Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Orange watched as Chosen got up from his wheelchair. He was unsteady, but managed to stand without help.

Orange glanced around. He never thought they’d ever set foot in the research and development part of Rocket Corp. again, and yet…

It had been Chosen’s idea. “I can… stand for a bit. I’d like to try using my powers on those targets.”

Orange hadn’t a clue what he was talking about, but Moonstone had stopped and gawked. “You…? Cho-Cho, are you sure?”

He had nodded. “I didn’t hate those kinds of tests. They helped me learn to control my powers better, actually.”

Moonstone had distracted Hazard while Orange had snuck Chosen out of his room, and the three had headed to the testing chambers.

A man with neat dark blue hair walked into the room, lab coat flowing behind him. Orange made a face, but quickly hid it as his sharp eyes darted towards him. “F-F-six-thousand-six-hundred.”

Orange tried to not flinch upon hearing the so-called name he’d been given during his captivity at Rocket Corp. “I have a name,” he growled.

“Apologies,” Nile said, sounding not at all apologetic. “Force of habit… Orange.”

“He’s as friendly as ever, huh?” Moonstone murmured.

“Subject Zero is-”

“Chosen,” Moonstone growled.

The man looked Moonstone dead in the eyes. “Subject Zero is in position. We may start now.”

There was a brief pause. “Use his name, and maybe I’ll activate the first target.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“Doctor Nile, you will use his name when speaking about him and when addressing him.” Moonstone leaned towards him. “Just because you have a medical doctorate and I don’t doesn’t mean you boss me around. We’re coworkers. I’m not your subordinate.”

“Fine. Chosen is in position. We may start now.”

“Thank you.”

“You guys know I heard all that, right?” They all looked out the window to see Chosen staring in their direction.

“Start it already…” Nile already looked bored as he sifted through the pages on his clipboard.

Moonstone sighed. “Let me make some adjustments, alright? Let’s start off with one, and just try to hit it with your fire, alright?”

“Mhmm…” Orange couldn’t help but have doubts that Chosen was ready to work on using his powers, but he was determined, and there was no stopping Chosen when he was determined.

The target appeared midair. He watched as Chosen began to focus.

After a few minutes of nothing happening, he heard Nile sigh. “It’s obviously-” He cut off at Moonstone’s glare. “He’s obviously not taking this seriously. This is a waste of time.”

“You’re free to leave.” Orange took out an apple and began munching on it. “Hey, Moonstone, do you know about the connection between doctors and apples?”

Moonstone stared at him in confusion, and he kept munching on the apple. A look of realization and understanding suddenly crossed her face, and the two turned to look at Nile, who was busy looking through the papers on the clipboard. Nile glanced up, and then raised his head. “What?”

The two exchanged knowing smirks and turned to watch Chosen. His hands were on his knees, and he was panting, but he looked as if he were trying to hold back laughter. Moonstone raised her hand towards him. Orange happily gave her a high-five.

He saw a small flame escape Chosen’s palm. Orange let out a whoop of excitement as Chosen finally was able to strike the target. He threw his hands in the air in victory, but began to get unbalanced and quickly stopped to catch himself.

“Hiya!” Orange spun around to see a small child in a blue dress staring up at him with big round grey eyes. He remembered this child, and how, while he’d been imprisoned, she had run up to the bars of his cell and cheerfully asked who he was and what his favorite animal was. She pointed at him. “I know you!”

Orange smiled. “Caution!” He knelt down. “How’s it been?”

“I found a shiny rock the other day!”

“Really?”

“It’s purple and blue and really sparkly.”

“Interesting!”

“What doing?”

“Oh, we’re watching Chosen practice using his powers.”

“He’s not hurting, right?”

Orange didn’t know what to say, but Moonstone knelt down in front of the child. “I can promise that we’re not forcing him to do this. He specifically asked to-”

Orange heard a scream of pain. He stood and spun around to see Chosen collapse to the ground. Orange ran for the door, bursting into the testing room and beelining it for Chosen’s fallen form. “Chosen!” He slid next to him. He could hear his pants of pain. “What happened?!”

He was trembling. “It… f-feels like I…” He gasped in air, “tore stitches…” He struggled to his knees. “Mngh…”

“Alright, let’s stop for now…”

“N-No, I… I can…” He reached forward, trying to summon his fire, but Orange saw his eyes droop and him begin to slump to the side. Orange reached out and caught him.

“Cho-Cho?” Moonstone placed a hand on his shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

“Mnnn… everything’s fuzzy ‘n bright… arm feels tingly…” Orange felt him slump against him. “‘S… really hard… t’ talk… ‘n hear…” His eyes winced shut. “Mngh… why’s… th’ lights flashing?”

“Cho-Cho, they’re not…”

“Feel weird,” he mumbled. “Li’…” The rest of his sentence was so slurred that Orange couldn’t make out what he was trying to say.

“Cho-Cho?” Chosen had stopped talking.

Orange began to feel a sense of dread. Why wasn’t he responding?

“Cau? Could you go get us some blankets from the other room? Nile, get a stretcher, please.” Orange watched the two run off. Moonstone’s expression was unreadable and her mouth was drawn in a thin line. “Orange, can you lay him down on his side?” Orange slowly did so. He could see Chosen’s eyes darting around, how unfocused they looked. Moonstone took out a timer and turned it on, setting it to the side, before taking out a penlight and shining it near Chosen’s eyes.

“Wh… What’s going on?” he whimpered. “Why is he…?”

“I can’t say for certain, but he might be having a seizure.” Orange felt the blood drain from his face. “I know it’s scary, but I need you to stay with him while I grab a few things, okay?” He nodded, heart in his throat. “I’ll be right back.”

The wait for her return felt like it stretched into eternity. Caution returned with the blankets right before Moonstone returned with oxygen and a few other supplies.

Moonstone set up a bit of a bed with the blankets, keeping a folded one under Chosen’s head, before placing the oxygen on his face.

Fear began to light up his features, and Chosen began to stiffen and twitch. “Wh- What’s…?”

“He’ll be alright; I know this looks scary, but he’ll be alright, Orange.” He could hear Chosen force the air from his lungs, and he stopped breathing. Orange waited for him to breathe, but…

He wouldn’t. He just laid there, twitching, like his muscles were tensing and trying to tense further, eyes fluttering. He felt Caution bury her face into his side, and he held her tight.

Then Chosen started to shake and whimper and moan - he sounded so scared, like he was in pain. Moonstone placed a hand on his back, keeping him on his side, but other than that she made no move to try and stop the thrashing or anything. Orange wished it would stop - why wasn’t it stopping? Why was it taking so long to stop? Would it stop? He wasn’t sure it would.

The shaking slowly lessened until it finally stopped and he went still. Orange could see his breath condensing on the plastic of the mask on his face, hear his raspy breaths, see his chest heaving. Moonstone took out her penlight and checked his eyes again. “Alright, I think the seizure’s over. Cho-Cho?”

“Sorry; took a while to find one.” Nile knelt down. “How is…?”

“He’s postictal right now. Four minutes, fifty two seconds.” Chosen groggily raised his head up, gaze unfocused and confused. “Cho-Cho? Don’t get up. Can you hear me?” If he did, he wasn’t reacting. He kept looking around with a dazed stare, still trying to get up, but easily being kept lying down by Moonstone.

“Let’s get Subj- Chosen on the stretcher.”

“Cho-Cho, we’re going to pick you up, okay? One, two, three.”

As the two placed him on the stretcher, Caution piped up, “Why he not talking?”

“You know how after you play in the park for a really long time you feel tired?” Caution nodded. “Well, after a seizure - which is like a little electrical storm in your mind - your body needs time to rest and recover. He’ll likely be a bit confused and sleepy, but this is normal. He’ll recover.” Orange picked Caution up and walked after them. “When we get to the room, I’m checking his blood sugar levels and I’m scheduling him for a CT scan. If that doesn’t give us anything I’ll order an MRI. Do we have a neurology specialist on site?“

“I, um… I’ll go check.”

“Good. I’m going to order some blood tests; if that damn virus is back I swear…” Moonstone shook her head. “EEG; lumbar puncture. If there’s a cause to this seizure, we need to find out what it is.”

“Mmm?” Chosen’s eyes looked slightly more alert.

“It’s alright, Cho-Cho, you’re safe.” He closed his eyes, curling into the blanket on top of him, and let out what Orange could only assume to be a sigh. There was an air of exhaustion about him, one Orange had only seen after his brush with death.

Why am I surprised? It looked exhausting… He reached over and brushed his hair out of his face.

A cleared throat made him look up as the group stopped. Hazard was leaning against the wall where the elevators were, looking not at all impressed. Caution squirmed a bit, and Orange set her down.

“Daddy!” She ran over to Hazard.

“Heya, Bug!” He happily picked her up, but returned to his unamused stare when he looked back at them. “Ya really distracted me so they could have some hijinks, didn’t ya?”

Moonstone shrugged. “Guilty as charged.”

“Ya know it’s my hide Vic’ll be afta if The Dark Lord tries ta kidnap him again on my watch and I’m not there, right?”

“Right…”

Moonstone pressed the elevator button. “So… what happened?”

“We… don’t know. He had a seizure while he was practicing using his powers.”

The ride up was a quiet one. The quiet was starting to pull Orange’s eyelids down, and he let out a yawn.

As they exited the elevator, Hazard pulled out his phone. “Gonna call Alan; let him know what happened.” His phone began to ring. “Huh? Oh… huh… Wonder why he’s…” Orange followed Moonstone into Chosen’s room.

“I’m telling you, this is a great plan!”

“Red, you’re going to attract animals doing this…”

“Um, what are you two talking about?” Yellow and Red looked over.

“Red wants to put out honey and cream below where the window is, where those weird plants are growing.”

Orange blinked a few times, attempting to process the information with his rapidly increasing tiredness. “Why?” he hesitantly asked.

“For the fairy!” Red cheerfully replied. Orange stared at the youngest member of their crew, slowly blinking, still not quite processing what he was hearing.

It finally clicked in his tired mind. “And… this accomplishes… what exactly?”

“To apologize for whatever we did to upset her!” Red spoke as if it was simply common sense. “Fairies like cream and honey!”

Orange sighed. “O… kay… knock yourselves out, I guess?” He flopped onto the couch. Mnph… tired… He curled up on the couch. Should probably just… His thoughts melted away as he was embraced by warm slumber.

Chapter Text

Alan slammed the truck door shut, glancing over to make sure Agent had gotten to the medical team before walking over to Hazard. Hazard looked thoroughly unimpressed by everything, and turned to face him as he approached. He raised an eyebrow as he leaned against his own truck. “So…” Alan internally groaned, wishing he hadn’t agreed to debrief before heading inside.

