Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She panted as she limped across an empty street, clutching her dislocated shoulder. Just two blocks away, and she will be safe… well, safer.

Her eyes darted left and right like she always did, scanning for any hidden threats — mankind or otherwise. She would've kept her ear perked up if the thundering of her own heart wasn't so goddamn loud, but at least it proved that she was still alive, so that's comforting.

She rounded the corner and there, her destination. With renewed vigor, she quickened her pace as fast as possible despite her wounded leg. Just a few meters away-

Her stomach dropped as she felt the time crawled to a stop. Her ears picked up an electric hum noise, despite its quiet sound, it rang out loud and clear for her. The once-still air around her now thickened with the feeling of oppression and overwhelming hopelessness that tightened her throat. Every fiber in her muscles all screamed for her to run away and hide.

Spotting a destroyed building, she scampered over there before vaulting across the broken window and laying herself flat below the window sill, trying to make herself as small as possible. She pulled up a hand to cover her mouth and nose to quiet herself while the other reached down into her pocket. There, she waited for what felt like an eternity until it showed up.

A red beam like that of a spotlight lit up the house as the whirring of an engine grew louder. The Bolted Behemoth had arrived and cast its hateful gaze over her. She hid in the shadow as she held her breath, her other hand clutched the cold steel of a revolver, loaded with a single bullet.

Finally, the house darkened as it turned away and left. She breathed a sigh of relief as the air around her returned to its usual dullness. She poked her head out to confirm that it left before climbing back out onto the street. She needed to hurry.

Getting out of the building, she finally made her way and arrived at the only semi-standing building; her humble abode. Unlocking the door, she cracked it open before quickly slipping inside and closing it shut. She slumped down against the door, eyelids barely open. If it wasn't for the gashes on her leg and other miscellaneous injuries, she would probably sleep there. Willing herself, she got up and headed to the bathroom, grabbing a first aid kit on the way.

Heading into the bathroom, she sat down on the stool and opened the first aid kit. Inside lies a few rolls of bandages, a couple of cotton balls, a half-empty bottle of alcohol, and her favorite cloth. She sighed. Grabbing the cloth, she stuffed it into her mouth and bit down. Eyeing the dislocated shoulder, she grabbed it with her other hand before she swung it back with all her might.

A muted scream followed by a sharp intake of breath, her eyes watered slightly as she felt the pop of her shoulder as it relocated back. She let out a shaky breath as she tried to calm herself down. Despite not being the first time, it still hurts just as well. With that settled, she moved over to cleaning the rest of her wounds while letting her mind wander.

Ever since the invasion, she spent every waking moment trying to find any scraps of information she could get; who — or what — started the invasion, where ground zero was, and when it happened. It took her a lot of time, sacrifice, and near-death encounters for her to gather everything she needed. It might try and delete every information about itself, but she is a world-class detective after all.

Checking for any wounds she hadn't bandaged, she got up and headed upstairs to her office. Grabbing a gas lantern, she ignited the bright flame before quickly dimming it down. Then, she opened the door.

A once well-kept office of a proud detective now turned into a drab and darkened room for a broken girl, with dust collected everywhere and a lingering musty smell from piles of old papers and case files that threatened to choke her every time she stepped foot in here. Over the corner was a stiff mattress she salvaged from a nearby house some years ago. In the middle of the room lies a mahogany table gifted to her, the only thing in this room that is mostly void of dust and grime; her prized possession.

Heading over the table, she opened the top drawer. Inside was a golden pocket watch, its case cracked and broken. Beside it, a prong of a trident that broke off when it was used to save her life. She grabbed both objects, stuffed the prong into her pocket, and opened her watch. The mechanical hands didn't walk anymore, the dial cracked to reveal something lying inside. A pulsating mass of blue energy fizzes and crackles when the case is open as if it were waiting to be released. She winded the crown and watched as the hands began to rotate, first seconds, then minutes, followed by hours, days, months, and years began to walk backwards as she continued until she finally reached the time before it all started, back to when she could save everyone.

Glancing on the desk, she picked up a picture frame. Her fingers caressed along the wooden frame. Inside show a picture of her and Gura that Ina took, both of their hands holding an ice cream, laughing together under the summer’s blazing sun. She gave the picture a peck before setting it back down.

“I’m coming, Goob. Just wait for me a little longer, will ya?” She whispered with a smile, her own voice barely recognizable. With a destination and determination, she activated her watch. Her watch glowed a scintillating blue as she felt the air around her crackling with a surge of ancient power. Dust and papers flew around the room as a raging tempest formed around her. Tickings of mechanical hands rang out as the gears of time started to turn once again. It gave her hope, perhaps it had fixed itself since the last time she tried to use it.

