Content Warning: This novel contains sexually explicit activities, extreme violence, strong language, violence against children, incest, cannibalism, ableism, and homophobia. Reader discretion is advised.
Psycho Shatter 1985: Black Vice Re;Birth
Phase 08: Re;Union
The veil of unconsciousness laid over Vice, suppressing their senses for hours upon hours. All until they were met with the sound of leather shoes slapping against concrete floors. The harsh sound of these two objects colliding echoed throughout a narrow hallway, growing in volume with each passing second. As the noise became too much for the veil, Vice found themself drawn out of their undesired slumber, opening their eyes to be met with a coarse gray that hung overhead. They thoughtlessly lowered their vision and saw a series of vertical metal bars positioned a few feet away from them, blocking their view of a wall as stimulating as the ceiling overhead.
“I can’t say I never expected this,” Vice said with a bitterness swishing through their dried throat.
They looked off to the side, revealing a predictable toilet and sink that, along with the concrete, metal bars, and uncomfortable cot they laid on top of, made it clear that they were in a typical prison cell. But with their mind still adjusting from waking up, they could not piece together how or why they managed to get into this situation.
As if on cue, the echoing footsteps in the background ceased, and a figure appeared from behind the bars. They were a woman, likely in her 40s, with short brown hair and a moderately healthy build, dressed in the predictable blue shirt and black trousers one would expect from a police officer. Vice expected her to look at them with scorn and discontent, but instead, they wore a friendly smile.
“Well, somebody’s up early. Gotta say, you gave the night shift quite a scare,” the woman said with a chipper tone and palpable midwestern accent
“And a fine hello to you too, officer. My memory is a bit sketchy at the moment, so could you tell me why I’m waking up in a prison cell?” Vice said, choosing to play this encounter coolly for the time being.
“We were actually hoping that you could help us fill in the blanks. It’s not every day you find a young woman like yourself sprawled naked in the middle of the woods, and during a forest fire no less.”
Hearing those words caused a plethora of memories to avalanche themselves to the forefront of Vice’s mind. The body swap between themself and Jessie Shines. The rape and murder of Juniper Funkatron. Their battle with the young girl turned young woman, Abi Quinata, whom they eat whole shortly after beating her in combat. It all caused Vice to unconsciously release a chuckle, which caught the police officer off-guard.
“Um, are you alright, Miss? If something bad happened, I implore you, please let me know.”
“Oh no, officer. Nothing of the sort. It was just a wild night. I lost my clothes, found a nice spot in the woods, figured that nobody would mind if I took a snooze. So, imagine my surprise when I woke up not to a sight of sunlight and a gorgeous blue sky, but one of fluorescent lights and a lovely shade of stone gray.”
“I’m sorry about that. It was just standard procedure since we didn’t have any idea who you were. On that note, what is your name? Where you from?”
“You may call me… Vice. And if you would be so kind, open the door, and answer the rest of my questions without hesitation.”
As that command escaped Vice’s lips, the policewoman opened up the cell nonchalantly and waited patiently as Vice wandered out. As their bare feet brushed against the rocky surface of the floor, they looked down at themself to see their body dressed in an ill-fitting gray t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts that both hung loosely on their body. At the end of their examination, Vice shut their former cell shut and locked eyes with the officer, who looked at them blankly.
“What other oddities did the police force encounter last night?” Vice asked directly.
“Around 19:30 last night, the department received a tip about a disturbance at a home in the outskirts of Murinova. Officer Kikansky was sent to investigate, but he has since gone missing. After he failed to report anything within an hour, two more officers were sent in to investigate. In the home, they found the body of an unidentified male, missing his penis, burned alive inside an oven. Additional investigation was stalled on account of a forest fire that broke out near the borders of Murinova around 22:15. As the fire was being addressed, a massive white light suddenly appeared in the forest of the neighboring town of Zweibent. We sent a car to investigate it, and we found you. As per standard police procedure—”
“—Understood,” Vice interjected. “Due to the confusion, I assume your department is scrambling to put things in order.”
“Correct. We are a lightly staffed police force, and things are as hectic as they’ve ever been around here. I was called in early, and after looking at my desk and trying to parse things, I came here to clear my head.”
“State the time and date.”
“It is August 17th, 1985. It is nearly 7:30.”
