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The Compound
Three Years and Ten Months after Mikey Walters Walked out of the Latvian Forest
Monday July 3, 2023
9:30 PM
# 1
Despite having been given a key, Seafoam knocked on the door, not wanting to startle anyone inside. Unsurprisingly it was Viridian who answered. He raised his brows and smiled at Seafoam and gestured him in.
"Which one is this?" Viridian asked with interest.
"The first actually!" Seafoam said brightly as they strolled into the kitchen.
"Are you hungry?" Viridian asked, looking him over as they made their way, clearly looking for signs that things had gone horribly wrong. "We’ve laid out some sandwich stuff on the side to keep us going," he offered gesturing at the counter on the other side of the kitchen.
"Maybe in a bit, I’m alright for now," Seafoam told him amiably.
Seafoam twiddled his fingers at everyone seated at the kitchen table in a playful greeting.
Past Seafoam stared blankly back at him. Emerald, who was seated next to him, reached out and scuffed up the back of Past Seafoam’s neck, a reassuring touch that Seafoam could almost feel ghost against his own neck as he watched. The ache of longing Seafoam felt upon witnessing that affectionate touch took him by surprise. An small twist of anxiety curled in his stomach.
"I know we all work with duplicates of ourselves every day—" Past Seafoam began.
Emerald snorted and muttered a mildly offended, "Work with."
"—but—well I don’t often see myself so—so recently duplicated," Past Seafoam stammered.
Seafoam smiled his understanding and ran a self conscious hand across his recently shorn hair—a sacrifice to make it easy to differentiate between the two of them and to make it a little more difficult for those unaware to ID him on sight in the event he was spotted.
Past Seafoam grimaced slightly, watching Seafoam brush his fingers across his newly short hair.
“What do you think it will look like once we consolidate back into one?” Past Seafoam asked.
“I’m hoping it’ll be closer to yours than mine,” Seafoam grumbled, eyeing Past Seafoam’s medium length, side swept locs with naked envy.
“Hair grows,” Emerald reminded gently.
For some reason this small reassurance seemed to smooth out the strange twisting uneasiness in his stomach.
"Well," Ultra prompted, reaching out as Viridian passed by to sit in the chair beside him. Before Viridian reached his seat, Ultra absently pulled him onto his lap, his attention still fixed on Seafoam. "Don’t leave us waiting. What’s the correction?"
"I’m fine," Viridian chuckled as he relaxed back against Ultra. "This is expected. You needn’t coddle me."
Ultra—appearing unconvinced—raised his brows impatiently at Seafoam.
Seafoam sighed and took Viridian’s empty seat between Emerald and Ultra. "We need someone to babysit Cal otherwise he goes running through the compound wreaking havoc looking for Viridian. Somehow he ends up tracking one of you down, which leads Arctos straight to you as well. Cal ends up killing him—Arctos that is—and shoots a few security guards along the way—not lethally but still." Then as an afterthought he added, "Honestly that training with Artie has done wonders for his aim."
Past Seafoam snorted.
Viridian pursed his lips, nostrils flaring as he shot Past Seafoam a dirty look.
"Oh, come on. We should have anticipated that," Past Seafoam pointed out, looking between Emerald and Seafoam for support.
Seafoam shrugged a shoulder. "There’s a reason I’m on corrections. There are a lot of moving parts."
"Unless we want to make yet another duplicate, I believe Ultra is the only one who can be spared," Emerald pointed out.
"I really shouldn’t be in three places at once and neither should Seafoam," Viridian murmured, irritation flattening his lips into a thin line.
"I agree," Emerald added firmly and Seafoam recognized the stubbornness there.
Viridian glanced back over his shoulder at Ultra and raised a brow in inquiry.
Ultra let out a heavy sigh. "That’s fine by me but it does mean we’ll need to figure out new coordinates for my duplication."
For the sake of simplicity, the original plan required Ultra to remain at his desk in his office, alone, for the duration of the breach. But so long as they could ensure Ultra was able to reliably stand on a set of coordinates during a specific window of time, it shouldn’t really matter.
"I’ve good news on that front," Seafoam said preening with self satisfaction, pleased that he’d already figured out a solution. "Cal has a meeting with Artie about his team’s emergency protocol during all this. I’m—well, you—" Seafoam faltered for a moment as he realized his mistake but recovered quickly and gestured to Past Seafoam. "When you see him tomorrow, you are going to suggest to Artie that he invite Ultra to help explain the technical stuff."
Past Seafoam nodded agreeably.
Ultra raised a brow. "If I’m going to attend, Edgar from Timeline Recall should be there as well. He was just as involved as I was. It’ll look odd otherwise."
Viridian tilted his head in acknowledgement. "It’s probably best he’s present anyway. There’s a good chance if he doesn’t that Cal will lose his head over him as well."
For the briefest of moments, Past Seafoam caught Seafoam’s eye. But Seafoam kept his gaze moving around the table so that he appeared to be gauging everyone’s opinion on the matter before turning back to Viridian.
"Very well, I’ll mention him to Artie as well," Seafoam agreed. "Once the security system is down, Ultra you’ll want to stand in the back left corner of the conference room—I’ll mark it down on the schematics for you. It’s where Artie will want you and Cal to be anyway so he can protect you both more easily."
"Is that all?" Viridian asked.
Seafoam nodded. "That’s it for now. Project Sunset seemed on the right track until Cal and Artie showed up."
"Are you both safe?" Emerald asked softly, drawing Seafoam’s attention back to him. His fingers were laced with Past Seafoam’s, knuckles tight, but his eyes were steady on Seafoam’s face.
"Em," Past Seafoam murmured, eyes soft. He rubbed at Emerald’s shoulder with his free hand and then turned back to Seafoam and mouthed "Sorry," with an apologetic little grimace.
It was odd seeing his own interactions with Emerald from an outside perspective. Or—no, they weren’t his own interactions, exactly. Though, even stranger, was how he felt an ownership over that shoulder squeeze Past Seafoam was giving Emerald.
When Seafoam himself—this duplicate of himself, who had already lived through the events of Tuesday and Wednesday—had first sat through this meeting there had been no other Seafoam in attendance. He had yet to be duplicated at that point.
Unknown to Viridian and Ultra, Seafoam had not, in fact, fully committed to being duplicated until Wednesday—the morning of Project Sunset—due to objections from Emerald.
The two of them had quarreled about it endlessly anytime they were alone. When they weren’t actively arguing about it, they endured a stiff, bitter silence. At night as they stubbornly lay with their backs to one another—on the rare occasion they even shared a bed in the past few weeks—an icy, seemingly untraversable, expanse grew between them.
It wasn’t until the wee hours of Wednesday morning—the day Project Sunset was to commence—that Seafoam was awoken to Emerald curling around him, the heat of Emerald’s body finally chasing away the icy distance that had existed between them for weeks.
"I know you will do this with or without my agreement," Emerald had murmured against the back of Seafoam’s neck. "I’d rather not be at odds with you before you do."
Despite what he’d told Viridian and Ultra, Seafoam hadn’t been confident he would go forward with it if Emerald had continued to object. Admittedly he had been leaning that way but he’d been far from sure.
It was bittersweet seeing Emerald face the reality of Seafoam’s duplication with resigned acceptance. This Past Seafoam seated beside him would experience two fewer days of strife between himself and Emerald than Seafoam himself had experienced. A confusing pang of envy throbbed in Seafoam’s chest as he watched the two of them, their reconciliation clearly bearing down on them given the way Emerald clutched at Past Seafoam’s hand and the tender look on Past Seafoam’s face as he gazed at Emerald.
