When a seemingly lifeless boy is saved by a girl.
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Ma'vona was once a beloved member of the Kame'tire clan, known for their profound understanding of Pandora's flora and unparalleled healing skills. Their expertise was so great that they could heal...
♪ Rainforest Whispers by Pinar Toprak ♪ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Chapter Forty-Two: Into the Darkness
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"In the end, Ma’vona, I’ll have all the satisfaction I could ever need, and you’ll be nothing but a memory."
I didn’t respond.
The room felt like it was closing in, Mercer’s voice a sinister echo in my ears. I could see Richard yelling out through his screen, but his voice was now cut on mute.
The metallic clang of Mercer’s boots against the floor made my skin crawl as he approached, his smirk growing with each step. I barely had time to process the human technician stepping forward, her movements mechanical, her expression cold and detached. My breath hitched as she inserted a needle into the side of my arm, injecting an unfamiliar clear coloured fluid before she placed circle shaped nodes over my chest and then over my temples before she pressed a circular device against the side of my neck. The skin beneath it burned slightly as the adhesive locked it in place.
Distinct sounds came into the air, showcasing my brain activity and heartrate on one of the screens.
Mercer leaned in closer, his face too near for comfort, and followed my gaze as it darted around the room. My eyes landed on the hulking machine above me. It loomed ominously, its cylindrical structure gleaming in the dim, sterile light of the lab.
"Do you like it?" Mercer’s voice dripped with mock enthusiasm, pulling my attention back to him. He gestured grandly to the machine. "A work of art, isn’t it? Capable of rewriting the very essence of a person. Memories, emotions, loyalties—it’s all so malleable."
I glared at him, my jaw tightening. I couldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing my fear, but the dread that gnawed at my insides was impossible to ignore.
"Oh, don’t look at me like that, Ma’vona," Mercer teased, stepping back to admire his handiwork. "You’ll thank me when this is over. No more doubts, no more pain, no more pesky free will getting in the way. You’ll be exactly what I need you to be—a perfect weapon."
My heart pounded as his words settled over me like a suffocating weight.
He turned to the technicians and snapped his fingers.
"Begin."
The Neuroscanner hummed to life, the sound low and ominous at first. The circular mechanism above me started to spin, its pace increasing with each passing second. My ears filled with the deafening whir, and the vibrations coursed through my body like a physical force.
