Mechanical Minds

HeartWRENCHing

   Susie tore off down the metallic corridors of the Halberd, fighting against her double-vision. The possessed knight was staggering after, the being controlling him still getting used to his limbs. The sight of the usually graceful man stumbling about like a newborn foal would have been funny without the whole 'Dark Matter possession' thing.

She rounded a corner, nearly slamming into the opposite wall as her shoes slid on the metal floor. Susie skid to a halt as her blood ran cold. There was a dead end with a single door to the left. She dashed to the door and desperately wrenched at the handle, noting the keypad to the right of the door with despair. It was locked, and she stood no chance of breaking down what appeared to be a heavily reinforced steel door. Susie turned to face the approaching figure, shivering under the gaze of four malevolent eyes.

"H-hey, snap out of it!" she pleaded, backing away with every step Meta took. He extended a hand, revealing that the fabric of his gloves had torn off from his palm. An eye-like symbol glowed, drawing in shadowy energy. Susie glanced at the locked door, and then at the impending attack. She dove away, barely dodging the blast as it destroyed the steel door. Ears ringing, she skulked through the dust that had been kicked up, slipping through the melted remains of the door.

The room seemed like some sort of storage space, stacked with boxes and containers of all sizes. She ran to the closest box, tearing off the lid and snatching the device. Susie glanced at the label of the box. 'Electrical deterrent device. Project abandoned,' it read.

"A Taser?" she muttered. So this was the room for scrapped projects and failed devices. Susie abandoned her thoughts as the sound of boots on metal approached from behind. She slipped her finger over what she hoped was the trigger and whirled around, aiming right for his center mass. Susie fired, and two prong-like projectiles struck Meta's chest, lodging there. They stared at one another for a long moment, before the possessed man snarled and resumed his advance. Susie scrambled backward, desperately searching for the button to activate the electrical jolt. She found it to the side of the barrel.

"AAAAAARGH!" Meta screamed, spasming as the shock took hold. He toppled over as Susie rushed around him, snatching a random wrench from a table on the way out. Her footsteps faded away down the hall. Meta rose quickly as she exceeded her weapon's range, furiously tearing the prongs from his chest. The very small part of Meta's mind left uncorrupted took slight pride in the fact that the weapon's armor-piercing capabilities worked flawlessly. This small part faded away quickly as the Dark Matter forced him up and out of the storage room in pursuit.

Susie winced as the familiar clack of Meta's boots once again reached her ears. She tossed the stun gun aside and sped up, panting heavily. She was by no means out of shape, but she was nothing compared to Meta's relentless stamina. Susie was also acutely aware that he was both faster and stronger than her, at least without her Mech or any of her tricks. He also happened to be gaining on her at the moment, silent save for his rapid footfalls.

"Shit shit shit- AH!" Susie cried as an incredible force collided with her. She slammed into a wall shoulder first, an iron grip on her arm. Susie squirmed, managing to reorient herself so she was facing Meta, back pressed to cold metal. His grip tightened, sending pain shooting up her arm. His other hand reached out to fasten around her throat. Susie swallowed, throat pushing against the cool skin of his exposed palm. The hand began to tighten, and she choked, wrapping her free hand around his wrist. Susie's complexion greyed and Meta's wrist began to steadily drip blood from her nails as each of their grips tightened.

"P-please," she whimpered, tears brimming in her eyes. There was a flash of recognition in Meta's eyes, and the scarlet color faded to orange for a moment. His grip on her arm loosened, and she saw her chance.

"Susie-?" he didn't have a chance to finish before Susie swung the wrench viciously, striking the side of his helm with an ear splitting clang. He fell to his knees before slumping onto the floor, groaning and wrapping his hands around his head. Susie interrupted her second strike as an inky black being flowed away from Meta, forming a tangible shape and staring at her. She glared at it with wild eyes, brandishing her improvised weapon.

"Do you wanna fucking die?" she snarled. The Dark Matter shrunk back, terror in its single glowing eye, and disappeared. Meta sat up, still holding his head and swaying slightly.

"I feel like I've stuck my head in a church bell and rung it," he moaned. He suddenly stiffened, and jumped up, nearly falling in the process. "Is your throat intact?" he asked hurriedly. Susie nodded, tenderly touching the hand-shaped bruise already in the process of forming on her neck.

"Just a bruise. I'll live," she rasped. He seemed to relax slightly, and then turned to his own injuries. Meta slid his glove off, inspecting the fresh collection of crescent shaped cuts. They were impressively deep for such a last ditch defense.

"Quite the fighter, aren't you? I'm impressed" he said absently, unbuttoning his coat and pulling his collar forward to glance at the puncture marks in his chest. Susie flushed and fidgeted with the wrench, running her hands over the dent she'd just left on it.

"You were trying to kill me. Well, not really you, but..." she looked up to see him inspecting his chest. "Why was that stun gun abandoned anyway? It appeared perfectly functional," she inquired.

"It was intended as a non-lethal weapon, but to make it function without attaching it to the target via leads required so much power it was rendered dangerous. Luckily I'm a fair amount more resistant to electricity than the average person," he explained.

"Huh," Susie responded. Meta winced as another wave of pain washed over his head. He stood there for a moment, looking off into nothing. His coat was wrinkled and open down to the last button, exposing the armored vest underneath. She found herself lingering on the exposed portion of his collarbone. Even though she'd seen and studied every physical aspect of him, somehow this slight hint of skin tantalized her. She started as she noticed Meta staring at her.

"Let's head to the infirmary. Perhaps we can mitigate that bruise," he offered.

"Right," she said, following behind as Meta calmly guided them to their destination. She cursed her thoughts for wandering in such a way, but it was a simple physical attraction. Meta was an athletic, fit man with a surprisingly gorgeous face; of course she liked his looks. Intelligence and power sweetened the deal, as how you handled yourself was at least eighty percent of your appeal. Nothing more to it.

"I... must thank you for freeing me," Meta said softly. Susie snapped back to attention, blinking in surprise.

"What?" Susie mentally slapped herself. That was the best thing she could think to say?!

"Being possessed was..." Meta trailed off, rubbing an arm as a shiver passed through him "I could see and hear everything, but I was powerless. You aren't an innocent by any means, but I would have felt terrible guilt had I slaughtered you," he finished.

"Gee, thanks," she grumbled.

"Poor word choice on my part, apologies," he amended.

"This was truly a heart-wrenching experience," Susie muttered. She jumped as Meta suddenly laughed. The sound was soft and bubbly, brimming with genuine amusement. He stopped at her surprised stare, and cleared his throat.

"Sorry. I didn't take you for someone who appreciates wordplay," he said, eyes still glimmering with amusement. Susie swore she saw a flash of pink in their depths. She allowed herself to fall behind him slightly so he couldn't see the color rising to her cheeks. This absolute dork had the sweetest, most adorable laugh she'd ever heard, and she wanted to hear it again.

"Dammit Susie!" her mind screamed, "You're in too deep!"