Chapter 3: The Escape of the Machine

here is chapter 3 of the other story, i plan to have botched posted in the next few days, the chapter is a bit longer then expected, i am also taking organic chemestery this samester and that is a job in it self,

 


 

“Shadow…” I called hoping for a response from my lost friend but none came; only silence was the response. My anger flared hot over my lost friend and I walked out of the room, deciding that I had enough of this place and wanted out, to be anywhere but here.  I walked out of the room to the black door in the hallway and making up my mind to deal with this in a violent fashion, I slammed my fist into the center of the door, and with a groan I could see a dent in the large black door and looking at the frame of the door I could see small cracks. Hitting the door again, I could see the door bending in its broken frame. After a few more hit on the object that I had decided to take my rage and sorrow out on, the door made a loud cracking noise, followed by a loud groan as it fell out of its frame. Now, I was able to move further down the hallway.

Walking down a short hall, made of the same green metal as all the others, hoped to find a way that opened up to the outside. Walking out of the hallway into a large dome I looked up.  It was not the blue sky that I was expecting above me, but a dark blue roof of water. It was at that moment that I was noticed, that I was not alone.

“O crap!” someone yelled, “He’s loose in the main dome”

With that shout, loud noises started to blare around me. Commands, in a language I did not know, were being shouted and I could hear the boots of many people moving toward me. I decided that the second note might be the more reliable one and I headed back the way. Running down the hall I reached to my side to get the sheet of paper from under my new metallic skin. Pressing against it, the metal flowed to create a small opening. Reaching in, I grabbed the sheet of paper. Quickly glancing over note I got to the blue door. With a running start I rammed myself into the door, but the door proved to be the stronger. Reeling back at the failed attempt at going through the door, I thought to myself, “What does this guy think I can do?” calming myself down, I pulled back my black and blue fist and rammed it into the door. The walls seemed to rattle and water started to flow through the cracks in the door. Right before I can get in my second hit I hear a voice.

“Stop what you are doing Therin, you will kill us all if you do that” the voice said from the walls.

Swinging around, I shouted, “Where are you? What am I doing here?”

“I am in the control center in the second dome, and you are here to host a suit. Come here and all will be explained.”

“No, you might kill me if I go there, like you tried with the door.”  I yelled.

“What do you mean try to kill you, we need your help.”

“I don’t believe you; I am leaving in three minutes and figuring things out myself. Do what you must to not to be killed, if that is the truth.” With that I started counting. Upon reaching 180 I slammed my fist into the door and water started to flow through the large cracks in the door. Slamming into the wall once again the door made a large screeching noise and the frame broke and water started to stream in flooding the halls around me.  The metal skin surrounding my form protected me from the relentless assault of flowing water but it could only do so much to protect me from the biting cold of the water. After a few moments the water’s assault lessened as the hallway was completely flooded and the feeling of warmth suffused my body driving away the cold of the deep ocean. Going to the hole I made in the door, I tried to swim out but found I was unable to swim in this heavy metal form. So I decided to walk following the second note, I set out into the cold dark outside the door.

 

************************************************************************

 

After walking for a while in the cold sandy depths of the sea, I felt the pressure on me start to lessen on my shoulder. Continuing further I noticed that the water surrounding me was slightly warmer. After hours of walking in the dark depths, another lancing pain occurred, that forced me to my knees. I felt just exactly the same as at the base, with the pain receding I heard Shadow,

“What happened…? Where are we?”

“Shadow you’re alive! I thought you had been destroyed with the new suit’s creation.” I shouted joyfully, as bubbles streamed all around me.

“I don’t know what happened but, I’m back. So, again, where are we?”

“Well, after you did not respond, I waited for a few hours. Then getting tired of waiting I broke through the door and found myself in a big dome underwater, just like the second note had said. It was at that time the people holding us noticed that I had gotten out.  Noticing me they sounded an alarm. So deciding that the second note had proved more reliable, I went and found the blue door. Breaking it down I started walking into the cold ocean depths and here we are now.” I explained.

“So let me get this straight. After I blacked, you broke through a few walls including the water lock and walked outside the door. And now we are under water somewhere, and have no idea where we are going.”

