Accelerator (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
levelshift) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
metalogs2023-05-19 01:48 pm
levelshift) wrote in metalogs2023-05-19 01:48 pm
I want to be blinded from this dull today
Who: Leonardo faceguy, Donatello purplexing, Accelerator 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.
faceguy, Donatello purplexing, Accelerator levelshiftWhat: 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.
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[He's spitting that out, like it's left a disgusting taste in his mouth. Once he says it, it's all kind of spilling out. Accelerator had been trying to keep himself controlled, but that mention of the dehumanization of the Sisters and his part in it hits a nerve.]
The thing about Level 5 is that it's the highest an esper can go. Technically it's where I sit, but the reality of it is there's a complete wall between me and the other Level 5s. [He scoffs derisively.] #3 threw everything she had at me, including her signature railgun, and it was a fucking embarrassment for her.
[He shouldn't be bragging about that, he shouldn't. She had only been trying to stop him, she was doing what a good person does, even if that involved attempting to kill him several times. He keeps on going, his shoulders hunching tensely as he rubs one hand over his knuckles.]
Those scientists have done research on a theoretical Level 6, though. It's apparently absolute power, complete fucking invincibility, like God or something, and I'm the only one who can reach it and remain stable. Whatever the fuck that means.
[Again, he didn't ask. He never asked. He didn't care.]
They told me I'd be able to reach Level 6 after either undergoing two hundred and fifty years of the regular Curriculum, or fighting and killing #3 one hundred and twenty eight times. Both of which are bullshit. I'm not gonna live that long, and you can't kill a single person that many times. One they're dead, they're dead.
[Unless.]
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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.
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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.]
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They really, really shouldn't be friends with him.
He nods slowly.]
Yeah, pretty much. They had the technology for the clones, so that's what I agreed to. Radio Noise wouldn't go to complete waste, and it turns out twenty thousand Level 2 and 3 electromagnetism mass-produced esper clones are the equivalent of one hundred and twenty-eight Level 5 Railguns. They had this massive supercomputer the Tree Diagram calculate all of it out, all I had to do was run through twenty thousand combat trials it came up with and I'd hit Level 6. That's what I was going to school for, the Level 6 Shift Project.
[He pauses briefly there, conscious of his heart thumping in his chest and the growing noisy static in his head. He's keeping his gaze firmly staring down his hands, because if he closes his eyes he's certain he's going to start seeing the ends of those trials.]
The Sisters are all connected by a neural network, they're a fucking hivemind, so every single one of them would gain the memories and experience from each trial.
[No, they'd experience the death of every previous Sister. That's what he means to say, though the implication should be clear enough.]
As time went on they'd get stronger and harder to beat, but I'd get stronger along the way too, and even the strongest Level 3 is nothing compared to me.
[He's still bragging as his tone turns bitter. Why the hell is he still bragging? He isn't sure, and it makes him sick to his stomach that he can't seem to quit doing it.]
They were right about that part. I learned how to use my ability in ways I never thought about before.
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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.]
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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?
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Donnie's question has him silent for several moments.]
... Because I was getting really fucking tired of just being the strongest.
[This is probably the worst part of it all. He knows how ridiculous and selfish his reasoning is, it offers absolutely no excuse for what he did. He might as well just tell them he didn't do it for any reason at all, because the one he has is worth about the same.]
That's a title you have in relation to other people. I only know I'm the strongest because other idiots have tried to fight me and lost, and that shit gets really boring after a while. So I thought that if I had the absolute strength that came with being Level 6 the idea of challenging me would become a fucking joke. People would be terrified at merely the thought of it, so they'd never do it.
[He stops there.
(There's more to it than that. If he reached that level of invincibility then maybe, maybe people would stop seeing him as some obstacle to overcome, or a way to get clout with their friends, or a goddamned monster. Maybe they'd acknowledge his existence as just another person, instead.
... Except the exact opposite happened. He sunk deeper and deeper, became worse and worse. An even bigger monster than what he'd started out as.)
He doesn't explain any of that. It's still the same core reason in the end: he was a shitty person who didn't care about stepping on the lives of innocent people to get what he wanted. He sucks in another breath, burying his face in one hand. As he expected, images of the Sisters are flashing through his brain.]
The last successful trial was ten thousand and thirty-one.
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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.]
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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.]
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Accelerator drops his hand back down to his side. Anxiety is still threatening to send him into some kind of spiral, but it's all mixed up in the depressed resignation that took over his life when he was ten, so he just looks tired. His head hurts and he's pretty sure after all of this is done he's going to curl up in bed for two days. This time he might really call out of work sick.
