A Beast with a Smile

Elly’s helmet vanished into thin air, leaving her hair to flow in the wind wildly. Her EMP blast blew out most of the windows and let the cold hard wind whistle throughout the dark, vacant hospital. She was still breathing pretty hard like she just ran a few miles, but the fuzz ball was helping her regain her strength.

Tiny was affected by the blast too; his fur stood up straight, making him appear more dandelion than bunny. She touched him, and her suit began to illuminate again.

“He is the best source of static electricity. I’m able to absorb it out of his fur and power myself back up when my reserves have gone low,” she said when she noticed my gaze.

“So, he’s like a portable battery?” I asked.

“Well if a portable battery was a two-ton, bulletproof bunny rabbit, then yes,” she said with a smile.

She had appeared barely older than fifteen.

“You are a lot younger than I expected.”

“What were you expecting?”

“I don’t know. I was expecting someone older than me, like an adult, but you’re not even old enough to drive. How can you be running around fighting people with weapons? Shouldn’t you be at the mall or leading on some helpless guy or doing whatever kids do?”

“Calm down, grandma. I lost my ability to be a kid when meteors decided to leave me parentless. Atom adopted me and plenty of other orphaned children and turned us into, well, superheroes,” she stated as if she was talking about the weather.

“Atom did this to you? That’s what Tyler was talking about. You’re one of the monsters he said he created. Monsters who only want death and destruction,” I said, backing up a little bit.

“Is that what daddy’s boy said to you?” She responded, standing from her crouched position, “You tell me. Do I look dangerous?”

I looked awkwardly at the two-ton bunny, “You do have this guy and a very unique way to turn off the lights.”

She smiled and scratched her head.

“But you chose to disable your enemies rather than kill them. That’s an act of kindness and shows mercy towards a weaker opponent. You somehow changed the electricity in their brains to allow you to control them like puppets. With the guns I imagine you pulled them in by manipulating the magnetic field. Why waste all of that energy when you could have vaporized them with less energy?”

“You see, Ms. Archer, a wise man once told me that if I use my powers to maim or kill, then I am no better than the men that gave me my purpose.”

She wiped the impending tears from her eyes; little lightning bolts clung to the tears.

“That man is the reason we were all considered failed experiments. That man is the reason they are trying to lock us in those cages. And that man is the reason I would rather die protecting the innocent than killing for wealth. He is also the reason we need you.”

Her suit began to glow even brighter. If the man she was talking about is Scavenger, then I know Tyler and Atom are the real monsters.

“Take me to him,” I demanded, trying to hold back my anger about Tyler lying to me.

“That’s the problem. We don’t know where he is. He left and gave himself over to Atom in order for us to escape the main facility.”

“Is this the main facility?”

“No…. well it is now,” she paused for a moment to think about the answer.

She never had the chance to explain before Tyler charged into the room, grabbed her by the neck, and slammed her down on the coffee table.

“I’ll kill you,” he screamed as he slammed her over and over.

Her helmet engaged after a few blows, but I could see traces of blood along the shattered wood table. I sprinted over to Tyler.

“Stop, Tyler! She’s just a little girl!” I screamed.

He didn’t respond, and I don’t think he cared about the age of his victim; he only wanted blood. I grabbed the arm that held Elly in his grasp and pulled him as hard as I could. The effort wasn’t futile because I freed Elly from his grasp, but also freed him of his arm. Elly dropped to the ground gasping for air and crawled towards Tiny. I screamed at Tyler’s arm that I held in my hands. He looked at me in shock, but no blood left the vacant slot. The arm continued to move which grossed me out, making me throw it into the sky. It slammed into a nearby pillar and broke half way through it. Some skin peeled off and revealed circuits and metal.

“Are you a robot?” I asked in shock.

“No, he’s just a spoiled brat,” Elly cried from somewhere behind me.

“Quiet, girl! I’ll kill you where you stand.”

He began to walk towards his robotic arm, but I blocked his path.

“Get out of my way, Scarlett.”

“Or what?!” I said, meeting his beating red eyes.

“It doesn’t matter. You’ll have your memory wiped of today and the past few years to completely forget Scavenger and his stupid little pet mice. You’ll wake up tomorrow thinking it’s a completely new day and love me exactly how I’ve programed you,” he said laughing, then smacking me in the face.

“Big mistake,” I told him in a kind and gentle voice.

He looked terrified as I clocked him in his perfect white teeth, which sent him flying out of his shoes across the room, eventually landing inside the wall.

Elly sprinted up to me fully engulfed in blue and white sparks ready for battle, “Hell of a punch, Scarlett.”

“Language.”

I gave her a stern look but couldn’t hold back my smile. She looked at me and her helmet peeled back again, then disintegrated into thin air. She smiled at me with watery eyes. Her head was dripping blood and the red river flowed down her entire body, staining her suit. She dropped to her knees and I caught her just before she fell back onto her head.

She hit a button on her wrist then said, “You act just like him. You just ripped a man’s arm off and punched him across the room, yet you are more focused on me and seem like the fact didn’t faze you. Thank you… for saving me…”

Her body went limp and her head dropped deeper in my arms.