Awakening Part 1
"I guess you're feeling pretty smug right now," A voice bellowed into the darkness.
Ortz was still groggy hanging from the chains that had him attached to the walls, there were deep wounds on his wrists and ankles showing that he had obviously been struggling. The blood had dried on his arms in a dark brown it had cracked off leaving just flakes on the surface of his skin.
"Wake up!" A more coarse voice shouted as Ortz was struck in the stomach by a rifle butt.
He screeched in pain as his eyes flew open exposing a blackened sclera, which faded as the light contacted his eyes, he shook his head trying to clear the gnawing that was biting at the back of his head, it felt like a stroke like he was losing his mind.
"Don't worry you'll get used to it," The first voice said quieter than before as someone stepped in front of Ortz, their frame obscured Ortz from the light and quickly his sclera turned back into the black that it had been previously.
As his sclera became completely black again something snapped inside him, he tried to lunge forward towards the man, his chains prevented him from reaching him, as the man stepped back out of the light Ortz relaxed again causing his sclera to return to white.
"Remarkable," The man whispered to himself as he took a note on the clipboard he was holding, he then walked back past Ortz into towards the stairwell that he had come down, once he had reached the top he turned, "Turn off the flood light." He ordered to the man down in the pit with Ortz.
The man turned off the flood light plunging the area into almost complete darkness, Ortz screeched once again and the clanging of the heavy metal chains rang through the room. A loud cry could be heard which made the man on the stairwell cringe.
"Light back on!" He demanded hoping his experiment was okay, "I said turn the lights back on!" still nothing.
As he stood waiting he just peered down into the darkness but suddenly a loud roar the generator powering the lights came back on and the room was flooded by the light coming from the flood light. The floor below the man looked like a blood bath, Ortz was stood looking the generator with one hand free placed on the thing, basking in the light of the flood lamp, his loud panting slowed as he became adjusted to the light once again. He turned his head looking up at the man on the stairwell his eyes were returning to their native white, he eventually reached up at a strange feeling that he had coming from the side of his head, he wiped blood from the side of his head which he tracked up to his left ear, when he ran his hand along the ear he felt that after a couple of centimetres it stopped in a nearly clean slice.
A loud creak rang out into the room from above the man, clacks from a set of heels followed as the creak happened again along with a series of clicks like a lock was reengaging. A purple glint shone down onto the man who was still watching in awe of Ortz who was now grinning into the light.
"How is he?" A female voice echoed throughout the room as heels clacking against the metal steps as they made their way down to the man.
"See for yourself," he replied pointing down into the pit where Ortz was standing.
She chuckled before simply whispering in the man's ear, "I plan to," the woman said calmly as she stood at the top of the stairs that led down to Ortz. She slowly walked down the stairs clanging on each step, her long purple trench coat dragged along the steps behind, the metal beads on the bottom her sleeves flailed around as descended. She stepped down onto the concrete floor which Ortz was on still staring into the light.
"Evening Sugar," She whispered to him staying in the shadows out of the light. Ortz snarled turning his head slightly trying to pinpoint where the sound had come from, his head tracked the sounds of her heels clacking on the floor as she walked around him. She finally stepped into the light displaying her thigh high leather heeled boots, she stood proudly watching Ortz who looked like he had been in an explosion, his face had been cut to pieces.
The woman removed the belt on her coat opening it up displaying the tight trousers she had on which matched the colour of the jacket, her top only just draped lower than her bust leaving her midriff bare showing off her stomach which had a deep black tattoo running down the right side, circling the centre of her stomach and then retreating back to her side.
"You don't look well Sugar," she said in a more coarse voice than before. Ortz just let out a strained sigh. "Still painful?" she queried as she looked down at the remains of the guard on the floor.
"Yes," Ortz hissed back at her turning his head to look her in the eyes.
"The first dose is always the worst," She almost laughed pulling out something from under her coat. "It gets easier, don't worry," She told Ortz ominously as she exposed the syringe that she had pulled from her coat, it was filled with a dark liquid, she took a step closer to Ortz and placed her hand on his shoulder.
He could feel the warmth from her hand, like she was warming his soul from the inside, he shuddered when she moved her hand across the back of his neck and brushed up almost reaching his ear. He could feel her breath up against the back of his neck making the hairs stand on edge, he then felt her tongue run up from his shoulder to behind his ear and then along his ear along to the tip where she slowly ran her teeth back down. He let out a satisfied groan as she continued to kiss his neck.
She kept going until she spotted a large purple vain emerge from his neck into which she plunged the needle of the syringe, she injected all of the dark liquid but as she did everything changed. Within a fraction of a second Ortz had turned and was holding her in the air by her throat his grip was tight enough to make it difficult to breath but not so tight it prevented it entirely. He had forced her into the shadows where his hand slowly turned into a dark scaly necrotic claw.
"I see it's having an effect," She noted causing a fit of rage to erupt for Ortz who threw her to the floor on the other side of the pit. He sprinted over to her and smashed her in the ribs with his foot changing into a more necrotic creature as he entered the shadows. In his new state he scooped her up and threw her at the metal stairs that she had entered the pit from, she hit them with such for that she glided through them like they weren't even there.
