Work Text
When the world ended, Cass was deep underground. The spartan bunker she found herself in was sparse and bare. She was shaking and cold, and she adjusted her scarf to cover herself more. As she walked through the halls she felt the world above her falling apart. Her parents had died years ago, and for once she was thankful that she lived alone and didn't have too many friends. Mainly just work colleagues. The less people she knew, the less people she had to miss.She came to an end in the hallway where there was a common room of sorts. She could hear other people following behind her and turned around. A group of four people entered the room; two women, a man, and an older woman. They were pale, shaking, and arguing among themselves. A pair of young people followed behind them, a blonde woman and a man with dark hair. They were desperately holding each other's hands and Cass thought she saw a pair of rings.Cass sat on one of the chairs in the room and noticed a few other people in the room. A lovely black woman who she recognized as Dinah Stevens, her son, and another man.Dinah came over to her and sat in front of her. "Hey. You okay? You look paler than a sheet."Cass nodded and gestured to her throat."Your throat hurts?"Cass shook her head and started signing."You can't speak?"Cass nodded again and smiled shakily at Dinah, who returned the smile."Well I suppose it's lucky for you that I understand ASL huh?"Cass felt a little relieved. At least she could still communicate somehow, even if it was with the help of an interpreter. She sat back and observed the people she would be with.Two more women entered the room, one taller with a cane. She had a severe sort of beauty about her, but there was something about her that gave Cass the creeps. The other was older and shorter, and had a modern hair cut that Cass envied."Everyone please take a seat. I will explain what's going on here once you've all been seated." The taller one was speaking, and her tone had a finality to it that she dared not disobey.Everyone else in the room took a seat. The tall woman took a breath. "My name is Miss Venable, and this is Miss Mead. Welcome to Outpost 3. We are in charge here on the behalf of the Cooperative, who will shepherd us into a new world that will be free of all the corruption and tyranny of the past world. I know you all must be very shaken and tired. I will be brief about our rules. One. Breakfast and dinner are served at one time and we all eat together. If you are late, you will miss that meal. Do not be late. Two. You will be divided into purples and greys. Greys are here to serve, and the purples are here to be served. Three. Do not touch the radio whatsoever. It is how the Cooperative will communicate with us. Four. Do not attempt to steal rations. Doing so will result in severe punishment. Five. Do not go outside. If you are discovered to be contaminated you will be punished. Six. No unauthorized copulation is allowed at any time for anyone. Am I understood?"A man with white blonde hair raised his hand and Miss Venable nodded at him. "Yes?""Yeah, I got a question. I get it if a man and a chick copulated cause they could get pregnant, but what about if you're gay?""No copulation is allowed for anyone Mr. Gallant. That includes homosexuals. Anymore questions?"Cass waited a moment before timidly raising her hand."Yes Miss Demos?She started to sign and Dinah interpreted. "She's concerned about how long we'll be here Miss Venable."Miss Venable nodded. "I understand the concern Miss Demos. We estimate we will be here for quite a long time. As of right now the radiation alone is enough to kill you, and if it doesn't kill you it will cause illness and mutation. We will stay here until the Cooperative gives us the all clear to come out of the shelter, however I was not given an estimate of how long that will be."Cass nodded and signed "Thank you.""You are welcome Miss Demos. Any more questions?"No one else spoke up and Miss Venable clapped her hands together. "Good. Now we will give you your new wardrobe and make sure you all are decontaminated. The purples are as follows: Mr. Gallant. Miss Stevens. Mr. Stevens and his partner Stu. Miss Coco St. Pierre and Miss Evie Gallant. Mr. and Mrs. Ramos. Your wardrobes are all in your bedrooms, and we will show you where you will be staying after decontamination. Miss Mead, please escort them to the decontamination room."Miss Mead nodded and the purples followed her out of the room. Miss Venable turned to Cass and the lone remaining woman. "You two are our greys. We have a few other greys here already, but your wardrobe's are also in your room. Your duties are to serve in any way the purples need." Miss Venable nodded at the other young woman. "I believe you were already employed by Miss St. Pierre?"She nodded. "Yes. I'm her personal assistant, Mallory.""Good. You will be assigned to her." Miss Venable turned to Cass. "You seem to have latched on to Miss Stevens."Cass paled and signed frantically, scared she was in trouble before Miss Venable held up a palm. "It makes sense for you to be assigned to her service. She can understand ASL, so it's fitting for you to be with her."Cass let out a relieved breath as Miss Mead returned. "The purples are undergoing decontamination. Would you like me to escort these two?"Miss Venable nodded. "Yes, please." She turned on her heel to leave and then stopped and said over her shoulder. "One more thing. Enjoy your stay at Outpost 3." She then left the room, leaving Cass and Mallory alone with Miss Mead, who just smiled."Come on. Let's get to it."