Book. Librarian. Star and City

Silence continued to envelop the room uncomfortably, before the manager suddenly slammed his fist in anger

"GODDAMNIT AGENT ANSWER MY QUESTION"

Gerald shivers before hovering his hand over Penitence, ready to protect himself at a moment's notice

"... Yeah I can, for the last two days as a matter of fact."

The manager exhales heavily before reaching to the wine bottle resting on the table

He tries to take a swig of it but it's empty

*CRACK*

The glass shatters in his hand as the shards fall to the floor, his hand drips with blood as he clenches it tightly

"Angela, please prepare me another glass while I talk to this agent here."

"I'm afraid that will not be possible, as the manager you have to limit your alcohol intake in order to perform your job correctly and efficiently"

The manager recollected himself before speaking

"Alright leave my office, I have to talk to Gerald here."

"As you wish."

Angela promptly took her leave and closed the door behind her

...

"Is there anything I need to know about your unique situation agent?"

"No manager, this just randomly happened to me after the first time I died to punishing bird"

The manager swivels in his chair before looking at his computer screens

"I see."

The manager smiled before picking the cactus on the desk up to inspect it closely

A silence was forming, creating a tense atmosphere

"Y'know Gerald, I knew something was off due to your lately exceptional performance on the abnormalities here."

"I really really tried to look past the weird aspect of your work and just write it off as a beneficial anomaly"

The manager then grabbed one of the spines of the cactus

"But then I started thinking, this beneficial little anomaly doesn't seem to understand the gravity of where it's working at"

As the manager was tugging at the spine, it suddenly pricked his finger drawing a bit of blood

"And if it doesn't understand much, who's to say it won't lash out in order to save it's own hide?"

The manager gave a chilling smile and grabbed the resignation form from Gerald's hands

"Do you understand what im saying agent?"

...

"Loud and clear sir."

The manager's expression softened a bit as he grabbed a napkin and wiped the blood from off his finger

"Now, I think I have just the job for you agent."

Laying the napkin down he placed both arms down on the table and smiled faintly

"Are you afraid to die?"

-

I hate everything

Gerald walks out of the manager's office and making his way infront of T-09-78's containment cell, he walks in and grabs the notepad again before closing his eyes and waiting for it's effects to kick in

Born Again

Raising Penitence he slams it down on his head again, recoiling slightly but recovering nonetheless

This gives me a bit of time

Suddenly a new order got issued to him

Gerald nods before slowly trudging through the corridors of control team and faces the door's nameplate of the room infront of him

(F-02-44)

...

Let's get working I guess.

*SCREEE*

An abomination that no higher being had hand in making shuffles backwards while shaking it's head and screaming

It's appearance is something that no mother could even hope of loving

Its back hind legs were similar to that of an insect as they actively scratched at its own hide similar to that of mammal, causing deep red gashes to be formed

It's tail was a depressing short lump with scales at the bottom covering the entirety of its underbelly

It had two front feet with the toes shredded off from the constant scraping against the ground

And it's head was a real work of art.

Two fat horns hanging off it's head with two green vines wrapping around them

Insect like mandibles with human lips in the middle at the end of its "Face"

And to top it all off, it had like a hundred eyes all crammed together looking at every inch of the room including myself

...

Sometimes I wish I would have just stayed in bed

*KRAAAAA*

Walking forward, the creature trembled and swiped the air infront of Gerald's person

It didn't seem to want Gerald to get any closer

... guess I should take notes on this thing huh? Otherwise I might just combust on the spot.

Gerald held the notes in his hand and just like last time, a pen just happened to be in his hand

Writing down notes about it's general appearance, he decided to probe other reactions from it

He grabbed a protein bar from his pocket and threw it on the ground infront of him

The creature shook it's head while screaming, it continued to claw it's insect legs at it's hide quickly injuring itself even further

As it continued, Gerald perceived a great desire to hurt it

Although it was to a controllable extent, the notepad seemed to repress other desires and redirect them into researching the abnormality

Gerald tried a few other things like mopping up the blood that shot out of its body, it seemed to work as it's screams died down for a moment and it's eyes stopped shooting around the room so frequently

Looking at his LC-230 the next work assigned to him was attatchment

"The fuck do I say to this thing"

The creature screeched in response, tapping it's limbs on the ground chaotically

"How did you end up like this?"

Gerald read some of the information out of the document sitting outside of the containment unit, it was some monster from a castle or whatever

Apparently there is some sort of curse that turned a woman who tried to usurp the count of the castle's fortune into a hideous beast

Now I just didn't understand how absolutely appalling this thing was, it was even worse then what that document could ever have prepared me for

In response to my question, it's head began trembling as another shrill cry escaped it's mouth

The E.G.O weapon sitting on my hip seemed to pulsate white as it screamed, clearing my head of any murderous thoughts I had

So it can act on its own?

There's still so much I don't understand about the facility and how it works.

