[PUNCH CLOCK ANIMAL] MAYBEQUEST: PART 1

[skinstealer]

You press the button going up, and you swear that you feel your heart about to pound out of your chest. This is it. 

Maes is still looking up at you, and you give her hand a squeeze for strength. 
  

MAY: Seriously, it’s gonna be okay.
MAY: You’re gonna get out of here and we’re gonna have a new life.
MAES: ...away from Mom…
MAY: ...yeah. Away from her.

 
There’s a moment of silence before she speaks up again. 

MAES: She’s going to be really mad at me for going away.
MAES: I had stuff to do with her, and now I’m not going to do it.
MAY: Y-yeah?
MAES: She was going to teach me more about reading. I’m still learning.
MAY: Well hey, we can learn together out there.

 
Her eyes widen. 

MAES: You don’t know how to read?
MAY: Nope. Never got taught.
MAES: Oh...I thought all grown ups knew how.
MAY: ...not all of us were lucky enough to get classes, kid.
MAES: Mom does say stuff like that a lot…
MAES: That me and Mel and Mason are lucky, because she’ll teach us things and take care of us and give us food…
MAY: Yeah.
MAY: Lot of us didn’t get that. So...I guess I’m gonna start doing that for myself, now.
MAY: And I figure we can do that other stuff for you three too. Somehow.

  
She smiles a little, and you feel relief wash over you. Maybe you’re not so bad at this.
  

 
You hear something going on behind you, and your ear twitches as you listen in.

FULLER: Not now. 
FULLER: Leave her be.
NELSON: I just want to check on her-
FULLER: She’s talking with one of the kids, have some decency and give her some space.
FULLER: Frankly the two of you shouldn’t be attached at the hip anyway, you’re playing a dangerous game with your whole...relationship, and I don’t like it.
NELSON: But-
FULLER: But nothing.

  
You catch a sigh, and from the corner of your eye you can see Fuller massaging their temple. 

FULLER: I appreciate you stepping in and fighting for us earlier.
FULLER: You clearly want to be a part of this team and you’re willing to make things happen.
FULLER: But I do not trust a guard who’s willing to get into some kind of messed up, whatever you have, with another maybecat. 
FULLER: I may not have grown up with the others or gone through the mutation process, but I still have the collar to prove I’m considered one of them.
FULLER: And I know enough about us and my own studies on psychology to know that what you’re doing is wrong. 
FULLER: So don’t test my patience-

 
Their voice is like ice. 
  

FULLER: Or you’re going to be sorely missing having a doctor around to help you specifically.
FULLER: Understand?
NELSON: ...got it. 

  

 
They grow silent, and your urge to eavesdrop continues as you listen for what else is going on in the hallway. There’s a sudden noise of alarm from your other side, and you whip around to see Melanie stagger and nearly collapse.

Chance is already on it. He reacts quickly and scoops her up, then winces in pain, having to catch himself on the wall with his other hand.

CHANCE: I got you. You okay?
MELANIE: I'm o-okay-!
MELANIE: Just feel weird, I think...

 
She looks up at him, startled when she sees the bruises on his arms.

MELANIE: You're hurt!
MELANIE: Why-

 
He follows her eyeline as he sets her down.

CHANCE: Oh this?
CHANCE: I got hurt earlier, from Bazil.
CHANCE: But I'm okay! Promise.
CHANCE: It's no big deal at all.
MELANIE: Bazil? 
MELANIE: Who's Bazil?
MELANIE: What happened?

 
Her brows furrow, the kid clearly distressed. Chance opens his mouth, the words not quite coming out yet.

CHANCE: ...Bazil's the person we met earlier.
CHANCE: We had a disagreement, but he turned out to be nice.
CHANCE: ...You don't... remember at all?
MELANIE: No...
MELANIE: I'm sorry...

Melanie seems to droop a little, upset with herself- but you swear there's something off about it, where things are just a bit different than when she got upset earlier.

You can't put your finger on it, though.

Chance's shoulders drop almost imperceptibly. 

You catch a glance at his face. It's difficult to read, but he seems almost... despondent. His eyes are sullen, the smile he usually has around the kids eroding away.

But, it picks back up again quickly. His tone grows quieter now, though; as if how he responded suddenly became much more important.

CHANCE: ...That's okay. It might've been a little scary, so you forgot, that's all. 
CHANCE: It happens. You don't need to worry.

  
He looks down at his bruised arms.

CHANCE: ...We're both having a little trouble right now, huh?
CHANCE: But we can work on it together, right?
MELANIE: Okay...okay.
MELANIE: We'll be okay.
MELANIE: Right?

 
He nods.

CHANCE: We'll be okay.
CHANCE: Just have to ride up the elevator, and we're out of here.
CHANCE: ...I've always got you, okay?

Chance notices her still-worried expression.

CHANCE: Here.

He crouches down, putting his hands behind him.

CHANCE: For old time's sake.
CHANCE: How's that sound?

  


She nods and immediately goes for it, clambering up onto his back. 

MELANIE: I'm ready!

 
He hops up with her in tow, paying no attention to any pain he might've felt from holding her.

CHANCE: Elevator should be here aaaany minute.
CHANCE: We can ride up like this, if you want to!

 
Melanie seems cheered up immediately, all signs of distress gone from her face. 
  

MELANIE: Yeah!!

 


...you file this interaction away with a sense of unease, and turn your attention to the last two members of your party.

