A/N: It took a bit, since I've got a lot of things to work on at the moment... plus I also wanted to put in the effort to make this chapter the best it can be. It's the final part for the first original patient, and I wanted to go out in a good way. Big thanks to the betas for helping me piece everything together!

Before we begin, I've got another picture from EarthVsTheDerek showcasing the artist's take on the puppeteer duo! But fanfiction is still terrible for links, so go check out ArchiveOfOurOwn if you wanna see it!

Now then, the stage is set for a full-on puppet show pummeling. Lights. Camera. Action!


"Don't!"

Pepper's cries continued to fall on deaf ears as Frazie and Sally clashed head on, neither fledgling psychic nor titanic toy backing down.

Since Sally was stuck in place, Frazie had to come to her, and Frazie came swinging. She leapt up with fist raised, ready to channel all her psychic energy into toppling the giant.

But despite being immobile, Sally wasn't a sitting duck. Her free arm swept up to intercept her, the wooden limb jostling and clacking from the force of her punch. Sally didn't even flinch. With her thick log of a limb shielding her, it was basically like hitting a tree.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Giggling with glee, the doll immediately retaliated by swinging her arm out and swatting Frazie away. "You'd better play nice! Because I won't."

"Hk...!" It felt like getting hit by a tree, too. The room spun and tumbled as Frazie flew back across the stage, rolling to her feet. Even trapped under the curtain, Sally still had plenty of reach, jutting a fist far out to slam right down over her head.

Frazie shoved herself out of the way and wood met wood, the doll's arm making the entire stage buckle and quake with sheer force. Frazie was still shaking from the aftershock when a large shadow loomed overhead.

"Gotcha!" Sally struck again, swatting her like a bug.

The doll cackled, smearing her palm back and forth... then froze. A wisp of smoke drifted up from her hand.

Flames spurt from the bottom of her hand and she squealed, pulling back to reveal a shielded Frazie pouring Pyrokinesis into her palm. "Cheater! You're a cheater!" Sally cried, slamming and shaking her fist until the fire finally died out.

Of course. She was basically one big bonfire waiting to happen. It was Frazie's turn to sneer evilly and well up the heat in her mind...

...Until she saw Pepper still dangling by marionette strings from Sally's other hand, pleading for the two to get along. "Please, don't hurt her!"

Frazie's fire fizzled out. No, she couldn't just roast the puppet, not without putting Pepper at risk. It was a good way to get Sally to back off at least, but it wasn't going to be as easy as lighting her up.

New plan: Get Pepper to safety.

"Have you not noticed how she's tangled you up?!" Frazie shouted to her while sharpening her focus.

"You don't understand, she's–!"

Sally cut her off by sweeping an arm across the stage again, forcing Frazie to jump. Clearly, the puppet had no interest in letting her owner have a word, either. Landing once more, Frazie fired sharpened Psi-blasts at the lines of string over the woman's head. "Hold on! I'm getting you out of here!"

"Why won't you listen...!" Pepper groaned, only to tuck her head in when the shots sliced into the lines up above her. "Oh, my!"

The woman wobbled when a couple strings came loose... only to stabilize again when they suddenly regrew, entwining back together like they'd never been cut. Frazie kept shooting, but it was pointless. By the time she sliced through half of them, the other half was already back.

Sally wasn't letting Pepper go, and she wasn't just going to let Frazie try and free her either. The acrobat finally had to give up and backflip to safety when the doll reached offstage and brought back a handful of Censors to fling at her.

The bowling ball of little men crashed and split open, no worse for the wear as they immediately set on the attack. Great... as if Frazie didn't already have enough to deal with.

At least Censors were little more than a nuisance by now, squabbling and leaping for her in vain before she blasted them away with more psychic energy. THEY didn't regenerate, thank goodness. While she dealt with them, Frazie dwelled on how to deal with those strings.

