Disclaimer: I am not Lord Vasquez.
Authors Notes: Alright, this is another one of the stories rattling around my brain. I've had this idea rooted into my head for months; ever since I saw the cover for issue Four, I think it was, of JTHM: the one that has Johnny sitting on a chair with a wire in his head?
Yeah. A single image inspired an entire story. A bit of a unique one at that - so far as I'm aware of, 'System Down' is the only fic that sports the System Creatures as benevolent beings rather than evil things that MUST be DESTROYED!
I'm rather fond of the System creatures, so this plot is one of my more favored ones, and I can only hope that you like it as much as I do.
NOW. Helpful things.
When Sickness talks, she does so in a way very different from that of her Comic-book original. I only did this because, in the earlier (albeit mental) drafts of the plot, I was gonna have it that Sickness isn't used to speaking, and what I had planned was that the English she knew, she learned off the scientists, but I never got around to fitting that fact into the story.
Also, when she says 'Like the samelings who hurt us', she is referring to the scientists - they are all in hazmat suits, and to Sickness, all look the same. Hence, 'same'lings.
Another thing is the burning that Devi feels on her cheek after the head-exploding migraine disappears. That was going to be Sickness's dress's symbol burning into the skin on Devi's cheek, but that as well, never got around to being written in. I might, however, manage to fit it into a later chapter.
But again, I hope you enjoy this - I love writing these kinds of stories. That is, ones with plots that other people never thought of before.
More chapters might come. If I ever quit writing new stories, that is, lol.
Devi hadn't consented to experimentation on her soul. For that matter, she hadn't consented to any of what they did to her – she hadn't even wanted to be there. But, science had to progress forward, and so the stupid, idiotic, highly illegal company set their sights on kidnapping her and blackmailing her till she obeyed. But that didn't mean she didn't make it difficult for them. She took their commands and translated them as literally as she could – and though it usually resulted in punishments, she figured it worth every moment.
Until they revealed to her their newest experiment. Months earlier, they had been poking around some sort of dimensional fissure, a rift in time and space leading to some other realm, so they'd said. In other words, the company she still somehow did not know the name of had found a portal to another world. And as per her expectations, they'd started pulling creatures from that realm, to experiment on them as well as whatever humans they'd stolen.
Devi expected that the company would be getting their just desserts once the other-realm beings got wind of what was going on. That is, if these new creatures were even sentient enough to bother noticing the disappearance of their own kind. However, if the new cuts, scratches, and the occasional gauze-covered gouge on the scientists and other staff were anything to judge by, the things were smart enough to know that they weren't going to be with kindness.
Today, she was to be part of one of their newest experiments – the scientists had began to realize that their specimens were dying off too quickly to be of any use to them, and with some studying, had apparently discovered something about the creatures that involved symbiosis. So, with Devi as their most obedient human subject -only due to the blackmail- they decided to try out this new procedure on her. Why they'd decided to try out the very first experiment on their 'most valuable' human subject, Devi didn't know, but as normal, she begrudgingly obeyed.
"Please step into the chamber, Miss." One of the hazmat-clad scientists told her. She couldn't tell who it was – the damn people always wore those Hazmat suits nowadays, ever since they'd first found the rift.
Before she entered, Devi took a second to look at the computer monitors in and around the consoles the Scientists worked at – a risky move, but she only stayed for a second. And she was glad she had; one of the monitors had held the image of a strange man – dark hair, pale white skin. She couldn't see his face though – his head was hung, gaze pointed at the floor below the elevated chair he sat on. He'd had black gloves, a dark purple-red shirt, dark purple pants, black boots with metal tips. And wires poking out of him.
Devi wasn't sure if the wires had been the type usually found in hospitals that monitored your heartbeat and blood pressure, or the kind from sci-fi movies that dug deep into the body and connected into mechanical ports, but there was something about the man that intrigued her. However, her attention was taken by the thing she realized was inside the chamber with her – because the thing was alive, and moving.
"Don't make any sudden movements, miss." One of the scientists told her through some kind of intercom. Like fuck she'd move at all with that rift-creature in here with her. Granted, it was small and moving like it was half-asleep, but still. If the scientists had to wear hazmats while it was in another room, she... she was fucked either way.
'Movement – A being – Like us? – No – It's different – Enemy? – No' Devi froze as words began flowing into her head from the creature she shared the room with. It's speech was disjointed, as though the little thing in front her was not used to speaking. And it was during this odd moment of peace, while it rambled something about things she didn't care to hear, that Devi looked it over.
It was small – very small, almost doll-sized. It had a round head, two long shafts of purple... antennae, she guessed, trailing from it's head like ponytails, and some kind of tiny green dress hung over it's body. It's eyes resembled screws, purple, flat-tip screwdriver ones that she'd seen used in woodworking and carpentry before. It's arms had no discernible hands, and it's legs were double jointed; it had two knees -one pointed forwards, the other pointed back-, and where it's feet might have been, instead were scythe-like spears of what she thought might have been bone, that ended in sharp points that the creature somehow balanced on.
"H-hello? Can you hear me?" She asked it, deciding that if she was trapped in a room with it, it was worth the risk. Either way, if the scientists thought it dangerous, she would probably die anyway, right? To her surprise, the little creature stopped in it's ambling, half-asleep shuffling in it's corner, turning to look at her.
'Speak? – It speaks – Like the samelings who hurt us' It began to walk towards her, and Devi thought she could hear the scientists all moving closer to the window displaying her to them, if the shuffling and intrigued muttering she could hear over the intercom were anything to judge by.
"I won't hurt you." Devi told the little creature "I'm as much a prisoner here as you are." It was at her feet now, and Devi guessed that if she turned to look at the window, at the scientists, she'd see them all staring at her, motionless.
'Friend...? – Trust... – You trust? – Can I trust?' It wondered. Devi could only assume, from it's disjointed manner of speaking, that it was trying to figure out if she was trustworthy. Only fair that it was suspicious; pulled from it's home by creatures it probably didn't even know existed into a world it wasn't from, and likely subjected to painful tests before it's being put into this room with her. It was entirely fair that the poor thing was suspicious of her.
"You can trust me." Devi told it, kneeling down, then sitting cross-legged on the cold floor. "I'm as eager for a friendly face as you might be." It said nothing, but began moving again, switching from walking on it pointed feet to crawling as it began making it's way onto her lap, evidently conscious of the fact that the sharp tips it walked on could possibly pierce her skin.
'A friend – a welcome creature – a nice thing – but one thing – a wrong thing – dying – I'm dying' Devi's eyes widened. She had been right when she thought that it's movement was off. But it wasn't tired, or dizzy – it was dying. Like the others of it's kind that the company had stolen away.
"C-can I help?" The little creature gazed up at her.
'Are you friend? – Can I trust?' Devi nodded again. This little alien creature – for it was alien, as much as she might try to deny it. It was from one planet, she herself from another. Therefor; alien.
"Of course you can. Look at me – do I look like I'm on their side?" She told it, gesturing to the window.
'Help... – You wish to help – but is she willing?' Devi gazed at the small creature, now almost cuddling into her. It was dying, and looking to a creature it had only just met for help.
"Willing...? Willing to do what, help?" She rubbed it's back very carefully, trying to comfort it.
'The price – Will you like it? – We don't think you will...' Devi shook her head, not understanding why the little thing was avoiding telling her. 'This world isn't made for us – We can't survive here without nourishment – but you won't like it.' Devi picked it up, letting the thing curl up in her hands as it watched her.
"I want to help; I can't unless you tell me what you need." The green-clad creature sighed.
'We aren't built to live here – We can't keep form alone – You wish to know...? – Mutualistic Obligate Symbiosis' Devi stared at it, silent. It wasn't that she didn't understand, she knew exactly what it was implying. It had to live off another being in order to get the 'nutrients' it had mentioned needing for survival. And according to the little being, it wasn't built to get nutrients the way Earth creatures did, had to get them off another living creature.
