--Point of View: Katie--
It was so good to see Crim again after all the commotion down here in the research base. Screaming, explosions, and downright chaos had caused even the most trained soldiers to panic and scurry around. Fortunately for me, I was with Commander Dawn when hell broke loose. Years of experience kept both him and his bodyguards composed as they quickly tried to get a handle on the situation. We still did not know the extent of the damage done.
Seconds after the first explosion hit, the commander was already on the radio coordinating efforts to evacuate the building, whether to protect us or save face. Regardless, now that Crim had arrived, I felt safe. He was pretty beat up though. His silky crimson fur made it difficult to notice the wounds he had sustained, probably from racing past all the armed troops to get here. My concerns were brushed aside by him almost immediately though, assuring me he would survive. Surviving and being fine are two very different things.
His arrival did come with a few complications however. Remembering Commander Dawn, I spun around and prepared to explain the situation but his men, along with himself, had drawn their weapons and were pointing them straight at us.
“Commander Dawn, I can explain. Please, lower your weapons! Crim is not your enemy. He was the one who showed me this place!” I cried out, hoping I could reason with this man.
Everyone was silent for a moment before Crim, unexpectedly, was the one to break the silence.
“We don’t have time for this.” Crim muttered as he took a far more direct approach to the situation.
Lunging forward, he barreled through both the commander and his men in an instant, catching them off guard. Only a single shot was fired, and I would wager a guess it was from Commander Dawn’s rather gaudy pistol. Regardless, it apparently had little to no effect. Crim was upon them and used his massive size to slam anybody within his reach into the walls, ceiling, floor, it did not matter. The aftermath of Crim’s impromptu plan left everyone on the floor, battered and bruised.
“Katie, let’s go.” Called Crim as he looked back to me, motioning with a flick of his head. He wanted me to hurry and I did.
“That seemed a little violent but given the circumstances probably not the worst thing you could have done.” I commented, catching up with him as quickly as I could, stepping over the pile of unconscious bodies.
“I tried talking before but did not get very far. This seemed like the better option.” He answered as we made our way down the hall, his bulky frame keeping a short distance ahead of me. It took up most of the corridor.
As we ran, Crim explained to me that Tom and himself had already been to the lower levels and they had discovered something that would have probably been best left undiscovered. It was starting to make a bit more sense as to why Tom had been sent downstairs in the first place. They wanted him to try and get one of the droids working. He must have tried to warn them but instead, ensured he would be the one to do it. Tom was just as curious as I was when it came to this old tech, but he was also more cautious. Machines to help people were great but weapons were an entirely different matter. New weapon technology could kill millions and the military was always looking for new ways to be more efficient.
We were drawing closer and closer to the ramp that would lead us down to the lower levels. Crim described it to me so I would at least be a bit more familiar.
“There is a long sloping ramp that spirals around before ending in a large room. There are two rooms on either side. The one housing these droids, as you call them, is to the south behind a sheet of glass. One way in, one way out.” Crim explained, slowing his pace as we approached the top.
“I just hope Tom managed to make it out or at least find somewhere to hide.” I said grimly, trying not to focus on the worst-case scenario.
The air had gone quiet as time passed until only the occasional scream could be heard echoing up from the depths. A scream followed by a small explosion. It was a massacre. I was starting to think that maybe Crim was not the only monster here. Robots and intelligent machines were so strictly regulated that it was rare to see one in your lifetime. From what Crim described though, there was a small army beneath us right now. An army made with technology far greater than our own. Did we stand a chance?
Crim must have felt my insecurity and brushed up against me reassuringly, pausing to look me in the eye before speaking.
“Maybe it would be best if you stayed up here. Its hard telling just how dangerous it will be once we make it to the bottom. If these things are as dangerous as Tom feared, then even I may face difficulties. You could easily be killed.”
“Not happening. I’m going and that’s how its going to be Crim. Tom is my friend and I’m not about to just abandon him down there. I’ll stay back and let you go first and once its clear, help you look for Tom.” I demanded; my face very stern.
Crim let out a sigh. He must have been expecting that answer as he turned and continued to lead the way down the path. It was a light slope, easy to walk down but did extend the time it took to reach the bottom by a fair bit. I did not mind though. I was already exhausted from the previous events. I know he was right and just wanted to protect me but I just refused to sit this one out. If everybody else was going to risk their lives I was going to do so as well. Was I being foolish? Probably.
Making our way down as slowly and as quietly as possible, we started to hear the whir of gears and the clanking of metal. There was also a very ominous sound of footsteps echoing all around the room but not just any footsteps. These sounded heavy and clanged like metal on metal. It was unmistakably the droid patrolling the area, looking for anything it could destroy. This was when Crim turned once more to look at me, his piercing gold eyes telling me in an instant that I was to stay here until he dealt with our new foe. I nodded.
