marcy.android.exe

by Calapotle

Summary:

Marcy Wu dies. King Andrias won't let her go that easily.

Notes:

Much more of a chill fic and more faithful to Amphibia. I just wanted something to write more so for fun. Also don't worry, I'm still working on TLaGtbA.

Chapter 1: Birth

~~M~~

 

Marcy thought for sure that she was dead the day she was impaled through the back with a giant flaming sword. She wasn’t wrong, but she wasn’t exactly right either.

The day she ‘woke up’, the day she ‘opened her eyes’, she knew something was wrong. She couldn’t feel anything. ‘Well that made sense’, she tried to rationalize. She was stabbed straight through the spine; Where all of the signals going through her nerves were gathered and transferred to the brain. That didn’t explain her lack of smell and taste. It didn’t explain why she couldn’t hear anything besides a small buzzing noise, nor why her sight of what appeared to be a looming laboratory looked like it was being projected through a shitty webcam.

At least she was better off than the black haired newt corpse which lay on a table before her… Sure it looked a bit like her but …  that would be impossible, right … ?

Anxiety should have begun pouring through her brain the moment King Andrias stepped into her view. But something about her distorted, unmoving view and the near lack of sound created a feeling that was almost comical. It felt straight out of an analogue horror game.

This must have been a dream, a very, very strange dream.

The king knelt down to where she could see his giant face. He did something just out of her sight and suddenly she could hear again, albeit in a strange, distorted, walkie talkie-esque sound.

“Marcy Wu, can you hear me?”

She tried to respond, she really did, but no sound would come out. Either she was too terrified to speak or her vocal chords were fried. The latter seemed more likely.

“Whoops,” he chuckled nervously . “I forgot to enable your speakers.”

Speakers? As in a way to transmit otherwise inaudible sound? So her vocal chords were dead. And somehow he’d linked her cognition to an output device. This just keeps getting better.

“There we go. Can you speak now, Marcy?”

“Y-yes,” her voice sounded even more muffled and crackling than his.

“Good, good.” His voice sounded despondent, like he was ashamed of what he’d done. “I apologize for the shabby job done at trying to preserve your mind. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time.”

If Marcy had a stomach, it would be empty by now .

“You’re lying.”

“Do you think I wanted to murder a child, Marcy? Especially you who has such raw talent, such an incredible mind. No, I knew I had to preserve it. So here you are, where you can live for all of eternity. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

“No, that’s not– I can’t be– that’s not– that’s not possible.”

“Anything is possible when you have the multiverse in the palm of your hands. And yes Marcy, you’re dead. What you think is your consciousness is an artificial intelligence carefully copied meticulously from your mind.”

Marcy couldn’t speak. And this time, it wasn’t due to switched off speakers. She wished her heartbeat would quicken, her breathing to intensify, anything to prove that he was lying. Nothing, nil, nadda to prove him wrong. On the contrary, all evidence seemed to prove him right.

“Listen Marcy, your friends are gone. You gave Anne a one-way trip to Earth. Sasha jumped out the window. And even if you saw either of them again, I doubt they’d still want to be your friend.”

She … she couldn’t argue with that. She was the one who put her friends in danger. It was her fault for everything : the trauma, the pain, the death . The least she could have done was ask for their permission. They probably would have said no. Not that she could blame them. Not anymore.

“What do you want from me,” her voice quavered which didn’t even make sense.

“You are a smart girl,” he beamed. “Well originally, I was going to give your body to my master”

“W-what?”

“Oh, don’t sound so surprised. You didn’t really think I was the one pulling the strings, did you? Well, my master… let’s just say you’re not the only one with an immortalized mind. And as you can see, you don’t exactly have a body anymore.”

Marcy’s mind quaked with the newfound knowledge that this was his plan for her. This was why he gave her a home, a father figure, everything she could have ever dreamed of. All so that she would walk into his trap. How could she be so stupid? Of course it was too good to be true. She was so gullible, so naive, so stupid to think that anything would go the way she planned.

“But, don’t worry, Marcy. I have a way to get the original plan back on track,” Andrias spoke as if that was a good thing. “After all, using you as a host wasn’t just about your mind. It was a symbol, a threat to your so-called ‘friends. Trust me Marcy,” he got closer with a whisper, “they were always going to leave you. You were always destined to be alone, trapped in your own mind. This is why you belong with the Core, my master, the greatest minds in all of Amphibia. 

