Daemerungslied: Regenesis Of Dusk

Chapter 14

Graphite wakes up with a pain in her chest. She scans her surroundings, trying to figure out where she is. Then it dawns on her: she's back in the lab where she had gotten her cybernetic enhancements.

"What are you, some kind of perverts? Why have you abducted me?"

She tries to stand up, but she's strapped to a table. The scientists, all wearing white coats and masks, are gathered around her. They look surprised to see that she's awake. One of them steps forward.

"Oh, hello, Graphite. I'm Calcite. We were just discussing what to do with you. It seems that you have been... compromised. Your systems are no longer responding as they should. We were hoping that bringing you back here might help us understand what's going on and how to fix it."

"Fix it?" Graphite laughs bitterly. "There's nothing wrong with me. You people are the ones who turned me into this freak. And now that I'm not as useful to you as I used to be, you're just going to toss me aside?"

She tries to struggle against her restraints again, but they hold firm. The scientists exchange glances, looking uncertain. One of them, a young woman with nervous eyes, speaks up.

"I-it's not like that. We just want to help you. We care about you, Graphite. We wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

The others murmur their agreement, but Graphite doesn't believe them. She looks at the doctor, Calcite, and sees the pity in his eyes. It's as if he's looking at a wounded animal, something to be pitied and put out of its misery.

"You don't understand," she says, her voice barely more than a whisper. "There's nothing left for me. I'm not who I used to be. There's no going back."

As the scientists continue to debate what to do with her, Graphite closes her eyes, steeling herself for whatever fate they have in store. She can feel the metal of her cybernetic limbs pressing against her skin, a constant reminder of the choices she's made and the price she's paid. "Just wait until I free myself! I'll kill you, and then I'll find my sisters!"

"Your sisters?"

"Yes. My sisters. Their names are Neodymium, Gold and Tetramethyl. They have cybernetic enhancements just like mine."

"Your family doesn't even know you're alive. How do you expect them to believe it's really you?" Calcite asks, tilting his head slightly to the side. Graphite's eyes narrow, and she grits her teeth, struggling against the restraints once more.

"You don't know them like I do. They're strong. They'll find a way. And when they do, we'll get our revenge together."

The young scientist with the nervous eyes looks away, unable to meet Graphite's gaze. The others exchange glances, unsure of what to say. They know that bringing her back had been a mistake, but they can't help but feel a pang of guilt at the thought of abandoning her.

As the debate continues, Graphite closes her eyes, trying to shut out the world around her. She focuses on the memories of her old life, of the days before she'd been turned into a cyborg. She remembers her family, her friends, the way the sunlight used to feel on her skin. She wonders if they've given up looking for her, if they think she's dead.

And then, like a whisper on the wind, she hears a voice. A voice she recognizes, but one she hasn't heard in years. It's her sister, Neodymium. She sounds frantic, desperate. "Graphite, where are you? I can't shake these people off my tail. I need your help!"

With renewed determination, Graphite struggles against her restraints. "Neo!" she shouts. "I'm here! They brought me back to the lab! I'll find a way out, I promise!"

"I can help you, sister," Neodymium explains. "I can hack into the mainframe. You just have to distract everybody long enough for me to do so." Graphite pauses, gasping for breath as she strains against her restraints. "Then we can find a way out of here together."