Warning: A darker chapter. Features a lot of death.969Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUxTg6KsGn
969Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETQQDE5kZg
"I swear to God, I'll kill you all!"
Summer's voice echoed around the circular room, her feet pounding against the tile flooring as she angrily paced. Soaking wet, drops fell to the floor from her naked body. Her long hair stuck to her sides unpleasantly, but she didn't have anything to tie it up and there was no use anyway. The observation room up above was two-way, making it so she couldn't see the scientists on the other side.
At the center of the room, a drain was set into the floor. Directly above that, the ceiling came to a point with a small hole. Water dripped dully from it.
"Subject 711-A549, please be warned that another failed experiment will result in more disciplinary action."
"To hell with your damn warnings! Come down here so I can tear you to shreds!" She punched the wall, her fist slamming into the white tile with enough force to rattle the glass up above. There was a pause before the intercom came back on.
"Preparing session three."
"Tch." Summer snarled, bracing herself for the test to be repeated. Her lungs were already on fire but she wasn't about to let those bastards win.
The drain in the middle of the room sealed itself with a loud clang. A familiar whooshing sound rumbled above the room and in the next instant, thousands of pounds of rushing water came crashing through the hole in the ceiling. It splashed down and rushed to fill every corner of the tiled room. She was knocked over, once again, by the fierce strength of the water's momentum, and her head knocked against the wall. Quickly closing her mouth, she was able to get one last breath in before her head went under.
The water was far below a comfortable temperature. Half of her wondered if they gathered it from the small icebergs outside, where the temperature was well below freezing, and then allowed it to melt. It certainly felt that way. The currents underneath the flow were sending her swirling through the torrents. The compression against her chest grew heavier and more painful, but she squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. Opening her mouth now would spell death.
The initial downpour had disoriented her sense of direction, but quickly 'up' became apparent and she swam as fast as she could to the top. Her head broke the surface and suddenly she could breathe. Gasping, her limbs floundered around to try to stay above the rising surface. One glance up confirmed that the room was nearly halfway filled.
The intercom didn't make a sound, but Summer could bet anything that those bastards were discussing her every action with calculated gazes. They had a hate-hate relationship going: they hated her for killing one of their staff, she hated them for torturing her.
"It is easier to breathe lying on your back. Do not panic." Nemesis whispered in her ear, and she took a deep breath before trying to situate herself as such. It wasn't easy getting into a supine position, especially with everything moving as fast as it was.
"I'm gonna kill him…" She ground out, spitting out mouthfuls of water. Her body was now effectively frozen, and any attempt to keep herself above the water progressively got harder. Part of her was glad she wasn't clothed. The fabrics would've just gotten heavy with water and weighed her down. With limbs that were too numb to even feel, Summer started to feel that rise of panic, like there was a brooding sense of an inevitable death at the end of this.
The ceiling was getting much closer. Holding up a hand, she reached up and was able to brush the top with her fingers. Extreme shivering and numb skin was a sign of hypothermia, and she knew that even a few minutes in freezing water posed a risk. She bet her ass the scientists knew it to. They probably didn't care much.
She bumped her head against the ceiling, leaving her a precious few seconds to suck up as much air as she was capable. She gasped in and out to expand her lungs, finally taking as big a breath as possible, before the water completely reached the ceiling.
She was pressed up against the top, and with eyes closed she felt her way to the observation glass. An idea had struck her, a cruel but logical one, that she was happy to carry out. Using her fingers to probe the walls, the smooth surface was easily recognizable from the rougher tile used to construct the room.
If she was going to drown in this torrent, so could the scientists. As hard as she could considering she was completely submerged, she pounded against the glass, hoping to break it and flood the observation room. Again and again she brought her fists down on the glass, aware of the growing burn within her lungs. Bubbles escaped her mouth, and her air supply was quickly running out. So was her time to exact revenge.
'Come on.' She thought, trying harder to break it.
It was no use. The glass was made to withstand the pressure of the water. It could withstand her banging against it at half strength. Still, she kept trying, even as her vision slowly went black and her lungs released the last of her air. For a split second she could feel her body drift down through the water…
It was during these times that Nemesis was truly conflicted. Her host was in a situation of serious danger. If the scientists decided to let her drown, she would be born into a new host and the process of finding her target would start over from the beginning. She doubted the next one would be as versatile as this one had been, or as mentally prepared.
She couldn't let her die, but the only way to prevent that would be to take over her body. However, revealing herself to the other humans would surely end in her either being taken out of the girl or be risking her destruction. It was a real dilemma.
