Deepest apologies, devoted readers.
A strong mixture of forgetfulness, periodic busying activities and other bothers has caused me to not even begin writing the third portion of the story. I would like to start as soon as possible and will indeed do so as soon as I affirm I have the time.
At the moment my body lacks energy and I require sustenance, therefor I will venture into the wilds of my kitchen and eat.
Until which time I have energy and no tasks to accomplish, I am simply unable to write.
Again. My apologies!
-Omniscience
The Package: Incarceration
Darkness: not the soothing and cradling darkness of restful nights or the calm and mysterious darkness of a slumbering city. No, this was the cold and fearful darkness of the mind; a horrifying stew of sweat, adrenaline, and phobic thoughts that keep the heart pounding even in the deepest of sleep. Consciousness, normally a luxury, was a cruel gnawing at the back of Adrian's head, filling his body and mind with uncomfortable sensations and a pulsing reminder that he was in pain.
For a long moment, Adrian's head lolled about and he swam in the visions of his darkest memories and dreams. Pain, however, continued to tug at his hands and back. It was a life line to reality and consciousness that proved to finally pull him from the dark waters of his subconscious.
“LAURA!”
Adrian's shout was like that of a mad man and he leaned forward in his seat, eyes flying open. When his mind finally caught up with the sudden action, Adrian recoiled and buttoned his eyes shut against the light that shone on his face. His hands were bound behind his back and his legs were fashioned to the metal chair legs.
Golden eyes squinted at the light and Adrian groaned slightly with a curl of his lip.
“You're quite the sleeper.”
Adrian sucked in a breath at the voice and drew every muscle in his body tense in rage, drawing a high creaking sound from the ropes as they yanked taut. It didn't matter who the voice belonged to: Adrian wanted to rip his head off. Everything flooded back to the young man now, the stinging pain in his back as he hit the pavement.
“Where have you taken me?" Adrian responded sharply.
Only a patronizing laugh came in response and Adrian's brow furrowed harder, were that even possible.
“You'll find out soon.”
The figured stepped closer and Adrian lowered his eyes in a futile attempt to view his captor through the curtain of light. Acute senses picked up on the fact that this figure was still moving, though no longer forward and Adrian's furrowed brow turned up slowly in question. Maybe more shocking than waking up to the light in his face was now its absence. A temporary blindness in the form of dark colors and shapes gave Adrian no better of an image of his captor than prior. The captive cursed under his breath.
“Make up your god damned mind.”
“You know, I'm impressed with you. To think that a mere mutant-”
Adrian hissed loudly from his throat and he bare his blade like teeth.
“Metahuman! Get it right...”
“Of course.”
The voice responded with what one might call an audible eye roll.
“This is the point where I am supposed to say something quirky and intelligent that makes you angrier, right? Respond in a toying manner to manipulate you into the set of emotions I want you in. Torture you in every possible way to get the answers to questions I have not even yet asked, right?”
Adrian's head slowly cocked to the side as his captor spoke. The voice caused ire in Adrian that was more subtle than a mosquito bite and teased at his senses in a way that was most unpleasant.
“When was the last time you had a psychiatric exam?”
Adrian said through a weird look to mask his quivering spine.
“Last Thursday.”
Adrian's eyebrow crawled up his forehead.
“You know what they told me?”
Adrian blinked a bit and the image before him began to take shape in his returning sight. The narrow face and elongated jaw was masculine, with a matching neck. A tall forehead and short hair that looked to be a mess of spikes and stray hairs characterized the man before him.
“They told me I was unstable”
Adrian swallowed and shifted uncomfortably. A cold and metallic hand grasped Adrian's knee and he looked down through the corners of his eyes; the lusty surface of the arm glimmering in his hazy vision
“They said I was-”
The voice paused, and Adrian just stared for a moment at the face that came into view: scarred and wide eyed with a madness buried deep within.
“- unfit! Do you think I'm unfit?”
The figure leaned closer and Adrian remained silent as dread crept slowly over his scalp in the form of goose bumps.
“Do you?”
The figure asked again with intention of getting an answer and squeezed hard on Adrian's knee. In an effort to stomach the pain, Adrian's lips curled in a belligerent sneer and his fingers curled hard into his palms.
