A/N: Hi! This is a one-shot of the wonderful game called Oneshot! It has a cat-person, what more do you want? If you don't know about it, check it out :D And if you don't know the game, this probably won't make any sense, too.
Possible trigger warnings – mention of blood, possible character death. (angst, tragedy)
Disclaimer: the game Oneshot and any characters/dialogue you recognize belong to the creators of Oneshot.
Total words: 2,179
Summary: The player makes one fatal mistake, and has to face the consequences.
**In this story world, the player ('Delta') is able to communicate with Niko at all times via typing what they want to say. This is their second non-Solstice playthrough. Hope you enjoy!**
I sat in front of my laptop, staring at an icon shaped like a lightbulb. 'What to do, what to do…' I thought. A few days ago, I had completed one playthrough of the Steam game named Oneshot. I had guided a cat-but-not-a-cat character called Niko through a doomed world in a mission to restore the sun. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I could interact with Niko directly by typing to them, and they responded to my words. I was apparently a 'god' in that world, too. I got really attached to Niko during the journey…but in the end, I had to make a tough decision. To save the world at the cost of Niko never going home, or to save one life at the expense of an entire world? When Niko looked at me and asked for guidance, I was torn between the choices for a long time, until I eventually chose to save the world by placing the lightbulb in the Tower.
Now, three days after reading the final note from the Author, I was considering doing another playthrough. I had saved the world, but I wanted to see the ending where Niko went home. Niko felt…too real to me. They really seemed like a real, alive person. I kept wondering whether I made the right decision. Was it really right to condemn an innocent child to an unknown fate in an unknown land to save a world that was, according to 'the Entity', just a simulation?
'That's it,' I thought. 'I'm going back and saving Niko. Maybe I'll be able to see some new dialogue, and there might even be different scenes!'
"Well, here goes nothing," I said aloud as I dragged the file named 'oneshot_save1(?)' into the trash bin. I went back to the desktop.
Click.
The second time over, everything seemed pretty much the same, except for the fact that Niko seemed to remember my name. They called out the name when they first woke up in the dark house, even before they met Prophetbot. But apart from those few moments, I progressed with Niko just like before.
"A metal safe. Seems like it's locked with a 6-digit code. I don't…remember seeing any 6-digit codes. Do you, Delta?"
Niko's wide yellow eyes stared back at me through the monitor. They were in the Barrens, in front of the locked metal box on top of the cliffs. 'Of course!' I typed. I had already restored the power and talked to the computer, although I already knew where to find the code. I found the file and opened it.
"Dear Delta…yeah yeah, I know…oh, here it is! 'The code you need is...'" I squinted. "I can't make anything out! Aren't there supposed to be numbers here?" The spot where I assumed the code to the safe was supposed to be was unreadable, and I couldn't make out any numbers. "But then, what's the code? Is it what's supposed to happen in the second playthrough? Or maybe it's another puzzle…" But no matter how hard I tried to decipher the code or find some kind of pattern in the rest of the message, I couldn't figure out anything.
I turned my attention back to the game window. Niko was still staring back patiently. I typed back a response. 'No...I'm sorry Niko, I thought I had the code, but I can't find it anywhere! Maybe we should look around some more.' Niko, to my relief, didn't seem too disappointed in me. "Okay!" They replied. "Let's go back to Prophetbot, maybe he knows something! Or maybe the robot lady does!" I had to smile at Niko's optimism and enthusiasm as we turned away from the metal box.
But no matter how long we searched, talked with the robots, or consulted the computer, we couldn't find anything related to a six-digit number. The computer had told me quite condescendingly to go look in the DOCUMENTS folder, which I already had. I was beginning to suspect that something had gone wrong. Maybe it was a bug?
"Niko?" I asked after too much time had passed with us going in circles. Niko stopped and turned towards me. "Hm?"
"Maybe...maybe we should continue without opening the box."
Niko was silent for a few moments. "Then where should we go, Delta?" They asked. I thought of where we hadn't been yet. Only one place came to mind.