“No- I don’t want- I can’t- please,” she pleaded, she begged, she cried. “I won’t fight my friends.”

“What makes you think you have a choice, that any of this was by your choice? Ever since you lied about that box, none of it has been in your control. Every action you made: the Night Guard, The Order of the Olm, Ernst, all orchestrated by me. So let me reiterate: you are going to join the Core.

Marcy couldn’t even feel surprised anymore. She had no shock left to give. Just this dull numbing feeling that bled its way through her ones and zeros.

“Now Marcy, I’m going to leave you alone to give you time to contemplate this decision. And just a reminder: they’re not your friends anymore Marcy, don’t let them guide your decision. Either you can be alone forever, or you can be with those like you. Choose wisely.”

The King walked Away, his heavy footsteps audible this time. With him gone, the buzzing noise made itself apparent that it had never gone away.

Marcy didn’t know what to do with herself, if she even had a ‘self’ anymore. What could she do besides stew in her own impending doom? Well besides swear that she’d never do anything to hurt Anne or Sasha ever again. Even if it meant being destroyed.

It’s not like her mind was even real anymore.

Suddenly an idea sparked its way through her code. Sure she wasn’t real anymore. She wasn’t alive; it didn’t matter what happened to her anymore. But if this Core wanted to hurt her friends and Andrias was forcing her to be a part of it, then maybe she could do some damage on the inside. First, she needed more information. 

 

“I’ll join the Core on one condition,” Marcy told the King who’d returned not Long after he’d left.

Andrias gave her an amused expression. “What makes you think you’re in a position to bargain?”

“As much as you threaten me, you don’t want to see me gone. I believe in my - in my digital heart, that you still care for me. That’s why you rebuilt me.” Please be right, please be right.

His look of amusement gave way to a tiredness and shame that almost made him look his age. “Maybe, I don’t exactly know why I do things from time to time. Maybe I am soft. My master certainly seems to think so.” His face turned grim, “I need to shed it, like the rest of the Core. That’s the beauty of living for an eternity, you learn to forget your compassion, the things that hold you back. One day, I too shall join them.”

The knowledge that if she existed a long enough time only struck her with fear for a moment. She wouldn’t let herself exist for long enough to let that happen.

“But you do still care right now.”

The King nodded his head in shame.

“Then please, I’ll do anything they ask if I can just have this one thing.”

He seemed to ponder it. “What could you want?”

“You want to use my body to fight Anne and Sasha as a way to scare them, right?”

”My, you really are smart. Wit couldn’t have chosen a better candidate.”

“You said you’re getting the original plan on track. You’re rebuilding my body to hold the Core.”

“Absolutely marvelous. Yes, you are correct, Marcy, on all accounts. So what are you getting at?”

“I want a link to my body.”

“‘Your’ body?” He asked incredulously. “You really think it’s yours?” He seemed genuinely amused.

“It is mine, or at least it should be. I just want partial access to it.”

He gave a dark chuckle. “Ah, Marcy, still so desperate for control. One day you’ll live to exist purely for the Core.” He seemed to think again before returning with a slight smile. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Andrias.”

He nodded silently and looked like he was going to leave but paused. “You asked if I still cared for you Marcy, but…  how do you think of me?” he asked, voice guarded.

“I…” Marcy paused to think about it. She hated what he’d done, not to her, but to Anne and Sasha. Who knows if Sasha was even still alive. The fact that Anne was on earth was comforting. But still, it didn’t change the fact that Andrias tried to kill her: the nicest girl in the world, who deserved nothing of what Marcy put her through. “I don’t know.”

Andrias gave a nod of understanding. “Yes, that’s… how I feel about myself as well.” He gave a bittersweet half-smile and left.

 

~~A~~

 

“Absolutely not,” the harsh voice of Andrias’ father Aldritch responded to him through the Core.

“But, father,” Andrias pleaded with all his heart despite knowing the likely outcome, “having her on our side, her willing cooperation. Her mind is too valuable to waste.”

The two of them stood, father and son, in the black void created by the Core’s mindscape. The connection was created by the very crown Andrias wore day-to-day. Aldrich stood wrapped in metal tentacles, feet not touching the ‘ground’. His old face was contorted in an eternal scowl.

“I agree, which is why we don’t have time to waste playing her games. She’s using you, Andrias, just as your old friends did.”