“Stubborn I see.”
The voice said with a playful tone, leaning back a bit and finally taking his iron grip away from Adrian's now battered knee. Adrian silently made a face at the interrogators back and let his relief flow a bit until the man turned to face him again. Before the young man could react in any way, the interrogator slammed a pointed metal finger and thumb into Adrian's thigh.
“You think I'm unfit too!”
The interrogator accused him. Adrian attempted to gasp in pain as the hydraulically-driven metal fingers pressed hard against his flesh.. Adrian's face grew hard against the pain, a facade that only lasted a moment until pressure grew and the bladed digits tore through his skin and flesh until lodged deep within his muscle.
“You're just like them.”
Another finger slammed into his skin and penetrated instantly into the inner muscle. Adrian fought to keep himself under control despite the worsening situation.
“You think that I'm dangerous too.”
Adrian found his breath in a sharp intake as a fourth finger tore through his skin and flesh. The steely fingers sunk deeper and made a horrible grinding against his bone and cartilage. Arms, legs and body squirmed under the pain and wanted to cry out, but his lungs would not allow. A single tear streamed down his cheek and Adrian felt hopeless.
Maybe it was that very moment of hopelessness that drove Adrian's concerns and weaknesses away, but as the moment's pressed by, the pain in his leg faded from conscious thought and all emotions and sensations siphoned into one singular emotion.
Rage.
Teeth met like old enemies and Adrian screamed out through them.
“I... hate...”
Adrian tensed every muscle in his body and drew only more pain but used it to fuel the rage that boiled in his blood. Pupils shrunk to paper thin slits as he arched his back and pulled against his restraints.
Snap!
A heavy boot came up from Adrian's left and found purchase in his foes kneecap with a disgusting crack. Fingers withdrew from his flesh and Adrian kicked his free foot down on an angle, causing a small blade to draw out from the side of his boot.
In a flash, his other leg was free and with a sickening pop, Adrian brought his arms over his head, shoulder's dislocating with fluid ease. The chair came with his bound hands and Adrian swung it downwards at the captor. Adrian's elbows jarred as the chair stopped, held firm by the bloodied and cold mechanical grip.
“You never even asked me my name.”
The figure pouted.
“Jericho!”
Adrian felt his body wrench sideways and, with a frightened glance, realized he was about to meet the wall. The chair bent and flexed under the sheer pressure of the throw and Adrian winced as pain shot out from his back to all reaches of his body. The air from his lungs came out in a single powerful blast and for a moment he could not inhale.
Shell shock was the only word that came to Adrian's mind. His thoughts swam and his vision wavered under the looming cloud that threatened to throw the metahuman into unconsciousness again. Pain and feeling filtered away and for a long, silent moment that felt eternal, Adrian could only hear the steady rise and fall of his breath. Vision readjusted and a groan escaped his lips as Adrian looked up to where Jericho had been standing.
A hand slammed palm first into his chest, only this time the hand was warm and soft, though one might not consider bones soft. It forced Adrian's back into the wall once more and his senses rushed back to him as he stared directly into the mad face that was Jericho.
“When I was asked to come here, I couldn't really say no. Five years of rotting in restraints, pills and liquids to keep me sane. How could I even resist the opportunity to feel the warmth of blood on my hands...”
Jericho licked a streak of blood clean from his claw-like hand and frowned.
“I only need one answer to get out of this hell hole. One answer that you can give me!”
Adrian's gold eyes peered up at Jericho's mad sneer.
“Where is it?! Where is the package?!”
Despite his quivering body, racked with pain, fatigue and shock, Adrian managed a bloodied smile that stretched slowly. His chest began to shake slightly and his shoulders jounced; laughter slowly overcame him until he began to sound hysterical.
“Hahahaha!”
With a free hand, Adrian pointed to his head, still laughing.
“It’s here!”
He exclaimed with a smile that was nearly a counter to Jericho's madness. Madness such as his, though, was far more dangerous. Jericho leaned closer and shook in anger, attempting to find the words to speak and make his captive understand and be afraid. Adrian opened his mouth to form another smile and turned it into a sneer as he leaned forward and snapped his teeth onto Jericho's nose.
