𝕷𝖊𝖓𝖆 ⋆@Technosis -- a house in the middle of nowhere..." Lena's gaze turned down to her own palms, which were shaking, "... She she tried to do it with her bare hands..." She struggled to get the next words out. "... But neither of us knew what my powers could do until... I blasted a hole straight through her."
“Clem Hartwin”@HeartOfALuthor Clem covered her mouth in shock, tears pouring down her eyes once more. Her whole body was shaking. She shook her head, dropping her hands from her mouth, her lip quivering. She kept opening her mouth to speak, but struggled to get words out.
@Technosis Lena closed her eyes, tears falling down her face. It was out. It was done. Lena somehow felt lighter for it, despite the fact that she kept seeing the blood all over the walls.
It finally seemed she'd broken Clementine's diluted image of her, and she was glad for it.
There had been a time that Lena would have basked in the kind of love Clem had for her. She used to surround herself with people who loved the idea of Lena. It would sometimes blind them completely to her --
@Technosis -- flaws, to the ugliest parts of her... But ever since Lena had met Conner, someone who had no illusions of her and still loved her anyway, she couldn't face the superficial love she'd always surrounded herself with anymore. And to have someone Lena herself loved see her in that way? It was worse than anything else.
Maybe Clementine wouldn't love her anymore, but Lena was okay with that. At least she knew what Lena was now. At least she was *seen*.
@HeartOfALuthor “I…I can’t believe how stupid I’ve been…”
Clem touched Lena’s cheek and wiped away her tears
“I…spent so much time focusing on my own pain that I…didn’t even consider what you went through…
…you’ve been in pain this whole time, and I didn’t even see it.”
she leaned her forehead against Lena’s looking into her eyes, feeling the glow of her disks on her
“…I can’t imagine going through that…”
@Technosis Lena opened her eyes, meeting Clem's gaze with stunned silence. She was close enough to feel the warmth coming off her skin. The glow from Lena's discs tinted Clem's eyes and skin a faint shade of green.
"... That was what you got from that?" Lena asked quietly, her voice barely audible.
@HeartOfALuthor “…You killed…You killed someone who looked just like you. After they tried to kill you. In self defence. You killed yourself to save yourself.”
she spoke softly
“…it’s fucked up. I’m…still processing that. Along with everything else, honestly…I’m being hit with a lot.”
@Technosis Clem seemed disturbed that Lena was a killer, if only a little... That was good. She should be disturbed... But she also seemed willing to forgive her for it, just like Conner had.
Lena knew this was supposed to be about Clementine, and where she had come from, but selfishly, Lena had been hoping for this. Exactly this.
She rested her forehead against Clem's shoulder and started crying again softly. She felt so... Relieved. Relieved and light in a way she hadn't in --
@Technosis -- a long time.
@HeartOfALuthor she wrapped her arms around Lena and began to cry softly as she held her close. Despite everything, despite all the pain in confusion she’s going through..in this moment, holding her in her arms? She feels…comforted. She feels warmth.
@Technosis Lena had wrapped her arms around the other girl as well, taking a moment just to hold each other and cry. It was nice just to feel comforted by her, Lena thought, if just for this moment.
@HeartOfALuthor she pulled away from the hug, her arms still wrapped around Lena as she stared at her, her eyes filled with tears. She whispered softly
“What do we do now? Lena, I…”
she leaned in slowly, parting her lips before suddenly stopping, pulling back
“Lena? Do you…believe in fate? That the future can change?”
@Technosis Lena wasn't sure where this question had come from, but she replied: "I believe the future is what you make it. You're in control of your own fate. Why?"
@HeartOfALuthor “…if you ever saw something absolutely bonkers like…future people, and they accidentally let something slip about the future that…contradicts what you want, would you still fight for what you want, even if evidence tells you it may not last?”
@Technosis "Yes," Lena told her. "Research suggests that parallel universes are created every time someone makes a decision. For instance, Mara's visions sometimes don't come true, sometimes they do. They just show possibilities."
After another moment, she asked: "is that who wrecked the bathroom wall?"
@HeartOfALuthor “Uh, no. I think Conner did that. You know. Probably some super villain or something. I was just asking because a dream I had…although sometimes I feel like I’m still having it. But that’s probably just my brain fighting against me after all these shocking revelations.”
@Technosis Lena had a feeling she was hiding something, but decided to drop the matter for now. They had more important things at hand.
"... Are you ready to look at the files?" Lena asked her.
@HeartOfALuthor “As ready as I’ll ever be. Just…stay with me.”
she squeezed Lena’s hand, her own hand trembling
“…please…”
@Technosis Lena nodded, squeezing her hand back. She pulled the physical files over to look at them first.
"... Oh. There was one more thing we learned that I should tell you first...
