Part 22: Rejecting the Past
She'd spent a lot of time running around the Earth that she could remember, going from place to place, being betrayed and turned away by person after person. It had lasted for three years, and before that she hadn't even been ABLE to run. And through it all she'd been frightened... frightened more than she could ever say. But now here she was, finally among those who seemed to have no intention but to help her...
And she was more frightened now than she'd ever been.
She was just waiting for them to configure the Genetic Resequencer, which they would use to change her back into Zardexian shape. Most Zardexians could resume their old form at will, but for some reason Mandy couldn't. Another in a long line of things that were wrong with her. She still couldn't remember anything, though Tarren promised she would remember once she had her old shape back. But remembering scared her as much as the process itself did.
What would happen to her if she suddenly remembered a whole other life? This was the life she knew, the life she'd lived for the last several weeks. Would this life simply have no more meaning once she remembered what really happened? Would the person she was now, be it Mandy or some other entity she had yet to know, completely cease to exist?
She looked up from her large and very soft bed when she heard the door open. Tarren, still in human form for her benefit, stepped inside and gave her a warm smile. "We're ready for you Zeninia." He told her gently. Mandy stood up slowly and walked toward him.
"Will it hurt?" She asked.
"It shouldn't, if everything goes smoothly." Tarren told her. He gripped her arm and gently led her into the hallway, toward the resequencer room in the middle of the ship near the bridge. Mandy walked with him, not speaking to any of the grotesque aliens that passed them in the hallway.
Tarren led her into the resequencer room, where several other Zardexians were gathered around a large glass tube in the middle of the room. They turned toward her when she entered, though they didn't speak or move to attack. Mandy's heart beat hard in her chest, though she knew they wouldn't attack her. She didn't know if she could get used to this...
"Step inside my love, and soon, you will be yourself once again." Tarren led her to the open side of the glass tube. Mandy gulped and stepped inside, turning around to watch the other Zardexians close the door behind her.
"Sir!" Someone shouted in the Zardexian language as he... or she... rolled quickly into the room. It stopped as all eyes turned toward it. "We've detected something strange on our sensors. It's too small to harm us, but we wanted you to command us on what to do."
"Bring it up here." Tarren gestured to a nearby computer screen. The Zardexian rolled over to it and turned it on, displaying the stars outside the ship. The Zardexians stared at it blankly, and Mandy blinked in confusion. It looked like a single relatively tiny missile was streaking through space heading right toward the Zardexian flagship she was on board.
"What is that? A piece of debris?" Tarren asked.
"It fits the specifications of a human missile that our advance scout sent to us sir." The other Zardexian replied. "But we've detected no explosives on board." He said.
"Blast it into-" Tarren stopped when they all felt a small vibration run through the ship, and the small missile in the screen embedded itself in the side of the ship. It looked like a tiny needle plunging into the side of the old Statue of Liberty.
"It has... uh... collided with us sir." The Zardexian stated.
"Yes, thank you." Tarren smirked and turned to Mandy. "You stay here and complete the procedure while I see about this nuisance." He nodded to the Zardexians gathered around the tube before turning to leave with the one that had come to warn them. Mandy gulped and looked around as the others moved toward the control panel.
Who could have fired that missile? Everyone was dead, their bodies stopped by the Zardexian toxin. The only way it could have been fired was if... someone survived... maybe SHE survived...
Mandy looked up when she heard an electric hum erupt from the ceiling. It opened up and several small mechanical arms began to descend toward her. "Wait... no! I changed my mind! I don't want to be turned into a Zardexian!" Mandy pounded on the glass desperately.
"Relax mistress, you will be back to normal very soon." The Zardexian outside the tube told her comfortingly.
"No! No!" Mandy pounded harder as she arms moved toward her. A needle was sticking out of one of them, the tip glinting with moisture. Mandy howled in fear and raised one fist behind her head, clenching it tightly. When it came forward it was pulsing with violet energy as it tore through the glass, sending a hail of glass shards into the alien in front of her.
Mandy leapt out of the tube and landed on the ground, whirling in surprise. "What do you think you're doing!?" The other Zardexian exclaimed in surprise. Mandy growled and charged toward it, punching it in the middle of the ball hard enough to send it hurtling into the wall with a sickening splash. Mandy leapt after it and started pummeling it in a blind rage.
The world around her faded until finally she stopped. Her hands were covered in purple liquid... and almost looked like they were glowing. Upon closer inspection, they WERE glowing, but the glow soon faded. "What the Hell...?" Mandy mused in confusion. Why was she glowing? And why was she able to kill a Zardexian with her bare hands? At the most she should be their EQUAL in strength... shouldn't she?
She looked up in surprise when red lights began to flash, and a voice began to chant in the Zardexian tongue. "Intruders, all hands at arms! Hunt them down and dispose of them immediately!" The voice shouted viciously.
"Intruders...?" Mandy stood up in excitement. If there were intruders, some humans must have survived... and that meant Clover could still be among them. "Fuck Zeninia, I'm happy with who I am." She marched out of the resequencer room with her fists clenched to find the woman who'd captured her heart.