In her subconscious, she tried without result to awaken the girl, her body slowly drifting to the bottom of the room. Then, the drain at the bottom of the room opened, sending the water rushing down through it. The level of water lowered quickly, and Nemesis knew the girl would live.
"Subject 711-A549, if you can hear me, open your eyes."
No, she didn't want to. Behind her eyelids the light was bright, too bright. Summer's body was numb, she couldn't feel it, really. Was it even her body? Where was she? Who was talking to her?
"Lift your finger, twitch, breathe, do something so we know you are there." It was a man's voice, gruff and old. Feeling was beginning to return to her body. The room was cold, her body was cold.
Hesitantly, she cracked an eye open, and a dark blob blocked the light above her. It slowly took the shape of a person's head, looking down at her. The man nodded and put away his medical equipment, packing the small bag he had beside him.
Her breathing was uneven, and she felt like her chest had been smashed by an anvil. Her memory of the past experiment came crashing back, and with it her hatred. She scowled, and in an instant her hands were locked around the man's neck.
"Argh…Grgh!" He was tossed onto his back by her momentum, and she sat onto of his chest, pressing his ribs into his organs. Somewhere she had this strength after almost being drowned to choke this man. Idly, she wondered if Nemesis was behind it.
"How does it feel to die, huh?" She hissed, her voice barely coming out as more than a whisper.
"Release the nurse, Subject 711-A549!" She ignored the intercom, intent on her target.
He tried pulling at her hands, still clamped with unbelievable force around his throat. Her hands were red with force and his face slowly turned purple.
"Can you feel the air being blocked from going to your brain? Your senses are clouding, and you can't feel your limbs." She wasn't quite there, seeing herself in his position with Viper holding her neck. The feeling of a pair of hands around her neck was almost tangible. She couldn't differentiate where exactly she was.
"Ah…Nnn…" The nurse's pulling at her hands slowly grew weaker as he couldn't get the air necessary for brain function and, ultimately, muscle movement. Somewhere, there was a large pounding of feet, probably the guards coming to stop her. She smirked, knowing they'd be much too late.
"Sweet dreams." She whispered, watching him take his final breath. His arms fell limply to the ground, and his face relaxed as his muscles slowly expanded. She released his neck, rolling away from his body as the adrenaline slowly wore off. In the extreme white of the room, she saw red color. Looking down, she noticed the nurse had scratched her skin to the point of breaking the skin, and she was bleeding down her arms.
With heavy breaths, she laughed a little. "Law, you'd probably yell at me for being careless."
The guards broke through the door, pointing guns at her prone figure. She didn't even acknowledge their presence, instead focusing her eyes on the observation room where she knew the Doctor was watching.
She smiled, knowing he'd interpret it as specifically for him.
The closest guard forced her onto her back and they handcuffed her arms behind her back. Another struck her head with the butt of their weapon and she went out like a light.
Moria grunted as his back hit the ground, and the pink-coated bastard landed lightly on a piece of debris nearby. The soul-stealer's breath was ragged, and he coughed. Blood spattered with every heave, and the invisible strings contracted tighter against his body. He could feel them cutting slightly through the skin.
"Damn you, Doflamingo!" He spat, glaring at the smiling man. He never could get used to that unending smile, a sure sign that the man wasn't always 'right.' The man in question laughed, then twisted his fingers. The strings grew even tighter, cutting more through his body. The pain was agony.
"Ah!"
"Moria, you knew I was interested in that girl. And yet you decide to go after her anyway? You even took orders from the World Government. You're sinking pretty low. After all, I thought you knew better than to cross me. Fuffuffuffuffu!
He spit out blood that pooled in his mouth, trying his best to prop himself up on one elbow.
"Go to hell, Donquixote." The Shichibukai only smiled wider.
"Gladly." He closed his fist and the strings tightened all the way. There were several crunching sounds and the sudden splash of blood.
When Summer woke up, she was on the sub.
Were eyes widened, and she sat up quickly. Her head started pounding and she instantly regretted the decision. Opening her eyes again, she stared at the top deck, the railing, the massive door leading inside. It was all right there. The yellow vessel sat, gently rocking in the waves of the ocean. There wasn't an island in sight.
Seeking inwards, she couldn't hear Nemesis saying anything, even though it felt like she was trying to. Strange.
That damn illusion room. Of course, it had to be. She frowned, her eyes narrowing as she glanced every which way. Those scientists had to be messing with her again. The observation room was probably right above her, looming down for those scientists to watch her every move. She stood, brushing her skinny jeans and tank top off. There was sand all over them. Thoroughly cleaned off, she went over to the door, if only to feel at home for a second again. If those bastards wanted a show, she wasn't about to provide one. Her face showed no surprise at waking up on the sub.
