Song of the Chapter: Blurred Vision - PYLOT (Indie Dance)
Nemesis - Rogue (Trap)

My other favorite song by Rogue - especially the Rattlesnake part 8D

Sorry, the part with Monstercat is kind of cheesy and stupid, but I needed it to happen quickly so I could end things very soon.

(Tristam's POV)

I find myself once again tied up in Jensen's office, the wire trapped to the wall. Thankfully, it doesn't hurt so bad this time. My wrists are tied to the opposite ankles, so I can't go anywhere, and though it makes my back ache to be bent over like this, it's not unbearable. At least I'd be able to go to sleep if I needed.

Braken's on the other side of the room, curled up on the floor with his wings over his head. I've been gagged or I would try to coax him out. He's afraid of himself, but he talks like he's not the only one in there. Like there's someone else inside his head.

I don't know what to do. My plan was to break him out, but we're both trapped with our lives on the line. One wrong move and Jensen will shoot me, and it sounds like the voice in Braken's head can kill him and take over if he lets it.

Where is Jensen? He tied me up and then left, and he hasn't returned for almost the entire day. No one has. Something's wrong.

"Braken," I try to say. My voice is muffled by the muzzle-like gag. I try to use my shoulder to rub it away, but it doesn't move. "Braken," I call, louder, hoping he'll hear my muffled voice, even if he can't understand me.

He shifts a little and I can hear him sniffle. He doesn't get up.

"Braken. Come here."

He finally sits up a little and turns to look at me, his eyes puffy and red from crying. "Leo?" His voice is fragile and timid.

I gesture with my head for him to come over and he pulls himself to his feet, his wings dragging carelessly on the floor. "Untie me," I try to say.

"What?" He rubs his eyes and wipes his nose with the back of his hand.

"Untie me," I repeat, trying to enunciate better. He takes the gag and gently pulls it out of my mouth, unbuckling the straps and letting it hang around my neck. I rub my tongue along the corners of my mouth, where I'm bleeding again. "Untie me," I say once more.

"I'm not supposed to touch you," he whimpers. "I don't wanna hurt you."

"You're not going to hurt me," I say. "I trust you."

"Then that's your mistake."

I flinch backward in surprise. "What?"

"That's your mistake. You can't blame me for anything that happens here, can you? You trusted me." Braken starts to shake, sniffing more often and rubbing his face. "Leo ... please, just tell me I'm not a lost cause."

"I never said you were," I answer softly. "Come on, untie me."

"You said I was special, but here's something you'll never admit: you were wrong." He pauses to steady his faltering voice. "They wanted a monster, so I gave them one. I let him in and I let him have control ... I thought I could be good enough. I thought one day, if I tried hard enough, I could do it. I was wrong. I will never do it. I'm not the good guy anymore."

"Of course you are." I try to tug my wrists away from my ankles, but the thin rope just cuts into my skin. "Please, just untie me. It hurts."

Braken's eyes fill up with tears. "You don't even care, do you?"

I look up at him and feel a deep stab of guilt. "Of course I do, Braken," I say gently. "You're my best friend. Where would I be without you?"

"Somewhere safe," he says. "You wouldn't have that scar on your face. You wouldn't have gotten caught the first time and this time. You wouldn't have to feel guilty about those cuts on your wrist. You'd be safer without me."

"And you might've been killed," I tell him, keeping my voice quiet. "He would've killed you eventually."

"You told me he wouldn't," Braken mumbles.

"Did you believe me?"

"No. I guess ... I knew it all along. Leo ... " He pauses, shifting nervously. "I just wanna be loved. By a real family, you know? A mom and a dad and ... I'm sorry, I shouldn't be telling you about this stuff. It's stupid, anyway." He ducks his head and folds and unfolds his wings over and over again.

"It's not stupid." I smile at him a little. "Maybe ... maybe we'll be able to find one for you. Someone who's willing to love you."

He gives me a sad smile. "Do you really think anyone would want ..." He gestures to himself. "... this? I'm nineteen and yet I'm eleven. I have a murderer in my head and I have wings that can rip someone to shreds. I think it's safe to say that I'm not going to find someone like you. You're the only one who hasn't pushed me away yet."

Yet.

Does he think I'm going to leave him? "I promise I won't leave you," I say. 