“No I know where I am going, the note said just keep going forward, otherwise that about sums it up.” I snapped.

“Well… nothing we can do now just hope you get somewhere before we starve.” Shadow mockingly replied.

“At least I won’t die of thirst, right” he joked while walking under several kilometers of ocean.

With that brief exchange of words we went the rest of the way in silence but I was happy that Shadow had returned.

After a few more hours of trudging through sandy ground, I started to see light filter through the water. Over joyed that I had finally reached land, I ran the rest of the way to the shore. Coming out of the water I surveyed a broad beach with trees further inland. Finally reaching the shore I jumped down embracing the dry sand. I withdrew the suit back into my own body and just rested amongst the warm yellow grains. Enjoying the feeling of the warm sand, “Shadow, I am tired you won’t go away again will you?” I asked.

“No,” shadow stated, “I will always be with you.” With those words I fell asleep on the warm sand.

 

*************

Awakening to the angry sound of my gut, I realized that I had not eaten anything in at least 2 days. Deciding on finding something to appease my hungry gut, I set out into the forest. Going over my sparkly clothed frame I could see some of the changes that metallic skin had done to my body. Not only had it made me very pale, almost transparent. My gaunt frame exposed with broken lines of color showing on my skin almost like a spider web,  but the suit had destroyed the clothes that I had been wearing up to this point, leaving me with only a simple silvery cloth to surround my loins. Thinking on that I also needed to find something to cover myself.

After walking in the woods for some time, “Someone is coming towards us.” Shadow warned.

wondering around the dark forest I saw the faint outline of a rather large man in the distance. Quietly I moved into the trees, hoping to hide myself from this unknown person. Crouching behind a large palm tree I watched the person walk closer. After a few moments I could make out details and saw it was nothing but an old man with bleached white hair, wearing a pair of shorts and a white t-shirt and a pair of dark sunglasses. It is at that point that the soft wind that had been blow in from the sea shifted toward the old man and with that he called out, “Who is there?” i hid behind the tree and said nothing.

“I know you are there. I could smell you, so come out. I won’t harm you”, the man called.

“I mean no harm”, I called; “I was just passing through this area and will soon be on my way after I get some rest.”

“I don’t smell any fire, and you reek of the sea. Why do you not join me at my house about a mile from here and I can get you some food. I don’t get many visitors around here and would enjoy the company.”

“I think he is blind”, Shadow said in my mind.

“What gives you that idea?” I thought back.

“The language is all about smell not sight and the dark colored glasses. I think we should take up his offer.”

“I would like that.” I responded to the man, “but I am not in the best condition to be going to people’s house.”

“What do you mean?” he responded.

“I just woke up here today with only a loin cloth for covering and not much else. I have nothing to repay your kindness.”

“I own a farm and could always use workers.  I am blind so you not having any clothes on won’t bother me, but we should find you some stuff to put on.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how do you work a farm if you are blind?”

“I have a Sight-Visor at home that allows me to see, the only problem is that it does not work in the dark. So it is useless now, but it lets me farm and be in peace.” The farmer stoically replied.

“I don’t know much about farming but if you will have me I will work.” I said.

“Well… all I need to know now is your name stranger.” he said with a laugh. “I am Kraal.”

“People call me Therin” I replied.

“Well let’s get going before some mean creature gets us.”

With that exchange of words we walked through the dark forest of palm trees and oaks for a few miles. We walked into a clearing in the woods, and in the center stood a large stone brick house. The house stood like a silent guardian over the glade, vines clinging to the solid stone reaching towards the bright moon hanging in the sky. Walking up to the house I could see several fields of trees that I could not identify but the fields seemed to stretch over the horizon. Reaching the house, Kraal placed his palm on the door and a click could be heard as the door unlocked. Stepping into the door I walked into a small blue room with round ring on hook in front of me. Kraal grabbing the ring put it on his head and turned saying, “Well it’s good to see again. We should start by getting you some cloths. Then we will cook supper; you look like you haven’t eaten in at least few weeks.” he said. Walking through his blue walled hallway, we enter into a large room with a large table and chairs with plates and silverware set as if for a high end party.  He led me down a green hallway connected to the room into the back of the house. Along the walls hung not only old photographs but had some newer holographs depicting three dimensional people that I could only guess were his relatives. We turned half way down the hall into a red colored room with only a bed, a dresser, and a closet contained within. “Something in here should fit, my nephew is about your size just not as thin.” he said. “Put these on after you take a shower it is further down the hall on the right.”

“Nice place.” Shadow said, “We were lucky that he took us in it gives us time to figure out what is going on. We should also try to hide the ridges on your skin; we don’t want to have to answer questions about the suit.”

Well I guess you are right, but I don’t think we have to worry about him asking questions. He can’t see very well as you pointed out and if things get bad we can always leave. Well… let us enjoy a shower and get all this salt off of us shall we?

Walking down the hall with the new cloths in hand I go into the small bathroom setting my new cloths on top of the sink counter. I took off the smooth silvery loin cloth that I had been wearing up to this point. Placing on the counter I stepped into the bathtub and turned on the shower.  I proceeded to wash off all the salt and sand from my trek at the bottom of the sea. “Shadow, do you remember anything from before a few days ago?” I asked.

“No I don’t. The first thing I remember was being woken up when they pulled me off a table and dragged to the cell we were put and realizing my body was not my own but yours, now ours. I figured out my body was not my own when I heard your thoughts, while you were in a dream… I know it is not that helpful, but there it is first thing I can remember. Also when did you pick up the name Therin?” Shadow asked.

“While escaping the base the commander, I guess, he yelled: ‘stop Therin you will kill us all’, I guessed he was referring to me so I took the name.”

“We will figure everything out don’t worry, but now you might want to get out of the shower and go get some food.”

Getting out of the shower I clad myself in the new cloths. Taking the silvery cloth, so I can wash it later, I left the bathroom, as I was walking down the hall, I started looking for Kraal in this big house. After 10 minutes of searching I came into the kitchen and fond Kraal leaning over a pot of what looked like some kind of stew. “Have a nice shower did ya?” he asked.

“Yes thank you very much for your hospitality; I hope to repay you with my hard work tomorrow” I replied. “What are you cooking? If I might ask it very smells good.” the moment I said that my stomach growled.

“It is venison stew. It promises to be very good if the buck it came off of is any indication, I killed the thing myself. It will be ready in a moment why don’t get us some drinks, they are down the hall in the pantry.” Walking down the hall I open the door to a mid-sized room lined with cans, dry goods and other food stuff and in the corner I grabbed two glass bottles of beer of the shelf and get back to the kitchen.

“Are you sure drinking is the best idea? If you get too drunk, I will take over to prevent you from doing anything silly.” Shadow remarked.

“It will be fine it is just fine a beer.” I replied.

“Do you even like beer?”

“I don’t know, well we will find out won’t we?”

“Hope these are fine I grabbed them off the shelf” I said to Kraal.

“That will be great; you know how to pick a brew.”

At that point a loud gong rumbled through the house. Kraal got up and started walking to a hallway. Saying “Wow two visitors in one day, just stay here I will get it and be back in a moment.

“Do you think they found us Shadow?” I asked.

I don’t know but we will find out in a few moments, won’t we ? and there is not much we can do about it. She replied.

After a few tense moments Kraal walked back into the room san said, “There were some strange people out there. They kept saying that someone in a metal suit was seen by satellite walking on to the beach this morning and wanted to know if I had seen any metal men walking around. I told them I had met a traveler today, but there was no metal on him then they left. Do you know anything about a metal man?”

Shadow took over saying “Yes, I saw a man made of metal today but he ran off into the woods as soon as tried to talk to him.”

“How and why did you do that?” I thought to shadow

“So you would not have to lie, and on ‘how?’, I have always been able but it is very hard to take over while you are awake, along with judging that if you were to lie to him you would be caught.”

“Well they will figure it out in time I guess so let’s eat.” Kraal stated.

I started eating with the thought that he did not believe me totally and commented as much to Shadow. After dinner I was showed to the guest bedroom and after I wished him a good evening and confirming the time that we will start working I got into bed.

Shadow, do you sleep? I asked.

“No I do not think I sleep but I do other thing to occupy my time while you sleep, so do not worry about me.” She replied.

Well good night and we will see how tomorrow goes. I said while falling asleep.

 


 

i just realized that this is a 3k chapter… it happens

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Chapter 2: The Birth of the Machine

 

“Where am I?” I thought to myself as I woke up. “What happen… Ahhhhhh!” I cried out, it felt like daggers were cutting along my body. After what seemed like an eternity of sheer agony, I felt the pain lessen.

“What the hell was that?!” I shouted.

“That was a side effect of the bonding I guess.” Shadow responded.

“What bonding, what is that, and where am I?” I looked around the spartan metal box i was in shining green in the light of the glowing sphere of a lumen orb. A simple cot was the only other object in the room. “What is this place?” I thought.

“This is a holding cell” Shadow said, “We were brought here while you were unconscious and I couldn’t do anything to stop them from moving us.”

“Wait, what is going on?,” I yelled “I can’t seem to remember anything and… wait, what do you mean by our body?”

“Do you not feel different?”  Shadow whispered, “Look at your arms, or legs or any other part of our body, do you notice anything different?”

I pulled the lumen orb from the sconce set in the wall and I looked at myself under the cool light of the orb. Everything seemed normal, but I felt something was off. Drawing my arm closer I saw lines, raised bits of flesh along my arm. Frantically, I looked to my legs and saw the same raised lines of flesh, though unlike my arms these are growing and I could see them progressing down.

“What is this?!” I screamed, starting to claw at my arms and causing bloody furrows along my flesh.

“Stop!” commanded Shadow, as blood started to run down my arm, “You are hurting both of us. Just calm down and think for a second.”

“What do you mean I am hurting both of us? YOU are not even here, are you? You are just talking from some other room through speakers.” I yelled at the walls. “Come, face me, and explain what is going on.”

“I cannot unless you call for me.”

“What? You want me to say, ‘Come forth Shadow’?” I gruffly replied. At that moment my skin started to writhe. A dark gray metal started to seep from the ridges on my skin, in small patches all over my body. Accompanying it was a feeling like ants crawling along my skin. “What is this stuff?” I called out, “and where are you ?”

“I am here inside of you; at least I think I am.”  Shadow said in a whisper, “I am metal and more growing in our body. However I do not know much more than you do. I only know a little that I have been able to deduce from the people around here and the brief flashes of memory that touch me from time to time. Though I can take the pain away.” Saying this the crawling feeling vanished in an instance.

“What is this metal,” I asked, “and what are you and what have they done to me… I mean us?”

“I do not know anymore then you do. I have only heard snippets from the men that dropped us here before lowering this wall around us. Though it made no sense to me… but it is bound to be interesting.” Shadow replied.

I touched the cold smooth patches of metal before it sank back into the ridges of my flesh. Strange sounds of creaks and groans started to filter in from my metallic prison, as time wore on I watched the ridges of flesh spread to the rest of my arms and legs as the thing under my skin grew. It was then that a thought came to me. “Shadow,” I muttered, “do you know how long we are supposed to wait in this cell?”

“No clue.”

“Well that is just great.” I said, before lying back down on the cot.

 

*****************************************************************************

 

“Oh… well I am getting out of here.  Shadow, how do I make the metal skin come out?”

“Why should I know, do exactly what you did last time?” shadow responded

“What did I do last time?” I thought to myself.

“You said, and I quote, ‘come forth shadow’ and, I might add, not in the most pleasant of manners” shadow quipped.

“Stop reading my thoughts!” I yelled.

“I cannot help it, your thoughts and your words are the same to me I cannot differentiate between the two.” Shadow angrily responded, “it does not matter just continue with what you were saying slash thinking”

“Well anyways let’s try to bring the metal skin out now. Come forth shadow.” With that phrase, my skin started to itch as I saw patches of black metal flow out like water, just like before, but there was a new color added to the twisting flow, a dark blue flowing from my forearms to take up residence along the top of my hand flowing into a honeycomb of blue metal that extended from the middle of my forearm to cover my whole hand. When the metal stopped flowing I noticed that there are still patches of pink skin on my arms and legs where the metal did not cover, the skin stood in stark contrast to the black and dark blue metal flowing over most of my slender frame. I stood up from the cot that I have been resting on and moved to one of the smooth walls of the room, which were imprisoning me, and pulling back my fist I threw a punch at the wall. That punch, which seem of its own volition to spring forth like a snake striking its chosen prey, slammed into the wall where the metal flexed and tore before my assault. Then using my hands I tore open a hole revealing a hallway of the same green metal that seemed to stretch in both directions stepping into the hallway I looked see the ends of the hallways both end in turns. “That was easier than expected.” shadow stated, “well we should go left, that is the way they dragged us from before they dropped us in the room maybe there is a way out there”

I started walking down the hallway as shadow suggested peering cautiously at every turn, but everywhere I look all I could see is more of the green metal and sconces with lumen orbs in their cradles. After walking for what seemed like a half an hour I came up to a solid door made of a stark black metal with silvery streaks running down the door. Walking up to the dark door I saw a slip of paper stuck on it. I picked it up and it said,

Congratulations on figuring out some of the abilities of your suit and for making it this far. Now here comes the hard part. As you might have noticed there is no one in that section of the base, this is on purpose while you figure out the specifics of your suit, it changes based on the person and could turn out very dangerous for anyone in the area, so this door will not open till you have the suit fully grown in your body. That being said you are probably very hungry and I am guessing you look rather gaunt. We have left food laced with different metals that the suit can use down the hallway to the left and through the door marked with dining hall. We will tell you over the base intercom when we wish to meet with you and where you should go from there. Have fun.

P.S. Don’t break any more of the base’s walls, someone has to fix them.

“Well that is why no one is around.” Shadow stated, “But this note makes me wonder if they know about me. Well, nothing we can do about it now. How about we go to get something to eat?”

After a short walk following the directions on the sheet, we made our way to a room with a black door that had an etched brass plate that was crooked on the door. The plate read: “Dining hall”. Just as I was about to open the door, “Wait! I don’t like the look of this, Shadow spoke up,  Take a closer look at the plate it seems off.” Taking shadows advice, I look closer at the plate and notice that the plate is just stuck on the door. I pulled off the plate and underneath etched in the black metal itself the words, “Reactor fuel storage: mag suits required in room” were revealed.

“Good job for noticing that, that could have ended badly.” Moving to the side of the door I wanted to check if there was some mistake, so I punched the green wall and unlike before the metal only had a small dent. “Well this tells us that you are right; there must be a stronger metal behind this wall. So, let’s go back down the hall to the other door.” Going back down the same hall I come up to door made of polished bronze. I look at it closely and notice that there was a square indentation of metal that was missing, which, I guess, is the plate I ripped off the other door, should have gone. Opening the door I see a table with a platter of different foods set on a wooden table.  “Shadow, what do you think, is this also a trap like the door down the hall or was that just some mistake?”

“I don’t know so we should be careful, maybe it was a mistake on their part, but I feel there is more going on than they are letting on.” She said gravely, “but there is no sense staying here so let’s move on.”

Carefully I crept up to the table going to inspect the food and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a sheet of paper hidden in the plate of fruit. This sheet of paper had a different handwriting than before, written in a spidery script was,

They are trying to kill you, so they can have the suit growing in your body. Go back the way you came to the door and break through the wall on the left. There will be a pile of metals that you should be able to absorb into your armor to complete the rest of the systems. After that go down the hall and you should see a blue door, you need to find some way to breath underwater, because I want you to break through, you need to just keep walking forward and you should reach the shore.  Good luck.

-The Bug in your ear.

Pondering this turn of events I ask shadow, “What do you think, should we trust this note rather than the other one?”

“I do not know whom to trust, but the last note tried to kill us. Let us see if this note is any better.   So let us go see if this pile of metal exists.”

Walking back to the black door, I walk up to the place indicated in the note and I easily punch through the wall. I created an opening for my metallic self. On the floor I see a pile of different metals laid in the dark room. I walk to the pile and I reached out to touch the metal expecting, the metal to rush up my arm and nothing happens. “Now what am I supposed to do?” I called out loud. I stared at the metal for almost an hour trying to figure out what it meant by absorbing the metal.

At that point Shadow piped up saying, “Do you have the note from the door?”

“Yes.” I replied.

“Did it not say something about food laced with metals to finish the suit? Maybe you have to ingest the metals for it to be used.”