“Hm, so I did not waste too much time sleeping. Tell me, officer, have you heard anything of a woman by the name of Jessie Shines?”
“Their name appeared in a file on the property where the burned body was found,” the policewoman elaborated. “But I do not know anything beyond that. She is not a resident of Murinova, so we lack much information on her.”
“What about the deceased man? What records do you have on him?”
“Our records mentioned no residents other than Jessie Shines. There have been no missing person reports filed in the state that match the body we found. We have nothing on him at the moment.”
“Hm… everything seems to be in order then. That is all. Go about your business, and forget that I was ever here.”
“Yes, Miss!” The officer said with a firm nod before turning away from Vice, and down the hallway.
Before parting themself, Vice leered at a concrete wall, only for it to transform into a full-length mirror instantaneously. Their eyes went wide at the speed and efficiency of this transformation, which began and ended within milliseconds. As the concrete to mirror transformation ended, they were greeted with the familiar borrowed face of Jessie Shines. Vice smiled as they saw their new self looking back at them in the mirror, and took a minute to explore their face in more detail. In doing so, they became reacquainted with the minute imperfections of Jessie Shines’s face, and it instilled them with a degree of dissatisfaction.
After all, they were Vice. A being capable of anything. So why would they ever settle on anything other than the best for themself? Plus, with their powers, and proven ability to alter their form based on their innermost desires, they could simply reshape themself to look like someone else entirely. Vice began thinking about the innumerous possibilities inherent to a blank canvas, but soon rescinded this outlandish stream of ideas.
“I could become anything,” Vice thought to themself. “I could become any age, race, or sex. I could become myself before my body was reduced to something… subhuman. However… it has not even been a full day since I assumed this form, and there is something… enticing about having such power and choosing a form such as this. A black woman, someone on the bottom rung of American society. A third-class citizen. And the idea of someone of that sort housing the power of the divine… there is something poetic and beautiful about that, is there not?
“Besides,” Vice continued, “after living as a white man for 20 years— for I cannot consider my past five years as having been lived— I have a certain desire for something… different. And this vessel is more than sufficient. Though, if I am going to spend more time within this womanly skin, there are a few errors I ought to correct.”
With their focus narrowed, Vice expanded the mirror to give them a full view of their entire body, before they began making their adjustments, fluidly reshaping their body using only their mind. They began with the face, correcting assorted imperfections of their initial canvas while thinking of two things. What they always found to be the most enticing features of a woman. And what impression they wanted to give others as they looked on at their new form.
Their original form was tall, strong, masculine— they were often told their appearance was that of an idyllic man. And here, Vice wanted the appearance of an idyllic woman. They wanted to make their body not handsome, but beautiful, and not intimidating, but cute. It would make for a thick shroud that they could shed at the opportune time before revealing their true and dark nature.
With an objective set, Vice proceeded to dive through their memories for more specific reference points, such as their victims in the past or assorted people Jessie knew in her life. But in doing so, they stumbled upon something unexpected. The memories of a child by the name of Abigale Quinata.
“Oh that’s just rich,” Vice thought to themself. “Now I have three sets of memories in this head. I’ll be sure to unpack Abi’s short sad life at some other time, but for now, I really ought to focus on my new self.”
Vice returned to their face, using the assorted inspiration to give themself softer features, bigger cheeks, and rounded out edges. They still looked like an adult, but one with a youthful face of someone who did not feel the full brunt of puberty, and retained some of their child-like features. They continued from there, slimming their visible muscles, dropping from 175 centimeters to 165, and giving themself a slightly more slender build, punctuated with a thin waist. Yet, they felt something was still off, even after rounding out their ‘attractive fat’ to give themself D-cups and a large posterior.
They then brought a hand to their hair, which had become a coily mess after taking a nap in the woods. Vice briefly contemplated retaining this— keeping part of their borrowed ‘blackness’ as it were— but opted to straighten their strands once more, while simultaneously elongating them. Before their eyes, Vice’s hair unfurled itself and expanded from their scalp, stopping once it reached their mid-back. They momentarily prodded it and appreciated the weight that draped over their shoulders.
It was an attractive look, but not a practical one when it came to moving about. With a shrug, Vice had their hair bind itself in a crimson band, forming a large ponytail that protruded from the back of their head. After whipping around their ponytail and getting a good look at themself from a few angles, Vice danced their fingers across their adorable new face, adorning it with light makeup that, based on their accumulated knowledge, was not necessary. But it added a bit of flair that made them all the happier with their latest creation.