Jericho's scream echoed through the circular room like a child's cry and with a frantic motion the mad man clawed at Adrian's chest with weak and unfocused strokes. A final hard strike by his mechanical arm threw Adrian back and released Jericho from the bladed grasp, though where the teeth sank in there lay two dotted lines of bloodied flesh and a taste of blood that Adrian would relish and remember.
Armed figures burst through the double doors to the room and leveled their weapons at Adrian, who was grinning with bloodied teeth. Jericho was sobbing like a child into his hands. Some of the soldiers glanced nervously at the mad-man and Adrian; it was obvious they had never seen such a frightening man weep.
“Restrain him!”
A voice came from behind the men. It was feminine and cool but, with a razor’s edge to follow the steely tone. Some soldiers moved forward to restrain Adrian and he did not resist although he did have trouble standing. The woman, who barked the order, was wearing a light variant of power armor and had a very mature, fine look to her face.
“Come to mama.”
She cooed at Jericho who shuffled in her direction and began to speak indecipherably through his sobbing. Adrian only stared with an inquisitive and demeaning gaze at the woman who now babied the obviously mad man-child. Her face was soft and motherly towards Jericho, but as soon as she turned toward Adrian, he thought his blood might run cold from the gaze she gave him.
Who are you?
Adrian asked himself, his gaze never leaving her as he was guided out of the room. Even when the doors were closed, his gaze bore into it and begged it for answers until a soldier jabbed at him with the butt of a gun to face him forward.
For a long moment, Adrian's head lolled about and he swam in the visions of his darkest memories and dreams. Pain, however, continued to tug at his hands and back. It was a life line to reality and consciousness that proved to finally pull him from the dark waters of his subconscious.
“LAURA!”
Adrian's shout was like that of a mad man and he leaned forward in his seat, eyes flying open. When his mind finally caught up with the sudden action, Adrian recoiled and buttoned his eyes shut against the light that shone on his face. His hands were bound behind his back and his legs were fashioned to the metal chair legs.
Golden eyes squinted at the light and Adrian groaned slightly with a curl of his lip.
“You're quite the sleeper.”
Adrian sucked in a breath at the voice and drew every muscle in his body tense in rage, drawing a high creaking sound from the ropes as they yanked taut. It didn't matter who the voice belonged to: Adrian wanted to rip his head off. Everything flooded back to the young man now, the stinging pain in his back as he hit the pavement.
“Where have you taken me?" Adrian responded sharply.
Only a patronizing laugh came in response and Adrian's brow furrowed harder, were that even possible.
“You'll find out soon.”
The figured stepped closer and Adrian lowered his eyes in a futile attempt to view his captor through the curtain of light. Acute senses picked up on the fact that this figure was still moving, though no longer forward and Adrian's furrowed brow turned up slowly in question. Maybe more shocking than waking up to the light in his face was now its absence. A temporary blindness in the form of dark colors and shapes gave Adrian no better of an image of his captor than prior. The captive cursed under his breath.
“Make up your god damned mind.”
“You know, I'm impressed with you. To think that a mere mutant-”
Adrian hissed loudly from his throat and he bare his blade like teeth.
“Metahuman! Get it right...”
“Of course.”
The voice responded with what one might call an audible eye roll.
“This is the point where I am supposed to say something quirky and intelligent that makes you angrier, right? Respond in a toying manner to manipulate you into the set of emotions I want you in. Torture you in every possible way to get the answers to questions I have not even yet asked, right?”
Adrian's head slowly cocked to the side as his captor spoke. The voice caused ire in Adrian that was more subtle than a mosquito bite and teased at his senses in a way that was most unpleasant.
“When was the last time you had a psychiatric exam?”
Adrian said through a weird look to mask his quivering spine.
“Last Thursday.”
Adrian's eyebrow crawled up his forehead.
“You know what they told me?”
Adrian blinked a bit and the image before him began to take shape in his returning sight. The narrow face and elongated jaw was masculine, with a matching neck. A tall forehead and short hair that looked to be a mess of spikes and stray hairs characterized the man before him.
“They told me I was unstable”
Adrian swallowed and shifted uncomfortably. A cold and metallic hand grasped Adrian's knee and he looked down through the corners of his eyes; the lusty surface of the arm glimmering in his hazy vision
“They said I was-”
The voice paused, and Adrian just stared for a moment at the face that came into view: scarred and wide eyed with a madness buried deep within.
