The Eden Projects (EDITING)

Chapter 39. A friend of the Enemy.

- Kasper - 

Wake up.

Kasper threw himself at the robot, wrapping his arms around it as it pelted him with explosives, each blast rattling his bones and jarring his brain. He drew it in tighter, feeling the cold, rusting surfaces of the machine pressing against his skin. Its serrated fingers cut into his back and shoulders, digging at his spine and poking between his ribs like hot pokers, each jab sending shockwaves of pain coursing through his body. The acrid scent of oil mingled with the haze of smoke in the air, heightening his senses as he clung to the thing desperately, determined to hold. His heart raced frantically in his chest.

Don't let go-

"AGH-" 

The sound of mechanized clicking echoed as it fired off the last of the explosive rounds. It stopped, and the head lowered back into position. Everything stilled. Except for the sound of Riley and Ryker prying at the door.

<CALIBRATING- STATUS CRITICAL>

"Gugh..." Kasper let go. Thankful for the intermission, he stumbled away from it, his mind racing as adrenaline surged through his veins. His heart pounded uncontrollably, threatening to tear itself out with each explosive thump. "Hhhh..." I can't feel my legs. The sensation of a creeping numbness nearly made him panic. Moving backwards, he slid into one of the cubicles, lowering down gently. "Sh- ughmhh..." His abdomen had been shredded, a gruesome sight that made the little left in the way of his stomach churn. His blackened muscles writhed over each other like eels in a slurry of their own blood and viscera. "Aghh-" Not knowing what to do, he pressed a clawed hand against the torn flesh, feeling the warmth of his own life seeping away. "Ah-" 

Grimacing, his long fingers forced down into the mess, he would hold himself together, to keep the pieces from falling apart. It was all impossible; the reality of his existence was surreal and nightmarish. This wasn't something that could be understood. This wasn't something that could be explained to anyone, not even to himself. His body was its own thing, a chaotic entity with its own definition of living, and he just dwelled within it relying on some squatters right to ownership. He was coming to understand it, the duality of his being. He was a vessel, a container for something greater and more terrible than he had ever imagined. I'm not human.

<CALIBRATING->

The scrape of metal against metal snapped him back.

"Doors open! Kasper come on!" Riley shouted over the whirring.

I can't move... "GO!"

"What?!?"

"GO NOW!!!" He moved his hands away, watching the dancing ribbons of flesh stitch themselves back together, he had to buy some time. "GET OUT- I'll deal with this!" His ribs popped back into place and he rolled to his side. Searching the cubicle slowly for anything to use. 

Nothing. 

Then he stood, feeling the pull of his healing fibers clinging desperately to each other, spitting out metal shards from the explosives. Time was insignificant. Maybe it had taken him seconds, maybe minutes, but he was up regardless and only now did he wish he wasn't. "Riley-" He leaned out of the cubicle, looking to the door. "Riley- are you still there?" A familiar sense of loss drifted in. They really left.

<BEACON ACTIVATED> REPORT ALPHA STATUS COMPLETE. SHUTDOWN COMMENCING>

They left me. He looked to the camera that hung against one of the supports, its lens glimmering under the dim light of the room. It blinked, rotating on its base until it aligned perfectly with him, it was watching him. I knew it. His body pulsed with energy, anger coursing through him like a live wire. Every muscle tensed involuntarily as his skin cracked and peeled away, releasing a whir of energy that filled the air with a low hum. "I'll give you something to watch," Kasper muttered, his voice low. "I promise." His vision shifted and his head grew heavy with the weight of the crown of horns he wore. He strode purposefully toward the motionless robot and stared down the camera with an intensity that could pierce through steel. He wrapped his arms around the thing again and squeezed with everything he had. The spikes that lined his arms pulled back like individual predators ready to strike. The sound of snapping metal broke the silence.Click click click click...