TROLL!COPS: The AU

[Huanir]

The Resplendent Assassin - Chapter 4

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"ii don't 2ee why we couldn't have ju2t let vrii2ka take thii2 one," Sollux said groggily. Yeah, right.

"L1ST3N, 4PPL3B3RRY. 1 KNOW YOU'R3 TH3 TYP3 WHO JUST P4YS 4TT3NT1ON TO DO1NG YOUR OWN JOB 4ND 1GNOR1NG 3V3RYON3 YOU POSS1BLY C4N, SO L3T M3 SP3LL 1T OUT FOR YOU: SP1D3RTROLL 1S 4 B4D COP. SH3'S CROOK3D. CORRUPT. COMPROM1S3D."

"bluh bluh..." he muttered, but I could tell I'd gotten to him. Deep beneath that crusty facade of apathy lied a man who actually cared about right and wrong. Dawwwwwwwwwww... >:]

That stupid Vriska had gone and taken the obvious course of action: identify the victim and then reverse-engineer the culprit. Knowing her and her allegedly secret dealings with the criminal underbelly of our fair city, she'd figure things out soon enough. Unfortunately, knowing her and her allegedly secret dealings with the criminal underbelly of our fair city, she would bring forward some fall guy or even an innocent bystander. We had to work fast.

For that reason, I tracked down my partner. He had been on his way home last night but got distracted by a robbery in progress. The subsequent chase had gone on for hours, and the poor guy hadn't had much sleep after. Still, two heads were better than one, as Officer Captor would be the first to say.

There was little chance we'd beat Serket if we did things her way, what with her being a huge cheater and all, so we were investigating the crime scene instead. The murder had taken place in the Glass City ward, below the garden layer. The area was poorly lit and unsafe, so the victim would not have been there were he one of the executives who ran Glass City. On the other hand, he was a troll, and his clothing indicated that he wasn't in dire straits, so he must have been an employee who just unimportant enough to still have to park in one of the parking garages. Not a likely target for a hit, but the unusual circumstances of the murder made it unlikely that he was a random victim. Hmmm...

"you 2ure we're iin the riight place?" Sollux's forehead was furrowed in contemplation. "iif there'2 no blood iin the viictiim and the viictiim wa2 not moved, there 2hould be lot2 of blood at the 2cene. there are no blood2taiin2 here."

"1 4LR34DY TOLD YOU, D3T3CT1V3 GR4P3 SOD4 S41D H3 S4W TH3 MURD3R3R DR1NK1NG TH3 V1CT1M'S BLOOD."

He shook his head. "2tiill not 2ure ii beliieve that, and be2iide2, iit couldn't have drunk *all* of the viic'2 blood, could iit?"

I paused. Sollux had brought up a good point, albeit inadvertently. Something that could drain an entire troll of blood in one sitting was likely to be an incredibly thirsty creature. Why had there been no other reported victims?

Apparently the same had just occurred to my partner. "iif iit were true, there 2hould be more bloodle22 bodiie2. we're mii22iing 2omethiing." Not bad for a sleepyhead.

I decided to operate under the assumption that Eridan was right, if for no other reason than how well the body corroborated his account. Good, a starting point.

"L3T'S S33... 1F TH3 MURD3R3R R34LLY 1S 4 GLOWY, BLOOD-DR1NK1NG MONST3R, TH3R3 SHOULD B3 MOR3 V1CT1MS. 4S F4R 4S W3 KNOW, TH3R3 4R3 NON3. TH3 MURD3R W3'R3 1NV3ST1G4T1NG R1GHT NOW 1ND1C4T3S TH4T TH3 P3RP DO3SN'T CL34N UP 4FT3R 1TS3LF, SO TH3 CONCLUS1ON 1'D DR4W 1S TH4T SOM3ON3 1S CL34N1NG UP 4FT3R 1T."

Sollux was quiet, but I knew better than to interrupt his silence. He was breaking down my statements and making sure my logic was good. He had once called it recursive logical bifurcation. What a nerd.

"well, you mii22ed 2ome boundary condiitiion2. iit miight have iirregular feediing pattern2, and iit2 behaviior miight have adapted 2uch that iit now hiide2 iit2 prey."

Sollux was a very gifted hacker, so he was a natural at finding things that violated my assumptions. It was really annoying when he did it to my theories. It was also really helpful. I'd never say it aloud, but I loved working with the guy. >:]

"1T W4S GLOW1NG, THOUGH, 4ND TH4T R3QU1R3S 3N3RGY. 1T MUST N33D TO 34T 4 LOT, R1GHT?"

"iif iit2 biiolumiine2cence ii2 2uffiiciiently optiimiized, then no. fiirefliie2 giive off liight, but they burn cold. iif the murderer glow2 naturally, iit probably glow2 effiiciiently."

"4MPOR4 S41D TH4T H3 S4W 4 TROLL. TROLLS DON'T GLOW N4TUR4LLY. 3V3N 4 BL1ND G1RL KNOWS TH4T. >:]"

He took off his glasses, and his eyes started glowing. Jerk.

"NOT WH4T 1 M34NT, 4ND YOU KNOW TH4T. 4NYW4YS, MY TH3ORY 1S TH3 CLOS3ST TH1NG W3 H4V3 TO 4 D1R3CT1ON, SO L3T'S GO W1TH 1T. TH3R3 4R3 TWO QU3ST1ONS 1T R3QU1R3S TH4T W3 4NSW3R. F1RST, HOW 1S TH3 MURD3R3R GLOW1NG? S3COND, 1S TH3 MURD3R3R L1K3LY OR 4BL3 TO CH4NG3 1TS M.O.?"

"that cover2 iit, ii gue22. any iidea how two an2wer tho2e que2tiion2?"

"TH3 S3COND QU3ST1ON R3QU1R3S US TO UND3RST4ND TH3 MURD3R3R B3TT3R, 4ND TH3 ONLY W4Y TO DO TH4T R1GHT NOW 1S THROUGH D3T3CT1V3 3R1D4N. UNL3SS SOM3TH1NG 3LS3 COM3S UP, TH3N, TH4T QU3ST1ON 1S FORC3D ON HOLD."

"or ii could make hiim talk."

I drubbed him with my cane. "FORC3D ON HOLD. TH3 F1RST QU3ST1ON, HOW3V3R, 1S MUCH S1MPL3R. W3 DON'T KNOW TH3 4NSW3R B3C4US3 W3'R3 1GNOR4NT. W3'R3 1GNOR4NT B3C4US3 W3 L4CK 1NFORM4T1ON. FOR 1NFORM4T1ON, W3 N33D 4N 1NFORM4NT."

It clicked. "ro2e."

"B1NGO! TH1S C4S3 1S TOO OUT-TH3R3, 4ND W3 N33D SOM3 1NFORM4T1ON TO M4K3 1T 4 B1T MOR3 M4N4G34BL3. SH3'S OUR B3ST B3T."

Sollux was already pulling out his phone to call Kanaya. Rose was rather hard to reach directly, what with SEER and all, but Kanaya could always get through to her. "H3H3H3H3." We were going to solve another one. I couldn't clearly smell the whole picture in my mind just yet, but I could catch whiffs of it. Momentum was on our side now.

---

For the umpteenth time, Karkat wondered why he had come to Alternia City in the first place. Not that he didn't already know, but in hindsight, it all seemed so stupid.

After he had lost everything, he had to move. Alternia City was said to be a place of new beginnings, so sure, why not? Of course, it turned out that new beginnings more often than not meant terrible endings. No money meant no place to stay, and he'd nearly died of exposure before Nepeta found him and nursed him back to health with Gamzee (who, despite the best of intentions, really hadn't been that helpful). Before too long, Karkat was their unofficial leader, but things were still really hard. That was when Mr. Pupa showed up, picking them up like a craftsman purchasing new tools for his workshop. The rest was agonizing history.

Were it not for Nepeta and Gamzee, Karkat would just leave, Pupa's hitmen be damned. But with their lives on the line, that wasn't an option, so he continued his work.

"You, uh, don't appear to value, uh, cleanliness in your workspace."

Gah! As always, Mr. Pupa's arrival was completely silent. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE HORRORTERRORS DO YOU WANT?"

"Oh, dear. Please don't be so, um, irate. I have good news for you. Um, the subject's first test was a success, and, um, our Quality Assurance team is looking to conduct another." Great. Now Karkat could feel the guilt of his creation being used to murder someone. Lovely. But success meant keeping his friends alive.

"You really should, um, clean up your desk, though. A certain police officer is coming for a visit, and I, um, want to make a good impression on her."

Karkat's first instinct was to tell Mr. Pupa how dangerous that was to the plan, but he fought it down to avoid looking like an idiot. As if the Nefarious and Notorious Mr. Pupa was worried about that. The cop lady was probably in his pay or something. "DOES SHE HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH WHAT I'M WORKING ON?"

"Not exactly, but I've been looking forward to my reunion with her for a very, um, long time." Then Mr. Pupa smiled, and the look in his eyes was so terrifying that Karkat realized then and there that he and his friends would probably never escape Mr. Pupa's power - there was no escaping from this kind of evil. The megalomaniac then turned and left as quickly and quietly as he came.

Karkat looked down. His hands were shaking. That was no good. He couldn't work if he was this unnerved. He closed his eyes, trying to breath slowly and ignore the infernal buzzing coming from the lab's glass enclosures.

Chapter 3
Chapter 5

A/N:

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Oddly enough, I actually feel good about this one. I like how Sollux works here. Neither he and Terezi have the whole picture, but they complement each other well. If I can pull their dynamic off well without it becoming STUPID STUPID DUMB, then this will be something worth making. Also, I'm a programmer, so Sollux's thought patterns are modeled after mine. Thus, if you think he's doing it wrong, that's even more my fault than usual.

I've been reading through all of Wigmund's fics, and my backstory for Karkat clashes violently with his. That's why I dribbled some Karkat history into this one; there needed to be more clarity on where he was coming from. Next chapter is where I get to play with Mr. Pupa. Fun fun fun!

[liefErikson]

Double Huanir Update? Must be 12th perigee eve or something. Do Like.

[Huanir]

The Resplendent Assassin - Chapter 5

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Vriska knew better than to struggle against the bonds that held her to the chair. This was nothing, just a show of force to intimidate her before the head honcho himself greeted her. Her vision eightfold could see right through his little ruse. Noooooooothing to be afraid of. Once he came, he'd make some big speech about how he could kill her at any time and then release her after describing in great detail how unthreatening she was even after being freed. She'd been through this exact song and dance routine with the Midnight Crew before they got down to negotiations; it was practically cliche at this point.

Since Mr. Pupa seemed to be taking his sweet time, Officer Serket decided to take in her surroundings and learn what she could. She was in an elaborate chair, firstly, made of some type of reddish-brown wood or another (as though she knew the difference). She couldn't exactly get up to admire the carving job, but even from her vantage point, she could see that it was too intricate to be anything other than hand-carved. The chair itself was also tall, so much so that her feet dangled. The rest of the room, by contrast, was unusually plain - it seemed to have been built for the very purpose of housing the chair and nothing else. No windows, only one door (metal), and the floor, walls, and ceiling were made of what looked like concrete. There was a metallic tile in the center of the floor, and the chair was firmly fixed to it. A very basic room for prisoners, nothing else of interest. Vriska sighed in boredom.

The door slid open. Finally! In walked two of the biggest trolls Vriska had ever seen, followed by Mr. Pupa in his wheelchair. She smiled. He'd made his first mistake. He looked so tiny and frail next to his guards that he gave an impression of weakness. If he was this incompetent at the game they were playing, Vriska didn't need to worry about a thing. She opened her mouth to take the conversation's initiative but was stopped by a sudden burst of pain.

It felt like her muscles were contracting so hard that they had nowhere else to go, and when she noticed that she couldn't breathe she felt a moment of panic, and then the pain was gone. To her surprise, there was no residual pain, just an uncomfortable tingling feeling. A couple of sweat droplets were sliding down the sides of her head, and her wrists burned where they were touching the cuffs. The bastards had tasered her!

"I'm glad that you didn't yell," Mr. Pupa volunteered. "I have, uh, sensitive ears."

She couldn't think of anything to say to that. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Why would he do that?

"I hope you don't think it too rude that I, er, opened our talk with an electroshock weapon. I know it's not entirely conventional, but I had to do it. Also, even though I know that you would pose no threat to me, uh, blah blah blah, I'm not planning on letting you out of the chair for the same reason."

Vriska tried to ignore the sweat trickling down her back. She hoped it wasn't showing through her uniform, started to look, stopped herself. There would be no asking what the reason was. Couldn't be. To ask why would be an irretractable submission of power. But why WAS he doing it? It didn't make any sense for him to treat a potential partner like this!

He gave a sympathetic smile and nodded to the two burly guys. They grabbed the arms of her chair and lifted; to her surprise, the chair came up, bringing the entire metal tile with it. They set her down, and one of them began to roll her to the door. The tile had wheels underneath, then. Wheelchairs for the both of them? Was that his game? What did it mean?

He surprised her again by standing up. She'd almost forgotten about his bionic legs. The other guard took his wheelchair and left with it, rolling it down the hall. "You have my permission to, um, speak now, if you wish."

Dammit! She'd been so set on not asking why he had tasered her that she let the silence go too long. There was no way to come back from his statement; she had to cede to him control over who was talking. It wasn't supposed to be like this!

Vriska wanted to leave. She wanted to go home to her apartment and be alone. She could let weakness show there - nothing was on the line. Here, it was looking to be a lot closer to life-or-death than she had thought it would be. Unhappily, she decided to get right to the point.

"You're 8ehind the murder of th8t troll who was found with no 8lood." It was an accusation rather than a question; Vriska needed to regain some control in this conversation. "Aiden, or something. I w8nt to strike a deal with you."

Mr. Pupa smiled and began to walk down the hall. The gorilla started pushing her after him. The wheels made no noise. "I knew that you would be shortsighted on this matter," Pupa patronized. "Still, I feel a little bit, um, disappointed in you. You don't seem to understand at all what is happening here."

The condescension was starting to make her angry. Good, anything to drive out the fear. "I don't 8ctually c8re what's h8ppening. Your motives for carrying out a hit are your own and n8ne of my con8ern. My point is that I can off8r you an in with the APD."

Mr. Pupa sighed as they reached a junction between hallways. As they turned, he said, "Yes, exactly. You obviously don't know what's going on because you still think you can offer me something. But, um, there's nothing. I already have sufficient leverage over the force, and your APD is soon to be, er, outmoded. Your little promotions will swiftly become irrelevant."

Vriska was becoming angrier with each thing he said. "If th8t's the case, why 8ring me here at all? Why n8t have your goons turn me away at the door?"

They stopped in front of a nondescript door but didn't go in. He turned to face her and leaned forward, his face uncomfortably close to hers. "There was a dinner party a while ago, back before I really learned who I was meant to be. You might remember. We met there, uh, as I recall."

She clenched her jaw. His breath was minty, but that somehow offended her more than noxiousness would have. "Oh, so th8s is some rev8nge f8ntasy you've 8een cooking up all these years? Get 8ack at the 8ully? Pathetic! You're still p8thetic! You're-"

Vriska choked back a yelp. The beefy troll had slammed his fist down on her left hand, and she could tell that she wouldn't be picking anything up with that hand for a few days. Perspiration broke out across her forehead as she simultaneously fought back cries of pain and rage.

Mr. Pupa straightened back up and wistfully looked away. "Revenge? Um, that was never part of it. Please try to remember, you were using that night for some demonstrations, er, of the psychic variety, yes?"

That was right, she'd completely forgotten. Her mind control. She had been showing off to the other kids, and he had been the puppet. He had actually been unusually susceptible, as she recalled. She had wondered if she could get the cripple to walk with her psychic powers. It turned out that she couldn't, though he certainly fell well enough.

Vriska frowned. Wait, that was her way out of this! Concentrating, she mentally reached out, felt for his mind -

- and was suddenly blinded by a white-hot agony that seemed to blanket her entire mind. It quickly faded into a mere pounding headache, and Vriska remembered what was going on. She tried to open her eyes, realized they were already open, and looked around. Her face felt wet. Great. Tears. She was also making a whimpering sound. Had to stop that right away, though she had trouble remembering why. Far away in the background, a hesitant voice boomed in her ear:

"If I had to guess, um, I would say that this was unexpected for you." Her mouth was full of something. She spat. Blood. She'd bitten her tongue. "Like I was saying, revenge never factored into it." Her wrists hurt like hell. Apparently she had cut them straining against the cuffs. The guard had an obnoxious smirk that she wanted to wipe off his face, but she couldn't bear to look at him. "I remember how disturbing it was to have control of myself taken away from me. That would never do. I needed to prevent it from ever happening again." Her legs felt warm. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. "I was already quite certain of the, uh, efficacy of the chip I had planted in my head, but as you were the one who alerted me to the problem in the first place, um, I wanted to give you the honor of being my last test subject. You did a little bit better than average, um, if that makes you feel any better."

"Thank........" she started. She'd been about to throw out a sarcastic thank you, but her voice was trembling. That wouldn't do at all.

Mr. Pupa patted her head. She reflexively recoiled from him. "Don't mention it. Since you were so cooperative, I'll let you in on my grand scheme." The door slid open, and within stood the most hideous troll she had ever seen. Its face was its most obvious deformity - it had no nose or mouth, and in their place was a long and rigid tube. It was also glowing, and Vriska only then realized that the lights in the room were off. "The, uh, proboscis throws people off, I find. I hope you don't mind the unusual anatomy." The door slid closed, and Vriska let go of the breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. Part of her had assumed that Mr. Pupa was going to lock her inside with that thing. "Would you like to see the firefly room?"

Continuing onward, they passed through a lab with a series of transparent enclosures filled with swarms of something Vriska couldn't see. Their buzzing was deafening. A nubby-horned troll looked up from a computer on the other side of the room, saw Vriska, and swallowed hard. So much for her pride. Mr. Pupa had turned her into an example for the other trolls. She didn't even want to imagine how she looked to the lab geek.

A few more doors and hallways later, they entered a large, lightless antechamber. The guard left the room, closing the door behind himself. Vriska looked up and saw that the room was filled with fireflies. The Nefarious and Notorious Mr. Pupa watched with an ominous smirk as the dozens of fireflies glided aimlessly around the room, pulsing with a light that stood in stark contrast to the darkness around them. "Everything is going according to plan," he mused portentously.

He quickly turned to face Vriska. The bugs gave off just enough light to let her see his face. "Rainbow Drinkers. Some things are embedded so deeply into our culture that they are practically, um, archetypes. With these symbols at your command, you can become for them as terrifying as the Horrorterrors themselves. Has your tiny think pan even begun to grasp the, uh, ramifications of what I'm doing?"

Vriska had started shaking. She couldn't think clearly, so she said nothing. Mr. Pupa snapped his fingers, the crack of the sound cutting through the silence like the snap of a whip, and Vriska jumped. "Of course it hasn't, so, um, I'm going to explain it to you. I have at my disposal the capacity for an army of myths. Imagine the effect it will have when the police find themselves fighting, uh, legends. Alternia City will be mine."

Vriska couldn't take it anymore. This wasn't something she could use. It wasn't something she wanted anything to do with. This wasn't the practical ruthless business of the city's other criminal gangs; this was a malevolence beyond that. "You're ins8ne," she said, her voice surprisingly quiet in the hushed room.

"So I've heard, though that theory has disappointingly low, um, predictive power over my success rate." He turned to face the fireflies again. "But I digress. I've let you in on my plan, so I guess I can, um, let you leave now."

Vriska's confusion was total. "Why? Why tell me any of this?"

