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The only thing that hurts worse than the truth is Techno's head. It pounds like a second heartbeat and lulls him into stupidity. Some of the slowness has to be the drugs wearing off. But his head hurts more. But he's been unmasked, and they're probably running some kind of search on him right now. He’s been living with Phil since always; it’s just a matter of time.
His cellmate sits across the room, drawing lines on the floor. He looks like a black hole, with solid eyes the color of sour apple flavored candies. There's no visible pupil and the sclera doesn't look any different from the iris. The jet black hair that matches the rest of his skin is buzzed short. In other words, Techno's never seen anyone like Ran before.
"Where'd they get you from?"
"Test tube. If you mean the DNA well then...." Ran shrugs, avoiding meeting his gaze. "Doesn't matter. I'm me."
"That's how being a person works. We're people, so we're ourselves." Techno curls his hand into a fist. The cell door slides open. "We ain't something lesser."
"We're so much better than people. We're going to be weapons ." Ran laughs as a scientist enters the room.
It's probably a concussion. One of the most common symptoms of a concussion is exhaustion. Last time Techno had a concussion, Phil drove him to Ponk to get healed. Techno was told that a single concussion isn't likely to cause any brain damage, but any kind of damage taken to the head would likely cause serious problems.
The scientist grabs Techno’s hair and slams his head into the wall. If they were feeding him, he'd have thrown up. As it is, Techno prays he doesn't have a concussion. Ran's laughter only makes the room spin more.
Boss is the worst. He wears a stupid mask like a coward. He beats Techno, who still can't think straight. He hurts Ran.
Once, Phil told Wilbur that broken people don't exist. That people crack, shatter, or snap, but people don't break. Techno ruffled Wilbur’s hair and agreed. Now that he’s in a blindly white lab, he disagrees.
Ran begs for the beatings and is always sure to thank Boss when he's done. Boss doesn't seem to care any differently from when he strikes Techno.
Today Boss brought in a clear tank of water. There's several scientists behind him, all eagerly scribbling on clipboards. Something about his body posture when he turns to Ran makes Techno's gut clench.
"Get in the water."
Ran barely manages to crawl to the tank. No one helps him get in but he manages somehow. There's hissing and bubbling as Ran whimpers in pain. All the skin that the water touches creates boils and blisters that pop, turning the water red. Techno can't imagine how much it must hurt. Ran's always accepted everything with a smile. Even now his grimace looks more like a smile than it doesn't.
"Do you want to get out?" Boss sounds bored. Like there's a million other better things to do.
"I- I only want to obey you." Ran pleads.
Everyone watches until there's nothing but bones in the bloody water. Techno glares at Boss when he kneels down.
"Hey Crow. You saw that, right? That thing was obedient. It wouldn't have been a good weapon, but it listened well. You're going to be both. First you'll get a new name though." Somehow Boss is more interested in talking to him than watching a person die.
"Fuck you." The only thing Techno regrets is that he only spits on Boss' mask instead of his face. There is no punishment that would make him wish he didn't do it.
As a hero, people had attacked Techno with a knife before. None of those stabbings hurt as much as the way Boss' knife plunges into him. Another glob of spit lands on Boss' mask and he laughs.
"How about Blade? Since you love it so much?"
Techno thinks about Phil. How Phil found someone with too much violence in his body and said "You're not broken. You can help people."
Phil made a makeshift bedroom for a stranger, trained him, and let him choose his own fate. Phil was a normal human in a world of magic, aliens, mutants, and god knows what else and fought them head on. He wasn't just a hero.
Phil was Techno's hero. Now he's repaid all of that kindness by getting kidnapped.
All Techno can think about is how he's let Phil down. He doesn't deserve to be recused from this hell but it'll happen because Phil's a hero.
Once the Boss is done with the punishment, a doctor stitches Techno up. There's no painkiller administered. (It's fine. He'd rather build up the pain tolerance.) He looks the doctor in the eyes, "You know who I am. The Angel's going to come for me."
"We'll have to postpone starting the process. He's lost too much blood." She ignores Techno in favor of the scientist taking samples from the tank.
He's not sure how long it is before he gets a new cellmate. It's another teenager with skin like the night and unnatural eyes.
"Blade." The new kid nods.
Techno shakes his head. "'S not my name."
"That's what Boss said it is. I'm the new Ran." New kid picks at his jumpsuit, paying no attention to the emotions running across Techno's face.
