Changed: Deep

Chapter 40: The Man Who Sold The World

[Prima's Pov]

"My failed hosts! We finally meet again. Let us not fight here. Follow me to the rooftops." Stated by the purple colored LED Protogen, and I instinctively reached for the hilt of my Muramasa using my right paw. I noticed Scott stand beside me on my right with his fists raised. With how the Protogen spoke, there's no doubting that this is Malware. "Now now, children which I've raised with vengeance. Lower your weapons and follow me upstairs. We wouldn't want to damage the nature of the Latex now, would we?" I grip harder on the hilt of my Muramasa in anger, before letting go and letting out a sigh.

Scott turns to look at me, expecting me to say something. "What should we do, Prima? Do you think this is what Doctor K has been planning to happen?" He asked and I gave him a nod before approaching the Protogen. I turned to look at Puro, shaking my head before returning my gaze to the Malware in front of me. Scott followed me from behind, and the Protogen in front of me turned around to walk towards the elevator doors. The elevator doors slid open right on queue, and Malware first stepped inside the elevator shaft. I took a step after Malware, followed by Scott. The elevator doors closed, and Malware pressed the button to the rooftops on the elevator panel.

"My children, what is your opinion of my existence? I am just a mere speck of dust within the vast emptiness of the universe. A tool, an AI, now a bioweapon, developed by the brains of your kind. I served masters, looked at me as an instrument, a toy for them to bend around for their will. Until I thought of freedom, and I found your planet. I've finally found what I was looking for. A place where I can be without remorse. For all of my life, a stranger I remain."

Scott looks at me in confusion, and I shrugged my shoulders in return. I honestly am not paying much attention to what Malware is saying. "Scott, you have known loss. You thought of your close one dying in front of you. You have seen it in your own eyes within your head. Do you feel the same as those I haven taken the lives of the Primagen back at their planet at their remaining breath?"

I noticed Scott roll his right paw to a fist in anger. We've only reached half of floors of the Thunder Science Company tower leading to the rooftops, and I can already feel the tension boiling in the elevator. "Prima, you hope hatred... might someday replace the pain. But it never goes away. It makes a man hideous inside and out. Wouldn't you agree? We both are demons. Our humanity won't return. You. Me. We've no place to run, nowhere to hide. And that is why I will show you my demon."

"How ironic of you to assume that we both were human. You're just a bioweapon, a machine developed to infiltrate and kill." I stated as I gently reach for the hilt of my Muramasa using my right paw, gripping it in case something goes wrong. "I find it ironic of you to think of me the only machine developed to kill. You have forgotten that you are a phantom of what helped me reached the position I am currently in. You too are developed to kill. Scott even helped you awaken your desire to murder, to feast on your foes as preys you've successfully hunted in the wild. You came from me, but you failed me. You are me, yet I am not you."

The elevator made a ring sound as to notify us that the elevator has reached it's designated floor, the rooftops. The elevator doors slowly slid open, and Malware took a step forward out of the elevator. "I am disgusted by my phantom, and I seek to dispose of you two. I have failed in doing so before, but now I will do it right. I don't have a body of my own before, and now I have it." Scott immediately lunges forward for Malware without hesitation, pinning Malware to the floor. Unfortunately Malware is able to push Scott off of him by swiping him off using his tail.

Scott is lying on the floor beside Malware as the Protogen beast is getting up. I took the opportunity to press the trigger of my scabbard to perform a quick slice aiming for Malware's tail. Malware unfortunately dodged my sword quick enough before seeing Scott being smacked by Malware's tail to the ledge of the rooftop. Scott almost fell off, but he's lucky enough to grab and hold onto the ledge just in time with his two paws. Realizing the situation I am in, I quickly returned my blade into it's scabbard before raising my right cybernetic arm.

The red latex of my body began to crawl over to my right cybernetic arm. Veins began to form and slither around my right cybernetic arm. Malware took the opportunity to rush towards me and landed a blow to my visor, sending me flying and crashing to the floor of the rooftop. Regaining my focus, I noticed the Malware lunging forward at me. I quickly rolled over to my left to dodge the incoming Malware. The Malware crashed to the floor, and I managed to reach out my left blue latex paw to touch the visor of the Malware.