"Niko, I think you'll have to go through the place with the bad air. You know, the one where you said it hurts to breathe?"
Niko looked startled. "But...won't it be dangerous?" They suddenly looked apologetic. "I, I mean...it's not that I don't believe you, Delta, it's just that it hurts my throat when I go there."
I bit my lower lip. I knew it was a bad idea to make Niko go through the gaseous area, last time Niko had a gas mask to protect them but this time they didn't. But I had been wandering around the small patch of the Barrens for several hours, and I was getting bored and tired of getting nowhere. Clamping down on my instincts telling me that this was a bad idea, I started typing.
'I know, and I'm sorry...for being the god of this world but not being able to do much for you. But Niko, please trust me. If you go quickly through that area and hold in your breath as long as possible, you should be able to reach a safe place.' I hesitated, then added, 'and I'm sure the air isn't THAT dangerous, it's just a little different and uncomfortable, but I'm positive it wouldn't hurt you badly.' I hope. I added mentally.
Niko's yellow cat eyes looked back at me, a little unsure but determined. "Of course I trust you! I'm sure you wouldn't let me get hurt, Delta!" They smiled, and a twinge of guilt flashed across my chest. I quickly squashed it. 'For progress', I thought. 'And Niko's just a video game character, it doesn't matter too much…' I tried to convince myself, but the uneasiness remained.
Niko coughed. "Delta," they rasped out. "It hurts to breathe…" I closed my eyes briefly, berating myself for making this stupid decision. Niko had been walking for a couple of minutes in the noxious fumes. I didn't remember the walk being this long, but the gas pumping out from the vents obscured our vision so we bumped into quite a few dead ends. At first, Niko had tried holding their breath in, but they eventually had to breathe in. They had begun coughing immediately and their eyes had teared up.
"It's not too far away, Niko! Can you run? Or walk faster?" I typed quickly.
"Y-yeah, I can t-try to-" Niko suddenly burst into another bout of coughing. I was feeling really worried now; Niko's coughs were getting more frequent and more violent. I remembered there being a dormitory area just a few meters away, although the thick smoke made it impossible to see too far away. I vaguely recalled an infirmary being there. I hoped that the robots there had a cure for the noxious gas. Accidents involving workers inhaling the poisonous stuff would have been common in the Barrens, right?
After a few more agonizing seconds that seemed to stretch on for hours, the game window suddenly cleared of the white gas and Niko emerged into the dormitory area. Niko sank down on their knees, heaving in deep breaths of clean air and occasionally coughing loudly, doubled over and clutching their stomach. They seemed so…frail. I felt dread rising up, cloying my mind not unlike the poisonous fumes.
'Niko!' I typed out urgently. They raised their head weakly. "Niko, I know you're tired, but you NEED to go to the infirmary! It's just a few more steps, PLEASE Niko!" They slowly rose to their feet. "O…ok-k-ay." They stuttered.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
I held down the arrow key and watched as Niko took one painful step after the other, the sound of their footsteps on the gravelly floor the only sound echoing in the silence. After what seemed like an eternity, I spotted a building with a blue neon sign of a cross. The infirmary! Niko seemed to have spotted it too, and was now walking a little faster.
As soon as they passed the threshold, the strength seemed to leave them, and they collapsed on the cold metal floor. One of the infirmary robots rushed over.
[EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!] It beeped. [PERSON OF ORGANIC MAKEUP IN CRITICAL CONDITION! SCANNING FOR INJURIES…] I held my breath, hoping for the best.
[…]
[SCAN COMPLETE]
[INJURIES DETECTED: MULTIPLE]
[CAUSE OF INJURY: PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO GAS FROM THE VENTS]
[TYPE OF INJURY: INTERNAL INJURIES OF LUNGS, HEART, NOSE, THROAT, STOMACH, AND OTHER MAJOR ORGANS]
[CURRENT CONDITION: CRITICAL. IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION NEEDED.]
