"Gerald?"
A voice can be heard from outside of the shabby metal door
...is it morning already? I should've kept track of time better
Gerald slowly pulls away from his seat while responding
"What is it Lisa?"
Gerald massages his head, while trying to drown out the recent addition of a voice constantly telling him to "Punish" others for seemingly no reason
"It's time for work... haah, what would you do without me?"
She tries to adapt a jovial attitude before an awkward silence grows
"Are you still caught up on what happened yesterday...?"
Annoying.
Wait what?
No, I shouldn't think that.
If I were faster... I could have-
Fuck, no that wouldn't have mattered anyways, And you know that.
You aren't fit to be a captain.
Gerald scratches at his face while his breathing kicked it up a notch.
Noticing the silence, Lisa decided to call it a day and walk to her station while wishing Gerald a good day
"I guess ill see you around Gerald."
You shouldn't even be here at all
Fuck you.
With a frown, Gerald throws on some formal attire before busting through his front door
Walking down the corridors, a few clerks gave him weird looks.
Probably because he might've overreacted a bit yesterday.
Whatever, what's done is done.
Not bothering to stop by the breakroom, Gerald goes straight to the locker room and grabs Penitence before safely holstering it at his side
He gives his hands a few cracks before putting his suit on
Looking at a new addition to his locker, Gerald grabs a white gun with a large red splatter on it, very similar to that of Punishing Bird's stomach
Gerald inspects the weapon before he feels a faint voice in his head get even louder
Justice doesn't rest. Neither should you.
You must correct them before it's too late.
Yeah... the way the clerks were looking at me earlier, maybe they don't understand how it is to have all this responsibility...
Gerald quickly slaps himself, so he doesn't further spiral into E.G.O corrosion
I have to be careful, my mind is starting to feel cluttered from this... E.G.O gear
I'm not sure how much more I can handle.
Glancing down at his LC-230 Gerald reads the manager's direct message
(Utilize caution, please run Attatchment on O-01-67.)
Without delay, Gerald walks over to the containment area
I should distance myself more, I don't think I can deal with myself and other people all at once.
I might not be able to handle the strain of it all.
Everyone around him made sure to not keep eye contact for too long as Gerald trudged through the hallways.
"Yo, kid are you alright?"
Mao kicks away from the wall he was just on and approaches Gerald carefully
Am I alright?
"Yeah, I'm just on my way to work on the new abnormality."
Mao gives a look of suspicion while gazing at the dark indentations under Gerald's eyes
"Say uhh, why weren't you at break this mornin?"
"I was gonna tell ya about the booze I managed to sneak in last night."
"I didn't have time to be there, I have more important things to do as captain now."
Mao looks a bit stunned as he takes a few steps back while looking at Gerald in disbelief
"Oh er, sorry. I didn't know that."
Mao awkwardly scratches his head while looking around
"Well, I guess come stop by my room if ya wanna hang."
Gerald nods slowly before quickly snapping his head over to the next step of his destination.
-
(Pov: Mao)
The hell is going on with the kid?
He's startin to remind me of his old demeanor back when he was a clerk
Creepily robotic.
Haah, whatever it's not my battle to fight but his.
A voice behind Mao could be heard
"Hey, you know Gerald right?"
A white haired agent of the control team hesitantly tapped his shoulder
Huh? Oh its that girl Gerald's always hangin with
"Ya, what about it?"
Mao takes a puff of his almost unlit cigar
"Do you know what's been going on with him lately? He seems a lot more distant then usual."
Shit, hell if I know
"Nope ain't got a clue."
The white haired agent pinches the bridge of his nose before looking around
"Hey, do you think you would be able to give him this for me?"
She hands him a black cassette tape with white tape on it, labeling it [Classical]
People still listen to this rubbish? Ugh the noise gives me a migraine
It's much too formal for me.
"Yeah, I guess I could hand him this."
Knowing full well of her dilemma, Mao decides to poke a bit of fun at her.
"Maybe this'll cheer your boyfriend up."
