Blitz, the dog was catching up with the creature who was seemingly trying to get to Xackt.
They both were on the 6th floor, sprinting towards where Kelly's unit was located as if the creature could sense he was there.
Blitz's body was glowing with purple electricity as he got closer to the creature. The creature stared back at him. It hissed out smoke from its mouth, causing the hallway to get darker. Blitz had a worried face but quickly changed his expression, showing no fear and heading full speed into the darkness with his body at full electricity. Blitz plowed through the black fog, with the creature looking back with a frown. The dog leaped at the dark creature and bit down on the back of the creature's neck, charging it with a strong voltage. They both started squirming around, Blitz didn't any signs of letting go, only increasing his purple electricity. The creature made hissing noises, trying to reach and claw at Blitz's face.
It did not work as the dog was determined to keep the creature in place, shocking the black creature even more. The creature stopped frowning and gave a grin as a sharp lance came out of his body at Blitz. The dog let out a yelp as he bled from the side of his body, but his electricity protected him from having a serious wound, "RrrrRRRRrrrrr!". Blitz ran towards the creature again as it shot out more lances from its body, shooting towards the dog. Blitz was faster, dodging them all and leaping over all of them. All of the lances caused damage to the walls of the hallway with some of them growing black spots on them. The dog made a very determined look. He zoomed onto the wall, and then the ceiling. He charged at the creature from there at high speed into the floor with a huge blast of purple volts, causing the floor to make big cracks.
Kelly was able to catch up and ran by the two fighting. She carefully passed the cracked floors and made sure not to get close to the lances. They were dangerous to the touch and seemed to be absorbing the walls and ceiling. "Damn it, what is that thing?", she thought to herself as she reached her unit, unlocked the door, and rushed inside. She heads to the bedroom where she left Xackt sleeping. She power-walks to Xackt and shakes, "Xackt! We have to move. I think there is something after you!" There was no reaction from him. Kelly keeps calling his name and shaking him, but he didn't move. She decided to pick him up and head out to escape the building.
She leaves her unit and notices the creature had Blitz by the neck, pinned to the floor while he was struggling and growling. The electricity didn't seem to bother the creature at all anymore. Kelly gasped and she drew her pistol out with her right hand and shot two bullets at the creature's head. One bullet got completely absorbed, while the seconds bounced off the creature's head, resulting in it making an annoyed expression. It picks up the dog with its teeth and throws him into the wall, slightly breaking it and Blitz falling to the floor.
Blitz growls a bit, trying to get up but ends up falling back onto the floor with a tiny spark emitting from his bolt-shaped hair. While Kelly shoots at the dark creature, it smiles at Blitz's helplessness. It then stares at Kelly, the bullets still doing nothing to it. "Damn, it's not doing anything. Why?!", she said as she noticed she needed to reload soon. She decided retreat was the best thing to do as she felt the creature was after Xackt and wouldn't bother with Blitz. She shot at the creatures' eyes with the bullets that her gun had left as a distraction and then started to run. The dark creature twitched its eyes and rubbed them, giving Kelly a head start. After a few moments, it started chasing her, and Kelly did her best to outrun it. But it wasn't enough. The creature leaped at her before she reached the stairs leading to the 5th floor, knocking her to the floor as she hugged Xackt tightly, making sure he wasn't harmed. "Ahhh!" The dark figure then prepared its sharp teeth straight at Kelly's face, while she holds Xackt tightly, closing her eyes.
Before the creature got one inch to ripping her face apart, a sound of electricity rang behind the creature and wires sprout out from the ceiling and walls, grabbing the creature before it could touch her. Kelly opened her eyes slowly and saw the dark creature was bound by the wires with purple outlines. It was growling hysterically while the wires were continuously electrifying and squeezing it. "Wait... what?", Kelly was surprised as she saw Blitz limping near the wall, with a pissed-off look. He was controlling the wires from within the building to keep the creature from moving. "Blitz, nice work boy!", Kelly said as the dog grins, wagging his tail. Kelly stood up and walked toward the creature, "You! What do you want with Xackt? What's your problem?!"
