Chapter 8: She Came…And Went
Dee stared at her brain in the tank. It was a surreal experience, knowing that the brain in front of her had been locked in her skull less than a week ago. Even weirder was the fact that it could apparently talk separate from her despite still being in control of her body. "Hello… brain…"
"Well, well, look who finally dragged themselves in out of the Wasteland. And where have we been, hmm? Crawling through pits of radioactive muck again?" the masculine voice spoke through the same kind of voice synthesizer the Think Tank and Mobius used.
Dee just stared. She hadn't expected an actual response or that the response would be in a very male voice from the same kind of thought-to-voice synthesizer the Think Tank and Mobius used. "You're my brain?" Dee's voice caught in her throat.
"Ah, lovely, figured that out, have we? Would you like a…" the male voice's condescending tone faded as Dee dropped to her knees and closed her hands over ears. "That's not the reaction I expected."
"Please, stop talking with that voice!" Dee said and looked up at the brain tank.
"Oh well… I can't exactly change it, the male voice module was the only one Mobius had available," her brain's voice faltered, "I mean, I understand hearing part of you speak in a voice associated with our old life…"
"Painful, distressing, as bad as hearing the Sink CIU call me 'sir' every time I use it," Dee's eyes quivered. "That's not who I am, who I ever was and now on top of all the other horrors I feel like I'm being attacked personally, in here," she touched her chest right where the surgery scar for her heart was, where her chest spike used to be.
The brain was silent for a moment, "I'm sorry, and I do wish I could change that. Honestly, I had a whole tirade prepared for you about how you roam around putting our body in danger from mutant Pokemon, raiders, thieves and radiation. I do wish you'd settle down away from all that danger."
Dee sat down and looked up at the tank, "I do too, but where would I settle and with who?"
"There's always Vaniville Town," her brain replied, "I mean, would it be so bad to settle alone?"
"Without Helios?" Dee wiped her eyes as they became teary, "I wanted to settle down in Galar. I thought he'd come back someday or I could go find him but if he's out east, across the river, then Nobunaga's Kogun probably got him. And then Galar was destroyed and my new life with it. I just kept doing jobs because I couldn't think or find anything to do." Dee looked at the metal at the base of the brain tank, just barely able to make out the gold fur on her features in the reflection, "And even if found him, would he even recognize me?"
"He would, something tells me he'd recognize you," her brain sounded apologetic, "I guess I jumped the gun on that thought, being here without the other organs to provide extreme emotions and not in constant danger made me want to stay that way. After two major surgeries and not being able to just regenerate anymore the danger felt more real."
Dee winced as she stood up, then leaned forwards and put her forehead on the tank, "Let me know how we're feeling about all of this, please," her aura-dreads rose as she forced herself to open her emotional feelings to herself and her brain. A flurry of information passed between her own conscious thoughts and what she could only feel were the subconscious thoughts her brain was harboring. Dee was forced to confront feelings that the accidental misgendering from the CIU and the brain tank's masculine voice had brought up in her, hidden doubts that she maybe wasn't sure she had wanted to be a woman because it was just dumped on her without any choice in the matter, doubts she'd ignored because of all the adventures and danger she'd faced in the six years since she was forced to leave Vault 18. Her brain's own worry about the constant life-threatening danger, all made clearer now.
Finally, she stepped back, doubts eased, "Yes, we're a woman."
"We always were," her brain replied, "but I can understand why we doubted some of this."
Dee winced at hearing the voice again and placed her right hand on the tank, "Not any more, it was just outside voices accidentally trying to convince us we were wrong. Honestly, if it wasn't for all the horrors here in Big MT I'd like to stay in that apartment with fresh food, a nice bed and clean water to drink and shower in."
"But we can't, can we?" Her brain sounded disappointed but understanding, "We have to find that man that shot us in the head, even if he's the only reason we haven't become a mindless Lobotomite."
