Taylor
I had never thought too much about death, at least outside of moments when my brain went into a dead panic like it had during Leviathan's rampage. Even less than my thoughts about death were my thoughts about what comes after. Sure I had been to church when I was younger and told that good people go to heaven and bad go to hell, but it was never exactly something I put much stock in or worried about.
However the moment the man's blade pierced into my chest my last moments had been consumed by thoughts of what would happen next. According to the Invitation I would become a 'book' within the Library. I hadn't put much thought into what that actually meant, but the actual experience wasn't exactly…unpleasant.
It had been like being in a dream that you knew was a dream but couldn't interact with. Not really aware in a true sense, I couldn't count the seconds or anything like that, but what I could do was remember. I could with a thought recall any moment of my life, good or bad and play it out like a movie told from first person, watching the events happen just as my eyes had taken them in, hearing my thoughts echoing like voice over.
At first I hadn't quite realized what was happening, I would think about someone and suddenly a random flash of some event would appear before me. But with enough attempts I got the hang of it, able to summon up a memory by focusing on it. Once I realized what was happening I went back in my memory to when my mom was alive and Emma was still my best friend and not someone seeking to ruin my life. The memories felt safe and warm, like a blanket in an otherwise empty and cold environment.
I went back through my memories, picking out the best moments I could remember and reliving them, even the bittersweet ones from my time with the Undersiders. Part of me ached to see them again, to apologize for not being strong enough to help them, for lying to them for so long despite them accepting me as part of their group, because at the end of the day they had been there for me more than anyone had since my mother passed away.
But all at once the dreamlike state ended, I felt myself pulled back into the world like a sleeper being violently shaken awake. I drew in a deep breath as if I had just emerged from water, my eyes scanning the room in front of me and taking in the two people in front of me.
The Librarian, Angela, who had greeted my group when we first came in, and the man who had single handedly killed each and every one of us in a matter of moments. Panic exploded across my body as I tried to step back, however my body didn't quite react the way I thought it would.
It felt like I was lighter, but also stronger then I had been before. If my body had been a beat up truck beforehand it had been upgraded to one of those fancy French cars that millionaires kept in the garage. However due to it being so unfamiliar to me I ended up falling on my ass with all the grace of a kid belly flopping into a pool.
Angela turned her head and raised an eyebrow at the man, who could only give a helpless shrug. "Most first timers who receive body mods need at least a few hours before being able to properly move everything. I knew a guy who got his legs replaced by tank treads and he was always always worried if his shoelaces were untied."
Angela let out a small noise of frustration before turning to focus on me once again. "I'm sure you have questions regarding your current state."
That was the understatement of the century. "Why…how am I alive?" of all the millions of questions running through my mind at the moment, that was the one that took priority over all else. Because there was a chance that if I were alive then the rest of the Undersiders might be as well.
"Simple, you were never 'killed' in the first place. Your existence was turned into energy and then reformed into the shape of a book," she explained my situation in the manner that a bored teacher might go over a particularly boring subject. "Right now your current body is a separate one from your old form, created using the Library's resources and implanted with your full personality."
"Honestly it's not a bad upgrade, if we were still in the City and you were suddenly dragged into a situation like this you would be lucky to have organs and human limbs by the end of it," Roland wore a rather amused expression. "Granted when I got my new suite of limbs from our dear director I was worried about becoming a living popcorn machine."
"The offer for that is still on the table, you spoke so fondly of the idea that I would hate to steal the opportunity from you." Angela replied to the man with a cold tone, a bit of annoyance from his interruption clear despite her monotone voice.
"Ah, no I am very pleased with your work ma'am." Roland replied, doing his best not to look at Angela.
Their discussion was nothing but white noise to me as I tried to put together the meaning of what she had said. I had known that my body had felt wrong from the moment I opened my eyes in this room, but hearing that my mind had been placed in what was essentially a copy of my body was too much. "Why?"
Angela snapped her focus back onto me. "Why?" she parroted the question back.
Something in me snapped, pushing myself to my unsteady feet as I leveled my own gaze toward her. "Why would you do this? Invite us here just to kill us?" my voice was nowhere near calm, and I could see the suitable movement of Roland positioning himself to interrupt any attempt I made on Angela.
I couldn't say how I knew that, while my skills had improved since I had joined the Undersiders my current senses were even sharper then when I was at my best. I could tell just from how he stood that Roland was relaxed despite the situation, he didn't see me as a threat. I could tell that Angela wasn't breathing, she spoke and blinked but the normal patterns one would use when breathing weren't there.
All of this information flooded my mind, not completely dissimilar to how my power would feed me information from my swarms. Regardless of how I knew, however, the simple fact was that neither of the two people in front of me seemed worried in the least by my outburst. I was outclassed but too angry to use that information for anything but fuel for my anger.
