glitched | ✔️

f o r t y o n e

Amara POV

"Doctor Levine? Come in Doctor!" I shouted, running deeper and deeper into the labyrinth.

I would reach the center soon.

All that came across the line was static... and than a faint voice.
"I can't get the alarm to turn off, Amara. Something is keeping me out- something stronger than me. I'm trying..."

"It's okay. Just keep trying."
I let a few ninja stars fly from my hands, looking away as they hit the wave of guards that had been charging towards me with disturbing thunks.

I had begun to crackle with unreleased energy once again, lighting up the pathway with entrancing green light.

Another battalion of guards came around the corner, their guns raised to fire.

"Oh no you don't," I whispered, springing into the air and landing in the midst of them, perhaps a bit fancier than necessary.
But those gymnastics lessons had to pay off somewhere along the line... and this might be my last chance ever to use them.

I let lightning shoot from my body at full strength, glad that my mask blocked out the smell of burning flesh.

I was on my feet again, leaping over the bodies, only to find a maze of lasers.
"Um... Doctor Levine?"

"They won't hurt you... just maybe burn a little..." her voice came through as little more than a crackle.

"If you say so..."
I rushed head on through the lasers, and let me just say, 'a little' was putting it tamely. Very tamely.
Cries of pain escaped my mouth, yet I pushed through, coming out the other side with stars in my vision.
"That's wasn't a little!" I yelled.

"Yeah I know- I'm sorry!"

"It's fine, just keep working on getting these doors unlocked."

"On it." The door in front of me slid open and I rushed through, barely making it in time.

Thirty guards were surrounding me, weapons raised.
I laughed.
"Really guys?"

I let pulses of light explode from my body, my head flying back as the sheer power washed over me.

"She's a demon-witch!" One of them screamed, falling to the ground as they were hit with a wave of energy.

"Not quite." I said softly, drawing the energy back towards me and moving through the fallen bodies, trying to avoid looking at them.

I was actually glad that this would kill me.
I would never be able to sleep at night knowing how many lives I had taken this day.
Lives of people who thought what they were doing was right- who were just doing their job.

I bit my lip, forcing another door open. I was only a few minutes away from reaching the center.

"Doctor Levine- you there?"

"Yes. Take a right, it's going to be the door on the left. From there you take another right, than a left. Center door."

"And than?"

"Than you're nearly there. The wall will have to be broken though, there's no door leading into the Machine's Abode."

Wow. Okay.

I opened the next door with an ease born from doing the exact same thing many many times before.
I felt like I had been in this labyrinth forever.

I took out the next group of guards without a second thought.

One more door.

I found myself in a white room.
It was eerily silent.
Something wasn't right.

"Doctor Levine?"

No answer.

"Levine?"

A slight static. "Break the wall, Amara, you're running out of time."

"Okay." I whispered softly, stepping forward.

Than something hit me in the head. Hard.

I collapsed to the ground as the glass of my helmet visor cracked, obscuring my vision.
My only connection to Levine was through that helmet.

I threw it off, blinking to clear the stars in my eyes.

A tall woman stood before me, her long blonde hair pulled back into a braid, and the maniacal grin on her face bordering on creepy.
"At last," she breathed, reaching towards me.

"Get away!" I hissed through my teeth, commanding a pulse of light towards her.
It hit her square in the chest but did... nothing.

Her suit began to glow softly.
She threw back her head and laughed.

"You're powerless against me, Amara. What a shame," she sprung toward, a knife appearing in her hand.

I rolled out of the way, and the blade bounced off the stone with a loud clang.
The woman turned towards me, blue eyes slits in her coldly beautiful face.

I took out a pistol, aiming it at her head.
"You missed."

"Did I?"

A foot collided with my back, sending me onto my hands and knees.
My arms were yanked behind my back, shivers of pain traveling through my shoulder.
I was pulled back against a chest of solid muscle.
"Peter," I whispered, not even having to turn around.

"Ring-ring-ring! Give the girl a prize!" Anastasia cackled dryly.
She threw her bent knife to the side.

"Some years ago Doctor Lafrance had this room converted into something very special, you know." She purred, moving a strand of my hair out of my face.

I spat, the glob of saliva hitting her cheek.
She frowned, wiping it away with the back of her gloved hand.
"Don't you want to know what he converted it into?"

"Not particularly," I ground out.

She giggled.

"I think you already know. It's an extraction chamber- but only... it's ten times more powerful than the measly glass one you destroyed back at headquarters. Consequently- it's ten times more painful as well."

"You beast," I hissed, struggling against Peter's hold.

She smiled. "I'm not the beast. How many people did you kill today, Amara? What if I told you that every single one of them had families... children. That the only reason they worked here is because they had a tiny little chip implanted in their minds that controlled them? Would that just.... break you?"

I swallowed. "You can't break me."

"Oh I think I can. Peter?"

My head was struck, causing my neck to snap back and speckles of light to fill my vision.
My arms were released and I fell to the ground where a kick collided with my ribs.

Another collided with my hip.

"Get up, weakling. Fight back." Anastasia taunted, standing back, her hands folded behind her, as she glowered at me.

I pushed myself onto my hands and knees, only to be kicked back to the ground.

Blood leaked from my mouth and onto the floor.
I lay there, unable to move.

Peter stepped closer, his foot drawing back for another blow but Anastasia held up a hand, stopping him.
"We need her alive."

I closed my eyes, struggling to breath.

"Any last words, Amara?" Anastasia cooed over her shoulder as she strode away, Peter in tow.

"Yeah," I wheezed out.
"You haven't won."

"Oh but I have. Start the extraction!"

•••

Sorry for another cliffhanger y'all. 😬

I'm very excited to finish up this first book. It's rather short, holding about 40,000-50,000 words- but I hope you've enjoyed it so far. 😊