Hello everyone! I needed a distraction for a bit so I decided to write here for a little while. Not too long of a chapter, but it's what I could do for now. I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless though! Much love to you all!
"Great mother of-!" Ford gave us both a once over as Lili rolled her eyes at his reaction toward us. "You two look like you just got out of a belly of a beast together!"
"Well technically-." I smirked as Lili placed her gloved hand over my lips.
"We are not talking about it and we are also never doing that again." I made a hum of approval as Ford gave the two of us a confused look.
"Well, I'm not going to ask then." The agent turned on his heels toward the large screen beside him. "By the looks of it, you two have witnessed some things. Have any information for me?"
"Other than Coach is in cahoots with the dentist man, a bit." I crossed my arms over my chest as Lili dropped her hand from my mouth and detailed our founding. "The two crazed bastards are using not just psychiatric patients as little minions, but also animals in the lake as little brain soldiers."
"Let me guess." Ford rubbed his chin curiously before turning his attention toward us once more. "Hypnosis?"
"Bingo." I nodded as Lili gave Ford his answer. "Mutated a fish too. Quite fucked up honestly."
"For a pair of psychics to use hypnosis and then steal brains from children, it makes you wonder if they have another plan for the brains themselves."
"They definitely have another plan for the brains, Cruller." I gave the agent a serious look. "We believe they're making some kind of machine or weaponry for the brains to control. Like some of the weapons built in Grulovia before the great war." Ford's eyes grew wide as he seemed to try and make sense of all the information at once.
"Good heavens." He was in shock for a moment as he leaned his weight against the giant computer terminal beside him. "From what I know from Lucy, those were no laughing matter in Grulovia. Even before the rebellion." Ford shook his head slowly before turning his attention toward the screen and typing away at something. "If it's true, there can be an arrange of things at their disposal." A few pictures appeared on the screen. One of which was a psychic cannon system that I recognized from some of Nona's old sketches in her journals as the other seemed to be Psychonaut's official weaponry. "Psychiatric technology can lead in many directions, as Otto has proven over the years. It can be used to power plans, basic machines, and even the simple money system that everyday people use outside all of this." Ford gestured toward the cannon image with his right hand before looking back toward us. "But some can be quite deadly and ruthless. As Grulovia proved with what was dubbed the-."
"Mozgovoy proyekt." The Russian project rolled off my tongue as I read all too much about its scientific history of it. "Translated as the Brain Project. They weren't the most clever at naming everything, but the sketches and designs made up for it, certainly."
"I'm guessing she kept all those notes, huh?" I nodded at Ford's question, but I didn't dare look the man in the eye.
"She wanted us to know what we could be used for." My voice grew dark as I looked down toward the small bit of tiled floor between us. "Even the darkest situations that she had witnessed." My words grew dark as I brought my gaze back up toward the older man.
Or as future warnings to the future psychics of the world. Either way.
I swallowed dryly as Ford could obviously tell the shift in my mood by the look on his face.
I can't imagine if our family line stayed there in Grulovia. The amount of hell we would have had to deal with would have been the worst that has ever existed. Especially once it was known I was just like my aunt. The experiments, the mental exhaustion, the lack of life. All of it would have been like living as a prisoner. We would have never been able to live unless we escaped. Unless we were freed.
I bit my tongue as I pulled my eyes away from him.
And I hate to admit it, but Ford played a big role in our current way of life. I hate the hell that is brought with being an Aquato, but if it wasn't for him, I would be a prisoner within my own life. At least this way, I have a way to prove I am more than just a weapon. In this life, I have the chance to show the world what it really means to be an Aquato.
I have his ass to thank for it, sadly.
"I can't imagine what she had to go through. Especially during that era before the Psychonauts were formed." I looked over toward Lili who gave a sorrowful look toward the floor. "Especially with how much of an activist she was as well. Someone that wants to let people live their lives being forced to experiment with things that would take them away even faster? Must have been brutal on her psyche."
"Trust me," I shivered as some of the margin notes in her old journals ran through my mind. "It really did. You could tell in the notes that she was starting to lose herself and become the Maligula everyone knows. They slowly stripped her of her humanity. They tore her apart mentally until all they left was the psychic they desired. A cold and heartless weapon for the royal Gzar."
"Lucy definitely went through a lot in those days." I gritted my teeth as I looked down toward the ground.
"She did."
No thanks to you.
