Hello everyone and welcome to the third chapter section. Don't have too much to say other than enjoy!
The memory stopped playing and Shali looked at Matthew. He looked better than he did after the first memory, but one look into his aura told her that he was still incredibly on edge.
Matthew had been right; the memory had been much less intense than before. Though that didn't change how uneasy she was feeling. While not nearly as strong, the amount of hate she could still feel coming from Matthew in the memory still worried her. But that wasn't what was at the forefront of her mind. The one that Matthew was talking with was what she couldn't stop thinking about, and where she aimed her distaste.
"Thinking of me again? Maybe I should start taking it as a compliment."
She glanced right and saw Neo, leaning against the wall opposite to them and smirking. For a moment, she felt confused, then realized her paws and Matthew's hands were still firmly together.
"Ah, to remember the good old days, eh Matthew?" Neo said.
"There wasn't anything good about them," Matthew said, looking over at Neo as well.
Neo dropped his smirk. "That's not what you thought back then."
"'Then' was more than ten years ago."
"And that doesn't change anything." He turned to Shali, "You saw the memory. I'm willing to bet mine and his auras would've looked the exact same at the end there."
"I don't care about that," Shali said, glaring at Neo. "Matthew could've had a worse aura than you at that time and I still wouldn't care."
"Shali…" Matthew mumbled, looking down at the bed.
She took her eyes off Neo and moved slightly closer to Matthew, their knees now touching. His aura was still tense, but it eased by a small amount.
Neo shrugged, "No, you probably wouldn't. But word from the wise, don't hold your breath." His smirk popped back into place, "Things could've been so much different, Matthew. I wonder if you'll show her just how much."
Matthew's hands slightly tightened around her paws. Shali stared daggers at Neo who only snickered before vanishing without another word.
In time with Neo's departure, Matthew's hands relaxed. However, the calm they had was short, and they began quivering in Shali's paws. She held them tighter in response, hoping to pacify them like she had done to her own back at the pokemon center. It seemed to work, but Matthew was still looking down.
"I wasn't lying, Matthew," she said.
"I know," he replied. He tilted his head up, "But… he's not wrong. You still don't–."
"It won't change anything, I promise." She smiled at him and held his hands up, "I'm not going anywhere."
He sighed, "Please, Shali. I know you're trying to make me feel better about this, but you still don't know everything."
"Then keep showing me."
He looked down at her paws gripping his hands and nodded. "Alright."
Shali readied herself for another memory as Matthew's palms began glowing once more. The memory appeared in her mind, began to play, and…
…it disappeared.
The glow dimmed, then stopped entirely.
"Matthew?"
"Yeah, I know. It's…" He paused and looked up. "This one is just a lot for me. I didn't really think about it until I was about to do it. I mean, I knew this was going to be a bad one but… there's so much." He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. It sounded forced. "Sorry, just give me a second to prepare myself."
Shali watched him as he took several deep breaths. She was glad that he was being open with her, though also concerned. He wanted to do it, but this memory seemed to be too much. The tension in his aura had returned to full strength. Even with her paws holding his hands tight, he was struggling to relax.
She didn't wait any longer. Taking her paws away from his hands, she leaned closer and placed them on his shoulders.
"Hey."
His head came up, her muzzle nearly brushing against his nose. Only then did she realize how close she actually was. A blush came to his face and she pulled back a bit, keeping her paws where they were.
"Sh-Shali?" he said. His tone wasn't hesitant, only surprised.
"For the memories, you only need to make contact with me, right?"
He nodded, "As long as both my hands are on you, it should be fine."
"Right." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her body into his. Her arms curled slightly around his back, securing the hug. "Then this will work."
She waited for Matthew to react, ready to pull back if it was anything negative. He was still, then slowly leaned in and returned the embrace.
"Alright," he said, his voice quiet and steady. "Thank you."
In the darkness of the room, Shali could make out the light magenta glow coming from Matthew's palms against her back. She looked into his aura and saw that the tension had been replaced with calm, though a small portion remained. She held onto him a little tighter.
The memory reappeared and began playing.