Dee clenched her right hand into a fist on the brain tank's surface, "I can't let him get away with that! No matter his reason!" She felt her blood start to boil at the thought.
Her brain recoiled from the fist on the tank's edge, "If you must focus that feeling of vengeance, focus on the Think Tank, they can't be trusted."
Dee removed her hand from her brain's tank, "I know, they're just using us to stop Mobius."
"More than that," worry rose in her brain's voice, "they lack empathy and morals, disconnected from any bodies like I would be without the aura to share thoughts as we just did. You've seen all the Lobotomites and other experiments littering the crater. Imagine if they got out and had the whole of Kalos to play with."
Dee's eyes widened in horror, "Everyone out there reduced to a disposable test subject. It'll be like Coumarine City all over again."
"Worse, and all over the region," her brain said, "But you can't do this alone, without me nearby the pacification field won't even let you defend yourself."
"But how can I take you with me without risking both of us?" Dee was starting to breathe hard.
Fortunately, her brain had an answer, "I have a solution. I've been studying the waterworks that interconnect these facilities since I arrived through the very system Mobius used to abduct me. I can flush myself back to the Think Tank and the brain tank in the Sink. As long as I'm in the building that will be close enough to circumvent their pacification field."
Dee sighed in relief, "Then I'll see you back there, I have to go now!" she took off down the stairs, right past Dr. Mobius.
"See you soon!" Her brain flushed itself down the tubes below its tank.
Dee sprinted all the way back to the Think Tank, ignoring the few Lobotomies and Robo-Skorupi that spotted her. Her mind raced back to the Kogun and their destruction of Coumarine city, the dead bodies that littered the streets, tossed on the tire fire and crucified victims and it filled her with a resolve to not let that happen. She almost tore off the elevator door that led to the Think Tank and prepared herself for a confrontation.
The atmosphere in the Think Tank was much different. The lighting was red and Dee couldn't feel the pacification field anymore which only made her nervous as she ascended the ramp and found all five members of the Think Tank waiting for her, just like when she first arrived.
Dr. Klein was the first to speak, "THE LOBOTOMITE RETURNS, OUR LOBOTOMITE. HAS DR. MOBIUS BEEN DENOMINATORED INTO SCRAP METAL AND VOiCE MODULE PARTS AS WE HOPED?"
Dee readied herself for a fight, "He's still alive and I can't let you escape Big MT!"
"ALIVE! ALLOW! HOW DARE YOU FAIL TO STOP HIM AND TRY TO STOP US!" Klein was livid, "NOW HAND OVER YOUR BRAIN THAT WE MIGHT DISSECT THE SECRETS OF ESCAPE!"
Dee took a step back as the others spoke up, starting with Dala, "Dr. Klein, let me have the Lobotomite's body, I believe it was the same kind of form I once had as a human."
"Why do you get the body!?" Dr. O cut in, "You expect me to use one of the older bodies lying around the crater?"
Dr. 8 sprayed some static at the group that Dee could sense meant: 'Pacification field off, don't be aggressive.'
Dr. Borous didn't succumb to the arguing, instead he advanced on Dee with two clawed arms extending from the back of his chassis, "Let me examine the HYBRID BODY. If there are others like HER I want to know how they FUNCTION!"
Dee backed away from Borous as he bore down on her. Rage was building inside her as she saw his vivisectors. She clenched her fists and red mist began to fill her vision. Her surgical scars started to ache as she remembered what these scientists had done to her, cut her apart, pulled out her organs and used her as their errand girl try and break free! She was going to make them pay!
Borous stopped and seemed to stare at Dee, "RED! The Lobotomite is turning RED! The hated color of-" He didn't get any farther as Dee charged and jumped, her High Jump Kick plowing into and through Dr. Borous' brain jar, smashing his brain onto the floor.
The other four members of the Think Tank stared at Dee in shock, her whole body surrounded with a red glow.
"THE LOBOTOMITE IS ON A RAMPAGE! ACTIVATE VIVISECTORS AND BRAINIAL BLASTERS! STOP IT!" Klein's screens lit up and a blast of ringed energy at Dee but she took the blast and charged at him as more energy bolts struck her, damaging the stealth suit. Klein tried to flee but Dee jumped and delivered a Thunder Punch to the back of his chassis. His hover engine shorted out and Dee sliced off one of his eye monitors with a Metal Claw before delivering three Force Palms to the glass dome that contained his brain, shattering it and letting the biogel leak out as the chassis shuddered and died.
More shouts of fear filled the lab as Dee was pelted with energy bolts. Her teeth were bared as she turned to the nearest of the Think Tank and hurled a vacuum wave at them, knocking them for a loop and giving Dee the chance to charge them and Blaze Kick their screens away before she delivered another Thunder Punch uppercut to the bottom of the chassis, destroying its hover system and smashing to the ground, the tank cracking and leaking biogel.
Dee felt a slash across her back, carving a chunk out of the stealth suit's back and slicing the X-2 antenna in half. Dee rounded on the attacker, who let out a cry and tried to run but Dee slashed at the retreating mech with a Metal Claw and tried to pursue but was blasted by an energy bolt from the only other brain tank halfway across the room. Dee turned and was blasted off her feet as the stealth suit's front was torn open, not helped by the pressure from her chest squeezed into it, and she fell to her side which smashed the sonic emitter still in its holster. Dee jumped to her feet then charged and High Jump Kicked the front of the chassis which broke in half and crashed to the ground. Dee landed on the brain that had been inside, squashing it.
The last of the Think Tank began firing everything at Dee but she just charged through even as the stealth suit was shredded, hurled a Vacuum Wave at the front of the machine to disorient it then smashed all three screen with Force Palms before she jumped and smashed her elbow into the glass dome on the top, the biogel spilling out over her as the machine shuddered, wavered in the air, then fell to the floor.
Dee stood there, panting, covered in biogel and bleeding in several places, the stealth suit in tatters as the red glow around her body faded. Then she stared down at the wreck of the machine in front of her, then at her hands. She was shaking. She turned around and saw the corpses of the Think Tank littered throughout their lab, unable to recognize any of them now that their screens were smashed and there was no colored glow on their broken brain jars. She stared at the horror she had just inflicted, then turned and ran to the elevator that led to the Sink, desperate to get away!
As she stepped out of the elevator, Dee was greeted by a chorus of cheers from the Sink's personality modules, all shouting their praises and congratulations at her defeat of the Think Tank. Dee was stunned right up until Muggy the mini Porygon flew up to her face and shouted, "Please, please, please tell me you stomped Dr. O's brain into a fine paste! Did he squeal?! Arceus, I hope he begged!"
Dee's hands flew to cover her ears, futilely trying to block out the celebratory shouts of her massacre. Unable to take it any more she shouted, "Shut up! Shut up!" when the cheers didn't stop she forced herself to give a more coherent command, "Deactivate all the Sink's personality modules!"
And just like that, the Sink was silent, save for a sputter from the damaged stealth suit. Not wanting to hear any more of its unhelpful comments, Dee tore the stealth suit off, her breasts and hips practically exploding the circuitry laden suit to the floor in tatters before she ran to the shower.
Dee just stood under the water cascading across her body, letting the water soothe her burns, wash the biogel off her and out of her cuts before she set about scrubbing herself clean. She scrubbed so hard she felt her skin and fur tingle and pain lance through her injuries before she finally finished and let the soap wash off her. Dee's tears mingled with the water as the weight of her actions sank in. She desperately wanted to talk to someone, but the Sink's personalities were just programs that couldn't react to her feelings and some of them were just… disturbing. As she stepped out of the shower stall to dry off she realized that the only person she could talk to was herself… or rather part of herself.
