by Bridget Ladd
“Watch out, if you continue to praise me like you do someone may think us friends,” I taunted dryly. I was tiring of trying to see the good in him. To convince him to let me go.
Maybe his weakness was in his anger? It seemed like a long shot, but I was running out of options. My shoulders and wrists throbbed painfully. I tugged on my clasps once again, becoming desperate.
Percival looked at me smugly, the ends of his mouth curving up in a slight smile, ignoring my taunt. “And I believe you’ve already met Sa’Vas . . .”
“Have I now?” I asked, my voice thick with ire despite having no idea what he was referring to.
“Yes, indeed you have.” Percival nodded, but then clasped his palm to the side of his face in mock embarrassment. “Oh how daft of me! I shall power him on for you.” The voice box made a shrill noise in his excitement.
Percival pushed a series of buttons on the same data-pad controller and smiled.
At first I didn’t understand what was happening as the metal surface at my back began to move in a rhythmic fashion. Almost like a living, breathing . . . .
I dared not look up, but found myself not being able to resist. I sighed and closed my eyes in despair as I took in the enormity of the creature I was chained to.
I continued to keep my eyes clasped tightly even as I heard Percival’s unnatural voice chime in.
“Yes, Sa’Vas is a sight to behold. Not for the faint of heart.”
My stomach clenched. It dawned on me that the odd odor I’d been smelling all along was the rotting essence of human and animal skin. It was grafted in haphazard pieces, sewn together as if it were a quilt and bolted onto the creature behind me. Large nodules and tubes exited the top of the mammoth’s head and iron-shaven teeth slipped ominously over the crevice of its mouth.
The impish varmint, Newt, bounced on the floor, influenced by his master’s satisfaction.
This isn’t good. As much as I hated to admit to it, I was helpless and had no idea how to get to my weapons across the room. Maybe he’d only put them there to watch me dance around the hope of retrieving them.
Sa’Vas continued to breathe. In and out. A function, no doubt, programmed into it for no real purpose other than to make it appear alive—the extension of its belly on the exhale tightening at my restraints uncomfortably. I didn’t want to think what it was going to feel like if it actually moved.
“Newt here, I’d like to think, handles the more delicate of tasks whereas Sa’Vas . . . is the muscle of the operation. A handy pair of allies I’ve created.”
“Yes, they’re quite fascinating,” I said with little enthusiasm.
Percival frowned and approached me slowly.
“You know, Lily, there’s no need to be rude.”
“Where are we?”
Percival cocked his head, dissatisfied by my unpleasant change of attitude.
“With the way you’re acting, I’m not sure I should divulge any of my secrets. I am however feeling generous so I shall give you this one last boon,” he said quickly.
He walked to the wall and swung open a dirty and tattered curtain, revealing the light from outside. “Tell me, Lily, what do you see?”
“I see nothing.”
“Very good!” He clapped. “And do you know why that is?”
I stared at him, waiting.
“Oh, you’re no fun. You see nothing because there is nothing to see at this height! We’re in the Manufacturer’s Tower of course, directly below the Key.”
My eyes widened.
“You’ve been this close to the Key, and yet you care nothing for it?” I shouted.
Percival shook his unruly mop of hair with a humored frown. “If I retrieved the Key then this game would be over. I live for this, Lily. Nothing excites me more.”
“The Barrage is not a game!” I spat out at him, not caring how my restraints dug sharply into my skin.
“You understand I’m not referring—” Percival paused and cocked his head slightly, listening to a not so distant noise.
“It appears our time here has ended. I bid you farewell, friend. May your death be a glorious one,” Percival’s voice box recited to me hastily, mimicking the words spoken at the Genesis Ceremony. “Sa’Vas—if you’d be so kind as to do me the honor . . .”
I squirmed and gasped when I felt the creature behind me come to life. It stood, vibrating behind me, stretching me until my bones felt like they might snap.
If I didn’t have my armor on, they would already be torn from the joint . . . .