*Gurggghhh...*

It's mouth began producing some form of green foam as it sputtered and convulsed on the ground, it looked to have lost lots of blood

The thing squirmed around while staring at my face, tears began ro roll down the hundreds of eyes merged on its face

Instead of anger and violent impulses growing in my head, I only felt pity for someone who unfortunately contracted this terrible curse

Gerald's eyes softened before he slowly approached the quivering creature, kneeling down he placed the palm of his hand on its head as tears continued falling down it's face

...

Gerald then saw something that made his blood run cold

White hair

There were tufts of white hair seemingly ripped off of something and scattered all over the floor around it

And there was a red bowtie in the midst of a large clump of said hair

The creature continued crying as it's legs shook violently, it's front leg extending out to Gerald before quickly retracting as more tears continued to leak from it's face

No

No.

No No No No No No No.

This isn't what I think is happening... right..?

I'm just imagining things

Penitence pulsates white again, attempting to clear Gerald's mind once more

After that talk with the manager, I haven't really seen Lisa anywhere in particular

Maybe she just took the day off today...

There's no way right..?

Looking at the creature shaking on the floor, Gerald places his hand on it's face before gently caressing it

"You're... Lisa, aren't you?"

The pitiful creature nodded it's head as a quiet shrill sounded in the room, the shaking refused to stop

There wasn't anything that he could do to help her.

He couldn't work out some sort of miracle to revert her back from this form, however...

The Loops.

TT2 Protocol.

Maybe there is a way to prevent this from happening.

Bringing his attention back to the beast infront of himself, he smiled reassuringly

"Don't worry, I won't leave you like this."

"That would be cruel of me, it's the least I can do for you, Lisa."

"Please, just wait for me."

The creature stopped crying overtime before it slowly nodded while convulsing on the floor

With a grim expression, Gerald stood up from where he was sitting.

His hand grabs Penitence from out of its holster as he trudges through the corridors

The nearby clerks go pale at the sight of his enraged expression

"U-Uhm.. Gerald..?"

His eyes quickly dart to the timid girl in a maroon suit with a yellow tie

It's Vera.

"What is it."

The girl looks very terrified by merely being around Gerald

"Well... the others were getting scared that you were about to do something irrational..."

Penitence in his hands pulsated white as soon as Gerald's expression darkened further

"Haah... move out of my way Vera, this doesn't concern you alright?"

"Y-Yes..."

Vera quickly shuffled out of his way before cowering

Manager.

When I get my hands on you.

-

(Pov: Manager)

Damn.

I don't know what to do

That kid can remember things even when the TT2 Protocol had been initiated

I feel like this is just beyond my pay grade at this point...

...

Do I even get paid here?

Im... not sure.

Goddamnit it's almost like all of my memories are just fabricated

Taking a look at the monitor screens, the manager reclines in his chair

I don't know how to tell him...

It was because I took Gerald's anomalous ability as a sign of good luck, or something like that

That white haired agent ran repression on the beast, now I wasn't sure that beating the damned thing was the best option available

But it made 12 P.E boxes

The energy was good, so I figured that one more assignment couldn't hurt...

... Man.

I fucked up real bad.

I maybe thought that Gerald kid could do something about it.

Fuck what am I talking about

I'm the MANAGER

Everything needs to be done by me, even though if I even make one mistake, I'm FUCKED

Resetting the day won't even help me at this point, that Gerald kid probably already figured it out by now

I'm just going to have to double down on this, who cares if he hates me afterwards

This is Lobotomy Corperation Afterall.

The manager stares at the tears rolling down Gerald's face as he makes his way over to his office

"Manager, would you like me to issue an order to restrain him?"

"If not, the agent will try and harm you."

"... Let him."

Angela's eyes open at the incredulously of the manager's words

"Are you aware that I cannot permit that, Manager?"

"Then why give me the option at all?"

"..."

A loud noise was then played by the speakers all throughout the facility

*Attention all employees, Agent 00_3 has gone into murder panic. Please restrain him quickly*

The manager gets up from his seat before he walks over to the coffee machine

The hot coffee pours into the cup as a whirring sound begins to rev up

"Nothing Is going according to plan."

-

(Pov: Gerald)

"I was so close"

"So close to the manager's door, but you just had to get in my way didn't you..."

A man silently exhales with bruises on his arms and chest, as the suit is seemingly torn

In his hand is a broken baton that he quickly throws away

"Looks like I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson punk"

The man raises his arms into a fighting position as he stares Gerald down

"Look Mao, I need to get through here."

"Fuck if I'll let you into the manager's room with that kinda expression!"

"You're ready to murder."

Penitence pulsates white once more as Gerald recollects himself

"For good damn reason."

"Stay outta my damn way, for your own good."

Mao doesn't comment at this and closes in the distance at a frightening pace

Gerald swings the mace at his head as Mao ducks the attack and sends a haymaker at Gerald's chin which connects

Gerald stumbles backwards as he goes for a broad swing which Mao easily counterstrikes, his fist driving into Gerald's ribcage

Puking out some blood, Gerald throws himself back to get some breathing room

Looking down at his side, there are terrifyingly large depressions in his suit

"The fuck are your hands made out of?"

