Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

S!Jane let out a quiet sigh at the sound of his voice. She didn’t turn right away, still half-buried in her closet as she rummaged through hangers and drawers. 

S!John leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, watching her with a concern. 

“I’m fine,” she said, a little too quickly. “Seriously.”

“No you’re not,” he replied. “Your fever hasn’t even fully gone down yet. And it's been a week—”

She clicked her tongue and pulled out a shirt, giving it a quick glance before tossing it aside. “The doctor said it’ll pass as long as I keep taking the medicine.”

“He also said you should take it easy,” S!John shot back, pushing himself off the doorframe and walking towards her. S!Jane finally turned to face him, irritation slipping into her expression.

“John, I’ve been stuck in bed for a week and I’m losing it in here! I'm bored and I have no one to talk to— I need something to do that isn’t staring at the ceiling or doing stupid crossword puzzles!”

“Then what's one more day?” he asked. 

She shook her head immediately.

“No.”

“Jane—”

“No!” she repeated, more firmly this time. “I’ve already fallen behind on work. I don’t want to push it any further. Plus, HQ is understaffed as is with everything—”

“...If it’s about being alone, it doesn’t have to be,” he said. “I know you already told me you don't want to— but I can take a few days off. Stay with you. You won’t be stuck by yourself.” he said, eyes pleading desperately. 

Her expression softened for a second, seeing the look on his face. “I know,” she said. “And I’d love that. I would. But that’s not the point.”

She gestured vaguely around the room, frustration creeping back in. “But you know me, love. I need something to do with my hands, otherwise I'll lose it.”

He frowned as he stepped closer, lifting a hand to rest against her forehead. The warmth seeping into his hand. 

“More than you need rest?” he asked. “You absolute workaholic.”

She let out an amused smirk as she pulled out a long skirt to go along with her dress shirt. “Takes one to know one, Mr. Doe” S!John smiled softly, looking at his beautiful, fierce wife. But that smile quickly tensed as he looked down at the ensemble of clothes she was planning to wear.

For work. 

He sighed. “But seriously, love... You really don't have to push yourself—”

S!Jane clicked her tongue, her mood souring. “Can you stop—”

“No, listen,” S!John reached out and gently cupped her cheek, guiding her face to meet his gaze. “I get what you mean. I know it’s not easy to just relax when you’ve spent your whole life working, but you need a break. You’ve been sick for a week...maybe more, actually. And let’s not forget, this started because of work in the first place.”

S!Jane’s eyes narrowed. 

“Your health matters more than whatever’s waiting for you at HQ. Nothing’s going to fall apart if you’re gone for one more day. Builderman and the others will manage. But... Just give it one more day,” he said. “If you’re still like this tomorrow... ”

He let the sentence trail, the hesitation showing just a touch of his usual reluctance. 

“I won’t stop you. I promise. Okay, love? And hey, once you’re better later, we can even go out on a proper date. We haven't been on one in ages.”

He added. “Please, love? Do it for me.”

A tense silence fell between them. They stared at each other, and for a heartbeat, it felt like the world had slowed. S!Jane’s glare didn’t waver, if anything, it hardened. S!John watched as she leaned back slightly, considering his words, her shoulders loosening just enough to give him a flicker of hope. He smiled to himself, thinking he had finally won one of their squabbles. 

She frowned, clearly weighing in her options. He hoped that she'd see where he was coming from. 

 “No.”

... Or not. 

S!Jane slipped out of his hold without much effort and turned back to her closet like the conversation had already ended. She reached in, pulled out a bright orange sweater, and held it up against herself, examining it with far more interest than she’d given his argument.

“Would this look good with my dress shirt?”

S!John’s smile twitched. 

He let out a slow exhale as he forced himself to smile wider. 

“You look absolutely dashing in everything, love.”

S!Jane chuckled. She leaned and wrapped her hands around S!John's neck, giving him a small peck on the lips. He smiled against hers. She giggled. “We're weaponizing dates now are we?”

“Doesn't seem to be that effective,” he snorted as she let go. She flicked his nose as she went back to her clothes. 

He lingered for a beat longer, watching her examine the sweater with a hint of pride, and silently hoped he wouldn’t regret letting her have this small victory.

He turned away and frowned. 

The pit in his gut was growing. 

There were a number of reasons why S!John didn’t want S!Jane going back to work.

The first was obvious. Her job wasn’t something that kept her safely behind a desk. She was out in the field more often than not, handling bugs, viruses, anomalies—whatever showed up, she was usually the one sent to deal with it. And she rarely had backup.

But recently, there was something else.

Some... new virus.

It hadn’t even been properly identified yet. No one knew what it was. From what he'd overheard, it was some kind of parasitic code... And It was spotted in a nearby server. Very close to the server Roblox HQ was at. 

