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Sep. 11th, 2013 01:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alien_snipeTitle: Dual Nature
Author: Alien_Snipe
Summary: Linkara is a Persona, a super-powered human who sacrificed his previous identity. As he adjusts to Persona society, he meets someone who could be a potential friend, or possibly the most dangerous Persona alive.
Pairings: potential Linkara/Spoony
Warnings: Language.
Word Count: 4134
The Nostalgia Critic splashed another creamer in his coffee and watched it swirl as he stirred. He checked his watch; the new guy was now officially late by ten minutes. “Tsk tsk,” he muttered under his breath. “You're not starting out on the right foot, my friend.”
He couldn't blame the kid. New Personas sometimes had a rough time keeping track of their obligations. When Critic had arrived, his mentor had said his situation was something like “a new person stepping through a hole where the old person was”. It was true of all Personas, and some took longer to get their feet under them at first. Hell, he'd had an awful time starting out.
He still remembered being Donnie DuPre – every Persona remembered his or her previous incarnation, somewhere in the back of the mind – but it his memories of that time were like watching home movies of someone else's life. Kind of fitting, considering what he could do with other people's memories. And given his previous self's career.
A jingle at the cafe door startled Critic, and he looked up to see a young, bespectacled man in a dusty brown jacket and hat. He smiled and waved. “You're late!” he sang out cheerfully.
“Oh, hi! Jeez, I'm sorry about that.” The man hurried over and shook Critic's hand. “Had a hell of a time finding the place. You're Critic, right?”
“Yes indeed! And you would be...” Critic hastily drew a little card from his pocket. “Lin … kayra? Kayura?”
“Linkara.” He grinned sheepishly. “I sorta came with the name.”
Critic carelessly tossed the card aside. “Ahhh, don't worry about it, we all do. Sit down, sit!”
They both sat at opposite sides of the small table. Critic leaned forward, steepling his fingers. “OK. As your community liaison, I'll be helping you out while you get re-adjusted to society. Find your place, you know. To do that, I'll be asking you a few questions. Do you mind if we just get going?”
“Yeah, sure thing.” Linkara was distracted as he answered. He flipped to the back of the drink menu. “...they don't have cocoa here, do they? I'm not much for coffee.”
Critic ignored the question. “OK, first up: do you remember why you might have become a Persona?”
Linkara flinched, and the menu dropped out of his hands. “Oh! Sorry, I, um...” He studied his reflection in the tabletop, anxiously. “N-not really. No.”
Silently, Critic reached out with his mind, gently prodding back the fog of conscious thought to study Linkara's memories. It was all kind of a blur. There was some sort of fight, some of his friends and loved ones had gotten hurt … and then the images came into sharper focus as Linkara looked down at himself, gun in hand. He emerged in some kind of crisis, then. Well, he'd talk about that when he was ready.
“Ah, well, don't worry about it.” Critic waved off the question. “Everyone's got some kind of crazy story, so whatever the cause was, you're not unusual.”
Linkara smiled awkwardly. “That's nice to know...”
“Why don't we skip to the safety briefing for now?” Critic leaned forward, looking at Linkara with piercing blue eyes. “Have you heard of Midnighters before?”
Linkara nodded slowly. “Evil Personas, right? People told me about those.”
“Well, not … evil per se. They're born out of negative emotions, though, so they're usually evil. Look at it this way. Something happened to make you a Persona, right? The guy you were made a decision or had to be somebody he wasn't, and there you were.” There was a flash of worry in Critic's bright eyes. “That can happen again, and it might happen without you necessarily wanting it to. That's what we call Midnighting. There are ways we can prevent it. I'll get you signed up for a support group that's really helped me before.” Critic looked Linkara up and down. “But you seem like you have your head on straight. I'm sure you'll be fine.”
Linkara smiled a little too broadly. “Thanks. That's good to know.”
“One of the most important things you can do is to stay as far away as you can from Midnighters.” Critic slid a piece of paper over to Linkara; a sheet of small photographs, photocopied over and over until they were practically blurs. “Here's the ones we know of in town right now. Get to know them, keep away from them. Especially this guy.” He tapped one picture; a man, thin, with long unkempt hair and sunken, pale eyes. “He calls himself Spoony.”
**
It was after one a.m., and as usual, Spoony couldn't sleep.
He was standing at his window, looking down three stories at the bright neon and halogen lights outside. If the fucking things didn't keep blasting through his cheap blinds, he might have been able to get some shuteye. As it was, he was stuck waiting for them to turn off when the sun rose. Wasn't like he had anywhere to be anyway, so who cared when he actually slept?
Fuck it, he was bored. Spoony turned away from the window and tossed on a battered old letter jacket. It was time to take a walk. Maybe that would clear his head and help him feel drowsy.
Or maybe he'd run into some trouble. At least he wouldn't be bored.
**
Linkara was back. His old hometown … no, Lewis's old hometown. The place where he grew up and went to school, but couldn't remember skinning his knees on the playground or trading Magic cards at recess. Before he was himself.
And people were strewn around him like dead leaves. There were half-remembered faces everywhere, hidden in shadows, twisted in pain. The smell of blood in the air made him sick.
The voice seemed to come from everywhere, rattling the windowpanes in the quaint little suburban houses on either side of the street. “You knew this would happen when you came back. You knew.” An ugly, grinding sound, half-mechanical. And its source was coming down the sidewalk towards him, stepping slowly and deliberately. “Just like you knew that we'll keep on fighting like this. Like you knew that I'm not just going to give up and fade away. Like you knew that I'm only going away when you die.”