"Ah, yes I suppose you deserve to know that much at least," Angela placed a book on the table and turned it around to face me. On the cover the name 'The Book of Skitter' was written in some kind of odd print that I couldn't recognize but my mind instantly translated for me. "The people that you call 'parahumans' possess a unique energy signature that can be used to empower my Library. We need such power to return a number of our…friends to peak condition."
Roland put a hand on her shoulder for a moment. "As for the specifics of why you and your group were caught up in the Library, that is simply bad luck," he winced a bit at that but before he could say anything else I shouted out.
"Bad luck!? You turned my friends and I into fucking batteries and you're just saying its bad luck?" different patterns of attack ran through my head, techniques I had never seen flooded into my mind as if begging to be used as my anger built.
Angela didn't seem to bat an eye at my raised voice however. "Indeed, all of you were put into this position due to a number of factors. But at the end of the day you feel like your current state is unfairly using you despite your own desires, is that right?"
I couldn't summon words, her calm tone only managing to piss me off more, but it seemed my answer was easy enough to surmise.
"Then I suppose from this side you might understand a bit more of what that girl felt. What was her name again…oh yes, Dinah wasn't it?" her tone cut straight through my anger like a cold bucket of water being dropped on my head. "For the safety and convenience of your own group didn't you allow that girl to go through hell?"
There was no reply I could make to that, indignation mixed with shame in my chest, leaving me without anything to say. Of all of the things that I had come to regret during my time as a villain Dinah sat at the top of the list, a sacrifice for the safety of the Undersiders and the people within our territories.
A loud clap pulled me from my thoughts as Roland stepped out from his position behind Angela's desk. "Okay I think that's enough now, neither side here is going to win any big rewards for morality, so no point arguing about it right?"
I couldn't exactly deny that I had no room to stand when it came to an argument, and even if I did it wouldn't matter. From the position I was standing in even if I argued until I was blue in the face it wouldn't do me any good. For now all I could do was try and work within the situation presented to me.
"What about the rest of my team?" I focused on Angela and Roland. "Are you going to release them as well?"
Angela looked at me for a moment, an unreadable expression clouding her face before returning to a passive mask. "That will fully depend on you. At the moment the Library is not running to its full ability, as such every extra pair of hands would be useful to us, however I am still dubious on whether you can be of any help to begin with. Should you prove useful I will create the same projection that you currently occupy for the rest of your group."
"Will you let us go, after we've helped you?" It was a long shot, but I needed some hint of hope.
Angela thought for a moment before answering. "I won't say that it is impossible in the future. If you have any further questions, direct them to Roland."
Roland himself seemed to take the dismissal in stride, walking over and putting a hand on my shoulder. "Pretty sure the boss needs some time to relax, and I should show you the ropes around here while we have time."
With a casual air he guided me away from the room, but before we could step outside of the door to the 'office' Angela's voice stopped us once more. "You heard a voice before the end of your reception didn't you?"
I froze at those words, the memories of the comforting voice that had appeared in my mind moments before my 'death' playing fresh in my mind. Apparently my silence was enough of an answer for Angela however.
"Should you hear it again, push past it. If I believe for a moment you will falter to her words I will not hesitate to bind you to a book for the rest of your existence." with those parting words the door closed behind us.
Roland whistled and turned toward me. "Our director is under a bit of stress, try not to take everything she says personally and you'll be fine." with those less than comforting words he directed me along the hallways of the Library.
Every so often he would point out a specific staircase or room and point out its purpose. Apparently even as a 'projection' I still had basic wants and desires. I technically didn't need to eat but my mind would tell me that I should, and I could 'will' food into existence with a thought. Or at least Roland said I would eventually be able to do so, as he had admitted to still being quite confused beyond creating some basics for himself. Unlike me he was a flesh and blood human, but was from the same place that the Library had arrived from.
Despite my anger and fear at the situation I couldn't really find it in myself to hate Roland, he was a rather genuine person and didn't speak down to me despite our position. Some part of me figured that I should hate him for what he had done, for 'killing' my friends and putting us in the current position we were in.
But at the same time I recognized we would have done the same to him if not for the difference in strength. Maybe that was why I was able to follow after him as he explained bits and pieces about the Library. However one question stood above all others at the moment.
"So what will I need to do exactly?" I understood that I would have to work for the Library in order to have even a chance at getting my friends freed and one day being set loose from this place. Escaping or trying to fight back entered my mind, but between the abilities Roland had shown and the casual air that Angela had shown when threatening me I couldn't imagine winning against either of them.
