18 months? That's crazy! I'm so sorry for the delay everyone, you'd think COVID-19 would've given me more time to write but sadly, no. I had to get my head around remote teaching then, once teachers and students went back on site, I changed schools twice just for the fun of it :D
I had to go back and read Irma from the beginning as a refresher on what I'd written so far. Good news is I'm feeling pretty pumped to get back into the story. A big thanks to 'The Visitor' who left a review a few weeks ago and got the old imagination kicked back into gear! Reviews are so so motivating, please leave one even if it's just a few words.
Feeling a tad rusty after so long, I hope you enjoy this next instalment…
"Irma, I'm a genius."
Brodie's grin only widened when she let out a baffled "Huh?" He reached up to shove the goggles back into his hairline, the twin orbs stuttering pink then fading back to a lifeless grey in stark contrast to his own blue eyes which positively sparked with excitement. He lifted a hand towards her face and she only managed to blink dumbly when he tapped a fingertip gently in the space between her brows. "You are emitting Kraang frequencies, just as I suspected." His tone suggested this was something to celebrate, he sat back and watched her with an expectant air.
"I'm…Kraang frequencies?" Irma lifted her own hand, pressing her palm flat against her clammy brow as though she could push back the throbbing that had begun there. "I'm emitting Kraang frequencies?" She felt her stomach twist, bile rising in her throat.
"Yep," he nodded, grin firmly in place. "And if you're emitting them then I'd bet anything you are receiving them too. That's why you're hearing their voices, you're like an antenna tuned in to pick up their frequencies. It also explains why you kinda shorted out when you touched the communication orb, it's like when you hold a cell phone too close to a radio or speaker and get that weird feedback."
Irma's hand dropped to her lap with a thud as her muscles turned to jelly. The twist in her belly ramped up to a hard clench and she felt her mouth water as her stomach threatened to empty the remains of her breakfast all over the front of her shirt. "I'm transmitting and, and…receiving?" She whispered faintly, her skin crawling as that horrible violated feeling rushed back in a wave.
Brodie's gaze had moved beyond her, the excitement in his eyes undiminished even as the grin stretching his mouth faded slowly and was replaced by a thoughtful twist of his lips. He nodded, staring sightlessly out across the park as he sunk deeper into his own musings. "The question is how? The Kraang must have planted a chip in your head somehow, or something like it anyway, their technology is light years beyond ours so it's anyone's guess how they could achieve something like that. I've been studying them since the invasion and I'm only just scratching the surface of what they are capable of." He went to run fingers through his hair but was brought up short by the goggles. He slipped them off his head with one hand and used the other to scratch at his scalp, lifting the strands back to their usual disarray.
"Do you have any idea how they…?" He broke off, attention snapping back to her as she let out an embarrassingly loud retch followed by a groan. She slapped a clammy hand over her mouth. Oh god, she was gonna barf.
Her head throbbed with an ache that came from a place deep inside her cranium, a spot right in the middle of her skull…
Irma launched herself to the side, scrabbling on her hands and knees until she reached the side of the boulder, barely feeling the rough sting of the pitted surface as it abraded her palms and knees through her jeans.
Each time one of the Kraang came to rifle through her head they left a residue behind. She could feel it ebbing and flowing where it didn't belong…
Cool grass kissed her palms, sending shivers up her arms as she huddled on the ground and fought desperately against another heave. Her skin felt too tight, waves of heat and cold running over it as it prickled with goose flesh. She felt a single scalding tear track along her nose to pool against the bridge of her glasses and she wished vaguely that she'd worn her hair out today so it could swing forward to hide her face.
"I don't know what you want, whatever it is I don't have it!" She sobbed brokenly, gazing directly into the narrowed yellow eyes of the alien.
"The human known as Irma has exactly the thing that the Kraang requires."
She vomited.
Irma is having flashbacks to chapter 2 when she was abducted by the Kraang, it was a while ago so just wanted to clarify in case anyone was confused.
Next chapter coming soon…