That's an easy question for him to answer, at least.]
No, it wasn't.
[It had never been worth it, even when he was thousands of trials into the experiment and laughing about how boring it was getting. Even when he had tried talking to dozens, hundreds of Sisters to get a real human reaction out of them and received nothing, which only made the argument that they were just programmed dolls even stronger.]
Not for one goddamned second was it ever worth it. They didn't ask to be created, and they definitely didn't ask to be part of the Level 6 Shift Project. Me and those fucking researchers took advantage of them for our own gain.
[He knows he's worse than everyone else who took part in the experiment, though. The researchers might have created the Sisters, but he was the one going around killing them. No one else did that, and no one forced him. He did the worst parts of it all on his own.]
That fucking recycling facility took advantage of them, too. That room had no right to use them like it did. I know it makes me a huge hypocrite, but I still want to go back there and smash the place up, and then find whatever demon built that whole system. [And kill them, obviously.
He looks up and he honestly can't believe how calm the two of them are. Donnie even looks concerned, which is utterly bewildering to him. They should be, he doesn't know, punching him, or at least yelling at him. It really sucks how nice the two of them are, he doesn't deserve this much kindness at all.]
Sorry. For... not telling either of you. I should've been upfront from the beginning.
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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 ethicsThere'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.]
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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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No. Absolutely not. Especially not when you're a good person.
He'd been mentally preparing himself for this part, though even with that this still feels daunting. Maybe because Last Order, and Yomikawa and Yoshikawa aren't here, so he doesn't have anyone to fall back on. Not that it would be right to put them in such a position, but....
Anyways. He's overwhelmed them, which isn't surprising. This is a lot to take in and he doesn't want them to think he's expecting -- well, anything remotely positive. He's quiet, wanting to let them sort their thoughts out, but then Leo speaks up again.]
....
[A little too late for that kind of moral stance. He's pretty sure that, overall, that number has hit at least ten thousand and fifty with Hound Dog. Probably eleven thousand, if he takes into account the people who've been picking fights with him for years and were broken into bits by his reflection.
There's that, and the epiphany he had come to that night with Kihara. The one that brought out those wings. Leo is saying he doesn't need to kill anyone ever again, but he's already come to the decision that even though it isn't okay for him to kill people, he'll still do it without hesitating if it means protecting people like Last Order.
... Saying that out loud would be overkill, the two of them don't need some philosophical argument on top of what he's already dumped on of them, so he bites his tongue.
No, instead he grabs his crutch so he can pull away from the wall.]
I'm gonna go. I can find my own way out. [That seems like the best course of action, and not just because running is the easy option here.] If you guys want me deleting your contact info from my phone, that's fine. Just let me know.
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It shouldn't be a surprise when he says he's going to leave, and yet it catches Donnie off guard somehow. Going so far as to assume they might want to have nothing to do with him anymore has him look outright startled, and he looks over at Leo then.
Is this okay, letting him go? Are they supposed to do something? Science doesn't really help here.]
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He also isn’t sure they should just let Accelerator go. Something about letting the guy be alone after this feels… wrong. Leo would feel better if he had someone else, someone he was going back to, but he doesn’t. He lives alone. And Leo knows from the other night that he and Donnie are still the only people he regularly talks to.
It doesn’t sit right with Leo at all. None of this does. But they can’t force him to stay.
And anyway, he needs to know how Donnie feels about this before he does too much. He won’t make any big decisions without knowing that; if Donnie wanted to cut him off, Leo would.
But from the way Donnie looks at him, Leo knows his feelings are just as complicated.
He hesitates a moment longer, then gives a slight shake of his head at Donnie, before putting his focus back on Accelerator.]
Okay. But call us if you get lost - we picked this place because it’s a maze.
[Even if he got lost, Leo doubts he would call them, but he hopes the option being there shows that they aren’t dumping him just like that.]
Get home safe, okay?
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It's fine. Whatever. It's basically what his life was like before the Level 6 Shift Project, so it's not like it's anything new to him.
.... He doesn't like how shocked Donnie looks by this, but he keeps on repeating to himself that this is fine and the best thing for him to do as he heads for the exit. At Leo's words he gives a loose shrug.]
I'll be fine.
[Since he didn't try to memorize the way in he'll have to use his esper ability to find the shortest route out, but that isn't a big deal right now.
