![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mindglitterTitle: A Morning Warning
Universe: Personal Magnetism / Black Shadows
Word Count: 1284
Summary: Erin has been in this place before, and no matter how many promises are made to the contrary, knows she will see it again.
Notes: Answer to Yahtzee prompt
When she agreed to go on this tour for Quenton, Erin wasn't expecting to be confronted with her past this directly.
The moment she stilled on the inside of the site, Kenneth had a hand resting on her shoulder.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I don't know," she answered, looking at the sea of slot machines that seemed to extend as far as she could see. It was like having a sea of human excess spread out before them.
Most of Erin's friends from the Compound had been from Baltimore, but not her. Baltimore had been one city in a string of others along the East Coast that wasn't Pittsburgh. She had loved her home town, been proud of it, but there had been too many chances she would either run into her parents, or one of her parents friends who wouldn't have any compunctions about using her for the same purpose her parents had for her to go back after the Compound had ended. So even after the Compound fell, she remained here.
Besides, there was Kenneth now, and his entire life was in Baltimore, so there was that to consider as well.
Still, she thought she was Melody when her parents first brought her here, or one of the other names that started with M that her mother had assigned her before they reached the site where they would play the Game. It had been her father who had her smaller body tucked against his own, explaining how their world worked as a sea of humanity responded to the bright lights and loud sounds that were as much a reward to the human dopamine system as the occasional winnings were.
"People have needs," her father had explained.
Erin had nodded, because she had already gotten to that point in the school they had been sending her to, even while suspecting that wasn't what her father really meant. The people in this room, with their eyes trained on the screens of these machines that were so noisy and brightly colored just standing in the room with them was enough. She did her best to ignore the overlay of these same people bludgeoning each other as though they were blaming each other for the losses they had incurred.
"More than whatever they're teaching you at school," her father had continued as though what she was thinking was clear on her face. "We live in a more civilized time, and people still need the thrill of the chase we had during more primitive eras."
What human history had to do with these people and the machines were lost on Erin, but she at least pretended to listen to her father.
"People like myself and your mother help bring humans the thrill of the chase they once had."
Erin didn't understand at all, but if the illusion would get her out of this room with the bright lights and sounds that were giving her a headache, she'd draw on all her acting skills to make him believe it. Neither of her parents seemed to care much about how uncomfortable she was with their way of life. It never seemed to make any difference in how they involved her in their machinations, so that was something she had forced herself to get used to.
"How?" she asked, because her father seemed to be waiting for her to respond to what he was telling her.
"All the bright lights and colors that have you so uncomfortable light up pleasure centers in people's brains. Some more than others."
Erin grimaced at how bad her acting was, but her father had gotten as far as he had in the Game because he knew how to read people. Since he had known her from the moment she was born, there was no getting away from how transparent she was to him.
One day, Erin's mask would be so complete her parents would be unable to tell what she was really feeling, but she had a long way to go before she was that good.
"You know how your uncle needs his alcohol at every dinner we host them?"
Erin nodded and didn't point out she also knew how unpredictable her uncle got when he had that alcohol.
"This is like that alcohol for these people."
"Are you sure we should be providing people with their addiction supply? Aren't there better ways?"
Her father looked down at her like he pitied her naivete.
"They just come back to this once they run out of rehab. No, honey, trust me. It's better this way."
Erin looked at the people feeding their money mindlessly into these machines and doubted it.
"Okay," she finally said. "What do you need me to do this time?"
He smiled down at her as though she had said something that made him proud of her, and led her out of the room and toward the area where she and her mother would work the crowd between the entrance and the casino.
She wanted nothing more than to be back home safe in her bedroom with a book. Even regular school was better than the Game her parents were teaching her.
Standing in the entryway of the same room some twenty years later, she saw the same overlay she had seen then, and was just as sickened by it. This time, she felt it toward the Organization working to get this room back up and going again. She stared speaking out against it after the first time Quinton started talking about it, but nobody listened.
Erin felt she was either being patted on the head or giving her the illusion of being heard before pointing out what they were up against.
She loved Kenneth, and respected his opinion, but even he wasn't listening.
This was one time she missed Starr. Her friend didn't understand the issue the way Erin did, but she had always been an excellent listener. She wouldn't just pat her on the head and try to convince her everything was okay when Erin saw the repercussions of this decision play out every time she stepped inside.
"I respect Quinton and his judgement, but there are some things that don't need to be brought back," she said.
Kenneth didn't respond immediately, and when she looked up at him, she saw a thoughtful expression on his face.
Before she got her hopes up, he said, "While this might be true, humans are always going to be seeking vice. It's hard wired into our dopamine system."
Erin wrapped her arms around herself. His words reminded her too strongly of what her father had told her that day so many years ago. "Does this boil down to the Devil we know?"
"It's something we know how to fix when it inevitably comes up."
Fix. As though humans could be fixed like a piece of machinery. The increasing rates of violence since the Shift proved that wasn't true.
Erin looked at him with dismay, and he hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry, babe. But you know as well as I do that people always find their vices, and as damaging as this one is, there are worse ones now."
"Okay," she said, realizing nothing she said would make any difference. "But promise me we never have to come back here."
"As long as I have any say in it, this is the last time we will ever come here."
Erin sighed, and let him lead her away, hoping he was right and she would never again find herself drawn into the nightmare her parents had trapped her in as a teen.
Only, she already knew she would be revisiting this place in her nightmares.
