Living Metal: Metallic Soul part 1

By Matthew Harrington

Set in the year 2275, one hundred years after a fail attempt for independents by the colonies on Mars. Anna, a local cop on Mars has the unexplainable ability to control any type of known metals. With no memories of her own past, Anna unintentionally discovers that she is not alone when she faced off with Sara who has the same abilities.
Just like Anna, Sara realized that the keys to understanding their existence locked inside each other's past. In order for them to survive and solve this riddle, they must learn to trust each other. By accepting their fate, both women are now running from the Earth’s government and the corporation with a great interest in their kind.
In their way lies another like themselves and she’s not willing to be friends. Her name is Nakita and what she knows about them will keep to her grave. Her hatred for the two will set Mars on fire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Publishdrive
• Release date: Jun 2, 2021

Matthew Harrington

A second generation artist, graduated from the Art Institute of Atlanta.

Book preview

Living Metal: Metallic Soul

Part1

By

Matthew Harrington

Copyright, 2000

Table of Contents

Living Metal: Metallic Soul

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Anna’s dream

Chapter 2: A Start of a new day

Chapter 3: Hard to kill

Chapter 4: Between a rock and a hard place

Chapter 5: Not going as plan

Chapter 6: Wake up

Chapter 7: A cold chip

Chapter 8: Open my eyes

Chapter 9: Drinks are on me

Chapter 10: NA-KI-TA

Chapter 11: Because of you

Chapter 12: Getting to know you better

Chapter 13: Uninvited guest.

Chapter 14: No longer fighting for anonymity

Chapter 1: Anna’s dream

In a pile of rubble on top of a burning a skyscraper, was a young woman, Anna, with long flowing red hair. This was how it always started for her as she had this recurring dream for the past three months. However, this time, something was different about it, something more.

Her sky-blue eyes opened wide from the pain of a dislocated arm. She grasped her right side as she rose up from within the debris. Her long elf-like ears twitched back and forth as she staggered her way up. Something in the back of her head was telling her to flee from this.

As she tried to step forward, an intense pain shot up her body. Anna stumbled hard to the ground. She shut her eyes tightly from the severity of the pain. This felt so real to her. She could feel the heat stinging her skin as the raging fire engulfed the building around her. The taste of blood that dripped from her lip had started to convince her that this was more than just a dream.

She staggered back up and limped over to an exposed metal girder standing upwards a few feet in front of her. Knowing that this was going to hurt, she braced herself, and she closed her eyes. She hoped by doing this she could wake up from this nightmare. Anna grabbed one side of the girder and took in a deep breath. She then slammed her left side onto the beam with a sickening thud.

DAMN IT! she screamed in pain from her dislocated arm popping back into place. Something about this dream was not letting her to wake up. Breathing heavily while grasping onto her arm, she fell to her knees. Anna desperately tried to remember of why this was happening to her. There was nothing. It felt like she taking punishment from someone else’s mistake.

Once the pain became manageable, Anna staggered up to her feet, and looked out to New Dicon City. This was more than a place that she lived in; this was her home. Everything that she’d done to build a new life on Mars was now burning away in front of her eyes. The pain from her injured shoulder was nothing compared to the pain in her heart from the lives that suffered from this mistake or a choice that she couldn’t recall making.

Why….why can’t I remembered how this started.

The air was choked with burning debris as she listened to the screams of the innocent bystanders, the desperation as they ran for their lives. Her eyes stung as she tried to hold back the tears. She was so caught up with her thoughts of her painful dilemma; she almost missed the mammoth size mechanized war machine slamming down in front of her.

Something didn’t feel right, something unnatural as this metal beast pointed its guns barrels at her. The smell of rust was strong as she slowly looked up following the trail of blood trickling out from the frame. She could tell that the one who was controlling the machine was not in the cockpit but on top of the machine.

Anna wiped the tears in her eyes to get a better look at this young woman with light violet hair. Just like her, this woman could fuse with and control any types of metal. Unlike her, she had no concerns about harming others. Anna frowned as she could tell that the pour soul in the cockpit was tortured to death.