However, for as attractive as their face and form were, they were in one of the least flattering outfits to show off their work. To remedy this, they transformed their ill-fitting t-shirt and shorts into something more appropriate for both this summer weather, and the aesthetic they were going for. Vice settled on a cream-colored sundress, matching wooden sandals, and lightly-colored underwear that blended in with their thin cotton dress.
Taking a final look at the adorable young woman looking at them in the mirror, Vice did a small twirl followed by a giggle that reminded Vice to rework their voice into something an octave higher. Something with a lightness and sing-song quality that would match their crafted body
“Hello, children. How are you on this fine summer day?” Vice said to themself in the mirror, uttering those words with a voice and face devoid of any malice or intimidating qualities.
“And this is the voice people shall hear coming from my lips going forward? Well, isn’t that just delightful! But wait up little Miss Vice— Woah… Miss… that is going to take some getting used to… and is a subject I should think about in more detail at a later time. But… Oh, yes, Miss Vice, you promised yourself that you would decide the rest of your life this morning. So it’s time to do some thinking. With all the power of a god, what is it that I want to do next? Hm…”
As Vice continued their external soliloquy, they shifted once more to the recesses of their mind in search of guidance. Many goals came to light as they dug through their mental baggage, such as revisiting their parents, hometown, and brother. Enjoying some fine Italian cuisine. Traveling across Europe once more. And experiencing what sex with a man is like as a woman.
But there was another desire that was burning in the back of their mind. A sense of hatred that did not originate from Vice, but from Jessie. She was put into a disadvantageous position by Vice. She was contractually obligated to care for them, and doing so meant that she had to live in a town overflowing with racist fuckwits. A place wherein she was looked at as a discernible other, a lesser, or perhaps something on a tier beneath that of a ‘true human.’ A white human.
She often would fantasize about the place rotting away into nothingness, or burning away during the intense summer heat. It was a casual fantasy born from a season of continued frustrations that Jessie only thought of as a means of offering momentary relief. But this fantasy served as an inspiration to Vice, who found the concept more than a teensy bit enticing.
“Yes. What better way to pronounce my divinity to the world than to set my former prison ablaze? Oh, but any arsonist with enough kerosene and matches can accomplish as much with careful planning, and it would be something of a waste for me to just up and burn everything I see. A fire is something best built up to, and if I am going to destroy this town and everyone within it, I want to do it right. I want it to rot and decay before I kill it with fire… and I know a multitude of ways I can make that so. But I need limits for myself, or I may just get carried away with the chaos. …A time limit sounds good. At sunset, I shall unleash an inferno upon this town. Coinciding the end of its existence with the end of this day.”
With a solid foundation established, Vice began pondering how to best go about maximizing chaos before their self-imposed deadline. While doing so, they wandered out of the basement cellblock and into the police station proper, where a conveniently placed clock informed them that it was 8:20 AM. With an hour already lost, Vice wasted no time pursuing the first step in their grand plan to bring cataclysm to Murinova.
First, they began by examining their bearings. The police station was a fairly small building with a number of people hustling and bustling while the sound of ringing phones echoed from opened doors. The policewoman Vice met with shortly ago indicated that chaos struck this department as they dealt with the discovery of an unidentified body, a forest fire, and quite likely missing persons reports. At least, assuming the Shines, Funkatron, and Quinata families were concerned about the safety of their daughters.
In a sense, Vice pitied these likely-underpaid and almost-certainly-undertrained government workers. But if this was their last day on Earth, they may as well work extra hard by giving them a far more daunting task. To begin this first step, Vice nonchalantly latched onto the arm of one middle-aged policeman and barked a command directly into his ear.
“Quarantine Murinova. Do not allow anybody in or out. Cut all phone lines. And block the roads. This town is in a state of emergency. Broadcast this warning over the radio and television. Command people to remain within their homes. The police department is short on staff, so recruit whoever you can to make this operation a success.”
The man obeyed Vice’s whims and began going about his new orders. As he ran about, Vice made their way through the rest of the police station, grabbing whoever they could and uttering the same message into their ears. Within five scant minutes, all 12 members of this quaint little police department were still hustling and bustling, almost as if they were eager to sew this tapestry of chaos.
