Machine Story

Surprise

David awoke and sat up from the operation table that he had been lying down on. He held his head with both his hands as he wasn’t sure how long he had been asleep. “Where am I, and why does my head hurt so much?” he asked out loud. “You are in a top-secret laboratory in Colony Five, and it’s a miracle that it’s only your head that hurts after what you have been through.” a random lady in a lab coat replied.

David still wasn’t sure what was going on as he was still feeling dizzy. “Now hold still while I run some tests and a diagnostic check-up to see if the operation was a success,” the lady demanded. “Operation? Wait what are you…?” as David was asking he finally looked at his hands, it was no longer flesh and bones but all mechanical. David had become half machine.

It wasn’t just his hands but most of his body had become completely mechanized. “WHAT IS THIS? WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?” he yelled in shock. The lead scientist lady could sense by the tone of David’s voice that he was unstable. She called her assistant to help her sedate the patient. However, as David saw the person holding a syringe walking towards him, his anger took over and was no longer in control of his body.

He grabbed the nearest item he could find and threw it across the room. Both the scientist and her assistant had to take cover as furniture was being thrown and glassware was being shattered. As David continued his rampage, the scientist pressed an emergency button hidden underneath the table she was hiding. However, shortly after signalling for help, David lifted the table and found her.

“You! You did this to me! You turned me into a monster!” He cried out. The lady attempted to explain and calm him down but it was no use. David clapped his hands together, ready to smash the scientist.

As his hands were about to make contact against her, a vial of chemicals was thrown, shattering and spilling over David’s head. The unknown liquid went down David’s metallic body and short-circuited his systems, allowing Niall to jump in and kick the cyborg against the machinery in the room.

The science lady got up and began to walk towards Niall. He was expecting a thank you from her but instead got a smack to the head. “Ow! What was that for Anusha? I just saved your life!” he reacted. “You are causing too much damage to this laboratory! Do you know how expensive all this equipment is?” she said in outrage.

As the two argued, Anusha’s assistant, Kaviya, tried to get their attention. “Umm, guys?” The two immediately gave her a death stare as she hesitantly pointed to where their focus should go. David picked himself up and on one side of his face was a mechanical eye that was now glowing an ominous red colour.

Seeing the threat across the room, Niall stepped forward and began to pull out his sabres. He was about ready to dismantle the threat in the room but before he could, Anusha pleaded. “Wait, don’t destroy him! Please, this one is different!” Niall turned around in disbelief, “That is what you said about the last, and the one before that, and the other one before that, and…”

Niall kept continuing, but Anusha got the point, “Okay yes, but this one really is different! Please, trust me!” She begged. Niall rolled his eyes and gave a big sigh before reluctantly agreeing. He told Anusha and Kaviya to find a safe hiding spot while he tried to find a way to contain Anusha’s experiment.

He slowly approached the robotic human signalling that he meant no harm. David did not share the same feeling as his eyes were showing that he was ready for a brawl. “Hey listen, buddy, we aren’t here to hurt you.” David still had his guard up for the moment. “My friend and I found you outside of the colony and brought you here to safety.”

The look on David’s face changed as his memories began to come back to him. His left hand was holding his head as he was trying to remember what had happened before arriving in this place. “Outside the colony?” More of his memories began to surface in his mind. “Wait, Siri. Where is she?!” He said urgently.

Niall was caught off guard by the question. He wasn’t sure how to reply so he turned to Anusha for answers. The focus now shifted to Anusha, who was hesitating to give an answer to David. “Well, umm, you see, it’s a bit complicated…” But David was not in the mood for misdirection, he demanded to know where his friend was.

Not receiving an answer, his temper rose and he began walking towards Anusha. Niall quickly told her to run away as he attempted to slow David down. He jumped into the air and decided to kick him like he did the first time. Unfortunately this time, the results were very different. David reacted quickly by grabbing Niall’s leg in mid-air, then throwing him aside against the equipment in the room.

Niall was in much pain and unable to get up immediately. David then turned his attention back onto Anusha who had not gone far. He could see that she was paralyzed with fear and unable to run. As David was standing two feet away from her, a flask was thrown against his head, shattering into many pieces.

David looked over to see that Anusha’s assistant, Kaviya, threw the glassware at his skull. He raised his right arm that suddenly began to transform from a robotic hand into a metallic claw. Armed with a new weapon he began to approach his new target to test out his steel.

Kaviya began throwing everything she could find around her in panic. Nothing seemed to phase David one bit as he continued walking towards her. Without looking, Kaviya reached and held a book in her hand which she threw at David’s face. David caught the book with his left hand and his eyes met with the content of the book. It was one of Siri’s textbooks about the biology of humans and animals.

Suddenly David began to clutch his head with his hands, as he seemed to be in excruciating pain. “Ahhhhh! Please stop it! I can’t control it!” he cried out to the scientists. His body was about to move again, but Niall jumped in and grappled him against the ground. “Whatever you got to calm him, now would be a great time!” Niall yelled as he was struggling to keep David immobilized.

Anusha quickly grabbed the syringe that was filled with the serum inside. She rushed to David and with Niall holding him down, she was able to inject the needle into his right shoulder that was still human flesh. The medicine caused David’s eyelids to feel heavy and as he closed his eyes, he could hear a voice inside his head calling him, “David!”