57 The Greater Good (2/2)

'You promise not to kill him?'

The guard clicks the safety off his weapon and holds it to Marcus's head.

”I'll give you till the count of 5 to tell me why you're really here. 5...”

The touch of the cold metal to his temple tenses up his form. He stops struggling against the guard's tight grip and his mouth goes dry. Surprisingly, his knees remain still and continue to bear his weight.

THE HUMAN WILL NOT EXPIRE

”4.”

'Okay. Help me. Help...this guy is a psycho.'

”3.”

Marcus's body is taken over by the Synthetic Intelligence Developer and fakes a loud whimper while dragging the hand clutching the guard's bicep down the arm to caress the male's shoulder.

INCREASING STRENGTH IN LOWER EXTREMITIES AND LEFT HAND FOR 50 SECONDS BY 20%

”2.”

Marcus's fingers dig into the flesh of the shoulder.

”Ack!” The guard's entire stance shifts and the strength of the grip on the gun reduces as he cringes and brings his arm back towards his body.

The grip on Marcus's finger vanishes as the guard presses a hand to the attacked area. Marcus's body wrenches the gun from his grip and pistol whips him on the side of his jaw. The male stumbles back a few steps and collides into the rusted car, but doesn't collapse.

”Oh!” The guard prods at the cut on his jaw

OPPONENT UNDERESTIMATED

INCREASE STRENGTH BY 30%

***

Sia swirls in a circle and absorbs the feeling of being in immersive mode once more. She runs her hand along a white, unblemished wall and sadly smiles at the solid feel of a smooth wooden door under her palm. The deafening silence of this space is comforting after being stuck underground with all the noisy Warts dwellers.

”Please, Apex help me! Help me! I need you! I need you bad!” Sia remembers the last moment she was here and shutters at the difference flashing red and green lights can have on an atmosphere.

Sia lifts her chin and concentrates on what she wants while focusing her eyes on the blinding white ceiling. Two triangular visual prisms pop into existence and lower to come within reach of Sia.

”Uuuh...Why are there two?” Sia hesitates to reach for the two objects.

They stop lowering at eye level and Sia notices that the left device is emitting a flashing light every second, while the right device displays the underground garage and moving figures. Sia bites her lower lip. Her hand reaches up to grasp the device with the peculiar flickering light.

She leans against a wall a few steps from the other floating device and holds the prism up to her face. When she peers into the device with the screen closer to her face she notices a shape writhing in the darkness, but the lights give her a headache. She lowers the device and blinks her eyes a few times.

After a moment, she lifts the device once again and tries to see what was occurring. The lack of sound is definitely making this more difficult than it needed to be.

”This would be easier with sound!” Sia lowers the device and lets it dangle at her side placed against her outer thigh.

Sia jumps and drops the device to the ground as screaming is projected from the ceiling. She covers her ears with her hands and cringes, ”Can you turn that down?!”

There is no reaction to her question. What could the Synthetic Intelligence Developer's systems be preoccupied with? The screaming stops momentarily as a rush of water is heard. Sia drops to her knees and reaches for the device with one shaking hand.

The lights are no longer flashing. It appears that the screen is showing a recording from a surveillance camera positioned high up in a corner of the room. The fluorescent lights illuminate a black medical recliner chair with metal armrests. Across the chair are multiple restraints that prevent the dark form lying across the reclined examination chair. The tiles around the base of the chair are split and cracked.

The creature is being sprayed with jets of water from two different angles. It is being hosed down. The creature is trembling. When the water collides with his form the impact shifts him to the side. The white tiled floor is obscured by light green sludge.

There is a medical cabinet and an exam table in the background. But Sia can't see any other items or people standing in the camera's field of view.

Sia presses her fingers to the screen and mimics the movements she would make on her smartphone to zoom into an image. The image adjusts and a long appendage can be seen wriggling in the light green sludge. Sia shutters and taps the screen twice, nothing happens.

”Zoom out,” Sia orders, but the device doesn't comply.

The dark form is glistening under the lights except for the deep white holes in its flesh that are seeping green fluid. Scaley skin appears to have been peeled away along the top of its skin to reveal white muscle and bone. The water digs deep into its wounds and triggers a deep, terrified wail to erupt from the tortured being.

She circles her finger around the screen and taps a few times before shaking the object. Amid her frustrated attempts was the correct gesture, the device zooms out. She slides her fingers over the top of the reclined medical chair and uses her fingers to zoom in like before. The image adjusts.

EEEEEEERR

Sia closes her eyes and grinds her teeth as a loud siren noise erupts from the ceiling, but it ceases after a moment. Sia blinks away tears as she looks back down at the viewing screen. The first thing she notices is that the water is no longer spraying, but the next moment she gasps.

Glaring up into the camera are dark brown eyes.