It was a cold Saturday morning like any other in the city of Los Angeles, the sun's rays barely visible in the dim light of the grayish sky, shining softly against an aging apartment building, especially against the open window of one of the many rooms located on the first floor.
Light blue silk curtains swayed briefly in the icy morning breeze, swaying back and forth, dancing along with the enchanting scent of buttered scrambled eggs, bacon, orange juice, coffee, and hot bread. The large apartment was enveloped in the stillness of calm, provided with a grim silence, mostly empty, devoid of any soul in the main rooms or in the living room, whose only occupant was an elderly black and white cat who slept peacefully on a large brown sofa. Then, the calm is abruptly broken by a scream, and the metallic noise of the shuffling of pans and other indistinguishable objects.
—Stay away! —The chaos took place in the kitchen, where breakfast was forgotten, showing the image of Anne and Sasha cornered behind the kitchen counter, the former with her hands stretched out on a towel as handcuffs or improvised nunchucks, and the second holding a water sprayer as if it were a firearm. In front of them, a few inches from the door frame that divided the kitchen from the hallways, was Marcy... or rather who Marcy should be, still in her pajamas (a baggy shirt and shorts), looking at her two companions with a tired expression, eyes gloomy and lethargic, glowing orange with pupils bathed in a sickly yellow.
Anne and Sasha looked at who they had in front in them with growing anguish and anger, The core had returned... after so many years, after having found each other again and being together more than ever... it was a nightmare come true, the one they had to go through something like that again, to see that despicable being in control of their friend's body... they just couldn't believe it, The core was history, they had defeated it, Anne herself had killed it with her own blowing up the moon of Amphibia in hundreds of pieces, but here it was, right before their eyes, helmet and wires removed, looking right at them as if analyzing them.
—What? —Sasha was the first to speak, throwing the sharp daggers of her questioning gaze at Darcy—Do you want our souls or something? —Anne found Sasha's sarcasm funny in this situation, but the Thai didn't have the luxury of laughing at that or making her own intelligent comment, she kept her gaze fixed on Darcy, attentive to every movement, waiting for the right moment to act. The stare game lasted for a few seconds that felt like an eternity for the three of them, and unbelievably, none of them even bothered to blink, Anne and Sasha for fear of losing sight of that monster, Darcy... well ...it was impossible to know why she wasn't blinking... in fact, if it weren't for her open eyes, anyone would think she was still asleep.
—I want a bagel… —Darcy said in response, her voice was calm, lacking the characteristic mechanical distortion they had heard in the past, pointing with her index finger at the small tray with the aforementioned buns still steaming in the cold environment. Anne and Sasha were stunned by such a simple answer, looking at each other and Darcy, who finally decided to blink, very slowly, one eye at a time, not losing eye contact with the two women who threatened her.
—It's a joke, right? —Sasha spoke again, loosening her grip on the water spray a bit, still aiming at Darcy.
—I wish it was…—Darcy yawned very lazily, deciding (with their permission or not) to finally take one of the hollow loaves. The women behind the counter flinched as a result, but didn't move from their positions—But I'm really hungry… —She finished, chewing vigorously on the bagel, ignoring Anne and Sasha's uneasy reactions. Silence took over once more, the sounds of the bread in Darcy's mouth being the only thing that could be heard.
—What? —Anne finally spoke, breaking the silence once again, feeling how anger made her blood boil, seeing that being act in such a carefree way drove her crazy—What the hell are you doing here?!
—Well... I'm eating, what else would I be doing here if not? —Darcy said confused, and that only caused Anne's anger to grow to unbearable levels.
—You know what I mean damn! —She hit the counter with her left hand, clenching her teeth tightly—What the hell did you do to Marcy?!
—Uh...nothing? —Darcy was nervous now, even Sasha was, Anne looked like a wild animal about to attack her prey—How about they sit down first and...
—And?! —The curly-haired woman stepped away from the safety of the inn, quickly positioning herself just inches from Darcy.
—Anne, I think... —Sasha wanted to intervene.
—For we let our guard down and you can cut off our heads?!
—W-What? —The tiredness in Darcy's eyes is replaced by genuine confusion and concern—What are you talking about?
—You know what I'm talking about! —She points her index finger at her—I don't know how you came back, but I won't allow you to continue hurting Marcy's body or trying to hurt us.
—Hurt you? —Darcy blink repeatedly—Why would I want to hurt you?
—Because you are the core! We beat you, and you're a dirty loser! —Sasha countered, feeling a little irritated by Darcy's confusion as well.
