Chapter Text
Five Pebbles could only sigh as he stared at the red alert turning on and off in an endless cycle that he somehow didn't feel like stopping. He's been staring at it for so long now, willing it to change into green and yet- it never would again.
Perhaps turning the alert system off could be more beneficial at this point. It wasn't like it'd tell him of any news at this point. The Rot has spread. It continues to spread. Strands and bundles of deadly and feral cells slowly expanding within his structure and eating up everything that could be called healthy. Everything that made him… well, him. Gone in a maw of something he himself created.
And for what? The chance to die? If that was it, then congratulations to himself. He did it. Just in the slowest possible way known to iterators. He'd scoff at himself if he had the energy but instead just willed another pearl to float closer to him.
Perhaps reading would help a bit. After all, he had to find something interesting to do regularly while he waited. How long would he have to wait? He didn't know. How long would the ache spread through his system until it bumped into something especially important and he'd be left to just exist in a state of constant delirium? Much like Looks to the Moon had been. He wondered if this was what she was thinking about as well.
Just floating in her chamber, trying desperately to figure out some - any- way to save herself only to just know that it was futile. The hopelessness and the pain all converged into one mix of desperate emotions until it all snapped like a string.
And she collapsed. Perhaps that was the only time the suffering stopped for her. He somewhat hoped at least.
But he couldn't ever compare his own situation to hers, could he? In her case, it was him being the aggressor. The borderline omnipotent god with her fate in his hands.
Omnipotent god. Pfff.
He used to think of himself as that. Omnipotent god who could do just about anything. Made it known as well. And yet, here he was, dying to his own doing.
As he switched the pearl to a brilliant blue one, he forced himself to just let Moon be. Moon suffered and was in pain because of him. Her thoughts on the matter far outweighed his own right now. After all, who was to blame but himself? He did this to both of them and thus, the ache was justified. There was no point in self-pity when it was that simple.
And yet, part of him wanted to cry.
He did miss Moon. They usually didn't talk all too long, due to his own inability to socialize and not be rude but she used to be his sister. He recalled a time when he looked up to her. Though that was cycles ago. So long that maybe even she doesn't remember anymore.
He dropped the pearl as he realized that perhaps she can't even remember it. Well, nevermind. Perhaps that was better left in the past as well. He picked up the third pearl.
Ancient architecture and religious logs. Pebbles did like the design they used to create the Shaded Citadel. Despite having no use or interest in their ways of religion, he could admire the culture. He could admire the place that his own structure blocked from all lights and made it into a literal memory graveyard.
They used to be so upset about that. Yet another addition to his ever growing tally of things he did wrong.
Speaking of which, he missed Suns. The red pearl floated close now. It held nothing new. Nothing interesting. It was just a pearl. The color reminded him of their overseer though. The one he so mercilessly destroyed after Suns put that much effort into reaching him. He recalled they mentioned something about regretting losing him as their friend. Somehow he wondered if that was still the case. If they would be willing to talk to him like they used to. After all, Suns always seemed to understand him the best. He really did miss them.
He wanted to let them know that it wasn't their fault. That despite giving him the information on how to rewrite the self-destruction Taboo, it wasn't their fault that Moon had pretty much died and that he fell to Rot.
None was to blame except the bug that played with the spider webs to escape only to get caught within them.
He wished he could say all that.
At which he paused and glanced at one of the walls. The nearby overseer flashed the hologram of his message channel. They were right there.
He could just message Suns. His comms should be in an alright state. Or maybe he could talk to No Significant Harassment and then relay the message through him to Suns. Maybe even Moon. He did send a slugcat to revive her after all.
He floated towards the com like he was in a haze.
And then the gravity gave out.
He screamed in surprise as he plummeted down to his chamber's floor, before hitting it directly.
The red lights now blared across the entire room with no input from him before at last, everything stopped.
Five Pebbles laid there, too startled to move as the overseer managing his message screen materialized beside him now.
The Rot has finally reached the important systems that should have not been disturbed. The power coming back on didn't help in the slightest, as it once more gave him access to his systems.
And he panicked. Every remaining healthy cell of his body screamed as they came back online, fighting against the possibility of destruction that came with the power loss.
And just like that, his water usage amped up even more to deal with the frantic bacteria and hostile Rot. The intake was too much to take like this and unprepared though, and thus, the taboo kicked in and the valves started fighting against the relentless flow of water to stop him from literally choking.
And Pebbles could just lay there, frantically breathing as his entire can gently trembled from the shock.
