#kharaa

“Batteries?… check. Charged up power cells?…check. New depth module for Dr. Spaghetti?… check.”

Appsro mumbled along to his mental list of gathered supplies, preparing himself for tomorrow.

It felt good to get back into the fray. Being motivated to stay on top of things again, and not mindlessly watching the days idly flash by.

After all, he's about a side quest away from getting cured. Of being ridden of this godforsaken disease that's caused him nothing but headaches, irritating rashes, or at the worst, losing consciousness out of exhaustion.

Course, maybe he could’ve been cured sooner if he didn’t abandon the whole mission to hide away on the island… but that wasn’t his fault. He was abandoned first.

And he didn’t abandoned the mission he… just took a break.

A very long break, though his time on the Floating Island were relatively peacefully, when all he had to worry about was his garden of lantern fruit, or back up batteries for his flashlight.

But now, no longer feeling so scared or alone… it was easier to jump into the waters of this hostile uncharted world again.

He had Neebs by his side again. Same ol’ annoying and, slightly snobby Neebs who, can’t shut up about his over-glorified parking spot from his recent promotion but, he’ll take that talkative hick over Simon and his unreliable ass in a heartbeat.

And with his help, he’ll finally get a step closer to getting the hell off of this miserable planet, if it’s the last thing he’ll do.

“Alright, that should cover all my bases for tomorrow,” Appsro mutters, nodding in satisfaction at his progress.

“Now what else do I need ta collect for that hatchin enz—”

“Seems like so much work just to get yourself back home?” The Voice interrupts his train of thought, taunting him with his own voice in it’s usual saturated distortion.

Appsro’s eyes narrow at the unfavorable return of The Voice, rolling his eyes at its presence. He would’ve thought by now the personification of his loneliness and insanity would’ve died when he left that island. Yet, it still haunts him.

Annoyingly so.

“Yeah well, I’m almost done. Gonna get all the ingredients for Big Momma’s egg hatchin soil, then I’ll be cured and can shut off that alien quarantine gun.” He huffs, a slight mix of irritation yet confidence in his tone.

He then turns away from his diving suit’s backpack inventory, stretching a little.

“Still gonna be a few years of waitin around for that damn rescue ship ta come, but I’m just stayin positive here. Better than goin back to that island and havin ta hear you bitchin constantly,” He snorts, definitely intending that last statement to insult The Voice.

Even if… insulting The Voice would just be insulting himself.

But his comment didn’t ruffle it, as The Voice simply replies. “You really think the company has kept their word and will attempt to retrieve you?”

Appsro grimaces at the thought, not before scoffing at it. “I’d fuckin hope they do… and they better. Cause I swear if those bastards don’t, I’m gonna have a few choice words for Alterra when I do eventually get home,” He bares his teeth slightly.

A yawn then escapes his lips, signaling to him it’s about time to rest up. He trails over to his base’s circuit breaker box, opening it up to switch his base’s interior lights to a dimmer setting.

“Mm… you know, there is… another way, to get off this planet?”

Appsro stops mid-task, his hand wavering over the switch. His brows furrowed for a moment, before glancing away from the electrical panel.

“… Whadda mean?”

“The race who came before you, the ones who’ve built the facilities and bases… their portal gates lay around these lands, yes?”

“Uh… yeah?” He raises a brow, answering in a slight snide tone, yet was growing increasingly intrigued.

“There is a grander portal gate… a phasegate they once called it. It connects to portals beyond this planet, to other worlds

They’ve certainly been to your world once… and it is certain a phasegate resides there, somewhere hidden…”

The blue-haired survivor blinks, his eyes slowly widening at what is being implied. “A portal to… my world— Earth? Wait— you’re sayin there’s a giant portal somewhere here that can just take me straight home??” He was almost in awe.

It gently chuckled at his excitement, pleased by his reaction. “But of course… however, it also hides somewhere here. It is much further away. Far away.”

The Voice reluctantly adds. “And the facility baring the weapon needs to be shutdown. It cannot be properly activated if not…”

However, Appsro was just grinning, rubbing his hands together while a plan forms in his mind. If turning off the quarantine platform and sailing around to find a giant portal was all it took, he’d say his luck had finally turned around. Big time.

“Well, if I had some coordinates now, that’d be fuckin perfect.” He chuckles, slightly giddy at this revelation.

“Fuck the rescue ship. I’ll just use that as my ticket outta—“

It dawns on him.

“… How… how do you know this?” He asks in a blunt manner, his brows furrowing in thought as his body tensing up, feeling uneasy.

“Is it so important of how we know?”

“Considerin you’re just a figment of my fucked up imagination, yeah! Yeah I’d like to know how the voice in my head knows shit that I didn’t know anythin about!” Appsro sternly barks, not at all liking the ambiguity of this confrontation.

The Voice didn’t answer back immediately, almost to purposely keep his nerves on the edge.

“Perhaps… we are more than just the voices in your head?” It gradually spoke, it’s voice sounding less and less like his own.

“… What? What are you—“ He mutters in confusion, taking a step back from where he stood.

“What? Oh come now, think about it? You really thought you just, out of the blue, started going insane right after being told you might be?”

He hears The Voice darkly chuckle. “We’ve thought you’d catch on months ago… but no… you just seem to be the oblivious type.”

Appsro clenches his fist, baring his teeth as he points at… well, nothing in particular— but, he’s pretending this mysterious entity is where he’s pointing.

“You better start tellin me what the hell is goin on. If you’re not a voice in my head, then what are you?!” He growls, looking around the room as if it’ll appear before him in the flesh.

“Oh please, there is no need to panic? We are your friends~” The Voice teases him in a sickeningly sweet tone.

"We thought you'd be happy to realize you weren't going crazy after all~"

“F-Fuck off,” He quickly retorts, trying his best to be unwavering despite how freaked out he is.

“Whatever the hell you are, get the hell outta my—“

He’s interrupted by an object swiftly covering his mouth. He jolts, not having enough time to properly process what’s going on as he glances down… only to see a hand being the culprit to shutting him up.

More specifically, his own hand.

A muffled gasp escapes him, in confused panic, he first tries to swing his hand off of his mouth. Only to realize it wasn’t responding, not budging.

He grips his wrist to yank off, and when that doesn’t work, tugs the arm attached to the disobeying hand.

But no matter how much he tried, it wouldn’t move. As if in this moment, it wasn’t him who was in control of his own arm.

“You talk too much, you know that?” The Voice whispers, but not in his head… no, it whispered in his ear. He heard it in his ear.

Appsro immediately jerks his head over to where he heard it… only to see that no one was there to begin with. His breathing heavies.

“Ohhh, you poor, pathetic creature. So scared when he’s no longer in control~” The Voice cackles, amused by the human’s torment.

Muffled spews of words came out of his concealed mouth. He keeps tugging and yanking at his wrist and arm, desperately anything to free himself from his frozen hand, but to no avail.

Something began to creep up behind him, an unidentifiable object causally placed on his shoulder. His body jolts again, yet in this state, he felt unnaturally planted, unable to move even if he wanted to.

Despite feeling the weight of something gripping onto his shoulders, in the corner of his eyes, he still saw nothing.

“Now.” He felt another object touch him, this time, cupping his cheeks.

“Let’s try this again.”

also no spoilers please

Bart: i don’t think that’s a good idea 

Ryley: eh it’s fine 

Bart: you’re gonna get diseases from that 

Ryley: what the fuck am i gonna catch here 

Bart: 

Ryley: 

Bart: