Chapter Text
Karkat walked into the lab and passed the various dead, black screens. He was re-exploring it for the first time since he was there with Sollux while they hid from Gamzee. He recalled the incident where he ended up grubsitting his generation and his ancestor’s and how he managed that day. Honestly, it was a fond memory. He would never admit it, but he actually enjoyed the little nookstains. He supposed he had a soft spot for them. He was playing around with the knobs for nostalgia’s sake when something went wrong. As he stepped away from the suspected to be dead machinery and traced faded footsteps onto the platform, the machines groaned and whirred. Suddenly Karkat was one sweep old again. The machine had sputtered and screeched, which gave a clue to the others throughout the complex that something went awry.
You are now Karkat Vantas. You are one sweep old and find yourself in a strange place. You look around for crabdad, but find no sign of him. Where is he? You are wearing a huge sweater with a strangely familiar symbol on it. Why is it so familiar while everything else isn’t? You hear voices that are approaching and suddenly pale-pinkish creatures walk through a doorway. You tremble and watch them, taking a step back for every step forward that they take.
One figure is wearing blue, another is wearing a purple color. What are these things? They don’t look like anything you’ve seen before.
One of them speaks up, the one in blue, “Karkat? You look different…. Are you alright?”
You dash under the nearest machine and tremble. How did that thing know your name? You peer out from your new found safe spot. You wonder what they’ll do to you… Probably cull you on the spot if they can grab you. You hear more and more voices coming. There are so many of them! You look out to find that most of the voices belong to your species and seem vaguely familiar, but not. You see rainbow drinkers and high bloods. You catch bits of a conversation.
One voice says, “I think something happened to Karkat…. He looked different and pretty scared and confused.”
That’s the voice of the creature in blue.
“I warned him not to tinker with the machines anymore, but alas he seems to want to go against everything I say.” Another voice, you look to see that it’s a rainbow drinker with Jade blood. Jade bloods are less vicious than some others on the hemoscale, but you don’t really trust anyone at this point.
“What’s going on?” This voice sounds rather pissed.
“I think Karkat may have… regressed? Is that what you would call it, Kanaya?” The blue creature again.
“Yes, I believe that Karkat was messing with the machine and it backfired, regressing him to a younger age.” That’s the voice of the Jade blood.