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There was an uneasy stillness in the water. A dark unsettling feeling which penetrated every crevice and corner of the town. Death was in the air. Though wasn't it usually? Weren't lives taken daily in this fruitless battle for turf and pride. Why should this night be any different.
Plankton felt her absence like a missing rib.
The sight of her skull caving in and shattering as the bullet entered and left her head, was still fresh in his mind. The sight of artificial brain matter spraying against the chum bucket's front doors. The way her scream was cut short. The firmly closed casket. It plagued him.
He paced madly, his feet burning holes in the stained linoleum, a wild rage festering like a disease in his chest.
He could have done something. He shouldn't have let her go out on her own. He should have at least made sure she was armed. He could have-
He slammed his fist down on the kitchen table, his whole body trembling with an addictive combination of anger and nerves. And the salt and pepper shakers Karen had placed so mundanely on the table just a few mornings ago tottered with the force before coming to a stop once again.
Plankton stopped. His nerve wracked body stilling to an uncanny degree, his eye focused solely on the spices.
His tears had dried up days ago. The overwhelming grief transforming and shifting into something much more aggressive.
But even then for the briefest of moments the anger that was seconds ago festering in his chest gave way. His muscles untensed and he sagged forward placing his head in his hands.
He was tired and he was scared.
Krabs had both of his workers and multiple others on his side, he had the numbers. And Plankton was now terrifyingly alone.
Krabs knew that. It was a targeted attack of course. Krabs knew it was just the two of them. And now they all knew it's just him.
There was an uneasy stillness in the water.
THUMP THUMP
Plankton sat up straight, stilling once again.
There was someone at the door.
"sweet Jesus… " Plankton murmured, running his hand nervously across his face. Were they really that cruel? To ambush tonight? To not even have the decency to grant a man a singular night to grieve? To attack just hours after the funeral of the woman whom they murdered?
THUMP THUMP THUMP
the sounds were getting louder, whatever was at the door wanted in.
Plankton stumbled backwards towards the stairs to the gun cellar, allowing himself to go blindly along with whatever half baked escape plans his fear stricken mind could create. The thumping from the front door wasn't ceasing, instead it was continuing at a steady rate, rhythmically knocking and rattling.
"shit shit shit shit shit shit shit-" he whispered to himself as he frantically descended the stairs. His voice shook as he spoke, cracking with emotion and hysteria.
He stumbled blindly into the still dark cellar and grasped frantically for a weapon, his hand resting on a simple rifle before gathering it up in his arms like a mother clutching her child to her chest.
thump THUMP thump THUMP thump thump-
the noise was persisting.
Plankton pressed himself against the walls of the dark room quickly turning safety off and checking the ammunition by the dim light which shone down the stairs.
He was outnumbered, he was sure of it.
If they had the nerve to arrive to finish him off at a time like this then they certainly hadn't planned on giving a fair fight.
"who am I kidding.."
the room felt awfully quiet in this moment the sound of the chum bucket settling groaning throughout the room.
Plankton paused.
It was quiet.
The thumping had stopped.
"oh fuck fuck fuck… where did it…" he breathed a deeply primal terror penetrating his heart and mind. They could be anywhere, they certainly wouldn't have left this easily, Krabs doesn't give up like that… unless they were taunting him. Unless they were playing with him like a predator plays with its prey. He gripped the rifle and began to scale the stairway, the barrel of the gun glinting in the dim light. His heart was hammering and his hands shook as he made it up the last step and stared blankly at the now silent door. Then the thumping came back.
It was louder now all rhythm lost as whoever was outside threw themselves at the door with alarming urgency now scratching and gurgling inhumanely.
it wasn't whoever. It was What-ever.
Plankton stumbled back one step, frantically staring down the barrel and aiming the iron sight towards the door. The awful cacophony of sound continued as the door physically strained against whatever was on the other side. Frantic scratching mixed with deep rattling groans.
"Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee…" The words simply started pouring out
"B-Blessed art thou among women, …and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus…" he didn't remember all that many prayers but if there was a god up there like his mother had insisted then maybe he had a chance.
"Holy Mary" But did he?
"Mother of God" He was a bad man.
"pray for us sinners" Was a life like his worth saving?
"now" his face was wet.
"and at the hour of our death." he was so sure he'd run out of tears.
"Amen." Pathetic.
CRACK
he tensed as the lock gave out and clattered to the floor. And he watched in sheer terror as the doors slowly opened with an earsplitting creak which echoed through the water.
Plankton prayed hell was merciful.
The world outside the doors was dark and he willed his vision to focus as the dark mass slinking through the door inched closer to him.
A hand appeared first, humanoid in nature, with grime under its nails and marring along its surface. His finger was frozen on the trigger, and his breath was hitched as he watched the thing claw its way inside. Its dragged it's body across the floor heavily, and with it the sound of metal being ground against tile screeched through the water. What he would have given for it to just be Krabs. For it to be anything but the thing steadily making it's way towards him in the dim dingy light. He wondered what Krabs would think of him now, what SHE would think of him now. Hunched over and trembling in prayer, weeping in fear as he aimed his weapon with trembling hands. An object of ridicule was what he was.
The thing heaved itself closer in a shuddering manner before pushing itself up with torn and rotting arms and clawing its way upright. And in that moment as the object of his fear stood towering above him, gleaming in the light, he felt his heart give out all over again.
"K-Karen?" Plankton breathed out, just barely above a whisper, as if saying it with too much certainty would make her disappear.
The mangled corpse in front of him opened her jaw but no response came out. For nothing but gurgled rasping came from her shredded vocal cords and flooded lungs.
This was not his wife. Plankton thought as he looked over her in slow anguished horror, her mutilated face, her concave chest which heaved and rattled with each mechanical breath. This was not the woman he laid to rest. This was not his wife.
But it was. Wasn't it.
"Sheldoaaaaugn..ackkauguhh-"
oh God it was.
Karen's voice trailed off into incomprehensible hacking and wet metallic grinding but it was there he had heard it. That was her and that was his name. His stupid fucking name.
He heard his rifle hit the floor far before he processed his knees slamming against the hard tiles. It was all so horrific, tragic even. The body of his dead wife had crawled, half decayed, through the doors, her nails still caked with the dirt used to bury her. Uncanny and corroded, mutilated and demolished but undeniably alive. Oh how contradictory.
She stuttered towards him on unsteady torn legs and much to his own disgust he jerked backwards in fear.
Hurt and anguish shone hauntingly behind what was left of her eyes.
"Oh God I-" he attempted
Her face crumpled in grief and she stumbled backward slightly before sliding back down to the floor. Horrific anguished cries ripped free from her chest like the sound of grinding misshapen gears. He covered his ears and cowered against the wall.
It was horrific. It was disgusting. It was heartbreaking.
'Maybe this is hell' he thought sadly 'it's got to be hell for her'
He had to do something. He may be a coward but he could not allow himself to be a coward now. He drew himself up slowly and crept on shaky legs towards the corpse. His Wife.
And that's who it, she, was wasn't it? His wife? Karen?
If he were to look past the corrupted hardware and shattered cranium he would see her wouldn't he.
Plankton settled himself down beside her, lowering himself down with a gentleness he hadn't used in decades and stared. She was beautiful. He decided. She always had been, and she was now, like an oddly tragic angel of death she was beautiful. And with awe and melancholy he placed a hand along her face, cupping the remains of her soldered skin.
"oh Karen…I'm so sorry baby…." he trailed off then because what else was there to say? What comfort was he supposed to give?
Her cries had calmed by this point, now dulling to a steady stream of pained tears, and for the first time in decades she melted into his touch. For the first time in years she pressed her self into into his arms and lay there limply in defeat. And oh how he wished a moment such as that would have occurred under better circumstances. How he wished this moment of safety could have occurred differently. But he said nothing, not wishing to scare her away, instead holding her tighter and fighting to ignore the embers of rage reigniting in his chest.
