LAST TRAIN HOME

Draped in darkness, Kayda couldn’t help but feel like she was suffocating. Her raspy breaths were accompanied by the hissing and whining of labyrinthine pipes that hung above. She did not know if what she was feeling were her own beads of sweat, or the warm drops trickling down from the train’s piping. Nor if the heat she felt consuming her was her own body heat, or the metallic hull of the train was beginning to boil her alive. Shaking, she slowly got to her feet and let out a deep sigh, attempting to pull herself together before she reunited with the others. Try as she might, she couldn’t help but tense up, and before she knew it, the room began to feel like it was closing in on her. Kayda struggled to gather her thoughts and soon it began to feel as if the low hum from the pipes grew louder and louder. She could have swore the pipes surrounding her were growing closer, and felt as if they were mere moments away from coiling around her like metallic serpents.

Kayda attempted to move her feet, however, she might as well have had cinder blocks affixed to her ankles. Her knees buckled under the weight that draped over her entire form, and she found herself back on the ground. The more she thought about the site that befell Needles, the more she could feel herself spiral deeper into the abyss that veiled her. She could not tell if it was the miasma of the train’s vapors choking her, or her own guilt. All she knew was that with every gasp, breathing grew more laborious. Her fervor was soon reaching a pitch, as even though her sight was limited in the damp train corridor, she could feel her sight wax and wane.

Just as she could feel the veil begin to swallow her, she felt a presence coming straight for her. In an instant, her senses were put into overdrive. The once monotone hums from the train were now bellowing banshee wails echoing through her skull. The sauna-like humidity was now a burning inferno that consumed every last inch of Kayda’s body. She could feel a blistering energy course through her veins that she was all too familiar with. Her heart felt as if it was pumping electricity, as every nerve within her twisted and contorted. Try as she might to suppress the blaze that ignited within her, she could not cease such a natural function. Kayda’s fear was no different from kerosine, and her trying to contain her emotions only acted like additional kindling to what was bubbling just beneath the surface. As she stood, the metallic floor beneath her began to warp from the sheer heat her body was emanating. The moisture around her all but vanished, the force swirling within her swallowing any trace of oxygen.

When a creature feels danger drawing close, it is only natural for it to activate its fight or flight response. But Kayda knew far too well that when this happened to her, her only choice was fight. Whether she liked it or not.

Her eyes quickly shot open as she felt the presence grow closer. What could it be? Who could it be? Could it be… her? The mere idea of this only ignited Kayda’s newly found burst of raw panic further. Before Kayda could rationalize if such a feat was even possible for her she realized she had to do something before this presence reached her and did god knows what. It soon reached her and remained still for what felt like forever. An indiscriminate, yet soft and gentle murmur emanated from it. Kayda did not entertain it with a response, for all she knew, it was trying to goad her into a false sense of security. She remained still, in hopes that it would leave her be. Even if it was something with malevolent intent, she did not wish to unleash harm beyond its comprehension. Yet again, it beckoned out to her, quietly droning to her with a gentle cadence. She decided she would give it one last chance to leave her alone, hoping for its sake that it would either get bored, or sense what was brewing. Again, silence fell, but she could still feel its presence invade her space. Her gaze remained fixated on the floor. She did not risk moving an inch, lest she explode like that of a shaken Coke can.

Finally, she could feel it reach for her. She shut her eyes in anguish, truly distraught over what was about to be unleashed. Its reach descended upon her, and before the presence could have time to react, she snatched its wrist with one swift, blinding motion. Her fingers coiled around its wrist like the bite of an animal, leaving indents in her wake. She gave no room for escape, much to the chagrin of her prey as it thrashed about in her grasp. She could not get a solid look at the force that stalked her up until this point, and could only see its silhouette struggle in place, trying its best to loosen her grip, to no avail. One would have better luck lifting a car. Its once calm and oddly inviting murmurs were now panicked whimpers that she could not help but pity. She noticed it never made any attempt to harm her in order to garner its freedom, and instead seemingly cowered in place, thrashing about in fear as it knew it was about to meet eternity. She focused her gaze on the presence’s form, as she wished to see who or what this was before she granted it passage to the beyond. Slowly, her vision began to focus, and what she saw before her made her sick to her stomach.

