Hope Black Hat isn't too OOC in this chapter.
"You seem to be in an awfully chipper mood today," Flug told Lita at breakfast the next morning.
Lita shrugged as she took a bite of her Belgian waffles and berries. "Hard not to be when it's 5.0.5.'s turn to make breakfast."
Across the table, the bear gave a gratified "Mroo!"
"Also," Lita said after swallowing, "today's the day I get to try out some weapons."
"Oh, yes," Flug said, sneaking his bites under his bag. "Mr. Black Hat texted me that he approved your weapons-wielding privileges. You're scheduled to view the weapons vault after lunch, right before your physical training session."
"As fun as our sparring matches have been," she said with a mischievous grin on her face, "it's gonna be even more interesting when I go up against the boss with a real weapon in my hand."
The scientist lowered his fork, sending her a confused look. He hadn't known many people excited to go up against Black Hat, even if it was just for sparring. Except Dementia, of course.
Maybe Lita just had revenge on the brain, which was plausible, given yesterday's incident.
"While it's good you're starting to show enthusiasm in our work," Flug said in a warning tone, "you should be cautious. You don't want to provoke the boss any further than you already have."
Lita laughed. "You don't have to worry about me provoking him while sparring. Between you and me, I think he likes it when I hit him."
Flug paused to ponder this idea. "I…suppose he would see it as a game. Of course, I've never actually seen you fight."
"Maybe you can watch. I'm sure the boss won't mind."
"True," he said nervously. "He does like exhibiting his power."
Noticing how strangely tranquil this meal was, Lita glanced at the empty chair. "Where's Dementia?"
"Oh. She already had her breakfast this morning."
He let out a chuckle that sounded suspiciously dark. With all the crazy stuff that went on around here, Lita decided not to question it.
"Oh, I nearly forgot," Flug said, placing his hands together. "Your vaccines arrived this morning!"
Lita nearly choked on her food. "W-What?"
"Working here around cursed items and," he said, clearing his throat, "highly volatile experiments, you're more likely to contract deadly diseases here than in any other workplace. Especially if you're working with Dementia, you'll need to be immunized against rabies. We can give you the first dose after breakfast, then the next one in seven days. Also, after going through your medical records, I noticed you'd missed several significant vaccinations for influenza, chickenpox, measles, so I took the liberty of ordering those too. And, of course, now that you're an adult, there are vaccinations against hepatitis A, B, and C; which you can still contract outside of sexual intercourse, and there's the Td vaccine for every ten years, and since many of my experiments can lead to cancer, you'll need at least five more vaccines to be fully protected from any…"
He trailed off when he realized Lita's chair was empty. He could hear the retreating footsteps in the hallway. Remembering her discomfort with needles, the scientist heaved a heavy sigh as he reached into his lab coat.
"I was sincerely hoping I would never have to do this to her," he said, taking out his tranquilizer gun, "but she's left me no choice."
Lita raced through the halls, searching for a place to hide. She could already hear the whirling of Hatbot wheels coming her way. Flug must've ordered them to fetch her.
She knew it was futile to run, but hearing Flug list all those vaccines, all those sharp, tiny needles that'd be piercing her body; had caused her to panic. Not wanting to go through all that, her only thought was to run as far away from the scientist as possible.
Of course, she realized no matter where she ran, they'd find her. There were cameras everywhere, and there was the tracking device in her arm. As she passed by one of the bathrooms, she stopped.
That's it! She thought. There are no cameras in the bathroom!
She didn't hesitate to slip inside, but then remembered the tracking device, and that Flug could always check the cameras to see her going in there. Not to mention there were no windows she could climb out of. She was a sitting duck.
Flipping on the light switch, she then noticed an air vent in the corner.
Duh! I'll just use the vents like I did when I stole that egg!
Fortunately, she always kept a hairpin tucked away in her pocket for emergencies such as this.
It was a bit of a tight squeeze, as these air ducts hadn't been built for humans to crawl through, but she managed to move at a steady pace. It helped that she was a small woman.
Lita giggled as she made her way through the steel labyrinth to a nonspecific destination. Even if Flug checked her tracking device, he'd have a harder time finding her within the walls! She could imagine the look of confusion on his paper-bagged face when he would arrive at the location her signal had led to, only to find it completely empty! Of course, she'd have to come out of the vents eventually, but this could at least buy her time. Maybe Flug would get tired and give up on trying to vaccinate her. It wasn't the most rational plan, but what else could she do?
Just then, there was a crash behind her and light flooded the vents! Something long and cold ensnared her ankle. Lita shrieked as she was pulled through the new hole in the air duct. Next thing she knew, she was hanging upside-down, a black tentacle holding her up by the ankle to meet Black Hat's angry face.
