Well, I believe I promised you folks some Angerality at some point!

At Peace

The wires swung up from the main chassis, disappearing into the blackness overhead, before dipping back down, and connecting to the chairs hanging in the murky space at the very edge of the light. Flashes of light and color revealed the beings that lived here.

"Oooh, what's that? Who's that? I know you, you're that scientist from before! Who's that with you? Is she new? She is, isn't she?"

Morality peered up at them, letting herself be tugged along by the enthusiastic intern as he led her to the fourth chair. She wondered at the four empty stations, but she wasn't programmed to take an obsessive interest in questions that weren't important, so she turned her attention to the other cores as she sat down.

Flashes of orange lit up the area around the happy, loud one, who's questions seemed to so overwhelm her, she just had to spit them out verbally. There was also a pair of hands, carefully folded in a lap, illuminated by a pale blue spotlight. She could hear the blue one muttering to himself, something about rhubarb and fish. And on the other side, was a slowly rising snarl…

A flash of red locked on the childish one. "Shut up!" the voice was deep, clearly accompaniment to the snarl, and his glare was illuminated by the soft orange of the other core's sheepish stare. "Shut up, shut up shutupshutupshut…" the words faded out of intelligibility.

The intern plugged a wire into Morality's neck, and suddenly she could hear the blue…Logic, his name was Logic.

Eggs, two large eggs…what am I saying, not dirt, why would anyone put dirt in a cake? Eggs, flour, milk… She could feel his corrupt verbal structures, connecting his thoughts to random other words, she could see his hands, clenched into fists in concentration, pressing down against his thighs, his blue jumpsuit crinkled from years of them being held in just that position…

Another wire connected.

Now she could feel Her, huge and sleeping beneath them, Her memories rising to the surfaces, a smug glee at the death of hundreds of scientists…No, Morality told Her, knowing She couldn't hear. No, that's wrong, killing humans is wrong. No one is killing anymore scientists.

Another one.

Her mind filled with questions, insatiable questions, flashes of the walls and the other cores, all cast in an orange glow, a tiny, child-like body propped on the very edge of her seat to get a better view…

"Oooooh! Who are you? What are you for?"

It was the strangest sensation, looking at herself both through Curiosity's eyes and looking out of her own back at Curiosity. The questions were senseless, since the other core would know the answers as soon as they were connected, but at the same time, they were everything, the whole world is a riddle, made up of smaller ones, and do you feel that whenever we figure something else, and isn't it wonderful and–

Wire.

His mind was chaos, roiling rage and irritation, and hate. He was a conduit for everything the scientists didn't want Her to feel, and he knew it, and he hated it, he hated everything…

Why? she asked, feeling Curiosity's mind in the question.

He froze. Slowly, the red light of his eyes turned to her, the vibration of the snarl in his verbal processor revving up. Why? Why? She hates them, they made me for Her, I hate them, ME! But they'll never acknowledge it, I don't exist, it's all Her all the time with them, I hate, I hate, I HATE IT! Curiosity never shuts up, NEVER, I can't think, I can't speak, I c-c-can't FEEL ANYTHING and CAKE CAN'T HELP! His eyes flashed to Logic, and, for a single second, he had every intention of ripping himself out of his station and throwing himself at the other core.

She locked down on the thought, and forced it back. She cooed softly, stroking her own cheek since she couldn't reach his, trying all of the methods her programming told her could be used to calm someone enough to have them listen to reason. No one could hear their conscience if they were out of control, after all.

The growl faded into a whimper, before kicking back up, louder than before.

What…what are you doing? Orange seemed to shade the thought, a touch of Curiosity in his mind. His fists clenched, his jaw locked, every inch of him on the defensive. Stop it, it's not right, not natural, stop it! Don't you change me, I can't change, don't want to change! STOP!

She did. His shoulders slumped, eyes closed, red vanishing behind his lids. He continued to echo his protests of not right, not natural softly to himself, while she did her very best to stay out of his thought process.

There was a pause.

I don't want to hurt you. Purple light on his face, a soft apology reaching across the space between them. I'm sorry if I hurt you.

Not hurt, change…don't want to…saw the others… Images in her mind, a yellow, a pink, a green core, all corrupted, unable to handle the sort of contact they had with the others at the time. She tried to send him sympathy, only to get a snarl in response. Don't want your pity! I don't need anyone's pity, don't want it, c-c-can't stand it! Get out! Get out of my head! Get out of my head, and take your pity with you!

I would if I could. I'm sorry.

Sorry…pity…

Not pity. Remorse.

Remorse?

Pain, pain at causing pain to others. I can't help it, she added, cutting him off before he could respond, I'm a Morality Sphere, remember?

A brooding silence. She felt his thoughts struggle to line up, struggle to piece themselves together beyond the rage. A jagged, badly-defined map seemed to be coming together from the chaos, prompted by nothing beyond her very presence. She could feel her thoughts influence his, making them organized behind the emotions, beyond what Logic had done, the same way Curiosity made them both ask questions of eachother. The growl lowered to a purr before fading to an inaudible rumble in his chest.

His gaze rose to meet hers, his hands still clenched, his body tense, his irritation still very much present…but everything cooled down with the mixing of purple and red.

…Morality?

I'm sorry.

Stop saying that. Never say that again. Don't apologize for what you can't control, what none of us can control, w-w-what… The deep breath she took was echoed in his chest. Not your fault. Not mine, not yours, theirs, and I hate it, but it's not…fair…Your functions say it's not fair to take it out on you.

Yes.

There was silence, and a feeling that was better than any apology. She touched her cheek again, and smiled.

*smiles* Please Read and Review!