Date: February 3rd, 2007
Matthew found it incredible how white the arena was. It's walls, the rounded corners, the floor, even the ceiling he was staring up at. Though, that last one was likely more the blinding lights than any color.
He scrambled to his feet, narrowly eyeing the golduck which had just fired an ice beam at him. It hadn't hit, but his dodge had been more dramatic than he would've liked and ended with him on the floor. It was better than getting frozen solid. That was something he didn't want to repeat.
The golduck stared him down and let out a growl. Without pause, it opened its beak and started firing off multiple shots of water. A rapid-fire water gun attack.
Matthew ducked, jumped, and sidestepped to avoid the incoming blasts of water. The golduck was not letting up, not even for a moment. Slowly, he found himself stepping back with every dodge until there was no room left. The barrage stopped.
Come at me. Come at me and get close, he thought.
His back against the wall, he watched as the golduck started towards him. Its tail was engulfed in a veil of water. Aqua tail. Thin at first, it grew in size and strength as the golduck built up speed towards him.
Only a moment away from him, the golduck swung its tail around, aiming at Matthew's right side.
Perfect.
He raised his right hand, felt the energy collect, and reached out. In an instant, the aqua tail stopped in its tracks. Magenta energy surrounded the tail, slowly calming the waters of the attack until they ceased. The golduck looked at him with shock and horror.
"Sorry," Matthew said. He pushed the energy and sent the golduck flying across the arena, impacting the opposite wall with enough force that he could feel the vibrations where he stood.
It was his seventh fight of the day, and he estimated the next would be his last. He had gotten much better at controlling his output of psychic energy, but that only did so much. And while he tried to be efficient, his energy reserves had been nearly depleted from the previous fights.
He wished he didn't need to fight, but there wasn't much choice in the matter. It was a gauntlet, and every day he needed to get as far as possible. That was 'training' as Team Saber put it. Even if he couldn't deny that his abilities had improved, 'torture' felt more apt. They monitored his vitals closely so even if he attempted to fake blacking out, they wouldn't stop the other pokemon until he actually was. It had come time and again with these 'training' sessions, and it would soon mark the end of this one. Though not from the golduck it seemed.
Or that's what he thought, until he saw the golduck gather itself and shakily stand up.
"You're… no human," the golduck snarled, its speech slightly slurred from the injuries it just obtained.
Matthew kept his composure. With his powers also came the ability to understand pokemon speech, though the charm of it wore off quickly. They knew he wasn't a human, at least not anymore, and made sure he knew it just as well. He could sympathize with their situation, but it was getting to him. From the Team Saber grunts to the pokemon he fought, there were scarce mentions of 'human' or 'Matthew'. The only terms he heard were 'Neo-human' and 'NH-3'.
He didn't respond to the golduck and started towards the pokemon. Just one more hit and it should be enough, he thought. Energy gathered in his hands, ready to be released.
As he crossed the middle of the arena, the golduck suddenly launched forward, its body suddenly swallowed by a torrent of water as it blasted towards him. Aqua jet.
Shit! There was no time, not with how close he already was. He closed his eyes, quickly visualized the wall of the arena, and focused hard.
A sudden pressure, a strong wind against his face, and then nothing.
He opened his eyes and found himself on the other side of the arena, no aqua jet in front of him. Just as he had visualized.
The fatigue he had before doubled, and he struggled to stay on his feet. Teleportation always did that, even with small distances. The first time he had done it was by accident, and he spent nearly half a day unconscious because of it. He was better at it now, but the cost was still dire.
Matthew turned around, just in time to see the golduck's aqua jet impact the wall and disperse immediately. The pokemon landed on its feet but was disoriented, and Matthew sprinted towards it.
Energy gathered in both his hands, glowing far brighter than before. He winced at the sudden increase in tiredness but pushed forward. The golduck turned around, its eyes wide, and could do nothing as Matthew thrusted his arm forward and sent the magenta energy from his hands at the pokemon.
The energy slammed into the golduck's chest and pushed it into the wall. The force of the impact was so great that the wall's near impenetrable material warped around the pokemon's body. As the stream of energy ended and the golduck fell to the ground, a slight impression of where it had impacted remained.
