He was Big. Gigantic, even. High in the bright blue sky with everything below him like ants. A delicate breeze flowed under his massive and colourful wings. It held him up and let him swim through the air. Clouds fuzzed underneath his heels. Above him, even higher than he, was the golden sun shining over it all. It was everything he desired, everything he wanted. Amazing . It was… A little chillier than he expected it to be. Wasn’t the sun supposed to be warm? It certainly glowed as bright as he knew it to. Maybe it was just cold in the sky or something. He didn’t know. A mirror never comes with temprature. 

For that matter, how did he get here? Wasn’t he just… It didn’t matter. He had iffy memory at the best of times. He was here now, and that’s all that was important.

His eyes watched the sun above. It’s rays melted down, dripping like paint to colour the white clouds golden. He wasn’t sure if that was normal either. But who was he to question the will of Heaven? If It wanted to change the white fluff, then it was going to happen. The sight was beautiful either way. He flapped his wings to grow closer to the drops of sunlight. A hand reached out, curiosity tainting his mind. They were so close. If he could just touch It, just taste It. Would it be like honey on his tongue, or would it have spice like the warmth it held?

The gold turned vibrant green at his touch.

The drop of what once was sunlight raced along his hand, tying into thread on his wrist. He yanked his hand away. The thread still clung. His wings beat back and he tried to fly off, falling into the clouds below. It followed his every movement. The golden sky wool swirled at his presence, neon green colour tainting every inch. It strung him up like a marionette. His attempt to escape led to his very demise of will. They pulled taut with his struggles. His throat, his joints, his wings. They were everywhere. The strings cut through him. His limbs should have been bleeding from how tight they were, but nothing flowed. He tried to rip them off. His claws— when did he get his claws back?— scratched and scratched. Tearing at the strings, the wires, his fur. Still they stayed. It was as if they were impenetrable. He rose a hand to reach for the sun once more.

It didn’t seem as real as it was just a moment ago. A cutout cardboard look-alike with god awful cheap paint dripping from it. An attempt at something greater, something better that it could ever hope to be. It was enough for him. If he was bigger, if he was clever enough. If only he could have everything in the world as his own, instead of nothing at all. Maybe then he could have it. The Heaven he needed, the Heaven he wanted . But these damn strings. They pulled him down from the clouds, away from his everything. He could feel them twist his self and drag him faster down.

He wasn’t flying in the air anymore. 

He was falling.

This was probably the worst way to go. Torn down by the threads tied to his every move, Heaven just out of reach just like always. Left to lay in this goddamn dumpster like always, like everyday trash. Like something that meant nothing. How did he even get back here? Was it those swatchlings? What did he do wrong? Why did his plans never work out? No matter what he tried, that beautiful Heaven-piercing body he craved was still too far.

Hadn’t he escaped this place? He could have sworn he wasn’t supposed to be here. Wasn’t it the past? 1997? Hadn’t he been offered to stay at his old house? He was certain for a moment that this wasn’t right. 

A noise outside the bin interrupted his scatterbrained thoughts. He sat up, looking over to see a familiar face. How could he look over the bin’s walls without standing? Wait, not really important. Not compared to the person outside the bin.

“Kris. Kris!”

He couldn’t help but grin wide at them. He clambered out the garbage bin to the ground. He stumbled but righted himself quickly. This was good, this was great! His most favourite customer in years. Perhaps even a friend? To him at least. He hadn’t exactly been quiet about his declaration of friendship offer. Though, they never did say if they agreed with him about it. Either way. They could help. Surely their deal was almost completed? He had made a deal with them, right? He was pretty sure he had.

…Were they always that tall?

“KRIS!!! You little shi— Sponge!!” He squashed down the urge to start shaking his hands excitedly. Instead he gripped them together as if to pray. “Are you here for our deal? Have you got the— What was it? The Disk! Do you— Where are you going?”

They walked right past him. They didn’t even acknowledge his presence! He turned to trail at their heels. A high pitch tone wormed its way into his voice, “Hey, hey, hey! You’re leaving?! What about our deal?”

