Cruser's Dream: Rosemary comes to visit.

This is a dream I had just last night. Blue suggested that I write it down and share. This will be easy because all the dialogue is still in my head. Totally unrelated to any other fanfic I've been writing. Enjoy.

It was a normal evening in the tinychat. Most all the regular chatters were on. Casually conversing and derping about whatever came into their heads. Getting along and having fun. It was nice when nothing unpleasant was happening. Though they all had wanted to hear from Rosemary again. Crusay enjoyed the lack of crazy things. If only for an evening. It seemed like everything was escalating again. And any peace she could get was welcome. A new person had entered the chat. And the usual welcomes and introductions were being handed around. And now Crusay was being prompted to get on mic and do her infamous fangirling. It was such a harsh and annoying voice she made up. It made her laugh that anyone would actually WANT to hear that occasionally. Even for joking purposes.

"ERMAGERD IT'S STARLING! I STARLING HI! I AM SUCH A HUGGGGGGGE FAN! YOU SHOULD COME OVER AND....AND I CAN MAKE COOKIES AND WE CAN SHARE THEM OH MY GODDDDD!" She had to stop and laugh.

But then a chill ran up Crusay's spine. It left an odd look on her face. Like she had just been told horrible news and was trying to process it.

"Crusay? Are you okay?" Andre asked. She didn't answer. Just sat there searching with her eyes but clearly all in her head.

Chewie got on camera. "Mesay? What is wrong?"

She shivered again. The chat room began to fill with concerned words. Her video froze for a second. Then she was turned around and out of her chair staring at the doorway behind her.

"Are you guys seeing this?" She yelled. But there was nothing on the camera but Crusay. Everyone asked what she was seeing. "Rosemary. But how....how did you get here?"
The entire chat room was quiet they couldn't believe it. Was this a joke? She had pranked them once before. But this was CNS stuff. And she never joked about that.

"What do you mean through the doorway?" She continued.

"What is she saying Crusay?" Chewie asked.

"She says that she was walking though the dark place and suddenly she got here." Crusay stopped and turned again. "Can you guys really not see this?"

"We can only see you." Rene responded just having gone on cam.

"Wonderful. Now I'm going crazy." Crusay spat. "Calm down Rosemary! Good lort your verbal mashboarding."

Crusay kept trying to talk to Rosemary. Having to translate everything the whispy blue light was saying. It took a while but she was finally getting somewhere with the conversation.
"This is just a doorway Rosemary. I can see right into my kitchen." Crusay started to walk toward the doorway but then stopped just short of it. She heard an odd sound. It echoed faintly. Then the house began to shake. And the sound got louder. It was that music. The Searching_for_Loxura music. Everyone in the chat started yelling and pleading for Crusay to get out. Rosemary was pleading for it to stop.

"I can't just leave! The only exit is blocked by a damned portal to the dark place! What am I suppose to do? Jump out the window?" Crusay yelled. The music got louder. Crusay ran into her bedroom and grabbed her machete. She came back and yelled. "You said you wouldn't go after us you fuck! I am Papilio and you will not stand in my way!" Immediately her camera went off. She had been suddenly logged off of the TC. Most likely her electricity went out.

About half an hour went by before Crusay logged on again.

"Holy shit! I can't believe this is working on here." She typed.

"Crusay are you okay?" Many people typed. A lot of mashboarding and relieved sentiments flooded the chat.

"Yeah I'm okay. I'm on my cellphone. I couldn't get out the windows they wouldn't open. So I rushed the doorway and I got outside. So I think Rosemary was wrong." She typed. "I'm outside now but there must be some thick cloud cover because I can't see a damn thing out here. Where are all the house lights?"

Chewie got a sick feeling in his stomach. "Mesay? Are you sure you are outside your home?"

"Yes Chewie. I ran into my kitchen and out the front door. There wasn't a portal to the dark place in my home. Thank god." She continued. "Rosemary's light is the only thing keeping me from tripping over my feet. Stop it Rosemary. Just use your words. I cannot understand verbal mashing."
Another cold chill rushed up Crusay's spine. She could hardly see anything but she had that sinking feeling again. When she looked up from the phone a hideous black face with red eyes was being lit from the light. A large hand with long claw like fingers stretched out. Crusay was frozen with fear. Chewie was right. She wasn't outside her home.
Crusay felt her legs fly out from underneath her. She landed with a hard thud on the ground. It hurt like crazy and she could hear Rosemary playing her song trying to get it's attention. Miss Longfingers, as the chatters had come to call it, had Crusay. And was dragging her away. Crusay's phone was gone. And she couldn't get away from it. Rosemary desperately tried to help Crusay but whispy hands aren't good for grabbing. She could hear the others now. Talking to Rosemary. Trying to figure out what was happening. And Crusay was left to wonder what fate she would be finally meeting. For becoming a butterfly.

