Some kind of "Post-Uranium RP" - Now finished and open for questions!

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

(@Laz0r C0mf0rt Oh. Well, in that issue, you’re indeed right. C:

@Lord Windos Replies to both will come anyday next week. I’m busy at the moment, and you seem occupied as well.

@all, please abstain from posting more of these not-serious-replies.)

[Lord Windos]

(@Laz0r C0mf0rt  Oh. Well, in that issue, you’re indeed right. ^-^ You're intaggable, I'm sorry.

@Lord Windos -you’re STILL intagable- Replies to both will come anyday next week. I’m busy at the moment, and you seem occupied as well.

@all, please abstain from posting more of these not-serious-replies.)

(More or less, yes. I have a paper to do, and need to get everything sorted out. Besides, I need a little break from the forums anyway. I'll have a couple of guides for the comp section when I come back, though.)

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Surprise. You thought this is dead? Nope, it’s not. Given I’m done with an important exam, you’re allowed to have the next part. Take your time to reply, I hope I didn’t make it worse for her…

Oh, and I'm also looking forward to read through your guides once you shared them. ^-^

Also replaced my custom design for Lucille with a more qualitative version.

---

(Well, I think it's a quite good idea with that open dialog between characters since I enjoy hearing/reading Sans talk, ergo your writing, and it somehow matches the current situation.
Did you came up with his full name by yourself? Because... awesomeness! Even with being totally unsure on how to pronounce it correctly.
I AM worried for the Nucleon... Not as much as its master [if she'd know], but still at some not unimportant amount.)


The silence that now lingered in the room wasn't the calm, enjoyable kind of silence. It was the fateful one, the dimness of the room seemed to increase it even more. The literal silence before a storm kicked in.

That sudden click of a door being unlocked from before almost startled Lucille to death. But she did well on hide that away, while it indeed served its purpose on Sans getting her attention. Oh, how she remembers his actual name, now that she watched him speaking of therapy and introducing himself with a slightly confused, but not impressed expression added to her face. She'd even say she liked the ring of it, if he weren't such a meanie to her from the very beginning back in the facility. Clearly he was the classy type of villain... Even if none was able to tell anymore who actually was the attacker and who got to be the victim in this whole issue.

..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................



Finally, it was her who broke the silence after hours it seemed of that guy bowing to the kidnapped female scientist and she just being focused on that weird situation. She couldn't help it anymore. It was just a whisper, but the anxious undertone of every single word echoed in the whole room, making the actual fear of the answer clearer than necessary.

" ..... what do you plan on doing with me?"

[Lord Windos]

(Sans first name is pronounced San- SILL- ski- ya. And no, you didn't make things worse for her.... cause he already was planning on telling her exactly her situation. Hehehehe....)

Sans chuckled, both at the subdued tone of her voice and the curiosity of their hitherto unknown fate; ever the scientist, it appears. While he expected far more volitile and vulgar reaction from the walking thermonuclear disaster, it appears that a little time in the Education Center has already done wonders for her attitude. There might be hope for her yet...depending on how thing proceed from here.

He straighten up from his position, and crossed both arms across his chest, the bulky, black material of the robe giving nothing away of his build. His slight laughter started to petter out, and he tilt his head at her, faux curiosity radiating from body language. "My, my, ever inquisitive, even in the face of your correctional therapy. I though your first question would be about the well-being of your 'family', but appear that even the minuscule amount of credit I gave you was disproportionate. Or maybe CURIE is still there, somewhere, still concerned only for herself and that THING she created," he said condescendingly, a his voice calm and fostering a smug lint.

Despite her best attempt as masking her emotion, he could still see the flash of horror play out on her face at the though of Vitor's and Kellyn's safety. He quietly snorted to himself at that; despite her lack of empathy for the people she affected, she somehow still has enough of a heart to give a damn about them. 'Ugh, how very, very gualling. She still has pretension of compassion, despite her apathy towards others she harmed. If she has the capacity to care so much about her family, then why.....?' He banished the though; the time for that line of question will come to pass soon enough.

Tsking, he spoke once more, though this time more gruffly. "Well, since you didn't ask, and I can see your worried- don't try to hide it, I can see through you like thin sheet of cellulose- your husband and son are doing alright. Last time I checked, Vitor is still attending the Sinnoh Breeder's Conferance, trying to showcase the result of our shiny research project. The little angel that he is, he's probably swamped by adoring fans by now," He put a (cloaked) hand on his (still shroaded) face, and sighed. He hates that, no matter what, Vitor and his father will be harmed, but he assure himself it is for the best. It has to be, right? He know he is not the only one wanting to bring justice to the nuclear bitch, and now the time is ripe . . . . .

