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In the three and a half weeks since their last sponsorship, Tenna had seemed to be in better spirits than Battat had seen from him in a while. Perhaps their earnings from it had been more of a relief from their struggles than he’d initially thought, or maybe he was just feeling that much better once Battat and Ramb had helped temporarily fix his video cable after he’d injured it all those weeks ago, despite his fierce resistance. Whatever the reason, Battat had found himself enjoying how warmly Tenna had been greeting him each morning, taking on each day with a renewed glow of passion behind his screen.
Fortunately, they still had one more day before Tenna’s appointment to get the cable fully replaced. Not that he knew that, though, as Ramb had been rather insistent that they refrain from telling him. “Think about it, mate,” he’d said. “If he has too much forewarning, he will find a way to get out of it one way or another. He’ll keep delaying it over and over until he drops, and trust me, that’s the last thing any of us want, right?”
As much as Battat had hated keeping it a secret from him, he knew Ramb had a point, and so he’d reluctantly agreed. Now, as he sat in the studio conference room, currently in his signature “Mike” outfit, he was hopeful that he’d get to enjoy another casual morning with Tenna before what would probably be a pretty stressful ordeal for the guy. Ironically, he’d wanted to meet with him to go over the schedule for the week, which Battat had carefully curated around said ordeal by having tomorrow nice and cleared.
But one minute more, and it seemed that notion had become short-lived as Tenna entered at last. Right away, it was apparent that something was off, if the dulled, listless glow of his screen was anything to go by.
“Morning, boss,” Battat greeted with just as much enthusiasm as he’d given in recent days. “Ready to start? I’ve got everything printed out and color-coded just like you asked.”
“Oh, hi, Mike,” Tenna returned, his tone friendly as ever. He perked up as soon as he spoke, putting on a smile as he gave a quick adjustment to his tie. “Yep, that sounds great! What’ve we got this time?”
Huh. Maybe he was just imagining it.
“Actually,” Battat continued, “this week’s a little slower. Everything’s been so busy, I thought maybe you could use a slight break, y’know?”
Tenna tilted his head somewhat, but to Battat’s relief, he didn’t seem displeased. “Slower? That’s fine, I guess. Yeah—we’ll just make up for the work next week! I’ve still got that meeting coming up tomorrow, though, don’t I?”
…Then again, maybe he hadn’t been.
“Uh… the one with the city guys? Pretty sure you already had that, didn’t you?” Like, literally yesterday? He added silently.
Tenna’s smile wavered. “Right, sorry! Guess you were always better at keeping track of this stuff than me, huh? Sometimes I don’t know what I’d do without you!” He cleared his throat then, trying to stave off the awkwardness suddenly surrounding him. “Um… so then, today was…?”
“…TV Time setup, like always?” Battat offered.
“Yes, right! That sounds… right.”
He trailed off then, and Battat narrowed his eyes underneath the suit. He could be spacey from time to time, sure—hence why he put “Mike” in charge of the scheduling in the first place—but the last time it had been this bad was… well, three and a half weeks ago. The memory was still fresh in his mind, and with it came a twinge of worry.
“…You feeling okay, boss?” He asked, doing his best to keep his tone steady so as not to sound overbearing.
“Hm? Oh, yes, I’m fine,” Tenna said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Just a little tired s’all. Haven’t had my morning coffee yet, you know? It’s almost criminal!” He smiled again, though it seemed strained.
That did little to convince Battat, but it wasn’t like he had much authority here.
“Okay, well, there’s not much else going on other than the actual show later in the week, so—”
“Great,” Tenna interrupted, “let’s get started, then! C’mon, we can go over details on the way to the set.”
…Yeah, right.
Despite his hesitance, Battat nodded and rose from his seat, following Tenna out of the room and into the hall. He was only a short distance behind him, but as they began heading in the direction of the showroom, he couldn’t help keeping his gaze trained on him. He didn’t seem like he was having any trouble seeing, as he had before when he’d first been injured, and with how energetic he’d seemed before today, Battat hadn’t been worried about pushing his appointment towards the end of the month.
Yet as a sense of unease began to creep over him, he found himself regretting that decision.
He'll be fine, he probably is just tired with how he’s been working nonstop. Even if he doesn’t cool it for today, he can hold out for just one more, right?
But not much longer, and he hadn’t noticed that his steps had begun to outpace Tenna’s, lost in his own nervous thoughts. He was quickly snapped out of them when a sudden THUMP resounded behind him, and he whirled around with widened eyes.
Tenna had stopped to slump against the wall, one arm wrapped protectively across his abdomen. He was leaning quite a bit forward, and before Battat had even moved closer to him, he could see that he was breathing rather heavily, though he was fighting hard to try and steady it.
“Tenna? What’s wrong?!”
“Hah… sorry, just… need a second…”
Battat approached until he was nearly underneath him, and as he peered up at his screen, it stuttered and flickered with effort, distorting with static, if just for a moment.
“Can you, uh… see normally?” He ventured, though he suspected he already knew the answer.
Tenna hesitated, furrowing his brow in uncertainty. “Uh, that depends… are there normally two of you? I mean, I wish… haha…”
…Oh my god. Battat’s heart did an uncomfortable mix of fluttering and dropping in his chest. It seemed he didn’t even have a day, then.
“Haha, yeah, wow, that’d be something! Uh, maybe you should lie down for a bit,” he said hastily. “Come on, let’s go to your office.”
But at the suggestion, his antennas straightened out, and his tail flicked nervously. “N-no, that’s not necessary, I’ll be fine in a minute!” His tone had shifted back into enthusiasm, and he forced another smile. “Just taking a little commercial break, that’s all!”
It almost would’ve been convincing, if only he weren’t currently leaning all of his weight against the wall and gripping his side as though he’d been shot. But with how closely he’d managed to mimic his recent, energetic self, Battat couldn’t help wondering whether some of it had been for show this whole time.
Shit. It’d explain why he’s been distracting himself with so much work. I should’ve known he’d try to hide it for as long as possible, just like last time…
Battat sighed. “Please, Tenna? Will you at least do it for me?”
He hadn’t necessarily expected that to work, but to his surprise, Tenna seemed to drop the act after another moment’s hesitation, swayed by his pleading. He’d been more susceptible to it these last few weeks, and thankfully now wasn’t an exception. “I… okay, okay, just for a bit couldn’t hurt, I guess.”
Before he could change his mind, Battat helped guide him away from the wall, holding gently onto his sleeve as they headed down the hall. Tenna didn’t seem to mind the assistance at all, keeping close enough to his side to make him redden slightly underneath the costume. But he managed to not let that distract him from his urgent pace, and soon enough, they entered Tenna’s office.
Without much prompting, Tenna made his way over to the couch, sinking into it rather quickly. As he settled, wrapping his tail over the side of it, he let out a shaky exhale that told Battat how completely, utterly exhausted he was.
“I’ll, uh, be right back,” he informed him, already inching back towards the door.
“Mhmm,” was the only reply Tenna gave.
With that, Battat slipped away, confident for now that Tenna wasn’t going anywhere. Right—so, it seemed that this would all be happening a little earlier than he’d planned. He could manage that, but not alone, and there was only one other Darkner he trusted to help with this.
