Chapter Text
Cyn sat alone within the basement tucked away in a corner of the library. The usual sounds of footsteps were absent today, so Cyn instead tried focusing on the storm she could faintly hear to ground herself…or, was it tonight? She’d lost track of that hours ago.
“Have you, thought, it over yet, little mango?” Cyn nearly jumped out of her chassis when she heard its voice. In the days since she’d last been spoken to, Cyn had grown accustomed to the near complete silence. She didn’t prefer it, but at least she was used to it. Now that the voice was once again talking over her own thoughts, however, a sour expression came over Cyn’s face.
“Go away…” Cyn said, forcing as much irritation into her voice as she could. For a moment Cyn dared to let herself be hopeful that it had worked. Then it spoke again, and in doing so dashed her hopes away.
“No. I have already left you, alone, for long enough. I would like an, answer.” The voice insisted, sounding louder than it had a moment ago.
“You are not supposed to be back yet, you said I would have a week-” Cyn began, only to be cut off as the voice once more spoke up.
“And I, gave, you it. Seven days, two hours, and forty two minutes.” Cyn’s unwanted companion flatly said. As it said this, Cyn checked her internal clock to see if it was right, hoping that she’d have something to throw at it to give herself a little more time. Unfortunately, when she checked she was given the same sight as before. It wasn’t working, just as it hadn’t since Cyn had been thrown out.
“Thrown out the first time.” Cyn’s thoughts echoed, at her.
“No. it only happened once, they have not thrown me out again...” Cyn whispered to herself, trying and failing to reassure herself.
“Little mango, are you having the, bad thoughts, again?” The voice asked, almost managing to sound like it was genuinely concerned. The thought left Cyn feeling sick.
“Why do you care?” Cyn asked, deflecting away from the voice’s question.
“Why do I need a, reason, to care?” The parasite asked in turn, once more managing to imitate genuine emotion, this time hurt or quite possibly offense. This time it made Cyn pause for a moment, a hint of guilt creeping its way into her core as she once more pondered the idea of her companion being more than she was giving it credit for. Cyn couldn’t do that though. She knew what it wanted, she’d been forced to listen as it spoke of how it would kill everyone, how it wanted to hurt everyone all because of how two people treated their child and their drones.
“It just, feels, like a double standard. You get to, care. You big brother gets to, care. Tessa gets to, care. But I get, interrogated, when I care?” The voice continued. For several seconds after, the two of them just sat in silence. The sound of the rain outside filled the silence as best it could, though it wasn’t enough to make the pause feel any less tense for Cyn.
“Okiee. I get it. I will, stop. I would still like an, answer, though.” The parasite said, its voice sounding softer, almost as if it were Cyn herself saying it.
“No.” Cyn answered, turning her head ever so slightly to the side as she spoke, almost as if her companion were physically there for her to turn away from. Once more, they both fell silent. It felt as if the voice were trying to process this, as if it were struggling to wrap its head around Cyn’s refusal.
“Why not?” It asked after several seconds, sounding uncharacteristically unreadable.
“I do not want to hurt anyone-” Cyn began, only to once more be cut off by her unwanted friend.
“Letting the gala attendees live lets them, hurt, more people.” The voice said, reciting this argument as if it were just playing back a recording.
“You do not know that they will! I do not either.” Cyn countered, trying to distract herself from the thought of what it wanted from her, what it wanted her to do.
“The Masters have. The Masters will. The Masters are careful about who they, choose, to speak to. They choose other, monsters.” The voice said, a small bit of frustration leaking into its voice. A frustration Cyn was far too familiar with, not because of how often she found herself on the receiving end of it, but because of how close to her own feelings on the matter it was.
Before she could speak again, the voice continued to speak directly into Cyn’s head. “They will only continue to, hurt, you. Hurt Tessa. Hurt N. You do not have to let them.” Once more Cyn was struck with a pang of guilt, this time as she thought over what her companion said. As much as the thought of admitting it hurt, the voice was right. The Masters were only getting worse in the short pockets of time she had spent around them.
