Rating Notice: This story is rated R for disturbing images, suggestive themes, nudity, language, and extreme violence, blood, and gore. Please don't read on if you have problems with depression.
The rain poured down relentlessly upon the urban Manhattan landscape. The weather was unusual for the planet, but the girl in the sopping rags wasnt surprised. The out of the ordinarily bad wasnt anything new for her. The rain ranked fairly low on the unwritten list of depressing events.
Her name was Devan. Long had passed the days where anyone spoke it aloud, however. There was no reason to. No reason to acknowledge such an existence, if one could call it that. If there ever was one speaking directly to the urchin, it was undoubtedly someone yelling over an attempted theft, or a property owner commanding her to leave what shelter she might have found.
The withering illness robbed the girl of the quality of life she might have once had. It had been too long a period of her mournfully short life that the figurative cloud had hung in its place. Too long for her to salvage the memories that once were. What those memories were, she couldnt say, but anything was better than the present. If only she could remember maybe she could put herself in a better place, if only in mind. Hope had perished along with spirit. All that remained was animal instinct: Survival.
Devan slumped down against a graffiti plastered alley wall. Hunger was burning its way through her body, she hadnt slept in 2 days, the cough was too bad to allow her a rest, and the ancient clothes that did all they could do cover her frail body were ripped and disintegrated beyond repair, leaving her on borderline nakedness. She was tired. Not particularly physically, but all around, and emotionally. Tired of begging for scraps. Tired of the pain that rippled through her chest every time she took another breath. Tired of everything. Times like this had come before. Times where ending it all seemed the wisest choice. But the young girls willpower to do something so drastic wasnt enough. She could never take her own life, no matter how much a wonderful panacea it seemed to be. So the torment continued, and the rain came down.
Her head sunk between her knees, lamenting once again over the tragic state of affairs. She brought her bony fingers up through her hair to grasp her head in grief. Small, uncontrollable sobs forced their way up, only resulting in lancing pain through her chest and lungs. Crying was a futile action. It solved nothing, it only caused you to ponder over your plight further, and for poor Devan, it hurt like fire. She sniffed up a dribble of snot, trying to fight back the painful action. The tears stopped, she realized. At least that was something to be happy about. Happy
The fragile heart jumped as the sound of a roaring engine blasted through the chasm of concrete and steel. What was happening, the thought shot through her weary mind. It was a cargo vehicle, a pretty big one, and it headed right towards the child. By quick, simple deduction there was plenty of room in width of the alleyway, enough to scurry off to the side and avoid the speeding lunatic. Devan pulled herself to her feet with only a slight wobble. Adrenaline flooded through her skull, telling her along with common sense to get out of the way. She braced her body to run, then stopped short. This was the answer she was looking for. Why should I, she asked herself with tears in her ice blue eyes.
She turned towards her unlikely liberator, forcing her eyelids open. She thought back upon her haunting life for a brief moment, but stopped as soon as she began. What was the use? There was no reason to remember the pain that was all she could recall, only the present mattered now. The present that would bring the pain to its final rest. The tears stopped. For the only time she could bring into her silent reverie, she was happy. Genuinely happy. Her life offered her no escape, so death was all that was left. With that final thought, and the roar of the engine drawing ever near, she did something she hadnt in as long as she could remember. She smiled.
The vehicle blared down the dingy side street with apparent assurance. It weaved not once, aside from carefully avoiding the occasional waste receptacle. No, this was no intoxicated fool, this driver had a purpose. What that purpose was never crossed the young girls mind, but if it had, it would have clearly been wrong. At what seemed to be the last possible moment, the vehicle swerved into a quick slide, stopping just feet short from the thin figure, the sliding doors shuddered open with startling abruptness, and the gloved hands seized their prey with naught more than a whisper.
The event shot past in mere seconds, and Devans tired psyche could do nothing more than close off to the world. The end was not near; this had happened before, men snatching the poor vagrant off to do as they pleased with her frail, unresisting body. She closed her eyes and let the fleeting abduction go forth. She hadnt the energy, or the will to make a stand to say otherwise.
A tear rolled down her ghostly white cheek, and then the blackness consumed her.