It was still fairly early in the morning, so the Green Room was sparse as expected once he’d entered and, sure enough, he spotted Ramb near the bar. He appeared to be doing some sort of inventory, but the moment he spotted Battat approaching from his peripheral vision, he abandoned the task readily.
“Ah, it’s you,” he greeted with a hint of amusement to his tone. “That kind of morning, I take it?”
Battat paused. “No, I’m not here for a drink, Ramb.”
“What a shame. Just here to admire the scenery, then?”
He sighed. “No—look, you remember that thing we were doing tomorrow?”
That got his attention a little more closely. “Hard to forget, mate. What about it?”
“We kind of need to do it today instead. And by today, I mean right now.”
Ramb’s expression shifted into one of concern, and he turned away slightly. “That idiot… must’ve worked himself into a frenzy stressing out about it, even without us telling him.” Then, he returned his gaze, the amusement all but lost. “Right. Give me a minute, and I’ll get something prepared for ‘em.”
Battat narrowed his eyes. “Wait, Ramb, you’re not gonna—”
“Relax, mate,” he said, “this isn’t the ‘heavy’ stuff I was talking about. It’s prescription—apparently he’s not even allowed inside the clinic building without it, outside of emergencies anyway. Not anymore.”
“But we haven’t even told him anything yet. We can’t just…”
Ramb nodded, understanding his trepidations. “It won’t knock him out, if that’s what you’re afraid of. Just calm him down, that’s all. We’ll give it to him first, then we can tell him, alright? He won’t take it otherwise; not if he knows it came from there.”
He still didn’t like the sound of that, but by the look in Ramb’s eyes, he could tell that it was likely for the best. It wasn’t his first time dealing with this, it seemed.
I just want to get him there safely, and if this is what it takes…
“…Fine, let’s just get this over with.”
With a wink, Ramb turned and got to work. Luckily, it wasn’t long at all until he’d finished, returning to the counter with what appeared to be a pristine and perfectly ordinary-looking lemonade.
“Shall we, then?”
Battat eyed the drink warily, but said nothing, instead suppressing a shudder as he turned to head back towards the office with Ramb in tow. He was a touch nervous about the return given what had happened last time, but to his relief, they reached the entrance to the office, and all seemed to be without incident. Tenna was still laying on the couch, and as they got closer, he stirred slightly. His screen must have been off, as it had powered back on with a subtle, staticky click.
“…Mmm? Ramb? What’re you doing here?”
“Just thought you could use a drink since you’re taking a break anyway, luv,” Ramb replied, holding the glass out towards him.
Tenna glanced at it, then at him. “No coffee?”
“Nah. Coffee machine broke.”
He looked a little disappointed, but accepted it regardless. “Thanks.” Then, after a sip, he paused. “It’s, uh… a little sweet, isn’t it? Did you forget the actual lemon part or something?” He asked, though it was clearly meant to be teasing.
Ramb just shrugged. “You’d drink it even if I did, wouldn’t you?”
He glanced down at it once again. “Well, I… okay, yeah, it’s actually pretty good.”
Battat couldn’t help biting at his lip as he watched Tenna eagerly drink the rest of it.
“So, luv,” Ramb began once he’d set the glass down, “how’s that screen of yours doing?”
Tenna looked at him hesitantly, his gaze flickering towards Battat for a second as well, though it literally flickered in the process, the shape of his display distorting briefly as the scanlines bent and warped. “It’s not as bad this time. It’s like… there’s a blurry trail of afterimages next to everything? But it’s fine, I can still see what’s in front of me!”
Ramb exchanged a glance with Battat. Neither of them appeared relieved by his description.
“How long has it been happening?” Battat asked.
Tenna curled into himself a little at the question, and he turned away. “…Two days,” he whispered, shame riddling his voice.
Battat felt his heart skip a beat. “…What?! And you didn’t say anything?!” He’d tried to keep his voice down, but it was difficult in the moment. Tenna had been suffering for two whole days, and he hadn’t even noticed until now? Fuck… either he’s getting too good at hiding it, or I haven’t been doing a good enough job…
Tenna winced, still sheepishly avoiding his gaze. “I told you, it wasn’t that bad! I’ve pushed through worse so many times! The show needed to go on, right? Besides, I wasn’t even that tired until this morning…”
What?! No, you idiot! You should’ve told me! He thought, too frazzled to organize them into spoken words just yet.
“Well, that’s something, I s’pose,” Ramb said. “But I think you know what has to come next.”
Tenna immediately shrank to about half the size he was, antennas drooped well over the front of his screen. “…Yeah,” he murmured, his voice crackling somewhat with fear. “I—I know.”
Despite his dismay, Battat felt sympathy for him welling up fast, and he readjusted himself. “It’s okay, boss. I’ll be there to help you the whole time, remember?”
“Y-yeah. Thanks, Mike,” he said, though he trembled as he did so. But even then, he regained most of his height, and with a deep breath, he rose slowly from the couch. “I guess w-we should… get… going…”
He hadn’t taken a step forward yet, but he looked visibly dizzy, the way he was suddenly swaying filling Battat with alarm.
“Uhh, Tenna? Maybe you should—”
“Ah, shit,” Ramb muttered beside him. “Look out—!”
Too late. For a split second, he’d reached over to clutch at his side again, but before either of them could move to catch him, they watched in shock as Tenna keeled over, collapsing to the ground with an unceremonious thud, his screen fully dark before he’d even gone down.
At first, Battat merely stared, frozen in fear.
“What the fuck, Ramb?!” He hissed as soon as the initial shock had worn off. “I thought you said it wasn’t supposed to knock him out!”
“It’s not,” Ramb replied, looking equally confused. “It… it shouldn’t even kick in ‘till half an hour.” He paused, looking over Tenna with a curious yet concerned expression, then turned his attention back to Battat. “I’ll call the others. We’re gonna need help carrying him to the car.”
A little while later, and they’d nearly arrived at the repair clinic with Tenna still fast asleep in the back seat. Ramb was at the wheel while Battat had taken to glancing back at his unconscious form from time to time to make sure he was still breathing. He’d also taken the opportunity to call the place, letting them know they’d be coming in a day early now that things had taken a bit of a turn, though he wasn’t sure how well he’d conveyed the details through his panicked tone.
“Hey,” Ramb had said at one point, “it’s probably for the best, y’know? If he were awake, he could freak out in the car and get us all killed.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better or worse?” Battat shot back, though he forced himself to relax as much as he could after. Ramb was just trying to help, he supposed. “Ugh… speaking of which, do you even have a license?”
“Do ya actually want an answer to that?”
Battat ran a hand across his face to the best of his ability through the suit. “…Never mind.”
The next few minutes between them were filled with silence, but thankfully, they didn’t have to endure much more than that, as they found themselves pulling up to the clinic soon enough.
“I’ll go and let them know we’re here,” Ramb said. “You gonna be okay here with him for a bit?”
“Yeah, should be fine.”
He gave him one last nod of acknowledgement, and with that, Battat was alone. Well, mostly.
