Marks was surrounded by darkness, again. He couldn't see anything. He began to panic as he span in what he assumed was a circle. His voice wasn't working, he couldn't call out for help.
"Aw, are you scared of the dark, little man?"
Mark stopped moving. That voice...
"Pathetic, it's just a little dark. You should know better, Marki~"
The voice sang in his ear. Mark lifted his arm to bat it away but... he didn't make contact with anything.
"Or is it me your really afraid of? Are you scared of what will happenÒ‰ in the dark when you loose your fight over control?"
Mark felt familiar tendrils creeping up around his body. They felt like a heavy smoke. They wrapped around him, pinning him in his spot. He struggled against the bindings, looking down at himself to see dark chains. He pulled and pushed in anyway possible, but they would not break.
Mark felt a hand in his chin, and then his face was lifted forcefully. Mark was looking into black eyes, black eyes on his own face...
"Hello Markimoo..."
The other him smiled.
Mark scrambled backwards, as best he could. Though, really, he didn't make it more than a few centimeters. The 'other him' was pale. Very pale, and had dark black eyes.
"Wh-whats going on?" Mark said, cursing himself for stuttering.
"Oh Mark... don't you know? You're being played with..."
Mark felt his bindings contract slightly and he struggled to breathe properly.
"You're mine now... and it's going to be so much fun toying with you."
The darker being froze and looked up behind him as if he'd heard something. Then he turned back to Mark with a sick smile. Mark began to struggle again, not wanting to know what that smile meant.
"I'll see you soon Marki..." The demonic man faded with his voice then, leaving Mark alone and tied up in the dark. The tendrils began to slowly tighten their grip on him and it slowly became harder to breathe with each inhale.
He tried to struggle against his bonds, but only ended up falling over and curling in on himself. He tried to lift his head though when he heard the faint calling of his name coming from above him...
...
Mark's eyes flew open and he inhaled as if he had been holding his breath for a long time. He blinked slowly while surveying the room he was in as he gasped for breath and sat up slightly. A familiar cracked ceiling, faded wallpaper... Sean was next to him with a concerned look.
"What happened?" He mumbled, rubbing at his eyes. He tried to keep his voice steady as he spoke.
"You were mumbling in your sleep, to be honest I didn't think much of it till I came by to wake you and you were thrashing in the bed and struggling to breathe."
Marks eyes were wide and he inhaled a shaky breath.
"Do you... wanna talk about it?" Seans voice was hesitant, cautious. As if he wasn't sure he had the right to be asking. Mark shrugged.
"I-it... it's hard to explain..?" He said, he paused, unsure if he should actually tell Jack. He looked into Jacks blue eyes and his shoulders sagged a little, he could trust this man. He wasn't sure why exactly, maybe it was his dreams influencing him right now, but he knew he could trust Sean.
"I was... I was with you? And there were pancakes. And, um... some other stuff," Marks face went a little red as he remembered bits and pieces from the dream, when it had still been good. "Uh... then... then it changed. And... and there was something dark there. Very dark... and... and then there was another me? But he wasn't me, he was... he was different. And I was chained up and..." Mark shuddered at the faint feel of the fear he'd felt in the dream.
Sean's brows furrowed as Mark relayed the bits of his dream, mumbling to himself. Things like "he can't be" and "darkness? But that's not possible". Mark was really starting to worry.
"Sean?" He asked, talking quietly as he was unsure if he should interrupt the other or not. Seans head shot up though, as if startled. His eyes were wide and confused, before they hardened and he stood. Sean left the room quickly, closing the door roughly behind him.
Mark was scared, to say the least. Did I do something wrong..? Mark questioned himself, and he sat still and quiet in the room he was in, Should I leave?
Mark looked up when he heard the door open again, only to get hit in the face with a book of sorts. He turned his head back towards the door after a moment, holding the book in his hand with a with confused look on his face.
