So I won't be home for a couple days so…no updates until like…the weekend…maybe. I'm sure you understand. Anyway, on to the SCIENCE!


Day 7

Something was squeezing his throat. He was having the greatest of difficulties breathing. His eyes snapped open, mouth dropping open to try and suck in air. The squeezing around his throat vanished, and was replaced was soft touches, a petting motion that seemed like it was trying to get rid of the pain caused previous.

"Sorry" a voice whispered to him. "I wanted to see how it worked"

Now the top of his head was being pet, fingers running through his hair. He could only narrows his eyes to try and see who it was, but in the near dark, he find he couldn't focus. He fell back asleep moments later.

When Desmond woke up again, the room wasn't as dimmed. Without even glancing at his companion, he slipped out of the bed and into the bathroom to wash his face. Desmond let out a yelp when he saw himself in the mirror; dark bruises on his throat. He stared at his reflection in absolute shock before his brain caught up with him and he burst back into the room.

"Did you do this to me?" Desmond demanded.

Alex was sitting upright on the bed, staring down at the sheets he was rubbing between his fingers. He slowly looked up at Desmond to blink at him. His eyes were surprisingly clear today, wide, inquisitive. A look Desmond had never seen on him before.

"Yeah…" Alex replied, lowering his head again like a child that was being scolded. Desmond's shocked anger melted away, because was new. This wasn't normal Alex behavior. Like now was not the time to be fucking with him.

"Alex? Are you okay?" Desmond asked warily. Alex didn't respond back to him, just kept fiddling with the sheets in his hands. "Alex! Hello, still talking to you"

"Oh" Alex gasped, looking back up at him. "I'm sorry, but Dr. Mercer's not here right now. He's sleeping still"

"What?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah. He was really, really tired. So I'm here instead" he went on, now smiling. Actually smiling. Not a smirk, not a cocky grin. A genuine, happy smile. Desmond didn't think the muscles in that face knew how to do that. But wait, wait, wait. Wait. Dr. Mercer's not here right now? The hell did he mean by-

"Oh fuck" Desmond whispered. "Blacklight?!"

"Hi Desmond" Blacklight replied back, ducking his head back down and fidgeting in his spot as if he was embarrassed by this. "I don't mean to surprise you, I just thought you wouldn't mind if I hung out with you today instead of Dr. Mercer. If that's okay with you? I mean, it's not like I'm just gonna go away but you know…."

No. No. Nope. Nope to the tenth dimension. Dear fucking lord no. Without responding, Desmond slipped back into the bathroom, slammed locked the door. Holy fuck, holy fucking fuck, this wasn't happening. This was not happening. Alex was fucking with him. That was not the Blacklight virus speaking to him. The virus wasn't a sentient being that talked.

It was an all consuming virus that had most of the body of its creator replicated and could control like a puppet. Which kinda didn't make it any better.

"Desmoooooonnnnnnd" Blacklight whined at him from the other side of the door. "Come onnnnn. I promise I'll be goooood"

He sounded like a child that got his favorite toy taken away from him. Yeah okay, that definitely wasn't Alex anymore.

"Says the one who tried to choke me earlier!" Desmond yells back.

"I wanted to see how breathing worked. I forgot that you're weaker than me….."

Oh, psh, man. Yup that totally made up for it then. Gosh, how silly he felt. It was after all easy for anyone to just forget how fragile people were compared to the man-sized virus. Well when he put it like that, he could just totally be forgiven. YEAH NO. NOOOO-OOOOOOHOHOHOOONO. Desmond back away from the bathroom door to the opposite wall, all the way in the shower, just to at least put as much distance between him and that…thing.

"Help me" Desmond whispers into the wall. "For the love of god please help me and get don't keep me in here with that. Experiment success, the virus has totally taken over. Now let me ouuuuut"

He doesn't get a reply, not that he expects one. Nothing happens. And nothing to continued to happen for god knows how long. The lights in the bathroom eventually become brighter and brighter on their own, Abstergo's dumb way of telling time for them because they couldn't be bothered with real clocks. What a fine way to spend the morning. Locked in the bathroom so Mr. Handsy wouldn't be near him. Gave him a lot of time to think, to plan and put things together.

