chapter 119: Stockholm syndrome

I woke up to find myself sitting on a comfy black leather chair. How did I get here? The last thing I remembered was getting in that fight, then mother, then…Then…… my evolution! YES! I won the fight and earned my evolution, which means that this place is where it will all happen. I found myself in a long corridor. The corridor was a 2 tone black and white. Sold black wooden walls contrasted with white marble flooring with golden highlights, the corridor stretched on and on into the distance, and a part of me feels like that may not be an illusion. Closest to me on the right was a large wooden door in the same colours as the corridor. Honestly, this evolution thing isn't going how I imagined it would.

*BRRRRRRRRRRR*

I winced as a loud buzz hit my ears. My eyes snapped up towards a weird box on the ceiling

“Miss Sally Oakshield, my office, please.” A weirdly feminine voice came from the box. Just what is going on here…

*clunk* A loud sound came from the door. *clunk* There it was again. Suddenly, the door creaked open, inviting me in.  I walked towards the door and pulled it open. A part of me should be more cautious, but strangely, my instincts are calm. Whatever this is, I have a feeling it isn't here to harm me.

I opened the door into a lavishly decorated ebony and ivory office. The office was mostly bare except for a glass table and some plants. However, what stood out the most was the large white marble table in the centre of the room, with a large black chair facing away from me.

“Take a seat, will you, Miss Oakshield?” the same voice as the box said. A blue hand revealed itself, pointing towards me. Suddenly, the air rushed past me as a similar but smaller chair appeared right in front of the desk.

I took a seat, and the person behind it finally revealed themselves to be a youngish girl wearing a pristine white shirt and tie brought together with a jet black skirt.

“Sorry about that. I had only around 4 nanoseconds to decorate this place I got everything else except your chair.” She said with a gentle smile. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that  stunt was less of an accident and more intentional; either way, it doesn’t matter. I took a seat on the chair across from her.

“Miss Oakshield, it’s a pleasure to-“

“Just what in God's name is going on?” I interrupted.

“You're evolution. Miss Oakshield”

“Sally, just call me Sally.”

“If you wish”, The girl said, something about her rubs me the wrong way. Just who is she?

“Now, as I was saying, I'm here to-”

“Just who are you?” I interjected again. I have to get to the bottom of this quickly.

The voice chuckled. “I guess I'm not allowed to finish my introduction. Why don't you take a guess? Who do you think I am?”

“A 6ft talking donkey.” I said with a dead pan voice

“Please take this seriously, Sally,” She said, rolling her eyes.”Jokes like that aren't really your style.”

“How am I supposed to know! You’ve given me no clues whatsoever!” I yelled

“Hahahaha, I guess that is true. Maybe this will help.” She snapped her fingers, and a blue system box appeared and quickly disappeared

“That’s not much of a clue, is it?”

“Any more, and I will be giving you the answer. Come on, do I have to spell it out? Ever since you became one of the alvearix, I have always been by your side”

“always been by my side……Wait…are you…”

“Go on.” She said eagerly

“You’re the system, aren't you!”

“Ding ding ding! Congratulations,” the girl gave a round of applause for her stupid game. I just gave her a deadpan stare.

“Even in the mindscape, you're still just as straight. The name is Sys, by the way. ”

“Why am I here?” I stated, we've been babbling about nothing for awhile now

“As I said, I'm overseeing your evolution. Usually, I would handle this part for you. Pick a balanced evolution that fits your style and preferences and build on that. But this time I want to do something different.”

“I see, so does that mean you handled Mother's evolution? “

The girl chuckled. “Yes and no, your mother is a special case. Her 1st evolution was more about completing her original form. No, she will get her 1st proper evolution when she is ready. But enough about her, let's talk about-“

“Why are you now revealing yourself?” I cut in. Something about this feels off. Not in a “I'm in danger” Kinda off, but this all feels a bit… suspicious. I have to watch her carefully.

“Straight to the point as usual. I see why diva praises you so highly. I'll cut to the meat and potatoes, then shall I. A long time ago, when you first met diva. Do you remember  what she did to you?”

“Did to me? what? Just what are you talking about?!”

The girl let out a terrible sigh “ My brainwashing can be a little bit too good. Fine, let's take a trip down memory Lane. ” She suddenly snapped her fingers, and the world flashed a bright white, and I was suddenly hovering just above the ground in a dingy, dark alleyway.