“If anyone asks, there were twelve other guys and we kicked their butts.” He glanced towards where Chosen’s room was.

“Right… ya mind walkin’ me through what happened?” Alan grimaced. “Ah, come on, it can’t be as bad as the time I walked right by ya son when we was tracking him.” Alan cringed further. “Oh, ya gadda be kidding…”

“She walked in while I was waiting for Agent. She was right next to me, and it didn’t click until Agent came in with the information that she’d also wear a green cloak with a matching dress… I was looking for red.” He put his head against the window of Hazard’s car. “It didn’t even click when the barista hurried her out the back door while Agent was walking up…” He bumped his head against the glass a few times. “I am the worst investigator.”

“Alright… then what happened?”

“Well, we left the cafe… and she was on the street. We went to approach and she bolted. I… I need to work on my cardio.”

“Don’t beat yaself up too much. We’ve been at this f’ longa than ya. Then what happened?”

“So… we confronted her in an alley she ducked into… she can talk… she said some things that I did not understand and then attacked us. I, uh… I can do this, by the way.” He summoned the blade and then desummoned it. “She, uh… she started out using a sword and some kind of light based…” He had to think for a moment. What was it she used? There had been that burst of light, but then she’d also shoved some orbs of bright light in Agent’s face before whaling on him with her shield. “It was… something… some kind of ability? I… it looked like magic? But I don’t know if it was…”

“A sword?” Alan nodded. “Did she switch to a trident?”

“Mhmm. She, uh… seemed better at using the trident than the sword. She, uh…” Alan sighed. “God, this is embarrassing… She knocked me down, and kept me down… and while I was on the ground she pepper sprayed Agent and ran off.”

“Alright… so dat spear of her’s isn’t a bluff… good ta know.”

Alan breathed a small sigh of relief. That wasn’t too bad… He began to head towards the building, pausing when he saw Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Purple, and a girl in a blue dress scamper to the area below Chosen’s window. He narrowed his eyes, debating whether or not to poke his nose into whatever shenanigans the boys were getting up to.

Grumbling, he headed over to them. “Again, this is gonna just attract wild animals.”

“Sorry! I can’t hear you over the sound of my brilliant idea!”

“Red!”

“Do I even want to know?” The gaggle of children turned their heads simultaneously to look at him.

“It’s a fairy offering!” Red cheerfully provided. Alan stared at the bottle of cream and the bottle of honey that rested on top of a paper note.

“Why are we trying to attract a fairy?”

“It’s not a lure; it’s a peace offering.” Red looked quite proud of himself.

“… Why are we doing this again?” Purple asked

“We obviously upset something, given all the weird stuff that’s just happened.”

“But why a fairy- you’re not trying to imply that girl’s a fairy, are you?”

“She has to be! How else would she get up there?” Alan exchanged bewildered glances with Hazard. He then sighed. Normally the boys’ shenanigans would leave him feeling light with laughter as he playfully exchanged words, but currently he felt nothing but the heavy weight of exhaustion and anxiety creeping up. Guilt ate at him; he loved these kids, so why couldn’t he…?

“Right… um…” He dragged a hand down his face. “Try to… stay out of trouble, I’ll, um… be upstairs…” He left before things could feel even more awkward, before the lump in his throat could give way to tears. He couldn’t pay attention to anything around him as he hurriedly walked towards the stairs, his thoughts jumping from one anxiety to another, from nervous thought to feeling of dread. He shoved the door to Chosen’s room open, glancing around to find Orange fast asleep on the couch and Chosen seemingly asleep in his bed. This situation is gonna make me go grey, isn’t it? He pulled up the chair to Chosen’s bedside. Footsteps sounded, and he glanced up to see Moonstone returning.

“Good, you’re back.”

“How is…?” He stopped as he felt his throat close with grief.

“Everything’s been calm so far; he hasn’t had another seizure, just the one. He’s still a bit drowsy and disoriented, but that’s normal after something like this. Recovering from a seizure can take time; his body’s been through a lot, so if he’s like this for a bit, that’s completely normal.” Some of the terror he’d been feeling lessened, but he could feel the anxiety remain.

Chosen stirred a bit, letting out a soft mumble before nuzzling back into his pillow. Alan reached over and gently ran his hand through his hair. He heard Chosen let out a content mumble and nuzzle it.

“Mmm…” Alan felt an unnatural heaviness begin to seep into his body. “‘Lan…?” He forced his eyes open. He watched Chosen get up and pull himself towards him. Alan picked him up, and watched him settle in his arms. He reached over, pulling over the blanket and wrapping Chosen up in it before settling back in the chair.

Alan ruffled his hair a bit before letting his eyes slip shut. Chosen was… relatively alright, he was breathing… it was okay to let go for a bit.

Chapter Text

Agent raised his head. “Huh?”

Hazard sighed. “I said, ‘so, pepper spray, huh?’.” Agent groaned.

“Please stop bringin’ it up. It’s bad enough I had t’ explain it t’ Vic.” Decontamination had been… largely successful, but Agent could still feel the residual burning in his eyes and throat. It wasn’t his first time being pepper sprayed - he had to get sprayed during his initial bodyguard training, but that experience and what he had been taught to do in that situation had gone out the window. Then, again, during training he hadn’t nearly suffocated because of it.

“Uncle Agent gonna be okay?”

Hazard reached over and mussed Caution’s hair. “Yeah, he’ll be fine, Bug.”

Sighing, Agent looked at the clock. It was only four in the afternoon. They’d gotten back… at about three, he believed? “Not the first time y’ bailed me outta trouble, ain’t it?” Hazard cringed a bit. “Still too soon t’ joke ‘bout that?”

“Sorta?”

He sighed. “Seem t’ be good at screwin’ things up today…”

“Hey…”

“How’s yer arm?”

“…Hurtin’ like a… can’t say dat word in front of my daughter…” Hazard leaned back. “At least I can still use my hand…” He shuddered. “Prick’s still in jail, right?”

“Mhmm.” He shifted a bit as they sat in silence for a bit. “I think Ballista was right on the money.”

“Hmm?”

“‘Bout th’ girl. Th’ kid’s a magic user.” He groaned. “It’s like us trackin’ Chosen, ‘cept this one clearly knows how t’ handle multiple folks.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “How’s a literal child that good at controlin’ the playin’ field?”

“Well, ya did tell me that she kept blinding ya. Sounds ta me she just knows how ta determine who’s a threat and keep dem down.”

“It… feels as if she was trained fer these situations.” It made a pit in his stomach, stating that out loud.

“Ya mean a child soldier?”

His stomach churned. “Y-yeah…” If she was a child soldier, then he wondered what her home site was like. How bad did a fantasy website’s realm have to be for a literal child to be… he wasn’t sure if she was a playable character or maybe a party member? Sure, of course those sites had a tendency to have teenagers as their star defenders and adventurers, but an actual child? Surely she’s a non-playable character, right? He scrunched his eyes shut. But why would a…? Don’t make no sense! That language she spoke… ‘s gotta be a clue to find her website. “How decent is Ballista at identifying conlanguages?”

“Why do ya ask?”

He sat up. “We know this kid is from something fantasy based, right?” Hazard nodded. “Th’ language she spoke… what if it’s one o’ them… constructed languages? Th’ ones the creators sometimes use?”

Hazard leaned back in his chair as Caution got up and started wandering around the room, peeking into drawers and cabinets. “She… did speak when I tried ta get close to her.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve encountered her?”

“Agent, she saved ya life, rememba?” Agent sighed. Right. How had he forgotten? “She, uh… said something ta me. Uhh… fol… umm… nc… sorta sounded like closa with an ‘uh’ at da end.”

Agent took a deep breath. “Fol… n’c… closeʋ?”

“Sounds ‘bout right, though the n sound in the second word’s not quite right.” Agent leaned back, casting a glance Caution’s way. She had found some of the tongue depressors and was building with them. Hazard did a double take. “Bug, what’ve I told ya about playing with medical supplies? Come here.” She scampered over, Hazard lifting her up into his lap, bringing up a video on his phone and handing her some earphones.

Agent thought about the context in which the phrase had been said. “I think I have an idea what she was tryin’ t’ say…” He glanced at Caution. “Likely nicer than the phrase I’m thinkin’ of… which given our company I ain’t gonna state.” Hazard let out a snort of amusement. “Hopefully it ain’t as crude as that one, ‘cause then I have words for whoever thought teachin’ the li’l miss them swears was a good idea.” He chuckled.

That got an actual laugh out of Hazard. Agent felt himself relax a bit.

The sirens began blaring. His smile immediately fell and he got out of the bed.

“What’s happenin’?”

“Dunno.” Hazard set Caution down and ran out the room. Agent knelt down and scooped the kid up before making his way to the door. Hazard was talking to a panicking security guard. Agent frowned and went into the room over. Ballista was talking to Alan, who had Chosen wrapped up in a blanket.

“What’s happenin’?”

“It’s The Dark Lord. Security saw him flying overhead.” Agent mumbled a swear under his breath. “I’m taking them to the bunker.”

“Good… I, uh…” He took a deep breath. Deep down, he knew he was in no position to fight anyone , let alone The Dark Lord. His injuries from… whatever the missing stick had been turned into still ached; it had taken a lot out of him just to chase after and fight the girl. Either this is th’ worst timin’, or… “Where’s Vic?”

“Vic is with Yellow in the research lab,” Alan explained. Agent glanced around the room. Blue, Green, Orange, Purple, Tango…

“Where’s Red?” He and Alan stared at one another. He saw fear cross Alan’s features.

“He… he went back outside…”

“List’n, ya’ll follow Ballista; I’ll find Red. I’ll make sure he’s safe, arright?” Agent set Caution down. “Listen t’ me, Cau: stay wi’ Mister Alan and Mister Tango, arright? Yer daddy ‘n uncle have t’ take care o’ a few things.” She gave him a scared nod. He turned to Ballista. “Get goin’, now!” As they ran out, Hazard came inside. “Cau’s wi’ Ballista and his wards, arright? They’re all headin’ t’ shelter.”

“What do we do, Agent?”

“Red’s missin’.” Alarm lit up Hazard’s face. “Alan said he went outside.”

Hazard swore. “We gotta find him!”