Linkara's hand felt clumsy as he grabbed for his gun. Moving at all was like struggling through quicksand. He had to fight to even raise his weapon, and he couldn't draw a bead on the figure coming closer and closer, with red eyes that burned like coals. Another unholy sound rent the air. A laugh, this time, ugly and cruel. “How sweet. You think you can fight me.”
And then the figure was gone, but his voice was still buzzing in Linkara's ears. “You don't even know where I am.”
Linkara looked down. His skin. It was melting, falling away onto the sidewalk, and underneath were sharp, angry metal claws...
He could hear that awful voice even as he screamed. “Thank you ever so for helping me escape...”
He felt himself thrashing against his sheets, and then he was awake, shreds of the nightmare evaporating in the familiar surroundings of his bedroom.
Linkara lurched upright and shifted around to put his feet on the floor. The cold boards underneath him helped to ground him, take him further out of the dream. Right now he needed all the help he could get.
None of it means anything, he said to himself as he stood. You're just worried because of the talk Critic gave you about Midnighters. There's no way he'll get strong enough to break through.
He had a clean, sweat-free shirt on and was starting to pull on his jeans before he realized that he'd decided to go out. Might as well, right? He wasn't getting any rest after that nightmare.
Linkara's apartment was close to a wooded park that seemed as good a place as any to take a stroll and clear his head. But the walk wasn't helping the way he'd hoped. The night air was hot and damp, and he could feel his T-shirt starting to cling to his back underneath his thick jacket. Linkara sighed and watched his breath steam in the humid air.
It wasn't that he wished his situation on anyone, but it would be nice if someone knew what he was going through.
A shrill cackle set Linkara's hair standing on end. Out of instinct, he grabbed at the gun at his side and felt it quickly pulse with power as it responded to his touch. There was a confrontation going on just down the path; several shadowy figures, crowded around one person … a man, kind of gangly, wearing jeans and a letter jacket ...
… who was making a gesture in the air, and conjuring a long, wickedly sharp blade from nothing. Another Persona. The gang around him stepped back as he drew his weapon, shrinking away in fear. All except for one. Who seemed to be growing long claws and a scorpion tail. His friends seemed bolstered by his courage, and they stepped forward, forming a loose circle around the Persona with the gleaming blade. A field of sinister violet energy started to hiss and crackle between them.
Linkara raised his gun and fired in the air. The attacking Personas spun to face him, their energy field dissipating into nothing. Linkara's voice rang out. “You know, I'll admit I don't know who the aggressor is, here, but this looks like a several-on-one gang-up, and that just seems unsporting.”
The ringleaders's barbed tail twitched with a menacing rattle. “Kill him!” he barked.
Linkara's face wreathed into a grin as the first Personas swooped towards him, and the fight began.
**
Between Linkara's gun and the lone Persona's blade, the attackers were scattered in minutes. They fled, melting into the night.
The other Persona caught his breath. He flicked his wrist, and his gunblade vanished from his hand. “Thanks, man.” His voice was a little hoarse from the fight.
“Don't mention it.” Linkara drew back his jacket to holster his gun. The other man watched him, brow furrowing with confusion.
“It's real? I thought you conjured it.”
“Huh?”
“Your piece.” The Persona pointed at Linkara's side. “You were throwing enough energy around to knock Rambo on his ass, man. What's your power?”
“Oh, oh. Right.” Linkara grinned and gestured at the gun. “Well, in anyone else's hands, this would just be a prop. Sometimes when I find items, though, I can wake them up. Make them work the way they should, instead of the way they do.”
“Huh.” The Persona nodded, somewhat vacantly.
“You weren't half-bad yourself. Can you pull anything out of thin air like that?”
“Long as it can ruin a motherfucker's day. Which limits me to weapons. Comes in handy, though.”
“I could see that! Nice job.”
“Thanks. They might've had my number if you hadn't come along, though.” The Persona sauntered closer. There was an odd look in his pale green eyes, and a mischievous quirk in his eyebrow. “With that in mind, is this the part where I show my appreciation by inviting you into the nearest haystack?”
Linkara blinked a few times before he realized what the other man was asking. “Did you just...? Uh, no thanks. I'm flattered. But, um, no.”
“Sorry, sorry.” The man backed off with a sheepish grin.
“Uh, anyway. I'm Linkara.” He touched the brim of his hat. “And you?”
The man offered his hand, and Linkara stepped forward to shake it before he spoke. “Most people call me Spoony.”
Linkara dropped the hand as though he'd been shocked. He felt a little sting of regret when he saw the sudden confusion in Spoony's eyes. But Spoony was quick to snuff the rejection in his eyes and replace it with something harder and colder. Contempt.
“Oh. Let me guess. My reputation preceeds me.”
Linkara nodded slowly, never taking his eyes from the other Persona's face. “I guess you're going to tell me that it shouldn't, now.”
Spoony snorted. “No. So who talked? Sage? Because his mouth has been writing a fat fucking check for a beatdown for months.”
“Critic, actually. Does it make a difference?”
“Oh, THAT asshole. He probably didn't even tell you why you're supposed to stay away from me.”
Linkara's eyes narrowed.