Seafoam tried to console himself with the fact that after Project Sunset concluded he and Past Seafoam would consolidate. There was no need to dwell too much on their experiential differences in the mean time.
"We’re both safe," he assured with a tentative smile, feeling strangely self conscious—almost guilty—about the fact that he was inadvertently confirming Emerald’s assumption that Seafoam—and by extension Past Seafoam—would do as he would regardless of Emerald wishes. And maybe he would have. Seafoam would never really know what he would’ve decided had Emerald refused to relent. But he hoped Emerald understood that he had heard his concerns, that had not dismissed them as trivial. He’d merely decided they were risks he was willing to take. He nodded toward Past Seafoam. "He—this duplicate will be meeting with a Mikey subject in his living quarters when things kick off as planned. He’s perfectly safe and out of the way of everything, I promise."
Emerald’s frown deepened. "And you?" he asked softly.
Seafoam blinked, briefly—inexplicably—overcome by Emerald’s concern. But it faded quickly as he worked out the real concern at the root of this question.
Of course.
Even duplicated and disconnected, if Seafoam were caught, he and Past Seafoam would likely share the same fate. Both would be interrogated and ultimately terminated.
"I had no trouble getting around," he assured Emerald, reaching out to take Emerald’s free hand. "With the security systems down, I had no issues transporting when and where I needed to."
Viridian heaved a sigh and clapped his hands together. "Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We still have quite a lot to go over and I want us all to be able to recite each step from memory before the end of the night."
Emerald looked from Past Seafoam to Seafoam and nodded to himself. "Alright, then. Let’s crack on."
Monday July 3, 2023
9:30 PM
# 7
Seafoam knocked on the door to give the group some warning before using his key to let himself in. Viridian was just coming out of the kitchen as Seafoam closed the door behind him.
"Which one is this?" Viridian asked as he turned and walked with Seafoam into the kitchen.
"Seven," Seafoam told him lightly. "We’re having a bit of trouble with Cobalt’s consolidation."
"Oh?" Viridian asked, brow raising in concern. Just like every other time, Ultra reached out and pulled Viridian into his lap, leaving Viridian’s seat empty for Seafoam to take.
Before sitting down Seafoam gave Past Seafoam’s arm a little reassuring squeeze as he passed and gave Emerald a light peck on the cheek. Just like the last couple times, he saw Past Seafoam’s muscles loosen as he relaxed a little in Emerald’s direction, the brittleness between the two softening at this indication that Seafoam—who had already lived through the events of the next couple days a few times over by now—was no longer carrying the frustration or bitterness of their weeks long disagreement.
He was glad he’d found a way to subtly set them both at ease. He wished he could soothe his own apprehensions as easily but he was having a difficult time even seeing the shape of them. But they pressed in on his chest, inexplicable but ever present.
He quickly explained the adjustments that had been made to the plan, with Ultra now attending the meeting with Cal, Artie, and Edgar from Timeline Recall before laying out the new challenges.
"Cobalt struggles like a wild animal which makes it rather difficult for Michael Two to hold him still without hurting him. He’s killed him by accident twice now—and once on purpose—and the other times—well the times we did manage to actually consolidate him with a duplicate of Ultra, he suffered severe consolidation injury. All of them were immediately fatal."
It was Past Seafoam who spoke up. "We should transport in a chair from one of the interrogation rooms. Once strapped in there, Cobalt won’t be able to move a millimeter."
Emerald raised his brows and gave Past Seafoam a small approving smile. One corner of Past Seafoam’s lips twitched up.
Seafoam affixed an approving smile to his face and nodded, not sure why it felt like such a struggle. It was an objectively good idea. "That could work. Viridian could you grab the schematics so we can ascertain the coordinates for one?"
Viridian launched himself out of Ultra’s lap, seeming grateful for the opportunity to do something. "They’re just in the spare bedroom let me fetch them."
Seafoam grinned around at Ultra, Emerald, and Past Seafoam. "I have a good feeling about this next one."
Monday July 3, 2023
9:30 PM
# 11
Emerald checked his watch for the fifth time in the last quarter of an hour. "If a correction is happening, he should be here any—"
He was interrupted by a sharp punctuated knock followed by the sound of the apartment’s front door opening.
Future Seafoam stomped in, nostrils flaring, jaw tight. He came to stand at the corner of the table between Emerald and Seafoam and leaned forward resting fists on the table as he pinned Viridian with a furious glare.
For a moment no one spoke.
Seafoam leaned back in his chair to catch Emerald’s eye behind Future Seafoam’s back and grimaced. Emerald grimaced in return and, despite the circumstances, felt himself grateful for this brief moment of commiseration between the two of them.
Future Seafoam’s chest puffed out with a deep inhale and rapidly deflated as he released a loud exhale. Then, finally he growled out, "Stop. Killing. Cobalt."
Viridian sat a little straighter in his chair and pursed his lips, appearing petulant as he avoided meeting anyone’s eyes. "I’m sure I was provoked—"
"VIRIDIAN," Future Seafoam roared before catching himself. He closed his eyes and took another deep breath before opening them again and as he said, "Just. Stop."
Viridian let out a sigh and nodded."Of course," he murmured, contrite.
With that, Future Seafoam straightened up and gave Seafoam a light shove in Emerald’s direction. "Go sit with him and get out of my chair."
Seafoam’s brows shot up, eyes flying from Future Seafoam to Emerald and back like he wasn’t sure he would be allowed to sit on Emerald’s lap given how tense things had grown between them over the past few weeks.
Emerald cleared his throat and rolled his wrist, waving Seafoam on to come to him. After another moment’s waffling Seafoam hurried out of his chair and sat in Emerald’s lap, posture unnaturally erect. That wouldn’t do.
Emerald rested a hand on Seafoam’s back and felt him relax a little.
Future Seafoam threw himself down in the empty chair and eyed the two of them for a brief moment, then nodded to himself and turned to the others.
"Alright, there are a few changes from the original plan. Viridian grab the schematics so I can take you through everything," he ordered.
As Viridian left the room to fetch them, Emerald leaned forward to murmured in Seafoam’s ear, "You look good in charge."
He was gratified when not only did he feel Seafoam’s suppressed chuckles but he saw a small smirk twitch at Future Seafoam’s lips.
"So how many is this one," Ultra asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs at the ankles.
Future Seafoam groaned as he rubbed at his face. "This will be eleven."
Monday July 3, 2023
9:30 PM
# 13
Ultra yawned and stretched his arms above his head, his legs stretching out before him. "We should make some coffee," he observed. It was only 9:30. If there was a correction, they would likely be at it for a few hours at least.
"Mm," Viridian hummed distractedly.
When Ultra glanced over at him, he found him sitting stiffly in his chair, staring blankly down at a rough sketch of where everything and—more importantly—everyone would be in the meeting room with Cobalt.
Ultra sighed and sat up, scooting his chair a little closer to Viridian. "V, why don’t you have something to eat," he murmured.
"Later," Viridian murmured back, continuing to stare blankly down at the sketch.
Having little patience for Viridian’s current refusal to attend to his own needs, Ultra was about to object when Emerald said, "If a correction is happening, he should be here any momen—"
He was interrupted by the sounds of the front door unlocking with a decisive metal clunk, the sound of the door banging open and then closed immediately after.