"Your husband is still dealing with the situation in Snowbark Town, ever the striving hero. You could say he is a real 'Rescue Ranger', eh? Hehehehehe.... your wondering how I know all about this, right. I mean, if I was kidnapped and placed in a dark room with someone yammering about 'therapy and judgement', I'd be morbidly curious. And shitting my pant, but that is besides the point, and hey, I don't smell anything foul coming from yonder."

Sans slowly leaned forward, arms now behind his back, until he was face to face to Lucille. Staring into her eyes, he quietly said "Who do you think arranged for Vitor to leave for the conference, being trusted to conduct such a important task? What do you think cause the recent surge of criminal activity all away across the region, far away from here? Rather convenient that, only a few month after our last 'talk', that something big came up and called your 'love' away? Why was it that no-one has bothered you in these trying times, despite your importance as the 'Nuclear Scientist'?" He leaned further, his head going past he face and towards her left ear. Getting even closer, until she could feel the breath leaving his mouth, damping her earlobe.

"It was me. I have been watching you ever since you first made you way into society again, manipulating everything around and about you. Death threats, murder attempts, even open discrimination, are thing that I prevented, all to try to restore the peace and social order caused by the irradiated mess you left. I sacrificed my own feelings, and thousands of others happiness, just to spare Tandor from another massive political scandal. Well, until now, that is," he said to her, his voice low and melodious, like a sinster song snaking its way into her mind. "Now, after I got the chance to get to know you a little more, have decided that you have really learned anything since then. Your still the same selfish, uncaring, neurotic woman that gave birth to CURIE, and now there is no better time than to do something about it."

He, very slowly, returned to his standing position, giving the *Censored, my job is never done* so much undeserved space. He smiled at her, but she could not see that, so instead he florished his hand and gave his voice a more 'joyous' tone. "Ah, but I have kept you waiting, have I? What AM I going to do with you, now. You have been such a bad scientist, I had to plan for month on the best treatment option to give you~! I finally decide on a little...character exercise, since you seem ever so deficient in that. If you want to know more, well, we can get started..... that is, if you don't have anymore questions." Sans sighed dramatic at last part, throwing up his hand in exasperation. He said he was going to enjoy it, so he was going to damn well milk this whole setup until the udders have been thoroughly withered and pinched off.

So he lowered his hands, this time linking his robed sleeves together in front of him, and stared at his captive audience, head tilted in mock expectation.

(Well, who knew that he could be such a good conservationist? Oh wait, that right! Hehehehehehehehehe...)

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

So it was him.

All this time until just now Lucille actually believed that it was her well-known husband who protected her secretely from any of that harm Sans mentioned. Well, true story, both did not really talked about the past (for the greater good maybe)... But it didn't seem to spoil the love they still held for each other either... So it was only comprehensible that she assumed that in silent, and therefore happily relied on him for protection after being reunited with him and their son. Seeing this sweet belief being crushed in a mere second and having the scattered pieces thrown in her face without any mercy or warning creeped her out, and made her blood run cold. So in the end, it was just a dissapointed and angry man longing for justice who stalked her from the shadows and secretly pulled the strings in the background...?

The assurance that her family was safe, well and busy calmed her for a moment, and decreased the worries she tried to hide to a small amount. But who could make sure that Sans spoke the truth, and that there weren't others assigned by him, having orders to "take care" of both? She will only believe him fully once she saw it with her own eyes, and is able to welcome them back in her arms.

As Sans drew way too close to her, seemingly making good use of the fact that she is currently unable to avoid it or stop him from doing so, she gave him another death glare (well, what else was there to expect?), while his presence and words indeed gave her another cold shiver down the spine. Needless to say that she did NOT appreciate it that much if people invade her personal space or even touch her without being asked to do so... Damn, if only cute and faithful Nucleon were by her side now to defend its master.

While he was standing there now, openly enjoying the whole situation to an unpleasant level, Lucille spoke her mind once again. Her voice was calm and low like before, but this time a slightly annoyed and maybe even impatient undertone that could hardly be overheared dwelled within it.

"..... that did not answer my question. You keep on calling it 'therapy' and 'character exercise', but giving no hint at how this is supposed to look like." Well, her infamous mind was still clear enough to realize that there's no escape from his capture and that none would probably come to her rescue this time - she cursed on the inside because of falling for this whole thing - so she at least wanted to know what she'll be in for. And, important thing, she wanted to return home alive, and perferably in once piece and not completely broken.


