🔌

[🔌]

[plugrick]

X

[krombopulos-mercenary]

And there it was. The “below belt” jab of Rick bringing up the terrifying end to Micheal’s venom detox. His attempt to kill the human, and probably his sister as well, while suffering a mixture of activated military brainwashing and venom induced psychosis. When the killer’s actions were not his own at all.

Micheal freezes in place that, agitated energy going cold as he lets Rick rant on.

When had big blow outs become their norm? When had everything become such a fucking mess…?

“We both know I have jack shit when it comes to Lizardperson.  Tell me Rick, how many venom exposures am I away from becoming like Quz? Hmmm? Or am I fucked already and it’s just a matter of time before the holes already in my DNA just lead to my being wheelchair bound? Because we sure as fuck know I’m never using Galax to keep myself together.”

Mike spouts back, cold tired anger coloring his tone. He still hadn’t moved at all, a rigid statue stuck in place that kept glaring at the human in the room.

His shoulder hurt.

“ Why is it that this bite never heals right or quickly? When will my muscle in this arm go back to normal? Why is it that I even have to have first person perspective to learn things to begin with?! Why can’t you! Just! Tell! Me! Things!”

Desperation bleeds into his tone at the finish; at this point it’s obvious the pair of men very obviously at wits end. After a moment, Mike makes a loud “UGH!” noise of disgust and throws up his hands, already exhausted with the whole thing and they’d barely started.

[plugrick]

Calling their frequent fights ‘big blow outs’ was putting things lightly at this point. The tension in the room between the two men was palpable, physical enough to cut with a knife; cold disdain met with petty defiance. If Mike thought for a second that he was going to make him back down, he had another thing coming! He would rue the day that he started this argument, he would—!

Tell me Rick, how many venom exposures am I away from becoming like Quz?

Mike wasn’t the only one to freeze up with a start at the other’s words. It was no secret that Rick was well skilled in the art of acting like a total jackass and carrying himself with nothing but attitude, but even he had a limit to how far his poker face would go.

The human’s brow furrowed, frown pulling deeper as the questions only increased in intensity. Was it truly only a matter of time? Would Mike end up as a shell of himself like the old Commander? Why wouldn’t the bite mark ever go away? Would his rogue arm go back to normal? Why didn’t he TELL him about it sooner?!

“I-I DON’T KNOW!”

Rick raised his voice right back at his ex-boyfriend, screwing up his face and shaking his head as if to try to clear it. Why did Mike have to pressure him like this?! His brain was scrambled enough as it is!

“I! Don’t! KNOW! I-I don’t know what’s going to happen to you yet, o-okay?!” He relinquished, giving up the ghost of keeping that skeleton in the closet. “Th-this is aaaaall new territory to me! I-I-I’m in the SAME boat as YOU!”

He threw out his arms in a grand gesture of, well, everything, and how fucked up it was. This revelation would help nobody, it wouldn’t bring any comfort, and Rick didn’t have any answers that Mike would be happy to hear.

“From th-the first day I synthesized Galax on, I used it like clockwork t-to avoid getting withdrawls! I-I still do! So h-how was I supposed to know an untreated bite c-could straight up make someone a useless cripple?! N-no offense, Amy.”

The human held up a hand to show that he meant no ill will towards the third person in the room, who seemed perfectly content being the fly on the wall, before continuing.

“I mean—! M-maybe you’ll have to use Galax to avoid becoming a vegetable in a chair or - or flipping out a-aaand trying to kill everyone! Shit, M-Mike, IIII don’t know!”

There was surely nothing more daunting than the threat of being forced to use Galax. How many fights had they been in over the stuff? Mike had always loathed his usage of the horrible drug, pleading with him time and time again to quit. And try as hard as he might, it would always inevitably loop back around into the same rebuttal from Rick: I won’t. I can’t.

Turns out that there was a lot more truth to it than anticipated…

“But - but oh, suuure! Go ahead a-aaand blame me f-for not telling you something that I wasn’t fully aware of! I-I wouldn’t hold the title of the worst person you ever met i-if it wasn’t aaaall my fault!”

[krombopulos-mercenary]

“Considering the fact that if it weren’t for you, the void creature would’ve never entered into our multiverse in the first place. So all of this, ultimately, is all your fucking fault. All of it.”

Comes the comment from Amy, before Micheal had a chance to respond. The killer’s attention snapping from his ex to his sister, admittedly caught off guard by her suddenly jumping in.

Amy, for her part, just leveled the human with the driest glare imaginable, sitting back on the desk chair with her legs crossed. 

“And you are, in fact, the worst person for my brother to have ever met. Not necessarily because of malicious intent, but because of how selfish and short sighted you are. And how far those flaws have dragged my brother down with you into the pit. And rude. Let’s not forget rude.”

Micheal sighed, “Amy. Don’t-”

“Quiet, Mikey. I’m making a point. Because you two are just going to go in pointless circles otherwise.”

The eldest Krombopulos silences her sibling with a sidelong glance and turns back to scolding Rick. Pointing one dainty claw at the scientist turned drug dealer for emphasis.

“Get it through whatever Swiss Cheese is left of your brains, Rick. My brother is far from perfect, but he would have been the one to judge you the absolute least in all of the dimensions. Hell, he doesn’t judge you as hard as he fucking should even now! He is mad that you don’t even tell him you don’t know something. Not because you don’t have all of the answers.”

“ All of the questions he has now? All that shit about Galax? You two should have had that conversation AGES ago! You should have told him you were barely being held together by coating your DNA in venomous tar the moment marriage was even a thought in your old ass head! And that’s just the start of all the shit you should’ve told him before any of this crap even happened.”

Then, she suddenly turns on Micheal.

“And YOU!”

“Me?!”, Mike sputters, now in the hot seat.

“Fucking talk to Rick about what was actually going on when you went Beserk. Actually share some of the military baggage you’ve got. He’s suffered nearly as much because your dumbass is still going by Gromflomite military standards of masculinity and not sharing. Not to mention you almost killed the guy like two days ago. He needs to know why that actually happened.”

She stares at them both and groans in frustration, men were such imbeciles. At least the ones she kept having to deal with were.

“You two are so fucking codependent and twisted around one another yet you can’t communicate for shit!”