The creature stares at her, growling quietly and gritting its fangs, then tries to break free, but Blitz started tightening the wires on it. The creature sweated a little, which made a steamy noise. The creature made an annoyed expression. It then turns its head behind him in a very grotesque way, staring at the dog and smiling. Blitz growled at the creature while Kelly, still holding Xackt with one arm, put her gun away. She then pulled out another gun from inside her open jacket. This one had a light blue glow inside the sockets, not ordinary bullets. She then points her gun and shoots the creature, and it causes the creature's outer shell to make a fizzing sound, causing the creature to squirm and breathe out smoke.
Kelly had a serious look, "Hurts, doesn't it? These bullets are specially made for paranormal types. A gift from a scientist. Looks like they work against you. I'll keep shooting until you tell me what I want. I know you can talk..." The creature makes a terrifying smile and his body started making a distorted static effect around them. Words came out of its mouth, like a radio, "S... Soc...? Me.." Kelly made a confused expression as her arm holding the pistol was shaking. Blitz seemed confused as to why the creature was still looking at him as it talked. It licked its lips with steam sizzling out and its body started turning the wires into the same material as its body. Blitz whimpered a little, electrifying the wires, but it would not affect the creature anymore.
The creature had a third bright white eye appearing at its forehead, staring at Kelly, "My name, Code-name... R... 3. M... Give me sss... Xxackt. Now!" Multiple arms sprout out of its body, through the wires, and clutched at them, trying to break free. R3M started to open its mouth and its body started turning from black with a red outline, into a very bright tan. Blitz looked shocked, he started to head towards Kelly and tackles her and Xackt to the floor, emitting a purple force field around both of them. R3M made laughter of what sounded like a distorted radio signal, as he floated upright with his hands and arms up like a mad scientist. He was getting brighter like he was about to self-destruct. It shocked Kelly and Blitz was squinting his eyes. Wanting to protect his friends, he strengthened his electric barrier with all the power he had since he assumed the worse.
From the outside of the apartment building, it was being consumed by R3M's energy, a huge sphere covering the top that caused the area to look like a bunch of black and white static like a TV. A bunch of people outside the building was watching, frozen in fear as they saw the beat-up top of the building turn distorted. R3M's final words were, "I found him... the beginning... and his... end? soon? I neeeed him..." The distorted black and white sphere covering the area then suddenly shrank in a blink of an eye. All the people outside stared in awe as they saw parts of the building collapse and the whole 7th through 10th floor disappeared. Some of the civilians fell in reaction to some debris falling.
Outside the apartment, Sally was on the other side of the road from the apartment, empty-handed. She saw what happened and started running towards the building. As she got to the entrance heading inside, ignoring the police yelling at her to stop, she started calling out, "Kelly! Blitz!" The boy with the orange hair was just leaving the building. He saw Sally and ended up blocking her way. "Woah-wooooah now Little girl, you shouldn't go in there, it's too dangerous!" Sally covered her eyes, "But... I have to find Kelly!" The orange-headed boy scratched his head, "Oh? wait. You know Kelly, huh?" he asks, and then, Sally nodded. He did his best to convince him and her to stay put as the police escorted them away from the scene.
On the 5th floor of the apartment, big piles of rubble were everywhere. The 6th floor was gone with no roof covering the 5th. A sudden blast of electricity came, pushing off the rubble. Kelly and Blitz were unharmed thanks to the barrier he had made. The dog lifted his ear and gave out a spark from his body. He used his remaining power to move himself and Kelly towards the holes on the floor, carrying both of them with wires. This means they went one floor down, then out the nearest window so they weren't completely flattened within the apartment's debris. The wires reached out far enough for it to rip the building's walls apart, as the dog got the wires to safely place Kelly and him on the soil to the side of the building.