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Michael Langdon got out of his carriage at Outpost 3, he did everything he could to keep the sly smirk off his face. He thought of the warlocks of the Hawthorne Academy who had betrayed him, and of their fate at his hands. He was proud of this new world that he had created. He strode by Miss Mead, stopping only to tell her to take care of his horses. He descended the stair case into the outpost and breathed in the stale air. He could feel the weak beings, and then thought he sensed a few stronger humans among them. He shook the thought and met Miss Venable in her office.She walked in with her cane as Michael stood observing the spartan settings. "Wilhemina Venable. I'm in charge here."Michael turned and smirked. "Of course you are."Miss Venable stiffened. "You sound like you don't believe me."Michael's grin widened. "Why wouldn't I? It seems like you've done a wonderful job. Your people are alive and healthy. Which is quite a feat, considering."Miss Venable raised an eyebrow and asked in a flat tone. "Considering?""Considering that three more outposts have been overrun and the remaining three won't last through the year.""Why are you here?"Michael paced over to her. "Because it's only a matter of time before the same thing happens to you. The good news is there's another facility, a sanctuary. This one is completely impregnable and stocked with enough supplies to last us a decade."Miss Venable smiled with understanding. "You're here to take us there."Michael hummed with amusement. "I've been assigned to evaluate the people here and select the ones most worthy of survival. I could take all of you or none of you. Those who make it live. Those who don't end up like my horses."The next day Michael arrived in the dining room while the citizens of Outpost 3 were panicking over the snakes he had sent. He smirked at their stupid panicked reactions. He cleared his throat and immediately all attention in the room shifted to him.Dinah saw him and tried to keep her smile to herself. He nodded at all of them."My name is Langdon, and I represent the Cooperative. I won't sugarcoat the situation. Humanity is on the brink of failure. My arrival here is crucial to the survival of civilized life on Earth. The three other outposts in Syracuse, New York; Beckley, West Virginia, and San Angelo, Texas have been overrun and destroyed. We have received no contact from the six international outposts, but but we are assuming that they too have been eliminated.""What happened to the people inside?Michael nonchalantly shrugged. "Massacred. The same fate that will befall almost all of you.""Almost all?"Michael smirked as he explained his purpose here and the Sanctuary. His grin widened when Gallant raised his hand and volunteered to go first. He decided to grant his request. He quickly excused himself and turned to leave.As he walked away, he felt a pressure hit him in the chest. Snarling he looked down and said "Watch where you're goin-" before what he saw stopped him cold.Cass panicked and began to sign her apologies. Michael took her hand in his, somewhat shocked to see her. "No, my apologies. I should have been paying more attention. My name is Langdon. What's yours?"Cass looked up at him suspiciously and signed her name."Cassandra. A beautiful name for a lovely girl. I look forward to our next meeting Cassandra." Michael kissed the back of her hand and released her, walking to his quarters.Cass looked after him incredibly confused. Who was this man, and why did he seem so familiar? Why did he treat her so kindly when another purple (Andre namely) would have slapped her to the ground for her clumsiness? She went into the dining room with a glass of water for Dinah and stood behind her, pondering what had just happened.Michael, meanwhile, was pacing his quarters. Cassandra, his Cassandra had survived. She had lived. He was a mixture of torn and relieved. Those damn witches had taken her voice, and her memory it seemed. He hadn't seen even an ounce of recognition in her eyes. He threw a book against the wall, furious about his loss. He had already gotten his vengeance on the witches at least. It shouldn't take long to help Cassandra remember who he was to her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Cassandra sat patiently on the bench outside Mr. Langdon's room, waiting for her turn to be interviewed. Her fellow grey, Mallory, sat next to her on the bench, staring absentmindedly at the wall in front of them. Cassandra swallowed and nervously bounced her leg."Can you stop that? It's shaking the bench," Mallory said in a bored tone.Cassandra quickly stopped and signed out a quick apology.:It's alright. Are you nervous?" Mallory looked over at her, almost sympathetically.Catherine nodded."You shouldn't be. You're like the nicest person here. I'm sure there's nothing he'll be able to dig up on you that will keep you out of the sanctuary."Cassandra looked at Mallory and smiled softly. She signed "Thank you.""You're welcome. It's true you know. I don't know how you put up with these assholes."She sighed and signed, "Do you know ASL?"Mallory looked and thought for a minute before signing back. "A little. Not enough. Sorry."Cassandra shook her head and reached for her pad and paper and wrote her response. "It's fine. I put up with them because what else am I gonna do? It's not like I can exactly refuse.""I suppose that's fair. It's not like we have anywhere to go. Still I don't think you have anything to worry about. Did you have any family when the bombs fell?"Cassandra paused, and then wrote, "No. My parents died when I was girl. I was raised in a girl's boarding school.""Well, I'm glad they didn't suffer the nuclear fallout at least. There's a plus side to everything right?"Cassandra nodded and