Matthew waited, breathing heavily. The golduck was still, its eyes closed but it appeared to be still breathing. It was enough. It had to be.
More seconds passed and the golduck still didn't move. Matthew's answer finally came as he felt the inhibitor chip click in the back of his neck. The glow in his palms dissipated immediately.
It was enough.
"It was," Neo said, appearing beside him. "You're nearly drained of energy though."
Matthew didn't look at Neo, instead focusing his vision on the wall to the right of him. The one that would eventually open. I know. There's a chance I can finish one more, but it's not likely. That teleport took everything out of me.
"Still impressive. If it weren't for the teleport barriers in the arena and lab, you would've been able to go miles away with that strength. You've done well over these past few torture sessions."
He couldn't help but snort at the comment. He lived for any bit of levity he could find, and Neo wasn't afraid of providing it. He was perhaps the only source of it in this prison called the Deity Lab. Neo was always there, always willing to listen, always someone that he could talk with no matter what.
Well, I've gotten lucky with the opponents. The next one is going to have an easy target.
"Play it by ear. It may be a fighting or poison type next, and that would be a rather nice break."
It would. So that means Team Saber won't do it.
Neo snickered, "No they will not."
Two segments of the arena wall split apart, revealing two grunts. Behind them was a hallway, the same one they had come from the previous fights and the one Matthew had been dragged through to be dropped into the arena. Like many times before, one stood by the door and the other made his way through the arena, pokeball in hand.
Matthew watched as the grunt made a wide arc around him. Not like it was necessary, there wasn't anything he could do with the inhibitor chip active. He still wondered if he could've escaped on his first day, when they had allowed him that little freedom to test his powers before officially locking the cage. Unlikely, considering his control of his psychic, but it still made him think.
Even with the inhibitor off, there was a small psychic barrier on the chip itself that protected it from damage and prevented him from using his powers to rip it out. Perhaps it would malfunction one day. A simple blip in the circuitry was all it would take. And when that happened, he would be ready. That was why he chose to play along with Team Saber and engage with these fights.
The grunt walked over to the golduck and pointed the pokeball at it. A red beam shot out at the pokemon, returning it to the pokeball. The grunt attached the ball on his belt and threw out another. A sandslash appeared on the arena floor in a burst of light.
Matthew sighed. Ground type. Not bad, not great.
After releasing the pokemon, the grunt walked back to the hallway. As soon he passed through the opening in the arena walls, they slid back together seamlessly.
Matthew sized up his opponent, imagining the sandslash was doing the same. Both he and the pokemon he fought had inhibitor chips that denied them use of their powers. As soon as they were turned off, the fight would begin.
The sandslash got into a ready position, ready to battle. Matthew stood still and stretched his hands out, ready to gather energy into them and hopefully end the fight quickly. Whether that meant the sandslash or him going down, he didn't–
The sandslash jumped forward, its claws glowing white, and landed in front of Matthew. It slashed ceaselessly at him, and he only just avoided the first two strikes before the third grazed his arm, drawing a fair amount of blood.
The sharp pain turned on his instincts. He concentrated the energy in his hands and pushed it forward at the sandslash, attempting to send it back.
But the sandslash didn't move. And his hands weren't glowing magenta.
The sandslash stared at him, confused, then began another blitz of fury swipes. Matthew backed off and narrowly missed the attack. His breathing was rapid from adrenaline, but his mind was working far faster.
Something is very wrong.
He tried again and still there was no energy. And the cut on his arm, which should've begun healing, if not already healed, still dripped blood onto the ground.
My inhibitor is still on.
But the sandslash's wasn't. And it proved that by raising one of its feet and slamming it down. A series of tremors rocked the arena floor, breaking Matthew's balance. If he still had energy or his psychic, he could've stayed standing through the earthquake attack, but instead he fell. His head banged against the floor and was rocked around more by the last few tremors. His vision grew gray around the corners with the rest of it taken by the sandslash.