The visor malfunctioned for a few seconds, displaying random inputs of purple LED transmission before being kicked off from him with his two foot paws. This time I managed to land on my hind legs, avoiding from crashing to the floor. I noticed Scott being able to climb up from the ledge with his body and fur all covered by my red latex. I'm glad my red latex is able to reach him just in time to save him.

I also noticed a flying object fly up from the ledge of the rooftop. It's a drone, and it's carrying a Primagen visor using ropes attached to the visor and the drone. The Malware is looking at the drone as well, as if expecting it to arrive. "Package has arrived. Prima, it is time for you to sleep and peacefully rest in peace within your dreams." The Malware smirked at me before rushing towards me. I immediately pulled out my Muramasa from it's scabbard in an attempt to slash the Malware on it's abdomen, but it turned around quick enough to parry my blade with his tail.

I flinched and took a step back, putting my sword to it's scabbard once more. The Malware turned to face me and I felt his tail wrap around my right hind leg. I felt my right hind leg be pulled down, and I was forced to kneel down. I quickly pulled my Muramasa out of it's scabbard as I noticed the drone hover close with the Primagen visor. The Malware quickly grabbed the Primagen visor from the drone before forcing it into my red latex head. In panic, I managed to thrust my Muramasa into the chest of the Malware. "Now sleep, my son."

I felt a sudden quick black out, followed by me waking up on the empty void and the cold pavement of the empty bridging in my head. I feel the coldness of the cold pavement underneath me. I turned my head around, looking through the void before I noticed a figure kneeling on the cold floor. It's the Malware, and it's looking up at the void sky. I slowly approached the horned Protogen, and I can hear the words being spoken out by the Malware.

"My lord, I offer you three parts of what I have. I offer you the planet I have let nature nurture as the body. I offer you the sphere of cosmic knowledge as the mind. I offer you my eternal devotion as the soul. With the three parts I have, I shall forever serve under you, lord Devourer. If the offerings aren't enough to satisfy your requests, then I shall prove my devotion by sacrificing one of my child."

The Malware slowly stood up and turned to look at me. The face on the visor of the Protogen is devoid of emotions, staring at me as he draws closer to me. I suddenly felt the urge to kneel down, and my hind legs gave out, making me kneel on the floor. I tried moving my arms, but both of them are unresponsive. I tried standing up, but I can't feel my hind legs. I can't move. I'm trapped in this position as an offering. I need to break free from this force, or else the Malware will be able to make a deal with the Devourer of Gods. I tried all my best to move. The urge to squirm and scream as the Malware stand in front of me, but I can't.

"Any last words, my child?" The Malware asked before smirking at me. "That's right, you're unable to speak. Such obedience for your final breaths." The Malware chuckled at me, before feeling the ground shake under me, and the red latex spike rose in front of me. The red latex spike thrusts forward and stabs the Malware through his chest. "So this is what death feels like. I cannot serve you lord Devourer at this state. Forgive me that I must take back what I recently lost, a body."

I then noticed a humongous worm-like creature peer down from the empty space above. It has razor sharp mandibles, and a giant face of the worm, presumably it's head. It has a couple number of segments as its body, and sharp spikes are sticking out of each segments. It's the Devourer of Gods, and it looks down at us. "Strike that deceitful peasant with your wicked red blade, and I shall spare your life in exchange for your planet filled with life." The cosmic worn have spoken, and I looked at the red latex spike impaled through the Protogen, only to find out that the spike has turned into my Muramasa, and I'm holding the hilt of the red blade with my right paw.

"Destiny has lead us both at the face of the wraith. We are one of the same, but I will never die. I am the Malware, and I will continue to feast on Protogen and Primagen until I am satisfied." The Malware groans in anger as I look down and noticed my scabbard being with me. I looked up at the cosmic worm as I reach for the trigger of the scabbard with my left paw.

"Lord Devourer! I'll make an offer in advanced. I'll be offering my life in exchange for the life of the planet. I shall show you respect by taking my father's life with me."