Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I’m not going to tell you anything.”

The room seemed to shrink as Cutie resisted, wriggling their hands against the twisting binds. Magic would make them shrink with every movement should they dare attempt to escape the metal chair welded to the ground.

They were much tighter than before.

They also didn’t stop Cutie from glaring with all of their hate to the hooded figure standing above them, holding their chin in hand.

“You don’t have to.”  Though their eyes remained hooded as their lips twisted into a smirk. Cutie tried to note their facial features. A shark chin and washed-out bronze colouring-

“Thing is, we have a telepath.” If only they hadn’t yanked their face forward, Cutie might have had enough leeway to slip a hand and get them.

“Yeah, and?” With a confident flick of the hand, they let go.

“The difference is we have everything to gain. You have everything to lose.” Stepping back the figure seemed confident in their stride. As though they had just played an ace. They weren’t very tall. Roughly 5”8 with what appeared to be a narrow frame-

They felt them. A sweltering mass of pain and shock, like banshee scream in a storm.

Cutie once again resisted the urge to pull at their restraints. Measuring each breath to remain calm.

“…What did you to them?”

The screaming barrage, relentless against their shield. It felt twist and young and so very un-human.

The figure grinned.

“Nothing compared to what they’re going to do to you.” 

Cutie held their mental shield fast as water canons filled with glass shards battered them.

They had trained for this. They had trained for this.

Their name was –

PAIN.

Cutie convulsed as their eyes rolled upwards. Biting on their tongue as static burst behind their eyes as a cattle prod shocked them. Counting the seconds until it felt like they could breathe again. They didn’t let go of their mental shield.

They weren’t sure how long the shield would last at this rate.

At the count of 20 seconds, no hours, they finally opened their eyes again.

They could feel the blood pool between their teeth. They were fine. They had just bit their tongue too hard. That's all. They had trained for this. Better to have a bleeding tongue than cracked teeth.

The figure held a cattle prod in their hand, also a washed-out shade. Their hands were thin, and bony.

And again, the figure began to drawl in a sinister delight.

“The brain is an interesting organ. For one thing, it controls the others. Your lungs, your eyes, your heart. If you can convince your brain you’re not breathing, you won’t breathe. If you convince the brain you can’t see, you won’t see. If you convince the brain your heart’s not beating… You get the picture.”
‘Deep breaths’. Cutie reminded themselves. Their hands feeling cut against the binds, tighter again. ‘Remember your training.’

“The mechanics of telepathy - we can reasonably assume - has to do with electrical impulses at a frequency that can be detected on both sides. A kinetic radio. What the signal is, is a good question. Yet, the better question is, what’s the receiver?”

This was nothing new. Every telepath learnt this and the subsequent theories. 

‘How boring’ Cutie tried to think, concentrating on their breath control.

Twenty minutes. They just had to hold out another twenty minutes before their team sent recon in.

‘But how did someone unempowered know?’

Cutie had been tasked with scouting an unempowered organisation in order to establish if they were a potential risk to Covert. 

The file hadn’t covered this.

“I have reason to believe it’s synapses.”

‘Were they still talking?’

“Synapses, synapses, synapses. They're the little electric signals that the brain uses to communicate with parts of the body. A sort of biological email. I'm sure you already knew?”

Cutie sent out an emergency signal again. No one answered.

Protocol dead drop initiated

“You know what else synapses do? They communicate pain.”

And in a moment they were in Geordi's mind.

‘Hi Geordi!’ They called, trying their hardest to inject cheer as they heard the distant rumbling of wheels on concrete.

‘Cutie!’ Geordi was clearly startled. They hadn’t exactly been subtle.  What are you doing here? I thought you were at work? You should be working.‘

Cutie wanted to cry at that. The rolling got louder as distant voices quietened.

‘Oh, I am.’

‘Cutie-‘ He sounded disappointed, likely suspecting they were trying to escape paperwork again.

Well not quite.