That’s what Percival had meant when I was first coming to. He meant to make me a martyr. To drive Xander’s guilt into an unfathomable depth. While wearing my armor, I was to die a slow and painful death as the creature moved, jerking me apart limb by limb. Gritting my teeth, I could feel the pressure building in my arms and legs with its every breath, every small twitch.
The metal abomination roared and reached to the ceiling above us, knocking shards of roofing to the floor. I cried out as it punched outwards with its right arm, dragging my body with it.
I coughed and choked as my face and mouth was then pelted with the thick white dust of the ceiling. Iron rods groaned their own protest as they fell by my side, clamoring to the floor below. I watched in horror as the creature created a hole just large enough to fit both arms through.
With one great powerful tug—it pulled both of us onto the roof.
As it rose to its feet, the breeze of the un-caged sky blew across my face, giving what little comfort it could provide, the reek of death and rot whisked away into its careful grasp.
I clenched my eyes tightly, nauseated by the height at which the monstrosity now stood, overlooking the entirety of Sector 9.
“Xander!” I called out in the hope my voice would carry. There wasn’t much use in staying quiet in an attempt of self-sacrificing bravado. If still alive, I knew Xander was out there looking for me. Nothing would stop him. Not even death.
My eyes caught sight of a pedestal on the opposite side of the roof. An open box with a bronze key lay on top, the reflection of its surface shining like a brilliant beacon of hope. The Key. Even if that hope was to be false, I couldn’t deny that my breath still caught in my throat at the sight of it.
But nothing made my breath hitch like it did just now . . . .
Xander appeared from behind the covered stairwell, wings folding in, walking with a slow and dangerous gait towards us. He held one golden sword steady by his side.
He stopped a few feet in front of us; his eyes sought mine carefully before returning to the beast I was attached to.
“Hi,” I called out to him, relieved beyond normal speech to see him again. As I spoke, I could feel the sweat running down the side of my face, pooling into the corners of my mouth.
“Hi,” Xander replied automatically. He was calculating the situation and far past conversation.
Xander continued to stand in front of the monstrosity, one sword drawn, one attached to his back.
What is he doing . . . ?
I clenched my jaw as the monster hummed with a savage ferocity. As if on command—it charged. It swung its massive claws towards Xander, barely missing him. Xander dodged and ran between its legs, making it turn in confusion.
“Xander . . . would you please stop dancing with it and kill it already!”
“Working. On. It . . .” Xander grunted as he whirled away from three near hits.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Xander produce a large gun-like device from his back. I sighed, frustrated as the monster spun, blocking my view of what he was holding. My neck thrashed violently from the jarring motion.
To my relief Xander came back into view.
Is that an E.M. device?
It was. It was one of the older and cruder versions of the electromagnets the Engineers of Sector 9 used to move and push around heavy machinery. Crude or not, it would do the job.
Xander was a genius.
“I found this lying around. Thou
ght it would be of some use,” Xander said hastily as he continued to dodge and outmaneuver the creature from below.
Percival’s pet, Sa’Vas, wasn’t a creature of bone and sinew. It was an automaton built to appear alive and nothing more.
A strategically placed sword tip would never render it paralyzed, not completely. If Xander didn’t kill it outright it would either rip me apart in its rage or fall, crushing me beneath its weight. Both scenarios Xander understood otherwise he would’ve done away with it already.
This was a delicate task in Xander’s eyes and he was making certain he had the creature where he wanted it. Seeing an opening, Xander slid quickly to the creature’s right side, slashing his blade across my right ankle binding.
My leg fell free as the creature spun to face Xander again. My wrists were ablaze from the weight of my own body pulling down upon them. I couldn’t stop the tears that escaped, trying though failing, to focus my mind away from the pain.
The bindings were now becoming slippery with my own blood, though no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t slip free of them.
“The E.M.’s almost ready! Hang in there,” Xander shouted as he ducked and rolled beneath me and through the creature’s left leg, coming out the other side. He slashed at my left ankle binding, detaching me from it.