Ultra and everyone else at the table sat up straight as Future Seafoam stormed in jaw clenched and blood splattered across his shirt and face.
Well. Ultra had a feeling this wasn’t the first correction.
Ignoring everyone at the kitchen table, he marched over to the counter opposite the fridge and began assembling a sandwich for himself, aggressively schmearing mustard on a slice of hearty white bread. When Future Seafoam stomped back over to the table Seafoam launched himself out of his seat and wordlessly gestured for him to sit. Without so much as a "thank you" Future Seafoam plopped down in the chair and took a large bite of his sandwich.
Ultra shot a grimace at Viridian who raised his brows and tilted his head with a little one shoulder shrug in a way that silently communicated something along the lines of, "Well he knew what he was signing up for."
Ultra wasn’t quite sure that was accurate.
They had known that even with all their planning, with so many moving parts, corrections would be vital to their success. But he wasn’t sure anyone could fully grasp what it was like to issue repeated corrections and live the same few days over and over again unless they’d actually done so before.
Once Future Seafoam was halfway through his sandwich he grumbled, "Someone fetch the schematics."
Monday July 3, 2023
9:30 PM
#17
Viridian rolled his shoulders again, trying to will them into loosening up. He needed to focus but his thoughts were a storm of emotional debris from the past few days.
Cal had said he wouldn’t be staying the night with Arctos. He’d asked Viridian to message him to let him know when the others cleared out so that he could come stay the night at Viridian’s apartment. Cal had only been fooling himself.
Of all the days for Orange to pull Cal in for one of his horrific interviews. Thank goodness for Seafoam or it all would have been worlds worse than it had been.
But his thoughts kept drifting back to Cal as he begged Viridian not to leave for the night.
Cal had appeared incredulous as Viridian had tried to reassure him. "I’m your partner and I love you. I want to be here for you—"
"Then be here," Cal had whispered, tears shining in eyes with an anticipatory sort of disappointment. He’d known. He’d known Viridian would let him down and had begged him anyway.
It was one of the things Viridian loved about him. He was not afraid to demand better for himself. Or. He was but did it anyway. He was daring that way.
And he was right.
Viridian should be with him, tonight of all nights.
Please don’t go.
The words boomeranged around Viridian’s mind again and again.
Please don’t go.
But he had. And he’d forced Cal to pull on his mask, forced him to accept that Viridian would not be available to comfort him. It had been disturbing how quickly Cal had been able to wrap himself up in a cloak of false calm. Every one of his needs had disappeared as Viridian had watched, quietly horrified at what he was demanding of the man he cherished.
He would not forgive Orange or his trained bear for putting him in this position. The idea that Cal was now seeking comfort from Arctos of all people—and at Viridian’s own suggestion—left Viridian seething and ill at the thought of pushing Cal toward a walking weapon.
Every small irritation felt unendurable tonight.
"We should make some coffee," Ultra said conversationally.
"Mm," Viridian hummed, not really listening, too lost in his thoughts.
"V, why don’t you have something to eat," Ultra murmured, voice gentle with concern.
He wished Ultra wouldn’t fuss over him. It came from a place of deep affection but in this moment Viridian felt utterly undeserving of it.
"Later," he promised softly, knowing if he refused altogether Ultra would only make a thing of it.
Emerald sat straighter in his chair and announced, "If a correction is happening, he should be here any momen—"
The front door unlatched with a sharp metal thunk and whispered open then shut. Viridian’s attention snapped to the doorway that led to the living room. For a long moment there was nothing but silence.
Viridian glanced over to Ultra and then Emerald, brows raised. Emerald pressed his lips together in a thin anxious line.
"Sea? Is that you?" he called out, hands coming to rest on the table as if he intended to push himself up to his feet.
There was a beat of silence followed by a small strangled, "Yeah."
Emerald frowned and began to stand up but Seafoam, who sat beside him, placed a stalling hand on his arm.
"Maybe I should be the one to—" Seafoam had begun to murmur when Future Seafoam shuffled stiffly into the room. However, instead of coming in and sitting down he lingered by the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, arms wrapped around himself. With wide eyes he stared at the group seated around the table.
"Are you alright?" Emerald asked softly.
Future Seafoam sniffled but otherwise didn’t answer. Finally he looked directly at Emerald and then Seafoam. "Could I see the two of you in the guest room for a moment?"
Seafoam blinked, brows knitting together in confusion. Emerald glanced at Seafoam then back to Future Seafoam, gaze catching on Viridian and Ultra’s baffled expressions for only a heartbeat before continuing on. He cleared his throat.
"We only have so much time," Emerald hedged uncertainly, voice high and thin.
Future Seafoam sucked in a breath, appearing for a moment as if he were about to yell but instead he replied, "We can spare fifteen minutes," with a strangled calm.
"What number is this?" Viridian asked into the uneasy silence that followed.
Future Seafoam sniffled again then squeaked out, "Seventeen."
When he didn’t offer anything more Emerald stood up, appearing uncertain. Seafoam followed his example. The two of them crossed to Future Seafoam and followed him out of the room.
Viridian turned to Ultra, frowning with worry. "What on earth was that?"
Ultra was still staring at the spot where Future Seafoam had been standing and shook his head. "Not a clue."
They waited a few more minutes in silence before Viridian opened his mouth to ask if Ultra thought they ought to check on them when they heard a familiar moan from the other side of the apartment.
"Are—are they—?" Viridian stammered in mild outrage.
Ultra let out an amused exhale through his nose as he shook with silent laughter.
Viridian shot him an annoyed glare. "How can you laugh?"
Ultra shrugged a shoulder, still shaking as he tried to smother his grin. "Come on now, have heart. Seafoam said this is the seventeenth correction? Each loop through is forty-two—forty-three hours for him? Which means the poor lad’s been at this for what—at least—something like thirty straight days? We can give him fifteen minutes surely."
Viridian huffed and sat back hard in his seat. "Fine. But if they aren’t back out here at the top of the hour I am marching in there myself and dragging them out."
Ultra chuckled as he stood. "There, there," he soothed and crossed to the sandwich fixings out on the counter. "In the mean time, you’re going to eat something. You’ll feel worlds better with some food in you."
Monday July 3, 2023
11:57 PM
#21
As Viridian had expected Seafoam—the contemporaneous one—had received the inevitable message from Arctos saying he had a guest staying the night. Which meant Viridian would not see Cal until the following morning.
It always felt wrong. They’d been functionally living together for over six months and any time Cal’s wasn’t the last face he saw before he slept, Viridian woke up the next morning feeling unsettled.
It had been one thing when it had been because he was working to support Michael Two. It may have been infuriating but at the very least Viridian had been able to accept why Cal felt he had to take on that specific assignment.
But with Arctos—well, it was no different than Cal taking a razor blade to his chest. It was an intentional, willful self harm, an act performed out of guilt.
It wasn’t healthy. It wasn’t safe.
Perhaps with Cal’s team transitioning from subjects to contractual workers there would be an opportunity divert Cal’s attention from Arctos to safer relationships. G would no doubt welcome a closer relationship with Cal.
So long as they all abided by the rules the compound had laid out for them, there was no reason not to encourage greater intimacy between the two. And Cal would certainly never do anything to risk G’s safety.
Yes, that was the way forward.
After Project Sunset there would be no need for Cal to attach himself to Arctos, anyway.
