Oneshots, etc.

Darkened City AU (Pt. 2)

Ritchie takes a swig from the can of energy drink in his hand, scowling at the computer screen in front of him.

"Are you still trying to figure out those videos?" An exasperated voice comes from the doorway behind him, and he spins his chair around to face them with a guilty expression. In front of him is Micheal, whose weird purple motif seems to have been upped tenfold today, if the many scarves draped on him are anything to go off of. "They're literally from years ago, what do you even get out of them?"

"I just-" Ritchie throws his hands up in frustration at his friend. "I want to know what they're about. Look. Right there." He turns to the screen once more and presses a finger to it, right over a slightly grainy but still recognizable figure in one of the corners. "That is DEFINITELY Mario."

"Yeah, I get it, the guy is weird and kinda creepy, but what's that got to do with anything? He gives us supplies when he passes through. You got like half your stash from him." Micheal saunters over to stand next to Ritchie, and gives the stack of boxed energy drinks next to the desk a significant look. Ritchie ignores him, too engrossed in analysing the mysterious video.

"Yeah, but- You know what? Just watch it. You'll see what I mean." Ritchie sighs, leaning back in his chair. Micheal rolls his eyes.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, I have no interest in your mystery camera feeds." He scoffs, but leans forward to watch intently anyway, as Ritchie runs the video back to its beginning and presses play.

It begins with a shot of a wide, empty alleyway, one of the entrances to the settlement. On the right side of the screen, a tall, spiked fence is visible. The screen stays like this, empty and noiseless, for about thirty seconds. Then, a figure walks into the middle of the screen. Even on the grainy screen, on which everything is covered in a washed-out gray, the figure's dark-blue-almost-black jacket and gray buttoned shirt are recognisible.

"Huh. You were right. I think that is Mario."

"Shh, we're not at the interesting bit yet."

On-screen, Mario looks around the alley for a moment, before spotting the camera. He stares for a second or two, then gives the camera an alarmingly clear smile. Something about it is off. It looks almost wrong, but not quite.

Ritchie pauses the video with a light tap on his mouse.

"Eerie, right?"

"I mean, maybe." Micheal shrugs. "But that's how he always smiles. He's just sort of... Like that."

Ritchie makes a noncommital noise and presses play once more.

This continues for a few seconds. Mario staring blankly into the camera, seemingly unresponsive. Smiling.

Then, a gutteral scream, loud and almost pained, echoes from the left side of the alley. Micheal jumps violently, just as on-screen Mario's face drops into a blank expression and he turns smoothly on his heels.

Ritchie, having already watched this video multiple times, is unaffected.

A second figure staggers into frame. Even from a distance, the rage on their face is unmistakeable.

Micheal reaches over and frantically clicks the mouse until the video pauses.

"I'm sorry, was that- Was that a Muted?"

Ritchie smiles grimly.

"Not just any Muted. The Silencer." He says, as though he's telling a scary story. "The original Muted himself, the source of the virus. Once heard that he's only got anger left in him, all other emotions were stolen and put in a robot or something."