At first, he found that he was oddly nervous in his own right, his thoughts racing a little too fast. Tenna had probably just gotten too nervous himself on top of being overly tired—Battat couldn’t blame him, but even so, seeing him lose consciousness so suddenly like that had been thoroughly frightening.
That, and for just a quick second, it had looked as though he were in pain. Perhaps he’d been hiding more than just the resurgence of his cable issue. But apparently, whatever it was had run its course for now, as he soon heard the sound of shuffling behind him.
“Nnghh… what… where am I…?”
Oh boy, here we go.
“Heyyy, Tenna,” Battat said, working to keep his voice low and gentle. “we’re, uh… we’re here.”
“…Here?” He looked up in the direction of his voice, wincing slightly with the movement, and raised a hand to his head. “I… I feel weird…”
“Yeah, that’s, uh, normal. I think.” He cleared his throat briefly. “Anyway, here. You know, at the… clinic.”
Tenna gazed at him in confusion, then stiffened sharply as the words sank in. Immediately, his claws poked out from within his gloves and began pressing against the material of the seat.
“No, no, no, no… please, Mike, don’t make me go in!” He pleaded, his screen’s whole casing shifting dramatically to display the fear in his expression. “Don’t do this to me, please…”
And again, the sheer panic in his words raked at Battat’s heart without mercy.
“Tenna… come on, there’s nothing to be scared of,” he tried, giving him a patient smile. “What are you so worried about, anyway? What could possibly be so bad about this place?”
Tenna hesitated, staring at Battat for a little longer before pointedly looking away. For a moment, it seemed as though he wasn’t going to answer. Then, in perhaps the smallest voice he’d ever heard from him, he whispered, “If I go in, it means I’m broken. They’ll rip me apart and throw me away.”
Okay, that’s… wow. That’s definitely something.
But he had to remain tactful here. They’d unpack that later. “I… don’t think that’s true, Tenna. They just want to help. It’s kind of their job, y’know? Just like it’s mine right now.”
Tenna glanced at him before looking away again, still wary. “But it’ll hurt. Even if they don’t kill me, it’ll hurt…”
“Okay, sure, it might hurt a little,” Battat conceded with an exaggerated hand gesture, “but that’s also just kind of how these things work. It’ll hurt a little, and then you’ll feel way better after, right?”
Tenna continued staring, his gaze angled towards the window.
“…Tenna, please?” He tried again. “I promise it’ll be okay. I won’t let anything bad happen. You trust me, right?”
Tenna’s screen flickered with uncertainty, but at last, he made a slow gesture to look back up at him. “…You promise you won’t leave?”
Battat quirked a brow. “Of course, boss. I’ll be here the whole time.”
A few more seconds of silence. Then, despite the significant reluctance, Tenna forced a submissive nod of agreement.
Relief flooded over him. At least this part was over, then. Now for the rest.
“Good. Let’s go, then.”
Over the next minute or so, the two of them managed to exit the vehicle and make their way up to the clinic doors. Tenna had apparently found a strategy in staring down at the ground the whole time, avoiding the temptation of looking anywhere else. However, once they’d finally stepped through the front entrance, he couldn’t keep it up anymore, and he glanced around the lobby nervously. Battat gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, though he had no idea how much it had helped, as Tenna didn’t visibly react.
Right away, Ramb spotted them and walked over.
“Oh, you got him to come in, did you?” He breathed a short laugh. “Good job. Probably would’ve been awkward if we had to chase him around the parking lot.”
“Not helpful,” Battat hissed under his breath.
He didn’t get the chance to say more, though, as a staff member had approached the three of them. A blue female Addison, by the looks of it—in fact, it appeared that most of the staff consisted of Addisons. Battat hadn’t thought much of it before, but he supposed it made sense; many of them specialized in tech, which must have included actual maintenance skills on top of the business skills needed to advertise it. From what he’d heard, Tenna’s old business partner had been good with tech, too, though it had sounded like he didn’t always use those skills in the best of ways.
Regardless, he wasn’t particularly concerned that the staff here would have the same problem.
“Hello,” she greeted, her demeanor wonderfully warm and bright, “Mr. Ant Tenna, right?”
Tenna looked startled and dazed simultaneously, and on instinct, he shrank back a few inches—but by some miracle, that was all he seemed to be able to manage in the moment.
“Uh, y-yes, that’s me,” he said. “As seen on TV! Haha…”
Battat nearly cringed at how meek he sounded compared to his typical show host-y introductions.
“Great! I’ll be one of the assistants working with you today.” She looked between all of them then. “So, normally we wouldn’t allow non-patients to be present for the exam, but I see in Mr. Tenna’s file here that he is allowed an exception. Which of you would like to come in with him?”
Battat and Ramb exchanged a glance, but as the latter nodded approvingly, the answer was already decided.
“I will,” Battat responded. He’d promised to, after all. Never mind the fact that he was just curious about the whole thing.
“Great,” she repeated. “We’ve already got things ready for you. Please follow me.”
With one last look at Ramb, the two of them obliged, following the Addison down a hallway for a short while until they came to a halt in front of a polished, oaken exam room door.
“One moment—Tenna, you and I are going to go a little further to our scale so I can get a weight on you, okay?”
Tenna barely looked like he’d processed that, but he gave a small nod anyway.
Meanwhile, she turned to Battat again. “Please wait here. This will only take a minute.”
“Uh… sure.”
As she began leading him away, Tenna tried holding onto his hand a little longer, their connection breaking only once their arms were too outstretched. Battat watched as Tenna seemed confused by the sudden lack of contact, but at the very least, he wasn’t freaking out. Yet.
Hopefully whatever drug he’s on keeps working.
But as the thought ran through him, the door behind him opened suddenly, and he turned with a start to see a tall white male Addison in a lab coat standing on the other side.
“Oh, hello there,” he said, “thought I heard someone out here. You’re with Tenna, then?”
“Yep, that’s right.” Battat took a moment to look him over thoroughly. He seemed perfectly professional and trustworthy enough, the thick black glasses on his face contrasting his ivory hair and complexion rather nicely. “You’re the technician?”
“That’s right,” he echoed, a friendly smile gracing his expression. “Nice to meet you.”
He offered a hand, and despite Battat’s initial instinct not to trust him, likely instilled from seeing how scared Tenna apparently was of him, he accepted, giving a brief but firm shake.
“Hey, uh, can I ask you something?”
“Of course! That’s what we’re here for.”
Battat glanced around quickly, making sure Tenna wasn’t heading back towards them already. Then, with the coast clear, he asked, “So… why’s he so scared of this place, anyway? Did he have a bad experience here or something?”
His expression shifted then, and Battat wondered if he was about to regret asking.
“Ah, yes, about that… it’s hard to say for sure, but it seems he’s always had difficulty with pain tolerance no matter how mild the procedure.” Though it was subtle, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. “We’d normally recommend putting him under, but Tenna has a bit of a… history with anesthetics. Doesn’t respond well to them. They interfere with his magic in rather… unexpected ways, you see.”
Battat frowned, waiting for him to elaborate, his distrust only growing when he didn’t. …Is that it? Seriously? What the hell does that mean?!
“Anyway,” the technician continued, “There are other ways to incapacitate him that would make things easier, in theory, but we don’t use them here. Too inhumane.”
