"The Nightmare"

The Nightmare

            I opened my eyes, surprised to feel free from terror, free from pain. The nightmare had passed. The horrid place I had been in, the traumatic time from dusk till dawn was gone. I could finally rest from the gloomy dusk, and bask in the glorious summer sun filtering into my room.

I felt the nightmare had been all too real. The human augmentation facility ablaze. The facility that gave implants, cybernetics, unnatural edits to the human condition. I was attempting to find my best friend and the love of my life - Megan, the head researcher. I intercepted the leader of the mysterious terrorist group - the massive man with augmented metallic arms that gave him incredible strength and speed. His immense power rammed my - gladly - natural body through the plaster walls. The bricks against my back broke upon impact as my body was crushed, spine splintered into fine shards. I was thrown across the flickered-light hall into an energy control panel covered with thick glass.

SMASH.

“The flow is showing severe hematoma,” A voice said. What did it mean?

An immense shock ran through my veins, electrifying every cell within me so that I was barely able to feel the blade-like shards of glass enter the thin layer of flesh before my spine.

Spitting blood out like a fountain, I felt nothing. My nervous system was riddled with shock and awe as I felt the horrid spikes of an iron maiden embedded within my back. The gargantuan man approached through the bone-breaking wall before me, coming in for the final blow. To end my pursuit.

“My god...how thick was the glass?” The voice seemed confused.

A spray of acidic liquid sprawled over the man, burning his skin and metal arms. It was her, Megan - my best friend, who cared for me more than anyone - the love of my life. The lead scientist of the human augmentation research facility. She tried to help with what she could, but that was the problem. The second she got involved, they got what they wanted.

The metallic man smiled menacingly as he delivered a bludgeoning blow to her frail face. Smashed to the floor, broken like a glass window from a sailing baseball on a summer’s day. He slowly looked to me with a stale, maniacal grin from end to end - even the walls seemed to crawl with fear. My eyes closed from blood loss and immense pain to the sound of orders being shouted by the man to his accomplices.

“Come on, stay with us.” It was the boss’ voice, now.

Then I awoke from my nightmare. I was laying on the couch in the front room, waiting for her. A knock came from the simplistic, white wooden door. My feet dragged across the floorboards of our summer home. I opened the door to the greatest view of my life.

“Hi Adam, I missed you.” She was here. She finally arrived. It was Megan. Today, we were going somewhere together.

To the sky. To leave the worries of the ground behind, of her research on augmentation, of my work as head of security at the facility.

“He’s no good to me like this.” What did the boss mean?

She led me out to her car. The engine hummed as it hovered above the ground. From the trunk, she dragged out two sets of metallic wings, contraptions from her research at the facility. The facility in my nightmare.

God, she was beautiful. The sun chased across her soft skin like a feather, dancing through the wind. Her silky chestnut hair sailed in the air that would carry us soon.

“All right, activate it now. Steady...steady…”

We hooked up our wings and set out for the pier. They were jet powered and had the sleek colour of tungsten that shone in the morning sun. I could hear the sound of fresh tides washing up on the beach, smell the salt in the water, and feel the sifting of sun-seared sand beneath my feet. We strolled slowly out toward the lighthouse, where the end of the pier met with a rough brick walkway out over the water.

The wispy clouds danced across the sky; we knew we would be one with them, soon. The sky was a sea of blue, almost the colour of the waters below. This could be the best day of my life, I thought. A mirror to the nightmare I had just an hour previous. She looked back to me, green eyes glowing as they met mine. Happiness filled my veins as we approached our destination. “Are you ready?” She said.

“Put in the prosthesis!” it yelled.

I nodded with the biggest smile I could give, end to end. She returned the same. She initiated her pack, soaring into the air, carefree, as if the world didn’t exist. I clicked mine, and threw my hands up to guide my wings, carrying me into the endless sky.

My heart beat rapidly.

“Do you think this will work?”