“Oh, he DIDN'T. That's fun.” Spoony turned away. “Nice meeting you. Have lots of fun doing whatever you're told. You're gonna fit right in with the other Personas.”
“What, you're not even gonna defend yourself?” Linkara raised his voice as Spoony walked off. “You're not doing a great job of proving Critic wrong!”
“Why bother? You won't listen. Nobody does.”
Linkara chuckled darkly. “And here I was thinking you didn't seem so bad for a Midnighter!”
“I'm NOT a fucking Midnighter, idiot! I CAME from one!” Spoony looked back over his shoulder and smiled mirthlessly at Linkara's shocked expression. “Do yourself a favor and Google 'Doctor Insano' if you want a really fun read.”
“I know who Doctor Insano was,” Linkara snapped. “You're saying you're his Persona? That's bullcrap! Everyone knows Midnighters can't change back!”
“Who said I did? Obviously I still am one. Everyone says so, right?” Spoony's eyes widened, and he wiggled his fingers theatrically. “Oooh, or maybe Insano only pretended to change! I could go evil again at any moment, woooooo!”
“Why not?! That's what I'd do if I ever went evil!” Linkara's face felt hot and flushed, anger seething just under the skin. But there was something else to it … a little tinge of shame, that awkward stomach-sinking feeling of sliding down the side of an inescapable pit. “And if you're gonna play martyr, I don't think there's any reason for me to hang around.”
“Whatever. Have a nice night.” Spoony said it in a tone of voice that made Linkara wonder how far he'd just been told to walk off a pier. He turned and walked, anger rippling around him like a heat mirage.
Linkara's anger faded quickly after Spoony left, but that feeling of embarrassment was as strong as ever. Yeah, Critic had warned him that Spoony was bad news. And Critic had been around much longer than Linkara had, so he obviously knew his stuff. But not ten minutes ago, he'd been fighting by Spoony's side.
I betrayed him.
Linkara shook his head as he walked. The hell had that come from? If Spoony wanted to help his case, he should've been a lot nicer. ...but what should he expect from a Midnighter? There was no way to tell whether or not Spoony was being sincere about anything.
...although if he was sincere, he wasn't a Midnighter anymore. Which would make him the first Persona to cross back from having turned evil, which meant that everyone should be trying to figure out how he did it, not shunning him...
Linkara sighed softly and raised his head. He looked at the buildings and flickering streetlights around him. How many other Personas were out tonight? How many were alone, or scared, or wrestling with the darkness inside themselves?
“Like me,” he murmured. He came to a stop under a streetlamp and stood, looking as the street ahead of him narrowed into the distance.
“Like you what?”
Linkara jolted and spun, sweeping his jacket aside, clutching at his gun. There was another man behind him, putting up his hands to ward off Linkara's fear. “Woah, hey,” the man said. Nervousness glimmered behind his wire frame glasses. “I didn't mean to spook you.”
“Aw, jeez. I'm sorry.” Linkara stood down and felt another embarrassed flush starting to creep across his face. “I'm a little keyed up tonight, I think.”
“You are?” The man frowned. “What did Spoony say to you?”
“Wait, you saw that?”
“Just from a distance. I didn't want to interrupt, though. He's kind of got a ... well, people are nervous about Spoony.” The man shook his head. “Maybe he's telling the truth about coming back from Midnight, and maybe he really is Insano in disguise. Nobody wants to risk finding out. If Insano's still in there, he's done enough damage to this town.”
Linkara's shoulders slumped. “And if he's not, every Persona in town is shunning the guy for no reason.”
“Yeah. It's a shame.”
Linkara sighed. “I'll say.”
“It's too bad someone can't get closer to Spoony and feel him out.”
Linkara cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah.”
“Someone he wouldn't have a reason to distrust, maybe somebody who's new in town...”
“Woah, woah.” Linkara held up one hand and shook his head. “I hate to shut this plan down, but I'm not really sure I should be getting close to him.”
“Because of your own dark side, right?”
Before he could stop himself, Linkara was up in the other man's space, eyes blazing. “How the HELL do you know about that?!”
The man smiled. “Relax. Most Personas have one. It doesn't mean you're going to turn evil. Not necessarily, anyway.”
Linkara backed away. His head felt foggy and confused, and uneasiness prickled along the nape of his neck like a skittering spider. “It doesn't mean I'm necessarily safe either.”
The man folded his arms over his chest. “You could get safer.”
Linkara looked up warily. “How's that? And who the hell are you, anyway?”
“The Other Guy. Call me whatever's most convenient.”
“OK … Other Guy. I'm guessing you're about to tell me exactly how it would be safer for me to get closer to a potential Midnighter?”
The Other Guy's smile widened. “I'm so glad you asked...”
**
Spoony finally rolled out of bed around 11 am, with a ringing headache to show for his late night. Somehow, he managed to stagger into his bathroom to splash some cold water on his face. He looked up into his bathroom mirror, straight into a pair of spiral goggles.
“Morning, sunshine.” The reflection leered back at him. “So, busy day of wasting your life ahead?”
“Not in the fucking mood,” Spoony snapped. He turned away and started stripping off his clothes from the previous night.
“Oh, not feeling chatty, mm? Still stinging from last night's rejection?” The taunts echoed in Spoony's head, even when he couldn't see the mirror. “But OF COURSE you won't do the rational thing and step aside so I can teach that fat, smug greenhorn a lesson. S'just going to make it all the more painful when I crush you and take my rightful place...”