‘…Inhumane?’ He swallowed, suddenly uncomfortable.
“Moving quickly and opting for mild sedatives like the one he was given is usually the best we can do,” the tech finished with a smile. “If only they helped with the pain.”
“…Uhhh, right,” Battat replied, narrowing his eyes. “But this still won’t hurt that much, will it? He’s just being dramatic?”
The technician merely stared at him for a moment, long enough to make Battat shift nervously. Suddenly, his eyes seemed a little darker in their shine. “Like I said: we’d put him under if we could.”
…What? WHAT!?
Before he could follow up, movement caught his eye, and he turned to see the assistant had returned alongside Tenna.
“He’s all ready for you, sir.”
“Excellent. Let’s get started.”
As Battat warily followed them in and the door shut behind them, the worry that had taken root inside him began gnawing at him again with sharpened teeth.
It’s fine. It’ll be fine. He was exaggerating, right? Yeah, totally.
Meanwhile, as they entered, the assistant placed Tenna’s file on the counter beside him, and immediately, an array of bright reds and oranges drew his attention. He knew he shouldn’t look, but curiosity was absolutely getting the better of him, and so while the others were preoccupied, he leaned a little closer to see that the front of it was riddled with warning labels:
APPROACH WITH CAUTION
HISTORY OF FEAR AGGRESSION
WILL BITE
His heart sank more and more with each one, and soon enough, the reality of the situation wrapped its claws tightly around him.
This was going to hurt a lot.
Everything was so, so… blurry. Since he’d first awoken a few mornings ago, it was as if the whole world had shifted to the right, leaving behind a bizarre, shadowy afterimage of everything to taunt him, reminding him of how broken inside he was. And now, on top of that, it felt as though someone had poured liquid over his screen, distorting the edges until they became a feathery smear. It was probably the same as whatever was making his head feel so fuzzy, the wooziness coursing through his blood and putting the world through a hazy filter that dulled his reflexes.
Unfortunately, as much as Tenna wanted to give in to the whispers of sleep, they were no match for the fear and adrenaline counteracting them, controlling his every thought and movement. Presently, he was sitting on the cold, uncomfortable exam table, unable to keep himself from trembling nonstop as he listened to an unfamiliar array of voices speak around him.
“…CRT in his late 30s presenting for CRT ghosting, fatigue, and syncope,” he’d heard one of them say. “Pulse and temperature are slightly elevated, most likely from stress. History of a recent head injury and video cable damage.”
He hated it so goddamn much when they referred to him so clinically. He didn’t have the means to flick his tail in irritation, though. Everything was too tense, and so it remained curled tightly in front of his legs, refusing to move beyond the tip of it shaking alongside the rest of him as he gripped onto the edges of the table like he’d fall into a bottomless pit if he let go.
But the second they began to approach him, he wished a million times over that they’d go back to just talking.
He flinched hard once something first touched the back of his head, but at the same time, he felt a gentle pressure squeeze against his hand. It was familiar and comforting, and he managed to hone in on it, angling his gaze down enough to see Mike by his side. The sight was a beacon of light shining in his dark, still blurry vision, and he squeezed back, holding onto the feeling with everything he had.
You’ll be okay. He promised, remember?
Somehow, it was enough to distract him from the back of his casing coming off. The feeling of cool air against his heated internals flooded over him all over again, a memory he’d hoped to cast far, far away. He’d started to shiver, but it was interrupted by another violent flinch when he felt a hand grab part of what must have been his video cable.
“…Ready…?”
Tenna knew what was coming. The dread of it was weighing heavily on his chest, and with how hard he was focusing on simply breathing, he found that he couldn’t give more of a response beyond a muted whine.
Then, he felt it pull from its slot, and the world went dark.
“It’s okay, Tenna, it’s okay,” Mike said. “I’m right here. Just breathe.”
I’m trying, I’m trying! He really was, but he had already walked in lightheaded, and this wasn’t really helping.
“…Yeah, this needs to come out,” said one of the voices. “Keep talking to him.”
“Uh… you’re still okay,” Mike continued with a little less certainty, likely scrambling for more words. “You’re doing so good, boss.”
His antennas twitched, trained on the sound of his voice. For a moment, he actually felt himself relax a little, forgetting the fact that he couldn’t see even if he wanted to. In that moment, the sound and feeling of Mike’s presence, on top of the drowsiness anyway, was enough to lull him into a sort of trance.
…Until, out of nowhere, he felt the sharp edge of a blade stab into him, severing the cable completely.
“OWW—!!” He yelped, the sound high in pitch and accompanied by his screen hissing with angry static. His claws dug hard into the table on one side, and on the other, they began to sink a little deeper into Mike’s hand.
Beside him, he could feel Mike jump a little, just as startled as though he hadn’t been expecting them to do that. He didn’t seem to be hurt, though, quickly falling back into a pattern of rapid reassurances. “Easy, easy, it’s okay, that part’s over. Good job, Tenna…”
Nnno, no, not good, it hurts…
He tried taking in a few more breaths, but the darkness surrounding him was suffocating, and his pulse lurched as it began struggling to keep up. Already, it was getting harder to keep his composure, what with the heat of his freshly mutilated cable bleeding into the open air. Now that it was completely removed, his screen and the back of his head felt numb and achy as though a limb had been sundered. His claws flexed tighter yet.
Don’t—can’t lash out… I-I have to be good or they’ll hurt me more… Punish me for it…
But if he couldn’t defend himself, his mind was still screaming at him to get away from the thing that had cut him before it came back for more. Then again, maybe if he were smaller, the pain would be, too?
With little control of his own, Tenna began to shrink down, but it was a slow process with how sluggish his systems were. Before he knew it, something was suddenly gripping onto him, the pressure firm but undeniably gentle.
“Hey, hey, no, don’t do that, it’s okay! It’s okay, Tenna, I’m still here!”
Then, with one hand still holding his, Tenna felt what he assumed was Mike stroking his arm and shoulder, the gesture comforting in its insistence.
Is he…? Oh… It’s kind of… nice…
That was as far as the thought could get before the growl rising in his throat changed to a whimper.
“Good, hold him at that size, please,” the technician instructed. “I’ll be attaching the new cable in a second.”
Tenna trembled harder, making it difficult to lean into Mike’s touch as much as he wanted to. He wished he could see him, to prove he was even real at the very least. But no—only the darkness would greet him, swimming with distortions that made him twitch faintly with each flicker of movement. He tried to focus on breathing again instead—that was what Mike wanted him to do, right? Just breathe… in, out, and…
“ACK—!”
Something burning touched the end of what used to be his video cable, and the pain shot through him in an instant like a white-hot needle. His body tensed, and as the heat burned away what little composure he’d regained, he whirled around to flash his fangs with a vicious snarl.
GET AWAY! DON’T TOUCH ME!
“Tenna, no—”
“Okay, this isn’t going to work,” the technician said, and though Tenna couldn’t see it, he gestured towards his assistant. “Muzzle him.”
Beside him, Mike turned quickly. “Whoa, wait, wait, is that really necessary?” He asked, still putting pressure on his hand.
