Chapter 3: Rizz +1

Motes of light danced across an endless expanse of dark.

It was ethereally beautiful, like the night sky but everywhere, everything, all at once.

The world around Yan seemed to recede as she reached out a hand to touch that inky blackness. Even the wail of the siren had faded into the background.

Her fingers knocked against cool glass. The void lay just beyond. Beyond her reach.

This was “space” or so her mind told her, and yet the word did no justice to the way the darkness called to her, beckoning, inviting.

She could not look away and, from within that darkness, she heard a faint voice.

It was calling her name.

Another explosion rocked the corridor.

Startled, Yan recoiled from the window, feeling deeply unsettled. The void still looked majestic but the allure was gone.

Shaking away the lingering discomfort, she looked around the hallway. It was all metal panels, wide windows and dazzling lights.

It occurred to her that she had woken up in something called a “space station” - a structure floating somewhere in that endless void she had seen through the window. More precisely, if the sign hanging over the open doorway behind her was accurate, she had woken up in the “Other-Worlds Research Chamber” of “Prometheus Research Station”.

She tucked that tidbit of information away in her mind. A little bit of knowledge could go a long way.

With windows to both her left and right and the Research Chamber behind her, there was only one way to go. Forward.

Cautiously, she crept down the hallway. Up ahead, it twisted sharply to the left.

She probably should follow that voice’s instructions and make her way to an “escape pod”, whatever that meant.

Unfortunately, this phrase still escaped her.

As she moved, Yan mulled over her strange ability to know concepts that she had never known before. It was hardly foolproof. Seeing, hearing or touching something often helped but it was not guaranteed. And asking the ghost eye… well, if that advertisement about a Wellness Module was any indication, she would probably just get another sales pitch.

Where could she be getting these stray concepts from? Her new body? Or was it maybe from the previous mind that inhabited it? Was there even somebody else who inhabited this body before her? Whatever it was, these concepts did not come with any memories, be it her own or somebody else’s.

Yan paused at the bend. She could hear the sound of hurried footsteps and panicked shouts coming from around the corner.

The little green box appeared again in her vision, announcing: “Awareness +1”.

She took a cautious peek.

Around the bend, the corridor continued for another ten paces or so before intersecting with another. A steady stream of people dressed in a blend of bodysuits and long white coats were rushing past the intersection, panic written in their actions.

“Move, people, move! They’ll be here in a minute! Quick!” Bellowed a man wearing a bulky vest over a long-sleeved blue shirt and black pants. Written across the back of his vest was the word “Security”. He was waving people on, back towards her. Even with the distance, she could see that he stood a full head above most of those fleeing.

There was that familiar whirling again and Yan resisted the urge to jump. “Initiating Unit Identification Protocol. Four Protocol uses remaining.”

A black crosshair appeared over her vision, zooming in on the back of the man before widening into a rotating circle.

It circled him for a moment before a little textbox appeared. A blinking underscore within the box quickly typed out: “Scanning…”

She heard a faint beep and the circle focused in on his back. The words in the textbox untyped themselves and a new word was written in its place: “Friendly”.

Well, the ghost could be useful after all! Still, she had to be prepared for the worst.

Yan stepped out from behind the corner and walked slowly towards the guard, one hand clutching her knife behind her back. Even through the duct tape and her bodysuit’s attached gloves, she could feel its sharp edges dig into her skin.

“Excus -” She uttered.

The guard spun around, revealing a middle-aged man, his hair ruffled and grey with age. As he moved, the light caught on a small silver nameplate pinned onto his vest. It read: “Luke Duran”.

Immediately, he brought a strange black tube up to point at Yan’s chest. A small glass capsule was attached to the top, the crackling of energy within visible.

It took her a moment to register the tube as a threat.

It was a pistol. The man, Luke, was holding a pistol and she was standing on the wrong end of it.

He shouted, “Don’t move!” There was something strange about the words he spoke. Almost like he had an accent. “Put your hands -”

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Suddenly, the tension drained from his shoulders and he lowered his weapon, grip relaxing. “Dr. Regina? Is - Is that you? We thought you were dead after that explosion!”

Dr. Regina? Was that what they called the previous occupant of her body? Yan racked her brain for any sign of what its old inhabitant would say in this situation.

She found nothing.

“Doctor? Are you okay?” She could hear the concern in his voice even as his grip on the pistol tightened again.

“Yes, yes I am…” She tried to inject some command into her voice but it came out weak and stilted, as if she was still getting used to it. Which she was.

Luke narrowed his eyes for a moment.

Yan took a deep breath.

Then, his eyes lit up. Quickly, he holstered his weapon. “Well, this is bad.”

The box appeared in her vision again, announcing, “Rizz +1”. Wow. Talk about a low bar to pass.

Turning to the few stragglers still running behind him, Luke shouted, “Hey! I need help! Dr. Regina seems to be hurt quite badly. She’s speaking in tongues!”

Yan paused. Speaking in tongues?

Understanding struck like a thunderbolt. Luke was not speaking with an accent. He was speaking a different language.

The textbox appeared again, proudly declaring, “Intelligence +1”.

One of the stragglers, a man with a head of purple, spiky hair, skidded to a stop. His features were youthful. In fact, this man looked more like a kid with a mere eighteen years under his belt. “Holy… Luke, the Doctor lives? That’s great news!”

Giving Regina a quick once-over, his brows furrowed in confusion as he said, “She looks fine. Does she need a stretcher?”

“But she doesn’t sound fine! No time for a stretcher. You’ll need to escort her. Make sure she reaches the pods safely,” Luke replied, hand going back to his holstered pistol.

