Chapter 10

-Night With a Beginning Fright

Antauri and Vex came back sooner before the others. With Vex sitting on the bed, her silver mate brought her a cup of cold water. She drank a few swigs before returning it back to him. He crossed his arms and pressed the drink back to her mouth.

"Even though your biology is of a formless… Gibson's experiments have found your body is in dire need of hydration to stay stable… meaning your body does not produce any kind of healthy liquids. You always need to keep water on you. So, drink it."

"Concerns understood… but unnecessary." She abided his request and finished the drink then placing it on the nightstand.

"Maybe to you, but for me… I do not desire another scare regarding your health. If it can be helped, I'll ensure it will be." He hovered next to her and assumed a meditative stance. Eyes shut with his thumb and index fingers pressed together. "I will meditate so you can sleep."

Vex grumbled and did as he stated by lying her head into the pillow. Claws taping the wooden head bored as she kept staring at the windows. Sun was starting to set, with darkness came another trifle with insomnia. Might've been easy to fool the others that she was sleeping, but not sterling. He watched her like a hawk, not taking his eyes off her for a second.

"I know you're struggling with sleep," he answered as if reading her mind. "If you would like sleeping pills I could oblige. Gibson has plentiful of medications that could help."

"Nyet, is… being okay…" she placed a weary hand to his cheek. Still amazed at how much larger her body and limbs were compared to his. Just her paw alone covered half of his entire face. Vex inhaled and made herself relax.

He gently gripped her hand, keeping it against his face. Even if he couldn't feel anything, he could somehow sense the feel of her bio-technical metal. Sharp, cold, and almost had an organic pulse. Antauri himself understood how advanced he was. His systems could baffle even Otto at times when he's in need of a tune-up or repairs.

But Vex's machinery… was something nearly paranormal in nature. The metals had biomechanical blood vessels coursing through the wires. Living ooze pulsed behind the metal like blood. The organs that had been damaged for resurrection were replaced by similar living metals. What freaked them out the most was this metal was capable of self-healing. Hence why Otto never tried to find replacement parts for her.

"You're… gazing again…" she poked at his cheek to remind him. "Do not… enjoy it…"

"I'm not judging you, my beloved." He pressed a firm kiss to her forehead, "when I look at you… I'm doing it with love and adoration. You should know this by now."

"Da, facts well known… but not… point taken." She gently removed her claws from his face and knelt back into the pillow. "Something… amiss in… heart. Disturbing…"

"Perhaps it's just nerves, have you been taking your medicine?"

Vex nodded without hesitation. "Never forget… to do so."

The door swished open, Chiro and everyone else walking in. Nova shut the door behind them and leaned against the wall. A bag of food in one hand and drinks in the other. A smug smile crossed her face while gazing to Antauri and Vex.

"Sorry, forgot you old folks go to sleep by eight," she laughed and tossed them both the bag. "Got you both some food. Lettuce wrap for Antauri and steak roles for Vex."

Bowing his head in thanks, Antauri took out the food and gave Vex her part. Normally he'd make his wife eat healthy, but tonight she seemed down, so a treat might boost her up. Vex also gave her thanks to the gold female and slowly ate the presented steaming meat rolls.

Nova gazed to Chiro as she hopped on the bed next to him.

"Hey! Wanna finish our movie?"

"Sure!" Chiro smiled as he grabbed the remote and pressed the power button. The device flickered and powered down with a low hum. Otto blinked at the strange sight and took the remote from Chiro's hand to inspect.

"That's weird, I know this thing has fresh batteries."

"Maybe it's just bugged," Sprx snatched the remote away and thunked it against the cabinets. The remote instantly came back to life and switched the TV on. He smirked at Otto, "sometimes just gotta know how to smack it!"

"We don't need to know how Nova handles you," Gibson smirked as he studied on his tablet, ignoring the sneer from Sprx. "Anyhow, hitting another place's technology may not be a good idea. If you break it, we'll have to pay for it."