[plugrick]

Rick had been so wrapped up in passionately going off on his ex-boyfriend that it took him off guard when Amy unexpectedly cut in. Especially with such a accusatory, silver tongued placement of fault.

The human’s head snapped in her direction simultaneously as Mike, looking at her with such shock that she might as well have just shot him through with a plasma ray. Blaming him entirely for the existence of Lizardperson was one thing, but doubling down on being the worst person for Mike?! Of course she thought that, but she didn’t have to say it! That was just kicking him right in the nuts when he was already down!

Whether her words rung true enough to sink in or he was too stunned to speak, Rick didn’t say a word in return. Instead crossing his arms once more with a “hmph!” and turning his nose up at her. At least until—

Swiss cheese left of his brain?! Oh, now Amy was the one swinging low with her punches. Rick’s jaw dropped at her audacity before his expression darkened into an annoyed glare, very much despising her callous commentary that was clearly meant to rile him up. She must’ve taken what he said about cripples waaay too seriously. Even if she definitely might’ve had a point about how the nuances of Galax could’ve been better off addressed before things went to hell in a handbasket, it didn’t give her the right to insult what remained of his periforated intelligence! He was just about to open his mouth and pop off a smart alick response before she turned her wrath onto her brother instead.

At least he wasn’t the only one in trouble here, for once. Rick would’ve felt a sick satisfaction at that fact if the subject matter wasn’t so abysmally awful. He groaned in frusturation, plucking his cigarette out of his mouth and crushing it underfoot a little too hard.

“Ugh! I-I already know why Mike tried to kill me. Alright?”

The human’s bitterness practically oozed from his lips, as sour as could be. He reached into his lab coat and took out his trusty silver flask, going to take a swig - only to realize that it was empty. Because of course it was. Rick tossed it aside with an irritated sigh, slumping his shoulders defeatedly and sinking in on himself.

“He - he doesn’t need to say anything. O-okay? It’s fine.” The human went on, his voice leveling out to carry very little emotion. It was as if he was trying to maintain the same nonchalance as he had expressed back in the ship yesterday, when he had acted uncharacteristically emotionless. “M-Mike already communicated that much to me. Loud a-aaand clear.”

Rick busied himself with rifling around for something else to take the edge off, since his anti-cigarettes were evidently not doing the trick. He patted himself down, finding another smaller flask tucked into one of his socks, much to his chagrin. How many of those things did he carry at once?

“Y-you weren’t there to hear it, Amy. But w-whatever the Berserker thing is, i-it made the truth come out. A-about everything.” He went on, taking a nip of sweet, sweet liquor. It seemed to help lubricate his tongue, get him to speak a little more openly. “H-how I make Mike miserable… how our m-m-marriage would’ve been a mistake…. how I-I’m just like Flannax and Lizardperson…”

He glanced up at Mike, but not for very long, offering a shrug in his direction. “Which, y-y’know… Since h-he’s seen it through my eyes…”

Then he must have really meant it. Mike had been picking up far more from the mind meld than he ever let on, meaning that he was well aware of how horrible Lizardperson was… And saw him in the same light as gnashing teeth and cold scaly skin regardless.

“He - hah! - he even thinks I doomed m-m-my own family on p-p-purpose.” He went on, his voice stuttering and wavering like it was threatening to break. Not even a forced laugh could cover up the pain lurking just beneath the surface. “Just l-l-like everybody else does.”

The wounds from that Berserker fueled rant ran deep, boring holes into Rick’s heart. The human’s tired features were pinched in distress, as if recounting what had been said made the hurt swell up to the surface all over again. He shakily ran a hand through his mess of blue hair, visibly having difficulty keeping his shit together. The other clutching his flask like a lifeline, finding comfort in lukewarm stainless steel.

“I-I got it the first time a-around. And I d-don’t need to hear it again.”

[🔌]

[plugrick]

X

[krombopulos-mercenary]

And there it was. The “below belt” jab of Rick bringing up the terrifying end to Micheal’s venom detox. His attempt to kill the human, and probably his sister as well, while suffering a mixture of activated military brainwashing and venom induced psychosis. When the killer’s actions were not his own at all.

Micheal freezes in place that, agitated energy going cold as he lets Rick rant on.

When had big blow outs become their norm? When had everything become such a fucking mess…?

“We both know I have jack shit when it comes to Lizardperson.  Tell me Rick, how many venom exposures am I away from becoming like Quz? Hmmm? Or am I fucked already and it’s just a matter of time before the holes already in my DNA just lead to my being wheelchair bound? Because we sure as fuck know I’m never using Galax to keep myself together.”

Mike spouts back, cold tired anger coloring his tone. He still hadn’t moved at all, a rigid statue stuck in place that kept glaring at the human in the room.

His shoulder hurt.

“ Why is it that this bite never heals right or quickly? When will my muscle in this arm go back to normal? Why is it that I even have to have first person perspective to learn things to begin with?! Why can’t you! Just! Tell! Me! Things!”

Desperation bleeds into his tone at the finish; at this point it’s obvious the pair of men very obviously at wits end. After a moment, Mike makes a loud “UGH!” noise of disgust and throws up his hands, already exhausted with the whole thing and they’d barely started.

[plugrick]

Calling their frequent fights ‘big blow outs’ was putting things lightly at this point. The tension in the room between the two men was palpable, physical enough to cut with a knife; cold disdain met with petty defiance. If Mike thought for a second that he was going to make him back down, he had another thing coming! He would rue the day that he started this argument, he would—!

Tell me Rick, how many venom exposures am I away from becoming like Quz?

Mike wasn’t the only one to freeze up with a start at the other’s words. It was no secret that Rick was well skilled in the art of acting like a total jackass and carrying himself with nothing but attitude, but even he had a limit to how far his poker face would go.

The human’s brow furrowed, frown pulling deeper as the questions only increased in intensity. Was it truly only a matter of time? Would Mike end up as a shell of himself like the old Commander? Why wouldn’t the bite mark ever go away? Would his rogue arm go back to normal? Why didn’t he TELL him about it sooner?!

“I-I DON’T KNOW!”

Rick raised his voice right back at his ex-boyfriend, screwing up his face and shaking his head as if to try to clear it. Why did Mike have to pressure him like this?! His brain was scrambled enough as it is!