“- unfit! Do you think I'm unfit?”
The figure leaned closer and Adrian remained silent as dread crept slowly over his scalp in the form of goose bumps.
“Do you?”
The figure asked again with intention of getting an answer and squeezed hard on Adrian's knee. In an effort to stomach the pain, Adrian's lips curled in a belligerent sneer and his fingers curled hard into his palms.
“Stubborn I see.”
The voice said with a playful tone, leaning back a bit and finally taking his iron grip away from Adrian's now battered knee. Adrian silently made a face at the interrogators back and let his relief flow a bit until the man turned to face him again. Before the young man could react in any way, the interrogator slammed a pointed metal finger and thumb into Adrian's thigh.
“You think I'm unfit too!”
The interrogator accused him. Adrian attempted to gasp in pain as the hydraulically-driven metal fingers pressed hard against his flesh.. Adrian's face grew hard against the pain, a facade that only lasted a moment until pressure grew and the bladed digits tore through his skin and flesh until lodged deep within his muscle.
“You're just like them.”
Another finger slammed into his skin and penetrated instantly into the inner muscle. Adrian fought to keep himself under control despite the worsening situation.
“You think that I'm dangerous too.”
Adrian found his breath in a sharp intake as a fourth finger tore through his skin and flesh. The steely fingers sunk deeper and made a horrible grinding against his bone and cartilage. Arms, legs and body squirmed under the pain and wanted to cry out, but his lungs would not allow. A single tear streamed down his cheek and Adrian felt hopeless.
Maybe it was that very moment of hopelessness that drove Adrian's concerns and weaknesses away, but as the moment's pressed by, the pain in his leg faded from conscious thought and all emotions and sensations siphoned into one singular emotion.
Rage.
Teeth met like old enemies and Adrian screamed out through them.
“I... hate...”
Adrian tensed every muscle in his body and drew only more pain but used it to fuel the rage that boiled in his blood. Pupils shrunk to paper thin slits as he arched his back and pulled against his restraints.
Snap!
A heavy boot came up from Adrian's left and found purchase in his foes kneecap with a disgusting crack. Fingers withdrew from his flesh and Adrian kicked his free foot down on an angle, causing a small blade to draw out from the side of his boot.
In a flash, his other leg was free and with a sickening pop, Adrian brought his arms over his head, shoulder's dislocating with fluid ease. The chair came with his bound hands and Adrian swung it downwards at the captor. Adrian's elbows jarred as the chair stopped, held firm by the bloodied and cold mechanical grip.
“You never even asked me my name.”
The figure pouted.
“Jericho!”
Adrian felt his body wrench sideways and, with a frightened glance, realized he was about to meet the wall. The chair bent and flexed under the sheer pressure of the throw and Adrian winced as pain shot out from his back to all reaches of his body. The air from his lungs came out in a single powerful blast and for a moment he could not inhale.
Shell shock was the only word that came to Adrian's mind. His thoughts swam and his vision wavered under the looming cloud that threatened to throw the metahuman into unconsciousness again. Pain and feeling filtered away and for a long, silent moment that felt eternal, Adrian could only hear the steady rise and fall of his breath. Vision readjusted and a groan escaped his lips as Adrian looked up to where Jericho had been standing.
A hand slammed palm first into his chest, only this time the hand was warm and soft, though one might not consider bones soft. It forced Adrian's back into the wall once more and his senses rushed back to him as he stared directly into the mad face that was Jericho.
“When I was asked to come here, I couldn't really say no. Five years of rotting in restraints, pills and liquids to keep me sane. How could I even resist the opportunity to feel the warmth of blood on my hands...”
Jericho licked a streak of blood clean from his claw-like hand and frowned.
“I only need one answer to get out of this hell hole. One answer that you can give me!”
Adrian's gold eyes peered up at Jericho's mad sneer.
“Where is it?! Where is the package?!”
Despite his quivering body, racked with pain, fatigue and shock, Adrian managed a bloodied smile that stretched slowly. His chest began to shake slightly and his shoulders jounced; laughter slowly overcame him until he began to sound hysterical.
