The Monarch Effect

Chapter 5: Where you're supposed to be

Chapter 5

And here I thought this was a magical apocalypse. Turns out it's a robotic one.

"I, for one, welcome our robot overlords." I attempt to say to appease the suit above me, but instead, it comes out as a raspy wheeze.

Even though there are no eyes, I can feel the armor staring into my soul as the green lights in its face get brighter and brighter. Chills travel from my head to my toes.

Its light becomes much more intense just before I can brace myself, akin to a flashbang. It's so vivid that the light ravages my vision with nothing but neon green as I lose my five senses.

Total darkness begins to overtake me.

Gone, with not a bang, but a whimper...

...?!

The darkness is interrupted by a neon green C with a star flickering on it in front of me. A command prompt/terminal appears next to it and beings typing words too quickly for me to understand anything.

A smooth veil of darkness is gently lifted from my eyes, and my eyes register my sister and the hellhound.

Prim, on top of the hellhound, screams at the top of her lungs as she pins the beast down with her body. The hound, showing signs of tiredness, picks up its head and takes a couple of snaps at Prim.

Prim responds by slamming the beast's head into the ground with one hand. Next, she yells as her hand starts smoking but holds it in place. Then, while her legs trap the hound, she takes her other free hand and whips out a combat knife.

She jams the knife straight into the hound's lower jaw, and the canine's yelp echoes throughout the facility.

Prim quickly retreats off the dog as the steam begins below the body. She looks at her hand while grunting and panting before looking directly at me.

Her fierce look of determination and adrenaline slowly shifts into something much more terrifying.

"M-M-Monarch." She utters with her voice trembling. Her eyes are wide as she raises her burnt hand to her mouth.

She begins to take slow steps toward me. Then, in a quiet voice, she softly asks me one question. "What have you done, Monarch?"

As she gets closer, green lines and circles appear in front of my eyes, pointing at different parts of Prim's body. The words "2ND DEGREE BURN" and "3RD DEGREE BURN" appear on those lines.

...There's no mistaking it.

I'm inside the armor.

And it's telling me that Prim has injuries.

My heart sinks.

"AUTHORITY RING 1: EJECT!" Prim starts yelling at me with a shaky voice.

I jump at the sudden voice raise and instinctively back up—Prim looks at me, absolutely flabbergasted.

"Wh-what?" I manage to squeak out.

"A-AUTHORITY RING 1: EJECT!!!" Prim screams once again.

"P-Prim, what are you even-"

WARNING!

A red warning symbol and the giant words appear on my HUD as I follow the arrow on the hud to the source.

Up at the top where I took the elevator...

Where mom's logo is...

RADICAL THERMAL CHANGE DETECTED