After a group of officers stormed out of the building, Vice parted the building with a wide grin etched across their face. The sun was blocked by a sheet of clouds that cast the town in a light shade and kept things cool compared to the scorching heat of the day prior. It was certainly among the better days to go out and do something in the sweltering month of August, and Vice hoped that they would be fortunate enough to happen across a few individuals who thought similarly.
They began their search for miscellaneous people by heading off towards the town center, where a number of shops and workplaces resided. As they moved away from the police station, which was placed near the outskirts of town, they happened across a large field. An unkempt collection of grass and weeds that looked to be at least two weeks overgrown, yet contained a two-story building, a wooden shed, and also a modern play structure with a few rocking horses, swings, a set of hanging bars, and two slides. As to be expected, the play structure was filled with a group of children who elected to spend this summer day frolicking outside, as they probably didn’t have much else to do on a Saturday morning.
There were about 16 of them in total, all looking to be elementary school age. Vice quickly looked themself over, ensuring that there was nothing about them that a child would find even remotely intimidating (aside from their race), and casually walked toward them. Their presence was quickly noticed by a blonde boy who nonchalantly leaped from the swing set before running to the curious black woman approaching them and their friends.
“Hello children,” Vice said before the child could finish approaching them. “How are you on this fine summer’s day?”
“Who are you?” The blonde boy quickly replied.
“My name is… Abigale, what’s yours?”
“The name’s Jack!” The boy uttered with inexplicable enthusiasm.
“Well Jack, would you or your friends care for some homemade candy?”
“Huh? You made your own candy?”
“Why yes, it just finished cooling this morning. But as it turns out I may have made a bit too much for myself, and I wanted to share the extra candy with those who would appreciate it the most!”
“Wow! How much candy didja make? And what kind?”
“They’re hard candies. It’s a special family recipe that may be considered a bit too sweet for most. But I think you and your friends will enjoy them. Now, if you could be a dear and gather your friends—”
“You got it, lady!” Jack screamed as he rushed back towards the play structure and the field, shouting about how they all were going to get free candy.
With the children rushing towards them, Vice reached their hand behind their back— more specifically their bum— and imagined into existence a cloth bag of 48 pink, red, and green circular hard candies, all wrapped in transparent plastic. By the time Vice was able to inspect the bag, a small group of 16 children was running towards them. Once all were in attendance, Vice dug a hand into their bag and began distributing these candies.
“I have just enough so all of you can get three candies. You’ll each get a cherry, strawberry, and apple candy. But if you want to trade them, or give them to your other friends, feel free to do so! Now then, if you could all be dears and plop one of them in your mouths, I would be very appreciative.”
The children muttered noises of agreement as all of them promptly plopped a candy into their mouth, sucking hard on the sweet little morsels. They in turn uttered words of thanks to Vice, before they began to break away from the group and back to whatever activity they were enjoying earlier. Only for Vice to shout at them once more.
“Children! Something bad is happening in town today, and it’s not safe to be outside. I’m not sure what’s really going on, but you should go back home, turn on the radio, and wait for any updates as the day goes on. It’s for your own safety!”
After these children listened to Vice’s words whilst sucking on their candies, they dispersed in all directions, heading back to their homes. Vice smiled as they admired their work, letting out a chuckle as they wondered just what would happen to the children once the candy settled in their stomach.
But for as much as Vice wanted to follow these children, they had to move onto the next phase in their elaborate plan. Passing through this little field, Vice looked up into the distance to see their next destination, the Murinova Community Center. The heart and body of this podunk town and one that would serve as the bed for the seeds of destruction Vice was so intent on planting. Seeds that would bloom within… a matter of minutes.
Psycho Shatter 1985: Black Vice Re;Birth Main Page
Phase 01: Re;Birth
Phase 02: Re;Member
Phase 03: Re;Discovery
Phase 04: Re;Turn
Phase 05: Re;Assembled
Phase 06: Re;Juvinated
Phase 07: Re;Action
Phase 08: Re;Union
Phase 09: Re;Join
Phase 10: Re;Fresh
Phase 11: Re;Call
Phase 12: Re;Venge
Phase 13: Re;Joice
Natalie Rambles About Psycho Shatter 1985: Black Vice Re;Birth
Psycho Shatter 1985: Black Vice Re;Birth – The Day After