Signs Of Humanity Chapter 11 - Sign 2
The pain rushing through Lilith's head was like someone had taken a white-hot iron rod and pushed it through her skull. Her vision, what little she had when her eyes weren't sealed tightly, only consisted of the nightmarish view of the "real world" the edges of her vision were lightly dusted with digital haze as the chip in her brain struggled to right her perception of reality.
Suddenly she heard a load pop and sparks vibrate across her mind, and the digital snow that ringed her vision disappeared.
"Oh, now I've done it, looks like that chip couldn't handle so much stimulation. I still haven't found what I was looking for, I guess you don't know what your psychic abilities are." Finally, the pain stopped and Olsen released her hold on Lilith. She slumped in her restraints, Lilith didn't realise how much of her strength she had been using as she ripped, tore and strained against Olsen's tentacles to pull away. While the pain in her head was receding her arms and legs felt like they were on fire.
"I guess it doesn't matter all that much, but with that chip gone I can comfortably take your body and find out for myself. Out of scientific curiosity, what do you think of your new world? You will be its new keeper from now on." Olsen mocked.
Lilith looked around the decaying gardens, barely lit save for the light filtering through the ice and water above them. Twisted dead plants and trees snaking through mounds of rusted metal smelling of stagnant water. The chill gripped her so she found herself thinking "If hell is a warm place, it must be considered heaven compared to this."
Olsen erupted into laughter at Lilith’s statement this tree of folded flesh was still crawling through her mind. "You are right, hell would be a nicer place." She bellowed, so hard that she used her actual mouth to laugh, a grotesque moaning noise that rattled the spider’s nest of glass and metal that encapsulated the garden.
Lilith wanted to say something but found herself too exhausted to break through her laboured breathing. The best she could do was whisper bitch over and over again in her mind. "Charming" Olsen mocked, "Shall we begin now that you're exhausted? You can take a long nap after we are finished, you've earned it after all" Olsen continued to cackle in Lilith's mind.
"Mother... What about..." a voice came from a distant dark spot in the garden. It was Marcus, shaking in a corner curled in on himself to make his presence appear as small as possible. He expected Olsen to lash out at him in fury, but for once she seemed almost joyous. "Oh Marcus, I nearly forgot about you. Did you find anything else about our friend here? On second thought it doesn't matter, she is ready for me now as she is. Why don't you get yourself ready for your transfer."
Marcus didn't know what had brought on this sudden change, maybe it was having her prize so close at hand, whatever it was he didn't want to rock the boat. "Yes Mother" he said rising with a little confidence and moving towards the two. "Shall I go and summon Golem to bring Subject 24 here?" Marcus asked meekly and desperately. "Oh, no need Marcus I can handle this myself".
Olsen reached out her mind for Golem, taking pleasure this time knowing this will be the last time she will need to send her mind so far away from her body, the whole event was leaving her with waves of nostalgia. But soon it would be over, she would be back in a normal body, where her thoughts would be her own and she could be free of this nightmarish existence. Finding Golem was an easy task, maybe she would be kind to the man this time and gently touch his mind, and not her usual mind-ripping approach. After all, she was in a good mood... wait, why was he in the escape pod area? Shouldn't he be in the subject cells with Subject 24? Wait no they both were there. What is happening?
Olsen pushed her mind further and faster than normal, with no time to take the care to lightly touch his mind Olsen would crash through Golem's thoughts like a bull into an inexperienced matador. Partly to find out what was happening as soon as possible. The pain would simply be Golem's punishment for disobeying orders.
As she breached his mind she instead was slammed with an overwhelming pain and the noise of Golem screaming in her head as his vision went black. The only thing she was able to make out was the face of Subject 24 hardened with rage. She tried to find Subject 24's mind but it wasn't there, where was he? How was he hiding?
She snapped back to her body like her mind and body were a rubber band. She turned her great eye on Marcus and screamed with both her mind and misshapen mouth hidden within the depths of her flesh folds "Marcus! Go to the escape pods right now! Capture or kill Subject 24!" The noise was an explosion of high-pitched screaming and deep muffled yelling at the weak man. "Kill I... what?" He stammered.
A rush of pain like no other fell upon him, his nose began to bleed and the veins in his eyes exploded. He had thought in the past when Olsen had punished him, he likened the pain to his head exploding. But compared to this those times seemed like mere headaches. "I will not ask again, you useless rat, go this instant to find Subject 24, or I will kill you here!" Olsen bellowed again. At once Marcus jumped to his feet and ran from the gardens.