Dee trudged towards the room where her heart and spine were still suspended in tanks and found the once empty central tank now occupied by her brain. She stood in front of the tank, hanging her head in shame.
"So, it's done then, isn't it?" Dee was at least relieved that this tank had a feminine voice module.
"Yes. They're all dead, the whole Think Tank." Dee turned, slid to the floor and carefully leaned back up against the base of the tank. She drew her knees up as close to her chest as they could until they bumped into her breasts, but she wrapped her arms around her knees regardless. "I killed them… I…" Dee wiped the tears from her eyes.
"We had to stop them. They would have turned all of Kalos, if not the world, into a massive experiment. Who knows how many would have died or been horribly mutilated before they were stopped," her brain still sounded remorseful.
"But I could have tried to talk to them, or got to know them or something!" Dee struck the floor by her side, denting it, "But all I could think was: 'they tore me apart, let's see how they like it!' Despite everything they've done the things I've seen here could have helped so many people if they were just toned down, or listened to, or… anything…" Dee started to cry.
The brain let out a sighing noise through the speaker, "Even so, the cost would have been too great. Even if we kept them from doing any more we would be validating all the horror they'd done up until now. And most of it was still made for military applications and creating more powerful weapons is the last thing this world needs."
"I know, but did they all deserve it? Even Dr. 8?" Dee looked up to try and see the brain tank, "He seemed lonely since the others just kinda left him broken so they could ignore him."
"Forgive me, I know I'm trying to rationalize what we did, but there's nothing else we can do. They're dead and the world is safe from their dangerous mad science." Her brain sighed again, "We can stay here to debate and rationalise this all day without getting anywhere."
Dee rubbed her eyes, which were now red from crying, "I know." She stood up then turned to face her brain. She looked to the other two tanks that contained her heart and spine then back to her brain and leaned her forehead onto the tank, "I think it's time I put myself back together."
"Yes, it is," her brain replied, "I can see that now that we've had our heart-to-heart, so to speak. Just know that all my memories of the time I spent in the Forbidden Dome will become yours once we're back together. I already uploaded the information to the Auto-Doc so it can do the procedure anytime."
Dee stepped back, wiped her eyes one more time then turned to leave, "Thank you."
Dee stood in front of the Auto-Doc and spoke a voice command, "Sink, please reactivate just the Auto-Doc's personality." There was a whirr and click then the sound of snoring from the Auto-Doc's speaker which alerted Dee that it was online again, "Auto-Doc, I need your help please."
"Mmmhmmm," The Auto-Doc sputtered then made a yawn noise, "Well then, miss, what can I do for you today?"
Dee felt a sting from one of the burns she'd received in the fight, "I need you to patch me up, then please put my heart, spine and brain back inside my body."
"Alright let's see…" the Auto-Doc took a moment to process her request, "Yep, everything's uploaded and I can do the process any time. Fair warning, it'll still sting." Its access door slid open.
"That's fine, I need this," Dee stepped and took a deep breath as the door closed behind her. She felt clamps grab onto her to hold her steady as there was a small hiss from overhead.
"Just relax and breathe deep, you'll be up and around in no time," Dee heard the Auto-Doc speak and did so, letting the gas lull her to sleep as she heard machines turn on.
Dee woke up later, not sure how long, feeling much lighter of step than before as she staggered out of the Auto-Doc. A wave of guilt flooded through her head as her brain's memories of talking to Dr. Mobius flowed through her mind and realized she'd just murdered all his friends. Fresh tears sprang to her eyes as she stumbled to the bed and collapsed on to it. Overwhelmed, Dee cried herself to sleep.
After Dee woke up and showered, she found something strange sitting on top of the Sink CIU: a set of red scientist's scrubs, a computer chip and a note that looked like it had been made by a printer. "To Dee from Dr. Mobius. You said that stealth suit was uncomfortable so take these special scrubs I made when testing regenerating fabric. They should fit your body regardless of figure and keep themselves repaired no matter the situation. And since I suppose you want to go back to wherever you came from I've included a backup chip for the Sink's teleportation system, like the kind that used to be in Pokemon Centers. It should take you back to whatever brought you here in the first place."
