Bionica: The War

The Experiment

The sound of ripping Velcro rang through the hall as a cuff came off Diana Steele's wrist. A doctor exited the room to confer with another. The girl in the other room just listened to all that talk of blood pressure and reflexes and became nervous. They never talked in hushed whispers like that. They were usually fairly open about what was going on with her.

She leaned over to hear what they were saying. "What's going on?" she asked. No reply. "Hello?" The doctors purposefully ignored her. Diana's mind raced. What was wrong? Had the informium done something horrible to her? Was she hurt? Or even dying? She touched the clump of wires behind her left ear. What had they picked up? Was she acting unusual? She felt fine, though she supposed it might look different from the outside. She tried to see her test results on the clipboard in the doctor's hand, but he was too far away.

Her worry didn't last long, though. The doctors came back just as she became situated on the examination table again. "Good news," said the taller of the two. "Your body hasn't rejected the informium as a foreign invader. We'd like to begin moving further with this process."

Diana was beyond relieved. She was okay. Better than okay. "Good," she finally managed to say. "Good. So what now?"

"Well," said the shorter doctor, who pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he spoke, "this whole experiment was designed to create a warrior with the military skills of a machine while retaining the human instinct. The next phase of the test will involve your learning to fight, becoming a soldier. You'll be monitored and cared for the entire time you're in training, so there's nothing to worry about since your body has already accepted the introduced material."

Diana was confused, but her interest was piqued. All she'd heard was blah blah blah, science, boring stuff, soldier. She was actually going to get to do something to help the war effort. A shiver of excitement ran down her spine. Finally, her days of picture-taking and smiling for reporters were over. She'd be a fighter. A real live soldier.

_______

That night, as she lay in bed, the adrenaline rush wore off. Diana repositioned herself so she wasn't lying on her wires as her mind ran wild. She was going to be a soldier. A real one, not like in the propaganda videos where ten men came in and ten men came out. Where she was going, ten men would go in and four would come out. The rebels were growing stronger; they were becoming more advanced in their technology and battle strategy. War was getting deadlier and deadlier each day. If she went in there, there was a chance she would never get out. She could picture herself alone in a barren wasteland, bleeding out from some gruesome wound or suffocating as a bullet ripped through her lungs. She'd heard that the rebels were cruel that way: they didn't just let you die. They made you suffer. Especially if, she realized, you were directly tied to the government.

Then she realized she didn't have to worry about anything. She'd train. She'd become the best fighter she could. Like the doctor said, there'd be nothing to worry about, so why lose any sleep over it? At least partially comforted, Diana's head hit the pillow and she dozed off into a dream.

_______

A figure descends from the ceiling. People scream and run, gasping at the hole in the roof. From a rope dangles a girl with short black hair and piercing blue eyes: Agent Steele. A girl in a blood red dress, chains on her wrists and ankles, stands on the stage she descends towards, her mouth wide open, as her father stands by her. He becomes more and more flustered with each second, not knowing what to say. As Steele descends, she asks the girl her name. The agent doesn't hear the name, only that it's important, and that this girl needs to be out of here as soon as possible. The target nods in response.

"Grab on," says Agent Steele. The girl clings to her as they both ascend. Finally finding his words, the father starts yelling for backup. Soldiers with burning red eyes appear from the walls to attack the invaders, but their targets are too high up. They run through the ducts, free of worry until the gas cloud comes towards them. Steele checks her belt; she's forgotten a gas mask. What to do now? Is this the end? How will she save the girl?

"Miss Diana?"

Someone's responding to her distress! Quickly, Agent Steele gets on her com, but before she can say anything:

"Honestly, I don't get paid enough to put up with the likes of you. Miss Diana, it's far past time to wake up!"

Diana rubbed her eyes, wishing she could go back to her dream. Facing this bag of wrinkles in a tight bun wasn't exactly her idea of a perfect morning. "Good morning, Mrs. Lowe..."

Mrs. Lowe let out a large humph. "Far from it! You were supposed to be downstairs ten minutes ago! Now, get up and get dressed. No time for breakfast, I should say."

Quickly, Diana threw on a tank top, some leggings, and a pair of tennis shoes. Mrs. Lowe shoved her out the door just as she pushed a headband into her hair. With that, she walked outside, eager to be rid of her housekeeper.

A man was standing in the courtyard. He was undoubtedly an important military official, judging by his decoration. She walked closer as her father shook his head. "Good morning, Diana," he said curtly. "How do you feel?"

Diana yawned. "I'm all right. You?"

"I am well," said her father. He gestured to the man. "This is Master Sergeant MacKenzie. He's the trainer of an elite warrior group called the Mythic Reapers. And now, he's here to turn you into a soldier."

MacKenzie stepped forward. "Now, then, let's get started. Give me a lap. Knees high, TwinkleToes!"

A/N: Guys, look at the new cover!!! Isn't it awesome? I wish I could edit like HetalianDemigodex can. Anyways, look for her collection, "Wattpad Book Covers by Me" and check out her work! Who knows? She might be making YOUR next cover!