Chapter Text
1 - FitMC
Connecting your memories via a chip with those of a cat who was impersonating you for months is quite a mentally exhausting experience. Getting to the secret island of the evil, powerful, and insane organization that tormented him years ago is a physically exhausting experience. Reuniting with friends and the love of his life, who were supposed to be dead for two years now, is an emotionally draining experience. What kind of experience is it to tell a boy over a decade younger than you, who counted on you and whose entire organization is crumbling and falling apart, that he was never truly a member and is deeply sorry but he is leaving? Fit didn't know, but he felt just as bad as with the other situations.
He felt very sorry for Ash. He didn't want to put more obstacles in his way than he already had anyway. However, he knew he couldn't, in good conscience, stay in the Regime, especially if Pac wasn't there with him. So he asked Ash for a private meeting. He didn't wish him harm; quite the opposite actually, so he intended to be completely honest with him. He deserved it.
As soon as Ash showed up, full of enthusiasm, to talk to him, Fit almost broke in his decision. The leader of the Regime always appears mature, stern, and in complete control in public, but in moments like these, it shows how he's clearly younger than one might suspect. But no, Fit couldn't change his mind now. He'd only be postponing the inevitable, and the longer he waited, the harder it would be.
So he began his story. He spared no details, especially regarding the Federation. They are the only true enemies. They are responsible for everything bad that has befallen them on this island and the previous one. Ash's face grew darker with each sentence, and he once again fell into the role of leader of the Regime. As Fit had expected, telling Ash the details about the Federation had been a good decision. The younger one has an extraordinary hatred for the Federation, even greater than some Quesadilla veterans. Fit shouldn't be surprised; the Federation is responsible for the deaths of Ash's two daughters and persecutes Regime members with particular vigilance. The way they've gone after them seems excessive for such an early stage of their residence on the island. It’s only been a few months. This only adds to his theory that something has gone very wrong. The Federation is behaving strangely. Aggressively. They've tried to at least pretend before. This time, as far as he knows, they weren't putting on any pretense.
Of course, he shared his suspicions with Ash, who agreed wholeheartedly. They promised to work together and be close allies. The conversation went much better than Fit expected. How understanding and empathetic Ash was about his situation was incredible. Fit can confidently say he emerged from that conversation closer to Ash than he ever imagined.
There was one “but”, however.
As he discussed how he'd hacked into the Federation's systems and found information about their old experiments, an emotion he couldn't quite name appeared in Ash's eyes. Fear? Curiosity? Confusion? Perhaps a combination of all three. It became even more intense when he mentioned how the Federation was trying to create its own weapon in the form of living beings. He was very interested in what Fit had found and seemed disappointed by his answer. As if he hadn't heard what he'd been hoping for. When Fit asked him what exactly he was interested in, Ash became confused. He paused, as if he couldn't remember what exactly he wanted to know, only that he had to know. It was strange, to say the least.
It wasn't that Fit distrusted Ash because of that one detail, don't get him wrong. Years of dealing with the Federation simply make one paranoid and cautious. It had saved their lives more than once on Quesadilla. Something was going on. Something Ash himself seemed unaware of, and that worried Fit. Given that the Federation can meddle with people's memories for periods of time, Fit worries about the possibility that they've done something to Ash and hidden his memories from him. It's already alarming that Ash told him he remembers practically nothing before the island. In most cases, the "erasure" of memory isn't that extreme. Memories gradually return, as is typical when the Federation performs their mind tricks, but slowly. They could be hiding crucial information. Therefore, Fit set out to discover what might be going on.
If there's one way to do this, it's to hack into the Federation servers again. Fit must search their system, this time with Ash in mind. He knows it will be difficult, as these buildings aren't abandoned facilities. If he can access the computer containing the information, he'll have little time to search it. But It will be worth it.
About three weeks after that conversation, Fit decided it was time for his mission. The last few weeks had been stressful for Ash, as the situation in the Regime grew more complicated by the day, and he led the search for Ewron, who had been taken by the Federation in broad daylight. Most people seemed a bit surprised that the Regime Leader was so intent on recovering the loud panda, but Fit was pretty sure he knew the reason. There was something between Ash and Ewron. The phrase "My most trusted person on this island" isn't subtle, but if it's not public knowledge, who is Fit to reveal it? He was just happy that Ash had managed to get Ewron back. After all, he knows how awful it is to be kept away from the love of his life.
Fit decided that finally revealing the details of the younger man's past would make up for Ash's recent stress, so he asked him to tell him everything he knew about this Federation prison. As soon as the Regime leader learned that Fit intended to search their documents, he shared the information with great pleasure. However, the moment Fit offered that he could accompany him, Ash's face fell.