"No it's not. That's someone else." He watches new kid avoid meeting his gaze. Just like Ran.
"Ran isn't a name. It's just what I am."
A soft heh escapes. "That's fucked. Don't you want one?"
"Who'd be giving it?" The Ran freezes. Techno's not good with people. He doesn't know what emotion is in the other's eyes.
"Me."
The Ran shrugs. "Why not? Do your worst."
Sometime later, between the injections, the torture, the training, and the death, Techno forgets what he named the second Ran. He doesn't forget how this time he had a real name to scream when the Ran climbed into the water. At least that Ran begged for permission to leave the tank.
The next Ran that Techno remembers naming is Ranbob. He looks like the night sky, with the white patch being the moon and the white freckles being the stars. He comes after Boss gets a Ran that will obey him without letting themselves die. Techno doesn't get the point of it, but doesn't ask questions.
"You're Ranbob." Is the only greeting the new kid gets when he's tossed in. "That's your name now."
All Rans react the same when given a name. Their eyes get big and watery until they remember that crying's a bad idea. Every time it makes Techno's chest tight. Like they haven't earned the right to a name yet. It's bullshit. It's all Boss' fault.
Techno hates the Boss more than anything.
"Are they trying to give you back free will?" It's that's the case, then Techno's jealous. There was a time when he didn't feel awful over disobeying Boss. He misses it.
Ranbob shakes his head. "I'm the first part of step 2. I'm the first with powers."
"Ah. Powers would make you a flight risk." Finally a reason why Boss wanted the control down perfectly. "What'd'ya got? Super strength? Flight? Not melting in water?"
"They didn't tell me that you're funny. I'd rather have not melting than teleportation, no brainer." Ranbob tosses his head back laughing. Techno snorts air out of his nose. It wasn't funny but the laughter's infections.
"They don't tell you guys anything. Have you ever teleported before?"
Ranbob shakes his head. "We can always change that though."
"Then do it." Teleportation is a power that some people doubt can even exist. Teleporting is something people doubt is even possible. After all, what if there's a mistake? Then you'd get a big mess.
Of course Ranbob makes a mistake. Bits of him are around the room, Techno's drenched in blood. The texture, the smell, the taste, it's all so much. It's just blood. It's nothing but blood.
The cell door slides open and Boss struts in. There's awful breathing coming from what's left of Ranbob.
"Color me impressed. I thought it would have lasted longer before- It's still alive? Holy shit. What a breakthrough." Boss don't care about walking through the blood puddles to get to Techno.
He pulls a knife from somewhere and wraps Techno's hand around the hilt.
"I want you to kill it."
Once, someone told Techno that people can't break. That's a lie because Techno can't find it in himself to go after Boss. He can't find it in himself to ask why.
"We can't start cleaning up until it's dead." Boss sits across from Techno, his mask the same awful smile it always is. "Look at me. Don't close your eyes."
Techno opens his eyes.
"The Ran's going to die either way, and you want to make it suffer? You must have been an awful hero. No wonder the Angel hasn't come for you. It's your fault this happened to it and you won't even give it a mercy kill?" Boss' voice is soft.
The knife is gripped so tightly that it hurts. Techno stands up. There's only one thing to do. No one else hears Ranbob say thank you.
When Ranbob dies, Techno lets himself die too.
"You did the right thing. I'm proud of you." Boss rises as well, setting a hand on the killer's shoulder. "Now give me the knife back."
The Blade obeys.
He would have stopped naming the Rans after Ranbob, but every time a new Ran's dropped off, Boss always asks for a name.
The Blade obeys.
The newest Ran makes as much noise as a ghost. He stumbles into the room, eyes wide and clutching his arm. Boss trails in after. The Blade lazily opens an eye then nods. No reason to stand up yet.
"Ranboo." Boo is what ghosts are supposed to say. The newest one is like a ghost. The Rans have started living longer, but there's no reason to put more thought into their names.
"Cute choice. I think we've finally got a perfect Ran. You guys are gonna make a great team." Boss says it, so Blade knows it's the truth. "I want you to start training it."
Ranboo backs himself into a corner. His eyes are wet, like he's about to cry.
"You'll be sending him on missions? What about the water issue?" Blade raises an eyebrow. Last thing he needs is a melting Ran while on an assassination.