Blacklight had practically gone through the entire body. All it had left was everything above the neck. But if it was capable of talking to him and touching him of its own volition then it already had control of everything, right? Maybe it did it last night when they were both asleep and it could tear the last bit of Alex apart without them noticing. No, no, but Alex would have been screaming his head off if that did happen so then…How…

There was only one way to find out.

x-X-X-x

Desmond took a breath as he placed his hand at the door handle. This, he actually had to work himself up to, mostly because he felt like if he messed up, he'd die. But he had to know. For science. And the good of mankind. And for Alex. For Alex. Yeah. He was already promised a good little virus so maybe…Yeah. Yeah no this was stupid. The second stupidest idea in the last couple days. Goodbye cruel world, another idiot was passing through.

He finally unlocked the door and pulled it open. Blacklight was back on the bed, playing with a tablet. His fingers were flying across it with ease as if he had been playing with one his entire life. His entire, two-month existence. Which made Desmond wonder just how much was being copied off of Alex. But that was something he'd have to focus on later.

"Hey Blacklight? he called out. Blacklight's head immediately snapped towards him. "Heeeeey buddy. Wanna do a science experiment?"

He looked like he had just been told they were going to Disneyland.

"Yes!" Blacklight cried. "I love science!"

Oh jesus.

"Hey me tooo!" Desmond forced a grin as he pushed himself out of the bathroom. "Wanna find me something pointy and sharp I can cut with?"

"Will this work?" and Blacklight's hand morphed and melded into sharp, black claws. Desmond's grin locked into place on his face as he mentally screamed to himself. He could have done that the whole time. This whole damn time that could have happened because there were no fucking bones or anything in his godddamn anything and oh god what the fuck did Alex do. At no point in time did Alex ever say his Frankenstein experiment could change shape like that.

"Yeaaaaaah, just like that" Desmond made himself laugh at. "That'll work perfectly. Good thinking!"

Desmond mechanically walked over to the bed to (fuckfuckfcufk) grasp Blacklight's wrist. "Just work with me on this, okay?" he asked. Blacklight nodded enthusiastically, biting at his lips again and glancing down at Desmond's hand. He didn't take his eyes off it as Desmond brought the claw up to his face, turned it so the claws were facing him and…Slashed through Blacklight's face open.

The skin easily tore open, bypassing blackened muscle and exposing bone. His cheekbone and jaw. Desmond could see his fucking teeth. Blood gushed down his face and chin to drip onto his shoulders. Desmond let go of claw to take a step back, shocked and disgusted that it was that easy. Blacklight hardly reacted, just sat there for a few moments before he did anything. The skin put itself back together with a wet sound. But it worked, now all Blacklight had was drying blood on his face.

"That was fun" Blacklight chirped. "What next?"

"Uhm" Desmond said intelligently. I think we're good…Let's get you cleaned up"

No argument. Blacklight happily followed him back into the bathroom. And there a real plan formed in Desmond's head. "Hey, why don't you hop into the shower? It might be easier this way" Desmond told him. The virus happily complied to stand in the shower and looked back at him expectantly. "Just look riiiight up here" Desmond instructed, pointing at the nozzle. He practically raced with the knobs, but got the water to come.

At full blast.

Blacklight hissed and jerked away. Desmond, without much of a choice, grabbed Blacklight's head to wrench his face back into the water. Blacklight let out a hellish scream that nobody, not even a virus, should have been capable of making. Desmond felt something…somethings wrap around his wrists and dig in, but he kept Blacklight right where he wanted him.

Blacklight coughed and sputtered, and the pain in Desmond's wrists was traveling up his forearms, and god it was becoming unbearable. They both dropped down to their knees, and sat there through some literal hell and high water until Blacklight stopped fighting back and screaming, and Desmond heard that in familiar growl;

"What the…WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCKING FUCK?"

Desmond let go of Alex's face, gasping at this point. Alex was staring back at him with his trademark glare. Desmond let out a ragged laugh.

"Hey buddy, welcome back to the world of the living"

"The fuck does that mean? What the fucking hell happened to your arms?!"

Desmond looks down. His forearms are covered in angry black and blue bruises shaped like whip marks. One of them the skin had broken, and blood was being washed off his arm.

"At least ya didn't claw me to death" Desmond sighed.

"What?" Alex boomed. "Alright what in the fucking hell happened while I was asleep? You better start fucking explaining to me right now…."

x-X-X-x

TwinDragons began chatting with StillHere

TD: Hello?
TD: Am I using this correctly?
TD: You are online aren't you?
TD: o_o

SH: Alex?