Ghhhh... this would be a lot easier if she had her family's throwing knives. These sharpened blasts were handy, but they just weren't cutting it. No pun intended. She'd honed her blade throwing skills for years so she could safely fling some all around her father whilst he lay strapped to a spinning wheel, one of their more popular death-defying acts. If she'd just considered bringing them along with her... but why would she? 'Freeing people from killer puppets' wasn't exactly on the camp itinerary. If only she had a few on hand...

Thunk.

Frazie reeled back in surprise when her next shot dropped straight down instead of flying off into the distance.

"Huh?" It hadn't disappeared, either. In fact... it looked like a loose approximation of a throwing knife, glowing red with pulsing psychic power. Like her mind had heard her wishes and molded her sharpened shots into something new, just for her.

She hesitated a moment, unsure if it was smart to pick up pure energy. She'd seen what it did to her foes, and even felt it when it'd been batted back at her. Yet, when she reached out to scoop it up, she didn't feel a thing other than the familiar weight of it in her hand.

Frazie shut her eyes and focused, trying to recreate that feeling of sharpness, of familiarity. When she opened them again, a fan of five blades spread out over her fingers.

Perfect.

The surviving censors surrounded her, sneaking up to pounce while she was distracted. Quick to act, she spun, a whirlwind of energy flying from her as she launched her new projectiles with the same precision she'd trained for all her life.

Just as strong as her old shots, perhaps even stronger, they pierced through the Censors like butter and instantly evaporated them. By the time she'd stopped spinning, she had another set in her hands, grinning up at Sally.

The puppet wasn't impressed. "Didn't your mama ever teach you not to play with sharp objects?" she snapped, reaching out to grab for her. "Mine did!"

In response, Frazie simply leapt over her hand and unleashed her new flurry of Psi-Knives at Pepper's strings.

They seared through them all at once with perfect precision. Pepper gasped as each snapped in unison and sent her tumbling down...

...Straight into Sally's hand.

"I've got you!" the puppet shouted, lifting the woman to her face.

To Frazie's dismay, breaking the strings didn't change a thing. Pepper simply breathed a sigh of relief, holding onto the doll's giant nose. "Thank goodness... now please, stop it! Both of you!"

For a moment, Sally seemed hurt by being scolded too... but instead of heeding Pepper's command, she lifted her up and shoved her under her hat instead. "Sorry! But this girl's got to go..."

"Hey!" Pepper's cries grew muffled once the sailor's cap fell over her. Frazie still couldn't risk immolating the puppet, but Pepper was out of harm's way at least.

Now only Sally and Frazie remained... one with both massive arms freed to use, the other sporting a brand new ability. Each had powered up, and now there wasn't anyone trying to stop them.

It was time for the grand finale to this little puppet show.

Both hands available now, Sally clasped them both over her head and swung them down like a hammer. The stage buckled from the sheer force of the blow, planks rolling outward like a tidal wave of wood.

Frazie bounced off her Levitation Ball to soar above it, launching another slew of Psi-knives at her enemy. Again, Sally shielded her face, each shot hitting her sleeve with a thunk and a twang before dissipating soon after.

But while she was guarding herself... Frazie slipped under her arm and leapt up, channeling all her energy into a psychic uppercut.

A loud clack rang out as fist hit wood, splinters flying from Sally's jaw. She rubbed it, sending Frazie flying away with another sweep of the arm. "Ow! Alright, fine! You wanted me to share the spotlight? Here!"

She reached offstage again, fumbling for something. A moment later, she tossed more enemies onstage, one after another.

Squat-bodied Obsessions rained from above, a trio of wooden focus thieves jumping to action. Frazie groaned, already feeling her eyes drawn to them... but then an idea popped into her head.

The closest Obsession reached her first, and it had supporting fire. Sally picked up props and debris from backstage and flung them skyward to crash down on Frazie from above. As she ducked and dodged around them, she met the smaller puppet blow for blow, directing all her attacks on it and waiting for an opening.

She finally knocked it off balance, and from there, ran up to it and kicked. It took all her might to send the hefty thing flying, but it soared off the stage... right for Sally's face.