Universe: Personal Magnetism / Black Shadows
Word Count: 1284
Summary: Erin has been in this place before, and no matter how many promises are made to the contrary, knows she will see it again.
Notes: Answer to Yahtzee prompt
When she agreed to go on this tour for Quenton, Erin wasn't expecting to be confronted with her past this directly.
The moment she stilled on the inside of the site, Kenneth had a hand resting on her shoulder.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I don't know," she answered, looking at the sea of slot machines that seemed to extend as far as she could see. It was like having a sea of human excess spread out before them.
Most of Erin's friends from the Compound had been from Baltimore, but not her. Baltimore had been one city in a string of others along the East Coast that wasn't Pittsburgh. She had loved her home town, been proud of it, but there had been too many chances she would either run into her parents, or one of her parents friends who wouldn't have any compunctions about using her for the same purpose her parents had for her to go back after the Compound had ended. So even after the Compound fell, she remained here.
Besides, there was Kenneth now, and his entire life was in Baltimore, so there was that to consider as well.
Still, she thought she was Melody when her parents first brought her here, or one of the other names that started with M that her mother had assigned her before they reached the site where they would play the Game. It had been her father who had her smaller body tucked against his own, explaining how their world worked as a sea of humanity responded to the bright lights and loud sounds that were as much a reward to the human dopamine system as the occasional winnings were.
"People have needs," her father had explained.
Erin had nodded, because she had already gotten to that point in the school they had been sending her to, even while suspecting that wasn't what her father really meant. The people in this room, with their eyes trained on the screens of these machines that were so noisy and brightly colored just standing in the room with them was enough. She did her best to ignore the overlay of these same people bludgeoning each other as though they were blaming each other for the losses they had incurred.
"More than whatever they're teaching you at school," her father had continued as though what she was thinking was clear on her face. "We live in a more civilized time, and people still need the thrill of the chase we had during more primitive eras."
What human history had to do with these people and the machines were lost on Erin, but she at least pretended to listen to her father.
"People like myself and your mother help bring humans the thrill of the chase they once had."
Erin didn't understand at all, but if the illusion would get her out of this room with the bright lights and sounds that were giving her a headache, she'd draw on all her acting skills to make him believe it. Neither of her parents seemed to care much about how uncomfortable she was with their way of life. It never seemed to make any difference in how they involved her in their machinations, so that was something she had forced herself to get used to.
"How?" she asked, because her father seemed to be waiting for her to respond to what he was telling her.
"All the bright lights and colors that have you so uncomfortable light up pleasure centers in people's brains. Some more than others."
Erin grimaced at how bad her acting was, but her father had gotten as far as he had in the Game because he knew how to read people. Since he had known her from the moment she was born, there was no getting away from how transparent she was to him.
One day, Erin's mask would be so complete her parents would be unable to tell what she was really feeling, but she had a long way to go before she was that good.
"You know how your uncle needs his alcohol at every dinner we host them?"
Erin nodded and didn't point out she also knew how unpredictable her uncle got when he had that alcohol.
"This is like that alcohol for these people."
"Are you sure we should be providing people with their addiction supply? Aren't there better ways?"
Her father looked down at her like he pitied her naivete.
"They just come back to this once they run out of rehab. No, honey, trust me. It's better this way."
Erin looked at the people feeding their money mindlessly into these machines and doubted it.
"Okay," she finally said. "What do you need me to do this time?"
He smiled down at her as though she had said something that made him proud of her, and led her out of the room and toward the area where she and her mother would work the crowd between the entrance and the casino.
She wanted nothing more than to be back home safe in her bedroom with a book. Even regular school was better than the Game her parents were teaching her.
Standing in the entryway of the same room some twenty years later, she saw the same overlay she had seen then, and was just as sickened by it. This time, she felt it toward the Organization working to get this room back up and going again. She stared speaking out against it after the first time Quinton started talking about it, but nobody listened.
Erin felt she was either being patted on the head or giving her the illusion of being heard before pointing out what they were up against.
She loved Kenneth, and respected his opinion, but even he wasn't listening.
This was one time she missed Starr. Her friend didn't understand the issue the way Erin did, but she had always been an excellent listener. She wouldn't just pat her on the head and try to convince her everything was okay when Erin saw the repercussions of this decision play out every time she stepped inside.
"I respect Quinton and his judgement, but there are some things that don't need to be brought back," she said.
Kenneth didn't respond immediately, and when she looked up at him, she saw a thoughtful expression on his face.
Before she got her hopes up, he said, "While this might be true, humans are always going to be seeking vice. It's hard wired into our dopamine system."
Erin wrapped her arms around herself. His words reminded her too strongly of what her father had told her that day so many years ago. "Does this boil down to the Devil we know?"
"It's something we know how to fix when it inevitably comes up."
Fix. As though humans could be fixed like a piece of machinery. The increasing rates of violence since the Shift proved that wasn't true.
Erin looked at him with dismay, and he hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry, babe. But you know as well as I do that people always find their vices, and as damaging as this one is, there are worse ones now."
"Okay," she said, realizing nothing she said would make any difference. "But promise me we never have to come back here."
"As long as I have any say in it, this is the last time we will ever come here."
Erin sighed, and let him lead her away, hoping he was right and she would never again find herself drawn into the nightmare her parents had trapped her in as a teen.
Only, she already knew she would be revisiting this place in her nightmares.