Mr. Pupa's voice took on the tone of a teacher repeating a lesson for a student who had fallen asleep in class. "Why, for the same reason you're bound to that chair with welts on your wrists from my, um, taser."

It was over. She couldn't even pretend that she had any power left in this conversation. She caved in. "Then why do any of th8t?"

Mr. Pupa's eyes glinted in the light of his insects. "Because I enjoy seeing you helpless. I like when a person so sure of their own strength enters my abode. I like when they finally realize how helpless they are, like you just did." He started walking towards her. "That's when I show them how, um, powerless they really are." He stopped right in front of her. She could see his fangs. "By the way, have I mentioned how lovely your left eye is?" She felt her stomach go cold. "I'd like to keep it with me, if I may."

As Mr. Pupa reached towards her eye, Vriska screamed. She couldn't help it, she was terrified, and she found herself begging, pleading with him to let her go. Instead of plucking out her eye, though, he laid his hand on her cheek and closed his eyes, as though savoring the moment. "That," he said, and left.

---

Vriska had been freed from the chair and walked back to the entrance from which she had come. There was no need to restrain her, she wasn't going to fight. To her surprise, she could still feel Kade's bracelet in her pocket. Some charm that had turned out to be.

As she climbed into her car, she resolved to fight back the sobs that wanted to burst out until she got home, if she could make it that long.

Chapter 4
Chapter 6

A/N:

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Mr. Pupa is creeeeeeeepy!!! I felt like I needed something somewhat over the top to win at my fun little game of break-the-Vriska. Eridan, for example, would not have required all of that in my headcanon. Terezi, on the other hand, wouldn't have been broken down under this at all, as her confidence is in something less fickle than mind control. In my headcanon, she's one of the very few who could escape a direct confrontation with Mr. Pupa psychologically unharmed. Odd, then, that Vriska is my favorite character, I guess, but eh.

Now I feel the need to justify myself to the forumites who will probably ignore everything I post at this point, so here are some quotes:

Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them–in order that the reader may see what they’re made of.

It was extremely cruel of me. And yet, there's a beauty to being cruel like this to characters. (It's why George R. R. Martin is a genius.)

I think what we learned about Vriska here is that her self-confidence is founded on shaky ground. How will she respond? Well, I know and you don't, because I'm the author. You'll just have to wait and see, so there.

BTW, I'm still looking for constructive criticism. For example, I'm finding Tavros's quirks a bit hard to read here in this chapter. Do I change this? How am I handling the responsibility of speaking with Terezi's voice? Was my callback to Chapter 1 obvious enough here? Compliments, incidentally, are also appreciated. :P

Double Huanir Update? Must be 12th perigee eve or something. Do Like.

Why, thank you! I happen to get Good Friday off from work, so I wanted to pound some of this out.

[tectonicRobot]

Hrm... I just read through all your stories. They are pretty cool. I also am not fond of Failridan though, and Karkat being a scientist is a bit strange. Not that I'm saying it's negative or anything. Also, what exactly is Eridan in your headcanon?

Edit: reread the fic, scientist Karkat seems less strange for some reason.

[Huanir]

Hrm... I just read through all your stories. They are pretty cool. I also am not fond of Failridan though, and Karkat being a scientist is a bit strange. Not that I'm saying it's negative or anything. Also, what exactly is Eridan in your headcanon?

Edit: reread the fic, scientist Karkat seems less strange for some reason.

Scientist Karkat seems strange to me, too. I needed a scientist, I wanted a troll, and Karkat was the troll session's ectobiologist. Also, he had a ready-made reason to work for Mr. Pupa. I'll probably never use this background for him again? Or maybe I will, and it will just seem less strange with time, as seems to be the case with you as you reread the fic? Meh.

Eridan, to me, is a bumbler. Not someone who ALWAYS fails, but he's known for his failures more than his successes. He'd be fun to write a short for in which he saves Alternia City without anybody noticing, that kind of thing. I was never a big fan of his in the canon (especially near the end), and some of that probably comes out in my treatment of him here. But my headcanon is very loosely defined at this point. This was originally going to be a very goofy story (the last section of chapter 1 is my citation for that), but it's taken a turn for the Darker and Edgier (c.f. chapter 5), so I guess these things are kind of fluid for me. Who knows. I don't think I have it in me to work as hard on establishing a canon as Wigmund did, so maybe I'll have something of a tabula rasa for each story I do.

[Huanir]

The Resplendent Assassin - Chapter 6

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Rose wasn't able to meet with us in person, but Kanaya was able to set up a video chat in her private office at the hospital. As Sollux and I walked in, I quick sniffed around for her rainbow drinker book, but she had apparently hidden it before we arrived.

Kanaya looked up. "Ah, Welcome. Your Arrival Is Timely; I Am Just Now Setting Up The Conference."

Rose appeared on the screen, the video feed surprisingly smooth. I pushed past my partner to get on camera. "H3H3H3. H1, ROS3."

The human girl gave a slight smile. "Hello, Terezi. Kanaya. Sollux. I have been led to believe that you are in need of some information. How may I assist in your endeavor?"

Sollux butted in. "we're workiing on a murder ca2e, and our wiitne22 2aiid the murderer wa2 glowiing. we need two know what could make a troll glow."

"Yes, I can see how you, Sollux, would be unfamiliar with the concept of a glowing troll." Completely deadpan. The thoroughness of Rose's poker face always impressed me.

Sollux grunted. "dammiit, ii already made that joke. be 2eriiou2, wiill you?" Suddenly moody. Go figure. It would be nice when that passed.

Rose also knew Sollux well enough not to take offense. "Based on the current sum of scientific knowledge on troll physiology, a troll with glowing skin is not and cannot be a naturally occuring phenomenon. At the drop of a hat, I would be inclined to guess a cause either chemically induced or artificially engineered into the troll's genome."

Kanaya now. "A Chemically Induced Glowing Would Require Repeated Application Of The Chemical Agent, Though, Would It Not?"

Rose nodded. "If we are assuming a continually glowing state, then genetic engineering is the most likely cause. Do you have any data to this effect?"

"NOP3, OUR W1TN3SS ONLY S4W TH3 P3RP FOR 4 SHORT T1M3."

Rose sighed. "Are you aware of any other abnormalities exhibited by the murderer?"

"TH3 V1CT1M OF TH3 CR1M3 W4S DR41N3D OF BLOOD, 4ND OUR GUY S41D TH4T TH3 MURD3R3R W4S DR1NK1NG 1T."

Rose looked up quickly. "Wait, so you're saying the witnessed murderer manifested both bioluminescence and hematophagy?"

I didn't know what that meant, and apparently Sollux didn't either. Fortunately, Kanaya saved us some embarassment. "Yes." Ah. Well then. "Is That Important?"

"Maybe. It reminds me of something. Hold on for a moment." She started typing something. Her keyboard didn't make any noise. I was jealous - mine back at the office made all sorts of clicks and clacks whenever I tried to type something, and some of the keys always got stuck. SEER was clearly better-funded than the APD.

"Yes, here it is. As I'm sure you all know, Tavros Nitram is one of Alternia City's most celebrated philanthropists. You are indubitably also aware that there are connections between Mr. Nitram and Mr. Pupa, and that actions on the part of one bears impact on what we look for in the other." She paused. "Mr. Nitram recently made a series of sizeable donations to several entymological institutions. At roughly the same time, Mr. Pupa received several large biohazard shipments. As all of his actions are automatically flagged, SEER looked into things a bit further, and we found that large numbers of specimens had disappeared from the institutional recipients of Nitram's generosity. Take a wild guess as to what went missing."

I suddenly understood everything. "1T WOULDN'T H4PP3N TO B3 MOSQU1TO3S 4ND F1R3FL13S, WOULD 1T?"

Kanaya suddenly stood up, visibly excited. "That Would Explain The Single Puncture Wound! If The Mechanism By Which It Extracts Its Sustenance Is Derived From That Of A Mosquito, Then That Is Exactly What We Would Expect To See!"

Sollux was shaking his head, holding on to his horns. "2o let me 2ee iif ii got thii2 2traiight. you're all 2ayiing that the nefariiou2 and notoriiou2 mr. pupa ha2 genetiically engiineered a troll mo2quiito fiirefly hybriid?" He looked around. "two be hone2t, ii kiind of liiked iit better when we diidn't know what wa2 goiing on."

Rose rested her head on her hands and closed her eyes. "What is that villain up to this time?" Sollux started pacing, and Kanaya sat back down, looking uncertain. It was time to take charge. >:]

"L1ST3N UP, GUYS. W3 KNOW MR. PUP4, SO W3 KNOW TH4T WH4T3V3R H3'S UP TO, 1T'S B4D. 1 DON'T C4R3 WH4T 1T 1S. WH4T W3 N33D TO DO 1S F1ND 4 W4Y TO STOP 1T, 4ND TH4T'S 4LL TH3R3 1S TO S4Y ON TH3 M4TT3R." I paused. They were all looking at me. "K4N4Y4, YOU K33P DO1NG YOUR TH1NG H3R3. 1F 4NY MOR3 BOD13S TURN UP, M4K3 SUR3 YOU C4LL US 1MM3D14T3LY." I turned to the screen. "ROS3, W3 N33D YOU TO B3 OUR 3Y3S 1N TH3 SKY. 1F 4NY MOR3 SH1PM3NTS OR DON4T1ONS C4RRY THROUGH, 1 W4NT TO KNOW 4BOUT 1T. 4LSO, S33 1F YOU C4N G3T SOM3 SORT OF 3MB4RGO S3T UP SO TH4T TH3 BUG PL4C3S C4N'T SH1P 4NY MOR3 BUGS. PUP4'S L3V3R4G3 OV3R TH3 FORC3 1S TOO GR34T FOR US TO US3 TH3 USU4L CH4NN3LS FOR TH4T." Lastly, I turned to face my partner, smiling so wide my cheeks hurt. "4ND 4S FOR YOU 4ND M3, W3'R3 TR4CK1NG DOWN TH3 ON3 P3RSON WHO PROB4BLY KNOWS MOR3 4BOUT TH1S TH4N W3 DO, 4ND W3'R3 GO1NG TO M4K3 H3R T4LK."

