good heart, freaky mind

“Yello?” the woman chirped, cradling phone’s receiver on her shoulder and continuing to flip through a stack of invoices.

A stern voice crackled from the speakers. “Is that any way to speak to your employer?”

Emma grinned. “C’mon, you know you like it, Tenna~”

Staticky silence was the only reply.

“If you’re calling about the forms, I’m almost done checking them one last time, I’ll bring them to your office in a few.” Honestly, she was flattered at not having them snatched out of her hand to ‘make sure you didn’t fuck it all up’ for once.

The static got louder. “No, no, I think I’ll come find you.” Tenna sounded calm.

Too calm. “Did...” Emma dragged the word out, hoping the Pippins hadn’t done anything to set him off again. “Did something happen? You sound a bit-”

“Don’t get cute with me.”

Oh dear, he brought out the ‘fearsome Lord of Screens’ tone, this was definitely not the usual sort of bullshit employee stunt.

“I know what you did.”

Ah, so he found it. Took him long enough! “‘What I did’?” She managed not to snicker, fighting to keep the smile from leaking into her voice. “I haven’t even left this tiny little office, except to drop off a quick lunch in yours!”

“It’s what else you left ‘in my office’, woman.” It was so easy - and so much fun - to piss him off.

Time to pull an Irish exit. “I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about!” She set the stack of papers down and pushed her chair back as quietly as humanly possible.

“You don’t?” Tenna barked a laugh, crackling against her ear almost like a slap. “Well, then. Looks like I’ll have to give you a reminder, see if that bit of B-roll footage jogs your memory any.”

“And don’t even think about running-”

Emma’s face heated up, betrayed by the loud creak of her treasured - and sinfully comfortable - chair.

“-do you really want get me worked up any more than you already have?”

She wet her lips to summon the necessary confidence, “You’ll have to find me, first!” and slammed her phone down in its dock with a mocking cackle.

“YOU FUCKING B-”

escaped just before it clicked into place.

“Okay, I’ve got maybe three minutes, tops, since he didn’t just-” She snapped her fingers. “So he can’t be that angry, right? Now where can I...” Briefly considering simply running for the exit, Emma shook her head and stepped out of her office and locked the door behind her. Not like that would stop a man built out of metal over twice her height, nor would it fool Tenna into thinking she’d stayed put.

Unless he thought it was a double bluff? Nah, no way she’d be that lucky. Still, though... “Costuming. I can make it. Probably.” Either way, Emma wanted to see him so riled up that his vents would be smoking. She took in a deep breath and set off in a proper run, landing on the balls of her feet rather than on her heels. No sense in adding a headache to exhaustion before the control freak had a chance to deploy his ‘special channel’, like the cheating bastard he was.

--------------------------------------------------------

Tenna still hadn’t appeared by the time she reached the end of the ridiculously long hallway. Rather than continue to press her luck, Emma sidestepped through an already-open door just before the intersection and sat down carefully in the door’s recess.

“Oh my dearest Liiiiiightnerrr~” Trademarked broadcaster croon carried a distinct maliciousness despite the upbeat affect, “There’s no need to be so frightened of your devoted cathode; don’t you remember how tenderly I cared for you during your last panic attack?”

That wasn’t all she remembered; barely any Zapper could so much as make eye contact even weeks later, and there did also seem to be fewer of them around. Everyone pointedly refused to acknowledge it for some inexplicable and mysterious furtive reason that she totally couldn't figure out immediately.

Tenna’s voice was coming from back down the hallway - apparently he’d gone the long way around to cut off an escape attempt. She looked directly at the only overt surveillance camera and gave it a two-finger salute, insulted at the assumption Emma would have run away. She had no intention to flee like some coward, as amusing as mocking her ‘devoted cathode’s Light World form for being too slow would have been.

“Open the door, if you know what’s good for you.”

Emma’s hand reached for the knob nearest her on its own. Snatching it back, she shook her head to clear it of the distant yet far-too-close drone of his hypnosis channel. Go on, I know you’ve got a key to everything.

Instead of opening it, Tenna kicked the door into a pile of splinters and sawdust. ‘The risk was calculated, but man am I bad at math.’ What if she actually had been waiting inside?

“When I get my hands on you...”

She slipped back into the hallway and bolted around the corner the moment Tenna disappeared into her office. Seemed there was some difficulty getting through the door... not a good sign that he’d arrived taller than usual.

Her de jure boss was mad mad. “I bet you think you’re soooo clever, you little shit.”

Damn right I do!

“Getting all cocky, thinking you can do whatever the fuck you want because you’re our Lightner.” The structure of the studio itself warped, outlines twisting as if receiving bad input. “But this is MY DOMAIN and while you’re in it?”

“You will do as you are told!”

She winced after rubbing at her ears, realizing why the ambient noise suddenly muffled - distorted notes that could have been plucked straight from a retro videogame, an intense blend of instrumentals and chiptune befitting the final enemy encounter.

“Come on out, my dear, I know you can hear me. Ignore any... auditory distractions.”

“They’re not real.”

What was unmistakably Tenna’s theme couldn’t drown out the sound of heavy clicking footsteps approaching. She slid under the nearest desk and covered her mouth, taking deliberate and shallow breaths through her nose.

