Chapter 2: Cheat

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A few days being in solitude before finally being able to leave. The first thing Bill did when he got in his room? Break the handle of the door so they staff couldn't get in.

The following days were spent trying to help himself. He didn't need some stupid counseling or therapy to 'fix' him! He had himself, and that's all he needed.
He would never elaborate the puddles of tears on the floor. What tears? Exactly! But still, it was a total nightmare. Who knew?

Days.
Bill was stuck with no one but himself. The room was in shambles, and his mental state was getting worse with every hour. One moment, he'd be tearing up the walls and mattress, and the next he'd by laying on the floor, crying. He laughed sometimes, but it was just from insanity instead of joy.

Bill planned. If he could send a book through dimensions, he sure as hell could still invade dreams, with the perfect angle... But first, he was going to let him know.

Bill was going to let that prick know what he did.


-

Stanford could tell that something wasn't right. He usually wouldn't dream at all unless it was forced, and this time was no exception.

Ford looked around the broken white void, static in the cracks. Sixer only looked around, not moving from his place. It was perfect.

"Take it from a guy who's tried- you can't undo the past! Unless you want to thaw a giant baby out of a glacier."

"Come again?"

"Figure of speech. It means 'waste your time'."

"I guess you can never really go home again, can you?"

"I sure can't! My dimension was entirely burned out of existence! Wanna see the only thing left of it?"

"What? You're entire home dimension? How? By what?"

"... By a monster."

"That's... That's unimaginable. Did you ever track down this beast, for revenge? I could help you... I could hunt it down!"

"Hahah! Sixer, it would eat you alive."

Ford didn't look away until it was over. Good thing, too. Things were going as planned. Bill then switched it to the second one, which would give a fat hint to what the bastard did.

One shot left in the Quantum Destabilizer, one Bill. Easy enough, right? Wrong.
The weirdness wave rushed past, making the bell right behind him to life and startle him. It messed up the aim and shot at a different part of him.
Hit hat.

And just like that, the memory was over,fading to static cracks once more. Brainiac, though, didn't seem to understand. "What... What are you trying to show me, Bill?" Stanford asked, looking around finally.

Bill's voice rung out through the static, surprising the bag of bones. "How about you take a guess? You're a man of science, put two and two together."
Stanford shuddered when he heard the familiar voice. He'd been hoping this would be over by now... "What are you playing at, Bill? What do you want from me?"

"I want an apology."

Poor Sixer thought it was so funny. After all, Bill was a terrible guy! "An apology?! Is that what you're looking for? An apology for all the lies and betrayal you put me through?! You must be joking."
"I WANT AN APOLOGY FOR TAKING EVERYTHING OUT FROM UNDER MY FEET, YOU PRICK!" An ear-splitting yell. Ford was not at all surprised by Bill's anger. It was expected. "Don't you dare play the victim here, Bill! You don't need an apology, you need to be locked up where you can't hurt anyone!"
"I SHOULD? HOW ABOUT I AM?! YOU GOT ME STUCK IN A PLACE THAT TRIES TO DISSECT MY FEELINGS LIKE A FROG FOR A SCHOOL SCIENCE PROJECT! I'M NOT A SCIENCE PROJECT, STANFORD!"

Ford couldn't feel bad. Of course he couldn't, he was 60% apathy! "What is this now? Feeling sorry for yourself? You want me to feel sorry for you, Bill, really?! You think I'll just say, 'Oh, I'm sorry, Bill, for taking away your freedom,' like a fool?!"

"APOLOGIZE FOR DESTROYING ALL I HAD LEFT!" Bill demanded an apology, and he wouldn't leave until he got it. "APOLOGIZE FOR BEING A FUCKING HYPOCRITE! APOLOGIZE FOR HATING THAT I TRIED TO TAKE YOUR WORLD WHILE DESTROYING THE REST OF MINE!"

That.
That right there got to the human. "What? Realizing what you did, now? Reflecting? Good. You deserve to know you're not the hero you and the rest of the multiverse thinks you are."

Bill's words obviously stung, but it was covered somewhat well. Still, Bill could see right in those feeble jelly eyes what lied underneath the rough exterior; Bill was making Stanford feel bad, even if just slightly, which was pretty out of character... But if the shoe fits, then you might just wear it, "Are you trying to make me the bad guy, after everything you've done?" and kick it into the dirt.

"No. You're just going to be bad as well, and that... It makes me happy, I'll say. Sure, I wont go all 'You're no better than me,' because you are better in the good and evil standards of humanity, but it's good for me to know that you're not all sunshine and rainbows... and you never were."
Hearing all this definitely upset Sixer. "You like seeing me struggle, don't you? You're getting a kick out of my misery."

"Please, Sixer. If the roles were switched, you'd feel the same."
"That... Is.. true." Stanford admitted.

"Then we're fair. Somewhat. You still owe me," Bill reminded. Ford was silent for a moment before responding, "And what exactly do you want me to do? Apologize to you in a big way? Beg for forgiveness? What are you after, Bill?"

"I want my physical form back."

Ford thought for a moment. What Bill was asking for was a big risk. "You're physical form... And what exactly do you plan to do if I give it to you?"
"I don't owe you any elaboration."
"You're right, of course. You don't owe any information. I just want to know..." Ford paused, looking at the static that Bill's voice was still emerging from. "If you manage to get your physical form.. What do I get in return?"
"I wont melt your brain and drink it from your skull like a coconut."

Sixer cringed at the description. "That's.. reassuring," Ford caught his composure again. "Alright. I'll make the deal, and give you your physical form."

Really? Well, he wasn't expecting it to be so easy... But hey, better than nothing! "Good! Now just head on to my statue and shake on it. Cipher, out!"


-

Bill was back in the dim-lit room on his ruined mattress. Despite not being a huge morning-person, he was already shaking with joy. What an idiot! Ford really gave it that easily?! Hah!
Bill spent a moment fixing the door handle for the staff to freak out when they found him missing. He could almost imagine their faces!

Minutes went by like centuries... Could Ford take any longer?! Jeez! Bill waited on his ruined mattress, looking at the torn walls and the dead multiverse rat that somehow managed to sneak in.

Eventually, he noticed his form in this dimension start to deteriorate, flickering and vision going black. Finally! Yes!

The stone on the physical form faded away, letting him out. So many feelings at once, laughing uncontrollably with a questionably calm Ford behind him.

The laughter died down as Bill opened his eye, only to see a perfectly clear, blue sky. What? "Hey... Hey hey hey, what's going on? Everything is supposed to be.. No.." Bill turned to form, a thin slit pupil eyeing the sack of meat, who stared back.

"You... You tricked me!" Bill didn't know how to feel at the moment. Should he be proud or pissed? "I didn't trick you. You asked for physical form, not powers and apocalypse."

The human had cheated him. Well-played, Fordsy...

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