A/N: Last chapter seemed to go over well, so here we go again! It's time to find out what truly infests the world beyond Clem's happy place...
Also, a big thanks to SandrC for beta reading this and helping me out!
Ever since she'd left the bubble, Frazie couldn't shake the feeling of being bogged down. Or that she was being watched.
Something in the air left a growing sense of unease with each step, a weariness that tickled her bones and wanted to slow her down. Just being in this place felt like walking through a toxic miasma. She fought it off by reminding herself it was all in her head - Clem's head? - and focused on pressing forward.
...But where was forward, exactly?
As she climbed over another dark root, Frazie realized she didn't really have anything to guide her. There was no distinct path, nothing but a suffocating jungle made of darkest black and the occasional colorful glow of a figment. Every thick tree and gnarled branch reached up high and blocked out the sun.
No... they didn't block out anything. There was no sun here. Only a white fog hanging high in the sky, as if someone had filled the atmosphere with clouds.
The sole comfort in this miserable hellscape was the fact that she could always make out Clem's safety bubble through the branches, its golden glow a beacon that'd lead her to safety if she got lost.
Frazie had never felt so alone. Aside from the rustling of bushes as she clambered over them, there wasn't a sound. No wind. No birds. Just her own movement, and for some reason, the frantic hum of insect wings?
She wasn't sure why Clem had bugs in his brain, but she could sense them hovering around her. Hearing buzzing by her cheek, she swatted at it. "Shoo, shoo." A second later, it repeated, louder. "Buzz off!" she snapped, turning to slap it away again.
She screamed. The bug was a lot bigger than she'd expected.
If it even was a bug. It was some sort of gross hybrid of man and insect, a dopey-looking little creature with large wings hefting a huge weight in its elongated arms. She didn't need any help with this one. Their name was right on the anvils they carried:
Regrets.
"Uhhhhh... any chance you're friendly?" Frazie asked. In response, the fly hovered closer, shouting angrily at her in an extremely high-pitched voice.
'I'll never get to try out for cheerleading!'
Frazie dived out of the way as it dropped its load where she'd been, the weight cracking the ground with a huge slam. "That's what I thought...!" she called, but as more cries filled the air, she realized this Regret was far from the only one.
'I won't get to support others anymore!'
'I'll never see the sequel to that funny lizard cop movie!'
'I haven't even had my first kiss!'
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Frazie dodged and rolled as more anvils rained down from above. She expected the storm of steel to die down, but it wouldn't. Their ammunition never seemed to run out - they could create more weights from thin air and drop them at will.
Thinking fast, Frazie threw a hand towards the next one and grabbed it in a telekinetic grip. Grunting with how heavy it turned out to be, she pushed it right back up to plow into its owner's face. "How do you like it?!"
Keeping the momentum going, she pushed her mental influence to the next Regret, jerking it sideways into its friend. Like two helicopters crashing, they bumped together and spiraled down to the ground as their wings crumpled on impact.
Three to go. A quick pyrokinetic roast dispatched two of them - they weren't very durable. But the last was diving in for a close-range bludgeoning.
Frazie ran as it gave chase, keeping just out of its reach until she reached a tree. Leaping up, she grabbed a branch and spun forward. Before the insect could react, she'd flipped overhead and brought her feet down on its back for a crushing blow, squashing it down towards the ground into a puff of smoke.
Jumping back to earth, Frazie wiped her brow. "Phew..." Mental creatures were getting more and more ridiculous. She couldn't rest long, though, as she could hear shrill voices and beating wings somewhere up above, more Regrets searching for her through the brush.
It was time to skedaddle. Sticking to the shade, she scampered off, moving quick and quietly to keep from being noticed.
Frazie was starting to miss the buzzing once the eerie silence settled in again. The farther she went from the bubble, the less safe she felt, but for Clem and Crystal's sakes, she pressed on.
Shoving a branch aside, she sighed as she ended up in another non-descript clearing with nothing but more trees and more foggy sky. "What a surprise." This was starting to feel like a waste of time. With a sigh, she turned around, ready to return to square one and try heading out in a different direction next time.
Until she heard a sound.
Not a Regret, thank goodness, but some kind of hooting and scampering off to the side. Curious, yet cautious, she shuffled towards the noise and peered out through a gap in the bushes.
It looked like a playground. As far as she could tell, nothing living was out there. Some swings, a slide, one of those spinny things she'd never bothered to learn the name of... carousels? It seemed safe enough, but whatever had been running around was gone. She stuck one foot forward and climbed into the clearing, eyes sweeping over the toys and utilities.
The biggest thing there was a bunch of interconnected bars rising up over the sandbox, meant for kids to climb and hang from and hopefully not injure themselves with. "Heh..." Frazie couldn't help but smirk to herself as she looked between the structure and the forest. "Now that's a real jungle gym."
'Ehehehehehe...'
The skin on her neck bristled. A low, haunting laugh tickled her ear. It didn't even sound like it was appreciating her high-brow comedy... it sounded more like it was mocking her.
She spun, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was watching. With every twist, she could have sworn she saw black fur out of the corner of her eye, but she always missed it by a second. All the while, it taunted her in that same low, sinister tone.
'Can't keep up?'
'So slow.'
'So worthless.'
'Just give up...'
Each whisper felt likes nail scratching against a chalkboard, only amplified into her soul. Thoroughly creeped out, she took a step backwards, ready to run for it.
She never got the chance. A piercing animalistic shriek startled her before a mass of fur and claws jumped her from behind.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Frazie was shoved to the ground, rolling with it, landing on one knee as she felt the scrapes on her back sting. In front of her, once more giggling at her misfortune, was perhaps the creepiest creature she'd seen yet.
It was squat and monkeylike, about half her height, but it wasn't like any primate she'd ever seen. It's fur was bristly and almost shadowlike, its tail tapering into a sharp point and its fingers just as pointy. And its face... its mouth was big, dark, and sneering, like an unlit pumpkin carved into a taunting grin. Its eyes, bright and glowing, affixed her with an orange glare.
Intrusive Thought
Aggressive, persistent, and likes to pop out of nowhere.
She barely even had the time to process what'd attacked her before it was pouncing again, howling and swinging. Rather than dodge, she fell on her back and caught it with her feet, flinging it back overhead much like she'd done to the bullies back in Dogen's head.
Except this time, she did it to launch the beast back into the jungle gym. Its face slammed into the bars with a clang, stunning it. It wasn't down long, though. After a few low grunts it shook it off and pushed off to attack again. 'Not good enough!'
It tackled her to the ground, her arms shaking as she tried to shove it off. The creature wasn't just strong and rude - whenever it was close, it felt like it was draining her energy away. Pouring all her mental energy into her fist, she lashed out and socked it off her. It yelped as it flew back, and she quickly regained her footing.
Pushing the advantage, she landed a few more chops and kicks, forcing it back, but as soon as she missed, it was on her and clawing again. Fed up, she grabbed it with her mind and threw it to the ground.
Before it could get up, she knelt and grabbed its tail. Yanking sharply, she lifted it up and swung it overhead. It let out a long, continuous cry as it spun around before she released it back into the gym. It landed back-first into one of the bars, striking them with a loud bang.
It crumpled to the ground, forcing its face up at her. 'Weak...!' it spat, but it was all for show. It was starting to fade away. With a trembling finger, it pointed up at her and screamed a monkeylike shriek before collapsing into smoke.
Frazie rested her hands on her knees, catching her breath. "Nasty little thing," she murmured, glad she'd survived the attack mostly unscathed. Its scratches stung, but it could've been worse.
'Nobody likes you.'
'Nobody needs you.'
'Everything would be better if you were gone.'
She froze. The voices were back, and coming from all around. Her gaze whipped to the trees, and dozens of glowing eyes stared back at her.
The creature hadn't been letting out a death rattle... it'd been calling for backup.
That was around the time Frazie decided to throw in the towel. Putting Clem's sanctuary ahead of her, she sprinted like mad back towards it and into the trees. One of those things was tough enough... a dozen? No thanks.
Of course, they weren't going to just let her leave. More insults and cruelties rang out behind her alongside primal cries and frantic pursuing as the beasties gave chase.
It was a race now, and it wouldn't end until either Frazie reached the finish line or they reached her.
Fat chance she'd let that happen. Breathing heavily, she pumped her legs, trying not to let their words get to her or drain her.
Times like these, she was grateful her dexterity gave her options others didn't have. Leaping up, she vaulted a huge root like a hurdle jumped off it, latching onto a swinging vine. While it carried her, she could glance back long enough to spot the furry horde leaping branch to branch.
Up ahead, the dome grew closer. It was the final stretch. Intending to win this race, Frazie spotted a thin root down below and dropped down. Digging her shoes into it, she let gravity takes the reins as she grinded along it, launching off the end and flying straight through the barrier.
"Oof!" It was a rough landing, but a safe one. She lifted her head up to watch the berserk baboons plow into the dome, stopped in their tracks.
Not like it discouraged them. They continued to scrape and jump at it, frenzied, calling for blood.
'Coward!'
'Get back here!'
'Or do you know you don't stand a chance?'
Frazie's glared... and then her eyes widened. Now that she wasn't being attacked or chased, she realized something about their constant banter.
Those were the same voices that Clem had been listening to in his headphones.
...Clem!
Remembering the boy, she pushed up off the ground to see him still laying back without a care in the world right where she'd left him. Crystal had stopped pouting, but she didn't look happy to be here, kicking her legs back and forth on the edge of her friend's chair. "Clem!" Frazie called, reaching out to tap him with her telekinesis.
"Eh?" He popped one side off to listen. "What, did a censor get caught in the pool filter again?"
Frazie gestured wildly to the constantly shifting and spitting wall of rage-filled simians. "Do you know about those things out there?!"
Clem quirked his chin to the side, then laughed, waving it off. "Of course! Why do you think I'm staying in here?"
"Clem!" Frazie protested. "This isn't healthy!"
Watching the howling mass pound on his final sanctuary, spewing vile words and twisted insults, Frazie could finally understand what'd pushed him to the edge. Having these thoughts all day, every day, insisting the world would be better off without you... to the point where censors couldn't fight them off anymore. It was sobering to think about looking from the outside, and there was no doubt Crystal was in a similar situation.
A loud bang cut her off mid-thought and made her shriek as one of the Thoughts launched itself at the wall.
Clem shook his head. "See? They're too strong... there's no point trying to fight back. Come on, stick around! Relax a little before they break in and crush everything I have left. I have juuuuice poooucheees!" He reached up, shaking a little baggy. "In cherry, cranberry, and cyanide flavors."
Frazie felt her stomach flip harder than her doing a triple somersault. "I think I'll pass."
"Suit yourself!" He passed one to Crystal to share before going back to his 'tunes', the two kids somehow managing to ignore the non-stop vitriol being shouted through the wall.
And all the while, the bubble was shrinking even faster. Frazie had to take a step back from the closing barrier when she realized it shrunk more every time the beasts attacked it. Who knew how long they'd been at it to wear Clem's safe spot down this small before she'd arrived? To the point he didn't even care about it anymore?
Frazie grit her teeth. She had her moments of frustration, like when Bobby was being Bobby or one of her siblings needed a good pinecone pelting. But that was nothing compared to how she felt right now.
She was pissed.
She was angry at all the censors who'd clearly given up trying to handle this infestation long ago. She was angry at the monsters themselves, for hurting Clem this badly without a shred of mercy. And most of all, she was angry at the people who'd no doubt instilled these creatures in his head to begin with with their cruel words and actions.
Furious, she turned and jabbed a finger at the howling horde outside. "I know you're just some fake mental projection or whatever mumbo jumbo, but you're causing real damage! And I'm gonna do the same to you ugly monkeys," she threatened with a raised fist. "I swear it!"
The beasts howled with derisive laughter, not even pretending to be intimidated. A couple blew raspberries at her, the rest clawing at the dome and jeering cruely.
'Say that outside the bubble!'
'She won't! Too afraid.'
'Useless...'
'Pathetic!'
'And hideous!'
"Rrrrrrr...!" Chalk it up as another bad idea, but Frazie couldn't abide this cruelty - not towards her, she couldn't care less what some imaginary goons said. Her blood boiled for Clem. All the hate he'd endured, all the mocking, the self-loathing, the non-stop hassling echoing in his own head... she was livid.
Fists clenched, she reeled one back for a solid punch straight through the shield at the closest beast. Not even psi-infused - just pure, protective rage.
But though she hadn't been trying, something in her mind took action for her.
Orange energy covered her fist - not the usual hand-shaped extension, but a solid covering that clung snugly to her arm. When it struck the beast, it hit with a resounding crack, sending it flying. Ignoring their fallen comrade, the rest of the monsters immediately leapt for her arm, but their fangs and scratches didn't even make her flinch. Whatever this glow was encircling her limb, it felt weighty, strong... it made her feel invincible.
She pulled her hand back in, the power fading as quickly as it'd come. The hecklers outside were forgotten as she puzzled over what that'd just been. And more importantly - could she do it again?
Frazie tried to recapture that feeling, the sheer upset on someone else's behalf, the desire to withstand many attacks at once. Again, the orange covering returned, this time creeping up her arm and settling on her shoulder.
She tried again. Again. Over and over until she managed to get the thing completely covering her in a solid sphere. She felt... steady. It was taking loads and loads of energy, but in brief spurts, this new ability might just come in handy.
Glancing back out the dome, she shot a sneer at the ogling beasties. They started acting up again, but this time more enraged than mocking.
"Round two?" she asked, making them howl all the louder. Ready to try out her new power, she stepped up to the barrier.
And promptly stumbled as the ground shook.
Her heart thumped in time with the rumbling of massive footsteps. Branches cracked and snapped as something walked through them like grass. The Intrusive Thoughts had grown eerily silent and contained, the crowd parting to make way for whatever was coming.
And when she saw it, eyes trailing up in terror. Her hopes fell lower and lower with every thudding step.
If the rest of the Intrusive Thoughts were monkeys, this one was the gorilla. No... it was more like King Kong. At least half as big as the dome itself, its nostrils flared as it stomped right up to the edge of the zone, its murky fur and branching mustache blocking out the sky.
"C-C-Clem?" Crystal stammered, crawling under his lawn chair to hide herself. "What is that?!"
"Mmm?" Clem popped his headphone off and looked up at the sky, only to see the beast's monstrous face glaring down at him. He didn't even flinch. "Ooooh, that's just dad. Hi, Papa!"
When the creature replied, it was like a cannon booming over the jungle. "No one said you could speak!"
Clem visibly trembled, but forced on a big-toothed smile nonetheless. "Right you are, Papa!" He chuckled weakly. "...Right you are."
Frazie might not have interacted with the kids much, but they'd been so peppy and eccentric whenever she'd seen them before. Even on the beach, they'd been full of irritation when she'd tried to stop them. Here... Clem just affixed his father fill-in with a glossy-eyed stare and an empty smile. He looked... broken.
But that didn't stop the beast from tearing into him.
It accentuated each word with a devastating punch to the barrier. "Why? Are? You? Still? Here?!" Each punch made the ground jump, sending censors and chairs flying. To Frazie's horror, she could see the dome lose a few inches with every single blow. The other creatures were wearing Clem down... but this single monstrosity was destroying him.
The goliath roared, bringing both its fists down on the bubble. Each slammed into it with an echoing bang, making everything within bounce around and cracks appear in the sky. If it really wanted to, it could probably beat the dome down with a good hour or two of pummeling... but a solid few blows seemed to suffice for it.
It finally stopped its assault to press its face into the glass. "I shouldn't be surprised, you've always let me down. But now you're failing at failing! I sent you to camp to get you out of my hair, and hoped you'd never make it back! But I still see your ugly mug in this stupid bubble every day!"
Clem was sweating, wringing his shirt together in his hands. "D-don't worry, Papa! I'm working on it! B-but soon, Crystal and I will be all powerful and..."
"No buts!" Clem curled in on himself as the gorilla hurled more abuse. "You've let me down since you were born, and you still let me down now!" It reeled its head back. "You... are... USELESS!"
As it spat the last word, its mouth opened wide. Like a sonic boom, its roar came out in a beam of wind, pelting the dome continuously and making it shake like a jackhammer while everything inside bounced around.
As quickly as it'd begun, it was over. Frazie moaned, leaning her head off the ground to see the monster glaring down with eyes full of hate. It snorted, then turned to leave, stomping back into the trees. Down below, the rest of the Intrusive Thoughts followed after it, a few of them throwing jeers and sticking out tongues back behind them before they faded into the forest.
All around, censors were scrambling to put chairs back in place, pick up towels, pick each other off the ground. That one attack had taken a big chunk off the remaining area, making the small dome even smaller. At this rate, there'd be nothing left in little more than a week, if not less.
Clem was already at his limit even with this tiny bit of peace. Frazie dreaded to imagine what would happen if it popped.
While everyone bustled around him, Clem sat completely still. He stared into the distance blankly, not paying attention to a thing. Finally, he sighed... and perked right back up, his grin as forced as his tone. "Welp! Back to relaxing!"
He shifted his position, slipped his headset back on, and got comfy again with the endless negative thoughts pounding in his ears. Below, Crystal peered worryingly up at him through the holes in the chair.
"Clem?" Crystal tried to offer her friend her sympathies, but the boy was already back in his own world. Giving up, she murmured to herself instead. "You know what? I think I'm just gonna stay down here for awhile. Yep. Good plan, Crystal. Thank you, Crystal."
As everything around the bubble returned to normal - or as normal as normal could get, anyway - Frazie picked herself off the ground, trying to process all she'd saw.
No, wait a second. The anger was coming back.
Oooooh, if she ever met Clem's father, she was going to give him more than just a few pinecones to the head. But she couldn't do anything about that right now... right now, all she could do was try and deal with the mental version of him.
But how? That thing was gargantuan, in size and bulk. And despite all she'd learned today, she was still just a rookie.
Feeling that power surge in her again, she looked down at her palm and let that barrier course over her hand again. She still wasn't sure what it was, but she hoped it'd come in handy.
Because like it or not, she was going back into the jungle, and she was taking that oversized primate down. Somehow.
The coast clear again, Frazie took a deep breath and once more stepped out of the safety of the bubble. As big as the beast was, it was pretty good at not knocking over every little thing in its wake... but there was still fallen stumps and broken branches marking a path. She might not even need them, as she'd seen which way he'd left and didn't figure he'd bother trying to change his route.
Now with a mission in mind, she practiced conjuring her new power as she walked, keeping an eye out for any Regrets or Intrusive Thoughts as she disappeared back into the brush.
She was in really dangerous territory now, far away from the safe spot with no chance of making it back if she got ambushed again. But as scary as that thought was, the fact the jungle was starting to open up was a relieving sign that she was nearing the end of the trail.
To her surprise, like the playground she'd stumbled upon, there were more signs of civilization out here. The next clearing was huge, with rows of buildings around a singular road. A simple little cul-de-sac... except all the houses were made from dark stone and missing chunks of their front halves, looking more like boxy caves.
Though she figured they were still homes... just to more of those vulgar thoughts.
A few moments watching proved her right. While most of the pack had dispersed back into the jungle, a few had followed their leader back home, hopping and prowling along the street as they snapped and yelled at each other. She counted at least five lurking around.
Where she had to go wasn't hard to figure out. At the far end of the path, the biggest house of them all laid, a huge cave that no doubt belonged to a certain goliath.
The question was, how was she going to get to it without alerting the entire neighborhood?
Her mind drifted back to that one girl she'd spotted disappearing by the lodge... but alas, her new power wasn't invisibility. Her best bet was to slip around the outskirts of the neighborhood. Surely if she could sneak out of her family caravan, she could slip past a few monkeys, right?
Right. Probably. Keeping her head low, she put her plan into action, keeping her rustling to a minimum as she traveled along the ferns.
She kept in the shadows and awaited her moment. When two beasts started bickering with each other, she jumped out and ran on tiptoes, pressing herself against the back of the nearest house.
Her heart thudded in her throat as she listened for her next opening. When it sounded like they were either far away or distracted, she dashed to the next cover, steadily making her way down the street. About halfway through, she'd gotten it down, leaping out for the next house when they had a little scuffle.
Or, so she'd thought.
One monkey threw the other off it, sending it tumbling... and knocking its gaze towards her. Surprise melted into rage as it screamed out in alarm.
Crap.
In an instant, they were on her. Half a dozen of them, ranting and raving and ready to tear her limb from limb. As the tidal wave of fuzz rushed towards her, she shut her eyes and willed her new power to swell - now was as a good time to try it out, and she prayed it wouldn't fail her now.
The shield spread over her again, and when the Intrusive Thoughts crashed into her, she didn't even feel it. Claws left no dent, teeth gnawed on solid energy, and even their negative aura had no effect.
But she could only hold the barrier for so long. Against one or two of them, the pause would've given her ample opportunity to find an opening to attack. But with this many at once, the minute her power drained, she was a goner.
Desperate, she jammed her arms out and spun, whipping them off her. Moving seemed to drain her faster, but she needed the space. While they immediately launched at her again, she responded with psychic fists, knocking a couple back and spinning to kick another across the face.
Her sides were still open, though. Three Thoughts tackled her from both ends, shoving her down and knocking the wind out of her. She put the barrier back up, but the rest of the swarm was joining in and her energy was running out.
She punched, again and again, not caring if she lost her defenses if it got her out of this situation... but it was too late. The shield went down, and the pain began.
Teeth and claws, biting and slashing, and all while their cruel taunts rang out. Try as she might, she couldn't fight them off. Not this many at once.
Frazie could feel her consciousness slipping away, her energy fleeing, her psyche fading away from the mental world. It was hopeless. She'd lost. She'd be booted from Clem's brain, the Psy Portal would fall off, and the kids would no doubt take advantage of her fatigue to carry out their plan.
Her struggles died down and so did her thoughts, but those that remained stayed defiant. She had to help Clem and Crystal.
She had to help.
She had to...
Help...
...
...
...Mmm. Tasty.
Something like cotton candy and bubble gum with a sharp tang and a heavenly sweetness spread across her tongue. It didn't make a lick of sense, until Frazie recalled her talk with Ford that morning.
The Dream Fluff.
Somehow, the candy has sensed her distress and unwrapped itself, placing itself on her tongue. Not only was it delicious... it was revitalizing. Like a generator for the brain, her mind tingled and her aches faded as her connection to Clem's mind grew stable again.
She'd gotten a second chance, and she needed to make it count.
By now the Intrusive Thoughts had slowed their attacks, already thinking she was defeated. And that was just the opening she needed.
"Get... off... ME!" With hot fury, she built the heat in her mind and let it explode outwards. Like a bomb going off, the simians were pushed back and set alight as her pyrokinesis blasted them away.
Panicking, her enemies rolled around, patted each other trying to put each other out. It would be kinda funny if Frazie wasn't deadset on kicking their behinds back to the stone age while she had the chance.
Now it was her turn to do the pouncing. She leapt and crashed down on the nearest one, a psychic foot flattening it as she stomped down. She pushed her hands forward into two telekinetic fists, both latching onto a couple flaming primates and knocking their heads together.
As the unconscious beasts went up in flames, the few remaining ones were extinguished and angry. But with their numbers halved, the fight was just a bit fairer.
Like before, they leapt in an attempt to overwhelm her with their numbers. This time, when she put her barrier up to stop them, she had enough leverage to grab them and fling them off.
Rationing her shield energy, she switched between beating them up and blocking them, shoving them back whenever they were on the attack. Another fell to her blows, but the last two weren't giving up. This time when they pounced again, she sent them flying back with a sharp kick to each of their chins.
One landed atop the other, and Frazie took the chance to pull off her grand finisher. Putting her arms up, she bent and cartwheeled forward. One spin, two spins, three spins, and a leap. Twirling overhead, she descended feet first, sharply bringing her heels down on the survivors.
Hands up high, she looked like the performer she'd been all her life as the creatures poofed out from under her. Unphased, she kept the pose and landed on her feet... and then promptly collapsed.
"Uggggggh..." That was draining. But with silence once more filling the area, she finally had time to rest.
While she sat, she peered over at the biggest house on the block again, its cavernous entrance looming imposingly over the street. Inside would no doubt be her hardest challenge yet. She was feeling confident after handling an entire pack of overaggressive primates, but she still knew that even with superior numbers they'd at least still been a reasonable size.
Could she do it? Could she take down the walking mountain? She didn't know.
But with her mind drifting back to the two kids back in the bubble, she knew she had to.
A power both new yet familiar, a brush with Dream Fluff, and an entity she simply can't afford to lose against. Will she be able to overcome for Clem and Crystal's sakes?