"I will need to protect myself, while I'm doing the transfer, no I can't transfer now otherwise I won't be able to directly control the followers. I'll call them all here. They can protect me until Subject 24 is dealt with then I can start the transfer." Olsen's mind was racing she sent out the call to summon all the followers to the Garden, hopefully, they will arrive before Subject 24 did. Subconsciously, she tightened her grip on Lilith's arms and legs, and she let out a scream of pain. "Sorry dear, it looks like I have something else I need to attend to first, so you just sit tight."
Lilith didn't know what was going on, "Subject 24 what is that? I think they are referring to Jericho. Was he even real? Or was he just a part of my imagination? What is even real in this place? I'm just so scared." She thought to herself. If Olsen was paying attention, she might have taken pleasure in Lilith's fear, but as it stood her mind was rushing with stress, fear and dread.
A few seconds before this began.
Golem had demanded yet again that Jericho leave, but he seemed to only be occupied with his bag. "What are you doing?' Golem yelled. "I'm getting ready, just wait a sec" Jericho responded. He pulled out the rust-pitted metal box of the All Cure and using a finger he morphed into a sharp point, began to scratch delicately on the inside of the lid. He then put the box back in the bag and pulled out the four remaining cans of Heart Cutter.
Jericho placed the bag in one of the pod chairs and opened a can, and began to hungrily gulp down the liquid. When he finished the first can he threw it aside and open another "So, I'm just meant to leave? Let Lilith die so you can live here in peace?" Jericho asked Golem. "Why does it matter? You didn't come here with her, she is for this place, what does she mean to you?" Golem indulged Jericho's question.
The second can hit the floor, and the third was cracked open "Nothing I guess, I did make a promise to a stranger I'd take her, but I gain nothing from it" Jericho begin again on the sickly-sweet liquid of the can.
"So, what does it matter then? There is no shame in just leaving now. Just leave and you can survive without a care." The third can clanged to the ground and the final was opened.
"Maybe it's more than just that" Jericho muttered to himself, as he hesitantly put the can to his mouth. The sickly-sweet liquid was horrid, usually, he would sip at a can for an hour when he needed one. Now having to down so much of the swill was hard. He was also increasing the speed at which his body could take in the sugars and caffeine in the drink. He was more awake and bursting with energy than he had been in months. But all his senses were also sharpening which made the taste of the drink even more foul. At this point, it didn't even taste sweet more like a bath of chemicals that was more sour than anything.
"More than surviving?" Golem asked, but Jericho was busy drinking, the liquid must have been horrible, judging by how he was squishing up his face. A memory passed in Golem’s mind of a time long forgotten as soon as it came into his head it was gone but it left a distinct message "You know those are bad for you, right?". Jericho slammed the can to the ground coughing and breathing heavily. "I know" he yelled. "Now take me to Lilith!" Jericho demanded.
Golem sighed heavily "Why don't you understand? I am offering you survival, why would you throw it away for a stranger?" Echoing his father, in a memory that wasn't his Jericho, screamed "It's not just about survival! It's about being able to live with myself." In a smooth action that played out faster than Golem could react Jericho activated his Release. He then launched at Golem while transforming his arm into a long curved black blade at least two-thirds his height in length, made of sharpened bone. In a fluid motion and reinforced strength, Jericho carved Golem into two equal vertical pieces. The mouth on Golem’s chest and arm screamed in pain as the body desperately tried to relink the two severed parts but the two halves fell away too quickly.
As the masses of flesh fell to the ground Jericho noticed the cancerous growths were still trying to grow towards each other, meaning Golem was still alive and his body would reconnect itself eventually. But the way it healed meant it would add new biological material to connect the two halves not bring them together. He did not want to hang around to see what monstrosity that would create. The goal now was to find and save Lilith. Luckily with his powers fully released he just needed to follow the strong scent that Golem had left behind.
His arm slid back into its normal shape as he began to double the muscle mass of his legs and shrink his digestive organs to make room to expand his lungs and heart. He took in a deep breath smelling all the foul scents of the Helix Towers until he found the one, he was after. Breathing out he kicked off the ground and darted down the halls racing back down Golem’s path to find Lilith.