He held his arm, trying to find any protection. The sandslash raised its glowing claws and slashed furiously at him. The first strike knocked away his arm, exposing him entirely. The second stabbed down, right into his chest, and knocked the wind out of him. Before he could even think of breathing, the third strike came at his face, directly at his eye and–
Black.
Then he stirred. Slowly, he opened his eyes to find a grey ceiling in front of them. It wasn't an image he was unfamiliar with. The ceiling of his room in the Deity Lab was always how he woke up, whether that be from sleep or unconsciousness. This time was a product of the latter.
His injuries had vanished, though not the memories. The sandslash had got him, but not from a lack of trying. His inhibitor chip didn't turn off and left him helpless. That bothered him. Team Saber, as bad as they were, would never leave him in a situation like that. They wanted him to improve his psychic for their gains, and that wouldn't be possible if they just left him out to dry in front of a pokemon ready to kill.
Could that have been a fluke? He sighed, clenching his fists. That figures. The first mistake Team Saber ever did, and I got fucked over because of it. He released his fists and… wait.
That feeling on his back. It wasn't the floor. The floor was always where he woke up when he lost consciousness in battle. He knew that cold, hard, unforgiving floor well, and this soft, somewhat comfortable surface was not it. It was his room's bed.
He ran his hands over where he laid. There was no mistaking it, he was on the bed. The same bed he eventually fell asleep on every night. But why? They never put him on his bed after fighting. They never cared that much.
"Ah, you're awake, Matthew."
He tensed. There was only one person who called him 'Matthew' in the Deity Lab, other than Neo. And that voice was not Neo. He sat up on his bed and turned his head towards the voice.
Soul, the leader of Team Saber, was standing in the middle of his room. Two heavily armed grunts flanked her on either side, both of their gazes locked onto Matthew. It was a view he had seen time and again, but for them to be here after one of his fights was new.
He turned away from her immediately, he knew what she wanted and wasn't about to give it up. Instead, he looked at the open doorway to the hall. Even if the guards would stop him before he could reach it, the idea of running through it and into the halls was so tantalizing. If only the inhibitor was off. Escape was so close, yet so far. And he knew Soul knew that too. Just another offshoot of the torture.
"Come now, Matthew. There's no need for us to do this song and dance again," Soul said, stepping closer. The grunts were quick to follow. "But then again, I do suppose that's why I'm here."
What does that mean? His eyes were still fixed in place, even if a small corner was taken up by Soul. She had come before, and they always progressed the same way. She would come in, talk with him, try to push him to her side, fail to do so, and then leave. It was routine.
"Look at me, Matthew."
His eyes didn't move at all.
"Look. At. Me."
Not. An. Inch.
Soul sighed and seemed to draw something from her pocket. Matthew didn't see what it was and wasn't interested in learning. Any amount of attention he gave her was something she could use.
"I do understand, Matthew. I really do. So, one last chance. Look at me."
He continued to simply stare into the hallway. You'll never get it through your head. You could give me every luxury in the world, and I would still never be on your side. I–
He felt a rush of electricity. Starting from his neck and running down his spine like a lightning rod, it spread through his body and made him spasm. He fell back on his bed, arms and legs twitching as the current surged through him. Then it ceased, too abruptly for relief to set in.
His vision was on the ceiling again, but that only lasted for a moment as Soul's face came into view and stared down at him.
"You're so stubborn, and for what? For pride? For valor? There is nothing for you to hope for," she said, looking at him with half-lidded eyes. "And yet, despite my numerous attempts at trying to show you the light, you continue to disappoint me."
He breathed through gnashed teeth, a fire burning furiously in his mind.
Soul laughed. "Is that anger? Perhaps you misunderstand, Matthew. I am not the one you should be angry with. You are the one who is choosing this path."
His nostrils flared. He spoke before he could stop himself. "There is no 'path' here. The only thing here is an edge. An edge that you're trying to push me over, just so you can pick up the shards and do whatever you want with them." He pushed himself up on the mattress, closing the distance between his and Soul's face. "And that won't happen."
Soul closed her eyes, a small smile forming on her lips.