He tips his head in question, just like he always did.

"I promise. I'll always do everything I can to stay with you." I let my smile widen. "Okay?"

"Okay ... " He shifts his weight from foot to foot. "Should I still untie you?"

"Yeah," I chuckle a little and he smiles, just slightly. It's been a long time since the last time I saw him smile. He kneels next to me and tries to untie the thin ropes, but his fingers are shaking and the knots are tight. "Just cut it off," I suggest, "with your wings."

"No!" he snaps, flinching backward. I flinch, too, startled by his harsh tone. "Um ... sorry," he mutters. "Just ... I don't want to hurt you. I've hurt so many others ... not you, too."

"It's okay," I assure him. "I trust you. You can do it."

He bites his lip and takes a deep breath. "Okay, I'll try it." He flicks his wings and we both flinch as they clink loudly. Very carefully, he rests a sharp point against the ropes on my right ankle and left wrist, and then gently cuts down. It doesn't do anything.

"Harder," I tell him.

"I don't want to hurt you," he whimpers. 

"It's okay. You can do it," I repeat.

He swallows nervously and tries again, cutting harder, and the rope starts to fray.

"There you go, just a little harder," I say.

The door suddenly bursts open and Braken jumps back with a shriek, his wing slicing my arm. I yelp, but quickly choke it down and pray he didn't hear it.

It's Jensen, and he looks like a wreck. He's covered in dirt and he has a hastily wrapped bandage over his shoulder and one under his knee. They're already soaked in blood. His eyes are bloodshot, like he hasn't slept in days. "What are you doing?" he demands. He notices Braken's blade wings and the gash dripping blood down my arm, and a slow smile spreads across his face. "F2-06, are you ready to kill again for me?"

Braken starts to cry and seems to melt to the floor, covering his head with his wings.

"Leave him alone," I shout, my voice rising in anger. 

Jensen staggers over to me, swaying on his feet. He kneels in front of me and leans forward until our noses almost touch. I can taste the alcohol in his breath. I glance at his shoulder and figure he's trying to dull the pain of whatever he did to it, but if he's drunk, that only makes him more dangerous. I start to say something, but he swipes me hard across the face, his fingernails digging into my skin and scratching me. I catch my breath in pain and can feel a thin line of blood trickling down my face. Instinctively, I try to bring my hands up to cover the scratches, but they're still tied down.

"No talking," he hisses. He stares at me until I lower my head in submission, my heart pounding like a drum. "So," he says, standing back up and turning to Braken, "are you hungry? My special little experiment deserves something to eat before a big battle."

"Battle?" Braken whispers.

"Oh, yes. The group of artists has gathered outside and they're ready to attack. You need to eat something nutritious before then so you can fight well for me!" Jensen pops open a mini-fridge under his desk and takes out some microwavable meal, putting in the microwave in the back of his office. My stomach growls embarrassingly loud and I try to shrink back as he turns to look at me. "Is little Leo hungry?" he taunts. "Don't worry, I have something for you, too."

I let my tongue feel the cuts on the sides of my mouth again, a nervous feeling sinking into my chest.

"F2-06, sit up at the desk and wait for me. I'm getting Leo's food," Jensen orders, stumbling to a closet on the other side of the room. He takes a bowl and a big bag of something and pours it inside the bowl before carrying it back to me. He sets it in front of his desk, by his chair, and then slices the ropes away from my wrists, unhooking the wire from the wall and dragging me to a kneeling position by the desk. "Eat," he says, pointing at the bowl.

I look at it and my stomach turns. It's dog kibble. The microwave dings and Jensen sets the streaming plate of food in front of Braken. My friend glances at me with tears in his eyes and seems to shrink back into his chair.

"What are you waiting for? Aren't you hungry?" Jensen demands.

Braken shakes his head. I know he is, but I don't say anything about it. Instead, I turn to Jensen, looking up at him nervously. "S-sir, I can't eat this," I whisper.

"Why not?" he snaps.

"It's for dogs, not peop - "

He yanks the wire on my collar and I jerk forward with a yelp. "You're my pet, aren't you? You're going to eat like one. Now eat it or you'll starve. It's your choice. No water until it's gone."

