Intense fluorescent lights bore into his eyes from every direction. Pins pricked his skin in three different places and for a second, he could have sworn that he'd been completely submerged in a hot bath. But the rise in his temperature was rather more likely the result of being encased in a cylindrical tube of heat. Sweat amassed at the base of his forehead and as much as he would have liked to wipe it off, he found himself quite restrained.

Hazily, he tried to recall what had come first- the odd jolt of electricity throughout his body, the heat, the light in his eyes or the realization that he'd fallen unconscious at some point or another. Time seemed to merge into one unorganized jumble in his already-scattered brain and it understandably exasperated the pulsating of his wrist and throat.

"Wh-Where am I?" he asked, chest heaving wearily. He could hardly hear his own voice over the noise that the machine was emitting. It was a consistent rumble akin to having a jackhammer exercising the base of whatever he was strapped to.

Minutes passed with no reply when he began to panic, fingering the leather restraints to the best of his ability with every intention to tug himself free. Except that the bands were secured in three different places on his torso alone and more-so on both of his legs. To say that he was fastened in tightly was a polite understatement.

"Let me out of here!" he cried, trying his strength at his wrist. The more he tugged, the more utterly restrained he felt, and it was maddening.

Think. Think. Think.

Tweek inhaled deeply and clutched the skin of his palms tightly. He squeezed his eyes shut and paused.

The demonic whirring faded into the background. Memories, names and faces resurfaced with semi-clarity. He no longer found himself troubled by the sweat on his brow.

In fact, the weather had become significantly chillier in the moments of his recuperation. So much so that when he exhaled, he saw his breath-

Among a frost-covered plane of plastic and lights that struggled to bleed through the thickness of it all. Fear welled up in his eyes for a moment as it seemed to draw closer- touching his feet with a gentleness that surprised him.

Then the lights were shut off, and his table was pulled from its socket.

"Interesting!" Mephesto declared, scribbling a decisive conclusion onto his clipboard "So your secondary power can be triggered by external stimuli. Wonderful- Tweek, you're becoming more and more fascinating every day."

It took a moment to register what had happened. The restraints were dispelled and Tweek sat up quickly, swinging his feet over the edge of the gurney. "I, I don't want to be fascinating!"

"Well. It's not often that a person is granted multiple abilities. That said, we can't rule out the possibility that the abilities you've displayed so far can be categorized under one classification. But that's just cabbage." he said.

Tweek had half a mind to request an explanation, but mostly seemed intent on eyeing the door. "Ah… O-Okay. Can I put my clothes on now?"

It had taken a moment to realize that his shirt was removed at some point or another, but now that he had, he wanted nothing more than to fully dress himself and pretend that Mephesto wasn't the strangest person he had ever met. So much so that he was too busy fretting over his naked torso to consider the rudeness of it all.

"Well, the results you've given me so far have been satisfactory, so… Yeah, sure. Have at it." he gestured half-heartedly towards the door with the hand that he permanently rested on his cane. Though he seemed none too enthused about the prospect of having his research stunted.

Nothing but a twitch and several indecipherable mumbles passed his lips as he shakily found his shirt and tried his hands at mending the buttons. They wound up uneven for the most part, but so long as he found that the shirt was able to hook around his chest- he was satisfied.

Making his way towards the door, a thought occurred to Tweek.

He paused, turned around and glanced in Mephesto's direction. "Uh...What. What happened to th-those guys? From before…"

"Hm?" Mephesto stamped his cane against the floor, then gave an affirmative hum "Oh, I suppose you're referring to your little defector friends. Well, they're being held up in their rooms for the time being to think about their behavior. Afterwards, I believe they'll be transferred to a ward that is better equipped to handle those of you with more… behavioral issues."

Tweek had heard of that before- At least, in the sense that the way it was described struck an unpleasant chord in him, and he suddenly felt himself particularly sympathetic with those kids. He understood why the punishment would be severe, but to be displaced from their ward must have been rough.

By virtue of his timing, he'd been fortunate enough to finish up in the midst of a free block. A period of time- usually an hour and a half- in which the residents of their ward had no particular obligations to do anything and were permitted to roam around (or stay put) as they pleased. Generally, it was the hour of visitations and other free-spirited endeavors.

And he knew exactly where to find his friends.

Parallel to the dining hall, there was a courtyard situated in the center of the building that tended to be the most popular hangout spot. Aside from the vending machines, drinking fountains and benches, it happened to be in possession of one of the only features reminiscent of the outdoors within the entire facility.

