Quisnam Custodiae Custodie Porta
(who guards the gates)
By: Lady Virgo
"He [also] meets the diagnostic criteria for schizotypal personality disorder: ideas of reference (thinking that others are talking about or laughing at him), odd beliefs inconsistent with cultural norms, .... Odd thinking and speech, suspiciousness, paranoid ideas, inappropriate emotions, behavior and appearance that is peculiar, a lack of close friends, and excessive social anxiety associated with paranoid fears." Kayla F. Bernheim, The Lanahan Cases and Readings in Abnormal Behavior
"You know what I expect of you."
"Yes, sir."
The room was dark and colorless. The only reprieve from total blackness was the faint flickering from the computer screen.
"You know why I sanctioned you."
"Yes, sir."
He sat on the chair, facing the diagram that was on the computer. It didn't even seem like he was talking to the robot kneeling behind him.
"Then you should understand why this must be done."
"Yes, sir."
The bioroid bowed his head, unable to take his eyes off the man that gave him life. The man that gave him purpose. The only one he would take orders from.
"Do it quickly. I don't want anyone else to get wind of this."
"Yes, sir."
He finally turned to look at the robot.
"Do not fail me, Magnet. Plant must be taken care of."
"....'every emotional affect, whatever its quality, is transformed by repression into morbid anxiety.' Among cases of anxiety, Freud finds the class of the uncanny, 'in which the anxiety can be shown to come from something repressed which recurs.' But this 'unhomely' might as well be called 'the homely', he observes, 'for this uncanny is in reality nothing new or foreign, but something familiar and old- established in the mind that has been estranged only by the process of repression." Harold Bloom, The Anxiety of Influence
"I can't let you do this, Maggie."
Magnet just continued with his preparations, only the slightest hint of a smile curving his lips. "Too bad, Oushi. It was an order from Wily-sama himself. There's nothing you can do that can stop me."
Pharaoh narrowed his eyes. He knew that he was- in title -the leader of the Enforcers, but he didn't hold the highest power. Even without Wily's favor, Magnet still strung Pharaoh around with any manipulative touch and seductive whisper he chose.
"He's one of us."
"So are the others, technically." Magnet turned to look at the other bioroid flatly. "But doesn't stop you from dealing with them."
"They're fully aware of what the rules of punishment are."
"So then Centaur a couple days ago wasn't for fun?"
Pharaoh turned red. "That's completely different!"
Magnet kept his cool, turning fully around to face the younger robot. "Yes. Yes it is. Because, you see, what I'm doing to Plant, that's a direct order. What you did to Centaur was of your own prerogative. I wonder who'd be more in the right."
"Don't you have any form of loyalty?"
"Yes." Magnet said seriously. "To Wily-sama."
"That's not what I mean, Maggie. What about to the Enforcers?"
"There is only one person I have any loyalties to. And that's to Wily-sama."
"So you'd do whatever he'd say, huh?" Magnet nodded. "Even if you knew it was wrong?"
"It's not my place to question what he says or does. He created me for the purpose of following his orders. And that is what I'll do, even if it's to hurt those that trust me as much as the Enforcers do."
"Such blind faith." Pharaoh narrowed his eyes. "And if he told you to do the same to me, would you?"
He looked at him with a deceptively sweet smile. "I'd do that to you out of my own prerogative."
"....the assertion of personal responsibility is an attempt to overcome overwhelming feelings of powerlessness and helplessness in the face of the disaster. Such assertions of responsibility and control, while serving positive ends, may also contain seeds of future turmoil." John Russell Smith, Personal Responsibility in Traumatic Stress Reactions
It wasn't particularly late, but the recroom was still amazingly vacant. The only other person there was Flash, sitting at the unmanned bar with an unlabeled bottle of alcohol in his hand.
"Flash." Pharaoh said, going up to his side. "I need to talk to you."
"Sure thing, Boss. What's up?"
"What do you know about Plant?"