Sollux perked up. "vrii2ka? you're actually confrontiing her?"

I could feel my heart racing. It was finally time! "L1ST3N, 4PPL3B3RRY. TH1S 1SN'T T1M3 TO B34T 4ROUND TH3 BUSH. WH4T3V3R PUP4'S UP TO, 1T'S B4D, 4ND W3 N33D TO STOP 1T, F4ST. VR1SK4'S GOT 4 H34D ST4RT ON US, 4ND 1F SH3 W1NS, 3V3RYON3 3LS3 LOS3S. W3 N33D TO M4K3 TH4T H34D ST4RT OURS. 4NY QU3ST1ONS?"

Sollux looked at me for a few seconds, then shook his head. Excellent! The spider was about to be squished! >:]

---

It wasn't fair! Home was supposed to be safe. Instead, Vriska found her apartment littered with bloodless corpses. Pupa's people had dropped them all off for her as a parting gift. She just hated them so much, but there was nothing she could do.

Ignoring the bodies, Vriska washed up and changed into a fresh uniform. It was slow going, since her left hand was so tender. Kanaya would probably have to take a look at that. The burns on her wrists didn't look too bad, but they were still irritating.

She walked into her room, shoved another corpse off the bed, and lied down. She needed to decide what to do next.

Mr. Pupa's plan was no good. It would destroy everything Vriska had worked so hard to get, and she didn't want to have to start from the bottom again (or die, for that matter). On the other hand, she was scared of him (she'd never admitted to being scared of someone before, not even to herself). Inaction was, of course, the coward's way out, and even frightened as she was, Vriska was not a coward. But what was she to do?

Something was tickling her in the back of her mind, something she'd seen but ignored, something wrong. She rolled out of bed and walked to her living room. Among the corpses lied one that looked familiar. Vriska edged closer. Deformed horns. She'd seen those before. Recently. Kiera, the sister of the boy who'd given her the bracelet.

To her surprise, Vriska felt angry. She remembered the the boy and his unusually large eyes. Kade. It was the closest interaction she had ever had with someone she knew was going to be a victim, and somehow, it had left an impression on her. She quickly ran around the house in a frenzy, checking all of the bodies. None were Kade's. Breathing with relief, Vriska went back to her closet and fetched his bracelet from her other uniform.

Sliding it on her wrist, she momentarily wondered when she had reached her decision, then decided that it didn't matter. Just this once, she would do the right thing. Whatever it took to protect that boy and his mother, that was her new goal. Pupa was a monster, and even Vriska could see that he had to be stopped. She didn't yet know what her path looked like, but at least she knew what side she was on.

Chapter 5
Chapter 7

A/N:

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This should only be one or two more chapters, I think. The pieces are in place, the machinery is in motion, and the inevitability is inevitable (or something like that).

Between Terezi and Sollux, I visualize Sollux as the more logical one (though Terezi is certainly very logical herself) whereas Terezi is much more capable of intuitive leaps. That's why she is the one who sets their direction, while he serves as a correcting mechanism. We've yet to see him in action, though; so far he's just talked a bunch. Soon, I promise.

Isn't the color scheme of this chapter pretty?

--EDIT--

Apparently had tagged one of Terezi's lines with "[d=rose]". Fixed that, retranslated, reposted.

[kayak]

Frig, sorry dudes, I've been super busy!
There's a comic I've been sitting on forever, but who knows if I'll actually end up finishing it and posting it here.

Anyway, some mentions:
1. Thank you to everyone who liked the files I made for the OP! My favourite one is Vriska's file, because AR spilled his coffee on it when Vriska mind-controlled him.

2. Mythmonster, I loved your fic with Eridan and Maggie and PICKLE INSPECTOR. So great.

3. tectonicRobot, I liked your WV fic! I'll admit I don't have much of his character or backstory fleshed out in my mind, so it's nice to see someone else explore his story more.

4. Jeez Deeum, for someone who likes Sollux so much, you really like giving him the hard life. You want to pursue a criminal? Either cling to the top of a car driven by a blind girl or be carried by an officer with perspiration problems.

5. aspiringHelpfulness, wow those are some interesting OC's! I really like when people break out of the conventional "only strictly canon characters in current day Alternia City" mold.

6. Redbird, Sisters Part 3 was awesome. Great ending, infinitely less sad than what I had imagined so thank you. I imagine their mum and dad to be like humanized versions of MotherGrub and Doc Scratch. Best parents. I'll look forward to whatever you write next!

7. Whoa Huanir, this is shaping up to be quite the series. Your take on Eridan is fairly similar to mine, like a fairly competent guy whose failures just happen to be far more memorable. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next chapters.

Keep up the great work, everyone!
Still love this AU <3

[tectonicRobot]

Someone actually liked my fic? Hooray!

[Huanir]

The Resplendent Assassin - Chapter 7

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Sollux and I stood outside of Vriska's apartment. Spidertroll's residence was surprisingly messy, what with the dead bodies lying around everywhere. More evidence stacked up against her - literally, it seemed. Sollux smelled stunned. "ii can't beliieve iit... ha2 2he really gone thii2 far off the deep end?" I drew my sidearm and clicked off the safety. Sollux followed suit, and I stepped into the Spider's den, my partner backing me up.

I walked softly and inhaled deeply, taking in the entire room as I did so. 7 corpses in the living room, all bloodless. Furniture was sparse, Vriska didn't have many hiding places. One more sniff. She wasn't in the room. I waved Sollux forward and started towards the hallway.

To my surprise, Serket just then walked into the living room. She looked up, registered a moment of shock, and then began to reach for her sidearm.

It's true that I'm blind, but it's also true that I'm the best shot on the force, and I had readied my aim to put a bullet through Vriska's segmented eye before she even knew I was in the room. Her hand seemed to be moving in slow motion, and she was apparently too surprised to even try putting herself in motion. It was going to be an easy shot - all I had to do was pull the trigger. One tiny motion and it would all be over. All that was required of me was to make the decision to put down a dangerous and corrupt backbiter. And I couldn't. I couldn't pull the trigger on another cop, not even THIS one, without giving her every possible chance to stop herself. With every inch her hand moved towards her weapon, I gave her another second chance. But it wouldn't be too long - much less than a second - before she left me with no choice, and as much as I had fantasized about this moment, my enactment of justice over Vriska Serket, I felt sick. I was going to have to kill a fellow officer in uniform, and I didn't ever want to do that.

A sudden burst of psychic energy from my partner saved me from having to make that irreversible decision. Vriska was lifted into the air and slammed into a wall, her gun falling to the floor. "K33P H3R P1NN3D, 4PPL3B3RRY!" I tried to return my gun to its holster, but my hand was trembling too bad. I had to try again two more times before it slipped in.

Vriska was the first to talk. "Just wh8t do you two think you're doing h8re?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" Very sassy for a girl in a room full of dead bodies who had just tried to pull a gun on me.

Regaining control of myself, I pulled out my cane and tapped it on her lips, holding back a laugh at the way her eyes crossed as they followed the cane's tip. "SORRY, VR1SK4, BUT W3'R3 GO1NG TO B3 TH3 ON3S 4SK1NG TH3 QU3ST1ONS H3R3." A grin stole across my face, ear-to-ear. Sollux once told me that this expression looked more like me baring my teeth than smiling. It worked wonders on morale during interrogations. >:] "F1RST QU3ST1ON: T3LL US 3V3RYTH1NG YOU KNOW 4BOUT MR. PUP4'S PL4N."

"that'2 not actually a que2tiion, terezii." I sent back a single-fingered expression. It was SO not the time for his nitpicking.

For a moment it seemed like she was going to do things the hard way, but to my surprise she started spilling the beans. "He has some sort of monster that drinks 8lood. He said that he was going to raise an army of them, though he wasn't 8ig on the specifics of what he was going to do with it. It seemed like he planned on just destroying........ well, everything, more or less."

"H3 *S41D* TH4T?" Oh, what beans she was spilling! It was like Sollux and I had known nothing but bitter years of bean famine, and she was some sort of bean-regulating authority in charge of the distribution of beans to the bean-deprived, and... okay, this simile is getting away from me. >:[

Vriska rolled her eyes. "Don't play gotcha with me right now, Pyrope. The Pupa pro8lem is pretty pressing, don't you think?"

"NUH UH, YOU'R3 NOT G3TT1NG OFF TH3 HOOK TH4T 34SY, SP1D3RTROLL." I gestured to the piles of bodies. "YOU'V3 GOT 4 LOT TO 4NSW3R FOR H3R3."

Vriska gave an exasperated sigh. "Okay, fine! I went to his pl8ce to strike a deal! While there, I learned that he's actually pl8nning on destroying the city or something, so no deal. The 8odies were his idea, and I just now discovered them. Is th8t confession good enough for you?"

I shook my head. "1F YOU CONS1D3R3D MR. PUP4 SUCH 4 THR34T, YOU'D H4V3 TR13D TO BUTT3R H1M UP, NOT R3J3CT TH3 D34L 4T YOUR OWN R1SK. SOM3BODY'S NOT T3LL1NG TH3 WHOL3 STORY. P3RH4PS 1F SOLLUX PUSH3S YOU 4G41NST TH3 W4LL 4 B1T H4RD3R, SOM3 MOR3 TRUTH W1LL SQU33Z3 OUT?" I leaned in close. "4R3 YOU F33L1NG L1K3 4N 3MPTY TUB3 OF TRUTHP4ST3, OFF1C3R S3RK3T?"

Vriska's face contorted in anger. "Gah!!!!!!!! Fine!" She started to look me in the eyes, but she ended up looking at the floor instead. Her voice was suddenly a lot quieter than before. "He tortured me, all right? You can look at my wrists and left hand if you don't 8elieve me. The sicko didn't want a deal, he just got off on hurting me. The 8odies are just the icing on his mind-games c8ke."