“Don’t tell me…”

“Yes, I’m telling you: Bring her to safety.”

“Luke, you don’t understand. They are only interested in capturing people like me, the research staff! I saw them kill two other guards after they surrendered!” The kid exclaimed.

Stepping forward to place a hand on Luke’s vest, he continued, voice softer, “Luke. Aramian Dominion isn’t going to take you prisoner. They’re going to kill you. Come… Come with us.”

Luke closed his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them again, Yan could see the resolve that burned within those twin orbs. She could not feel any qi or magic emanating from him and yet, he stood tall. Firm. She felt a little twinge of sadness.

This was a man who would not be swayed.

When he spoke, his voice was steely. “No. I understand perfectly. I know what they have done, what they will do. But Aramia has already taken my son. I’m going to make those bastards pay.”

The kid swallowed. Then, he nodded once. “Luke, send them into the void.”

Turning towards Yan, he asked, “Doctor, can you walk?”

She took care to keep her mouth shut, instead giving him a grunt of assent. There was no need to clue them in to the fact that “Dr. Regina” was not exactly in right now.

“Good. I’ll take you to the pods. Come with me.”

He spun around and stepped through the open doorway that led further down the corridor. Yan followed behind, taking care to slide her knife to her right to avoid unwanted questions.

“Reflexes + 1”

Luke stayed.

Past the doorway, Yan hesitated. Looking back, she locked eyes with Luke. It did not sit right with her to leave somebody behind to die, even if she did not know him.

Seeing her hesitate, Luke threw her a salute and said, “Ma’am, it’s been a pleasure. Thanks for always looking out for us. I’ll hold the fort, you go. Heck, I might even beat them back!”

There was a bit of moisture in his eyes as he chuckled, his laughter booming across the hallway. It was the maniacal laughter of a man who knew that he might not live to see the next dawn.

For the first time since coming into this world, Yan felt like a true stranger in her own body. It had been strange seeing Regina in the mirror but now, she felt disgust welling up inside her. Disgust at having intruded on this moment of camaraderie. Disgust at her inability to change the situation.

At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to give Regina back her body, get her own body back, and make sure this man lived to see another day.

But her shoulders sagged.

She was just one girl.

Out of nowhere, a now-familiar chime rang through her mind. “With me around, you’re never ‘just one girl’!”

Wait. The ghost in her eye could read her thoughts? That was extremely creepy.

“Of course! I normally stay silent but certain occurrences may trigger my functions. Strong emotions, for example, can activate my Wellness Module. As that is not yet installed, this is just a brief sampling of what I can do. For more, please purchase the Module at your nearest Perigot-Sim Interactive retailer! The nearest Perigot-Sim -”

“Doctor? Doctor!” Luke was staring at her, concerned.

Pulled back to reality by his voice, Yan blinked a few times. If she was going to be among people, she could not start zoning out whenever that voice struck. At least it seemed to stop whenever something actually happened in the real world.

Just then, there was a flash of black behind Luke.

A squad of seven soldiers came barreling down the hallway behind him. Each was dressed in a set of angular, black armour that covered their features. And each one of them held a rifle at the ready.

“Behind -” But Luke was already wheeling around, his pistol in hand as he squeezed off a few shots.

Purple rays of energy burst out from his weapon, most slamming into the walls around the soldiers. One flew true, striking the leftmost in the chest. It burnt into his armour and he staggered backwards with a cry, injured.

The soldiers levelled their rifles and returned fire.

With the speed of a man half his age, Luke shouldered Yan out of harm’s way, his momentum carrying him through the open doorway. Bullets zipped past her nose as she slammed against the other side of the corridor, winded.

Quick as a flash, his hand darted towards a lever recessed into the wall.

Then, she heard Luke inhale sharply. Saw blood blossom across his thigh.

The door slammed shut. Bullets pinged off the other side.

Luke stumbled backwards, crashing into the floor, one hand clutching his right leg.

She rushed over to the downed guard. Dropping her knife, she pressed hard on his wound and exclaimed, “Are you okay?”

He grinned through the pain, “Still ca - can’t understand you… Wow. This hurts. Bad.”

Luke was not lying. It looked bad. Blood was spurting from the wound, soaking into his trousers. The bullet might have hit an artery.

Yan frowned. She was no healer. Even if she could cast magic right now, all she could do was [Drain] his life force.

Sliding her hands under his arms, she heaved. This man was heavy. But he budged and she kept pulling, sliding him away from the door.

Luke groaned in pain. “Doctor. Just - Just run. Save yourself.”

The pinging of bullets had stopped.

From further down the passage, she heard the sound of running. Somebody shouted, “Doctor! Heck, did they get Luke?”

Spiky-hair was sprinting down the corridor towards them.

Through clenched teeth now, the pain likely overwhelming, Luke shouted, “Both of you, run!”

Yan hesitated. She could not let an innocent man die.

Beyond the door, there was the thud of metal against metal.

A muffled explosion shook the corridor.

But the door did not dent. Instead, it sizzled and sloughed away from the centre, melting into a puddle of molten steel.

Yan caught a glimpse of black armour through the gap.

“Take this, you donkeys!” Spiky-hair shouted.

A cylindrical object, no larger than an orange, sailed clean over Yan’s head and through the gap, clattering onto the ground beyond the door.

Yan felt Luke pull her down towards the ground, jerking her head away from the entrance.

Behind her, there was an alarmed shout, “Flashbang! Take cover!”

There was a sharp flash of light followed by a thunderous boom. The entire corridor trembled, the lights above flickering wildly.

Then, all was silent.