"I'll fix you." he spat
"I'm sorry I didn't try before…"
"I'll put you back together honey… I'll fix you.."
Karen didn't say anything at that, only curling in tighter on herself before going limp once more. He picked her head up and positioned it so that her blurred and married vision could better focus on him. "Did you hear me baby? I'm going to need you to sit up for me alright? I need to power you off…"
At that she sat up and sat up frantically, pushing him away and nearly falling over herself in her attempt to get away from him.
He frowned tightly with a flicker of annoyance, and gestured stiffly for her to return back to his side.
"Christ, Karen do you want to be repaired or not? Stop fumbling over yourself and get back over here so that I can-" his words died in his throat as he met her gaze. Everything about her body language conveyed pure fear and he couldn't seem to wrap his head around it. Why would she possibly be frightened right now? All he was doing was attempting to fix her, FIX HER, for god's sake she was shot and buried alive not but 24 hours ago it's not like he was killing her again.
Oh
Well that was it.
She'd just managed to make her way out of the pressing darkness of her own tomb and into the dingy light of safety and here he was about to take that light away. Here he was willing to snatch away her consciousness and freedom so soon after she'd found it.
He wilted slightly at that.
"oh…"
she opened her mouth again and more incomprehensible painful rattling tumbled out.
"No no no no.." Plankton hushed with a slight shake of his head as he moved towards her as quickly as he dared. She tensed slightly when she seemed to notice that he was only crouching down in front of her.
"I know you don't want to shut down again..I know.. but I can't leave you like this and I know you're suffering" He gestured loosely up and down before carefully placing his hand on her arm. "The longer you stay like this the harder it'll be to help you… so please baby let me help."
Karen looked away.
"Listen sweetie I- Do you trust me?"
The question hung uncomfortably in the air for a long while and plankton tried in vain to not squirm at her lack of response. 'she has every right to not trust you' a voice in his head taunted 'you've never been good to her why should she think you'd start now?' it continued.
'It should have been you with a bullet in your skull.'
Plankton writhed in discomfort.
He tried again. "Karen I wouldn't hurt you… especially not now.. it's you and me baby it always has been I wouldn't hurt my right hand gal right? Karen. .Do you trust me?"
The silence continued to stretch. Then with tears steadily streaming down her face she nodded and he nearly collapsed in relief all over again. He quickly moved to take off his jacket and began to gingerly pat down her face in an attempt to prevent more tears from frying the inner workings now visible through her torn skin. Then after a few awkward attempts he wrapped his arms under her legs and back and muttered " Brace yourself…" before hoisting her up bridal style.
She nearly laughed at that, the half of her face with still working lips curving up in a smile. He laughed himself, and if it came out watery and shaky he couldn't bring himself to care.
It took a fair few minutes for him to properly make their way to the lab and place her down comfortably, seeing as she was a fair bit taller than him and he was in no way in his prime, but he did manage. And he quickly set himself to work hooking her up and removing the necessary panels and plates. He was just about to attach the final cable when he felt her hand on his.
It was odd not hearing her voice. To see her and feel her but hear nothing other than distorted groans. It was odd. No it was uncanny, it was wrong. Who was she without her snark? Without her ability to talk him into a corner? There was a certain bitterness to it.
"I'll be here when you wake up okay?" He urged, placing his other hand down so that his were cradling hers. "And… and we'll uh wreak Vengeance on them all alright? You gotta promise me that.."
Karen smiled faintly. He squeezed her hand with what he hoped was a supportive force as he plugged the final cable in. And he watched. He watched as the light left her eyes. She went limp again, all systems down, and with that there was nothing but the gentle humming of her systems cooling to show that she was still there, still present, still alive.
There was an uneasy stillness in the water.