Vanessa Garciacano

     An unconscious female lies, face down, a few feet away from a black paved road in the middle of a scorching desert. Her body is battered, barely covered by pieces of torn cloth. Small grains of sand, entwined with a light gush of wind, rush up against her pale skin. Soon another warm gush of air caresses her motionless body, but this time, causing her to suck in a pocket of air. She exposes her bluish grey eyes as her mind returns to a conscious state. She has no idea of her current location. Nothing but dry desert and cactus stretching out for miles.

 

     The young female picks herself up. While standing, confounded, under the beaming sun, she attempts to understand what happened moments ago. She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths, allowing the tranquility of the desert to dissolve into her ears, easing her mind, and decompressing the tense muscles that were caused by the hard fall.

 

     Opening her eyes to the vast plain of the desert, the young woman indulges her senses into a world she hardly knows. Although taken aback by previous events, her focus is still geared toward discovering who she is, and the whereabouts of her mother and sister. Prepared to take her first step, the young female halts when she is drawn to an agile weight gravitating one of her arms toward the ground. She notices a small metallic bracelet hugging securely around her wrist. Her bitterness for this inanimate object overcomes her as she engages in a heated wave of violent passion, pulling and biting the object, desperately attempting to tear it off. But all the biting and pulling proves useless. She stops in defeat. She could remember all too well the sound it makes before going rogue, completely losing herself to the powerful entity that effortlessly consumes her very being.

 

     Looking at her other wrist, she spots a white hospital wristband with a barcode under the word “BIO” in big black bulging letters. She stares at it for a few seconds, accepting it as her name, hopeful that it will somehow lead to answers of her origin.

                                                           

~

     

     Bio’s bare feet scrap against the burning gravel as she walks half-naked down the road. Sweat rolls down her rosy cheeks. Her hair is an abandoned rat’s nest. Scratches and deep incisions invade whatever part of her body that is exposed. The heat beams down on her, and every step she takes becomes harder to do. She feels a sharp pain lodge deep inside her stomach that cries out of hunger, but theres nothing surrounding her that can silence its anguish.

Minutes pass. Hours go by...

 

     Abruptly, in the distance, Bio suddenly hears a noise coming close to her from behind. Her body gradually begins to tense while her nerves tingle with fear, or that instinctive reaction to protect her self, she doesn’t know. As the sound escalates from behind her, she forces herself to continue walking, hoping that it’s not the people who are after her. As she walks, a red refrigerator truck passes her but comes to a stop several yards in front of her. A man, wearing tattered jeans and a worn-out navy blue t-shirt, leaps out of the truck and rushes toward her.

 

“Miss! Miss! Are you alright!?” The man stops in front of the young woman, hindering her from taking another step. “Miss!?”

 

     Hesitantly, Bio shifts her head to one side and stares down at her blackened feet, ignoring the man’s concerned questions. “Miss, are you okay!?” The man places both his hands on either side of her shoulders, eager for some type of response, any sign to make sure she’s okay.

“Where’re you headed miss? I think we need to take you to a hospital…”

 

     Bio remains speechless. Her eyes slowly escalate to the man’s worried face. She can see his light brown hair slightly grazing the top of his forehead; his sincere dark brown eyes; dried thin lips; and the small visible wrinkles throughout his concerned expression.

 

     Staring intently into the man’s eyes, Bio suddenly collapses. The man grabs hold of her as her weight gradually falls to the floor. Secured in his arms, she releases a few words under her breath.

 

“No-hos-pi-tal...”

 

“What miss, what was that!?” The man rushes to move his ear closer to her mouth.

 

Bio takes a deep breath and with all her strength releases another reply.

 

“Not-a-hospital, please...”

 

     The man looks at the helpless girl as her eyelids slowly close shut. His eyes scan her face unsure of what to do.

 

“Well…” The man takes a deep breath and exhales, “I have no choice but to take you. Sorry angel…” With his strength he picks her up, putting her over his shoulder as gently as he could. He then places her on the passenger side of his truck, straps her in, and retrieves a small tarnished blanket. Before covering her, he examines all the cuts and dry blood stains that are scattered all over her body; observing in horror.

 

“Who would do such a thing?” He mutters to himself.

 

~

 

     Bio is dazed at first but regains a sense of her surroundings when she comes into focus with the IV’s that are glued into her arms. She panics from the sight of them and rapidly starts to pull them out while small spots of blood stain her white hospital rob. The beeping sounds of the monitors, like a sudden cry for help, abruptly maximize in volume within the room.