(There you have it, I've saved it the whole time. Oh, and sure, you said he won't kill her. But none told that to her.)

[Lord Windos]

Sans tilted his head at his captive audience for a few minutes, pondering on how to respond to her. Well, besides silently cursing at how damn unresponsive she was being. Oh, sure, see able to keep a cool front as always, but he know that she worries, that she wonders if their is more to her situation than what he told her.

The problem, though, is that, despite everything he has said to her, both prior to and during the... 'consultation session', their is always that one quality in her that give her the strength, nay, ability to act without seeming concern or care of other, regardless of the situation: her fucking, godamn levels of self assurance. No matter the event, no matter the reason behind, and no matter what the happens to her, she always believe that, in the end, what she did was for the best.

'Even when their is blatent evidence to the contrary, such as the all the lovely radiation CURIE and her pet abomination spread across Tandor because of her EXTREMELY STUPID decision, she'll either still hold firm on her stance and keep that stick jammend up her hootch, or she'll hide behind rationalization and her inner numbness to avoid the awful truth. If their is anything that I need to take care of, for her to ingrain into her very being, is that she can be WRONG, and that to think of the consequence of their actions...' He thought, mulling over what he was going to say to her, before it hit him. Then he began to chuckle to himself, slowly but deeply, clearly enjoying what he was going to say to the nuclear whore.

He began to speak, mirth still is his voice, and said "Always in a hurry to get to the quick of the matter, eh Lucille? No dawdling, no hesitation, not even a brief consideration of the circumstance surround you. You are ever focused on the task at hand. While I have to admit that make you an excellent scientist, it makes you a very poor planner."

Slowly, he began to walk in circle around her, in attempt to further unnerve and disorient the bitch, and continue his dialogue.
"You know, every single thing you've done up until now, you have done without a trace of doubt in your heart. 'It'll work out in the end,' 'All will go according to plan,' he stop in front of her, 'I am still a good person,' he sneered at her, causing her to glare even harder at him. He scoffed at it, unamused by her attitude. Oh, he'll be sure to take care of that real soon...

Shaking his had, as in disbelief of some sort of notion (I wonder which one...), and to lightly berate her. "It all very good to be sure of your own abilities, but their is a thin line between confidence and sheer recklessness. If one does not caution themselves, does not plan or even think things through for even the briefest moment, trouble will happen. Every good scientist has a measure of uncertaintity in them, if their worth their salt, but you," he says, viterol briefly spiking in his tone, before it subsided,"never seemed to have that, until after your...little vacation from sanity. Even than, its in woeful shortage."

Suddenly, he rushed forward, and slams into her restrained risks, and gripps them tightly. His face, still concealed, was hover over the irradiated *Censor, I am never out of a job!*, and he spat out, all calmness lost from his voice, "IT IS YOUR SUICIDAL OVERCONFIDENCE THAT FUCKED EVERYTHING UP. Look back on the biggest failures of your life, your greatest achievements in studpidity! Accepting Larkspur's offer and position in his organization, even though you knew that he was dealing with shady business. Socializing and boding with that pet abomination of yours, without considering the fallout that would have on both its research and development! Finally, and, you could say, critically, is the decision that you made a decade or so ago."

Silence reigned for a few moment, as he let her absorb what he has been trying to get into her lead thick skull for ages, and continued on. "You know, since that was such a critical moment in history, why not go over it in greater detail, and get into depth of how much you fucked up in that single instance? There you are, at Nuclear Plant Epsilon, conducting your cover operations in running the place. You notice something amiss- temperatures in core is hellishly high, with no sign of cooling down.
Then the Alarms begin to sound. A Nuclear meltdown was eminent."

"Everyone needed to get out... except you, of course. Ignoring your good friend Cameron, you rush down to the abomination. You done the CURIE interface, and enter its pod, before going into stasis with it. Ten years later, the new plant is about to be activate, and CURIE awakens. Now, lets review: what did the screwball scientist do wrong in the situation? Here's a hint: SHE MADE A FUCKING DUMB CHOICE!" He yells at her, a fraction of all his hate, his bitterness, coursing through the air, and straight into her. Her hateful stare abates for a moment, stunned by the pain that they heard in that instance.

He let go of his hold on her, and rose up to his full height, towering over her meager figure. He took a deep breath, reeled in all his negative emotions, and shoved them deep within himself, before locking them away. He felt Blithe flitch over their psychic connection between them, but he had no choice. No matter how unhealthy, he had to keep himself in check. 'I can't afford to lose control; not now. Not when I have her right where I want her, and in the position where she is force to LITSEN to all of her faults and fuckups,' he thought. He signed, hard, before he spoke once more, his voice calm and serene as it was in the beginning.