Fortunately, their pace did not slow, cresting as Emma’s ‘it’s complicated’ stalked past the door, beginning to fade.

“Do you think you can hide from me, the same way you tucked away your sneaky offering?”

Follow him. He won’t expect it - nobody looks where they’ve already checked. Her destination wasn’t much farther down. The fabrics there would be annoying as hell, but Emma could cram herself into a small chest without too much difficulty - it wasn’t just her schedule that was flexible, not that anyone would have guessed from her lanky frame.

That said, Tenna might have an idea now, if he’d truly seen her insulting attempt at a one up.

“I did enjoy finding it. All I have to do now is locate my iridescent jewel and show her my appreciation for the thoughtful gift.”

Emma’s breathing stuttered at the husky tone. No. Be strong, girl. After all, that arrogant television needed taught a lesson, putting racy and downright ribald labels on those glossy tapes.

“You know I only air others’ scandals; I’d never dream of letting anyone discover your dirty laundry.” Distant footsteps paused, and began to draw closer.

He’s coming back! She scrambled out the door, practically tripping through another a few feet away.

“Such a brave thing, baiting me like this. I shouldn’t be surprised - despite all I’ve shown you, those courageous eyes just couldn’t look away.” Tenna let out a rich laugh - she could practically see the condescending expression on his smug screen - full of amusement both dark and fond. “You’ve seen so much of me, but that’s still not ‘everything’ I have to offer you.” His voice dropped to more of a conspiratorial aside, “I think it’s time for a private broadcast, a late-night special: your eyes only.”

‘You’re not supposed to be having fun!’ Emma almost yelled, settling for gritting her teeth and digging nails into palms. Now you’re provoking me!

Twin red banners popped into view in an X shape, white text emblazoned in all caps scrolling: BREAKING NEWS. They tore in half and drooped out of her view to reveal what resembled a sideways old-fashioned mercury thermometer, thick dark blue outline with a pale silvery substance rippling inside like liquid moonlight.

Past - and highly varied - experience told the woman it would perpetuate in the corner, an annoying visual artifact not dissimilar to burn-in. Fortunately, her nature as a Lightner allowed for minor tweaks to such things. One finger dragged the faintly-glowing bar down until it snapped into place dead center just above Emma’s nose. Might as well complete the stealth level theme: plucky heroine thwarting titular antagonist.

“You see that? It’s your ‘Fear-o-Meter’. Didn’t know you had one, did you?”

It wasn’t exactly surprising, another magical gimmick to enhance his broadcasts, repurposed for a glorified game of ‘Hot and Cold’. The ‘Terminator’ would be perfect background music. She couldn’t truly hide, only be cornered like some pathetic 8-bit rat as her fear rose and fell with Tenna’s approach. Emma was only delaying the inevitable.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I thought for sure it’d be higher by now. Are you into this?”

Great, she already felt like a big cat or somesuch standing next to him; being examined in fascinated curiosity like a bug under a microscope was going too far! Most of the time, Emma’s ragebait was because Tenna did it first; that’s hardly proof of a fetish!

Ugh, new plan. There’s gotta be somewhere in here that works. Maybe she didn’t have to give up completely on her original hiding spot... Quietly tossing a discarded coat off a disorganized pile of boxes uncovered a gap between them and the wall. Emma crouched and awkwardly folded herself into the space, flinging the lengthy overcoat back on the boxes as if she’d never been there in the first place.

As she waited to determine the victor of this bout of cat-and-mouse, Emma hoped she wouldn’t fall asleep. Now wouldn’t that be embarrassing? She grinned to herself and fought back a yawn. Barely had the urge faded when a massive shadow stretched across the room. ‘F’ in the chat, bois, gg no re.

Gradual steps tread around the room, the shadow of Tenna’s head swiveling in predatory search. She hoped her heart’s thundering in her ears wasn’t audible.

“Hmm.” He circled the room again, turning towards the exit after briefly hesitating.

Don’t you dare. Emma glared at the Fear-o-Meter as it gradually ebbed across a line marking, threatening to tattle.

Tenna hadn’t taken one full step away when two things happened simultaneously. One, the coat covering her cramped position was flung to the other side of the room. Two, cold metal lashed around her forearms and ripped the woman out into the open.

Offset cigarette-stained teeth were exposed in a triumphant grin. “Gotcha.” He drew Emma closer, dangling her by her wrists in front of him with one mechanical arm so the other could loop around her torso in a grip just barely the comfortable side of crushing.

She crossed her arms and rested them on the glossy coils petulantly. “I think you might be enjoying yourself a bit too much. So what if I broke in and shuffled things around? It’s not like I tore the labels off or anything.”

“You know full well I didn’t ‘forget’ to give you access; if you don’t have the key, it’s because you weren’t supposed to.” Claws drifted up the nape of Emma’s neck, dragging across her scalp before sliding back down to repeat the motion. She melted into the touch with an acquiescing hum. “I think it’s only fair we have a watch party so I can explain in detail why they were ordered that way-”

The reflection of her already-quite-flushed cheeks reddened even more when Tenna’s screen blinked off, pitch black and completely featureless save for a broad leer.

“-it’s not like you had anything better to do tomorrow than me anyways~”

I was originally going to draw this with big shot spamton but puppet spamton was 10000 times funnier