My Child

Revealed Secrets

~Signless' POV~

By the time I woke up, Equius has finished treating my wounds. He's now sound asleep, leaning on Psii.

"How long was I out?" I ask quietly.

Psiioniic smiles down at me. "Only a couple of hours," he whispers as he lays Equius down, careful not to wake him, and moves to help me sit up. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," I reply with a smile.

Psii just shakes his head. "How can you still smile after what they did to you?" he questions before kissing me softly.

"Glad I can't see," someone calls. "KK, he's up." Sollux wanders off screen when we look over to Equius' husktop. Karkat runs from across the room towards the computer on his end. He trips over a few bent pieces of metal about half way across the room, landing flat on his face. He freezes for a second before scrambling back to his feet. He walks the rest of the way, looking around for other obstacles. "You faceplanted, didn't you?" Sollux laughs from off screen.

"SHUT UP!" my descendant shouts as he takes a seat and turns to us. "Are you okay?"

I smile again, "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" he inquires. He looks like he's about ready to cry.

"Karkat," I say, "I'm okay."

He looks around for a second before glancing back down to his hands. He pulls up his sleeve and traces the scars on his arm. "I don't know how, but those scars on your arms and chest wind up being transferred to the next generation. I wear long sleeves to hide them." He pulls his sleeve back down, cautiously looking around again. "How bad are your injuries?"

"I'm okay," I say firmly, trying to avoid having to talk about my problems.

"Broken ribs, whiplashes, bruises, and cuts," Psii informs. I just pout at him. He knows that I don't like to talk about myself, especially when I'm hurt or not feeling well. "What? He's your descendant." I just pout more and cross my arms. This pulls at the whiplashes on my back, making me wince. Psii kisses my cheek. "You okay?" he asks. I just nod, trying to ignore the flare of sharp pain across my back.

~Karkat's POV~

I don't like seeing my ancestor in pain. Instead, I turn my attention to the intercom control on the desk next to my computer station. A half drank mug of coffee, a few framed pictures, some papers, and a bright red crab plush are also gathered on my station. Pressing a button, I ask, "Aradia, how long until we reach Alternia?"

A few moments of silence pass before she answers, "We're still about two hours out. We'll be there just in time for Signless' scheduled execution."

"That doesn't leave us much time to save him," I reply. I press a different button on the panel, the one for a general announcement instead of a direct message. "Feferi, come down to the computer lab."

"Which one is Feferi, again?" Signless asks.

"I'm the Witch of Life and the only remaining Heiress," Fef says from behind me. She, like most of us on this gods-forsaken rock, is not in her God Tier uniform. She sits on the armrest of my chair as she examines what she can see of Signless' injuries. "Can you hold your arm a little closer to the screen? I'd like to try and gauge some of the damage." Signless does as he's told, presenting the cauterized wounds spelling out "Mutant". She fetches a notepad and a pen from her Sylladex. "I'm so sorry this happened to you," she says as she takes down some notes. "It's truly unfortunate that some Trolls believe it right to put down others based on a flawed hierarchy. A Troll's worth should be calculated by their achievements and contributions to society, not their blood color and sign." She finally looks up, sending a smile of admiration his way. "I've read Disciple's journal. Honestly, I wish people took your teachings more seriously instead of brushing them off as the words of an idealist. Your ideas truly are ahead of your time."