Zyon
Grease and sticky black goo from the creature drip from my fingertips.
My body reacted on its own as soon as I saw Arlene in danger. I have no memory of how I even got to this place. Just flickers of a fight and an explosion.
"Are you okay?" Arlene's voice pulls me back to the present,
"Uh…" I try to voice out my thoughts and feelings, nothing comes out.
Arlene just nods like this is normal, "Good. I have a plan, and you're going to need to hold them off,"
Hold who of? I almost ask.
Then I look up and spot five animatrons coming straight for us from across the field.
Arlene's words finally register in my brain,
"Wait did you just say I have to hold them off?"
"I'll be right back," she's already jogging away and calling over her shoulder, "Just make sure you don't let any get past you,"
"Are you crazy!?" I yell at her retreating back in dismay.
There's nothing stopping her from using me as a decoy so she can hop on her bike and escape.
Stats, figures and lines of code blend into my field of vision, like a trick of sunlight.
Blinking red in the lower corner of my vision are two warnings,
I shake my head. I'm pretty sure it isn't normal to see numbers and energy readings in my field of sight.
The surge of strength I felt just a moment ago was fleeting. I look at my hands.
I know this body has abilities, but how do I access them again? Is there a command prompt?
"Okay body system do something!" I cry in desperation, waving my hands and wiggling my fingers.
"Uh, system upgrade?"
"Laser beams?"
"Super strength activate?"
Nothing happens. Crap I'm going to die.
Time suddenly freezes. Something is watching me.
Like a projector slide, the scenery changes. I find myself in a strange domain. The air is vaporous and sky blue. My surroundings like the inside of a simulation.
Someone is standing in front of me. He appears like an unrevealed character in a game. Zero features. Just his general outline made of blurry lines.
"So you're the Symbiote they think can defeat me?"
The voice is cruel and cold. Goosebumps break out on my skin.
"I…who are you?" I stammer, my knees are like jelly,
He chuckles low and dark, "You humans amuse me with your pathetic attempts to defeat us. But I'm curious to see what kinds of powers you have."
He flicks a dismissive hand, "If you don't die. You and I will meet. So survive if you can. Just know that I'm watching your every move."
My vision ends. I'm back in the field, no time has passed at all. I'm about to be turned into shredded meat by the animatrons.
An engine roars from behind. I risk turning my head. Arlene's gripping the handlebars of a motorcycle and hurtling towards me at full speed.
At first I'm glad to see her because it means she didn't abandon me after all. Then I realize I'm in her direct path,
"Zyon! Get out of the way!" She yells,
I dive to the side immediately. Arlene zooms past and at the last moment she jumps off and lands on me. The bike crashes into the animatrons, they jump on it like a pack of hungry wolves on prey.
The engine rumbles for a few more seconds. Then an electromagnetic pulse field expands violently. Within a few seconds the animatrons all lay lifeless on the floor. The lights in their red snuffed out.
Arlene and I are a heap on the floor. She's on top of me and my arms are around her waist.
Her breath tickles my neck and I'm very aware of how soft and feminine her body is. She smells amazing like blooming daisies and a gust of fresh air just before rain.
She groans and lifts herself up, a sly grin on her lips.
"I didn't think that was actually going to work but boy am I glad it did, come on we have to go," She offers her hand which I accept.
"Was that a hallucination just now?" I mumble. If you don't die you and I will meet.
"What?"
I look at Arlene, her green eyes are intense and there's a smudge of dirt on her chin. She's beautiful and crazy. I'm kind of terrified of her.
I decide not to tell her about my weird vision. My instinct tells me to keep it to myself.
It might not even have been real.
"Nothing," I say.
"We should get going, they could still be alive," She says.
I trudge besides her, heading for the edge of the field with no idea of where we're supposed to be going.
"Can you please explain to me what the hell is going on here?" I say.
She glances at me from the side of her eyes, her lips pressed into a thin line, "You really don't know where you are or how you got here?"
"I feel like I've said this a thousand times already, no I don't."
She explodes into a fit of rage.
"I can't believe this, then what's the whole point of you?"
I flinch at her sudden harshness.
"I didn't ask for any of this you know! I just found myself here," I try to defend myself,
She shoves my chest, she's stronger than she looks. I stagger back.
"You just killed that animatron with your bare hands so stop with this innocent clueless act, because I'm not buying it. I know what you are, now just tell me what message you have for me!"
"I don't know how I did that, I swear it!"
Her face becomes like marble. "Tell me who sent you or I'm going to kill you right this instant,"
I laugh weakly, she must be joking.
She takes up a fighting stance, brandishing a knife from out of nowhere.