“Be safe.” I whispered quietly to him as he turned to go, disappearing through an archway that exited the stairwell.
While I did stay back, I could not help myself to some degree. I crept forward just enough to peer through the doorway, only my head sticking out for anybody to see. The room was much like Crim described it but unlike the pristine conditions of the rooms upstairs, this one looked like a battlefield. Corpses lay scattered on the tile floor, some of them blown clean in half by whatever weaponry this droid possessed. Blood was coated so evenly on the walls it almost resembled paint. I gagged and drew myself back around the door, a hand to my mouth in absolute disgust. Sliding to the floor, I sat there and cried. This was not what I wanted. Why was this happening?
My sobs were interrupted by a voice that sent chills down my spine. A voice very much metallic and artificial. Its words precise and without emotion.
“Halt! Experiment 001 is to be kenneled at this time. Return to your cell before disciplinary actions are taken.” Called the voice, pausing for a few seconds before repeating the line one more time.
I immediately spun back around to look into the room, my feelings of unease vanishing as quickly as they appeared. What I saw was a sleek, humanoid figure made of steel, standing towards the west side of the room. It wore a red steel band around its neck. A small distance away stood Crim, motionless, probably just as surprised as I was. The machine had its weapon raised and ready, a rather menacing looking cannon attached to its left arm.
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“What are you talking about? Why did you kill all these people?” shouted Crim to the droid, his voice full of anger and rage. From the time I had spent with him, I knew he was a kind soul. He surely hated what he was seeing right now. Death was rarely a joyous occasion.
“Query accepted.” Responded the droid, remaining motionless as it spoke. “Experiment 001, commonly referred to as the heart bringer by research staff, is to remain in their kennel during predetermined drills and security breaches to ensure the safety of the staff as well as preserve any and all research data.”
“Experiment 001? Are you talking about me? The heart bringer? You are not making any sense!” bellowed Crim, his claws sinking into the tiled floor. He was definitely losing his temper.
Ignoring him completely, the droid continued on with the first question. “Unauthorized personal were discovered within the facility. Enforcement personnel were contacted but failed to respond in the designated timeframe. Use of lethal force was authorized to remove all intruders.”
I watched Crim grow more and more outraged with every word that left this android’s mouth. He almost seemed to glow, a red mist radiating off of him. I could not tell if this was a trick of the light or if my eyes were simply decieving me. Regardless, what happened next happened so fast I almost missed it. Crim, his rage finally reaching a peak, shot forward like a bullet and swiped at the robot with one of his monstrous claws. To both his surprise and mine, he did not tear through it like everything else that dared stand in their way but instead, sent it flying across the room and through a wall of glass.
“You will pay for this you lousy machine!” shouted Crim as he dived after his opponent.
Like clockwork, the droid rose to its feet swiftly with more grace than one would expect from something so mechanical looking. It turned to face Crim just as he came diving through the now broken window, disappearing from my view.
“Warning, Experiment 001 has become hostile. Use of lethal force is now permitted.” Said the robot in its cold, machine voice.
Just then, a large flash of red light bathed the room just before Crim was sent soaring across to the other side. I gasped as I raced through the door to see what happened, being met with the sight of Crim sprawled out on the floor, a pool of blood quickly forming around him. I feared the worst for a moment, but he defied all logic and stood again. I almost wish he had not. His entire left side was burnt and blackened by the energy beam that had been fired point blank. A sizable chunk of his shoulder was missing, and his ribs were exposed, blooding pouring out of him like a fountain. Through everything, you could visibly see his heart pumping away, a faint glow resonating from within it.
Crim was wobbly as he drew himself up. I do not know how he was even managing to stand after losing all that blood. He took a step, sending bloody ripples through the fresh pond beneath him now. Would he be able to survive like this? The answer came swiftly. The warm glow that sprang from Crim’s heart began to glow brighter until it was casting shadows around the room. He stood tall, his uneasiness disappearing as a voice much different from Crim’s own spoke for the first time.
“Damage sustained outside of acceptable levels. Beginning self-regeneration.” Called a cold, emotionless voice that seemed to come from within Crim’s body instead of from Crim himself.
As soon as the voice finished its sentence, I watched in both horror and amazement as his body started to stitch itself back together. Skin grew and stretched, materializing out of thin air as an eerie red glow encompassed their whole body. What would have taken weeks to heal naturally was accomplished in a handful of seconds. It did not stop their though. The pool of blood Crim stood within almost seemed to flow back up into his body, passing through a sort of invisible membrane. What this magic?
“Experiment 001 has entered into a critical state. Protocol 001 has been engaged. Limiters temporarily disabled. Eliminating target Experiment 001 has become priority one.” Rang the voice of the droid as it leapt through the broken window, its arm raised to fire another shot at Crim.