Roland considered for a moment before replying. "Well, to start helping to sort the various books we gain about your world will be your main day to day task, essentially we take the accumulated knowledge of the various people who become books and sift through the various books created from said knowledge. From there we take the books to the correct departments so that the head librarians of each floor can research them along with their teams. Of course your tasks for other librarians could range from studying a particular subject or debating anything from philosophy to religion with them."
That sounded…honestly it didn't sound like the worst job when put like that. Working in a library or bookstore had been my idea of a dream job when I was younger. "What about fighting people?"
Roland looked at me. "Do you want to fight?" The question was straightforward enough, but there was some hidden meaning behind his words I felt was being missed. "Having another hand when dealing with receptions is always useful, but I won't force you to do so."
His kind words were touching, but I shook my head. "I need to prove I'm useful, that's the only way the others will ever get to be free from the 'books', isn't that right?" I met Roland's gaze for a moment, and he simply shrugged in response. Not that I knew how I was supposed to fight without my power and not a single bug in sight, but that was beyond the point at the moment.
"If that's what you want I'm not going to stop you, but we are going to need to actually test out if the Page system works with you, though I'm sure Angela would have said something if there was an issue on that front." Roland seemed to consider for a moment before walking over to a pile of books and going through them, pulling out a rather thin and plain looking black book, only about as thin as a notebook. "But I think that if you can deal with this one, you should be able to handle things."
I looked at the book for a moment before finally asking. "How is a book going to show that I can fight?"
Roland simply gave a wry grin in response and opened the book, a vast light shining from the center of its pages and engulfing the two of us.
Suppression of Standard Training-Dummy Rabbit (0-00-00)
The light faded and suddenly the two of us were no longer standing in a messy room surrounded by books, but within the center of a massive cage with bars stretching high above like pillars.
A sudden weight appeared in my hand, and when I looked down I found a cross between a sword and a riot stick in my grip. There was an odd sort of comfort, and a sense that I had perfect mastery over the weapon. Beside me Roland stood with an air of casual grace, his hands resting in his pockets as if he were waiting for a bus.
Before I could ask what had happened a number of pure white pages burst forth from the metal floor of the cage, fluttering together to take shape. As the light faded away what was left had me…mildly confused. I had expected a person, or some terrifying monster, but instead what I was faced with was definitely not a person, and if this was what monsters looked like in the Library I would have to rethink a few things in the future.
The creature appeared four feet and change in terms of height with a body of pure white, looking like a cross between a limbless rabbit and a crash test dummy. Its pure yellow eyes seemed to look straight ahead at the two of us, the straight lined mouth that had to have been drawn on absolutely unreadable.
"Seriously?" I asked, turning my attention toward Roland. Rather than answer he simply made a 'get on with it' motion with his hand. Feeling that things had already gone past the point where I could actually question things I simply walked forward, lifting the riot stick in the air before bringing it down in a lazy arc. However to my surprise the creature simply rocked back, the stick hitting nothing but the floor. In the blink of an eye the creature's whole body rocked forward and slammed into my chest, throwing me off my feet and back in the air.
Rather than collapse on my ass like I had only a short while ago however some 'instinct' took over and I landed on my feet, limbs placed apart to diffuse the impact on the short flight. I had gotten a bit better at close quarters combat as an act of necessity during my time with the Undersiders, but the sort of reaction I had displayed was beyond my own abilities.
"Not bad," Roland watched me land before focusing back on the rabbit-like creature. "What you're experiencing right now is your connection to the Page currently equipped to you. Each page contains a number of skills and abilities connected to the person that it was taken from. You will be able to make use of the instincts, modifications, and tools of the person connected to the page as if they were your own."
That sounded like a trump ability, instantly downloading skills into someone's head. But I would have all the time in the world to be concerned about after-effects later, right now if I lost focus and ended up screwing this up then the rest of the Undersiders would never escape being trapped into their book forms. I focused on the thing in front of me and simply gave myself over to the instincts I had gained.
I crossed the distance between myself and the rabbit at a speed that would have put Sophia's top times in track to shame, feinting a thrust with the baton and watching as the thing moved itself back in order to avoid the hit like it had last time. However I wasn't ready to fall for the same trick twice, instead stepping further into the strike and swinging the weapon down onto the soft body of the rabbit.
A scream that was a mix of machine and animal came out of the rabbit as I struck it, the batton cutting a deep gash into the creature and sending forth a stream of pure white pages into the air.
We were extracted and deemed useless, meant only to test their knowledge.
We desired to be close to them in fear of being relegated to the dark once more.
And in the end our fears were manifested, trapped with no company but our own.
A chorus of voices sprang from both everywhere and nowhere at the same time, the sorrowful tone echoed tens of times. More and more bursts of white pages exploded out from the metal ground, and from them came more and more of the round rabbit-like creatures.