“I! Don’t! KNOW! I-I don’t know what’s going to happen to you yet, o-okay?!” He relinquished, giving up the ghost of keeping that skeleton in the closet. “Th-this is aaaaall new territory to me! I-I-I’m in the SAME boat as YOU!”

He threw out his arms in a grand gesture of, well, everything, and how fucked up it was. This revelation would help nobody, it wouldn’t bring any comfort, and Rick didn’t have any answers that Mike would be happy to hear.

“From th-the first day I synthesized Galax on, I used it like clockwork t-to avoid getting withdrawls! I-I still do! So h-how was I supposed to know an untreated bite c-could straight up make someone a useless cripple?! N-no offense, Amy.”

The human held up a hand to show that he meant no ill will towards the third person in the room, who seemed perfectly content being the fly on the wall, before continuing.

“I mean—! M-maybe you’ll have to use Galax to avoid becoming a vegetable in a chair or - or flipping out a-aaand trying to kill everyone! Shit, M-Mike, IIII don’t know!”

There was surely nothing more daunting than the threat of being forced to use Galax. How many fights had they been in over the stuff? Mike had always loathed his usage of the horrible drug, pleading with him time and time again to quit. And try as hard as he might, it would always inevitably loop back around into the same rebuttal from Rick: I won’t. I can’t.

Turns out that there was a lot more truth to it than anticipated…

“But - but oh, suuure! Go ahead a-aaand blame me f-for not telling you something that I wasn’t fully aware of! I-I wouldn’t hold the title of the worst person you ever met i-if it wasn’t aaaall my fault!”

[🔌]

[plugrick]

X

[krombopulos-mercenary]

Amy would only narrow her eyes when she was addressed, but continued her role as “quiet observer” and didn’t reply. Not that Scrimblo was worthy of hearing her voice anyway.

The double standards of the military were utterly laughable, treating females as “delicate” secondaries all while it was the males who were the most dramatic and unhinged beings you could run into within the universe.

A prime example was this “meeting” that she had been forced to sit through. Rick was absolutely the worst shit stirring part of it, as he always was, but the two Feds weren’t the absolute picture of Professionalism they obviously thought themselves to be either. Little did Scrimblo know that partial schematics for several types of “confidential” Federation Weaponry, including the oh so precious Giga Canon, had been smuggled out to Amy’s branch of Resistance ages ago….and she’d gotten to study all of them.~

And Micheal…..was Micheal. Obviously her sibling was at the end of his very frayed rope and would have to be imagined on a better day. But, he DID try. She’d give him that.

The tension in the room finally cuts when the mysterious rumbling occurs, and both Amy and Micheal ask in unison “What the fuck was that?!” as it stops. Could it be-?

Before a real answer can be gotten out of Scrimblo, they were all basically being kicked out of the room. The guards who came in were wary of Micheal but also of losing their jobs, so they hovered and gestured about with their weapons. Dithering.

Mike doesn’t fight the dismissal, he just helps Amy out of her chair while giving Ken a ‘We’re not done talking’ expression before walking on. He had a lot on his mind and a little time to regroup in “private” was….very necessary.

Oh. And he needed to argue with Rick. Because of course they were going to have an argument about all of this. Sigh….

On the way back, Micheal does make the “request” to the guards that they send some “edible” food rations to their cells rooms. The good grey ration bars that could actually be bitten into and had a nice taste, along with a side of Dezden berries if possible. A classic “every fruit” usually thrown in to ration packs due to the amount of vitamin C. Nothing like trying to cut down the enemy and then experiencing scurvy at the same time.

The brown bricks and worms Ken had placed in front of them for “breakfast” were not the most high grade of rations, but useful. Filling even. But what good they did a healthy gromflomite soldier, they would actually be harmful for someone like Amy or a human like Rick. Which was why the one female of their company hadn’t even touched her plate and looked on in dread when Rick tried to eat from his.

With some shaky reassurances that some food would be brought their way, the three were just left in Rick and Micheal’s room. The guard’s not even bothering to leave Amy in hers, which mattered little since the rooms were connected anyway.

“Well…that was a shit show.” Amy muttered.

[plugrick]

“Th-this whole goddamn situation is a shit show!”

Rick, for one, hadn’t cooled down even a little bit on their trek back to their ‘private quarters’ - or should he start calling them for what they were? Holding cells?

No. While Mike had been busy brokering deals with the enemy to provide them with basic necessities, the human of the party had been quietly stewing in rage. Arms crossed tight, frown deeply creasing his features; every fiber of his being practically screaming that he was beyond agitated. The terse exchange between him and the two Federation higher ups had really worked him up, and the lack of backup from Mike had nearly thrown him over the edge.

In fact, it sounded like Mike had actually sided with them a couple of times. Which was just great. Was nobody in his corner anymore?!

A very spurned and sour Rick stomped into the room and plopped down on the edge of the bottom bunk, fumbling for his anti-cigarettes and practically ripping one out of the pack.

“Ugh! Y-your old ~war buddies~ are reeeal pieces of work, M-Mike.” He seethed, jabbing the end of his cigarette in the mercenary’s direction before putting it between his lips. “W-w-what the hell is their problem?! I-I-I could’ve used a-aaa little support back there, y’know!”

[krombopulos-mercenary]

Amy would just roll her eyes at Rick’s beginning outburst and made her way to go sit in the room’s desk chair. She’d go sit in Mike’s bed for the show, but it was obvious that her brother had taken top bunk. And she wasn’t about to climb any ladders if she didn’t have to.

“You were hardly any better. You threw me under the bus first and kept running your mouth from there, leaving me to try and keep things together. I shouldn’t be surprised at this point, and yet. I am.”

Comes the tired retort from Micheal, the killer sighing in exasperation as he crossed his arms. Yep. Argument was definitely happening now. He walks over so that he was more in front of the bunks and stood there.

“Not taking the lead on our science knowledge, when you’re the fucking expert. Mocking a guy who is only the way he is because he saved your ungrateful ass in the past. And just in general being a hindrance-! I know you can play the game better than that, Rick! It’s like you wanted the negotiations to fall apart!”

He throws up his hands, obviously frustrated.