“Sorry, it’s policy. Can’t risk a bite to any non-staff members. Not that we want to get bitten, either.”
His heart nearly burst out of his chest the way his pulse lit up. He could hear them moving around him, but all he could do was flinch in surprise as he felt something slip over his screen, the rough polyester-like material scraping uncomfortably against the glass as it was fitted awkwardly over his mouth. Then, as the strap of it was buckled into place with a much too loud snap, he felt himself being tilted to the side.
Immediately, he growled at the contact, the instinct taking over him hard and fast. But it was no use—his teeth brushed against nothing but the harsh fabric in front of them, and despite how heavy and sluggish they felt, his hands twitched, poising to swipe at them with his claws instead. The darkness was slowly but surely eroding his ability to distinguish friend from foe, but through the haze, he could still feel Mike nearby, the sensation just enough to make him hesitate. The different signals assaulting him all at once were thoroughly confusing, and it felt as though he’d short-circuited.
“We’re going to lay you down now, alright Tenna?”
By this point, he was too stunned to respond, instead letting himself brace against the hard surface of the table. The combination of adrenaline and whatever was making him so woozy was causing his head to reel and his stomach to turn, and as he was now finding out, being on his side wasn’t really helping either. However, that feeling paled in comparison to what came next.
In a quick, decisive motion, something—or someone—began pressing down on him, pinning him hard against the table while immobilizing his arms with their hands at the same time, grabbing him tightly by the wrists. They felt much lither than Mike, and much, much stronger, and he wriggled slightly in panic.
No no no, please let me go, please don’t make me, I’m so sorry I snapped—
“You—hold his head for me, please,” the tech commanded. “Try to keep him calm.”
There was a hesitant sigh. “Sorry, Tenna,” Mike said, sounding like he really didn’t want to be complicit in this, but had resigned himself anyway.
He flinched again as a pair of hands wrapped themselves around the top-facing side of his head, though he recognized the soft feeling of the gloves they wore. It didn’t matter, though; right away, the sharp, burning touch of metal began assaulting his wound again, and his whole body jerked in resistance. With nothing but the sight of darkness to guide him, it felt as though molten needles were being driven into part of his head with each new connection being made between the wires.
But he couldn’t escape it—they were holding him firmly in place, letting the fiery sensation nip at him repeatedly. Tenna tried to thrash a little harder, his claws scraping against the table and his fangs bared behind the fabric, tail lashing helplessly over the side. Yet nothing seemed to be working with how weak and uncoordinated he already was, and at last, his movements slowed and he let a low, fearful whine escape from him.
In response, Mike resumed his comforting gesture, the feeling of his gloves gently stroking his head serving as what little distraction they could from the pain. “It’s okay, you’re doing so good… just keep breathing…”
That was a tough ask, what with how he felt like he was being suffocated right now. Sure, he could just switch to breathing fully through his vents like normal, but that would require the ability to form a rational thought, which wasn’t really on the list of options right now. Still, he tried, each breath accompanied by a bout of shaking as the back of his head continued to pulse with searing discomfort.
Gods, he just wanted it to end already.
“Mmf… please,” he eventually managed, his voice muffled somewhat by the muzzle, “hurts… make it stop…”
Mike faltered a little in his motions. “They’re going as fast as they can, Tenna. It’ll be over soon, I promise…”
He couldn’t help whimpering again. If it went on much longer, they’d surely just burn through the rest of him. But by some miracle, he quirked his antennas in surprise as the pain suddenly stopped and the device was pulled away.
“Alright, new cable is attached and cover is in place. Reconnecting in three… two…”
Another solid snap, and Tenna winced as the darkness was abruptly cast away, filling his vision with the sickeningly bright fluorescent lights of the clinic.
“Nnghh…”
Out of his field of view, the technician reached over to undo the muzzle, and it slid down onto the table unceremoniously. “Let him sit up.”
Obediently, both Mike and the assistant released their hold on him, each taking a step back to give him space. At first, Tenna was too frightened to move. What if it was a mistake, and they jumped in to punish him again? Maybe they’d go away eventually if he just stayed still.
The theory didn’t seem to be working out, though, and after a good ten seconds or so, Mike spoke up to try coaxing him. “Um… it’s okay, boss, you can get up now.”
One half of him was screaming not to, that it wasn’t safe yet. Nnnoooo… don’t listen, it’ll hurt…
But the other told him it was the only way he’d get to leave. And so, with great reluctance, he managed to start pushing himself upright on all-too shaky limbs. He forced himself to meet the gazes of the others; Mike’s was laced with concern, whereas the technician’s was more clinical, and he flinched away from it.
“How’s your vision?” he asked. “Any blurring or afterimages?”
Tenna hesitated, willing his vision to readjust. “Mmn… no, it’s…” He glanced around, taking in his surroundings, though the windowless nature of the exam room made him feel even more trapped and suffocated. But aside from that, he couldn’t help but perk up a little; whatever had been wrong before was just… gone?
“It’s fine…? Yeah, it’s… good as new! Like a million bucks! Hah…” Can I please go home now…?
However, as a short wave of relief washed over him, the exhaustion returned twofold, and he raised a hand to his head to fight against the rising dizziness while his screen flickered heavily. “Hhh…”
“The ghosting appears to be fixed,” the technician mused, “but the dimness and instability of your screen means there’s something else going on, I’m afraid.”
His antennas straightened in alarm. “N-no, I’m just tired—nngh…!”
As if to spite him, a sharp twinge of pain sparked low in his left side, prompting him to shoot the same hand over to his flank. Oww, damn it…
“Oh, yeah, he was doing that earlier,” Mike added. “Right before he passed out, too.”
Shut up, Mike! Don’t tell them that!
But it was too late. Tenna could see by the look in the technician’s eyes that he knew just how sick and broken he was now, and his heart sank fast as he realized they weren’t done with him yet.
“Mm. Tenna, I’m going to run a quick test right after my assistant closes your casing back up, alright? You’ll hardly feel this one, I promise.”
There was no way in hell he was believing that for a second. And yet, as Mike stepped up to offer his hand again, he paused, looking him over in confusion. He knows, too… but he still wants to help me…?
The thought simply didn’t make sense. But the memory of the comfort it offered was all too tempting, and once he’d managed to take in a deep breath, he reached back with a trembly motion to accept it into his own. It wasn’t a moment too soon, either, as he tensed considerably upon feeling the back of his casing being reattached, and he squeezed against Mike’s hand as though it would save him somehow.
Meanwhile, the technician had turned to retrieve something from one of the counter drawers behind him. Tenna watched in trepidation as he returned with a rather unfriendly-looking device with a digital screen at the top and a dial in the middle. What was more worrying, however, were the two black-and-red test leads attached to the device with wires, each ending in long, pointed tips like needles.
The second his casing was fully in place, the tech approached, and Tenna abandoned Mike’s grasp to scramble away from him until he was at the edge of the table and backed against the wall. It had been one thing—one utterly heart-pounding, terrifying thing—to be forced to let them have their way with him while he was sightless. But to see it coming was a whole different beast, and one that was beginning to show its long, narrow fangs.