"You had two choice, and you choose the hasty one, the wrong one. You could have left with Cameron, and gotten safely away from the nuclear meltdown. You could have been reunited with your dear husband Kellyn- poor bastard- , and be held in his arms, releaved and elated that you can be with your life's love. You could have gone home to you son Victor, and held him tightly, thankful you get to be with him throughout his life. You could have had a normal life, then. Sure, it would be hard for you to find work after that mess, but a scientist of you caliber would have found something eventually. Raised your son, be with you husband, and just have a grand time. Could have, could have, could have."

"But you didn't. You choose to lock youself away with the abomination you made, and for ten year you slowly went mad through constant use of the CURIE interface. You woke up, and we need not cover what you done. After all, we did have a good old sit down over those particular detail last time, eh?" He put a hand over over were his ear was covered "It was such a roasing discussion, why, we just had to had another!" He laughed then, not a hint of malice in it, as he was enjoying himself.

His laughs soon petered out, thankfully, and he continued to address her failures. "What was I getting at? Oh yeah: You Fucked Up. That choice blew up in both yours and EVERYONE in Tandor's face. Massive destruction to the environment, social and economical crises, Pokémon going mad and being irreparably mutated, and ten years of your life you will never get back. That radiation, which you seem to be at least partially immune to- you think that suite of your could totally shield you from all the radiation you were around-, has caused massive death due to its poisonous nature, and has worsen the quality of life of those that survived its wraith.

"Here is a question for you: How much radiation can a person take before it starts to cut into their lifespan? Quick answer: not a lot. Just a little bit, in small burst, can shave entire years off someone life. Larger amount will take even more time of the clock, up until the point you just die from overexposure. Now tell me: Just how much radiation your son and husband have taken in, altogether?"

Silence. Dead silence. Severall things flashed across her face, as she process what he just said, before horror firmly to its place on it visage. If he bothered to look closely, he might have seen her began to tear up. 'Deserve all the guilt and even more,' he though, looking at her in total disguist. "Have you ever thought of that? How much damage did you inflicted upon them? Their lives, their very health: did you even think about that? Take that feeling, that soul sucking horror, and multiple and amplify it by a factor of ten thousand, and you will finally begin to understand the sheer cruelity you inflicted on everyone."

He raised his arm, and pointed accusingly at her, as he began to wrap up his 'lesson' to her.
"You know, you'll probably far outlive you family, maybe even me, due the damage you done. And that is not even counting how you haven't aged at all in stasis, or even after you woke up. Blessed by the radiation, were you? Hah! You are the only one."

"Everything that happened, all the pain and suffering you invariably caused, and the life you could have lived, all could have been prevent if you just had given some thought to your choices, looked over the limited consequence you could have foreseen happening from them, and just choose the simply smart option. Instead you rushed headlong in the fray, got your brain scrambled like eggs for awhile, and did lots of horrible thing while you were at it. All because you were sure 'Everything was going to be ok.' "
He quietly said to her, before turning his back on her for the first time. With a flick of his wrist, a remote popped out of his sleeve, and rested in the palm of his hand.

"Forgive me, but I still haven't answered you original question, have I? Well, part of the reason you are here should be obvious, but the other part, your 'therapy', has been left vague. The reason you are he is for you to learn a few important lessons. Learn how much you errored in you life due to an fatal overdose of self-assurance, making you understand complelely the pain you put us all through with you fuck ups, and how, no matter what you tell yourself," He turned to face her "You are not same as you were, and you will never will be." He then pressed a button on the remote, and three monitors flared to life around the room.

What was on them would chill even the coldest heart.

On the left most monitor was Lucilee's beloved Nucleon, in a horrible state of disrepair. Dozen of tubes were inserted all over its body, pumping in and out all sort of visceral liquids, one of which was its blood. Its limbs were tightly restrained in what looked to be carbon-graphite binding, cutting so much into it that you'd think its bones would have snapped in twain. It head was held up by a collar, firmly attached to the ceiling of the cage its was in. In the center of it was a little black dot, that was flashing red intermittidly. Altogether, the whole setup look light it belong in a horror movie, brought to live in painstaking detail.

