Post by theburntone on Feb 10, 2009 0:07:35 GMT 8
Constantine was in a white, deserted hall. It smelled sterile, like antiseptic cleaner. The blank linoleum seemed to stretch for infinity. Then, he heard a whispering voice.
"Come this way, my friend. Follow my voice."
And he obeyed, not thinking why he did so. The voice seemed to mesmerise him, making him think of how familiar, how friendly it sounded. The voice made him think of someone long-forgotten, a memory which had been repressed in his head. He couldn't place it, but he was pretty sure he knew the voice.
"Come to me, Constantine, for I and I alone call you."
Constantine walked along the empty hallway until he passed a room. Looking through the window, he saw something that triggered off a wave of memories.
Four black uniforms with epaulettes embroidered with two swords. The black berets he would never forget. And the TMP10 submachine guns cradled in their hands.
SWORD agents.
He gasped as they held a struggling 14-year-old girl down, pinning her to a bed. A new man came in. He was dressed in a white lab coat, and held a syringe filled with a white, viscous liquid.
The girl began to struggle even more, but the four men held her still. He began to lift up the hem of the girl's hospital gown.
"Leave her to me."
Another man entered the room. This one was wearing a SWORD uniform, but wore a large ceremonial rapier on his waist. Damon Black, SWORD Overcommander and Ops Leader.
The white-coated man stepped away like something had been snatched out of his grasp.
"Sheryl, it's okay. I won't let any of these men hurt you. Stand down!"
The four SWORD agents stood at attention.
"Pass me the serum, Dr. Solanis."
The doctor handed Black the syringe reluctantly.
"Sheryl, this might hurt a bit. But you DO want to serve Armoria, right?"
"Yes, Dad."
Black proceeded with the lifting up of Sheryl's skirt, inching the needle closer to her. Without warning, he plunged it in.
Blood welled up from where the needle had pierced Sheryl's femoral artery, and the white liquid was quickly injected. The bleeding stopped almost immediately.
Dr. Solanis began recording.
"Interesting. Beta 1, testing commences. Serum C-5 reacts with host body immediately upon contact."
C-5?
Constantine had been forced to design the serum for SWORD during his captivity. It was designed to enhance the mental capability of whoever it was injected into. But it was untested!
Sheryl began to moan. Her body writhed, as if pinned down by something and trying to escape. Yet, her brain showed no perception of pain on the monitors.
"Serum is causing unknown reaction in subject. Note increase in heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. Was the subject sedated with opiates prior to the test, Overcommander Black?"
"No, Dr. Solanis."
"Note stimulation of pleasure centres in the brain and release of large amounts of endorphins and dopamine. May be a natural reaction to perceived pain. You did tell her it might hurt."
The writhing and moaning increased to a fever pitch. Sheryl was now grasping the sheets tightly, and a sheen of sweat covered her body. Her body began to spasm, and her moans increased to screams punctuated by heavy breathing.
"Subject's pain centres are active alongside pleasure centres. Temperature has increased to 38 degrees Grimm. Heart rate, blood pressure and breathing have increased." [OoC: 1 degree Grimm = 1 degree Celsius]
Then, the unexpected happened. Sheryl gave one last shudder, sighed and collapsed on the bed. Then, she caught fire.
"DAMN! PUT IT OUT!"
Damon grabbed a pail of water and dumped it onto his daughter. It didn't work. Sheryl was still on fire. Yet, her face was serenely blissful, and her body was undamaged by the flames.
The SWORD agents were not so lucky. Two fell to the floor, clutching their heads as they tried to put out the white fire clinging to them. The others were hit by the flailing, flaming hands of their partners, and caught fire instantly.
Dr. Solanis turned to run, but a glass vial exploded. His skull was sliced open, and his brains leaked out through the crack onto the floor as he watched helplessly, dying.
Damon rushed to his daughter's side, but seemed unharmed by the flames. Still wary, he stroked her head, whispering a mantra Constantine had heard him whisper when he was angry: "I am everything, and I am nothing. I am everybody, and I am nobody. I am everywhere, and I am nowhere."
Miraculously, the fire stopped. Then, Sheryl began screaming. The surviving medical equipment showed internal burns all the way until her hips. The outside of her body remained fine, but the inside was scorched.
Constantine remembered now. How he used to play with the girl Sheryl, who had found him when he escaped from the room he was holed up in once. How she had faithfully visited his room every night, if only to talk to him about her life. How they had planned to escape together.
And how she had mysteriously disappeared one day, supposedly "kidnapped by terrorists".
One week later, Constantine had made his getaway.
Sheryl appeared in front of him. He was stunned, yet all he could say was, "Sheryl?"
The vision replied in a echoing voice, "I am no longer Sheryl. You made sure of that. I am Carnation, reborn in fire. I am no longer the person you knew. Nothing is left of what you see here."
She lifted her skirt, to reveal two almost perfect legs. Almost perfect, in that they were made of almost-invisible nanotech.
"All the way until my waist, I am nanotech. I chose this name Carnation in irony. The flower given to mothers, used to name one who can never experience that joy, of conception, of childbirth, of raising a child. How ironic. You were my friend, my crush, my only hope at that time. And I was yours. And you betrayed me."
Constantine was stunned.
"And for that, I will hunt you down. I burned your house. I found your family. SWORD never knew where they were. But you told me. And I led the attack, just that you never saw me. But you will see me again."
