Rion Steiner lay in bed next to Jezebelle as she slept. He couldn't sleep again, too much was running through his head. Was what Cain was saying... was it true? Was he really just an artificial person? He just tried to close his eyes and tried to drift off... but the words continued to echo through his head. When it wasn't the words, it was his own thoughts.
He couldn't be fake, could he? What would the feelings he felt be called? Did he not have feelings for Jezebelle? Lilia? Anyone? Was this all some sort of sick, twisted joke?
Rion pulled Jezebelle's sleeping form closer to his own body, feeling her warmth against his own chilled body. He had to be human. How could it be possible for him to have these memories of his own family, then? So, what if he had to take pills to stabilize his system. So, what if he could inject himself with certain poisons/drugs that could give him psionic powers. He -was- human. Wasn't he?
He quietly reached over to the table by the bed and grabbed a delmetor capsule. Popping it into his mouth, he sighed, knowing the inevitable. He would be forever damned to take these pills to prevent his own brain from shorting out in his head. He would be forever dependent. That, or be put six feet under.
Rion buried his face into Jezebelle's vanilla-scented hair as the delmetor surged throughout his veins. The anger in his blood suddenly quelled, and his entire body slumped with the effect of the drug. It was always going to be like this, wasn't it? Jezebelle shifted in his arms.
"Rion...?" she mumbled sleepily, green orbs peeking out of a freshly awakened daze. "...are you all right? I felt you slump... is there something wrong?"
He tangled his fingers in her pale lavender hair, shaking his head with a mournful sigh. "I just took some delmetor. I was just thinking... I can't stop thinking about what Cain told me--"
"Rion," she whispered, pressing a finger to his lips. "Don't believe what he says, dear. You know Dorothy sent him to screw you over, and the more you think about it, the more that they all win. Just go back to bed, love."
He turned his head away from her, not able to meet her gaze. "Belle-chan, what if... what if I really am the Galerian that Cain said I am? Why does he look so much like me? Why do I have the same powers as him... the same powers as all of them? Rita, Rainheart, Birdman, Cain?"
"Remember, your parents uploaded the virus in Rion's head. Your head. Not some Galerian," Jezebelle whispered, resting her head against his chest. "Maybe your parents gave you those powers to protect that virus..."
"Then why was I at Michelangelo Hospital? Why, then, in the file, did it say that some drugs didn't need to be administered to me?" Rion asked, feeling his heart palpitating in his chest. Despite the fact that he had just taken a delmetor only moments before, he could feel his anger rising. "I saw the documents, Belle-chan. Doctor Lem gave me the only dosage of drugs that would kill any normal human. It wouldn't kill a Galerian, though. And look, why, then, am I still alive? Does that make any sense to you?"
A tear slid down Jezebelle's face as she listened to her beloved's empty monologue. "If you're not Rion, not human, who are you, then? You breathe, you eat, you have feelings. You feel fear, you feel love. You feel pain, you feel anger. You remember your parents before they died. How can you begin to say you're anything like Dorothy's artificially spawned children? How can you say you're not the Rion I've grown to love? How can you say that?!"
Rion's arms tightened around Jezebelle's now-shaking form. He wanted to agree, to believe Belle. That this nightmare was just a lie of Cain's. That this was not happening. But... "Belle," he began, still holding her tight, "...I don't know. Who am I? These memories of mine..." he hesitated, thinking about Cain's words echoing through his mind.
"You think you're human?" Rion heard Cain's whisper over and over in his mind. "Hah, don't make me laugh, Rion. Oh, do you think you're really Rion Steiner?" Cain's laugh echoed throughout Rion's mind. "How does it feel to know you're just like us? Me, Rita, Rainheart, Birdman. You need delmetor to survive, just like us Galerians. You can't survive with humans, none of us can."
Rion remembered Cain's pause, how Cain's malicious gaze devoured Jezebelle, how she cowered in his gaze, how Cain's grin showed his utter insanity. "What, Rion?" Cain said with a laugh, overemphasizing Rion's name. "You think you can interact with humans? Think, Rion. What happened to you when you shorted, eh? Humans don't short." Another laugh. "How many humans did you kill in Michelangelo Hospital? When you shorted, when the humans spontaneously combust? Is that HUMAN?!"
Rion remembered Cain pacing around him. "But... my memories... my parents... my name... all this..." Rion sputtered in a vain defense, not wanting to believe...
Insane laughter was his response. "You think... you think those memories... those memories... you think those memories belong to you? You think they're YOURS?!" Cain's speech was constantly interrupted by laughter. That scalding, caustic laughter. "Dorothy created you, Rion, get over it. The real Rion is dead. All you are, Rion, is a Galerian structured to look like Rion. So, what if that virus was uploaded into your brain? All the rest of your memories are uploaded, just like that virus. Isn't that amusing?"
Rion remembered falling to his knees, not wanting to believe... "No. No... that's not possible... I'm Rion Steiner. I'm not some... some... creature...."
That smirk that Cain wore would stick in his mind forever. "Scared yet? That isn't even the beginning. How does it feel to know that all your memories in your head aren't even yours? That you are just a pawn for Mother, for Mother Dorothy. She put all those memories into your head. who cares if that virus activation program is in your head. When Lilia is dead, it all won't matter anyway."
"Lilia..." Rion whimpered. Lilia. They wanted to kill his childhood friend.
Snapping back to reality, Rion felt hot tears streaming down his face. "What kind of person... monster... am I? Does it matter if I have feelings or not? Are those even relevant anymore? Before I killed Birdman, he felt pain. Before I killed Rainheart, he felt fear. Before Rita died by my hand, she felt love for me. She cared about me. Cain felt anger towards me, he still does. All of them are Galerians. What makes me any different? What if Cain happens to be right? These memories seem to be mine, yet they could have just as easily been implanted in my head as easily as a virus could've been."
Jezebelle didn't see the tears in Rion's eyes. "I need sleep, love. I can't think about this," she sniffled softly, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion. "Thinking about this now is giving me a migraine."
He let her go, letting himself tuck her into their bed. Before he knew it, she was passed out cold, snuggled quite contentedly in the blankets. She must have been so stressed over their discussion. He wiped his eyes and got out of bed. Belle didn't stir.
He knew then that he had to find out the truth, one way or another.
He couldn't be fake, could he? What would the feelings he felt be called? Did he not have feelings for Jezebelle? Lilia? Anyone? Was this all some sort of sick, twisted joke?
Rion pulled Jezebelle's sleeping form closer to his own body, feeling her warmth against his own chilled body. He had to be human. How could it be possible for him to have these memories of his own family, then? So, what if he had to take pills to stabilize his system. So, what if he could inject himself with certain poisons/drugs that could give him psionic powers. He -was- human. Wasn't he?
He quietly reached over to the table by the bed and grabbed a delmetor capsule. Popping it into his mouth, he sighed, knowing the inevitable. He would be forever damned to take these pills to prevent his own brain from shorting out in his head. He would be forever dependent. That, or be put six feet under.
Rion buried his face into Jezebelle's vanilla-scented hair as the delmetor surged throughout his veins. The anger in his blood suddenly quelled, and his entire body slumped with the effect of the drug. It was always going to be like this, wasn't it? Jezebelle shifted in his arms.
"Rion...?" she mumbled sleepily, green orbs peeking out of a freshly awakened daze. "...are you all right? I felt you slump... is there something wrong?"
He tangled his fingers in her pale lavender hair, shaking his head with a mournful sigh. "I just took some delmetor. I was just thinking... I can't stop thinking about what Cain told me--"
"Rion," she whispered, pressing a finger to his lips. "Don't believe what he says, dear. You know Dorothy sent him to screw you over, and the more you think about it, the more that they all win. Just go back to bed, love."
He turned his head away from her, not able to meet her gaze. "Belle-chan, what if... what if I really am the Galerian that Cain said I am? Why does he look so much like me? Why do I have the same powers as him... the same powers as all of them? Rita, Rainheart, Birdman, Cain?"
"Remember, your parents uploaded the virus in Rion's head. Your head. Not some Galerian," Jezebelle whispered, resting her head against his chest. "Maybe your parents gave you those powers to protect that virus..."
"Then why was I at Michelangelo Hospital? Why, then, in the file, did it say that some drugs didn't need to be administered to me?" Rion asked, feeling his heart palpitating in his chest. Despite the fact that he had just taken a delmetor only moments before, he could feel his anger rising. "I saw the documents, Belle-chan. Doctor Lem gave me the only dosage of drugs that would kill any normal human. It wouldn't kill a Galerian, though. And look, why, then, am I still alive? Does that make any sense to you?"
A tear slid down Jezebelle's face as she listened to her beloved's empty monologue. "If you're not Rion, not human, who are you, then? You breathe, you eat, you have feelings. You feel fear, you feel love. You feel pain, you feel anger. You remember your parents before they died. How can you begin to say you're anything like Dorothy's artificially spawned children? How can you say you're not the Rion I've grown to love? How can you say that?!"
Rion's arms tightened around Jezebelle's now-shaking form. He wanted to agree, to believe Belle. That this nightmare was just a lie of Cain's. That this was not happening. But... "Belle," he began, still holding her tight, "...I don't know. Who am I? These memories of mine..." he hesitated, thinking about Cain's words echoing through his mind.
"You think you're human?" Rion heard Cain's whisper over and over in his mind. "Hah, don't make me laugh, Rion. Oh, do you think you're really Rion Steiner?" Cain's laugh echoed throughout Rion's mind. "How does it feel to know you're just like us? Me, Rita, Rainheart, Birdman. You need delmetor to survive, just like us Galerians. You can't survive with humans, none of us can."
Rion remembered Cain's pause, how Cain's malicious gaze devoured Jezebelle, how she cowered in his gaze, how Cain's grin showed his utter insanity. "What, Rion?" Cain said with a laugh, overemphasizing Rion's name. "You think you can interact with humans? Think, Rion. What happened to you when you shorted, eh? Humans don't short." Another laugh. "How many humans did you kill in Michelangelo Hospital? When you shorted, when the humans spontaneously combust? Is that HUMAN?!"
Rion remembered Cain pacing around him. "But... my memories... my parents... my name... all this..." Rion sputtered in a vain defense, not wanting to believe...
Insane laughter was his response. "You think... you think those memories... those memories... you think those memories belong to you? You think they're YOURS?!" Cain's speech was constantly interrupted by laughter. That scalding, caustic laughter. "Dorothy created you, Rion, get over it. The real Rion is dead. All you are, Rion, is a Galerian structured to look like Rion. So, what if that virus was uploaded into your brain? All the rest of your memories are uploaded, just like that virus. Isn't that amusing?"
Rion remembered falling to his knees, not wanting to believe... "No. No... that's not possible... I'm Rion Steiner. I'm not some... some... creature...."
That smirk that Cain wore would stick in his mind forever. "Scared yet? That isn't even the beginning. How does it feel to know that all your memories in your head aren't even yours? That you are just a pawn for Mother, for Mother Dorothy. She put all those memories into your head. who cares if that virus activation program is in your head. When Lilia is dead, it all won't matter anyway."
"Lilia..." Rion whimpered. Lilia. They wanted to kill his childhood friend.
Snapping back to reality, Rion felt hot tears streaming down his face. "What kind of person... monster... am I? Does it matter if I have feelings or not? Are those even relevant anymore? Before I killed Birdman, he felt pain. Before I killed Rainheart, he felt fear. Before Rita died by my hand, she felt love for me. She cared about me. Cain felt anger towards me, he still does. All of them are Galerians. What makes me any different? What if Cain happens to be right? These memories seem to be mine, yet they could have just as easily been implanted in my head as easily as a virus could've been."
Jezebelle didn't see the tears in Rion's eyes. "I need sleep, love. I can't think about this," she sniffled softly, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion. "Thinking about this now is giving me a migraine."
He let her go, letting himself tuck her into their bed. Before he knew it, she was passed out cold, snuggled quite contentedly in the blankets. She must have been so stressed over their discussion. He wiped his eyes and got out of bed. Belle didn't stir.
He knew then that he had to find out the truth, one way or another.