On the right most monitor, was an image of Lucille herself, fixed on the left portion of the screen. On the right was a list, which, on closer inspection, detail all the things wrong things she did in her life. All the crimes she commited in the name of science, working with a group with known connection to Team activity, and definitive proof that she was CURIE, the one who was respondsible for the Nuclear Crisis. It was all there, in such accuracy and depth that it must have took countless hours to get everything exactly right. Just how long has Sans planned his revenge. How depraved is he?

And in the middle, was a black screen, with just a simple question makr floating in its mindst.

"You know, I am a firm believer in learning by example," he said, ignoring the shouts from Lucille, "That in order for someone to completely learn something, to ingrain it in their very being, is for them to apply what they learned, and carry out their action, whatever it may be."

"On the left," he pointed to the screen with her pet " is your beloved Nucleon, the one you had ever since you were a girl. As you can see, it is in obviously in poor health right now, and the only thing keeping it alive is just a simple machine. One that I can turn off in a second."

He pointed to the right most screen, the one detail her sorid past. "On the right, we have you life's greatest failings, all detailed and with ample evidence to back it up. If the authorities, or, heaven forbid, the media got a hold of this, the life you worked so hard to rebuilt, with both family and friend, will be torn to shreads."

"And in the middle, is what you will be doing today, the entire point as to why I kidnapped you and put you under my tender care. You have a choice, like the one you made so long ago. Like the one you made your life's biggest mistake. You can, like you did with Urayne, choose to save Nucleon. It will be safely unhooked from the machine, no worse for wear, and returned to your ownership. You will both then be set free at your choosen destination, regardless of region."

"If you do so, however, all the detail of you past, which I have carefully been keeping underwraps and out of the public eye, will be released to all the major media outlets, the Ranger Unoin, Interpool, and other, lesser known authority. You and Nucleon will be saved, but the life you live now would be over, forever more. You would not be able to see Kellyn or your son again, you could never lead a life of reputable science without raising alarm, and you will be on the run constantly. You might even have to take on yet another identity, and live in animosity in fear for your life. That is, if you choose to save Nucleon." Sans lowered his left arm, and raised his right, and pointed it to her life's crimes.

"Their is another option, of course. If you so choose, all this information will never get out, and no one will ever know of you misdeeds. Not even your own family, of course. Further more, if anyone trys to bring you to task about your past crimes, or even future ones, I will grantee you will never be held responsible for them. I am a man of considerable influence and power; when I don't want something to happen, it doesn't happen. You will be set free, returned to your home in good health and condition, and you can go on living life however you choose."

"If you make this choice, then your Nucleon will perish, and you will be force to watch, as it life slowly peters out. All DNA sample of your pet have also been confiscated, and will be destroyed, to prevent you from cloning another one." He lowered his right arm, link it together with his left, and stared hard at her. "The point of this exercise is simple: Choose which outcome is the best for everyone. In my wisdom, I have decided, since we can't go back into the past and change things, that for once, its best we repeat it."

"You can be selfish and reckless, and hastily choose to save Nucleon life, and condemn you, your family, and an entire region to chaos and anarchy. You can be CURIE, like you how you were, and run away from it all, leaving misery in your wake.
Or, with what you have learned with me today, think about what you did wrong in the past, and choose not to do it again. You can let your Nucleon die, witness its last moments, and return to live the life you wish: with your son and husband, as Lucille."

"Then, you can choose whether or not you want to forget about me. I won't undo what you have learned from me, but all trace of my existence will be void, and you will instead think that you killed your captor, and escaped. Or you choose to let little old me remain in you noggin, if you want to try and get revenge," he said, before he turned around and walk away towards the central monitor.

"Take you time mulling it over, and choose."

Sans finally stoped talking, let silence, at last, take its place.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

(Oh my, you and your text walls ~☆ )
(WARNING – Possible depression trigger. Do forgive me, please...)



„Come on, Lucille...“, a low and sinister voice dawned from deep inside her, only audible for her and her mind. „You know he's right.“
No... „Somewhere deep, safely locked away in a dark dusty corner of your subconscious mind, you already know that you will outlive your family due to radiation they caught up, just as he says.“
No... „And there's nothing you can do about that, regardless of how many iodine pills you bring up.“
NO!

She did not even realise that the last word was spoken aloud, and now dwelled in the room like a spirit. But the truth was like mentioned, it could not be denied. Lucille knew it in some way, but prefered to hide that far far away. She knew she will not survive long after witnessing the funeral of her husband and her son. She knew that shortly after that she will either die naturally in an ambulance on a broken heart, or, if she wasn't lucky enough to perish that way, by her own hands. She knew that she was capable of doing it, if she only really wanted. None will probably miss her. Barely anyone would notice at all. It would be just another mystery about her person, just like what has happened in Epsilon...