Already close enough to smell her pores, I inhaled again. Her wrists had minor burns and lacerations on them. She also had some small burns on her torso. Apparently she had been tasered. To boot, I found small fractures in the metacarpals of her left hand, and she had apparently bitten her tongue at some point. I backed off and recounted the list to Sollux under Vriska's glare.

My partner nodded. "that look2 liike a ta2er and handcuff2 at the very lea2t. torture 2tory check2 out. 2hould ii let her down?"

"TH4T D3P3NDS, SOLLUX." Vriska was watching me intently. "1T D3P3NDS ON WH4T H3R G4M3 1S NOW. WHY WOULD YOU T3LL US TH1S, VR1SK4?" I placed my hand on her neck. "4R3 YOU SC4R3D OF MR. PUP4?" Her pulse quickened.

"No! I'm not scared!" She swallowed. I waited. "Okaaaaaaaay, I'm scared! 8ut I have to save- I have to get 8ack at him!" Save? That was an interesting slip. "No8ody tortures me and gets away with it! Pupa is going doooooooown!!!!!!!!" She wasn't the heroic type, and her heart was clocking unhealthy speeds. At this level of fear, she should have been trying to hide in some web, not confronting the object of her terror. Save what? Or who? Now wouldn't THAT be interesting... "I have my pride, okay?" She would never put herself at risk to save someone. Something had to be different. What was different? "The com8ined force of the APD should 8e enough to take him down." The bracelet.

I grabbed her (none-too-gently) by her left hand and pulled her wrist to myself. Vriska tensed with pain, but she didn't fight back. I licked the bracelet to get a good look at it. It was junk. Cheap sentimental junk. Completely out of character for Spidertroll. "H3H3H3... WH4T 1S TH1S, OFF1C3R S3RK3T?"

Vriska looked dumbfounded, as though she was expecting to be angry at me and surprised to find that she wasn't. She closed her eyes, sighed, and pointed to the youngest-smelling of the bodies. "That girl's 8rother gave it to me. I just want-" A sudden tear fell from one of her eyes, and the expression of shock on her face at this was probably rivalled only by my own. Her eyebrows started twitching, and her eyes started pooling. Vriska wasn't the sort to act like she was crying, and I doubted her control was strong enough to mimic these involuntary reactions anyways. She was seriously about to start bawling in front of us!

"PUT H3R DOWN, SOLLUX, B3FOR3 TH1S G3TS TOO 3MB4R4SS1NG." He complied, and Vriska wiped her eyes, sniffling.

"Her little 8rother gave it to me." Her voice was quavering, but at least she seemed to have avoided the awkward blubberfest. I was under no circumstances going to let that wench cry on my shoulder! "I couldn't forget his face, and I thought- I just wanted to help someone for once."

She seemed sincere, but she was also the backstabbiest troll I'd ever encountered. Sollux wasn't going to be any good for advice; he smelled as lost as I was. I sighed. "HOW M4NY OF TH3 CR34TUR3S DO3S MR. PUP4 CURR3NTLY H4V3?"

Vriska still wasn't making eye contact. "I only saw the one."

"F1N3, YOU'R3 COM1NG W1TH US. OUR GO4LS SHOULD B3 THR33FOLD. F1RSTLY, W3'V3 GOT TO T4K3 TH4T CR34TUR3 DOWN. S3CONDLY, W3 N33D TO M4K3 SUR3 PUP4 C4N'T M4K3 4NY MOR3 OF TH3M. F1N4LLY, L3T'S S33 1F W3 C4N F1N4LLY G3T 4NY CH4RG3S TO ST1CK TO TH4T CROOK." I poked Vriska in the gut with my cane. "YOU, M1SSY, 4R3 GO1NG TO B3 4 GOOD G1RL 4ND ST4Y 1N PL41N S1GHT. YOU DO WH4T W3 T3LL YOU, 4ND JUST M4YB3 YOU'LL G3T TO ST4Y OUT OF J41L 4FT3R 4LL OF TH1S 1S OV3R. NO PROM1S3S ON TH4T COUNT, THOUGH, 4ND DON'T TH1NK 1'LL B3 PUSH1NG TOO H4RD FOR YOU, 31TH3R."

Sollux seemed concerned. "are you 2ure that thii2 ii2 a good iidea, terezii?"

I picked up Vriska's gun and handed it to her. "NO." I maintained my unbroken blind stare on her, and she cringed as she took the weapon from my hand. "BUT W3'R3 SHORT ON OPT1ONS, 4ND W3'R3 UP 4G41NST 4 M3G4LOM4N14C WHO'S BU1LD1NG 4 R41NBOW DR1NK3R 4RMY TO D3STROY TH3 C1TY. W3'LL N33D 4LL OF TH3 H3LP TH4T W3 C4N G3T, 4ND 1'M GO1NG TO TRUST VR1SK4 JUST 3NOUGH TO B3L13V3 TH4T SH3'LL B3 ON OUR S1D3 FOR TH1S ON3."

Sollux nodded and holstered his weapon for the first time since entering the apartment. He trusted me completely. I hoped that much harder that my judgment was right. "ii'll call iin foren2iic2 two deal wiith thii2 place. let'2 go prep for thii2 perp. 2erket, you'll be giiviing any addiitiional iintelliigence you can along the way."

He turned to leave, and I waited for Vriska to follow him before heading out myself. We had to bag this crook fast; the longer it took, the longer I'd be with Vriska. Saving the city was important, too. >:|

---

"Please, Mr. Vantas, if you already have a working prototype, why is it taking so long to enter mass, um, production?" Mr. Pupa was drumming his fingers. Karkat had never seen him do that before, and he didn't know what it meant. If he had to guess, he'd probably say that it meant something bad.

"IT'S HARD TO FIND TROLL DNA THAT IS VIABLE FOR COMBINATION WITH THESE BUGS," he said. "EVEN WHEN WE FIND A COMBINATION THAT WORKS GENETICALLY, MOST OF THESE THINGS DIE IN THE PUPA STAGE, AND THE RAPID GROWTH HORMONES DON'T HELP. WE CAN'T JUST CLONE THE ONE - HE WAS THE ONLY ONE OF A HUNDRED GENETICALLY IDENTICAL SUBJECTS TO SURVIVE."

Mr. Pupa was frowning. Karkat caught himself pleading with whatever invisible deities were listening that his frown not turn into a smile. A smile from Mr. Pupa was bad indeed. "I want results, Mr. Vantas, not excuses. I've given you technology far beyond anything on the market, even the government-only market. You have more DNA samples than you can reasonably be expected to count in a year. I want progress sped up." He sighed, and Karkat caught a whiff of mint. "The plan requires careful timing, and you've started cutting into my acceptable, um, margin for error."

It just wasn't fair! "MR. PUPA, PLEASE! I HAVEN'T WORKED WITH GENETICS IN YEARS, AND IT WAS NEVER ANYTHING ANYWHERE NEAR THIS ADVANCED! DNA ISN'T SOME JIGSAW PUZZLE YOU CAN REARRANGE AT A WHIM. EVEN AFTER I'VE ISOLATED THE RELEVANT SEQUENCES, THERE ARE SO MANY HIDDEN FACTORS I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT. I JUST NEED TIME."

The giant-horned troll smiled. Oh gog. "Mr. Vantas, please. You're making the noises minions make right before I kill them. It's embarassing." He began pacing. "I've factored the setbacks of the practice into my models, and don't be so bold as to assume that I've, um, underestimated the complexity of the genome." He stopped, facing away from Karkat. "The problem is that you are underperforming. Your underperformance has not yet reached an unacceptable level, but you are skirting the edge of my, er, tolerance." He turned around. The fluorescent lights glinted off of his fangs. "My favorite thing about you, Karkat, is that you have two friends under my power. That means I can mercilessly slaughter one after unspeakable amounts of torture while forcing you to watch and still hold, um, leverage over you." He walked up and gave Karkat a brotherly pat on the shoulder. "It is your call as to whether or not you, uh, force me to play that card." And with that, he walked away, and Karkat got back to work, trapped with his frustration and terror.

Chapter 6
Chapter 8

A/N:

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Going to have to write my first action scene in years in my next chapter. Feeling nervous...

Also, Tavros's quirk really doesn't work here. I'm planning on making a Mr. Pupa derivative and going back and converting it all thereto. Fun!

[pimudragonfeline]

Loving this fic.

[tectonicRobot]

This is cool.

Edit: I was thinking about the Felt, and more specifically Doze. Doze is pretty useless, right? But what if he was like a sniper or something? He could get into position, sit there for like 3 days, and then just unfreeze himself. Or he could like slow himself down for strange transportation stuff, like a crate in an airplane or something. His abilities wouldn't be useful in a fight, but then when you have guns you can still contribute meaningfully. Also, If Itchy had any intelligence whatsoever he could be the best researcher ever.

[Redbird]

@ Kayak- Thank you very much. Actually, their parents HAVE to be Doc Scratch, and the Mother Grub now. Have to be. Although, I think they'll have some crazy Aunt, who's just like Pounce De Leon. :33

@ Huanir- Your story keeps on getting better. Keep it up!

[mythmonster2]

This is cool.

Edit: I was thinking about the Felt, and more specifically Doze. Doze is pretty useless, right? But what if he was like a sniper or something? He could get into position, sit there for like 3 days, and then just unfreeze himself. Or he could like slow himself down for strange transportation stuff, like a crate in an airplane or something. His abilities wouldn't be useful in a fight, but then when you have guns you can still contribute meaningfully. Also, If Itchy had any intelligence whatsoever he could be the best researcher ever.

Actually, I've had this theory that Doze could make a kick-ass "assassin". Why the quotes? I think that Doze's ability may even spread to those he's touching. So here's what he does: he sneaks into position, then, when the target passes by, he jumps on them and freezes both himself and the target. Then the rest of the Felt could drive by and pick up Doze and the target, followed by interrogation/killing.

