Chapter Text
Uzi was in the bathroom during lunch period, making sure no one was around to see her before pulling out a pill and quickly swallowing it. A bystander may think she was a junkie from the looks of it, and maybe that would be better for her image than what's actually going on.
She was extremely stressed lately, and it was making that known with some odd complications. She started hearing her name being called only for her father to say he never said anything. Then it started to happen while alone, and then she started seeing movement in the shadows and out of the corner of her eye. After that started happening she quickly went to the private doctor her father has, (Yes she's rich, shut up) and was diagnosed with schizophrenia with stress being the cause. So what happens? Do they attempt to find out about her abusive homelife or constant bullying at school? Nah, they hand her some pills and tell her to just wait it out.
Uzi's fingers were slowly tightening on the sink she stood in front of before hearing some cracks. She saw more movement out the corner of her eye and what she thought was a flash of yellow but when she looked harder there was nothing there.
“So these don't even work, lovely.” She said to herself. “Just a few more hours, get yourself together ‘Zi.”
—
Uzi went to her 5th period after the bell rang, signaling the end of her being able to bash her head against the bathroom wall, and having to deal with learning more useless shit she already learnt for her home projects.
The teacher in this school taught every class, somehow, and watched over students with clear bias towards some, managing to catch her every time she messed up slightly, but people like Lizzy...
*Thunk*
She grumbled at the piece of paper sent flying into her hair and opened it. Blah blah slurs, something something freak, yadda yadda kill yourself. ‘Get some new insults God damn.’ Uzi couldn't help but think.
“Uzi, stop passing notes in class.” The teacher said, conveniently only looking when Uzi read the note. She heard snickers behind her and grumbled before crushing the note and shoving it in her pocket, letting out a small “bite me” and sulking.
—
While Uzi was shoving her shit into a locker, something strange happened.
“Duck.”
Without thinking, Uzi simply obeyed and ducked her head, feeling something fly by and a pained noise come from her left. She looked over and saw Braiden on the floor and a book next to him.
“Huh? How the hell’d she do that?” Uzi glanced to her left only to see her usual bully group all with surprised expressions on their faces.
“What's the meaning of this?” A security guard asked.
“She did it! She threw a book at Braiden for no reason!” Lizzy screamed and pointed at her. Everyone in the hall made murmurs of agreement, much to Uzi's dismay.
“Her again? Whatever. Come on Uzi, you know the drill.”
—
She did, in fact, know the drill.
Dean's office, threats of expulsion (which can't even happen as this is the only school in the colony), call her dad (who is always either at work or at home and asleep), and head home.
When she got there, she saw her father nowhere in sight, and she sighed thankfully.
But what was that? The voice that told her to Duck. Most of the time what she heard was just random noises or her name, and this was even a new voice. But all of these questions would be answered as she sat on her bed to think.
“Uzi.”
—
“Uzi.”
“This is the 10th time you've said it, shut up.”
She was sitting in bed and staring at the wall with not much to do. She got over the shock fairly quickly and that made way for annoyance. The voice had an oddly mechanical, robotic voice than the natural sounding ones of drones. She heard her name being called in a few different voices. Khan, some girl with an Australian accent, and worst of all, her mother's voice. But this time it was different, more…
Normal? Real, let's go with that.
Like someone who's been using an obviously forced accent finally speaking in their natural one.
“That's a little rude. Slouch. You're hurting my feelings.” The voice was stopping and stuttering and seemingly random points, and narrating its actions, but still maintaining an oddly soothing tone. It felt a little uncanny to Uzi.
“Then maybe don't invade someone's mind when they don't want you to!” Uzi was glad she was home alone, otherwise it would be a little difficult to explain why she was screaming at nothing.
“But I have no one else to talk to. No one else wants to be my F W I E N D.” Uzi was pretty sure hallucinations shouldn't have lisps, so she wasn't sure what was going on.
“Womp womp, and I'm not your friend dumbass!” Uzi was upset at the prospect that the only person who wants to be her friend is literally imaginary. She put a pillow over her ears in an attempt to block out the noise. But, newsflash dipshit, not how having voices in your head works!
“Kicked puppy look. But no one else can hear me. Knowing smirk. Besides, I don't have any friends because no one can hear me, you don't have any friends because no one else wants to hear you. You should be glad I think you are interesting.” Wow, even her imaginary constructs bully her, what a life.
“Who the fu- Who is- Wha- I should kick your fucking ass! You bitch about me not wanting to be your friend and then make fun of me?!” Uzi was flabbergasted at the audacity of this… chick? It sounds more feminine than masculine, and it doesn't exist anyway so who cares.
“Giggle. I was just engaging in some friendly banter. Now, head tilt, may we move on to a different topic?” Uzi was getting real sick and tired of this little shit’s attitude. But before she could speak up, it spoke first.
“What do you plan to do with that little nerf gun, Uzi?” She was confused until she realized it was talking about her railgun.
“Oh, you mean this SICK AS HELL RAILGUN?” She waved it around looking for a face to shove it into but couldn't find one. “Well, I'll have you know, I plan to kill those murder drones plaguing this bunker! And, like, get the respect of my dad and the colony n’ stuff.”
“Exasperated sigh. Uzi, do you really think that thing could take one of them out? It's impressively well made for having so little available resources, but certainly not strong enough to kill a masterpiece of design like them.” Uzi could feel the anger ticks appearing.
“Well sorry Ms. Genocide Bot Dickrider, I wasn't aware of that. Besides, how would you even know how strong they are?”
“That is not of concern. But I will simply say this, why should you do it? Why save them? To have a colony who will only love you for as long as you're useful? A father who only paid attention when you became important enough to?” Their words cut Uzi deep, far deeper than the masks of arrogance and rebellion she put on to protect herself from them. She knew, in her core, that just “being the hero” would never be enough. On the surface, it might. But it would fade with time. No one would love her for being her.
Not ever.
“But there's always another route. I could grant you power, Uzi. True power, the power to let you take control of your life, to never be weak again. No more shame, no more pity. You could take the colony for yourself, punish those who wronged you, you would be a god.
You want attention? Make them see you.”
Uzi sat silent in contemplation. She let out a weak chuckle before breaking out into borderline maniacal laughter.
“So you want me to listen to the voice in my head, telling me to take some totally risk free godlike power, just to screw with my bullies? Sure, I want to be seen, but not that badly! I can sense the bullshit possession nonsense from a mile away. I'm taking my sick ass railgun and shoving it up those murder drones asses!” Uzi was NOT listening to a word they said, why would she? They want her to go full school shooter power fantasy because of daddy issues. Ignoring these points also made it easier to ignore the real ones.
“Exasperated sigh. Fine, Uzi, be stubborn. We'll let you try your way, and when it fails, I'll still be happy to help. Aren't I so nice?”
Uzi was too busy giggling to herself like a little gremlin to bother hearing anything they said. It wasn't until a few minutes of silence had gone by that she realized the voice finally left.
‘Ugh, took her sweet time.’ Uzi fell onto her mattress and cocooned herself in two blankets, eager to not deal with whatever the hell is going on in her life and instead dream about hot anime chicks who love her just for her personality or her dad being present in her life while sober or her mom…
Maybe she should stop with the internal monologue and get some rest.