Eternally Bound: Part 17

Eternally Bound: Part 17
----- Reunion -----

One Year Ago


"Damned fookah," the small figure cursed. She had with her a limp, which in addition to her normal waddle, had already proven itself an annoying distraction when mobile.  The asura paused a moment, leaned on the abandoned laboratory wall, inspected her leg.  Her robe clung to her wet slacks, soaked with her own blood from the puncture wound.  "Damned ice-bookah, blowing up my marvelous machine; blowing up my damned lab."

A tall human clad in black and red armor approached the asura.  She wore a metal-linked visor over her eyes, her cheeks charred and seared from the gloves of fire which were embedded into her flesh.  Her skin was pale, as was her faded red hair giving an almost otherworldly glow in the radiance of the moonlight.  "Master Kievaa?" came her weary voice.

"That visor enables you to see and enhances your vision, and you're telling me you can't see me here.  Why do I even keep you around?" Kievaa growled.  "Just get over here and get me into this misbegotten facility already, pet."

The pale human approached her, both fists clenched.  "My name is Shiera," she said with an authority neither had expected.

In time, Kievaa laughed.  "Very well, then… Shiera.  Come.  Aid me as I made you to do.  Help me in."

Shiera tilted her head a moment, staring at the blurry red shape that was her master.  She knew Kievaa's complacency was fabricated, nevertheless decided to take the victory.  Since learning her name, the woman had sought some validation - any validation - (even if it originated from the very captor she longed to be free of).  She nodded, came forward, bent down, helping the asura upright.

Kievaa smiled devilishly, knowing Shiera couldn't make out the details of it.  She reached up, put her arm around her servant, and pushed herself off the wall.  Her other hand was brought to Shiera's breastplate tracing a claw upon it in a pattern.  At once, a green glow began to emanate from her hand.  "Your name was once Shiera - long ago."  The sigil sparked to life, pulling forth the woman's life-force, flowing freely into the asura.  "You have been and shall remember now that you are my experiment.  You are Fifteen Omega, and it's time I finished the process I once interrupted…"

Shiera doubled over, her normally pale face becoming more so, with sunken cheeks.  "P-process?"

A laugh came from the asura as her wound glowed the same bright green, beginning to close.  "Indeed!" Kievaa stood more upright.  "You have forgotten your programming; I encouraged this to see just how much of your mind would return.  It is, after all, essential to my ultimate goal.  This is why I left with you.  It was premature; I can see that now."

The woman collapsed to the ground, her skin sagging on bones, her life almost completely gone, her visor falling free from its own weight.  Kievaa slid her hand from under the woman's body, inspecting her own wound to find it completely healed.  The asura grinned.

"And, here you are again, crawling back?"  An asura said, standing amongst the cylindrical tanks in front of Kievaa.  Behind him, a small group of human individuals stood, arms folded.

"L-Lennk?" Kievaa said.  "Thought you abandoned this place!"

A grin of pointed teeth came from Lennk.  "Oh, I had, but it's essential to what I have in store.  Tell me: are you finally ready to see what my programming can do for our little collaborative side project?  (Or are you planning to snatch her away again due to some fool-hearty resurrection scheme?)"

Kievaa approached the asura, disregarding his bodyguards.  She stood directly in front of them, leaned forward, and pressed her lips to his cheek.  "And you tell me: are you so willing to let me leave again?"

Lennk huffed, then motioned toward Shierra.  "Ten, Three: go retrieve Fifteen.  Put her back in her conditioning receptacle."  He regarded Kievaa scrupulously, then shrugged.  "Maybe you can be useful after all.  I may just have a way for you to field-test our little experiment.  And to create a much-needed distraction; interested?"

The smaller asura watched as the Numbers retrieved Fifteen's lifeless body, walked past her, then dumped it into a tank labeled Fifteen Omega.  She raised her eyebrow as green liquid began to fill it, then cast a sidelong glance at Lennk.  "Very well, love.  We shall do it your way."

She ascended the stairs of the dilapidated laboratory with a slight limp as Lennk watched, a wide wicked smile upon his face.






[To be Continued...]


 
.