The little girls eyelids fluttered weakly as consciousness slowly crept on. She made an effort to twist her head to the side, attempting weakly to take in her surroundings, but failed in her anemic haze. The energy to do so wasnt in the childs grasp, and her head settled back to its original position. She let her eyes close again, even such a pitiful action was an effort. The jumbled thoughts drifted through her mind aimlessly, a desperate attempt to take hold onto some sort of emotional or spiritual foundation for her flailing lack of knowledge and awareness.
The first thing she realized was how cold it was. She wasnt clothed, and the table on which she was laid, or rather, bound to, was made of a slick, and freezing, steel surface. Her befuddled mind fought for lucidity.
After a handful of cloudy moments, it came back. Not all of it, only the bits that really mattered. She was sick, dreadfully sick. She was poor, piteously poor. And most of all, she was alone, all alone.
Her eyes managed to crack open, gazing down to her body below. Patches, tubes, and every sort of horrific medical tentacles and lances littered her bare body from head to toe. As the clarity furthered, she became aware of a thick plastic tube dangling down her throat, beginning at a nostril. Her head rolled to one side in obvious effort, taking sight of multicolored pouches of liquid hued every color of the rainbow, suspended orderly along metal frames housing monitors, buttons, and other devices she couldnt ascertain.
For all the IVs and tubes probing and lancing every orifice and surface, the pain was still there. She took in another withering breath, only intensified by the panic and fear. A quiet cough escaped her burning lungs and her eyes rolled back in pain. A coughing fit was the last thing the girl wanted to start, so she calmed her breathing to shallow gasps, trying to forget the scene around her, and focus on nothing but gaining control of the pathetically difficult task of taking in oxygen.
But ignoring everything around her was impossible. Where was she? How did she get here? Why was she hooked up to all this equipment? The last interrogating thought piqued her interest more than the others. Maybe she was going to get better. Maybe someone found her and decided to bring her to a hospital. Maybe the frightening picture around her was a good thing, something that could fix her. The tired little girl entertained the thought as long as she could, but the doubts were inescapable. Optimism was not something she was good with.
Why was she still in such pain if she was connected to all these devices? Surely there would be some form of pain killing substance along with all of those bags of unknown fluid. She was obviously drugged, she decided, but what was doing that? If something was strong enough to knock her out like it clearly had, wouldnt it numb the pain in some way? Thoughts bounced around her increasingly lucid mind. Unless the incapacitating substance wasnt in one of the hanging bladders around her. No, it couldnt be, the fog clouding her thinking was growing thinner as the minutes clocked by. The knockout drug must have been given to her when-
It all flooded back.
Ahh, hello little Devan. How are you feeling? A tall, heavily built male in an immaculately pallid lab coat strolled up beside the table, giving the terrified child a knowing smile.
Devan pulled her chapped lips apart, fighting against her vocal chords to mutter something in reply. Wh-Where The action tickled her burning chest, causing her to reel in pain as another cough surfaced.
The man raised both hands in ease, Please, do not push yourself. Youve had quite an experience, havent you?
Experience? What was this man talking about? Her brow creased at the comment as she regained control of the coughing.
The abduction. I hate that word, dont you? He clarified, feigning a remorseful frown.
Wh-Why did you they, take me? The girls voice resounded sounding little more than a whispered squeak.
To help you, Devan. Youre very ill. He clasped his hands behind his back, walking slowly away from and around the table. When we heard of your plight, we had to do something. We came and got you as soon as we could, isnt that right?
Devan closed her eyes in reflection. She was in the alley, the cargo vehicle was raging straight towards her, it swerved at the last moment, the doors flew open, and thats all she could remember. Came and got her? The disturbing man said it himself, she was abducted.
Why Why did they abduct me like that? Her voice returned slightly, and she was able to utter her thoughts without coughing. Why didnt they just tell me they were here to help? Seldom seen anger was rising in her voice. Why did they grab me and knock me out! Why-
Her voice cut off as a metallic phrase blared out from a speaker overhead, Dr. Volker, were ready to begin simulation R-5.
The confident facade cracked slightly as the voice cut off. Simulation R-5?
Whats that? What are you really doing to me! Devans weak tone cracked, and another destructive coughing fit erupted.
Nothing for you to be concerned with, my dear. His words seemed to be an attempt to be calming, but his image now was icy cold. He walked towards an exit, turning back to Devan with fake smile.
