WARNING TO ANY ESPECIALLY SENSITIVE READERS: There is some… I'm going to say semi-creepy-male-domination-stuff this chapter, nothing too intense, and most of it is not intended to be read that way, but if you are extra sensitive to stuff like that, I would suggest skipping this chapter.
Part 4! Okay, let me explain some reasonings for this chapter:
First, I know it's pretty much all but confirmed that Mr. E is Echo at this point, something I personally don't agree with character and theme-wise, but it makes sense plot-wise and seems like the direction the series is going in. I name dropped Cryptor last chapter, so it doesn't take much to guess he's going to be here instead of Echo. It makes for better drama, is more in character, forces Pixal to confront her past again, and it's my freakin fanfic, so imma do what I want.
Second, this chapter plays off of a very specific headcanon of mine. I won't tell you what it is, but just keep in mind that at the time of the nindroid invasion, Pixal was the only female droid around… at all… so…
Anyway… happy reading?
11-13: Mauve - Control
How can something be two things at once? When the whole world, the strongest force of all, takes control of your creation, and what it will become, how is it possible that I could ever make it something else?
Mauve 1. Mauve 2. Mauve 3.
Borg tower had lost power - something the center of all technology would find a bit of a hindrance. The building had been evacuated, my father was safe. He told us that a droid of his had been stolen; luckily we knew of a droid who had recently turned up.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Lloyd asked, one last time through the intercom. "We don't know what you're getting into. We have no idea who's in there."
"Of course we do. It only makes sense that the person that cut the power-"
"I mean we don't know if he brought support."
"He's alone, and he wants me," I assured him.
"For what?"
"We… have some things to settle."
"That's why I'm worried there's an ambush waiting inside for you."
"I told you, he'll be alone."
"How do you know?"
I thought for a moment. "I can sense it."
Silence.
"Just be careful, okay Pix?"
"Of course. Lloyd, I'm going to mute you in order to focus my sensors inside."
"We'll be tracking your audio. Good luck."
"Thanks."
I switched off his audio and entered the building. It was dark and cold. Without the lights blinking and buzzing the rooms felt eerily empty. There's just something not right about machinery that doesn't move.
I stopped to evaluate my options. Where would my mysterious enemy wait for me? There was a good chance he could be on the 100th floor - the control center for the whole building. Maybe the factory floor on which we were both made. But no. I knew where he would be expecting me. My old workroom. The place his designs were uploaded in the first place. My legs took me there without a second thought. Up the stairs, down the hall, last door on the left. I opened the door, the room dark and quiet, a shadowed figure standing in the back. I closed the door behind myself. I had no intention of fleeing him.
"The girl comes to see me."
"Mr. Borg went through all the trouble of rebuilding and reprogramming you, and here you are anyway."
"That was his mistake."
"In all honesty, if he had told me he was building security droids with your blueprints, I would have told him that your image should be burned to ashes and forgotten by history."
"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?"
"Why are you here Mr. E?"
"Please, you need not be so formal. I'm not calling you 'Samurai X' now, am I? We know each other."
"Something I regret every day, Cryptor."
"Nice to know you still think of me, Pixal."
I started at him through the darkness, his eyes glowing a nasty red. To think my eyes once shared the same color. I stepped forward to the middle of the room.
"What are you doing? What do you have to gain from this?"
He looked at me for a moment. His feet slowly moved forward as he began to circle me.
"I can think of a few things."
"You lured me here for a reason. Why?"
He stopped in front of me. "You're one of the things."
"How do you want to settle this?"
He looked at me, not answering my question. He thought for a moment, his eyes still piercing through me from behind his helmet.
"How's Zane?"
The question caught me off guard. "...why-?"
"Oh," he shrugged and chuckled, shaking his head, lightly. "It's just that the last time we saw him together was when he…" his head slowly turned back to look at me. "died…" our eyes remained connected for another moment. "A shame he had to sacrifice himself for… you."
"His death was not my fault."
"He only had half of his heart, and it overloaded!" He walked towards me. "Guess who had the other half!"
"I would have ripped his heart from my chest in order to rebuild him!"
"Pixal only weakened him, so you decide to abandon him, hide your face, take on a new identity, Samurai X, one set on protecting him… if only you could have done your job." I could feel tears growing in my eyes.