... Your father... he... apparently the burden of what he was doing to you became too much for him... so he made a copy of himself to finish the work with less empathy... and I think he killed himself... so the man you know right now as your father is an altered copy."
@HeartOfALuthor “…dead? He…wait altered?”
her eyes went wire as she processed the information. The man who had been watching over her and taking care of her wasn’t even her real father. He was just some altered copy, much like herself
“He’s…not my father?”
she smiled unexpectedly, surprised to be feeling slight relief
“So…maybe I was partly right. Part of me wanted to make excuses for him and his controlling nature. Part of me felt something was off…it…it was never truly him…”
@Technosis "Not your original father, no... I'm not sure what the changes were made exactly, but we'll see what the files say." She squeezed Clem's hand again.
@HeartOfALuthor she nods
“…if his mind was copied and modified, then maybe…”
she shook her head
“Nevermind. Let’s…see what we can find. If there is anything else.”
@Technosis Lena nodded, then looked to the paper files she'd collected and opened the first one.
@HeartOfALuthor Clem read through the papers in silence, her hands shaking. She seemed to be mouthing something to herself as her eyes scanned the pages. Eventually, her face changed from one of despair to blank and emotionless.
@Technosis Lena was reading over them too, her expression more composed.
@HeartOfALuthor she stopped at one page in particular, staring at a photo of her when she was younger
“…that bracelet that’s on my wrist in that photo…is that the really expensive one you got me for my birthday?”
she spoke in monotone, being careful not to give off any emotion. As she read through the files, a thought entered her mind. A crazy thought. She knew if Lena knew what she was thinking, she would try to stop her
“…he probably still has it. My…fake dad, I mean.”
@Technosis Lena took Clem's hand, interlocking her fingers with her's and squeezing it.
"It's just a thing. I can get you a new one," Lena told her gently. She had a feeling she knew what Clem was thinking.
"... You don't have to put on a brave face. It's okay... You're safe with me, I promise."
@HeartOfALuthor “…brave face. It’s…funny. You know all those times we’d get in trouble? How I always had a brave face back then? I mean, she had the brave face…
…the point is, it was a lie. All those times we got in trouble or close to danger? Terrified of the consequences. But I…she still pressed on, even if she wasn’t sure how it would turn out…
…but now? I…don’t know what to do unless I have all the answers…”
she looked over at Lena, a guilty look on her face. She’s had a thought on her-c-
@HeartOfALuthor -c- mind ever since she learned the truth. A thought that just can’t escape her mind. Possibly the dumbest idea she’s ever had
“…Lena? That copy of my father. Any idea where he is now? I’m assuming he’s still out there.”
@Technosis "I know," Lena said. "I always knew.
Yes, that man is still out there. He jumped to a new body once we caught up with him in the lab. That's why I wanted everyone to be on guard," she told her.
@HeartOfALuthor “……what if he has the ans-…”
she cleared her throat
“…What, I mean to say is…if he does come here, we should make sure he doesn’t get away. To…question him. I…have a lot I want to ask him directly. I want to hear it coming out of his stupid mouth.”
@Technosis "We can try. But with the technology he has, he can jump bodies. It'll be difficult," she told her.
@HeartOfALuthor “…if he wants me? Maybe he’ll listen to me…it’s a terrible idea. But he can’t force me to go with him or obey him…right? I’m my own woman…I was…”
she frowned, muttering quietly
“…I still am for now, at least. Is there anything else I should know about before…well, before I inevitably lie in bed unable to sleep?”
@Technosis "We don't know enough information yet, so we shouldn't make assumptions...
Do you want to see the computer files, or take a break?"
@HeartOfALuthor “I…just want this all to end…but I need to see all of this.”
she stares at the computer
“…I deserve the whole truth. I want the whole truth.”
@Technosis Lena nodded once, then opened the laptop and began typing, decrypting the files.
@HeartOfALuthor she slowly stood up
“This is going to take a while. I…just need to run to the bathroom. Pardon me.”
she calmly walks off to the bathroom and shuts the door. Moments later, the sound of loud vomiting can be heard
@Technosis Lena cringed, not only because the sound was gross, but also because she knew Clem was going through a lot.
@HeartOfALuthor she called out from the bathroom door, her voice shaky
“M-Maybe we should take a break…oh god…uh…for today. Just…sleep. I…my brain can’t deal with all of this…
…do you have any mouthwash?”
@Technosis Lena closed the laptop, getting up and heading to the bathroom door and waiting just outside. "Check the cabinet."
@HeartOfALuthor moments after the sounds of gurgling were heard, she stumbled out, walking slowly to the bed before lying down
“…Lena? I…know this is an awkward time. And I don’t know what the…future holds. For me or for you. I’m terrified. But no matter what happens, I…want to face it with you. You make me stronger.”
@Technosis Lena sat down on the edge of the bed and reached over to place her hand over Clem's.
"... Me too." She looked at her.