Lita really should've been paying attention to where she was going. Somehow, she'd ended up in Black Hat's office. He must've heard her crawling above.
Giving him an awkward smile, she waved weakly. "Um, h-hi, boss."
"And why, Miss Ladrona," Black Hat growled, his brow furrowing, "are you sneaking around in my vents?" He brought her closer. "Planning to steal something else of mine, are you?"
"No!" Lita exclaimed, holding up her hands. "No, no, no, no! I was just, uh…cleaning out the vents?"
His gaze narrowed. "That wasn't on your list of chores for today!"
"I know! I just…realized how dusty they were and thought, um…it'd be a nice surprise and…" She felt his tentacle tighten around her ankle. "You're not buying this, are you?"
He released her, letting her fall onto his desk with a yelp. Rubbing her head, Lita attempted to rise, but Black Hat beat her to it as he pulled on the front of her blouse, lifting her onto her knees.
"YOU HAVE EXACTLY SIXTY SECONDS TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"
Lita choked back a whimper. Although she'd become more relaxed around him, it didn't make it any less scary when he used his demonic voice. It was like several voices were shouting at once, all growling and spitting.
There was no use lying to him. Flug was bound to catch up with her eventually anyway, and would probably tell Black Hat everything.
With a gulp, Lita replied, "I was…hiding. From…Flug."
His hold loosened a little, but still kept firm. This wouldn't be the first time he'd caught one of his subordinates hiding in the vents, before they'd realized that even those weren't free from Black Hat's all-seeing eye. Now, he would've expected Lita to be hiding from Dementia, as there was obvious friction between them, but Flug? A few weeks ago, Lita had expressed the scientist as a—gag—friend. Why would she be hiding from him?
Unless…
"Finally got on the doctor's nerve, did you?" Black Hat said, grinning at the idea.
"N-No, I just…I didn't…I didn't wanna…" Lita winced in embarrassment. "I didn't wanna get vaccinated!"
He paused. "That's what this all about?" Releasing her shirt, he sighed and massaged where the bridge of his nose should have been. "Look. I don't care if you're one of those anti-vaccine extremists. Frankly, I commend those idiots for making my efforts to spread deadly diseases much easier. However, considering how easy it is to contract a disease in this house, and I can't afford to have you incapacitated in any way—"
"It's not that I don't believe that vaccines work!" she snapped. "It's just…I…I don't…wanna get vaccinated."
Ashamed, she put her head in her hands. She could only imagine how pathetic she looked right now. Never mind the fact that she was still atop her boss' desk.
Black Hat stared at her in bewilderment. Was she…having an emotional breakdown? He didn't think that was possible from this woman! She was usually so level-headed, so bold. Even the tears from the other night had been small. And when he had threatened her yesterday, though she'd been terrified, she'd kept herself together.
But right now, she was emanating the most amount of fear he had sensed from her yet.
Why is she sniveling on my desk? What does this have to do with vaccines? And why is she even more scared than when I…?
"Wait." His eye widened as he came to a conclusion. "Oh. Oh no, don't tell me you have a fear of needles!"
Not wanting to look him in the eye, Lita crawled down from his desk so that she was on its other side and stood with her back to him.
"Needles?!" he shouted, bringing his fists down in frustration. "Your biggest fear is needles?! After everything you've…argh!" He gripped his face with both claws, ready to rip it off. "If I had known that's what you were afraid of, I would've been a lot more tactful with my scares! I could've turned my claws into a million little needles!" He grinned at the thought. "I could've waited within the floor for you to step on my claws." He chuckled, seeming to forget Lita was there. "I could've slowly inserted each needle into your skin, one by—"
"STOP IT!" she shouted, spinning around. "I KNOW IT'S STUPID, OKAY?! YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE FUN OF ME!"
Black Hat was momentarily taken aback by her outburst. She'd yelled at a volume high enough to rival him. Without the demonic effect, of course. Her sudden tears had also shocked him. They weren't just from sadness, but anger and fear. And unlike the small tears from the other day, these were big, and falling rapidly like streams down her face.
Lita saw his bewildered expression and realized how much of a mess she must've looked. Not wanting to cry in front of him, but also not having the energy to run out the door and possibly run into Flug, she turned around and slid down against the desk.
A normal person would be concerned over her tears. At least they would've asked her what the matter was. But Black Hat wasn't a normal person. Instead, he grinned, thrilled that he was at last seeing Adelita Gris at her most insecure. He took pleasure in watching others wallow in misery, and to see it from one who so often appeared secure was absolutely delightful.