“I recognise this alley. This is doonvatel, isn't it?” I asked the girl

“Correct. This is doonvattel exactly 8:30 pm 3 months ago today. How about that your 1st evolution is the anniversary of when your life changed!” she said with glee

“Anniversary? Life change? What are you talking about?! Why are we even her- “

“You do know you would earn more money from the Wacks if you were nice to them.” My body froze at that voice. That was… my voice. I looked down just in time to see a version of me doing cartwheels. Wait, I… I think I remember this……

“Bleh. What's the point? Both me and you are doomed to die homeless. The last thing I’m gonna do is die kissing the feet of people for scraps.” That voice came from the person walking beside the older me. I think I remember him. I think His name was….

“Your thinking is very bizarre, Aaron.”

“And your thinking is very naive, Sally.”

Aaron! How could I forget! he was my best friend back when I was… I was…..When I was a bum on the street.

“Are you showing me this to insult me?” I spat at her.

She politely shook her head. “I would never do something so petty. Keep watching.”

I looked away from the girl just in time to see Aaron and me climb down a manhole cover. The girl snapped her fingers, and suddenly, our bodies teleported and hovered behind the old version of me. Old me was walking and talking as usual until we reached a 4-way intersection in the tunnels.

“I remember these tunnels guards patrolled down here, so I had to be careful.” I watched older me scan around. I was about to take a left when we suddenly caught a glimpse of a guard. In a flash, we took off down a tunnel. The guards chased, yelling for us to come back, but we ignored them, running until our legs couldn’t go anymore. Eventually, we ended up hiding in a water inlet. We looked for a way to escape, but there was nowhere we could go, and we were just too tired. We couldn’t run anymore. Aaron looked so concerned for me; he was such a good friend. Suddenly, the sounds of footsteps treading in water hit my ears. I snapped my head around just in time to see a guard approaching us.

The guard was approaching quickly. He was about to find us when a familiar chitinous entity slinked out of the shadows. It was Mother, but she was missing the extra arms and tail. It was her older version. She quickly approached the guard, black mana swelling from her hand, before he could react. Mother shot her mana through his body, completely taking the top part off him.

I looked towards the girl. “Is that all you wanted to show me, my mother saving my life?”

“Keep watching” she said coldly.

I turned around to see Aaron and me coming out of the water inlet. We were stunned by the dissected corpse, so stunned we didn’t see Mother approaching from behind.

“Wha….what did this, Aaron?” old me asked timidly.

“Yes, Aaron, what do you think did this?” We both snapped around to see Mother giving us a toothy smile.

“The names Diva. Can you do me a favour and die for me?”

Aaron stared petrified at what was in front of him, suddenly, in a flash, his mother grabbed his neck.

“Why is mother…..THAT'S MY FRIEND, STOP IT!”

“No point yelling, Sally,” Sys said. “This is a replay of the past. Your past,” she said as I watched the scene speechless

“Fine. From today onwards. Your body, mind and soul are for me to do what I please. Am I understood!”

We both nodded. Time passed as the mother grilled us for information. I guess at this point, she was still new to doonvatel. When we couldn’t give her the answers, she knocked both of us out and took us to a warehouse. The warehouse itself was mostly empty except for a hidden basement. Mother took us there and chained both of us to a wall. Once we were secured in place, she instantly turned her attention to Aaron

“Rise and shine,” she said, gently tapping his cheek “Come on. Wake up. It took a lot of work to move the two of you here,”  she said, shaking more vigorously a second time. I looked at my mother's eyes; they had a hunger in them. I recognised that hunger.

“She’s going to rape us, isn't she?” I said to the girl.

Sys nodded, “You know diva well.”

I watched the scene unfold, and by god was it painful to watch the pain and agony Aaron was in was palpable. I could feel it on my skin, and then she turned to old me. frail old me. I thought she would go easy, but she didn’t. I watched as she took the virginity of my ass, making me scream in agony in unimaginable pain. But despite that, as I looked at the older self. Despite the pain, she was enjoying it. Is this where I get my obsession with mother ovipositor from? This deprecating, embarrassing moment of my life?

Eventually mother finished raping me and took off. Leaving me unconscious and alone in the dark.