Dee wasn't sure how Mobius had delivered this to her, probably through the same method he had taken her brain from the Think Tank, but she was grateful. A fresh pang of guilt was sent through her over what she had done as she pulled on the red scrubs. She couldn't face Mobius, even to thank him for this. The red scrubs did fit comfortably around her chest and hips, even gave her support she'd been in need of since she woke up in Vaniville Town and let her tail poke through comfortably.
"Good morning, Miss," the Auto-Doc spoke, "Would you like a summary of your operation before you go?"
"What?" Dee looked up from the note, "OK, please tell me." She opened the Sink CIU to get the teleporter up and running again.
"The effect these surgeries have had on your organs. They aren't quite the same as they were before, miss. Nothing's broken in fact, I daresay you've come out ahead."
"Please tell me while I work on this," Dee inserted the chip then got at the CIU's console to get the program working.
"First off, while your brain was put back and hooked up properly to everything some of the reinforced housing that held the artificial brain in place is still there, along with reinforcements that stayed even after the skull bone was fully healed, you won't be knocked for a loop again no matter how hard you get hit in the head as long as it stays attached."
Dee shuddered at the thought but didn't interrupt the Auto-Doc.
"As for your spine, a bunch of support had to be put in for the artificial one to work properly since it didn't respond like a proper curved and segmented spine would. With those left in supporting your natural spinal structure you'll experience an increase in durability and back strength that should translate to the rest of your body."
"So my back won't hurt from just carrying my breasts anymore," Dee breathed a sigh of relief. Truthfully, the back pain had started to become a problem. She suspected the relief came from the artificial spine so knowing that she'd keep that benefit was nice.
"And as for your heart, there were some extra filters and medical processors attached to the artificial heart to let it integrate better with the rest of your systems without a risk of rejection. Combined with your natural steel-typing those filters should render even the most virulent of animal venom neutral in moments, and the remnants of the processing will make medical treatments like Stimpacks more effective on your system."
Dee just nodded. She wanted to say it had been worth it and while she was sure this would benefit her going forwards, the price was too high.
Dee shut the panel then stood up and looked around the Sink. Despite all the horror she had been subjected to in Big MT, the Sink was the best place she'd ever lived, including Vault 18. In other circumstances she might have made it her new home. But after everything she'd been through, and the grave she'd left of the Think Tank, she never wanted to come back.
Suddenly, the absurdity from all the horror crashed down on Dee's head like a freight train and she started giggling. She grabbed the side of the CIU as her whole body shook with insane laughter broken up by deep breaths as she devolved into more fits of giggling. How was she still alive?! How was she not totally insane or just braindead after all of this?! Tears started to stream from her eyes as she grabbed her shoulders, arms over her chest, and almost fell over as her processed everything with her newly re-integrated brain. She wasn't sure how long it took between deep breaths and shaking and... everything before she finally, FINALLY got herself back under control.
She found the target in South Kalos then gathered up all the water, food and grenades she could carry and activated the teleporter.
The trip back to Kalos was only marginally less unpleasant than the trip to Big MT as she was still conscious and clothed when she arrived. She wasn't surprised that the supplies she'd had before her abduction were gone after a week of lying out in the open. She turned back to the still crashed satellite and carefully disabled it so that no one would be warped away to Big MT just from touching it. Part of her wanted to leave it in case she changed her mind about returning as now any passerby could easily demolish it, but she couldn't live with herself if anyone else was either lobotomized by the machines there, or worse: got their hands on advanced tech they could easily abuse.
Dee checked her Rotom-boy and set off, skirting the border of Coumarine and heading for the canyon to its east.