And that's when I woke up. Yeesh!

Butterfly Apocalypse: Out of Options

It smelled like sweat and metal. It felt hot and I couldn't move at all. When I opened my eyes I could only see darkness. I tried wiggling my fingers and toes but they didn't respond. I could hear plenty though. Lots of machinery moving, water hissing. And the heat was almost intolerable. My brain was still adjusting but it felt like I was on a table that was angled almost upright. The entire scenario was confusing as hell. Getting my bearings was going to be a trick.

"Where am I?" I thought. "Chewie? Paul?....Muse." I used every ounce of strength I could call up and screamed in the hivemind "ANYONE!" What I received was an intense ringing in my head. Like someone has just blasted me with an airhorn. It forced me to yell out in pain and it echoed constantly for a long time afterward. As the pain slowed down to a throb the ringing in my ears started. It wasn't consistent though. More like various bursts. I thought that was odd until my hearing came back fully. It wasn't ringing I was hearing. It was a voice. A high pitched voice.

"Did you hear me?" It said.

"No. I was too busy getting my ear drums pulled out of my head!" I yelled back. At least that didn't echo.

"Infected subject #020 did not understand. Permission to repeat." It droned on. Sounded mechanical  But that voice seemed so familiar.

"Permission granted. Repeat message. You can not use the hivemind here subject 020. If you do, the M1330R programming will just echo it back. Any non verbal communication will be met with a complementary response to deter future events." It rattled off the statement similar to Rio. But it seemed a bit more human like.

"Get this shit off of my head you assholes!" I hollered. I strained and struggled. Trying to use my ability to knock little miss barbie voice into next tuesday. But it wasn't any use. I couldn't move my hands or arms. And I needed to do that to get the spirit hands to imitate what I wanted to do. That must have been my weakness. I could move huge objects and throw them like toys. I could stop giant machines dead cold with a stare. But without my eyes or hands, I was just like any normal person.

"Permission denied. Subject 020 is too aggressive and must be restrained." It responded.

"Oh great. A doll." I chided. "I bet your creepy creator is hiding in the backdrop somewhere there. Hey Help3r! Let me go you son of a bitch!" I probably shouldn't be taunting my captor. But this was my first experience being kidnapped and I wanted to make the most out of it.

"It was for your own safety 020. We were about to collect a few samples when you woke up."

"Samples?" I asked. "What kind of samples?"

"This will only take a minuet. Please hold still."

Hold still? Cute, real cute. Like I could actually move at all. There was a whirring noise of some machinery moving. It sounded close. I could hear two sets of footsteps. I was sure one belonged to the doll and the other to Help3r. It sounded like they were trapsing on metal grating. Lots of beeps and other noises sounded around me. More machinery. I doubted I was in Help3r's lab. That was destroyed. I suppose he could have rebuilt it. No, that doesn't make sense. Everyone would have known where I was then. No, we were somewhere new.

"Now collecting samples for infected subject #020." The doll said.

I'm not one to be afraid of much. But despite my hard words, I was terrified. I couldn't see or move. I couldn't contact anyone. I wasn't able to defend myself in any way but here were these two twerps, collecting samples. And I'll be damned what that meant.
I felt a needle jab into my left arm but it hardly hurt. At least they knew how to find a vein. They must be taking blood. For testing no doubt. The needle was removed and I felt a plastic gloved hand put something soft where the needle has been put and strapped a piece of tape over it to hold it on.

"That's sweet of you Help3r. I didn't know you cared." I sarcastically taunted.

"Now testing sample three from infected subject #020." The doll dryly announced. I could hear some various work being done. A few minutes later it finally said "Testing complete. Theory confirmed. Subject #020 is now in the final stages of infection. Further testing required before termination. Subject will be detained until then."

"Termination! You asshole! Let me out of this god damned thing!"