“Balcony, c’mon!” He shoved open the doors, took out his two lassos, tied them together, and tied one end to the balcony, rappelling down and waiting for Hazard to reach the ground before recalling both. He looked out. He could see the guard towers were blasted to the fragmented lands and back, smoke drifting up. He grit his teeth. How many more had he killed? He could feel his blood boiling from the thought of more deaths, more senseless destruction, just like he’d seen in Newgrounds that day. So much destruction, so much death, he could hear the screams, hear the firing of the tanks, see Mitsi trapped under the rubble, fire raining down, had to reach her, couldn’t reach her, wasn’t going to make it-

He took a deep breath and released it.

“Agent, help!” The cry reached his ears and he jolted his head up. He could see The Dark Lord standing up, and before him bound in webbing was…!

“Red!” He broke out into a run. “Git away from him!” he snarled.

As they neared the two, The Dark Lord whipped out a red blade - distinctly different from the black one he’d used at his first attack. “Now, now, let’s calm down,” he sneered, placing the flat end of the blade under Red’s chin. The boy’s eyes lit up with terror. “If I slip I… might mess up his hair.” He smirked.

“Yer disgustin’!” Agent snarled.

“Why thank you,” he replied with utmost sincerity. “Tell me, hero… how much do you value this brat’s life?” His grin widened. “How much is he worth to you?”

A sudden uneasy feeling began to fill his body. “What’re ya tryin’ t’ get at?”

“I propose a deal, a sort of… trade, if you will. I release the boy,” He raised his free hand towards Agent, “and you surrender yourself to me.”

Agent felt as though he’d been dunked in ice water. “Agent,” Hazard began to caution. “Don’t…”

“I mean, if you refuse, I could just kill him and then take you prisoner.”

He struggled to hide his trembling. Red was looking at him with raw, unadulterated fear plastered over his face. “Fine,” he eventually said. “But le’ him go, first.”

“I will, but first…” The Dark Lord narrowed his eyes. “Kneel.” Agent obeyed. “Hands behind your head.” He did so.

Red’s bindings vanished into corrupted code. He staggered to his feet. “Red, go to Hazard.” He heard Red run past him. “Hazard, get him out of here…” He felt a small thread of fear begin to form within him as he heard their footsteps retreat.

The Dark Lord let out a chuckle that oozed with malice. “I’ve been looking forward to this.” He knelt down beside him.

“Just get it over wi’.” He closed his eyes.

“Oh… You think I want to kill you. That’s adorable, really.” He felt his face get grabbed and roughly turned. “You’re stubborn… you’re bold… you’re so sickeningly heroic… you’re also so defiant…” The Dark Lord had a look of pure disgust. “You know what that makes me want to do? Even more than seeing the life drain from your eyes? Go on… guess.”

He tried to surreptitiously swallow. “What?”

“It makes me want to see you writhe in agony, to hear you scream yourself hoarse.” His grip tightened. “You won’t be dying, not until I’ve ripped every last choked cry from your broken body, until you can no longer whimper. Only once I tire of the noises you make will you die, and I’ll make sure that death lingers for as long as possible.”

He had thought he knew fear from seeing The Chosen One at Newgrounds, when he had thought he was about to die right before Chosen had disabled his hoverbike…

Neither compared to the dread he was feeling now.

“Nothing to say?”

“Jus’ one thing.” He had no idea how he was keeping his voice so steady.

“Oh? And what’s that?”

“As the humans say: burn in hell.”

The Dark Lord sneered, and he felt something jab into his neck and something getting injected.

He could feel himself slipping unconscious rapidly. He tried to fight it, but he could feel his mind becoming cloudier by the second. He slumped to the ground as he struggled to remain conscious. He felt The Dark Lord step on his chest and press down. He grimaced. “I’m going to have so much fun with you-”

He was cut off by an arrow - a rather… blocky arrow - embedding itself into his chest. He staggered back. Agent forced himself to look in the direction the arrow had come from. With his rapidly fading vision, he saw Blue, Green, and Alan running towards them, Alan at the head of the charge.

“Dark Lord! Your greatest mistake has come!”

Chapter Text

He was seeing red.

Hazard had run up to them as they made their way to the bunker, carrying Red. Alan had learned that The Dark Lord had demanded Agent hand himself over in exchange for Red’s release, a demand that Agent had submitted to.

He had handed Chosen to Ballista and began running to the entrance, praying that he wouldn’t be too late, that he could reach Agent in time, that he could spare him from whatever hell or wretched death The Dark Lord would inflict upon him. He had seen how Victim and Agent interacted, how close the two were.

Failure was not an option. He refused to allow Victim to be in more pain because of him, even if it was indirectly.

He heard another arrow whizz past him, striking The Dark Lord in the chest. He let out a wordless snarl, whipping out a red blade and sprint forwards. Alan saw a flask get thrown past him, breaking at the feet of and splashing The Dark Lord with a greyish-blue liquid. His movements visibly slowed down. “Remember the- woah!” Blue ducked under a slash as The Dark Lord warped over and made an attempt to attack. He then warped into the air, raised a hand, and begun to conjure a fireball. “Uh-oh!”

Alan gritted his teeth. This is bad. He did not want to find out what would happen if that hit them.

He then had an idea.

A very, very risky, stupid idea.

This is either going to be really cool, or I’m going to be a cooked stick figure- wait. He drew his cursor back. “Blue? You got any fire resistance potions?”

“Yeah?”

“Splash us and Agent with one! Hurry!” He heard the shattering of glass, and braced himself.

“What exactly is the plan?” Green inquired.

“Time to do some Dead Man’s Volley!”

“Some… some what?”

The fireball was thrown. That’s fast! He swung his blade up, catching the core, and deflecting it back into The Dark Lord. The explosion went off, and The Dark Lord crashed into the ground. “Now!” The three of them surged forward, Blue tossing a potion of harming at The Dark Lord’s fallen form, Green striking down into him with his sword. The Dark Lord let out a strangled cry as he struggled to get up. Alan slid around behind him, whacking him with the flat part of the cursor to knock him back down. He felt a bit disturbed by the beat down they were giving The Dark Lord, but glancing at Agent’s unconscious form quickly chased away those feelings, as did remembering the terror on Chosen’s face when The Dark Lord had attempted to abduct him.

Now was not the time for hesitation.

He barely dodged to the side in time to avoid a punch to the face. The Dark Lord was on his feet again, growling animalistically as he lunged for his throat. Alan batted him away with the cursor, sweeping it to the side in an attempt to cut him. The Dark Lord ducked to the side, jabbing him in the side with a closed fist. A fishing hook dug into his clothes, and he was spun around by a deft pull by Green. He was then clocked across the face by Blue while Alan made a slash down his back. He grit his teeth when he heard the scream The Dark Lord made. For a moment, Alan swore he saw a look of panic cross his face, but then it became replaced by burning rage. He reached over, grabbed Green and Blue by their collars, and slammed them together before turning on Alan, red blade out once again. Alan duck and wove between slashes, feeling it cut his face, cut at his arms, but for every blow The Dark Lord landed during their dance he returned them tenfold with fury.

He caught his cursor by one of the points near the handle, flicking his blade up as it went flying. Alan tried to resummon it to his hand, but found it wouldn’t. Panic briefly flooded him as he leapt back to avoid a downward slash from his creation. He eyed his cursor, which was embedded in the ground behind The Dark Lord. He made a move to get around him, felt himself get scruffed by the collar, and felt the wind get knocked from him as he was slammed into the pavement, The Dark Lord digging his knee into his chest. “Now, dear creator,” His eyes were widened with a manic look in them, “where should I cut you first?” Alan grit his teeth in a snarl. “Hmm, maybe…” His body jerked as the blade was suddenly plunged into his stomach. He bit his tongue against a scream as it was dug further in. He threw a punch at The Dark Lord’s face.

He began to drag the blade up. His body involuntarily jerked.

“Scream for me, dear creator.” He let out a pained exhale.

“No.” He began scratching at The Dark Lord’s face. His expression never changed from the look of maniacal glee as he was stabbed again, and again, and again.

It wouldn’t stop.

He was all too aware of how durable stick bodies were. Some were more durable than others, for sure, but they were clearly more durable than a human’s.

He was beginning to see the downsides of that fact.

He was struggling not to make a sound, the pain was all encompassing, paralyzing him in place. “Come on.” The Dark Lord’s voice was gentle. “Scream. If you do, maybe I’ll end your suffering quicker.”

He gasped. “Screw you!” he spat.

“Are all humans as stubborn as you?” The Dark Lord sneered.

“Heh… heh…” He forced a smile. “Not all.”

He felt for a loose rock.

“But it’s common enough!” He struck The Dark Lord over the head with the rock, forcing him off. He launched himself over to his cursor, forced himself to his feet, and turned to face The Dark Lord.

He was so tired.

He felt his vision blur, and he glanced down. His clothes were soaked in red.

Everything hurt.

“Have at him, Yellow!” A net enveloped The Dark Lord, and he stiffened and fell, a scream of agony escaping him. He frantically ripped the net off, taking with it slivers of skin and cloth. Two glitch shots struck him, his eyes lighting up in panic, and he took off, the anti-air firing at him as he fled.

Alan crumpled to his side, dizziness overtaking him. “Ugh…” His body felt so heavy.

“D-dad!” He groaned as he was rolled onto his back, the motion making him nauseous. “Dad?”

“B… Blue…” He bit back a yelp as he was sat up.

“H-here! Drink this.” He recognized the smell as one of Blue’s stronger healing potions. He took it and tried to force it down, the taste making his already nauseous stomach churn.

“Mm, blug…”

“Easy. Take it nice and slow…” He had to be fed the rest of the potion. “Okay, now the regen one…”

He tried to turn his head away. He was certain if he drank anything else he’d throw up.

“Dad, you need to drink it. Hey! Don’t pass out on me!” He struggled to open his eyes. “Open up.” Internally grimacing, he obeyed. Regeneration potions tasted salty and sour, with a semi-bitter aftertaste.

He hated it, but as he was dosed with the potion, he could feel the nausea begin to dwindle slightly.

“Alan!” As Blue finished giving him the potion, Hazard skidded in front of him. “Alan, are ya- shit, ya aren’t okay.”

“I… I’ll live.” Blue laid him back down. “How’s Agent?”

“He’s still breathing,” Green called.

“I’m sorry we didn’t get here sooner.” He heard Yellow somewhere to his right. “Good news is the weapons we made to fight the ViraBots work.”

He felt so dizzy and tired. “Hey! Hey, don’t ya fall asleep!”

“Just… closing my eyes…”

“Alan! No, don’t- shit!” He felt himself get lifted up, felt air against his face as ringing filled his ears. “I need a medic!”

Chapter Text

Conscious kept trying to flee him. He tried to reach for it, but it flitted just out of reach. He kept grasping at it, and eventually made contact.