‘Relax! How are they going to know?’

‘It’s not about that, and you know it, it’s about the fact that we are both at work, are you teasing me? and you’re distracting me-‘.

He whined. Cutie knew they had a penchant to tormenting Geordi but honestly; Geordi was so adorable when he was teased, how could they resist?

The hooded figure clicked the rod and a spark of power briefly arc, cracking the air apart.

Cutie could feel themselves flinch unwillingly.
‘Even if you do survive, it’s going to leave the electrical impulses in your mind scrambled. By no means will it affect your core.

But the brain? Well, the brain is like any other organ. It can get sick, it can tear, it can experience severe trauma resulting in life long conditions including but not limited to epilepsy… Have fun.’

‘Cutie? Are they still listening? I need to work. What’s happening?’

Another figure was wheeled into the room. It was too dark to see them fully. Why did it take three people to-

Another jolt of controlled lightning jammed into their side and they couldn’t scream, cracks blistering across the shield as a simultaneous wave of psychic attack battered them.

They were running out of time

‘Hey Geordi, I know we haven’t talked about this but can I put a box down?’

‘Wait, what was that again? Oh yeah! Why are they not answering me? Forget work. Why do you need to put a memory box now?’

How exactly we’re they supposed to respond to that? Because Operation Dead-Drop means I might not make it-

‘Geordi, I need to know, can I?’

The Wheel chair bound figure’s head was lolled to the side.Slowly, it began to twist up.

‘Yeah, sure. I trust you.’

‘Thanks Geordi.’

‘You’re saying my name a lot. I like it. It’s concerning. It’s hot. Focus.’

‘I like saying your name.’

‘Flatterer. Is everything alright?’

‘Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?’

The other telepath’s head lolled down, but the barrage did not decrease. 

They had to stay strong. For Geordi. They had to make it home to Geordi.

‘Because you are in my mind in the middle of work. And I’m not getting playful teasing vibes. You just feel… Awful, Tense? It’s like you have something off about you but in my head?’

‘It’s all in your head Geordi.’

‘Ha-ha. Stop deflecting. Very funny. Just answer the question. I just want to help.’

The shield was cracking further under the pressure. By the time someone arrived it would be too late.

‘I think I’m going to be home late tonight, I just wanted to catch up with you while I could and say I love you.’

‘Aw, you’re such a Cutie you know that? Thanks for letting me know.’

‘I love you Geordi.’

‘I love you too.’ 
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A moment and Geordi’s mind went silent. Had they left?
‘Cutie, you still there?’

‘Yes.’ They didn’t sound as confident as they wanted to.

‘Cutie, please tell me what’s going on-‘.

‘I love you Geordi.’ The memory box was placed. They just had to enjoy these moments before their shield collapsed.

‘Please, you’re scaring me.’

‘I don’t want to scare you anymore.’

‘Don’t go - Stay - That’s terrifying- help them’

Their eyes met.

‘Something’s wrong. Stop lying to me-I need to get home.’

‘Don’t go Home!’ The barrage somehow increased. An unrelated tenacious force that cut at them like daggers of glass. Neither side giving in to the temptation to blink.

‘Cutie tell me what’s going on! What’s happening? Please be ok-’

There wasn't any time left.

‘I can’t. I can’t I’m sorry. I need you safe. Stay away until someone gets you. IneedyousafepleaseforgivemeGeordiIlove-‘

Geordi was alone in his own head.

And never before had he been so terrified.

Chapter Text

Cutie could feel the monster plunge into the depths of their mind, dragging them under with the debris that was once their mental shield.

They felt themselves begin to crack and split apart as the pressure of the other minds torrent began to drown them. They needed to get out of this current, it was too strong to swim up through.

But they could sail it. 

And suddenly they were on a boat, an old-fashioned military sail boat with broadbeams and canons to fire at-

The other telepath was a quick cutlass defence from slitting their throat. Parries and thrusts ensued as Cutie summoned a tempest to sweep in their favour and as the sky darkened; the storm came down as the world grew smaller and smaller, the sky falling. A dome was shrinking to encage them in their own mind as the telepath’s shield began to envelope their mind-

A dome of glass.

