Chapter
1 – Attack from Living Flesh
Work, relax, sleep, repeat. Work,
relax, sleep, repeat. Work, relax, sleep, repeat. This four-phase cycle is
common among most people, but my family placed extra emphasis on it, making it
their mantra. You dedicate your life to God, and you relax and sleep so you can
do it again tomorrow, the day after, and the rest of your life as an eternal
prayer. My family especially needs to be on our best behavior because of who we
are. My mother is a Mundr, a member of the Castigators, and my father is an
Emundatio, a member of the Compassionate. Our families control, keep peace in
the world, and guide it to Heaven.
My name is Griselda Emundatio, and
I am another pillar of society, just as my siblings, parents, grandparents, and
great-grandparents before me, and I must be the best. Every part of my life,
from my childhood to my current adult life, has been optimized to make me this
way. My education, my extracurricular activities, and even the things I do to
relax or the places I go on vacation are each chosen by my parents and teachers
to shape me into what I am now. That’s not to say it all feels like work and routine,
that there isn’t any fun to be had, or that I don’t have any freedom, but I’ve
always felt like my life was one long hallway with impenetrable windows, where
I could see the lives of others, who seemed to have limitless possibilities,
while I only had one destination. Even though that destination is being a great
protector of humanity, it still feels unearned, not something I fully want, and
just another part of the cycle.
Then, again, what do I want? What
would I want that would make me happier? I’m part of the richest, most
influential, and powerful family in the world, and yet, part of me wants more.
I’ve been told by my parents and teachers that this feeling is something all
people of all levels of wealth, age, and experience feel, and that I should
simply pray, appreciate what I have, and not let the temptations make me
unappreciative or do something sinful, so I do as they say and focus on my
work. Some humans are born with powers as gifted by God, as the blessed
sciences say, and others must be given them through the same sciences, and I am
one of them, a cybernetically enhanced human. It’s the calling I’ve chosen
after going through my studies, praying, and talking to my parents and
spiritual advisors.
At the cost of my limbs, I can
attach any number of weapons to them, and can also interface with the new mechs
that act as Earth’s defense force, which I’m a part of. A hundred years ago, a
technologically advanced planet nearly wiped out humanity, but a single member
of the supernatural Council of Punishment saved us, destroyed the planet with
the help of his guardian angel, gave us a USB with information from the AI
civilization, and vanished into obscurity. With the information on the USB, we
discovered the secret to making mechs, new advanced weapons, and ships to sail
the stars, and with them, we should be able to defend ourselves if another
threat arrives. Currently, I’m leading a squad of mechs against villains who
are committing common crimes, such as robbery and murder. Our mechs have
jetpacks to fly at jet speeds, miniguns on their shoulders, precision laser
rifles on their right arms, and a shield with a cannon. Mine is colored shades
of dark red, like my bodysuit and eyes, and is nimble despite looking like a
futuristic, heavily armored knight.
I’ve grown used to being strapped
into this claustrophobic, which also has many amenities, like a bathroom, a
supply of a week’s worth of food and water, and the ability to connect to the
internet. The squad with me today has the designation, Section E 20:14, and the
squad numbers are R:13:14 and C 3:5. I call them together and tell them to
spread out to handle the minions of the villains, while I head for the leaders.
“I prefer not to be called R
13:14.”
“Why not?” I ask.
“It’s not like you have to call us
that. We’re not on a secret mission or anything where we have to use code
names. Just call me Ro.”
“While we’re at it, call me Colina,
not C 3:5.”
“If you say so. This assignment is
temporary, so I don’t really care what I call either of you.”
“Would you care if I called you by
designation, PS 119:37?” Ro asks.
“Not at all.”
“You’ll come to remember and love
us, Griselda.”
“We’ll show you around the best
parts of the town after we’re done. How does that sound?” Colina asks.
“Sure.”
Every squad I’ve worked with has
tried to get on my good side because of my connections. A lot of them I’ve
forgotten about, many just want favors, and a few just wanted to be friends.
What I know of Ro is that his family was once homeless before he rose the ranks
of law enforcement and won a great fortune through his efforts, and Colina is a
reformed villain who repented and nearly sacrificed her life to save others;
neither person is particularly special or has a memorable background. Our mechs
arrive at the town, and we fly to our particular targets. The bosses I go after
think that having the townspeople around them means that they’re shielded by my
massive weapons, but they’re mistaken.
My laser rifle switches into
precision mode and fires a volley of small, thin beams that hit the villains,
turning them to ash, while leaving the hostages unharmed. As I’m about to call
Ro and Colina over the radio, I see them rushing to me through my mech’s
cameras.
“Oh. So, you finished handling the
minions?” I ask.
“Yes, ma’am,” they say.
“We want to show you around town,” Colina
says.
“And get to know you better,” Ro adds.
“Alright, then. Let’s head back to
base to drop off the mechs first.”
After we drop the mechs off at
base, Ro and Colina run up to me. This is my first time seeing out of the mech
since I first arrived. Ro looks like a typical soldier boy with a buzz cut and an
army green body suit, while Colina has a scarred face and a pink body suit.
