V-00000.2 - Chao Ex Ordine
I hardly had a moment to breathe before I felt the ground shake, earth quakes rocking my apartment, mugs falling from shelves smashing against the ground as I fought and stumbled, trying in vain to keep my feet under me before my ankle rolled and I slipped, falling hard and clipping my shoulder on the corner of the window sill.
In the darkness, all I could feel was warm liquid dripping down my arm and the long, familiar sensation of pain.
Car alarms screamed out, adding to the cacophony of sound as vehicles rocked on their suspensions.
It felt as if the earth itself was trying to reject the hellish objects that had struck it, and I was collateral damage.
What seemed like hours past, before my heart finally calmed down and the shaking reduced to the point where I could stand, I raised my left hand, gripping the window sill tightly and dragging myself up right.
Feint golden god rays streaming through my window. The soft light appeared washed out as it entered my eyes; nonetheless, they filled me with a sense of hope that things would be fine and everything would just settle down. However, the cynical part of my mind made its voice known.
Ironic, you’ve always hated the sun; now you’re letting it fill you with false hope.
“Oh, shut the fuck up,” I said, but without any real heat.
The sights beyond my window filled me with shock for a second time; they were terrible yet not enough for what I had just seen falling from the sky.
The sun high in the sky, its shape obfuscated as if casting a judgmental gaze, and my pain and fear evaporated for just a moment before my higher brain functions took over, telling me how fucked I was.
That’s… Ash No, maybe, Dirt? Whatever it is, it’s blocking out the sky like nuclear winter... There’s no way those were Nukes, right? No, they can’t be if they are well. doesn’t matter anymore. I’m clearly in the radiation zone; if they were nukes, I’m dead.
I took a deep breath in before letting out a long breath, forcing my heart to slow. My mind wrestled some semblance of order from the chaos, shifting my panic and fear rational and irrational to the back of my mind.
Layers of pitch black clouds and grayish mist filled the air and skies, reducing the sun's brilliant glow and warmth to barely visible. The heat from the sun was pitiful, colder than the winter sun, barely capable of warming my skin as I stood in the sunshine.
"Ok, we need to prioritize Viktor; you’ve got an open wound; that’s number one then... Then your girlfriend, we’ll drop by her place and make sure she and her family are okay. The only obstacle is the station, but there’s no chance the cops will give a shit about me after what’s happened.”
Just the thought of the cops brought a grimace to my face, but I wasn’t going to waste time with a detour.
I looked down to the ruined phone at my feet mournfully; the screen cracked and there was a sizable dent in the frame. Any other day, this would have been my biggest problem. Funny how a little catastrophe gives you perspective.
I walked carefully over to my bathroom, having to stop and grip the wall for life. After-shocks tried to make the floor my new dentist, but, eventually, I made it to the bathroom. Trying to flick the lights on did nothing. I flicked the switch up and down, slowly getting more pissed off.
Fuck me, did the earthquakes fuck up the powerlines?
I leaned myself on the sink, twisting sideways to see my shoulder.
Reflected in the mirror was a large tear in the meat of my shoulder, a jagged line of red that shifted from gaping hole to pulled taught red line, depending on how I positioned my arm.
Great another scar to join the tapestry.
Reaching into a sink draw with my good hand and pulling out rubbing alcohol, bandages, and several types of plaster, I set my jaw and prepared myself mentally for pain.
I am so not equipped to deal with this.
Pouring the burning clear liquid into my shoulder, I ground my teeth hard, my groan shifting into a growl as the alcohol worked its way past my skin and inside me like a liquid parasite that subsisted on my suffering.
Huffing loudly, my shaky breaths came shallow. I began layering plasters over my shoulder to hold the wound closed, then a large patch plaster before soaking my bandage in alcohol and wrapping my shoulder.
Straightening up I moved my shoulder slightly before putting it through a full rotation; it hurt like a bitch, but I was functional, and the bandages were doing a miracle at holding the wound closed.
Walking back to my room, cradling my arm, I moved towards my wardrobe, pulling on my usual ensemble of black baggy jeans and long black sleeves with a dark hoodie that hung from me. I turned to the door about to leave when I stopped myself as my brain reminded me of the mistake I was making.
Ah, AH, where are you going? You’ve watched enough TV to know better! You are a cripple who is now extra crippled; get your knives.
Mmm, fair point.
Walking deeper into my room and pulling a long silver flick blade out of my dresser, I left through the front door, locking the metallic apartment door as I left.
