Sabre was filled with anxiety since he had woken up that morning, and despite his new friends' comforting words, he was still trembling like a leaf in the wind.
Inside the lab, within the room with the giant computer and the machine on opposite sides, the Professor is doing some last-minute checks on both the machine and Sabre. M and the Red Leader are standing nearby, talking to Sabre as he sits on a table with an IV in his arm.
"You're gonna be fine, I promise." M says, sitting on a chair next to the table. "The Professor has done plenty of these before, back when shadows first became a problem."
"I'm still nervous..." Sabre says quietly.
"Nothing to worry about, Sabre!" The Professor says with a grin. "The chance of anything going wrong is slim, and even if something does, I've prepared for every possible scenario! After this, your shadow will be a nuisance no longer."
"If I had my own form again, I'd show you a 'nuisance' you-"
"Shut."
Sabre quickly silences Shadow again. He's been getting better at that over the days since he figured out how.
"Are you alright, Sabre?" The Red Leader asks, noticing his silence.
"He started talking again." Sabre replies. "I had to make him shut up."
"Speaking of that, you figured that out remarkably fast." The Professor adds, checking on the machine one last time.
"I did?"
"Yes! Usually it took a few tries for the Red Steves that had dealt with shadows back then, but you figured it out first try, based off what you told me. It's amazing!"
"Oh, uh, thanks."
The Professor fiddled with the machine for a few more seconds, then picks up a remote with multiple buttons. He then walks over to Sabre and takes out the IV.
"Alright, everything's set, and you've gotten enough of the dosage of the potion. Are you ready?" He asks.
"A-As I could be." Sabre replies, smiling nervously.
"Good, go ahead and step into the machine. Carmine, Amaris, I'm gonna need you to back up. Like, stand next to the computer or something, just be on the other half of the room."
The Red Leader and M oblige, and Sabre walks over to the machine and steps into the holding area of the machine. Standing in the center, he looks up at the Professor.
"Remember that the lightning is normal and if it feels painful in any way, and I mean the slightest bit, you let me know. Also, once I lock you in I need you to test that the holding mechanism is working correctly." Professor Red says, starting up the machine. "It's been a while since I've had to separate a shadow and we can't have any problems now."
"Alright, uh..." Sabre says. "What's the remote for?"
"Oh, most of these are just my failsafes that I mentioned. Like I said, I've prepared for anything this parasite might pull. The rest are controls for the machine."
"Okay..."
The Professor pulls a lever, and the piston-like parts of the machine move towards Sabre. An energy radiates from the plates on the pistons' surfaces, and Sabre feels his body go rigid as small flecks of redstone become visible in the air around him. The Professor steps back.
"Alright, can you still move or is it working properly?" He asks.
Sabre tries to lift his arm and step sideways a bit, but both attempts at mobility fail.
YOU ARE READING
The Grey Rose | A RQ AU
Fanfiction===================================== Just as he fought his way out of his own mind, he was abandoned by all he ever knew and cared for. Alone, afraid, and brokenhearted, he cowered in the ruins of a place that was once grand and beautiful, now dest...