"Though I suppose the aftermath could have been a lot worse than it could have." I brought my gaze up toward Ford as a small smile graced the old man's face.
Maybe I shouldn't resent you all too much, Cruller. You helped in a way, I suppose. I guess I never thought of it that way before. You freed us from her fate. The inevitable weaponization of the rest of our bloodline. Especially me.
I let the corners of my lips curl just the slightest as I looked toward Lili.
And I have many reasons to be thankful that this is where we ended up.
I did my best to suppress my smile as I brought my attention back toward Ford.
God being around her is enchanting. I really need to watch myself. I'm going to lose sight of what's important if I keep letting myself get stuck like this.
I tried my best to hide the humored look on my face as a single thought rang through my mind.
No wonder why Frazie always teases Dion that he's always off track in life. He's always thinking about girls nowadays too.
"So," I cleared my throat as I brought my mind back to the present. "What's the plan now?"
"I suppose it's to find out who else is in that asylum. If they're crazy enough to hypnotize a poor bastard and a fish," Ford chuckled darkly to himself before leaning against the terminal. "Then I bet there are others in there too that they're using to either understand their plan itself better or protect their assets there. Take a look around and see what you can find. Maybe there are some hints around their minds we can use to get a grasp on their true plan."
"So," I took a deep breath in for a moment before repeating Ford's plan. "Bounce around in crazy land's crazy subjects until we figure out where exactly everyone's brains went and what is their hypnosis having brain leaders are doing?"
"Exactly, Raz."
"Got it." I adjusted my goggles on my head as I knew I would've ran a hand through my hair if it wasn't covered by my helmet. "Back to the island then."
"Alrighty. Let's see if Boyd knows where the other patients are then." Lili and I turned respectively before making our way toward Ford's little cart. "But we are not using Linda to get back there."
"What?" I smirked as I put my hands behind my head with a smile. "Didn't like swimming with the fishes?"
"Didn't like swimming with them while in one, Razputin."
"It wasn't that bad."
"Razputin Augustus Aquato, I swear to the mother of Freud I will smack you silly."
"Now you're just sounding like my mother." I snickered at my own remark as Lili turned as red as an apple.
"Shush."
"Love you too Lils!"
"I said shush."
"Okay, maybe the fish mouth was a little bit better." Lili shivered slightly against me as I walked us out of my water bubble. "God that is jarring."
"Need a moment?" I made sure my voice was soft and gentle as I held her gently there. "We can take a moment."
"I-I'm fine." I watched her close her eyes gently as she took a deep breath. "Just nice to hear the grass and all again." I gave a knowing nod as I looked out toward the water.
"I can guess it's similar to what it's like with me and the water. How you and the plants work and all."
"Pretty much." She steadied herself slowly before looking off toward the garden of the asylum. "My dad used to say that our connections to plants are what keeps us sane despite the thought would drive others to be insane." She gave a small chuckle at the thought. "It's odd how similar two psychic powers can be so different but work in so many of the same ways."
"Well, it all comes from the same place." I chuckled to myself and I knocked the knuckles of my free hand against my helmet. This caused Lili to laugh as she shoved me lightly.
"You're a dork."
"Your favorite dork, Lils, remember that!" I gave her a large smile as she rolled her eyes.
"You might be right, but don't let it get to your head, water boy."
"Should I take water boy as a compliment or as a knockoff Shark Boy and Lava Girl insult? Because if that's true, you're totally Lava Girl then."
"What in the world are you talking about?" I gave Lili a wide-eyed look as she just looked at me confused. "What?"
"You never watched Shark Boy and Lava Girl?"
"I'm the daughter of the head of the Psychonauts, do you think I had time for movies growing up?"
"You, me, and old VHS player when we're out of here." Lili rolled her eyes with a smile as we turned toward our objective.
"Whatever you say, Aquato."
"Just call me Water Boy, the water Superman." Lili pushed me away as I shot her finger guns in reply. "Aw come on! It sounds kinda cool, doesn't it?"
"In your dreams, Raz."
"Actually since you say that, the movie is based on dream characters and all and-."
"Okay, before you get on one of your nerd rambles, remember we have a mission."
"Mission first and rambles later then?"
"I'm more than okay with that." I smiled wide as Lili Just gave a simple grin in reply. "You're a dork alright."
"Still your favorite." I nudged her gently with my elbow as she judged lightly back.
"In the most ineffable way, that's for sure."