From her behavior, he could tell this was about more than just fearing a little pain from something so tiny. Oh no, this was something deep-seeded. Traumatic. Heart-wrenching.
And boy, was he determined to find out more!
Chuckling to himself, Black Hat circled his desk and stood in front of Lita.
"Now, surely, Miss Ladrona," he said, leaning towards her, "it'd take more than a teeny little piece of metal to get to you."
Refusing to look at him, Lita hugged her knees to her chest and lay her head on top of them. This caused Black Hat to grin further.
"After all, I've seen you take several hits without complaint, that I'm sure hurt far worse than one little needle piercing your skin. Not to mention…yesterday's ordeal. So, if it's not about physical pain, I can only assume it's something…psychological?"
He placed his hands behind his back. "What happened? Get pricked in the eye as a child? Did you have a pediatrician who was a bit too…touchy? Or perhaps you had an unpleasant experience in the hospital?"
Her shoulders flinched at the mention of the hospital. Black Hat smirked in triumph.
"Ah, so it has something to do with the hospital, then." He rubbed his hands together. "Oh, yes, the many ironically gruesome things that happen in those 'places of healing.' The delightfully horrific possibilities are positively—"
"Why the fuck should I tell you?" she murmured without raising her head.
Black Hat paused, realizing he'd gotten carried away in his musings. He then remembered his initial plan. If he was to gain Lita's trust, he was going to have to be more…discreet. After all, she was a stubborn one. He also knew she tended not to share personal information while being intimidated. No, all the times she'd been even remotely open with him had been when they were in more…relaxed circumstances. When she was more laidback and doing casual, silly things like copying his moves.
That gave him an idea.
Crouching down to her level, Black Hat leaned his head onto his knees and dropped his grin.
"Because, Miss Gris," he said slowly, in a much softer tone, "if you tell me why getting vaccinated bothers you so much…I just might call Flug off once he finds you."
Lita raised her head slightly, still not showing her eyes. "You…won't force me to get those shots?"
He extended his right hand. "Deal."
After nearly a minute, she raised her head fully, revealing her tear-streaked face and puffy eyes. She couldn't read his strangely neutral expression, but at least he didn't seem to be mocking her anymore. She stared at his hand for a long while, and then slowly took it. They didn't shake, given their positions. Instead, he gave her hand a small squeeze, and held it there a moment. Inhaling sharply, Lita pulled her hand back.
She took a few minutes to catch her breath and wipe her tears away, contemplating what she'd say. She hadn't spoken to anyone about this, except for her father. He'd been understanding and had not forced her to get her shots. It had helped to cut their expenses, anyway. It was something so small, yet it carried so much weight.
"It's not…" She finally sputtered. "It's not that…it's painful or anything. And no, I…I wasn't abused by any doctor."
"I figured that wasn't the case," Black Hat said with a slow nod. "If it were, you wouldn't be so…calm around Flug."
She sighed. "You see…it's just…whenever a needle enters my body…whenever I so much as look at a needle, I…I'm reminded of…of…my mom."
He cocked his head to one side, not following.
"Y-You…you know she was sick, right? T-That's…that's why Papi took out the loan." She ran a hand through her ponytail, which had started coming loose. "I…I knew something was wrong with her. I'd come home from school and…she'd have…bruises…all over her arms."
Pausing, she traced a hand over her arm. "I…I knew Papi couldn't have done it. He's not that kind of guy. And he was just as concerned, and…Mom wasn't afraid of him or anything. But…I'd see her bump into a table or…or chair and she'd have this…this really big bruise that shouldn't've been that big!"
Lita's behavior towards her own bruises a few weeks ago was now starting to make much more sense to Black Hat.
"Then when she started running a fever," she continued, her voice growing quieter, "we…went to the hospital. I…I was only ten years old and…Papi told me to wait in the waiting room, but…they were taking so long and…I just wanted to know she was okay. So, I…I snuck past the doctors and…and found Mom and Papi in one of the rooms and…"
Her breathing was growing more rapid, as if she were on the verge of a panic attack. "T-They…they had this…really long needle in…in my mom's hip. Her hip! Her bruised…black and blue hip! And her face…her face had…so…so much pain!"
She hugged her knees again. "I…I'd never seen my mom like that. So…so helpless. She…she was the strongest person I knew. She…she taught me how to fight and…wasn't afraid of any robbers or muggers but…"
She snorted angrily. "Leukemia! She'd been preparing me to fight my whole life so I wouldn't get murdered in the streets, and the thing that fucking killed her was leukemia!"