Lisa's face becomes flushed as she frowns and crosses her arms
"D-Dating is strictly forbidden in working hours! Besides, me and Gerald have no such relationship."
"Is that so?"
Lisa turns her nose up while nodding to herself.
"Yep, it's only natural to follow company procedures."
Mao crosses his arms as he takes one final puff of smoke out of the burnt cigar.
"What if those company 'Procedures' weren't in place? Would you still say the same thing?"
Lisa's face turns slightly more red at his statement, but ultimately doubles down
"As I said, me and Gerald have no such relationship."
"Keep your thoughts to yourself anyways grandpa."
...
Grandpa...?
Mao's face twists into fury as he raises his fist into the air before clobbering Lisa's head multiple times
"Grandpa Huh? I'll show you what this grandpa can do..."
-
(Pov: Manager)
"Angela, give me a report on Gerald's status"
"Overall mind is sharply decreasing in large spikes before stabilizing, his physique is quite optimal."
The manager flips through a few cameras trying to keep up with Gerald's optimal movement
"Do you think this change is because of the two E.G.O weapons in his possession?"
Angela stares at the flickering screens with a neutral expression
"Quite possibly, although his mind was already fluctuating ever since this morning."
The manager reads a few notes he's left to himself before chewing on his nails
"I really hope I'm wrong in my assumption this time."
Angela tilts her head as she reads the notes written by the manager in his personal document
"Manager, it is wise to plan ahead, but worrying will not achieve anything."
The manager begins gritting his teeth while glaring at angela
"I'm sorry that some of us are just humans, and have to deal with emotions like this."
...
The manager continued writing things down while monitoring the current state of things.
Angela's eyelids imperceptibly twitched as she slowly regains her previous composure
"I will be taking my leave then."
The sound of her footsteps getting further away was the only thing that could be heard in the silent room.
-
(Pov: Gerald)
Before walking into the room, Gerald takes a look at the document by the door
As per usual, it gave some Exposition as to what would be waiting for him in the room
It's some sort of animate doll which likes to play pranks on people, no other information. Probably because it's so new.
Gerald nods to himself before he opens the door, a fairly large doll stood in the middle of the room, it's back was facing the door as it seemed to be tinkering with something.
Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Gerald takes another step towards the doll which was twitching irregularly
"Can you speak?"
The 'girl' turns her head alone 180 degrees before the rest of her body swivels to face the door, albeit at a delay.
"Hey! You look sad... Wanna play dress up?"
What.
I mean, I guess it's something I should expect.
She does look like a kid.
Deciding to entertain the doll, Gerald nods
"Sure, why not."
The doll beams while clacking her hands together in sheer excitement
"Yaaay! It's been so long since I've been able to play with people!"
The doll grabs a needle and thread seemingly from nowhere
"What's your name?"
The doll began to weave a bit of fabric before responding with a jump
"I'm just A Wee Witch! nothing all that special Teehee~"
Right
"So uhh, what are you making there?"
On closer inspection, the little witch had already weaved three black egg like structures
"Hey! No peeking!!"
She twisted around before making a few strange noise, before turning back to Gerald with a red heart in her hands, a few black orbs could be seen inside
"Tada! It's for you~!"
Gerald grabbed the heart and in his hand, it began vibrating before floating up into the air above his head
"This is to show my friendship with you~!"
The tiny doll made a delicate face as it seemed to want to be praised
"Good job little witch."
The doll's smile grew even wider as it began walking around Gerald while taking measurements
"Uhm..."
"Almost finished...!"
The doll then slightly tugged at Gerald's hand while whining
"Can you sit down...! I can't reach!"
Gerald obliged and sat down while the doll shifted behind him
"Alright! It's time to play dress up!"
Her slender doll like hands rested on the back of his neck
"You'll be perfect when I'm done! Just... don't move to much kay~?"
He had a bad feeling about this.
Although he couldn't sense any bloodlust coming from her, he still didn't want to take the chance.