Now that I had both legs free, I tried to wrap them behind me to grab hold of the creature’s stomach to help lessen the friction on my wrists.
Thanks Xander. I think I’ll do just that, I thought frustratingly. E.M. devices could take up to thirty minutes or more before they were ready. Who knows, the one Xander found could be so old it may not even charge up at all.
My calf armor slipped on its surface and my legs were too weak to keep a purchase. I growled and gave up—which caused me to swing back and forth like a sphere of a bloody Newton’s Cradle.
“Xander, please!” I pleaded. I could now see blood running down the sides of my armor, falling into and staining the tree’s grooves of my breastplate.
Just then—I heard the most glorious noise.
The electromagnet had finally powered up, the air charging around it as it breathed to life.
Xander wasted no time, thrusting the device against the creature’s side. Sa’Vas, who was in mid-swing, froze and started vibrating as its gears and inner workings no longer responded to the want of its master, but now to the pull of the magnet.
Xander jerked his arm forcefully, bringing the creature to its knees.
Xander and I were eye level once more. “I’m sorry,” he said grimly before slicing through my right binding, dangling me now from only one arm.
If I thought I knew pain before. I was wrong.
Grimacing, my face contorted from the agony. The pressure that now blossomed into my entire left arm was—inexplicable.
Xander not planning to let me suffer long, spun his blade to detach me from the last binding, but the relief never came. The E.M. device had weakened and was surging in and out of power, allowing Sa’Vas to stumble backwards and away from the blade’s reach.
Xander cursed foully, slamming his fist against the E.M.’s side. The creature regained its footing and was now backing even further away from Xander . . . closer to the ledge . . . its arm reaching towards my legs . . . .
Automatons didn’t think for themselves. They do not know fear, or suddenly become aware. They only perceive threats as by command. Sa’Vas was built to destroy, not to back down. That could only mean one thing. Percival was now controlling it.
I could see the understanding creep into Xander’s eyes moments before I saw him deploy his wings. I had lost all ability to breathe as I saw the clawed hand of Sa’Vas redirect its attention towards me. I kicked out frantically with both feet as it grabbed for me, sending myself into a dizzying spin.
Percival knew this game of his was over and he planned on making it as messy as possible.
He was going to rip my body away from my arm.
He was going to make Xander watch.
Time slowed to mere molecules again as I kept my eyes locked onto Xander’s, waiting for the inevitable horror to come. We had tried. We had given it our all. I forced this acceptance into my energy, hoping he would see it.
The look upon Xander’s face was truly frightening. He wasn’t as accepting of my fate. He took a few powerful strides before rocketing over, the electromagnet outstretched before him.
He reversed the polarity on the device mid-flight—its colors changing from blue—to green.
Oh. Bloody. Hell.
I sucked in a breath as I felt the pulse of opposing magnetism explode behind me, yanking me backwards. Instead of letting the beast rip me apart, he opted to push us off the roof instead?
Both the monstrous creature and I surged over the ledge—my arm outstretched by the chain that held my wrist. I felt something detach in my shoulder, though I didn’t so much care, for the overwhelming drop in my stomach was now taking precedence.
Frantic thoughts entered my mind as I looked to the empty sky above me. I hope it will be quick. I hope it will be quick.
Two actions happened then. One right after the other. Something hard grabbed me from the side. Just as something sliced through the last remaining binding, freeing me.
The sky—not as empty as I’d thought.
Xander cradled me awkwardly as his jets readjusted, hovering us in the air momentarily before shooting upwards again.
The sound of Sa’Vas cratering into the ground stole me from my daze as we landed back onto the tower’s rooftop. I slumped to the ground gasping, the sudden realization that Xander and I were still alive rushing back into me.
I looked around quickly. Percival was nowhere to be seen.
Xander grabbed both sides of my face, desperate to get a good look at me. He was out of sorts, frazzled.
“I’m okay,” I breathed out in a rush. “I’m okay.”
