Epsilon hesitated inside Meta's helmet.
"Are you certain this is a good idea, Omega?"
O'Malley snarled in irritation. "Epsilon… now."
"You promise that showing him the fragmentation won't hurt me as well again?"
"Yes, you fool!" The rage AI snapped. "We've discussed this a million times! Now get in there!"
Epsilon did not reply, and, for one wild moment, I thought that we were safe. That O'Malley had been lying. That Epsilon truly couldn't invade Wash's mind unassisted. However, I then heard a sharp whoosh as Epsilon left Meta. Wash staggered back a few steps as his mind was inhabited once more.
"Are you in there, Epsilon?" O'Malley called to Wash.
"Yes, Omega," Epsilon said, his voice now emitting from Wash's helmet. Wash tensed as the voice rang from his own entity, unable to do anything about it.
"Very good, Epsi," O'Malley purred. "Now, remind him a little of those lovely memories you shared with him before. If we're lucky… he might go insane again."
"No!" Wash and I yelled simultaneously. The Freelancer stepped back once more. "Epsilon, don't! Don't do this!"
"David, I don't want to hurt you," Epsilon said evenly. "I never did. You were a good host, but… You still are. We need you. If you let Omega in, I won't have to cause you pain."
Wash shook his head furiously. "No."
"Then… I'm sorry, David," Epsilon replied, true regret in his voice. "I don't want to show you these experiences again, but it's necessary."
"Epsilon, no! You don't have to do this!" Wash yelled, his voice, laced with panic, echoing around the clearing. "Don't—"
His cry was cut short. He fell silent, standing in the clearing. I heard nothing of Epsilon, heard nothing of what was going on inside his head. Then, slowly, with an infinitesimally small noise, I heard Wash's breathing.
It was quiet at first. He seemed to be trying to calm himself—trying to focus on overcoming the memory Epsilon was forcing upon him. His breaths were long and deep. He was trying to stay himself. He was trying to keep himself in the moment.
O'Malley noticed this control, and he growled. "Epsilon," he called maliciously. "More."
Epsilon said nothing, but the intensity of his memory transfer increased. Wash's breathing became faster and louder, but he seemed to be exhaling through gritted teeth, for no other sound escaped him. I watched in horror as Wash's limbs began shaking as he struggled to stay standing.
Meta continued to watch him, emotionless and unmoving. O'Malley's voice reverberated from the rounded helmet once again. "More."
At this, Wash let out a muffled grunt and sank to his knees, his entire body shaking with spasms. He gripped at his head tightly, as if that movement would protect himself from Epsilon's forced memories. "H—Here…" he said, still struggling to stay in the moment. "S—Still he—here…"
Epsilon continued to penetrate his mind silently, and Wash's volume increased. His breathing, now ragged and uneven, was scattered with groans of pain. He held his head in his hands, digging his fingers into his helmet. He gripped it tightly for a moment, and, with a swift movement, shoved his helmet off. I gazed with horror at Wash's face as he clenched every muscle with tension, his eyes shut tight, trying to block Epsilon from his mind.
O'Malley snarled in frustration. "More!"
Wash let out a violent yell of pain as Epsilon increased the intensity once more. A vein was throbbing in his temple and he threw his head back, his eyes popping open. He stared above himself, unseeing, as Epsilon's memories continued to destroy his mind.
"Wash!" I screamed. Not again, not again! "Wash, can you hear me? You're still there! Don't give in to him!"
"You, shut up!" O'Malley rounded on me, and Meta pointed his brute shot at me viciously. "One more word, and you won't live long enough to see your precious Washington become ours!" Meta turned his head to face Wash. "Epsilon, more!"
At that, Wash let out a terrible scream of pain and collapsed to the ground, convulsing violently.
"Please, please stop!" I begged, tears coming to my eyes. Wash bellowed as he relived Epsilon's fragmentation repeatedly, clawing viciously at his own head. "I'll do anything! Anything! Please, I'm begging you!"
Meta looked down at me.
"Epsilon, stop," O'Malley said coldly. Wash automatically fell silent, his panting still heavy.
"Why don't we make this even better?" The rage AI continued with savage relish, stopping my temporary relief with a shock of dread. "Show him his own memories this time. Show him something pleasant. Show him… Eleven. Maybe a nice memory of them performing some silly human ritual. Making love or some such nonsense."
"Wh—what?" I gasped.
"Yes, Omega," Epsilon replied. Wash watched the memory as it flashed before his eyes, still breathing heavily, seemingly unaware of anything that was occurring around him. He seemed to be relaxing…
"Now," O'Malley seethed with rancor. "Show him her broken body. Show him how he saw her with her ribs shattered. Show him every drop of blood and every twisted bone. And… return the fragmentation memory simultaneously." Epsilon confirmed his understanding.
"Oh, and Epsilon?" O'Malley added nonchalantly. "MORE!"
"NO!" I screamed.
Wash's roar of pain echoed through the entire clearing and beyond, startling some alien birds and scattering them into the sky. His body twisted into gruesome angles in the dirt.
"Think about it, Wash!" O'Malley called to him over his pained bellows. "Think about the pain you've undergone. Think about how you lost your job and your mind. Remember every ounce of ache you felt as Epsilon slowly unraveled inside you."
At that, Wash let out another yell of agony. "Stop!"
O'Malley chuckled. "You remember how it felt now, Wash, don't you? Thinking that your soul was being tortured into different pieces? Remember each and every knife that stabbed at you?"
"Stop, stop!" cried Wash between his screams of misery.
"Think about this, Wash," O'Malley continued over the noise. "Your life has never been devoid of pain. It has always been present there, eating you from inside out. Don't you want that pain to go away?"
"Yes!" called Wash frantically, digging his fingers into his temple and drawing blood. "Yes, yes, no more pain!"
O'Malley laughed. "You may decrease the intensity, Epsi. But don't take it all away yet."
Epsilon complied, and, though Wash's thunderous yells lessened, he still clutched at his head and shook uncontrollably.
"David," O'Malley continued. Meta began walking toward him slowly. "I can take away your pain. I can remove the memories. I can do it all. Do you want me to help you?"
"Yes… yes…" Wash moaned. "No more… please…"
"I will take Epsilon from your head," O'Malley said cooly. "On one condition. Let me in instead. This is the only way. Turn on your radio, and I will enter your mind. I can take it all away. All the pain."
With a shaking hand, Wash reached up.
He turned his radio on.