It was something Viridian would need to navigate carefully once this was all over.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Viridian blinked at his reflection. He’d been leaning against the bathroom sink as he brushed his teeth and gotten lost in thought.
Emerald and both Seafoams had left only twenty minutes earlier. Future Seafoam headed out first—nominally so as to not draw attention to the fact that he’d been duplicated but also to give Emerald and Present Seafoam the walk home to decide how they planned to handle sleeping arrangements for the next two nights. Knowing Seafoam, Viridian thought he had a good idea as to how that would end up.
Leaning against the doorway to the bathroom, was Ultra, watching him with a wistful fondness.
One corner of Viridian’s lips twitched up into a soft half smile as he rinsed off his toothbrush before putting it away.
"Brooding about Cal?" Ultra guessed, lips twitching.
"Guilty," Viridian admitted, tilting his head in Ultra’s direction in wry affirmation. He leaned back against the sink, hands lightly gripping the edge.
Ultra’s easy smile sharpened into a playful smirk. "All that time we teased Emerald for his young boyfriend and you went and snagged yourself one the same age as Seafoam."
With a soft huff Viridian pushed off the sink and crossed to him, one hand coming up to cradle Ultra’s cheek. Ultra would joke now. But Viridian wasn’t sure he was in the mood for joking. When Viridian leaned in to press a kiss to Ultra’s cheek, he wrinkled his nose as he smelled cigarettes.
"I was just about to hop in the shower," Ultra assured him dryly, rolling his eyes.
Viridian chuckled lightly and leaned back against the other side of the doorframe.
"Did Seafoam seem off to you? The Future one I mean," Viridian asked. There’d been an odd sort of tension to the Future duplicate.
Ultra shrugged. "He’s taken on a difficult role. It’s been well over a month for him."
Ultra had a point. Future Seafoam was currently existing in a seemingly endless liminal space.
"And—well, I shouldn’t gossip," Ultra muttered ruefully.
Viridian arched a brow, inviting him to speak his mind.
Ultra sighed. "Last week Emerald admitted that he and Seafoam were quarreling."
Viridian frowned, surprised to hear it.
"Emerald wasn’t wild about Seafoam being the one to be on corrections," Ultra explained.
"And you’re only mentioning this now?" Viridian huffed irritably.
Ultra shrugged. "From what I gathered, they were arguing because Seafoam was decided."
"And if he’d changed his mind at the last minute because Emerald put his foot down?" Viridian demanded.
Ultra snorted. "As if Emerald putting his foot down has ever done anything but spur Seafoam on to do as he would."
Viridian made an irritated noise at the back of his throat. "This is different. If Emerald was against it, he has good reason to be worried now."
Ultra pinned Viridian with an impatient look. "Emerald is far more sentimental than he lets on. He would forgive Seafoam the world." Then, eyes dancing, he added, "I should think you would be familiar with what that’s like."
This pulled a chuckle from Viridian. He crossed his arms and tilted his head, a wistfulness overtaking him as he really looked Ultra over, noted the tightness of Ultra’s jaw, the pinch between his brows.
He pushed off the doorway and closed the short distance between them, cupping Ultra’s jaw once more.
"How are you?" he asked softly, brushing his thumb against Ultra’s cheek.
Ultra shrugged a shoulder and pulled a dismissive face, lips bowing upwards.
Viridian shot him an impatient look and Ultra heaved a sigh.
"V, I’m fine," Ultra told him, a little sharply, jerking his head a little. Viridian let his hand drop to his side but remained before him. That shortness was revealing and Ultra must’ve known it because he grimaced.
Viridian pressed his lips together, tapping a finger on his own pant leg to release a bit of his anxiety. "I know we agreed that it should be you but—but I think it should be me—"
Ultra scoffed. He shoved off the doorframe and stalked back into the living room. "We’ve been over this."
"And I still don’t think it’s the right decision," Viridian told him firmly, following after him.
"If Kaz doesn’t agree to termination, we need to ensure that Cobalt is no longer an issue," Ultra reminded irritably, hand slicing through the air with a sense of finality. "No more half measures. This is our backup plan in case they decide the chaos Cobalt has wrought is worth the trouble. And given Management’s history, we both know it’s a real possibility."
Viridian waved a dismissive hand. "We all agree on that front. Cobalt must be neutralized one way or another. But there is no reason it has to be you. In the end, this is my problem—"
Ultra rounded on him. "Don’t insult me," he scolded, a hint of real anger sharpening his words. "If it’s your problem, it’s my problem. That was decided years ago."
Viridian tilted his head and gave it a small helpless shake, brows tilting up with worry and affection. "All I’m saying is, I could be the one—"
Ultra shook his head decisively. "No," he said flatly. "I won’t allow you to consolidate with him. It is unthinkable."
"I’ve done it before—" Viridian started to point it out.
"Which was mad at the time," Ultra interrupted with a wild frantic sort of laugh. "But at least back then you weren’t in love with the man Cobalt assaulted and you had no intention of living that way. Those consolidated duplicates survived minutes." Ultra’s frustration seemed to dim for a moment before he added, "And we didn’t have one another back then they way we do now."
The words seemed to crack something open in Viridian’s chest, just beneath his ribs. His throat ached with the sudden effort of holding back tears as he choked out, "But that’s exactly why—"
"Think about what you’re saying, V. Really consider the reality you’d be signing up for. Cal would hate you—worse he’d fear you. And you would be living with the memories of having assaulted him. That would become a part of you, a part of your direct duplicative lineage."
Viridian flinched at memories of Cal’s flashbacks and panic attacks, the helplessness and guilt he felt at sharing the face of his assailant. Sharing the same capability for cruelty.
Ultra and Viridian both stubbornly stared at one another from across the living room. Finally Viridian said, "Maybe I would deserve that."
Ultra sneered and exhaled sharply. "Oh shut up," he snapped. "Never mind that you have no real medical training. You would be completely unprepared to run Medical or design medical studies. Given the way weighted fractional consolidation works it’s unlikely you could rely on Cobalt’s expertise. Not when we’ll be trying to drown him out as best we can. And if Kaz doesn’t sign Cobalt’s termination papers, living as him would kill you."
They’d been through all of this before. Viridian knew changing Ultra’s mind was a long shot but it had never sat right with him for Ultra to make such a sacrifice for him. To live as Cobalt or to die as him. Both possibilities were horrific.
"I won’t be able to—meet with you," Viridian pointed out, faltering. Slowly he closed the distance between himself and Ultra and took Ultra’s hands in his own.
"That’s not entirely true," Ultra objected softly, stroking his thumbs against the back of Viridian’s hands. "Though I take your meaning."
"And," Viridian continued, heaving a breath and gazing down at their joined hands. "I simply do not wish to see you die," he whispered. "Not even a you who is a bit of Cobalt."
Ultra snorted but when he spoke he was gentle. "You’ll still have me," he reminded.
"One of you," Viridian pressed.
"One of me is all you have now," Ultra chuckled wryly. "Don’t go getting greedy."
A small sad smile playing across his lips, Viridian exhaled sharply—a mere shade of a laugh.
It had always been a losing battle. But it was one worth fighting nonetheless. It was always worth fighting when it came to Ultra. Viridian leaned in and rested his forehead against Ultra’s. "I don’t deserve you."
Ultra chuckled and gave Viridian’s hands a squeeze. "It’s never been about what we deserve. It’s about what we want to share. This is a burden I want to share with you. It is our problem. Not yours alone."
