What didn't help my situation, was the wait. I couldn't do anything myself, except look at what those flies were doing, and whatever they told me to do. Meanwhile, I had set this one little fly out to search for people whose faces or names I couldn't even remember. Even just thinking about this makes my head hurt. I had to do something, but I didn't know what. And why did I keep repeating that inside my head? There were so many other things I could think of, like... someone else. Someone who was somehow special to me. And yet, much like the other two, I couldn't remember her. But despite having her to think about, all I could think of is that I should do something. It was like my mind was set on just the one thought, but even then it couldn't pick anything specific. Is this how a fly thinks?
My thoughts got interrupted when a machine buzzed. The lab-coated fly pressed a button.
"Eric Lehnsherr is here to see you." a voice said.
"Finally." the bigger fly said.
The lab-coated fly pressed another button, which apparently opened the door. I looked, and I saw three people enter. One of them was an old man in a long coat and a hat, carrying a briefcase. Another looked younger, and looked like the type that would always laugh. And finally, there was one girl, whose face looked like she was permanently angry. I don't know why, but I knew I was supposed to know them.
"Good evening." the old man, like he wasn't at all surprised with what he saw.
The other two, however, were. The young man raised his hand, while the girl reached for this tube she was carrying around.
"Don't worry." the old man said, "They are friendly."
"Who are they?" the bigger fly asked, "Are they new test-subjects?"
"I am sure what you just said was a lot more eloquent than it sounded." the old man replied.
The younger man took a step closer to the old man: "Who are they?"
"They are exactly who I told you they are." the old man replied, "They are the ones who invented the telepods."
"They are?" the young man lowered his hand, "Well, that changes everything."
The girl pulled on the young man's sleeve, pulling him back.
"Merlin, a word." she said.
So the young man is named Merlin. That rang a bell.
The old man laughed, "One that is too careless, and another who is too careful. I can see why you two stick around."
The girl glared at him, then turned herself and Merlin around.
The old man turned back to us, the flies. What was I thinking? I'm not a fly! Not really!
"You found some more of Klaatu's bugs?" the lab-coated fly asked.
"If only I could speak your language." the old man replied.
He put his briefcase down, which he opened, revealing an entire collection of these metallic bugs.
"I am sure you two will know what to do with these."
"Don't worry, Magneto, we do." the bigger fly answered.
So the old man was named Magneto. Wait, why did that surprise me?
So many thuds, so many buzzes, and a number of times that I heard someone talk, but being in this dark pit, I couldn't make any of them out. Just imagine how relieved I felt when that lid was lifted and I could see again. I rushed out, happy to be free. But that relief was short-lived, as I felt that same grip that caught me the first time, tighten itself around me again. No matter how hard I pushed, no matter how hard I flapped my wings, nothing could set it loose. But then, I heard something. It was a soft wind, but it was definitely saying "sssshhhh...". I didn't know why, but that sound alone made me afraid of doing anything at all. Even as I felt myself being released, I dared not move at all. I looked around me, and saw that I was in someone's hand. I looked up, and saw Merlin's face, his eyes wide as he looked at me.
"Is that M?" he looked at something over me.
I turned to see. He was looking at Saya.
"If that is M, then who is that?" she pointed at something else.
I followed her finger, and saw her pointing at the human that had my hand and claw.
"Well, he certainly wears the same clothes as M." Merlin admitted.
"Not just the clothes." Saya said, "He smells the same."
"But if he's here, and at the same time over there..." Merlin blinked his eyes faster than even I could count, "What is going on?"
"If only Murphy would get back to us, he might have some answers." Saya lamented.
"And to think we thought he had returned to the ship." Merlin almost sounded like he cried, "How could Lehnsherr do this to M, and still act like he's our friend?"
"I don't think he knows." Saya told Merlin, "If he did, he would have let us know that was M over there."
"Then how is he tied to all this?" Merlin wondered.
"We better find out." Saya said, as she closed her grip on me again.
"Lehnsherr." the girl shouted, and the old man turned around.
Why would he react? Wasn't his name Magneto?
"Yes?" he replied.
"Exactly who are these two?"
"They are the answers to all of our problems." Magneto replied.
"I never cared much for figures of speech." the girl replied, "They only served to keep people from saying what they really want to say."
While those two were bantering, the flies were having a conversation of their own.
"What's that in her hand?" the lab-coated fly said,
"I see it." the bigger fly said, "It's the fly that fused with our last subject."
"It is?" the lab-coated fly asked, "How did that end up in her hands?"
"As you can see..." Magneto was reacting to the two flies, "While they don't talk in anny language we know, they are intelligent. Intelligent enough to solve many of our problems."
"What makes you think we have problems?" the girl questioned.
Magneto grinned, "My dear Saya, did you really think I wouldn't notice? You, who look so young, and yet your eyes seem so old. And Merlin, who still carries that Dark Ages scent."
"Dark Ages?" this meant nothing to Merlin.
"You lived during a time when what was different was considered witchcraft." Magneto continued, "While you, Saya, have shown nothing but contempt for everyone you see. Surely that does not just happen, you have a good reason for your contempt."
"What are you saying?" the girl, who's apparently named Saya, asked him.
"These two gentlemen can help accomplish our goals." Magneto replied.
"We can?" Merlin wondered.
"Merlin, I don't think his goal is the same as ours."
"Isn't it?" Magneto questioned, "Don't you want people to stop acting like you're something else? Don't you want people to accept that you can do things they can't?"
"What I want is to be left alone." Saya replied.
"And I want to know what you've done to our friend." Merlin brought up.
Their friend... were they talking about me?
"Your friend?" Magneto replied, "He left you, remember?"
"We were having an argument." Merlin replied, "He just got tired of it."
Magneto laughed, "You certainly aren't the old and wise sage you're known to be."
Merlin frowned, but Magneto ignored that, "He envied you two, because you can talk, and he can't. He just left you, thinking you should take care of your problems on your own."
I shivered as I heard him say that. I may not fully remember what happened before I became what I was, but just hearing him say that about me, made my blood boil.
"You don't know who you're talking about!" Merlin shouted.
"Every homo sapiens would act that way one of these days." Magneto said, "It was only a matter of time for him."
I couldn't stand it anymore. I launched myself toward him, using my claw to cut his face.
Saya suddenly let go of me and tossed me away. I could only just set my wings into motion, so I stayed in the air. As I flew, I saw how that huge monster had grabbed the human with my head by the throat, and held him against the wall behind him. Saya, somehow, pulled a long sword out, which she stabbed into one of the monster's legs. The monster let go of the human, and focused on Saya instead. This way, the human with my head could get up again, only to be attacked by the other human who had a fly's head. Lehnsherr raised his hands, but Merlin mumbled a few words, which seemed to create some kind of force that forced Lehnsherr to hit the ground. For some reason, I don't know why, Lehnsherr raised his hands. As he did so, I noticed, several metallic objects started flying up, like something invisible held them up. This confused Merlin, who didn't do anything as those objects flew toward him. Lehnsherr was on his feet again, and with his right hand, he pointed at something else. From his briefcase, some kind of circular object flew up. I didn't know what it was, but I wanted to know. I flew toward it, hoping it would give me some answers.