“I know that she thinks she has a chance. I know how hard she denies the truth of her situation. Which is why I think it’s best to indulge her. If we give her morsels of hope, we can keep her going. I’m afraid that if we hurt her too much, she’ll cease to function.”

His father seemed to consider this. “Perhaps it is wise. It seems you have some worth in that compassion poisoned brain of yours after all.”

Andrias clenched his fist, not daring to talk back. “Thank you father.”

“Keep her spirit alive so that we may use it.”

“I will.”

“And Andrias,” his father's gaze burned through Andrias' pupils, “don’t disappoint us.”

With that, the darkness faded, and Andrias was returned to the throne of which he sat. He was thankful that the Core, of whose sight rested upon his head, couldn’t see that his hands were shaking.

Notes:

If you have any suggestions on how to improve it, I'd be happy to consider them (:

Chapter 2: Construction

Summary:

Marcy builds a body.

~~M~~

 

Two frobots came into Marcy’s view. One put a white sheet over her dead corpse. Then both of them picked the body up, grabbing each end of a tray beneath it.

King Andrias returned shortly after, carrying delicately with two finger pinching on each side, an Android which looked significantly more human shaped than the frobots. It didn’t take a genius to guess what it was.

“I figured that since you’re the most familiar with your body, that you should be part of the design process for it.”

“R-really?” she asked, deeply surprised. This level of trust was not at all what she expected.

“Now, when I say design process, I just mean the final realistic touches. The endoskeleton and wiring have already been completed.”

That made sense, although he probably already knew enough about human anatomy from her long ramble when he’d inquired her before on the topic. Maybe he just wanted company.

“Did you manage to get your master to accept my deal?”

“Yes,” he beamed. “You’ll have slight access whenever you want. As long as there’s no sabotage of course.”

Marcy tried to nod before remembering that she couldn’t. “Okay. So what would that mean exactly?

“Think of it this way: every member of the Core brings their own skills and experience to the table. This means that everyone’s will is being exerted onto the body at once.”

“How could they all operate the same body without getting in each other’s ways?”

“Good question,” he smiled. “The truth is that no one is really ‘piloting’ the body. The individual’s actions within the Core are filtered through an algorithm which decides which ideas are the best.”

Marcy took note of this. She wasn’t going to press him on it any more, but it gave her ideas on how this algorithm could be exploited. No algorithm was perfect. She knew this well enough from her YouTube feed spamming her feed with alt-right clip channels. Perhaps there was a way to convince this thing that her not-so-great ideas were the best course of action. But only as a last resort. She didn’t want to imagine what kind of punishment she’d receive for treason.

“Well anyways,” Andrias spoke again, “back to the task at hand.”

From there, the two of them had a nice enough chat about human anatomy. Marcy was understandably initially intimidated to talk to him. But soon enough, she lost herself in the topic at hand as she always did. Turns out, making a human body accurately was a lot like building a model ship. Sure, the body would never truly be human, but the idea was to make it seem like one. Some of the interesting pieces to the puzzle included body heat, and liquid. The problem was that the computer and wires themselves created heat. If too much heat was added on top of that, it would overheat and reset as any computer would. She’d originally thought that liquid would be a no-go, that blood and tears would have the potential to short-circuit the wiring. The King assured her that the body would be completely waterproof. Apparently it was the Core’s request to add tears and blood specifically. The thought gave her chills, but it was still interesting. The last thing was that there wouldn’t be any sense of touch. Obviously pain would be a hindrance.

  “Thank you, Marcy. It’s always a pleasure talking to you.”

The topic at hand having ended snapped her out of the zone and back to reality. Had she really helped him create something that could hurt Anne and Sasha? Even with reminding herself that she was doing it with the end goal of sabotage, the idea of hurting those two again…

“Y-you’re welcome, Andrias. When am I being… you know?”

“Integrated into the Core? Not too soon from now. In fact, we plan on connecting you soon after I bring the new body back to the workshop.”

A spike of anxiety drove through her. This was all happening so fast. “O-okay, um, hey Andrias?”

“Hm?”

“Why did you want me to help you with this?”

“Ah,” that look of shame and remorse returned to his face again, “I figured this would be the last time we’d get to talk. Once you're in the Core, they’ll be your only friends.”

“Oh…” That was what she expected, but still, it hurt.

