyone seeking to take refuge. He waited until Weapon took a seat, his unsettled eyes watching Symptom and the bat. “Many times when you were locked up in your room I thought about leaving, I told myself I wasn’t stuck there and I could walk out anytime. Well the day came when I was tired of just saying it and grabbed what i needed but right when I opened the door Whisper was there. She asked me to help her find something she’d lose. It was this little tin can and it held a bunch of little trinkets she collected out in the desert, so I helped her and it got my mind off of leaving until the next day. Of course lo and behold she was at my door again, asking me to help her find something else, so I figured I’d put off walking away for one more day but that was going to be it. The next day she wasn’t there so I just headed out and right before I got to the main door she was standing there. I told her I had to go and I couldn’t help her find anything that day and you know what she said to me? She said she hadn’t lost anything yet but she wasn’t about to lose me.I mean, fucking Destroya, what do you say to that?!” Symptom’s grip tightened on the bat, unable to tell whether he was fighting the urge to hit someone or break something. It was still incomprehensible that another being cared that much for him. It wasn’t something he was used to and he wasn’t sure how to react. It was if all the drugs pumped back into his system only this time, the feelings weren’t synthetic, they were real in their rawest form. “I didn’t leave and I don’t regret. The only times I think about it is when I see her or you or any of the other residents. For the first time since I got here, I don’t feel like I have to try and escape. And then it hit me…” Symptom paused to listen, a whirring of a vehicle against the sand had been called in and was heading towards the two. Symptom took his bat smashing in a window of one of the unhinged car doors before giving another look at Weapon. “I’ve been trying to fight for the wrong side my whole creation. I figured it’s time we start giving back the same kind of treatments that have been given to us. What do you say Weapon? It’s about fucking time we started our own desert revolution!”

As they walked he turned at listened with narrow eyes at Symptom’s talk of building up and consequences. He felt the very same, but was as it that was building inside of his clone brother? Some of the same? Something terribly different?

He picked up a rock to sharpen his knife on as he listened to the story, almost smiling sometimes and there was maybe even a nod or two in his back and forth wavering head. He laughed at the end, shaking his head. “It’s impossible.”

He could feel the tightening energy in Symptom, realizing now that there was something more buzzing inside of him. He watched carefully and ran his tongue over his sharp teeth, preparing for whichever way this passion was headed.

His head snapped up with Symptom’s at the sound on the horizon. He stood, eyes wide with an angry glare. He turned back to Symptom at the smashing window. Shock rocking him at the words he thought would never come again. How long was that basement interrogation? How long had it been since they went their own ways with unwritten terms of misunderstanding? And suddenly now, this was the surprise? He had uncovered his eyes? Had Symptom really woken from the blindness?

In that tiny moment he was tormented with the emotions, with the paths of consequences fighting like…. used tools inside of him. The sounds of the Better Vehicles was close now, no time to question or burden with potential treachery. He was gunna enjoy this revolting unveiling and ride the waves of violence to they’re chaotic end. Just like they were always meant to.

He smiled at Symptom and pulled out his pistols. It was only two vans but Weapon had a hunch there would be at least two scarecrows inside. Arms up, each pistol pointing at its own black van he reveled in the moment and unloaded. The sound of metal grinding swept over them with the wind. One van lost both front tires and swerved hard into a barrel roll. Weapon was laughing with excitement, dropping his empty clips and reloading. The other van kept going fast but the dead driver inside couldn’t evade the huge bus, half buried in sand, it was heading towards. A big boom later and all the little white men began to pour out. Blasters rained around them. “Hit the gas kill em all!” Weapon flashed a last huge grin at Symptom before he sprinted off.

