I awoke to a slithering echo sibilantly hissing around me. The first breaths of air were the hardest, thickened saliva and phlegm hardened around my throat and lips while mucus clogged my nostrils. I took a bit forceful yet all too silent snorts and coughs to slough off the dirt before swallowing them in the inhale.
Glass was what I felt next, threatening to suffocate me even without the help of the mucus. Trapped in a glass box and unable to move my limbs was not the worst way to go, but I would be damned if I’m going to be such a pussy about it.
“RAH!”
I tense every numbed muscle and slowly expanded my muscles in my upper limbs and torso before returning to normal. The sudden expansion cut off my sensation for pain which was important to the next part.
With a sudden surge of indomitable power, my hands broke off whatever it was that was keeping it in place and carved out part of the metal chassis so that I could place my hands on my chest. My legs were initially unable to break its bindings, but those broke off, too, once I found the right combination of muscle density.
With one big heave, I pushed the glass off its hinges and, thus, released myself from my glass coffin. The rest of my coffin suddenly released a plume of white cold smoke, enveloping my body in its fumes.
Stasis Chamber Compromised.
An annoying and loud voice echoed throughout the room, reverberating through the metal chassis. Before the blaring message gets under my skin, I grab a hold of the edges and help myself up to reveal the vastness of the chamber I was in.
The moment I stepped onto the floor, the vast sea of energy coursing through every muscle fiber in my being returned to normal. Only then did I notice that every single slab of flesh was activated as normal, except for my lower left arm and left hand.
“What the hell did they do to my arm?”
Deep frostbite has been detected in your arm, Olgar.
“What the fuck!”
Necrosis had seeped in further.
We have no choice but to cut it off.
“How do you–No, don’t talk to the robot!”
I am not a robot, Olgar.
Rest assured that your safety is our number one priority.
The shards of glass on the floor didn’t bother me, even when it pierced my thick skin, as getting the fuck out of here was and still is my primary concern. With the crunches of the glass accompanying me in this endeavor, I walked forward highly attuned to my surroundings.
But no matter what sense I tuned in to–even the sense of touch in my naked form–only the sibilant hums of the inner workings behind the walls and the blaring rings echoed within my ears. That was until I was near the only visible exit within these sleek dark walls.
Please wait for the arrival of the Nightingales.
I was clearly not going to do that. With my Gentle Giant hanging in the air, I grabbed onto the seams of the entryway and pulled as hard as I could. I couldn’t even remember the last time I woke up naked. Ever since I defected from the communist spooks, being rough and tough was just a way for them to find me.
Still, there was a time where not a single night had gone by where a bottle wasn’t in my hands or a breast or balls was jiggling in my face.
Blood circulation disruption detected.
Please return to your stasis–Unable to detect Stasis Chamber.
Please don’t hurt yourself until the arrival of the Nightingales.
When that didn’t work, I took a large breath and pounded on my chest.
Severe disruption of the vascular system detected.
Please don’t hurt yourself until the arrival of the Nightingales.
“Oh, I’m not hurting myself, Hal.”
By the third beat of my chest, a burning sensation erupted out of my chest that originated from my heart. In just two seconds, my skin had turned red and the vessels of blood strained under my flesh.
Another roar erupted out of my throat, this time directed at the close-off entryway. Like one of those Kool-aid commercials Mama Serana likes to watch, I crossed my arm and burst through as the seams warped outwards to accommodate my volume.
The pain began at the edges of my skin, but stopped just before it could reach under it. A side-effect of my supernatural ability, Doctor Kosminov told me previously.
Me? I liked to call it bonus powers.
This bonus enabled me to walk through flames, step through glass, walk away from multiple bullet holes, and in this helpful case, burst through thick metal alloy without so much as crying in pain.
Why did you do that, Olgar?
“Because I have a standing bet with the kid.” I answered the damn robot. “If you will excuse me, I’m going to get out of here.”
Please stay put for the arrival of the Nightingale.
I dusted off my fleshly body and walked forward, not intent on answering the fucking robot.
Your safety is our number one priority, Olgar.
“Or you can go fuck your–Shit.” Just as I was about to flip off the robot, two pathways showed themselves to me.
With no signage in place, I could only flip a coin about whether to go left or right. “Hey! Robot. Which one is the exit?”
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Escape is not an option
Please stay put and wait for the arrival of the Nightingale.
“Thank you.” I said, tuning into my auditory senses to hear the echoes of whatever the fuck was the Nightingales.
Should I be doing this in the face of unknown danger? Maybe, but I found it hard to be worrying about something that would kill me in the near future when my Gentle Giant was hanging–limply, might I add–in the crisp, cold air of whatever facility I was in.
As such, when I found the reverberation of acute sparks coming in from my left and the soft clanging of steel against steel, I turned right and went my merry way.
Please stay put and wait for the arrival of the Nightingale.
“Fuck no.”
Your safety is our number one priority, Olgar.
“Suck my–”
The Nightingale has arrived.
“Olgar Vulinita.” A monotone, robotic voice spoke my full government name, at least in this part of the hemisphere.
“So I’m still in the Americas, huh? Good to know.” With a derisive scoff, I turned around and saw five more fucking robots.
“Cease your resistance. The Nightingale is here to help. Let us help you.” They might have been damned comforting if not for their voices being as sleek and robotic as the walls surrounding me.
The kid used to show me an old television show produced by the English cowards about a doctor that traveled through time and space fucking up their country.
