Angela’s red eyes widened as Helmet’s voice came in, and she shuddered at his question. She stared at the rifle in her hands. She gripped the weapon tightly as she thought of another two who may have died on account of her. Her eyes grew hot as she realized she didn’t know who else was outside with Bandana and Helmet. Slacks was probably sniping, which meant Glasses drove the jeep in and was now injured. She looked at the weapon in her hands in horror. Carefully, she aimed the gun barrel at herself, then lifted it over her head. It took some finagling—she leaned forward to keep the cord taut—but once she was sure the barrel was pressed to the cable in her back; she fired it.

The first shot shook her to the core; she had never had a gun go off so close to her, let alone right behind her back, nor had she fired one herself. The recoil threw her arms up, and she lost the target, but she could tell the damage had been done; the wires under her skin stopped moving instantly, and the hold on her back felt weaker.

She positioned the gun again and fired again, the second shot cutting the cord completely. She fell forward to the floor at once.

Angela had not realized how the machine affected her senses until the cord was cut. All at once, colors brightened, smell became stronger, a toxic taste in the air became present, and an irritating ringing in her ears stopped, but at the same time, her stomach growled with hunger, and she felt pain from healed injuries she had never noticed before. It was vivid, like everything good and bad was returning in full force. The sensations flooded her all at once, and she writhed on the floor in an odd mix of discomfort and delight.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Angela tried to move her arm and found it challenging. The wires under her skin and in her whole body had grown heavier, much more so than she had experienced when attached to the Reaper. Even after breaking free, the machine would still hold her down. She grunted while pulling her body forward to the hole. As a breeze hit her face, the fresh air almost knocked her into a state of bliss. She did her best to avoid the enjoyment of the sensation as she focused on the scene.

Helmet and Glasses were driving the Worms away from their teammates. The invaders had turned almost entirely to their new foe and ignored Slacks and Bandana. The bald man had pushed himself up and held a hand close to his companion's neck.

Angela tried to push herself to her feet but found the extra weight and years without walking prevented her. She pulled the gun close with a hug and settled to pull herself out of the machine and rolled down the torso to the ground below.