The inside was the same as always. Everything smelled like metal and sweat. The animal smell that lingered had to be Bepo, and she smiled at the thought. Whoever had drawn the short stick for mop duty had slacked off. There was dirt and water stains all along the floor. Probably Shachi and Penguin, then.
The lights were off, unusual for a typical day on the sub. There weren't any sounds either. Also strange. For the number of rambunctious people in the crew, someone was always making noise. Her venture down the hallway didn't lead to any clues either, and something in her gut was pulling at her.
'This has to be an illusion.' She told herself. If it was, why wasn't anything happening?
Passing a hallway to her left, she glanced at the door to her room. Something weird was going on, and she saw no reason to go inside. Perhaps an intruder had come aboard? There was nowhere for them to go. They were in the middle of nowhere.
Walking further, she came across the mess deck. The door was closed.
Summer stopped, staring at the door like it held some answer to her begging question. For some reason, she was afraid to step in that room, afraid of finding something she didn't want to see.
Dry swallowing, she pushed open the door and took a step inside.
The lights were off, leaving her to squint into the darkness. Reaching for the light switch, she flipped it and the room was bathed in light. Sitting at one of the tables was a person. Parker, as Summer now recognized as the person, was facing away from her and appeared to be sleeping. She gave a sigh of relief and walked towards him.
"Parker, Law's gonna be pissed if he finds out you're asleep. You're supposed to be-" She had come level with the table, and she stopped.
Parker's head was facing outwards, giving her a clear view. Sticking straight out of his neck was a dagger. It was her dagger. Parker was dead. There was blood pooled on the table and on the seat. It dripped onto the floor below.
"Oh my God…" She whispered, backing away from his body. Her hands flew to her mouth, covering it forcefully. She couldn't take her eyes off the sight. In a rush, she approached and pulled the weapon out, as if that alone would be enough to save him. His head only shifted positions.
'This isn't real! It's not real! It can't be real, can't be happening…"
'But they're dead. You have to find someone.'
The closest place someone might be would be the kitchen, so she ran to the door and burst inside, taking the weapon with her.
"Cas-!" She ceased breathing at the sight of his body stabbed with several of his own kitchen knives, slumped in front of the cabinets. His blood covered most of the counters.
"Ha…ah…" She kept repeating meaningless noises, sounds she couldn't describe. Words weren't good enough for what was happening, and she ran out of the room.
Past the mess deck and back down the darkened hall, she went fumbled in the darkness to the men's quarters and banged against the nearest ones.
"Blake! Liam! Parker and Casper are dead!" Her voice was frantic, the muscles in her limbs beginning to quiver and spasm from fear. "Open the door!"
They were unlocked, so she barged in and flipped on the lights. Blake and Liam, in their separate rooms, lay in the sheets covered in blood. A gunshot wound sat right in the middle of their foreheads. "No!" She shouted one after the other, backing away and sprinting to the last place she knew to look.
Tears blurred her vision and wetted her cheeks, but she continued onto the infirmary, where she knew Law probably was. Her breathing was strained, marked with the painful ache of her dead nakama and the fear that the rest shared the same fate.
Coming to the set of double doors, she could see light spilling out through the small windows. It sent a small ray of hope through her. Someone had to be alive.
She flung herself inside, stopping short at what lay inside.
Bepo was dead, cut open and pushed to the corner. His white fur was stained a deep crimson, the orange jumpsuit he loved so much ripped to shreds and flung in another direction. Law, with the rest of her daggers stuck through his heart, lay dead on one of the beds. She fell to her knees, her tears falling faster than before.
"No…no no no no!" Her despair clouded her mind, her judgement, all sense of reason or reality. Her friends were dead, all of them. "WHY?" She screamed, clawing at her face and hair and arms. The stubs of nails she had left duck into the pale skin and drew small streaks of blood.
She wasn't there to protect them or die with them. What was the point anymore? Why should she keep on living if they weren't alive? She had the dagger. She could plunge it through her own heart and end it all. She would see her nakama again. She could be with them forever, and apologize for an eternity in the afterlife for bringing their death upon them. A part of her just knew: it was her fault.
Her sobs racked her small body, and she dropped the weapon, falling to her side, too weak to even bring the dagger through her heart. Her crying rendered her useless, left to rock back and forth in the fetal position as the sorrow of being alone once more overtook her.
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