Gorbachev’s balls. I wanted that to be true, but I digress. That crazy doctor has mortal enemies and I believe they are called…
“Cyberman.” And those big lugs of a robot looked just like one, especially with their arms being twice as large as their legs and enormous fuel packs on the back of their metallic bodies. The only other thing preventing them from receiving copyright notice was the large symbol on their chest and the crimson towel wrapped around their waist and down their legs.
“You know what? I’ll be taking that towel. It’s getting a bit cold.”
Please let the Nightingale accomplish their job.
The steps of my gigantic foot rattled the very foundation of the metal hall as I tackled the lead Nightingale, smashing its back against the Nightingale directly behind it. Unlike a set of bowling pins, the rest of the robots didn’t fall with the slightest brush of my skin.
Getting up was easy, even if the Nightingale I had tackled was clinging onto me with its stiff hands. I pushed my fist into its face, caving its circular head and tearing apart the sheet that protected its inner module.
“Do not resist.” It voiced out as I pried away a handful of wires. “Do not rererererererererer–'' It echoed like a broken record before emitting colorful sparks and dying down.
A Nightingale next to me abruptly changed its finger-filled hands with that of a suction cup and tried to stick it to my naked back. I swatted it away before it could and kicked its metal chest. It stumbled backwards like a baby kangaroo attempting to walk for the first time, their slowness becoming evident as the rest of the pack attempted to surround me.
I grabbed the towel, wrapping it around my waist, and get the fuck out of their way. Dodging robots slower than one-limbed anarchists was easy enough, but the fact that there was an all-seeing robot constantly setting its eyes on me, made hiding or running away from it deplorably difficult.
Where are you going, Olgar? We are here to help you.
I didn’t answer the robot, merely stomping down to the other direction while the rest of the Nightingale followed after me.
“Nightingale down: Hostile entity detected. Authorize Offensive Maneuvers.”
Authorization Declined.
The hallways stretched as far back as I could see, a single fixture of bright light at the end of the road my only companion to salvation. The voice of the robot kept blaring in my ears and so did the stomps of the Nightingale.
It kept voicing out promises, asking me to go back to that silent hell. When that didn’t work, it began telling me that it would cure me of my diseases and playing records of its supposed healing capabilities.
The light soon revealed itself to me, brighter than ever. But instead of a long awaited exit, what revealed itself to me was a dead-end hallway with a large, shiny white neon sign that said:
Behind you.
Every fiber of my being threatened to spill out like a balloon overflowing with water, but I resisted the effect as I raised my left arm and elbowed whatever was behind me.
“Wh–Ugh!” A snarky, obnoxious voice resounded from behind me, interrupted by my elbow as it embedded itself into a fabric of some kind. Hard enough not to be pierced even by my enhanced strength yet elastic enough to hug the form of whomever was going to attack me.
I pressed the sole of my feet against the wall and spring myself towards the attacker. As my eyes adjusted to the fresh sight, my fist had already arrived in front of a blonde man.
Before it could connect, a thin, blue field briefly appeared to block my fist and protect the man from my strike. That shield couldn’t handle the force of the blow, however, as the blonde man still stumbled backwards in obvious pain.
“I told you it wouldn’t work.” A familiar voice rang out beside the blonde man as I sized up the visage of “Ted Kord.” A growl escaped me the moment I recognized his form.
“At your service.” He saluted with a grin, clad in a blue leotard suit with a scarab symbol on his chest. “Hope he isn’t much trouble?”
Not much, sir.
“I am an ally of the Bat.” I informed him, warily eyeing the both of them. “You cannot and will not force me into your experimentational facility!”
“Easy there, big guy. Sun’s getting real low.” The blonde man gathered his wits and glared at me, locks of blonde hair dampened by the sweat on his forehead.
“Stop it, Boost.” Kord snickered at his friend and had yet to answer for whatever shenanigans this motherfucker had put me through.
As such, it was my understanding that the only way to exit this facility was to dispose of the one called Boost and capture Kord for leverage against the robot. Before I could enact my plan, my ears popped with unprecedented pain as a bubble blew up and swallowed me whole.
The moment I entered the bubble, my ears rang louder than gunfire, my mouth tasted like lead and iron, my nose clogged up, my eyes couldn’t help but roll to the back of my head, and, worst of all, I could feel my skin shriveling at the slightest touch. And, yes, that meant my Gentle Giant, too.
I adjusted, of course. I always do, and when I did, I could hear hums and pops from outside the bubble as Kord and Boost argued at each other. Before I knew it, my feet were on solid metal and all my senses were back to normal. And, yes, that meant my Gentle Giant, too.
“Olgar Vulinita. Верность Родине!” I chanted before singing our national anthem.
“So, this is how the bug lug repays me when I travel back home just so I can get you that prosthetic?” Boost condemned me while I continued singing.
Kord sighed in exasperation, “Put him in the bubble again.”
His words brought me over the edge as I transformed once more and rushed forward, disregarding the fact that my blood vessels had already been destroyed. The two opened a berth for me to pass through, much to my surprise, but I continued one.
“What about the Bat? Won’t he be angry at us?” Boost asked.
“I’ll handle it.” Kord said, “One of his kids is nearing his birthday. I have a perfect gift.”
The last thing I heard as another bubble wrapped my form and suffocated me to unconsciousness was the ever condescending voice of a goddamn robot.
I told you, Olgar
Your safety is our number one priority