I just close my eyes and swallow hard. I need water. I'll be okay if I can just get some of it down. I carefully pick up a little piece and hold it between my forefinger and thumb, my hands shaking. Jensen gestures and I finally gather enough courage to pop it in my mouth. I try to swallow it without tasting, but I can't help cringing.

"See? It's not that bad. Eat faster or you won't get any water." Jensen watches me carefully, his eyes unfocused.

I take a handful and put it in my mouth, trying to swallow it, but I just gag and choke it back out into my hand. My stomach lurches even as I'm smelling it and I'm afraid I'll throw up and make him angry. I force the dog food back down and then double over, hugging my sides and desperately trying to keep the nausea down. I feel the bile rise up in my throat and swallow it with difficulty.

"What's wrong, you ungrateful little brat?" Jensen hisses.

"Can't - " I cough out, squeezing my eyes shut.

"You can't feed him that," Braken whispers.

"Why the ---- not?" Jensen screams and my friend flinches both from the loud tone and the swearing. He always hated when I swore.

"People can't eat that," Braken says, taking a deep breath and gathering his courage. "They need real food. He can even have some of mine. I'm not hungry, anyway."

"No! You will eat your food and he will eat his!" Jensen almost stabs him with the fork and then grabs an unopened bottle of alcohol from off of the counter. I try to read what it says, hoping I'll be able to tell how drunk he'll get, but he's moving it too much and I can't see. "You want something to wash that down with?" he asks me, popping the bottle cap.

My eyes widen as I realize what he's doing and I shake my head wildly. "No, sir - "

He shoves the bottle up against my lips, the top hitting my teeth painfully, and tips it over, forcing the alcohol into my mouth. I try desperately to ignore the taste and keep from swallowing, but eventually, I can't help it and the liquid washes down my throat. He keeps it coming until I have no choice but to drink and drink, and then he lifts the bottle, takes a swig, and sits back down on his chair. "Good boy," he says, then turns to Braken. "Do you want some?"

Braken shakes his head. "No thank you, sir."

"Why not?"

"I'm underage," he says, although I know that's not the only reason. He wouldn't have taken it even if he could.

"No, you're not. You're eighteen, nineteen, right? It's completely legal. Come on, just have a little."

"No thank you," he says firmly, glancing at me.

"Alright, your loss." Jensen takes another drink and gestures to his food. "At least eat something."

Braken hesitantly picks up the fork and pokes at his food, but doesn't eat anything.

Jensen kicks me lightly in the ribs and I yelp softly. "You finish eating."

I take a couple pieces and hold them in my hand, wondering if I can shove them somewhere so I won't have to eat them. A few minutes later, I find myself blinking over and over, trying to focus my vision. Oh no. I can't get drunk here. Or anywhere, really, but definitely not here. I realize I'm swaying whenever I move, unbalanced and dizzy. This is bad. This is bad. My thoughts jumble and I can't think clearly.

"Eat your food, Leo," Jensen orders, kicking me again. I barely have time to react before he smacks me. "Stop looking at me like that."

"What?" I mumble.

"Leo," Braken says softly and I try to look at him. He's a blurry mass of black. "Please, Leo, just do what he tells you."

"Oh. Sorry." I look down at the blurry bowl of food and take a handful, shoving it in my mouth without thinking. I can't taste a thing. It's like I'm eating crunchy air. I swallow it and take another.

"Good boy, little Leo," Jensen says sweetly, ruffling my hair.

I nod and toss a piece of food into the air, grinning like an idiot as I try to catch it in my mouth. I think I have perfect aim until it smacks hard into my eye. Confused, I try again with similar results.

"I think you need another drink," Jensen says.

I shake my head and try to say "no", but it comes out more like a "yes". He hands me the bottle and it takes me a few tries to grab it from him and get it to my mouth. I drink willingly until he pulls it away, and then I protest loudly.

"You don't drink," Braken says softly. "Remember that. You don't drink."

"I wanit back," I complain, reaching for him.

"No. Eat your food." Jensen nudges my arm away.

"Gimme it." I scoot closer and practically climb up on his lap, reaching for the bottle. He shoves my head back down, but I wiggle around his grip and try again. "Thirsty. Thirsty. Gimme a drink."

"No, Leo." He pushes me, harder this time, and when I still don't give up, he kicks me hard in the stomach and I collapse on the floor, gasping for breath.