The sounds of hateful laughter muffled out the sounds of the innocents screaming. Anna looked up closely at her adversary. This woman had fused herself halfway into the armor. Her flesh absorbed the metal around her while transforming her body to have the same armor that the war machine had.

She straddled the machine like she was riding a bull. Her crimson eyes stared like daggers at Anna with a malicious smile. It felt like she wanted to punish Anna and did not care if she set the world on fire to get it. She came closer to Anna with the gun ports pointed right at her.

Not fazed by this, Anna looked back towards the city. She couldn’t recall why this woman had attacked her, only that she kept calling her Levia. This name was from a forgotten past, and from the destruction before her, she wondered if it was for the best not to know.       Anna closed her eyes hoping that she could wake up from this nightmare. Instead of waking up, she founded herself lying in the middle of a cold metal floor. Surprised about this, she cautiously with worried eyes looked around to what was left of a dark abandoned laboratory. Only rusted shells of robots and broken equipment was there to greet her. There was no sign of life anywhere. She was alone.

She noticed that she was wearing her teal green tank top, and light blue pajama shorts. It was as if she had gone to sleep in her bed. She shivered from the cold as the unsettling darkness surrounded her. There was a light purple bed sheet beside her. Anna quickly wrapped it around herself to keep some warm.

This place felt oddly familiar to her, almost like she had been here before. She looked around and yelled in an unsure voice, Hello!

Only the echoes of her own voice responded back to her. She held the wrapped blanked close to her lips as feeling uncertainty turned into anxiety. There was no one here, no one to help her to explain what was going on. She felt like she was abandoned or forgotten about. A cold breeze flushed by her milky white skin. She held tightly to the bedspread and tried to cover. All that Anna wanted to do now was to find someone, anyone, so she won’t be alone.

The moment she tried to go outside of the room to check for any signs of life, Anna heard sounds of hydraulics coming out from the steel floors behind her. She stumbled forward as the entire room shook. She braced herself onto the wall and slid down to the floor.

Her eyes panned over to the other side and saw three large standing mirrors rose up. They were encased with steel beams, and steam flooded the area while covering the mirror. Anna tilted her head in confusion and got up.

Slowly with her blanket tightly wrapped around her she went over. She stopped a few feet in front of them. She wiped off the moisture on the mirror to see herself in all three. Her twitch upwards as she saw that each image wasn’t of her as she appeared before them. She wondered why they were so different present form. As she came closer, she waved her hand up to see that they copy her movements. All three mimicked her motion giving her the confirmation that it was her.

Anna first looked forward in the center and saw herself as a ten-year-old kid with a sunflower dress. Innocent to the world, not knowing the power that was within her. It was something that she wished that she could go back to or at least to know that memory.

She looked to her left to her dressed in a black leather dominatrix outfit. She was taken back and afraid to look at herself. It was almost unrecognizable as she was drenched in blood. It gave her an uneasiness feeling in the pit of her stomach as she could tell that this was herself giving into the chaos.

She then turned to her right, and was a bit confused about the image of herself. She knew that it was her, however there were no human features. Standing before her in the mirror was a suit of mechanized metal armor. There was no emotion, only a cold figure that stood before her. It was almost as if she wanted to hide from all humanity just so no one would get hurt.

Anna thought about running away from the reflections. The moment that she started to back up, all three images held out their hand. They all wanted her to touch them. She felt an uncontrollable urge to reciprocate, and reached as out to make contact with the mirror.

Her breathing became erratic as she was about to touch the mirror. She couldn’t stop, her body wanted to touch them. Just as she touched the mirror, Anna felt the hairs back of her neck rise up as the tips of her fingers sent out static electricity and shattered all three into pieces.