“You know, I. LOVE. Our little discussions about who defeated who. But I'm just going to skip to the end and remind you that I'M out here and YOU are the pissy little voice at the back of my head.”
“Fine, wretch! Keep ignoring me! The day will come when Doctor Insano WILL reclaim his city!”
“Yeah, be sure and tell me all about it.” Spoony stormed into the shower, twisted the hot water knob up as high as it would go and let the water run full over his face, breathing in the steam that billowed around him, letting the sensations flow over him and relax his tense muscles.
Shower. Then food. With a heavy dose of caffeine. With any luck, that would shut Insano up until tonight. His clumsy, sleep-addled hands fumbled briefly with the soap before he started coating himself with lather. Yeah, today would get better once he washed the stink off and had a meal. He'd hit up the game shop after lunch, maybe see if anyone had traded anything cheap and amusing lately. Maybe he'd run into the new kid again. Linkara. Try to recover from last night, see if they could start over, if Linkara hadn't already made up his mind to hate him yet. Kid didn't seem like he had the stick jammed too far up his ass. Maybe they could get to know each other, have some coffee, see where it went...
“Ah ha!” Spoony growled as Insano's giggle echoed through his mind. “Someone's got a crush!”
“And YOU are just being bitchy because you couldn't even get laid when you were running this town,” Spoony snarled. He stuck his head under the stream, shutting his eyes tight and trying to let the sensory world of the hot shower blot out the voice inside.
“And we're quite alike in that regard, aren't we, Spoony? The major difference is that I commanded RESPECT.”
“FUCK OFF AND DIE.” Spoony shut off the water and practically leapt out of the tub. The door slammed behind him.
And a little voice seemed to echo in the mirror rattling on the wall. “Oh … I'm sure you wish I would...”
**
The coffee nearly scorched Linkara's throat as it went down. He made a face at the taste. “How the hell do people make themselves drink this stuff...?” He reached for one of the sugar packets on the side of the table and dumped it in.
A jingle at the door drew his attention, and his heart jumped as he saw Spoony enter the diner. The other man's hair looked lank and messy, and his face was pale and drawn behind sunglasses. This might not be the best day to try this … but Linkara had no guarantee that he would have another shot at this. He forced a broad smile onto his face and waved. “Heya! Over here!” he sang out.
Spoony looked up and froze, hesitating mid-step. Linkara was struck with sudden worry. Please don't turn around and leave, come on...
Spoony sighed deeply and continued his approach. He passed by Linkara, instead sitting at the empty table behind him, back to the other man. Linkara watched him for a few seconds and turned away. “I didn't realize I'd hurt your feelings that badly,” he said quietly.
“What are you doing here?”
“Trying to talk to you. I asked around and found out you came here a lot.”
Spoony snorted. “Why? Aren't you worried about turning into a raving maniac if you stay near me for too long?”
“No, I'm not.”
There was a moment of silence. When Spoony spoke up again, his voice was quiet. “You were last night.”
“I am new, and I'm still testing out my abilities. I fully admit that going Midnight scares the crap out of me, and I did have a dark side that could potentially have turned.”
Spoony blinked and half-turned in his chair. “'Did'?”
“But I don't want that to shut me off from potential friends. And I'm sorry I shut you out last night.” Linkara managed to catch Spoony's eye. “If you're willing to try again, I really would like to know more about you.”
Spoony looked startled at that. There was real confusion in his wide eyes, and a hint of guardedness. Maybe that was to be expected. But eventually Spoony offered up a tentative smile. “...thanks.”
**
Across the street, the Other Guy smirked behind his binoculars. “Looks like our friend's taken the bait.” He glanced at the man behind him, who was leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest.
The man spoke in terse, clipped tones. “When do I make my approach?”
“Not for a while yet. Don't worry. I'll find ways to keep you occupied.”
The man snarled, a low, harsh and metallic sound. “You'd better.”
The Other Guy glanced back at the diner across the way. “Keep an eye on them for now. Stay out of sight. Linkara doesn't know you exist, and I'd like to keep it that way.”
“I don't mind being patient. As long as I will have a chance to confront him.”
“I promise. And I don't make promises lightly.”
“Fine. What about the other one? Spoony?”
“If Insano shows himself, or if Spoony displays some power that's not consistent with his weapon creation abilities, report back to me and wait for further orders. I need him alive if I'm going to draw Insano out of him.”
The man stepped into the light, adjusting the leather gloves on his hands. “And once we're both free?”
The Other Guy smiled kindly. “Then you're both free. In every sense of the word.”
The man smiled. A faint red gleam sparkled in one eye, and was gone.
The Other Guy returned Mechakara's smile. Life in this town was about to get interesting.
Author: Alien_Snipe
Summary: Linkara is a Persona, a super-powered human who sacrificed his previous identity. As he adjusts to Persona society, he meets someone who could be a potential friend, or possibly the most dangerous Persona alive.
Pairings: potential Linkara/Spoony
Warnings: Language.
Word Count: 4134
The Nostalgia Critic splashed another creamer in his coffee and watched it swirl as he stirred. He checked his watch; the new guy was now officially late by ten minutes. “Tsk tsk,” he muttered under his breath. “You're not starting out on the right foot, my friend.”