"Don't hurt him," Braken whispers.

I haul myself to my feet and lunge for the bottle, falling over onto the desk. Braken shrieks and yanks his food away as I grasp the neck of the bottle and the side of the desk. I only get a swig before Jensen snatches it back, spilling some of it down my chin and the front of my shirt. He grabs the wire attached to my collar and drags me back to the wall, clipping it in place.

"Hey!" I shout. "Hey! Hey, lemme go!"

"I will be back soon," Jensen says, pointing forcefully at me. "F2-06, stay here and don't even think about feeding him." With that order, he slams the office door shut behind him.

Braken watches for a second before scrambling over to me. "Leo, are you okay?"

"Never been better," I slur.

He gently touches my shoulder and I flinch away. The movement triggers my nausea, making me lurch and vomit all over the floor.

"Never been better," Braken mutters.

"Never been better," I repeat.

●•●•●•●

(Monstercat's POV)

"You know," I gasp out as I dodge another one of X's swipes. "I'm really - " I duck under a kick and pull his tail to unbalance him. " - tired of - " I leap over him and slash across his face. " - fighting you."

"You know - " he answers, knocking my legs out from under me. " - I think that for once - " He pounces and pins me down by my neck. " - I actually agree with you."

"You do?" I whisper, unable to bring my choked voice any louder. "Then why do you keep doing it?"

"Because Jensen tells me to. I do what I'm told, I get rewarded."

"But together, we could break out of here," I say. 

"And do what?" X hisses, leaning his face close. "Be rejected by the rest of humanity? I don't think so. Your little rebellion is going nowhere, Monstercat, and I am going to stay here, safe and taken care of, and watch you all crumble."

"Why aren't you finishing him?" Jensen's voice echoes through the white room.

X's ears twitch. "I thought the orders were to keep him alive every time."

"Orders change," Jensen growls. "Kill him. I don't have time to stay here anymore. I've got an army of producers camped outside my front door, I've been shot twice by one of my soldiers, and my test subject got away again." 

X shrugs and flicks his claws. 

"Wait!" I shriek. I suddenly find the energy to kick him over and scramble to my feet. "You're not killing me today!" 

"Where are you going?" he demands.

"Away from you!" I yell. I run to the door and try to pry it open, but it won't budge. X runs for me, and I duck at the last second so he slams head on into the door. I hear something pop and then I can push the door open. "FREEDOM!" I shriek. "Leo, I'm coming for you!"

"Come back here, you filthy cat!" Jensen screams. "X1-01, stop him!"

I race down the hallway with a newfound energy, dodging reluctant soldiers. I wonder why they're all like that. I reach Jensen's office and throw open the door. "Leo!"

Braken shrieks and quickly covers his head with his wings. "I'm sorry I did it I shouldn't have I should've stayed in my chair I didn't want him to hurt anymore I'm sorry please don't hurt me," he stammers out.

"Braken, it's me," I say quickly. My heart's pounding like a drum against my ribs, adrenaline roaring through me. "We have to get out of here before Jensen comes back. Come on." I turn my attention to Tristam and my hope starts to drain away. "What's ... what's wrong with him?" He's half asleep, muttering things and smiling like an idiot.

"Jensen forced him to drink nearly an entire bottle of alcohol, and now he's drunk and sick and I don't know what to do," Braken says.

"Okay. We'll have to carry him. You can do that, right? Here, unclip the wire, we've got to go now."

"I can't do it," he whimpers. "If I get caught, I'll be in so much trouble and he'll only hurt him because of me, and I can't let that happen. I can't get caught. Don't make me hurt him. I've already cut him ... I'm such a failure. I can't do anything right."

"Braken," I say firmly. He's shaking, so I grab his shoulders to hold him still. "Listen to me. Nothing that ever happened to you was your fault. None of the abuse, none of the experiments. You're not a failure. You can do it. You'll only get in trouble if they catch us. So, we won't get caught. Got it?"

"But I - "

"We can't get in trouble if we don't get caught. Come on."

Braken takes a shaky breath. "Okay ..." He moves to unhook the wire, but we both jump as we hear Jensen yelling. "Hide!" he whispers, grabbing the plate of food and running back to the desk.

"What are you - " I cut myself off and race to the door, hiding behind where it will slam open.