"Good sex, real bitch." He grinned somewhat, but his expression had closed behind the vacant humor. "Why?"
Pharaoh sighed, sitting on the next stool. "He.... Wily-sama...."
"Jesus Christ." Flash said. "Is this about his being second guessed?"
"Yes."
"Look, I owe a lot to Wily-sama, really. I appreciate everything he's done for us, but," he scowled, "over half of the Robot Masters have been saying the same shit for years. Why Plant? Because he's an Enforcer?"
"Dissenting views from the Enforcers could lead to an insurrection."
"Plant's just an opinionated guy. He'll say whatever's on his mind. If no one listens, whatever. If they do, he doesn't care. Just because he talks shit doesn't mean he'll actually do it."
"The fact is, he's saying it." Pharaoh said simply. Flash scowled and folded his arms.
"Shit, Boss. What'd you want me to do? Talk you out of punishing him?"
"No. I don't want him punished, either." The gold-eyed robot looked at him. "Haven't you tried to stop him?"
"Of course!" Flash nearly exploded. "I don't want anything happening to him! But every time I say anything.... He always gets so pissed at me! He always says it's none of my damn business, but.... But, dammit...." Flash pressed the heel of his palm against his forehead. "I've tried so hard with him, I knew this would happen." He shoulders trembled visibly. "It's my fault...."
"It was his decision."
"I should've stopped him!" Flash was on his feet, shouting. "I should've done something more! Anything! I'm the one that should be taking the blame! I know him best, I should've made him listen! It's because I didn't try hard enough, it's because I wasn't attentive enough that this is going to happen to him!"
Pharaoh shook his head, not at all shocked at the display. "You can't blame yourself, Flash. It's not your fault." He sighed, hands folded on the bar. "It's mine. I should've realized that Plant was getting too vocal. As the leader, I'm the one that's supposed to protect everyone under me. And I failed."
"That's not true! You're the one that designated me to watch out for the green hands and I've failed! I've failed both you and Plant! I'm the one that deserves punishment, this is my fault because I couldn't stop him- I couldn't protect him....!" He grabbed Pharaoh almost painfully by the arms. "Please, Boss, don't make him go through this again. He's already been hurt, he won't be able to take it again."
Calmly, Pharaoh pulled those hands from his arms. "You care a lot for him."
"More than he thinks." Flash faintly grinned, sardonically. "To think, two guys like us hanging on to guys who don't give a damn. Guess there's room for two on this boat."
Pharaoh gave an ironic smile of his own. "The only thing is, Plant gives a damn."
"Most gangs are not organized around violence examples of wilding. Rather, violence occurs more often in the service of economic, turf-protection, or group cohesion reasons. Similarly, many gang members are not primarily antisocial in orientation. They are capable of love, loyalty, and conformity to rules- the rules of the gang rather than the rules of the larger society." Kayla F. Bernheim, The Lanahan Cases and Readings in Abnormal Behavior
"Can you believe it?"
"That's just going too far."
"It's not fair. I mean, so what if- Ah! Pharaoh!" The three Enforcers crowded around their leader urgently.
"Is it true what's going to happen to Plant?"
"It's not right! He hasn't done anything!"
"He's just talk. He won't do anything unless he's told, everyone knows that!"
Pharaoh waved them off, unwilling to deal with the subject more than he already had. "Calm down. I'm dealing with this. There's nothing for you all to worry about."
"But Wily-sama's turning on an Enforcer! One of us!" Snake insisted.
"He's not turning on anyone."
"He's sending Magnet on him." Skull crossed his arms. "Seems like it to me."
Pharaoh growled. "You don't know the whole story-"
"I know that Plant's been second guessing Wily-sama's plans. I know that Plant's being punished because of it. Because he thinks Plant's views will lead to action which'll lead to a coupe of some sort with the other disgruntled Robot Masters and I know he thinks Magnet can stop him because he's too paranoid to trust anyone that says anything conflicting with his views." Skull frowned. He was much more intelligent than people generally gave him credit for. "Am I missing anything?"