Viridian closed his eyes and savored the sense of mutual devotion. From the beginning there was no tit for tat between them. If one of them had a problem, they typically solved it together. There were so few people whom he felt so sure of. Cal was the only other one now. Emerald came close but Viridian knew if it came right down to it, Emerald would abandon him for Seafoam should he ever believe it necessary.
"May I stay with you tonight?" Viridian asked softly.
"I’m not sure Cal would approve of me in your bed," Ultra chastised wickedly. "Not without him present to supervise."
Lips twitching, Viridian let out a shaky laugh, "You know that’s not what I meant."
Ultra chuckled in return. "I won’t deny it. I could do with a cuddle. Preferably from you."
"Good," Viridian murmured and tilted his head up to press a firm kiss to Ultra’s forehead. "Now please, in the shower with you," Viridian commanded playfully. "I will not be big spoon if I have to smell cigarette smoke all night."
Wednesday July 5, 2023
3:47 PM
#23
"Michael stop toying with him and just get him in the chair!" Viridian shouted.
Michael grunted as he took an elbow to the gut. Seafoam had to admit that this time Michael really appeared to be trying his damnedest to drag Cobalt over to the interrogation chair. Cobalt was not going quietly.
"Get your hands off me!" Cobalt shouted as he attempted to scrambled out of Michael’s reach, kicking back and landing a blow on Michael’s hip.
Seafoam kept one eye on his watch and shook his head. "This is taking too long. If we don’t hurry—"
"If you wanna get over here and help me it might go a lot faster there, pard," Michael countered through gritted teeth as he gave up on trying to pull Cobalt to his feet and settled on grasping his ankles instead.
"He’s the one running corrections," Viridian reminded impatiently. "We’re not risking him or the calculator. You’re here for a reason, Michael."
Wrangling Cobalt had only be part of the reason Michael had been included in their plans. They’d tempted Cobalt to this meeting by having Michael suggest he might be willing to hand over a few duplicates of himself more long term to the compound in return for Mike’s future safety. They had known the prospect would be too tempting for Cobalt to pass up given how much further he’d been able to get with the Michael duplicates currently participating in Medical Studies.
Michael huffed as he dragged Cobalt across the floor. "The more things change, the more they stay the same," he grumbled, slamming Cobalt down in the chair.
"Unhand me! Viridian, don’t do this. Viridian look at me!"
The restraints activated automatically, closing around Cobalt’s ankles the moment he was seated. It wasn’t until Michael managed to hold down Cobalt’s forearms that the wrist and upper arm restraints cinched closed. After that it was just a matter of affixing the forehead strap.
"Finally," Viridian crowed in weak celebration.
Seafoam tapped at his ear piece. "Emerald, we’re—"
There was a sudden pounding on the door and Seafoam broke off with a grimace. "If that’s Cal—"
"Bourbons and bisto!" a familiar voice roared on the other side of the rattling door.
Seafoam rushed forward and unlatched the door to let a gasping Ultra in. "What on earth are you doing here? We just got Cobalt in the chair—" Seafoam gestured behind him in the direction of Michael and Cobalt.
"Oh we got 'im in the chair now did we?"Michael grumbled irritably.
"We were about to initiate the duplication and consolidation," Seafoam continued.
"Ultra, you have to talk sense to these idiots!" Cobalt pleaded.
Ultra, however, barely seemed to register him.
"I lost him," Ultra gasped out as he stumbled into the room, clearly having run all the way there.
Seafoam’s back snapped straight and he gaped at Ultra. "You—you lost Cal?"
It wasn’t possible. Nothing should have been different for Ultra. The first correction that Seafoam had issued was to ensure that Ultra would be there to reassure Cal that Viridian was safe and that he would want Cal to stay put.
But.
But it had never taken this long to get Cobalt in the chair.
Did that mean that Cal slipped Ultra’s grasp every time? Had Ultra been attempting to reach them throughout each loop but Seafoam had simply been issuing the correction before Ultra reached them?
No—No he couldn’t because they had consolidated Ultra with Cobalt several times now. All the consolidations had been instantly fatal but had Ultra not been at the retrieval coordinates, nothing at all would’ve happened. The fact that a consolidation—even an unsuccessful one—took place meant that Ultra was usually still standing in the corner of the meeting room for the review of the Support Team’s emergency protocol, not running his way up to tell Seafoam and Viridian that he’d lost Cal.
"Why didn’t you stop him?" Viridian was demanding, outraged.
Ultra threw him a scathing glare. "Because Arctos pointed his gun at my head and last I checked my being alive is rather important to our plans."
Viridian’s head jerked back in shock. "He pulled a weapon on you?"
"He told Cal he could help him find you—"
"He what?" Viridian interjected, eyes wide, mouth falling open.
Humorless laughter erupted from Seafoam as events rapidly took shape in his mind.
Viridian and Ultra stared at him appearing disturbed by his hysterical outburst. Seafoam shook his head and waved a dismissive hand, trying to communicate that he wasn’t having a breakdown, something that admittedly felt increasingly likely as he continued to loop through the same 43 hours.
"That’s why they’re always fatal," he gasped out weakly, running a hand across his face, still shaking with manic laughter.
Viridian and Ultra both stared at him, appearing baffled and alarmed.
"The hell you mean?" Michael Two demanded gruffly.
"The consolidations," Seafoam explained as it all fell into place. They were so stupid. How had he not seen it before. "This isn’t new. Cal always runs," he continued. "Ultra always tries to stop him. And Artie kills Ultra for interfering with protecting his assignment. The only thing that’s different is that for whatever reason Artie didn’t pull the trigger this time. Something I—the other me—said to Artie this time through must’ve made him hesitate or—but that’s why it seems like the consolidations are failing."
"Fuck," Michael muttered, grim understanding blossoming on his face. Viridian and Ultra continued to gawk at him in confusion.
"What do you mean seems like they’re failing?" Viridian demanded.
"We thought something was going wrong with the consolidation itself but it’s not. The problem is that Ultra is usually already dead by the time we duplicate and consolidate him with Cobalt. Emerald is duplicating a corpse and consolidating it with Cobalt dozens of times. Of course it’s fatal."
Viridian’s eyes went wide, his gaze going distant as he absorbed this.
"You incompetent fools can’t even—" Cobalt’s scathing mockery was cut off by a sharp crack across the mouth from Michael.
"We need more information," Ultra hurried to point out. "Before Seafoam transports out to issue the next correction, we need to know what happened so we can fix this mess."
Viridian massaged his brow as he waved irritably before him with his other hand. "Very well. Clear the area in front of me please," he bit out.
Ultra moved to stand beside Viridian and placed a hand on Viridian’s back.
"He won’t forgive me for this," Viridian murmured.
Unable to hold back his hysterics Seafoam cackled, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. "Well the good news is pretty soon, this will have never happened."
No one appeared reassured by Seafoam’s declaration. He really needed to get a grip on himself. This himself. Fuck, he really was losing it.
Ultra heaved a sigh and gave a little nod at Viridian, encouraging him to get on with it. "In the mean time, I’ll be here beside you."
***
Nothing existed, not even him. Which was a relief, really.
No high pitched shrieking in his ears. No nauseating scent of copper in the air. No warm sticky blood soaking through his shirt as he clutched at Artie’s unnaturally limp mass of muscle.