NOPE, FUCK THAT, DON’T COME ANYWHERE NEAR ME—
“Easy, boss,” Mike tried, “please just let him do this. We need to find out what’s wrong so they can make it better and you can go home, okay?”
His tail flicked anxiously. I don’t want them to find anything wrong! They’ll… they’ll…
“Tenna,” his voice came again, pleading in a way that tugged at his heartstrings. “Please? For me?”
How many times did he expect that to work on him, exactly? And yet, as the question surfaced, Tenna’s gaze flitted over towards Mike, and he couldn’t help the sense of trust that washed over him. He couldn’t disappoint him, could he? It would hurt almost as much as whatever that thing was. Almost.
Much to his disdain, he realized then that regardless of how many more times it worked, it would be at least once more.
“…Fine, just… hurry, please,” Tenna muttered at last through a shaky exhale.
Nodding, the technician approached further, standing beside where he was positioned on the table. At the same time, Mike joined him on the opposite side, placing a hand against Tenna’s as it lay flat on the cold, smooth surface.
“Hey,” he said, “remember that gameshow we used to play a lot on TV Time? The one with two teams of relatives that had to guess the popular answers to survey questions?”
Tenna tilted his head in his direction, antennas twitching curiously. “Y-yeah…?”
Mike smiled up at him. “I was just thinking about that one episode… you know, the one where you were asking the contestants to name an animal with three letters. And this one guy—he answers ‘alligator.’ I mean—come on, man, really? Alligator?”
For a brief moment, his expression remained confused. Then, despite himself, Tenna found the corners of his mouth twitching upward, unable to help but smile back, if only a little. “Hah… yeah, I—I remember that…”
He didn’t even notice the feeling of his shirt being lifted away, exposing his lower abdomen. He did, however, wince slightly as a maintenance panel near the center was opened, though Mike spoke quickly to draw his attention back towards him.
“And—and then that other one, when the board was asking them to name a yellow fruit? And this one contestant, with the utmost confidence, just straight up says ‘orange?’” Mike huffed a laugh of his own, the sound soothing amid the cacophony of unfamiliar ones echoing throughout the clinic. “Man, you were laughing so hard I had to cut to commercial!”
Tenna smiled a little wider. “Oh yeah… ha, that was a pretty good episode, wasn’t it? I kind of miss—hssth!”
He drew in a small gasp through his teeth as the leads of the device were placed delicately against the terminals of his power supply, and in a flash, he pictured the needle-like tips driving deeper into his abdomen, piercing through his innards as their fangs sought out his blood. He squirmed uncomfortably, trying desperately to focus on the feeling of Mike squeezing his hand again.
“It’s okay. Keep looking at me. It’s fine, right?”
“Mmnh…” was the most he could manage in response. His jaw was clenched too tight for words.
Then, a slight twinge of discomfort akin to a small static shock sparked across his stomach…
…And just like that, the leads were pulled away.
Oh, that… wasn’t that bad?
Still, the tension in his body refused to let up, and he watched the metal points warily even as they moved away from him.
“See?” Said the technician. “All done.” He then glanced at the display on the device now that it had lit up with a reading. “Ah… yep, as I suspected. The voltage levels in your system are abnormally low. Based on where the pain seems to be coming from…”
He gestured towards Tenna’s left side, who shifted uncomfortably in turn, caught in the spotlight of his gaze as though he were a predator honed in on injured and isolated prey. Don’t look at me like that…!
“…I’d say it’s a faulty voltage regulator. While it’s normally supposed to keep your high voltage levels in check, it’s likely drawing too much power away from the rest of your body. It would explain both the fatigue and lapse in consciousness you experienced earlier, as well as the poor picture quality of your screen.”
Tenna flinched. The pit of nausea already present within him was beginning to expand into an open sea of sheer dread, and he swallowed hard to keep it from overflowing. It’s over. I’m no better than trash. I’m not leaving this place alive, am I?
“Great,” Mike said. “Er, well, not great. But can you fix it?”
“Yes, of course! It shouldn’t even take long. We simply need to swap it for a new one, much like the video cable we just replaced. However…” He adjusted his glasses then, his expression falling somewhat, and he made another gesture towards his assistant. At his signal, she nodded knowingly and slipped out of the room. “Comparatively, this is a major high-voltage component. I’m afraid we can’t have non-staff members present for this procedure. We’ll have to take him to the back.”
Every nerve in Tenna’s body jolted in terror at the word.
“N-no, no, please, not the back!” He looked wildly between the two of them, his pulse spiking with each heartbeat. “Mike, please, don’t let them take me back there—”
Mike looked startled by his reaction, unsure of how to react himself just yet. But before he could process anything, the lobby-side door to the exam room swung open, and the assistant from before reentered, followed by several more clinic staff right behind her.
Immediately, Tenna leapt up from the exam table, backing himself up against the far wall.
“NO, LEAVE ME ALONE, DON’T—”
It was all becoming too much. The stress, the pounding of his heart, the short, shallow breaths—it was all too much, and a surge of dizziness overwhelmed him, nearly knocking him to the floor as he fell to a kneel instead. “D-don’t… come near… huhh…”
Without missing a beat, two of the other assistants moved in to scoop him up by the shoulders, taking on most of his weight. His vision was going a little spotty again, although this time it was because he was on the verge of fainting. Weakly, he managed to lift his head again to see Mike watching him with a panicked look of his own.
“Mike… please… don’t let them take me…”
“I… I’m sorry, Tenna,” he replied in a distraught tone of voice, “I’ll be waiting right here for you, okay? They said it’ll be quick. I’ll be right here, I promise.”
His words felt nothing short of a betrayal, each one driving into his back like a dagger. Tenna sank further into their grasp in defeat.
With that, the technician nodded, and he opened the door opposite from the one they’d entered. The assistants began moving through it then as Tenna was practically dragged into the hall beyond, despair coursing through his wires with each step that took him further away from Mike. Soon enough, he’d disappeared from view, and the large room that comprised “the back” opened up before them.
What had once been bright, sterile lighting became a darker and more frigid tone as it washed over his vision, as though the cheerful façade had been broken at last while he was being dragged into the pits of hell itself. There were several more exam tables strewn throughout the room, all topped with stainless steel rather than the phenolic panels of the exam rooms. However, one stood out more than all the rest, prepped with a surgical light shining above it and a series of carts with various tools surrounding it, each one looking as though they were hand-crafted to rip him to pieces.
Tenna’s heart began pounding all over again, but even as he tried to struggle, it was of little use. Between the apparent illness and the drugs still in his system, he barely had the strength left to stand, let alone break free from their cruel grip on him.
At last, they’d managed to drag him up to the table. Immediately, they began lifting him onto it, and a low whine of protest escaped him, though they paid it no mind. The moment he was laid on top of it, the cold metal surface greeting him with a shudder, he made an attempt to sit up, but was quickly stopped as he was pinned down on all sides. The pressure on his limbs was immense, threatening to crush his circuitry into a fine dust.
Please, you’re hurting me…!
Unfortunately, no more than a whimper got past his throat. His breathing had devolved into rapid, shallow panting, and it was all he could do but focus on not losing consciousness. After all, he had no way of knowing whether he’d ever wake back up again.