Mao responds to his question by dashing full force over to him

Gerald goes for a broadswing which Mao ducks and sends an uppercut at Gerald's chin once more

This loosens the grip on Penitence which Mao takes advantage of, throwing it to the ground as it makes a clanging noise

Gerald's face distorts in anger as he throws a punch at Mao's face

It's fast enough to nick his cheek, but Mao goes in for a punish as he elbows gerald's throat, causing a crack to resound in the air

*Bleurgg*

Red blood shoots out of Gerald's mouth, staining the floor below them

The red feather seems to pulsate on Gerald's ear

People have been committing sins since long ago.

A low guttural groan comes from deep within his body

Why do they commit sins, knowing it's wrong?

The feather seems to stark sinking into Gerald's flesh along with the necklace he was gifted from Punishing bird

It must be because there's no one to punish people for their misdeeds

Gerald's flesh starts streaming red as his veins pop out violently

*GRAHHHHHHH*

An inhuman scream resounds throughout the facility as Gerald's face twists into that of a beast

If someone takes that role, then no foul act would happen in this world ever again!

Gerald shoots forth at the bewildered Mao who gets tackled into the ground

Gerald winds his fist back before shoving it at Mao's defenseless face, but narrowly misses, causing a deep depression where his head should have been

Mao kicks Gerald from off of him before sprinting away to make distance

"Fuck Fuck... Kid, what the hell happened?"

In response, Gerald lunges at Mao with no intention of self preservation

His arms fully extended, intending to rip his face off

Mao rolls the clumsy attack before Stumbling over the dropped Penitence

Mao quickly grabs the weapon before he swings it at Gerald's obvious attack which was aiming for his face

What Mao didn't notice was the smirk on Gerald's face, he instead twists his arm's trajectory mid swing and rips Mao's throat out

Blood spills everywhere, covering Gerald in a deep red

In disbelief, Mao stumbles backwards with a hand on his throat to try and stop the bleeding

His eyes get blurry and unfocused but with a final shout, he slams the weapon down full force on his head

Gerald visibly recoils in pain as his head crashes into the ground with a thud

This was enough though.

Gerald briefly snaps out of the E.G.O corrosion to see Mao's body hit the floor

His eyes were no longer focused and slowly started glazing over

Coughing, Mao grasped at his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes

Although midway through his body went limp.

...

Nothing seemed real anymore.

Gerald slowly cooled down, the red hue dissipating slowly as his face morphed into horror

"FUCK FUCK FUCK GODDAMNIT!"

Gerald grasped at his scalp in an attempt to rip it off

I didn't want to do that.

I didn't want to do that.

I didn't want to do that.

I didn't want to do that.

I didn't want to do that.

I didn't want to do that.

I didn't want to do that.

Before Gerald could spiral any further Into despair, there were some other clerks aiming their guns at him

Vera was one of them

"G-Gerald, please just surrender"

Vera aims a pistol at his face

"I-I don't want to shoot you."

"...Please"

Gerald's face twists in agony at her words

"Don't worry Vera, I can make this all better."

He steps forward

"I can reverse today and we can resta-"

*Bang*

A loud gunshot reverberates through the room as a hole appears on Gerald's cheek

"Wha-"

Gerald is then cutoff by all of the clerks firing all of their rounds into his head and body

*BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!*

Stumbling forward with his body littered with bullets Gerald gasps for air

A bit of blood trickles down his face as his eyes go bloodshot

The bullets only caused superficial wounds on the armor part of his body, but the head was not spared the wrath of bullets

Parts of his skull was shown as he kept Stumbling forward, his fist clenched

And in a moment's notice, he swung his fist through one clerk's skull making it explode like a watermelon

*GRAHHHHHHHH*

Gerald's flesh began to heat up again, as his veins were popping out of his skin

The bullets lodged in his head and armor popped out and splattered onto the floor

Running into the next Clerk so fast he seemed like a blur

The Clerk exploded from the impact, his gore spreading everywhere littering the walls with a fine paste

Gerald seemingly fully lost his mind as he ran over to another Clerk and yanked his spine from out of his back

He used it as a javelin to skewer Vera on the wall, making her organs leak out of the new hole In her stomach

Walking forward slowly, Gerald stares into her eyes as he grabs her head with both hands

She couldn't do anything but stare in despair at his actions

"I'm sorry"

His distorted voice came out coarsely

*CRACK*

Her head splattered on the wall behind her as she went limp

...

Without saying another word, Gerald tore open the door to the manager's office and stood at the doorframe with Penitence in hand

"Manager."

The man in question had his hands clasped together, almost as if he expected this outcome

"Agent."

Penitence pulsates white over and over again as Gerald's face twitches

"Restart the day."

From the dark, a slender hand wraps around the managers shoulders

"Agent 00_3, that is not something that you have control over."

"I didn't ask you."

His grip strengthens on his weapon as he lunges at the both of them

*Click*

Time seems to slow down to a halt and the manager lets out a sigh of relief

"Angela, is there any way I can possibly salvage this?"

"I'm afraid not manager"

...

With a crestfallen expression the manager walks over to his desk and hovers his hand over an ominous button

TT2 PROTOCOL INITIATED

.

.

.

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