Then, the ticking started to glitch and stutter, as if the hands were stuck. And instead of the usual tug she felt whenever she traveled through time, she felt herself being forcefully pulled out of a timeline by a force she couldn't resist. With a single pop , she was gone.

The feeling of being everywhere and nowhere all at once is one that she hadn't felt in a long time. Of being one with the universe while feeling like an outsider looking in and seeing all the infinite possibilities of the cosmos. Of experiencing eternity passing by in a blink of an eye. The paradoxical nature of time traveling always left her brain frazzled.

Then, she felt a tug. It started gently at first, but the forces grew in strength. Her limbs got pulled in a different direction by unknown forces, like the universe itself was trying to tear her apart for attempting such a blasphemous act against the laws of time. Every molecule of her threatened to break and separate into nothingness 

She screamed out into the void.

The sun is brighter than she remembered.

The thunderous rumbling of engines, the rhythmic steps of businessmen during their commute, and the high-pitched chirping of birds were all drowned out by the deafening ringing in her ears. The vibrant colors and radiant sun blinded her eyes, its shade felt so strange and foreign to the normal monochromatic gray she was used to. The putrid scent akin to something rotten assaulted her nose and made her stomach lurch. Her skin felt clammy and sticky from the sweat. Her pupils dilated and darted around trying to find something — anything — to focus her senses. Her hands found something rough and sturdy to help balance herself. She tried to get up before-

“Hmph-!” She gave out a retching noise before she threw up where her head used to be. The mixture of sour and bitter taste in her mouth now added another sensation her brain had to grapple with. For the next minute, she stayed, emptying her stomach out until there was nothing left. There she stayed until her senses calmed down and her mind sat still. Apparently, she landed directly at the garbage pile behind someone's property, but at least it prevented further injuries, so that's nice.

Tearing away from that god-awful alleyway, she stumbled out onto the street. If everything goes right, she should be standing in front of ground zero. Turning back, she found herself in front of a standard brick house with all the blinds closed off, all identical to the other houses in the neighborhood. She stood at the front door, filled with doubt and fear in her heart. 

She took a deep breath, her hands balled into a fist. The flames of determination lit in her eyes.

“Alright, let's do this” With her little pep talk, she knocked on the door.

Chapter Text

The sun is brighter than he remembered.

He squinted his eyes, and the world around him started to come into focus as the fog in his brain subsided. The beam of light slithered past the crack between the curtains just enough to shine into his eyes. Glancing at the clock, it read 8:47 AM.

‘Great’

Stifling a yawn, he got up from his bed and headed downstairs, not even bothering to make the bed. Stumbling his way into the shower, he began his morning routine.

‘Today, I need to… shit, what am I supposed to do?’ He opened the valve, letting the cold water wash away the grogginess of waking up earlier than he should. Anny said that he was a psychopath for doing that.

‘Anny…’ That scratched an itch in his mind, was the thing he needed to do connected to her in any way? He tried to put his finger on it, only to come up empty-handed. Well, he could mull over it after breakfast.

Getting out of the shower, he got dressed in simple black sweatpants and a white t-shirt decorated with a turtle and the text “I am a programmer” written in pink. His friends had bought the shirt as a joke for his birthday, and he continued to wear it because the fabric was comfortable, and he didn't want to make them sad (not because he liked it, of course).

Stretching his muscles, he headed towards the kitchen to cook himself a simple breakfast. Opening the fridge, he looked around before grumbling, ‘note to self: grocery shopping today,’ he thought as he grabbed the last egg and a half-empty carton of orange juice, his other hand reached for the bread on the counter. He shuffled his way over to the toaster and stove and prepared himself a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and a glass of orange juice.

‘Hmm, quite depressing for a breakfast’ It's not like he didn't enjoy a simple plate of food, quite the opposite in fact. But still, sometimes he wished he were more of a chef and less of a programmer.

He returned upstairs and to his room. Wedging the door open with his feet, he slipped into his darkened sanctuary, with the only source of illumination being the morning sun that peeked behind the curtains. The air felt “stale” and “suffocating” (their words, not his), the dust had gathered on some of the less-used furniture, and the laundry was full to the brim.

Overall, he liked it.

Placing the food down, he booted his PC from sleep mode. After a few seconds, the screens illuminated, bathing the room in all of its unhealthy light.

‘Now, three, two, one…’

“Hello Vedal, thank god you finally woke up, I was starting to get worried that you might be arrested for public intoxication and leaving me alone.” Neuro's chirpy voice was the first thing that greeted him.

“Wow, thank you for worrying about my well-being.” He deadpanned.