"Wily-sama has his reasons-"
"Plant's proud to be an Enforcer." Hard interjected. "Because he's the youngest of us all, he takes the title very seriously. He may not agree with Wily-sama's views, but he'll always do what he's order to."
"That's not how Wily-sama sees it."
"He really doesn't trust us." Snake's green eyes narrowed. "We carry out his commands, we always have and always will. There're plenty of others that are vehement about their opinions, so why is it just Plant getting the rough end of the stick?"
Pharaoh pinned them all with a hard, gold stare. "Are you questioning Wily-sama's orders?"
They faltered. "Uh...."
He looked away. "I don't want Plant to be punished. Honestly, I believe it's a bad call myself. I'm going to find another way to deal with it, don't worry. But, if Wily-sama hears you speaking like that, he may do the same to you. I don't even know if I can help Plant, let alone the three of you. Understood?"
They looked away, feeling foolishly malicious. "Yes." Pharaoh turned and walked back towards the doors. He stopped and looked at them for a measure moment before leaving.
"The classic features of post-traumatic stress disorder are....intrusive re-experiencing of traumatic feelings and memories, avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, numbing of general responsiveness, and symptoms of increased arousal.... The psychological defenses employed are repression, suppression, and intellectualization. Intellectualization includes conceptualizing [her] experiences as a 'case'...." Kayla F. Bernheim, The Lanahan Cases and Readings in Abnormal Behavior
Plant, confined to his quarters until his punishment was carried out, looked up anxiously as his door slid open. Pharaoh walked in, not bothering to switch on the lights, the room only dimly lit. He just pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed that Plant lounged impatiently on.
The younger robot swallowed. "So they decided to send you instead?" He took a bit more comfort in that fact. Pharaoh was cruel, but he didn't play head games like Magnet did.
"In a way...." He steepled his fingers. "Plant, do you understand why this is happening?"
" 'In a way'?" Plant repeated with a scowl. But he looked away. "Yeah, I think I do."
"Why?"
"Because I said things that Wily-sama didn't like."
"Is that all?"
"Because he thinks that I'm going to start something, just because I say stuff and because I'm an Enforcer."
"Seems unfair, doesn't it?" He cast Plant a sideways glance.
"Not really...."
"No?"
Plant pushed himself away from the wall, sitting cross-legged and fully facing Pharaoh. "The others get hit for the same reasons, right? I mean, they do things that they know they're not supposed to do, they say stuff they're not supposed to say and we punish them. It's our duty to make sure the others are following the rules. That what the Enforcers are for, right? Well, I said stuff I shouldn't have. It's only fair, really. The others probably wouldn't see it like that because we work closely together. And because of my position, he has to make sure I don't make that mistake again. That's why he wanted Magnet to deal with me."
For a long moment, Pharaoh didn't say anything. He wanted to, but something kept him, caught his words in his throat. Then, he sat up, hands on his knees. "Are you fine with this?"
Plant looked at him oddly, maroon eyes shimmering in the faded light. "What do you mean?"
"Are you fine with the fact that you're being punished."
He looked down and thought. "I'm.... fine with it, because I know why it has to be done.... But I don't want it to happen, if that's what you mean."
"But you knew the rules."
As if he were a child, Plant looked at Pharaoh with fearful eyes. "I didn't know I was doing anything wrong.... All the others, they were punished because they were pushing, because we knew that they'd do something if they were uninhibited and got organized. That's why we have a list of who to keep an eye on. But.... I never said anything as bad as they have. I never said anything as much as they have. I.... I would never do anything to lose Wily-sama's faith in me. It was just my opinion, but I would always support Wily-sama because of everything he's done for me." One hand covered an eye, the other obscured by his bangs. "I.... I really don't understand at all...."
Pharaoh stood up, towering over Plant, and placed one hand on his slender shoulder. "You should be careful, Plant."
He shrank back at the touch. "Please, don't, Pharaoh. Please...."