Cal did not often interact directly with the dead. He had forgotten the eeriness of skin that didn’t respond to touch. No twitching, no fine hairs raising in anticipation, no muscles tautening or relaxing in response. Everything just slack.
He had failed him.
He’d nearly managed to spirit Artie away to safety, and he’d failed him.
Nonexistence was a comfort by comparison.
One that was ripped away as gravity suddenly dragged him down and he slammed sideways against the hard floor of a compound meeting room.
As he landed his bones rattled in his body, stressing his joints, threatening to come undone. His arms were still wrapped like a vice around Artie’s solid frame. Artie’s blood acted like an adhesive that affixed them together. Pressed as they were against one another, Cal’s heaving lungs pushed his chest against Artie’s, giving way to the illusion that Artie still breathed. But it was just Cal, breathing for them both—something he’d been doing since the moment Orange had forced them to kiss.
Artie’s unnatural stillness brought on a fresh wave of sobs, Cal’s body convulsing as they tore through him, Artie’s body shaking limply along with him.
"I’m sorry, I’m so sorry," he tried to wail but the words came out in an unintelligible warble.
"Darling, what happened?" a tight voice asked, cutting through Cal’s weeping.
Face pressed against the side of Artie’s, he choked out a muffled, "I—I shot him. He saw—He saw and I couldn’t—"
"Shh, shh, it’s alright. We’ll fix everything, love, just start at the beginning," Viridian murmured.
Cal shook his head, rubbing his face against the bristles of Artie’s beard.
"Come on now, up you get," Viridian encouraged, and he tugged on Cal’s arm, long fingers and sure hands urging him to release Artie.
"I can’t," Cal whimpered, frantically tightening his grip on Artie and trying to shrug Viridian’s hand from his shoulder. The idea of letting go of Artie—of putting any amount of space between them so that Artie’s chest no longer rose and fell with Cal’s breaths—sent a wild frenzied terror spiraling through him like a tornado, whipping up and tossing around all coherent thought. Legs wrapping around Artie now too, he wheezed, "I can’t leave him. I can’t."
Viridian’s hand stilled on Cal’s arm for a moment before trying again. "He’s gone," Viridian told him firmly. "We want to help you fix this but to do that I need you to talk me through what happened."
The use of "we" managed to pierce the fog of hysterical desperation. He opened his eyes and looked around, still clutching Artie against his chest.
He and Artie were on their sides in the middle of a meeting room. The table and chairs had been shoved against the walls. All except one chair that’s shouldn’t have been in a meeting room.
Those kinds of chairs only existed in interrogation rooms or transport rooms. They were for subjects. This was made even stranger by who was seated in it.
He would know him anywhere. Even in the dim red emergency lighting, he recognized him the moment his eyes fell upon him. Like any prey animal, he’d always recognize the predator that hunted him.
Cal must’ve frozen because Viridian murmured, "He cannot harm you."
Cal’s gaze spun back to Viridian, wide eyed.
"We’re ending this," Viridian told him with grim resolution, nostrils flaring in disgust as his eyes flicked to where Cobalt sat before returning to Cal. But they did not soften. Instead they appraised him, sliding briefly to Artie’s body and back. "You said 'he saw'. What did he see?"
Blinking, Cal gingerly released Artie, flinching a little as the lifeless body slumped against the ground and a wet sucking sound ripped through the air as his blood drenched suit vest and shirt peeled away from Artie’s Decembrist’s t-shirt. Slowly he pushed himself up to sit as he looked around the room again.
Ultra was here. And Michael—Michael Two, he was pretty sure. And—Was that Seafoam? His hair had been shorn. But Cal was fairly certain it was him. Something in the way he stood, the way he was dressed—more casual than the others.
"I don’t understand," Cal whispered, scanning the room again before turning back to Viridian.
"What did Arctos see?" Viridian demanded, giving Cal’s arm a squeeze. It didn’t feel reassuring. It felt like a command. Why wasn’t he holding him close? His gaze on Cal was piercing and cold.
"You—I went to the Trunk to try to figure out where you were—"
A sudden wild laugh caused Cal to jump. Seafoam was cackling and wiping at the corner of his eyes. "You gave him access to the Trunk? Are you insane?"
"It was my idea," Ultra snapped. It was only then Cal registered the way Ultra’s arm curved protectively around Viridian’s waist, how the two of them were crouched down together beside Cal. "V didn’t make the decision alone."
Seafoam snorted and muttered a derisive, "Okay," but otherwise didn’t respond.
"You were saying," Viridian said pointedly, raising his brows at Cal.
Hot, sour nausea swept through Cal’s gut and up behind his breastbone, stinging his sinuses. Viridian gave his arm another firm squeeze, eyes sharp. There was no softness there and Cal felt pinpricks of fear along the back of his neck. For a brief moment he envisioned Viridian’s face twisting with anger, the hand around his bicep tightening and dragging him over to the chair where Cobalt sat.
"Cal," Viridian demanded sharply and Cal flinched back from him.
"I—I pulled surveillance of you leaving our office to track where you went," Cal blurted in a panic shoving himself back from Viridian and yanking his arm from Viridian’s grasp. Viridian did not attempt to following him, but tracked his movements with his eyes. Trembling, Cal spluttered, "You—there were two of you in the elevator. One second there was only one and then—Artie saw and he realized you were—"
But he didn’t know exactly what Artie had realized. Probably the same thing that Cal had realized which was very little. Only that Viridian was responsible for the breach. Not how or why. Only that Viridian had looked determined and sure of what he was doing in the surveillance footage. And Viridian was not authorized to duplicate himself. It could not be a coincidence that the same day there was a breach of storage that Viridian had defied the compound and duplicated—iterated himself.
"Ultra told you I was safe," Viridian reminded him. "Why would you come looking for me in the middle of a breach?"
Cal shook his head, warding off the iciness of Viridian’s voice. "You—Ultra didn’t know anything—" but as Cal said it aloud he realized it hadn’t been true. Ultra had known plenty it seemed. He just hadn’t told Cal. "He—he couldn’t tell me anything useful. We heard gunfire and Artie said he could help me find you—"
"Yes, tell me more about that—"
"Wait—" Cal said finally scrambling up to his feet as he scrunched his eyes closed. "Wait how am I here? You—you didn’t know where I was—You didn’t know I was in the Trunk. How—"
"Why did Artie think he knew where I was?" Viridian interrupted.
A buzzing furious panic began to swarm around inside Cal’s skull making it difficult to think. "He memorizes our calendars and gets notifications for our badge scans. How did you know my coordinates?" Cal demanded frantically, backing up and looking around at the blank expressions on Ultra and Michael’s faces.
Viridian and Ultra both stood as Cal did but they didn't move to comfort him, rather they remained where they were, watching him.
"Who is 'our'?" Viridian pressed, his lips a thin line of displeasure.
There was a terrifying familiarity to the expression on Viridian’s face. Familiar because Cal had seen that look on the faces of various Ty Betteridge iterations who had lost their patience with the Mikey Walters before them. But he’d never seen it cross Viridian’s face. Not until this moment. The buzz that stormed through his mind intensified and he couldn’t hear himself as he asked weakly, "How am I here?"
/////
"The night Ultra helped prevent you from having a hangover, I asked him to implant a second chip in you that would allow me to recall you in the event of an emergency," Viridian told him impatiently, holding up his own hand in explanation.
/////
The buzzing stopped abruptly, plunging Cal into a chilly disorienting silence that seemed to crystallize around him.
