Disclaimer: Dark Angel belongs lock, stock, and smoking barrel to James Cameron & Co. I own none of it. No reason for legal action
THE GREEN HORROR
By
X5R-731
Asha awoke with a start gasping for breath. Acting almost entirely on instinct, she pulled herself out of the alcove and collapsed onto her hands and knees. After a couple of dry heaves, she eventually threw up the contents of her stomach then leaned against her alcove in a sitting position. When her head finally cleared, she assessed her situation.
"Okay, I'm sitting naked on a cold floor in a strange room covered with green jizz with a headache the size of the Space Needle. Sounds like the end result of a typical bender at UCLA."
But Asha was certain she'd graduated (or at least left) her Alma Mata some years back, so this was probably altogether more serious. She struggled to her feet, grimacing as pins and needles assailed her limbs. It felt like she hadn't moved in days (and probably hadn't).
The room was small but spacious, dominated by six other alcoves like hers. One contained an overweight, balding middle-aged man. The other four contained what had to be transgenics: one male with feline features, one female with avian features and two too perfect humans (one male/one female). But it was the alcove immediately next to hers that drew her undivided attention.
"Logan," she said in a hushed voice as she dropped to her knees next to him. Like the others he was in some sort of coma with nerve-like tendrils creeping into his mouth, nose and veins. Asha was afraid to touch him fearing that removing the tubes could do more harm that could. Instead she leaned down as far the membrane covering him would allow and whispered, "Logan I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm going to try and get help. Just try to hold on till I get back."
Nice thought, but how she was going to accomplish that was another matter. She didn't fancy walking up downtown Seattle (or wherever) wearing nothing but a thin layer of slime and a smile. While this would no doubt get her noticed, it was not the type of attention she would want.
Hearing someone approaching, Asha waited by the entrance. When a man dressed in black wearing a knee length overcoat appeared, she jumped up and punched him in the gut. As he doubled over, she grabbed his head and slammed her knee into his face. He snapped up and made some sort of gurgling noise just before Asha slugged him across the jaw. He spun around into the wall and slid to the floor.
Asha quickly stripped off his coat and put it on. She contemplated taking his boots when she heard a commotion coming her way. She heard, "One of the human subjects is escaping. Stop it!"
As she dashed down the corridor, lethal green bolts of light flashed past her.
What did I fall asleep watching a Star Trek, she thought hysterically. I hope it was the original series or at least the Next Generation. I'd hate to find out all this is the result of an episode of Voyager, or worse – Enterprise.
She found herself in a sewer and scrambled up the nearest ladder. Pain seared through her left shoulder as a bolt grazed her.
Okay, no dream. She thought as she lost consciousness.
Joshua (also known as Dog Boy) wandered around Terminal City's underground pensively. Something was wrong in Terminal City, but he didn't know what. He couldn't think of anyway to explain his unease to the others, even Max. So he decided to take matters into his own hands and try and find the source of the wrongness.
His quest had led him (surprise, surprise) to the sewers where he found a body floating in the sewage. Bodies in the Seattle sewers were nothing new, lots of people (mainly nefarious ones) disposed of corpses in this unregulated post-pulse world. But Joshua could sense something different about this one. He was almost positive it was still alive.
The gentle giant reached down and yanked it out of the water discovering a pale blond woman. Joshua recognized her as a friend of Logan's, and if she was a friend of Logan she must be a friend of Max. Therefore the smart thing to do would be to take her to Max. Picking up the blond woman (Joshua didn't know her name) he set off for the surface, when he suddenly caught wind of a familiar scent coming from the opposite direction.
"Max?"
To Be Continued …