levelshift: <user name=patch-robots site=livejournal.com> (what the shit is this?!)
Accelerator ([personal profile] levelshift) wrote in [community profile] metalogs2023-05-19 01:48 pm

I want to be blinded from this dull today​

Who: Leonardo [personal profile] faceguy, Donatello [personal profile] purplexing, Accelerator [personal profile] levelshift
What: Three children commit light B&E and felony theft.
When: Late May. Probably after that Fantastic announcement, what timing.
Where: An electronics recycling facility in Central.
Content Warnings: Kids committing crimes, body horror, psychological horror, blood, sensory overloading. These kids have trauma, thanks nightmare floor! Will update as necessary.


[With everything going on in Central City - the flooding, the lockdown, Fantastic taking over the Alliance - the smart thing to do would be to delay this whole mission. Or even better - call it off, because even though it should be a (mostly) harmless crime for the benefit of Donnie, stealing equipment meant to be recycled is still illegal. But no, they've made plans, scoped the place out, trained. Dropping things now would be putting all that time and effort to waste, and besides, it should be a simple stealthy in-and-out mission, right? It's a recycling facility, how bad can the security be?

Besides, it'll be fun to stick it to Fantastic. A heist (albeit, a small one) happening right after he becomes head of the Alliance? Now that's fantastic.

Accelerator isn't too sure what to expect. He's been in a recycling facility before, back in Academy City, and the security was incredibly lax. This is a different city - different universe, with different rules. He's a little cautious, since this was originally his idea, and he's the one with only thirty minutes of power to work with. Otherwise he's a weaker-than-normal high school student relying on two very capable ninjas.

It's fucking weird to be relying on other people. He kind of hates it, and he isn't totally sure why, though he can't exactly overthink it right now like he usually would. He's trying to stay focused on breaking into the facility and not fucking anything up for Donnie and Leo. He's even made something of an effort for tonight, with a duffle bag to store equipment (a smaller backpack is inside for stuff he'll grab for the Society's cut) and a black hoodie in case he needs to hide his hair (he isn't sure, white hair just doesn't seem very stealthy).

So far it's going smoothly. With Leo's planning and leadership and Donnie taking care of the security system they're able to sneak in and avoid the paths of the security guards. In fact, it's going so well that it sort of seems like they might be able to get in, grab what they need, and get out with no incidents whatsoever.

Of course, it's absurd to throw all caution out the window simply because things are working out right now. Especially when they run into their first obstacle.

After dodging a few more guards, the trio will come to a long hallway, the only path to their goal without having to pass directly several security stations. Spread through the length of the hall are little red lasers, arranged into one very elaborate grid meant to ward off would-be thieves such as themselves. It's like something out of a spy movie, and it's unclear whether these are the kinds of lasers that will cut a limb off or simply sound an alarm if tripped. Maybe it's both.

Accelerator leans heavily on his crutch, looking thoroughly irritated with this obstacle. His reflection might be actively detrimental here.]


This is fucking ridiculous.
purplexing: (i cannot be hearing this right)

[personal profile] purplexing 2023-06-11 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[He should be thankful they've cleaned things off around here! But the lack of places to sit isn't lost on them, it's on the list.

Donnie watches as Accelerator finds a place to get comfortable, glancing at Leo before he looks back to the esper. Oh, he knows what's coming and kind of wishes he didn't, but that's the whole point of why they came down here.

He sighs a little, folding his arms.
]

...yeah. Kind of figured it was a...mutual unspoken agreement. But at the same time, I guess you wouldn't have brought it up if you didn't think it needed to be addressed. ...and we wouldn't have agreed to meet if we didn't agree to some degree.
faceguy: (i guess this just)

[personal profile] faceguy 2023-06-11 11:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[Leo hopes the look on his face is reassuring when Donnie glances his way, but he has a feeling it wasn’t. He agreed to this, but he doesn’t really want to do it.

Still, he also comes over to settle in against the wall.]


Yep.

[It sounds noncommittal, but he’s trying!]

Might as well get to it.
Edited 2023-06-11 23:21 (UTC)
purplexing: (wha)

[personal profile] purplexing 2023-06-11 11:54 pm (UTC)(link)
["Them?"