The orange-haired guy noticed the spark from Blitz's power from where he was and headed towards there. He then shook Kelly with a shocked face, "Kelly! Kelly, are you ok?!" Kelly squinted for a moment, opening her eyes and was touching her head. She realized she wasn't hugging anything. Xackt was nowhere near her. Kelly was surprised, "That creature, he... he took him away. ...Xackt is gone? No way..." Kelly made a blank expression. Blitz was sniffing around, an attempt to find Kelly's friend, but he didn't seem to find anything. "Kelly... um...", The teenager scratched the back of his head, "Kelly... don't let it bother you too much, I'm sure there is still hope. What exactly happened up there?"
As Kelly sat up, Blitz went over to her and licked her face, trying to comfort her. Sally moves toward Kelly. "W-Whaaat?! Your friend was taken? Who took him? He'll pay for this!", the girl says as she stomps her foot and raises her hands in the air. Kelly lowers her head, "I said to him that I'd keep him safe, but I totally just failed. I... I should have probably taken him with me... I was careless..." As Kelly stood up with a sigh and picked Blitz up, he curled up in her arms. She started walking, "Sally, we need to get back to the lab. Blitz needs to rest again. He went through a very tough fight." Sally then runs by her, with a perky face, "Alrighty then! it's a case then?!" Kelly nods, "Uh... yea, we are going to find out what we can about this creature I encountered, and about my friend. Maybe find my friend that was taken." She had overlooked the fact that Sally didn't have the bagged goods with her. She had run the lab and back very quickly, worried about their friend's wellbeing.
Kelly took a look at the entrance area where the police were chatting with the residence, "Let's leave through the fence side of the apartment. I really don't want to deal with the police right now. Too many questions, too little time." Kelly thought to herself deeply, "I'm sure the doctor will know what to do. She usually seems to know everything..." As the two girls walked away, the orange-headed dude just stared at them and sighed, "There they go... maybe someday I could follow them to that lab of theirs. My life is totally boring..." He kicks an empty can of vienna sausages into the sidewalk as he started to head out of the building.
Before he went towards the crowd of people, he heard a strange noise near an area where the dumpster truck usually picks up the giant iron trash box. He could hear whispering behind a recycle bin where he kicked the can to. "Umm... hello? Someone there?" Then a gasp was heard, "N-nothing! Nothing to see hear, go about your business..." The boy was confused and afraid he might have been hallucinating. "Well... uuuuh, I guess I should get back to it... and get some water while I'm at it", He says as he shakes his head. Either he was getting a headache from some reaction to this event, or perhaps... He left in fear that he might be getting sick again as he had not been sleeping well. Perhaps insomnia.
Time passed. Kelly, Sally, and Blitz make it to the lab, just about a mile away from where Kelly lived. It was located under a bowling alley. The manager there was a scientist who enjoyed bowling herself whenever not doing studies and tests on technology and strange living beings with powers. They opened up a business with the main purpose of creating this underground laboratory. As they came in, the manager was on a seat, writing reports on a holographic screen with special gloves. Without turning around she goes, "Ah, Sally and Kelly, you're here. Blitz, too I see, not dead." She spins around fast, with an expression of slight disappointment. "I can tell he just came from a battle. You weren't successful though. Very sad. But at least you are alive." Sally sticks her tongue out at her, "Nnnnnn, how did you know that?" Kelly looked a bit confused, "Hey... how did you know that? Do you have cameras all over the city or something?"
The manager was a woman with caramel skin and long black hair who wore something that somewhat gave a theme of a nun. She had a white ribbon near the neck and wore black boots. This was her favorite color, black. She flashed her hair with her hand, "You two please, just stop saying 'Hey' every time and call me by my name". She claps her gloves, calling Blitz's bed from under the floor. Blitz leaped off of Kelly's arms and ran towards it, jumping and resting on its comfortable surface. The bed was special as it recharged Blitz every time he made contact with it, which would heal him gradually. It would take around 15 minutes to an hour depending on his wounds.