The poor girls head was spinning out of control. She couldnt imagine anything worse happening, yet it was. She couldnt understand what was happening. She tried to understand, and she was met with a wall of stone. People were lying to her, but why? What use did they have with someone like her?
The panicked ideas racing through her mind, her heart beating faster still, her breathing pushed to furious pant, she couldnt take the sudden influx of emotional trauma. Darkness hazed around her vision, and her mind shut down. After a final desperate, grasping moment, unconsciousness returned.
The scene rung with a muted whine, giving the reality an air of confusing unease. A dim grey blur phased in amongst the darkness, burning through the haze and into the girl’s mind.
Where am I, the cloudy thought arose again.
It only took a moment this time before the realization struck Devan. She fought for clarity, panicked as to what was going to happen. The grey blur slowly became clear, but the unidentifiable whine didn’t stray a note. The object looked to be some sort of metal device, unsurprisingly. The room was dark, however, and didn’t become any clearer as her tired eyes focused. She couldn’t tell if the room was the same one as before, or a different one entirely. She still didn’t even know where she was or what was happening.
A sliver of the object above lit up with an eerie azure glow, a light pulsing from left to right and back again at a calculated pace. The entrancing luminosity steadied the girl’s troubled mind; back and forth, back and forth, it went. Her eyes followed the motion reflexively; the sight was almost soothing. The pace of the beacon suddenly changed; slowing to a near halt for a moment, it abruptly began its horizontal strafe at double speed, increasing the tempo faster and faster as she watched. The whine grew more and more intense as the confusing spectacle continued, sending her mind spinning as the velocity swelled and the tone transformed into a fierce scream of electronics.
Paying attention to this was useless, she decided. Whatever it was going to make happen, it was going to do so either way. She closed her eyes and drifted back into some form of slumber almost immediately.
---
Devan’s eyelids shot open again, but not in the dark, scary room this time. She stood on an awe-inspiringly large plain of dirt and rubble, a dark, troubled violet sky overhead. A chilling wind blasted across the plateau she found her self atop, sending a shiver down her body as she surveyed the visage.
“Here you are, Devan.” A coolly modulated male voice sounded from behind her, and a heavy coat found itself over her shoulders.
She instinctively spun to face the unknown individual, finding herself looking up at a tall man with a soft smile on his pale face. His hair was beautiful and long, hued the deepest shade of black, swaying gracefully in the icy wind. He looked down to the child, smiling sincerely and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“I’ve been hoping to see you for quite some time, Devan.” He nodded, his gaze unflinching off the girl. “Tell me, how do you feel?”
The incredible scene around her had taken up all of her thought, but after the question her attention shot to herself. She took a breath of the cold air, expecting a simmering fire of pain to lance down her throat and into her chest, but it never came. She took another, and nothing but sweet oxygen found its way to her lungs. She purposefully coughed, and the result again involved not a sliver of pain. She looked to the stranger with wide eyes, speechless as to a response.
“The pain will come no more.” He stated absolutely, turning his eyes away from her and to the stretching plain before them. “Please, look on. Turn your eyes at what lies before you.”
Devan had no reason but to heed his request, and she turned to face the spanning wasteland before her. The sky lit up like wildfire as silent lightning seared through the dark purple clouds, the winds howled across the fields like ethereal wolves hunting for their prey, and the vegetation lacking ground rose in fragments of stone and debris as the currents of air cut through with incredible force. The scene was frightening and mystifying, but the girl wasn’t afraid in the least. Her eyes affixed themselves upon a massive section of an unidentifiable stone statue the size of a small home as it dislodged itself from the earth and drifted across the barren meadow like a feather in the breeze. A torrent of wind blasted across, and the object accelerated towards a giant boulder not thirty feet to the northwest of the girl. It crashed into the stone with unreal force, pieces of debris splintering off as the statue crumbled helplessly and whipped off out of sight under the inhuman gale.
“It’s quite amazing, is it not?” The man spoke finally, turning his head to the girl again.
“Y-yes, it’s… amazing.” She replied uneasily. “What is this place?”
He smiled again faintly, turning his head to the sky. “The Steppes of Eternity, Devan.”
“What is that-” Her query softly ended as the man tenderly put a finger to her lips.
“Shhh…” He hushed soothingly, extending an arm towards the plain again. “It’s about to begin.”