DWAYNE: Hey, kiddo.
MASON: ...don’t call me that.
DWAYNE: You got it.
DWAYNE: Just wanted to know how you’re holding up after all that.
MASON: I’m...fine.
DWAYNE: You weren’t scared-
MASON: No.
MASON: I could have helped if the doctor let me.
DWAYNE: I dunno about that, though your guts are appreciated.
DWAYNE: Good to see that kind of courage on the team.
MASON: Yeah?
MASON: You think I’m brave?
DWAYNE: I mean, you walked right up to that guy after he kicked the sh- the tar out of Chance. 
DWAYNE: I couldn’t have done that. I was terrified of him!
DWAYNE: Braver than me, at the very least.
MASON: Heh…
DWAYNE: Hey, I got a smile out of you.
DWAYNE: First time I’ve seen that.

Mason doesn’t give a response, and there’s a moment before Dwayne starts up again.

DWAYNE: You really need out of here, huh?
MASON: ...yeah.
MASON: I don’t...want to leave Mom, but she’s…
DWAYNE: Mean?
MASON: Yeah...she hurts me a lot.
MASON: I end up getting all bloody and messy when they do the tests and everyone makes a fuss but they keep doing it…
DWAYNE: You won’t have to deal with any more of that.
DWAYNE: I’ll punch anybody who starts anything with you, got that?
MASON: I thought you weren’t brave.
DWAYNE: Well...I can learn.

The elevator dings as the doors start to open, and everyone freezes. It’s large and completely empty.
Nobody moves at first.

MAY: Come on. Let’s go.

Everyone starts filing in, spacing out throughout the elevator. You stand by the buttons, ready to push- until you realize you can’t read any of them. 

MAY: Uh...help, somebody. Reading.
FULLER: I got it.

 
Fuller presses the top button, and the doors close. The elevator starts moving slowly, and you feel a bit woozy at the feeling- you’d only been on these when they were transporting you around the cell blocks growing up, and you don’t think you’d ever get used to it. Blech. 

But then-

It stops, jolting everyone around. 

NELSON: What’s going on?!
FULLER: I- I don’t know, I didn’t touch anything-
DWAYNE: We can’t be close to the surface already-

The elevator is cast in red as a light above the door flickers on, and the voice that comes from the speaker nearby is unmistakable.
 

ANYA: You all thought you could make your way out of here just like that, didn’t you?
ANYA: I knew I couldn’t count on Chelsea to clean things up.
ANYA: You may have gotten this far, but I’m not letting you progress any further.

ANYA: IT-573-

 
Nelson’s frown deepens as his old number is called, twisting into a snarl.  

ANYA: You’ve gone against your orders as a guard and let one of our candidates escape- though to call her a candidate really is pushing things, as she never had a chance anyway.
ANYA: I suppose I shouldn’t have expected better from your performance, considering you choose to sleep with something like her.
NELSON: Don’t talk about her like that!

 
Anya doesn’t respond, pressing forward. 
  

ANYA: IT-966, IT-394...you really have disappointed me as well. You had clean records up until this point, enough to the point where I allowed 966 to interact with my daughters.
ANYA: Words cannot describe the betrayal I feel at your mutiny-
ANYA: But I suppose my actions will make those feelings very clear.

 
Dwayne says nothing, gripping the straps of his backpack tighter.
Chance grits his teeth, but can’t hold his tongue.


  

CHANCE: They’ve always deserved better than you.

 
His rebellious streak peaks, going for a low-blow without raising his voice.

CHANCE: Really, anyone who could actually get things done for them.
CHANCE: Not some deadbeat.

His eyes widen, surprised at himself as he quickly shuts up. There's a moment of irritated hesitation before Anya presses on.

ANYA: MC-157...tch.

 
Fuller’s ears flop back, their gaze to the floor. 

ANYA: I knew raising one of you creatures as a doctor without my supervision would be a mistake.
ANYA: I always suspected your treachery, but to have it confirmed like this…Disgusting.

ANYA: And MC-173...oh, 173, you’re the real problem here, aren’t you?
ANYA: After all I’ve done for you.
ANYA: I’d say you could have had a chance at being one of my daughters, but any time spent on testing and training you was a waste.
ANYA: I’m glad I never bothered teaching you anything academic, because that would have been a completely futile effort spent on something that could never amount to anything. 
ANYA: And yet, I tried for years despite this, and you repaid me by
ANYA: KIDNAPPING 
ANYA: MY
ANYA: DAUGHTERS.

 

Her voice seems to nearly bust the speakers, everyone wincing. You think Maes is starting to cry a little, and you give her hand a squeeze, trying to look stronger than you feel right about now. Your blood is boiling and it’s all you can do to keep yourself from screaming right back at her, but judging from Nelson earlier, it wouldn’t do any good. 

 

ANYA: I will get them back.
ANYA: Maes and Melanie will be mine again, and you’ll sorely regret even thinking of crossing my path. 
ANYA: You foolish, idiotic mistakes.  
ANYA: But as for Margaret…

 

Mason flinches, his eyes welling up with tears as the next words leave the speaker. 

 

ANYA: You can keep her.
ANYA: She serves no use to me anymore.
ANYA: I’m sure you’ll get along well in your final hours. The two of you have so much in common, 173.
ANYA: Absolute, total failures.
ANYA: A waste of goddamn oxygen.

 

 
The elevator jolts, a sudden downward motion sending the party staggering.

 

ANYA: You will all pay for what you’ve done.
ANYA: And it will be a long, torturous death.
ANYA: Not at my hands, though, no.
ANYA: I can’t bear the idea of washing off your filthy remains.
ANYA: Enjoy your bodies twisting into horrid flesh, all before being eaten alive.
ANYA: Goodbye.

 

The elevator plunges.

END OF PART ONE