Jensen throws the door and it smacks me hard in the face. I try to ignore the stabbing pain as I slip around the door behind his back and give Braken a glance. I'll come back to you.

I run back down the hall and suddenly, an idea hits me like a brick flying sixty miles per hour. I change course and head right back to the prison area. I have to find someone who's as crazy as me to work with me. The Pegboard Nerds. I find them quickly and race up to their cell, ignoring the guards' shouting.

"Guys you have to listen to me I'm gonna get you all out not by myself of course but you guys need to rally everyone up get them excited and angry so when they're free they'll be ready to fight got it?" I say in one breath.

They take a second to take in what I said, and then their faces light up. "Got it," one half says.

"Good luck, Monstercat," the other says.

"Thanks." I nod and take off down the hallway again, flying down the stairs. "I'm gonna need it." I can hear the Nerds shouting, starting a huge chant, and I smile. We might have a chance.

I enter the lobby area and then run right into two soldiers by the door. They grab my arms and lift me off of the ground. "End of the line, cat," one of them growls.

"No! No, no, no, NO! I can't stop now!" I cry. "I'm so close! Please, just let me go and we can end this fight!"

The soldiers exchange a glance, and then one of them leans in close. "We don't want to fight you."

"Then don't! Let me go and we'll end this!"

"So that's what we're going to do. Let you go. Make it look like you break free, then run straight no matter what. We'll shoot, but we won't hit you unless you run to the sides. You'll have to trust us."

My heart soars and I almost laugh in joy. "Thank you so much!"

"Don't thank us yet." He straightens back up and whispers, "Keep struggling."

I yank my arms hard, kicking and fighting, and then they finally let their grips slip and I rip myself free. They yell in pretended anger and surprise and shoot at me, and it takes all my willpower to stay running straight, towards the front doors.

Another pair of soldiers shout at me and aims their guns, and I start to panic. I don't think I've ever been this afraid in my entire life. My heart's pounding like a drum and I can only hear the blood roaring in my ears and the gunshots of the soldiers.

I come up to the doors and throw them open, bursting into the street and through a line of soldiers. Some of them step back and "accidentally" let me through, and I smile again. It looks like we have more people on our side than we thought. Now, the soldiers are confused and hesitant, glancing at each other instead of holding steady and protecting the facility.

Sure enough, there's an army of producers right outside the door, camped on the street. Many of them notice the soldiers' uncomfortable movements and murmur in confusion. I slip right into the tent city and quickly find Aero Chord, ignoring everyone who tries to talk to me.

"Aero!" I call. He turns and I run up to him. "Aero, we have to invade, now."

"Now? Are you insane?" he hisses.

"Listen. I riled up the entire prison full of our artists. They're expecting a breakout. Some of the soldiers are even on our side. They let me go. We can do this."

"Hey, what's going on?" I hear Phantom say behind me.

I turn and laugh in surprise. "Phantom! You're okay!"

He gives me a lopsided smile. "Well, mostly." I notice he's wearing Noisestorm's hoodie and has some nasty bruises and cuts on his face.

"Nick, what are you doing up by yourself?" Noise demands, coming up beside him.

"I'm doing fine. I can walk now, see? I made it here by myself."

"Phantom, what happened?" I ask suspiciously.

"Long story," he says. "I'll think about telling you later."

Aero snorts angrily and starts to walk away, muttering things under his breath. Phantom sighs and subconsciously rubs his neck.

"Hey, come back!" I call, quickly following the winged artist.

"We're not invading right now," he says, his voice hard. "How can we? We're not prepared."

"We'll never be prepared, Aero," I say softly. "It's now or they'll lose hope. Leo ... Tristam doesn't have much longer. Jensen's doing crazy things to him, and Braken ... the poor kid needs help. He needs a family again. He needs someone to love him."

"Don't you know?" Aero snaps. "Braken has Jensen's soul, Jensen's consciousness. He's not even himself anymore. Noise told me what he's done. He's a monster now. Monsters don't want love. They just want blood."

"Please, Aero," I beg. "If we don't do it now, we'll never do it. We can end this tonight! Don't you want that?"

He doesn't answer. Instead, he stays quiet and thinks hard. Finally, he raises his voice and says, "Gather your explosives, guys. We invade in five minutes."