He jumped with knee thrusted forward and took down the first Drac. He could hear the man’s chest crunch under him as he rolled away, shooting at the others. The white’s dropped hard from his real bullets and though the sight was lovely he quickly put the guns away and opted for his knives. He could hear the thuds of skulls against Symptom’s bat and took a moment to watch as his own blade wrenched through a gut and hands were trying to fight him off. He was laughing in glee when he saw the scarecrow emerge from the toppled van. He was tall and all clad in black, a cape and a huge black panama hat. “Oooooo heheheh how daaaangerous you looook!” The man grunted and dusted off his clothes, but as quick as lightening he had his blaster out and firing. The white blasts barley missed his head as he fell back, rolling off of a body and getting to his feet. He was barely up though when he was jerked back by a hit to his shoulder. He grabbed at the wound, it wasn’t a blast, it was a bladed star. Before he could react there were more blasts, pulling out the blade he slid behind a barrier. Taking a chance after a round of blasts he ducked out and threw the star back, it hit the man in the chest.

A strange voice came from the man, deep and mechanical. “What a good shot you are… Nexus 7.” Weapon snarled at the man, he hated it when they made it personal. He charged again, flipping one of his own blades out from his belt and hitting the man in the neck. There was an electric spark and whirring popping sounds. The man blasted and threw another star at the same time. Weapon dodged the blast but couldn’t catch sight of the blade. It cut open his left shoulder and blood began to pour, but he didn’t stop. Blades held backwards he swung a fist and got the man in the jaw, cutting through the plastic on the man’s cheek, leaving a grin of metal and wires. They both fell with Weapon’s momentum. His hat flew off and revealed a clear outer skull showing all the wires and motherboards inside. “Full droid fuck.” The droid crow spun and kicked Weapon hard in the head.

He saw stars in the black sand and heard the digital voice again, “She will be pleased to see you in such good shape, getting along nicely with your brother too it seems.” He was swinging his blades in front of him, still unable to see from the fog in his brain. The droid laughed and he used the sound to aim another blade. He heard the crackling hit and the fog cleared just enough for him to catch sight of Symptom running his way. He was kicked again though and it all went black with red stars.

As quick as he was to even think to speak, Weapon had already bolted towards the suits that were beginning to return fire towards them. Symptom’s grip on the bat tightened as he ran shortly behind his brother. There wasn’t much time to think and all noise had become muffled against the winds that would pick up, whether it was natural or from the fight he couldn’t tell. The first drac to get passed Weapon couldn’t have been easier to handle as Symptom swung the bat against the other’s skull. Home run, he thought as the body fell to the ground with a loud thud. It wasn’t until Symptom felt a shot just graze past him that he looked up to see two more headed his way, still clutching the bat in one hand he reached for his knife and started charging at them, carelessly dodging as much as he could before jumping forward and sinking his knife into the first one’s face before clubbing the other’s knees with the bat. The cracking noise was almost as hypnotic to him as the skull from before. He pulled his knife from the drac’s face and turned it on the other. “She’s coming, she’s coming for both of you and your new family….. Help us take him in and we’ll leave for good.” The drac uttered, his last feeble attempts at having his life spared only to go in vain as Symptom slowly pressed the blade into his throat. “And we’ll welcome her too when she gets here but if she is able to hear me from your little mic let her know this. There is nothing left for her out here and if she decides to come, they’ll be nothing left of her either.” He grit his teeth before twisting the knife and pulling it out. He looked up to see Weapon take a hard hit to the head and watched as he fell. One last scarecrow had the advantage but that wouldn’t stop Symptom. He got up and started running towards the scene, it was a trick and he would play into it if need be. Symptom reached his brother who was fading pretty quickly but before he could lift a finger to help him, the scarecrow had him by the throat and was hoisting him up.  “He’s as good as dead and you.. well, you’ve been skipping your meds, haven’t you?” The eager man in white retrieved a medic gun and pressed it to Symptom neck pulling it’s trigger. The uncomfortable yet warm daze sent him spiraling only for a moment before his clouds had drifted and his anger subsided. Symptom dropped his knife and bat to the ground, hearing the groans of his brother on the sand beside him. He knew Weapon could see what was happening, he could almost feel the same defeat his brother was feeling.  “That’s better, isn’t it? Now, don’t you want to go back home, your brother can come with us. Your mother is waiting.” Symptom took another breath, as strong as the dose was it still sparked something in him, something he had remembered. He reached out and gently touched the face of the scarecrow. “Mother, you say?… I remember mother gave me something to bring him home…but it looks like she didn’t tell you. Symptom grabbed with his other hand the other side of the Scarecrow’s face, his energy focused and a smile forming in the corner of his mouth. Small yet powerful emissions of static began producing in his palms and fingertips and into the other’s head until he could hear the wiring began to sizzle causing his head to explode from the back. As he fell to the ground Symptom looked down at his hands, the last bit of static weakening before fading out completely.  Symptom pulled away from his thoughts only to see his brother still trying to manage to get up, He turned to him and carefully put his hand on his head. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. Just stay down for right now, we’ll get up when you can see straight.” He grabbed Weapon by the  scruff of his collar and pilled him closer so that he was leaning in his lap. “You hurt?.. well beside that nasty fucking gash in your head? You been shot?

