Work Text:
“What do you want with me?”
A woman sits alone, in a dark office–his, then her office–with the blinds drawn tight. The room reeks of burnt pork and melted plastic, the smell seemingly baked into the walls. It is among many reasons that the woman tears up when she enters this place
“You wanted…something from him, didn’t you?”
She’s crazy, she knows she’s crazy…but at this point, she’s done stranger things than talk to a haunted PC. So many things, seen so many things; things she should’ve never seen…
All of them within the possession of Connor Thomas.
But he’s dead, and it’s her burden now, all of it.
Patt’s been doing well in college at least, he nearly dropped out when he got the news.
She convinced him not to.
He’s a good kid…he doesn’t deserve to be wrapped up in this bullshit.
She’s been trying to land some freelance gigs, concept art and all that. It hasn’t been easy, with all the bad press Cogware racked up before they dissolved…Broadside nearly sued for defamation, she had never seen a number that big in her life.
She cried when they dropped the charges.
Something in the air shifted, a bird chattered outside.
She stopped her reminiscing, finally looking back at the monitor.
Her breath caught in her throat and her heart beat faster, the game had closed.
And in its place was an open file.
She knew this video.
And she knew who made it.
And with stinging eyes she forced herself to look back when the audio began to skip.
Coming face to face with dark “eyes” and a face like a fucked up watercolor.
She needed to make the first move.
“Wh–”
Her voice was a teary croak, she cleared her throat.
“...What’s your name?”
There was a heavy pause…and then:
“Shouldn’t you know that already, Liz?”
What the fuck, what the fuck, that was his voice, what the fuck!?
The image shifted, warping and pixelating further.
“I didn’t require much of him, only that he finish the game…though not without my…assistance,”
It laughed, a quiet breathy sound.
Liz felt tears running down her face, eyes wide.
“Y-you killed him! You killed him! You killed h–”
A sigh.
“You’re hysterical, I didn’t do anything to him, I only provided tools, he killed himself.”
“What will you do to me then!?” She could yell, shriek even, no one else worked in this building.
No one else could stand a connection to the Cogware name, even via a directory.
“Same as him, nothing.” A chirp, “as long as you behave at least.”
With a sharp pop noise, the screen went black.
Liz fell back into her chair, slumped against the cheap pleather.
She could see her reflection like this, in the black mirror of the screen.
Hair frazzled, tears shiny on her cheeks.
She laughed, a gross sound coming from her wrecked throat, until it petered off into a sob.
And another, and another, and another,
Until her face had found itself buried in her folded arms.
Crying at his desk, in his office, in front of his computer.