In the midst of the courtyard, stretching from the top to its bottom was an imposing atrium entirely encased in glass, with the exception of the metal-rimmed door. So-many holes were speckled throughout the upper layers of the glass to allow for sufficient oxygen, and the top opened up to a wide view of whatever the Colorado weather would permit them to see. Today- it was a radiant stretch of sunlight that bathed the interior with a warm and ample glow.

His friends were basking in the light of the atrium while making use of the indoor court.

Suppressing an inkling of hesitation, he approached them with a sheepish smile. "H-Hey guys…"

"Tweek!" Clyde seemed to perk up when he caught sight of him and ran to his side, followed (albeit slightly less energetically) by Token and Jimmy.

"Heya, Tweek!" Jimmy began "So wha...wha...what happened, dawg?"

"Jimmy, please don't say that-"

In any case, Tweek wasn't sure where to begin, his recollection of the night's prior events were fuzzy at best. But the curiosity in his friends eyes seemed overly expectant of a proper explanation. "Oh, uh...Ah… it-it was an accident?"

"We heard that you tried to bust out of here." Token supplied, then added- "That doesn't sound like you, though."

Clyde conceded, "Yeah! When I heard that I was like… No way, man! Tweek was probably kidnapped or something. You'd never leave this place if you didn't have to!"

"Um…" Well, Clyde wasn't wrong. It still left an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach though. "I, just… got caught up with the wrong-"

"Hey, show us your powers!" said Token. "I heard that you went beast-mode on security back there."

"I heard that you got so pissed you caused an avalanche and flooded the entire facility with snow!"

"Like that would happen!"

"Like what would happen."

They looked up- Tweek's eyes rested on Craig's form; as relaxed and unbothered as ever, he stood by with his hands dipped into the pockets of his jeans. When he found that they'd inadvertently matched their eyes, he was the first to look away.

"C'mon Tweek-" Clyde bounced on his legs like an impatient child. "Show us, show us!"

Tweek hesitated. Token furthered the encouragement by saying, "Yeah, we've gotta see it!"

And for some reason or another, he found himself looking to Craig for help. Though he had nothing to offer and seemed contented with lending himself as a simple spectator.

He took a deep breath, then clasped his hands together, concentrating-

When he released them, a misshapen slab of ice had formed between his palms. What was initially intended to be a spherical imitation of a snowball had turned into a nightmarish block, but nonetheless- it was… something.

"Woah…" Clyde's eyes widened.

Craig watched the cube with silent intrigue, while Token studied it. "Hm… It's not very...y'know. But, uh, nice work man!"

"Yeah, who would've thought there was more to your power than ruining lunch!"

"Clyde!" Token elbowed him harshly. Clyde looked shocked and appalled to be hit.

"Anyway," he continued "You should join the game. Cartman's going one on one with Kyle right now."

"I'm, uh, okay." he said. And not just because the idea of putting himself in a situation where Cartman was ethically allowed to shove him was unappealing. "I'm pretty tired…"

"Oh yeah?" said Token "Why?"

He cringed to think about it. "Mephesto keeps doubling my examinations… It's been like, one day, and I'm dead, man! I can't take much more of this.."

"Examinations?" Craig asked "Like, tests or something?"

Clyde and Token exchanged looks of momentary confusion- before turning to Craig with abrupt realization. "Oh, right!" Clyde began.

Token continued- "You probably haven't gotten any yet, because you're new, but examinations are basically appointments with a specialist to determine the specifics about your power. Like… what triggers it, and what your potential weaknesses are."

"Sometimes it's just blood work though." Clyde said, "To determine if it's genetic and stuff."

"I-In my case…" Tweek explained "M-My power is unstable. So they keep running tests, agh, and it gets- super draining!"

"Not all tests are like that though.. You'll probably have your first checkup in a week or so."

"Oh." Craig said.

"That reminds me." Clyde gasped "You got your phone, right? Let me see it!"

Craig suppressed a roll of his eyes as he pulled the device out of his pocket. It was an unassuming smartphone with a standard-black case and logo stamped on the back. Across the bottom was a serial number and an activation code.

"Nice!" Token also took a look at the phone and Tweek, since he was curious, took a look too. "New model… I should probably upgrade soon. I heard they've green-lit way more apps in the newest update!"

"Kind of sucks that you have to buy them, though.. Ah, hey, Craig, give me your number!"

Craig extended his phone to Clyde, who took it graciously and began inserting himself as a contact.

When the number was added, and Craig was granted the privilege of having his phone back, he added with mild concern- "It's cool and all, but I'm pretty sure it's broken. Which fucking sucks, by the way. I've been trying to call my sister all day.."

"Your sister?" Token asked, his head tilted slightly. Then his eyes lit up. "Oh… Sorry, dude, we can't reach the outside world with these."