But if she'll make it to heaven, she'll be reunited with them. Eventually. Happyly. That was for sure, and gave her the motivation. Until then, she promised herself to enjoy the remanining time with her family, as sentimental and foolish as it may be, and let them have a little of the time they missed, regardless of what may follow anyday.

…...........

But just now, here in this room, Sans' words were like a potent toxic to her. Every single one. Leaving burns, paralysis and trauma on her.
Why did he have act it out in such detail?
Why did he put her through so much emotional pain?
Didn't he understand that it all had to be this way, regardless how much she did not wanted to engage in such a shady business?

… Yes, it was necessary. Tandor was in need of another, safer energy source. Nuclear Energy was fine for a while, since it did not cause as much CO2-emission like coal-fired power plants and the land was rich in uranium ore anyway, but there was... the problem of atomic waste. Where to store it safely. It began to pile up everwhere. Depositing it at Zeta itself (Honestly, did you ever notice all the barrels there?) could not be done for any longer. The final depot underneath Zeta was limited in storage and by far not as safe as assumed. All hope was laid into the hands of competent scientists. Lucille herself, in all the despair, saw no other possibility than to agree in Larkspurr's project. Even it wasn't much of her taste... Well, and what followed then was the creation of Urayne, or rather „Project 092“, which would in theory provide an unlimited amount of energy while leaking barely any radiation and – most important – be controllable and incapable of independent thought thanks to the Interface. In theory. Who could have known that it all ended in, put nicely, a total mess and dangerous chaos... that was not her anymore in the Interface.

…......

Enough flashback and mourning for now, however... back to the current situation. That one was just as unpleasent as going on with regreting what as happened, though.

Words were barely capable to describe the horror that flooded our captured female scientist as the monitors came to life. She did not even care to mask it in any way. She would not even be able to mask it properly... it was plain cruel. Letting her decide between her dear pet, or a safe live without it. How can this be... WHY does that have to be... Please, why does she have to make such a decision... again...

Slowly, very very slowly, she begain to cry. Without making a sound. Her tears, bitter and painful, just ran down her face to moisten the collar of her attire. She could not hold it anymore, it was enough, it was all over. It all will end here at this place. It would all find a bitter end just now, regardless of what decision she will come up with...

It was a horrible, pathetic, heartbreaking and maybe even despicable view. It was like everything came together just now, in the final place...


….........


Then, many many hours later it felt like (time seems to be messed up, as well...), a single sound could be heard. It was one word, spoken very low, bitter, and plaqued with salty tears, breaking the silence once again...

„….. okay.“

Shortly after more words followed, rather said to oneself than to Sans...

„Please, Nucleon... forgive me. I'm so sorry... … … “

Only to be followed by a few more words, addressed directly to Sans, louder and with a begging undertone...

„PLEASE LET ME SEE IT!“

[Lord Windos]

@PhantomUnderYourDesk (....Well, this is a bit of a shocker. Also, before I do anything...cruel, what does Lucille mean by "PLEASE LET ME SEE IT?" That statement is open enough for it to mean either option... and while I can choose the one I prefer, I want you to choose the one YOU want.)

(It should be known, for anyone catching up on this story, that Sans is just as mentally unstable as Lucille. While he never went mad as the dear scientist, he DID undergo severe depression and psychological harm due to losing almost everyone he cared about, directly or indirectly due to the Nuclear Crisis. His dad died, his family severed all ties to him due to his growing instability/stirring shit up over Lucille, and seeing all the damage done by CURIE while working with the Rangers, and experiencing the fallout of countless lives ruined by her....)

(While I'll go into his backstory after this RP is wrapped up, I'll say this much: If it was not for CURIE, Sans would have become the reigning League Champion, and lived a life of comfort and fame. Because of CURIE, he is more or less a bitterly sarcastic scientist in public, and a living nightmare criminal in the dark. And boy howdy, pity the fool that meets him in the dark.)

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

(A bit of a shocker, @Lord Windos? Well, what was there to be expected, or what did YOU expect - that she did not learn a single thing from everything? ._. I was tempted to let it run in that direction in first, but... not even she could be so stubborn.)

(She just wishes to be with her dear pet as it pitiable passes away. No tricks this time. Not sure if seeing it attached to that machine is a good idea considering her mind, but nevertheless... )

[Lord Windos]

(I was surprised that she actually had a good reason for her cooperation with Lankspur. Thought she was motivated to join him purely on a scientific interest. Sans would probably poke holes in that rational of hers, but he doesn't know the finer detail of her actions. He only know what she did, and what came from it.)