“Wow, you really are the spitting
image of your ancestor, St. Idelle, with your grey hair and all,” Colina says.
“Could we have your autograph to
remember you by?” Ro asks.
“Sure. Now, are we going to head
out? I still have some reading and exercise I’d like to get done, if I can,” I
say.
Ro and Colina hurry me along in a
car that Ro drives.
In the car, Ro asks, “How long are you
going to be hanging around the area?”
“Until my parents or superiors tell
me to go somewhere else,” I say.
“What was your last assignment?”
Colina asks.
“Quelling riots in a city that didn’t
want all the research and development being used for military purposes, and handling
the villains and criminals that tried stealing and turning our mechs against us.
They want me to spend time out here to relax after that whole ordeal.”
“I heard that was a big mess. Sorry
you got caught up in it. Those people are stupid. Don’t they know there could
be other threats in the galaxy? We were almost wiped out in a day, the last
time another civilization showed up.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I love the
mech and get the argument, but God only knows if there are other hostile human or
AI civilizations out there,” Ro says.
“What kind of recommendation would
you guys like?”
Ro and Colina look confused at me.
“What do you mean?” Colina asks.
“People usually ask me to recommend
them so they can get promotions to go to other places or for raises. What would
you two like so we can get that out of the way?”
The two of them laugh. Ro says, “We’re
fine where we are.”
“You don’t need to do anything for
us. Did you think that was why we’re doing this for you?” Colina asks.
“Uh…yes?”
“This is just some country hospitality,”
Ro says. “Colina and I are where God wants us to be, and that’s all that
matters to us.”
“Don’t worry about giving us
anything, Griselda. We just want you to be friends with us while you’re here,
okay?”
“…okay.”
I breathe a sigh of relief that I didn’t
know I was holding in. Guess I don’t need to do any more work and can just
focus on relaxing. Ro and Colina take me to a restaurant on a farm with various
farm animals. Part of me feels like a child doing this, especially with all the
children around, but at the same time, I’ve never seen farm animals this close
up or petted them. It almost makes me wish my hands weren’t cybernetic so I could
feel them.
Inside the restaurant, the food is
good, and I get attention from some admirers. Hearing that I’m here, the owner
comes out and offers our meal for free, but I deny it, saying that this place
deserves payment for its services and a charitable tip for its warm and
friendly atmosphere. The owner is thankful and gives us free desserts to take back
to base anyway. Ro and Colina then take me to the shopping district and have me
try on various outfits. They and the owner of the shop call me beautiful in the
colorful dresses.
“St. Idelle was known to wear colorful
dresses made by her mother, St. Josephine. Why don’t you wear them?” Colina asks.
“I never have a reason to,” I say.
“Well, you should. Let’s get a
couple, so we can wear something more casual when we go out next time. Maybe we’ll
even snag a few numbers while we’re out.”
“What? Am I not interesting to either
of you girls?” Ro asks.
Colina and I laugh. We buy the
dresses and head out to the next place. Ro sees some of his friends who are
playing soccer in a field. They invite us to play. Colina and I are on one
team, while Ro and his friends are on the other.
“Come on, Griselda. Let’s show these
boys whose better than them,” Colina says.
We do exactly that and don’t let Ro’s
team score a single goal on us. They jokingly complain that it was an unfair
match with me on the opposing side and then say they have to take us out for
drinks. Colina and I go along with them to a bar on a hill that overlooks the
town. From here, I can also see the clear, star-filled sky and get a real whiff
of the fresh country air. Ro and Colina walk up to me by the view with smiles
on their face.
“What?” I ask.
“You look really happy,” Ro says.
I start touching my face, not
realizing that I was smiling.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a
picture with you with that big of a smile on your face. Is your life always
business?” Colina asks.
“No, I can relax from time to time.
This is what my time here is supposed to be. I don’t even need to be doing
anything in particular back at base or the area.”
“Yeah? I’ve heard that you turn
everything into another phase of work. Hopefully, nothing else like today will
pop up so you can fully enjoy your break. Maybe you’ll even come away with
memories you’ll keep forever.”
“Maybe…”
As Ro and Colina talk to the others
and enjoy the sunset, star-filled sky, I notice the orange hue turns crimson.
“Does the sky always do that here?”
I ask.
Ro looks concerned and says, “No.”
Looking closer at the sky, I see a
red light flash before an object with tendrils comes out of it. The object
quickly arrives above the Earth, and it’s a planet with what looks to be a face
on it. Its surface is a pale flesh color, has red tendrils coming out of it,
and what look like teeth on its surface. Its tendrils bury themselves into the
ground as it sends out fleshy meteors to the surface, and the mouth breathes a
red mist on the surface, as people start to scream and run for safety.
“We have to get back to base!” I say.
“Yes, ma’am!” Ro and Colina say as
they run with me back to our car.
I don’t know why, but I’m furious,
and I hope to get this over with to protect the people here who were so nice to
me and helped me feel fully relaxed for the first time in a while.
