Alley Cat (Ch 3) (Patreon)

Just a quick warning, since this is done in 1st POV, things might read a bit off, since, y'know, illegal experiments come with side effects.

I whimper as I’m dragged from the Room, my fingers leaving trails of blood where I try to stop them. But they’re strong. Stronger than Doctor. Stronger than me. Doctor says that when she hurts me, she’s trying to make me strong too. But it doesn’t work, I’m not strong. Every time, it hurts, and every time, I’m put back in the Room. And then it repeats.

The Room is big, I think. If there were somehow…more of me, then we could all lay down next to each other without touching. Which is good. Touching isn’t good. Touching means taking me to Doctor, which means Doctor will hurt me. I don’t like hurting.

The bed is soft though, and I like soft. Soft is nice. And it’s in the part of the room which is dark, which is good. Dark is good. Sometimes, I can hide in the dark, and then when they come to me they have to look around the things in the dark to find me. It means I can avoid Doctor hurting me for a little longer. Dark and soft, put together?

It’s the best thing ever!

Sometimes when they look for me, they say things. Well, they always say things. Usually they say things that let me know they’re mad they have to look for me. Other times they talk of leaving, of going places. But what places are there to go to? There’s the Room, the Lab, and the Hallway. What other places could there possibly be? Maybe Doctor hurt them too, and their heads don’t work right anymore.

I let out a yelp as the person not dragging me stomps on my fingers, and I pull them back towards myself. I cradle them while the person pulling me yells at the second person. Doctor doesn’t like it when they hurt me. She says it might cause problems. But she doesn’t say what the problems are.

I’m carried to the Lab now that I’m not trying to stop them, the trip not taking more than some time. Time is weird, Doctor says it’s always moving and can never be stopped. Doctor said one time an old man works for someone who wants time to stop for them, but then she called them a bunch of names and insulted them. I’ve never met an old man before, but Doctor showed me a picture of them once. They’re kind of gross.

The two people put me on the table in the middle of the Lab and put the straps around my arms and legs. I know I can’t get out of them, but I pull at them all the same, twisting my neck in an effort to get my teeth close enough to try gnawing them off.

But by the time Doctor comes in, all I’ve managed to do is tire myself out.

“Hello again, child.” Doctor smiles at me and I flinch, then start to shake when her smile turns upside down into a frown. Her eyes are staring at my hand the person stepped on. “Hmm, it appears that I’ll need to replace someone again. How they fail to understand such a simple concept of not causing pain is beyond me.”

She shakes her head while my eyebrows furrow. Doctor has sent different people to get me before? But it’s always the same people. Are there even any other people? I only ever see Doctor and those two people.

Doctor shakes her head before pulling out two needles. “Well, I suppose there’s nothing else to be done with them. As for you,” she goes back to smiling as she shows off one of the needles, containing an…orange?…and…red?…liquid. “I think I finally figured out the issue! You see, as someone without a quirk, you were born without a quirk factor.”

Quirk? Quirk factor? What are those? Isn’t Doctor just trying to make me strong? Like the people she sends to bring me to her? Doctor continues speaking, and I focus on her words. Doctor likes talking about what she does, but she doesn’t like it when I don’t listen. I try to listen, because when Doctor is talking she isn’t hurting me. So I’m happy to listen.

“But unlike emitter quirks, mutation-type quirks are intrinsically linked to the quirk factor. And I think that I’ve finally found a way to force you to develop a mutation!”

She brings the needle close to my shoulder as she aims, and I whimper, clenching my eyes shut as I get ready for the pain as the needle goes in. But it doesn’t happen. I wait for a long time I think, but nothing happens. Slowly I crack open one eye, peeking at Doctor. She looks confused too, peering at the now empty needle.

“Odd. Something should have happened.” She sighs, preparing the other needle that has a clear liquid. “Another failure, I suppose.” The second needle goes in, and this time the pain comes quickly. I start screaming as Doctor talks to herself. “At least this one still seems to work.”

Doctor pets my head while I scream, feeling the liquid from the needle move in my body, going to my head. I don’t like it, it hurts. I don’t like hurting. But it’s a different hurting from other times when she hurts me. Those times the liquid would go somewhere and hurt me for a while, then stop hurting me. But this time things go dark before the pain stops.

`~`

When I open my eyes, I’m in the Room…what room? Where am I!?

I start breathing fast, jumping when I feel something move. I whirl around, a thumping coming from inside my chest when I don’t see anything but feel something still moving behind me!

I let out a loud yell as I try to run away from whatever it is, moving around the objects in this place to try and get it to stop following me, but it doesn’t work. Worse, I feel something else moving on top of my head!

I yell even louder, asking whatever’s there to go away and leave me alone. But they don’t listen, and it feels like the one behind me is getting angrier! Eventually I dive under something and curl into a ball, hoping that whatever is there won’t hurt me. It follows, but doesn’t do anything else, just…staying there. Watching.

I don’t know how long I’m there, but eventually the thumping in my chest stops. The thing that followed me and the things on my head haven’t moved since I hid in here. Maybe they don’t like the dark?

The dark is good. Dark is good. Dark is safe. Dark… Safe…

But then I hear a loud noise and then a bunch less loud noises. They stop near my hiding place and I try to crawl deeper, trying to get away from whatever the things are. But I don’t get far when there’s suddenly bright light, and I shut my eyes and hiss at whatever brought that.