Donnie has a hunch, but he waits for Accelerator to continue. He arches a brow, steeling himself for the worst.

Clones. He'd somehow pieced together that much. Somehow he hadn't caught the possibility that there actually were that many of them. It makes his stomach turn.

Twenty-thousand. That is not a number you can just blink an eye at.
]
faceguy: (id like some desperate measures please)

[personal profile] faceguy 2023-06-12 12:32 am (UTC)(link)
[Donnie manages to keep his silence, but Leo can’t help but react with open surprise at that number. He’d caught on that they were clones, but… twenty thousand? Really? That’s a town’s worth of clones!]

That’s… What? Who would make that many clones of the same person?

[Were they building an army or something?]
purplexing: (yet the barbs continue)

[personal profile] purplexing 2023-06-12 12:54 am (UTC)(link)
Lotta good those laws're doing.

[Not that the whole Academy City deal hasn't sounded incredibly suspicious since Accelerator had first mentioned it.]

I don't see any good reason for anyone to be making twenty thousand clones of any one person.

What's the max level and rank?
faceguy: (for a first effort this)

[personal profile] faceguy 2023-06-12 01:22 am (UTC)(link)
[Leo nods in agreement to both his brothers observations.]

And what does that have to do with the clones?

[Shady shit is happening, he gets, but how does it all piece together?]
purplexing: (it's not a nerd thing)

[personal profile] purplexing 2023-06-12 02:00 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, that certainly puts Accelerator and his abilities in perspective. Now it makes sense why he's said he's able to potentially shake off a bomb. Donnie's eyes widen at the revelation, and he flicks another glance Leo-wards before looking back at Accelerator.]

...and someone thought they'd clone the third highest ranked, military-grade esper on a lark. Except I highly doubt that's the case.

[He shakes his head. They're probably drifting a little off subject and he's not sure how much easier or harder that makes it on Accelerator.

They don't know the why's aside from something highly suspect was probably going on. Donnie knows the question that he probably doesn't want to answer.
]

So...what happened to them?
faceguy: (your beautiful voice)

[personal profile] faceguy 2023-06-12 02:48 am (UTC)(link)
[Leo catches Donnie's eyes, his own staying more neutral even though he's internally turning this new information over. Obviously, he knew Accelerator had a lot of power when using his choker, and that he didn't always have to use the choker, but learning he was apparently the strongest esper they had is a new layer.

Of course, the big question here is the one Donnie already asked, so Leo doesn't echo it. He just stays quiet, waiting for that answer too, even though, based on what he saw, he already has a few guesses.

Especially given how cagey Accelerator is being.]
purplexing: (are you actually saying words)

[personal profile] purplexing 2023-06-12 03:49 am (UTC)(link)
[Even anticipating that things were not going to be pleasant does not anticipate Donnie for that knot of dread that's settled in his stomach.

Accelerator's lead-in is enough to twist that knot, everything else to follow only seems to yank it tighter.

It's sickening, but it further puts into perspective the things that have come up in conversation, the esper's reactions, his viewpoint of things.

Accelerator was just another experiment that people wanted to test the limits of, to keep pushing the bar. Donnie looks queasy at the two paths the esper explains had been set before him, hugging his arms a little tighter against him as it's not too difficult to start slotting in the pieces of the puzzle that had already been there.
]

...oh no.
faceguy: (in 1998)

[personal profile] faceguy 2023-06-12 04:17 am (UTC)(link)
[Leo may not be a math whiz like the two nerds in the room, but even he can put this one together. People only die once - but if you can make multiples of the same person, they can die as many times as you can create them.

So the uncomfortable truth, the one that Leo was brushing up against that day in the room, that is looming over the horizon now, is that they dangled a prize in front of Accelerator's face in return for killing off the clones.

But it doesn't add up.

Because one hundred and twenty eight is not twenty thousand.

The thing that Accelerator is moments from admitting is already shaping up to be bad, but Leo feels in his gut that this isn't the end of it. Why did they need so many?

Why did Accelerator go along with it at all? If he really did.

(Of course he did, or why would he look so nauseous and guilty back in the nightmare room?)