TO BE CONTINUED
She'd spent a lot of time running around the Earth that she could remember, going from place to place, being betrayed and turned away by person after person. It had lasted for three years, and before that she hadn't even been ABLE to run. And through it all she'd been frightened... frightened more than she could ever say. But now here she was, finally among those who seemed to have no intention but to help her...
And she was more frightened now than she'd ever been.
She was just waiting for them to configure the Genetic Resequencer, which they would use to change her back into Zardexian shape. Most Zardexians could resume their old form at will, but for some reason Mandy couldn't. Another in a long line of things that were wrong with her. She still couldn't remember anything, though Tarren promised she would remember once she had her old shape back. But remembering scared her as much as the process itself did.
What would happen to her if she suddenly remembered a whole other life? This was the life she knew, the life she'd lived for the last several weeks. Would this life simply have no more meaning once she remembered what really happened? Would the person she was now, be it Mandy or some other entity she had yet to know, completely cease to exist?
She looked up from her large and very soft bed when she heard the door open. Tarren, still in human form for her benefit, stepped inside and gave her a warm smile. "We're ready for you Zeninia." He told her gently. Mandy stood up slowly and walked toward him.
"Will it hurt?" She asked.
"It shouldn't, if everything goes smoothly." Tarren told her. He gripped her arm and gently led her into the hallway, toward the resequencer room in the middle of the ship near the bridge. Mandy walked with him, not speaking to any of the grotesque aliens that passed them in the hallway.
Tarren led her into the resequencer room, where several other Zardexians were gathered around a large glass tube in the middle of the room. They turned toward her when she entered, though they didn't speak or move to attack. Mandy's heart beat hard in her chest, though she knew they wouldn't attack her. She didn't know if she could get used to this...
"Step inside my love, and soon, you will be yourself once again." Tarren led her to the open side of the glass tube. Mandy gulped and stepped inside, turning around to watch the other Zardexians close the door behind her.
"Sir!" Someone shouted in the Zardexian language as he... or she... rolled quickly into the room. It stopped as all eyes turned toward it. "We've detected something strange on our sensors. It's too small to harm us, but we wanted you to command us on what to do."
"Bring it up here." Tarren gestured to a nearby computer screen. The Zardexian rolled over to it and turned it on, displaying the stars outside the ship. The Zardexians stared at it blankly, and Mandy blinked in confusion. It looked like a single relatively tiny missile was streaking through space heading right toward the Zardexian flagship she was on board.
"What is that? A piece of debris?" Tarren asked.
"It fits the specifications of a human missile that our advance scout sent to us sir." The other Zardexian replied. "But we've detected no explosives on board." He said.
"Blast it into-" Tarren stopped when they all felt a small vibration run through the ship, and the small missile in the screen embedded itself in the side of the ship. It looked like a tiny needle plunging into the side of the old Statue of Liberty.
"It has... uh... collided with us sir." The Zardexian stated.
"Yes, thank you." Tarren smirked and turned to Mandy. "You stay here and complete the procedure while I see about this nuisance." He nodded to the Zardexians gathered around the tube before turning to leave with the one that had come to warn them. Mandy gulped and looked around as the others moved toward the control panel.
Who could have fired that missile? Everyone was dead, their bodies stopped by the Zardexian toxin. The only way it could have been fired was if... someone survived... maybe SHE survived...
Mandy looked up when she heard an electric hum erupt from the ceiling. It opened up and several small mechanical arms began to descend toward her. "Wait... no! I changed my mind! I don't want to be turned into a Zardexian!" Mandy pounded on the glass desperately.
"Relax mistress, you will be back to normal very soon." The Zardexian outside the tube told her comfortingly.
"No! No!" Mandy pounded harder as she arms moved toward her. A needle was sticking out of one of them, the tip glinting with moisture. Mandy howled in fear and raised one fist behind her head, clenching it tightly. When it came forward it was pulsing with violet energy as it tore through the glass, sending a hail of glass shards into the alien in front of her.
Mandy leapt out of the tube and landed on the ground, whirling in surprise. "What do you think you're doing!?" The other Zardexian exclaimed in surprise. Mandy growled and charged toward it, punching it in the middle of the ball hard enough to send it hurtling into the wall with a sickening splash. Mandy leapt after it and started pummeling it in a blind rage.
The world around her faded until finally she stopped. Her hands were covered in purple liquid... and almost looked like they were glowing. Upon closer inspection, they WERE glowing, but the glow soon faded. "What the Hell...?" Mandy mused in confusion. Why was she glowing? And why was she able to kill a Zardexian with her bare hands? At the most she should be their EQUAL in strength... shouldn't she?
She looked up in surprise when red lights began to flash, and a voice began to chant in the Zardexian tongue. "Intruders, all hands at arms! Hunt them down and dispose of them immediately!" The voice shouted viciously.
"Intruders...?" Mandy stood up in excitement. If there were intruders, some humans must have survived... and that meant Clover could still be among them. "Fuck Zeninia, I'm happy with who I am." She marched out of the resequencer room with her fists clenched to find the woman who'd captured her heart.
TO BE CONTINUED