Walking down the street, I could see some places got hit way harder; several buildings sported shattered windows where furniture crashed through them.
I found myself staring at my feet while walking, making sure I didn’t step on anything that could puncture my boots in the dim light.
Looking down the streets towards the city centre in the distance, the destruction became far denser. Massive, thick dust clouds just hanging, the destruction lingered in the air like the wake of a ship.
Steeling myself as I continued down the broken streets, stepping over around everything from ruined paving stones to knocked-over streetlights, I began to notice how eerily silent everything was and how I had yet to meet a single person on the streets besides myself.
Looking around and glancing into the more intact buildings and windows, I could occasionally see people looking out However, the deeper I went into the city, the fewer buildings there were to hide in broken shells and collapsed rubble in the place of once proud concrete and steel constructs. Then another scent hit me: Iron lingered in the cloying dusty air.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
The scent pressed itself into my nostrils as if trying to force me to confront what it meant.
The bloody iron mixing with the devastation suspended in the air was almost sickening to think about, and so I forced it from my mind, pushing the thoughts and questions about how many were dead just here into their own box along with the rising fears that Alice might not be alright.
Pushing it deep into my mind, I continued to drag my feet forward, my head feeling heavy and weighed down by all the thoughts I’d had to silence and repress in the last day.
Stepping through the streets, I could see the police station in the distance, and even better, I could see people inside and roaming around the tall brick building. The lights were off, as was the back lighting in the APD logo, but I would be lying if I said seeing so many people together didn’t bring a small smile to my lips.
“Great shouldn’t have a problem slipping by and even getting some info with all these people around.”
The recent tragedy seemed to have utterly suppressed my usual disdain for other humans. Picking up my pace and cradling my right arm to move faster without bouncing my shoulder, I moved down the street to pass the building.
There was a mixture of civilians and cops at the station, with many more normal people than police officers. I could hear different conversations playing out as I got closer, people trying to report a crime or injury... in some depressing cases, a death, while others kept asking what was happening and trying to get any kind of information on the situation.
“Can’t you spare any help... I can’t let my kids see their mother like this.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but the APD cannot spare any personal at this time. I am sorry.”
"Apologies, ma'am, but we have orders to stand by unless there’s severe risk of life; a break in isn’t a priority at present time.”
“I’m telling you we barely know anything you don't; we were receiving live updates about unidentified objects in orbit when the ground started shaking and everything went dark; our radios, cars, lights, even the fucking phones just stopped turning on.”
I was making my way past an officer when he suddenly turned away from the person in front of him, giving me a good look at his face. I felt time slow as my brain registered Officer Ivan Maxim.
A tall man dressed in the black and blue police uniform with an APD vest covering his vitals, his hair was styled into a neat blonde flat top and piercing green eyes that seemed to twitch as they locked onto mine. I could see him tense up at the sight of me, his stance shifting into a tell-tale running posture.
A loud shout rang out behind me as I turned and bolted, grinding my teeth and trying not to bounce my arm too badly.
“Viktor Bloodstone, APD STOP RIGHT THERE.”
Sprinting as hard as I could, I twisted myself down a narrow ally as I heard Ivan’s boots hammering after me. I ran through the ally, taking its twists and turns, before jumping up onto a pipe and using my left arm to propel myself the rest of the way over a short wall that created a dead end.
I landed hard, sinking to my knees, unable to balance myself properly without both hands, and just as I was springing up, I felt a hard, sharp pain in my back as a boot kicked me forward, sending me sprawling forward, my hands coming forward to break my fall. I felt my palms scrape as my shoulder screamed at me to stop.
I twisted myself around and scrambled back a few inches, propping myself up on my elbows to see, unsurprisingly, Officer Maxim.
“Fuck… Don’t you have anything better to do right now? You don’t even have a reason to arrest me.”
My words only further infuriated him, making his eyes twitch and narrow in disgust when he spoke. His voice dripped venom and was filled with condescension.
“You’re a criminal, Viktor; it's barely a secret. If I could log your prints, I’m sure half a dozen hits at least would come up for unsolved crime... But your right, the police have better things to do than apprehend scum, but you know why I’m doing this, don’t you, Vikky?”
I started hauling myself up in anger already working through my veins hearing the old nickname. He stomped towards me, his handcuffs dangling from his fingers.
“Don’t make this any harder than necessary, Vik.”
Ivan said in a harsh warning tone.
"Fine, fine, you win, Iv; I’m done fighting you.”