“Who even are you right now?! Who’s team are you on, Rick?! Because it sure as fuck didn’t feel like you were on mine in there!”

[plugrick]

Here came the shaming and scolding from Mike, juuuust as expected. What a shocker. He never missed an opportunity these days to wag his finger at him, did he? Rick had to resist the urge to clench is jaw and risk biting clean through the end of his cigarette. Oh, he knew from the second Mike got all buddy-buddy with his old pals that there was going to be a big problem!

“Yeah, w-well—! Ever since th-the whole episode you had, i-it’s awful hard to tell if you’re on MY team either!”

It would be nice to say that they usually reserved their arguments for in-private discussions, but after multiple public meltdowns that would be painfully far from the truth. Amy’s presence didn’t seem to hinder their heated exchange whatsoever.

That being said, that little outburst had been a heavy one. Rick screwed his eyes shut and ground the butt of his palm into his forehead like he was trying to fight off a stress headache. He lit his oddly burning tar-smelling cigarette, the flame from the lighter highlighting wrinkles that were bunched in frusturation.

“Look. I-I’m sorry, okay?!” Rick apologized in an exasperated tone that surely didn’t sound very sorry. “I admit it! I-I could’ve done better. Maybe if I-I hadn’t been violated a-and put on display looking l-like Lizardperson’s total bitch - i-if I didn’t have to play nice-nice w-with the same guy who practically TORTURED me for letting him get bit - w-which I HAD to do to survive, b-by the way! N-not that you ASKED! - or if I-I wasn’t being hunted down or dealing w-with almost getting Berserker murdered! I-IIII would be more ~on top of my game~!”

The human panted for breath, seemingly spent by the effort it took to let all of his feelings out at once. He didn’t know when he had locked eyes with Mike in a fury, but he realized he couldn’t maintain it for much longer. Not after addressing the very narrowly escaped murder attempt at his ex-boyfriend’s hand that had gone unspoken until now. He looked away pointedly before reaching up to rub his temples.

“I mean-! FUCK, Mike! C’mon! M-my head is all fucked up an-and shit. Give me a-aaa break!” He pleaded, a high note of distress coloring his words. “Besides! I-it’s not like you needed me f-for much. Since, y’know, you already know e-everything about Lizardperson from a first person perspective.”

[🔌]

[plugrick]

X

[krombopulos-mercenary]

Amy would only narrow her eyes when she was addressed, but continued her role as “quiet observer” and didn’t reply. Not that Scrimblo was worthy of hearing her voice anyway.

The double standards of the military were utterly laughable, treating females as “delicate” secondaries all while it was the males who were the most dramatic and unhinged beings you could run into within the universe.

A prime example was this “meeting” that she had been forced to sit through. Rick was absolutely the worst shit stirring part of it, as he always was, but the two Feds weren’t the absolute picture of Professionalism they obviously thought themselves to be either. Little did Scrimblo know that partial schematics for several types of “confidential” Federation Weaponry, including the oh so precious Giga Canon, had been smuggled out to Amy’s branch of Resistance ages ago….and she’d gotten to study all of them.~

And Micheal…..was Micheal. Obviously her sibling was at the end of his very frayed rope and would have to be imagined on a better day. But, he DID try. She’d give him that.

The tension in the room finally cuts when the mysterious rumbling occurs, and both Amy and Micheal ask in unison “What the fuck was that?!” as it stops. Could it be-?

Before a real answer can be gotten out of Scrimblo, they were all basically being kicked out of the room. The guards who came in were wary of Micheal but also of losing their jobs, so they hovered and gestured about with their weapons. Dithering.

Mike doesn’t fight the dismissal, he just helps Amy out of her chair while giving Ken a ‘We’re not done talking’ expression before walking on. He had a lot on his mind and a little time to regroup in “private” was….very necessary.

Oh. And he needed to argue with Rick. Because of course they were going to have an argument about all of this. Sigh….

On the way back, Micheal does make the “request” to the guards that they send some “edible” food rations to their cells rooms. The good grey ration bars that could actually be bitten into and had a nice taste, along with a side of Dezden berries if possible. A classic “every fruit” usually thrown in to ration packs due to the amount of vitamin C. Nothing like trying to cut down the enemy and then experiencing scurvy at the same time.

The brown bricks and worms Ken had placed in front of them for “breakfast” were not the most high grade of rations, but useful. Filling even. But what good they did a healthy gromflomite soldier, they would actually be harmful for someone like Amy or a human like Rick. Which was why the one female of their company hadn’t even touched her plate and looked on in dread when Rick tried to eat from his.

With some shaky reassurances that some food would be brought their way, the three were just left in Rick and Micheal’s room. The guard’s not even bothering to leave Amy in hers, which mattered little since the rooms were connected anyway.

“Well…that was a shit show.” Amy muttered.

[plugrick]

“Th-this whole goddamn situation is a shit show!”

Rick, for one, hadn’t cooled down even a little bit on their trek back to their ‘private quarters’ - or should he start calling them for what they were? Holding cells?

No. While Mike had been busy brokering deals with the enemy to provide them with basic necessities, the human of the party had been quietly stewing in rage. Arms crossed tight, frown deeply creasing his features; every fiber of his being practically screaming that he was beyond agitated. The terse exchange between him and the two Federation higher ups had really worked him up, and the lack of backup from Mike had nearly thrown him over the edge.

In fact, it sounded like Mike had actually sided with them a couple of times. Which was just great. Was nobody in his corner anymore?!

A very spurned and sour Rick stomped into the room and plopped down on the edge of the bottom bunk, fumbling for his anti-cigarettes and practically ripping one out of the pack.

“Ugh! Y-your old ~war buddies~ are reeeal pieces of work, M-Mike.” He seethed, jabbing the end of his cigarette in the mercenary’s direction before putting it between his lips. “W-w-what the hell is their problem?! I-I-I could’ve used a-aaa little support back there, y’know!”

[🔌]

[plugrick]

X

[krombopulos-mercenary]

Micheal had to resist the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose at Rick’s antics.

“Yes. Unfortunately Rick is always like this. And he isn’t my life partner. We broke up a while ago, for obvious reasons.”