—But what would I gain with that? —The ancient being tried to defend herself—It's been a long time since that, plus I'd be breaking the terms of the agreement if... I don't even care... —She stopped abruptly, looking at the two women for a moment, frowning contemplatively—She told you right? —by the time that question was launched Sasha was next to Anne, and both looked at Darcy in the same way that she looked at them.
—Tell us what? Who? —Sasha asked, arms crossed and for the first time very intrigued rather than worried about her safety.
—Marcy, did she tell you anything about me? —She asked again.
—Did she have to tell us something? —Anne asked just as confused.
—Ugh! It can't be... —Darcy covered her face with her hands, internally complaining about something that Anne and Sasha were completely oblivious to—Okay this is just fantastic... —She said after a few seconds full of incoherent groans—It can Don't believe me... but Marcy and I... we have kind of an arrangement right now...
—Arrangement?! —Both women yelled at the same time.
—She was supposed to have told you this... once she moved in with you... —The black-haired woman put her head in her hands, clearly stressed—Damn...
—What exactly is this deal you speak of? —Sasha asked.
—Well, Marcy and I resolved our differences in favor of our mutual survival... We are very good friends now —Darcy explained, Anne and Sasha were very surprised by her words, but they did not swallow them completely, for them there was still room for surprise. possibility that this was a trick—Part of the agreement also included you, you are Marcy's friends, and therefore it is illogical and stupid that I will try to hurt you if it puts my existence at stake —The comment didn't seem to have the effect Darcy had hoped for as suspicion shone brighter in both women's eyes—Which I would never think of doing! —She explained quickly.
—I'll give you the benefit of the doubt... if you wanted to kill us, I'm sure you would have already done it in our sleep... —Anne said accordingly—But I still don't understand how you survived...
—Well technically yes, you killed us... I mean, yes you killed me... but — Darcy pointed at Sasha—When you cut the cable not all the information was lost in the helmet, Marcy's consciousness was being assimilated while we were fighting, so a part of us... of me, was left in her head when the connection was lost... a very small part...
—Does that mean you've been inside Marcy's head for the last ten years?
—Indeed —Darcy nodded.
—Why didn't Marcy tell us anything all this time? —Anne's words expressed a slight pain.
—Well, she didn't want to worry you… she still felt like a burden to you… besides —Darcy's look seemed filled with great guilt, her next words came out as a small murmur—I wasn't the best partner of fourth let's say… —When she met their eyes, the sharp gazes of Anne and Sasha were once more on her.
—Explain yourself —They demanded.
—I… —She hesitates for a moment—I was… tormenting her the first few months after her move, I was yelling at her horrible things, flooding her thoughts with negative things so that she would… give me control… —Darcy murmur—It's not something we're... I proud now...
—I can see that... —Anne added doubtfully, a part of her wanted to yell at that being for having made Marcy's life hell for who knew how long... but being able to notice a true regret not only in her words, also in her eyes, paused in favor of listening to the rest of her explanation.
—I've made my peace with that today… —Darcy continued—But at that time we were... I was... furious at my failure... I could only think of taking revenge on you —Her eyes denoted a great show of tiredness, not physical, but mental—I wanted to destroy everything that mattered you... —The latter was expressed in a somber and deep tone, bringing a shiver of fear to the two women—But when I talked to her... The more I thought about it, it made no sense, what exactly was I going to get revenge for? Why continue to immerse myself in so much resentment if I was not going to recover anything that I had lost?... The box no longer exists, We... I am only a reduced part of what The core was once... I am no more than its essence... But I am also something else... I am no longer a cold and calculating intelligence, an ancient machine moved by the ambitions of souls engrossed in the past... I am something new as Marcy said...
—Something new? —Sasha asked taking a small sip from her cup of coffee. Without realizing it, the three women had carried their conversation into the living room, more engrossed in the revelations they were receiving than the sudden change in their surroundings and the involuntary movements of their bodies—That's why you have trouble with the pronouns?
—Yes, referring to myself as a single individual, with gender... it's still difficult —Darcy blew out a long breath.
—A single individual? You mean there aren't like a hundred dead old men in Marcy's head anymore? —Anne questioned.
—Yes —She affirm—I am an entity independent of The core minds, something that was left behind. I have part of their memories, but I am not them —She smiled slightly, a normal smile, not like the one Marcy gave them, or like that chilling smile that that mechanical being had embodied in her friend's body, it was a simple and small smile—As I said, I'm something new... something more human... —And both could see it, without the presence of danger at their lives, the both women could notice a great difference in the body language of the Darcy they had known with this one, it did not seem like a body stuck in a single expression, like a doll pulled by invisible strings, this Darcy breathed, blinked, shivered, indeed, it was more human. However, it seemed too good to be true.
