Their sleeping figures taunted me.
Like waves that gently lob above the sea, their blankets rose and fell in rhythm with nature.
Each breath the trees outside took, Lexa and Clarke soon followed suit. The expansion of blue and green pulsed together with the brown that encompassed everyone. Was it the Earth that swayed them to be in sync or was it the sheer vulnerability of their bare souls that persuaded such actions?
Perhaps it was neither. For it could very well be their intwined spirits that was moulded by the hardships they went through together.
Now that I think about it, their energies were slightly tinted by each other's, in the sense that Clarke's blue was faint with Lexa's green and vice versa.
I looked down at my own hands, seeing for the thousandth time my own energy — white.
Some might say that it's the colour of purity, innocence and morality, but in reality, white embodied nothingness. No colours can be mixed to create it and no ray of light can be absorbed in it.
It was just an everlasting emptiness of nothing.
I clenched my fists tightly. Nothing. Not even as my now white blood slowly fell onto the sheets. No pain, no thought, not even a stain.
It seemed impossible for me to grasp onto anything of worth, because what was worth? It wasn't worth when he died, it wasn't worth when I ran away, and it wasn't worth when I became 13.
So when the final string broke, I abandoned everything. No longer did the things that used to hurt me, hurt anymore, and nor did I ever hesitate again at completing my missions.
But now, 100 years later, they were dead and I was finally free.
My fists loosened, and I inspected the damage I had inflicted onto my palm. The deepest wound was caused by my middle finger and shallowest by my pinky but that one had already started to close.
It was fascinating really, watching as a white substance danced, overlapped and weaved as they tediously mended the flesh and skin together. Becca was a genius, no doubt about that, and her descendent was asleep in the room next to me.
Should I relinquish my new found freedom to pay off my debt to Becca?
Maybe I didn't have to. I could try to keep my freedom whilst helping Lexa, after all, she offered to take down the mountain with them. Knowing the history of Mt Weather, taking them down would be more than enough payment to Becca, but I would have to put myself under someone's command again.
Should I?
Well, maybe it'll be worth it so that I can turn off that forsaken code and won't ever have to submit myself again. Maybe just this one last time. My code as a warrior - no - my morals as a person demands it. He taught me that if I were to do something, I should at least do my best. I'll complete my task, whatever it takes.
And it might take a lot more than I expected though, because assuming the mountain is the same as before, my current strength would not be enough, nor would the post-apocalyptic weapons of this age.
Becca warned me that the cryostasis would decrease muscle mass, strength and stamina due to the nature of time. The substance consumed for cryostasis was made to reduce the decay of tissue, not completely stop it. After 100 years, there was sure to be considerable damage on my body. I could also tell that I wasn't as strong as I used to be because when I clenched my hand it took more energy than it did before.
Thinking of this was useless now. The only thing I can do, is build up my physique. In the course of my musing, dawn should have broken a couple minutes ago. So wasting no time, I put on a pair of specialised combat boots and headed towards the door... towards the new world.
As the thick metal door opened, a gush of air rushed into the room like air into a released suction cup.
I took a breath.
It smelt... different. The air was not exactly fresh but neither was it un-fresh — probably residual contamination from the nukes. Though, I'd say it leaned more towards fresh than contaminated as only hints of the acidic and pungent smell lofted through the atmosphere, most of what I could smell was new; a mix of pine, apricots and that strange perfume we all used to make as a kid from vegetation. It also lacked the overwhelming scent of bleach that desecrated the laboratories and urban areas.
My foot which had unconsciously taken a step, slightly sank into the soft ground. I took in the dark terrain. Some parts were visibly wet, soaked with puddles like it had previously been raining, while other parts, held a clay like texture in both looks and feel. The patch of soil I currently stood upon, was the latter and although I hadn't stepped in a puddle, I could feel the moisture trying to seep up through my shoes, or maybe I was imagining it.
However, I knew I wasn't imagining the unbelievable chill that swept my body. It was surprisingly cold, but I guess it made sense because it was only the early hours of dawn. The sun had not yet had the opportunity to warm up the planet.
Continuing to look around, I noticed the surroundings of the lab. From what I remember, it used to be built up with walls surrounding a village like structure, but instead of houses, it was all labs.
It wasn't like that anymore.
Instead, the wall was crumbling, most parts were missing and the paint that used to hide the rough concrete beneath was scarce - little bits of white dotted here and there, threatening to peel off at a touch.
Oh how a great civilisation fell.
One that waged war on everyone and anyone. One that ended up killing itself, and here we are, back to our roots, with trees littering the area like they were never cut down to build factories that cut down more trees, soil beneath our feets like we didn't cover every inch with concrete for selfishness and efficiency. A great civilisation indeed.
Each step I took felt illegal. I was never able to venture off on my own unless I had strict instructions to annihilate something or someone, even then, it was a do and then come back. The only ever times was if I was accompanied by scientists for observation purposes to see how stable I was. My limited freedom was owned to Becca.
My energy overwhelmed the boundary of my body. It felt like all the years of suppression and cryo suddenly rushed in and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't contain it.
It kept increasing. An orb of translucent white growing steadily within me.
It hurt.
All I could see was a white-washed scene like a milky film had blanketed the atmosphere. My eyes burned as if I had gotten chillies in them. Chillies that held a fierce fire the milk that was right within hand reach, couldn't sooth.
It hurt.
I couldn't hold it anymore. I couldn't suppress the bounds of frustration and angry that rolled off in waves from inside me. It was agonising, like the release was too slow for all the internal feelings that had been pent up all my life.
It hurt. The pain had multiplied tenfold.
As the dull pain that used to reside in my heart became the inferno that consumed my very body right now, I screamed. Everything was black, I couldn't see and I couldn't blink. I tried to reach out for help, if by any chance there was a kind hearted stranger that would pull me out of my misery. Who am I kidding?
Suddenly the pain stopped. My body fell limp and although I tried, I couldn't consciously move my head, my arms nor my legs. It was like I was fighting for control in the back of my mind, observing as my body moved on its own.
The arms that were outstretched in front of me had dropped, now hanging lifelessly complimenting a hunched over body. I felt like a zombie that just came back to life, still wondering what its purpose in life was.
Finally opening my eyes that were no longer burning, I surveyed my surroundings with wide eyes. The milky film had gone and I could see all the destruction I caused. In the direction that my hands had pointed, laid a wasteland. Where there once stood many tall proud trees whose bark was aged with weather, there was a crater. It was as wide as five military helicopters and extended past the visible horizon. The tops of some trees, that escaped whatever happened, plummeted from the great heights they were once situated as the trunks were no longer pushing against gravity. Branches sparsely rained down onto the crater, littering the massive hole in the ground making the clean-cut terrain, messy.
Tearing my eyes away from what I had caused, I surveyed the rest of the forest and found that nothing else was damaged. Surprising, I guess. It must've been like a laser beam made of the pure energy that was situated within me.
I looked at my own hands. What difference was I, to the very people that had destroyed the world? None. I was as much of a monster as the rest of them. I was no different.
The sound of hurried footsteps made me look back up, alert. Spinning all the way around, I saw the door to the compound being pushed open. As soon as the door gave way and air hissed in, the Commander and Clarke both came running out, weapons at the ready.
However, as soon as they saw the monster who had caused all the commotion, their jaws slacked, hands loosened and weapons clanged to the ground.
With a lopsided smile, I fully turned my body to face them.
"Well, fuck."
I mean, what else was I supposed to say?
~
a—
look... i can explain...
OMG WHATS THAT BEHIND YOU?!?!!?
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