"Will you do this again?" Pharaoh searched deep into Plant's expression. "Will you say things like that again?"
"No.... I don't want to go through something like this again."
"Because you'll dirty yourself for the one you care about."
Plant shook his head, but said nothing.
"If Wily-sama deems he must punish you again, I won't go to you next time." He said as he walked back to the door. "It'll be Flash that gets punished." Plant's heart skipped and he looked at Pharaoh with wide eyes. Nothing in his stance indicated it as a threat, or a joke. It was a fact, one that he would see through with bitterness, but he /would/ see through.
He left Plant alone in the room to fear at his future.
"Afraid to look into the future, [she] refuses to look at the past, feeling that if [she] did, [she] would start crying and never stop." John Russell Smith, Personal Responsibility in Traumatic Stress Reactions
When Pharaoh walked in, the first thing he noticed was Magnet's harsh glare.
"Let me go." He growled deep in his throat. Naked limbs strained against the chains that bound him to Pharaoh's bed, bruised and rubbed red from when he had struggled. Pharaoh ignored him, moving towards his desk, typing a falsified report for Wily. Magnet snarled and tugged at the chains once more. "Clever, Oushi." He spat. "Convincing me for a quickie, screw me near unconscious and tie me to the bed so you can carry out my job. I'll remember this."
"I always had better stamina than you." Pharaoh remarked idly, fingers clicking away without a thought.
"Dammit, let me go, Pharaoh."
"Not yet."
"Pharaoh!"
"Be patient."
Magnet glared at him, red eyes lightening slightly. "Once I'm free, I'm going to fuck Plant right in front of you, I'll make it the worst moment of his entire life and the only thing you'll think about it is that it was /your/ fault."
"You know," Pharaoh said conversationally. "After I talked to Plant, I finally figured him out. Why he was so hell bent on joining the Enforcers, why he's so gung-ho about it. You should really feel flattered."
"Why?"
"When you raped him that first time, it scarred him so much, he's traumatized by it. He wanted to be an Enforcer to ensure that it would never happen again. That's why he's always arguing with Flash, because whenever he's being taken, all he can remember is you and it feels like violation every time. He so afraid of you and what you could do to him...."
Magnet grinned maliciously. "Kind of like what you feel about me, isn't it?"
"Except he was smart enough not to fall in love with you, first."
The smile twisted into a snarl at that. "Don't say disgusting things. Who'd ever want your love?"
Pharaoh hands froze and he clenched his jaw for a moment. He could feel a sting and a trembling beginning. "....No one, apparently."
"Plant was mine." Magnet said, brining them back to their initial argument. "You had no right to take that away from me."
"I've already taken care of it." He looked at Magnet. "I'd rather take your anger than let anyone that entrusts me with their safety to be unjustly punished by you."
"It was Wily-sama's orders-"
"Things have changed, Magnet." Pharaoh cut in sharply. "Wily-sama's changed."
"I haven't." He replied quietly. "You shouldn't have, either. But you did. Emotional, spineless. Maybe I should let Wily-sama know, he may replace you with someone better suited to lead."
The dark haired robot turned back to his report, saying nothing. Once it was finished being typed, he sent it to the scientist. "The mission has been accomplished. Plant has sworn never to speak ill of Wily-sama or his plans again."
Magnet snorted. "And you guarantee that?"
"If he goes back on his word," Pharaoh turned and walked towards Magnet. "You can do whatever you wish to him and to me. I won't stop you, I won't allow the others to try and stop you." He leaned down, unshackling the naked robot. He shook out his limbs for a moment, and then gathered his clothes, only putting on his black pants.
"You pull something like this again, nothing you do or say will save you. Or them."
"I know."
Magnet glared at Pharaoh. "And don't think you're getting away with this, either. I won't touch Plant, this once, but you'll pay dearly for this."
Pharaoh watched him stalk out of the room half-naked and slumped in depression, hand over his eyes. "I'm paying every moment of my life..."