The light above him was blinding, but after a second or so, it was angled towards his abdomen as the technician raised Tenna’s shirt and jacket again, pinning them with clips to keep them out of the way. Now fully exposed, he could do nothing but shiver violently as another panel on his side was opened, and out of his lower periphery, he saw the glint of a tool creeping ever closer to him.
Nononono, stop, STOP, PLEASE, NO MORE…!
He tried thrashing one more time, only to be punished with more crushing weight against his body. The sharpened pliers, evidently tipped with heavy insulation against electricity, drew closer yet, and Tenna grit his teeth hard as they dipped into his abdomen at last.
This is it, they’re going to gut me, cannibalize me and replace me, fuck, FUCK—
Then, he drew in a sharp inhale through them as the device clamped around something inside him, the feeling deeply uncomfortable and violating.
PLEASE—
A second, smaller pair of pliers brushed against his wires, reaching in to disconnect them and the accompanying component from its slot, sending a numbing sensation spreading through his side. Then, with no further warning, the tech twisted until it loosened, and in an instant, it was ripped from his abdomen with an audible CRACK!
“AAUGHH—!”
The howl of pain that tore through him was unlike any sound he’d made before, echoing down the hallway and piercing the air with his distress.
They’d done it. They’d ripped his heart out—oh god, oh fuck, it was gone, they’d killed him, he was going to die any second now…
…And yet, he could still feel it beating fast as ever inside his chest, each pulse sending another wave of excruciating pain surging through him. Oww, it hurts, it hurts…! Mike, where are you? Why did you leave me?! Please, help me…!
“Fascinating,” the technician said, holding up the component with the pliers and examining it under the light, revealing a small integrated circuit with a built-in transistor, though its surface appeared to be weathered and dull. “Look at that. The circuitry’s completely burnt out from stress and overwork. Poor thing; you must not get enough rest where you’re at if it’s ended up like this.”
Tenna didn’t process a single word of that, still struggling to breathe from underneath the weight of his restrainers. He could feel several of the wires spilling from his wound, the disconnection akin to seared nerves.
The tech turned to drop his old voltage regulator in a tray, clattering into it loudly enough to make him wince as the sound scraped his antennas. “Hand me the replacement, please.”
“Yes, sir.”
However, as they were shuffling all around Tenna, something unusual was happening inside of him. He’d been so, so tired before, the feeling oppressive and all-consuming as it had been draining him ever since this morning. But now, a different feeling was rising in him, equally consuming, but laced with an opposite, manic energy.
With nothing left to regulate the electricity coursing through him, it had been as though he’d been struck by lightning, each and every wire in his body suddenly alight with raw energy. His screen bloomed bright, filling his vision with a dizzying white glow around the edges, threatening to push him straight over the edge of a migraine. Panic, too, was rising fast, and with one last set of rapid and trembling breaths, it reached out and took control.
His tail lashed out suddenly, swinging into some of the nearby trays and knocking them over, sending a plethora of tools flying onto the ground with a loud series of clattering. Startled, the tech paused, his eyes wide with surprise. From each side, the assistants moved to pin him down harder, but that only spurred Tenna on more. He couldn’t help it—he felt as though he were being electrocuted, every ounce of power that he’d been missing until now surging through him in excess and sending violent tremors down his spine.
In that moment, everything—every beat of his heart, every breath filling his chest—was nothing short of excruciating.
Let… me… go!
He’d tried to speak the words, but with the pain coursing through him, they manifested only as a choked, throaty growl. He bared his fangs at them fearfully, seeing them all as little more than a collective, shadowy blur—monsters in the night, here to hunt him down and tear him to shreds. The last of his instincts were telling him that this was it: he had to escape now, or he’d lose his chance forever.
The restrainers were struggling—he could sense it, and apparently, so could the technician.
“Shit…” He whirled towards the assistant who had been retrieving the new component. “You—get the collar. Now!”
“But… sir, we’re not supposed to—”
“I said get it NOW!”
With no further arguing, they raced towards the back of the room, rifling hastily through a large metal drawer somewhere out of Tenna’s view. Meanwhile, his fight against them raged on, and he nearly managed to wrench himself free, his claws just barely nicking the fabric of their clothing. But they held fast, and every wire in Tenna’s body screamed out in agony as he was forcefully slammed back against the table, antennas ringing with the impact.
In a flash, the assistant returned, handing whatever they’d grabbed off to the tech. Then, as he rushed to lean over the table, Tenna flinched at his gaze, a snarl building in his throat. But the moment the tech raised his hand over him, holding something metallic and foreign, the fear that sparked in him became overwhelming, and he felt himself try to shrink back against the flat surface. In a sense, it had worked, as his body was suddenly becoming smaller, desperate to hide itself away from the terror before him.
“That’s enough,” the tech warned, and before Tenna realized what was happening, something cold and heavy was slipped around his neck, clicking into place as soon as had it wrapped itself around him.
The moment he’d heard it snap, everything went still. Tenna’s entire body had gone limp, and for a few seconds, he tried again to struggle against whatever had overwhelmed him. But he couldn’t move—his body wasn’t responding to his commands, locked into place by some invisible force.
He wasn’t even shrinking anymore, and as he lay there motionless, the wooziness he’d felt before suddenly seemed like a pleasant respite compared to the deep swimming sensation that was now filling his head. By this point, none of the others were bothering to hold him down, having taken a wary step back.
Whh… what’s hhhappening to me…?
He heard the technician sigh aggressively above him.
“My apologies, Mr. Tenna. I would prefer not to have to use this, but if you won’t cooperate, then I’m afraid it’s for your own good. Now, bear with me, please…”
Out of reflex, Tenna tried to lift a hand up to his neck to rid himself of the thing choking him, but all he managed to do was twitch his arm slightly against the table. He was stuck staring up at the ceiling, only able to take in heavy, panting breaths and listen as the sounds of tools being moved nearby grated his antennas.
In the surface of the light fixture above him, he could see a glimpse of his own reflection: his screen had begun swirling with oddly bright colors, dizzying and disorienting as they danced across his vision. And beneath that, a metallic collar was now attached to him, cold and weighty against his throat.
Magnets—it had to be lined with the stuff. Not only that, but they must have been strong—way stronger than the kind Tenna would ever allow near himself. Smaller ones in smaller doses could be fun, if not ill-advised. But this? It was outright dangerous if it was enough to shut him down both physically and magically, and the renewed panic of the realization was growing fast, razing his ability to think beyond it.
I can’t—I can’t move…? Why—why can’t I—I can’t breathe, oh god, I can’t breathe—
The tech was drawing close again, wielding the pliers with a new voltage regulator clamped firmly between them.
“Good, hold very still for me…”
Tenna wanted to cry. But his body wouldn’t allow even that, so instead, he simply lay there unmoving, and at last, he felt the touch of the component connecting with the inside of his flank. He managed to perform a faint, full-body flinch as it slid into place, but the paralytic effect did nothing to lessen the pain, and another high-pitched whine rose from him in turn. Next, the circuit was reconnected to its surrounding parts and wires, and the biting sensation of it jolting to life with the electricity flowing through him was enough to make him shudder.
