Ex animo, p.55
Ex/Animo, page 55
part #1 of Ex/Animo Series
“Heavy Firearms Solution; Leviathan, online!” the modified arm informed.
The three cores lit with a green and orange glow as the gun activated. The weapon felt lighter after it had adjusted itself to Levi and Aron’s body. The cores began to charge.
“Okay, instruction manual,” Aron read. “Blasts things out of existence–exhaustible core, blah, blah, blah. Done.”
The War-droids backed from Aron’s line of sight.
“Aron, over there!” Synthea informed. “By the mutant’s feet!”
Aron saw the two men by the monster’s feet. He recognized them.
“John–and Marvin?!” Aron exclaimed. “What are they doing?!”
“Stand back, kid!” John said. “You are not worthy to stand in front of a God!”
“He is my father!” Marvin yelled back.
The monster stared down at its feet and spotted the two.
“Lord Teneka, I’m sorry I ever doubted thee,” John prayed to the monster. “Please don’t take out thy wrath on thy servant!”
“Is he insane?” Aron lowered his gun. “Get the hell away from it, you idiot!”
John turned around and spotted Aron as the monster bent low. It grabbed him with a swipe of the hand. It brought John close to its face and studied him for a while. John could see the massive veins that pulsed along its deformed face. The giant raised him high in the air and dropped him into its mouth.
“Oh God,” Breaker felt his knees wobble.
“Why?!” Roxxer murmured. “Was he–was he under the mind control?!”
“I never realized!” Jamie exclaimed.
“Faith gets you blind at times,” Berserker muttered. “May he find the salvation he yearned for-”
A sudden explosion turned their attention toward the giant’s head. Aron stopped in his tracks. The monster’s face had blown apart, revealing the hollow eye sockets and the loose jaws; its brain oozed out, covered in thick black goo. A distorted roar escaped its throat. It flailed its arms, smacking the War-droids within its reach.
“The mines…” Selena clasped her mouth in horror. “He had rigged himself up with the mines from the armory!”
“Why did you do it, John?” Breaker mumbled. “Did I not promise you we’d look for your daughter together?! Was this–repentance?”
The monster stopped moving. As the survivors watched, its head grew back. Its eyes glinted red. It threw its head back and roared at the sky.
Marvin fell on his knees, his eyes wide with fear. He looked up at the towering abomination that once used to be his father. The monster shifted its attention to Marvin. Marvin tried to back away, but terror gripped his nerves.
“Father, please!” Marvin begged. “It’s me, Marv! Please, recognize me!”
The monster knelt and grabbed Marvin off the ground.
“I promise I won’t disappoint you ever again!” Marvin cried out. “Please give me another chance!”
ZZZAAP!
The monster let out a roar of pain that was accompanied by a peal of thunder. Marvin found himself drop to the ground along with his father’s hand. He looked up and found Aron holding up the gun against the monster.
The monster stumbled backward and stared at the spot where its hand used to be. Aron ran up to Marvin. The gun slid back, allowing Aron to use the wrist freely. Marvin stared in confusion and amazement as Aron pried the gigantic fingers off him.
“What the hell’s wrong with you?!” he yelled at Marvin.
“What are you doing?” Marvin’s voice cracked.
“That’s my line, jackass!” Aron scowled.
“Why are you saving me?” Marvin raised his voice. “I don’t need your pity!”
“I’m not showing you any!” Aron said.
“Then what is it that you are doing right now?” Marvin sounded angry. “I’m your enemy! I wanted you dead!”
“Stop yelling nonsense!” Aron pulled Marvin by the hand. “When will you wake up and realize the world doesn’t revolve around you!”
Marvin grew silent. Aron turned his head toward his friends.
“I learned to live life for the ones I love,” Aron said. “And, so should you!”
He faced Marvin and realized he was still holding onto his hand. He let go of it.
“You can’t please everybody,” he shook his head. “You gotta find someone who sees you special as you see them.”
Marvin turned his head toward the Zomgod.
“That monster isn't your father,” Aron continued.
“How do you know that?!” Marvin snapped.