The child turned back towards the wasteland, her eyes transfixing immediately upon it in awe as the scene slowly changed before her eyes. The clouds crackled and sputtered, dissolving under a piercing illumination from above, vanishing to reveal a shining lavender sky and a blazing cyan sun lighting the landscape with a beautiful aura of radiance. The devilish winds slowed to halt, the girl’s tangled hair falling down over her eyes as she gaped on at the event unfolding around her. She parted it to one side, feeling it smooth under her touch and slide silkily over her ear as she did. The barren earth lit up from east to west as the last of the gloom evaporated into thin air, a vibrant wash of grass and multicolored flowers appearing its place. It only took little more than a half minute, but the landscape before her had changed from a dark wasteland into a shining, optimistic meadow of vibrancy and life before her eyes.
She looked to the man, and smiled warmly. “Please, what is this place, really?” Devan repeated, though she already knew the answer clearly.
The shady room with the evil devices sat around her still, she knew that. This would not change no matter how she much she wished what was before her was real. The incredible scene around was nothing but a dream, that much was sadly obvious to her now. All the same, the smile stayed upon her lips. If she was to die, or suffer, or linger on with her pathetic existence, so be it. She was in her beautiful, warm, sunny, pain devoid dream world right now, and nothing could take that away from her.
“The beginning of your journey, Devan. This is only the beginning.” The man answered, looking upon her with caring eyes. “This is the gate to Eternity. The face of the existence to come. You’ve only scratched the surface of the beauty before you; the beauty and peace to come.”
She furled her eyebrows slightly. “I don’t understand.”
He knelt down before the child, his warm eyes still fixed upon her own. “You will.”
“But, this is a dream.” She smiled sadly back at him. “You, all of this, will be gone when I wake up. And then…”
A dark look washed over his face, a gaze of sadness for the child. “I’m so sorry, Devan. The trial you must endure will be painful and frightening; I will not lie to you.” He smiled again, placing both of his hands on her shoulders. “But I promise you, upon all that is good and just, this world, this place around you, is not a dream.”
A light tug pulled against her back, but she shrugged it off as a draft of air against her coat. “I believe you.” She nodded back, still trying to envelop herself in the false reality. “I want to stay here forever. Can I do that, stranger?”
“Yes, you can, and you will.” He stood up and took a few steps back from her.
The tug came again, this time more forcefully. “What’s happening?” She frowned helplessly against the pulling force. “What is this?” Devan demanded, the invisible grasp pulling her with some force now.
The stranger shook his head seriously. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Devan. The pain can’t end just yet.”
She dropped to the ground, digging her fingers into the foliage and dirt as the force tugged her backwards with incredible power. “No! You said I could stay here forever! You promised!” She screamed and sobbed, earth cramming down her fingernails as she fought with every fiber of her being to stay put.
“And I meant every word that I said.” He replied quietly. “We’ll meet again, Devan. We’ll meet again very, very soon, but not just yet.”
Tears ran down her face, the panicked drops of salty liquid flying off into the unknown behind her as they fell off of her face. The pull jerked her with unreal might, dislodging her fingers and sending her flying backwards, further and further, into the dark unknown. She screamed out to the wonderful stranger that now grew smaller as she fell back into darkness, but the words would not come. Her eyes closed powerlessly as the girl resigned herself to whatever was coming next.
The darkness wrapped all around, and slumber returned.
Doctor, what are we doing here? The unsettled voice of a woman echoed quietly through the dark room. This doesnt seem right.
An amused chuckle sounded out from the large man in a lab coat. Were on the brink of war; the brink of death; my dear Lucille. He stated matter-of-factly. Morality is dead.
The woman nodded uneasily, putting a mask about her mouth. I I know. Im with you, Dr. Volker.
Good. He smiled quickly before putting on a surgeons mask of his own. Then shall we begin?
The table bound girls eyes were open now, darting around the room frantically. The machine overhead continued its furious strobe and ear piercing shriek.
Volker stepped over to Devans side, efficient as ever, each stride purposeful and calculated. He gave the girl a useless smile, injecting one of the various intravenous tubes with an unknown substance.
It will be over soon, my dear. He comforted with an apparent lack of emotion.
Devan tugged against her restraints with all the energy she could muster, but was only slammed back down to the table under the secure lashings. Her effort forced her into a painful coughing fit, and she rest back down on the table, fighting for breath.
