KilBox

Blackbox encounter

There it was, perfectly out of place. It didn't really stand out that much. It was eerily still, virtually unmoving. Floating about 10 inches off the ground with mysterious intent. 

I looked around and couldn't help but feel that what I was doing was wrong. Like I was giving up all hope or something. But it was the right decision, It had to be.

Plus everybody else was too.

 Moving closer faint whispering caught my ear. Standing on the street behind me was an older woman wearing a tattered hood. She clasped her hands together and whispered a string of words, in my direction. It took me a minute to realize. 

But she was praying for me. 

Geez, I let out a sigh and walked closer. That didn't exactly renew me with confidence.

The box grew larger in my vision.  it was actually not as big as mentioned. I stood at 5'7 and the box was a couple of inches taller than me. There wasn't a dangerous presence or anything coming from it.  Now my face was only an inch or so away from it.

How do I enter? I thought as I reached gingerly for its rippling surface. Like millions of tiny pinpricks. Once the finger grazed the surface an invisible force pulled me in as the whispered prayers faded away. 

Oddly enough the ground didn't jump up to meet me. Instead, my vision was level. I was now in a large room that was eerily white to the pint where it was almost blinding. But this couldn't be right. From outside the box was at least 6ft tall and 10ft across, inside it was almost double that. The room was close to being half the size of a football field. 

"So you've come. What is it you want? Power right?" asked an invisible voice.

I tracked the voice to a wall but nothing was there.

"Well." It repeated originating from a different point.

"Why is it that you've come here?" this time the voice boomed from all over.

"I, uh seek power. To be stronger." Why was my voice so shaky?

"Power like all the others, hmm. Why is that?"

"Everyone else. Everyone else has power and is strong, but some people are still powerless and that makes them easy pickings for others. And I well I wanna stop that."

"Look at you, a modern hero. Did you have a type of upgrade in mind?" The voice said becoming an awful metal jangle 

"Uhm just something to make me strong." I answered

"Very well and as it is your first time at the box I will give you the pleasure of stealing your upgrade from another."  The voice said perfectly content

Wait steal? From someone else?

Taking a step back panels began opening on the walls floor and ceiling. Robotic tentacle-like arms protruded out and snaked towards me. Various tools were connected to them. One of which caused me to freeze from fear. A needle with a spiked tube bigger than my hand. What scared me, even more, was there was a lack of any syringe.  A sleek chair materialized below me and pinned me to it while the tentacles went to work cutting open my arm and leg. 

Howling through the pain the metal voice continued speaking.

Your target will be the storeowner, Mathias Richard. In his left arm, you will find the power source capable of powering your upgrades.  Within 72  hours your upgrades will shut down and  take your body with it. Get the power source or die. Kill mathias or die.

The words didn't drown in the sea of my painful screams, even worse it cut through them sharper than any razor. I thought is this what power feels like? My answer, it is now.