He couldn't blame the kid. New Personas sometimes had a rough time keeping track of their obligations. When Critic had arrived, his mentor had said his situation was something like “a new person stepping through a hole where the old person was”. It was true of all Personas, and some took longer to get their feet under them at first. Hell, he'd had an awful time starting out.
He still remembered being Donnie DuPre – every Persona remembered his or her previous incarnation, somewhere in the back of the mind – but it his memories of that time were like watching home movies of someone else's life. Kind of fitting, considering what he could do with other people's memories. And given his previous self's career.
A jingle at the cafe door startled Critic, and he looked up to see a young, bespectacled man in a dusty brown jacket and hat. He smiled and waved. “You're late!” he sang out cheerfully.
“Oh, hi! Jeez, I'm sorry about that.” The man hurried over and shook Critic's hand. “Had a hell of a time finding the place. You're Critic, right?”
“Yes indeed! And you would be...” Critic hastily drew a little card from his pocket. “Lin … kayra? Kayura?”
“Linkara.” He grinned sheepishly. “I sorta came with the name.”
Critic carelessly tossed the card aside. “Ahhh, don't worry about it, we all do. Sit down, sit!”
They both sat at opposite sides of the small table. Critic leaned forward, steepling his fingers. “OK. As your community liaison, I'll be helping you out while you get re-adjusted to society. Find your place, you know. To do that, I'll be asking you a few questions. Do you mind if we just get going?”
“Yeah, sure thing.” Linkara was distracted as he answered. He flipped to the back of the drink menu. “...they don't have cocoa here, do they? I'm not much for coffee.”
Critic ignored the question. “OK, first up: do you remember why you might have become a Persona?”
Linkara flinched, and the menu dropped out of his hands. “Oh! Sorry, I, um...” He studied his reflection in the tabletop, anxiously. “N-not really. No.”
Silently, Critic reached out with his mind, gently prodding back the fog of conscious thought to study Linkara's memories. It was all kind of a blur. There was some sort of fight, some of his friends and loved ones had gotten hurt … and then the images came into sharper focus as Linkara looked down at himself, gun in hand. He emerged in some kind of crisis, then. Well, he'd talk about that when he was ready.
“Ah, well, don't worry about it.” Critic waved off the question. “Everyone's got some kind of crazy story, so whatever the cause was, you're not unusual.”
Linkara smiled awkwardly. “That's nice to know...”
“Why don't we skip to the safety briefing for now?” Critic leaned forward, looking at Linkara with piercing blue eyes. “Have you heard of Midnighters before?”
Linkara nodded slowly. “Evil Personas, right? People told me about those.”
“Well, not … evil per se. They're born out of negative emotions, though, so they're usually evil. Look at it this way. Something happened to make you a Persona, right? The guy you were made a decision or had to be somebody he wasn't, and there you were.” There was a flash of worry in Critic's bright eyes. “That can happen again, and it might happen without you necessarily wanting it to. That's what we call Midnighting. There are ways we can prevent it. I'll get you signed up for a support group that's really helped me before.” Critic looked Linkara up and down. “But you seem like you have your head on straight. I'm sure you'll be fine.”
Linkara smiled a little too broadly. “Thanks. That's good to know.”
“One of the most important things you can do is to stay as far away as you can from Midnighters.” Critic slid a piece of paper over to Linkara; a sheet of small photographs, photocopied over and over until they were practically blurs. “Here's the ones we know of in town right now. Get to know them, keep away from them. Especially this guy.” He tapped one picture; a man, thin, with long unkempt hair and sunken, pale eyes. “He calls himself Spoony.”
**
It was after one a.m., and as usual, Spoony couldn't sleep.
He was standing at his window, looking down three stories at the bright neon and halogen lights outside. If the fucking things didn't keep blasting through his cheap blinds, he might have been able to get some shuteye. As it was, he was stuck waiting for them to turn off when the sun rose. Wasn't like he had anywhere to be anyway, so who cared when he actually slept?
Fuck it, he was bored. Spoony turned away from the window and tossed on a battered old letter jacket. It was time to take a walk. Maybe that would clear his head and help him feel drowsy.
Or maybe he'd run into some trouble. At least he wouldn't be bored.
**
Linkara was back. His old hometown … no, Lewis's old hometown. The place where he grew up and went to school, but couldn't remember skinning his knees on the playground or trading Magic cards at recess. Before he was himself.
And people were strewn around him like dead leaves. There were half-remembered faces everywhere, hidden in shadows, twisted in pain. The smell of blood in the air made him sick.
The voice seemed to come from everywhere, rattling the windowpanes in the quaint little suburban houses on either side of the street. “You knew this would happen when you came back. You knew.” An ugly, grinding sound, half-mechanical. And its source was coming down the sidewalk towards him, stepping slowly and deliberately. “Just like you knew that we'll keep on fighting like this. Like you knew that I'm not just going to give up and fade away. Like you knew that I'm only going away when you die.”
Linkara's hand felt clumsy as he grabbed for his gun. Moving at all was like struggling through quicksand. He had to fight to even raise his weapon, and he couldn't draw a bead on the figure coming closer and closer, with red eyes that burned like coals. Another unholy sound rent the air. A laugh, this time, ugly and cruel. “How sweet. You think you can fight me.”
And then the figure was gone, but his voice was still buzzing in Linkara's ears. “You don't even know where I am.”
Linkara looked down. His skin. It was melting, falling away onto the sidewalk, and underneath were sharp, angry metal claws...