—What made you change your mind about everything? —Sasha asked her question now—Excuse me if I'm a little skeptical about all this, you can say that you're not him, but you were linked to that thing —She lean her back against the arm of the sofa—I seems impossible to believe that one moment to another be an angel of compassion and forgiveness. As far as I'm concerned, you're just a virus in Marcy's brain… —Anne winced at the latter but agreed with Sasha.
—You can ask Marcy when she wakes up —Darcy said unaffected by Sasha's comment—After all, she was the one who had to tell them this, not me, since she's the one in control.
—You're the one in control, what tells us you're going to give it back to her? —Sasha put pressure on.
—Because I have no power over this body unless she grants it to me.
—What? —That took the both of them by surprise.
—If I'm talking to you two now it's because Marcy asked for a time out, and she left me in charge to cover her basic needs while she sleeps for a few hours —Darcy explain, and both Anne and Sasha wanted to ask more about it, and it seems that Darcy understood her. doubts before they voiced them—We don't know how it works, but if I don't comply with the order, Marcy regains control. It could be said that she is the one who has all power over me... It was in her first year of high school that she discovered that she could eliminate me whenever she wanted.
—Oh...
—I was scared, I thought it would be the end of me, but she didn't take me out, even when she had every reason to. Instead, she talks to me... —Darcy let out a small laugh, you could see how affection shone in her eyes—I think she took advantage of that moment of vulnerability to convince myself to stop being a piece of shit... And to to tell the truth, I am very grateful for that... to experience something as ephemeral as life is... it is something wonderful... —She took a moment before continuing— Look, I understand if you distrust me, you have every right to hate me... but for what it's worth, I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry for everything I put you through —That was a blow that caught them completely off guard, leaving their thoughts in conflict for a brief moment.
—Well... —Anne and Sasha had a silent conversation with each other—It's a start...
—We don't trust you —Sasha added—But if Marcy forgives you, we can try once she confirms this whole story for us.
—Now I feel a little bad for threatening you with a kitchen towel...
—Is okay —Darcy shrugged—She didn't tell you, and you were just worried about her... I think it was very irresponsible of her to make the switch without telling you about me first...
—I'm sure I was too tired to remember it...
—Yes... she has a serious problem with work —Anne and Sasha nodded understandingly. Seconds later, silence covered them once again since they no longer had anything else to say. It was not an uncomfortable or fearful silence, simply a calm silence where words were enough, leaving space for nothing more than the calm of domestic coexistence.
—So —Anne spoke first, smiling slightly—Do you guys want breakfast?
—Oh yes, from so much fright and talk I forgot that I was hungry —Sasha immediately got up from the sofa, moving her feet to the kitchen door—At this point all the food must have cooled...
—There's a microwave for a reason —Anne followed the blonde woman closely, stopping to see Darcy who didn't move from the sofa, she looked pensive—Are you coming? Are you hungry too?
—Yes, I haven't fully completed that task yet —Darcy smiled again joining Anne on the way to the kitchen.
And so, the calm atmosphere of the cold morning returned to full, the aroma of the food joined the joyful sound of laughter and warm conversations, painting a beautiful moment between the three women as if nothing had happened, making that fruit of ancient technology from a world now lost, feel as a human being for the second time... first it was the girl they mentally tormented, manipulating her body like a cruel puppeteer, and now it was her friends whom they tried to eliminate. It's funny how life's setbacks are, how the pieces of destiny are heading towards something we never expected, and for a being who is barely experiencing it, it was something incredible.
Hi, it's been a long time since my last one-shot, I must say it wasn't the story I had planned, but after reading a minicomic made by the artist: Cutetanuki-chan /cutetanuki_chan/status /1533544623305637888?t=gIKFof1JXQdu4UefgTgFdQ&s=19 My head exploded and I felt like I had to write something about it xD God I had so much fun writing this. I really like that theory that the core or a part of it can still be inside Marcy after the end of the series, no longer as an enemy but as a possible ally/friend Hehehe I think it's a very good idea. I'm sorry if I don't post much here, but between college, work, and other projects I'm working on now, I've been very busy, I have a lot on my plate but somehow I'll manage to get it all off the ground. Anyway I hope you liked this, and see you in another story.