“A true father would accept his son readily,”
“Don’t speak like you know anything about him!” Marvin yelled.
“That is true,” Aron nodded. “But–I do know you.”
The monster roared as its hand regenerated, finger by finger. The War-droids engaged in battle with it once again.
“Aron, we cannot hold him back much longer!” Synthea sounded worried.
“Your gun… it talked!” Marvin appeared startled.
“It’s my arm, actually,” Aron nodded. “Synthea, charge the shots. It’s time for round two!”
“Understood,” Synthea said.
The cores glowed as it charged. The Leviathan shifted and twisted as Aron took aim.
“Significant energy depletion detected,” Leviathan said. “Four charges remaining. Replacing the power core recommended.”
“Well, let’s make them count,” Aron said. “Get to Jane, Marvin. It isn't safe here.”
“How ironical,” Marvin muttered. “To be saved by you. You say you know me… yet you have no clue.”
“You said something?” Aron faced him.
“Just… put him to rest,” Marvin looked down. “Please.”
Aron nodded.
Throwing a final glance at the monster, who was only a shadow of his late father, Marvin turned around and ran. He stared at the arm which Aron had grasped. He frowned dejectedly when he thought about his savior.
The monster stomped his feet and swatted the androids like flies. Aron searched for a weakness as he dodged the mutant and the War-droids. He found seven protrusions on the monster’s body. They pulsed steadily, sending minute tremors across its body every now and then.
“You seeing this?” Aron asked.
“Yes,” Synthea said. “An analysis of the body reveals those are its hearts. Taking them out should make it vulnerable to our attacks.”
“It sure sounds like a hectic boss fight alright,” Aron narrowed his eyes.
He got behind the monster and fired the Leviathan on the two hearts at the back. The powerful beam sliced through the innards of the monster with ease and destroyed the targets.
“Warning, core exhaustion detected!” Leviathan said. “Cooling down!”
“Leviathan did not like that,” Synthea said. “You better get away quickly!”
“Too late,” Aron ran to the side.
The monster was heavily injured by the attack; it stumbled backward and fell. Its head lay wholly exposed. Aron did not pass up the opportunity. The creature roared in pain as Aron fired the Leviathan on its head, splitting it open. It raised its arm strenuously. The roaring ceased, and the arm dropped with a seismic thud.
“Warning, core meltdown imminent,” Leviathan said. “Locking down!”
Aron dropped to the ground, gasping for air.
“It’s over?!” Martyn yelled.
The crowd cheered from the other side. Even the soldiers looked grateful for the monster’s defeat. However, Zeke and Melody appeared tense. Aron climbed to his feet.
“Not yet,” he muttered.
“It’s mutating again,” Zeke studied the battle analysis from the units on his tablet.
“What do you mean?” Elaine faced him in confusion.
The ground began to rumble. The sky grew dark with swirly black clouds though it was an afternoon.
“Synthea,” Aron backed away from the monster. “Why can’t I access Leviathan?” he panted.
“It appears the cores are damaged beyond use,” Synthea said. “Leviathan wasn’t built for such endeavors!”
The monster moved once again. The holes on its body closed, and the head grew back. It got back on its feet and howled up at the sky. Two extra arms emerged from either side, and its face opened up into another pair of eyes. Its skin shed like that of a gecko’s. Plates of exterior skeleton poked through its body like that of an armadillo’s.
The crowd watched, completely shaken to their core. Aron remembered something Zeke had told.
“Can the cores be melted down on purpose?” he asked.
“Manually, yes,” Synthea said. “But why? It will-”
“We are going to do it,”
“But-”
“It’s time to end this, here and now,” Aron sounded determined. “Are you with me? Cos, I really need your help on this one.”
“Okay,” Synthea sounded reluctant. “Promise me you won’t do anything crazy!”
“Define crazy,” Aron ran toward the Cyke. “Evanos, I’m gonna need your help too.”
“What’s the plan?” he asked.
“What is he doing now?” Kevin looked puzzled.
“Improvising,” Zeke looked grim.
“What do you mean improvising?” Selena narrowed her eyes at him.
Zeke looked at Martyn. Melody felt uneasy.
