Everything's hurting. That was the first thing she thought as she woke up, her eyes red rimmed, she didn't even need to look into that stupid Mirror opposite of her Bed to know that.
You choose this. You ain't a weakling. Your Parents didn't raise a quitter.
She didn't know how long ago it was since her Number appeared on that screen, but it felt like Weeks. Or Months. They didn't tell them the Time, or at least the Date, to not distract them.
Standing up felt like trying to heave up a Boulder with a broken Arm. Maybe a bit over the Top, but it was a good comparison nonetheless.
The Clock embedded into the Wall was showing the Time, 5:38 am, the bright, red Light making her clench her eyes a bit. Fuck. Fuck this clock. Fuck this Light.
She stood up, not even bothering to look at herself, knowing she would look like shit anyway a few Hours later after Training, but she showered and washed herself, trying to get her aching arms at least a bit more lively.
It was early as she stood with the others in the Hallway, 6: 46 am if she'd be punctual. Darius didn't look better than her, dark circles under his eyes, shadows engulfing his Frame as he lightly leaned, the Skin on Skin contact leaving her tense, but she kept still.
Her eyes darted back to the Door to the white Room, Training Room, they called it, David Moore and his stupid goons. She never called them that, but Glimmer mumbled it here and there when no one was listening. And she herself was close to following.
They were lucky they we'rent here yet, would've made her already pissed off mood even worse than it already was. And she didn't even know why she was in such a bad mood. She should feel lucky, grateful even that she had that opportunity to fight for something.
"Please Enter for the final Evaluation, Squad A1". The mechanical Voice was there again. Although most AI had been banned in her State, Kansas because thousands of Data of Information, even from the Computers of Government Officials got stolen and sold, AI still existed in some parts. And she was grateful for that, always finding it creepy to how some people got swallowed into it, only few coming out alive. Mentally, that is.
Deep Breath in, Deep breath out. You got this. And she did exactly that and mentally braced herself.
As the Door opened, her whole Body stood still, her Heart freezing for a second as she saw nothing. Literally nothing, black. It was just empty. Every step took ages in her Head as she followed Glimmer and Markus into the Room. I take it back. I don't got this.
Her Heart thundering in her Chest took her out of her Thoughts and she forced herself to stay calm.
"What should we do, T?" Darius Voice was almost like a light in her head, and she quietly wondered why she felt so panicked all of a sudden. She loved the Darkness, the Calm and Shelter from her fucked up Life. But this one felt so...wrong, she didn't even know why. But it felt wrong.
"Don't know. Just...try to keep calm" Do it yourself first, Dipshit. She didn't even know if it was an answer to herself or Darius.
The flashing white stung in her eyes, and she quickly put her Hands over her eyes, pressing down to get it dark again. Get it together, Dammit.
With one eye open, trying to ignore the pain, she looked around. White and Empty like always, but now there was black in the mix. Weird shapes in front of her. Guns.
The metal felt cold in her Hand as she took one, Hours of Training helping her find the trigger, and she opened her second eye.
The Sound of Movement told her she wasn't the only one, Darius next to her, a natural at that sort of thing, despite his hatred against Violence.
"12 Gauge Shotgun. 2,000 pounds of muzzle energy. High Velocity..." his ramblings didn't help her own Panic, his coping under Stress and Fear.
"Shut up, Nerd. No one needs your Bullshit." Markus' Voice hit her ears like a punch, and the grip around her Gun got tighter.
"How about you mind your own Business and don't act like a Bitch? Or is your Brain not capable of thinking higher? We're Soldiers, not Children"
"So you can speak? Thought someone cut your tongue out"
"Leave her be. Focus." I don't need you to rescue me, buddy. She bit back another remark and looked around. White, just white.
The Bullet hit her like a Train, her Spine shaking, every rib squeaking as she doubled over in something different from Pain, feeling Vomit in her Troath, but pushing it back. Get a Grip.
She got up again, Hands shaking around the trigger, Footsteps echoing in her Head, many and fast. She turned on her Heel and pressed the trigger blindly, her Feet running without a Thought, dodging Rubble as the World turned to Fire and Ash, Fire, the others running into all directions like Hummingbirds.
Her Hand ached as the Bullet shot into the darkness, the recoil shaking her Bones as she evaded a Fire burning a few feet away.
A Hand grabbed her and yanked her back, the Shadow, the Enemy's Gun directly above her Head, ready to pull the trigger and end it all. Her Hand tightened around the trigger and the recoil let her tumble to the Ground, a thud next to her.
She got up again, blinking away smoke. It's just a Simulation. Calm down.
Hiding behind a bunch of burning rubble was not a hard thing to do with her stature, eyes taking in the place in front of her. Clear.
She looked back, Darius fighting with a Shadow near her, Body bruised and clothes on Fire, knife pressed to his Troath and this time, no panic or Regret overcame her as another Shot rang, and the Man fell down next to him.
Grabbing him and trying to find the others was a harder one, it was Chaos. Pure Chaos. "Markus?!" Glimmers Voice made her stop and she turned to her, the girl hiding behind a broken Pillar a few feet away from her. How big is this fucking Room?
She hid out of reflex behind a Pillar, checking if any of the Shadows were nearby.
The Moment was over faster than she could blink, Hands grabbed her, not Darius, dragged her against a hard Chest. Something flashed in front of her eyes like a fallen Star, blinding against the Fire-ridden World as she crashed to the Ground. Hands around her Neck, hindering her from breathing, eyes like the depths of Hell looking back at her through a Mask, making her shudder as her own Hands tried to get him off her. You ain't going to die now.
Another jerk and the Person, with a knife embedded in their Skull, went to the Ground beneath her. Another one.
Her eyes darted back to the Person, brown messy Hair wilder than usual, amber-like eyes tired, but determined. Hands bloody, but warm, as they grabbed her and yanked her up onto her Feet. Her Hands were slick around the knife as she ripped it out of the Person's Head, blood seeping out onto her clothing, and she was thankful it was just a Simulation.
A yelp behind her made her stop in her Tracks, looking at Darius' Form slumped over on the Ground, face empty. Why's he sleeping? Who's making Toast?
Before she could react, Emptiness hit her like a Holo-Train, making her fall down and lose the Knife. Her Thoughts became dizzy. Why does it smell like Barbecue? Are we grilling?
Something silvery stuck out of her Neck, so small so she almost couldn't see it, like a pinhead.
Where's Dad? Where's Mom?
"Simulation ended. Under new regulation, all Subjects have to be put under short-term anesthesia for their own safety. Good Night". The Voice came back again, and she wanted to rip out her Eardrums.
I fucking hate Robots.
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Fe'ran// Flawed Nature
FanfictionA Machina, a Soldier. A Monster. Filled with Violence, Blood and Death. A biomechanical Hybrid. A modern Legend. A Ghost, molded by those few who survived an encounter with it. But every Legend has a true Core. Like this one. And what if the Devil...