wrote "I suppose."The door opened and Coco walked out. The door shut and Coco scoffed at the two of them. "I don't know why you losers are even trying. There's no way that they're gonna bring the help to the sanctuary. It's pathetic honestly." She fixed her mean glare on Cass. "Especially you. Why would they want a timid little bug eyed mute freak in the sanctuary? You'll just pass on your condition to the next generations, and how is that gonna help humanity?"Cassandra looked down. Somewhere from deep inside of her, she had an urge to fight back, to snap with words she knew she didn't have. She wished she could snap back. She wished she weren't so afraid of everything, so frightened and painfully shy. She wished she had the words to lash back, but she didn't. Her eyes burned with tears she would not let fall by any means. After Coco sashayed away, Mallory grabbed her hand."She's wrong you know. You're not bug eyed. Don't listen to her. She's full of shit." Mallory squeezed her hand.Cassandra looked up at her and smiled.The door opened again and Mr. Langdon stepped out. "Cassandra. I believe it's your turn."Cassandra let go of Mallory's hand and smoothed her skirts. She nodded at her and stepped into the room.Mr. Langdon shut the door behind her. "Please, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable."Cassandra sat in a chair, and he sat across from her."I bet you're wondering how this interview will go, aren't you?"Cassandra nodded nervously."There's no need to be nervous Cassandra. Consider me a friend. If it makes you more comfortable, we can continue this conversation in ASL. I'm fluent."Cassandra looked up at him surprised, and then nodded. "Thank you.""Of course. Now, tell me about your upbringing. What was your childhood like?""My parents died when I was a toddler. I was raised in a girl's boarding school with other orphans and foster kids. It was nice I guess, but when I turned 18 I was on my own.""That must have been hard. Any friends?""A few. Mostly only in childhood. Kids got adopted or cycled through the foster system, and they often didn't keep in touch. That's kind of how it goes.""What were your passions?""I liked crafting. Making things with my hands.""I imagine you don't get to do much of that now.""No, I don't."Michael paused and looked her over, pausing at her hands and then made is way up to her face. "Did you have a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend perhaps?"Cass snorted. "No. Too shy, and no one really pays attention to the wall flowers.""Too bad. I think you're a wallflower of the highest caliber. Certainly worth paying attention to." Michael slowly inched his way towards her.Cass shifted in her seat and looked away. "Why would you say that?"Michael spoke. "Because it's true Cassandra. You're certainly one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. Like an angel."Cass looked at him alarm, and was unsettled to find him right in front of her. All the alarm bells in her head were going off at full volume. This situation felt unsafe and terrifying, and she wanted nothing more than to get away from him. Something deep inside her screamed at her to run, to tell him to go away, to shove him away. But she was too scared to even move. "You don't need to be afraid of me Cassandra. You'll never need to be afraid of me, so long as you stay by my side."Cassandra swallowed. "What do you mean?""I want to know that I have your support and your loyalty. I want to know that you will be by my side at the sanctuary, and that I will always be able to count on you, for all things."Cass was astonished. She looked at him blankly, confused and uncertain of what he was asking."I don't expect you to understand right now, but you will come to understand soon. Patience my pet. Think on what we've spoken of today, and soon it will all be clear." He lifted his hand to her chin and moved her face to look into his eyes. "I trust you will make the right choice my dear." Michael leaned in, closing the distance and closing his eyes.Panicked, Cass quickly stood and backed away. Michael looked at her, slightly annoyed. "Very well, you may go. We'll speak again later. Good night, Cassandra."Cass turned and all but ran out of the room, and Mallory was waiting for her."How'd it g- Oh god are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Mallory put an arm around her shoulder and gave her a hug. "What did he do to you?"Cassandra signed no response, just stared at the floor and tried to process what had happened in the room.Michael, meanwhile, stood and groaned. He had been so close to her, so close to holding her in his arms. He knew if he tried to force it, it wouldn't work and he'd be forced to kill her. He so desperately wanted her, wanted everything that meant with her. There was no mistake about it, Cassandra would be his queen. He didn't know why she would turn down the opportunity to be with the most powerful man in the world.He was simply glad the competition had already been removed. He had seen to that personally. He smiled as he remember slitting John Henry Moore's throat and watching the life leave his eyes. His last word had been Cassandra's name, and Michael snarled. Who did he think he was to even speak her name? As if he could provide what Cassandra deserved. No, Cassandra deserved better, and Michael was the best that all of Creation had to offer.He composed himself, walked to his door, and opened it. He saw Cassandra sitting with Coco's grey and smiled in what he thought was a reassuring manner. Cassandra just stiffened and looked back down at the floor. His smile slid off his face and he invited Mallory inside his room. With his gaze lingering on Cassandra, he closed his door.