S!John had read every report that crossed his desk. It came with the job. While he wasn’t out in the field like the others, he saw enough through paperwork alone to know when something wasn’t sitting right. 

S!Builderman had addressed it more than once, each time brushing it off with steady reassurance. There was no reason to panic yet, he’d say. They didn’t even fully understand what they were dealing with, so there was no point escalating it prematurely.

On paper, it made sense.

In practice, it didn’t sit well with S!John at all. He disagreed deeply with S!Builderman. So did S!Jane. She herself tried to bring it up multiple times, but S!Builderman kept reassuring them. So they really had no choice. 

While yes, it wasn't his job specifically to pry on codes and virus and whatnot like S!Jane... as he worked in The Travels and Teleportation Management Departament (TTMD for short). His job was simple on paper: oversee server transfers, regulate who could and couldn’t move between them, and make sure the teleportation systems didn’t malfunction.

And all the other boring stuff. Maintaining access permissions. Preventing unauthorized server-hopping. Catching people like the infamous S!007n7 before they could slip through servers they weren't allowed in. Making sure no one got redirected to the wrong place because of a faulty port or some overlooked glitch.

Truthfully it was not his business. Like at all. But he still worried. He was worried S!Builderman would send S!Jane out on the field. She was a great researcher, the best of the best! So it wouldn't be that unprecedented. And no, he was not being biased of his beautiful, smart wife. 

At all. 

He almost wished she wasn't as skilled as she was. This new virus... he doesn't know. It made him queasy. 

Though it was a relief she's on desk duty today. 

Even though S!Jane wasn't happy with just being behind a desk, she accepted her fate rather easily. 

Her cubicle was somewhere at corner of their floor as she rarely used it. It was quite adorable seeing her bored figure from S!John's view. 

Atleast she was safe here for now. 

~~~

S!John loved lunch for this sole reason. 

He and S!Jane had a small ritual they clung to whenever their schedules allowed it—preparing each other’s lunches. Even though they worked for the same company, their paths rarely crossed at the same time, and most days S!Jane was out in the field. So spending time with each other during breaks was almost impossible. So they did the next best thing, it became something they both looked forward to.

He liked the way she insisted on adding the tiniest touches—his favorite spices, a folded note tucked between containers, a little smile as she handed him his lunch. And it never failed to make him feel flustered and happy, to pull a genuine smile onto his face no matter what the day will throw at them.

He let out a giddy smile as he taped the sticky note alongside the number of ones already cluttering his desk. Oh that woman... 

He was about to stand up and take his break when suddenly a cough startled him from behind. He whirled around and saw— 

“Jane!?”

S!Jane shushed him as motioned for him to sit back down. He hesitantly did so. He looked at her form and frowned. She was hugging herself as if she was freezing cold, she had a faint layer of sweat building up as well as a faint tint of red on her ears and nose. 

S!John sighed. 

Oh Jane... 

“... Jane—”

“... Did you see my medicine pack?”

S!John blinked. “I thought your medicine was in your bag?”

“It was in my bag,” she said, more to herself than to him, her movements growing a little more frantic as she checked the time. “It should still be there, I just— I can’t find it.”

“You don’t look well,” he said with a worried frown. “Are you sure we shouldn’t just head home?”

S!Jane gave him a deadpan look. 

“... Or not,” S!John chuckled awkwardly. 

“What am I supposed to do now…” she murmured, scanning the room like the answer might suddenly appear if she looked hard enough. Then she glanced back at him. “Do you think I can make it out and back before break ends if I go buy some more?”

“You're going out!?”

“I can't miss it, love. Doctor's orders and all— I'll be quick I promise!”

“No, no! Go back and take your lunch!” S!John quickly stood up. S!Jane blinked. “What?”

But S!John was already shrugging into his coat, pushing his arms through the sleeves with practiced haste. He barely slowed down as he reached for his things, slipping his wallet, phone, and keys into his pockets. 

“What do you need?” he asked, glancing back at her. “I’ll go get it myself.”

“Oh— y-you really don’t have to… *cough*”

“Come on,” he said, a small smile tugging at his lips as he stepped back toward her. “What kind of husband would I be if I let my sick wife go out like this?”

Her expression tightened into a scoff, though the faint color rising to her face gave her away. “Don’t start,” she muttered, but she didn’t pull her hands away when he took them.

He smiled fondly as he leaned in just enough to press a quick kiss to her cheek before she could protest, then he quickly moved past her the second he pulled away.

“I’ll be quick,” he added over his shoulder, heading for the door. “Just text me what you need, alright? I’ll be in and out!”

The nearest pharmacy wasn’t far—ten, maybe fifteen minutes if he didn’t get stuck at a light. He’d still make it back before the break ended.He stopped by the elevator, pausing just long enough to give her a quick wave before stepping out. S!Jane stood there for a stunned moment after he left. 

Then she sighed, the sound softer this time. A amused smile forming. 

“What a sweetheart.”

S!John had thought that this would be a quick trip. Well, not exactly quick in the sense that he'd be in and out in just a matter of minutes. Of course, he expected the usual traffic, as it is a Monday work day after all. There were a lot of folks going out and about, noon workers just in the process of going to their workplaces and blue-collar robloxians going out to take their lunch breaks in greasy fast foods or diners. 

But holy hell. 

He did not expect this. 

The wave of cars all lined up, impatiently honking at each other, the voices overlapping against the vibrating sounds of their engines. 

“Do you think gas prices are cheap nowadays!? Move!” yelled a random robloxian, followed by a series of honking. 

Oh yeah, they definitely weren't but yelling isn't exactly going to make the gas prices any lower… 

S!John winced. He rolled down his car window and slid his whole head outside, the smell of gas, smoke and the angry honking filled his senses. He adjusted his glasses with a frown as he looked back and forth between the long lines of cars from behind and in front of him. 

He frowned. 

What was going on? 

He sat back down, turning off his engine for now. He looked down at his watch, tongue clicking in annoyance. He didn't expect to get stuck in traffic 8 minutes into his drive. He's been sitting here nervously for the past 15 minutes too. And the jam hasn't moved. 

Oh wow. He was definitely going to get reprimanded by the higher ups for suddenly ditching work, no doubt. S!John drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, the rhythm uneven and impatient as what he felt. The pharmacy was so close… Kind of. And it would be fruitless to turn back now. 

He leaned back with a quiet exhale, dragging a hand over his face before letting his head tip against the window.

Then he noticed the neighboring car idling, the man had his windows down. 

… Maybe he should ask. 

“Hey—uh,” S!John called out a bit louder than he meant, so he cleared his throat and tried again. “Sorry. Do you know what’s holding this up?”

The man raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to the car window. “The traffic? No idea man.”

He jerked a thumb toward the road ahead, where the traffic curved out of sight. “Heard something about an accident though. Might be a fire or something up there.”

S!John frowned. “A fire?”

“Yeah. Something like that.” The guy didn’t sound particularly invested, already glancing away. “Whatever it is,they better hurry the hell along. People's got places to be!”

S!John won't argue with that. 

The same way he couldn't do anything with that information but to just sit still and pray he'll get back to HQ in time. 