{Well, this is it. The beginning of the end.}

There was a certain tension in the air, moments after the nuclear bitch- no, Lucille's voice rang out, carrying with it her fateful answer. 'So, she has chosen to preserve her life, and all that is connected to it. Finally, finally, she has made the right choice.' Sans thought, staring down impassively at his captive scientist. It took a savage encounter in their department's hallways, several months of planning and preparation, kidnapping her, and an intense round of consoling to finally wear down all her defenses. Eroding her self-confidence, instilling all the doubt in her that she sorely lacked, and opening that stone heart of hers to the pain and tragedy she has wrought from her action.

All of that, and more, to deliver justice for her almost unspeakable acts of destruction to Tandor and its people. 'And,' he quietly tells himself, as if it a dear secret, 'To avenge all that I have lost, in her name.' Now that Lucille has chosen her fate, he turn himself towards Nucleon monitor. "If I interpreted correctly, you have chosen to conceal your ignoble past, full of misbegotten actions and horrible decisions, to preserve the peace and stability of Tandor. By extension, you have choosen to safeguard the wellbeing of your family, protecting the new life you and I have forged together," he calmly said, staring at the video of the weakened, horribly abused Nucleon. "The price, of course, is your Nucleon's life. I ask you, are you sure of your choice? There is no take backs, after all is said and done."

He turn his head away from the gruesome display, and looks at Lucille. Crying, sniveling in heartbreak and pain, with a distinct atmosphere of sorrow cloaking her. Restrained in her chair, she still manage to appear slumped over, as if the weight of the world was upon her. Like all the world's evils have come to rest on her back, weighing her down with all their vileness and sin. Well, at least all the evil that she created in Tandor. 'As if they have a Grudge against her,' he thought to himself humorlessly, unable to resist thinking of a quip about the situation she has been in.

Lucille's eyes told him her answer. Pain. Hate. Fear. Acceptance. Loss. These were the eyes of a woman who has given up. No fighting spirit remain kindle in her heart, and no faith that everything was going to be fine. All there was left, in the broken woman gaze, was unflinching honestly. She has made her decision, and there is no mistake about it.

Holding her in his sight for just a little longer, he signed, and turned his head back towards his handywork. "It is so, then. Perhaps there is some hope in you yet for redemption, however faint and damning it will be. It has taken very long time for you, and far too much action on my part, for you to accept the tragedy you have inadvertidly made. For you to forge the empathy needed to understand the plight you have caused your fellow man. Most importantly, you have finally learned the lesson you needed so long ago: Understanding the consequences of your actions, before following through with them." He shook his head, before his voice took a rueful, self-depreciating tone.

"Learning from the past, and choosing a better future: Welcome to the rest of your life, Lucille."

Sans stopped talking then, saying his piece on the matter. It is time to bring this therapy session to a close. With remote in hand, he pointed it toward the Nucleon, and pushed a button. Just like that, its life support was cut off. The various fluid that were circulating in and out of its body slow to a stop, and started to drain away from its body. Slowly, Nucleon breathing became shorter and shallower, until it stopped altogether. Its head, still bound by to the ceiling of its cage, gradually slumped forward as far as it could. The light on its collar, which had been pulsing intermediately, flashed bright red for but a moment, before blinking out.


One by one, the other monitors turned off by themselves, the last one holding the still image of Lucille's pet, before it too turn off. Lucille was obviously distraught over what happen, but surprisingly, so was Sans. He was hunched over, his head bowed, and beneath the cloak and cowl, he quietly suffering his own misery. 'I am sorry, Nucleon. Whatever grudge we held against each other, I did not want to do this to you. You don't deserve your fate, but through your death, your master has come to accept her failings. I know I don't deserve you forgiveness, but please...' Sans thought to himself, ashamed of what he had to do the fox. No matter what he told himself, everyone involved was going to be harmed by his action. Rationalization or not, he knows that what he did to Nucleon and Lucille's family today was wrong.

Maybe, a long, almost forgotten voice echoes in his skull, what you did to Lucille too. He violently shakes his head at the insidious thought, almost ready to go full tilt anger over such a blasphemy, before he remember where he was. He straighten himself out, and reached into a concealed pocket in his cloak. From it, he drew a familiar rag, a faint smell emanating from it, before he headed on over to where Lucille was seated. He towered over her, an imposing demon in her perspective, before he began to speak again.
"Alls well that ends well, and so to concludes our therapy session together. I do hope that you take what you learn today, and use it to live your life, however you see fit. I don't think you deserve too, personally, but who am I to complain about your choice? I was the one who set them up, after all," He motioned over to the monitors, almost in an afterthought.

