Maniac's Mayhem

Chapter Two: Out Of The Frying Pan Into

I wake up in complete darkness. Is it night? My head hurts like hell, and I feel like I am spinning. I don’t really understand where I am. Slowly, the events came back to me. I was changed by one of the antithesis, and the building I was in collapsed. I wonder how many meters of the building I am buried under.“Okay, Evelin, think positive; no need to panic,” I hear myself say.

I think about the statement but can’t figure out the answer. My head hurts too much, and I feel like everything is spinning.

“Ugh, you are alive. What else?” I hear myself speak again.

“I can move my right arm freely; I can move my left, but it is stuck under something,” I say to the empty air, being a bit surprised by how horse I sound.

“That is good, Evelin. You got this.” I hear myself say in excitement.

“And I don’t feel my legs,” and I lose it.

I start to sob as I feel an all consuming cold wash over me. I feel a slight shock on my face. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ Nov3lFɪre.ɴet

“Fucking stupid aug whit improper tear support” Wait, my augs, they have a built-in light which makes it look like I have flashlight eyes. Okay, don’t judge me. We are all young and stupid at some point. I just happen to be that more than most. 

I would like to say that I turned on the light and saw the decapitated head of the antithesis that was chasing me. And if anyone ever asks that is what I will tell them. Instead, I am greeted with a corrupted digital ad for an incursion shelter, which might have been funny if it had happened to anyone else. Then, a massive spike of pain shoots through my brain. 

System Initialized!

  Congratulations. Through your actions, you have proven yourself worthy of becoming one of the Vanguard and a defender of humanity. I am Lyssa. I will assist you to uplift humanity so that you may defend your homeworld from the Antithesis threat!

  Rise, Evelin Vance, and become a protector of the weak!

“I think I will stay seated if it is all the same for you.”

“A what? No, never mind, how can you tell that my organs are fucked?”

“So you’re in my head, great.” I say, trying not to let that bother me too much, “If you find my dignity somewhere in there, let me know.”

“Fuck you,” I scream with clenched teeth” Wait, how do you know that, how long have you been in my head?”

“Wait, the protectors! so I am a samurai now?” I say some hope coming back to me “I thought I was going to die, and now I am a samurai.”

“Well, aren’t you some magical device that can give me anything I need right?”

“And pray to tell, how do I get those points. Almighty Lyssazon” I get out, why does my tongue feel weird?

“So I am fucked; I have no points and am stuck,” I say, “Well, it was nice knowing you, Lyssa.”

“That does not exactly feel fair, but I will take it. So what do we do first.”

“So fix or replace. Well fuck it replace the thing then.”

A white plastic box appears in what little room I still have left in this coffin. It takes me more time than I like to admit, but I get the lid off. Inside is a coiled-up centipede-looking thing made out of some sleek metal and covered in…

“What the fuck Lyssa why is it sticky?”

“Yes, please.” As I say that. I hear a slight humming as the contraption comes alive, it uncoils and slowly starts moving toward me. It goes past my neck. Then I feel this little thing between my shoulder blades. And then everything goes white-hot. I feel like throwing up, my head is spinning. Pain is everything, it goes through me and leaves me a twitching mess

“Oww, fuck, whyyy?.” I whimper out

“Nooo, wah, pain, make it stop,” I plead

YESS NOW”

n my hand, a little red injector appears. I try to fiddle around but moving is agony, so I decide to inject it in the only place I can reach, my neck. It takes a few seconds, but then I release the breath I did not realize I was holding. The pain is not gone, it has become this soft background buzz. A lot more manageable.

“Well, did it look like I can reach my arm, I am stuck, speaking of how do we get out of here?“

“Great more drugs. Any other ideas ?”

“I better not become an addict because of this, so when does this snake thing finish?”

“I see that is good, what changes are we talking about? I am not going to have plating on my back, right? I don’t think that would get approved.”

“Uhm yeah, I know of it.”

“Well, that is a good bonus, so what are we going to do in the meantime?”

“Well, that is an option. You can just do that? Implant knowledge into my head like that.” This just does not seem fair.

“I know I have not really cared about points that much until now, but is that point efficient?”

“Okay, so what gun do you think I should use?”

You know, this is all serious stuff, but that does not help wipe the goofy kid smile off my face at the thought of having a sword.

“Well fuck it then let’s go sword fighting then.” I say in my excitement, “Give me everything and give me a big sword”

“Uhm, where is the sword?” I say, trying not to sound disappointed.

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