It shattered against her nose and vanished, but the deep cracks it left remained. Sally cried out, rubbing her damaged face. "Ahhh! By dose! By widdle dose!"

Frazie did the same with the next Obsession, beating it senseless and sending it back where it came from... but Sally caught this one and crushed it in her grip, making it explode into sawdust. Angry now, she lifted her fists high and brought them down on Frazie, again and again.

Smirking, Frazie grabbed for the last Obsession and pulled it towards her. It had just enough time to look up and drop its jaw before Sally's hand hammered down and crushed it flat, easily dealing with the surprised foe. Attention freed at last, Frazie danced around her strikes, the puppet's tantrum slowly wearing it out as blow after blow failed to land.

By the time her rampage had ended, the stage was barely holding together, jagged wood jutting up around all the dents she'd smashed into it. Sally stopped to catch her breath, panting, her arms still laid out on the stage.

Taking her chance, Frazie jumped on them and ran up her limb. Before Sally could react, she conjured a few knives in each hand and flung them... straight down.

Confused, Sally tried to lift her arms to shake her off... but couldn't. For some reason, they were stuck. She glanced past Frazie to her sleeves, staring in horror to see her glowing red knives had pinned each one down to the floor.

"Wait...!" Worn out and pinned down, even Sally's brute strength couldn't pull her free as Frazie raced up her arms to her face. The psychic began to glow with power as she threw her Shield up again, but this time, not to protect herself. "Wait, STOP...!"

Frazie leapt, curling into a cannonball. With nothing to stop her, she plowed into Sally's nose, the damage the Obsession inflicted splintering easily under her energy-infused launch. "Now LET... PEPPER... GO!" she roared, pushing forward until the thick wood finally gave way.

"NnnnnnooooOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sally's face finally gave way, bursting into dust and debris. It took Frazie a moment to realize it wasn't just Sally wailing in defeat, but Pepper as well.

Frazie straightened out and landed, turning back to see the puppet falling apart at the seams. Frazie had hit her hard enough to blast most of Sally apart above the neck, chunks of wood and dust raining down from where she'd been, settling down over whatever parts were still intact. The gargantuan dummy collapsed, falling motionless.

And Pepper was nowhere to be seen.

Sally's cap fluttered back down to the ground, empty. Frazie grimaced once everything had settled down and the stage was finally still - Pepper must've fallen somewhere in the new woodpile that stood where the puppet had been.

Quickly, Frazie ran to the heap and grunted as she shoved some bits aside, telekinetically pushing her giant arm away. "Pepper! Can you hear me?" she called out, searching through the debris.

She paused. She hadn't found Pepper... but she'd found something else, covered in sawdust.

Was that a Memory Vault? There, flat on its back amidst the broken doll parts and splinters. The poor thing's eyes spun, its door knocked open from the fall. Had that thing been in Sally's head? It must've been a really deeply repressed memory, then.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, Frazie carefully stepped around the wreckage to reach it, leaning down to scoop its secrets from within. She kept searching while she scanned them, eyes flicking back and forth over Pepper's past.


The Perfect Puppet

Pepper sighed and wiped her brow, setting aside her chisel. Carving puppets wasn't the most physically demanding thing, but boy, did it leave her sweating when she got down to the extra precise details. It was stressful... but worth it. This new one she'd made was her best yet. A little wooden man with a pointy chin and a little top hat.

She'd worked hard to perfect her craftsmanship, and it paid off. Whether she was taking an order to produce a puppet for a TV show or selling one off to a parent, she made enough for a humble yet comfortable living. But she did it for the love of the craft, not the money... she even gave a handcrafted toy away to the neighborhood kids now and then, just to see them smile.

And she'd worked extra hard this time, because this one's new owner was special.

She picked the puppet up off the workbench carefully and leaned down to hand him off to a waiting pair of arms. "Here you are, Sally~."

Sally gasped, the small child hugging the new puppet to her chest while her blonde pigtails swayed. "I love him! You've got the best job ever, mama!"

Pepper just laughed, kneeling down to boop her nose. "That's true... because being your mother is the best job ever, sweetie."

Her daughter giggled, turning the toy to face her before pursing her lips. "What's his name?"

"Hmmmm..." Pepper stroked her chin in thought, finally deciding on the most fitting thing she could think of. "Jacque."

"Jock," Sally repeated. Pepper just chuckled... close enough. Sally tucked the toy under her arm and held hers up, asking to be picked up. Pepper was happy to comply, receiving a grateful hug and a kiss to the cheek in exchange. "Thank you, mama!"

"You're very welcome, dear." Playfully, Pepper suddenly lifted her daughter higher, making her squeal. "Who's the salt to my Pepper?"

Sally laughed, holding her new toy close as she spread her arms and pretended to fly. "Me! It's me!"

"That's right," Pepper praised, beaming up at her. "Now and forever."


It was early morning when the knock rang out.

Looking up from her workbench, Pepper hummed. "Now who could that be?"

Setting her half-finished project aside, Pepper dusted off her hands and headed across the house to the front door. Sally was already off at school, so it couldn't have been her. Maybe a neighbor stopping by for a chat?

She opened the door expecting to find a familiar face... only to find herself eye to eye with a mustachioed officer. "Oh! Hello there."

The man greeted her with a curt nod. "Are you Mrs. Triggs?"

"Why, yes! What can I do for you, officer?"

His already stern face fell further as he scratched the back of his head. "Well... it seems like your daughter and a few of her friends snuck out during recess to have some fun."

Pepper tutted, hands on her hips. "Oh, that little rascal... I hope they didn't cause any trouble, did they?"

The policeman didn't respond immediately. Instead, he lifted his hat from his head, clutching it in his hands. "...Ma'am, you may want to sit down."

A chill passed through her. "...What happened?" she asked, low. After a moment, she repeated herself, practically shouting. "What happened?!"

The officer shook his head, unable to meet her eyes. "They decided to go for a swim in the nearby lake. Her friends came to fetch us when she slipped under the water and never came back up. We went to investigate as fast as we could, but... we couldn't find any trace of her." He finally dared to look at her. "I'm afraid we have to assume the worst. I'm sorry, ma'am."

For a moment, all was quiet. It felt like a prank. A cruel joke. But the man's expression was one hundred percent serious.

"No..." Pepper leaned against the doorframe, slowly sliding down to her knees. It was like her body was moving all on its own. Her mouth opened wide and a shrill, heartbroken scream poured out.

Her wail of absolute despair could be heard up and down the block.


Pepper looked down at her workbench, fingers clenched around her knees. She tried to will herself to do something, anything, but she couldn't.

Ever since that day, she hadn't picked up her tools. She barely ate. She didn't sleep. She'd become as empty as one of her puppets.

She wanted so much to be able to work. To have anything to keep her mind busy. But all she could think about was Sally. She'd do anything to bring her back, to hear her voice. To have been there when Sally needed her most. To have her daughter by her side again.

Pepper's head slowly rose, a glint in her eye for the first time in awhile. What if... what if she COULD have Sally back?

One by one, Pepper's hands lifted off her lap and grabbed for her tools. It was time to get to work.

She threw herself into her project. Now when she didn't eat, didn't sleep, it was by choice. She devoted every waking moment to trying to recreate things from memory. Her eyes, her rosy cheeks, the curve of her nose.

Somehow, even though she still only thought about Sally, it didn't hurt anymore. She no longer despaired over what she'd lost. She looked forward to reclaiming it. Every new part she completed instilled a little more hope in her shattered heart.

One day, she finally finished. Pepper stepped back and admired her magnum opus. Her ears, her smile, all carved again and again until they were perfect. Her blonde pigtails gleaming under the desk light. The spitting image of Sally.

Yet... now that the project was done, the gnawing despair started to settle back into Pepper's heart. It wasn't Sally. It looked like her, but it wasn't her. It was a memento. Nothing more.

Or was it?