He grimaced against the lights shining in his face. “Vic! He’s waking up!” He felt… confused. Why was he confused? Of course he’d be…

Wait, The Dark Lord! Agent managed to pull himself back to full alertness. How…?

The arrow.

He had looked at where it came from.

Alan! The kids! He tried to sit up, grimacing at how weak his limbs felt.

A hand pushed him back down. “Don’t get up.”

“R… Red…”

“He’s right here. You saved him.” Relief flooded him.

He looked over to Victim and Red. “Where… where’s Alan?”

“He was injured protecting you, but he’s okay; he’s alive.”

He rested his head back on the pillow. “Good…” He sighed. “What about…?”

“The Dark Lord got away.”

“‘Course he did.” Cursors, he was exhausted. “What in Cohen’s name did he drug me with?”

“Some really powerful sedatives, we think.” He couldn’t help but yawn. “Hey, it’s okay to let go. Get some rest.”

Rest. That sounded… really nice.

Orange tried to keep his eyes open - why were his sleep attacks happening now? The others needed him - Alan needed him! He couldn’t fall asleep here!

He saw him stir a bit. “Dad?”

Alan opened his eyes and looked over. “Hey, kiddo…”

A sob escaped him, his body shaking as he tried, and failed, to hold back the tears. He heard Alan sit up with some effort, and felt arms wrap around him. He leaned into the touch.

“Shh… it’ll be alright. I’m not going anywhere, I promise.” He just cried harder. “Let it out; it’ll be alright. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I’m alright now, though. I promise.” Orange felt other sets of arms envelop him, and he felt himself calm a bit.

Maybe it’d be alright to take a short rest…

Staggering through the undergrowth, The Dark Lord let out swears and curses as undergrowth clung to his clothes, forcing him onto his knees, scrambling back to his feet and forcing himself forwards. Thank goodness for the thick fog, though it did get him turned around quite a bit once he had landed.

It was disgustingly whimsy, the fog. He could swear there were motes of light flickering around, but when he went to look at them they vanished.

He could swear there were footsteps echoing behind him - yes, echoing, like he was somehow in a cave. This forest wasn’t like this when I went through it the last time… He shuddered. What the frag is going on?

He spun at the sound of child-like laughter. His mind jumped to more fantastical stories, his heart rate picking up.

He shook his head. No, no, no, they don’t exist in the Outernet; this place isn’t haunted; if something’s here I can kill it! I’m not afraid. He shook himself and kept walking. This fog is messing with your head… When did my creator know how to fight? Grr, of course he would show up at the worst possible time! His eyes darted around as he pulled his tattered overcoat closer to him.

He let out a scream of rage, spinning and striking the nearest tree, leaving a gash in it.

He panted, feeling the wrath slowly leave him as he examined the wound on the tree. You’ll have another chance. He sighed, mussing his hair. The Chosen One, the man with the sunglasses, that orange brat… does it really matter who I capture? He leaned against a tree and thought for a moment. The Chosen One’s will is far too sturdy to break, and that orange brat is oddly frightened of me… he’d be a good tool to break The Chosen One, but that’s not my goal at the moment… He smirked and chuckled. Sunglasses it is. He broke into a grin, standing up straight and continuing his walk. Oh, I can’t wait to get my hands on him~! He continued with a skip in his step. Maybe the final program works, maybe it doesn’t. Either way it’s sure to cause untold agony. The fog suddenly cleared and he slammed into an invisible barrier. Huh? He pressed against the barrier, looking in, squinting. There was a small rundown shack in the midst of a small clearing of trees. He could see a fire pit giving off wisps of smoke, and what looked like runic circles scattered along the boundary of the barrier. Hmm. He saw movement in the shack. “H-hey!” He felt bewilderment as he saw a mere child poke her head out of the shack’s door. She looked him up and down with a raised eyebrow, stepping out with a notepad and pen. She tilted her head in confusion, pointed at him and then the ground near her, looking back up at him in bewilderment. He shrugged. “I don’t know; something’s stopping me!” Her eyes narrowed.

She scurried over, The Dark Lord lurching back a bit at this. She wrote in her notepad and turned it around. “You can’t cross the threshold?”

“The… what?”

More writing. “The wards of protection I set up. They’re physically stopping you?”

“Uhh… I suppose?” He looked at one of them. Is she from a fantasy site?

She wrote again. “What are you?”

He felt… bewildered. “What?” She gestured to what she had written. “I…” He smirked slightly. “Do you have any idea who I am, little girl?” She shook her head. He gave her a haughty bow. “You are speaking to The Dark Lord.”

He looked up.

Why is she giving me a blank stare?

She wrote again. “No name?”

“I… that is my name, you petulant child! And remember it well, for I shall one day dominate these wretched lands and their mewling sticks!”

“Ha!”

Shock flooded him. “You… clearly have more bravado than sense if that’s your response.” Hmm… but maybe… “Though, you seem a bit lost… are you new to the Outernet?” She paused for a moment, and then nodded. Oh, this is perfect! “If you’d like, I could take you under my wing. It isn’t right that a child should fend for themself. I’d feel just awful leaving you here by yourself.”

She flipped the page and wrote in large letters. “Bullshit.”

“E-excuse me?!”

This time she wrote for quite a bit before turning her notepad to him. “I know a predator of their own kind when I see and hear one. You only take interest in those you can use, don’t you? I’ve been dealing with your ilk my entire life. The people who took me from my father were like you; I do not intend to go through that abuse again.”

He chuckled darkly. “Such a clever girl.”

“Leave, before I make you.”

“Oh? And what exactly could you possibly do to hurt me- Where are you going?” She came back with a bag, which she then turned inside out.

A rather large pile of his ViraBots came tumbling out - much too many to plausibly fit in such a small bag. They were all thoroughly scrapped.

He regarded the pile with slight irritation. “I was wondering what was happening to the ones I sent in here.”

“It’s not my fault they keep exploding when they cross the threshold.”

“Give them back.”

“No, I don’t think I will.” He felt his temper begin to heat up. She then added, ”Unless you are willing to do a trade?”

He narrowed his eyes at the writing. “I don’t exactly have a firstborn lying around,” he sneered. She gave him a raised eyebrow look and a smirk. “I’m… for the first time I think I’m genuinely concerned?” She chuckled and shook her head.

“How did you know?” He looked at her in confusion. “Never mind. So, trade? A favor for a favor, neither in debt to the other. It’s only fair that I not make you unknowingly indebted to me.”

He eyed that writing nervously. Maybe the firstborn joke wasn’t too far off… He then thought to the face she had just made. That… wait that was in a ‘you know that joke too’ manner, not… hmph, how dare you make me look like a fool! He sighed. “Fine. I’ll play this foolish game. What do you want?”

“What can you offer me?”

Of course, answering a question with another question. He leaned back on his heels. “Hmm… You’re new to the area… What information are you looking for?” It was her turn to think.

“Rocket Corporation. I’ve researched them in the newspaper archives and spoke to the locals. They seem to be an antagonistic force to the people. They abducted their protector in the past. I want to know about the four who were responsible for that.”

He grumbled. Of course it had to be something he was still somewhat in the dark about. Though, better she have her focus on them and not me, heheh. “I don’t know too much about those four, but I know about their leader. His name is Agent. He’s the corporation’s leader’s right hand man. I’ve done… slight “research” on him: he’s been with the corporation since near the beginning, even through a change in leadership, though I wasn’t living around here when that happened.” He hummed and hawed a bit. “He has a toolbar, two actually, that he uses in combat. There’s one ability in particular that’s dangerous: he can freeze an individual, up to two at a time. If he switches over to a pause symbol- do you even know what that looks like?” She nodded, knelt down, and drew one in the dirt. “Yes, that. If he switches to that, be careful - or don’t; I don’t care. I have my minions to take it for me, but you don’t seem to have anything to guard against it.” He rocked back and forth on his heels. “I do know a bit about the one named Hazard: he has this strange connection to the signs humans have made over the years. He can use them to channel lightning and ice. He probably has other abilities, but I’ve only ever seen him use those two. He also appears to be Agent’s second in command. He used to be a police officer, but had to retire due to an injury.” He sighed. “Is that enough? Do you want theories as well?”

He watched her gather up the broken ViraBots back into the oddly small bag, and she handed him the bag. “A favor for a favor; nothing owed to either party.”

He nodded and began to walk away. My lost ViraBots back, and an unwitting ally against Rocket Corp. He smirked. I come out on top in the end. As I should.

Chapter Text

Peony’s cafe was a place Hazard had often frequented back when he was on the force. It was quite the cozy shop near the corner of one of the busier streets and Main Street.

He’d usually be up for small talk with the owner, but after the day they had yesterday…

He’d rather just drink his coffee in peace while his daughter happily played with the other children. Cursors knew she needed time away from Rocket Corp., and with Agent still out of it and Alan recovering, well…

Primal and Ballista were still guarding Chosen, and someone had to continue investigating.

He owed it to Agent and Alan.

Especially Agent.

But how much am I gonna get done as sleep deprived as I am? He sipped his coffee. Caution was currently happily chatting away with one of the kids.

“So, waiting for someone?”

He glanced up at Peony. “No, not today…”

“Heard about the attack yesterday…” He gripped his mug a bit tighter. “Is Agent…?”

“He’s alive. The madman tried ta take him captive.” He sighed. “Maniac had a kiddo hostage. Agent handed himself ovah to save him.” Gritting his teeth, he added, “I could do nothing ‘cept watch and get da kid to safety. Woulda lost ‘im if Alan hadn’t…”

Watching Agent surrender himself to The Dark Lord had been like a punch to the gut. He’d known Agent for years, before Hazard had joined Rocket Corp. even. Agent had been a security guard, and Hazard had been a cop. They had met while he was on the job looking into a robbery gone wrong, with Agent as a witness. He’d been assigned to interview him, and the two of them had gotten jumped by the robber’s co-conspirators and dragged off.

Apparently, the robbery had been connected to some conspiracy that had been way above his pay grade, and those thugs had been desperate to know what he knew about their organization - which hadn’t been anything at all, but paranoia had made them unreasonable, which had led to him having his head shoved under water repeatedly in a desperate attempt to make him cough up information he didn’t have.

He had never been more convinced that he was going to die than during that week from the fragmented lands. All he could think of during it was about his little girl, that he’d never see her again, that he’d die in that warehouse they’d been dragged off to.

Agent had been the one to get them both out alive. His pleas had been falling on deaf ears as he’d been dunked over and over for longer and longer periods of time, had been near blacked out each time, saying anything his exhausted mind could think of to just make them stop. The last thing he remembered before the breakout had been the feeling of his body forcing him to inhale while still underwater, the water sending fire through his chest as it flooded his lungs, vision going white and his senses leaving him.