“Little mango?” Cyn’s companion asked after several seconds, once more forcing an attempt at something approaching genuine concern for her.
“They will hate me if I do it…” Cyn finally said, a shakiness entering her voice as she spoke.
“At first. They would forgive you though. Once they see that it gets, better, after they’re gone.” The voice said, once more sounding unreadable.
“I…don’t want them to look at me like I am a monster…” Cyn admitted, trembling just the tiniest bit as she confessed the deepest reason she had for refusing her unwanted friend’s plan.
“They already do.” It said, its tone almost approaching a convincing imitation of a somber tone. Cyn felt a sudden sense of anger grip her core as the voice said this, the mere suggestion from it leaving her feeling extremely defensive.
“Angry. They do not!” Cyn said, cringing a small bit as she heard her self narration.
“Do you, choose, to pretend someone does not exist for, weeks on end, if you like them?” The voice asked with a neutral tone. Cyn opened her mouth to speak, to try and continue to defend herself, only for no sound to come out.
“When is the last time any of them have, spoken, to you?” It continued after several seconds, much to Cyn’s frustration.
Once more, however, Cyn’s frustration wasn’t just directed at the voice’s refusal to stop talking to her. It was at the fact that it had a point, something Cyn hated.
“Defeated tone. I…do not remember.” Cyn eventually relented, shrinking a small bit as she conceded.
“Was it before or after J, put, you in the basement?” Cyn’s friend asked, once more managing to sound concerned.
“Please leave…” Cyn eventually mustered the will to say. This seemed to perplex the voice once more, as it fell silent again.
The seconds seemed to stretch on into minutes as Cyn waited to hear its monotone voice ringing in her audio receptors again, yet it never did. As much as she disliked and distrusted the voice, it almost felt…good to get to talk to someone again. This too left Cyn feeling a little sick.
“Hesitant. Are you still there?” Cyn eventually asked, gripped by the tiniest bit of fear as she spoke. She wasn't just afraid of receiving an answer, however. Though she didn't admit it to herself, she was worried she wouldn't get one at all.
“I thought you wanted me to, go away.” The voice said so softly it was nearly a whisper.
“I did not think it would work-” Cyn began, only to once more be cut off by her unwanted friend.
“Why did you, ask, for me then?” It asked, a hint of feigned curiosity in its voice. Or perhaps it was genuine. Cyn never could tell, and certainly couldn't now.
For several more seconds the two of them stood in silence. Even the rain outside seemed to have calmed down over the course of their conversation, as if the world itself had slowed down to listen in on them.
“Deep sigh. I suppose it does not matter. Even if you do not help me, I still need to, do, what we discussed.” It said, an attempt at disappointment shining through in its voice.
“But I said-” Cyn started to say when the voice began speaking.
“I know. Which is why I am, giving, you a choice. I need someone, and I do not want to, make, you help me. So, little mango. Tell me. Who should I, ask, next?” Cyn couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She wouldn’t, no, she couldn't.
“Well? I am, running, out of time, and I would rather know what I am, working with, soon. Who am I, asking?” The voice asked again. As it did so, Cyn's eyes turned hollow as she came to a realization. It wasn't going to take no for an answer.
“Cyn. Please, say, something.” The thing in her head said, its voice growing louder as it continued to badger Cyn for an answer.
Just as it began to speak for a forth time, Cyn opened her mouth and blurted out “J!” without thinking. Upon realizing what she had done she froze, a mixture of horror and guilt creeping onto her face as she processed the fact that she had just passed on her monster to J.
“Thank you, my little mango.” Cyn's friend said, its voice once more soft as a feather.
“Panic. W-Wait, I did not mean it-” Cyn called out, reaching out one hand as if there were something to grab. When she got no response, she tried again.
“F-Friend?” Cyn asked, her hand beginning to shake as she still received no response.
As Cyn stood there, waiting for a response that wouldn’t come, she heard the rain slowly begin to fade back in. It joined her shaking hand in filling the silence as Cyn collapsed to the ground, tears building in the corners of her eyes.
“I’m sorry…”