Maternal Bonds
"The entrance to my mother's chambers is right before me, but I still find myself standing here, waiting. What am I so hesitant for? I'm only doing what she herself is doing… So this is it; there's no turning. My final thoughts on this? I guess in the end, I do need to give thanks to Rion. Because of this extreme hatred I feel towards him, my judgment is clouded just enough to this stupid act without worry of the repercussions. What comes next? Why worry about it? As long as I can fool myself that all this revolves around Rion, and that killing Rion is my final goal, I don't have to think about it. I can do whatever I want in the meantime; save him for the end. Who cares what happens next."
I've never seen this room before. I've never seen the face of mother, never seen all the tubes connecting her to life. Have I not ever questioned what she looked like? Have I ever questioned anything she's told me? God, what kind of mind controlling brainwashing did she use on her children? We have got to be ignorant to the point of destruction to let this go on unchanged. After this, I'm going to have to liberate the other kids.
The horrific sight of mother on the wall was enough proof that I was doing the right thing. The mother computer of Michelangelo city was nothing more than an abomination of humankind, whose intentions were to kill all humans. How ironic; the only reason I feel humans should be killed would be for creating this thing.
START-UP SEQUENCE INITIALIZED….PROGRAMMING MOTIVES…. ….UPLOADING LOGIC DRIVE….DIALOGUE ENABLED.
"Hello my son. What brings you to my chambers? You know you're not supposed to leave your level of the tower. You're supposed to be awaiting the return of Rion. Please return to your pod and charge.
"…No."
"I'm sorry, what did you just say to me? Are you talking back to me? I am you're mother. You will do exactly as I say."
"What's wrong mother, your programming malfunctioning? I'm not going back, and I can't allow you to go on anymore. I'm tired of this life you've given me, forced to stay in the damned tower for the entirety of my life. My only purpose is to wait for Rion and assist him. I won't exist for that; I would've chose not being born along than living for a sole purpose provided for me."
HAZARDOUS INTENTIONS DETECTED. ENABLING AUTO-PROTECT SYSTEM. SECURITY MEASURES TAKEN INTO EFFECT. FIRE AT WILL.
Ricocheting bullets, bouncing off metal and flying throughout the room, all missed me. I knew this would happen. I'm just a toy to her, and when I break, it's time to be disposed of. I won't have it.
"Goodbye, mother…"
Electricity consumed everything. It started as a spark and grew into a spectacular display of violence. The power mother had given me would be the end of her. She should know more than anyone the dangers of free will.
I let them run out of ammo, which was far too little to be called a defense system. Did she think this would suffice? It was like child's play. She must never have imagined facing a Galerian. How ignorant of a machine with self-developed logic…
Then, as the guns began to retreat back into the walls, I let go of the blast; an electrical storm short-circuiting everything. The tubes pumping mother with life began to shatter and mother herself began to shake convulsively. The system began to shutdown. Her last words were "Rion is going to kill you for me." An explosion ripped her from the wall, and debris rained down out of a gaping hole in the Mushroom Tower.
The deed was done.
Now the time to think was among me, finally. Where would I go next? I walked for an hour, bored with the city. It was as dark and depressing as the tower, and though it didn't have walls, also just as imprisoning.
I walked for another hour and it began to rain. My extrasensory shields could have stopped myself from getting wet, but I wanted to feel it. Even if I got sick, it was a human experience I had missed out on. I wasn't prepared for the cold though. It was getting pitch black, so black that the street lights only illuminated the ground directly beneath them, nothing more. You could not see the street. By luck, I found a hotel that had vacancy. I could also feel the presence of a sibling nearby. I would need my rest. Despite how easy my battle with mother was, I knew a fellow Galerian would test my limits. What's worse, I had in incredible headache from fending off the rain of bullets. I needed rest.
After checking in, a roamed the halls until I picked up a strange scent; medicine. As I followed it, the scent changed slightly into different things. I could pick up herbs, morphine, marijuana. I followed it down to the second floor where I approached a door that seemed to hold the source behind it. Without knocking, I went straight in. I choke on a cloud of smoke.
"What the hell are you doing barging in like that? Never mind that babe, you got any money? Or are you police?
"No police. And I don't have any money either. This is… my first time on my own."
"Oh, I see! A newbie, huh? I'll give ya' whatever you want for free! Just don't blame me when ya' get hooked and I overcharge ya'! What you interested in, kid?"
I took note of the drugs Dorothy had given her children to enhance their powers. They were the rarest of the lot, but he still had them. I injected myself with a Scarlet Cocktail; Nalcon, Red, and Skip, all mixed and at the same time. The effects raised my power to new heights. After, I went to my room for the night, but I couldn't sleep with my head pulsing with pain.