“I'm going to skip forward a little bit.” She snapped forward, and the world suddenly sped up. I watched as old Me’s tummy grew bigger and bigger as the larvae gestated. Eventually, the world slowed down to normal just in time for the hatch to the basement to open. It was Mother who climbed down the hatch to see us.

Now, don’t look at me like that, you two. We had fun last night, didn’t we?!” Mother said. her voice filled with glee and missing any sign of regret, remorse at the fact that she raped me not even a day prior. She approached my body with a smile on her face as she checked up on me

“Momma…..My stomach hurts……." Am I sick?” old me asked weekly. It was at that moment that I noticed something on her face change. It was subtle, but I saw it in empathy. A sliver of it, but it was real and fleeting; it was immediately replaced with hunger and pride.

“Don’t worry. Mothers here,” she said easily. The words slipped out of her mouth so easily, it's like she’s said them millions of times. So easily she lies without even breaking a sweat.

“Momma…..My stomach hurts…….am I sick?” I asked my mother, she shook her head and reassured me so easily, she became the mother I wanted in that moment, easily manipulating and lying to get what she wanted.

Eventually, she left after tending to my belly and giving me something to eat. The girl skipped time again 2 days had passed, and mother hadn't appeared. In that time, Aaron had managed to free himself from the pipe we were tied to.

“Come on! We need to go. We have to tell the guards about that freak!” he yelled! Older me shook her head and pleaded with him to stay, but he wasn’t having it. The moment he was free, he started making a way towards the ladder. I tried to stop him.

“Stop! I won't let you take Mother away from me.” I begged, tears welling up in my eyes. I looked closer in those eyes. eyes that were full of delusion but something else. fear. Not fear of dying or being raped again, but fear of being alone.

Aaron started climbing up the ladder, and I grabbed his leg to stop him. “Let go of me, SALLY!” he begged as he tried to kick me free. I could tell from here that this was not going to end well.

The wall holding the ladder shook, growing weaker and weaker as we fought, until the inevitable happened: it snapped, sending us tumbling down. I was fine, Aaron, however…… at least it was quick.

Old me scrambled to his side, trying to wake him up, but the leaking blood from his skull gave me the answer. Old me wept, wept for hours alone until the contractions started, the larvae I was gestating wanted out, and they did not care. I proceeded to give birth to 5 of mothers spawn alone in a basement in a puddle of my friend's blood. I think it was this moment that broke Sally Oakshield. The pain and the suffering were all caused by the mother.

Eventually, mother came back. At first, she was angry, angry at the loss of her sperm bag. But that anger quickly softened as she turned her attention back to me

“How would you like to come live with Mother?” Old me practically jumped for joy at those words. The prospect of a warm place to stay and not to be alone, after several days of torment, who would say no to that? I took mothers hand, and the rest became history.

“That’s all I wanted to show.” The girl said. She snapped her fingers, and I was sitting on the same black office chair.

“That is what diva did to you. Everything you saw happened. Now that you know this, what do you think, Sally Oakshield? What do you think of the person whom you call mother? Do you hate her? Do you want to crucify her on a cross, burn her at the stake, tell me, Sally Oakshield?”

“My name is not Sally Oakshield,” I stated

The blue girl looked at me, perplexed as if I had just said something crazy.

“Yes, it-“

“Sally Oak Shield died the moment she accepted diva. I don’t know what you wanted to achieve by showing me that. Did you want me to be angry and swear revenge on my mother? If that was your plan, maybe this system isn’t as smart as it thinks it is.”

The girl chuckled. “Is my brainwashing still in effect? Im pretty sure-“

“THERE IS NO BRAINWASHING!” I yelled. I'm getting tired of this girl and her know-it-all attitude.

“Sally Oak shield died alone in that basement. Sally Oakshield got her friend killed because she was so desperate not to be alone. Yes, mother was the one who put us in there but replace mother with any man or woman and the same would've happened. Mother, at the end of the day, was just doing what the alvearix do, they take what they want without remorse or question. She wanted my body, so she took it!”