TD: Oh you are here!
TD: :D
TD: Desmond likes to use that one a lot. He's very happy most of the time I've deduced.

SH: ALEX?

TD: Oh sorry!
TD: Dr. Mercer's asleep right now.
TD: So it's just me.
TD: :D

SH: How are you
SH: Talking to me?

TD: The same way Desmond and Dr. Mercer do?
TD: With their tablets and network chat system. It's rather easy to use I'm finding.
TD: But hello Lucy, it is nice to formally meet you.

SH: Nice…to meet you too.
SH: You're the Blacklight virus, aren't you?

TD: I am if that is what you wish to call me. Dr. Mercer and Desmond refer to me as just Blacklight most of the time so I assume you can do the same.

SH: Where's Desmond?

TD: Locked in the bathroom. I think he's scared of me.
TD: D:
TD: See now it is a face a of unhappiness.

SH: So I do see…
SH: Why is Desmond scared of you?

TD: I may have accidentally choked him earlier when trying to see how you bloodsacks breathe.
TD: I'm sorry that's not a nice word to use. *Humans.

SH: Oh well yes, it's not a good idea to choke people. We need to be able to breathe.

TD: So I've concluded. I apologized to him but I don't think he accepted it.
TD: So i'm waiting for him to come back outside so I can spend time with him, as you humans would say

SH: I'm sure he'll come around eventually

TD: I hope so too. I didn't want him to be lonely when Dr. Mercer was asleep. D:

SH: That's very sweet of you, Blacklight

TD: Thank you :D

SH: But what do you mean by "Dr. Mercer is alseep"?

TD: He is asleep in a metaphorical sense if you wish to call it that
TD: His mind is not active at the moment. He has no control of our body right now. And I do not wish to rouse him. He needs his rest very badly.
TD: And I do not wish to do anymore work when he is so tired.

SH: I see
SH: Is this the first time you have assumed direct control of your body like this?

TD: Yes!
TD: Dr. Mercer is very, very busy and he needs control of us all the time to get his work done
TD: But I figured since he is resting today, I can be in control instead. It won't hurt anyone. I think.
TD: Well it kinda hurt Desmond but again, I was just curious.

SH: That's very interesting.
SH: Have you been able to do this at a lesser degree?

TD: I always have been, but I tried not to. The nervous system and I do not get along.
TD: It screams at me constantly and it's a lot of work to make it be quiet.
TD: So many nerve endings I had to tie up. I didn't realize the brain would be this upset with me if I took away all the nerves in the body
TD: It has no where to send all those orders

SH: Oh well um
SH: Sorry you weren't warned about that

TD: It's okay! When Dr. Mercer wakes up, the brain and the nervous system will no longer be a problem for me
TD: Plus, I already have most of the spine consumed. With the brain gone, I can get rid of the whole spine and we will be completely integrated and testing can begin
TD: ^_^ see it's a just as happy face that Desmond also likes to use.

SH: And um, how long until then?

TD: I can have it done whenever is most convenient for the team. The soonest I can is about…fifty hours, give or take.

SH: We'll be ready
SH: Maybe give us a warning ahead of time?

SH: Blacklight?

TwinDragons has gone idle

TwinDragons has been idle for 1 hours

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Twin Dragons has been idle for 3 hours

TwinDragons is available

SH: Are you back?

TD: What?
TD: Hold on I'm gonna backread

SH: Alright.
SH: Good morning, Alex.

TD: Shit.
TD: Yeah, hi Lucy
TD: Goddammn why does he have to type like Desmond?

SH: It's funnier when I think of you making those emotes

TD: Fucking shoot me.
TD: Did you see everything that happened?

SH: No but I can go review the tapes.

TD: I didn't think he would do that. I honest to god didn't.
TD: I let my fucking guard down for one damn minute
TD: And I wake up in the shower with Desmond about to tear my face off.

SH: It's not your fault, Alex
SH: He's just a bit smarter than we anticipated he would be.
SH: Is Desmond okay?

TD: He will be.
TD: Blacklight likes him too much to want to kill him
TD: I think…

SH: We'll take our chances.
SH: Try and talk to him if you can
SH: If he can behave the we'll let you three into the gym to mess around

TD: I will
TD: When he's done being a big baby, I can feel him sulking.

SH: Just try not to kill each other.

TD: Yeah.

TwinDragons has ceased chatting with StillHere

End Day 7


See ya when I see ya then! Enjoy your new friend!