wynd
*******************************
Sam could hardly breathe, but he had to keep going. He ducked and darted through the maze of narrow alleys, streets, and passages. He clutched the leather bag like his life depended on it. Which was odd, because right now, it seemed like the bag was going to get him killed.
He had no idea why though. He had just been walking through the nice European town when some guy crashed into him, shoving the bag into his arms. Now he was being chased by very large men with very large guns. They definitely wanted that bag. Sam was now only running because he suspected that to do otherwise would earn him a few new holes.
He had ducked into the many narrow streets of the old town, which made it harder for them to shoot him. But it also made it harder for him to escape them, since there were so few places to really hide. So now he was running through streets only slightly wider than his shoulders, running from men who would kill him without a second glance.
He risked a glance down at the bag. A low growl escaped his lips. All because of that damned thing! He was just an American tourist. This kind of things was not supposed to happen on his vacation. He considered throwing it away. Maybe they’d let him live once they realized he did not have it. He quickly thought better of that. Instead, he did something he probably should have done right away.
He continued to run as he looked into the bag. Inside were three objects. All of them looked like cheap sci-fi toys. One was a headband covered in some kind of circuitry, with a large inactive light on the front. Next was the handle of something. Maybe some kind of weapon, but he could not tell, since it was just the handle. It did have a few buttons near the top, and the butt looked like it could be twisted, but other than that there was no indication of what it was. And last was a glove. A cloth glove with the same circuitry as the headband.
He turned another corner and looked back into the bag. That could not be all there was. A hidden compartment. A secret message. Something that would tell him something useful. But no, there was just those three objects. He was about to get killed because of some toys. And not even very good ones.
Out of frustration, he picked up the headband, and was about to smash it into the side of one of the buildings. If he was going to die, he might as well take his pursuer’s prizes away. When he did, he felt a slight tingle. A tiny pulse of energy flowing through it. What was that? An exposed wire? Maybe those circuits were for whatever batteries it ran on? For some reason, he felt a sudden urge to put it on. He had no idea why, but something told him to wear it. So, he did.
He felt a small pinprick at the back of his head, and then a voice in his mind that was definitely not his thoughts.
New user identified. Beginning calibration. Calibration complete. Identifying current status. User is highly distressed. Heart rate, respiration, and muscle activity are all abnormally high. Stress hormones are present in large amounts. Query: Is user in physical danger?
“Uh…yes? Yes I am.” He gasped.
Understood. Activating personal defense mode. Error. Combat modules have not been activated. Please activate combat modules.
“Combat…what? These things?” He held up the handle and glove.
Affirmative. Please activate combat modules.
Not knowing what else to do, Sam slipped the glove on and held the handle. He pressed the buttons to no effect. Then he twisted the section on the butt. A dim glow formed at the top of it.
Combat modules activated. Please select defense mode. Currently available modes: pistol, blade, shield, staff. Please select one of these.
“Uh…pistol? That sounds good.”
Understood.
The handle reacted. A light shot out of it, stopping only a few inches away. The light bent and twisted, forming a holographic gun. The glove twitched, and his finger hovered over the trigger. It felt solid, like it was a real object. Then it jerked behind him, throwing off his balance and causing him to skid into a wall. One of the men chasing him came around the corner and stopped dead when he saw the supposed weapon pointed at him.
The man shouted something in a language Sam could not even begin to identify. Then the glove made his hand pull the trigger. A beam of light shot out of the barrel, piercing the armed man. It packed so much power that it burrowed into the wall behind him, leaving a small but noticeable crater in the stonework. Sam blinked in shock as the man fell.
Target one eliminated. Searching for next target.
Sam ignored the voice, and started at the deadly hologram. “Well, this could be useful.”
*********************************
Wooo! Sci-fi time! I don't do this genre nearly as much as I should. Well, provided people like this kind of stuff. Which I'm lead to believe some people do. So yay!
No comments:
Post a Comment