10th chapter!
When I started this I didn't think it would get this popular.
Look at all those favs and follows. So beautiful.
Brings a tear to my eye.
I have discovered the Horizontal line! (I think)
GrumpyCat45: I think you're thinking of explosions. Just getting shot or stabbed isn't going to make the threads budge. I doubt he'd let Taylor be fired upon by a row of AK's. The Batter did a good job. Besides, *Puts on a tinfoil hat and does jazz hands* it's magic~~~
(Not really)
Edale: You know, I think I read about that somewhere… And yes, The Batter operates on if it won't harm her, she doesn't need to know basis. The Buffalo Bill comment made me crack up.
Ghest: I gotcha. *Thumbs up*
jdboss1: I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I don't intentionally go out of my way to make the author notes long, it just kinda happens.
Suzunaan: When I was looking for a name for Taylor's cape persona, I didn't look too deeply into the meaning when I was picking one. "Strings" sounded the least villainous and edgy amongst my options at the time, and I chose it. Threw it into Google translate and BAM. Though, the hanging meaning is rather appropriate, seeing as you kill everyo- *cough, cough* I mean, "purify", almost everyone in OFF. Changing it would be annoying at this point, so we're rolling with Cordes.
This story will go OFF the charts when I'm done with it.
"Text" belongs to Taylor, our lovable hero. And also, everyone else.
-"Text"- belongs to The Batter, a surprisingly competent baseball player.
"Text" belongs to all the monsters. And emphasis. Gotta love that emphasis.
Purifying Brockton Bay
Chapter 10 – Cat's Out Of The Bag
[Recipient has gained a new ability available for download.]
[Notice: this download cannot be refused.]
[Player Conscious Migration (Zone -1) has been added to queue.]
[Installing…]
{Play OFF OST: Fourteen Residents}
Taylor woke up. And then realized she was not in her bed. Too stiff. Opening her eyes she found that she was lying on a white floor. A sense of dread making itself known in her psyche, Taylor hesitantly got up.
She was, once again, in Zone -1. More specifically, the meeting room.
Taylor did not ever want to come back here again. Unfortunately, it seems fate has other plans in store for her. She was at a loss at what to do. The last time Taylor came here, The Batter had pulled her in. He acted weird and creepy sometimes, but she didn't think he would sneak into her room while she was sleeping to pull her into this place. So far, he had been nothing but subservient and respectful to her. Pulling something like this would be very out of character for him.
"My my. What do we have here?"
Spinning around, Taylor found a cat. More specifically, a disturbing cat. It reminded her of Valerie, what with its reversed color scheme of having black fur, white pupiless eyes, and a large head. But instead of buckteeth, this cat had a full blown grin.
A rather disproportionately large, and toothy, grin. Taylor wasn't even sure she could even smile that wide herself. Briefly, she thought of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. If said children's story was a written by the Brothers Grimm instead. Despite the fact that she was looking down upon the 'cat', Taylor felt as if she were being carefully appraised by a greater being.
"As there seems to be a rather concerning lack of living beings in Zone -1 at the moment, I shall assume you are not a figment of my imagination, but rather, a pleasant hallucination."
The words were drawn out, with emphasis placed on each word. The cat's voice was smooth, and had a cultured tone, making it very pleasant to listen to. It drew Taylor in, making her hang off every last word out of the "cat's" mouth.
"Nevertheless, I will introduce myself. I am The Judge, and I am practically dying to know your name, dear hallucinatory interlocutor."
The "cat" turned its head left to right, as if looking for something.
"How odd. It appears The Puppet isn't present. Rather concerning, don't you think? But that, at the present is irrelevant."
The "cat" jerked its head back, staring into Taylor's eyes with it's soulless white voids.
"What, my esteemed hallucinatory visitor, is your name?"
Taylor did not know what compelled her to answer with her full name, but she replied-
"Taylor Anne Herbert."
"Even though you should be but an inexistent apparition in my eyes, let it be said that I am delighted to meet you as well, dear Taylor Anne Herbert."
The cat made a coughing noise one might make to avoid a faux pas. He tilted his head in a manner that telegraphed curiosity.
"Well, this is quite strange. I've never had the experience of ever talking directly to a Puppeteer in all the previous timelines before. Truly a wonder at what might happen when you're dead."
Taylor wasn't fazed at the cat's casual admittance of its death. She had gotten enough context from Valerie to conclude that it was unlikely she would meet anyone 'living' here.
"I do believe this is the part where The Puppet would say that you are in need of my services. Despite the fact that this probably isn't necessary, I shall repeat the script for the sake of nostalgic value."
The 'cat' cleared his throat. Taylor was getting less scared and more weirded out by the second.
Why was everyone in this infernal place so far, so… off?
