Zodiac Story

Brown Vines, Shield Me From The Abyss Part 3

Someone dragged her roughly from her bed. Amalia groggily rubbed her eyes and grabbed her amulet out of instinct. Her guard? What were they doing here? Suddenly, they grabbed her waist and shoved her into the hallway.

"Wh-what is happening?"

"Keep quiet."

Amalia did what the guard bid her to do. After the mist was done with cleansing and sterilising both of their bodies, the guard grabbed her arm and dragged her along, her feet barely managing to keep pace with the guard's nimble steps. Had they been that agile before? She couldn't remember. All of the floodlights are off, and unlike the past excursions there were no guards stalking the asphalt grid. In the span of five minutes, both the guard and Amalia were near the large structure that she saw through the leaves of P. quinquefolia. The wall was fractured, various vines and tendrils flourishing amidst the cracks and fragments of the void like barrier. The guard pointed at the ground and at Amalia's head. She assumed that the guard wanted to keep her head down.

"Wait here." The guard entered the large plastic building with a keycard.

Amalia stayed where she was. Sitting on the pavement brought more questions into her mind. It was unlikely that there were only guards to keep them captive here. Like her holding cell, there were most likely cameras that guarded them as well. She spotted one camera above her, choked by P. quinquefolia. All of the other cameras she had spotted were entangled or blinking blue. Had they seen her transform during her experiments? If they did, wouldn't they have removed her and experimented on her? Actually, why was she here? Those questions swirled around her head until a click and the whoosh of an automatic door brought her attention to her guard.

"It's safe." The guard beckoned to her. "Follow me."

She was going to, but she stopped in her tracks. The guard had been acting suspicious, and not like themselves. Common sense dictated fleeing, but the situation left her with no safe refuge. In a split second, she darted into the guards' structure, away from the guard's reach.

What she expected was all of the guards to be immediately alerted to her presence. What she found was most of the guards present slumped over on a long rectangular table, some of them crumpled up on their chairs, and four splayed in an undignified position on the floor. On another table was a row of computer screens, all glowing an electric blue. A coffee machine was situated in the corner and she smelled the aroma of freshly brewed coffee in the room.

"It's not what you think. Listen, we need to leave quickly—"

Amalia grabbed her amulet, whispered the transformation phrase quietly, and summoned the carbon shield. The guard remained motionless.

"Oh shit—" The guard muttered.

She couldn't comprehend what happened next. She thought the guard was readying their gun to use on her. In any case, that wouldn't matter. Amalia hit them on the side of their head with the edge of her shield, knocking the goggles off of them. Her hyperventilation kicked in. Had she just hit a person in the head?! Why would she have done that?! Had she been reduced to violent measures? She was a scientist, one equipped with a rational mind, not a person who hit people in the head with a technologically advanced shield.

"It's fine...my head is still ringing...should have explained myself better...or said my name."

Amalia faced the guard clutching their head. Bright yellow eyes blinked at her.

"Nice to finally meet you in person."

Clytemnestra?

"Yes, I'm her. It turns out that the reason we couldn't read the guards' minds are in these little helmets." Clytemnestra knocked on her helmet. "I couldn't find an exit, but there's a backup plan."