Another surge of electricity sent him back on the bed. His weight shifted, and he found himself sliding off the bed and landing on the ground, his body slumped against the mattress. It went on for a few more seconds before cutting off again.
What was that? Matthew's eyes looked over her and spotted something in her hand. Slightly obscured by her fingers, he could only make out a small gray box.
Soul noticed his gaze and sated his curiosity by opening her hand and revealing the object. It was a thin remote with only four buttons and an LED segment display near its top. It was unassuming, appearing like a remote for a thermostat.
"We've retrofitted your inhibitor chip with a new function. It wasn't something I wanted, but it is something you needed," Soul said, resting her finger on one of the buttons. "It pains me to do this, Matthew. But know that I care about you, and only want the best for you. Please understand that."
"Y-You…" he said, trying to find his voice. The shocks had completely thrown his body off. His limbs felt like they weighed a ton and the effort to move them was titanic. "You… will not push me over… the edge…"
"I have no intentions to push you anywhere." She knelt in front of him, "I want you to come to me on your own."
He cracked a smile. "No… fucking… way."
Soul's face lost the little sympathy it had. All that was left was a cold mask. "Then don't expect to ever return to that luxury you had before."
"What luxury? That… torture day after day… is no luxury," he scoffed.
"You'll learn that it was." She pressed a button on the remote.
Another shock shot through his body. His eyes widened. This time was different. It was like someone had injected pure electricity straight into his heart, causing him to gasp for breath. His whole body shivered and convulsed. Soon, his body fell from the support of the bed, and he was left on the floor. And the shock wouldn't stop.
He cried out in pain, but it was lost to the sound of tinnitus. His eyelids shut tight, but he could still feel a few tears running down his cheeks. He couldn't control them anymore. There was nothing holding them back.
His movements made his head bang into the floor, but he hardly felt it. Everything hurt, and the injury was just lost in the noise. Every nerve in his body burned, pulsed, and throbbed as though a blowtorch was being held against every inch of them.
For a minute he laid on the floor, writhing in agony as the electricity tore through him like a chainsaw. And then it was gone. And he was numb.
"Do tread carefully, Matthew," Soul said, her voice sounding like it was miles away. "My patience has run out, and you have pushed me to my limits. I don't like doing this, but it is necessary."
With his face to the floor, the only he could see were the tips of her shoes. That was fixed as she lifted a foot and rolled him over to his back. She looked down at him with her head slightly tilted.
"Your inhibitor not turning off in the arena was no accident. You no longer deserve the security in knowing that your powers will work, and you will be given no warning of such." Even without a hint of a smile, Matthew could see in her eyes that she was taking great pleasure in what she was doing to him. "Your healing is powerful, and I will push it to its breaking point if that's what I need to get through to you." Her finger moved to one of the buttons on the remote.
"W-Wait! Stop!" he yelled.
Soul paused. "Stop? But is this not the path you've chosen? You've chosen to continue your resistance and so I've elected to change my approach." Her finger rested on the side of the remote and she gained a touch of softness in her expression. "But I am willing to allow you to rethink your decision. Is that what you want to do, Matthew?"
"I… I…" It hurt him that he was even considering her offer. Nothing would really change if he took it. He would still be here. Trapped, tortured, enslaved.
"Matthew? Is that what you want to do?" Her finger moved back to the button.
He felt his throat constrict and his chest tighten. Not again. Please not again. There was no telling how long the next shock would last. A minute? Five minutes? An hour? It was all in the palm of her hand.
What choice did he really have? He hated the idea of letting Soul win. But if he kept being steadfast, then shocks would only be the tip of the iceberg. There would be no end to his suffering, and it would only get worse over time. And if he submitted, he may get reprieve from the pain… but there was no way of knowing that she wouldn't simply continue to use more extreme methods on him. Over everything, he knew that if he let her in, it would all be over.
Deep within him, a thought emerged. One that he knew was coming, but still felt crushed by the grand weight of it. He never wanted to think that thought again, but there was no stopping it.
I can't do anything.
Soul frowned. "My patience is gone, Matthew. A small reminder should help you recognize that."