His jaw dropped. "You've got to be fucking kidding me-"

"It's in the contract, remember?" Clyde offered "No contact with the outside world whatsoever until we're completely done with our program… Liability, or whatever."

"So what's the point of the phone?"

"Well…" Token hummed to himself as he considered the best way to explain it. Then- took Tweek's shoulder. "For example, if you needed to, say, text Tweek about something, you could do it by putting his number into your phone. And because his number is registered with the internal server, you can call him from wherever you are- but numbers to external area codes aren't going to go through."

"That is so fucking lame!" he exclaimed with a groan.

"Yeah, but… it's the rules, y'know?" Clyde gave his shoulder a sympathetic pat. "It's annoying, but at least we've got games and stuff!"

"Clyde's just saying that because he doesn't have to deal with his mom."

"Hey!"

Token and Jimmy laughed as Clyde went red in the face.

"No fatass, fuck you, I'm not playing!"

"Don't be such a fucking loser, Kyle, I won fair and square!"

"It's not 'fair and square' if you sit your fatass on the ball, Cartman!" Stan interjected.

In light of their introspective discussion, Clyde noted dutifully- "Hey, guys, the court's open!"

"Ah, cool! Craig, you in?"

Craig shrugged; Token took it as the closest thing he'd get to a yes and was quick to join Clyde on the court. "Sick!"

"I th-think I'll s..s...sit this one out, you guys." Jimmy said, making his way towards the benches.

Tweek eyed the benches and the basketball court, then evaluated whether or not the ache in his body was enough to keep him grounded for the remainder of the period.

However, in his lag, he wound up in a rather unfortunate situation- as in, quite literally situated in the midst of Stan, Kyle and the ever-so-eloquent Cartman.

"Screw you guys, I totally won that game!"

"That's bullshit and you know it, Cartman!"

"C'mon guys, we just lost the court!"

Either they didn't notice Tweek standing there- or they just didn't care.

"Ah for fuck's sake, you let Craig have the court?! You fucking suck, Kyle!"

"This is your fault!"

"Stan Marsh." That monotonous drone came over the intercom just in time. "Please report to the examination room. I repeat; Stan Marsh, please report to the examination room."

"Fuck." he cursed. "Well, whatever… See ya guys later I guess." He turned away from the court in defeat, then spared a glance at Tweek. "You too, dude. Bye."

"Bye, fag!"

"Jesus Christ, Cartman."

Tweek was uncomfortable. He began to walk away.

"Hold on." Cartman's voice was the verbal equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. "Who do you think you are, trying to break out of here before the rest of us? If anyone's getting out of this shit hole it's gonna be me, you got that?!"

Tweek struggled for an appropriate response- not that Cartman seemed interested in one.

"For the last time, Cartman, Tweek was not trying to bust out of here!" Kyle insisted. "It was probably a stupid misunderstanding. Right, Tweek?"

"R...Right." he affirmed with some hesitation, wary of the stern look that Cartman (or the designated fatass) was giving him.

"What the fuck ever, man! You guys were totally trying to break out. Which is hella lame by the way? Just saying."

"What's lame about wanting to see your family?!"

"Uh, everything?" he placed his hands on his hips. "This place is like, the one place where you don't have to do shit, and I don't have to listen to my mom bitch about stupid shit all day!"

"Then why do you want to leave?"

"Duh," Cartman's jaw dropped in the shape of an exaggerated 'O', as he replied with a condescending tilt in his voice- "I wanna leave before Tweek does!"

"Quit picking on Tweek, fatass!"

"Y-Yeah, quit picking on T...T...Tweek!" Jimmy added.

"Who's picking on Tweek?"

They turned to face Wendy, hands on her hips as she matched Cartman's stature with a demeanor that was somehow even more intimidating.

"Ah, fuck…" Cartman groaned. "See the basketball courts? No girls allowed."

"Oh, okay." Wendy said. She checked her phone for a moment then slipped it in her pocket in complete disregard to the abhorration on his face. "Anyway, glad to see you're okay, Tweek! When I heard that you tried to break out I knew something was up. There's no way you'd wanna leave this place, right?"

"R..Right." he said. Though for some reason, a modicum of shame crept up in his stomach. "I, I mean it wasn't me…! I just.."

"It's fine, Tweek. You don't need to explain yourself to me!" she smiled, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. He found himself smiling slightly in return.

Wendy always seemed so inexplicably kind. For no discernable reason other than that it was simply her nature to stand up for the weak, and more importantly- put Cartman in his place without a trace of fear.

That was probably why it was so easy to admire Wendy. And Craig, too- They both seemed to share whatever trait it was that allowed them to face Cartman completely unafraid.