The longer she stared at it, the more things felt... back to normal. Sure, Sally was made of wood now. But she had her back. Sure, she wouldn't speak unless Pepper made her, but there was nothing wrong with a shy child.

Eventually, Pepper would stop noticing these things, come to see the doll as the real deal. But for now, she picked the puppet up and slid her hand in, getting a feel for making it work. "How was school?" she mumbled, both to the doll, and to herself.

Sally's jaw moved up and down as she worked it, filling in the response herself. "It was great, mama!"


By the time she'd finished flipping through the photos, Frazie realized she was covering her mouth, aghast. Yes, Pepper's response to everything had been super unhealthy, but she'd had good reason to cling to her coping mechanism. Her fervent denial had been her way of getting through the most traumatic loss of her life.

And Frazie had just destroyed it.

At that moment, she picked up a noise. Quiet, yet close, somewhere off to the side.

Crying.

Letting the photos flutter from her fingers, she followed the sound, nudging aside a part that looked like it used to be Sally's ear. "Pepper?"

There she was, in the center of the mess, untouched by the chaos of battle. She sat on her knees, hunched forward, sobbing softly into her hands.

"Pepper!" Frazie ran to her side, reaching down to touch her shoulder. "I'm sorry! I didn't know what she meant to you! I just... I'm... are you okay?"

No. No she wasn't. When Pepper pulled her face out of her hands, her sobs grew into full-fledged wails. "My baby! My baby...!"

"Pepper!" Frazie barked, trying to pull her out of it. Gently, she put her hand on her back, speaking softly. "Pepper... that wasn't Sally. I really don't want to say it, but someone has to. Sally's been gone for a long time." Frazie reached down, picking up a big splinter and slowly rotating it between her fingers. "This wasn't her. It never was."

"...But I really, really wanted it to be." A choked sob escaped the grieving mother. "I-I couldn't be there for her then, and I couldn't protect her now. Sally... I'm so, so sorry, Sally... I failed you again. I'll n-never be able to make up for it...!"

Her cries grew even louder, and Frazie winced. She stood up and ran a hand through her hair, trying to think of what to say. But what could you tell someone who was reliving their loss all over again?

Frazie wasn't sure, but she had to try.

She paced to Pepper's front and joined her on the floor, gently prying her hands from her face and holding them in hers. "Pepper... you didn't fail. No one did. Sometimes things just... happen. Awful, world-changing things. They're no one's fault, especially not yours."

"B-but I...!"

"Shhh. Shhh, shhh." Frazie put a stop to her self-blame, leaning in to embrace the woman. "You don't need to bottle it up. It's okay to be sad... broken, even. But if you keep hiding from what happened, you'll never heal. Do you think that's what Sally would want? For you to pretend she's still here for decades? To throw your well-being away for her?"

Pepper bit down on her quivering lip. "I-I... I don't know. I just don't know...!"

"I don't think she would." Frazie held her, rubbing her back. "You don't need to believe me right now. You don't need to forget her. You just need to let it out..." Another wail escaped Pepper as she buried her face in her shoulder. Frazie just shut her eyes and rocked her. "Take as long as you need."

She wasn't sure how much time passed. Five minutes? Ten? It didn't matter. Frazie wasn't going anywhere. She couldn't even imagine what it'd be like, how it would feel if anything happened to someone in her family. Yet Pepper knew that pain full well... and she'd been enduring it for decades.

But, at last, once Frazie's shoulder was well and thoroughly soaked, Pepper's sobs started to die down. A thick silence hung over the stage, and Frazie finally dared to speak again.

"...You really cared for her, didn't you?" It felt like a 'no duh' kinda thing to say, but it was plain to see. She felt Pepper nod against her. "Tell me about her."

Pepper was still a moment. But, finally, she pulled herself free to wipe her eyes, a crooked smile underneath her tears. "She was an angel. Hmhm... I still remember when she almost burned the house down because she wanted to make me breakfast, after all these years..."

Frazie chuckled - it sounded like something she might've tried for her own mother, long ago. Thankfully, they didn't really have a house to burn down. "That's precious. Was the food at least good?"