I said as I slumped my shoulders and pressed my hands together, a look of surprise crept into Maxim’s eyes as he scanned me up and down as he approached me, and when they landed on my shoulder, he snorted and spoke, “Guess you finally ran out of luck, didn’t you, Viking?”
I tensed up as the cold metal embraced my wrists, subtle fury built within me as I thought about how fucking ridiculous it was that he still blamed me for his brother.
Enjoy it while you can asshole; you’re going to fucking regret this.
My thoughts were twisted with anger and bitterness as he grabbed the scruff of my jacket and began to drag me with him.
After several minutes of dragging my feet, I gripped my thumb tightly as I ground my teeth together, and I jerked my arm hard with a twist, feeling a sick crunch from the joint in my right thumb when it twisted out of the socket, slipping my right hand through the cuff. I repeated my actions in reverse, socketing my thumb and grabbing the empty cuff with my left hand like a knuckle duster.
I waited for the perfect moment, and when he looked around a corner, I shoulder-slammed him, tackling Ivan into the wall. I punched out just under the ribs where his vest couldn’t cover, and twisting with the blow, I pushed all my weight behind the makeshift knuckles.
He sank down to a half squat, gripping the wall, groaning and spitting from the pain. Using the wall for support, I watched his hand drop down to his belt and fumble with his holster, attempting to pull his gun.
I raised my foot before hammering my heel down into the back of his knee. A chilling crunch radiated out from where Ivan’s knee made sweet love to the concrete. He barely had time to scream before my hands were digging into his hair, and I pulled his head back before rocketing his skull into the brick once.
My breaths shook with my adrenaline slowly abandoning my aching body, reminding me just how damaged I am, as every inch of me sang in a sickening symphony of pain and every joint screamed.
My heart pulsed erratically in my chest, and my breaths felt unsteady and shallow in ways I wasn’t used to anymore, as emotions I long ago put to bed were woken by Ivan and his words.
“Fuck you, Ivan, I lost Alexi too; you don’t get to pin this on me. He was my friend too.”
I spat harshly, dragging myself away from the bloodied jackass, as my memories saw fit to haunt me once again while I walked.
A young teenager with shaggy blonde hair and bright green eyes haunted my vision. Memories of Alexi’s death glare when I mushed his face into his 15th Cake seemed to purposefully soften my heart so it would hurt all the more when I remembered him lying in a ditch, teeth knocked in and cheeks hollowed facial bones caved in. I found myself lost in the vision as the memories faded and all I could see was his ruined body, his insides painting a macabre picture.
I made myself stop and took long, deep breaths, pushing Alexi’s death, along with the anger and contempt I felt towards Ivan from my mind.
Shuffling down the ruined streets, the new bruises and scrapes adding onto my torn shoulder made me sluggish with pain, until I was just dragging myself along. That was when I realized I had made a mistake lost in my memories and hazy. I’d walked and started walking towards home until I looked towards the sky, seeing the sun was already beginning to arc down. I had lost so much time already I wouldn’t be able to make it to Alice’s if I ran. That’s if I would run the risk of passing the station again.
“Tomorrow… We can go tomorrow. I’m sure she’ll be fine without me for a day.”
Reaching to the door handle just wanting the day to be over, waves of static electricity hit me, zapping every inch of my skin and leaving me tingling all over. After a moment, the sensations released me.
What the fuck was that? Did I have a shit ton of static clinging to me or something?.
Pulling the door open with a shudder, I stepped into my apartment, closing the door.
A bright blood-red light inserted itself into my life for the second time today.
[GENESIS ENGINE LINK ESTABLISHED]
[SUB-SYSTEM: IKARUS-PROTOCOL STATUS... ACTIVE]
[Congratulations! You have successfully been initiated in the Ikarus Protocol.]
[PLEASE DO NOT RESIST.]
Agony crawled through every orifice into my mind; sensations unlike any other shredded any coherent thought. Overwhelmed and unable to decipher what was happening, all I knew was pain and terror as my vision blurred.
Colors swirled together as I saw sound waves echoing into green and violet ripples. I gasped hard, my throat closing, and I choked on air, feeling it scorch my lungs and esophagus.
Disgusting viscous Ink began to crawl up my skin, and freezing cold followed its wake. I watched the horrific inky ooze crawl over my mouth, and in my eyes, I felt the ice fill my ears.
Feeling nothing but a numbing cold and skull-crushing pain, I fell on my knees, slamming down hard and following soon after with my head.
Darkness claimed me.