The tears were coming once again. "I…I still see her face. All…thin and pale and…contorted…and…screaming…every time I see…every time…"
Unable to continue, she covered her face and sobbed, not caring anymore that her boss was right there in front of her. After all, her image of a put-together woman was already destroyed as it was.
Black Hat had been watching her silently the entire time. His initial pleasure from witnessing her emotional breakdown had turned to intrigue, and a slight twinge of—blech—sympathy.
Not that he cared about her feelings, but…he understood them. Oh, she had no idea how well he understood. At a young age, she'd been forced to watch the woman who was her protector, mentor and caregiver decay from a strong, capable woman into a weak, withering invalid. The needle was merely a trigger to those painful memories she'd tried so hard to suppress.
And it was rooted by a deeper fear. One Black Hat had suspected for a while. Lita had admitted she didn't fear death. What she feared was dying weak, like her mother. That's why Lita had made the effort to cover up her bruises. Not only did they trigger the memories of her mother, but they made her look vulnerable.
They made her look like her mother while dying.
That was why she always put up such a brave front. That was why she was always unfazed by his threats. Death didn't matter to her, as long as she died while putting up a fight. That gave her the delusion of control over her life. If she chose to fight back against physical forces, her death would be, in a way, planned. As opposed to her mother's death, which hadn't been planned at all.
Slowly, Black Hat realized why he liked Lita so much. Seeing her sobbing in this out-of-character fetal position, reminded him of a young boy from so long ago, who had once cried in this same position. Over a death. With that same fear of dying in a similar fashion.
She reminded him of…himself.
He wanted her to stop crying. Not that he cared, but it simply wouldn't do for her to continue fretting over this, otherwise she'd never get anywhere as a villain. If he could get over something like this, so could she. He then wondered if he should tell her about…
No. He swore he'd never tell anyone that story. He wanted her to trust him, but he didn't exactly trust her. At least not that much.
But there was another story he could tell her. Another secret he kept close, but wasn't as…personal.
"I know," she said with a sniff. "I'm so pathetic. You're probably bored to tears about my stupid little…"
Moving slowly forward onto his knees, Black Hat reached out and touched Lita's shoulder. She raised her head slightly, glancing curiously at his hand. Then, releasing her shoulder, he cupped her chin and lifted her face fully to look at him. Again, she couldn't quite read his expression. His one eye bore into hers, moving around slightly as if contemplating something.
Then with his left index finger, he tapped his monocle. "You think this monocle is just for show, Miss Gris?"
She blinked at the question. Honestly, she hadn't thought much of it. Just that when they'd first met fifteen years ago, she'd suspected there was no eye behind there. Or something way more gruesome. But she hadn't considered it in all her time here.
Her eyes widened as his fingers closed around the glass.
"Go ahead," Black Hat whispered, leaning closer. "Take a peek."
Lita's heart skipped a beat as he slowly removed the monocle from his face.
There, drilled in like a black hole, was a round, empty eye socket. She didn't know what she'd expected to see. Torn remnants of an eye, the back of his skull, his brain? But there was just…nothing. Nothing but darkness.
The only thing remotely gory about it was the red scarring surrounding the socket. It was all jagged and raw, and two particularly longer lines stretched out from its top and bottom. As if something had slashed straight across his eye.
Black Hat had expected her to scream, or at least flinch. Instead, she only stared, her wide blue eyes focused on that empty hole. She didn't appear afraid. In fact, the fear surrounding her was slowly diminishing. Then again, he'd failed in all other departments to properly frighten her. Instead, she appeared curious. Her hand was even reaching upwards, as if to put her fingers in his socket.
Catching her hand, he smirked at her. "I said you could look. Not touch."
She lowered her hand. "Who…who did this to you?"
"Demon hunter." He sighed. "It'd been centuries since I'd obtained the power I have now. Naturally, I thought I was indestructible. So, when a demon hunter challenged me, I entered the battle recklessly. I didn't expect him to have a supernatural blade forged especially for…demons like me."
Lita's eyes got bigger, unbelieving that anything could inflict permanent damage on Black Hat. "What…what happened to the demon hunter?"
He chuckled darkly. "I made sure his death was slow and painful. But not before taking out his eye."
"Poetic." The smile that tugged at her lips did not escape Black Hat's notice. "And…the blade?"
He smiled in return. "Come now, do you really think I'd tell you the location of the one item that could harm me?"
She couldn't blame him for that. "Did it…hurt?"
He paused, as if to think about it. "Yes. It was the first time I'd felt any sort of pain in a long while. And when my eye didn't regenerate…well, naturally I was…taken aback."