He had come to after Agent had taken out the thugs. He’d been choking out water as he laid on his side, burning pain paralyzing him as he struggled to breathe. “Stay wi’ me, pardner!”

He’d always credit Agent for being the reason he was able to hug his little girl again.

Seeing Agent helpless was not something he was used to, nor was it something he ever wanted to see again.

The service bell ringing and someone sitting next to him broke him out of his thoughts. He glanced over, taking another sip of coffee, and promptly nearly choked on it when he saw the girl he was looking for sitting right next to him, sleepy as could be.

“Daddy?” He looked down to see his daughter looking up at him. “Can we get hot chocolate?”

“We?”

“Me and my friend!” She happily pointed to the girl.

He paused for a moment, thinking back to how his daughter had once stolen some toolbars to pause some of the scientists and had, essentially, broken Chosen out so they could go stargazing together back when Chosen had been in captivity. This might as well be happening. “Ya know what? Sure!” He could see Peony visibly relax.  “So… this is who ya were talking to, Bug?”

“Yep!”

“Whatcha talk about?”

“About my rock collection. Her eyes look like my new rock!”

“Mmph…” He glanced over to see her sit up as Peony gave the two kids their hot chocolates. The girl leaned down and sipped her hot chocolate with the mug on the table.

She was right there, sitting next to him, and his mind was drawing a blank how to get a conversation started.

Then, again, maybe a conversation wasn’t the best idea. She couldn’t speak English, after all. She… doesn’t look much older than my little Bug… It hurt, thinking that she was living out in the woods all by herself. If she is working with him, can’t imagine it’s by choice. The Dark Lord seemed like the kind of person to gleefully take advantage of a child, and thinking about it made rage build up within him.

She finally looked over, visibly becoming more alert as recognition crossed her face. And then she looked bewildered. She pointed at him. “Cau… a’ba?”

He thought for a moment. “Are ya asking if I’m her fathah?” The girl nodded. “Yeah.” He smiled. “She’s my liddle Bug.” The girl got a wistful look on her face. “Do ya… have anyone?” She pointed down and tilted her head. “Right now? Yeah.” She shook her head. “I see… so on ya own.” She nodded. “Listen, I’m not gonna grill ya; I’m not on the clock right now.” He chuckled. “I’m not Agent.” He glanced at her. “Dat doesn’t mean I’m not concerned ‘bout ya. Ya don’t look much oldah than my Bug.” She raised up two hand and the closed one and held up a remaining two fingers. “Twelve?” She nodded. “Yeah… not much older…” He tilted his head. “Real talk: when was da last time ya actually had something ta eat? Actual food.” The girl paused. She stayed still for an uncomfortable amount of time before shrugging. “Nope! Unacceptable. I’m taking ya ta lunch later.” Her eyes went wide. “It’d feel like a crime to know dat ya don’t know the last time ya ate actual food and I just leave ya.” She looked quite sheepish, like she wanted to object. “Ah! I insist. Afterwards I’ll drop ya off back here; ya don’t hafta come back with me if ya don’t wanna. Promise.” The girl held up a hand, pinky out. He smiled, and returned the gesture.

Movement caught his eye, and he turned his gaze to the window. Through the blinds he could see… someone staring at him. His eyes narrowed.

They looked familiar, but… No. They’re in prison f’ life. Can’t be… He watched them walk away. The girl was giving him a worried look. “It… it’s nothin’. Don’t worry ya head, kid.”

He, however, couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching him from the street.

Chapter Text

Chosen was conscious, that much he knew, but he felt conscious the same way he had whenever he’d fallen ill while he’d been a pop-up blocker. Back then, Alan had no idea he was a thinking, living being, so he’d been forced to work regardless of how sick or exhausted he had felt, and being put back in the chest had done nothing to assist him in recovery - if anything the cold had just made any illness worse.

His first illness when he was free had been… something. It had been shortly after they had attacked the Angry Birds app. They had just gotten done terrorizing them - well, he had been terrorizing the pigs because they had stolen the birds’ eggs… The Dark Lord had gone after the birds without him knowing - and had fled back to the Outernet when he had felt dizzy. He had slumped to the side while flying, and The Dark Lord had caught him and had lowered them both to the ground. “S-sorry! I just… feel sorta dizzy, is all.”

The Dark Lord had frowned and placed a hand on his forehead. “Chosen One, you’re burning up.”

“Huh…?” He had been scooped up into his arms and The Dark Lord had begun to walk.

“There’s a cavern nearby; I’ll find supplies in the city and be back. You try to rest.” He’d been set down on the ground, had The Dark Lord’s trench coat placed over him, and had heard The Dark Lord leave.

During his time as a pop-up blocker, he had perfected the art of resting but staying awake, so he had done that. After some time, The Dark Lord had returned with blankets and had made them both some beds, making sure he had adequate protection from the elements. “What… is this?” He had snuggled into the blankets.

“It… it’s a blanket.”

“It’s so soft…”

“Have you… never seen a blanket before?”

He had yawned. “Hey, you haven’t either, I bet…”

“I… I at least knew what a blanket was.”

Currently, he snuggled further into the mattress. The warmth was inviting and comforting. He felt a hand on his head, but quickly determined it wasn’t Alan patting his head.

He rolled over and opened his eyes. “Primal?”

“Small one.” He let himself relax a bit. “How do you feel?”

“Mmm… tired.”

“You remember?”

“Hmm?” He looked around. He was in his room… That didn’t feel right. Why didn’t that feel right? He tried to follow his memory back, but found much of it to be a blur. He remembered… a loud noise. He tried to think back further. He and Orange had snuck out, with Moonstone’s assistance, to go… to research and development - he remembered. They had gotten there, he’d managed to fling some fireballs - that had been satisfying, after so long not using his powers it had scratched an itch in the back of his mind - and then he…

He remembered pain - sharp, ripping pain that had erupted from his chest through his arms and then the rest of his body - and collapsing. Everything had become fuzzy and far too bright, the lights flickering, his arm becoming numb… he couldn’t talk but had been awake up until… he remembered being laid on his side.

He hadn’t been moved from the lab… so how was he here?

“Something… happened… I…” He scrunched his eyes shut. “Tried using my powers… something tore…” Mngh… lights’re bright… “Head hurts…”

“One moment.” He heard Primal get up, and a few moments later the lights flicked off. “Better?”

“Mhmm, thank you…” He sighed. “Did I… pass out?” He rubbed his eyes. “Feels like I did…”

“Cho-Cho?” He looked over to see Moonstone. “How do you feel?”

“Mmm… head hurts… so tired… did I pass out?” He tried feeling for his power. It was just out of reach, but… if he tried to reach, then maybe…?

“Cho-Cho, you had a seizure.” Icy fear gripped him. “We’re still trying to look into what caused it.”

“Does dad…?”

“He’s aware.”

“Where is he?” He tried to hold back the tears. Scared, he felt so scared, scared like he had when The Dark Lord had attempted to abduct him, scared like he had when he’d been tortured in captivity. Alan was always there, always beside him; why wasn’t he there? What happened to him? Where was he? His throat was closing up, his chest hurt, he felt cold - so cold. “Where’s Alan?”

“Cho-Cho, try to breathe for me, okay? Your dad’s safe. He’s just not right here at the moment, alright?” She knelt down. “You look like you need a hug; do you want a hug?” He nodded. He was enveloped by a warm embrace. “You’re alright. You’ll be alright, okay?”

He let out a shaky breath. “Sorry…”

“Cho-Cho, it’s been about a day since you’ve had it.”

“Why can’t… I remember…?”

She placed a hand on his back. “After a seizure your body and mind are exhausted. It’s what we refer to as postictal. Think of it like being on a lower power setting until you can recharge. You were seizing for nearly five minutes. That’s a long time for a seizure, so your recovery period was longer than most.”

He understood that - truly, he did. He appreciated the explanation, as well, but what worried him was not the seizure, but what had happened while he’d been incapacitated.

Alan and the others had been with him nearly every step of the way of his recovery, so why weren’t they there? “Something happened while I was out… that’s why Alan’s not here, isn’t it?”

Moonstone appeared hesitant, but sat down and explained what had happened, how The Dark Lord had attacked, how Agent had almost been taken prisoner by him, how Alan, Blue, Green, and eventually Yellow and Victim had managed to save him and drive The Dark Lord off, and how Alan had been injured while holding the line. Chosen felt a bubble of nausea form inside him, and, while Moonstone told him that it wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t help but feel at least partially responsible for the entire mess.

He just prayed that The Dark Lord was thoroughly scared off enough where he’d be able to recover enough to stop him.

The streets were bustling with activity as Hazard opened the exit to the Chinese restaurant, his two charges skittering onto the street before him. Caution was happily telling the little traveler about Red and Yellow, as well as about more of her rock collection, and the little girl was happily nodding along, listening intently.

Even without directly asking her the questions, Hazard could near a hundred percent guarantee that she was not an enemy. His more pressing concern was how to convince Vic, Alan, and Agent she wasn’t. He wouldn’t ignore Agent’s concerns about her - she was very much an odd one - but that oddness, from what he’d seen - was far from malicious.

He had intended on going back to Peony’s cafe to pick the girl up to take her to lunch, but she had ended up following after him as he and Caution went around the city doing errands. It’d been a bit of a surprise, for certain, but hardly an unwelcome one. He’d been able to gauge her behavior better because of that.

His phone rang. He took it out and sighed when he saw Victim’s caller ID.

“How’s it going?”

“Was about to ask you the same question! It’s… alright. Agent’s a bit more alert.”

“Good, good.” He glanced at the girl. She and Caution had squatted down near some lamppost and were looking at something at the base. “One moment.” He walked over and knelt down. “Kid, ya mind if I mention ya to my boss?” She gave him a wary glance. “It’s not gonna change dat I’m still dropping ya off at Peony’s; I just don’t wanna fib to him, is all.” She thought for a moment and then nodded. “So,” He stood back up, “ya not gonna believe this, but the kid? Yeah I managed ta talk ta her.”

“Huh?!”

“And, look, I know what ya want us ta do, but I promised her dat I’d drop her off at the place I found her… da kiddo’s skittish, from what I can tell. Dat’s all.”

“You… got her to trust you?”

He sighed. “Not sure, but I don’t wanna break what little she might have, ya know? Which is why-” He cut off when he felt the barrel of a gun get pressed into his back.

“Get off the phone,” a voice growled into his ear.

I… I know dat voice…

“Hazard, you stopped talking; is something wrong?”

He heard a click. “Do it, or I put a bullet through your heart.”

He hung up. He started to look behind at his assailant when the gun was pressed in further.

“Walk. This way. Don’t try nothin’, or the kids’ll get it.” He glanced at the two girls. Caution looked terrified, while the strange girl looked…

He actually didn’t know what she was feeling given her expression. He could see a glint of something calculating, her eyes darting to the people who’d suddenly surrounded them. If he had to hazard a guess, she was… plotting.

He only hoped it was for some way to free them from this situation.

Chapter Text

He knew these people.

It’d taken a while, but he had recalled them being part of the group he and Agent had gotten abducted by when they first met. He’d last seen the ringleader at his trial after saving Agent from the group before he… well…

There was a reason he was no longer a cop.

The strange thing was, the one who had put a gun to his back, the ringleader, was supposed to be in prison. He didn’t have the luxury of asking him how he’d escaped from a maximum security prison, though.

He currently didn’t have the luxury of asking anything at the moment, if he was being completely honest. That was what happened when one had about fifteen thousand volts of electricity being forcibly run through their body.

His mind was drawing a near-blank on how to breathe once it was cut off. He slumped back in the chair he’d been tied to with a groan. A few moments later he was once again convulsing from the electricity. His restraints dug into his arms and legs as he let out a stammering groan.

He was exhausted by the time it stopped. “Wh… whadiya want from me?” he panted.

“Retribution,” the stick who’d held him at gunpoint sneered. “Six years!” he shouted as his body was lit up in pain once again. He could barely hear him over his own cries. “Six years spent rotting in a cell!” He slumped down, head bowed, eyes closed, and panting. “Your stupid mall cop buddy’s next, by the way, once I’m through with you!” His head was lifted up with the gun’s barrel. “Do you think he’ll scream when he sees your corpse? Do you think he’ll give up on living?”

Cursors, he felt exhausted.

“I hate that you saved him; I hate that you survived that explosion, the building collapsing. I hate that you got to go on with your life while I rotted behind bars!”

“Killing us won’t give ya dat time back, Sage…”

He seized again. “You think I give a damn?!” He groaned. “I sure as frag feel better doing this! The man who broke me out specifically asked me to go after you, you know.”

“Wh…? Huh…?”

“Frankly, I was gonna go after you anyways! Granted, it would’ve taken me more time to get set up, but…”

Son of a gun… I’ll bite… “He… wouldn’t happen ta have blood red hair, would he?”

“Yeah. Had a stupid name, Dark something. Pretentious little…”

H-how? How did he know dat…?

“Arg! Don’t try to distract me with questions!” He heard Sage cock the gun. “I’m giving you a bullet for each year of fragments you made me suffer, and the last one’s going in your head!”

He didn’t give him the chance to brace for the first shot. He screamed as he felt it rip through his right knee. It took everything he had to not burst into tears.

He was still gasping for air when he felt the gun press into his left shoulder and heard it fire. His mind veered on the brink of consciousness as he shrieked. He was loudly moaning in pain - he didn’t care about composure anymore. “N-no, pl-please don’t-!” His right elbow was shot next. His screams filled his ears. Tears flooded down his cheeks as he stared up at the dirty ceiling. Please don’t let Bug be hearing dis…

He choked when the next one hit him in the gut. Just when he thought he couldn’t be in more agony, there it was: more pain, another reason to cry out.

His other knee was blown out. He wanted to faint, he wanted to pass out.

Bug… Agent… Vic… ‘m sorry… His breath hitched when he felt the barrel pressed against his forehead, pushing his head up.

He suddenly felt eerily calm and at peace. It was as if the world had stopped moving. He closed his eyes, tears dripping down. He wondered where Caution was, where the girl was… He hoped they were safe, that they’d be let go. He wished he could tell Agent that none of this was his fault - he didn’t ask to be a witness to a conspiracy, besides they had both assumed that it had been long buried, that it had ended on the day he’d rescued him. He was worried how Victim would react to the news.

He hoped there’d be something left of him to bury.

The gun fired.

He… heard it fire.

He… he was still breathing. He could still feel the gunshots burning, could feel them screaming. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

He weakly opened his eyes as small hands cradled his face. “K… kiddo?” He felt the ropes binding him get cut loose, felt the girl pull him out of the chair - it hurt, it hurt, it hurt so much, he wanted to scream, he needed to, it hurt!

“Daddy!”

“B… Bug…” He wanted to reach over to her, to reassure her, to tell her everything was fine, but he could feel his strength leaving him as he felt blood pool under him.

It was… so cold.

Hands touched his stomach wound. He let out a choked gasp of pain, but then felt… warmth, heard a chiming sound. He weakly watched as some form of energy swirled around the girl’s hands, funneling into him.

He weakly grit his teeth as he felt the wound begin to close, but… there was no pain. A part of him felt that it should hurt. Instead, he could feel a soothing feeling fill his body, one that made him feel… almost sleepy.

It was a very strange feeling. He could feel the damaged areas knit themselves back together, could feel the damage reverse, but it didn’t hurt.

He almost felt like he could fall asleep, it was so soothing.

He felt himself being sat up and a bottle get pressed to his lips. He drank the reddish liquid inside. It tasted… like horrendously sweetened cherry cough syrup, the kind that was very clearly medicinal and not at all actually sweet, though there was a faint fake-sweetness as well.

He was laid back down. After a few minutes, he could feel the cold and dizziness begin to fade away ever so slightly. He could see Sage on the ground, blood dripping from his forehead.

He reached for his phone and pressed the call button. “V… Vic…”

“Hazard, I’ve already had your phone traced; Ballista is on his way. What happened?!”

“Past… came back ta haunt me… might need… medical attention…” The soothing feeling was beginning to dissipate, and he could start to feel his injuries aching. He felt Caution bury her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her sobbing form. “Shh, you’re okay. Daddy’ll be alright.” He let his eyes close.

“Hazard!” He jolted back to alertness. “Hey, keep talking to me; don’t fall asleep.”

“Mngh… Vic, I’ll be fine…”

“I don’t care; you sound injured and you talking makes me feel less anxious that you’re going to die on me!” He sighed. His throat was shot from screaming. “Talk about anything, anything at all, like… what happened? Why did this happen? What past?”

Probably shoulda told him ‘bout me and Agent… now’s as good a time as any… “Did… Agent evah tell ya ‘bout how we met?”

“No, he… I know it was a little over six years ago… before you joined Rocket Corp.”

“I was a cop… he had witnessed a robbary gone wrong… I was supposed ta interview him… we got jumped…”

“I… remember that day… he was missing for a week…”

“Took us to some warehouse… thought I knew ‘bout der organization… big conspiracy… didn’t know nothin’… didn’t stop dem from trying ta make me talk.” He forced his eyes open. “He… he took dem all down… got me oudda der… We… became friends after dat…” The exhaustion was beginning to overwhelm him. He wanted to stop talking, to lay down, to rest, but he knew Victim would panic if he didn’t keep at it.

“Did you quit because of that?”

“Cursas no… wasn’t my choice…” He held Caution a little closer. “Didn’t know it at da time, but… Agent kept looking into the conspiracy… Ended up getting abducted… cause he knew too much… managed ta track him down…”

He’d been able to break into the building he tracked the kidnappers to. He’d told his partner to call for backup while he headed to the building on foot - they’d parked up the road, well out of sight. The building had been eerily quiet at first, only his footsteps echoing the halls. He had checked the ground floor first, detaining anyone he came across - it hadn’t been that many; one or two, at most.

He had gone upstairs, and that had been when he started to hear screaming. He had managed to track it to a room. Agent had been getting yelled at, to spill what he knew, but as he had checked the door for any traps and if it was locked, he could hear him swearing and insulting the person torturing him.

When he bust the door down he didn’t hesitate - he had shot the people responsible; it was his and Agent’s life or theirs. He made the call, and he took the shot. Given the chance, the criminals would have killed them both.

He… really should have made sure that the one torturing Agent had been dead before freeing and half-carrying Agent out, thinking back, but how was he supposed to have known that Sage was one of the top enforcers of that conspiracy? How would he have known that the place was rigged to explode, and that he had the triggering device? That he’d even risk getting caught in the crossfire just to take them both down with him?

The moment he heard the explosion he had thrown Agent out the door, and not a moment later did another explosion throw them further apart and the ground break beneath him.

He had screamed when he felt rubble pin him. He’d stayed frozen as the building crumbled around him, the only thoughts running through his mind being prayers for Agent’s safety and of his daughter.

But death didn’t come. It was near pitch black, he could barely see around him, concrete dust filled the air, making his eyes sting, making his lungs feel like he was breathing glass shards, but he was alive.

His right arm and leg had been pinned. He had tried to shove off what pinned him, but it’d been too heavy.

He didn’t remember how long he had been stuck down there, screaming for help until his voice gave out, fading in and out, not knowing if he’d wake up. What if he wasn’t found? What if he couldn’t be reached?

His injuries had made him unable to continue his work as a police officer.

“So… that’s why he called me that day- What the…?”

He glanced over at the phone.

“Ballista?! Alan?! Wh-?!”

“That motherfu-!”

“Language!” he heard Alan interrupt Ballista.

“First off, Alan, you’re not supposed to be walking around.”

“Me and my boys wanted to see Chosen.”

“That… you’re supposed to be using a wheelchair.”

“My legs work just fine.”

“I… Not the point! Ballista, what the frag happened?!” Hazard risked sitting up. The girl gave him a look, but didn’t attempt to stop him.

“Agent overheard that Hazard suddenly hung up without warning and knocked me out before I could head to the vehicle bay! When I finally woke up and looked, one of the hover bikes was gone!”

There was a long pause. Hazard let out a sigh and shook his head. “Cursas dammit, Agent.”

“Hazard!”

“Ya not rid of me just yet, kid.” He smirked. Though, that electricity still hurts like a sunuva…! His stomach dropped when he heard movement outside the room to the right. He forced himself to his feet. “We got company…”

“Hazard get out of there!”

“Working on it-!”

The door to the left was locked.

“Shit.”

The doors behind him burst open. He pushed his daughter behind him.

The girl drew her sword.

He saw Sage drag himself to his feet.

Chapter Text

Hazard, I’m coming! Agent kicked down the door. Two thugs at a table spun around, reaching for their guns. Agent whipped out his lasso, wrapped it around one of their legs, and yanked back. They let out a cry and thudded to the ground. In his other hand he whipped out the rectangle tool, blocking a bullet before using the lasso to whip the gun out of the only standing thug’s hand. He ignored their scream and pulled out his cuffs, cuffing the both of them to the table legs, confiscating their guns while he was at it. “Where’d yer boss take Hazard? Hmm?” He slammed the top of the table as the two glared at him. “Tell me!” He grabbed one of the guns. “Arright. I’ll play it yer way, then.”