"There was nothing anyone could have done-"
"Sure, sure. Make excuses, blame Harumi, blame me," his steps took him so we were standing face to face. "but Zane, is dead. Nothing is bringing him back this time." My eyes burned trying to keep tears from running down my cheeks. "What does that make? Two times now you couldn't save him?"
I turned away from him, blinking furiously to try and stop the sting. "Stop."
"Oh, now let's not cry over him." I could feel his hands grip my shoulders. "It's been nearly a week now, time to get over it already. He's replaceable."
"Get off of me."
"Oh, Pixal." I heard him take off his helmet. He threw it to the floor in front of me, the noise of metal hitting concrete consuming the room. "Wouldn't you do anything to see him again?" I crossed my arms in front of my body. None of this was going to get to me. "Rip his heart from your chest?" he whispered in my ear. It stung. It echoed around in my head, my own words, twisted by his voice in order to blame me.
His hands slid from my shoulders to my waist. "How would he hold you if he were here? Like this?"
"You aren't him."
"No, but I'm the closest thing you've got." I turned around to face him. My eyes traced the outline of his face… Zane's face, staring back at me with red eyes, and black metal skin. "I'm his clone." his hand gently cupped my cheek. "I can be him."
My head slowly began to shake. "No." My arms guided him away from my body. "No. You can't. You are nothing like him. You're a monster and a murderer, and-"
"Yes, yes, but we can all pretend to be something we're not, Can't we? You've been doing it for months now."
"That's not the point."
"What is the point?!" his voice became sharp and frustrated. "You loved him, yes, but he's gone now! What are you going to do about it? Are you just going to stop loving anyone?!"
"What would you have me do? Love you?"
"You were built to serve me!" he screamed now, advancing towards me, as I backed up to meet his pace. "To get his designs to make me! To perfect his designs to make me! To take my commands! Listen to me!"
"Give me one reason!"
"It's in your coding! It's a part of you! It's who you are!" he threw his hand forward to hit me, but I caught his wrist before he could touch me.
"Not anymore." He looked at his wrist, shocked. We sat there a few moments, his breath the only sound in the room.
"I respect you Pixal. I really do. I really don't want to have to do this to you, but I think you're being a bit unreasonable."
"Oh, so now you care about what's reasonable?" My grip tightened. "Give it up. You will never be anything like him. I will never want you the way I wanted him." He thought for a moment, our eyes locked onto each other.
"Are you sure?" I gasped, my grip loosening, my heart pounding. His hand guided mine back down to my side, his fingers running against my palm. "Don't you miss this voice?"
It was Zane's. Zane's voice coming out of his mouth. Zane's mouth. My feet stumbled backwards, before my back hit a wall. I closed my eyes, trying to focus.
"You could hear this voice every day if you wanted." My heart melted at the sound of his voice. I opened my eyes again to try and break the illusion. "I could say the things you've always wanted to hear." Tears ran thick over my skin now. His body now cornered me, one of his hands finding its way to my hand, the other gently wiping away the water spilling from my eyes. "I hate seeing you cry."
His inflection, his tone, so genuine, it paralyzed me.
"I love you Pixal."
I closed my eyes, my programming telling me to stay away from him, but my heart telling me to bury my face in his chest. Zane's chest.
"He never told you that, did he?"
I opened my eyes and looked up at him, shaking my head, hesitantly.
"He never kissed you either, did he?"
I bit my lip, refusing to answer, but he didn't need one. His hand already on my cheek, he leaned forward, his lips stopping just in front of mine. "Pixal, is it okay if I kiss you?"
I closed my eyes tightly, more tears slipping out. How could I say no? How could I ever tell Zane no? I opened my eyes. He waited for my answer, but I could hardly get my lips to move. They parted from each other and attempted to speak, but no sound came out. He could see the conflict in my eyes. He could feel it in my body.
He sighed. "I thought that would work."
A sharp pain surged through my system. He had sent a dagger through my chest. My vision cut out, and I felt my body drop to the floor. As my consciousness faded, the last thing I heard was his voice.
Zane's voice.
"I've hacked her systems once, I can do it again."
Thanks for reading!
Random, but try reading this through with Cryptor's voice as Kylo Ren's voice. Idk, that popped into my head while reading it, and it's kind of funny.
Fun bit of trivia, this chapter was written before this fic was in existence! I've changed it a lot since first writing it, but the core concept was the same. I fit it in because I thought it would be just the push our beautiful Pixal needed to be a mess in the next chapter!