"What was that?" I could feel pain building in my head from the voices, making my vision blurry for a moment. Despite that, however , when my body screamed at me to move, I leapt back, narrowly avoiding one of the rabbits as it zoomed across the floor, stopping exactly where I had been standing a moment before.
"The voice of the abnormality, all of the feelings they've experienced," Roland let out a small sigh. "It's never a happy experience, but all you can do is suppress it and force it to acknowledge you."
I took his words to heart, gripping tightly to the baton in my hand and focusing on the crowd of rabbits, seeing the once static expression on their faces turn to frowns as they each moved toward me in a rush of white and yellow.
Rather than fall back I rushed forward to meet them, if I let myself fall on the backfoot with a larger group against me then I would be giving over the advantage to the enemy. The first rush had been a straight line between the rabbit and myself, and it seemed that the rest were following the same methodology. There was no follow through to the attack from earlier, but that was only one example, I would need to test it out before I could call it a true advantage.
I leapt over the charging rabbits, landing with borrowed grace behind them and watching as they continued to move forward, only coming to a stop a few moments after they had already passed me. That made my theory a bit more plausible, the rabbits could only move in a set path, plotting a perfect course between A and B and following through even after I had moved.
Even as my mind solidified that answer, the instincts of the Page began to turn it into usable data, feeding me a plan to use their basic movements to my advantage. "You want company?" I lifted the batton toward the group of rabbits. "I'm right here."
The rabbits quickly turned in place, zooming forward to meet me. But rather than staying in place I moved at the last moment, my batton hitting their forms and causing them to vere off slightly from their original course. While my body was certainly stronger then it had been before the amount of momentum behind them meant that while I might be able to stop one of them there was much less of a chance to hold back the entire group of ten.
But now that they were scattered all I needed to do was get them to charge one more time, so I lowered my weapon and relaxed my body, forcing myself into a state of calm. Noticing my seeming lack of defense the rabbits charged again, but before they could meet me I leapt up, pushing off the ground and taking to the air as the group of rabbits struck each other like a pileup in the middle of a busy intersection.
Noises of confusion rang out from the group of rabbits, but a descending strike silenced a good number of them, and another tight series of blows brought an end to all but one.
The last remaining rabbit's yellow eye was cracked and its body ripped in places, revealing a horrible mix of gears and meat under its 'skin'. But despite its horrifying appearance I couldn't detect a hint of malice from it, instead there was just a sense of loneliness that hung heavily about its form.
Once more, used for our purpose and tossed aside.
I couldn't really respond to that, I didn't even know if it would matter if I somehow could. All I could do was raise my weapon and strike down, causing the rabbit to explode as its compatriots had into more blinding white pages.
As the last of those pages descended a vast light swallowed the entire area.
Suppression of Standard Training-Dummy Rabbit Completed
Both Roland and I were back in the book-filled room that we had been in before our sudden transport into the massive cage, the baton now missing from my hands but the exhaustion from the combat still clinging to me. I collapsed to a knee and drew in a few heavy breaths, the words of the rabbits still clinging in my mind.
"Not bad, at the very least it seems like you can make use of the Page system," he looked over me for a moment before making a small noise of concern. "But we'll have to be careful, if a low ranking Page like that left you this exhausted you probably wouldn't be able to handle the more powerful ones."
I didn't really know what he was talking about, but I also couldn't bring myself to care, there was only one concern for me at the moment. "This proves it right, that we can be useful?" There was a bit of hope in my voice.
But that was quickly crushed by a small shake of Roland's head. "It's going to take more than that to convince our dear director, for now follow me." he waved and I shakily rose to my feet to follow after him. The two of us exited the main room and entered into a drab hallway filled with various doors, each with a name plate printed next to it. After passing the rooms with names Roland pushed open the door to reveal a rather spartan looking living space, a plain spring bed with plain white sheets and a wood desk. "Once you're settled in we can work on furnishing things, but for now get some sleep. I'll get you later if something comes up."
I just gave a wordless nod and entered the room, collapsing on the bed as the door shut behind me. There were so many thoughts running through my head, worry for the Undersiders, fear that I would be stuck here forever.
But then a thought came to me that left everything else in the dust. My dad would have no idea where I was, and trying to ask for them to send a message to him was probably pointless. I didn't know what would happen to him without me around, losing my Mom had destroyed him.
I curled into myself on the bed and tucked my head into myself, however I felt a sudden pressure on my chest, and when I opened my eyes I saw that in my arms I was holding a much smaller version of the training rabbits that I had faced earlier. It was soft to the touch, and even felt slightly warm. For some reason just holding it made me feel slightly better, not enough to forget everything.
But just enough to collapse into a dreamless sleep.