(who guards the gates)
By: Lady Virgo
"He [also] meets the diagnostic criteria for schizotypal personality disorder: ideas of reference (thinking that others are talking about or laughing at him), odd beliefs inconsistent with cultural norms, .... Odd thinking and speech, suspiciousness, paranoid ideas, inappropriate emotions, behavior and appearance that is peculiar, a lack of close friends, and excessive social anxiety associated with paranoid fears." Kayla F. Bernheim, The Lanahan Cases and Readings in Abnormal Behavior
"You know what I expect of you."
"Yes, sir."
The room was dark and colorless. The only reprieve from total blackness was the faint flickering from the computer screen.
"You know why I sanctioned you."
"Yes, sir."
He sat on the chair, facing the diagram that was on the computer. It didn't even seem like he was talking to the robot kneeling behind him.
"Then you should understand why this must be done."
"Yes, sir."
The bioroid bowed his head, unable to take his eyes off the man that gave him life. The man that gave him purpose. The only one he would take orders from.
"Do it quickly. I don't want anyone else to get wind of this."
"Yes, sir."
He finally turned to look at the robot.
"Do not fail me, Magnet. Plant must be taken care of."
"....'every emotional affect, whatever its quality, is transformed by repression into morbid anxiety.' Among cases of anxiety, Freud finds the class of the uncanny, 'in which the anxiety can be shown to come from something repressed which recurs.' But this 'unhomely' might as well be called 'the homely', he observes, 'for this uncanny is in reality nothing new or foreign, but something familiar and old- established in the mind that has been estranged only by the process of repression." Harold Bloom, The Anxiety of Influence
"I can't let you do this, Maggie."
Magnet just continued with his preparations, only the slightest hint of a smile curving his lips. "Too bad, Oushi. It was an order from Wily-sama himself. There's nothing you can do that can stop me."
Pharaoh narrowed his eyes. He knew that he was- in title -the leader of the Enforcers, but he didn't hold the highest power. Even without Wily's favor, Magnet still strung Pharaoh around with any manipulative touch and seductive whisper he chose.
"He's one of us."
"So are the others, technically." Magnet turned to look at the other bioroid flatly. "But doesn't stop you from dealing with them."
"They're fully aware of what the rules of punishment are."
"So then Centaur a couple days ago wasn't for fun?"
Pharaoh turned red. "That's completely different!"
Magnet kept his cool, turning fully around to face the younger robot. "Yes. Yes it is. Because, you see, what I'm doing to Plant, that's a direct order. What you did to Centaur was of your own prerogative. I wonder who'd be more in the right."
"Don't you have any form of loyalty?"
"Yes." Magnet said seriously. "To Wily-sama."
"That's not what I mean, Maggie. What about to the Enforcers?"
"There is only one person I have any loyalties to. And that's to Wily-sama."
"So you'd do whatever he'd say, huh?" Magnet nodded. "Even if you knew it was wrong?"
"It's not my place to question what he says or does. He created me for the purpose of following his orders. And that is what I'll do, even if it's to hurt those that trust me as much as the Enforcers do."
"Such blind faith." Pharaoh narrowed his eyes. "And if he told you to do the same to me, would you?"
He looked at him with a deceptively sweet smile. "I'd do that to you out of my own prerogative."
"....the assertion of personal responsibility is an attempt to overcome overwhelming feelings of powerlessness and helplessness in the face of the disaster. Such assertions of responsibility and control, while serving positive ends, may also contain seeds of future turmoil." John Russell Smith, Personal Responsibility in Traumatic Stress Reactions
It wasn't particularly late, but the recroom was still amazingly vacant. The only other person there was Flash, sitting at the unmanned bar with an unlabeled bottle of alcohol in his hand.
"Flash." Pharaoh said, going up to his side. "I need to talk to you."
"Sure thing, Boss. What's up?"
"What do you know about Plant?"
