Shell

Chapter 27: Harming Cat

My rounds today were fairly uneventful, just the occasional person who took a wrong turn and got lost in an area they shouldn't be along with a couple Shell fights I had to break up. I shortened my extended baton and clipped it on my left hip as a pair of guards carried a Tiger type Shell to medical.

"Thanks for stepping in, again, Fenrir..." A shy sounding voice came from behind me.

I turned to face a dark haired girl with large, orange, sunken looking eyes behind a pair of glasses that wouldn't look directly at me. Her name was Noctua and she was a Owl type shell.

"No worries Noct, can't have anyone messing with our top pilot can we?" I responded as caring as I could.

"Yeah, I just wish I could be more like you though..."

"Well whenever you're flying you're already tougher than me if thats what you're getting at."

"Well that too but." She sighed. "I better get back to the hangar."

She walked off hurriedly before I could say anything more.

"Mother, keep an eye on her will ya?" I said a little concerned.

"Of course Fenrir." Mother responded in my ear.

With that I walked back to the security room and placed my headset on the table as Rex walked in and smirked at me.

"Well if it ain't chief's pet, all done with your rounds?" he asked as condescending as he could.

"At least I don't have to sit and beg for anything." I shot back. "And yes, its all yours now."

"Now that hurt Fen, have a good night." He responded taking a seat as the headset was transferring data and I walked out of the room.

I made my way into my room and opened my safe pulling my tablet out and hanging up my gear next to my bed which I sat on. I touched the screen as it came to life and flicked through the screens before coming to Artemis' profile again and this time being able to see it. Well most of it. What stood out was her Shell type, 'SAWARINEKO'.

"What the hell is that? Mother are you there?" I asked aloud.

Mother's purple image appeared on the top right of my screen.

"Yes Fenrir, how can I help you?" She asked smiling.

"Whats a Sawa- ah fuck just look at the screen I can't pronounce it."

"Hmm let me see. Ah is this the Shell Doctor Alec brought in?"

"Yeah, at first it was all blacked out for me but I convinced him to give me access to her file so I can better handle her in case she tries anything."

"I see, well lets have a look. Artemis... Shell type Sawarineko.... Let me cross reference, ah! Sawarineko otherwise known as a harming cat or hindering cat."

"Ok so what does that tell us though?"

"Hmmm Fenrir, I don't see how she could be one. The harming cat doesn't officially exist. It's a folk lore creature."

"Say what?" I sighed. "Dammit, well whats so special about them then."

"Well, since there's no official record in any data base I can access I'll let you know what I can from the myths. " She said closing her eyes and pausing for a moment analyzing everything. "It seems they were know for possessing people and merging their consciousness with the host, from there they attained almost superhuman strength and speed however most notable is their energy drain. Think a Vampire's way of feeding off of people except the Harming Cat only needs to make physical contact with you in order to drain you and supply itself."

I got wide eyed at that last bit.

"That explains why only Rex and Doctor Alec survived capturing her. Even then I'm surprised they lived and she didn't bring the helo down."

I sat in silence thinking of anything that could help me in defending against her but nothing was coming.

"Fenrir? Are you okay?"

Just then I had an idea.

"Come on Mother lets go see Doc' and get some answers."

"As you wish."

Mother transferred to my badge as I grabbed my gear and headed out the door and made my way back to the science wing. I showed my badge to the guard in front of the door to Doc's office and I was let into the dark room. Doctor Alec spun in surprise to face me.

"Fenrir! I wasn't expecting you! Ah now isn't really a good time as you see-" Was all he got out before I saw what was going on in Artemis' room.

They had Artemis' in the center of the room with her hands chained to the wall along another man who was in desert fatigues trying to free her. I saw the technician to my left start  to turn a dial until it wouldn't go any further. Not a second later I heard Artemis scream as electricity arced throughout her body illuminating the room and flinging the man back to the wall from being hit by a stray bolt. After about a solid 4-5 minutes of speechlessness from me Artemis finally stopped screaming and fell limp as smoke floated off her body that to my surprise hadn't been cooked to a crisp.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PULLING HERE!" I shouted angrily at Doctor Alec who only gave me a somber expression and motioned me to keep watching.

I turned to face the now dimly lit room as I saw Artemis' hair start to grow long and untamed almost down to her calf's before it started to glow an bright white almost as if I was looking at a the end light of a tunnel. She lifted her head and I saw her eyes had turned a bright golden color, she spotted the man across the room and I saw her face turn from annoyance to a wicked feral of an elated predator. The man stood up and started banging on the door to let him out as Artemis ripped her hands free from the chains with the cuffs still attached to her one after the other before lowering her self on all fours ready to pounce. I was almost not even able see her initial jump and she launched herself at the man and bit into his arm before in one motion tearing it off his torso and flinging it across the room leaving a blood trail. Not twenty seconds after that she had him in a hold he could break out of now the room lit up a distinct red as red electricity started to arc off the man who was screaming in agony and onto Artemis who still held the predatory look on her face.

"My god." Doctor Alec said in awe. "I had no idea. We need to make her come back to our side."

I turned to him my face still in horror at the display I had just seen.

"Thats not something we want fighting, that thing is far too dangerous to be in the field let alone alive." I said coldly.

I noticed the screaming had stopped so I turned back to the room to see Artemis was next to the one way and was looking deadset at me with a evil smirk showing her fangs. She dipped her hand down and it returned dripping with blood. She began to write on the window.

Just try and kill me then.