Comes the extremely pointed and sour response from Micheal, casting Rick a harsh look for his behavior before turning away to look at Kenneth and Quz, his expression turning a mixture of sour and exasperated.

This conversation was going nowhere fast. And was extremely frustrating. Not only was the torturous ghost of Flannax haunting him but Rick was very much not making things easier either. The fact that Kenneth seemed to have no idea of what actually happened in the prison was an unexpected cherry on top of the shit sundae. Mike felt like he was at the mental limit already.

 “But he is right in that we should be allowed access to the Giga canon. As well as some lab access now that we’re talking about it. Rick and I are the ones who know most about Lizardperson and thus how best that weapon can be used against the creature and it’d be best if we were just allowed to work on our own.”

And he also remembered just how those controls worked, but not because of any formal training….

[plugrick]

“Oh.”

It was obvious that Kenneth was only mildly surprised to hear the news of the breakup. He looked between his old friend and his apparently ex-life partner, awkwardly clearing his throat.

“Well. I can certainly see why…”

Rick tried to give a proper stone-faced glare in response to the degrading commentary, but the upturn in his brow gave away the true insecurity he was feeling about being the butt of the joke. “H-hey!”

It would be best to simply brush off the human’s distress and dismay for now. He was a noisy thing, and there were far more pressing subjects to discuss that didn’t involve his flimsy emotions. Namely addressing the list of demands that Ken was being faced with.

He couldn’t help but let a doubtful expression cross his insectizoid features. “Remind me again why you require a laboratory setting?”

“Seriously?” Rick chimed in like he hadn’t just been informally discarded from conversation. “Hell-ooo? D-do you even know who I am? I-I’m like, part of a-a well known group of scientists extending over a-aaan untold number of dimensions. We eat, sleep, and breathe laboratory!”

Scrimblo Kenneth couldn’t resist his own urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. Rick was really something. “I meant specifically.”

“W-we need it so me and Mike can put together th-the thing that’ll send Lizardperson back to the nega dimension w-where he belongs. Duh.” The blue haired so-called scientist tsked, acting for all the world like he was speaking to someone stupid. “We build the machine, shoot th-the shit out of Lizardperson, a-aaand then send him to hell. Simple n’ easy.”

This pricked Ken’s interest. “You can build such a device?”

“I-I did it once, I can do it again,” Rick shrugged nonchalantly. “So. Lab for us, established. Now, d-do I get Giga Canon access or not?”

“No. Absolutely not.” Kenneth doubled down, curling his claw into a fist and letting it fall on the table. The flesh ape was wearing his patience razor thin and starting to grate on his nerves. He seemed to relax a bit when he turned to his old friend. “You, Mikey, I would trust with the Giga Canon controls - against what my peers would certainly advise.”

He looked over at Amy, who had played her dutiful part of quiet observer. “Perhaps she can be permitted to witness.”

Because of course the Feds would be against a woman of feminine and dainty disposition playing any part in operating a mechanism of such stature.

Finally he turned to Rick, his handsome face pinched in exasperation, caution, and… disgust? “But the human? We don’t even know what side he’s on.”

Rick, who had been inspecting his nails until now, whipped his head in the Grand Leader’s direction with a start. He was clearly taken aback by such a staunch accusation. “E-excuse me?!”

“Do you take me for a common idiot?” Ken questioned harshly, arching a brow. “I have read the reports. I have seen the footage of your murderous rampage in cooperation with the beast.”

Rick made quick work of sliding his feet off the table and stamped them down on the floor, leaning forward in his seat to point a finger across the table at the oh-so great Grand Leader.

“Y-yyyYyou don’t know shit about w-what the fuck you’re talking about!” He cursed. “I-I had to do what I had to do! I-III didn’t enjoy it!”

“You were laughing in the video.” Ken emphasized, giving the human a long suffering look.

“I-! I-I—!” Rick stuttered, then clenched his teeth and rubbed his forehead in frusturation. “I w-was higher than high on venom, o-okay?! Lizardperson messed w-with my head!”

“What’s more, you betrayed my Commander as he intended to save you - and you’re not even sorry for it!” Kenneth exclaimed, throwing out his arms in a grand show of his frusturation with the tiresome argument. “It’s not happening. Perhaps we can broker a deal for a laboratory - under supervision - but as far as I am concerned you are not to be trusted. To even suggest such a thing is—!”

RRRRRRRRRRRRRR

A thunderous rumble quaked through the opulent war room around them, vigorously shaking the very chairs they sat in. The silverware on the table vibrated, ripples forming in cups of water.

And just like that, the mysterious anomaly ceased. Leaving some of the occupants at the table very tense and confused. Rick was more than a little uneasy.

“Uh… w-what was that?”

“That is why I said I needed to meet with the generals and fellow commanders. Immediately.” The Grand Leader informed, rising from his seat with urgency. “Please, follow the guards and return to your rooms. I have to take care of this.”

[🔌]

[🔌]

[plugrick]

X

[krombopulos-mercenary]

Micheal only gave Rick a flat look when the human, of course, chose to double down instead of any alternative option. Obviously not amused by the guy’s theatrics. Amy just face palmed from her place in the background of the conversation.

Yes. Rick was very much in trouble now.

Following Quz’s lead, Micheal and Amy just ignored the bullshit without so much as a rebuttal and continued the more important conversation. The elder of the Krombopulous siblings giving the human a ‘You’re an idiot’ look for good measure before she tuned in to the retired commander’s words.

Micheal paid rapt attention as Quz began his account of what happened all that time ago. Only to be taken completely aback when the older soldier accused Rick of actually pushing him into Lizardperson’s jaws.

Now, the killer for hire was hardly one to harp about using enemies as meat shields when necessary, especially Feds. But if one actually spared his life while trying to escape danger?! The least one could do was not actively kill that particular guy! And that was just in a general sense!

But to subject Quz to the void creature’s vile venom…?! The very same that Rick was suffering the effects of?!?

The reaction was immediate; Micheal and Amy both turned to look at Rick. As if to confirm if the account was true, and based on the human’s reaction it was. Mike just stared at his ex-boyfriend in appalled bewilderment while Amy turned back as Quz went on, his shoulder beginning to throb painfully right at that moment.

