Mutated Ectoplasm

31. Doctor's Disorders

This came out a little disjointed for me, but I think it's good. Trust me, (I think) I know what I'm doing. It's just all a little weird right now since I'm going to be experimenting with some more original stuff as the fic goes on.

Without further ado, let's get on with this chapter!

Karkat figured there would be some level of change when they got back from the trip. He just wasn't sure what it would actually be.

Oberon and Crocker did choose to invest in Spades inventions, one to keep an eye on what the man was building, the other being an honest intentional choice. He'd made sure to tell everyone what happened immediately after, making sure people had their eyes on "Dualscar." Not to mention that, even though Eridan obviously didn't know what had happened that night, there was a noticeable change in how the two acted around each other.

However, his two main concerns were this: Sollux and Aradia sprouting powers and the noticeable uptick in ghosts.

"I'm starting to think Dualscar was keeping those fuckers back. This can't be a coincidence." Karkat had gotten two hours of sleep last night. None of which was consecutive. "The bastard is being petty. Or he's trying to tire me out so he can kill my dad when I'm passed out or something."

"That really shouldn't be a sentence that comes out your mouth. Why the fuck does any of this have to be happening at all?" Sollux, along with Aradia, had lost sleep too. Even after Karkat had made them go home at an earlier time, the two had pretty much been worrying themselves as much as they can. "This just utterly sucks. Are you sure we can't just get the police on his ass?"

"Karkat would have to admit his secret then, and I don't think the government would leave either of them alone if that happened." Aradia patted the boys on the back, sighing deeply. "Are those messages I've tried sending working? I still don't know if I'm doing this right."

Even if the appearance of powers was worrying, they had been a boon for them because of the rise in ghost activity. Aradia had gained the ability to send the occasional message to the past on Ghostian, though it was for a brief amount of time. They'd tried capitalizing on this as best they could by sending messages to themselves about what they'd need for an attack. The window to do it was short, so it was the best they could do.

"Some of them. It certainly helps to know when to pack some coffee during patrols." Some of the messages came to Karkat a little too late, but it was otherwise good. "Anymore dreams, Sollux? Or has it been okay so far?"

"Nothing, which I'm not sure is a good thing or not." Sollux rubbed at his head, the onset of a migraine coming on. "I'm wondering if that only happens when something bad is coming up. I think I'm getting some of kind of spider sense, though."

Karkat was a little glad to hear that. Sure, premonitions would be pretty useful, but if Sollux had to see him die for it to work, then he was fine being a little less prepared. That, and the messaging thing didn't seem to have a negative effect on Aradia.

"Well, hopefully we don't have to use that either. Not like we need any more of that, am I right?" Aradia laughed, but it rang hollow. They'd been experimenting with this for a week now, so she kinda wished for a change in subject. "Has anyone else seen you during the ghost fights? I think we've done well preventing another Claire Incident."

"So far, and don't jinx it. I still don't know if some people got some unfortunate photos of me." Karkat clucked his tongue. Before the fight with Oberon, Karkat had been able to hide the fights easily under the cover of darkness, along with being able to rush it. After it, he was lucky no one noticed the light show on certain nights. "I think a few people have seen me, but no pictures yet. Rumors are spreading, though."