Next to him, Donnie reacts with mounting horror, but Leo keeps a lid on his own emotions. The horror's here, but he won't let it show on his face yet, not while he still needs more information.]


So you agreed to the second option.

[That's clearly where this is headed, so let's not beat around the bush.]
purplexing: (not so sure about this)

[personal profile] purplexing 2023-06-12 05:13 am (UTC)(link)
[This is one of those rare instances where Donnie can do without more information, but even as Accelerator continues, there still seems to be one blatantly unanswered question. Or maybe it was obvious?

Maybe he knows the answer. After all, this was apparently all in the name of science. That thought makes him feel cold.

That poor girl and her clones. They were used. But...Accelerator was being used too.

The esper's words clash with his body language, Donnie can plainly see that. Accelerator's not proud of this, even though it sounds like he's bragging. He can't be proud of this, not with what had happened in that Room, not with how he'd reacted.

Donnie can't remember much of what was going on around them then, not any of the details, the accusations the Sisters had voiced, he can barely remember how they'd gotten out. But one thing is clear to him, for all that had happened, Accelerator couldn't possibly be proud of what he'd done or it wouldn't have manifested like it had. He wouldn't have such a terrible opinion of himself.
]

...why did you keep going?

[The question that he was hesitant to ask still slips out so easily, quiet like it hoped to be unnoticed and continue to go unanswered.]
faceguy: (through my sophomore slump)

[personal profile] faceguy 2023-06-12 01:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[Leo remembers the girls a little more clearly - the way their touch was gentle, even as they tried to separate them. The way their grip was more like desperation than something meant to restrain.

Accelerator says it like he’s bragging, but like Donnie, Leo sees through it. Accelerator has been torturing himself over this.

Donnie asks the key question, here, but Leo follows up with the other most obvious query:]


And how many?
purplexing: (solemn acceptance)

[personal profile] purplexing 2023-06-12 06:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[For some reason, the answer Accelerator gives is difficult to really grasp. Again it conflicts with everything else. It sounds like a terrible reason, and yes, a selfish one, but to go so far as to fight that many people just for, what, a title? A rank upgrade?

No. That wasn't it. That wasn't solely it. You had to be desperate for something to put yourself through that kind of hell.

Ten thousand and thirty-one...

Donnie wants to just exit himself from this conversation. It's easier than soaking it in and feeling almost physically ill as he tries to sort out this tangle of emotions, none of them good. It was hard enough dealing with his own. Empathy isn't his strong point, but then neither is being sympathetic. He's not quite sure what to say, or what Accelerator wants.

...no, that's not completely right. Accelerator had been self-condemning from before. This is what's been hanging over his head, why he saw himself as worse than scum, as worthless for effort. He's been trying to rebuild a wall, but he's left so many gaps.

It's easier to get a hold of himself when Donnie fixates on facts. Those he can deal with, at least slightly better. Information is just numbers and statistics. He can put a wall of his own up between that and the emotions that make things all goopy and messed up. Temporarily, at least.
]

Was it worth it?

[Donnie looks over again at Accelerator as he asks, sounding more calm than he might actually feel. There's still a lot going on, and his expression is a sad one, a concerned one.]
faceguy: (you're not alone)

[personal profile] faceguy 2023-06-12 06:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[Leo’s not as good at separating feelings from facts, and the grimace on his face shows it.

Ten thousand and thirty one…

It’s an… absurd amount. Leo is pretty sure that if that number is real, it makes Accelerator the biggest mass murderer, well, ever. Even the worst war criminals usually had other people doing the actual killing for them.

Again, Leo isn’t the math whiz here, but he knows Accelerator must have been killing multiple people a day or it would take him years to get to that goal. Days spent killing person after person after person.

Leo’s mind whirls with it.

What does that do to someone?

Leo’s never killed anyone before - not really. The Shredder could count if you defined “killed” as loosely as possible, but he was a centuries old spirit possessing a suit of armor; it’s not the same. Leo’s never pierced someone with his sword and watched their blood run out until the light left their eyes. Leo’s only ever wanted to do that once, and his target was hardly some innocent girl.

What does that do to a person?

They go numb…

or they break.

Based on what Leo saw in the nightmare room, he thinks it’s the latter. Especially because Accelerator is telling them willingly, approached them about it, when he could have just let the silence continue, could have lied so easily, could have said it was just one girl and let the true scope of his crimes stay hidden. It’s not like Leo and Donnie can fact check this.

Donnie asks the question, and Leo thinks he already knows what the answer is.

The real question is, once they have the answer, what do they do with it?

He doesn’t know yet. And he hates not knowing the next step.]
purplexing: (not so sure about this)

[personal profile] purplexing 2023-06-12 10:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[Donnie had suspected what Accelerator's answer would be, but having the esper confirm it himself... Well, it doesn't make things better, but the confirmation itself is something.

Accelerator's a killer, a willing killer...but he's not completely heartless. Does that make things all right? No, of course not. It doesn't make him innocent, even for all that he obviously regrets what had happened and what he'd done. But it's not like Donnie nor Leo are the ones who can forgive him for any of that.

Is it okay to fraternize with a murderer? They've had strange on-and-off relationships with their enemies before but the likes of Hypno and Repo never killed dozens of people, let alone thousands. Then there was Draxum, but Donnie had never considered any potential further crimes that guy must have committed aside from his questionably ethical experimentations. Like he's one to talk about ethics

There's... a lot here and Donnie's not sure what to do with any of it. He's not looking at it like a chess game, he's looking at it as an information dump and he can't even begin to figure out how to sort any of it.

He tucks a fist under his chin, partially shoved up against his mouth as he tries to mull this over, looking aside. Leo's not said anything and he's unsure that that's a good sign, but he suspects his brother's in a similar boat.
]

...I don't know what we would've done with that information even if you told us at the start. Honestly? I'm not even sure what to do with it now...

[It takes a lot for Donnie to admit that he doesn't know, in general, so the admission in any form is not a light one, coming from him. It's not just him saying he doesn't know, it's an invitation for suggestions, guidance.]
faceguy: (so you got a cross to bear)

[personal profile] faceguy 2023-06-12 11:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[Is it okay to fraternize with a mass murderer? Leo doesn’t know, either. The closest comparison he has is Draxum, and they stopped him before he could actually hurt anyone. Is intention to commit mass murder as bad as actual mass murder?

Leo is hardly a philosopher; he doesn’t have the answer to a question like that. But he is thinking of what Accelerator told him before, about how he sustained his brain injury. About how the first time he ever willingly dropped his reflection, a scientist in charge of his development shot him in the head.

He doesn’t know why Accelerator dropped the reflection then, but he knows someone took advantage of it to try and kill him. And maybe in some way it seemed justified, because Accelerator killed ten thousand people, but the scientists wanted him to do it. Set up the conditions and waved the carrot in front of his face.

Accelerator said he wanted people to stop fighting him. He said it like it was out of arrogance, but wouldn’t he just be tired of having his guard up around everyone? Of having to fight every day?

He’s the same age as Mikey, is the really fucked up thing.

Leo can’t forgive him. The wrong wasn’t done to him. The question is if they keep the relationship going (friends? or whatever they are) or drop him over past sins.

Donnie speaks up, and he looks at his brother. He looks as lost as Leo feels, so at least he’s not the only one.

Leo thinks it over a second longer, then speaks.]


Gonna have to agree with Dee - I don’t know what to do with this either.

[The fact that all this has happened now… complicates things. He can’t deny he feels affection for Accelerator, grumpy as he is. It didn’t help that Leo had to drag him, guilt ridden and haunted, out of that room. It’s hard to go back once his protective instincts have been ignited.

He’s going to need time to fully sift through his feelings, but he does have some more immediate thoughts.]


Buuut, listen: I get that you’re mad. That room was actually the worst and I think it’s awful those girls’ memories were used like that. But I also think you should not add to your already ridiculous kill count if you can help it.

[He rubs the back of his head.] I mean I know sunk cost fallacy is a thing and all, but you don’t have to kill anyone ever again, you know?

[And Leo doubts he could stop Accelerator if someone came at him with murderous intent, but that doesn’t mean he has to create problems.]

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