When Flesh Becomes a Prison: Chapter 1 – Attack from Living Flesh

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.