"Alright, Thats-"
Gerald had lost all control over his body from the neck down
"AHHHHHRGGG"
"Oops! Did that hurt~? Silly me... I always forget where the nerves are!"
The doll continued to thread away at his neck, creating something organic like, but ultimately still felt like fabric.
"Witch... that hurts, stop or I'm going to get angry."
"Oh don't whine about it...! I'm almost done."
"You'll be the 'Perfect' Friend!"
Gerald doesn't entertain this clearly disturbed child's antics any more, and channels his mind into the penitance E.G.O suit.
...
Gerald is brought to that same dark space with the radiating light shining down on him
Although there seems to be a new addition which is a red beak floating in the middle of the space.
Gerald decides to speak first, it's better that way.
"Listen, I need to understand you more."
...
For what purpose?
"Preferably so I don't die this loop, I can already feel my psyche degrade with each death"
"I'm just not sure I can pull through by myself."
The red beak chimes into the conversation
Then show them no mercy!
Use violence for justice!
There would be no order without a few sacrifices.
"I don't know, violence isn't always the answer to every question."
"What if I encounter something that doesn't require pure violence? Will I be strong enough to make the right choice?"
The blinding light encompasses the entire space, giving a relaxation effect to Gerald
Ultimately it is your choice on the matter.
I nor this small one can dictate how you will act in the future
We are simply the ones who provide you the tools to deal with your decisions.
The space slowly grew darker as the voice began to fade
You should give yourself more credit, as you've been at this longer then you probably remember.
The small beak hovered over to Gerald as the white light faded
Achieve your own justice through any means necessary
There is no such thing as a 'wrong choice' just as long as you fully believe in your decision.
And with that they both left, leaving Gerald to his thoughts once more
Sigh.
I guess that was pretty insightful.
...
Back in the containment chamber, Gerald is covered head to toe in different colored fabrics which seemed to move as if they had a pulse
He wasn't fully covered by this material, but he soon would be.
The tiny witch was happily working away at his body in broad strokes of her needle
But suddenly, Gerald's eyes began to stir awake
The suit of armor on his body began morphing into something more similar to that of European armor, with the fabric turning solid, partially resembling silver.
The armor seemed to be connected to the very skin of Gerald, as it willed him to move, even if his body refused wholeheartedly
Without hesitation, Gerald makes a grab for Penitence as he skids away from the petite doll who was working on him
"What!? Why would you do thaaat?"
The doll began sniffing as it's lip trembled
"You were so CLOSE to becoming the 'Perfect' friend!"
Gerald precisely ripped the black thread connected to the back of his neck off, causing blood to spill out of the wound and some out of his mouth, but he still calmly spoke.
"That's no way to treat a friend. Friendship is about mutual respect."
The doll tried to speak with snot running down her nose
"I-I tried that! But in the end they all just LEAVE ME!"
"None of them stay..."
She wipes her tears as her arm slowly extends over to Gerald's face
"That's why I need you..."
A cold glint flashes in her eyes, as her frown turns into a crazed smile
"...To stay still."
From above Gerald's head, a massive colorful deformed spider with many eyes broke out of the red heart which was floating above Gerald to begin with
With terrifying speeds, it crashed down onto Gerald's body, intending on consuming the entireity of his upper torso.
But with a clean flick of his arm, Penitence's sword form clashed against it's god awful teeth.
The little witch extended both of her arms out which held many more of those 'gifts' in them, all cracking open while barring their fangs at gerald
Gerald quickly grabs his new E.G.O weapon 'Beak' from his hip and shoves the barrel directly into the nearest spider's cluster of eyes
Without hesitation, he unloads 7 shots into it's carapace in an instant, it falls to the ground with a thud
Another one jumps over and sinks it's jagged teeth into his shoulder before being pistol whipped into the nearest wall
"Stop hurting my friends!"
The tiny doll clenches her fists and grits her teeth while glaring holes into Gerald
Gerald narrows his eyes at the scene, observing every movement of hers carefully
Quickly sidestepping another lunge from a spider, Gerald sinks his sword into it's flesh, watching it scramble to get up in desperation
The others charge in a blind fury, hoping even a single attack connects
Leaping over them, Gerald is inches away from grabbing the little witch before a spider clamps down on his leg and tosses him backwards, sending him into a wall
"Ugh..."
