"Well, Dad, still lingering here? I'd have thought you'd be long gone by now…" I swaggered farther into the room, shoving a drone out of the way. Not sparing a glance at it, I heard it clatter onto the cold floor.
Myriam looked confused but relieved. Dad, on the other hand, didn't give me any indication of how he felt. He continued to hurriedly back up data. He gave me a once-over. "Good, you're dressed to blend in. You," he looked up at Myriam, "start transferring data. Brin, help us as well."
Before he was even finished talking, Myriam had all but run to another computer, and started transferring data to an external hard drive. She looked up at my scowling face, silently begging me to obey Dr. Mar Londo, but I didn't budge.
Instead, I turned to the nearest drone and slashed it to ribbons with my sharp talons. The pieces noisily fell to the floor, startling my father into stepping away from the computer. After a flash of confusion his expression turned to anger. "What in the hell? Brin! Don't you destroy my drones! They may be expendable, but they are necessary!"
His hand hovered over his pocket, as if reaching for a weapon. The movement was involuntary, not conscious but I had seen it. Of course, I thought, the man always has as plan B, doesn't he..?
"Now stop acting like an idiot and transfer the data from the computers!" he hollered, and I detected some anxiety, maybe even fear emanating from my esteemed father. I smirked and got an external hard drive. I made as if to move to a computer, and as soon as my father turned around, I smashed the computer and lunged at the table in front of him, crushing his computer.
He stumbled backwards and fell on his ass. He fumbled for whatever was in his lab coat pocket, but I wrenched it from his grasp and he gasped in fear.
I was still crouched on the table and he was on the floor looking up at me, afraid and shaking. I smirked with satisfaction.
I glanced over at Myriam, who reeked of anxiety. I felt sorry for her, I truly did, but now was not the time. I wrenched my eyes away from her and forced myself to look at what I had taken from my father's grasp.
It looked to be a sort of detonator, charcoal black with grey circuitry that faintly glowed, and topped by a crimson red button protected by a small plastic case. Whatever it was, my dad had definitely not wanted it to go off by accident.
I tightened my grip around the small cylindrical object, careful not to crush it immediately. Despite my efforts I heard a small crack. I leaned in on my father. "What is this?" I growled.
His face hardened.
"What is it?" I barked, louder than last time. Still no answer. I leaned in further. "Answer me, damn it!" He averted his gaze from my face. "Well?" I demanded.
He sighed and mumbled something he thought must've been incomprehensible. I still heard and understood what he said: Contingency plan. What for? What could he have used it for- Oh.
"You…" I roared, "son of a bitch!" I never thought he could go so low. "Filicide!?" I bellowed, pulling him up by his neck. "How could you!?" I squeezed harder against his throat, earning a pained gurgle from between his lips.
I heard Myriam gasp as dad clawed at my hand and arm, trying to free himself from my vice grip around his snaky little neck. I felt a sudden rush; I had this snake's life in my hands. I could do what I wanted and nothing could stop me. The wretched little trickster was going to get what was coming to him.
I licked my teeth. "I am going to wrench the life out of your miserable carcass, you Snake," I sang, happy that the world would finally be freed from this man. I took no notice of the clamor around the ship, everything seemed to slow down, my vision concentrated on the slimy weasel in my hands. I squeezed, hard enough to choke, but not to snap his neck. He didn't deserve to go peacefully, not after everything he'd done.
Something must've happened because I suddenly heard Myriam cry, and I felt heavy vibrations through my feet. I tried to keep tightening my grip, but I couldn't. My hands were, despite my best efforts, loosening. I filled my mind with rage, and hardened my heart like he so often did. After all, he'd always wanted me to follow in his footsteps…
I lifted him higher and threw him through the desk I stood on. It smashed to pieces as his aging body flew through it. I clenched my hand around his wrist, and hefted him up. I punched him in the stomach, just for fun, and threw him to the ground again. I hear some noise in the back of my mind but I ignored it.
I stalked to my father's whimpering form. I stomped on him like the filthy insect he was, hearing a satisfying crack and gasp. My smile widened into a maniacal grin. I lifted the pathetic wretch by the neck and held him aloft, squeezing hard.
I finally heard them. They must've been there for a little while, too shocked to actually make a move. I glanced over my shoulder at them. Even they weren't a sight for my sore eyes. After what I'd seen, and seen myself do, I'm not sure I even wanted to go back to them. I turned my head back towards the half dead snake in my hands.
I growled, a deep rumble filled the silent room. No matter how hard I wanted to, I somehow could just… do it. I felt their trepidation, smelt their anxiety, I heard the fear in their hitched breaths.
"Brin-"
"Move and he dies." I interrupted. I'm not sure who had talked, but I didn't care, I wanted this to be over.
"Brin," a voice pleaded inside my head. Saturn Girl. "Don't do this, you're better than-"
"Am I really? Am I?! Look in there, look! See what I've been doing, what I don't regret. Do you see?" I thought, angry she'd try that sort of bullshit negotiation with me.
"Brin, please…"
"Have. You. Looked?"
"N-no."
"I'm a monster. And you know what? I like it"
She gasped at that, I must've also thought of some of the things I'd done, because she was borderline crying. A new smell appeared; anger. Oh, looks like old Light bulb is mad… I snickered.
"Make a move, Sparky, and I'll kill him." I warned.
"So you've been saying, man. You haven't done it yet, so why would you if we moved? And do you really think I care about that piece of trash?" He replied hotly. "No. But I care about you, you're like a brother. Don't do this to yourself."
I barked with sudden laughter. "I'm not the one who's dying in the next five seconds." I started squeezing harder.
"Don't make me do this…" Superman whispered, only for me to hear.
"Too…late…" My father choked out with a smirk. He brought up the detonator.
When'd I drop that? Before I could do anything he pressed the button. A sudden shock went through me and I unintentionally snapped his neck before seizing up and falling down, thrashing about.
I felt like I was being electrocuted and burned from the inside out. I roared in pain as I flailed my arms and legs, my chest heaving up, violently smashing my head on the ground. I felt my skull split open, and something run down my chin and neck, a mixture of foam and blood. I couldn't feel my tongue anymore, and something now blocked my airways. The only thing I could hear was my own chocked, gurgling screams of pains, while my vision filled with black rings.
I suddenly felt tired, like being tickled for too long, but multiplied a thousand times. I guess they were holding onto my limbs and heads because no matter how much I felt the shocks, the pain and the spasm, my chest only heaved upwards slightly. Involuntarily, I struggled against their grips, sometimes managing to temporarily free myself. My muffled hearing could sense their worried voices, but I couldn't even make out who was who; even though they must've been only about a foot away from my face.
My frantic, tired heart and asphyxiated brain finally couldn't hold on anymore and I fell into dark oblivion.