And she vanished like that.
-------------
Visit my blog for more stories:
www.words-of-the-damned.blogspot.com
"Come this way, my friend. Follow my voice."
And he obeyed, not thinking why he did so. The voice seemed to mesmerise him, making him think of how familiar, how friendly it sounded. The voice made him think of someone long-forgotten, a memory which had been repressed in his head. He couldn't place it, but he was pretty sure he knew the voice.
"Come to me, Constantine, for I and I alone call you."
Constantine walked along the empty hallway until he passed a room. Looking through the window, he saw something that triggered off a wave of memories.
Four black uniforms with epaulettes embroidered with two swords. The black berets he would never forget. And the TMP10 submachine guns cradled in their hands.
SWORD agents.
He gasped as they held a struggling 14-year-old girl down, pinning her to a bed. A new man came in. He was dressed in a white lab coat, and held a syringe filled with a white, viscous liquid.
The girl began to struggle even more, but the four men held her still. He began to lift up the hem of the girl's hospital gown.
"Leave her to me."
Another man entered the room. This one was wearing a SWORD uniform, but wore a large ceremonial rapier on his waist. Damon Black, SWORD Overcommander and Ops Leader.
The white-coated man stepped away like something had been snatched out of his grasp.
"Sheryl, it's okay. I won't let any of these men hurt you. Stand down!"
The four SWORD agents stood at attention.
"Pass me the serum, Dr. Solanis."
The doctor handed Black the syringe reluctantly.
"Sheryl, this might hurt a bit. But you DO want to serve Armoria, right?"
"Yes, Dad."
Black proceeded with the lifting up of Sheryl's skirt, inching the needle closer to her. Without warning, he plunged it in.
Blood welled up from where the needle had pierced Sheryl's femoral artery, and the white liquid was quickly injected. The bleeding stopped almost immediately.
Dr. Solanis began recording.
"Interesting. Beta 1, testing commences. Serum C-5 reacts with host body immediately upon contact."
C-5?
Constantine had been forced to design the serum for SWORD during his captivity. It was designed to enhance the mental capability of whoever it was injected into. But it was untested!
Sheryl began to moan. Her body writhed, as if pinned down by something and trying to escape. Yet, her brain showed no perception of pain on the monitors.
"Serum is causing unknown reaction in subject. Note increase in heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. Was the subject sedated with opiates prior to the test, Overcommander Black?"
"No, Dr. Solanis."
"Note stimulation of pleasure centres in the brain and release of large amounts of endorphins and dopamine. May be a natural reaction to perceived pain. You did tell her it might hurt."
The writhing and moaning increased to a fever pitch. Sheryl was now grasping the sheets tightly, and a sheen of sweat covered her body. Her body began to spasm, and her moans increased to screams punctuated by heavy breathing.
"Subject's pain centres are active alongside pleasure centres. Temperature has increased to 38 degrees Grimm. Heart rate, blood pressure and breathing have increased." [OoC: 1 degree Grimm = 1 degree Celsius]
Then, the unexpected happened. Sheryl gave one last shudder, sighed and collapsed on the bed. Then, she caught fire.
"DAMN! PUT IT OUT!"
Damon grabbed a pail of water and dumped it onto his daughter. It didn't work. Sheryl was still on fire. Yet, her face was serenely blissful, and her body was undamaged by the flames.
The SWORD agents were not so lucky. Two fell to the floor, clutching their heads as they tried to put out the white fire clinging to them. The others were hit by the flailing, flaming hands of their partners, and caught fire instantly.
Dr. Solanis turned to run, but a glass vial exploded. His skull was sliced open, and his brains leaked out through the crack onto the floor as he watched helplessly, dying.
Damon rushed to his daughter's side, but seemed unharmed by the flames. Still wary, he stroked her head, whispering a mantra Constantine had heard him whisper when he was angry: "I am everything, and I am nothing. I am everybody, and I am nobody. I am everywhere, and I am nowhere."
Miraculously, the fire stopped. Then, Sheryl began screaming. The surviving medical equipment showed internal burns all the way until her hips. The outside of her body remained fine, but the inside was scorched.
Constantine remembered now. How he used to play with the girl Sheryl, who had found him when he escaped from the room he was holed up in once. How she had faithfully visited his room every night, if only to talk to him about her life. How they had planned to escape together.
And how she had mysteriously disappeared one day, supposedly "kidnapped by terrorists".
One week later, Constantine had made his getaway.
Sheryl appeared in front of him. He was stunned, yet all he could say was, "Sheryl?"
The vision replied in a echoing voice, "I am no longer Sheryl. You made sure of that. I am Carnation, reborn in fire. I am no longer the person you knew. Nothing is left of what you see here."
She lifted her skirt, to reveal two almost perfect legs. Almost perfect, in that they were made of almost-invisible nanotech.
"All the way until my waist, I am nanotech. I chose this name Carnation in irony. The flower given to mothers, used to name one who can never experience that joy, of conception, of childbirth, of raising a child. How ironic. You were my friend, my crush, my only hope at that time. And I was yours. And you betrayed me."
Constantine was stunned.
"And for that, I will hunt you down. I burned your house. I found your family. SWORD never knew where they were. But you told me. And I led the attack, just that you never saw me. But you will see me again."
And she vanished like that.
-------------
Visit my blog for more stories:
www.words-of-the-damned.blogspot.com