It felt like forever before he registered the electric sparks that occasionally zapped his shoulder. And as he turned, there he was. His overseer. The sparks now turned into a certain pattern and Five Pebbles found himself latching on it.
It was a rhythm. Something to go off of. And thus, he began carefully doing his best to calibrate the flow of the water and the closing and opening of the valves to this very rhythm. Like a beating heart. Broken, but beating.
It felt like ages before he managed to calm everything down enough. Though, the gravity didn't come back on for now. Perhaps it was for the best.
For whatever reason, the floor was pretty comfortable. It was cool against the slightly overheated metal of his puppet. That and somehow, he didn't realize just how exhausting it was to push himself up completely with his umbilical and get himself to float again.
Hah, wasn't that just funny. Even his own umbilical has grown tired of carrying him.
Well.
Nevermind that. He could rest for a while, cool down as much as he could and then he could focus on figuring out what had happened.
Though he did pet the overseer who chirped in delight. He didn't deserve these creatures nor their kindness. But he appreciated it's help. Though when it motioned to the wall again with what could be called a question look, he shook his head.
No. It didn't matter. He couldn't contact anyone even if he's capable of it. Who would want to talk with him and why anyways? Logically speaking, it didn't make any sense. He hurt Moon and then by that everyone else. He didn't even properly apologize to her yet- let alone go begging to their local group.
So, he sat up with an exhausted heave and leaned against his umbilical as much as he could without it collapsing.
It felt so heavy and immobile for some reason, but he couldn't quite figure out why. Sure, with Moon it made sense. She just didn't have any power at all. Of course it couldn't move. But there was something stranger going on with his own. And for that reason, he carefully looked back.
It seemed… normal. The smooth metal didn't look all that different. The usual scratches and bits of rust were normal and the cable seemed fine. So what was the issue?
He was incredibly tired. More than he should be. Thinking was a bit difficult too.
Oh.
The inner systems must have been disrupted by something.
There was only one thing within his can that could have done that. And just like that, he once more had to hold back the dread going through him.
The umbilical had access to inner water flow as well. During his panic he must have accidentally merged the flow of water meant to his puppet and some other unknown source.
Suddenly, the umbilical became a free path for the Rot to his vessel. If he could become nauseous, this would be precisely the moment. After all, sure, the Rot has been inside him the entire time - but it breaching his puppet as well? The one thing he had that he could freely move and actually change things with?
He just froze, silently paying attention to every bit of his puppet. He couldn't feel anything yet. But he just knew he would soon. Once Rot settles in, it won't go until it consumes it all.
He has utterly lost everything.
What an unfortunate development to an already horrible series of events.
And with nothing better to do. He merely just brought his knees to his chest. He could try to do something, anything. Pick apart the metal and fish out every impurity himself. Break off of the cord and run away. Maybe even get some slugcat to do it for him.
Actually, scratch that. He didn't think he'd like some animal digging through his insides even more than it already would be. Not to mention, how would a slugcat be able to help?
They likely wouldn't even see the cells.
He truly was stuck like this, just waiting for something to happen.
The overseer let a few sparks escape once more.
Mindlessly, Five Pebbles just reached out to it and gently petted it once more. It'd soon have to go again to patrol the already broken can. Pebbles just didn't want it to go that soon. Surprisingly enough though, it didn't. Instead it motioned to a certain pearl that laid on the floor.
"...Let me see." He spoke up, after it felt like ages before reaching out and picking up the pearl.
"...Ah, it's this one. You must have seen me play it right? For a moment I completely forgot it's here." He noted as he carefully activated the pearl.
The song immediately broke off the frantic weeping of his can. The creaks and groans of the metal, crackling of electric currents and hum of water flowing through. Even his own clicks. All promptly drowned out by the music.
It was… nice. And most notably, it stopped him from thinking about it all. If not for just a moment.
He eventually just rested a bit more comfortably on the floor and against the ticking time bomb that was the umbilical and just drowned in it.
The song passed by just as quickly as did cycles. It was a surprisingly welcome distraction from the pressure slowly building up between the umbilical and his back. He forced his thoughts to focus on nothing but the music. At this point he could sing it himself if he so cared.
But he really didn't. Not even as his head began hurting. Or when few of the joints on his fingers suddenly couldn't quite bend anymore due to something obstructing it.
He just didn't care.
As time passed, the rot reached his walls and encased it in carnivorous cysts.
Until suddenly, a wet splat on the floor tore him out of the music and his thoughts alike.