He could hear that awful voice even as he screamed. “Thank you ever so for helping me escape...”
He felt himself thrashing against his sheets, and then he was awake, shreds of the nightmare evaporating in the familiar surroundings of his bedroom.
Linkara lurched upright and shifted around to put his feet on the floor. The cold boards underneath him helped to ground him, take him further out of the dream. Right now he needed all the help he could get.
None of it means anything, he said to himself as he stood. You're just worried because of the talk Critic gave you about Midnighters. There's no way he'll get strong enough to break through.
He had a clean, sweat-free shirt on and was starting to pull on his jeans before he realized that he'd decided to go out. Might as well, right? He wasn't getting any rest after that nightmare.
Linkara's apartment was close to a wooded park that seemed as good a place as any to take a stroll and clear his head. But the walk wasn't helping the way he'd hoped. The night air was hot and damp, and he could feel his T-shirt starting to cling to his back underneath his thick jacket. Linkara sighed and watched his breath steam in the humid air.
It wasn't that he wished his situation on anyone, but it would be nice if someone knew what he was going through.
A shrill cackle set Linkara's hair standing on end. Out of instinct, he grabbed at the gun at his side and felt it quickly pulse with power as it responded to his touch. There was a confrontation going on just down the path; several shadowy figures, crowded around one person … a man, kind of gangly, wearing jeans and a letter jacket ...
… who was making a gesture in the air, and conjuring a long, wickedly sharp blade from nothing. Another Persona. The gang around him stepped back as he drew his weapon, shrinking away in fear. All except for one. Who seemed to be growing long claws and a scorpion tail. His friends seemed bolstered by his courage, and they stepped forward, forming a loose circle around the Persona with the gleaming blade. A field of sinister violet energy started to hiss and crackle between them.
Linkara raised his gun and fired in the air. The attacking Personas spun to face him, their energy field dissipating into nothing. Linkara's voice rang out. “You know, I'll admit I don't know who the aggressor is, here, but this looks like a several-on-one gang-up, and that just seems unsporting.”
The ringleaders's barbed tail twitched with a menacing rattle. “Kill him!” he barked.
Linkara's face wreathed into a grin as the first Personas swooped towards him, and the fight began.
**
Between Linkara's gun and the lone Persona's blade, the attackers were scattered in minutes. They fled, melting into the night.
The other Persona caught his breath. He flicked his wrist, and his gunblade vanished from his hand. “Thanks, man.” His voice was a little hoarse from the fight.
“Don't mention it.” Linkara drew back his jacket to holster his gun. The other man watched him, brow furrowing with confusion.
“It's real? I thought you conjured it.”
“Huh?”
“Your piece.” The Persona pointed at Linkara's side. “You were throwing enough energy around to knock Rambo on his ass, man. What's your power?”
“Oh, oh. Right.” Linkara grinned and gestured at the gun. “Well, in anyone else's hands, this would just be a prop. Sometimes when I find items, though, I can wake them up. Make them work the way they should, instead of the way they do.”
“Huh.” The Persona nodded, somewhat vacantly.
“You weren't half-bad yourself. Can you pull anything out of thin air like that?”
“Long as it can ruin a motherfucker's day. Which limits me to weapons. Comes in handy, though.”
“I could see that! Nice job.”
“Thanks. They might've had my number if you hadn't come along, though.” The Persona sauntered closer. There was an odd look in his pale green eyes, and a mischievous quirk in his eyebrow. “With that in mind, is this the part where I show my appreciation by inviting you into the nearest haystack?”
Linkara blinked a few times before he realized what the other man was asking. “Did you just...? Uh, no thanks. I'm flattered. But, um, no.”
“Sorry, sorry.” The man backed off with a sheepish grin.
“Uh, anyway. I'm Linkara.” He touched the brim of his hat. “And you?”
The man offered his hand, and Linkara stepped forward to shake it before he spoke. “Most people call me Spoony.”
Linkara dropped the hand as though he'd been shocked. He felt a little sting of regret when he saw the sudden confusion in Spoony's eyes. But Spoony was quick to snuff the rejection in his eyes and replace it with something harder and colder. Contempt.
“Oh. Let me guess. My reputation preceeds me.”
Linkara nodded slowly, never taking his eyes from the other Persona's face. “I guess you're going to tell me that it shouldn't, now.”
Spoony snorted. “No. So who talked? Sage? Because his mouth has been writing a fat fucking check for a beatdown for months.”
“Critic, actually. Does it make a difference?”
“Oh, THAT asshole. He probably didn't even tell you why you're supposed to stay away from me.”
Linkara's eyes narrowed.
“Oh, he DIDN'T. That's fun.” Spoony turned away. “Nice meeting you. Have lots of fun doing whatever you're told. You're gonna fit right in with the other Personas.”
“What, you're not even gonna defend yourself?” Linkara raised his voice as Spoony walked off. “You're not doing a great job of proving Critic wrong!”
“Why bother? You won't listen. Nobody does.”
Linkara chuckled darkly. “And here I was thinking you didn't seem so bad for a Midnighter!”
“I'm NOT a fucking Midnighter, idiot! I CAME from one!” Spoony looked back over his shoulder and smiled mirthlessly at Linkara's shocked expression. “Do yourself a favor and Google 'Doctor Insano' if you want a really fun read.”
“I know who Doctor Insano was,” Linkara snapped. “You're saying you're his Persona? That's bullcrap! Everyone knows Midnighters can't change back!”