“Hahahaha!”
With a free hand, Adrian pointed to his head, still laughing.
“It’s here!”
He exclaimed with a smile that was nearly a counter to Jericho's madness. Madness such as his, though, was far more dangerous. Jericho leaned closer and shook in anger, attempting to find the words to speak and make his captive understand and be afraid. Adrian opened his mouth to form another smile and turned it into a sneer as he leaned forward and snapped his teeth onto Jericho's nose.
Jericho's scream echoed through the circular room like a child's cry and with a frantic motion the mad man clawed at Adrian's chest with weak and unfocused strokes. A final hard strike by his mechanical arm threw Adrian back and released Jericho from the bladed grasp, though where the teeth sank in there lay two dotted lines of bloodied flesh and a taste of blood that Adrian would relish and remember.
Armed figures burst through the double doors to the room and leveled their weapons at Adrian, who was grinning with bloodied teeth. Jericho was sobbing like a child into his hands. Some of the soldiers glanced nervously at the mad-man and Adrian; it was obvious they had never seen such a frightening man weep.
“Restrain him!”
A voice came from behind the men. It was feminine and cool but, with a razor’s edge to follow the steely tone. Some soldiers moved forward to restrain Adrian and he did not resist although he did have trouble standing. The woman, who barked the order, was wearing a light variant of power armor and had a very mature, fine look to her face.
“Come to mama.”
She cooed at Jericho who shuffled in her direction and began to speak indecipherably through his sobbing. Adrian only stared with an inquisitive and demeaning gaze at the woman who now babied the obviously mad man-child. Her face was soft and motherly towards Jericho, but as soon as she turned toward Adrian, he thought his blood might run cold from the gaze she gave him.
Who are you?
Adrian asked himself, his gaze never leaving her as he was guided out of the room. Even when the doors were closed, his gaze bore into it and begged it for answers until a soldier jabbed at him with the butt of a gun to face him forward.
The Package: Pursuit
Durendel has many Dark alleys for many dark deeds. The massive hive of steel support beams and buildings is an ever stretching labirynth of rooftops and alleyways. To some, this is where evil grows and to others, this is where home is. It is in one of those very alleyways that a young man is running with all haste...
Zzzzzz!
Adrian sucked in a sharp breath as he felt subtle and startling vibrations come alive within the confines of his coat. Again it came, as expected, and lost its startling effect upon the wary creature that carried it. Adrian's footsteps came to a halt as he fumbled for a brief moment in his pocket and shortly procured a small black mobile. His golden eyes pleaded with the object to speak its purpose when text on the small screen scrolled into view. Adrian mouthed the word on the screen; his thin and pale lips accentuating each syllable in a whisper
“Alpha.”
It was a word that held weight in his mind whenever it was spoken. In this case, it could very well have meant any number of things; none of which Adrian cared for in any way. Thus, a strange insecurity welled up in the young man's body every time he slid open his phone to hear that all too familiar voice.
“Do you have the package?”
The words sounded cliché to young ears and Adrian smirked ever so slightly, briefly revealing the shallow angles of blade-like teeth.
“Insecurely, yes.”
Adrian's voice held surprising depth and calm that belied his shaking hands.
“How hot is it?”
Adrian thought for a moment.
“Twenty degrees; Maybe twenty five.”
The next words that come over the line sounded less confident and more upset; the voice rose ever so slightly as it cursed in a string. Adrian winced his silence and awaited a sound tongue lashing that seemed inevitable. No lashing came, however, and the voice returned to a strange calm.
“Too hot.”
“The baker-”
Adrian ceased his speaking abruptly, however, and put his hand over the phone speaker to mask his sudden gasp. Vertical pupils dilated to near circles as the sound of footsteps clattered about the previously taken path over rooftops and into alleyways.
“Serpent?”
The voice inquired with a cautious whisper.
“Serpent!”
“Pursuit.”
Adrian said with a low whisper. However, as he finished speaking, the footsteps went silent and the only sound he could hear in the terrible darkness was the dull thrumming of his heartbeat pulsing in his ears. With a quivering hand, Adrian slid his phone shut and slipped it gently in to his breast pocket. A figure emerged in silence into the light at the end of the alley, drawing Adrian's fearful gaze.