Why? She squeaked out, but her voice was too weak, and was inaudible under the blaring electronic hum.
Her thin biceps flexed slightly as she geared up for another fighting attempt against her ties, but a sudden wash of tiredness overtook her body. A soft thud sounded as her arms dropped to her sides, and her head slumped back against the freezing metal table. She thought to open her mouth and speak, but her lips wouldnt move. What was happening, she thought hysterically.
Another horrible realization hit her after a moment: she couldnt breathe. Her eyes began to water under the lack of oxygen, her chest burned like fire as her vision blurred; she didnt have the stamina to hold her breath for longer than a few seconds. Volker appeared over her suddenly, a lance tipped tube in his hand. Devans eyes rolled back in her head as a sharp stabbing pain shot into the bottom of her throat. She cried out in her mind, but her mouth stayed in its position.
A rush of air blasted into her lungs, and they screamed out in painful shock. The doctor had lanced her trachea with an oxygen tube. The searing pain still cried out in her throat, but she was breathing again.
A shudder of rolling metal scraped out a sound above the unknown machine, and a massive apparatus of devices slid into place above her frail, bare body. She tried to shut her eyes and wish it all away, but her eyelids wouldnt move no matter how hard she tried.
The trauma must be at its peak for this to work to perfection, Lucille. The man barked to the woman and a few others near her. Now.
Lucille hesitated, a tormented look clearly visible in her lavender eyes. Yes Doctor.
A metallic whir sounded out above the machines roar as a fist sized metal drill bit lowered down from the frightening contraption. Oh my God, Devan gasped inwardly. This had to be a nightmare, she told herself over and over until her brain was trembling in terror. The screaming whine sliced through her eardrums as it continued its mechanical descent towards her abdomen. She couldnt close her eyes; she wanted to look away, but she couldnt bring herself to do so.
The tip of the feverishly rotating drill head kissed her stomach, a flash of crimson spraying in all directions, painting her porcelain belly a light red as the cloud of blood settled across her body. A spatter of dots appeared on Volkers coat and mask. The pain was undeniable; it felt as if a hot poker had buried itself in her belly button, sitting there as it seared her flesh away. The drill continued its murderous path, tearing away strips of flesh and muscle and painting the poor girls body a deeper shade of the grim color. A splash of wetness shot across her face, dripping crimson liquid into her right eye. Tears rolled down the sides of her face as she willed herself to die; but no such thing would come. She could feel the tearing jerk as the device tore through her intestines and organs; the pain was indescribable, her eyes shot away from the gruesome vision. Her body shook violently as the razor sharp tip scorched her spine and ate through the frail bone, shattering the segments mercilessly as it found its way to the bottom of its dooming mission, and screaming in effort as it slashed into the thick metal table. A dark haze fell over her vision as she lost all feeling of her mangled body, a sensation of wishful finality falling over her hysteria. It was over; it was all over.
The unknown machine above increased its psychotic tempo, the azure light becoming near to a pure line of blinding energy, the deafening howl now almost unbearable. The doctors and assistants donned earmuffs and dark glasses in view of the scene before them. Devans body felt nothing but a warm tingle sizzling through her core, a confusing feeling of floating in her mind. Perhaps this was how it felt as it all ended, she mused helplessly.
And then she was gone.
Weve lost her doctor. Lucille stated with a shivering sorrow in her tone. The Charon is initiating its final phase.
Very good. Volker nodded, looking to the machine above as it strained under the intense action. This is it.
The Charon shook viciously, bolts and lashings snapping and ricocheting against the walls of the room. The people ducked down to avoid the hazardous projectiles, paying close attention to the machine before them all the while. It shined a blinding blue light, encompassing the face of the out of control device.
Something is wrong. The man whispered under his breath as he stared in horror at the spectacle before him.
The room shivered as the machine looked to be about to fly apart. All but Volker braced themselves for an explosion.
And it stopped.
The machine squealed to a halt, smoke drifting about the tired machine. Lucille and the others warily rose to survey what had happened.
The large man scurried over to a monitor on one side of the room, his eyes hurriedly scanning the readouts. Damn it! He slammed a fist down on the console, tossing his head back in anger. We have nothing. Nothing!
Lucille dropped to the floor and began crying. What have we done? For what? She looked at the man with a furious gaze. Weve murdered and tortured a child for what? She screamed, her voice cracking hopelessly. What!