     

     In Bio’s effort of escaping, a nurse unexpectedly appears and rushes toward her. Bio has fallen onto the floor, wrapped in IV’s that resemble a coiled snake, ready to devour its prey. As the nurse attempts to help her, Bio releases a sharp scream that penetrates into the nurse’s ears. “Don’t! Don’t come near me!” The nurse holds back and tries to soothe the distressed Bio. “Miss, you have to calm down.”

 

“No, no! Stay away, I’m warning you!” Bio backs up and throws herself against the wall.

 

“I know who you are! Just stay away!”

 

     Terror sinks in as Bio waits for the worst to come; those strangers in white suits and black shield faces. “Stay away!” Bio screams again, tightly shutting her eyes. But in her desperate struggle to get away, she begins to feel an overwhelming sensation of heat coursing from within her eyes and the palms of her hands, a feeling that she has experienced before…

 

     In excruciating pain, tossing and turning uncontrollably on the floor, Bio releases a loud cry that fills the four walls of the room. The bracelet on her wrist begins to beep. The nurse stands back, not sure of what is happening to Bio and quickly decides to run out of the room screaming for the doctor. Bio continues to struggle as the pain grows inside her.

​

     As forming streaks of blue light contaminate her vision, and the growing sensation grabs hold of her body, the beeping sound from her bracelet heightens, transforming into a high pitch frequency. The sound becomes sharper and sharper, colliding with Bio’s screams, until both the sound coming from the bracelet and Bio abruptly stop.

 

    Bio’s eyes glow metallic blue, her hair amazingly flows in the air defying the laws of gravity and her feet hover inches from the floor. Four nurses rush into the room only to be paralyzed by what is happening in front of them.

 

     Staring straight at them, Bio slowly moves her arms straight up on either side of her head, palms facing upward toward the ceiling. Immediately, a blue-like energy substance consumes Bio’s entire body followed by a blast of wind that throws the nurses into the wall like rag dolls.

 

     Within seconds, Bio blasts through the room’s ceiling and out of the hospital building, shooting straight up into the sky. After getting far enough where the hospital is barely a visible spec under her feet, she stops and floats in mid-air.

Bio’s black silky long hair gently grazes the skin on her shoulder blades and upper back; a light breeze pushes itself against her. Nothing surrounds her but clear skies and some thin clouds in the distance.

 

     The sun radiates down on her. The electrifying orb that had surrounded her moments ago has vanished. Bio floats steadily in the sky with both eyes closed, absorbing the rays of the sun.

 

     But a moment of hesitancy soon follows, invading her tranquil state.

Her body begins to flinch and retract as if something inside of her is fighting, trying to break free. Her eyes snap open, revealing two bright blue spheres, fading in and out, an unknown force attempting to draw the light back inside. Bio combatively slams both her hands to either side of her head and a loud scream is released into the air, spreading out into the sky. A voice reveals itself, her mind consumed in it.

“Trying to fight is useless...” The voice is deep, calm, and domineering.

“You no longer have control of your body, it does not belong to you anymore.”

 

Bio’s body continues to protest, trying hard to release itself from the powerful force.

 

“Get out of my head!” She screams aloud. “You made me hurt those people!”

 

A wicked laugh echoes inside her head, running chills down her spine.

 

“Please, stop!” She pleads breathlessly, fighting against the urge to give up the little control she has on her body.

 

     But before the unknown voice in her head is able to speak again, a thunderous noise can be heard in the distance, quickly causing Bio to hold herself in a solidified position. In that moment, Bio begins losing herself to the unknown, overriding presence fighting to claim her physical form. Her inner-self grows weak and she is forced to return to the locked caged deep inside.

 

     As the unseen force courses through her body, Bio steadily moves into a defensive stance. Every muscle perfectly clenched and prepared for battle, an instinctive reaction that comes naturally without delay.

 

“Just relax and watch.” The voice disintegrates into a prickling sensation that spreads throughout her brain. Bio can no longer hold onto her body and loses herself to the overpowering force, hungry for control.

 

Bright burning blue eyes quicken to arise once more, beaming with power and madness.

~

 

     Bio floats confidently, a goddess, a divine deity that has complete control of her surroundings. Her back is turned away from the enraging sound, amplifying closer and closer. A devious smile swells on her face. Her arms clench in anticipation. Four F-22 jets reveal themselves in the distance; stealth, speed, and precision running directly toward Bio at a phenomenal and accelerating rate. The jets cease to fire, following direct orders from the top.

 

“I repeat, do not fire. Do not fire if she does not engage in combat!”

 

“Roger that, Hawk-Five out.”

 

     Bio’s stance remains stagnant, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash her power. Her chest moves slowly up and down, taking steady breaths. She waits.

