He felt the pressure-lock shutting behind him. Latching. He clutched at his suit and breathed.
To catch a sane thought he tried to shake off the wooziness, but his head was spinning, fingers tingling. All that adrenalin screaming through his system. The sensation of moving skin and muscles under his hands. The fading power of defense, which wasn’t a defense anymore. His arms would remember that feeling as long as he lived. The nausea was overwhelming. A big gulp forced his stomach back down.
part 4 - perks of jumbled memories
-part 1, -part 2, -part 3
The black suit reacts to his touch with tiny tentacles reaching up towards the warmth of his skin. In no time it seems, the suit has liquified. It wraps him up from head to the tip of his toes. “Stop tickling,“ he giggles.
The suit hardens, and becomes transparent over his face. Those green eyes shine behind the visor, like lit from the inside. Is it bioluminescence? “Can you hear me? How’s it feeling?“ I ask.
“Awesome! But you could take off my leg, and I’d still feel awesome. With her in my system… Everything’s fabulous! She thinks you’re not dangerous.“ His voice is slightly distorted, as if speaking with two voices, his own and a more soft, lightly slurred one.
“…You said… she?!“ Continue reading “The Harpy”
part 3 - code 330
-part 1, -part 2
“What did you mean by, she’s not just a cargo ship?“ Eddy plunks down into a pilot seat, shrugs and ruffles his dark hair.
“You know- They don’t let a rookie doctor and a priceless AI in a man suit, just fly off like that, would they? Your company protects its belongings damn well. What do you think? They let you deactivate the tracking device you know of, and do nothing? Ha!“ I… I really did! Now that he puts it that way, it sounds bonkers.
part 2 - confused AI
- part 1 -another way to die
„Captain Edward Wong, Doctor Oscar Wellington, two cyborg pilots, ninety-six maintenance robots, and me.“ The Harpy answers in a flat tone.
„See?“ Eddy gives me the I-told-you-so-look. „Where is Proto?“ he asks her.
„Proto is not on board.“ What?! „His suit is missing. Scanning… He is jamming me.“ Another I-told-you-so-look.
Proto is my assistant. He isn’t supposed to leave the ship. Where is he? What the hell is going on? He’s going to get in trouble…
part 1 - another way to die
“Ugh. Stop. Go away!” I chase away the light and the fingers forcing my eyes open. „Where’s the horse?“ I crow.
„What horse?“ Who’s voice is that? The light hurts my eyes.
„That kicked me in the chest? Catch it, before it runs off.“ Sighing. The light and fingers retract. “Proto? Is that you?” I try to sit up, but the floor is spinning.
“No. Don’t you scare me like that, EVER again! Stay where you are, you hear me?” Looks like an uniform. I know that uniform. I know that shape. A captainshaped uniform… Oh… I’m in serious trouble. His silhouette swims into my field of view. Why is he kneeling beside me? Huh… I’m soaked. Why? I’m definitely too groggy for any of these answers. „Still on the ship, aren’t I?”