His head was throbbing and he could feel the gash flooding blood down his face and neck to mingle with the blood trickling from his chest wounds. He could only see a fading black, everything was black and white and red. He heard the droid’s and Symptom’s voices but the pounding inside of him muffled the words. He was panicked, fighting against his body as hard as he could to get back up, but something more was wrong. He followed the throbbing away from his head where it pulsed from somewhere else, his lower back. He was groaning out in pain and in frustration.

“..Mother is waiting.” The words made him run cold, traumatizing to hear in this damaged state. The thud of the bat and knife brought him back and he reached out for the bat.

He could see the colors on his brother now and was frozen in wonderment when he saw the static the clone was emitting, he could feel the wires frying, twisting and copperizing energy in the air. He jumped when the man’s head exploded, too awe struck even to laugh.

He was grinding his teeth at the pain as Symptom pulled at him, but in the moment he was grateful and even a bit blissful. The glee crashed pretty hard though, “Fuck, I think he got me, my fucking back… my legs..” He tried moving them, he barely could, “Fuck,” He seethed, “I think he fried me some wires loose.”

Symptom saw the wound on his lower back, directly on the spine, and when he pulled up the shirt there was a gruesome and lovely mix of muscles and wires exposed.

“I’m jealous as shit, static fingers, hiding all the cool shit from me-ughhh.” He was groaning from the pain but loved to have Symptom touching him. “You gotta –nghhh- let me see that again.”

Symptom chuckled a bit, still keep a weary eye of the corpses around them in case one of them had the spine to get back up to fight. He looked back down at Weapon, the whirring of machine mixed with bleeding flesh was a sight to take in. He moved his shirt just in the slightest to see much of the damage that had fallen on his brother. “Yeah, they sure as fuck did get you. Fuck... You’re gonna have to call them out here to come help get you home, sadly I don’t think my little electrified digits are gonna help in this situation.” He was still very cautious when handling the other, even if it was just moving him in the slightest, he couldn’t really control himself let alone figure out how to make the static come back. Symptom reached around his jean pockets looking for a lump that seemed to not be there. He turned his hands attention back to Weapon as he was searching for the same. “”Ya got your radio on ya, right? No since in just sitting here waiting for the sand to come collect us too.” He listened to what the other was asking, letting the words mull over in his brain before speaking up again. “I don’t know how I did it.... It just kind of happened. I remember..... I just remember seeing her, in a closed off room.. she had that crooked smile on her face, the one that made you think she was some sort of psychotic and torturous doll. I remember she was saying something about being special and how she was going to help me get you out of the zones, she called you by some name, I’m not sure what it was, it was kind of fuzzy. After that it was a little hazy for a while but then came the tests, the trials to get me to use this.. whatever the fuck it is... I’m telling you Wep, it was complete bull shit....” Symptom sighed, shaking his head a little. “I don’t know, just seeing that scarecrow got me so angry again, like seeing her face and I just had to... to fucking rip it apart!” Symptom’s grip on Weapon tightened more as he spoke about her, not realizing what it was doing to the other. “Sometimes I wish that bitch would come out here, we’d show her a fucking good show out here!”

I really love priest Gerard

Life is a fight