Quickly looking upwards, expecting a followup attack. He points Beak infront of his face befor-
...
Two of the remaining spiders protectively surrounded the small child, each of them slamming their legs down in an attempt to scare Gerald away
"Haah... Please, just stop this. I'm not trying to hurt your 'friends' anymore"
One of the spiders lunged forward, intending to rip Gerald's throat out before quickly being subdued with one arm
The doll continued sobbing uncontrollably
"You ruined everything! I just wanted to make you happy...!"
Inbetween these emotional outbursts, the spiders began weakening, showing signs of returning inanimate once more
Her eyes softened as her head began to droop to the floor
"I... I just wanted to be happy again..."
Quickly putting his E.G.O weapons away, Gerald approaches the child before rubbing her head softly
The doll flinched on contact before slowly relaxing as her crying came to a halt
"I'm not going to hurt you."
She glances upwards to meet his eyes which held a stern but compassionate look in them, he raises his finger and flicks her forehead
"Ouch..."
"So... are you not mad at me...?"
"Of course I'm mad... but I forgive you."
The doll's expression twists in confusion, still not fully getting what he means
"I don't think you fully understand what a friend is."
Gerald kneels down next to her while wiping the tears off of her cheek while dusting off her clothes
"Friends look out for eachother."
The doll's fists staid clenched
"Mine never did that."
Gerald shakes his head in sympathy
"Then those weren't your friends."
"...W-What?"
She looked down at her hands which were trembling before she looked back to Gerald
"Are.. Are you m-my friend then...?"
Gerald nods slowly before standing back to to his feet
"Yes, I'm your friend"
And with that, the strings on the large spiders began unwinding slowly, falling apart at the seams
Gerald cleared his throat before kicking a bit of string to the side.
"Let's start this over, My name is Gerald. What's your name?"
"Laetitia"
"It's been a pleasure meeting you Laetitia."
On his LC-230, the screen flashes green, signaling Gerald to finish the work
"I'll come visit you later, okay?"
Laetitia panics as she grabs onto Gerald's shirt
"What? Why are you leaving, can we play for a bit longer?"
Gerald shakes his head
"I have my own responsibilities to do."
"Don't worry though, I'll visit often alright?"
Laetitia slowly releases Gerald's shirt as she lowered her head
"Fine... but you better promise me that you'll come often."
"I promise."
-
(Pov: Manager)
Whoa.
From what I was seeing, a restart was inevitable.
I wonder what the hell happened mid way through his mind reaching under 30%
And seriously, what's the deal with that armor he's wearing?
"Angela, does any of this seem normal to you?"
Angela was dumbfounded, and her expression showed it
"No... Not at all."
Wonder what she's thinking.
Going through a few different cameras, the other agents were struggling with their own abnormalities, but nothing came close to what Gerald consistently pulled off
Really, who is he?
"Angela, Gerald has only been in this company for about 7 days right?"
With brief hesitation, angela states simply
"Yes, this would be his 7th day here in non modified time."
The manager begins nodding while thinking to himself
"That aside, the cameras in each of the abnormalities containment rooms have been acting weird as of recently, its really impeding my ability to manage everything here efficiently."
The manager grabs his coffee before taking a sip
"Do you know anything about that?"
Angela, as always takes a professional stance before stating flatly
"Manager, it is my job to report anything Abnormal going on that you do not supervise, but it is also your job to tell me anything odd you encounter."
Angela discreetly glares at the manager
"I cannot assist with things that you do not tell me."
Pinching the bridge of his nose, the manager takes another sip of his coffee before he finds that it's empty
"Whatever, go make me some more coffee."
He winces at the delivery of that request
"Please? "
Angela nods before walking over to operate the coffee machine
The manager turns his attention back to his desk.
More specifically a document...
"Is it time yet?"
.
.
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