“I'd love to Fit, I really would, but I can't. The Federation…” he paused for a moment, as if considering how to phrase what he wanted to say. “They have a 'hold' on me right now, so to speak. I can't break into this building without suffering consequences that I'm not prepared to face at any cost.”
Fit didn't pursue the matter further. If Ash, the person least afraid to oppose the Federation, says he can't, then he has a very good reason. Especially considering how The glitch covering half of his face grew bigger and unsettled as always when Ash feels strong negative emotions.
Ah, yes. Glitch. Another puzzle element of Ash. Throughout his life, Fit had encountered many different species. Their world is rich in diversity among its inhabitants, and traveling through it has allowed Fit to become intimately familiar with many of them. Many of the islanders were non-human, which is very much in the Federation's style. For years, they had been fascinated by non-humans. For a reason he still didn't understand, avians had drawn thier particular attention. He still shuddered at the thought of the Federation's bird experiments, which he learned about in the abandoned facility. Poor children. He still hadn't managed to discover their names. Despite all his experiences, Fit couldn't say he'd ever seen anyone like Ash. Fit knew Ash wasn't human, certainly not fully. His glitches were very obvious proof of that. The problem was, no one seemed to know what Ash was, except Ash himself. Fit once asked him out of pure curiosity. The younger man immediately shut down and ended the conversation, saying that Fit could call him a "Glitch" if he had to, and walked away. Fit never brought up his non-human nature again. Of course, Fit was still curious, but he wasn't about to ask against Ash's will. All he could say was that the only other species that even remotely resembled Ash were the Code Monsters from Quesadilla. It was a terrible thought. He didn't want to compare his friend to those creatures.
Those were the thoughts that plagued his mind during the break-in. How had he managed it? He couldn't talk about it publicly. The Great Federation was listening.
He managed to sneak through the corridors unnoticed, which was certainly more difficult than previous burglars had experienced, as Federation employees had, after all, were in this building now. Unfortunately, no one before him had found anything that could have been the main computer room. He had to consider that it might not even be there. This prison certainly wasn't the only Federation building on the island. His only clue was a room full of files and books that Fariis had managed to find deeper inside the facility. According to all three people who successfully explored this area, it was the only room where they'd seen even a single computer.
He managed to get into the room, which was simply labeled "Office." He didn't see a camera anywhere, but with the Federation, you never know, so he refreshed his invisibility potion and got to work. He'd never been so grateful for the Madiago chip; it'd been doing all the dirty work of hacking and downloading documents, while Fit had been able to examine the paper documents in the cabinets along the wall. Fit hadn't expected to find much there, as with each passing day he was more and more certain that this island wasn't ready for their arrival. He'd bet his life that the Federation hadn't managed to gather all the necessary files. That doesn't change the fact that they were still worth examining.
His attention was immediately drawn to the section with files with familiar names.
“Of course,” he hissed under his breath. “The Federation wouldn't be itself if it didn't have a whole archive on us.”
On the shelf were dozens of files, each labeled with the name of someone from this island. His first instinct was to reach for his own. For the most part it hadn't contained anything new. They contained all the information about him he'd found on the computer on the first island. What caught his attention was the section with the page titled "Island ver.2." Those were their observations on "him" from this island.
“Damn, they'd finally figured it out” - the Federation's entries clearly indicated they'd finally discovered that the person they thought was Fit wasn't him. What was even more inconvenient was the last file describing the observation that the fake Fit had disappeared and the original had taken its place. This meant that not only were they watching them more closely than Fit would have liked, but the files were being updated regularly.
He looked through several more files, finding nothing particularly revealing. The only thing he could notice was the difference in thickness between the files of the Quesadilla veterans and the new islanders. Fit hated how much information they had on them, and how much more they would undoubtedly gather.
A folder unlike any other caught his eye. It seemed even thinner than the new islanders'. It bore Ash's name. “Huh”. Fit reached for it and opened it. He wasn't expecting what he saw. A single sheet of paper.
"Notice to employees on island #3.
Unstable individual 006 Code-Glitch Ashswag was found on a ship carrying projects to a new island. To prevent a repeat of the tragedy of XX XX XXXX, we had to make an emergency crash on the unfinished island #3 and begin the second phase of our project there. We managed to apply a memory eraser and temporarily stabilize 006, but it won't last forever. Be especially careful around 006. We don't know when or what it will remember, but we assure you it will be very aggressive and will not hesitate to use its abilities. We still don't have perfect security measures against 006. Details about 006 are classified to employees without the proper clearance. Know only that it is brutal, bloodthirsty, and uncontrollable like a wild animal. It has been this way since we created it. 006 was a mistake. We were unable to acquire the technology to terminate it, but we believe that in case of an emergency, you will be able to neutralize it using the techniques you have been given. Document them with the utmost care; do not retain any information regarding 006 on paper beyond this instruction.