"I kind of get it, though… I mean, there are some things that I really miss about the world!"

"Like what," Cartman scoffed "Shopping? Getting your nails done? Ballet classes?"

"Me too!" Kyle agreed- again, with total disregard for Cartman- "Like, I used to take my little brother, Ike, to the skatepark all the time. And go to concerts and stuff! But there's nothing like that in here."

"I know!" she groaned. "I mean, no internet? That is so lame!"

"Screw you guys," Cartman said, with an unamused roll of his eyes, "I'm going back to my room."

In any case, they continued.

"I miss the f...f….funny shows." Jimmy said. "I was a killer at st..stand up night."

"Hey, Clyde, pass it here!" Token called. Instead, Clyde made an attempt at what was supposed to be a 'sick dunk' and face planted right into the floor.

"Oh y-yeah…" Jimmy continued "Real grass, t-too."

Understandably, Clyde decided to take a break and limp over to the general vicinity where the conversation was taking place- "Are you guys talking about what you're gonna do when you leave again?"

"Not really." Wendy explained, "We're talking about the stuff we miss about the real world. You know, internet, social functions, parks. Real grass."

Clyde experimentally tried the grass beneath his feet. It was the artificial kind- it would never die, and never grow. "Oh… I miss the beach. The sand, the sunbathing, the hot chicks!"

"Ooh, you're right!" she said.

Kyle agreed- "Yeah! But I used to hate getting sunburnt."

"Clyde?" Token ran over to the crowd, face crossed between concern and curiosity. "What's up, man, are you getting back in the game?"

"Hold up, we were just talking about the stuff we miss about the outside."

"Yeah, Kyle said. "Like the beach and the internet."

"Oh." Token said, tucking the ball under his arm. Then, with a wistful smile "I miss rain."

"Ooh!" the four of them unanimously cried. "Good one!"

"Running around in the rain, trying not to get wet, stomping around in the puddles. That was my favorite part of Spring!" he exclaimed.

"Hey, wait a minute…" Clyde cupped his chin. Then- "We don't need rain. We have Tweek!"

"...Huh?" Tweek looked up, realizing all too acutely the amount of eyes that were suddenly on him. He looked at Clyde warily.

"...Hey, you're right!" said Token "Tweek, you're basically a human rainmaker! So go for it!"

Tweek looked around for an out- literally anything to divert their expectations, but found none. Even Craig, who stalked slowly up to the group per his sudden lack of a basketball, seemed vaguely interested in the idea. At least in the sense that he'd yet to outright call it stupid.

"Yeah, Tweek." Wendy encouraged. "Go for it! If anyone can do it, you can!"

Something heavy sat in his stomach. It was a huge, imposing rock of hesitation that he couldn't seem to stifle- and somehow, the expectation, the hope and sincerest of encouragements that they seemed to offer…

Really didn't help.

Nonetheless, he took a deep breath and shut his eyes, willing their voices away.

Rain. Rain. Focus on rain, he pleaded with himself.

It was simple. Just a little bit of rain. He could do it.

"Hey, I think it's working, it's starting to sprinkle!" Wendy said. He couldn't see her, but he imagined that she would smile and look at him with pride.

"Yeah, I think you're right!" added Token.

You can do this! He determined. Rain...Rain… Rain!

"Tweek, honey." the voices started. "Don't be shy. Show the nice man what you showed mommy and daddy."

Tweek could barely see past the man's waist; looking up to meet his eyes was a task that was altogether far too daunting. How his mother expected him to pull himself together long enough to 'put on a show' was beyond him.

Nonetheless, he could see his father eyeing him from the corner of his eye- smiling like he was already proud.

"O-Okay…" Tweek inhaled an unsteady breath, before collecting himself and flattening his palms out.

The thoughts that had busied his mind came to a screeching halt. The air filled his senses with a sudden pervasive mist that seemed to gradually amass into fragile droplets. It wasn't until his brow was wet and dripping that he opened his eyes. A soft, gray cloud loomed overhead just beneath the ceiling fan and sprung to life their own personal fountain.

He'd done it. He'd created rain.

With a smile, he looked towards his mother and father- then felt the pressure of somebody's hand running through his hair.

The man looked down at him with a soft smile, though his voice was inaudible. Tweek struggled to make out the features- the hair, the eyes, the brow, the curve of the nose. It was a blur.

"You should be proud of yourself." the words echoed in his head like a distant dream. "My little rainmaker."

His eyes shot open as he tripped over his own breath and faltered. His friends, whom had busied themselves with gleefully playing in the rain, were suddenly overcome with fear as the rain became jagged pellets of ice.

A/N: Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand.