Chapter 3 of the superhero action-romance prequel rolls into action. Can Brian save the stranger who saved his life... or is it too late?
Spotify Playlist for this story while you read.The garage back doors slammed open. In came Brian Bayley, sliding in a cart that was normally used for moving his tech supplies, but today was carrying a superpowered woman; a woman who had just taken the full blunt force of what could have been none other than a death ray. He rushed furiously into the warehouse like he was some surgeon heading for an emergency room. Except he wasn’t a surgeon, he was just a determined teenager with a warehouse full of strange tech.
Brian brushed the clutter off of the worn-down couch in the center of the room, setting the blonde down gently. She was out cold; cold to the touch even. Brian gathered all sorts of tech from the many rows of shelves in the spacious warehouse, knocking them down into the cart, silent. He brought what looked like various junk, plugged in cords across her body in a chaotic manner, setting everything up all around her like a makeshift hospital bed.
From the mismatch tech were surprisingly a few pieces of actual medical equipment, but most everything else were pieces of equipment not licensed for medical care, but had to make the cut. Part of him wanted to take her to a hospital; but the other reminded him she would nothing but “supervillain” in the eyes of people who didn’t know any better.
The very next thing Brian did was search up on the internet how to check someone’s pulse. It took him longer than it should have, but eventually, he did. “Great! You’re not dead… you’re just… sick?” Brian said to himself in a thoughtful manner. Bayley sat and slid his chair over to his computer, typing like a mad man the equipment beeped off at him from behind.
“Energy parasites…” Brian searched the web for answers, but answers were not what he found. Of course, she wasn’t exactly on the periodic table. “What about actual parasites? There’s got to be some real life comparison.” He read up on interesting... and gross articles on the subject. “Ew, I hope she doesn’t turn into that.”
par·a·site
/ˈperəˌsīt/
noun
an organism that lives in or on an organism of another species (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other's expense.
“That doesn’t sound great... I hope she doesn’t steal my energy when I wake her up. I kinda need it. What are other ways for an energy parasite to “derive” what it needs?”
Research sparked ideas. Ideas sparked plans. Plans were set into motion (for better or worse).
Brian tore apart previous projects, not hesitating to reflect on how much blood sweat and tears he had been spent on them; destroying them for a greater purpose. Throughout this, he would check on her. Put a cold cloth on her forehead as one of his meters warned him of her erratic changes in temperature. Kept her hydrated her a drink of water.
Then he got to welding, putting together circuitry. For this, he was zapped, lightly singed and his fingers constantly pinched. But he never faltered. Never slowed his pace. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing existed. He had to save her. He had to.
Brian sat back with his feet crossed over his desk, taking a moment to chow down on some takeout chinese, as a program he wrote was compiling. He knew breakthroughs were never made on an empty stomache (or at least it was always that way for him). He bought some for his special guest too, just in case.
Putting in the final pieces. Uploading the finished code. Attaching the device to her shoulder and hooking it up to the garage’s circuit breaker. (Yes, you read that right.)
Brian held his hand on the lever to the breaker which had wires and cords leading up to the patient. This was either a really bad idea, or a moderately good one. Stealing electricity from the energy grid wasn’t exactly legal, but he didn’t have much time; her contition was worsening by every minute that passed.
Brian projected that if she didn’t get what all energy parasites needed, and fast, the stranger who saved his life would be no more. He couldn’t get himself to think of what he would do if he didn’t succeed--and he knew a hospital would never try something like this. “Please don’t kill her...” He said a little prayer and pulled down the lever.
The instant buzzing of machinery told him everything was online. The code was running right from his computer screen. He came to her side. The device on her shoulder lit up with a deep pulsing sound as it limited the energy intake into her. The beeping noise from on her heart rate monitor lit up in pace and frequency. That was a good thing, right?
“Come on, please have worked…” But nothing was happening. She lay silent, ever-motionless still. Was all this for nothing? Brian was no doctor. What if it didn’t work? Then what would he do? How would he live with himse--Brian brushed off the thought as he reached to check her pulse again with an electricity-proof glove this time.
When he touched her neck, Emily’s eyes shot wide open and she instinctually grabbed his arm, leaning up close. “Ugh-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!” Brian was shocked by her sudden awakening and sent hurtling to the ground.
“I'm sorry!” Emily tried to lean up, but found herself too weak to do so. "Uhh, what happened? Where am I?"
“It’s okay, it’s…” Brian shook off his electricuted arm, then shouted out in further reflection. “Ouch!”
“What is this stuff?!” She motioned to all of the cords and devices attached to her. All the events leading up to this moment rushed into Emily’s mind. She then noticed the heart rate monitor beside her, wondering how he aquired such a device. “What are--” Emily began to remove the wires, devices and cables from her as she found the strength to sit up.