Looking over the note I saw that shadow was correct “How am I to eat all this metal?” the thought flittered through my mind. “Well,” I said loudly,  “why don’t I do the crazy, and probably not correct thing,  and just take a bite and see what happens? What is the worst that could happen?”

“Our insides could be torn apart and we would die…” Shadow stated bluntly.

Ignoring Shadow’s comment I tried to take a bite out of the black metal in the pile, but no matter how hard I tried I could not even put a scratch on it. Giving up with a sore mouth, I finally withdrew the suit into my body and sat back in the metal room. A few minutes later from exhaustion, I fell into the quiet embrace of sleep.

I woke up a few hours later. In that dark room no closer to finding out what was going on than before I fell asleep

“Have a nice nap?  ”Shadow asked.  “I have been busy as you might be able to tell”

Looking around I noticed that the metal was gone “What happened?” I asked in amazement “Did you figure out how to absorb all the metal?”

“Well eventually it got inside us… with some help from me.” she muttered.

“How I could not put a scratch on those bars what did you do it?”.

“I’ll tell you later… now bring out the suit I want to see the improvements” Shadow eagerly stated.

“Did you use the suit while I was out cold?”

“Yes, but I recalled the suit about 20 minutes ago, right before you woke up.”

“Come forth Shadow.” I called at that moment something strange happened, the last few times it itched over my body but this time something different happened. Instead I felt a pressure under my skin wanting to burst forth. I looked down and I saw the metal flowing over my skin, the black and the dark blue and now with wisps of orange and red, the metal started to harden around my body. Then feeling something moving by my ears, I felt the metal slowly trickle and creep down over my eyes and mouth I started to panic! The metal was not the black or the other colors of metal that was slowing flowing over my eyes, but this metal was clear like fine crystal and then after the flow of metal consolidated over my face and the rest of my body, then came the pain. The lance like pain that made me fall to the ground in sheer agony, my ears started ringing, and the feeling of fire over my skin as my vision started to fade. I felt that death itself had come to take me. Then it stopped as suddenly as it started and I could see again then I noticed what it had done to me. I could see as plain as day in this once dark room. “Shadow” I called “what just happened to me… Shadow are you there?” there was no response, “Shadow !” and with that I felt an emptiness that I could not remember feeling before , I felt alone.

 

 

here is the last of the chapters that i feel are worth pushing out as i have not really proofread the other chapters that i have written

Chapter 1: Waking from darkness

 

Pain. The first thing I remember is pain, and the feeling of emptiness.

“Wake up, wake up!” a voice said loudly, as my mind started to stir

“The bonding was a success there is no need to worry”

“Then why won’t he wake up?”

“He will, don’t worry, but don’t get your hopes up, remember the consequences of the bonding” was the last thing I heard as the world started to fade around me.

 

Starting link… Testing connection… Is anyone there?

“Who is where?” The thought flittered through my pain filled mind.

I am your shadow. “The Voice responded.

“Who is my shadow?”

“I am. I am a shadow, who is created from your mind and I will be with you until the day you die.”

“What do I call you, shadow?” I asked through the haze

Whatever you wish,” That Is the last thing I heard as the world once again faded into blackness.

 

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The coming storm (working title)

          “So this is a suit user candidate?” stated the hawk-eye man dressed in general’s regalia.

          “Yes,” stated the doctor. “He has the gene marker required to bind to the suit we managed to liberate from the Aliere Confederation.”

          “Will he survive the process? This guy looks like he should be buried instead.” The military man replied with some skepticism.  “Though, compared to some of the other people in this hospital ward he is not so bad off.”

          “Well yes, he did smash into a mag pylon. I think he is rather good shape considering. Though we will need to do some of the patch job, the suit will fix the rest. Though there is not much point a lot of the internal organs will be taken over by the suit.” the doctor replied.

          “Well, Adjunct see to it that he has the best chance of surviving the process. We will need him, if we ever want to be counted as a full member world of the LeÁslic imperium.”

          “Though sir, I must ask… why you are moving him to another facility?”

          “Sorry, but that is classified.” The general replied. “Also, Adjunct, I heard that this corpse had some family in town, Could you please pull the information so that we could contact the family?”

 

 

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