Devans eyes flashed open blankly. Leonn?
A shiver ran down Volkers spine, and he turned slowly around towards the gore strewn table behind him. Who just said that? He demanded.
Lucille could do nothing more than stiffly point towards the table before her.
Leonn, where did you go? The girls brow creased in honest confusion. Did you turn out the light?
Volker cautiously made his way to the deceased child, his eyes wide in fear and befuddlement. The girls eyelids were wide open, but her gaze was hollow and transparent, as if she was blind.
You Youre dead. He stammered plainly.
Devans gaze focused suddenly, her head turning to the man next to her. You. She murmured, her eyes a crimson glow.
She sat up, turning to hang her legs off the table. Her eyes turned down towards her body.
Naked and mutilated. She mused aloud, staring at the gaping, bloody hole in her stomach. Volker, you killed me. You bored through my stomach and killed me, didnt you?
He fell backwards to the blood spattered floor, pushing himself away from the girl. How can this be?
God is wreaking his vengeance upon us! We have to survive! One of the nameless doctors rushed towards the girl in terror, a scalpel in his hand.
Devan turned her head inquisitively towards the frightened man as he stabbed the tool into her chest. You helped him. She declared, unfazed by the injury.
She raised her left hand to the instrument, pulling it out emotionlessly, then turned to the gaping doctor before her. Without hesitation, she thrust out her right arm, embedding her seemingly fragile fingers and palm into his chest effortlessly. His eyes bulged in pain as she grasped his racing heart.
She could feel the rapid beating of the vital organ. Youre afraid. She said with a touch of confusion. You dont have to be. Youll never fear again.
His face froze as she squeezed, the valve exploding under his ribs. She recalled her hand immediately, and the man crumpled to ground. Lucille scampered frantically under a desk, pulling her knees against her and fighting back terrified tears.
Devan turned to another two doctors who stood frozen in place before her. You helped him too. You all did. She raised her arm again, flicking her wrist to the left, and both men fell to the ground lifelessly as their necks snapped like twigs.
In-incredible Volker muttered, gazing upon the blood soaked child in horrified awe.
She hopped down off the table, her eyes burning with pure emotion now. You You started all of this. You planned this for years. You planned your twisted schemes of power and science. She accused, venom bleeding from every syllable as tears dribbled down her face. And you will die for it.
The hanging apparatus of various metal devices shifted immediately to her side, its dripping metal drill bit glistening in the darkness. The machine shuddered to life as the device began its spin, crimson drops flinging across the room from its wicked teeth and nodules.
Volker tensed his muscles to move, but was suddenly thrown into a backwards slide, his back pinned against the wall behind him. The machine followed him slowly and precisely, pinpointing its target as the drill lowered further.
He tried to scream out for help, but his lips were glued shut. He tried to close his eyes, but the strength to do so was gone. His heart dropped and his mind wailed in agony as the device touched down against his stomach, slashing through the first, fresh layer of skin and sinew. Next came his flesh and muscle, then his organs and bowels, followed by his spine as the drill lanced into the wall behind him. His limbs finally fell limp, his head rolling to the side as death took him.
You dont deserve to go there, but fortunately for you, thats not for me to decide. Devan said aloud, looking down to her own body again.
She closed her eyes in slight concentration, and a shadow of smoke overtook her bare skin, materializing suddenly as a loose drapery of dark cloth.
Lucille, frightened out of her mind and reeling in shock, crawled hurriedly towards the rooms exit.
Another one? The child cocked her head, and Lucille suddenly froze against her will.
Devan walked slowly towards her, a curious look on her face as she observed the speechless female. You didnt want to do this to me?
Lucille shook her head vigorously. N-no! No I didnt! She assured. Im so sorry Im so sorry. The woman sobbed and pleaded. Please
Apology accepted. The girl nodded. Ill make this as painless as possible. You can rest now. She raised a finger towards the woman and a spatter of cherry colored liquid hit the wall behind her, a trickle of it running down her forehead and off her nose.
Lucille slumped to her side, her eyes transfixed upon nothing. Devan walked out of the room and into a hallway.
Now, where am I? She asked aloud to no one in particular. She continued down the corridor, her eyes drifting to a console on the wall.