"Good sex, real bitch." He grinned somewhat, but his expression had closed behind the vacant humor. "Why?"
Pharaoh sighed, sitting on the next stool. "He.... Wily-sama...."
"Jesus Christ." Flash said. "Is this about his being second guessed?"
"Yes."
"Look, I owe a lot to Wily-sama, really. I appreciate everything he's done for us, but," he scowled, "over half of the Robot Masters have been saying the same shit for years. Why Plant? Because he's an Enforcer?"
"Dissenting views from the Enforcers could lead to an insurrection."
"Plant's just an opinionated guy. He'll say whatever's on his mind. If no one listens, whatever. If they do, he doesn't care. Just because he talks shit doesn't mean he'll actually do it."
"The fact is, he's saying it." Pharaoh said simply. Flash scowled and folded his arms.
"Shit, Boss. What'd you want me to do? Talk you out of punishing him?"
"No. I don't want him punished, either." The gold-eyed robot looked at him. "Haven't you tried to stop him?"
"Of course!" Flash nearly exploded. "I don't want anything happening to him! But every time I say anything.... He always gets so pissed at me! He always says it's none of my damn business, but.... But, dammit...." Flash pressed the heel of his palm against his forehead. "I've tried so hard with him, I knew this would happen." He shoulders trembled visibly. "It's my fault...."
"It was his decision."
"I should've stopped him!" Flash was on his feet, shouting. "I should've done something more! Anything! I'm the one that should be taking the blame! I know him best, I should've made him listen! It's because I didn't try hard enough, it's because I wasn't attentive enough that this is going to happen to him!"
Pharaoh shook his head, not at all shocked at the display. "You can't blame yourself, Flash. It's not your fault." He sighed, hands folded on the bar. "It's mine. I should've realized that Plant was getting too vocal. As the leader, I'm the one that's supposed to protect everyone under me. And I failed."
"That's not true! You're the one that designated me to watch out for the green hands and I've failed! I've failed both you and Plant! I'm the one that deserves punishment, this is my fault because I couldn't stop him- I couldn't protect him....!" He grabbed Pharaoh almost painfully by the arms. "Please, Boss, don't make him go through this again. He's already been hurt, he won't be able to take it again."
Calmly, Pharaoh pulled those hands from his arms. "You care a lot for him."
"More than he thinks." Flash faintly grinned, sardonically. "To think, two guys like us hanging on to guys who don't give a damn. Guess there's room for two on this boat."
Pharaoh gave an ironic smile of his own. "The only thing is, Plant gives a damn."
"Most gangs are not organized around violence examples of wilding. Rather, violence occurs more often in the service of economic, turf-protection, or group cohesion reasons. Similarly, many gang members are not primarily antisocial in orientation. They are capable of love, loyalty, and conformity to rules- the rules of the gang rather than the rules of the larger society." Kayla F. Bernheim, The Lanahan Cases and Readings in Abnormal Behavior
"Can you believe it?"
"That's just going too far."
"It's not fair. I mean, so what if- Ah! Pharaoh!" The three Enforcers crowded around their leader urgently.
"Is it true what's going to happen to Plant?"
"It's not right! He hasn't done anything!"
"He's just talk. He won't do anything unless he's told, everyone knows that!"
Pharaoh waved them off, unwilling to deal with the subject more than he already had. "Calm down. I'm dealing with this. There's nothing for you all to worry about."
"But Wily-sama's turning on an Enforcer! One of us!" Snake insisted.
"He's not turning on anyone."
"He's sending Magnet on him." Skull crossed his arms. "Seems like it to me."
Pharaoh growled. "You don't know the whole story-"
"I know that Plant's been second guessing Wily-sama's plans. I know that Plant's being punished because of it. Because he thinks Plant's views will lead to action which'll lead to a coupe of some sort with the other disgruntled Robot Masters and I know he thinks Magnet can stop him because he's too paranoid to trust anyone that says anything conflicting with his views." Skull frowned. He was much more intelligent than people generally gave him credit for. "Am I missing anything?"
