Cracked windows part 5

Not my darling anymore

Boxman’s perspective

Boxmore is slowly falling apart.

Or it was. Now, it’s in shambles.

Professor Venomous and I happened to run into K.O…. Well, he ran into us. Running into us, wearing Professor Venomous’ old hero mask. And yes, that was a shock. K.O. wearing Laserblast’s old mask and loudly asserting he knew who his father was, not knowing that Professor Venomous was Laserblast. He revealed that he was K.O.’s father, and it was a big dramatic thing. Not how we discussed it. Or planned it.

Then, Carol made an arrangement to let him see his son on weekends.

Which, I was good with that. I thought it might help PV with his own identity issues and growing disconnect with all of us. I even tried my hand at being nice and repairing my relationship with K.O. when he stayed over at Voxmore, Aka, Boxmore. It was cute to see PV attempting to bond with his son even if he had no idea what to do—-he tried to continually get K.O. to do evil things, like bribe a congresswoman or super villian-esqe endeavors such as poisoning public water supplies. The awkward but decent sort of father son bonding(I even had my robot kids put on a sports game for the two of them!) only lasted a few weeks and something terrible happened.

K.O. mentioned about a new villian in town, Shadowy Figure, a glorb dealer who had been trying to recruit K.O. to go turbo. Basically, to manipulate and store all the anger inside to gather up hidden power he had residing inside, to become “T.K.O.”.

Professor Venomous decided to help his son take down this meddling villain so they could bond. But, it was more complicated than that. Fink came along, knowing more, as she also was very aware of Shadowy Figure.

Of course; the trail of glorbs and clues from other POINT members led to PV’s old demolished lair. Apparently, Shadowy’s secret base was below PV’s old house. Fink had had enough and finally told him that he was Shadowy Figure.

This was where he cracked. Shadowy came out and attacked both Fink and K.O.

Fink had been afraid of this persona as it told her if she told PV, then he’d overtake Professor Venomous’ body for good and never let him return. A completely separate person, who came out at random and completely shut down PV’s entire personality and mind, blacking him out. Professor Venomous had no idea how he could’ve lost so much control to this alter ego, but it was causing a lot of damage even as he was wholly oblivious to just how cracked his mind was.

This was why he had been a shut in, having more troublesome and frequent migraines, and even lashing out at Fink and myself at times.

I decided we all had had enough.

Talking to Shadowy was worse than trying to get through a solid cement and brick wall, and Fink was afraid of him. I didn’t realize at the time that wasn’t my Boyfriend. That was someone entirely new. A stranger. A stranger in my home, in my bed.

And now, things were so much worse.

I remember that day so clearly.

Fink running in and looking so victorious, explaining everything in detail to me and the bots.

“And-and-and, Boss! No more Shadowy? Right?!” She sniffled, and Professor Venomous nodded solemnly and patted her head.

“No. No more, Finky,” he says affectionately and she grins.

“Can’t believe that ghastly mess you got into, Professor!” Ernesto commented.

My other kids agree in a gleeful energy and I nod, though I am in shock and knowing me so long, PV notices how quiet I am.

I had noticed the changes in him, slowly morphing and changing him in minute patterns of tense anxiety to boiling over rage, but I thought maybe it was from stress. From over working. Not from an alter ego. Not from a split personality.

I thought I knew my darling. My dear love.

He pulled me to the side, and he reassured me he was back to normal.

“But, you had no idea that you were Shadowy Figure, PV! You were completely in the dark for so long! How can you even know for sure he’s gone?” Is all I can muster to say. He says nothing. He is quietly looking down and his feet and I feel my breath leaving my body.

“I know I haven’t been there for you all these past few weeks… well, months…” he clears his throat and looks further away from my face, “but, I swear it’ll be different now. Voxmore is going places, baby. We’re going to be on the up and up…”

The fake enthusiasm blinded me, like a bright florescent light in a hospital room.

Even his expression is much too upbeat. The way he was trying to make it look like he was looking at me directly but really, he wasn’t, terrified me. It was an indirect blindness that made me feel so unseen.

I couldn’t stand it.

“PV, look at me for one second.”

He put his shoulders up defensively. “I am.”

“No. You’re not.”

He frowns but looks up. Our eyes met but it felt so hard, he could barely keep it together.

“You gotta swear that if you feel that deep darkness take over your heart, you’ll come straight to me. You are going through an adrenaline rush right now. But, when it wears down…” I sigh, placing my hand on his shoulder. He jumps a tiny bit and I look at him confused, but I don’t comment on his strange behavior.

“I won’t go down. I won’t be getting to that low point, anymore, Boxy.”

“Trying to convince me, or yourself?” I ask gently.

He keeps silent. Not a word.

“You don’t need to gain more power to have power. You taught me this,” I say, but it comes out so weak. I don’t feel confident about any of this. It feels wrong.

And…He is still not listening.

So my stupid, soft heart tries to overwhelm my words, and I feel myself growing in fear, in growing paranoia.

“I… can’t lose you, PV,” I whisper and he finally gives me a quiver of emotion. “I can’t help but wonder if the thought of us verses power… would make us in the losing category…” he feel my heart quake and my chest pound a bit, looking at PV’s expression melt into a unsettled, neutral manner—-and then, confused, like a lost stray, as though he didn’t know exactly where he belonged.

He leaned in close, holding the small of my back and pushing me into his form so tightly, I couldn’t even catch my breath.

“You won’t lose me.”

He emphasized me, and that troubled my hearing, mainly because his idea of identity was very off and skewed.

Now I stand here, remembering his smoky, beautiful eyes and quivering smile as he kissed me for the last time.

Weeks have passed. Months.

Now, my business is in ruins, and so many of my robots destroyed. T.K.O. destroyed my son Jethro, and I am utterly worn out. I can’t even get out of bed.

“A beautiful compromise,” he calls what he is now, in a similar form that I once held in my arms and felt so tenderly whisper words of love and warmth, now all I hear and feel is disgrace and hatred.

Who calls out these slithery words I do not recognize? I don’t know who speaks through those lips anymore. He and that shadow of a monster are now one, and destroying me down to the very bone.

He is not my darling anymore.