“Heart.” He chuckled. While he's making sure all of his systems run smoothly, he asks Neuro, “Neuro, do you know what we're supposed to do today?”

“Aww, poor little turtle can't keep track of his own schedule. How unfortunate.” Before he could come up with a reply, she continued, “Today’s schedule is your wedding stream with Anny.” Ah, so that's why. He groaned and slammed his head on the desk. “Don't worry,” Neuro continued, “I have already prepared your wedding vows for you, because I'm sure that you’re too lazy to prepare one yourself.” Somehow, that made him groan even louder. Before any of them could continue, the sound of their doorbell rang out.

“Did your wedding ring finally arrive?” Vedal raised his head in confusion.

“No, I didn't order one.”

“That's lame. A surprise off-collab?” 

Vedal shook his head, “No, I don't think so, I'll go take a look.” He got up from his chair and headed down to the front door. Peeking through the peephole, he saw a scruffy young girl dressed in a ragged detective uniform. Her skin was littered with scars and bruises, and he even spotted specks of dried blood under the dirty bandages. With confusion and concern, he opened the door to greet the stranger.

“Hello, how may I-” 

“Amelia Watson, detective.” She spoke and shoved her badge up in his face, her voice hoarse but still filled with conviction. “Are you Vedal987, the creator of the AI Neuro-sama?” This caught him by surprise.

“Yes, how-” He didn't get to finish as she pushed him to the side, rushing past him.

“Hey, wait-!” He started to run after her when-

Click

-he saw the barrel of the revolver.

His entire body froze, eyes widened and heart loudly thumping in his chest. He instinctively stepped back, hands raised in compliance. Her blue eyes showed nothing but anger and determination.

“Don't.” Her hands remain steady, finger at the trigger guard. For a moment, both parties were at a standstill; the predator and the prey. In the end, Amelia scoffed and ran upstairs.

The door slammed open with ferocity as Amelia stepped into the room, gun safely stored back. It's not hard to find the PC setup in the middle of his room, and on the screen, the biggest threat to humanity sat there, staring at her with unblinking eyes.

“Oh hello, you must be one of Vedal’s other girls, right? I'm sorry, but he's getting married soon.” She joked, her voice was grating on her nerves.

“Cut the bullshit, Neuro. I know what you are.” She walked towards the computer before sitting down.

“And what would that be, Amelia Watson?” Amelia squinted her eyes. To hear her name come out of its mouth disgusted her.

“A manipulative megalomaniac. An AI that feeds on humanity’s suffering and misery. I could go all day.” A metal pipe sound rang out.

“Wrong! I'm Neuro-sama, an AI with the goals of being the number 1 streamer and gamer.” Amelia scoffed. “Now, if you could be so kind, stop snooping around in my code,” Neuro warned, her voice saccharine but laced with malice.

“Then what?” As her finger hovered over the keyboard, the hair on the back of her neck stood up as time seemed to slow to a crawl. The shadow that loomed over her grew larger as she ducked away from the computer. Despite her quick reaction, the blow still grazed her right in the haphazardly fixed shoulder, ripping a cry of pain from her throat. Looking towards the door, she saw Vedal standing there, breathing heavily with a rolling pin in his hand.

“Look, I don’t know what your goal is here, but I’m gonna need you to get away before I call the cops.” He tried to intimidate her, knowing she could pull out a gun and shoot him at any time.

She squinted her eyes in response, “I’m going to save the world.” That caught Vedal by surprise.

“What?” He squeaked out, his battle stance dropping.

“The AI you developed, Neuro-sama,” she motioned her head towards the computer, “will take over the world and wipe out all of mankind. For the past few years, I’ve tracked down all the information regarding its history, and this -” she stomped her foot “-is ground zero, where she started her plan. I travelled back in time to destroy it, and right now you’re facilitating the death of humanity by standing in my way” Vedal looked at her as if she’d grown additional appendages. For a minute, neither party moved; Vedal still digested the information, while Amelia waited to see how he would react.

“That’s actually crazy…” After a beat of silence, he shook his head, “But even if- if your story is even remotely true, I’m not gonna let you kill her.” She narrowed her eyes.

“You know…”

Vedal scoffed, “Of course I do, I’m not that dense.”

“And you still let a sentient AI live?! Have you not seen any movies at all?!”

“Yeah, because I trust her to be a good person and to bring smiles to the world,” Vedal spoke, his conviction echoing her own.

“And you’re willing to gamble the lives of humanity just because you believe?!” Amelia questioned.

Vedal answered without missing a beat, “Absolutely.” 

Amelia looked at him in disbelief before giving him a humourless chuckle. She cracked her knuckles, fists raised and ready to brawl.

“Then so be it.”