Big Book of Echoble One Shots

Irreplaceable (N)

TW: Slightly NSFW - blood, gore, minor character death, teensy shippy

"Specimen 5, uh Miss Speci-?"

"I'm busy, am I not?" She spat, spinning her chair away from the generator terminal. From across the room the clone could see her animal eyes of silver, tainted skin glowing underneath.

Show no fear, he remembered, as his superior had warned him. He now understood the fear the specimen held amongst the ranks; her body is human, but she is not.
"Uh, uh yes. I see. Apologies, Miss Specimen 5, but I've been instructed to-"
"Why is it you disturb me?" She rose, stalking across the room with pace.
"Oh um. I-uh they. I came to tell you that-" Every stammer broke him closer to panic. She stood before him now. "Spit it out." She demanded.

The clone took a deep breath, composing himself.
"Lalnable requests your presence in the primary lab." There, he'd said it. He desperately craved to bolt in that moment. The specimen's stature stood small in comparison to his own, but her presence towered like a lioness among mice.

She remained silent for a moment, studying him battle to keep his composure. "Oh, alright. I'll grab my things." The clone could visibly see the tension leave her being as she spoke this time, and with it left his own.
"You wait there, alright?" She gave him a wink, waltzing back to her desk. He nodded, and smiled in turn. He much preferred this demeanour. Perhaps he would run these errands more often, he thought. It took her a moment to gather a few things; a clipboard, a calculator, and a ruby blade.

"Alright!" The specimen chirped.
"Let's be off." He said, and began down the corridor.
Specimen 5 grabbed his lab coat, gently pulling him back. "Oh, wait."
He stopped, slightly bemused. "Yes, Miss Specimen 5?" He asked. She closed the gap between them, quickly entwining her delicate fingers in his own.
"There's just something I wanted to share with you, is all. What was your name again?"
Before he could answer, she grabbed his collar and pulled him close with unexpected ferocity, checking the nametag on his chest. "Case No.581A, is it?" she read in soothing tone. The clone was too nervous to speak. Without warning she planted her lips on his own. Confusion and ecstasy consumed the clone for a moment, before giving way to the sharp pain that gripped his chest. He looked down to see her blade guard-deep between his third and fourth ribs.

Crimson soaked into his lab coat, and onto the floor as his knees buckled. Soon he no longer felt anything. His consciousness recoiled further and further until his vitals could sustain nothing more than a single point of existence. Pinned to the corridor wall, a harsh whisper consumed his senses, repeating itself over, and over, and over.

Another clone rounded a corner into the corridor to witness the scene.
"Specim-" his shock cut short, a ruby blade sprouting from his gut. He collapsed with a short wince.
The specimen went to recover her blade. She disliked throwing it in such a way.

"It's Echosounds." She repeated a final time.

_____________

"I heard you wanted me?" Echo's voice came over the coms.
"Always." Lalnable replied, callously. He placed his scalpel with the rest of his instruments, covering his current cadaver over with a white cloth. He didn't turn to see Echo emerging from the airlock. She tossed her sword beside the exit as she strolled to his side, sitting on the operation table.

Lalnable piled his collection of harvested organs in a cooling unit, and placed it at his feet. He peeled back off his blood-stained gloves.
"How many is that this week, twenty-three?" he said bitterly.
"I would have thought more."Echo replied with smirk. Lalnable sighed, disposing of his gloves, and carrying a tray of used instruments to the sink for cleaning.
"You do realise they are crucial for our plans?" he ran the water, rinsing a pair of tweezers.
Echo nodded "I'm well aware, sweetheart," She removed her emerald hair pieces, jet hair falling around her shoulders, "They annoy me is all."
"Well I'd like to ask you to channel your irritation into more practical tasks, Speci-." Echo's hand was lightning as she raised a finger to his lips. She shook her head calmly. Lalnable sighed again, deciding finally to acknowledge her presence with a glance. "Echo." He corrected.
"Much better." She smiled softly through the taint and gore that obscured her skin.

"That is all." Lalnable said, pulling away from her touch, focussing back to his task. Swirls of pink danced against the porcelain. Echo seemed slightly hurt by the gesture. "Alright." She began to walk away, but paused.

"You know, you're all replaceable ." She said, coolly. The statement struck Lalnable like electricity; it wasn't often he felt a jolt of terror quite so close to heart.
"We?" he repeated. Surgical scissors clattered as they dropped into the sink.
"Yes; you." A wicked smile flashed as she approached once more. "Don't act so surprised, Lal."
Lalnable remained silent watching her prowl from the corner of his eye. Echo giggled.
"You're all the same, Lal; hate confrontation," she grabbed a cleaned scalpel and twirled it around with her indigo fingers. "Especially when you're not in control. How many units are being grown as we speak?" she asked.
"Two-hundred." He answered
"Two-hundred!" Echo repeated, mockingly suprised. "Yes, two-hundred; so when I say 'you're all replaceable', I mean it quite literally. I'd probably never know the difference."
Lalnable's mouth went dry. "You wouldn't." He said, calm yet firm. Their eyes addressed each other fully now. Water continued to flow through the industrial faucet.
"I wouldn't what?" Echo raised the scalpel to Lalnable's cheek. He hardly felt as the blade sliced delicately through his skin with skilful reservation; she meant not to harm him. Echo pulled the blade away after half an inch, a bead of blood running down Lalnable's stern expression.
"Twenty-four's a charm, sweetheart." She tossed the scalpel back in the sink and began to leave once again.

Fear turned to rage within Lalnable. How could she imply such a thing? He thought, how could she say such a thing to him, after all he'd done for them both?
"What makes you think that I'd let that happen?"

"Oh?" Echo snapped back, storming towards him. Lalnable immediately regretted his words.
"Whatever do you mean, Lal? That you're somehow different from the thousands of clones sitting in the barracks right now?" She seemed sickly amused by the idea. "Or," she continued, "That you'd stop me from doing so?" Echo's cackles filled the lab, ringing through Lalnable's ears.

"What are you going to do, Lal, kill me first?" He'd crossed a boundary, he knew that now. No words could save him; careful silence would be his only salvation.
Echo continued, "Me? I'm irreplaceable. We both know that. How'd your other specimens turn out, huh Lal?" Echo pouted exaggeratedly. "Pitiful work, sweetheart, not even I'm perfect, am I?" She was toying with him now.
"Well, maybe I am perfect, but certainly not what you expected." Lalnable's cheek began to sting as a second steam of blood began to run.
"You've said it yourself; I'm your greatest creation." She smeared fine lines of crimson across Lalnable's cheek with her thumb.
"You need me here." Echo leaned to whisper in his ear.
"You want me here." She kissed his bloody cheek, and took her leave.

"I'll be in the village if you have further need for me." She said, grabbing her blade.
"I thought you said we'd leave the village in peace." Lalnable replied. "For camouflage."

"I say a lot of things, Lal."

Credit to sare-hare on tumblr