"Many people are in need of my services, you know. Everybody loves cats. We rub ourselves against their legs and purr in the most insistent manner. They absolutely adore that."
"Um…"
"But you are likely not looking for that kind of service. I… oh, enough of this. What could I provide for you, dear Player?"
Without thinking, Taylor blurted out-
"What are you?"
Way to go Taylor, insult the inhuman being before you as a first impression.
Thankfully, said inhuman being seemed to take in in stride. The Judge chuckled.
"A very good question. It could be said that I'm merely a cat. But as for what I really am… well, what do you think?"
Taylor pondered his question. So far the entity seemed to be reasonable. So it probably wouldn't kill her if she answered with something that it might interpret as insulting.
"Well, you did say you were dead, so maybe… a spirit taking the shape of a cat?"
The 'cat' stared at her. Taylor fidgeted nervously under its gaze. It chuckled again.
"Such straightforwardness. No tiptoeing around the subject are we? As for what I am… well, I'm what I look like. A dead cat. You've got it a little mixed up though. Not a spirit assuming the form of a cat, rather… a cat that is a spirit."
Taylor, not convinced, pointed out the glaringly obvious.
"You can talk."
"So can you. Do you really find it such a difficult concept that I am capable of the same thing?"
"It's not really something that's seen as normal."
"In what sense? Societal? You, Puppeteer, should know better than to fall in with bias. Perhaps every cat is capable of talking, only they choose not to."
Taylor still wasn't convinced, but she decided to change the subject before the 'cat' stretched out this discussion. This wasn't doing any favors for her sanity. The 'cat' might tell her more about this place, and as she was unlikely to see him on a 24/7 basis like The Batter, Taylor had no reluctance to ask him some questions. Sensitive questions.
"Alright. I'm going to accept the fact that you can talk, and move on. What can you tell me this place?"
"This Zone didn't exist until very recently. Or has it been here forever? It's hard to tell. Being dead does horrors for your sense of time. However, what I can tell you is that looks can be deceiving."
The 'cat' leaned forward, and spoke in a quiet tone.
"Do not let your guard down here, especially without The Puppet to defend yourself with. The large majority of the inhabitants of this place are… quite frankly, less than sane. Luckily for you, my dear Puppeteer, I happen to be one of the very few who have retained their sanity."
Gloomy and dark as she expected. Taylor was lucky that this "Judge" character seemed reasonable. Still too vague however.
"Could you give me a… more in-depth explanation? A little history?"
The Judge made a loud purring noise.
"But of course my dear. It's not like I have anything better to do anyway. You might want to take a seat though, it's quite the tale."
The cat, with an action that a similar looking cat a few months ago preformed, pointed with his tail.
"There's a chair right there. It would be a shame to not use it."
Taylor turned her head. Sure enough, an ordinary looking armchair was sitting innocently in a corner. Just like that podium a few months ago, it had seemingly appeared out of thin air. Walking over to it, Taylor sat down. The Judge following her, sat down on his front paws.
"Now then human, have you ever heard of the phenomenon known as The Collapse?"
Taylor hadn't heard of such a thing ever before in her life. The closest idea that sprung to mind was the Great Depression of 1929 to 1939, but she think she would have heard about nightmarish creatures involved. Taylor shook her head as a response. The cat cleared its throat.
"The Collapse was an event of mystery. Once, this world was chock-full of life. Then, one day, an undocumented calamity struck. No one knew what happened that day. None who truly witnessed it lived to tell the tale. Most of what we know were from old journals which had panicked writing from humans in them. The entries were never finished, and left much to the imagination. Every journal, at a precise time, always stopped before something of importance could be written. It could be in the middle of a sentence, the beginning, or end. Always when they were about to describe a detail about the event."
The Judge's smile became strained.
"It was if they had been silenced on purpose."
Fascinating. And slightly worrying. But-
"What does this all have to do with Zone -1?"
"Everything. Seeing as it's the reason this place exists. Well, before the world ended for good."
Taylor looked around. That could be plausible for the dreary appearance of this place. But wasn't this supposed to be just an aspect of her power? Why have such a mysterious history? There shouldn't be a history at all, it should just… exist. She decided to ask about the rather concerning fact about the world ending before addressing the history-that-should-not-be issue.
"The world ended?"
"It did. Before the end, the world was dying a slow painful death. A certain figure sought to end the world for his own selfish purpose. I stopped him many times, but eventually, a different Puppeteer, one who had no hope for a future, aided him in bringing me down. The world ended shortly after my death."
Wait. If Puppeteer was just another name for Player-
"There's more than one Player?"
The cat's smile grew wider, if anything.
"Did you think you were the only one? No. There have been many, many Puppeteers before you. Though you are the only one so far to have interacted with us so… vividly. Usually we can't hear or see them, and the large majority of us don't even know that your kind exist."
