I just relized that despite having completed this chapter a long time ago, I never really updated it here. XD So, here's what you've been missing till now!
Chapter 2: Pride of Home
Trees. A clearing. Trees again. Caves, rocky ground and an endless field. Slender feet tapping across the ground, the quick sounds showing their immense speed. More steps. Larger, clumsier, slower, but strong ones. Beating like drums. They were all so different from each other. One like the gentle little raindrop on a summer night. The other like a merciless blizzard, tearing the just growing springs apart.
The air was warm and suffocating, the dust of so many steps, vehicles, shots and pure chaos unsettling the nature. It tried to revolt, turning against even those whom respected it. She covered her eyes, trying not to lose even a bit of her speed, while her pursuers kept on the chase. Their eyes could not be effected by things like dust, lacking the actual tissue these small particles could harm. Nothing seemed to stop them as they tried to take down the runaway female.
The distance becoming less between them, she forgot all thoughts about protecting herself, sacrificing it all for pure speed. She knew she couldn't defeat them at this point, prompting her to use other measures instead. The area seemed to be more of a wasteland either way, ruined by their corrupting and destructive nature.
Without breaking her motions even more a moment, she leaped forwards, landing on all fours and continuing her run. The tail she bore quickly got messy, along with her form-fitting clothing as well. She didn't stop at all though, running even faster on all fours, than on her two feet.
Had anyone seen her at this point, they would have sworn they could see even her eyes looking more like feline ones, instead of the gentle jade orbs of glee everyone knew. The run had reached her most basic instinct, the wish to stay unharmed and free from capture. Not caring about dust, nor the natural imperfections of the terrain, she kept going forwards, the shadows of her metallic pursuers slowly becoming smaller and smaller, until just a tiny point on the horizon. She was already overjoyed, thrilled even that she managed to elude them, and to keep her freedom still...
Only then did something fall upon her, wrapping around her body, before she could move even the least bit. She collapsed in her sprint, tumbling quite a few feet till coming to a halt. Whimpering from the pain, she quickly tried to free herself from the binds, only to find out what it was...a net. A simple, but immensely strong net, not even stretching to her frantic attempts. Even more, it only seemed to tighten around her instead, to the point where she couldn't move at all.
"Well, well...what do we have here?" she heard nearby, a cold, but at the same time, almost charming voice purring. She tried to move again, only to hear the sound of electricity, the next moment everything going black before her eyes.
"Mornin' beautiful!"
A scream was the first thing that came out of her as she awoke. The robot had smacked the iron bars with his large hand, making a concert only their receptors could enjoy. To her, it was more of a murder, her ears ringing from just the volume alone. Being a fairy, her senses were naturally much more keen than other species', along with the fact that even certain frequencies effected her kin.
Even didn't want to sleep, eventually her fatigue got the best of her, grating her several hours of looking into the crystal mirror of her past, through reliving some of the old events that doubtlessly changed the course of her life. Sadly, the fonder memories didn't wish to visit her at these hours, leaving only the past few nightmarish weeks and months to haunt her over and over again.
The robot opened her cell door in the main time, carrying another crude bowl, much like the one she got the other evening -or was it noon? She couldn't make heads or tails of time anymore.- He only glanced briefly upon the remains of her earlier meal, all over the cell bars and the floor.
"Must you always play this?" he growled, his eyes glowing red.
He suddenly smacked her new bowl to the ground, which made half of the food scatter already. It wasn't the lack of food she was truly worried about though. In all honestly, Ly couldn't even decide which of the robots she feared more. She knew Tazer was an evil like few other, capable to doing anything that could be classified as evil. On the other hand though, was this guard.
Not as sophisticated with its crude platings and slightly chipped hook, she knew well that he wasn't one to be in bad terms with. He would have ripped open her abdomen in less than a few moments, if things would have turned out that way. She couldn't decide right now, whether to fear the open, or hidden threat more.
"Yer gonna clean this place with yer tongue even if ya keep doin' this..." he threatened, raising his hook a bit to add to the threat.
Ly shivered in fear, knowing all too well how sharp those things were. Earlier, she'd seen up close as a particularly defiant fairy was promptly stabbed by them, then left to die, unless by some heavenly luck the other prisoners could keep her alive. She never got to see the end result, as that was the beginning of her solitary confinement.
Before the guard could act up anymore though, the doors opened again, revealing another robot in the hallway. This one in particular, she knew well already, having seen him many times before, usually near Tazer. From what she could gather, he was ranked right under her prime tormentor.
Spectrum raised his sight upon the robot and the fairy, the light-blue glimmer of his visors sparkling, even in the dim light. Unlike most of the crew, his eyes were a lot more advanced than the sometimes crude light-bulbs the rest of them had, although visibly not of any organic origin, unlike the ones Tazer had.
As he stepped closer, the other robot stood away from the fairy, looking almost scared a bit. Somewhat eased, Ly's eyes twitched in surprise, the fact unfolding in her mind once again as to how quiet the robot's steps were, even though he couldn't possibly be mistaken for anything other than what he really was.
His silvery plating was proudly sparling with the sign of careful handling, kept as prim as one could imagine. Golden lines crossed through his metallic body, following delicate and difficult patters along his arms, chest and legs, mimicking either a simple geometric shape, or a chaotic web of a spider. They ended up in a single, circular shape located at the point which one would define as someone's nape.
Concerning build, Spectrum seemed in fact, much less threatening than any of the robots she'd seen around the ship, apart from the silent threat Tazer posed, of course. This robot was much less bulkier than the rest, though Ly knew better than to underestimate him. For as weak as his appearance was, his talents were doubtless.
Spectrum was the definition of strategy, up to the point where he almost single-handedly managed to devise a method to bypass even the strongest magical barriers the fairies could create. He was the one who could always fight magic with technology, to the point where they couldn't possibly win in any kind of combat.
Despite his weaker form, she knew from fact that he was as swift and deadly as possible, the two thin, oval-shaped recesses just beneath his hands which she suppose, held place for whatever his weapons were. He preferred open battles at most times, not interested in blood, but rather an honest confrontation, unlike the more shady tactics Tazer preferred. Both of them were deadly, and when trying to decide which was more dangerous, she couldn't quite come to an honest conclusion
She had her run-ins with the robot as well, him being the one who usually pinpointed her location, whenever she managed to escape her cell. Every time, in less than an hour, she was found, overpowered and taken back into custody. Despite that though, she couldn't say she hated him as much as the rest of the robots.
For instead of treating her like most of the robots under his command did, he handled them with what could call mild respect. He didn't make life easier for them in any way, but neither did he feel the need to punish them for no reason at all, nor to insult them continuously. He handled them simply like one would act towards the defeated: slaves, but not creatures without any right to so much as live. He respected them, if as nothing else, then once worthy adversaries.
"Tazer requests an audience with her in the engine room." he stated simply, without any remark to the the other robot's behavior towards the fairy. She had no doubt that it didn't elude his visage though. "At once." he added, emphasizing that everything else was secondary at this point.
She already knew that while other robots frequently grumbled because of orders, he never spoke a single word. He completed everything, as long as the order came from someone higher than him. Sighing a bit, she slowly rose to her feet, ignoring the bowl her guard brought in earlier. She usually had to walk on all fours if she didn't want to get punished, but Spectrum overlooked this purely degrading custom.
He waited patiently for her to join him, only beginning to walk off once he knew she was following him. She briefly heard the guard behind her grumble, making her shiver for a moment...she had a feeling her return would be anything but simple. Nevertheless, she knew that while she was at Spectrum's side, she was not to be harmed.
"...why does he want to see me again?" she asked after a little while, breaking the silence between them. It was better than to look around, meeting the either vicious or smug looks of the other Pirates. "I've already been to him yesterday...and why the engine room, of all places?" she felt comfortable enough to ask even more than one questions from the robot. Up until now, he'd never acted abusive towards her.
"He didn't inform me about that." he replied simply, shedding his stoic silence. His face didn't show any kind of expression, despite it having a somewhat humane form, even having a decent mouth, instead of some disfigured mimicry of it. "He merely said to bring you there...and authorized force of course, in case of resistance."
He didn't have to continue for her to understand his point. If she would have tried to sneak off again, or try to avoid following him in any way, he would have dragged her here without a second thought. Spectrum wasn't one to be bargained with, literally having an iron will. She followed him close by, though not being as blunt as going by his side. Sometimes, upon glancing at the golden lines upon him, she could almost see a greenish tint; the continuous flow of raw information, that kept the robot moving and on his toes at all times. She knew well that the chance of a successful sneak attack upon Spectrum was about as liable as Polokus appearing on the ship all of a sudden.
"Hey, it's the kitten!" she heard a snarl nearby, making her tremble a bit, but for all the wrong reasons.
Her hand clenched a bit, the accumulated humiliation and desperation slowly boiling in her again, especially as she heard a few of the robots around them crudely whistling at her, quite a few making obvious remarks of her probably being Tazer's very personal slave. The simple assumption made her furious, as to how such lowly contraptions would so shamelessly badmouth her.
"Where do ya think she's going?"
"Perhaps the Boss wants another round?"
"With what? She ain't got anything good!"
A unanimous laughter was the answer to the last remark. It was a custom amongst them to address Tazer as Boss between each other, but rather out of respect, while at the same time, joking a bit upon his humane looks. Most times, he seemed to be more of a leader than Razorbeard, anyway. The mood spread quickly though, more of the robots joining in.
The majority of the Pirates got in on the joke and stood up on both sides of the corridor, continuing to mock the young fairy as Spectrum kept leading her. Just like before, he showed no reaction he actually noticed what was going on. She seriously had to force a makeshift calm upon herself as they let themselves loose more and more, becoming a lot like any organic lowlife she had met before. She even managed to stay calm as one of the robots went as far as tearing a single strand of hair out of her tail as she went past them.
When one of them suddenly pinched her rear though, that was the point where not even her patience could take it anymore. Without even thinking it much over, she turned around swiftly, only to see one of the most known models chuckling at her. A simple Henchman 800, the most crude and expendable robots the entire armada had...and the same one she knew all faults in, having seen Rayman deal with them while nearly sleeping even.
"What's the matter cutie, ya wanna spend an hour with me too?" the Pirate sneered, the rest of his comrades laughing along.
"Of course..." she purred, the tiny little flare in her eyes going mostly unnoticed. For a single moment, her eyes were once again more feline-like, than their normal shape.
Only a single moment passed, before she managed to collect enough strength in herself to skip right up on the H800's hand, as it reached out for her again. He froze, along with the majority of his partners, while the rest watched silently. She didn't waste any time and got on his back the next moment, reaching down and grabbing the sides of his head.
The robot realized too late as to what she was doing, roaring as much as his voice-box enable him, trying frantically to get the fairy off himself. Ly hissed in pain, feeling the robot's hook digging a line into her arm as he waved around, but she didn't stop at all, only pulling even harder. Most around them even took a step back to give them a little space. The fairy gave off a little growl, collecting every ounce of strength she had left, pulling hard once more.
While the H800-generation of robots wasn't exactly the best, they were fierce and strong fighters, even if not bright, nor fast. One of their biggest faults though, were the quick way they were made...their entire bodies were barely even intact, connected by only a single series of reinforced wires and plating around them, instead of more complete shielding, like more modern ones.
As a result, the weak plating slowly cracked under the relentless assault. Even though she wasn't all that strong physically, her anger and determination filled that space quite nicely. A few more moments of struggling did the trick, as with a loud electric discharge, the robot's head was torn off. Ly fell back from the sudden release, landing on the ground with the head still in her hands, the eyes losing light slowly, until the Pirate could be deemed beyond repair.
Many of the Pirates around her seemed to see her little action as the worst she could possibly do, their looks turning rather deadly. One of them looked especially angry over his comrade's destruction and raised his hook, more than ready to tear a new mouth into the fairy somewhere. He struck without though, not giving her even a split second to defend herself.
The sudden clash between metals made her flinch, lowering the Pirate's head she defensively raised before herself. A single hand was between her and the robot, effortlessly holding back the other's hand by the wrist, his hook right before her face.
"She is to be delivered unharmed." he stated in an infinitely calm voice, the golden lines upon his body sparkling a bit.
The Pirate glared upon her again, going as far as trying to move his hand again, in Spectrum's grasp...a truly bad idea. The robot merely clenched his hand around the other one's, the alloy visible bending a bit in his grip. He let go a moment later, the assaulting robot pulling his fractured hand back, glaring at both of them. He wasn't bold enough to start any sort of battle with Spectrum, but as he went off, Ly could feel chills running down her spine. For some reason, she had a feeling this wasn't the last time she'd seen this one...
Technology had never been unanimously accepted. Since the beginning of time, sentient races feared anything new...for it was always different than what they already knew, even if it was just something that'd make their lives easier. It didn't make a difference. People feared new, selfishly and pathetically protecting old views, old way, hindering the eventual flow of history.
This...this is how the world is supposed to be like...
He gazed around, his artificial eyes filled with the sparkling glimmers of the heavy gears working around him. A long line of sophisticated machinery were placed in the room, each and every one of them working on full power. The lights of the immense power running through them illuminated the room easily, though he had nothing against the darkness, either. Heat pulsed in every inch of the hall, the steams heavily sitting upon the air, prompting any organic being to leave this area only to them.
His features softened greatly to the soft humming of the engines, which sounded a lot more like inconvenient cacophony to most organics, but were the most beautiful symphony imaginable to him. Such power, such great endurance and strength was inside those materials, to an extent where he thought he could almost feel it coursing through himself.
Even with the skin, clothes, hair and all those other organic-like additions he was supplied with, felt no existent. He felt as though he was in his rawest form before such a powerful machine; a simple pile of coding, before a true God. And they were no less...gods, deities, all of them as they helped their voyage through the depths of space, in return for their faithful servants taking care of them.
So...beautiful...
The door behind him suddenly opened up, breaking his enjoyment towards this heavenly concert. He glanced behind his back, noticing his desired present has arrived. His signature smirk flared upon his face once again, knowing he would have an all too different enjoyment now.
"I'm so happy you decided to join me here." he purred, turning around properly and bowing slightly before the fairy. "I hope you're little trip here was without incidents..."
With just a simple, elegant flick of a hand, Tazer dismissed Spectrum, which the robot handled without a single sign of dislike. He left without a word, tending to any other matters he should have already, leaving the fairy together with the robot. Only the two of them, as it seemed.
Even though her clothes were barely even intact by now, the unbearable heat that sat upon the entire room effected her quite a lot, little beads of sweat forming on her only after a few moments. He didn't seem bothered at all, barely even sweating, showing one sure sign of his non-organic origin. She glared at him, frantic thoughts running around in her head. Perhaps I could run off quickly...this place is a mess, so maybe I could outsmart him...
The robot's grin got her nervous though. What if he expected just that? What if he's just waiting for the moment I try anything, just to give him a reason to punish me? A silent battle seemed to have formed between the two, with Tazer having the upper hand, as she was still in the dark about his intentions. I can't...I'm doing bad enough already, and if he's playing on catching me red-handed, he surely has several methods at hand...
What if he's just bluffing though? He's so arrogant...maybe for once, his arrogance made him forget that I'm still not one to be pushed around? Her hands clenched a bit, their gaze at each other locked, as if both were trying to look into the mind of the other...only Tazer had a huge smirk on his face, as per usual. Smug bastard...maybe this is my chance?
Just as she slightly tensed though, did she notice something about the robot. Nothing much, but enough for her to stop anything she might have attempted to do. For in the pocket of the well-sewn suit, lied something quite ominous. An object she had seen several times before; the swift little weapon of death, which could kill with a squeeze at the trigger, finishing up a fight even before it would start. She sighed a tiny bit in defeat, knowing that no matter appearance, Tazer could shoot her without even the slightest chance of missing.
"Why did you call me here?" she asked finally, her voice surprisingly without power. She scowled inwardly at herself, clearing her throat a bit. She couldn't let any weakness come to sight before him.
"Purely boredom, my darling kitten...and I thought that perhaps someone like you could take that away." he mused, not making a single remark about their earlier mental clash.
He knew well the way the young fairy was thinking, after so long. It also greatly amused him to see her look darkening once more to the pet name she was unwillingly supplied with. Without the least of care though, he turned around, gesturing a bit to the huge engines.
"You see these, young fairy?" he purred, his voice making her skin crawl a bit. "These machines can grant such speed you can't possibly even imagine...while your feet might be fast, these are enough to propel you right off the planet even."
She raised a brow at his bragging, crossing her arms. Her ears twitched a bit to the heat, but once more, she ignored it, even though her bushy tail was like an oven in such great heat.
"Why would you want to leave the world that bore you?" she asked rhetorically, knowing this seemingly innocent discussion was far more serious that one might see of it at first. This wasn't about simple opinion, but rather about destroying whatever pride she had in her planet, to prove his superiority. "Those who destroy their own roots, are worth nothing...they have no place to show where their legacy began...if it survives, that is."
Tazer's smirk didn't fade though, showing he was glad that she accepted this little duel of words, after losing the one they had a few minutes ago.
"But of course, one can always make a habitat later on. It never matters either way where you came from, but where you end up." he pointed out, raising one his brows upon the fairy.
"Without a sight to look back upon, you will keep making the same mistakes over and over again. We all learn from our experiences, to become stronger." she mused, wiping the sweat off her brow.
The heat was getting to her finally, a dull numbness growing in her body from it. She could barely move her tail either way, almost feeling like as though she had a mop attached to her. She knew she would desperately need a wash after their conversation, even though that usually consisted of her guard pouring several buckets of cold water over her head. Her kind was just not fit for such extreme temperatures.
"Who said one would make mistakes?" Tazer asked suddenly, his smirk growing. Ly gazed weirdly at him, thinking he was joking or something.
"No being is without the possibility to make mistakes...let them be living, or artificial." she emphasized the word as much as she could while gazing at him, her arms still crossed.
"Are you so sure about that?" the robot mused, only sounding a tiny bit arrogant at this point, which unsettled her to a certain point. "What if I said there are creatures above any mistakes...perfect beings."
"I'd laugh in your face." she stated bluntly, glaring at him with a flicker from her jade eyes. "One without faults can only be a god..." she shook her head along with the words, signaling he was far from being one.
"Then one must strive to become a god, correct?" Tazer purred, making her flinch all of a sudden.
What does he mean with that? He knows of Polokus, so he must also know that one doesn't just 'become' a god, all of a sudden. Locked in her thoughts, she only realized herself as she nearly collapsed, much to her shock. The world returned to it's rightful priority, informing her that she was losing strength quite fast.
"No one can reach such a state on their own...one must be chosen for such..." she muttered, the world beginning to spin before her.
Her breathing was slowly breaking up, the heat becoming too much for her to bear, her face burning in red. She could almost literally feel herself melt. Her state didn't go without notice though, of course.
"Is everything alright kitten?" Tazer mused, tilting his head a bit. She had no doubts he had planned it like this from the start. He knew she couldn't take such heat. "Or should I call for someone, perhaps?"
Ly couldn't answer even if she wanted to, her body weakened to an extent where she couldn't even keep herself on her feet. She feel back against the door at first, but it didn't open, no matter how she hoped. The heat soon overpowered her completely as she collapsed, the last thing before her eyes, Tazer smirking upon her.
It was as cold as the Summit. She awoke with a loud scream, only to be splattered once more by whatever liquid it was. The sheer strength of the water-spray was enough to nearly squeeze her through the cell-bars.
"I knew this would get ya up in no time!" she heard from behind, just as the water finally disappeared.