"Wait! Wait! I…" He couldn't bring himself to finish.
"You what?" She leaned in close. Close enough for him to see his reflection in her eyes. "You what, Matthew?"
"I… I–" can't do anything. His body was demanding he give in, just to spare it the pain, while his mind tried its best not to cave. It was a losing battle. And eventually, he opened his mouth again. "I want to–"
And then he stopped. Not that he chose to. The words simply vanished from his mouth, as though they were never there. He went to speak again and still there was nothing. He tried to move his limbs and while they were hard to maneuver from the shocks, he expected at least a slight bit of movement instead of the nothing he saw.
Then there was an action, but not one of his own. His mouth closed and one of its corners folded up into a smirk. Matthew sighed, if only in his head. He should have expected this. It happened time and again when he was at his wit's end, but with all the shocks it had snuck up on him.
Neo was in control. It was his body now.
Neo, with Matthew's body, sat up like electricity hadn't touched him at all. His face was inches away from Soul's. She just watched, a sneer on her face as her eyes narrowed.
Neo opened his mouth and uttered only two words: "Fuck. You."
Soul's eyes only filled with anger for a moment before surprise took them as Neo pulled back his fist and drove it into Soul's face. Her nose crumpled under the force and blood spit against Neo's hand.
Oh shit, Matthew thought.
She stumbled back, her free hand covering her nose. Neo pushed himself to his feet and started to advance toward her. But the moment he took his second step, one of the grunts hammered a blow into his gut, staggering him. Before he could regain balance, the other grunt nailed an elbow into his back.
Neo fell face-first onto the floor. Despite his body not reacting to them, Matthew could feel every injury Neo received. His stomach felt like there was a searing iron being pressed into it while his back felt like someone had struck it with a baseball bat. Neo didn't seem phased by either of them, and began picking himself up moments after he had fallen. That was quickly stopped by a boot on his back shoving him down to the floor.
"You don't know what you want, Matthew," Soul said, her voice nasally from her broken nose. "But I do. I know you want to submit to me, but that damned stubbornness of yours is holding you back."
Neo took a glance up at her. Blood was seeping through the gaps on the fingers that covered her nose. At that, he put his head back down, snickering. From above, the sound of seething breath was loud.
"It seems you need more time," she said.
And like that, another shock. It had double the potency of the last one, causing the muscles in Neo's arms and legs to tighten and contract, forcing them inward towards his chest. The boot on his back was removed and he laid there. He breathed heavily as his muscles twitched uncontrollably.
The shock kept going. And going. If Matthew was still in control, he would've screamed as his body convulsed. The muscles in his chest were tight and he was hardly getting air. His head was light, only partially from the trauma of striking the ground. His entire body felt like it was being squeezed and twisted like a chew toy in an Arcanine's mouth.
It went on. And on. And on. And on for so long that Matthew couldn't keep track of the time anymore. But it kept going. He was nearly certain that it would never stop.
Then it did. The last of the electricity left him and his body was completely limp. Neo laid there, unmoving, his face pressed against the floor. Silence filled the room and Matthew waited for Soul to break it.
She didn't.
Neo turned his head to the side. It was a slow, laborious action that ached so much that Matthew could feel each individual tendon screaming. Neo's eyes rested on the floor before him. Instead of the pair of shoes and two pairs of boots he expected from Soul and the guards, there was only an empty room. He turned his head further, confirming the sight. The door was shut. They were alone.
Neo pushed himself to his hands and knees, a chorus of protests from his body accompanying the movement. Matthew wouldn't have attempted such movement so quickly after the shocks, but Neo seemed to be made of stronger stuff. Or perhaps he simply chose to ignore the pain.
Matthew still didn't exactly know what Neo was. A part of him, sure. But what part? What even qualified as a 'part' of him? From the small talks they had, it seemed even Neo was somewhat unaware of what he was.
Neo lurched forward, grabbing the bed and resting his upper body against it. After a moment of rest, he pushed up and forced his entire head and torso onto the bed. The mattress was bliss. So soft and comfortable compared to the floor. With another push, the legs came up as well.
