Consoulia Chronicles: Booting Up [~ read description]

Chapter 1: Running

Ear shattering explosions filled the air as smog concealed everyone that tried to maneuver their way through the burning facility. Blaring alarms and detonation mixed together to form a rhythmic disturbance through taking turns drowning each other out. 

"Don't let her get away!" 

A pair of bare feet carried a short humanoid figure swiftly through the inferno and smog, but her efforts were accompanied by exasperated grunts. It wouldn't be long before the stomping of booted feet would announce their presence as they clanked against the metallic foundation.

"You're surrounded! Just give up!" The sound of clicking and the squealing of readied weapons reverberated throughout the small room and lasers were pointed at their target. There was a brief silence, soon to be interrupted by the sound of open fire as used cartridges clanked against the floor. 

The little girl, exasperated and wounded, never slowed down as tall, armored soldiers raced to catch her. No matter how much they ran and opened fire, neither their speed or bullets were able to turn the tables in their favor.

While some overzealous soldiers thought it would've been a good idea to try to pinch her by blocking her path, those soldiers collapsed mere moments with almost deafening thuds as the child continued her escape, their broken knees rendering them unable to pursue her. 

"Don't let her near the escape pods!" 

The little girl trudged into a dimly lit, quiet room with a hue of blue. She gasped for breath and held onto her arm. Feeling a gooey texture, she pulled back and investigated the liquid substance on her hand. Her stomach nearly flipped at the sight of her own blood, never mind the kind of pain that followed soon afterward. 

"There you are!" a woman's voice preceded an even taller figure coming to the little girl's side; the two figures shared a tight embrace. "Are you hurt?" she looked over the little girl, gasping at the sight of blood on her arm. Snapping out of her trance, she gently took hold of the child's hand. "You have to go - that escape pod is the only one that works." 

The little girl stopped in front of the older woman and shook her head, her expression pouty and teary. "No!" she protested,  "I'm not leaving without you! We made a promise that we would escape together!" 

The woman knelt to the little girl and wiped away a tear with her thumb. "Sweetie, if you stay here, they'll kill you for sure. The two of us will meet up again someday." 

The little girl put a hand on the woman's, which was cupping her cheek. "But what about you? What are you going to do?" 

The woman looked away as if she wanted to refuse to respond. 

Sniffling could be heard in close range, but this moment was interrupted by a bright flash and an ear shattering boom; the sudden explosion threw the two of them away from each other. The dust was immediately flushed out by the change in air pressure as all of the oxygen was getting sucked out of the room through a large hole blown into the walls where the only remaining escape pod used to be. 

Although oxygen was rushing out like a current of water going to an empty space, the gunned assailants stood their ground as their prey found wires and other destroyed, yet sturdy pieces of wall to grab onto as they resisted the air current. 

The child cried out in fear; the woman accompanying her came to and swiftly assessed her situation; gunmen guarded the insides of the facility, so there was no going back. She swallowed a gulp, looking over at the little girl. She was grasping onto a thick bundle of wires; all of her remaining strength was put into not letting herself get thrown out to space.

 "Hang on, Iris!"

The child's eyes widened. "Grandma Riri! Watch out!" Iris's warning had come too late, as by the second her grandmother turned around, she was tackled to the ground. "Grandma!" Iris started to pull herself back into the room by gripping the wires, but second by second, they were slipping away from the main facility. 

"One of you clowns go grab that little runaway before the boss kills us" One of the soldiers over radio broadcasted to the rest of the group. Although Iris didn't want to be recaptured, she wasn't going to fight being taken back to a place safer than the vast infinity of space. She could always find a way to break out again like she and her grandma always did, she thought. As soon as a soldier grabbed her wrist, she lost her footing and was set outward, grabbing Iris's foot to save themself. "Agent Dolphin! Someone get 'em back in here!" 

It was too late; the wires Iris used to hang onto separated from the main facility. Iris's Grandmother and Agent Dolphin's compatriots were helpless to save them from the infinite, starry void.