~~~

He rushed forward, pushing the pharmacy door with a frantic force—trying to get away from the heat. He had finally, finally! gotten out of traffic and had just parked in front of the pharmacy. He hoped to whatever roblox god was out there that this establishment had the medicine S!Jane needed. He will topple over and die from the heat alone if he needs to go through another 30 minute traffic just to go to another pharmacy. 

He really hoped they would have it. He took a peak from inside the pharmacy to the long traffic that persistently held still. He wonders what could have possibly happened.

He shook his head. Priorities! He can investigate later. 

He pulled out his phone, typing a quick message to his beautiful wife. Notifying her of the fact that he'll be severely late, and to let their bosses know in advance. Just to soften the reprimands he'll without a doubt receive. 

He rolled his eyes at the display. A fond smile finding its way to his lips. Until a voice tore him from his thoughts.

“Dennis! Stop using your phone during work hours!”

“How come you never yell at Albert when he’s the one slacking off!?”

“Because it’s Albert!”

The man holding the mop let out a long, suffering groan. “I’m serious, dude. Just wait—there’s some crazy stuff going on. Check the news.”

The news?

S!John shook his head. Right, Priorities!

He stepped up to the counter, clearing his throat lightly so he wouldn’t startle them.
The woman behind it blinked, not expecting anyone this time of day. Whatever irritation had been on her face a moment ago vanished almost instantly, replaced with a professional smile.

“Oh—hello!” she said, straightening herself.

“I’m so sorry, we didn’t notice you there. What can I help you with?”

“Uh—yeah.”

S!John pulled out his phone, scrolling quickly through his messages until he found the one he was looking for. He turned the screen toward her. “Do you have these?”

She leaned forward, squinting a little as she read, then nodded to herself.

“I believe we do,” she said. “Let me check in the back. Just a moment, please.”

She disappeared through the door behind the counter before he could say anything else. S!John let out a quiet breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and leaned back, slipping his phone back into his hand. At least that was one problem solved…He wouldn’t have to drive around looking for another place.

For a moment, there was nothing to do but wait.

But then... 

“Damn, that's crazy,” the janitor(?) muttered as he leaned back, catching S!John's attention once again. He frowned as he looked down at his own phone. Deciding to see what was so interesting. His thumb hovered on the news page.