He blinked at Viridian, at Viridian’s hand. Chest constricting, he took a step back. "You—you had me chipped," he whispered.
"Yes," Viridian replied crisply. There was not a hint of regret on his face. No remorse. No softness.
"You—you can summon me," Cal stammered, eyeing Viridian’s hand. "Just by pressing on your hand."
But Viridian was frowning down at Arctos’s body now and—somewhat bewildered—Cal found himself relieved that the spotlight of Viridian’s attention had shifted away from him. "You said he memorizes our calendars and is notified of our badge scans. Who is 'our'? Does that include Ultra? Seafoam?"
Cal shook his head, and closed his eyes as he tried to focus, his heartbeats growing louder in the brittle silence that seemed to push all the air out of the room.
"Cal," Viridian snapped.
Cal winced and turned his face away from Viridian as if he’d been struck.
"He—no. No, I think it’s just you and me."
"We can use that," Ultra murmured, turning to Viridian, eyes distant and calculating.
Viridian nodded, turning away from Cal—from Arctos’s body. "Yes," Viridian murmured. "But we also need to give Cal something he can’t easily walk away from. Something important—something he will be responsible for."
Fighting the feeling of smallness and the urge to withdraw into himself, Cal forced his spine to straighten. But his mask of calm confidence was nowhere to be found. His comforting corporate disguise was out of reach and his chest quivered as he fought to draw in a fortifying breath.
"V," he whispered, unable to speak any louder with how his lungs seemed to be twisting in on themselves, the air all being forced out of his body. His vision had gone blurry making it even more difficult to see in the dim lighting. "V, I—I’m right here. Just—just tell me—"
"What about the meeting with OvEdgar?" Ultra asked.
"I don’t think it’s wise to continue this conversation here," Seafoam interrupted. "I’ll bring it all to the correction rendezvous point. I think I have most of the information I need—"
Cal’s attention, which had been so locked in on Viridian and Ultra, suddenly snapped to Seafoam.
"Wait," Cal panted, holding out a hand in Seafoam’s direction. "Wait, are you—you can’t correct this without me. I—I have to know—"
"You’re right," Viridian said impatiently, massaging his brow. But he was looking past Cal at Seafoam. "This one’s a loss."
This one’s a loss.
This one.
Cal took a step toward Seafoam but a large hand grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back.
"You gotta stand back pard. Don’t want you gettin’ caught in the coordinates field," Michael told him.
Michael’s hands on him sent his panic spiking and he jerked back, his breaths ripping in and out of his lungs in sharp tearing gasps.
"Yer gonna be alright pard, we’re here to make sure of it," Michael gently reassured, a look of understanding and pity softening his features.
"Don’t fucking touch me," Cal whispered frantically. He could hear Viridian, Seafoam, and Ultra still murmuring to one another, the words becoming an indistinct hum. Plotting how to control Cal. Adjustments to make that would influence his behavior. Increase his compliance.
"Alright," Michael murmured holding his hands palm out before him, face still lined with pity. "Just stand clear o’ them Tys."
Cobalt chuckled darkly and the sound sent a shiver down Cal’s spine.
"I tried to warn you, Mikey," Cobalt taunted, looking at him from the corner of his eyes, unable to turn his head while restrained in the interrogation chair. His lips were twisted into a cruel smirk. "You didn’t even feel the collar snap around your neck did you?"
Despite there being several feet’s distance between himself and Cobalt, Cal recoiled back.
Michael reacted so fast Cal almost missed what happened next. With swift violence Michael had reached out, undoing the strap that held Cobalt’s head against the chair, and had taken hold of both sides of Cobalt’s face and twisted his head unnaturally far. A horrific snapping accompanied the movement and Cal blanched as Michael stepped back and Cobalt’s head flopped limply at an unnatural angle.
"He ain’t gonna hurt ya," Michael consoled softly. He didn’t approach Cal, seeming to understand that after such an act of violence, moving closer would only frighten him. Michael’s hands dangled limply at his sides as if to demonstrate that he had no intention to turn those weapons on Cal. "Sheepdog’s here to protect you, Mikey."
A boiling revulsion bubbled up, burning away his fear for just a moment. Why the fuck was Michael consoling him? Why was the Mikey killer the one here standing between Cal and Cobalt—killing Cobalt the second he dared to speak to Cal.
He tried to ask Michael, but all that he managed to eek out was a reedy, "Why—?"
Michael glanced over at Viridian and the others then turned back to Cal. "I can get you out," he uttered under his breath.
Cal just gaped at him, incredulous.
"I can get word to people who can help get you away from here. Get you to safety," Michael promised.
No wonder Seafoam was losing it. The world had become a funhouse mirror of itself, with Viridian closing himself off from Cal and Michael acting like Cal was under his umbrella of protection.
A wild vicious laughter erupted from Cal, loud enough that Viridian, Seafoam, and Ultra all stopped talking to look at him with some concern. It was about fucking time. But Cal couldn’t stop laughing. Tears leaked from he corners of his eyes as he wheezed. "You—You want to keep me safe?" he gasped with maniacal outrage. It was ridiculous. Michael.
"It ain’t a trick or nothing," Michael insisted.
"Fuck you," Cal hissed and his laughter froze in his chest, his lungs seizing. And, horrifically it wasn’t just anger that enveloped Cal. There was a desperate longing and grief that threatened to drown him. "You’re four years too late," he whimpered, sinking into a wretched dark waters of loneliness. He looked down at Artie’s crumpled body and he sunk down to his knees. He was alone. "Oh, god, Michael," he wailed. "It’s just too damn late for me."
"Mikey—" Michael began.
"That’s not my name!" Cal howled, tears pouring down hot cheeks. Michael didn’t even know him. He was just another Mikey. No one worth learning more about. "You never fucking cared—you don’t care now," he whimpered.
"Seafoam, you need to go," Viridian urged, expression grim. He didn’t move to comfort Cal but remained where he stood with Ultra, and Cal couldn’t understand why.
This one’s a loss.
"You don’t give a shit about me," Cal rasped, arms wrapped around his middle, holding himself together, no longer sure who he was flinging his accusations at. He felt like the bonds between all the cells in his body were starting to disintegrate and break apart.
Sea began frantically tapping buttons on the calculator, preparing to flee this moment in time so that it will never have happened.
Cal sobbed as he watched Ultra wrap his arms around Viridian who stood unnaturally stiff, the muscles in his face tight, his eyes glittering with a cold fury. He didn’t spare a glance for Cal.
This one’s a loss.
Cal’s chest hollowed out and he hunched over, understanding finally crashing down on him. It threatened to drown him with how sudden and absolute it was. "I’m nothing to you," he croaked.
He regretted speaking as Viridian’s attention snapped to him. Untangling himself form Ultra’s embrace, Viridian crossed to Cal, crouching down to look him in the eye. There was a terrifying unflinching certainty in the tight planes of Viridian’s face as he held Cal’s gaze. "On the contrary," he told him, voice like steel. "You are everything to me."
But not this him.
This one’s a loss.
Wednesday July 5, 2023
3:47 PM
#25
"Unhand me! Get your hands off me!"
"Try not to hurt him," Viridian called out, grimacing as Michael dragged Cobalt over to the chair. "Once Ultra’s consolidated he needs to be able to walk out of here and return to work."
"I’m doin’ my damndest here pard," Michael grunted as he hefted a wildly falling Cobalt over his shoulder. "But he ain’t making’ it easy."