The shot came and struck Crim once again, the beam of light practically impossible to dodge given its speed. Unlike the first time though, Crim did not stumble or even really take notice of it. The one I knew as Crim was gone for the moment and replaced with a true monster.
Each shot of the droid’s arm cannon tore and ripped into the wolf’s fleshy body, burning away whatever it touched. Bone, fur, muscle, it mattered not. Everything the light touched was destroyed. However, it did no good. Glowing still brighter, Crim started to walk slowly toward his foe, his body regenerating faster than the droid could burn it away. Legs reformed instantly, not even missing a step. His face, momentarily burned through to nothing but skull, was quickly brought back to its normal fury self. He had become a literal unstoppable force.
While the droid showed no emotions, you could tell it was visibly slowing down its assault. It only had so much energy to spare and with its target healing every attempt it made to render them dead, would soon be depleted. Against anything else this single droid would have surely been the victor. I was not even sure if the entire armed forces we had on this planet would survive even a single one of these units.
What came next was a sight that will forever be burned into my mind. When Crim was upon the machine, it stopped firing and tried to reposition itself, but was swiftly swept off its own feet. One massive paw pinned the droid to the floor while the other restrained its left arm. I watched as Crim bent down and with no hesitation, sunk its fangs into its cold, steel skull. With a chomp and a twist, it was pulled cleanly from the rest of its body. Its head was carelessly tossed aside as the rest of the machine continued to jerk and buzz. A minute later and the body simply layed motionless.
Standing still in the doorway, I watched Crim stand and remain frozen as the last trickles of blood reabsorbed into himself. I was not sure if he was back to his old self so I dared not approach him. It was not until he turned to look at me that I knew he had returned. His eyes, normally full of life, were dim and wought with sadness. I ran over and hugged around his neck, paying the blood no mind as I did my best to console him.
“It’ll be okay Crim, its all over now.” I whispered, running my hands through his wet fur. “You did well but now its time to rest. I’ll take it from here.”
Even as I spoke, I could feel his body contorting and squirming beneath my fingers, still trying to repair all the damage that had been dealt to him. I wanted to ask him about it but wondered if even he knew what was going on inside himself. It would have to wait.
“I didn’t feel like myself.” Said Crim softly, his eyes staring far into the distance as if to see something that laid far beyond it walls. “I felt empty and void of all feeling. It was like being a passenger in my own body. I was in control but at the same time, my thoughts were not my own. Survive. Survive. Live on.”
I listened and could not help but feel bad for him. What he just endured was unthinkable and nearly unimaginable. Reassuring him was all I could do for the time being. The threat was gone and everyone was safe again.
“Katie, Crim! Is that you?” called a voice from across the room. I whipped my head around to see Tom poking his head out from one of the corridors leading off the main room.
Relief was an understatement. I was so happy to see my best friend, alive and seemingly unhurt. I waved him over as I felt Crim turn his head to look as well. I feel like he would have smiled under different circumstances. Tom clumsily made his way over, climbing over the fresh piles of rubble and the unsightly corpses scattered about.
“Tom. I’m so glad you’re okay!” I exclaimed, embracing him as soon as he was within reach. I could feel the tears welling up again in my eyes but I did not care. My friend was safe.
“Woah, watch it. That hurts. I’m still battered and bruised but not nearly as bad as your friend here. I saw the end of it. That was incredible if not a little scary.” He explained, gently pushing me back to arm’s length.
Crim did not say anything but simply remained silent, his breathing a little ragged now, eyes closed.
“We can talk about that later, right now we need to get out of here before the rest of the army shows up. I’m not sure how we are going to explain Crim, but we will think of something!” I said, a sense of urgency in my voice.
Just then, the sound of rhythmic footsteps could be heard echoing from the stairwell. Soldiers were coming, probably lead by Commander Dawn, to assess the situation. My gut told me this would spell trouble for all of us. I turned to look at Tom who was already thinking the same thing.
“I found a place we can hide. Come on, we need to hurry. They will be here shortly.” He said, lowering his voice.
I nodded and gave Crim a nudge. He must have been listening because he rose to his feet and waited for us to lead the way. Tom motioned us to follow behind him, leading us back through the corridor he had previously emerged from. It snaked back a good distance before branching off in several directions. If it was not for Tom, I would have surely gotten lost. After a few minutes of rushing around, we came to a large iron door protected by a keypad. I was about to ask how we get inside before Tom speedily punched in the code.
“I found it under one of their keyboards. Seems like things never change, or haven’t changed.” He said, correcting himself.
Hurrying inside, we closed the door behind us and sealed it shut. We could not hide here forever but it would at least give us time to plan our next move, whatever it may be.