 

     Three jets dart over her head, fleeting into clear sky, a thunderous roar wrathfully trails behind, wrapping its high-pitched sound and vibrations around her.

 

     Disappointed at the cowardly maneuver, Bio’s smile vanishes. But hope is soon returned as she sees the fourth jet coming directly toward her. As the jet steers its way in her direction, Bio swiftly moves in front of it at an unbelievable speed, invading its path. She raises her right arm and moves her palm up as a small blue electric energy covers it, creating a half-circular barrier, shielding her from the side of the oncoming jet.

 

“Shit! What the hell is she doing!?” The pilot shouts in shock, but it’s to late to react.

 

     In an instant, the jet crashes into her palm, smashing and compressing effortlessly, the force driving and absorbing into her hand. A loud tormenting scream can be heard from inside but abruptly stops, as the jet encloses itself together and forms into a small-contorted ball of metal. “Now, this is more like it.” Bio coolly releases under her breath.

 

     The ball of metal then loosens from her hold and begins to fall toward earth, gravity hungrily pulling it down. The three F-22’s that had speedily passed her moments ago return with vengeance as they fly toward Bio with disbelief and horror, now well aware of what she’s capable of. One of the pilots confirms an order to shoot the target. Two missiles are launched from one of the jets in the direction of where Bio floats.

 

     Unaffected by the oncoming threat, adamant and calm, Bio continues to stand motionless, waiting for the right moment to strike. Just before the missiles could come a few feet from her, a blue orb swallows her whole, rapidly consuming her in an electric energy-type cocoon, deflecting the missiles and redirecting them to other targets.

 

     Two jets are hit and blow apart, surviving pieces spiral down to earth. One jet still remains and quickly fires two missiles toward Bio but they are quickly deflected and return back to the jet that had released them. All four jets have now perished.

 

     Bio removes the orb that surrounds her and looks down contently at what she deems as a triumphant outcome. But as she floats with pride and modesty, her body begins to cringe and retract once more, denying what it has accomplished. “NO!” A loud scream escapes her lips. The tone of her voice is lighter and full of distress.“Get-out-of-me!”

 

     Her powers come in and out of sight, the bright blue light in her eyes revealing then withdrawing. An epic inner battle entwines within Bio as three more fighter jets fly vehemently straight toward her. The pilots hastily arrange a plan to strike her down while she seems conflicted with herself. The pilots confirm each other’s target and one by one press a small red button, disengaging their ammunition. Six missiles then rage with indisputable speed, slicing their way through thin air, heading straight toward Bio.

 

     The sinister voice in Bio’s head returns as she aggressively fights for control over her body. “There is a threat headed toward you, are you positive you do not want me to take control?” The voice is calm and a bit sardonic, leaving an unnerving impression that goes straight into her bones. “Get out!” Bio screams aloud with exasperation.

 

     In seconds, her tightened muscles become relaxed, releasing the tension that had flowed so vigorously within her. Her blood boils down, and the blue light beaming from her eyes draw back into her deep black dilated pupils. Bio steadily raises her right hand, opening and then clenching it in disbelief as if she had never felt such pleasure or freedom before. A heavy weight has been lifted and a victorious feeling engulfs her very being. She is herself, and she has complete control.

 

     Bio steadily places her arm down beside her and instantly takes notice of the handful of missile’s heading toward her but it’s too late to react. Bio can’t help but gasp, close her eyes, and release a faint breath as the first missile ferociously attacks her, soon followed by the second and the third. One by one, until all six missiles have completed their task.

 

     A huge cloud of smoke can be seen as the fighter jets pass by with stealth and speed.

 

“Target destroyed and headed down. Whiplash out.” One of the pilots confirms over his mouthpiece.

 

“We need a team on the ground ASAP. Red Eagle out.”

 

~

 

     An unconscious Bio cascades down into an inevitable fate of death, the blazing sun beaming its light and heat upon her. Her head is arched toward her chest; hair snapping frantically around as it collides with the crashing wind; arms and legs dangling limply from her body; shreds of black ash cover her from head to toe; and tiny drops of blood free fall inches from her face, attempting to escape an ill-fated doom, but are ensnared by earth’s gravitational pull.

 

     As Bio plummets down and down, approaching earth, her eyes begin to open and close as she regains consciousness. Quickly she comes back, out of the watery haziness that had momentarily clogged all her senses. She regains focus, recollecting her memories, absorbing her surroundings, and then turns her head around to realize that she is about to kiss death in the face with full frontal force.

