Engineered Empress - The story of Bia

Engineered Empress Part 23

Chapter 23

Tears trailing her cheeks, Bia began to cry and breathe heavy in panic.

"Bia, he left, calm down." Ceri asked when Bia started franticly ripping and fighting her bonds. Wheezing under her breath starting to see stars.

"I can't do it. I need to get out." Distressed she ignored Ceri and fought to get free, mumbling to herself she needed to get out over and over again. Seeing Bia spiraling into a panic attack Ceri decided after being ignored to contact Damon.

"Bia needs help. She is unresponsive to me and acts irrational." Damon woke up to her speaking with him.

"What do you mean irrationally? What happened?" Ceri explained the situation.

"Does she have enough energy to enter the thought scape? I think she needs to see she is not alone. Can you connect me to her?"

"Yes, she can go in there, I hope she is able to relax enough to enter it though." Damon scratched his head.

"If she is not able to enter because she is too distraught, you need to knock her out and enter her from your end." Shock registered in Ceri's voice at that idea.

"I can't do that. It goes against my programming and Bia is my first priority and needs to allow that." Damon entered a dangerous calm when he thought of how afraid, vulnerable and alone Bia was. He growled at Ceri.

"Ceri. I don't care if you are a toaster, a programmed sentient being, or a flesh grown one. You are her friend first and foremost. You already repair and balance her without asking for every small thing. If she is as panicked as you say, she is no longer able to give consent and it is your duty to act for her in her best interest. Believe me, everybody can break down. And though she is very resilient she needs us now. I just hoped the breakdown occurred in a safer setting." Ceri thought about it.

"You think she would have reached that point anyway?"

"Yes. I believe so. This whole week is a melting pot of new and dangerous situations for her and seeing what can happen to a girl like her, usually sends people into a small breakdown. It lessens over time with more exposure, but she just had to find herself in this situation."

"If she reacts longer this irrationally, she will be able to hurt herself. She already puts more stress on her hand joints than is good for her. I consent. But I would like to state that we need another system for situation like this."

"We talk about this later, when she is safe. Okay, put us together whenever you are ready."

Lightyears away a frantic tear streaked Bia fell in a deep sleep and entered the thought scape. When Damon saw her huddling on the floor, still trying to fight off unseen bonds he ran to her and hugged her to himself.

"Shhh... I've got you Bia, look at me." But now she began to fight against him, using all her body to fight him off. Over and over did Damon say her name, but Bia never responded without fighting him off blinded by fear and terror. At the end of his wits he apologized to her, tackled her down, held her hands over her head and laid his torso on her to pin her and just waited for her flailing to calm down and pleaded with a soft voice.

"Come on. Bia. Look at me dammit. Look at me, woman. I am here with you. You are stronger than this, Baby..." Minutes went by before her ragged sobs became ragged and ebbed down. Even more minutes before she was able to see him.

"Damon" Bia sobbed his name.

"I am here, Bia." He released her hands only to be hugged fiercely by her. Damon moved to lay down beside her, pulling her on top of him, slow stroking her back. It took time for Bia to stop crying into his chest, but he mumbled encouraging words into her ear nonetheless. When she calmed down enough to be interested in her surrounding, she asked.