//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Near Human // by Element of Power //------------------------------// "Subject out of range." "That's... not possible!" Dr. Jovan, the lead scientist was shaking his head, his hands clenched in a fist. "The satellites, they cover the whole world, it should be in range!" He whipped around to yell at the nearest subordinate. "I want all the officers searching for E - 30. Check every facility, every GODDAMN country! Both him and the machine are important property!" He growled between his teeth. "It had to work..." ................................................................................................................................ Water. That's what it was. As he was teleported, he tried to figure out exactly what it felt like. It felt like being turned into water, then shooting across a void. He couldn't actually see anything, but he could vaguely feel his existence being stretched and pulled in multiple directions. He had thought it would be instantaneous, appearing somewhere else in a snap, but that wasn't the case. He was aware that it had lasted for a second or two, much longer than an instant. After a second of liquefied body, he and the device regained their solid state. Ripping back into reality, he fell down, onto something soft. Looking down, he realized he was in a bed. Bed? I guess they didn't want me to fall to my death or something. He then looked around, taking in the odd decor or the room he found himself in. The room seemed to be large, like an expensive hotel room, but with gold decorating almost everything. He got up, taking in the rich atmosphere. Maybe I didn't end up in the right place... He took a closer look at room, noticing all different things. He looked up and saw the ceiling decorated with a sky, with a magnificent painting of a sun shining down on it. On a desk across the room, he saw a photo in a frame, also lined with gold. Curious, he got up off the bed, and made his way to the desk to investigate. In the photo, there were two horses. One was pure white while the other was a dark blue. On their heads, they had weirdly colored manes, waving in the wind. For some reason, they both had something on their heads, like crowns. So, these people really like horses... I guess those are some beautiful horses. Then, he noticed something. They each had a foot long horn protruding from their forehead. Unicorns. The photo looked real, not drawn. Even worse, the two unicorns had unusually large eyes, and expressive faces, which looked like they were happy and smiling for the camera. That's not right, it's fake., he thought finally. Walking away, he thought about his mission. He was supposed to immediately return, but he didn't want to. He decided that he wanted to test the shocker they had, so he laid on the bed. He waited for the eventual crippling bolt of electricity that would run through his body. Wow... never felt a bed this soft. After 5 minutes, nothing happened. That's weird. they should have paralyzed me by now... Then, from somewhere behind the double doors that lead outside the room, he heard footsteps, two sets of them. Those must be the soldiers coming to collect me. He decided to surprise them by laying under the covers. The footsteps got closer to the door, stopping right in front of the door. The handle turned, and in stepped one golden shoe on a.... hoof! Then, in stepped another, followed be the rest of the body. The horse look just like the one in the picture, horn, hair, and all. He stayed absolutely still. Said unicorn looked around for a second, then locked eyes with him. It stayed like that for a second, until he opened his mouth. "Uhh..." The unicorns eyes widened in shock, then, the horn on it's forehead glowed a yellow aura, until his entire body was also encompassed with the light. He couldn't move when he tried to struggle. The unicorn brought him closer, yanking him out of the bed and right into its face. As he stared into its large eyes, it spoke. "Who are you and what are you doing in my room!" It, or rather she, had a surprisingly feminine voice. Unfortunately, that voice came with a fierce glare. Oh wow, it talks... he proceed to faint. Before he could though, she dropped him on the ground, still glaring. I have to get out. He jerked his head to look at the corner of the room, using the oldest trick in the book, distraction. Unsurprisingly, she looked, giving him the chance to get up, and fast as lightning, ran towards the window closest to him. Her head snapped back, eyes wide, then tried to run after him. Without looking, he jumped, smashing the glass and rustling the frilly curtains. Unfortunately, he was high up, like really high up. So, this wasn't just a house. Oh well, might as well test these legs before I go splat. He righted himself, tensed his legs, and landed. He hardly felt a thing, though the stone ground beneath him had a spiderweb of cracks spread across it. Well, that worked... He took a quick look, and saw that he was near the entrance of a large castle, overlooking town. Then he looked up, and though he was dreaming, lying on the ground with brain damage. He saw the same unicorn from the room spreading it's wings and soaring down from a balcony. "She has WINGS! That's fucking cheating!" He got his balance, turned, and ran to town. "STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" she boomed. Nope. He pumped his legs, running far faster than any other human could. He suddenly saw a crowd of small horses in golden armor had started chasing after him, armor clanking through the ranks. This is bad, he thought. He came up the the edge of town, and one look showed that the town was filled with horses too. So, deciding to go a better route, he jumped, easily landing on the fancy rounded roof of a building. He broke into a sprint, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Looking back, he noticed they were still following him on the streets, while there were some that had taken to the air. More wings. Fortunately, he had his augmented legs, otherwise they would have easily caught him. Soon, he got to the end of the town. Leaping down from a building, he quickly noticed that the edge of town was actually a cliff. Before him, a green landscape sprawled to the horizon. "The city is on a mountain... what?". He doubted he would survive a fall down a mountain. If he wanted to escape, he should have gone to the main entrance, but now... The horses chasing him all came to a stop in front of him, officially cutting off his escape. Then, in a pop, the large unicorn/pegasus appeared in front. "Surrender creature, you are surrounded.", she said. He looked back, staring over the edge, scooting closer to it. Maybe I can make it... She must have caught this, because she then said "No!" and her horn flared again. But this time, he was prepared. Rolling out of the way, he got out of her crosshairs momentarily, before looking back, and jumping off the edge. Wind ripped past his face as he plummeted toward the slope of the mountain. There was nothing he could do but hope that he was strong enough to survive the initial landing. As the rocks got closer and closer, he readied himself. His feet hit the rocks, and shattered them. Rocks turned to shards and shards to dust as they flew into the air, and soon enough, he was sliding. Going down the mountain, he was just barely able to maneuver himself to avoid larger rocks and crevices that he came across. Taking a second to look back at the way he came, he saw the creatures he left behind. Most stayed on the edge of the mountain city, while the pegasi flew down after him. At the rate they were going, he could tell they would catch up to him. Then, he heard a roaring sound. To the far left on the mountain, a waterfall was cascading down the rocks, creating a mist of water around it. It's the perfect cover. While sliding down, he also started running to the left, his hands ripping through earth to keep from losing balance. The falling water got closer, as did the following guards. The flying rocks in the air became mixed with misty water, and then, the fall was right in front of him. Looking back one final time, he pushed off the rocks, throwing himself into the water. He was immediately yanked down by the strong current, pulled faster and farther away from the pegasi, who couldn't see him through the white, falling water. The waterfall moved closer to the end, splashing into a small lake, which flowed into a river. E - 30 came crashing down, plunging into the deep water. His heavy body settled at the murky bottom. Momentarily dazed, he gathered himself, and started going to the edge of the lake to breach. But, before he did, he stopped. Wait, they'll see me if I surface. I have to swim farther down the river if I don't want to be caught. Making up his mind, he went toward the mouth of the river, letting the current pull him while he ran along the river bottom. His feet dug into the mud and rock while he ran as fast as he could run on land. In moments, he was far from the waterfall, and in a forest. Erupting from the water for the little amount of air he needed, he made his way to the riverbank and out of the water, cold droplets dripping to the ground. Not wanting to somehow be caught, he started trekking away from the river, stomping his way through the forest. In a tree, a small bird watched him. Chirping a bit, it ruffled its feathers before taking off, flying out of the forest.