A ship in a glass bottle.

And suddenly the swords were gone and the crash of a glass bottle could be heard as Cutie brawled the telepath in an old fashioned bar. Bottles with names and moving faces stacking the walls which Cutie realised was obvious information to be stolen and drunken in.

The monster dived behind the bar to avoid bottles of petrol with lit cloths stuffed where corks once were.
Bottle after bottle was thrown and the bar was destroyed around them. An abyss to fall into surrounding them if they dared to fall far enough.

Faces and names disappeared into the hellfire. Memories lost forever.

Cutie only paused when they reached for another bottle and came across their first date with Geordi. Dated and signed with his flustered grin.

The Monster, once person still hadn’t left.

Their presence felt so ill.

Pity overcame Cutie.

“If you come out now, I’ll help you. You don’t have to work for them.”

A double shotgun barrel flicked up and slammed on the bar.

And suddenly Cutie was a rabbit who had just avoided their ears being nicked by a 12 gauge.

They ducked, dodged and wove their wave through an upside-down forest of treebooks. A sky of the depths hanging over them. The trunks were being torn apart and aside as useless information of childhood schooling and magic fundamentals grew into a first-class degree and specialist training into-

Cutie dove into a warren of secrets, a magician’s hat that took them out of there.

And into the Monsters mind.

Chapter Text

The thing about most telepaths is that they were either arrogant or naive. Often growing too comfortable in their own methods; familiar with the easily interfered.

Cutie was by no means innocent of being arrogant at least. But Cutie’s knowledge had always backed their pride.

Telepathic shields were mostly dome shaped, protecting from any outward, panicked responced from invaded listeners. A conscious protection of a conscious mind. There was no point protecting the subconscious in adrenaline indicing situations, all energy being focused to tbe intended target.

It just meant that their shields were never spherical.

And so, Cutie emerged in the upside down of a monster.

It was cold, yet burning at the same time. Like how it feels to hold an ice cube under hot water.

It was a hell.

So, they reached forth, grabbed a fiddle and began to play. Maybe they could get to Georgia. Music sheets appeared on a stand as audience of ghouls once memories swayed emptily to a sound now strange to them, but nostalgic as-

The ink burst fourth and drowned the notes. Blotting paper was in their hand but it wasn’t enough as suddenly they were in a water as they were squirted by a fleeing squid.

Salt water. Tears.

But a squid was no match for a turtle. And so, Cutie pursued.

And the ocean was filled with waste as plastic bottles and bags of once rich experiences were torn away into their depths. The perfect choking hazard.

But Cutie reached out and grabbed a bag and suddenly they were in a supermarket, sopping wet. Clutching the torn plastic bag with an outstretched hand.

Again, to their confusion. Ghouls of memories perused the aisles of senses: the smell of yellow or the sound of trees. They stumbled as zombies with their hands chained to heavy yet empty carts as the world became grey at their touch.

The bag disappeared from their touch.

They needed to be quick.

Cutie ran to avoid contact, the drip of their clothes leaving splotches of colour in a wake of grey.

Scouring the aisles like a lost child they looked for the mother nature of this world.
They had to find them before the monster dug any further into their own mind and destroyed them both.

A supermarket was a mall that was an easy place to get lost and suddenly they were surrounded by thousands of ghouls and their faces stretched long and their bodies grew and there were walls-

They were in a labyrinth with a minotaur standing over them.

Cutie was no stranger to monsters however.

The puddles behind them reformed as a string that grew tighter and thickened and Cutie had a rope. If they reached it, they could rein the Minotaur in.

Cutie dived for the rope and just about avoided being skewered by bull horns.

They couldn’t climb out quick enough, the half-bull was too fast.