S!John's eyes widened.

A terrorist attack?

What on earth…

He looked up quickly as the cashier returned, setting a paper bag down on the counter with the same polite smile as before. “That'll be 10 Robux.”

“Oh—right. Yes, sorry.”

He moved a tad too quickly, shoving his phone back into his pocket as he reached for his wallet, fingers clumsy for half a second before finding what he needed.

And then suddenly,

The lights went out.

The sudden darkness was enough to draw a few startled reactions from around the almost empty pharmacy. S!John was startled.

Three seconds later, the lights flickered back to life.

The room returned exactly as it had been, but something about it felt odd.

What the…

“Huh, probably the generator again…” the woman muttered. S!John frowned as he slowly nodded. Right. Accidents happen…

She passed him the receipt with a small nod.
“Have a safe trip.”

“...You too,” he replied automatically, though the words felt distant even to him. He picked up the bag and turned away, his earlier focus gone entirely now.

...Something about this wasn’t right.

He needed to get to HQ quickly.

HQ was under attack.

It was a ridiculous conclusion to jump to over a blackout, and S!John knew that. Any normal building losing power didn’t mean anything beyond a blown fuse or some poor intern tripping over the wrong switch. But this wasn’t just any building. This was Roblox Headquarters. Even during the worst outages, Builderman had made sure the systems kicked back in before anyone could even start to panic.

So the fact that it hadn’t… 

He pushed past a cluster of employees crowding the hallway, their voices overlapping in low, urgent bursts. The elevator doors stood open and lifeless when he reached them, the display blank. Of course. He didn’t even bother pressing the button. He turned away immediately and took the stairs.

The climb was far too long, or maybe it just felt that way with the way his chest was tightening with paranoia. His footsteps echoed loudly in the stairwell, uneven as he pushed himself faster than his legs wanted to cooperate. He caught the railing when he nearly misstepped, but quickly steadied himself and kept going. No point slowing down now. Halfway up, he pulled his phone out and turned on the flashlight. 

How long had the power been out?

By the time he reached his floor, his breathing had gone shallow, more from urgency than exhaustion. He pushed through the door and was immediately met with noise.

Managers and admins moved through the floor in quick, clipped motions, talking over each other, giving instructions to everyone. Flashlights and phone screens lit up faces from odd angles. But that wasn't his priority. 

He slipped past them, weaving through the moving bodies without slowing down, ignoring the way someone called out behind him. His focus locked onto a single point across the room.

And when he reached it… 

Her cubicle was empty. 

Her things were still there. Something sick made it's way into his chest.

Oh no. 

He quickly turned to the nearest person and asked. 

“Where’s Jane?”

But the worker didn't know. He tried, had tried. Again and again. Asking around where S!Jane was, where they last saw here, where she could have been. And yet without fail, they were either too busy to notice she had been there at all or knew nothing about her whereabouts. It was aggravating and worrying at the same time. 

Maybe she had left? But where could she have gone? It wouldn't make sense for her to be anywhere else but their floor or the bathroom. And she wouldn't leave HQ without him either… he had the car. So where… 

So where could she have—

A blur of gray and orange passed by him. He whirled around. 

“Mr. Builderman! Have you seen—”

“Sorry— not now, John.”

The interruption hit like a truck. Builderman didn’t even slow down as he cut him off, turning and motioning sharply to two nearby admins. “You two, with me. Now.”

And just like that, he was gone.

S!John stood there for a second, the unfinished question still sitting in his throat, watching as the one person who might’ve had an answer disappeared into the dark. His thoughts started circling, paranoia taking root. 

Where was she? 

His breathing quickened. 

Where was she!? 

A dim light caught his attention. 

It came from his cubicle. 

His eyes widened, body freezing at the sight. Something heavy continued to weight on his stomach, an uncomfortable feeling of unease. 

Hesitantly… he approached it. 

Nothing was overturned. Nothing was out of place. His desk sat exactly as he’d left it earlier that day, down to the papers he hadn’t bothered organizing. His lunch was still there too, untouched from when he’d rushed out earlier, the container left half open. Just next to S!Jane's own half finished lunch box. 

She must've eaten her lunch here instead of her own cubicle. She was here. 

But that wasn't what caught his attention.

The blaring bright letters on the monitor were enough to make his stomach drop in horror. 

[> Access File]

[>Open File]

On March 18th 2017 at 11:50 am, A virus was detected in xxx server's main street. 

On March 18th 2017 at 12:00 pm, A presumed terrorist attack was made on multiple servers targeting all branches of Builder Bros Pizza's

On March 18th 2017 at 1:30 pm, 
S!Jane went missing. 

On March 20th 2017, 
An official missing person report was made. 

On May 1st 2017,
S!John quit his job