"Wily-sama has his reasons-"
"Plant's proud to be an Enforcer." Hard interjected. "Because he's the youngest of us all, he takes the title very seriously. He may not agree with Wily-sama's views, but he'll always do what he's order to."
"That's not how Wily-sama sees it."
"He really doesn't trust us." Snake's green eyes narrowed. "We carry out his commands, we always have and always will. There're plenty of others that are vehement about their opinions, so why is it just Plant getting the rough end of the stick?"
Pharaoh pinned them all with a hard, gold stare. "Are you questioning Wily-sama's orders?"
They faltered. "Uh...."
He looked away. "I don't want Plant to be punished. Honestly, I believe it's a bad call myself. I'm going to find another way to deal with it, don't worry. But, if Wily-sama hears you speaking like that, he may do the same to you. I don't even know if I can help Plant, let alone the three of you. Understood?"
They looked away, feeling foolishly malicious. "Yes." Pharaoh turned and walked back towards the doors. He stopped and looked at them for a measure moment before leaving.
"The classic features of post-traumatic stress disorder are....intrusive re-experiencing of traumatic feelings and memories, avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, numbing of general responsiveness, and symptoms of increased arousal.... The psychological defenses employed are repression, suppression, and intellectualization. Intellectualization includes conceptualizing [her] experiences as a 'case'...." Kayla F. Bernheim, The Lanahan Cases and Readings in Abnormal Behavior
Plant, confined to his quarters until his punishment was carried out, looked up anxiously as his door slid open. Pharaoh walked in, not bothering to switch on the lights, the room only dimly lit. He just pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed that Plant lounged impatiently on.
The younger robot swallowed. "So they decided to send you instead?" He took a bit more comfort in that fact. Pharaoh was cruel, but he didn't play head games like Magnet did.
"In a way...." He steepled his fingers. "Plant, do you understand why this is happening?"
" 'In a way'?" Plant repeated with a scowl. But he looked away. "Yeah, I think I do."
"Why?"
"Because I said things that Wily-sama didn't like."
"Is that all?"
"Because he thinks that I'm going to start something, just because I say stuff and because I'm an Enforcer."
"Seems unfair, doesn't it?" He cast Plant a sideways glance.
"Not really...."
"No?"
Plant pushed himself away from the wall, sitting cross-legged and fully facing Pharaoh. "The others get hit for the same reasons, right? I mean, they do things that they know they're not supposed to do, they say stuff they're not supposed to say and we punish them. It's our duty to make sure the others are following the rules. That what the Enforcers are for, right? Well, I said stuff I shouldn't have. It's only fair, really. The others probably wouldn't see it like that because we work closely together. And because of my position, he has to make sure I don't make that mistake again. That's why he wanted Magnet to deal with me."
For a long moment, Pharaoh didn't say anything. He wanted to, but something kept him, caught his words in his throat. Then, he sat up, hands on his knees. "Are you fine with this?"
Plant looked at him oddly, maroon eyes shimmering in the faded light. "What do you mean?"
"Are you fine with the fact that you're being punished."
He looked down and thought. "I'm.... fine with it, because I know why it has to be done.... But I don't want it to happen, if that's what you mean."
"But you knew the rules."
As if he were a child, Plant looked at Pharaoh with fearful eyes. "I didn't know I was doing anything wrong.... All the others, they were punished because they were pushing, because we knew that they'd do something if they were uninhibited and got organized. That's why we have a list of who to keep an eye on. But.... I never said anything as bad as they have. I never said anything as much as they have. I.... I would never do anything to lose Wily-sama's faith in me. It was just my opinion, but I would always support Wily-sama because of everything he's done for me." One hand covered an eye, the other obscured by his bangs. "I.... I really don't understand at all...."
Pharaoh stood up, towering over Plant, and placed one hand on his slender shoulder. "You should be careful, Plant."
He shrank back at the touch. "Please, don't, Pharaoh. Please...."