Where were they going? Out of the alleyway to the road? No, they couldn’t do that! He couldn’t follow them out there. Couldn’t stand the jeers and scorn from strangers. He sped up, throwing his arms up and walking backwards in front of them. His eyes looked up at their shadowed bangs. “Did you even hear me? Kris, you can’t leave me at the good part. I’m— We’re so close! Don’t you want the Freedom Of Choice ?”

For a brief second the fact that he actually said what he wanted surprised him. Then he shook it off.

“Come on, say something. I know you know sign language! You used it to ask those weird questions.” Was the alleyway always this long? He couldn’t stop his hands from waggling in frustration. He ground his teeth to keep himself from biting his tongue. “Listen. Do you got the disk? You can’t have forgotten about our deal already! Kid, you’re killing me. Please tell me you didn’t forget. It’s such a simple task, for such a great payout! Why are you ignoring me?!”

Was it his voice? It sounded far away. Like he was disconnected from it somehow. But no. It couldn’t be that. He still was in front of them. They could see him, surely. They at least should have been aware that he was talking to them. Right?

…Right?

“Kris. Kris. Kris, Kris, Kris .” The name felt faker with each repetition. This wasn’t working, they weren’t listening.

Hoping to get their attention, he grabbed their wrist. For his action he was rewarded— with a buzzing jolt that hurt. It shocked him, both literally and emotionally. He let go and shook his hand as if to get rid of the feeling. The grab must have worked, though. Kris stopped walking. They stared down at him, gaze intense but unreadable. Perfect, they were listening now.

“Kris! Listen. You want the Freedom, don’t you? You need the— the KEYGEN for that!” For some reason, he couldn’t remember what they had already done and what he’s said to them. He tried to recall, but his mind fuzzed the more he did. The look on their face didn’t change.

‘Proceed.’ They signed back. Oh good, good. They were listening and responding. 

“Which I have for you. You’ll never reach the queen’s basement without it.”

‘Proceed.’

“It won’t take too long to get the Disk from there.”

‘Proceed.’

Did they want him to explain every little thing? That would be tedious. Maybe they just wanted to confirm they got his gist? Or they were making sure they knew every part they had to do. That was reasonable. He wouldn’t leave them hanging on their side, like he had been long ago. But really it wasn’t that complex a plan.

“You just gotta get me the disk, then transfer me to it.”

‘Proceed.’

“…How much do you expect me to tell ya, Kris? That’s the whole thing.” He looked at his hands and gestured vaguely. As if he could pull the words from his throat easier. “Buy the KEYGEN. Get the disk. Transfer me to it, and then— this is important— put it back where you found it.”

“Proceed.”

He jumped at the voice. The word echoed through his head and the entire alleyway. It didn’t sound real, it didn’t sound right. In every little way it was off. Worse than a computer that was just human enough yet not close enough to be entirely correct. Like an approximation of what the word might have been if it were real. He shook where he stood. It sounded too close. Even with the short distance Kris stood. The word was all encompassing. Consuming every other sound, the quiet driving cars and breeze stunted silent. There was only it and him.

“Proceed.”

He looked up at Kris, eyes wide behind his shades. They were pointing at him with the same disconnected expression. They repeated themselves with lips that seemed to exaggerate the word. As if the taste of it was rancid on their tongue.

“Proceed.”

“W-What? There’s nothing else to say. I’ve told you the whole thing.”

“Proceed.”

He stepped back. Finally noticing the red glinting in the darkness. From Kris’ pointing finger were several thin strands that lead to himself. How had he not seen those before? Were they always there? His eyes followed them to see the strings wrapped around his wrists, neck, and even his ankles.

“Kris. What. What did you do?”

“Proceed.”

His feet carried him further back, but the threads grew longer to compensate. He ran back, hoping to Heaven that the distance would help. He wasn’t watching his step. There was ringing in his head, the world was spinning and— his foot slipped. The ground never came. He fell.

There was useless fluttering at his back, and then everything went grey.