"What do you think?" To her relief, Pepper laughed, a soft giggle, but still a laugh. "And then there was the time..."

Frazie sat still and listened while Pepper went down memory lane. For the first time in a long time, it was a pleasant trip. She just needed someone to guide her along it, and keep her away from the bad times.

Soon, the conversation died down... and though Pepper still looked somber, there was something there that wasn't before. No clinging to the past, and no lamenting it either. It was just... her. Living in the moment.

Frazie held out her arms, offering her any more comfort if she needed it. "Ready to get out of here?"

Pepper nodded, accepting the hug with a smile. "Yes, please."

Frazie held her for another moment. Then, she felt another pair of arms wrap around them. Then another.

She froze, unsure if that was a good thing or a really, really bad thing. She looked up, relieved to see it was the former.

They'd somehow shifted back to the workbench, the only difference being Pepper being brought down to size. All around them, it seemed the other toys had managed to pull themselves up, joining in on the embrace from all sides.

That wasn't all. All around them, the posters of Sally tacked to the walls started to shift. Most of them simply faded away, but a couple grew frames, becoming cherished photos instead of cheesy propaganda. From now on, Sally would only have a positive impact on Pepper's mind.

Pepper looked up too, surprised to see her workers trying to cheer her up. "You're not upset? After all I did to you..."

"We are just relieved to have you back, ma'am," Jacque assured her with a tip of the hat.

"Y-yeah," Molly stammered, glancing back and forth sheepishly. "I-is Sally...?"

Frazie quickly waved her arms to stop her, but thankfully, Pepper just sighed and stood, wiping her hands on her gown. "Don't worry, dears, we're under new management. And I promise you all, there's going to be some changes around here. For the better."

A joyous cheer rang out across the desk. The puppets surged forward to thank and welcome their boss back, while Frazie squeezed out of the crowd.

The factory was still, the atmosphere was different, yet she knew that good things would come in time. The place would run again, with better conditions, where every toy had a chance to shine. And most importantly of all... Pepper could begin to recover.

Satisfied, Frazie popped her smelling salts and took a deep whiff. Not even their rancid stench could ruin the moment as she slipped out of Pepper's mind with a straight face.


Frazie shook her head, coming back to her senses in the real world. Beside her, Pepper shifted in her seat. The acrobat quickly snatched her portal back and watched her with bated breath.

The first thing Pepper did was look down, turning the puppet to face her and eying it dimly, almost as if she didn't even recognize it anymore. "...She's really gone, isn't she?"

Frazie went to speak, but Pepper kept going, talking more to herself than Frazie. "I've always known, but... I always shoved it away. I tried to fill the hole in my heart... but I never let it heal." She rested her forehead against the doll's, its wooden eyes falling shut. "Your mama's a fool, isn't she? I hope you can forgive me, Sally... wherever you are."

Frazie gently reached out again to hold her shoulder. "I'm sure she does. How are you feeling...?"

Pepper sighed, lifting her head. "A bit empty. A bit ashamed. But most of all... I think I need to put this thing away."

Wordlessly, Pepper rose and crossed the room. Off to the side, a carrying case sat, a blanket stuffed inside. A makeshift bed for a makeshift daughter.

She pulled the puppet off her hand and cradled it in one arm, like a sleeping child. Lovingly, she lowered her puppet into the case, putting Sally to bed one last time.

She shut it. Pepper placed her hands on the case, taking a shuddery breath. "It's... i-it's really hard. But I won't do what I did again. Trying to replace her with a hunk of wood... despicable."

Frazie was quick to get up and join her, offering the support she needed. "Don't beat yourself up. Just take things one step at a time, okay?"

"One step... at a time." Pepper sniffed, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. "I'll... I'll try."

Frazie offered her a smile. "And if there's anything I can do to help, let me know." Her eyes drifted down to the hand Sally used to sit on. "Uh... are you trying to offer me a high five?"

Turns out, keeping your hand locked in place inside a hunk of wood for years wasn't very healthy. The skin was pale, the fingers crooked, her hand bent back in perpetual puppeteering position. "I think my hand is stuck like this, dearie. It should wear off sooner or later... I think."

Frazie sucked in air through her teeth. "Ooooh... yeeeeah." She reached for her wrist to knead it a little, trying to help, but it just made Pepper wince. Nonetheless, the woman gave her a smile for trying, and left her to cross back to her bench and grab something.

Pepper reached out, offering her a screwdriver with her good hand. Frazie stared at it a moment, perplexed, before the constant squeaking from the door behind her refreshed her memory. "Oh! Right. Duh." She'd almost forgotten why she'd gone in to help her in the first place amidst her harrowing, heartbreaking adventure.

Frazie accepted it gratefully, waving it as she spoke. "Thanks a bunch. But I mean it. I have to leave now... but before I go, anything you need?"

Pepper just laughed, waving her off. "Thank you, child. I don't feel well, but... I think I'll be okay." She gave her a wistful smile. "...I bet she would've loved to meet you."

"I'd have loved to meet her, too. Take care of yourself, okay?"

Pepper nodded. "I will. I promise."

Frazie turned away... then spun back to give her another quick hug. "One more for the road. You really need it."

Despite the rough new reality she was facing, Pepper laughed softly. "Oh, you..." She gently pried Frazie off and guided her towards the door with her good hand. "Go on now, you said you have things to do. I'll head downstairs after I've gathered my thoughts, don't you worry about little old me."

Frazie nodded, scanning the ceiling for the perfect pipe again. Jumping, she latched onto it and waved the screwdriver. "Ready?" she called down.

Pepper's bad thumb twitched before she switched to the other hand for a proper thumbs up. She stood by the squeaking door and held onto the knob. "Let it rip."

Frazie worked quickly, unscrewing bolt after bolt. When it came loose, she waited for the signal from Pepper and gave it a tug.

The moment Pepper opened the door, the pipe sprung loose, blasting water out into the hall... and onto the explosive rodents that'd been blocking the door. They shrieked and scattered as the hose washed them away.

Frazie took the window of opportunity and ran with it. "Elevator's downstairs!" she called to Pepper before bursting out of the room and sprinting off the other direction, heading deeper into the asylum's upper reaches. Soon enough, the rats were left far behind, having lost her in the confusion.

But even though she'd left the rat brigade far behind, it still felt like something was watching her.


Sorry if I broke anyone's heart with that finale. It definitely hurt mine to write it... but you've gotta go through that grief to reach relief.

Don't worry, none of the other new inmates will be as tragic. I hope you've all enjoyed meeting this new character, though. I'm not gonna make any corny jokes - I'm just gonna thank y'all for reading. I can't promise the next chapter will come fast since I've still got things to work on, but I'm eager to hear your opinions on the first patient. Let me know what you think!

Just a heads up, I've typically been doing post-world analysises for all the new worlds I've been making over on ArchiveOfOurOwn, touching on things like intent, symbolism, and other fun facts. I recommend checking it out now especially if you're interested since the character's brand new, to let you see behind the scenes for everything I came up with for her. But whether or not you do, I want to at least list the mechanics of Frazie's new ability here and why I decided to add it:

Psi-Blast Upgrade (Psi-Knives): This upgrade is a shout-out to DiLithiumDragon, who came up with the idea in their Frazie AU fic that I've mentioned in the first chapter. It makes sense, given Frazie's the knife thrower in Nona's mind, and definitely opens up some interesting possibilities. Think of these like one of the pins from Psychonauts 2, an upgrade to the base power that changes its effects. I'm thinking its properties work like this...

*More damaging overall

*Can briefly be held onto and thrown later. Frazie can load up to six knives and fling them all at once, but they disappear if held onto too long

*Since it's a piercing force rather than a blunt/searing one, it can do things that regular blasts can't, such as cut through ropes and pin down enemies

*With practice, could potentially be embedded into walls and used as self-made footholds to allow Frazie to scale obstacles