Cutie leapt again to avoid being kebabed.  No matter how high they jumped the walls grew taller.

...Who was the half bull?

...Was it them?

A misunderstood ‘monster’ under the whims of a tyrant trapped in a maze trying to defend itself?

A Labyrinth, held under the house of tyrant of Crete.

This was under-.

This was once their bunker.

This was now their dungeon.

This would be their tomb.

Only one way to find out.

Bulls have a nose ring for a reason. If you were a brazen enough bastard you could wrangle it under control.

And there was the minotaur’s. Shinning large and golden, perfect for a daring hand to wrap and around and yank-

The floor fell away as dungeonlabyrinthbunker TRAP door flung open, Cutie felt themselves’ falling upward and suddenly it was down and-

“OOF-”

Their shoulder popped as the rope snapped taut. Hanging from the trap door with the only source of light shining down into the abyss hanging above them.

And in their other hand was grasped the shaking hand of the other telepath.

Their watering eyes shone as they reflected their own light into the nothing that was once somewhere to them.

They were so young; their eyes were so wide and the dark was so big.

“It’s going to be ok!” Cutie called. Their words echoing. That meant there was potentially somewhere to fall too.
Potentially.

“I’m scared.”

Cutie laughed. It hurt to laugh. “You know, if that was your fight or flight, you put up one hell of a fight. Think you can crawl up here and climb out?”

Their lips trembled. “...What if she’s there?”

She. Another clue as to who they were investigating. Noted but not the priority.

The darkness seemed to expand as more and more of the kid’s, gosh they were just a kid, mind fell to the fear and destruction of the real monster. If they weren’t careful, they would both die.

Or worst. Be lost to whoever that monster was.

Cutie tried to give a reassuring grin. Beads of sweat sweltered on their forehead from the effort. “What’s your name kid?”

The kid chocked out a response.

“Alice? I think I like Alice.”

“Alright Alice. It’s time to leave Underland and rejoin the world. Leave the Queen of Hearts to me.” The kid didn’t need to know that they weren’t sure if they would escape the void.

No matter how hard Cutie tried, there was no distant stars to light the way.

If anything the rope began to fray.

“I’m not ready!” 

Cutie could feel their arms strain under the increasing burn. For once thankful of the endurance tests DUMP had unilaterally enforced.

“No one’s ready kid. But you’re going to wake up just like Alice under that tree and run off to tell this adventure. You catch my drift?”

“NO?!” The kids grip tightened, trying to counter the growing sweat that dripped from both of them, exhausted from the mental strain of this whole affair.
They didn’t have time for this.

“I need you to crawl up and get help! Even if it’s just a radio call.” Any Dump agent would respond to a telepath’s SOS. All the kid had to do was scream out either, hell even if they just screamed aloud someone should hear them.

Cutie ignored the fact that they weren't heard. Hopefully, enough time had passed.

Time was difficult to measure in these matters.

“What about you?!”

The echoes grew more distant. Cutie tried to picture a cavern with enclosing walls. Nothing. Not even a simple mine shaft to crawl out of. What had that monster done to this kid?

The kid wasn’t holding as tightly as before, their feet swaying in the nothing between their minds.

They were both running out of time.

“I’ll be fine!” Cutie smiled assertively. “Now get up!”

And staring into the soul of this kid, Cutie saw their fear become bravery, their face set to resolve as they reached out in their own mind up into the light, climbing past their rescuer back onto the ledge.

A shock of electricity tore the world apart.

Screams burst Cutie’s ears as they fell into the abyss, rope falling behind them and ceasing to exist.
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They had planned to make a net.
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But instead, their body hit the ground. 
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Rain began to pour over their desecrated world. Reducing it to ash before pittering out pathetically. A living cremation as the sky darkened to nothing.
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And in the physical world, Officers shook Cutie’s shoulders, unable to wake them up as screamed sobs came out from under an emergency blanket. A teenager held by the last officer who hadn’t body slammed their kidnappers to the ground.