He panted waiting to see if she'd move, she attempted to get up so he readied to charge again. She clambered to her feet and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth away, he started to barrel towards her. she just stood her ground and when he was about five feet away she held her hands out open infront of herself clutching like she was grabbing at something, a faint glow came from her tattoo when spectacularly Ortz was locked in place by a large purple orb, as she attempted to keep him locked in place her tattoo glowed much more intensely until it was irradiating the room in a purple glow.
"See what power you could wield if you'd just submit!" She spat as her eyes then glowed in the same purple. She inhaled deeply and then exhaled even deeper, "Now sleep." She ended quietly as she closed her fists causing Orts to drop to the floor like he was in an instantaneous deep sleep.
.ti ni sretsnom era ereht fi neve—nem doog fo lluf smees dlrow eht; si eh lufthguoht dna doog woH
The breeze blew the drapes which dangled in front of the window, outside the city was bustling full of life, people were buying and selling their wares at the market towards the coast, others scrambled around trying to get by collecting the water from the well.
A woman laid asleep in a bed in the centre of the room, she was covered in a colourful blanket with a pillow that was just as colourfully decorated. The desert dust blew in through the window turning the light coming in a deep blood red, it danced across the floor and ceiling being reflected by every metal object in the room.
The beams danced across the woman's soft face causing her to open her eyes to stop the annoyance of the light. Her green eyes sparkled in the light as she sat up on the bed, she quickly grabbed the pair of trousers that she had left at the base of the bed and placed them over her naked legs and then proceeded to wrap her face in the scarf that was next to them.
Her gaze was distracted by the sights out of the window so she threw open the drapes and took a deep breath of the desert air, it was dry and course with dust but it felt fresh to the girl who had grown up entirely in the smog filled Haven.
A knock on the heavy wooden door made her jump but she also went to open it. She pulled it towards herself exposing a huge man; his armour gleamed as he walked into the room.
"Hey Sig, any news on Ortz?" She asked as the man pulled a chair over and she planted herself on the bed.
Sig just hung his head down not wanting to tell the woman what had happened, "Pan, he's been taken by the marauders."
"What? How? Where?" Panacea responded hurriedly.
"Calm down, we'll get him back," Sig told her in his low voice, "We're taking you back to Haven, then we're sending out a search party to find him and bring him back."
"I'm not going," She protested.
"You don't have that choice," Sig told her as he let in a group of wastelander warriors. "I'm sorry Pan, but it's for the best."
Panacea struggled as she was restrained by the warriors, "Bastards!" She exclaimed as they tore a rope into her face stuffing it into her mouth to stop her shouting but she was still letting out some muffled squeaks before the chemical that the rope had been coated in took effect and she fell into a deep slumber.
.elpoep fo ssendam eht ton tub, seidob lynevaeh fo noitom eht etaluclac nac I
There was a familiar smell in the air, the fumes from the engines made the air thick and difficult to breathe compared to the dust bowl air of the desert. She took a deep breath choking on the air. Panacea's eyes shot open to a grotesque sight of Krew floating watching over her drooling at the mouth, his grin made her feel ill as his dribble dropped onto her face.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Panacea exclaimed as she scurried to her feet.
"You're in my property ay, so I guessed that you were there for me," He chuckled causing him to bounce as he jiggled.
"That's not how it works," She shook her head making her way down the stairs onto the ground floor of the Hip-Hog Saloon.
"Shame ay," Krew said as he floated down next her following her ass as she walked over to the bar towards Tess.
"You look like shit," Tess told her looking her up and down with Krew still floating looking at her from behind. Panacea placed her head down on the bar top and started sobbing, "Hey," Tess said softly as she jumped over the bar and placed her hands on her shoulders, "What's up?"
"He's gone Tess," she replied.
"So the hero's gone, ay," Krew grinned floating down to Panacea's level.
"Fuck off," Panacea exclaimed at him slapping him across the face.
Krew angrily drew air in through his nose with his nostrils flared, he glared down at Panacea who had tears flowing down her face which had removed a trail of dirt on her cheeks and had caused her mascara to fill the trails with black.
Krew simply turned after seeing the woman and floated off up onto the second floor. Tess looked at Panacea and took her hand pulling her towards the door. Once in the street Tess climbed into a zoomer, when it had gone back to its rest position Panacea climbed in rocking the vehicle from side to side as she did.
The streets seemed to speed past as the zoomer passed through the checkpoints eventually they arrived in the slums, the place seemed even more depressive to Panacea than before the streets seemed to be filled with the guard like they were trying to flush the underground out again but she didn't care she just wanted him back.
The zoomer docked in the garage of the Underground's HQ and the Shadow was there to greet them the old man embraced Panacea as she welled up with tears sobbing on the man's shoulder, Ashlin and Torn entered the garage where Torn proceed to try and comfort Panacea whilst Ashlin stood up against the wall speaking into transponder.