"Will you do this again?" Pharaoh searched deep into Plant's expression. "Will you say things like that again?"
"No.... I don't want to go through something like this again."
"Because you'll dirty yourself for the one you care about."
Plant shook his head, but said nothing.
"If Wily-sama deems he must punish you again, I won't go to you next time." He said as he walked back to the door. "It'll be Flash that gets punished." Plant's heart skipped and he looked at Pharaoh with wide eyes. Nothing in his stance indicated it as a threat, or a joke. It was a fact, one that he would see through with bitterness, but he /would/ see through.
He left Plant alone in the room to fear at his future.
"Afraid to look into the future, [she] refuses to look at the past, feeling that if [she] did, [she] would start crying and never stop." John Russell Smith, Personal Responsibility in Traumatic Stress Reactions
When Pharaoh walked in, the first thing he noticed was Magnet's harsh glare.
"Let me go." He growled deep in his throat. Naked limbs strained against the chains that bound him to Pharaoh's bed, bruised and rubbed red from when he had struggled. Pharaoh ignored him, moving towards his desk, typing a falsified report for Wily. Magnet snarled and tugged at the chains once more. "Clever, Oushi." He spat. "Convincing me for a quickie, screw me near unconscious and tie me to the bed so you can carry out my job. I'll remember this."
"I always had better stamina than you." Pharaoh remarked idly, fingers clicking away without a thought.
"Dammit, let me go, Pharaoh."
"Not yet."
"Pharaoh!"
"Be patient."
Magnet glared at him, red eyes lightening slightly. "Once I'm free, I'm going to fuck Plant right in front of you, I'll make it the worst moment of his entire life and the only thing you'll think about it is that it was /your/ fault."
"You know," Pharaoh said conversationally. "After I talked to Plant, I finally figured him out. Why he was so hell bent on joining the Enforcers, why he's so gung-ho about it. You should really feel flattered."
"Why?"
"When you raped him that first time, it scarred him so much, he's traumatized by it. He wanted to be an Enforcer to ensure that it would never happen again. That's why he's always arguing with Flash, because whenever he's being taken, all he can remember is you and it feels like violation every time. He so afraid of you and what you could do to him...."
Magnet grinned maliciously. "Kind of like what you feel about me, isn't it?"
"Except he was smart enough not to fall in love with you, first."
The smile twisted into a snarl at that. "Don't say disgusting things. Who'd ever want your love?"
Pharaoh hands froze and he clenched his jaw for a moment. He could feel a sting and a trembling beginning. "....No one, apparently."
"Plant was mine." Magnet said, brining them back to their initial argument. "You had no right to take that away from me."
"I've already taken care of it." He looked at Magnet. "I'd rather take your anger than let anyone that entrusts me with their safety to be unjustly punished by you."
"It was Wily-sama's orders-"
"Things have changed, Magnet." Pharaoh cut in sharply. "Wily-sama's changed."
"I haven't." He replied quietly. "You shouldn't have, either. But you did. Emotional, spineless. Maybe I should let Wily-sama know, he may replace you with someone better suited to lead."
The dark haired robot turned back to his report, saying nothing. Once it was finished being typed, he sent it to the scientist. "The mission has been accomplished. Plant has sworn never to speak ill of Wily-sama or his plans again."
Magnet snorted. "And you guarantee that?"
"If he goes back on his word," Pharaoh turned and walked towards Magnet. "You can do whatever you wish to him and to me. I won't stop you, I won't allow the others to try and stop you." He leaned down, unshackling the naked robot. He shook out his limbs for a moment, and then gathered his clothes, only putting on his black pants.
"You pull something like this again, nothing you do or say will save you. Or them."
"I know."
Magnet glared at Pharaoh. "And don't think you're getting away with this, either. I won't touch Plant, this once, but you'll pay dearly for this."
Pharaoh watched him stalk out of the room half-naked and slumped in depression, hand over his eyes. "I'm paying every moment of my life..."