What was once a nebulous splotch that she feared would try to end her, was now someone she could never imagine hurting her. In her grasp, Teddy struggled and pulled away with all his might, but this was all for naught, as the two of them might as well have been bolted to the ground. Seeing him struggle to escape her snapped her out of the force that was consuming her heart. Tears welled up as the reality of what she was doing had begun to set in, and she could feel the weight from before pour back onto her. She knew it was too late. The energy she was building up simply couldn’t return or dissipate. It was always something she struggled with. Containing it before it got to this point was always difficult, but the days leading up to this point were rife with stressors upon stressors compounding her to this newfound breaking point. And, unfortunately for her, and mostly Teddy, she had never learned how to reverse things past her breaking point. She never had to, as she could count on one hand how many times she’s reached this point. An unfathomable amount of energy was pulsing through her veins, as she could feel her nervous system squirm and constrict. Her blood was figuratively and literally boiling, her skin being no different from a scalding tea kettle in that moment. Letting go of him would do him no good, as she was convinced that the entire train car would be reduced to ashes momentarily. Her eyes met with Teddy and upon seeing his panicked gaze, she wanted nothing more than to apologize, but she quickly noticed his panic began to subside.

Teddy could see the fear in Kayda’s eyes as she stared back at him with her beaming scarlet glare. Tears streamed down her face as she pointlessly tried to reconstitute the energy that surged around her and Teddy. Teddy, unaware of what exactly was happening, could see the anguish in her eyes. All he knew was that she needed his help. He could tell she was trying her best to keep something in, taking note of her clenched jaw and stiff composure. Though he saw tears, he could tell more was brewing, and that she was struggling to express herself. He soon began to regret his initial panic at her grasp. The events at the Haystack should have clued him in to the fact her strength was beyond ordinary, and compounded with the stress of her situation, she truly was someone that needed to be treated with care. It is entirely possible her cold demeanor up until now was likely stress induced dissociation, he thought to himself. It was likely all she needed was reassurance. Teddy regained his composure and took another step towards Kayda, gently putting his free hand on her shoulder.

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“It is alright, Miss Kayda. You can let it out. It is okay to be upset,” Teddy said calmly.

Kayda gasped upon hearing this. He was right. She can let it out.

Kayda narrowed her gaze at the ceiling just behind Teddy. Quaking, she heaved her free hand upward, gritting her teeth while she fought back at the very energy she had created. The resistance made her arm feel like it was being torn from her socket, her nerves writhing in agony as they fought back against her will. Even so, she trudged past the sensation of every molecule in her being lit on fire, knowing this is what she had to do to keep Teddy safe. She directed her thumb, index, and middle finger towards the space beyond Teddy and took a deep breath and closed her eyes. With that breath, it was as if the energy coursing around them was reduced to atoms and evaporated.

Kayda’s eyes shot open, now bloodshot after mere seconds. Slowly and as steadily as she could, she let out a raspy, tired breath. Following this breath was just three seconds of silence. The silence was draining and oppressive, as even Teddy could notice the change in ambience. But, before he could say anything, something far beyond his comprehension would occur.

From the tips of Kayda’s fingers, twisted and mangled tendrils of what could only be described as pure energy burst out like blood from a fresh wound. The bolts crackled and sizzled as they cut through the metallic hull above them like wet paper, cleanly piercing the ceiling of the several ton reinforced train car. The red beams screeched and contorted as they continuously burst from her hand, bathing the entire train corridor in a sickening scarlet hue. The pipes that lined the walls looked like the pulsing innards of a living being under the scintillating glow cast from Kayda. Teddy’s sensors could feel the heat of the beam whizzing just past his head. Its temperature was quite literally indescribable. Teddy’s internal thermometer struggled to get a concise reading, and sometimes, it would spike to levels one could deem physically impossible without melting him on the spot. But, here he was, casually standing next to what could only be described as a solar flare come to life. The beams wriggled and flickered, being seemingly both organic and chemical in nature. They folded in on one another not dissimilar to the waves of the ocean, and yet twisted like a tornado. It was truly a physical optical illusion. Each cirrus was brimming and glistening, but shredded everything in its wake. The bolts poured out through the ceiling of the train, piercing the sky above as each tendril ended in a crimson flicker, as stray sparks fell and singed train cars further down. Energy would continue to pour from Kayda, growing brighter with every passing second.

