DIVINITY: punishment and betrayal (Patreon)

some info on 001 in relation to what he was forced to do in the lab days.

001 was universally hated by many of the numbers. the reason being that he was the face of many of their punishments. whether 001 liked it or not, he was forced to dol out punishments by the order of the humans. this was twofold. it made it easier to punish the numbers since using one of their own hurts more than using expensive machinery to attack. and two, it was made as a manipulative play to isolate and abuse 001. it made it so that 001 was the combining force for all the numbers hatred, the face of pain. 

that if all the numbers disliked each other, they atleast can bond over hating 001. 002 was in the between of being disliked and being respected. since 002 was always like the golden child (but also had his fair share of trauma) and rulle follower, he was used to teach rather discipline the numbers. so their opinion on 002 was more motherly, rather than abusive. however 01 got no such thing.

001 was used for all sorts of punishments. to hold down, to beat, to shoot. it didn't matter, 001 was told and did all of them. he had to be the one to knock the numbers down or beat them till they go unconscious. this all made 001 appear, cold, monstrous, and evil. it didn't help that the humans reinforced it by using the handlers/managers tell the numbers lies about 001. 

that 001 killed for no reason. that 001 was heartless and was an untamable beast. that 001 was a dog on a tight leash, and was used at the beck and call of the mean higher ups. this was only partially true, conveniently leaving out the reason why 001 was forced into this situation from the beginning. 

many numbers complained and talk shit about 001, and even in front of 001. but 001 never said anything about it, never complained, and never cried. 001 was deeply affected by this, severe isolation and little to nothing for him in comparison to the others. 

the numbers didn't even know that 001 never had a room. he used to, but after the rescue attempt of zero, 001 had nothing to his name. no books, no bed, no room, little to no food, and little to no rest. he had to go through this for years, and if he complained at all, he would be at risk for severe punishment.  they took 001 seriously, and were always threatened by 001 (humans). it didn't help that he was the silent type, that hardly emoted. but this also made the humans have fun on power trips, both abusing 001 and forcing 001 to hurt others. they know that 001 wouldn't retaliate, and that 001 will always finish the job. 

after their freedom, things were still icy. all the numbers held some form of resentment for 001  (except for 002, who knew better) snd they didnt hide it. some even showed fear, as they associate him with pain rather than humans. even if they know better, that all this was orchestrated and intentionally done by the humans, they still held onto these feelings. 

001 didn't react before or after freedom. since all this felt the same to him, he is still under their thumb, and if he doesn't do what they want, hell risk the people he cares about, even if they don't care about him. despite it all, 001 deeply cares for the numbers, and is always drowning in regret in hurting them, even if its by force and he knew he had no real choice. it was either obey, or lose all that he built to protect both zero and the others. he took on all those worse punishments and humiliation so that the others don't have to. so that they can still have a semblance of themselves and be given freedoms 001 never had. that whatever he did, was better than what they did to him. atleast he can hurt them less, unlike humans, who enjoy hurting them much more. the level of violence between what 001 faced and what 001 did was very different. 001 often dumbed down attacks just enough that the numbers wouldn't be in a worse state. that he would be quick in making them unconscious rather than taking his time in hurting them. it was one of the things he could control. and if they did revolt and make mistakes under his supervision, 001 would take the majority of the blame for them. it was his small way of keeping them away from worse. but he never could get them away from bad. 

the other numbers believed whole heartedly that 01 was cold and heartless, that there was nothing more to him than a shell. 007 would still hesitate whenever 001 is in the room, but he would often test or randomly hurt 001, like a slap or trip. 001 wouldn't react and would let 007 or any number hurt him. if it makes them feel better, he would accept it all. thats how guilty he feels. 

thats how lonely he is. he is often out working, working to the bone since he had nothing else to do, vent out his anger at the humans, and mourn the loss of his relationships. he would go home, take any snide remarks and/or avoidance, and go right back to work. he also works for them, since if he takes on many of the missions , the others can explore their lives more freely, having the concept of free time. 

this made 001 severely depressed, he often contemplated if he lived at all. if it was worth it to exist. 002 noticed how bad 001 was feeling, but never knew the extent of his crisis. evventually the numbers would talk to each other and communicate more. decompress from the pain the lab created and recontexualize every thing that happened there. 

when thinking about it, yes 001 was the bad guy, but he was forced to be the bad guy. because if it wasn't 001, it would be 002, or any other number would be forced into that role as the universally hated one. that the humans needed a source of directed hatred and 001 was that number to fulfill that role. they dont deny how much they got hurt by 001, but they thought alot on what exactly 001 did. 001 made sure not hurt them more than necessary, he took all the retaliation without complaint, he took the beratement, the hitting, the whole nine yards when the numbers were being punished, and when they made a mistake in 001;s supervision, 001 would take the brunt of the blame. sometimes the numbers took joy in seeing 001 get hurt, and would actively make mistakes on purpose to see it. 001 knew, likely, and didnt stop them.

these knew recontextualizations made the numbers have a different perspective on 001, something more nuanced, more relatable. so they would actually talk to and hang with 001. but they soon realized that 001 had nothing to his name. his room was empty, no books, no electronics, no  nothing that indicated someone lived there besides work clothes. 001 was blank slate, and been that way for a long time. 

they noticed how long 001 would go to work, how short his stay is, and how he hardly speaks. how often he took abuse and how much he let it happen. 

in a way, 001 was pitiful. at least the other numbers had a personality. 001 looked like he had none. 

so they tried to help 001. but 001 was probably breaking apart at this point, just how willing he is to give up if he could. if 001 would cry, it would likely be when hes alone, where no one can see him. 

in the pinnacle of this moment, 001 would have a breakdown, all the burdens become too much, all the loneliness would hit him, all the anger, resentment, guilt, sorrow, and resignation would come boiling. his breakdown was quiet. just like him. 

he simply stopped doing anything. stopped moving, stopped working, stopped eating, stopped living. even breathing was too much. 001 would be in bed for days. the other numbers picked up his slack and realized just how much he has done. 

hearing how much he got berated and experiencing the high expectations that 001 was placed on, how much he does in  a day and how long he is away. just how soul sucking it all is. the numbers already started to change their tune with 001, liking him and relating to him more, but 001 was likely too far gone at that point. 

002 was taking care of 001, talking to him everyday. 002 was always trying to support 001, but he alone couldn't get 001 to be happy. the others numbers pitched in, hearing more stories and more of how 001 is not heartless. he's just broken. eventually 001 got back to doing what he was doing, just at a lesser rate, and would often stay still over long periods of time. he now needs to reinvent himself, to find his joys, if he has any, and to live a more fulfilling life. this time with the other numbers. 

001 would never forgive himself, and he always says he's sorry. the others realized every sorry he said, he meant. it was the small things that was the glimpses of his mental state, and many of the numbers never really realized this. 

ofcourse it was complicated, not all of them felt or empathized with 001, not all of them forgave and forgot what 001 was forced to do. since even if it was forced, pain was still pain, fear was still fear. the had to work on themselves and process their mixed emotions and make decisions about them. eventually even 007, who held the most resentment and even fear of 001, was able to contextualize his past more accurately and direct these complicated feelings to the true villains. especially seeing 001's sorry state, it almost made 007 feel a little joy in 001's misery. but it was a complicated one, since 007 also felt guilt in actually enjoying someone else's misery (the numbers specifically) even though they do not deserve it under those circumstances. so 007 and all the other numbers processed it the way they know and acted according to themselves. 

they still have lingering feelings, but have worked on them, and was able to finally form proper relationships with 001, even love him as much as he loved them.