Infectious Love

Chapter 9: Look What I've Done

8's eyes fluttered open, feeling as though he was lying down on a puddle, he sluggishly sat up and looked at his surroundings. Around him was an endless sea of turquoise sludge that covered the surface in a thin layer acting as a makeshift floor, with an infinite blackish-deep violet sky hanging overhead. Bubble-like things were floating in the air around him, each one playing a different memory from the past.

"Where am I?" 8 muttered, withdrawing a hand and looking at the plasma-like substance.

He shivered with revulsion, then stood up while shaking off the plasma from his hand and looked at one of the bubbles. It was playing the memory of when 8 arrived at the surface for the first time and defeated tar-tar, smiling at a now conscious 3. 8 smiled to himself as he continued staring at each and every memory that was playing back at him. It filled him with warmness, watching the memories of his friends, no, his new family that helped him every step of the way.

8 stopped mid-step when he felt something brush against his face, feeling his face he plucked off a thin pale gray string. Twirling it between his fingers, he noticed the thin string was connected to the floor with the other end stretching out into the endless sky above. He squinted his eyes as he looked around to find more strings scattered about, almost invisible due to the lighting.

"What are these for?" he thought, looking back up at the endless sky.

"Like what I've done with the place?"

8 instantly recognized the voice, he slowly turned around to find his sanitized replica smirking at him. He looked exactly like he did when 8 saw him in the mirror, except his wrists and left ankle were chained; the chains looked to be made of the same substance that coated the floor and came out of the said floor.

"What do you want?" 8 coldly demanded, "Where are we, and what are these things."

His replica simply chuckled.

"Don't you recognize your own head?"

The replica stuck out his arms and spun in place, his chains clinking from the movement.

"Of course, I did do some redecorating while you were away. It's still a work in progress, should have it ready soon."

8 glared at him menacingly and grabbed his evil twin by his shirt.

"What do you mean soon!?" 8 yelled, "What are you planning!?"

His replica had a faraway look in his eyes for a brief moment then refocused back on him.

"I'm simply picking up the pieces," his replica scoffed then grinned "With your strength, power, and smarts you can pick up where he left off and be on top."

As soon as the words left his mouth 8 punched him, knocking him to the floor. 8 couldn't hold back any longer, when he was in the Octarian army he may have had a high status thanks to his skills but all he felt was emptiness. Now, he had a caring family, a new life, and 3... there was no way he would go back to being empty.

The replica slowly sat up, holding the left side of his face with his hand. The grin on his expression grew with delight.

"I have everything planned out, but we won't be alone either." he looked up at 8, his free hand grabbing the chain that was connected to his ankle. "Besides it won't be long till it all reconnects, so it'll make things less complicated when bringing her with us."