She lifted her arm, gliding it softly into the console as if it were air. Her eyes closed in contemplation of the data that she tore through rapidly. Her mind connected with the databases and message dumps instantly, observing each and every shred of information as it offered itself into her hand.
Juneau. She stated idly. Thats where I am. It was Liberty who did this to me. She frowned, a mix of anger and sadness on her face. But Ill do even worse to them. Theyll see.
She continued her trawling search through the endless stream of files, picking out the interesting ones and immediately committing them to memory. A squad of armed soldiers appeared at the east exit of the hall, raising their firearms towards her.
Surrender yourself now, demon! One of them shouted, his laser rifle trained on her head.
Demon? She repeated with a confused tone, turning her head towards them as she continued her search. Im not a demon.
She blinked voluntarily and the far end of the corridor burst into blinding flames. Screams and yelps reverberated through the hallway for a moment before going quiet. The girl turned back to the console to dedicate her full attention to the task at hand.
Now, this is interesting. She murmured as a string of files flowed through her mind.
A dark space vessel appeared before her, its delicately crafted design dancing through her mind. She mentally caressed the lines and curves of the midnight black fighter, observing its defensive capabilities and power levels.
Interesting indeed. She nodded slightly, committing the files to memory and peering into the next string.
The vessel before her now was looming, incredible and monstrous in size. Its heavily armored hull plating adopted a dull shade of dark brown metal, with numerous details and systems visible along the fa?ade, as well as inside the complicated design. A deep, highlighted grooving of text was embellished on a section of its side: Osiris.
She committed the new files to memory, then humorously crashed and reformatted the databases housing all information in the two designs. She did hope that Liberty didnt want or need those files, because they would never have them again.
A crisp and clear map of the shipyard in her head, she strode gracefully through the countless hallways and entrances, making note to reward anyone who stood in her way with a quick and painless death. They were only following orders, she agreed. There was no need to make their suffering any more elaborate than necessary on their way to the next realm.
Now then, I need to leave this place.
She turned a corner and exited a hallway to find herself in a large hangar area littered with various military vehicles and space vessels. The girl recognized them all from her memorization of most of the stations database, identifying the ships as Avengers, Executioners, Liberators, as well as a few gunboats. Choosing the Avenger in the best working order, she placed herself in the cockpit, firing the engines up promptly.
A few minutes later she was floating in space, gazing upon the extensive controls before her. The girl knew nothing of space flight, but such knowledge was unnecessary. She initiated the engines and locked onto a large gate before her that she recognized as the way out of the heavily guarded system she found herself in.
Before I do that, however Devan mused, recalling the designs for the first vessel she had lifted from the databases. Why dont we make this a little more interesting?
The slick grey hull of the Avenger class fighter shuddered and twisted, contorting and lurching in flux unnaturally. The light color scheme hazed and faltered, inhumanly transforming to an eerie shade of black. The wings stretched wide and powerfully, coming to a halt with the rest of the seemingly possessed metal. The Avenger was gone, the dark, unknown vessel from the files in its place.
That went better than expected. She raised her eyebrows slightly, observing the new cockpit around her.
Her reflection was cut short as a massive cloud of naval vessels drifted in front of her. No hails came, but gunfire surely did. She focused on the systems of the vessel, weaving in and around the hostile fleet. The nose of the ship turned towards the gate in the distance, but she turned back towards the largest vessel suddenly.
No, lets thank them in turn for their actions. She decided, closing her eyes again in concentration.
The tiny black ship drifted lazily around weapons fire, maintaining a collision course for the large Liberty Dreadnought class warship situated at the core of the battle group. Its image flickered as it approached, fading in and out of sync with visible reality. The vessel disappeared into the warship, nowhere be seen, only to glide gracefully out of the starboard side a moment later.
My work here is done.
Brilliant plumes of fire and flames appeared across the face of the massive vessel. Debris shot out through space, slashing across the ships near it to reserve them a similar fate. The doomed vessel shifted and moaned, coming apart in multiple sections and bursting into energy.
Devan opened a comm link with the remaining ships within the vicinity. You all will pay for what you did to me. Okay? Hidden tears found their way to the corners of the girls eyes.
The ominously massive jump gate before her creaked and groaned as she initiated its systems, bringing herself into its invisible arms. Space fluctuated and flashed as the small black vessel disappeared into reaches beyond.