Kayda’s eyes soon began to feel heavy as she could start to feel her regular energy leave her body, hitching a ride with the swirling crimson. It was then she knew this had gone on long enough, and she had to stop lest she collapse then and there. She quickly let go of Teddy’s wrist and used her newly free hand to restrain the hand responsible for releasing the glow. In an instant, the corridor was familiar with darkness once more, with the last stray spark sizzling out on the floor below, gasping for oxygen before Kayda stomped it out.

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A chill breeze now permeated the room, the outside air rushing in as the train continued to press forth, none the wiser to what had just unfolded. The desert moonlight trickled in and gently lit the corridor, peeking through the veil of steam pouring out of the now frayed and torn piping. The burst of energy, though violent and mesmerizing, was nothing but a puncture to the towering hull. With every fiber of her being, Kayda ensured that the release would be no larger than three feet in diameter. Against the sum of the train’s parts, this was nothing. Though, if not focused, she knew all too well that the crackling burst of scarlet would have been enough to derail the train. She has seen it do worse after all. The broiling air had all but disappeared, the frosty night air now snuffing out any steam that spewed from nearby lacerated piping. With her desecration of the train, an ominous chill laden with trepidation permeated the confines of the hull.

Teddy and Kayda remained silent. Kayda kept her gaze to the ground, refusing to look Teddy in the eye, as she felt convinced that when she looked up, she would be met with abject disgust. Or, at least the best summation of disgust a robot without the ability to express could make. This assumption could not be further from the truth, for if she just looked up, she could see Teddy stood firm. His gaze had not shifted from her since the crimson beams ceased. Finally, he decided to pierce the silence, and while a commendable action, it was not with the most tact, as he faltered with every utterance. After all, what does one say in regards to this? Though he did not fear her in the slightest, the proper words eluded him.

“M-Miss Kayda… I-I…” Teddy hesitated, “Are you-”

However, Kayda misunderstood Teddy’s lack of tact as fear of her, and began to feel the guilt wash over her. Though she managed to save his life, she still did put him in harm's way by being unable to control herself. Still staring at the ground, she did not notice Teddy’s concerned head tilt and soft steps toward her. She pictured him cowering where he stood, paralyzed with fear by what he just witnessed, and assumed he was too scared to flee, lest he be reduced to ash. He would be right to want to have nothing to do with her, she rationalized to herself. Someone unintentionally firing a red beam of raw energy that likely would have reduced you to a bubbling stain is very uncouth in some parts of the world, after all. Depends on the situation.

Noticing Teddy was drawing closer, Kayda quickly took a step back and raised her hand up to him, signaling him to stop. Seeing this, Teddy took a step back, not wishing to invade her space any further. If her posture was any indication, she wasn’t keen on hearing what he had to say. Kayda quickly shot her gaze back up to Teddy, incredulous to his clear concern for her well being. She shook her head profusely, and stared back at him with a stern, yet sullen expression.

“Don’t follow me,” Kayda said in a cold, sterile tone that seemed foreign to her voice.

Before Teddy could inquire any further, Kayda shot away in a full sprint, careening down the corridor, knocking down stray boxes and cargo that lined the walls surrounding them. Her speed was unmatched and debatably barely human, as she practically burst through the doors at the far end of the hall, leading directly into the train’s seating area. From the swinging doors, Teddy could see her disappear into the deluge of bodies that flooded the train car’s interior. Teddy tried his best to keep in pace in his pursuit of her. But her sheer speed, compounded with Teddy’s non-existent elegance as he stepped over the obstacles she so graciously left for him, meant he was never going to meet her pace. Perhaps if Nebulous equipped bots of his model with a more spry range of movement. He caught himself thinking about contacting his local Nebulous representative over this. But, he soon realized such suggestions were centuries too late.

A sense of dread began to infect Teddy’s mind as Kayda’s form drowned into the sea of motion that swirled just beyond the corridor’s exit. Although he only captured a glimpse into the swaying wall of flesh and iron, he could already assume its insurmountable, imposing confoundment. He cursed himself for not trying to reason with her sooner, and it soon became more clear that his folly was his own trepidation in his approach. While she seemed capable of feats beyond that of the natural order, at her core she was still a child, and a faltering unease was not what she needed. With a newfound resolve to remedy his mistake, Teddy pressed forth, only minorly paralyzed the unfathomable weight of guilt.