[tectonicRobot]

Yeah, that sounds like something that should happen. (My Grammar is TERRIBLE AUGH) I think that powers are given by artifacts, right? Wait, actually, I think the felt got their time powers from the green sun event. Then they bumbled around for a while before accidentally going back in time and getting competent. Then I guess they go forward in time after they experience the green sun event twice? This has gotten pretty far away from the point I was trying to make...

[zebtrestalala]

Augh I feel like I should continue the series that I abandoned in March but I also want to writetanother series and stuff and I don't know what to do! This entire canon is wonderful and I'd like to contribute more than just Sober and Groundhog Day Part 1, but I've had another idea nagging me for the longest time.

Do I: sit down and finish the story I'm not really happy with? or finish that later, work on another story now?

[Huanir]

Augh I feel like I should continue the series that I abandoned in March but I also want to writetanother series and stuff and I don't know what to do! This entire canon is wonderful and I'd like to contribute more than just Sober and Groundhog Day Part 1, but I've had another idea nagging me for the longest time.

Do I: sit down and finish the story I'm not really happy with? or finish that later, work on another story now?

I'd recommend finishing what you're working on first. For my part, if I leave a work alone for a year or so, I invariably decide that it's crap and put it on permanent hiatus. I also decide that my finished works are crap, but at least they're finished.

[Huanir]

The Resplendent Assassin - Chapter 8

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There were no guards posted in front of Nitram Manor. A quick psychic flare from Sollux and the door was out of the way. The three of us charged in, weapons drawn.

It was a foyer, replete with probably priceless works of art and sculpture. Kind of drab, though, for all of its priciness. Brown seemed to be a favored color. "WH1CH W4Y, VR1SK4?" I didn't want to be wandering around this mansion completely lost.

Vriska's nervousness at being back was palpable. "I don't remem8er the layout of this place, I wasn't paying attention. I think they 8rought me in through that side door, though." Sollux lifted his shades, and a flash of light later, the door was bisected. Just like he liked it. >:] The Department Of Overwhelming Force couldn't hold a candle to the two of us when we were serious.

A voice sounded over the intercom. "Oh, dear, it appears I have visitors. Perhaps if you would be so kind as to, um, not break down every door you encounter? I do leave them unlocked, you see, and they are awfully, er, valuable doors."

I sniffed out a security camera and gave it my signature grin. "4H4H4H4H4! L3T TH3 G4M3S B3G1N, PUP4 P4N!"

---

Mr. Pupa arched his fingers as he watched the security footage of the APD unit bursting into his abode. This wasn't really supposed to happen, and any idiot could pick out which component in the machine wasn't playing its part: Officer Serket.

Pupa had dossiers on all of the APD officers. Vriska Serket in particular had captured his attention as one he could use. She was selfish, treacherous, and had no experience in dealing with someone obviously more dangerous than she was. He had modeled her post-interrogation behavior several times, and under no circumstances did she ever offer assistance to the dangerous duo of Officer Pyrope and Officer Captor, much less dare to COME BACK under her own volition. She was acting out a role very much outside of her intended purpose, and the deviation had propogated into the raid his lair was at that moment experiencing.

He sighed. It was time to ad lib. She was still scared of him, he could use that. Moreover, he already had measures in place to combat the other two. "Let the, er, games begin indeed."

---

Sollux wrecked another door, and the three of us filed through. I wasn't sure if he kept destroying the doors simply to spite Mr. Pupa or if he was creating an escape path should one be necessary.

There was no time to think on that, though. Sniffing around, I smelled that we were in a shiny white laboratory. A troll in a lab coat was working at a computer. Upon our entrance, he nearly jumped out of his skin. One look at us and he put his hands in the air. Not a fighter, then.

Surveying the rest of the room but keeping my gun trained on the lab coat guy (it wasn't like I needed to look at him to know what he was doing), I saw a series of glass enclosures filled with... something loud. The humming was quite irritating, actually. Probably not the best work environment for the researcher. A second, more electronic hum began to play on top of the first, and I saw the enclosures opening. The swarming things inside started to come out. "ii'll bet the2e are the mo2quiitoe2," Sollux said.

This seemed silly. Was Mr. Pupa seriously fighting us by releasing mosquitoes into the room? Was he hoping that the maximum dozen or so bites we'd sustain would distract us into letting him escape? No, he had to be up to something more sinister - the mosquitoes were just a distraction. Anxiously, I began examining the rest of the room, but Sollux brought my attention back to the insects. "do mo2quiitoe2 u2ually act liike that?"

I paused. The mosquitoes were indeed acting suspicious. Rather than spreading throughout the room as would be expected, they gathered into the lab's center in a swarming vortex of hematophagy (thanks, Rose). There was a sinking feeling in my chest. Mr. Pupa must have been controlling them somehow!

"SOLLUX! D34L W1TH TH3 BUGS!" A room full of mosquitoes I could deal with, but a single-minded swarm of this size controlled by a megalomaniacal lunatic could suck us dry in minutes, and my gun and quick wit weren't going to be any help.

Sollux, however, had a way with insects. An amateur beekeeper for years now, he'd learned one important application of his psionic powers against bugs. He furrowed his brow in concentration as the whirling swarm (I swear, it was starting to sound like a lawn mower) began to approach us. Then he raised his hand, snapped his fingers, and presto! The whole swarm fell asleep -

- only to wake up again almost instantaneously. That wasn't good. "dammiit! he'2 fiightiing back!" Another snap, and down they went for a second or so before resuming their advance.

I could smell that Vriska was already backing toward the exit, and the flabbergasted scientist was obviously going to be no help whatsoever. "JUST BL4ST TH3M W1TH YOUR 3Y3S, SOLLUX!"

*snap* A momentary lull in the buzzing before it made its inevitable comeback. Sollux was starting to retreat, too. "ii can't do that! iif ii bla2t them, ii'll de2troy the lab."

Derp. Somebody was panicking. "L1ST3N, 4PPL3B3RRY, W3'R3 *SUPPOS3D* TO PR3V3NT MR. PUP4 FROM M4K1NG MOR3 OF H1S CR34TUR3S. D3STROY 4W4Y!"

A pause, then it registered. He lifted his glasses and fired. While he was doing that, I ran up to him, reached into his satchel, and pulled out a pair of bug bombs. "HOLD YOUR BR34TH, 4PPL3B3RRY!" I said, and I pressed the tabs on both canisters at once, throwing them into the fray.

---

Mr. Pupa released control of the mosquitoes. He'd learned to put his control of animals to devastating use, but the mosquito ruse had gained him only a minute. Nevertheless, they had performed up to his expectations, under the circumstances, and they'd given him time to ready his next weapon.

The Pyrope/Captor team was undeniably dangerous. Both officers were smart, both could hold their own under fire, and both were uncorruptable scouts. Even more frightening was the fact that Pyrope's justice-driven agenda led her to put down criminals without qualms if the need ever seemed to arise, which according to her it often did. Hard to negotiate with someone like that, especially when their aim was as good as hers. He'd have to figure out how the blind one was so expert a marksman at some point.

With them in his lair, he was under threat, so they needed to be dealt with. Pyrope was the more clever of the two, but she had served her purpose in getting the unit to Mr. Pupa's abode in the first place. When it came to physical confrontation, Captor was the more dangerous of the two, and his psionic powers needed to be neutralized.

Mr. Pupa sent scrambled instructions to the headset radios of his guards throughout the manor: "You may want to put in your, um, earplugs at this point." As he applied his own, he realized that he regretted the loss of the mosquitoes. Apparently the research institutions from which he had been aquiring them were being prevented from shipping any more of them. SEER, no doubt, had its hands in this. He'd deal with them later. Even so, the delays this would cause to his plans were saddening.

If only he'd predicted this raid. Then he'd have prepared this weapon sooner, and the mosquitoes would have killed at least one of the police officers. More importantly, the insects would still be alive. More was the pity.

---

The lab smelled terrible. Both Sollux and Vriska were coughing in the fumes. The lab geek had put on a gas mask (where did he get that from?). I was about to ask Vriska for directions when I felt a sharp tingling in my bones. Sollux suddenly started shouting, and then he started to collapse.

It felt like my heart skipped a beat. Rushing over to him, I caught my partner before he hit the ground. The intercom was talking again. "Officer Captor's temper tantrum seems to have, um, deactivated my security cameras in the laboratory, but I am nevertheless confident that he is currently incapacitated." I checked for breathing, found it. Good, though the fact that he was breathing at ground level with all of the pesticides in the air frightened me. "There exists a legend of a creature called the, uh, G'lbgolyb. It is said that its voice alone can kill a lesser troll, especially the psychically susceptible." What had that bastard done to Sollux? "Sadly, this artifact can only emulated the auditory component of the creature's song. The psychic emanations cannot at this point be duplicated, so your friend is likely going to survive." Not that I was going to let Mr. Pupa live after attacking my partner either way. "Nevertheless, I daresay you'll find his psionic abilities quite, er, mitigated, as it were, for the duration of your stay here. Please be cautious. I wouldn't want my guests to get hurt, you see." It clicked off.

I took Sollux's satchel and tossed it to Vriska. "TR4CK DOWN TH4T ROOM W1TH TH3 F1R3FL13S YOU TOLD US 4BOUT, 4ND S3T SOM3 OF TH3S3 OFF 1N TH3R3!" She caught it awkwardly (I forgot, she couldn't use her left hand) and ran out one of the lab's doors. Picking my partner up off the ground, I set him on the scientist's desk. "YOU!" I shouted at the lab geek, making him jump. I pulled out my handcuffs. "L13 ON TH3 GROUND, H4NDS B3H1ND YOUR H34D!"

---

Vriska found the firefly room easily enough. She set down the satchel first, then opened the door. The lightning bugs were still gracefully floating around in the darkness. If it weren't for her memories of the place, it would have been beautiful to her.

Grimacing, she reached into the bag, pulling out a fumigator. She activated it, tossed it in, and threw in another one for good measure. She stood up to close the door, but something uncanny gave her pause. The fumes from the bug bombs were glowing, as though the clouds were concealing a bright light. Vriska frowned. The fireflies hadn't been this bright. Was it something else?

Her mind suddenly sensed a familiar presence. Something was in the room. Something predatory. And Vriska abruptly realized what was.

Pivoting on her foot, she turned and started to run back to the lab, shouting for Terezi. Behind her, appearing almost miraculously from the fog, trailed Mr. Pupa's monster.

---

I recognized this scientist. He was a common thug named Karkat Vantas. Seeing him in a lab coat was so incongruous that I almost started laughing. I was distracted from my lark, however, when Vriska dove into the room. "It's coming!!!!!!!!" she shrieked, rolling out of the way of the door.

Immediately after her came one of the ugliest creatures I'd ever smelled. It's face was all wrong - there was no nose or mouth, only a really sharp straw, and I could tell the moment it looked at me that it had decided to turn me into a tasty snack. It would have been nice to have had Sollux awake right then.

Karkat's jaw was dropped. "HOLY-"

I was bringing my firearm up to bear on the creature, but it was faster than I expected. Vaulting across the room, it tackled me to the ground before I even had it in my gun's sights. Somewhere in the background, Karkat was begging us to unlock his cuffs before the creature got to him, but I was more focused on the writhing proboscis that was seeking out my jugular with alarming rapidity. I tried to get it off of me, but it was so strong that I couldn't budge it. What a stupid way to die. >:[

The monster's proboscis was a good deal thicker than a hypodermic needle, and it hurt like hell when it penetrated my skin. I'm a bit embarassed to admit that I actually cried out in pain, and maybe a little bit of dread, too. However, it stopped immediately after breaking my skin, and I noticed that it wasn't drinking my blood. Odd. Relieving, to be sure, but odd.

Vriska grunted with exertion. "I can influence its mind........" she gasped. "I'm trying to pull it away from you, 8ut something's fighting me." I decided that my best course of action would be to hold really really still and hope that I didn't get killed.

---

Mr. Pupa grunted with exertion. He hadn't expected the interruption of control. Apparently Officer Serket was trying to control the prototype as well.

He had expected the possibility that a psychic could attempt to take control of one of his creatures, but he had never come up with what he felt was a satisfactory solution to the problem. Vriska as an opponent made sense - as the creature was part troll and part bug, she and Mr. Pupa would be forced to vie for dominion over its actions. He glared, feeling a tinge of anger for the first time. That cop woman was yielding a very low return on investment. He'd need to bring her fear of him to the forefront.

---

The intercom clicked back on. "Ms. Serket, if you would be so kind as to yield control of my, er, prototype back to my person?" He sounded completely in control.

"Not a chance, 8uster!!!!!!!!" Vriska gasped, huffing. She did not sound in control. I passed the time by imagining what my soon-to-come afterlife would be like.

"Tut tut..." So smug. "It seems that you are disregarding my friendly, um, advice. I ought to warn you, then, that this prototype has the same chip in its head that I do in mine. At some indeterminate point within the next, say, 15 seconds, I will release control of the prototype and activate the chip. It would be easier on you, of course, were you to release your control, uh, now. The countdown begins."

I could hear Vriska hyperventillating. That wasn't good. Something had her scared. Very scared. Sollux couldn't keep an eye on her, and I was obviously out of the picture, so she had nothing but her own conscience to decide between facing that fear and abandoning me. For what must have been the millionth time that minute, I decided that I was completely screwed.

Vriska was nervously counting down in a whisper. We were at five, apparently. I could smell her sweat. It was cold. Two seconds. She whimpered, then shouted, "I'm sorry!!!!!!!!"

---

The girl had not released control, even under threat of the chip. Mr. Pupa swore. How had the girl know he was bluffing? She was behaving so far outside of her parameters that he'd have to scrap her dossier altogether! This was just ridiculous.

Breathing deeply, he began to channel his rage into his quest for control over his creature. Even after calling his bluff, Officer Serket's roller coaster of emotion was weakening her mental grip on the prototype. Mr. Pupa smiled. This battle of minds was going to be his either way.

---

I could feel the pressure increasing on my neck. Vriska was losing. By this point I was getting really tired of giving up hope, but I was still trapped. I wished Mr. Pupa would just get on with it.

An unexpected shot rang out, and a hole appeared in the monster's neck. The creature reflexively pulled back, and I sprang up, pushing the surprised abomination off of me. Sollux was awake, standing in a sorry excuse for an isosceles stance, his knees wobbly but his aim true. I rolled to the side, fetched my gun, and emptied my entire clip into the freak. It slumped to the ground anticlimactically, dead.

---

Mr. Pupa stood up on his bionic legs. The prototype had been exterminated. He was running short on tools. Sighing, he decided that it was time to bail.

He started walking towards the Growing Chamber. His highest priority was the destruction of the evidence. Many of the city's politicians were under his thumb, but they'd be less cooperative if they found out his anarchic plot to usurp Alternia's power structure. Destroying the evidence would cause a time delay, and it increased his chance of being captured from negligible to around 30%. Incarceration, however, was a mere inconvenience. He'd be out before too long, and he could work his schemes from there as well as anywhere else.

---

I reloaded my gun as I stalked onward through the labyrinthine halls of Nitram Manor. Vriska was in front of me, and Sollux was bringing up the rear with our Karkat. We were following her because she could sense a concentration of mental activity or something in one of the rooms ahead, and when it came to this psychic stuff, I was as blind as... well, myself. Sollux would have helped out on that front, but the G'lbgolyb blast had rendered him psychically impotent for a while, so he was relegated to watching the prisoner.

We went through the next door. Vriska had to open it. With the door handle. So boring. The room made up for it, though. In it was a grid of huge glass vats filled with a greenish fluid and Mr. Pupa's fake rainbow drinkers in all stages of development. Creepy. On the other side of the room stood Mr. Pupa himself. He was facing a terminal and hadn't seemed to notice us. However, the two humongous troll bodyguards standing on either side of him saw us well enough, and they were packing fully automatic heat.

Vriska shot first, and one of the guards went down clutching his leg. Mr. Pupa didn't even look up before scuttling behind the other guard. To his credit, his reactions were quick. However, I had my gun trained on the other guard, and before he could pulls his trigger, he went down, shot right between his eyes. I was pissed and not in the mood for messing around.

Mr. Pupa, meanwhile, rolled behind one of the glass vats. "You're too late, I'm afraid," he said sympathetically. "The chambers are bulletproof, and they're filling with a highly corrosive acid at this very moment. You have no, er, proof against me."

I raised my weapon and started to walk forward. Vriska did the same beside me. "BUT MR. PUP4, YOU SHOULD KNOW TH4T TH3R3 1S SOM3TH1NG MOR3 1MPORT4NT TH4N DU3 PROC3SS." My smile was big enough to hurt. "JUST1C3!!! >:]"

The arrogant crook gave a bored sigh. "Well, I can respect your, um, ferocity. This does, however, change my plans."

Vriska and I continued to advance, ready to serve as the criminal's scourge. We were halfway across the room. "YOU SHOULD STOP M4K1NG PL4NS 4ND ST4RT S4Y1NG PR4Y3RS, MR. PUP4."

"Not yet, I'm afraid. Agent, please lay down some suppressive fire on these officers before you die, if you would be so kind." The guard Vriska had shot quickly rolled to a kneeling position, gun at the ready.

I shoved Vriska down and then jumped behind one of the vats right before the bullets started flying. I could smell Sollux and Karkat scambling to get behind another vat. We all seemed safe from a direct hit, though a ricochet could do any one of us in.

As abruptly as it started, however, the gunfire stopped. I raised my nose and took a deep breath. The guard was completely still, and there was a lot more blood on the floor around him than I had expected. Cautiously, I took a step out from behind the vat. The guard was dead. Apparently, Vriska's shot had hit an artery, and the guard had bled out while shooting at us. Naturally, Mr. Pupa was already gone.

---

Mr. Pupa didn't like running, but sometimes circumstances warrented a momentary drop in dignity. His nearest available escape was actually at the entrance from which the police had come, so he took a secret door that led him around them. Their expectations would not likely include his doubling back, and the probability of his being captured had dropped back below five percent, an entirely acceptable value.

He slowed down to a walk as he stepped into the sunlight. One would not want to draw too much attention to oneself at this stage, irrelevant as it might be. As he walked to the garage, he began to plan for the next stage of his scheme. He would have to move to a different one of his hideouts for a while, of course, and Officer Serket's behavioral functions required an extensive overhaul. Karkat Vantas might need replacement, but a concerted effort would probably get him back. There would be delays, but Alternia City would inevitably fall into Mr. Pupa's waiting hands. The city would burn.

An unexpected grapple from a pair of arms was all the warning that he had before he was tackled from behind. Impossible! Had Officer Pyrope caught up with him so soon? Was it one of the other two? What was going on?

As the cuffs clinked around Mr. Pupa's wrists, an irritable voice said, "you havve the right to remain silent, and im fightin a wwicked hangovver like you wwouldnt believve, so i suggest you start exercisin that right."

Chapter 7
Chapter 9

A/N:

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I'm going to go back and convert Mr. Pupa's dialogue right quick, then I think I'll finish this off tonight if I can stay awake for it.

--EDIT--

Okay, done. On to my wrapup chapter and then maybe an epilogue. And then maybe an extended author's notes section.

[Huanir]

The Resplendent Assassin - Chapter 9

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I had decided to wear a red dress that night. It wasn't for Eridan, of course. I just liked the color. It was THE MOST DELICIOUS COLOR of them all. >:]

The date wasn't nearly as sketchy as Detective Grape Soda had made it sound when he first brought it up. The venue was a spot I'd never heard of before in the Settlements. The neighborhood was terrible, but the food was great, and the atmosphere was surprisingly classy. Eridan was also less sketchy than he let on, I was learning, but I put that distraction out of my mind. My primary goal of the evening was to find out how the detective had beaten me.

