Part 4 of the Raginis Legacy. I've always thought that Nine would have lasting problems with the brainwashing. Well, besides trust issues…
I wrote this while listening to Regretful Reads and I want to bleach my brain… I want to go back and remove those 17 minutes from memory.
Breakdown
Nine followed Kothe out of his office. Externally, he looked calm and collected. On the inside, he was freaking out. The man could control his actions with a single word. This single thought ran through his head. The Jedi (for Jedi he was, if the lightsaber and unnaturally high boots were anything to go by) could make him spill Imperial secrets that could cause countless casualties.
He wiped his hand on his blouse. This had the potential to go so wrong. He smiled at his new team, but it didn't reach his eyes. It felt off. It felt as if invisible ants crawled along his skin. He should have requested Vector stay with him. He prayed that the Joiner would realize something was off with him. That he would alert Keeper and they would pull him out. It's not like he could tell them himself.
TheRaginisLegacyTheRaginisLegacy
The call with Keeper ended. Nine waited for his crew to leave before returning to his quarters. He had tried to tell her, tried to let her know what was going on. He chuckled dryly. His droid-like behavior when responding must've hinted at least. Not starting with some flirt wasn't like him. He pulled a datapad out of a messy drawer. Turning it on, he opened to notes. He thought about what he wanted to type.
I am fine.
He frowned. He had meant to type out the fact that he was dealing with brainwashing, but he couldn't get it down. He deleted everything written down. He laid his head down on the cool metal desk. He was going insane.
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What was happening? Hallucinations were usually dealt with by his implants. He shouldn't be having them to begin with. His head hurt, a pounding in his skull. It felt like his head would burst from the pressure and pain. The sounds, the visuals, he couldn't take it. He felt himself fall and hit the floor. He froze up.
I can't think.
I can't think.
What's happening?
I can't think.
A pair of feet in front of him. He blinked and stifled a groan. Was this real. Wait… He recognized that voice. The voice in his head. He tilted his head up.
"Watcher X" he grimaced. He listened as the dead man spoke. The explanation made sense, even if the Agent didn't want to believe it. When had they even had time program him? He was sure he'd know if he'd allowed this to happen. Overcome, he let consciousness slip away.
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Cyper Nine ignored the rest of his team as he scrolled through a personal (and secure) datapad. He had downloaded what he found about his programming and was reading over it. He considered showing Vector, but thought against it. He couldn't tell anyone. He was alone in this, with the exception of Watcher X. He frowned.
"Agent? Are you okay?" his joiner companion asked.
"Wha- Yes, I'm fine. Why?"
"You've been staring off into space for almost an hour. Not to mention you completely missed when Kaliyo put salt in your caf."
"Kaliyo poured sa-" Nine blinked. He sighed. Why was he surprised? "I'm fine… I have a lot on my mind right now…" He powered down the pad. Tucking it under his arm, he walked off, intending to find their resident anarchist.
TRLTRLTRLTRLTRL
He was free. Watcher X had applied the new keyword. Iconoclasm. He was free. Now to finish his mission. Time for revenge. He couldn't (and wouldn't) hurt anyone in Intelligence, it wasn't their fault. The Sith forced their hand, and as upset as he was about them programming him, he couldn't blame them.
He pushed himself up and exited the building. It was a bit of a walked to where his 'team' was. Ever so quietly, he walked up behind Saber and Wheel. He raised his blaster pistol. Sensing something behind them, they turned. He fired. A small part of him felt guilt. They were like him, just doing their jobs. He pushed it aside. They had the option of not using the keyword, but they did.
He stepped over them, focusing on one target. He almost slipped into having tunnel vision (which would have been slightly embarrassing). He could see Kothe working the terminal, almost to the shadow arsenal. He turned, greeting the agent and noting that Nine was free. A short conversation. A fight. Nine left the former jedi laying on the metal ground.
End Story:
So, good or bad or whatever. Rather short, I know. Uhh, yeah. It's been said before by many other writers, but review and whatever… Have a good day I guess? Part 5 is going to focus on the older Raginis brother (Trooper).
Stay safe everyone!
-VR