[center] [img] http://i383.photobucket.com/albums/oo276/metalsonic2nd/78d46da8-cd62-496d-bb45-bc0a6f01e053_zpskrx5azdo.jpg [/img] [/center] Lynne’s eyes fluttered softly open, as a small, dark room filled her vision. Her back roared in agony, and, when her flesh brushed across the steel beneath her, she felt a fresh scar, and rows of stitches. [i]Where the hell am I..?[/i] Leather straps bound her wrists and ankles, pulled tightly across her flesh, as she lay spread out across some kind of metal table. “Even with that slight rusty tinge to it, I found your liver to be quite delicious, little cherubin.The faintest hint of ethanol’s dark taint soured what could have been an impeccable meal, but I must compliment mademoiselle on being leagues above the usual gutter trash which gets sent my way.” A figure, tall and lean, slipped into Lynne’s vision. His hair was a mess of knotty red tangles, and he wore the flowing white gown of a surgeon, which fluttered about his bony ankles. But it was his face that left Lynne’s mouth hanging open in horror. Neither a childhood in Blúdhaven, nor her years as a cop, could prepare Lynne for the mask of warped flesh which gazed down at her. Skin of different tones and hues was pulled back across the figure’s scalp, fused together by intricate needlework. [center] [img] https://moviecomicswhoswho.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/dollmakercomics2.png [/img] [/center] A thousand burning questions screamed inside Lynne’s skull, but she only managed to choke out four words. “You ate my liver..?” “I believe I articulated that quite plainly. Are you simple, little cherubin? I do hope I shan’t have to keep repeating myself.” The figure frowned, glowering down at her like a teacher would at a child who’d forgotten their homework. “Worry not, I replaced your liver with a perfectly adequate substitute; Hence the stitches.” Lynne could feel bile rising at the back of her throat, and the only thing which kept her from vomiting was the fear of choking on her own tongue. “Why are you doing this?” She could feel tears pearling beneath her eyes, as her lips quivered limply “I’m a good person.” “And how long do you think you will remain that way, little cherubin?” The figure cocked his head slightly, regarding her with a look of puzzlement “Once I take away your innards, carve you a new likeness, and mold a fresh soul from the pieces of your old one, will you still be a good person? When do you stop being you, and become something new?” The corners of the flesh-mask twisted into a jagged mockery of a smile. “I am the Dollmaker, and you will be my chef-d’oeuvre.” “Mister Simitiae would have me dispose of you, little cherubin,” The Dollmaker explained, as he made his way over to a trolley of surgical equipment, and picked up a slim syringe. “But what difference does it make if you are no longer you?” Lynne tried to jolt upwards, struggling against her bounds as she hissed and spat and shrieked. “Get away from me, you fucking [i]freak[/i]!” She snarled, as tears leaked down her cheeks “You take a single step near me and I’ll rip your cock off!” The Dollmaker chuckled heartily. “And how will you be doing that, little cherubin? You look quite incapacitated from where I’m standing.” “My name is Lynne!” She screamed “I’m not your fucking cherubin!” “Not yet perhaps,” The Dollmaker gave a faint nod “But what if I were to plunge a needle into your frontal lobe and stripped away that foul mouth of yours?” “You’re sick.” Lynne sobbed limply. “Antisocial Personality Disorder, as a result of childhood trauma. Do try and keep up, little cherubin.” The Dollmaker smirked, as he strode over to Lynne’s table, and calmly slipped the needle into her arm. “I hate to use anaesthetics,” The Dollmaker lamented “it takes the life out of the procedure, but I can’t have you thrashing about and runining my good work, so I’ve had to go for a sort of halfway point. The psychedelic will numb your body, make your brain more prone to suggestion, and make you that much more..agreeable.” That was the last thing Lynne heard, as her world broke away into a tapestry of swirling ribbons. Bells chimed softly against the walls of her skull, as little twinkling lights danced across her eyelids. It was all so silly. She couldn’t help giggling like a schoolgirl as the Dollmaker began cutting into her flesh.