It was obvious he was trying not to say "afraid," but Lita didn't press it out of him. He placed the monocle back over the eye socket.
"This serves as a reminder that everyone has their weaknesses." His voice grew quieter. "Even me." His gaze returned to her. "Even you."
When she felt the cold touch of his finger on her chin and he leaned in closer, she didn't pull away.
"Your mother had weaknesses too," he whispered. "But she was not weak. At least where the cancer was concerned. If she was taking treatment, sounds to me like she was fighting to stop it. It's true, she lost the battle, but she had the determination to win, even when the odds were low. I don't think that's a sign of weakness, do you?"
Lita was too stunned by his words to say anything. Who is this guy? Definitely not my boss! He's too…he's not…he's not like this!
As if reading her thoughts, Black Hat suddenly drew back, clearing his throat. "That said, if you truly wish not to perish like your mother from some disease, it would be wise for you to take the vaccines."
That snapped her out of her daze. "You…you said you wouldn't force—"
"Consider it a request," he said with an impatient hiss.
She scowled at him for tricking her. Even though he hadn't technically lied. However, she didn't feel so distressed over the vaccinations anymore. She felt…weirdly comforted.
And all thanks to her demonic boss.
"I…I'll go," she said, making eye contact with him. "On one condition."
He groaned. "What?"
She shocked him by reaching out and touching his shoulder. "Will you…be there when it happens?"
He cocked his head curiously. "Why?"
"I just…" Her cheeks flushed red. "I'd, um…feel better if you were there with me."
Black Hat couldn't figure out why she was requesting this. After all, she was at her most vulnerable, and having him around for a moment like this was not a good thing.
Well, anything to get her to stop sniveling and act like an adult.
"I won't hold your hand," he said gruffly.
"That's fine," she said with a small smile. "I don't need you to—"
The sound of the doors opening cut her off.
"Lita, I know you're in—eep!"
Black Hat turned to see Flug standing there, armed with a tranquilizer gun and backed up by two large Hatbots.
"Oh, um, s-sorry, sir!" the scientist exclaimed, hiding the weapon behind his back. "I-I was just looking for…" He then noticed the woman on the floor behind his boss. "Lita! There you are! Listen. I know you're nervous about your vaccines—"
"It's fine, Flug," Lita said, moving to stand. "Sorry, I gave you so much…"
She trailed off when Black Hat took her hand and lifted her to her feet.
"Yes, yes," he said, rolling his eye. "Enough of this nonsense and let's just get this over with."
A few minutes later, Lita was sitting on Flug's worktable while the scientist prepared the syringe.
"We'll start with the flu vaccine," he said. "Flu season may be over, but it's never too late or early for immunization." He looked to Lita. "You ready?"
Nodding, she rolled up her sleeve. Moaning sympathetically, 5.0.5. took her hand in his enormous paws.
"It's okay, Pachoncito," she said with a soft smile. "I don't need you to hold my hand this time."
"Really?" Flug said, raising an eyebrow. "We're going to be doing at least five vaccines this morning."
He'd decided not to overwhelm her and spread the vaccines across the next couple of days. After all, her arms shouldn't be too sore if she was going to be sparring later today.
Lita looked across the room where Black Hat was standing, watching her with his hands behind his back. She nodded slowly.
"I'm ready, Flug."
"Um, okay," the scientist said, taking her arm. "Hold still."
5.0.5. had let go of her hand, so Lita had to grip the edge of the table to keep herself from flinching as the needle went into her shoulder She didn't scream, but she did whimper softly. She remained frozen in that position as Flug placed a band-aid on her and then went to prepare the next syringe.
All the while, she kept her gaze on Black Hat, remembering their earlier conversation. She paid particular attention to his monocle, picturing the emptiness behind it. If he could handle losing an eye, she could handle a few needles.
Black Hat watched with interest as she took the shots. A small amount of fear emanated from her, but not as much as before. It seemed to diminish little by little with every vaccine, with every second she looked at him.
It was strange that she had asked him to be here, yet he was starting to see why. For some reason, his presence comforted her. He was not usually a source for comfort, and would normally be infuriated by this, if it weren't for the fact that he seemed to be gaining her dependence, as he had intended.
"Alright, that's all for today," Flug said, placing down the last syringe.
Lita blinked. "Really? That was it?"
"Yup. We'll do five more tomorrow so your arm doesn't get too numb. You okay?"
She glanced back at her boss. "Y-Yeah."
The answer surprised her. But what surprised her even more was that during that entire ordeal, she hadn't once thought about her mother.
And it was all thanks to Black Hat.