"It'll hurt, but it won't kill him. They wanted to take it out completely, but I figured it'd be nice to keep in for nostalgia. Remembering the good times. Right Ranboo?" Boss puts his hand on the Ran's shoulder just as a tear escapes.
Blade holds his breath when Ranboo wipe the tears away with an eye. The kid's grimacing, but there's no dissolving skin, no blood left behind. "He's got potential."
It's not a promise. Blade's not stupid and Boss knows it. If he takes full responsibility, then it's his fault when Ranboo undoubtedly fails. The Blade was never mentored, never carefully cared for. He can't do that for someone else. Instead he'll do his best until the Boss gets mildly annoyed with Ranboo and decides it's time for the tank of water.
Ranboo still smiles when Blade makes the not promise. Ever after years of growth hormones being pumped into him, the Blade still isn't as tall as the Rans are. Unlike the Rans, Blade's got muscles. A lot of force that can be put into a right hook.
"Dodge." Is the only warning Blade gives before the punch.
Ranboo's eyes widen, but he disappears with a soft vwo long before Blade can make contact. The oop lands right behind him. Blade spins around, aiming a roundhouse kick to Ranboo's stomach.
The kid jumps back with a shriek. "Boss?!"
"You heard Blade. Dodge." Is the only advice Ranboo gets.
It goes like this: one of them attacks and the other dodges. Ranboo's smart enough to know not to try attacking the Blade, but he's running out of time. Most people can't dodge every attack from the Blade. Ranboo's not a person. Despite that fact, thing aren't looking up for Ranboo. The Blade's already figured out how long the cooldown between teleporting is. When Ranboo teleports away, the Blade's already moving to the general area he's teleported to and attacking with as much force as possible.
That's how the test ends; the Bade's charging at Ranboo and the kid does what he's told. He ducks. The punch has already landed and all Blade can do is watch in terror when he realizes who was behind Ranboo.
The Boss flies back ten feet and lands in the wall hard enough to leave a Boss sized dent.
Ranboo uncurls from the fetal position and the right side blanches a charcoal gray when Boss slumps down.
"Shit." It's the second thing Ranboo said. Blade can't agree more.
No one breaks the silence that follows. Not even the scientists and guards on the other side of the one way window.
"Hah," Boss wheezes. He keeps wheezing until it turns to laughter. The laughter bounces off the walls and sinks into Blade's skin. It feels itchy, like dried blood.
Whatever peace occurred, whatever truce between the parties, is gone. Security guards flood in, doing their best to hold the Blade down. He could shrug them off, but he doesn't. Another man places himself between the Boss and everyone else, lighting his hand on fire.
Boss' laughter dies down, and he shakes his head. "It was an accident. They didn't mean to. And fuuuuuck ," He groans in pain. "I'm proud of them. Sap, help me up."
In a shake of a hand, the fire is out and pulling Boss out of the wall. The guards hold Blade down until Boss waves them away. They part like an ocean and leave Blade in the middle.
"Just potential? You think it's got just potential ? Blade, you're going to train Ranboo. When you're on missions; you're going to protect it. You two are going to make a great team. I can't wait to see what you'll do together." Boss is giddy. "You do that, and I won't break every bone in your body for sending me through that wall."
Ranboo and Blade watch everyone leave the room orderly. Like everything's fine. Slowly, they turn to look at each other. Ranboo manages to look him in the eyes for a moment before looking at the floor.
The Blade takes a few steps and sits next to the kid. "Pretty fucked."
"You ain't wrong about that."
The Blade's birth killed whoever existed before. Banished the memories of kind touches and people who didn't see him as a weapon. Whatever life that person had before is gone. Memories repressed away or forgotten, people who don't matter because they broke their promises. For once, the Blade does not obey Boss.
There is a ghost that haunts Blade. A ghost that barely remembers what it's like to be a real person, who longs for a family, who cares so deeply about each Ran that it makes the Blade grieve whenever one dies. It's the ghost who takes over, who remembers just enough of what a good teacher does to not fuck up.
"Do you know how to throw a punch?" The ghost asks. When Ranboo shakes his head, he smiles. "I didn't expect you to. Let's get to work."
Right now there is a ghost that knows there's no hope for himself but still hopes anyway. The ghost doesn't remember any kind of Angel, but forgives him anyway. One day the Blade will break every rule and will allow himself to be destroyed again for Ranboo.