He ran his hand over my hair and kissed my forehead, scooting me close to his chest. I embraced him as best I could, one arm not cooperating. “I’m sorry it took me so long to come for you,” he whispered into my hair. Pulling back, his eyes lingered on mine, reassuring himself that the hope of life still thrived within me.
His eyes landed upon my slumped shoulder.
“Look at me,” he said tightly, the darkness in his eyes back. “Deep breath okay? It’ll be quick.”
Before I could object, he firmly wrapped his hands around my upper arm’s armor.
“Wait—”
With a swift and clean motion he yanked and pivoted the joint back into position. Pain erupted through my shoulder.
“Bloody freaking bones, Xander!” I cursed, new tears surging to my eyes. If I wasn’t currently sitting, I would’ve made quick note to change that. A wave of dizziness consumed me even though my shoulder felt immensely more normal than it had only moments ago. I swayed forward, finding myself propped against Xander’s hands.
“Easy. Just keep breathing. Steady and deep,” he encouraged above me.
“That hurt,” I whispered weakly, my eyes still closed tightly against the dizziness.
“Forgive me. You can hit me later for it,” he said as he reached to his back and produced some bandages and a canteen full of water. “I haven’t sensed Percival anywhere near, so we have a few moments to rest. Here—I need you to lie back if you can.”
I took a deep breath and leaned against the concrete ledge. Xander handed over the water and carefully took my wrists in his hands. He assessed the purple and blood encrusted gash on my left wrist with the most concern. “You’re lucky. This one came close to the vein,” he said hoarsely. He then quickly, but gently started cleaning and field dressing both bleeding wrists. “Can you move your shoulder now?”
“Yes, somewhat,” I said, rolling it around experimentally. It was true. The sharp and intense pain was now replaced with only a dull ache though my entire arm now trembled.
“Percival may still be close,” I rasped, gathering my breath and
handing over the canteen after taking a large mouthful of the coppery tasting water—my own blood, no doubt mixing with the liquid. After Xander secured the bandages, he took the canteen and helped me stand.
“Percival is going to wish himself dead before I’m done with him. I should’ve never let you out of my sight like that.”
I dismissively waved my hand in front of him as he supported me. “I was the one who hobbled away and passed out, not you. Thanks for saving me. Again,” I said as he sat me down next to a better secured pile of rubble, the only available source of coverage on the rooftop.
“What happened to Scottie? To Giles?”
Xander’s nostrils flared. “After I neutralized Giles, Scottie took off. I wasn’t up for the chase being that I was more inclined to find you.”
“Scottie’s a coward. You were right,” I said, massaging the bruised areas around the bandages on my wrist—the white of the linen stark against the reddish brown dirt and blood that had trailed down my arms. “Good thing you left when you did, otherwise I wouldn’t be talking to you now. Percival is completely mental. More than just a few bolts have fallen loose in that head of his.”
Xander nodded. “I know. That’s why we can’t linger here much longer. Can you stand again?”
I nodded. Placing both my sore palms underneath me, I hoisted myself to my feet. “Yes, I feel somewhat better now that I’m not attached to a rotting, robotic monstrosity.”
Who knows? That skin might’ve even belonged to Fin, Percival’s late partner. A vile shutter ran the length of me.
Xander unconsciously ran his hand along the back of my hair in comfort, not caring what nasties may have once been pressed up against it. Dropping his hand, he moved away, searching out the danger with both his Sense and eyes. The few moments of rest did allow me to gather my strength to a level in which I could outmaneuver Percival if I had to. I ignored the twinge of pain that flared in my wrists with every twitch of my fingers.
“My gear is in the level below us, but the Key is on the other side of the roof. Let’s forget my stuff and just grab the Key,” I commanded with my best reserved composure.
The adrenaline was slipping away from my body and all that was left was a shell of angry and exhausted numbness. If determination alone could carry me across to the other side of the roof—to the Key, then by all accounts, no one was going to stop me. Not today.