 

     She struggles to call upon her enigmatic powers, concentrating with great determination but it ceases to work. Heat and electricity began to collide, unleashing a prickly feeling spreading to every inch of her body. From head to toe, the venomous sensation grows in intensity and burns her from the inside out. Bio squeezes her eyes tight, managing to control the pain. Small electric vein-like strings begin to jump in and out from her body. A static sound arises, gaining amplitude, as Bio comes closer and closer to her crash landing. Then, like magic, Bio dissolves into thin air, inches away from hitting the desert floor.

 

     A blue energy ball, surrounded by a pulsing electrical current, appears in a dark room. Bio falls out of the celestial sphere and slams onto some type of cold metallic floor. Her body lies motionless for a few seconds, followed by her taking in a gush of air, bringing life back into her lungs. When Bio lifts her head off the ground, she is blinded by darkness until a bright beam of white light shines on her. As her eyes adjust to the sudden change, a mechanical moving spider, three feet tall, crawls into the light and extends two long legs to untie and remove the hospital rob off of Bio’s body.

 

     She’s startled at first, but Bio doesn’t perceive it as a threat. After the arms retract, the spider spits out a type of black soft silky substance from its mouth, covering her arms, neck, stomach, chest area, and the entire lower half of her body. Her head, hands, and feet are the only parts of flesh exposed. As the gooey substance hardens, a sinister voice announces itself from beyond the restraints of the beam of light shinning upon her, the same tone of voice that was in her head not so long ago.

 

“Welcome.”

 

     As Bio cautiously comes to her feet, adjusting to the newly formed suite of armor, she attempts to look beyond the darkness but fails.

 

“You can see me…if you really wanted to.”

 

“Who are you!?” Bio shouts into the dark abyss. “What do you want with me!?” The piercing sound of silence ensues for a moment until the voice returns.

 

“Well, I’ am your creator. And what I want with you…there are several reasons…”

Bio’s body stills. A shot of adrenaline releases into her bloodstream, increasing her breathing, tensing her muscles; she is ready for battle.

 

“Wha-what do you mean you’re my creator!? You can’t be!”

 

“Why should it be so hard to believe? How would you explain your abilities?”

 

“I have a sister! I have a mother! I had a childhood! Answer my question!” Tears began to swell in Bio’s eyes from an overwhelming feeling of disbelief.

 

“I gave you the greatest gift. A gift that any of your kind would die to possess, a gift in which you’ve surpassed the entirety of your race.”

 

“Wha-what are you talking about!?”

 

“Your abilities, Bio. It took me centuries on your planet to discover humans like you.

You are one of the few…you are proof.”

 

“Proof?”

 

“Yes, proof that your human race is not as innocent or fragile as it seems…you alone, are at the final stage of your species evolution.”

 

“I-I don’t understand, what are you saying?”

 

“I’ am not of your planet, I’ am from a distant place, beyond your world’s knowledge–”

 

“You are…a…alien?”

 

“You can say that.”

 

     The bright beam of light shinning on Bio shuts off, replaced by numerous of blue luminous lights surrounding a wider perimeter, exposing three shadows standing approximately six feet away. They resemble a human stature but taller and wider in frame, anywhere from nine to ten feet. Bio can’t see their faces or the detail of their bodies but knows that they are there.

 

The voice again arises.

 

“No more talking. You know what you must do.”

 

Bio looks around frantically, confused by the question.

 

“I’m not hurting anyone else! I’m not going to be controlled anymore. Not by any of you!”

 

The voice creeps up again, “You have no choice.”

 

     The bracelet on Bio’s wrist begins to beep. First starting at a steady pace, but quickly heightening into a piercing sound. It’s the same consuming feeling that had controlled Bio time and time again. She desperately tries to resist but she can’t, the power proves to be too much. And just like that, she transforms into a supernatural being. Her eyes glow a bright blue and a ball of nerve-like energy scatters in the palms of her hands. The blue transparent lights shut off, one by one, all around her. Her eyes and the energy from her hands are the only light source in the room.

 

The voice returns but this time it’s tone has shifted from calm and controlled to tormented and demanding.

 

“I gave you a purpose. And now, you must fulfill that purpose!”

 

     A transparent glass appears over Bio, concealing her from the rest of the room and the three dark shadows that mysteriously watch her. A circular door then unseals at the bottom of her feet causing an orb to form around her, enabling her to breath in space. She drops into the darkness with define control, coming into sight of the earth rotating in front of her. In this moment, she can hear all the sounds of earth; the sounds that prove life is taking place. A slight smirk then forms on her face. She blasts straight toward the planet, with the sole intention of ending all of earth’s inhabitants…