 He also idly realized that his bandaging was starting to show pink and grey splotching…when had that happened….?

“How many times were you bitten, Quz? I myself have had two exposures to Lizardperson’s venomous bite and an injection of a bootlegged alternative thus far.”

The killer asks, keeping his now narrowing gaze on Rick as he spoke. His emotions were flipping from moment to moment and he quickly turned back to the other two gromflomite men in the room before he ended up blowing up at the human right then and there.

“The venom is not like anything from this reality, it drills down until it burns holes into the very cells themselves. Causing lasting effects even after just one bite.-”

He pointed to his own shoulder to emphasize just why it was like how it was, if it weren’t already obvious at that point.

“-With enough doses, the holes become big enough that cellular breakdown is inevitable….”

[plugrick]

For once in his life, Rick remained silent. One might expect him to passionately interject, as he usually did - but in the face of the old Commander’s accusation, he didn’t utter a single word. Suggesting that the story about the human sacrificing his saving grace was very much true.

Rick kept his focus glued to the table and didn’t dare to lift his gaze. He could feel the Krombopulos sibling’s eyes burning holes straight through him, the both of them shocked and disgusted by the tale. He hated how they looked at him like he was some kind of monster. Especially when Mike did it. He could feel his cheeks flushing a bright pink with shame, and poorly tried to hide it by wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

Quz took a moment to dab the remaining green gromflomite blood off of his mandibles, his claw still trembling like a junkie riding a bad comedown. His health had clearly taken quite the downfall, his current state setting a prime example of the eventual progression of venom intoxication. The only question was how much exposure would lead to his current sorry state…

“I… I do not recall.” He answered simply, closing his eyes for a moment solemnly before opening them once more. “I bear many scars. Once the beast got its infernal hands upon me, it—“

He took up a wheezing fit again, his once strong and muscle bound form shuddering from strain. Kenneth held up an arm, signalling to his mentor to rest himself and let him handle the talking until he could properly collect himself.

“Yes. We are aware of the effects of the bite.” He stated with a nod of affirmation. “Our scientists have documented the breakdown of living tissue cells, notably in the bloodstream. It cycles through the body, affecting all that it touches. We… we haven’t found a cure yet.”

Ken spared a quick glance over to Quz, who was starting to appear tired from his battle with his own faulty body. It was clear that he cared very much for the elder Commander, and it pained him to watch him suffer in such a way. He leveled a look at his old friend that seemed to convey that he held the same sympathies towards him.

“I can only imagine what you’re going through. Perhaps one day we will find a solution…” Ken sighed in melancholy, his expression firming as he set his feelings aside. “In the meantime. Please, go back and explain to me, Mike. I don’t understand. What do you mean by… Bootlegged… ‘alternative’?”

“I-it’s not a cure. B-but it’s as close as I could get.”

Rick piped up unexpectedly, muttering out a short response. He had finally managed to lift his head once the heat of Mike’s dangerously critical glare turned away, and couldn’t help but be drawn to stare at the bandages decorating his ex-boyfriend’s shoulder, anxiously fixated on the diseased coloration soaking through the wrapped gauze. He forced himself to tear his attention away from the fresh wound, clearing his throat.

“M-maybe you’ve heard of it,” he went on. “Galax. It caught on a-as a… ahem. Party drug. M-more or less.”

Emphasis on the less. It was only the real low down sleazeballs who elected to ruin themselves from the inside out with that horrible tar…

“Since you people w-wouldn’t help me, I-I synthesized an artificial stand-in for lizard spit myself. A-aaand it keeps me alive. And from, y-y’know… Ending up l-looking like that.”

The human shrugged in the general direction of Quz, his nose crinking in distaste. He was still standing by the commentary earlier about how ugly he was, despite being exposed as the traitor to his savior. Sticking by his guns and continuing to be a jerk, coming as a surprise to no one.

Ken blinked. “You… you intentionally poison yourself with a substance that mocks a venom not of this reality?” He looked over at Mike in bewilderment. “You intentionally poisoned yourself?!”

[krombopulos-mercenary]

Micheal looked on at Quz with sympathy, it not for the venom then the old commander would be in a very different state of Health. He looked twice as old as he should, shuttering and coughing away in his chair. Rick would be that way, if not worse, were it not for the human’s “solution” to the problem.

….was that how Micheal would look like if he lived long enough? 

Sure, it was obvious that Quz had gotten much more exposure to Lizardperson than the killer had at this point. But, how much more? What was the threshold? And, in the long run, did the final amount even matter? Commander Quz was like this after ten years since his last exposure to void creature venom. Would Mike be similarly sick at twenty years instead? Thirty?

Mike doesn’t look at Rick when the human first interjects, finally making himself useful in the conversation. Even if it was to talk about that terrible shit the drug dealer had concocted. Though, he does give Rick a harsh side eye for talking about Quz’s state - which was all RICK”S FAULT- before looking over at Ken.

“ Don’t give me that look Kenny, you know our training is to survive anyway we can! It was a decision made under duress to help us break out of prison, which you can thank Flannax for. At that point he had tortured us for several days, including stabbing me in the thigh so that I had trouble even standing on my own. So, I needed a way to just…power on through.”

Mike immediately defends himself when Scrimblo’s incredulous gaze turned to him, the killer shrugging his one good shoulder.

“I didn’t want to take it…to tell you the truth, I despise Galax completely. But….I didn’t want to go Beserker, become some out of control blood thirsty m-maniac…”

Micheal felt himself begin to stutter so he paused a beat to collect himself before continuing. 

“…so we got the materials needed to make a bootleg of Rick’s alternative venom solution. Our plan worked, obviously, but the injection counts against my cells all the same. Prison was also when I got my first bite from Lizardperson….”

[plugrick]

“….Tortured?”

Kenneth didn’t seem comforted by the explanation behind just why Mike had subjected himself to horrible, mind bending poison. Not one bit. His face had deep concern written all over it, and that was to say nothing of the alarm shimmering in his eyes.

Admittedly, from an outside perspective, their trip to prison and the things that happened therein were heavy subjects. To say the least.

“That… wasn’t in the documentation…”

Mentioning the infamous Flannax hadn’t gone under the radar, either. Quz made a rough sound that almost resembled a bark of bitter laughter. “Bastard never changed. He was never quite right after losing that eye.”