The dog was capable of healing himself with other surrounding electricity, but the bed has better conversion, specifically for that purpose. Kelly then shrugs, "You never told us your name and you're barely here. I wonder why you even let us roam around this place without your supervision." The scientist sighs and her eyes stray away, "Hmm... Acai, just call me that. It is easier to remember?" Kelly was about to question that name but gets cut off by Acai as she points at her before she speaks, "What? It's my favorite drink. And by the way, in the bag of goods that Sally brought. I'm guessing that was for you and your friend? Since he is gone, it's safe to say that Acai drink inside is for me now." Kelly was shocked, "Hey wait, I'll agree with the Acai thing but... how do you know about my recent friend?"
Acai waves her hand in the air, "Blitz has a camera and recording device on him. Without them, I would be at such a huge disadvantage of information. Now, the drink, over here miss." Kelly walks over to Acai's desk after taking the Acai out of the bag, which was in the fridge nearby. She hands her the drink and Acai sniffs a bit at the bottle, "So... Acai, why... um, you smell like some sort of expensive perfume that dogs wear... what's up wi-" Acai cuts her off, staring at Kelly with a serious face, "At a dog show...yes, dog show." Kelly looked weirded out, "Umm... Wha-" Acai puts her glove at her face, "At a dog show I say. Now off you go. To the kitchen. Dinner time. I'll tend to Blitz, give some tests. You can go make the food with Sally. Ok? Bye-bye." She waved at Kelly as she continued with her science.
The kitchen was located near the place the manager did her science, which meant it was underground. This was where her bedroom and guestroom were. The Bowling area and entrance were upstairs, just so you are not confused.
Acai started moving her gloves around her holographic screen. Kelly turns to Sally, shrugging as they both headed to the kitchen. Blitz was staring at them as they left to the kitchen, panting with a happy face. His forehead had been bleeding, but the cut started healing slowly. "Well... ok then...oh!" Acai lifted an arm, holding a box. She pressed on the holographic and called Kelly through a microphone. There was a speaker that led to the kitchen and the blowing alley. "Kelly, before you start doing anything with Sally, come here for a moment? I forgot to give you something." Kelly looked towards the way leading to Acai's laboratory, running over to Acai's desk.
Kelly made a curious look, "Yes? What's this?" Acai lifted her hand towards Kelly's face, a wooden box. "Some weirdo with a smell I despise left this at my doorstep. Said it was for you since you're the only Kelly I know around here." Kelly reached and took the box, "For me, huh? Well... thanks." She headed back to the kitchen and rested the wooden box on a table away from where Sally was moving ingredients around that were from the fridge. Kelly stared at the box and sniffed it. "A smell that she despised. ...cat?" As Sally was boiling the water, she saw Kelly was distracted. "Kelly, everything alright? You going to help me here?" Sally stared at the box Kelly had near her. After Kelly took off her jacket, resting it on a chair, and moved her hands to the lid of the box, opening it gently.
As it lifts upward, she looked inside and reach for one of the many items in there. She had picked up a small file and laid it down as she also lifted a shiny tag. Kelly looks at it, "She said it was for me huh...?", she said as she rotated the tag and noticed it had a 4-digit number. She thought for a moment, then took out her notebook from her pocket. She opened the first 2 pages and saw she had written down the exact number a year ago. She was reminded of the day she had no identity and was cared for by an old friend. She reminisced a bit but then continued looking about the box. Kelly concentrated on some thoughts as she turned to the file and opened it. She read the papers and noticed, it had the numbers too, but others as well.