For all his complaining Michael managed to get Cobalt into the chair swiftly this time around.
"Part One of Project Sunset is complete—no injuries," Seafoam announced as he anxiously watched Michael strap Cobalt to the chair.
This part was a bit precarious as Cobalt always struggled so much that Michael—sometimes intentionally, sometimes not—often ended up snapping Cobalt’s neck.
Once Michael affixed the strap across Cobalt’s forehead and stood back, Seafoam let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
"Any word on Cal?" Viridian shouted over Cobalt’s endless stream of insults and demands, turning to Seafoam.
Seafoam touched his ear and gave the earpiece a little tap to switch channels. "Any update on Cal, Em?" Seafoam asked. Seafoam’s vision went fuzzy as he listened for Emerald.
"One moment, switching channels," Emerald’s voice crackled over the earpiece before going abruptly silent.
Once again Seafoam held his breath. "Please," Seafoam whispered to himself. They were so close.
A moment later the earpiece crackled to life once more. "It worked," Emerald announced warmly. "He’s still in the meeting with OvEdagr and the others and Arctos is guarding the door."
Sagging with real relief, Seafoam nearly folded in half as he wrapped his arms around himself and let out a weak little laugh. "Thank god," he whispered, more to himself than Emerald but Emerald clearly heard him.
"I’ve missed you," Emerald murmured gently in his ear.
"You have not," Seafoam scoffed with a watery chuckle. He straightened up. "You’ve barely done without me this whole time."
But Seafoam understood what Emerald meant. The past month had been hard on them, constant bickering and tense silences, all of it underscored by worry. Seafoam had taken to occasionally sleeping in the guest room instead of the bed he usually shared with Emerald. But in the end Emerald had accepted Seafoam’s choice and helped him stay true to that decision, even when Seafoam had felt like he was coming apart at the seams. He and Past Seafoam both had helped bolster him up again and again the past two days, always choosing to support the choice Seafoam had already made. Never once doubting that he could follow through.
"I know," Emerald told him softly, an unspoken apology in his voice. "But I won’t feel right until things are back as they should be." Then hesitantly, Emerald asked, "Will they? Go back to as they were?"
Seafoam chuckled. "No more sleeping in the guest room for me," he assured softly.
For a long moment Emerald didn’t reply, but then came a slightly choked, "Good. In that case, where are we at?"
"Cobalt’s ready for consolidation," Seafoam told him with a smile in his voice, eyes stinging a little.
Glancing over to Cobalt and Michael, he found Cobalt attempting to struggle but the restraints had no give to them—that was the point of them after all.
This was the last piece of the plan.
"Initiating weighted fractional consolidation," Emerald announced, voice firmer than before but still a little watery.
Seafoam grinned and counted along with him so that Viridian and Michael would know. "Three, two, one."
Cobalt’s struggles stopped in an instant. It was the only sign that the consolidation had occurred. When he remained still for several more seconds Seafoam feared that the consolidation had once again been fatal.
But then Cobalt blinked. His eyes darted around the room. "All good?" Cobalt drawled lips twitching up into a pleased smirk.
"How do you feel?" Viridian asked, moving to crouch before Cobalt, hands resting on his knees.
Cobalt hummed with ambivalence. "A little nauseated but generally speaking not too bad. We might’ve been overcautious with the weighted fractional consolidation. At the moment I’m struggling to recall Cobalt’s specific memories, though things are a bit hazy. Perhaps I’ll have better clarity in time."
Viridian nodded up at him, expression tight. "Okay then. Let’s get you out of that chair."
"The consolidation was a success," Seafoam told Emerald and he heard him let out a shaky exhale.
"Thank god," Emerald murmured. Then with a bit more steadiness he said, "Alright, are you ready?"
Seafoam moved over to the upper right most corner of the room. To Viridian, Michael and Cobalt he said, "I’m off. I’ll see you all back at Viridian’s tomorrow night."
"Good luck," Cobalt called to him, getting to his feet and stretching his arms out to the sides.
"Toodle-pip!" Seafoam called back cheerily.
"The other you is ready," Emerald told him. "Initiating consolidation in three, two, one."
He was nowhere. But then the world materialized around him and once again he was in a room awash with dim red lighting.
For a moment he couldn't quite believe it it had worked. He could remember. He remembered seeing himself walk into Viridian's kitchen. Remembered seeing the worry at Emerald's face as he sat beside him, looking at another Seafoam. Remembered walking home from Viridian's, Emerald stopping and pulling him into a tight hug and whispering a soft, "I'm sorry," into his ear. His past self had been anxious for his future self. Had felt guilty at not having to cycle through the same 43 hours again and again and again. At having won the proverbial coin toss. Had worried what would happen to the future, disconnected duplicate of him.
The Mikey he’d been working with was seated across from him, hoodie up and hunched over.
Seafoam’s had not been a weighted fractional consolidation. There was no need in his case. So he was able to recall with ease that just a moment ago Mikey had whispered. "Do you think it’s Base here to break us out?"
Even in the ruddy lighting Seafoam could see the guarded hope in Mikey’s wide eyes. With a sharp pang of sympathy he reached across the table and rested a hand lightly on Mikey’s. "I’m so sorry, but I don’t believe so."
Mikey nodded to himself, expression shuttering. "Yeah. I mean. I figured. They don’t really need me, do they?"
For some inexplicable reason Seafoam felt a relief so overwhelming that his breath hitched. His vision blurred and he blinked to clear the tears that threatened to fall. His thoughts flung themselves to Emerald as a sharp ache of longing blossomed beneath his ribs.
Forcing a smile to his face, Seafoam patted Mikey’s hand and sat back as he said, "Why don’t we use this time to talk about your future here. There’s some roles opening up soon in a high value department. I think you might be a good fit."
Texas
Three Years and Ten Months after Mikey Walters Walked out of the Latvian Forest
Wednesday July 5, 2023
10:39 PM
El frowned as he rested his elbows on the kitchen table and pressed his hands together, leaning in until his lips were pressed up against his finger tips.
After a long beat El let his hands fall forward to the tabletop and laced his fingers together. "A body guard?" he asked, sounding as mystified at Eddie felt.
Eddie nodded, staring off into the distance, lost in thought.
"Why would a Mikey iteration have a body guard in the compound? If they lose him, they can always just make another," El murmured, glancing anxiously over at the doorway the led from the kitchen and to the dining and living rooms.
Catching this movement in his periphery, Eddie gave a small shake of his head, his gaze still soft and unfocused as he continued to mull it all over. "Wally's out," he told him absently.
El's attention swung back to Eddie, brows raised. Eddie finally blinked and offered El a small smile. "He went to visit with a friend in town."
Not quite a lie. Wally was visiting with a friend in town. Just not this town. Eddie didn't think El was quite ready to hear that the friend Wally was visiting with was MW.
El's frown deepened. But then his expression cleared and he sat back in his chair with a heavy sigh. "A compound Mikey with a body guard," he mused.
Eddie nodded to himself, once again lost in thought. "And a healed hand."
El stared at Eddie, in muted surprise.
"He's important to them," Eddie murmured slowly, his mind racing along several threads at once. "He's different. They—they trust him."
The two of then stared at one another for a long time. Eddie could see thoughts flying behind El's eyes as well, both of them puzzling over this new information.
El bit his lip. Then, softly, hesitantly, he said, "He could be useful."
"Yes," Eddie agreed. "Yes. He could."