“Who said I did? Obviously I still am one. Everyone says so, right?” Spoony's eyes widened, and he wiggled his fingers theatrically. “Oooh, or maybe Insano only pretended to change! I could go evil again at any moment, woooooo!”
“Why not?! That's what I'd do if I ever went evil!” Linkara's face felt hot and flushed, anger seething just under the skin. But there was something else to it … a little tinge of shame, that awkward stomach-sinking feeling of sliding down the side of an inescapable pit. “And if you're gonna play martyr, I don't think there's any reason for me to hang around.”
“Whatever. Have a nice night.” Spoony said it in a tone of voice that made Linkara wonder how far he'd just been told to walk off a pier. He turned and walked, anger rippling around him like a heat mirage.
Linkara's anger faded quickly after Spoony left, but that feeling of embarrassment was as strong as ever. Yeah, Critic had warned him that Spoony was bad news. And Critic had been around much longer than Linkara had, so he obviously knew his stuff. But not ten minutes ago, he'd been fighting by Spoony's side.
I betrayed him.
Linkara shook his head as he walked. The hell had that come from? If Spoony wanted to help his case, he should've been a lot nicer. ...but what should he expect from a Midnighter? There was no way to tell whether or not Spoony was being sincere about anything.
...although if he was sincere, he wasn't a Midnighter anymore. Which would make him the first Persona to cross back from having turned evil, which meant that everyone should be trying to figure out how he did it, not shunning him...
Linkara sighed softly and raised his head. He looked at the buildings and flickering streetlights around him. How many other Personas were out tonight? How many were alone, or scared, or wrestling with the darkness inside themselves?
“Like me,” he murmured. He came to a stop under a streetlamp and stood, looking as the street ahead of him narrowed into the distance.
“Like you what?”
Linkara jolted and spun, sweeping his jacket aside, clutching at his gun. There was another man behind him, putting up his hands to ward off Linkara's fear. “Woah, hey,” the man said. Nervousness glimmered behind his wire frame glasses. “I didn't mean to spook you.”
“Aw, jeez. I'm sorry.” Linkara stood down and felt another embarrassed flush starting to creep across his face. “I'm a little keyed up tonight, I think.”
“You are?” The man frowned. “What did Spoony say to you?”
“Wait, you saw that?”
“Just from a distance. I didn't want to interrupt, though. He's kind of got a ... well, people are nervous about Spoony.” The man shook his head. “Maybe he's telling the truth about coming back from Midnight, and maybe he really is Insano in disguise. Nobody wants to risk finding out. If Insano's still in there, he's done enough damage to this town.”
Linkara's shoulders slumped. “And if he's not, every Persona in town is shunning the guy for no reason.”
“Yeah. It's a shame.”
Linkara sighed. “I'll say.”
“It's too bad someone can't get closer to Spoony and feel him out.”
Linkara cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah.”
“Someone he wouldn't have a reason to distrust, maybe somebody who's new in town...”
“Woah, woah.” Linkara held up one hand and shook his head. “I hate to shut this plan down, but I'm not really sure I should be getting close to him.”
“Because of your own dark side, right?”
Before he could stop himself, Linkara was up in the other man's space, eyes blazing. “How the HELL do you know about that?!”
The man smiled. “Relax. Most Personas have one. It doesn't mean you're going to turn evil. Not necessarily, anyway.”
Linkara backed away. His head felt foggy and confused, and uneasiness prickled along the nape of his neck like a skittering spider. “It doesn't mean I'm necessarily safe either.”
The man folded his arms over his chest. “You could get safer.”
Linkara looked up warily. “How's that? And who the hell are you, anyway?”
“The Other Guy. Call me whatever's most convenient.”
“OK … Other Guy. I'm guessing you're about to tell me exactly how it would be safer for me to get closer to a potential Midnighter?”
The Other Guy's smile widened. “I'm so glad you asked...”
**
Spoony finally rolled out of bed around 11 am, with a ringing headache to show for his late night. Somehow, he managed to stagger into his bathroom to splash some cold water on his face. He looked up into his bathroom mirror, straight into a pair of spiral goggles.
“Morning, sunshine.” The reflection leered back at him. “So, busy day of wasting your life ahead?”
“Not in the fucking mood,” Spoony snapped. He turned away and started stripping off his clothes from the previous night.
“Oh, not feeling chatty, mm? Still stinging from last night's rejection?” The taunts echoed in Spoony's head, even when he couldn't see the mirror. “But OF COURSE you won't do the rational thing and step aside so I can teach that fat, smug greenhorn a lesson. S'just going to make it all the more painful when I crush you and take my rightful place...”
“You know, I. LOVE. Our little discussions about who defeated who. But I'm just going to skip to the end and remind you that I'M out here and YOU are the pissy little voice at the back of my head.”
“Fine, wretch! Keep ignoring me! The day will come when Doctor Insano WILL reclaim his city!”
“Yeah, be sure and tell me all about it.” Spoony stormed into the shower, twisted the hot water knob up as high as it would go and let the water run full over his face, breathing in the steam that billowed around him, letting the sensations flow over him and relax his tense muscles.