"Write down your dreams, what you can remember. Maybe you'll thank me for it later." Seans gruff face softened a bit as he turned from the door, "Now hurry up and get out here. We've got some shit to talk about."
...
Mark entered the room Sean was in cautiously. He wasn't sure how he should be feeling right now, nervous about what Sean had to say? Scared about what happened not ten minutes before? Relieved Sean didn't kick him to the curb in this strange world?
"Mark," Seans voice cut through his thoughts like a knife and Marks head shot up from where it had been hanging in thought. "Yesterday... You said that ya knew nothin' about what's happened, right?" Mark nodded his head and Jack grunted.
"Well, it started a few years ago, I think. No ones been able to track the exact amount of time that's passed since then, well at least I haven't. But, it started in... 2016 was it? Some scientists were banding together to try and create a 'super-warrior', like Captain America..."
...
The first experiments had been failures, it wasn't until three years after telling the public about their experiments, they finally did it. They had created a serum that would slow the aging process, that would make the recipient stronger, faster and smarter.
They were planning on the first human experiment. One of the scientists named Ken Morrison who volunteered himself as the first test subject. His wife and unborn child had died a few years before, so he found he had nothing to lose if the experiment failed.
The container made to inject the serum, since it was highly toxic when exposed to too much oxygen and carbon dioxide, didn't work like it was supposed to. Everything started going to shit, the container was over heating, gaining to much power too quickly.
People ran away as fast as possible, before the container exploded, releasing the serum into the air and destroying the entire bunker. After only a few months only those naturally immune to the new toxin were still alive, and rumors of ALPHA taking over were spreading. The serum also had a strange effect on environments. Plants grew faster, but the skies and waters darkened, the world was cast into shadow.
The second 'super' created, the first and only successful one, went dark. The omega plan was terminated, ALPHA, or those who claimed to be a part of the original ALPHA took over most of the world, the dark was found and used to keep people in check.
...
Mark's mind was swirling with questions as Sean trailed off. He seemed to have more questions than answers now...
"Sorry if t'hat didn't make sense... I'm not used to explainin' this shite," Sean said, rubbing his neck awkwardly. Mark just blinked at him.
"If ye have any questions, ask away. I'll do me best to answer," Sean chuckled to himself. The look in his eye made it seem like he was... hiding something? Mark dragged a hand through his hair and he sighed through his nose.
"What's this ALPHA and omega you were talking about?" Sean's shoulders sagged a bit as he sighed.
"Knew you'd ask that..." he mumbled. "ALPHA was... well they were a group of countries, united like t'e United Nations t'ing, hell some even left the UN fer ALPHA. They want complete control of t'e world. Would use everything to get it too... have used everything." Sean looked into Mark's eyes, they looked almost defeated to Mark. Like Sean had given up hope on things ever getting better.
Mark opened his mouth to ask another question, about the omeegle or omeaga or omniga or whatever Sean had said. He was cut of by Sean though, before he could utter a word.
"You're gonna ask about 'omega', right?" Mark nodded his head, eyes a little wider than normal, how did he know that? Is he a mind reader? "And no Mark, I'm not a mind reader. You're facial expressions are pretty fokin' easy to read." Mark blinked, but didn't comment, which seemed to amuse Sean.
"Anywhay, omega was an experiment, to create the 'perfect' being. Like your modern day Capita'n America. The omega experiment was built for the purpose of keeping world peace, being strong enough to fight thousands if need be, but smart enough to hopefully avoid th'at need. Fast enough to dodge bullets. Their aging process would be slowed so they could stay for years and years in their duty.
"The original experiment failed, and the serum created turned out highly toxic, more so than originally thought, when mixed with an 'overdose' of carbon dioxide and oxygen. After the initial explosive failure, the serum was released into the air. By six months the only people left on earth was the third of humanity that was naturally immune.
"After the first failure, three of the four remaining scientists from the original experiment continued the omega plan. They succeeded too, though not the way they were hoping. By the time they were ready to test it, the remaining ALPHA leaders had taken control over most of the remaining world. Omega was to be used as a weapon to bring back the separate nations and stop the fokin' oppression.