Rick gave an annoyed huff of a sigh. Oh, so now Mike emphasized how much he didn’t want to be a blood thirsty maniac, huh? The human wished he had felt the same sentiment when they’d been back at the rebel hideout. And to top it off, he just had to throw in how much he hated Galax - as if they hadn’t had dozens of fights about his use of the stuff already. Mike wasn’t the only one who gave their ex-boyfriend a healthy dose of side eye.

“That… that all sounds terrible.” Ken sympathized, his tone taking on a tinge of softness. He was very troubled by this revelation. Very troubled indeed. “You must have been desperate, Mikey…”

Rick rolled his eyes. Could these two just get a room already? He was getting fed up with all the gentle words and special looks full of feeling and sweet nicknames. Ugh.

“C-can we please get to the part w-where we talk about, I-I dunno, something actually important?” He snapped impatiently. “S-something about this room makes me nauseous, a-aaand I would love to hurry this up.”

He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something about being in the grand conference room was making his stomach turn.

“L-let’s talk giant canon.” He firmly redirected, taking the opportunity to kick his legs up on the table. Which was a very frowned upon move in the Federation, not that Rick cared. “I-I still think you should just, y’know, cough it up a-aaand hand it over to us.”

“That is preposterous.” Quz nearly spat, one of his mandibles curling up like he’d taken a bite out of something soured. “I wouldn’t let you ten feet in range of a click-chitter pea shooter, much less the Giga Canon.”

“Aht aht aht,” the human scolded lightly, wagging his finger at the elder commander like he was a child speaking out of line. “I-III don’t take answers from people who look l-like they’re melting.”

Kenneth made a face, seemingly at a loss for how to deal with the unruly ape creature that kept continuously insulting his mentor and suggesting outlandish takeover plans. He exchanged an exasperated look with his old friend.

“Mike, I understand that this is your chosen life partner, but… Is he… always like this?”

[🔌]

[the-wolf-and-moon]

Comet Lovejoy, Magic Wand

[🔌]

[plugrick]

X

[krombopulos-mercenary]

Micheal only gave Rick a flat look when the human, of course, chose to double down instead of any alternative option. Obviously not amused by the guy’s theatrics. Amy just face palmed from her place in the background of the conversation.

Yes. Rick was very much in trouble now.

Following Quz’s lead, Micheal and Amy just ignored the bullshit without so much as a rebuttal and continued the more important conversation. The elder of the Krombopulous siblings giving the human a ‘You’re an idiot’ look for good measure before she tuned in to the retired commander’s words.

Micheal paid rapt attention as Quz began his account of what happened all that time ago. Only to be taken completely aback when the older soldier accused Rick of actually pushing him into Lizardperson’s jaws.

Now, the killer for hire was hardly one to harp about using enemies as meat shields when necessary, especially Feds. But if one actually spared his life while trying to escape danger?! The least one could do was not actively kill that particular guy! And that was just in a general sense!

But to subject Quz to the void creature’s vile venom…?! The very same that Rick was suffering the effects of?!?

The reaction was immediate; Micheal and Amy both turned to look at Rick. As if to confirm if the account was true, and based on the human’s reaction it was. Mike just stared at his ex-boyfriend in appalled bewilderment while Amy turned back as Quz went on, his shoulder beginning to throb painfully right at that moment.

 He also idly realized that his bandaging was starting to show pink and grey splotching…when had that happened….?

“How many times were you bitten, Quz? I myself have had two exposures to Lizardperson’s venomous bite and an injection of a bootlegged alternative thus far.”

The killer asks, keeping his now narrowing gaze on Rick as he spoke. His emotions were flipping from moment to moment and he quickly turned back to the other two gromflomite men in the room before he ended up blowing up at the human right then and there.

“The venom is not like anything from this reality, it drills down until it burns holes into the very cells themselves. Causing lasting effects even after just one bite.-”

He pointed to his own shoulder to emphasize just why it was like how it was, if it weren’t already obvious at that point.

“-With enough doses, the holes become big enough that cellular breakdown is inevitable….”

[plugrick]

For once in his life, Rick remained silent. One might expect him to passionately interject, as he usually did - but in the face of the old Commander’s accusation, he didn’t utter a single word. Suggesting that the story about the human sacrificing his saving grace was very much true.

Rick kept his focus glued to the table and didn’t dare to lift his gaze. He could feel the Krombopulos sibling’s eyes burning holes straight through him, the both of them shocked and disgusted by the tale. He hated how they looked at him like he was some kind of monster. Especially when Mike did it. He could feel his cheeks flushing a bright pink with shame, and poorly tried to hide it by wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

Quz took a moment to dab the remaining green gromflomite blood off of his mandibles, his claw still trembling like a junkie riding a bad comedown. His health had clearly taken quite the downfall, his current state setting a prime example of the eventual progression of venom intoxication. The only question was how much exposure would lead to his current sorry state…

“I… I do not recall.” He answered simply, closing his eyes for a moment solemnly before opening them once more. “I bear many scars. Once the beast got its infernal hands upon me, it—“

He took up a wheezing fit again, his once strong and muscle bound form shuddering from strain. Kenneth held up an arm, signalling to his mentor to rest himself and let him handle the talking until he could properly collect himself.

“Yes. We are aware of the effects of the bite.” He stated with a nod of affirmation. “Our scientists have documented the breakdown of living tissue cells, notably in the bloodstream. It cycles through the body, affecting all that it touches. We… we haven’t found a cure yet.”

Ken spared a quick glance over to Quz, who was starting to appear tired from his battle with his own faulty body. It was clear that he cared very much for the elder Commander, and it pained him to watch him suffer in such a way. He leveled a look at his old friend that seemed to convey that he held the same sympathies towards him.

“I can only imagine what you’re going through. Perhaps one day we will find a solution…” Ken sighed in melancholy, his expression firming as he set his feelings aside. “In the meantime. Please, go back and explain to me, Mike. I don’t understand. What do you mean by… Bootlegged… ‘alternative’?”

“I-it’s not a cure. B-but it’s as close as I could get.”