“You can’t do that!” One of them cried. “The law-!”

Agent cackled. “Ya think I care ‘bout the law right now, boy?!” He pressed the gun into his shoulder. “Huh?! An’ don’t you think ‘bout fibbin’! Else there’s only one way th’ two of ya are leavin’ this place, an’ that’s in a body bag! So don’t go wastin’ my time!”

“Basement!” the other one screamed. “H-he’s in the basement!”

“Idiot!” his cohort hissed. “Don’t go spilling the truth without knowing he’ll let us live!”

He stood up. “If yer lyin’ t’ me, yer both dead.”

“Ha! You’re wasting your time!” He froze. “Boss wanted vengeance! Bastard stopped screaming a while ago. You’re too late!”

He knelt back down and put the gun underneath their chin. “Ya better pray he’s still kickin’, ‘cause if he ain’t…” He let the rest be left unsaid, let them figure it out.

He stormed down the stairs to the basement, breaking down the door.

No one was there. He cursed, and was about to storm back upstairs when he noticed another door.

As he sped through the room, he saw a pool of blood, cut ropes, a bloodstained chair, and a car battery. Bile rose in his throat.

I’m gonna kill ‘em! He forced the door open.

A gunshot rang out, as did a scream of agony. His breath caught in his throat. He started running faster, pulled out his electric bolt gun.

Another shot, another howl.

“Leave dem outta dis!” Another scream and shot rang out. “Dey did nothin’ to ya!”

Hold on, please hold on, pardner! Almost there! Just a li’l longer!

He flinched at the fourth and fifth shot. He saw the door where it was coming from.

He came crashing through it, aimed at the back of the bastard he thought he’d never have to see again, and fired.

The man began screaming as he crumpled to the ground. The second shock knocked him completely out.

He spun and shot the remaining three thugs with the shock bolts.

He started towards Hazard. “W-wait… C… Caution… the girl… th… they’re…” He tilted his head towards what looked to be a closet.

The… girl? He forced the door open. A familiar cry drew his attention to the floor, where he saw the girl he’d been after protectively holding Caution against her. She looked up and let out a growl, distrust visible in her eyes.

He knelt down.

“Ah kno’ y’ have no reason t’ trust m’, but ah promise I’m a friend.”

“Uncle Agent!” Caution threw herself into his arms.

“Shh, yer arright now, Cau. Jus’ hang tight; I’ve gotta help yer daddy, okay?” She sniffled and nodded.

He began to force open the chains holding Hazard up. Hazard slumped forward with a groan, and he caught him, slowly lowering him to the ground.

His eyes were barely open. “Hazard, Hazard, hey, wake up!” Hazard let out a pained mumble.

“Agent?!” He jumped, and then saw the phone on the ground. He grabbed it and flipped it over. He muttered a swear upon seeing that the phone had been put on video. Victim, Alan, and Ballista all looked concerned and terrified. “H-How’s…?”

He felt a tug at his sleeve. He glanced down as the girl showed him and Hazard a piece of paper.

“I’m running out of mana; I definitely can’t use Sedation and heal without the healing being incomplete this time. It’s going to hurt.”

“Do what ya gotta do, kid,” Hazard mumbled.

Agent watched with trepidation as the girl placed her hands on Hazard’s chest. She shook slightly as silver and blue misty energy began to funnel into his injuries.

Hazard was awfully quiet. He scooted over and place two fingers on his neck, reassured by the feeling of his pulse, but it felt too quick. His skin was cold and clammy, and his breathing was shallow and rapid. He was awake, but his gaze was distant and unfocused.

He heard him let out a quiet moan.

“What’s going on; how’s he doing?”

“The girl’s… doing something…” He could see Hazard’s injuries beginning to close - slowly… way too slowly for his liking, but they were closing; blood had stopped seeping out as quickly. “Miss, are ya… some sort of healer?” The girl shrugged. “Hazard… I… I think he’s in shock.” The girl started to tremble. “Miss?” Now she was looking a bit shocky. “H-hey! Li’l miss!” She shook her head and grit her teeth before the energy stopped and she listed to the side. His injuries weren’t completely closed. The girl gained a look of determination. She pulled up her robe, revealing a dagger strapped to her leg, took it out, and… Wait, is she-?!

She slashed her hand with the blade. Agent stammered a protest as she put the dagger down and put her other hand over the wound. He saw that silver energy get drawn from the blood, which she then channeled into Hazard.

He couldn’t help but feel slightly nauseous at the sight. “Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop doin’ that!” He tried to grab her hand, but she wrenched it from his grasp. “Yer hurtin’ yerself; stop-!” She stopped channeling the energy for a moment and grabbed his face. She paused for a moment before going back to what she’d been doing. “Um… Yes, ma’am…”

Most of the wounds eventually appeared to close, and the girl nearly slumped to her side, exhaustion plain as day. He felt Hazard’s pulse.

Thready, but still there.

“Vic, can y’ call the cops?”

“Already on it…”

He watched the girl wearily pull out a small vial with a reddish pink liquid inside. She frowned and gestured for him to lift Hazard up into a sitting position. He did so, and she began to slowly dose him with the potion.

Agent glanced at the thugs on the ground, reached for his cuffs, and handcuffed each one.

“I also called medical. They’re on their way, Agent.”

“Good.” He felt… outrageously tired all of a sudden. “Mngh…”

“Agent?” Ballista sounded extremely concerned.

“Adrenaline’s died down… think the sedative Th’ Dark Lord injected me with… rearin’ it’s ugly head again…” Push through it, Agent… Ya can rest when ya get back t’ Rocket Corp.

He wrapped his jacket around Hazard and lifted him up. “Cau, grab th’ phone, please. We need t’ get going.” He heard Hazard weakly groan. Agent did not like how weak Hazard sounded, and he did not like how cold he felt. “Hang in there, Pardner.”

Hazard moaned as he slightly opened his eyes. “A… Ag… ent…”

“Don’t y’ go dyin’ on me. Help’s comin’.” He ducked beneath the broken doorway.

“C… Cau…”

“She’s safe, don’t ya worry. Just keep talkin’ t’ me; don’t go t’ sleep.” Hazard let out an incomprehensible mumble. Agent knelt down and rested him on the ground.

“C… cold…”

“I know.”

“Agent, Th… The Dark Lord… h… he… he broke… the bastard out…” Hazard gasped in a breath. “H-he’s… responsible…!” Panic overshadowed by exhaustion filled his eyes. “Don’t… wanna…”

“Yer not gonna!” He grabbed his hand. “Yer gonna make it!” His head slumped to the side. “No, no, no, no, stay wi’ me!” Hazard let out a whine. “Yer gonna make it! Yer tough, jus’ hang in there!”

He felt Hazard weakly squeeze his hand. “Tired…”

He could hear sirens in the distance. “Ah know, jus’ stay awake a li’l longer!” He shook him gently when he saw his eyes close, and did so with a bit more force when he didn’t open them. “Hazard!” The sirens were getting louder. “Hazard, wake up! Hazard!”

“Daddy?” He saw Caution start shaking him. “Daddy, wake up! Wake up!” He saw her start sobbing.

The flashing lights reflected off the pavement. Agent moved out of the way for the paramedics. They tried to move Caution, but she clung to Hazard.

“Don’t take him from me!” An officer pulled her away. “No! Don’t take him! Don’t take my daddy! Daddy!” She was thrashing against the officer as he handed her to Agent. “Daddy!” He grit his teeth against a sob as Hazard was loaded into the back of the ambulance. He slumped against the building, holding the sobbing child against his chest as he tried to not break down himself. Exhaustion was pulling at him, threatening to overtake his mind, but he struggled against it as the police milled about, dragging the six thugs out from the building. He looked up at the ringleader as he was dragged out. Their eyes met, and Agent glared back at him as he was shoved into the back of the cruiser. He blinked and found himself mid-conversation with one of the officers.

She looked up at him from her notepad. “Are you alright?”

“It’s been a day.” He felt Caution bury her face further into his chest. “Can… can I go now? I…” He put his head against the wall. Cursors, can’t think or talk straight… He noticed the sun was setting. How long have I…?

He looked around, noticing the girl was nowhere to be seen. He sighed.

So much for…

“Agent!” He looked up and saw Victim and Ballista running up to the police barricade. An officer stopped them. Agent picked up his jacket and put it over Caution before getting up and heading over with the officer.

He ducked under the yellow tape and stared at Victim. “How’re you…?”

“Do you know where he was taken?” He felt numb inside. First Chosen was almost killed protecting them, he almost died twice, The Dark Lord made an attempt to kidnap the kid, he came back, nearly captured him, Alan was injured while protecting him, and now Hazard…

He wanted to scream, but knew he couldn’t. There would be time to process those emotions, but in the middle of the street while he was tasked with taking care of the child in his arms was not the place.

“Newgrounds Memorial. Let’s go.” He slumped in the back seat.

As they drove, Agent stared out the window. “It was him.”

Victim glanced in the rear view mirror. “Hmm?”

He sighed. “Hazard told me before he passed out that The Dark Lord was responsible for freein’ the person who abducted him.”

The car was silent for an uncomfortable amount of time. “Were you… ever going to tell me that you got caught up in some conspiracy a little over six years ago, or was I supposed to find that out after Hazard got kidnapped by a nut job?”

Agent groaned. “I… didn’t feel comfortable sharin’ that… ‘specially since you were still dealin’ with… y’know…” He leaned back in the seat. “Figured since the bastard and his thug of a politician backer were in prison that it wouldn’t matter.” He took his glasses off. “Shoulda known better…” Victim flicked on the wipers as rain started to fall.

Agent stared at his reflection in the window. He hadn’t looked in a mirror for a while, and he, frankly, looked like crap. There were dark shadows under his eyes, his eyes looked dull. His hair was unkempt and knotted. He picked at a mat and then stopped - no way was he getting that untangled without a brush. He rested his forehead against the cool glass and sighed, staring into the forming puddles as he pondered what their next move would be.

“Wh-what…?”

“Hazard’s been shot,” Alan repeated. Chosen felt like ice water had been poured over his head. “It…” Alan looked stricken. “It’s bad. Really bad. He’s in surgery right now…”

“Will he be okay?” Red’s voice was shaky.

Alan was quiet for a while. “We don’t know.”

“What about Caution?” Tango asked.

“She’s not hurt, just shaken.” Chosen wasn’t paying too much attention to the conversation anymore. Why? Why him? Why now, when he was out of commission? He had saved Hazard before; he could’ve done it again, even in this weakened state… right?