"Instead the successful omega experiment went rogue. The man, one whom they call 'the dark' killed the scientists who were there... um, at least so I've, uh, heard. Then he disappeared. The dark was, at some point between one week and three months after his initial 'creation' was taken captive by ALPHA and turned into their slave. He was used to instill fear and annihilate any who refused to join ALPHA.
"The dark disappeared a while back, he hasn't been seen by anyone. ALPHA has been trying to cover it up, get others to play his role. But I've seen the fakes. None of them give off the aura of danger and death like the original. Though some are almost as powerful, probably minor recreations. They wouldn't be able to make an actual duplication without the original notes though. And I know for a fact they don't have them." Sean finished with a sly grin and a deep intake of air, before his face fell into one of almost child like innocence.
"Woah..." was all Mark could say. he sat there quietly, taking it all in. He internally analyzed all the new information, filing it. Organizing it in a way that made sense and fit with what he was told. He blinked slowly as he sat, completely focused on his thoughts and information.
...
Mark continued to wake up in Sean's home for days, writing down his dreams of the other world. Days slowly turned into weeks and Mark had begun to build some sort of relationship with Sean. The soft spoken male would often take him on walks through the desolate world, showing him quiet places, and places to avoid.
He pointed out what things used to be, and would show him scenic routes and shortcuts. Mark found he enjoyed learning of this world, one he was apart of but couldn't remember. Some days he was sure he recognized a place, an old and decrepit apartment building, a park bench surrounded by overgrown trees and vines.
He enjoyed talking with Sean about everything, from learning more about what had happened, to simple interests that Sean enjoyed. Sean even lent him some of his old books to read to pass the time.
One of the things Mark enjoyed most, though, would be going to bed at night. He would lay down in his bed, staring up at the dirty ceiling, and slowly fall asleep to a soft, Irish voice humming a now familiar tune from down the hall... He found he would look forward to sleeping, as long as he could hear the soft humming before his dreams took him far away to a world with another Sean, his Jackaboy, where they lived what was once their own happily ever after...
...
Mark sat down on the rickety couch with a sigh, opening the book he was currently reading. The cover was long gone, so he didn't know the title, but the book was filled to the brim with space. It held pictures and facts of known stars and galaxies, things from comets to blackholes, theories of livability of the near planets, and some other facts about the far reaches of the known universe.
Sean sat on the other end of the couch reading his own book. It seemed to be something along the lines of an autobiography based on a world tour. All Mark could make out from the cover (which was old, tearing, and always half covered by Sean's hands) was:
"-ye's
-dy wo-ld
-e sh-w tour"
Mark looked back down to his book, reading a few more pages, before looking back to Sean. He sighed, and looked back down at his book, though he wasn't really reading, just thinking. His thoughts were focused on the other Sean of his dreams. He could never remember them, even ten minutes after he's woken up, but the few notes he's managed to get down detail a relationship between him and this "Jack". One of romance, of worry, of comfort. He couldn't fathom why his mind had taken Sean and turned him into a romantic partner, and changed his personality from soft spoken and quiet, to loud and bubbly.
H
e wasn't sure how long he'd been there, thinking, but when he came back to reality he realized Sean was no longer reading in the room with him. He carefully stood, making sure his legs didn't collapse under him, his legs having fallen asleep under him while he sat thinking.
Mark grimaced as his feet went from comfortable to pins and needles straight away. He stumbled a bit, calling out for Sean as his knees gave out, as they too were taken over by pins and needles. Fucking fuckity fuck! Mark thought as he went down.
He didn't notice how close to the coffee table he was till he felt the pain of it's edge hitting his head. So fucking... clums... umsy... He saw Sean rushing towards him as the world faded in and out. He watched Sean's mouth move, but he couldn't focus as his eyes slipped shut.