Apparently, the little being took her silence and stare as a no, and curled up further, deciding not to look at her.
"Well... you say it's mutualistic... And that means good for both sides. Either way" Devi chuckled "I'm probably gonna die here, so I have nothing to lose..." She smiled at the thing curled up in her hands. "Sure. I'll help." It looked up at her, screw-like eyes filled with as much surprise as was possible.
'You agree?' It said simply. Devi nodded, and the little creature grinned, sitting up. 'Bring us close – have to touch' Devi obeyed, wondering if this was exactly what the scientists had wanted to achieve. Then, as she brought the little creature close enough, it reached out a hand, touching her cheek.
At once a strange energy rushed through her, poking at various nerves around her body before sweeping up to her brain. For a moment it was almost too much – such a terrible migraine that Devi thought her head would explode, and just as she was about the scream, the pain in her head vanished, replaced by a burning sensation on her cheek that lasted a mere second before vanishing too.
"What... the hell?" She couldn't help but exclaim her surprise – the little thing hadn't mentioned head-exploding pain or burns! And then she realized she could feel the creature in her head. Not like when it was talking, but honestly feel it there – it was as disoriented as she was, and weak. Right; symbiosis. It was a legitimate part of her, now. "Hey – you okay?" She asked it, moving it away so she could look at it properly. It looked up at her.
'I... feel you– hear you! – So much knowledge – So much to learn!' It giggled, and Devi couldn't help grinning at it's awe, sharing it's excitement – she could feel it's knowledge, too. However, their odd little bubble of happiness was popped as the hazmatted scientists she'd forgotten about came into the room, the chamber's door hissing as it's hydraulics pulled it open. Her yet-nameless friend hissed angrily, crawling rapidly up Devi's arms and onto her shoulder, trying to hide underneath her hair.
"Follow us miss." Devi narrowed her eyes, pulling away from the men just slightly.
"You promise not to hurt..." Devi trailed off, trying to figure out something to call the little being. But the men understood anyway, shaking his head as he gestured to the outside of the white, likely sterile room. And with that highly untrustworthy promise made, Devi followed, knowing that their blackmail was still there, still a factor. "So, that was it? Just... just that? You knew that would happen?" One of the two men leading her shook his head, chuckling.
"We assumed from their previous responses in tests that they'd attack; this test was an experiment to see if that hypothesis was correct. It's just an unintended bonus that it decided you would be it's host." Devi felt a surge of anger run through her at their indifference toward the possibility of her getting injured. She couldn't tell if was her own anger, or the little beings, but she didn't care.
As they passed a lab with it's door open, Devi caught a bit of a conversation from whoever was inside.
" … - believe it's keeping him alive somehow. The mechanical components must have a factor in it, though."
"But they aren't even - "
"That's why I'm worried. They aren't together in any sense of the word, yet the damn beast is somehow managing to keep him alive."
"We should assign guards to him. It's dangerous just leaving that room unguarded like we are."
"Him, or the beast's? It's getting angry, and once Project J wakes, he will be, too." 'Project J'? Devi wished she could stop and listen to the men inside the room, try and get more so she could figure out what they'd been talking about, but she'd get in trouble in more ways than one, and then...
'We promise to help you – I swear it – you wish to escape, yes?' Devi gave a frantic glance to the men in front of her – had they heard-? 'No – I won't let them – they won't let themselves – not the mind for it' Devil let out a breath, almost wanting to laugh. The little creature could speak and have nobody but her hear, and with their symbiosis, it could read her mind as well.
'We will break out' Devi thought to it 'We will. But I wanna learn more about this 'project J', first.' A wave of agreement flowed over her, from the little nameless creature Devi was now tied to. This 'J' project seemed interesting. And if the scientists figured him waking was bad, well... For all it's danger, Devi would make sure she woke him up. The Company had had her under their collective thumb for too long – with the little creature's help, she would start biting the hand that fed. And if the creatures excited anticipation was anything to go by, it was all-too-eager to get started.