Kelly noticed all the information was about that number and strangely, cats. The tag from earlier was a cat tag. She turned more pages, "What the heck is all this... this number in here, 11... 5... 22... 24... 25... 26? It's here." She took a look at another folder in the box, and it had a name on there, "Project X". Kelly started to feel a slight burn in her chest as she stared at the name and opened it. "Who... in the world possessed this file. X..Xackt? A project by that name?" She glanced at the first page, turn another one, and saw several pictures, info on random subjects. Then, there was one familiar face, a human and then the other pictures made her gasp. She dropped everything and ran back to Acai. Sally turned face, "Ke-Kelly?"
Kelly got to Acai, asking her, "Acai, do you know who gave you this box?" Acai span on her chair, "Oh, that person with the weird smell? I have her on camera, but I don't know who they are. Always wearing a hood, a cloak. They are definitely female." She lifts her hand at Kelly, "Let me guess, you want to know where she is? Hush, she came from that new place where you got your groceries. You can thank me la-". Kelly ran to the kitchen, and then up the stairs, as Acai just glanced, "That's... what I thought. Well, back to work." Blitz jumped onto Acai's lap, yawning, and rested his head on her lap. "What am I going to do with you... I'm not a babysitter for you, naive little thing." She sighs as she spins back to her desk and stares down at the little dog, giving a softer expression. She looks for a moment, then concentrates back on her work on a computer.
Kelly grabbed her jacket from the kitchen chair and headed up the stairs to leave. "Sally, I'm heading out, I'll be back later!" She leaves and closes the door. "Uh...ok then. Hope she comes back in time for dinner. I guess I'll have to ask Acai for help.", Sally said with a worried expression. Kelly looked in a bit of a panic as she ran in the direction of where the building with the mysterious hooded woman was from. She passed a familiar guy who had a pink dog with a green streak pattern. They saw Kelly running and waved, "Yo Kel-". Kelly ran past them, "Don't have time, gotta go. But, dinner, at the bowling alley today, right?... I'll see you later!" The guy waves weakly in confusion and talks to his dog, "Jeez... I wonder what that was about now..." The pink dog, sitting, lifts its arms and shrugs.
After several buildings, Kelly finally reached the corner where the new building was. She was feeling exhausted as she went around the corner, running for about a mile. As she got to the front of where the store was, she slowly stopped, and her eyes squinted a little as it started to rain with a bit of thundering. Kelly dropped her arms and looked confused. The mysterious new store was nowhere to be seen. It vanished. Just an empty piece of land, like there, was never a building in the first place. Only the playground with some kids playing around was left. Kelly made a puzzled expression and looked back, and to the side. She made sure she was in the right area. "Wait...the hell? This is the right street..."
As she stared at the empty plot of land where she had met this mysterious woman, the building was no more. Kelly clutched her chest as she felt a slight emptiness inside, "The building... isn't here? What in the hell..." She started having flashbacks of that woman, how she knew her name, and then the box she gave to Acai. She knew where Acai was. Kelly moves her thumb to her mouth, biting on it, thinking hard. "She... must know something. The files, the pictures... she knew my name, and the Project X? What the heck is that even about..." She moves her eyes up with determined eyes. The name pierced through her mind. Evelyn.
As Kelly looked toward the sky. She stares back down and thinks hard as her hair and clothing got a bit wet from the drizzling rain. She starts walking back to the bowling alley, deep in thought. "Alright Kelly... think...maybe Acai would know what to do. I've got some leads I have yet to share with her... R3M, Evelyn...Project X. I just know there is something to go with here." As she got walked further, the skies thundered less, and drizzle started fading. Cars driving by, and firetrucks leaving the scene where Kelly's apartment was torn by the strange creature. I have no idea if this is what you call surreal. Perhaps that is the right word for it. Kelly felt at a loss, but she was still determined to find the truth, to unravel this mystery. She thinks up a plan as she walks back to Acai's place.
Perhaps Acai would be willing to help her further, whether it be this Evelyn or the whereabouts of Xackt.
End of Chapter 3