“I have no idea,” the scientist shook his head. “From the looks of it, he’s trying to find another use for the broken thing you put together.”
“Hey, watch it!” Kevin warned.
“It has a name,” Elaine added. “Leviathan.”
“Levi-” Zeke nodded his approval. “Not bad.”
“He got on the bike!” Roxxer pointed out.
Melody appeared anxious.
“Aron, come in,” she called.
There was no response from him.
“Is he not connected?” Kevin scratched his head. “Synthea? Evanos?”
There was no response from them either.
“I’m going after him!” Melody declared.
Before she could move, Zeke touched her head with the gauntlet.
ZAP!
Melody collapsed to the ground.
“Hey!” Elaine was alarmed. “What’s the big idea?!”
“We shouldn’t interrupt what’s going to happen,” he said.
Elaine and Sherry knelt beside Melody. Selena stared at her silently.
“Hey, jackass,” Kevin grabbed Zeke by the collar. “What do you think you’re doing?!”
Martyn opened his mouth to snap at Zeke but then noticed Zeke had his fists clenched. His eyes wavered as he confronted Kevin. Kevin let go of the collar.
“There’s something wrong with Aron,” Martyn looked Zeke in the eye. “Isn't there?”
“Tch!” Zeke bit his nail.
Leviathan wrapped itself around Aron’s body; he was able to use his hand. He revved up the Cyke and circled the monster a few times. The monster’s eyes followed him. Marvin walked up to Jane.
He avoided Martyn’s stare. Melody came around, but she couldn’t get back to her feet. Kevin was deeply disturbed by Zeke’s demeanor.
“Boy,” Breaker gazed in anticipation.
“Bro,” Roxxer appeared dismayed.
Shocker, Jamie, and Berserker did not utter a single word. The crowd watched the battle between the massive abomination and the teenager on the futuristic bike. The War-droids circled the monster as it took heavy, thundering footsteps toward Aron.
Aron got the monster to follow him a safe distance away from the base. The creature had grown tired of Aron’s antics and decided to double back and level the fort. Aron pulled the brakes and spun the Cyke around.
“Evanos, now!” Aron said.
“Roger that!” Evanos said.
The E-units broke away from the formation and formed a straight line in front of the monster. The units pulled out their shields and created a sturdy incline ramp, starting from the ground going all the way up to the monster’s waist. The mutant appeared intrigued and stopped in its tracks.
“Oh, we’ll give you a show, alright,” Aron muttered.
He revved up the Cyke and let go of the brakes. He shifted gears as the bike picked up the pace. He maintained top speed while riding up the ramp.
“Synthea now!” Aron yelled.
The A-units gathered at the right foot of the monster. The monster tried to shake them off the foot, but they had a vice-like grip. They self-destructed simultaneously. The mutant opened its mouth to let out a loud roar of pain. Its foot was blown away by the concurrent explosions.
The team watched in disbelief as Aron flew through the air. He jumped off the Cyke in midair and zipped through the remaining distance by turning Leviathan into a grapnel. It caught onto the monster’s teeth, steering him into the open mouth.
Melody let out a gasp of terror. A pang of pain burrowed deep in her chest. The others stared in horror as the monster closed its mouth on Aron. Martyn dropped to his knees; Despair gnawed at him.
“What… was he thinking?!” Kevin faltered.
“Aron,” Selena had tears in her eyes. “Is this why you chose Melody? To make her go through all of that?”
“How is he planning on getting out?!” Elaine narrowed her eyes at Zeke.
“Huh?” Zeke murmured.
They turned to Elaine.
“He is going to melt the cores down to trigger an explosion,” Elaine raised her voice. “With the power core you made for him! But what comes after that?!”
They stared at Zeke. He frowned.
“He asked me to keep this a secret.”
Aron’s eyes glowed blue as he looked at his new surroundings. He had fallen a long way down. The walls shifted and pulsated around him.
“We are stuck between the stomach and the small intestine,” Synthea said. “From the scans, the body has undergone significant changes–its organs are constantly rearranging themselves. Its brain has replicated, and they are functioning at different points in the body. They’re in a regressed state at the moment considering the sudden increase in bodily activities.”
“Meaning?”
“He’s dumb but not that dumb,” she explained. “And if we fail to take him down here and now, he’ll survive, grow and go on a killing spree!”
Aron winced at the pain his head caused him.
“Set up Leviathan to self-destruct,” Aron tore off his jacket and threw it aside. The vaccine fell out of its pocket.
“But what about you?” she asked. “How are you planning to get out?!”
“Aren’t you intelligent enough to prioritize what’s important?” Aron raised his voice.
Synthea was taken back by his tone. She obeyed him reluctantly.
“Core transfer complete–wrist component disconnected,” Leviathan said. “Running on backup power,”
“Evanos,” Aron called. “Are they outside the blast radius?”
“It took some talking,” Evanos said. “They are not pleased.”
“Thank you,”
Aron stared at the green glow within his wrist. He detached the wrist and Leviathan from his arm; it fell to the floor with a thud. The young man dropped to his knees, thoroughly exhausted.
“Warning, T minus sixty seconds to overriding core functions,” Leviathan informed.
Aron collapsed to the floor.
“Aron!” Synthea sounded alarmed. “What’s wrong?! Why can’t I access your vitals?!”
“Levi,” Aron sounded weak. His breathing appeared erratic. “Cannot… move,”
“I can’t believe it!” Synthea broke a few protocols to access Aron’s vitals. “You were ill the whole time!”
“Huh–that bastard had promised you wouldn’t find out,” Aron sighed weakly. “Yeah, the virus kinda had a different effect on my body. Doc found out something was wrong with me, but it was too late. There was nothing he could do to prevent my slow demise. The vaccine was of no help.” Aron struggled to breathe. “I told him to keep it a secret, but the cat’s out of the bag now! Yay!” Aron began to cough and wheeze.
“The power core!” Synthea realized. “Dr. Zeke made it to buy you time, didn’t he?!”
“My days were numbered long ago,” Aron smiled weakly. “The core only helped in hiding the toll it took on me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” Synthea cried out. “I could have done something!”
“I did once–remember?” Aron continued to smile. It was his victory, after all. “And there are certain things only you can do,” he sighed. “This is my destiny.”
“T minus forty seconds,” Leviathan reminded.
“I’ve been running on borrowed time–time I believe I’ve used judiciously. It was fun–really. Getting to work together as a team–one could say it was an experience of a lifetime,” Aron reminisced the moments he spent with his team. “To be frank, I really thought I’d be hunched over in a corner–fearing what was to come. But thankfully–I got no time for that!”
Moments from Aron’s life flashed before his eyes.
“I am gonna miss some people, however,” Aron murmured. “I can already tell Melody and Martyn are gonna be mad at me for hiding it from them!” he let out a weak chuckle. “I hope they won’t hold it against me for long!” tears ran down his face.
“T minus twenty-five seconds remaining!” Leviathan informed.
Aron swallowed hard.
“This is–not really a goodbye, for I believe we will meet again,” Aron paused for a while. “Yeah, it sounds crazy, I know, but–sometimes a little crazy is all we need to live by, right?” he stared up at the pulsating ceiling. “Hey, Super Intelligence, take care of them for me, will ya? And–remember me when you reach the stars,” Aron exhaled as he closed his eyes slowly, a smile plastered on his face. “I’ll look out for you.”
Martyn and Selena dragged a devastated Melody away from the monster. Melody struggled and wailed helplessly. Martyn and Selena tried their best to fight back the tears.
Flashes of old memories played through Martyn’s mind. From elementary school to the end, Aron remained an enigma he couldn’t reckon with. With a heavy heart, he accepted he wasn’t able to save his best friend in the end. Over time, he realized his stubborn friend never planned to give in to fear and had chosen to fight on despite all odds to save the world. Tears flowed down Martyn’s cheeks as he came to realize Aron had never envisioned a future where he gets to stay with his friends. He wished for another chance to express his heartfelt gratitude to the man who fought for humanity. Martyn held his head up as he realized his childhood pal had shown him his face of true determination.