"Can't have you awake for the next bit, so why don't you Rest for a bit, while take care of the detail of my identity from your noggin. Fret not, though, for when you wake up, you'll be back at home, with you ever forgiving husband by your side." Sans then bent over her, and just as he was about to apply the rag to her face, he studied her. She looked lifeless, like she has lost everything of meaning to her. As if she has nothing left to live for. He hesitated for a bit, questioning what he was about to do, before he sighed in frustration.

Lowering the rag, he cupped Lucille's face with his free head, forcing her to focus on him. An air of indecision hang about him, before he spoke to her, in a low, sad voice. "You don't look so happy about what you learned, come to think of it. Is it you family you are worried about? After all I have said about them, and you recent...sacrifice, I would be in shock too. Perhaps this bit of advice, from yours truly, may cure these ailing thoughts. While their lives have been cut short by the radiation you caused, there is a way to add more time to their clocks, so to speak. Ironically, it come from the same place that caused the malady: You. Through my research on you, I discover something very interesting. You know what that was?"

He paused, making sure that she was following along, before continuing. "Doing some tests on your genome, I discovered something startling. I may have alluded to it several time in our...chat, but it appears that your DNA is immune to radiation, to some degree, but I learned something else about you that was even more miraculous. Your genome was able to perfectly replicate itself, with zero errors or mistakes, 100 percent of the time. Cellular damage due to free radicals was near zero percent as well. Based on my studies, you are, through nature or your freak accidents, biologically immortal."

"While I am sure you will do a few test yourself to confirm what I said, what I say is the truth. You'll never age and grow old. Your body seems impervious to outside invaders, and you cells are constantly renewing; even you brain cells. In a sense, you'll be on this planet, forever, until something decides to cut your life short. With a bit of funding, and some planning, you can impart your resilience to your family with some gene therapy. The field has come a long way since you have slept, so it should be fairly easy, if highly illegal, to save your family that way."

He sighed to himself, before coming even closer to Lucille, his face almost pressed against hers. "Of course, if you do so, they will share your fate as well: Immortality. The same can be said for anyone else, if word spread about your everlasting properties. While it sounds nice, eternity is a long, long time. If you have learned anything today, and I would like to think you have, think carefully before you act. Know what is at stake, before you make your decision."

He drew away from her then, having said his word. Sans then smothered Lucille face with the rag, until she lost consciousness. Standing up, he walked towards the door to the room, and gestured with his left hand. Blithe, who had been patiently waiting in the darkened corner of the room, walk out of the shadows and to Lucille. With a gesture, it unbound Lucille from her restraints, freeing her at last. Placing a hand over Lucille's head, they proceed to erase their Master's true identity from her memory, taking care, as last time, to preserve the memories and experience she had today. While they are uncertain of the good that has been done today, at least their Master has finally got their revenge on The Enemy. Maybe now he can start to recover from the pain in his heart.

"Blithe, take her back to her house, and tuck her in bed. I have a few calls to make, in order to wrap up everyday today. Then, we'll go home. I think we both deserve a long rest, after today," Sans said tiredly, before he exited the room. Briefly looking where he left, Blithe picked Lucille up, before teleporting back to her house.

========================================================================================================

*Ring Ring* *Click* "Hello? Who is this? This is a secure line, and I know you are not one of my operators."

"How astute. Well, I'll be brief, then, so as not to take too much time out of your busy schedule. Investigating that ruckus in Snowbank must be quite tiresome."

"What in the world?! How do you know that? Who are you?!"

"Well, Kellyn, I should all people know what criminal activity has been going down in those frozen waste. I did, after all, orchestrate all of them."

"You....!"

"Ah, Ah! Hold your tongue now, it is no use interrogating me. My line is untraceable, and my voice, as you can hear, is disguised. Besides, I called my buddies already, and they should gone from the area by the time we are done speaking. If that does not dissuade you, the how about we talk about something else? Like say... your wife?"

"...You son of a bitch. What did you do to her."

"Oh, I just gave her some free therapy. Based on my last encounter with her, I thought she sorely needed some, so I had to distract you for us to have some quality time together."

"..."

"Don't worry, though! Your wife is safe and sound! Our therapy session went off without a hitch and I say, in my professional opinion, that she has learned quite a lot about her failings! How about you fly back to Moki Town, and go see for yourself! She might be asleep, though. All that talking was quite tiring!

*Click*