His smiled soured.
"No, we always see the tool. The Puppet."
The Judge looked back up at Taylor.
"You truly have no idea what I am rambling on about, do you?"
Taylor blushed a little in embarrassment.
"Uh… Well. No, I don't."
The Judge nodded his head.
"I thought not. Truly a strange place you hail from, Puppeteer? Your scent is… different. Exotic, even. Add in the fact that there are no humans left where I come from and what comes together… a quite interesting picture indeed."
Taylor frowned.
"What are you getting at?"
He chuckled.
"What I'm saying my dear, is that I, and others like me, are from an alternate dimension. I am not human. You will find that no one here is. Humans, in their base form, no longer exist where we come from."
"We as in…"
"Me. The Puppet. And the others."
Taylor felt a chill down her spine.
"I thought this was all part of my power. That this place is a pocket dimension of sorts, dependent on me."
"No, my dear. Not at all. We are very much independent without your… influence. If you were to… perish, say, this would all still remain."
The revelation of that fact greatly unnerved Taylor.
"Then… what about The Batter? He originally pulled me here. How does he fit into all this?"
The Judge's eyes, formerly half closed out of laxness, snapped open at the mention of The Batter. He lost his smile. An oppressive aura began to fill the room. Taylor could feel it pushing down on her, like a child was sitting on her chest. The Judge spoke his next question, more of a statement really, in an alarmingly neutral tone.
"What about The Puppet?"
Taylor had already guessed that Batter was this Puppet figure, but talk about a loaded question. Taylor couldn't quite get a grasp on what emotion was hidden in The Judge's voice, but something clued her in that whatever it was, it was not a happy one.
She hesitated for a few seconds. Then reluctantly, she asked…
"Who is he, no, what is he?"
The Judged closed his eyes and sighed. The sudden tension disappeared as quickly as it came.
"He is… a Monster. I use that term both figuratively and literally."
That seemed a bit unfair. The Batter had been nothing but kind to her.
"I get that he isn't huma-"
"You don't understand my usage of that word. What you think is a mere projection is in fact, a harbinger of death and destruction, held in check only by your will."
Ice flowed into Taylor's veins. She immediately grasped the connections, the loose ends. It all fell together like the final piece of a puzzle game. The Batter ended the world of this place?
"Why. Why did he… end the… this world? And how?"
The Judge grimaced.
"That… is an even longer story. One that you are not ready to hear. But know this. Despite all his actions, The Batter is not necessarily evil. Just… A broken man. Very broken. He's fought for so long, it's the only thing he truly knows anymore."
"He saved me."
"Likely out of want for a purpose."
"The Batter has been nothing but kind to me."
If a little unsettling went unsaid.
"You should worry not for your sake, but those of your enemies. Or anyone he should perceive as one."
A faint noise sounded off outside the room. It sounded like… a train? The Judge glanced absentmindedly out one of the doors of the building.
Click-Clack
"Our time grows short. It seems that you are close to waking up."
Taylor's vision was starting to blur. The train in the background seemed to be getting closer.
Click-Clack
"I still have questions."
"And I'm afraid that I cannot answer them for now. But fear not, for I feel that we'll be seeing each other again soon enough in the future. Until then, farewell."
At this point, The Judge was a smudge of black in Taylor's vision. His voice was still as clear as ever, though. The train sounded like it was only a couple meters from the door.
Click-Clack
"Before you go, I do have a bit of advice for you. Keep a close eye on The Batter. He will not harm you, but it is not a good idea to let him run around to do as he pleases."
Before she could respond, everything went white.
WOOooOOOH!
Taylor woke up covered in sweat.
Side note: The Judge is an almost omniscient being, able to slightly break the forth wall, just like in OFF. When he breaks it, it is usually in referring to the Player. The only other figure in OFF that can do this is Zacharie, who knows what's in a readme file when you get the game. The Batter is affected by the 4th wall. He obviously knows about The Player(s), but that's it.
If you don't get the animosity between The Judge and The Batter, a comparison would be that The Judge is Sans and The Batter is Chara. One is trying to avenge, and the other is trying to destroy.
And this is only the second comparison I've drawn with Undertale so far.
Whatever. It's a good comparison.
This took forever to write, not because of writers block or anything, but because of all the dialogue. I had to dig deep into the crevasse that is my brain to write stuff that actually sounded halfway decent.
And my busy life. I'm trying to aim for at the latest, updating every Thursday or sooner. Don't count on it though. Expect my update schedule to be random.
I also had to remove a section as I felt it made the story progress too fast.
Just as a disclaimer, The Collapse, in case you haven't figured out by now, is something I made up as a plot device, since OFF hints at its world being Earth once, but never gives a proper explanation.