"Permission denied. Subject is still hostile. Testing still needed for study. Subject 020 will has a nutritional requirement. Doll 423 will be in shortly with your supplement." The two sets of footsteps walked off. I yelled and screamed every creative obscenity I could imagine. It wasn't to scare or threaten. It was to keep me from being afraid. The door shut with a heavy slam. And I could hear the locks clunk in place. Where ever I was it didn't seem like I would be leaving any time soon.
Everyday was the same routine. I was blind and immobile. Everyday they would poke me with needles and feed me the supplements. For a week, I spat them out or pretended to swallow. But after the seventh day I was pretty weak. And I guess they needed me to live long enough to finish testing. So they set me up with a feeding tube. Had to knock me out first for that one. When I woke up I could feel it in me. It was pretty annoying. My body knew there was something that didn't belong in it. And it never ceased to remind me of that with twinges of aches or pains. Someone always came in to feed me and keep everything clean.
Every week they would take a sample. Every few days they would give one too. Some kind of anti-serum. At least that's what Dollface called it. That was my nickname for Help3r's favorite robot lacky. It seemed appropriate enough. The anti-serum's effectiveness varied. It was anything from a horrendously searing pain to a mild bee sting. It made sense now. He was trying to "cure" me. But every week he would take that sample. And I would still be infected.
Any other time I had was alone. With my thoughts. And that was a whole other torture that only I could deliver. The first week I had constantly worried about the others. Wondering if they had made it okay. I couldn't help but think of Paul and Chewie. What happened to them? Did Help3r kill them? And what about Muse? He had to be alive. Had to have gotten out.
Sometimes when I slept I would accidentally call out to him in the hivemind. Whatever this thing on my head was it made sure to mentally slap me back. It would wake me up and usually I couldn't get back to sleep for hours. As the weeks went on it was more and more clear to me that I was on my own. It didn't matter if they were alive or dead. It didn't matter that everything went to hell. The one thing I had prepared for but never ever wanted. I was alone.
This was the way it was suppose to be. I had known all along. It was better perhaps. Help3r was focused on me. And the others either couldn't get to me or couldn't be bothered. Of course they can't. If they do then Help3r will kill them. Maybe I deserve to be here. Maybe I just made everything worse.God...it won't stop. Are they still thinking about me? Blaming me even. Blaming me for everything falling apart. I don't care how irrational it sounds. It's all I can think about.
This is the fifth week now. Dollface and Help3r are in for the testing and sample. They stick the needle in my arm again. I don't bother struggling. I just want them to get it done and leave me. I can feel the serum flow though my veins. It feels cold this time. Cold and clearing. As if every vein is being washed out. It's like someone dropped me in ice water. It makes my body shake from the frozen water rushing around. This might have been the worst yet. I was freezing and it's not like I was going to be offered a blanket. I didn't even feel them take the sample. I heard the door lock and I figured I was still infected. Sampled out and left for however long it would take for them to make another serum. But then I fell.
I landed on the hard floor. Weak and cold. My body shook and I curled myself together to try to get warm again. I could feel my arms and hands. I could feel my feet move by my legs. My stomach hurt. I smelled rotten. My fingers searched the floor and seemed to find the metal grating I had guessed at week prior. Finally I opened my eyes. Bright streams and harsh hues of red flowed in. A few shadows seemed to be looming over me but if I hadn't known who they were I wouldn't have been able to tell otherwise. A few minutes passed and I was moved to an upright sitting position. Leaning my back against the table that one held me. I looked up at my captors. Help3r and Dollface. Dollface was actually a doll. Not the robotic monsters that we usually saw. She looked like an actual doll. It was Help3r's doll. With the blond curls and baby face. The black and white soccer uniform with the number thirteen on it.

"Testing complete. Anti-serum confirmed. Subject #020 is no longer infected." She rattled off. "Sending new anti-serum to the lab to be mass produced."

He had done it. I was no longer a butterfly. I was cured, seperated, alone.

"New directive initiated to all dolls and drones. Containment of all infections. By force if nessary. Subject #020 will now be terminated." She turned and walked off with Help3r. They clearly were no longer worried about me causing trouble. I was too weak to do much of anything but crawl which was hard enough with the floor the way it was. The door shut and locked again. A hissing sound etched though the floor. Followed by gas. It choked my airways but there wasn't much left for me to fight back with. I felt myself get sleepy and uttered my last full breath.

                                                                                                                                   
I don't wish that none of it happened.                                                                              
I do wish that I had been stronger for what had come.                                                      
I'm just not that strong.                                                                                                 
Was it worth the trouble?                                                                                              
...maybe.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
"....Papilio.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                               "I have finally found you."                                                
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                             "Have you decided?'         