Federation Board”
Fit was shocked. He closed the folder and, with trembling hands, placed it on the shelf. This was… more than he expected. That single page revealed a truth more shocking than he thought he would discover. Fit isn't sure what he assumed the Federation had to do with Ash, but it wasn't this. No one wants to assume their friend is another of the Federation's special victims. That their friend is one of their experiments.
Should he… Should he tell him this? He felt like a monster, hesitating on the subject, but if what the Federation did to Ash made him dangerous, was there any guarantee he wouldn't accidentally harm the islanders?
…
No. He couldn't hide it from him. Ash is a victim of the Federation and shouldn't be punished for it. Whatever the problem, Fit would help him. Fit wouldn't let him become the monster the Federation wanted to turn him into. His thoughts were interrupted by a faint sound signaling the completion of the file download. After reading the document, Fit realized he might not find anything concerning Ash in these files. The Federation clearly wants to keep everything regarding Ash secret with extreme precision. But even so, he had already obtained invaluable information. Time to get out of here. And time to talk to Ash.
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“Ash, I have important information,” Fit said after making sure they were alone in the Pantheon. “I didn't discover much, as I expected, they still haven't moved their main servers here, but I did find files with our names on them.”
“Oh?” He glared at him intensely. “What do they have on us?”
“Unfortunately, nothing I didn't already know. Only one file contained important information.” He paused, taking a deep breath. It was now or never. “Your file.” Ash, who had been listening intently, froze. Glitch began to act up.
“What did you find out?” he asked, and this time Fit was sure the emotion he heard in the other's voice was fear.
“It was about your past.” Ash looked as if he'd expected to hear that. Interesting. “Ash, tell me honestly, have you started remembering life before the island?” Ash didn't answer for a moment, then nodded wordlessly. The glitch grew. “You know what I want to tell you?” Ash closed his eye as if thinking about it hurt him, and nodded again.
“Yes. I think I do,” he replied weakly, as if anticipating a negative reaction. Small static began to appear on the rest of Ash's body. Fit hadn't seen him like this before. Fit wasn't about to let Ash think he had anything other than support to offer him. He walked up to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Ash, surprised, opened his eye.
“Ash, my friend, how much do you remember about being held captive by the Federation? About being their experiment?”
“Not as much as I need, and yet more than I ever wanted,” Ash said, his voice shaking. “For a month now, I've been remembering single scenes, quick flashes, premonitions. Since our conversation on the lavender field, I've started having dreams every now and then. Nightmares. Only, they're not nightmares.
“Are they memories?” Fit guessed.
“They're memories.” Ash confirmed. “I had my suspicions for a while, but only a few days ago did I remember some really important things. Really terrible things. A lot of things made sense after that, but a lot still doesn't.. I'm sure I'll know more with each night, and I'm afraid of that. Fit, I'm a failed experiment.”
“Don't say that.”
“No, I'm not insulting myself right now. They fucked up making me. Neither I nor they can fully control my abilities. I didn't want anyone to find out I was one of their broken toys. I hate it. But now that you know, I have two requests for you. Firstly, Fit if I ever lose control, become a danger to myself, to the Regime, to the rest of the island, find a way to kill me. I don't want to become what the Federation created me to be. A weapon of mass destruction," he spat out with hatred. Fit nodded. It was a terrifying vision, but he had seen firsthand what the Federation's experiments could do when they got out of control. As long as it was Ash's decision and no one else's, he would take on this burden. Ash, pleased with his quick agreement, continued, “And secondly… Fit, please, don't tell anyone. Not the North, not anyone from the Regime, not Pac. I know this will come out eventually, I'm sure of it, but not yet, please. I'm not ready for this. I don't want them to think I'm a monster any more than they already are. We're trying to unite the island, to work together. It won't work if they fear and loathe me.”
“Ash, I never planned to tell anyone about this. Only you. It's not my secret, not my choice. I'd be a monster if I took it away from you. You can count on me, understand? If you have any problems, come to me and I'll try to help. I promise.” Ash looked at him with a gratitude he didn't deserve for such basic kindness. Fit squeezed his shoulder again before stepping away. Ash would need time alone now to process all of this. “It's late. I have to get going before Pac starts worrying. I'm glad we had this talk, Ash. Remember, you can ask for help anytime,” he finished, and headed towards the exit. And if he saw Ash's eyes watering as he turned, it was none of his business. Even the leader of the Regime needs to let out his emotions. Fit just hopes Ash will actually take him up on his offer. He doesn't want anything to happen to him. He's already suffered too much.