“Um, no. We do need that!-” Brian reached forward, but it was too late. He massaged his brow. “Y’know, I think we can do without the devices off for now. You seem to have stablized.”
There was a moment of silence before Emily finally spoke up, faintly. “Was I hooked up to that computer?”
Brian rushed to almost block his makeshift equipment setup. “Um… don’t freak out... it’s complicated-”
“Freak out? Yeah, we are way beyond that.”
“The computer regulates your energy intake… which is hooked up to that device, which is hooked up to there.” He pointed at the breaker.
“You hooked me up to the city’s power grid?!”
“I was out of options... and you were running out of time.”
Emily was silent for several tense moments during which Brian wondered if he had done the right thing. To Brian, it felt like forever.
He found the courage to sit down beside the woman. “I- I’ve been meaning to know… Why did you jump in front of that blast for me; a total stranger?”
Emily looked up at him as if she was confused be his sudden inquiry. Her gaze made him feel a little uncomfotable…
“Someone… needed my help and I had the abilty to do something. I couldn’t just walk away. That’s not how I was raised.”
“Yes, you could have. But you didn’t even think; you just did--”
Emily lifted an eyebrow.
“N-no offence.” Brian raised his arms to cool the situation. “I guess… I just don’t think I would have done the same thing. I never really put thought that much into other people. Nobody does… not to that extent. I probably would have just run away.”
“But you didn’t… you saved me.”
Brian lifted his head up. She was right. “After I caused you to be in mortal danger in the first place.”
“Who were those thugs? Did you have "unsettled" business with them?”
“What? No! I don’t know anything about them. I- I think they came from my vlog, but I don’t know anything else about them. I don’t have any enemies, or friends... or acquaintances.”
“Then it wasn’t your fault. It was—ughh.” Emily clutched her heart and shrivled up a bit.
Brian reached to console her, then obtained and attached the device back to her shoulder again. “You should get some rest. I shouldn’t of had you talk so much. You need to sleep… and recharge.”
What was happening right now? Emily's whole life had just been altered, and it was her who asked for it. Her head was spinning as she tried to collect her thoughts and begin to measure the future. But her head was too murky to reach to any conclusion. She felt the energy absorb into her body once the devices were reattached. It felt good… like getting that extra hour of sleep when your clock went off too early.
Before she knew it, she was laying down and falling asleep, muttering things like. “Recharge? Like a... battery…? … I’m not a… phone…” The warmth of helping someone in need washed over Brian from his success. He placed a blanket over Emily's shoulders that was previously used the cover one of his works. The irony of that hit him.
The next morning…
Brian was asleep, sitting in his chair with his feet on the desk, snorring brashly, while Emily laid in the same position on the couch as before, purring silently in rest.
Brian’s obnxious cellphone alarm went off, instantly sending him spinning and falling out his chair, smashing his head on something spectacularly. When he finally obtained the device and swiped away the angry sounds, he let out a sigh of releaf. His eyes refocused to the distance of the woman Emily Hwa-sang, waking up from the sounds of struggle. A wry smile formed on his face; the first girl who slept over at his place at it was for an innocent science experiment of his own making. He was never a ladies man.
As she woke up, Brian checked the news on his phone. He instantly saw articles on the “energy parasite monster rampage” yesterday and began to read up on them.
The natural light poured in from the high windows of the garage, blinding Emily momentarily. She rose and stretched. “Uhh… it’s morning time, isn’t it…?”
“Unfortunately…”
“What are you doing?”
Brian spoke up in a stuffy voice, imitating a news article, “A new supervillain rose up to attack the city last night. What many are calling “yet another energy parasite monster” went on to rampage the streets before dissapearing mysteriously. No one knows it’s origin or the true identity, if it has one…”
“That’s good, right? No one knows it was me… And—” Emily’s eyes shot wide open. “What time is it?” She asked in an alarmed voice.
“Uh, it’s twelve pm.”
“Twelve? Who wakes up at twelve?”
“People who stay up after twelve.”
“I- I have to go.” Emily stood up urgently, once again removing the tech from her body.
“I have a really important job and I’m late. I’m never late! Oh, the deadline!” She grabbed her jacket from a chair. “But now, I’m fixed.” She smiled at Brian. “After all of that crazy nonsense, nobody knows it was me and thanks to you, I’m all back to normal.”
“I uh, wouldn’t say-” Brian spoke, but Emily didn’t hear him.
"We can just forget everything that ever happened.” She grabbed the rest of her stuff in a mad hustle. “You saved my life… even though you might have caused it’s danger in the first place, but now I’m all better and we just can put this behind us.” The last words were said with a cathartic release of breath.
"Um--wait-"
Emily opened the back doors and shouted off to him, “Thank you!” She slammed them shut and was off.
Click here to read chapter 4! ⚡
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