The perpetual darkness of Durendel was never sated and ever thirsty for more victims. Even the artificial lighting around and through the city did little to quell the darkness within the cracks and crevices. It was a bastion for life but, conversely, a breeding ground for organized crime and murder.
Adrian held his breath as the figure, covered in heavy armor, seemed to gaze down the alleyway directly toward him. For a long moment, the figure appeared intent on finding something down the dark alley but would venture no further, lest it meet something more deadly than its prey.
Moments passed and Adrian was still a statue, perfectly still and breathless righ up to the moment that the silhouette disappeared beyond view. When his breath finally did come, it did so in a nigh explosive manner, bursting forth with all haste before quickly rushing back in to recuperate his oxygen deprived lungs. The young man thanked his lucky stars when he felt the figure was gone and started off towards a more secure location. It seemed Alpha was right again; it was too hot. Adrian needed to let things cool a bit before the operation could truly take shape and continue. The only question that remained now was a perturbing one indeed. Where would Adrian Endari go?
Adrian's thoughts came to a screeching halt as a loud bang, accompanied by a short and high pitched hiss, resounded down the alleyway. The bullet whizzed by Adrian's head and he clenched his teeth together in a sneer, silently cursing his fate as he began to run. His legs, strung with whipcord muscles, carried him faster and faster until he passed the realm of human speed. His coat whipped backwards as he moved and the repetitious sound of more gun-fire pressed him to even further feats of supernatural speed.
An answer to prayer came in the form of an intersecting alley that Adrian saw as his only good luck that night. Leaning back and going down on his hand in an attempt to slow down, Adrian tried to make the corner before he simply flew past it. Alas, as he moved into the passage, he met the opposing wall with great force and stumbled about for a moment. He recovered quickly enough and retained enough of his feral finesse to continue running.
Many moments later, Adrian burst out of the alleyway and found himself quickly on and open avenue. Every which way, people walked about the sign-lit streets, moving home, to work, or maybe to shop or eat. Whatever it was, Adrian knew and only cared one thing: these people were not looking for him.
With a quick flip of his collar to mask his appearance, Adrian composed himself and started to wade his way slowly into the steady moving crowd. It was late in the day and no one was in a particular hurry, especially in this laid back section of town. In a way, despite its soaring crime rates, Adrian preferred the lowest tier of the city; people were always humble and held a certain air of self reliance.
A perpetually amazing thing; what poverty does to people.
With a deep sigh that only drew a few curious glances, Adrian sank deeper into the crowd and felt relatively confident that he would be fine from here on out. That, however, was also his last mistake and he felt a sharp sting in his back. Goosebumps and a wave of shooting pain rolled up Adrian's spine and the world spun for an endless moment. His mind raced to all conclusions of doom and death before he could think no more and his body fell flat upon the pavement.
The last thing his waking mind registered was the hot sting of the pavement on his cheek and the heavy step of a looming figure moving towards him.
Welcome, Reader
I am the omniscient narrator and writer. Often will I play the latter role, lesser will I play the former; but on this trip through the darkened future and the Fortress city of Durendel, I will surely be the guide.
After several attempts to write short stories in the past, I opted towards a new approach. A blog... a series of short stories all set in the same universe. The only piece of advice I have is to expect the unexpected and expect some cliches.
I would appreciate any critiques offered as I am here to both vent creativity and please whatever audience I may gather. Your own input may very well affect the future of this story as not even I can say what will happen next until my fingers touch the keyboard to weave further the tale.
I will try and stick to a schedule with my posts and will aim to post once a week.
Every Tuesday, I will try to submit the next installment.
Well, dearest reader, I hope you enjoy yourselves...
After several attempts to write short stories in the past, I opted towards a new approach. A blog... a series of short stories all set in the same universe. The only piece of advice I have is to expect the unexpected and expect some cliches.
I would appreciate any critiques offered as I am here to both vent creativity and please whatever audience I may gather. Your own input may very well affect the future of this story as not even I can say what will happen next until my fingers touch the keyboard to weave further the tale.
I will try and stick to a schedule with my posts and will aim to post once a week.
Every Tuesday, I will try to submit the next installment.
Well, dearest reader, I hope you enjoy yourselves...
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