Why am I so useless?

Chapter Text

Awareness came to him sluggishly, as though he were being slowly lifted out of water. Light bled through his closed lids, making him grimace and attempt to scrunch his eyes against it. He felt a heavy sort of dizziness holding him down, said heaviness keeping the rest of his body still as well.

He could hear muffled noises around him, one higher pitched than the rest coming from his right. It made him wince and grit his teeth against a whine, that one. It was digging into his skull, made him want to cover his ears and, combined with the light, roll over and bury his face into… into…?

Where…? Thinking made the headache worse. His body felt fuzzy - it was a strange feeling. He knew he should be feeling pain in his shoulders, his right elbow, his knees… even in his stomach, but… he wasn’t. Sure, there was an ache, but that’s all there was. It was otherwise numb. He could vaguely remember… I… got shot… He could remember now. Sage. Sage had abducted him and his daughter… and… someone else… The girl! The girl, she had knocked Sage down and gotten him out of that damn chair, healed him, but… Got recaptured… forced Vic and da othars to watch him kill me… woulda killed the girls if dey refused… It had hurt just as much the second time, getting shot, and he’d already been weak from the earlier blood loss. Guess da healing didn’t heal blood loss… The shot that had been aimed at his head would have merely been a mercy kill at that point more than anything, but it never came. Agent… where…?

He could feel a bit more now. He was laying on top of something… relatively soft. Wasn’t that comfortable, if he was being honest, but it wasn’t the worst thing he’d laid on. Something was on top of him, up to his chest. His hands were on top of it. It wasn’t smooth, but it wasn’t rough either. It definitely had a texture to it, but it was soft and comfortable.

His right hand felt sore on top - it actually ached a bit.

He risked opening an eye, clamping it shut for a bit before trying again. He could hear a bit better - the droning beeping from his right was not helping his headache. He followed the sound through redoubled pain to find a heart monitor as the source. He closed his eyes again, quietly groaning from the ache the lights caused.

“Hazard?” He winced at the voice to his left.

“Mngh…” He just wanted to sleep.

“Hazard…” The person sighed. “I… don’t blame you.” He heard them sit down. “Losing as much blood as you did had to have been exhausting…”

He mumbled something - he wasn’t sure what; he was too disoriented to focus on them.

“Ah, shoot, you’re probably confused. You’re in Newgrounds Memorial Hospital. This is Vic talking. Agent and your kid are sleeping on a cot near the couch to your right.” He heard Vic chuckle. “Your little kid has all the blankets wrapped around her. She was scared for you, you know…”

Guilt ate into him. He’d done everything possible to shield his daughter from the conspiracy, and yet it had clawed its way into his life yet again, this time with Caution as a witness.

“Mmm…” He winced against the lights.

“Hazard? You with us?”

He searched for his voice. “Bright.” Creators above, he sounded awful… and why’d the lights have to be so bright?

“Oh, let me get that for you.” He sighed in relief when he felt the light dim and could finally open his eyes without feeling like he was being stabbed in the skull. He looked over as Victim sat down beside him.

“Hey.”

“Hey…” The edges of his vision were a bit fuzzy, but otherwise he could see just fine. “How are you feeling?”

“Muddled, if dat makes any sense.” He sighed. “Nevah been so convinced I was starin’ death in da face since da start a this whole mess…”

“Oh, you were…”

He frowned. “Was it really dat close?”

“You needed over ten blood transfusions, Hazard. You were still bleeding out when you got to the hospital. I’d say it was close.”

“Ah…” He looked over to his right hand. There was an IV in it. “Mmm… feel like I’m…” He grimaced. “Mngh… thought the kid healed me…”

“She did.”

“Why’s it aching so much, den?”

Victim sighed. “Wish I knew, honestly. You’re, uh, on a not so small amount of painkillers, by the way.”

“Mmm… sorta figured.” He shifted a bit. “When can I get back ta work?”

“Excuse me?”

He sighed. “I’m awake; I’m lucid. I’d like ta get back ta work.”

Victim sputtered. “Did you not hear what I just said?!”

“I heard ya. I feel fine.”

“Hazard, you almost died. You…” Victim was pacing. “You almost crashed during surgery! You were bleeding out internally; the kid didn’t get it all! She tried, but it wasn’t enough to stop all the bleeding. The doctors weren’t even sure you were going to make it, even with the blood transfusions! You’re not being discharged just because you’re awake! You’re looking at a week’s stay here, at least!”

“A week-?!” He sat upright, gasping and bracing himself as he felt something almost tear in his stomach. “Vic, I can’t stay out for a week! Chosen-!”

“Is fine. The others have it covered.” He was pushed back down into the bed with a finger. “You need to focus on recovering.”

Hazard sighed. “He’s right, y’know.” He glanced over to see Agent sitting up, Caution asleep in his arms.

He snorted a bit. “Ya look like shit.”

Agent gave a small smirk back. “Have y’ looked in a mirror recently?”

Hazard chuckled. “Touché.” He shook his head. “Comb ya hair, fa cursas’ sake! I’m not gonna die if ya step oudda da room fa a few.”

That got a laugh out of Agent. “If you insist…”

He saw Caution open her eyes. “Morning, sleepyhead.”

Her eyes went wide. “Daddy!” She reached out towards him, tears filling her eyes. Agent placed her down and she immediately lunged at him, wrapping her arms around him and gripping him with her tiny hands.

The sobs made his heart ache as he hugged her back. “Shh, everything’s okay now, Bug…”

He didn’t want to let go.

Chapter Text

Agent leaned against the wall of the designated smoking area and popped out a piece of gum. He let out a breath as he bit into it and looked up at the starry sky, waiting for it to cause that tingling sensation before parking it in the side of his mouth.

The week had gone by without any incident, unless one counted Red’s plan to draw the girl in… somewhat working. They never saw the girl, but the honey and cream had been taken, with a note in their place thanking them for the gifts - mentioning that the honey would help her recover mana -, as well as an explanation for some of the oddities occurring around Rocket Corp.

She had been responsible for the fog, and for people getting turned around. It, apparently, hadn’t been her per-say, but an object she had used. “You won’t find me in the fog unless you get very lucky or I want you to find me. You getting turned around in it is merely a side effect. It’s not dangerous. You won’t be lost forever in it. No matter how many circles you walk, eventually you’ll end up outside the forest.” It had been a relief to know that the fog hadn’t been something malevolent.

After a few back and forths between the kids and the girl - she had asked for sugar cane in return for answering more questions, though had stated that anything sweet would do if they had none -, they had even solved the mystery of Victim’s random burn.

“The cold iron of the burglar bars is abhorrent. It blocks my magic and hurts my skin. Touching them gave me a rash. Yes, I gave the one responsible for them an injury in likeness to the one I received. It is only fair, is it not? If you are worried, do not be. The injury given will heal once mine does. That is the way the charm I used works.” Victim’s burn was nearly gone, so Agent assumed the girl’s was, too. He chuckled in amusement upon thinking back how excited Red had been when the girl had mentioned cold iron, thinking it to be proof she was a fairy.

Yellow, of course, chose to believe a more scientific based reason. “She probably just has a skin reaction to iron.”

“Why’re you so obsessed with her being a fairy?” Blue had asked.

“It’d be cool!”

Agent had chuckled. “That would depend on the kind you’re talkin’ ‘bout, kid.” He had sat next to Green and Purple on the couch. “Not all fairies are nice, ‘cordin’ t’ folklore.”

Red had frowned. “But she seems so nice.”

“Regardless, she put some kinda hex on Vic t’ make him have th’ same injury as her. That ain’t a very nice thing t’ do, even if y’ are a fairy.” He had sighed. “To be honest, I hope she ain’t one, jus’ fer our sanity’s sake.” When given quizzical looks, he’d explained, “Ah grew up in th’ country, and th’ country has a lotta folk from a lotta backgrounds. Some o’ ‘em do believe in the fae, and these ain’t yer li’l pixies from them modern day cartoons. Far from it. These ones are th’ kind that’re willin’ t’ steal infants from the cradle just as much as they’re willin’ t’ help a farmer’s crops grow.”

“But why?” Red had sat on the ground in front of him along with Orange.

“Th’ stealin’ infants part? Many reasons. Some say they need humans - or, in our case, sticks - t’ keep themselves powerful; some might do so ‘cause they need a servant; some say they love th’ kid so much that they take ‘em away; and sometimes it’s outta malice.”

He’d done his best to answer Red’s numerous questions - he was quite the curious one. Agent just hoped he understood that, if nothing else, if he came across a fairy, he needed to be respectful to them. Better to avoid having to give an apology to an angry fairy all together given what he knew.

He sighed, taking out the gum and putting it in a paper wrapping before tossing it in the trash. The girl hadn’t… seemed like a fairy of any kind. Her ears had been rounded, like a regular stick’s, and she seemed far too altruistic, given her interactions with Hazard and Chosen. Fairies, from what he knew, were very transactional in their so-called kindness.

He smiled a bit. Hazard’s gettin’ outta th’ hospital tomorrow. He looked back up at the sky. Miss his antics ‘round-

He gasped as he felt something jab into his shoulder. Gritting his teeth, Agent reached for and pulled out the dart that was sticking out of his arm. That simple action felt exhausting, and he accidentally dropped it as he felt his hands weaken.

He sunk to the ground. He scrunched his eyes shut as he began to see double. His head was spinning, vision blurring and fading in and out. It felt like an impossible effort to breathe. He fumbled for his phone, dropping it and watching it skitter along the ground about two feet from him. He reached towards it, slamming into the ground as his other arm gave out. He grunted with effort as he reached for it - moving felt impossible.

It was kicked away by a familiar pair of boots. He was rolled onto his back, blood red eyes gazing down mockingly at him.

“Hello again, Agent.” The Dark Lord smirked. “Did you miss me?” Agent struggled to find his voice.

“H… How did…?” He weakly groaned, struggling to cling to consciousness. The Dark Lord knelt down and pulled out a syringe.

A hand was placed over his mouth as the syringe was plunged into the side of his neck. “Shh…” He scrunched his eyes close, letting out a muffled groan as the plunger was pressed. It burned going in. He could almost feel it circulating.

He tried to will his body to move, to fight back, to run, anything, anything at all, but instead he laid there as consciousness became harder and harder to grasp onto. He struggled to keep his eyes open, to not let himself slip into darkness, but as his glasses were taken off and set to the side, he felt his eyes slip close.

The last thing he heard before the rest of his senses were drowned in oblivion was, “Good night, Agent.”