Chapter Text
Blood. Blood,blood-blood. Hunt, must Hunt. Blood calls to him, he Hungers. Singed's blood, peel his skin, break his bones, rend his flesh Revenge. Revenge, rage, blood, rage, Rage, Rage, RAGE, RAGE. He followed the Scent, he killed any Enforcer bastards in his way. I got claws now, I can slash open their necks, they'll bleed out fast, won't call for reinforcements. Tear off their limbs, they can't use those fancy rifles without them. We'll kill that Shimmer-dealing bastard, make him pay for everything Blood, blood led him straight, right, then building, left, right, down, DOWN!
Door. DOOR! Door stuck in way! Slam! Meat barking orders. "The hell was that?" Meat whispered? S e v ii k a, you traitorous bitch! Slam again! The Blood is close, he can smell acid? SLAM! Open, damn you! SLAM, he launched himself with both the blood frenzy and the Rage, and the damn door finally gave out.
Acid was pumping, and he was ready. Slash them, tear them to shreds, leave them in too many pieces for whatever piece of shit Topsider comes to find them! Meat hides behind shield, hilarious. Something hit him, bright blue and tingly, but still barely a scratch, he's already healing, where is Blood? Blood is here! Right ahead! That freak scientist fuck, I'm gonna crush his head like a flooddamned Tangerine He Howls, Meat always scared of Howl. "Get her out!" Meat Baby girl?! Was told to Meat. Bloodbloodbloodbloodblood Nonono--Sevika?! Rip her other arm off! Not-meat holds gun, One-arm runs away with Meatcub. Another kid? Meat Sevika you're a flooddamn dead woman tells "You really are a-" Not-meat cuts her off with "Big fat hero." Kill Sevika find Blood eat Meat, they're all ahead, he charges on all fours. Not-meat shoots him again, this time it doesn't even scratch, just makes him angrier! He pushes back, no more needles! Meat or Not-Meat! Meatcub screams away, find the Blood turn the egghead into a scrambled fucking omelette, Eyes purple like shimmer, she was there, Not Meat at all, too fast, swipe, dodge, needle, swipe, dodge, pin, crush, slide, dissection, he heals and slam, dodge, a metallic clang, swipe, he hit! make me remember swipe, she dodges thank the Bluebird, she can't walk, crawls away, smells familiar? "You got me, hairball." Yes he did, he barks. "But just remember, you're no stinkmaw. Smile!" She grabs the metal-clang, he grabs that hand. She fights, like all small sinewy meat, he knows the scent! I know that smell! She looks away, whimpers No, please please don't, I know her! He looks closer where tears stream down Shimmer-flooded eyes the girl from the table, know her, can't save her, failed her The Man inside got a hold of himself. No Blood, no Meat, no Rage, just him and the girl from the table, looking away, terrified. The terrified little girl, Felicia's girl, sweet, timid, drinks from the same cup. He thought she died, he heard her screaming a t t h e o t h e r not to leave her before the table, the pins and needles and smells and hurt and blood. Everything looks green, now, or has he just been seeing red for years?
"Powder?" the Man can finally call her, his little inventor, and gently put her down. Her eyes are flooded with Shimmer, her eyes are flooded with Shimmer! No, don't go there v w a d r what's my name?, not now, not when Powder needs him. She's all alone, now, pumped full of who-knows-what that egghead asshole filled them with.
She looked at him, the rage fades from her brows and teeth, and her eyes, still full of Shimmer, glimmer a bit darker right before that dam burst open. "Dad!" She wails and jumps at him, screaming her tears out. Just like Vi did the day he got her killed. He places his hands on her slowly and gently, he won't hurt her again, he'll never hurt her again. His daughter, so scared, so vulnerable, now a young woman breaking into Topsider prisons. He cradled her head, its hair now long enough to fully weave into the two tails, and just held and sniffed her. "Powder, my girl."
"Dad!" She repeated, still crying every last drop she had into his fur. His girl was hurting, someone put so much pain behind that Shimmer. "You're alive!" The pain seemed to flicker away as she blubbered it out.
"I know, baby." did he know? She needs to hear that. n e e d s o m e t h in g t o b e l i e v e
"Don't leave me again," She sobbed out. "Please don't ever leave me."
He hugged her. Never leave, protect, forever protect. Almost died because of him. Bloodlust, Houndof the Underground, too much danger, got Felicia killed No, run away. "Can't...!" He let go of the hug, he has claws now, he's not supposed to have claws the realization flooding him as he looked at his bloodied hands. Claws that can mince Meat, that tear limbs, that almost killed her. He grasped his head, yelping and yowling to remain in control, wrested just enough to back off. He smelled the Blood, he heard the Meat coming down, he had to get away, before the Blood calls, before he ever forgets she's the Daughter and mistakes her for Meat. He ran away, back on all fours, up the torn-open lift.
"NO!!!" Her scream was as heartwrenching as ever. He could hear her following him as he ran out of the prison and into Zaun, her light footsteps and the occasional plop of Shimmer shadowing his frantic dash. He had to get away, somewhere she won't follow, somewhere no one would find him. He ran down tunnels, the old mining tunnels, all closed off, he knew this place. Why can't he remember anything?
He finally managed to outrun her, hiding somewhere with a desk, a lot of papers, somewhere he should know
"Vander!" He heard Powder, no calmer than he was. "I know you're in here somewhere. I'll fix this." He heard the tears creeping into her tone. "No, shut up! I can still fix this! I know, I know! I'm not losing that, I'm not losing my family again! I never meant to do it, it was an accident, I just wanted to help, I just wanted to help! I can fix this, I can fix this, I can fix this!" There's no other Scent here, who was she talking to? She ran away. She finally ran away.
He finally breathed. He won't ever hurt his Daughter, ever again. His Daughter, forcibly pumped full of Shimmer, literally crying it out as she begged the madman to stop. What have they done to her?