For once, she couldn't even whimper, shivering all over like crazy. Even her teeth were chattering as she curled up a bit to get some sort of warmth after such a cold shower. Her mind raced around as fast as possible, trying to figure out how and why she was here, when her last memory was standing before Tazer...or rather, fainting.
Just as she pieced it together, did the next wave come. Ly cried out as the cold water splattered all over her again, the hose the robot was holding pumping it at a very quick rate. She promptly screamed while getting soaked once more. Not only did the water nearly freeze her, she was sure the spot where the stream hit her would hurt for a few days.
"The Boss said you could use a little bath!" her guard called over. He on the other was fully satisfied. In terms of punishing her for repeatedly spoiling her food and making a mess, this was more than perfect.
By this time, the fairy was shaking the cell-bars, futilely trying to somehow flee from the water. She wasn't against cold water all that much, even though she was used to the hot springs on her planet, but so much as so quickly were about as bad as possible. Her skin seemed to be turning blue from the cold slowly, her lips all swollen and violet from the merciless bath. Out of every means of torture Tazer had invented so far, this was the lowest she'd ever experienced.
Finally, after several long and terrible minutes, the robot stopped torturing her. "All squeaky clean?" he asked, chuckling at his own cruel joke.
The fairy was hugging herself, shivering more and more from the cold. Her hands clung to her tattered body suit as the robot threw it back to her, greatly amused by seeing the half-frozen Ly. "You'd better dress up, or you'll get cold..." he purred.
Ly slowly stood up in her cell, still shaking terribly even as the water was being sucked up by the wooden floor. The robot finally left, leaving the fairy to somehow pull herself together after the shower. Though she wasn't neglectful about personal hygiene, this was far too much for her for a single round. She glared before herself as she waited for the water to dry off her first, before she'd get dressed again. He's going to pay for this, one way or another...
Spectrum's fingers ran across the keyboard, buttons being tapped in a fast pace, much faster than any organic would be able to produce. He sometimes spent hours and hours before the screen, scrolling through the immense amount of information scattered along the archives of the Pirate Armada.
Though a warrior by programming, he also possessed the code to always search for information. He had long discovered that the best and most efficient way of defeating an enemy, was the most simplest thing they never think matters...knowledge. By simply gathering information, he could often turn the tides of any battle, by simply pulling the right cards, at the right time.
This time though, it wasn't the reports he was most interested about. His blue visors were locked upon a recording of two people conversing in the engine room, right to the point where one of them had to drop out of the debate, without intention as it seemed though. The soft green lights glimmered under the golden lines upon his body, information being processed in a very fast pace.
He couldn't understand it well. He rarely met things that were beyond his knowing, but this was one of them. It wasn't the surface, not the deeper parts of the conversation they had, that interested him. What puzzled him to no end, was how defiantly she was acting. Pride will forever be pride...but why is she doing it?
He had to admit, he didn't know too much of the lifestyles of the people on her planet, but rather strategic information, such as hideouts, or the location of the most powerful artifacts...this tiny little talk, gave him a lot more questions than any of those. She's been caught for weeks...her accomplices as well...we're already in deep space...and still, she doesn't give in at all...
While Tazer seemed the most interested in breaking this defiance of hers, he had no such plans. Such an attitude was unique in his eyes, one that only the strongest of spirits could have. He rather wished to continue and observe her, until he'd understand her motives...the answer behind it all.
So far away, so alone and so weak...yet she wouldn't give in. His visors sparkled a bit, just as she snapped at Tazer. Just what is it, that gives you such strength? She trembled a bit under the apparent heat, but still kept talking to the robot, disagreeing with every single one of his statements. How can you live you proudly, even in imprisonment?
The recording ended after a while as she fainted, with Tazer ordering a robot to take her back to her cell. He continued to gaze at the screen for a bit, musing about the question buzzing inside of him. He raised his hand a bit, his index-finger hovering over the 'replay' button. Let's see how well you'll do... He pushed the button the next moment, the recording starting over for the umpteenth time.