"Yea yea, just shut up and watch the movie." Sprx crossed his arms and nestled back into the sheets.

The lights began to dim with the A/C powering on. Gibson noticed the temperature decrease and cut Sprx a sour look.

"I understand my comment sizzled your brain but is dropping the temperature below freezing necessary?"

"How on Shuggazoom could I have turned the air down when I'm sitting right here!" He snapped at the blue scientist's insane accusation. "If anyone, you're the only one sitting close enough to mess with it."

"Silence…" Vex whispered loud enough to shush them. "Be checking…" her shadows expanded past the red and blue monkeys. Instantly their bright colors darkened as the dark shapeless form moved beneath them. They squirmed in major discomfort as Vex's shadow moved into the A/C and flicked the heat back up before returning to her body. Gibson and Sprx's colors returned to normal.

"Ugh what the heck was that?"

"Please don't ever assert the use of your shadows on us, Vexahlia… that was most discomforting!"

She rolled her eyes and nestled into the sheets to try and get some sleep. Antauri kept a firm hand on her side as he continued to watch the movie. Till a loud window slam scared everyone right off the bed and left them flopping on the floor. Chiro poked his head out from under the covers he drug down with them.

"W—what the heck was that?"

"Gibson, did you leave the window open again?" Sprx asked while shoving Otto off him.

"Unlikely! You know as well as I do that if anything has my attention… it's my tablet. I haven't gone near the window since we got here."

Chiro got up and went to the window, eyeballing it. His face went pale when noticing the latches were securely in place.

"Uh, m—maybe it was the neighbors?"

When Antauri approached the window to inspect it, the lights suddenly increased in brightness. They flickered, changing hues as quick as heartbeats. The hums getting so loud it nearly deafened them till the bulbs burst. Littering the floor in glass as the team gasped and scrambled to hide. All poked their heads out of their hiding places, spooked at what happened.

"What the heck happened to the lights!" Sprx yelled before grabbing a nearby broom and shoving it in Gibson's hands. Urging the scientist to hurry up and clean the mess.

Antauri's eyes shifted from the window and then to the shattered bulbs. He flicked on his helmet light, lighting up the whole room. Something was not right here.

"This is unusual… yet, I sense nothing." He scratched his chin, worry starting to peak in his robotic brain. "Everyone, sit together on the nearest bed… Gibson, activate your scanners, see what is going on."

"You got it," Gibson answered while everyone crowded on the middle bed. Sprx was shaking so bad he rattled the entire bed. "Sprx, stop moving the bed! I'm trying to pick up any odd anomaly's that might be causing these strange activities."

Gibsons' scanner began to scan the entire area, covering the entire room in a blue laser grid. Bleeps and beeps began as the information started downloading itself.

Vex watched the scene from the edge of the bed, eyes dull yet mind alert. This was… eerily familiar, first the slamming sounds, then the bulbs busted? Her mind clenched the harder she searched her memory for an explanation.

Otto screamed so loud it nearly blew all the ears off. He launched himself into Vex's arms, hugging her neck so tight it almost popped her head off. The old monkey tried to pry him off as Antauri and Chiro raced to check on him.

"Otto, what happened?" Antauri asked in a calm voice, hoping its soothing tone would ease Otto's fright.

"S—something touched my tail!"

All eyes jolted towards Sprx, the red monkey caught the stares and jabbed an angry finger at them.

"Woah woah, hang on! I ain't doing nothing here!"

Nova sighed as she clapped her hands to shut everyone up. Getting off the bed, she checked beneath, her eyes glowing bright enough to expose the floor. She saw nothing and dropped the sheet back over it and glanced back to her cowering companions.

"I don't see anything."

As they began to chatter, Vex felt her shadows shift. Purple eyes flaring up, she snapped her head in the direction of the closest. Her satchel behind the closed door. Something dark was weighing on her senses as she felt an immediate pull towards the door.

TO BE CONTINUED