“We’ll see each other again after I get integrated into the Core. But I don’t know when that will be. I need to find a suitable replacement first. There still needs to be a King after all,” he said with the most forced smile Marcy had seen since Anne stole the music box.

“Alright, well,” he paused a second too long, “I won’t be long.”

He left the way he came in, with the new body carefully lifted by the tips of his fingers. Marcy didn’t need a body to feel the terrible ominous wind, looming in the air. It was thick and suffocating, enough to give her seconds thoughts about whether this was a good idea or not. What if she messed up again? What if there wasn’t a way to beat the Core? She forced the thought out of her head. It was too late to have second thoughts. Besides, for every single one of her questions, there was only one way to find out.

“I’ll see you on the other side, Marcy,” the King said after having shortly returned.

She could see him carrying it, and despite it not being in her peripheral, she could still hear it as he plugged her in.

The next thing she felt, there wasn’t an apt way to describe it in the English lexicon. It was as if her mind was being ripped apart and rearranged to fit into a puzzle it didn’t belong. Memories exploding, crashing into each other and then ripped apart, it forced her to relive times she’d wished she could forget. Her seventh birthday dinner where she ate alone at a large but empty table, her parents were both on work vacations and didn’t have time for her. The day her mother yelled at her when she was forced to show her parents the B+ on her report card. They never complimented on her A’s because that was the bottom line expectation.

At least there were good memories too. The day after her birthday when Sasha had found out what happened. The three of them always celebrated each other’s birthdays, but this was different. Sasha went all out, not in terms of being extravagant, but by being incredibly thoughtful and specific to Marcy’s tastes to a degree which Marcy hadn’t thought possible. They ate cake, just the three of them in Marcy’s room: the place where she felt the most comfortable. Sasha even cleaned up afterwards, knowing how terrified Marcy was of having a messy room around her parents. After that, they played a game of Creatures & Caverns. Sasha insisted that they play the campaign that Marcy had spent six hours straight setting up, only for Anne and Sasha to get bored five minutes in. There were no complaints this time. Every time either of them were confused, they asked questions rather than giving up. The three of them spent two and a half hours playing before bed. Anne and Sasha were understandably exhausted from playing for so long and Marcy couldn’t have been more proud of them. So they ended the night with a sleepover. No scare dare challenges, they just went to bed. Sasha stated simply that that night would be one of relaxation, she didn’t want Marcy to feel uncomfortable at any time. Marcy’s heart nearly melted right there and then. That was the best night's sleep she'd ever gotten.

She experienced all this and many other memories of her life in the tenth of a second. Somehow she could comprehend all of it. She was sure that if she had a real brain or could feel pain, she’d be in complete agony.

Then, in an instant like someone had flipped a switch, it stopped, and she was left standing with her old body in a black void. She was wearing her old school uniform, exactly what she had worn before Amphibia. She had no idea how long it had lasted for. Her sense of time had been shattered from the shell of a smoking gun who’s owner she didn’t even know the name of yet. 

“Welcome, Marcy Wu,” a harsh, old, and blatantly sinister voice said from behind her.

She turned around to see a giant newt who looked a lot like King Andrias, except he was old and frowny without that signature look of shame.

“My name is Aldrich, and I will be your guide through the Core,” his words were carefully constructed, like he was calculating every option.

“Are you his dad?” Marcy blurted out.

The old newt didn’t react in the slightest to her outburst. “Yes, Marcy, I am. We’ve been watching you for some time.”

“Well that’s… a bit creepy,” she chuckled nervously, trying to release her weighing dread. 

“You will learn to dismiss such useless sentiments. Here in the Core, we act by idea and purpose. Emotions have no use here. They only weigh our grand purpose down.”

“...And that is…?”

“To return Amphibia to its former glory, and restore our place as the supreme race at the center of the multiverse.”

“Ah,” she faked a smile. Fortunately her body still wasn’t real, otherwise she’d be shaking with a force comparable to a jet engine.

“You, Marcy Wu, are the first being to be integrated into the Core to not be a newt. You are only here because you were chosen by the prophecy to be wit.”

“P-prophecy?!” she choked out.

“Yes, we have much to discuss. Come with me,” as he spoke, a giant doorway appeared with blinding white light spilling out of it. Marcy wished she could see what was on the other side before she crossed over. Unfortunately, Aldrich stepped through, leaving her with no choice.

Notes:

Comments and Kudos make me feel fuzzy inside and lets me know you want more of this.