I flew toward her, up into the sky. She was almost vertical, soaring at blistering speed toward the clouds. I hoped I could catch her; she was always a fan of full-speed flying. She wouldn’t try to lose me, though. We were too close. She would come back for me. She never let me down, and I the same for her.

“There’s a first time for everything.” The voice said what I was thinking. Was it me?

Closer and closer I came to her, as she looked back with a more and more devilish smile. “Try and catch me!” She yelled. Oh, I would. I always did.

“We’re seconds away.” Yes, I was close.

My body began to burn as we ascended. I was so close to her, but I needed to turn back. The intense heat singed my skin as we soared higher and higher.

Then, a look.

A look of fear.

She looked at me with frightened eyes. She couldn’t stop. Her pack had malfunctioned. I needed to save her. I had to, no matter the odds. The hair burned from my arms. My eyes, near-blinded from immense light and blazing heat of the sun’s rays.

“His body can take it.” I didn’t know if I could live through this.

I needed to continue on. I could see my hands turning red from the sun’s  glare. Megan began to scream. I reached out for her to grab her foot, to guide her back to the earth. She mustn’t fly too high. I couldn’t lose her. Not her. I couldn’t give up.

“Miraculous…”

A high-pitched sound emitted from behind me.

My pack had malfunctioned. My speed dropped rapidly. I lost altitude. She reached out for me as she higher and higher. She disappeared from view as I fell below the clouds. I feared all hell as her skin burned to ashes and I fell from heaven to hell on earth.

“I think we got it, doc. It’s time.” My time had come to an end, I knew.

I looked below to see the sea rapidly approaching. I fell near the lighthouse. I could die from this. It’s all up to God now, if he even exists. The watery tomb below beckoned me.

“Wake him up.” Awake from what?

Boom.

An immense shock ran through my chest. A feeling I don’t remember. As if my heart raced a thousand times before a moment passed. I closed my eyes as destiny approached.

Boom. Another. I must have been 20 meters from the water.

Boom. 10.

Boom. 0.

Breath rushed into my lungs like a hurricane. It felt as if I had not breathed in ages. What was this feeling? Rapid beeping came from all around me, muffed shouting, crashing and banging.

My view was lined with neon words, arrows, and numbers.

My heart was beating as if I didn’t need it.

My lungs breathing as if ordered.

I couldn't bear to open my eyes.  They burn with the sun, I remember. Did I wake from the hit upon the ocean?

I moved my hand to ear to feel if something was wrong; sounds were muffled. I shot up with the speed of lightning. My eyes opened to see the room around me. A metallic room, ridges along the walls, white lights above and around. Pulse, respiration, blood flow: monitors surrounded me, as did numerous doctors in scrubs. I leapt out of the bed confused of where I was of what happened.

Where was Megan. Where was she?

“Where is Megan!?” I yelled.

The boss spoke calmly, his voice low and gravelly. “She’s gone, Adam.”

Rage surged through my veins, differently now. It was almost like clockwork. I drew my arm back like cocking a shotgun. I punched my fist into the metallic wall, uncaring of the damage it would cause to my bones. What broke now did not matter to me.

Something changed. My hand hardly hurt. Looking to the wall - a dent.

I glanced down at my arms. Metallic, lined with flesh-coloured seams.

My blood was pumping as if ordered by a machine.
My lungs were still controlled by my own brain, but things were different now.
My eyes were lined with numbers signifying my pulse, my blood pressure, arrows identifying others in the room. I knew my biological self was changed. I had become a freak hybrid I never wanted to be.

I had been augmented.

I looked toward the boss, with his greying hair, his constant five o’clock shadow, his expensive suit and maroon tie. His dark eyes told it all.

I survived.
She died.

The attackers escaped.

I flew too high, and failed to save the one I loved. I was back from my dream. The place I wanted to stay. Now I returned to my reality.

The nightmare.

Written by: Sean Leith

Story derived from the video game "Deus Ex: Human Revolution" By Square-Enix Holdings Co. Ltd.

Next week's post: "The Slave Crown" From the game Final Fantasy VI.