***

A few of the dolls had cleaned the room and taken Mesay's body out. She had been placed in a body bag. When the cleaning was done, two of them walked over to the bag to dispose of it. The bag twitched. The dolls paused and focused on it. The body in the bag moved and hands pushed and twisted the plastic fabric. Then it stopped. Just as quickly as it had started. They waited few minutes. Then one of the dolls unzipped the bag. Mesay laid there, immobile. One doll looked at the other one and suddenly attacked. The first doll started tearing into the other. Separating it apart piece by piece. Mesay sat herself up and watched. With the most wicked grin on her face. When the doll was done it jerked. As if it had been released from being controlled. It turned and looked at Mesay. It's eyes glowing red. It ran toward her. It didn't get a few feet before it just collapsed to the ground. Smashed, as if it was just put in a trash compactor. Mesay was now propping herself on one knee. One of her hands was flat on the ground. She stood herself up and walked over to the crushed metal that was once a doll. A machine that she had been so scared of before. 

An alarm sounded the lights changed to an bright red. Around the corner came a number of dolls. The hallway was quite wide and could hold a great deal more than the hallways of Home. Mesay put her hand up and walked forward. As she did the dolls came to an immediate stop. They had hit an invisible wall. Try as they might, they couldn't pass it. The machines collected together and the scraping of metal on metal screeched through the hallways. As she reached the intersection to the new hallway she pushed the dolls up against the wall with her spirit hands. They pressed and stuck together in a large block. She then spread her hand to one side. Moving them all to the left. They stuck there and created a barrier for anything coming down that part of the hallway. A few of the dolls, still somewhat operational, flailed any limbs that seemed to not get stuck with the other metallic pieces.

Mesay turned and walked down the unblocked part of the hallway. She slowly made her way around the facility. It just had this one long tunnel. Far larger than she had thought. Every doll she encountered she smashed or tossed. Any door that closed got torn open. Red eyes went dim. Oil spilled. And bits and pieces seemed to fly everywhere. It was easier, simpler to take care of these on her own. Her eyes were wild with anger and pain. Realizing she didn't need anyone else to help her. This was something she was capable of. A true strength. And nobody was getting hurt. Nobody she cared about.

"Not like that really matters anymore" she thought. "I have nothing left to lose Help3r. You better run."

Mesay's attention turned down the only other tunnel that she had come across. A loud roaring noise echoed. There was the smell of fresh air and what looked like sunlight on the other end. Walking a little faster as the promise of the outside became more real. She came to a large grate and reinforced bars blocking the path. Peering outside she could see the great outdoors. A large river coming from this giant structure she had been trapped in for weeks. Beneath her she could see water being emptied into the river. She was in a dam. Suddenly the feeling of being watched came over her. She turned and found Help3r standing a few feet behind her. No dolls in sight.

"What? Did you run out of toys?" She chided. "Or have you finally decided to start getting your hands dirty?"

Help3r just stood there. Breathing heavily though his gas mask.

***

Miles down the river Mesay struggled to swim in the rapids. She finally dragged herself onto a pebble beach. Turning herself around she looked up toward the dam. Large black plumes of smoke rose from the ridges. She laid flat on her back and tried to catch her breath. But not a moment later, two large silhouettes flew over her and rapidly descended. Mesay stared at them and they immediately stopped only a few feet away. She slowly raised a hand and motioned to grab one of the machines. As she squeezed her hand shut, the drone balled up like a wad of paper. She casually tossed it into the rock wall on the other side of the river. The other one she shoved down into the ground a few feet away. Blocking any rocks that happened to fly by her. The drone sputtered and groaned in protest. And was stopped by a large boulder she dropped on top of it. 

Mesay laid there and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and made a scooping motion with her hand. Beneath her, the pebbles stirred and moved. Mesay saw her spirit hands in her mind. Collecting her and the rocks beneath her and rising her upwards. She saw the other hand climbing up the rock face of the opposite cliff side. She looked like she was floating while large chunks of rock seems to chip away at the rock wall by the invisible force. At the top of a mountain she opened her eyes and moved upright. She lowered herself to the ground and looked out at the land. Worn and tired, she used the moment to take a deep fresh breath. 

"Sometimes it really is better to be alone. If only because you don't have to worry about hurting others. Or others getting hurt. I'll be alone in this from now on. It will just be easier that way.

I'm not sorry.

I never will be.

I'm not angry anymore, but I won't ever be sorry for this.

I did right by me.

It's too bad it had so many consequences."