He leaves, very intent on calling out sick at work tomorrow.]
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Can he understand Accelerator's reasoning? Yes. Does he like it? No!
Leo leaves the offer open for the esper to contact them, and Donnie can't even figure out any further words to add to that as he turns to watch Accelerator leave. That doesn't make him feel any better either.
He can only look anxiously towards the exit until the sounds of the esper's crutch diminish with the distance.]
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He doesn’t like any of this.
He looks at Donnie; he can tell his brother isn’t happy that he’s left, either. But maybe they owe it to Accelerator and themselves to know how they feel about this. So that if and when they contact him again, they know what to say, and will mean it.
With that thought in mind, he starts to reach out for Donnie, then thinks better of it and stops his hand.]
Are you okay?
[He‘ll start there.]
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I...I don't know.
[He sighs, feeling suddenly exhausted, unaware of how tense he'd been throughout that whole conversation until now.]
...not really.
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Me either…
[He runs a hand over his face, trying to compose himself.]
…I knew it was gonna be bad. I just… didn’t expect that.
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Yeah... I don't think anyone could have expected that.
[If they had, they might not have ever gotten involved with the esper.]
...he'd been pretty blatant about putting himself down when I talked to him in the library, and he'd said he'd done terrible things. But I never thought... I wouldn't even have guessed that it had been something like that.
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He told me he doesn’t want to hurt innocent people. And… I don’t know how much you saw in that room, but… he’s torturing himself over this. And I believe him, I don’t think he’d make the same choice the second time, but…
[But he did it before. Being sorry doesn’t bring back the people he killed.
Is it on them to do something about it? Mercy isn’t really theirs to give here, but neither is justice. And that just makes it more confusing. Nothing about this situation is as clear cut as the Krang or the Shredder.
Leo slides to the floor and lets his head fall back against the wall.]
Letting him go didn’t feel right… but we need to be sure what our answer is. I don’t think this is something we can change our minds on later.
[If they cut him off, they can’t undo that. But if they don’t cut him off now, and then do it in the future, when he’s not prepared like he is now… That would be so much worse.]
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[He'd rather not think about it, but it's hard to forget what he'd seen and the snippets of things he had managed to hear before everything just became too much. That lake of blood, all those bodies...
That unsettling feeling in his gut twists again, making Donnie draw up his knees to hug his arms around.]
He made a bad decision. An extremely bad decision, but I think he...he was desperate. [Desperation makes people do crazy things.] I'm not saying it's okay or right... And he's definitely got some issues, but...he's not a completely bad person.
[Sure, he looked about ready to turn Donnie inside out when his choker device had accidentally been disrupted, but Donnie could justify that reaction, terrifying as it was to realize.]
He tried to change, but...something happened and now he's just condemning himself. It's like he's convinced himself that he can't possibly be anything more than what he's become.
[Donnie raises his head enough to look over his arms at Leo.]
I think he's still trying though. Maybe subconsciously. To be better. I mean...he helped me get to you. Kind of. And he could've just passed off his teleporter and left but he didn't. Even the information about the recycling center... He didn't have to do any of that.
I know it doesn't make anything go away, it won't change what he's done...but I don't think we should just...turn our back on him because of all that.
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If they turn their backs on him now, it'll just reinforce that view, that he's irredeemable garbage. And it's not a view Leo feels like reinforcing.]
I don't think he has a lot of people. I mean, according to his phone we're kinda it.
[Leo knows he has a few people back in his own world, but that's a dimension away. Who knows when Accelerator will be able to go back permanently?]
And I don't want to turn my back on him. He has an attitude problem, but he can be alright if you push past all the prickliness.
And, I dunno... I know it shouldn't matter, but I keep thinking... he's the same age as Mikey. [Leo bunches his shoulders up.] He's younger, so it's like... I gotta look out for him, you know?
[Not a literal gotta, but his protective instincts got triggered and it's hard to put that back in the box.]
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[It had been easy to make it a point of amusement, but the fact that Accelerator's contact list never seemed to grow is pretty telling.]
He trusts us.
Weirdly enough, I trust him too. [In spite of all that, somehow.]
[Given how Accelerator is, it's easy not to realize he's actually younger than them. Donnie's brows lift. Had he known that? Possibly forgotten it. The esper certainly didn't act his age. That stupid Academy City must have messed up so many kids.]
I get that.
[He sighs, letting his shoulders relax a little as his arms loosened around his knees.]
So we know what our decision is. But...what do we tell him?
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