I clasped my hands together and leaned forward. My dress wasn't low-cut enough to get the effect I wanted, but I'd make do. "S4Y 3R1D4N," I said in my most sultry voice, staring right into his eyes (not that I could see them), "T3LL M3 TH3 STORY OF HOW YOU BR4V3LY C4PTUR3D MR. PUP4. 1'D R34LLY, *R34LLY* LOV3 TO H34R 1T."

Eridan's mouth, of course, was full, and to avoid keeping me waiting, he chewed and swallowed too quickly. He didn't choke, but I was betting against him for a moment. "hm? you didnt knoww? that wwas a easy case to solvve." I tried not to let my irritated frown show. That was definitely something a man would say. "i just followwed you." Wait, what?

His cheeks were turning purple. "you see, i wwas talkin big and all, but i kneww you wwere the best invvestigator in the city. i figured the only wway to beat you wwas by ridin your coattails, you knoww?"

I picked up my fork and started tapping it against my glass plate. That little cheater! And he managed to sandwich the confession inside of a compliment, so I couldn't even be as mad as I deserved to be.

I stopped tapping my fork. I couldn't even be mad at ALL! I'd done the exact same thing to Vriska!

I gave the sneaky detective a coy smile. "TH4T... W4S SURPR1S1NGLY CL3V3R, 4MPOR4!"

Eridan blushed fiercely and began tugging at his collar. It was actually kind of cute in his secretly-bashful way (wait, NO! no distractions! I was NOT going to fall for Detective Ampora, no way!). "wwell, you knoww. wwhen you actually agreed to this date if i wwon, i decided to really givve it a go, you knoww?"

I took in his image's scent. Besides his purple bow tie, his color scheme was boring brown. I was confident that I could train him out of that, though, if I put in the time... oh, to the Furthest Ring with it! I had somehow gotten caught up in the date! There was nothing to do from there but roll with it.

"P3RH4PS W3 C4N COMP3T3 4G41N, D3T3CT1V3. 1'D LOV3 TO S33 1F YOU C4N OUTSM4RT T3R3Z1 PYROP3 4 S3COND T1M3. 4 K1SS M1GHT B3 1N ORD3R 1F YOU D1D TH4T."

His face somehow turned even more purple. It would have looked like he was choking but for that adorably goofy grin he was unsuccessfully trying to fight. I returned him my own signature smile. It was going to be a fun night. >:]

Chapter 8
Epilogue

A/N:

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Dawwwwwww... I had no idea that I liked this ship until I did it. Maybe Eridan will get a better treatment from me from now on?

Just an epilogue to go.

[mythmonster2]

This thread... it does things to you. I never supported SolluxXFeferi, and now I'm writing fics where they're *shudder* happy together. But yeah, part of the fun is making random ships and riding them 'till they crash ashore!

[Huanir]

The Resplendent Assassin - Epilogue

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I was the one to tell Kade and Evelyn a8out Kiera. To my surprise, I wanted it that way.

I also wanted to apologize to them for who I had 8een when I first showed up on their door. I wanted to say that I was sorry for wanting to wash my hands of them and leave them to their doomed f8s. It was a strange feeling, and painful, and worst of all, I knew that I couldn't follow through with it. They were mourning their sister and daughter, so I had to 8e strong for them. No pro8lem. I'd always 8een strong. Always except once, and that had changed everything.

Pyrope, as promised, didn't go easy on me at the station. Her allegations of corruption cost me my position, and I almost lost my 8adge altogether. I pulled a few strings to stay on the force, 8y which I mean I used my powers on the Chief. Hey, I may have changed, 8ut it's not like I'm perfect now.

8ut anyways, I decided that I needed to stay with the police, even if I lost my influence at the station, 8ecause Kade looked up to me as a cop, and for some reason, his looking up to me was important to me. After he and his mother moved out of their cursed house to a spot a lot closer to where I lived, he would come over a lot to learn a8out 8eing a cop. I hope I'm passing on to him a useful part of my own unique perspective. I still wear his 8racelet.

In other news, Pupa is actually still in jail. It's only 8een a few months since the incident, so anything could happen, 8ut it looks like the powers that 8e are concerned that he is sufficiently unsta8le to warrant an extended stay in The Veil. I hope he rots in there.

Karkat got off without charges. They said they couldn't find anything to pin on him, 8ut I just think they were too lazy to write a law for how to handle Conspiracy to Take Over the City. He was pro8a8ly no threat on his own, though, and I didn't really care.

I work in dispatch now. It seemed degrading at first, 8ut I soon learned that having complete control over who goes where has its perks. If Pyrope gets enough violent assignments, her luck is 8ound to run out eventually. I would know. I know everything there is to know a8out luck. ::::)

Hmmmmmmmm, it seems like I'm ram8ling, so I'll stop talking for now. I'm sneaking Kade into the station to teach him how to shoot a gun without his mother learning a8out it, and I need some plans in place to get him in and out without 8eing spotted.

The End

Chapter 9

Last one, I promise.

Extended Author's Notes:

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Wow, the first multi-part fic I've ever finished! :)

This took a very different direction than what I expected. My impression of Mr. Pupa from the OP was that he was a completely hackneyed villain, and deliberately so. I mean, he had a MONOCLE, for crying out loud.

However, as I started reading the other fics, I realized that he's actually taken seriously here, and moreover, he's a scary dude. The tone of my story shifted abruptly with that realization, though Terezi managed to remain completely deadpan at all times (including when she's about to get killed by a ridiculous glowing monster that I'm pretty sure nobody except me can picture) except when she's afraid she'll have to take down Vriska.

Speaking of Vriska, I'd like to say three cheers to the only character to get any character development (I'm not sure Eridan counts)! I force-fed her shovelfuls of development in a relatively short span, and the new Kade's-surrogate-sister Vriska is a character of my own (to an extent that I was able to give her a first-person voice at the end while being unable to earlier in the story). ^_^

I'm actually pretty excited about this. I would have told you that Terezi/Eridan was ridiculous three hours ago, and now I'm totally sold on it just because the plot forced me to make it happen, and it worked! :) Vriska and Kade's antics are also something I'd like to explore at some point, and there are so many characters who appeared for so short a time or not at all who deserve more.

If I had to pick out what I thought was weakest about my story, I'd say Karkat. I used the "Karkat works for Pupa because of Nepeta and Gamzee" formula that's become standard, but I also completely retconned Karkat's backstory in doing so, and I expected everyone to go along with that as easily as they were going along with the other part. I was standing on the shoulders of giants whose legs I had dismembered. Subsequently, Karkat is the gaping hole in my headcanon, and I need to fill it up if I'm going to write any more. Thus, if I keep writing for this AU, unless I scrap my continuity altogether, I'll be writing a Karkat fic or two before anything else.

I also don't see the Green Sun disaster fitting into my continuity at this point, which begs the question: what is SEER doing in my fic to begin with? I rearranged things somewhat whimsically, and I think that I'm now required to clean up all of the loose ends I inadvertently spilled all over my continuity. That's more for personal gain than anything else, though. My "continuity" is basically Wigmund's continuity, but slightly different, less developed, and currently broken. We'll see where it goes.

Thanks to everyone for the compliments and suggestions! I'm reading through the other fics in the thread, and I'm looking forward to getting to yours! And if I were on stage, I would have been talking over the stop-talking-and-sit-down music for several paragraphs at this point, so I'll end this extended A/N now. Later! ^_^

[liefErikson]

A believable Terezi < 3 Eridan ship? Will wonders never cease. Excellent fic, by the way, do want moar.

[tectonicRobot]

Terezi < 3 Eridan? 0_0

[Aquila]

Welp. After some account-related problems, I decided to have a new MSPA account so that I could sign on and keep up with the forum thread. I'm the co-admin of the official DA RP along with Frost, so I'll try and post some RP-related updates when I can.

People have been busy with school, but I'm hoping that around late-June everyone will be available enough so that we can pick things up again. In the meantime I'm potentially working on updating the recap and moving it to the main page.

If anyone's interested, we still have a bunch of characters available. Recently John opened back up. The link to the DA RP will be in my signature.

[kayak]

Actually, their parents HAVE to be Doc Scratch, and the Mother Grub now. Have to be. Although, I think they'll have some crazy Aunt, who's just like Pounce De Leon. :33

Redbird why do you come up with the best ideas what is your secret I must know

It's hard being a working lady raising two children with an eccentric sister.
It's hard and no one understands.

zebtrestalala, I would recommend going with whatever idea appeals to you most. When I have try to make myself finish something I'm not happy with, for the sake of finishing it, then everything about it just seems forced and uninspired. When I go with a new idea that really catches my interest, it's a lot of fun and everything just comes together. However, with my mindset, I also have a ton of half-finished projects under my belt, so Huanir's advice may be sounder. Regardless, remember this AU is about having fun. Don't think "I should do this" but rather "I would enjoy doing this."

Huanir, bravo on completing an amazing series. I gotta set aside some time to re-read it again from start to finish.

[Redbird]

Actually, their parents HAVE to be Doc Scratch, and the Mother Grub now. Have to be. Although, I think they'll have some crazy Aunt, who's just like Pounce De Leon. :33

Redbird why do you come up with the best ideas what is your secret I must know

It's hard being a working lady raising two children with an eccentric sister.
It's hard and no one understands.

Hmm? Well, they just appear. (And wow, I feel special. I get even more amazing fanart! ) That, and Pounce de Leon had to appear somewhere, so crazy aunt it is. xD Although, a lot of my idea's appear, either randomly, or because I think about random stuff a lot. xD For example, I was considering Terezi being their cousin. Or, I'll just stick with her being an online friend Nepeta met, and they've been friends ever since. And Terezi was raised by AR, which explains her obsession with the law.

@ Huanir- As said, your series has been great! I can't wait for some more stuff from you, I'm sure it will also be good. (And I supported TereziEridan anyway, I have a one-shot fic planned for that pairing, anyway. xD)