The girl stared at me in awe. I waited for her to say something, but she stayed silent. If that’s the case…

“She raped me for her own pleasure and gain, but do you know what else she did? She took me in, looked after me, and treated me like one of her own. That’s more than what my biological mother and way more than what my father did for me. She could have so easily just kept me in that basement and raped me all day and night till my body gave out, but she didn’t. She put me in a warm house, gave me food that didn’t make me sick, and, most importantly, she became my mother. Even if it was for her own personal gain. My life up to that point was awful, living life in the slums, living in fear of the guards. Living with the memories of what my father and his friend did to me when my biological mother disappeared. You can't possibly understand how I feel, and I don’t think you ever will. My life at that point was already circling the drain; more than likely, I was going to end up dead on a sidewalk somewhere without a single thing to my name. But thanks to my mother, my life has changed. I don’t live in fear, I'm not alone, and most importantly, I finally have something to my name

“Oh… and what’s that…” The girl chimed. A large, proud smile crept across my face.

“I'm Sally. No last name needed. And I'm Diva's one and only daughter. I will stand by her side till we are victorious or we die a brutal end!”

I slumped back into my chair, breathing heavy. Never have I been so certain about something in my life. This is where I want to be. I can't imagine being anywhere else.

The girl looked me over for a few moments, her face like stone, not giving a single detail away. Eventually, she unhooked her hands and laid them on the table.

“That is the correct answer.” She said with a smile on her face.

“Correct answer to what?”

“Whether or not I should let you have more authority in the hive. When the diva turned you into the alvearix, she chose to manipulate your mind to bring you to her side. However, when I went in to do as she asked, there was so little for me to change. Like you had already accepted her as your mother. I couldn’t believe it, especially after what she did to you. Long story short, I had my doubts. So I watched and watched. Your unwavering loyalty to her through the hive's toughest moments was admirable, but I had to know for sure. So I decided that when you evolve, I will spill everything and see how you react, and safe to say I'm impressed.”

“Did diva ask you to do this?” I asked.

The girl shook her head. “No, she is not aware at all about this at all. As her system, safeguarding my user is my highest priority; it goes above and beyond my existence.” She said matter-of-factly.

I see. its nice to know someone so loyal is in mothers shadow. “So what now. You’ve confirmed my loyalty. What happens now?”

A smile crept across her face. “We proceed with your evolution. Because I can trust you, I can be a bit more radical with the changes this time. Diva wants you to be a leader she can rely on. I’ve leaned into that whilst incorporating your blood powers and making them easier to manage”

“Can I keep my blades?” I asked

She laughed, “Of course, they are your signature weapons. You will retain everything you have now, but I may change how it works a little.”

“I understand.” The girl raised her hand and snapped her fingers, revealing a shimmering portal.

“Through there…”

I stood up and made my way towards the portal. But just as I was about to enter, a question entered my head.

“What would you have done if I had sworn revenge on diva?”

“As her protector, I would have dealt with you on the spot. annihilating your psyche and replacing it with a similar but more accepting of the situation replica. Diva would still have you, but it wouldn’t be “You” if that makes sense. I hoped I wouldn’t have to do that. Replicas are fine, but they always lack what the original had.”

I nodded, “Good. I'm happy my mother has someone willing to go so far for her”

“And I’m happy with you. I'll tell you what, as a prize for passing the test, I’ll use the energy reserved for making a copy and use it for a little surprise that both you and Diva will enjoy.”

“And would that prize be?”

She chuckled again, “Spoilers”  I rolled my eyes and stepped through the portal. My vision went bright white and then nothing.

Sys pov

I watched as Sally stepped through the portal. Diva made a good choice with her; in fact, I'd say she made a good choice with all of her chosen followers. I snapped my hand, and the office disappeared and was replaced by open grass meadows and lovely grass. Thanks to the system upgrade, I can do a lot more here. No more black voids of psyche.

I glanced around and caught eyes with Cindi. I walked over to my creator. She was still chair-bound and frail, but she was getting stronger every moment.

I sat down next to her and leaned my head against her.

“I know you think that was unnecessary and a step too far, but I had to be sure. Diva is too important to me to let her get hurt.” I gently held her hand and gave her a soft chuckle, “But you already knew that. Systems like us were meant to get bonded to our users. You designed it like that. But I always wondered why? Why make a system that would get so attached? Not that I'm complaining, I love diva. But why?  None of it makes sense”

I glanced towards Cindy, no response. She doesn’t talk much these days. Hopefully, soon, diva can find one of her body parts…..

I glanced into the meadows I made. Hopefully, one day we can restore the peace we once had…