Tenna’s mind raced all the while, none of the thoughts coherent. Under the influence of the collar, all he could even hope to perceive was fear and agony.
His heart was still pounding, but after a few seconds, the residual shakiness throughout his body was beginning to subside as the excess energy waned, replaced instead by that same exhaustion that had settled deep in his circuitry. How he so desperately just wanted to go to sleep and shut it all out—but it seemed he would have to wait a while yet for that. Tenna tried once more to lift his head, or any part of him really, but there was nothing he could do other than watch as the tech brought up the same voltage measurer from before, tensing up only as much as his body would physically allow once the leads touched him.
“…Voltage levels normalizing. Good,” the tech sighed again, “I think we’re done here.”
His hands were suddenly running over Tenna’s abdomen, closing the necessary panels with hasty yet delicate precision. It didn’t matter how gentle he was, though; Tenna wanted nothing more than to pull away from the contact, despising every second that he was forced to lay there in quaking yet immobilized fear.
However, when all was said and done at last and the technician signaled for an assistant to remove the collar, Tenna found that it took far too long for his thoughts to return to him. As soon as it had come off, it’d felt as though a fog had been lifted, though what remained underneath wasn’t entirely pleasant.
Immediately, there was a rigid soreness to his joints, but it was of little concern compared to how woozy and heavy his head felt, not to mention the distant roiling in his stomach. For now, it seemed he could manage little more than raising a hand to his neck like he’d wanted, rubbing at the spot listlessly.
Ugghhh… what did you do to me…?
But by some miracle, they didn’t seem to be rushing in to pin him down or prod at him any further, and despite himself, he let a twinge of relief come over him. Is it… over?
Still, he didn’t dare move again. Not yet—between the dizzy feeling and the residual fear flooding his wires, he couldn’t be sure whether it was just some cruel trick to lure him into a false sense of security. He couldn’t risk any more wrong moves, and so he merely laid there for a little while longer, too shaken and disoriented to do much else.
The assistants exchanged a nervous glance with one another.
“Just give him a moment,” the tech said. “He’ll need a minute or so to recover. Now; Tenna, how would you like to go home?”
Back in the waiting room, Battat was sitting rather uncomfortably in one of the seats nearest to the hallway, rubbing his hands together anxiously. It had only been about twenty minutes since they’d taken Tenna further into the clinic and he’d been escorted back here, but he couldn’t help feeling that it had been too long already.
“Worried about him?” Ramb asked from his spot beside him.
“A little,” he responded, sparing another glance towards the hallway. It had mostly been quiet while they’d waited, but not too long ago, he could’ve sworn he’d heard someone cry out in pain. I really, really hope that wasn’t him…
“Hey,” Ramb said while poking him with an elbow, “I’ve never been back there with him myself, but I’m sure he’ll be okay, yeah? They’re professionals ‘n all.”
“…Yeah.”
He would be okay, right? He was just being dramatic about “the back,” surely? Then again, he’d seen them cut into him, watched the way they’d held him down and dragged him away… But maybe all that was normal? Battat had no way of knowing.
And yet, the more he thought about it, the more something deep inside him continued to gnaw.
Another five minutes, though, and Battat snapped to attention as he saw the technician emerge from the hall at last, Tenna following him closely behind with an unsteady gait.
“Tenna!” he exclaimed, leaping up from the chair without a second thought.
Tenna paused, seeming a little dazed, but the moment he recognized who was in front of him, his antennas perked considerably and he stumbled forward.
“Mike!”
Battat’s heart lurched at how close to tears his voice had sounded, but he didn’t have long to dwell on it as he suddenly found himself wrapped in an embrace. Tenna had fallen to a kneel, wasting no time in curling his arms around him, much to his surprise.
“Is everything okay?” Battat asked, hesitantly returning the gesture.
But instead of answering, Tenna had rapidly begun shrinking in his grasp, and before Battat could say anything more, he’d slipped out of it entirely, no more than a few inches tall where he now stood below him.
“…Wanna go home.”
A hundred different thoughts and emotions raced through Battat in an instant, and instinctively, he reached down to take his boss into his hand, pulling him close to his chest. Right away, Tenna curled up against him, burrowing into the fabric of his suit as much as he could. Though it was faint, Battat could feel him quivering in his palm.
…Oh…
Meanwhile, Ramb had stepped up to stand beside him, glancing at Tenna with a sympathetic look. The technician gave them both a nod of acknowledgement before he spoke.
“Right… so, Tenna appears to be in good health now that he’s received new parts. However, I do have some concerns about his stress levels. I’d recommend some sort of lifestyle change or other regimen to reduce it before he develops more long-term damage.”
Battat exchanged a glance with Ramb, and given the look in his coworker’s eyes, the message was obvious. Yeah, we’re not surprised.
“That aside,” he continued, reaching into his pocket to retrieve a small bottle, “here is the pain medication I’ve prescribed for after today’s procedures. It should last him a few days and he should receive the first dose as soon as he gets home.”
He held it out to them, and Ramb reached up to accept it, stowing the bottle in his own pocket.
“Any questions?” The tech asked.
Battat did, in fact, have many questions, none of them kindly worded. But as much as he was willing to make a scene if he were on his own, he wasn’t quite willing to do so with Tenna here, let alone in his palm. That, and he suspected he wouldn’t get the type of answers he was looking for—not here, not now.
Instead, he responded, “Uh, no, I think we’re good. Thanks.” Let’s just get out of here already, he thought, looking down at Tenna again briefly and feeling another pang of pity, still curled up in his grasp and refusing to turn his gaze.
The technician nodded once more. “You can always give us a call if you think of any. In the meantime, I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day, and as always… it’s been a pleasure working with you, Mr. Tenna,” he said, his voice perfectly sincere. Perfect enough to have been practiced a thousand times over.
And with that, he walked away, leaving them to their own devices. For just a moment, Battat watched him warily, eyeing him with a hint of suspicion.
“C’mon,” Ramb said, echoing his earlier sentiment and drawing his attention, “let’s go.”
Eager to abandon the thought for now, Battat began following him out of the building. He was keeping Tenna close all the while, though he was wracking his brain for something to say that could reassure him.
“Hey,” he started, his tone soft and gentle, “you gonna be okay?”
Tenna burrowed further, his expression hidden beyond his obviously droopy antennas and tail curled tightly around himself.
…Guess not, then?
Battat sighed before trying a different approach. “Okay, well, how about I get you a treat on the way home? Would that make you feel better?”
Tenna didn’t respond for a moment, and Battat immediately regretted his choice of words. Why’d I say that?! He’s not a dog! I probably just made it worse…
But then, to his surprise, Tenna shifted slightly against him. “…Okay,” he mumbled, and though his voice was muffled into Battat’s shirt, he could hear the tinge of gratitude seeping through.
Battat’s heart leapt at the sight, and as he continued carrying him with the utmost of care, he made sure to relish every second he had to hold him so close. He’d try to get those answers one way or another some other time—he could feel deep down that it was simply something he needed to do, that there was a wrong that needed to be righted, even if he couldn’t prove it yet.
But for now, regardless of whatever Tenna had gone through here, he’d do his absolute best to help ease the pain of the memory.
Yeah—let’s go home.