No! Dark safe! Light bad! Go away!

But they don’t go away, instead I hear noise. Noise that’s…the word comes slowly, words? The thing is…talking. Saying words. Laughing.

“Hehahehahe. It worked! It, hehehe, it worked! A cat mutation!” There’s a louder noise and I flinch, slowly opening an eye so I can see what the things are. They’re tall, with four long things attached to another, larger thing. Then there’s a smaller round thing on top, and…more things coming out of it.

The one making the noise -talking and laughing- is raising and lowering the long things near the small thing up and down, and the ones on the bottom of the large thing on the ground and off the ground. And it’s loud…yelling?

“It fucking worked! Bite my ass Garaki! I fucking told you that my quirk could stabilize quirk injections!” A lot of air suddenly goes where the words are coming out of and it comes closer to the ground, the…the…something…seeming to grow wider as their eyes seem to shine. “But, what about that? Hey, kid? Can you…speak?”

Speak? Speak… Oh! I know what that is! I nod, but the thing’s…mouth? Mouth! The thing’s mouth goes upside down. “No, I need you to actually speak. Can you do that? Can you say ‘yes’?”

I open my mouth, moving my…tong? Tong. I open my mouth and move my tong pushing out air as I try to do what it says. “Y-Ya-Ye-Yes. Yes!” My mouth turns up, and I’m happy! I did it! I said the thing!

Her mouth goes back up, and she puts the things on the end of the top long things on the start of my own long things. “I was right.” Her mouth stretches across the small thing, but this doesn’t seem like a happy mouth move. For some reason, I don’t like it, and I shiver.

“That means I can try phase two.”

`~`

I like dark. Dark is good. Safe. Comfy. I don’t like Doctor when she hurts me. Doctor hurts me a lot. Doctor says hurting makes me better, but why?

`~`

Dark says Doctor not good. Dark says Dark helps me. But Dark says not soon. Dark says not to tell Doctor Dark speaks. Doctor not know Dark speaks. Doctor not know needle liquid not work anymore. Doctor say clear needle liquid remove memory. Makes me forget. But I remember. Sometimes Doctor nice, sometimes Doctor mean. When Doctor is mean, she uses clear liquid. Wants me to forget she’s mean.

I don’t forget.

`~`

Doctor hurts me. Hurt goes away fast. Doctor is happy when hurt goes away fast.

I don’t like hurt. Hurt hurts. Doctor happy when I hurt. Happy to see hurt go away.

I not like hurt.

`~`

Dark teaches move dark. Dark says dark hurt others, protect me. Dark good. Dark protect.

I like Dark.

I no like Doctor.

`~`

Dark say help soon. Dark not help, help comes though. Dark say Dark get others help. New word! H-E-R-O.

Hero.

Dark say hero help soon.

`~`

Body change. Hide from Doctor. Doctor upset no change. Same liquid no hurt now body change. I happy. Dark happy.

I no like hurt.

`~`

Noise! Loud noise! Yelling from Hall, reach Room! Hide under bed, dark good, even if Dark not here! Yelling closer, coming down Hall. Door slam open, hit wall of Room. Doctor runs in, hair messy, eyes wide. Yells.

“Kid! We need to leave, now!”

Hide, no go. Doctor not come to Room often. Only when want tests. Tests hurt. No like tests. No like hurt.

Doctor growl, comes to bed and throws away. I cower, curling into ball. Doctor grabs wrist and drags out of Room to Hall, but not go to Lab? Go other way down Hall. I not know where Hall goes. Different way to Lab?

But not Lab, new place! Large things, tall as Doctor! Clear pieces to see inside! Strange, new! I not resist when Doctor pulls to one of new things, too curious! Look around at all new things! Doctor talk to herself, not loud, but I hear. “Damn heroes, I need to set up somewhere else.” Doctor look at me, I like look. This look nice, not mean. Doctor not hurt when look like this. Sometimes gives treat! But still hurt again. Not nice. “But as long as I have you, then everything will be fine.”

I no like words, look nice, words not. Words sound like hurt words! I tremble, but suddenly a loud noise! Very loud noise comes from different part of new place, where different light is.

“YOU’RE UNDER ARRRRREEEESSSTTTT!!!” Very loud noise become louder! Too loud! I fall to ground, hands over ears. No like noise, too loud, too loud!

Doctor yells and puts hands on ground. I pale, hear hurt words. VERY HURT HURT WORDS! “Integrate!”

Ground glows, I breathe harder, scramble away. But quirk hurt not at me, hurt quirk go to loud noise, and loud noise make less loud noise and then not loud noise. Doctor reach for me, but I scramble away. Quirk hurt, no like quirk hurt!

Suddenly feel comfort, and ears perk up. Dark back! “Child, it’s time. The heroes are here, and you don’t have to stay here anymore. I’m letting go of my hold on your power, but that also means that I can’t hold back your fear anymore. I’m sorry.”

Dark words confuse, but remember when Dark first speak. Dark say many things, and then I become weaker! Now strength back, but panic rises.

No! No like hurt, no like hurt! Doctor hurt, Doctor quirk hurt! No like, no like! Stop! STOP!

Dark grows from floor around Doctor, wrap around her. Doctor yells, but I no listen. I cover ears, curling into ball. Then Doctor silent, and I happy. I let out happy breath, happy for silence.

Then I tired, so I nap.