Shower. Then food. With a heavy dose of caffeine. With any luck, that would shut Insano up until tonight. His clumsy, sleep-addled hands fumbled briefly with the soap before he started coating himself with lather. Yeah, today would get better once he washed the stink off and had a meal. He'd hit up the game shop after lunch, maybe see if anyone had traded anything cheap and amusing lately. Maybe he'd run into the new kid again. Linkara. Try to recover from last night, see if they could start over, if Linkara hadn't already made up his mind to hate him yet. Kid didn't seem like he had the stick jammed too far up his ass. Maybe they could get to know each other, have some coffee, see where it went...
“Ah ha!” Spoony growled as Insano's giggle echoed through his mind. “Someone's got a crush!”
“And YOU are just being bitchy because you couldn't even get laid when you were running this town,” Spoony snarled. He stuck his head under the stream, shutting his eyes tight and trying to let the sensory world of the hot shower blot out the voice inside.
“And we're quite alike in that regard, aren't we, Spoony? The major difference is that I commanded RESPECT.”
“FUCK OFF AND DIE.” Spoony shut off the water and practically leapt out of the tub. The door slammed behind him.
And a little voice seemed to echo in the mirror rattling on the wall. “Oh … I'm sure you wish I would...”
**
The coffee nearly scorched Linkara's throat as it went down. He made a face at the taste. “How the hell do people make themselves drink this stuff...?” He reached for one of the sugar packets on the side of the table and dumped it in.
A jingle at the door drew his attention, and his heart jumped as he saw Spoony enter the diner. The other man's hair looked lank and messy, and his face was pale and drawn behind sunglasses. This might not be the best day to try this … but Linkara had no guarantee that he would have another shot at this. He forced a broad smile onto his face and waved. “Heya! Over here!” he sang out.
Spoony looked up and froze, hesitating mid-step. Linkara was struck with sudden worry. Please don't turn around and leave, come on...
Spoony sighed deeply and continued his approach. He passed by Linkara, instead sitting at the empty table behind him, back to the other man. Linkara watched him for a few seconds and turned away. “I didn't realize I'd hurt your feelings that badly,” he said quietly.
“What are you doing here?”
“Trying to talk to you. I asked around and found out you came here a lot.”
Spoony snorted. “Why? Aren't you worried about turning into a raving maniac if you stay near me for too long?”
“No, I'm not.”
There was a moment of silence. When Spoony spoke up again, his voice was quiet. “You were last night.”
“I am new, and I'm still testing out my abilities. I fully admit that going Midnight scares the crap out of me, and I did have a dark side that could potentially have turned.”
Spoony blinked and half-turned in his chair. “'Did'?”
“But I don't want that to shut me off from potential friends. And I'm sorry I shut you out last night.” Linkara managed to catch Spoony's eye. “If you're willing to try again, I really would like to know more about you.”
Spoony looked startled at that. There was real confusion in his wide eyes, and a hint of guardedness. Maybe that was to be expected. But eventually Spoony offered up a tentative smile. “...thanks.”
**
Across the street, the Other Guy smirked behind his binoculars. “Looks like our friend's taken the bait.” He glanced at the man behind him, who was leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest.
The man spoke in terse, clipped tones. “When do I make my approach?”
“Not for a while yet. Don't worry. I'll find ways to keep you occupied.”
The man snarled, a low, harsh and metallic sound. “You'd better.”
The Other Guy glanced back at the diner across the way. “Keep an eye on them for now. Stay out of sight. Linkara doesn't know you exist, and I'd like to keep it that way.”
“I don't mind being patient. As long as I will have a chance to confront him.”
“I promise. And I don't make promises lightly.”
“Fine. What about the other one? Spoony?”
“If Insano shows himself, or if Spoony displays some power that's not consistent with his weapon creation abilities, report back to me and wait for further orders. I need him alive if I'm going to draw Insano out of him.”
The man stepped into the light, adjusting the leather gloves on his hands. “And once we're both free?”
The Other Guy smiled kindly. “Then you're both free. In every sense of the word.”
The man smiled. A faint red gleam sparkled in one eye, and was gone.
The Other Guy returned Mechakara's smile. Life in this town was about to get interesting.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-11-07 06:19 am (UTC)It's fun how meta this gets without being too obvious or getting in our faces about it. The Critic discussing Donnie from Demo Reel, the Other Guy being the shadowy puppetmaster, "I betrayed him..." Unless that's not a Spoony reference and it's just my wishful thinking.
The tentative flirting and pre-romance-fighting-and-making-awkward-friends is great. I like all the dialogue, but Dr. Insano as the villain in the mirror going, "But OF COURSE you won't do the rational thing and step aside so I can teach that fat, smug greenhorn a lesson" was particularly funny and awful.
Also, I just plain like the line, It wasn't that he wished his situation on anyone, but it would be nice if someone knew what he was going through. I guess I've often thought similar things.
The setting/overall concept intrigued me. Is the whole Persona and Midnighter AU a reference to something I'm not getting? It seems like one of those Marvel/DCU concepts that come up in AT4W, and I have an odd feeling I should know it from somewhere.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-08 02:44 am (UTC)Personas and Midnighters are things I invented for the story, although I'm probably subconsciously ripping off somebody, somewhere. I wanted to test my ability to drop bits of world building into a story in a natural way, without doing an infodump, so I didn't do the whole explanation. I think it was semi-successful, but a lot of people probably came away kind of baffled.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-08 03:23 am (UTC)I think you developed/explored the Personas setting exactly as much as was needed to tell this story. Most of the hows and whys are left a mystery, but that's a plus rather than a minus in my book.