Chapter 4
My reply to both of those wonderful reviews asking if Nico is on the Grid:
:) :) :) :)
Her eyes flew open with a gasp and white light surrounded her. She stumbled and tripped over herself and she fell, out of the white light and into darkness…..
She grunted as she hit the ground. It was hard, but she didn't notice in her dazed state. Her own pants echoed in her ears with a slight buzz as her eyes focused on the dark horizon. The buzz finally faded and after a moment, she sat up with a groan. Her hand went to her head and she closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, they rose to the white column of light in front of her on a small rock pile.
I must have fallen from there….
A sudden gust of sharply cool wind interrupted her thoughts. She went to grab her jacket and pull it around herself tighter but her fingertips brushed her arms. In alarm, she looked at herself.
"My God what am I wearing….?"
She had looked down to see she was wearing a skintight body suit with white lights running up and down her body. The lights were steady, besides the occasional flicker.
"How is this possible….?" She wondered aloud, examining her gloved knuckles.
There was a sudden THRUM and Nico gasped as her head shot up. In the distance was a large rubble pile but coming around were five beams of light, racing straight towards.
Instinct spoke and she found herself running towards the nearest large rock, stumbling slightly. She panted as she knelt behind the rock and she heard the thrumming noise stop abruptly. Five pairs of footsteps sounded softly across the ground before stopping. With a deep breath, she grabbed the edge of the rock and dared to look.
Five men stood looking up at the column, wearing a bodysuit as well but with dark masks over their faces. They whispered to each other in low, digital voices, just out of range to hear what exactly they were saying. She leaned forward to hear what they were saying when her hand on the rock edge slipped across. Her other hand caught her before she hit the ground but she let out a loud hiss as pain went through her hand.
All five heads shot up and with wide eyes, Nico backed up behind the rock. She looked down to her left hand to see a long cut that bleeding. Biting her lip, she stood and quietly moved opposite of the approaching men. She held her breath.
"…No one's here." One finally said in an electronic voice that grated across her ears.
"But I thought_" another voice started.
"You thought wrong." A third said roughly, "Come on. We better report back our findings."
No one argued with that and she shrunk into the shadow of the rock as they passed right past her and pulled out weird sticks off their waists. She blinked and they were speeding into the darkness, not looking back.
She let out her held breath in a pant and after a moment's silence, ran back to the column of light, hoping to leave as quickly as she had appeared there.