[TREATMENT REQUIRED: IMMEDIATE ADMINISTRATION OF VENT GAS ANTIDOTE]
I felt hope rise in my chest. There was a cure!
[…]
"Well, what are you waiting for!" I said aloud. "Give Niko the medicine already!"
The robot made a whirring noise, then spoke.
[TREATMENT STATUS: UNAVAILABLE]
"Unavailable!" I exclaimed. "What do you mean, unavailable?"
'Niko,' I typed, my hands shaking. 'Can…can you ask the robot what it means?' Niko picked themselves up slightly, their face scrunching up in pain. "W-what do y-y-ou mean? Can you h-e-e-elp me?" All of their energy spent, they slid back down to the floor. They lay there and didn't move.
[ALL USABLE MEDICINE AND MEDICAL TOOLS WERE TAKEN AWAY WHEN EVERYONE EVACUATED THE BARRENS. THERE IS NO AVAILABLE ANTIDOTE REMAINING HERE.]
[…I AM SORRY. A ROBOT WILL ESCORT YOU TO A BED.]
A bigger robot came out from the left hallway towards Niko. It knelt down beside them and gently picked up their still form. They walked with Niko in its big hands through the left corridor and into a room I had never seen before. I no longer had control over the game; I was now just an observer, watching helplessly as the consequences of my rash decision played out. Everything was out of my hands.
Niko was gently put down on a bed. They sunk into the soft mattress, and stirred slightly, curling up on their side. 'Niko…?' I typed haltingly. 'Are you okay?' Niko coughed yet again, and I was horrified to see their signature blue scarf now stained with several dark red splotches.
"I'll-cough-I'll be f-fine, Delta. D-don-t worry about me. I'll just cat-tch a short nap and-" More coughing. More red. 'Shhh, stop talking Niko. Just…just rest. You'll be fine.'
Niko rolled onto their back. Their luminous yellow eyes stared up, up through the monitor, into my own black orbs. "Am…am I going to d-die, Delta?" I put my head in my hands, eyes clenched shut tightly. I couldn't bear to look into those wide, innocent eyes, those eyes that were slowly losing its brightness…all because of….
…me.
"Delta?" A weak voice caught my attention. "Delt-t-a! Don't l-leave me now. Please….t-talk to me?" I took in a deep, steadying breath, then turned my attention back to the keyboard. "Yeah. I'm here. I'll always be here for you. I'm sorry Niko, I'm so, SO sorry." Niko jerkily shook their head. "N-not your f-f-fault. I wanted to go t-t-to. Don't blame yourself, please?" I didn't reply, a few drops of tears finally rolling down my cheeks despite me furiously repeating the internal mantra it's just a game, it's just a game, it's just a game…
"Delta…I feel sleepy…" Niko murmured. I looked at the screen. Their eyes were closing, and although they were trying to keep them open, I could tell that it was taking a huge toll on them to stay conscious. "I want to go home, Delta…" I reached out to the monitor towards Niko, hoping vainly that I could grab Niko through the display and pull them through to safety. They looked so small and helpless…
"You will go home Niko. Just close your eyes, and rest. You'll get to see your mom again, and the wheat fields, and the village…" I whispered as I typed out the message. I saw Niko's mouth turn up in a small smile. Their eyes slid closed. "Mom…" They sighed out.
And didn't breathe in.
"N-niko?" I stared at the small child lying alone on a bed, in an abandoned building in an abandoned land. I couldn't take in the fact that Niko was…
Ding!
I jumped in surprise and yelped as an error message popped up.
{ YOU. }
It read.
Another message appeared.
{ You. Killed. Niko. }
I felt cold.
{ You came back…just to do THIS? }
{ … }
{ I hope you are proud of yourself. }
{ …you murderer. }
The game window, and all the error messages, disappeared.
..
..
..
That was how my mother found me a couple of hours later, staring blankly at the laptop. I didn't answer when she asked why my desktop wallpaper was a broken lightbulb and a bloody blue scarf.