Neo rolled over on the bed and faced the ceiling. His arms rested at his sides and his legs stretched out. He took deep breaths.
And with that, Matthew felt in control of his own body again. Neo's influence was gone.
There was only a moment of grace before his fingers tightened in his hands and his knees bent so quickly it was like they were loaded in a slingshot. He groaned, putting one hand on his sore chest as he breathed.
The pain had mostly subsided, but his muscles were unbelievably tense. They would recover when his inhibitor turned off next and his healing activated, but that wouldn't be until the next day when the gauntlet began again. Until then, he would have to grit his teeth and get through to tomorrow.
Matthew sighed and let the hand on his chest drop down to his side. You did it again.
Neo appeared, standing beside the bed and looking over Matthew. "I did. I'm sorry I didn't let you know, but I had to do it."
I know, I know. It wasn't the first time Neo had taken over his body. When he had only been in the Deity Lab for three months, he had a breakdown. It was perhaps one of the darkest moments he could recall. He wanted to escape. Not just from the cell or the lab but from everything.
There was no healing when his inhibitor was active. If he was quick, Team Saber couldn't stop him.
But Neo could.
And he did.
Neo had talked to him. He didn't want this, Neo explained. He wanted to keep going so he could get to what he really wanted. Neo had been ambiguous and seemed to dance around whatever Matthew 'really wanted,' but still gave him the talk he needed. Matthew supposed that whatever he 'really wanted' was something for him to figure out. Even now, he still didn't know. But with how things were, that thought was lost in the raging sea of his mind.
Neo had been taking over more often ever since Soul began visiting him. She would talk with him, and he would find himself lost in those eyes of hers. It was a trap, and he quickly learned of it after Neo slapped some sense into him. She wanted him to come to her willingly, but he was able to deflect most attempts. And the ones that got through to him were stopped dead by Neo.
This had been the fifth time he had taken over. But there was something new this time.
Matthew looked down at his bloodstained hand. I can't believe you punched her, he thought, finding himself grinning at the thought. In the face too.
"You would've done the same," Neo said, grinning with Matthew. "She's never gotten that close before, not when I was around anyway. I suspect she won't make the same mistake again."
She won't, but it still felt good seeing that look on her face. It sucks that she covered it up so quickly.
"Perhaps if another opportunity comes, a punch slightly lower would give us a better view."
Matthew chuckled, an action that was brief with how it hurt his chest. The brief lapse in his amusement made him realize another factor that had been new. Did she see your eyes?
Every time Neo took over his body, there would be only one physical change. His eyes would change from green to Neo's magenta. It was a small difference, but a noticeable one. Neo kept his head down most of the time so they wouldn't be spotted.
It's why they didn't communicate openly. The camera in his room was always watching and any indicator that Neo existed needed to be kept to a minimum. So far, at least from what Matthew could tell, Team Saber wasn't aware of Neo yet. It was important to keep it that way.
"She caught a small look, though I doubt that'll be the thing she remembers," Neo said, still grinning but becoming more serious.
Maybe, but we shouldn't risk that again. He stared upwards. Things just got worse for us, and we don't need them finding out that you exist. If that happens… I don't want you to leave.
"I won't leave. And I won't let that happen." Neo's light tone was gone. "We won't let that happen. If we give an inch, they take a mile. So we're not giving them anything."
Matthew nodded, then smiled again. That being said, 'giving' Soul a clock in the head should be an exception.
"Lower than the head," Neo said, "For the reaction."
Matthew laughed, clutching his chest from the pain, but continuing to laugh regardless. Neo soon joined in, and that only made Matthew laugh harder. Hard enough for him to start coughing, sending jolts of aching through his frame. He forced himself to slow down, taking breaths punctuated by small hiccups of laughter. Eventually it stopped, and he was left staring at the ceiling.
A surprising, hopeful thought came to him. It will get better. I know it will. Whatever I 'really want,' I am going to get. Team Saber won't hold me forever.
And despite the circumstances, he believed that.
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Peace!
-Minusbomb