Rick piped up unexpectedly, muttering out a short response. He had finally managed to lift his head once the heat of Mike’s dangerously critical glare turned away, and couldn’t help but be drawn to stare at the bandages decorating his ex-boyfriend’s shoulder, anxiously fixated on the diseased coloration soaking through the wrapped gauze. He forced himself to tear his attention away from the fresh wound, clearing his throat.

“M-maybe you’ve heard of it,” he went on. “Galax. It caught on a-as a… ahem. Party drug. M-more or less.”

Emphasis on the less. It was only the real low down sleazeballs who elected to ruin themselves from the inside out with that horrible tar…

“Since you people w-wouldn’t help me, I-I synthesized an artificial stand-in for lizard spit myself. A-aaand it keeps me alive. And from, y-y’know… Ending up l-looking like that.”

The human shrugged in the general direction of Quz, his nose crinking in distaste. He was still standing by the commentary earlier about how ugly he was, despite being exposed as the traitor to his savior. Sticking by his guns and continuing to be a jerk, coming as a surprise to no one.

Ken blinked. “You… you intentionally poison yourself with a substance that mocks a venom not of this reality?” He looked over at Mike in bewilderment. “You intentionally poisoned yourself?!”

[🔌]

[plugrick]

X

[krombopulos-mercenary]

No one could say that Micheal hadn’t tried. He’d tried to do the equitable thing and allowed Rick the chance to take control and give what he wanted in terms of information on Lizardperson. Setting the precedent that he, and Amy, would follow suit with.

The perfect set up for the long “con”…..

 Of course it didn’t work out like that.

The killer for hire wished he could feel more surprise that Rick single-handedly made things fall apart, but he didn’t. Instead, he was left glaring in tired exasperated rage as his ex-boyfriend embarrassed all three of them by trying to throw Micheal under the bus in terms of void creature information. Showing to the worst audience how uncoordinated they were, and just how much of a pop-off idiot the drug dealer was when running his mouth.

It was too much; so much so that Micheal just sat there and watched as both Quz and Ken focused in on Rick. Not butting in at all as the older commander brought up Rick’s bite mark- though it did make his own still bandaged shoulder visibly twitch. Micheal having to grip the armrest of the chair to try and keep the rest of his arm steady.

Having been bit just a few days before, Micheal felt the flash of physical sick Need throb up from the actual still open wound. Even the old injection site from the bootleg Galax incident gave a dull pang for a few seconds. Mike had to take a little bit of time to mentally stamp it all back down before he could actively engage in conversation again, his face frozen in that exasperated anger expression the entire time.

Until finally he could give a glare to Quz for bringing up the video from the day before. The bastard using it as a successful blackmail tool to get Rick to talk- the last thing any of them wanted was to see THAT again.

Micheal kept his eyes on Quz until Rick dropped yet another bombshell, and then his red lenses were snapping over to the human in the deadest of deadpans.

“……wish you’d told me you knew who Quz was last night…the universe truly is too small.”

Petty as fuck? Yes. Inopportune time? Extremely so. But he felt justified in passively aggressively calling the old man out in that moment. Because, ONCE AGAIN, for no fucking discernible reason, Rick neglected to tell Micheal very important information. 

They were going to have an argument later.

[plugrick]

The cat was really out of the bag now. Rick’s furious gaze broke away from Quz and moved back over to Mike, the scowl he had plastered to his face faltering. He squirmed in his hot seat, sensing from Mike’s ice cold tone of voice that he was edging on being in trouble. It was either roll over right then and there or double down…

And Rick had a known history of choosing to be as difficult as possible.

“~OoOoh~! Well excuuuuse me f-for needing a minute to put a name and face t-together!” He sarcastically scoffed with classic A-list asshole flair, theatrically throwing up jazz hands. “I have brain holes, M-Mike! BRAIN HOLES!”

He tapped a finger against his temple a few times to highlight his point before re-crossing his arms and all but throwing himself back in his seat. Every ounce of the human’s body language screaming defiance to an obnoxious degree.

“Jeez-us, is - is ganging up on me some kind of sport to you people?!”

Rick’s nearly hysterical reaction to being put on the spot did not seem to have much impact on the room other than annoying the hell out of everyone. The elder commander did his best to ignore his antics and turned his attentions towards Krombopulos instead.

“It is true. Your human and I have… met before.”

Quz’s pause seemed intentional, as if he was making it clear that he was choosing his words carefully.

“I was the one who led the battalion to face the beast on that fateful day,” he explained gravely. “Many men died in the lengthy standoff, and in turn I barely escaped with my life.”

Kenneth frowned at the elder Commander’s words, concern painting his handsome features. “Commander… If only I hadn’t been on that delegate mission—“

Quz held up a claw to silence him. There was no time to worry oneself about happenstances of the past.

“What’s more, it was only by my command that this human was not killed outright in the firefight.” He went on, gesturing a claw in Rick’s direction. “In repayment, he pushed me into the beast’s jaws.”

Rick’s brows furrowed, his eyes lowering pointedly to the patterns of the oak table below in contemplation. Or was it guilt that he had been caught omitting very large pieces of information?

The elder commander’s expression darkened. He didn’t come off as much of a physical threat in his dilapidated state, but the energy of authority and old wartime prowess radiating off of him was intimidating all the same. His claws tightened their hold on the arms of his wheelchair, sharp fingertips digging into cushioning.

“If it were by my choice, we would be conducting this interview with the mammal in the Brig, rotting where it belongs.” He growled, bristling with dangerous rage. Rick stiffened at the threat, gritting his teeth. “The nerve to show his face again on this Outpost - after causing such death to my soldiers, after poisoning my very BLOOD—!”

The oncoming tirade was abruptly cut off by a hacking wet cough from the old Commander, who raised a fist to his mouth. He hunched over and wheezed like a dying man, his shoulders bunching from the strain of struggling to excise some sort of blockage from his lungs.

Kenneth reacted quickly, his movements well rehearsed as if this was far from the first time. He pulled a handkerchief from his uniform pocket and placed it in his elder’s hand, who brought it to their mandibles. Quz wracked out a few more coughs into it before lowering his hand shakily, the once white cloth coming away a sickly, gorey green…

“Commander, you mustn’t stress yourself.” Ken lightly scolded. “You are only aggravating your inflicted condition…”