What was strange to her was this dream always ended with the breaking mirrors. Behind the shattered mirrors was all new to her. She nervously nibbled on her thumbnail as she pondered if she wanted to find out what was next. Hesitantly, with a light adjustment to her blanket wrapped around her, she stepped beyond the broken mirrors.

In front of her was a long corridor littered with broken humanoid looking robots. They were all huddled up with each other with their faces covered by their hands as if they wanted to hide. Anna looked around, and wondered why she was dreaming this.

Within the chaos there was a small pathway leading into the back. There was light at the end. She hoped that there was an exit, and started to quicken her steps forward. To her dismay, there was no exit, only swelling lump metal mass sticking out of the back wall.

Her ears twitched as she could hear something that resembled a heartbeat. It was coming from the same direction where the large lump was. It was almost hypnotic to her, as she couldn’t help but to come in closer. She slowly reached out to touch it. Once she laid a hand on to swelling she felt the heart beat, No way, is this thing alive?

She placed her head onto the metal and closed her eyes. It was so warm and relaxing to her touch. She smiled as her anxiety of this place faded away, Oh wow, I could just sink into it.

Anna raised her head back up and looked around the area. She tilted her head to the left, and said to herself, Strange, and yet, this feels so familiar to me. It’s like, I’m home.

Anna noticed on the floor next to the lump, an identification marker with a name that she could see.

Sara… huh? Are you in…, she paused, as she felt the metal on the lump moving around her left hand. Just as she looked over to see what it was, the metal had already warped around her hand. It felt like she was getting sucked in jelly. Her ears twitched upwards, and a look of bewilderment, Anna tried to pull away.

What the F…? Anna felt a tug on her hand and became aware that something or someone had grabbed a hold of her hand, Ah, Hey!

Since she couldn’t release the grip on her hand, Anna with all of her might started to pull out whatever was attached to her. Her eyes widened as she saw a woman close to her thirties with short blond hair and crimson eyes.

She must be Sara, she thought. However at this point, Anna had no recollection of who she was. Yet, she felt a kinship with her as if she needed to help her.

As she came out, Anna thought that Sara was naked then she became aware of how her skin had a metallic tint and all of her sensitive parts were covered by steel. Anna’s ears again twitched as she realized that Sara was about to fall on her.

Hey! Wait, don't fall on me! yelled Anna as Sara, nearly comatose, fell on top of her. For a moment they both laid on the ground. Anna felt Sara’s body, and was surprised at how similar they were, It’s soft like mine. Could she be like me?

Her voice helped Sara recognized who it was and reopened her eyes. She slowly got off of Anna, looked up at her, and said, Levia, you shouldn’t have come back for me.

Anna’s ears twitched downwards, and said with a confused look, Ah sweetie, I’m not Levi…

She was interrupted when Sara came up close to her, and placed her hand on her arm, Look, we don’t have much time. He knows that you are here.

Again, her ears twitched back. Her face became flush red from the awkwardness how close she was to Sara and said,       Ah… he? Wait, I don’t… what is going on here?

Sara looked around with stress in her eyes, and said, I don’t know if I can protect you anymore from him. He’s grown stronger since the last time you came. The threat of our kind is imminent. You have to run.

I just pulled you out of whatever that metal thing you were in. Who are...wait…protect me? said Anna as she was scooted back a bit. She was perplexed by the situation and wondered how this woman was trapped inside the wall. Sara looked completely exhausted, and in no shape to protect anyone, especially herself.

What about you? I can’t just leave you here.

Sara smiled and sat back, "Always caring about others, I am glad to see you. I am just worried that could be your downfall. You’re the only one who can stop this madness. Just like before.

"I’m not sure what you want me to do? And what do you mean, before?

Just then they both felt a pressure wave coming from the shadows behind them. Anna saw Sara's face turn pale as a ghost and eyes widened with fear.

Damn it, said Sara as she got up and looked around, He found us. Please, remember your promise to me.

Anna’s heart started to race as she looked around. There was nothing, only a cold dark room and yet she felt like someone was with them. She could feel the blood lust coming out to get her, What is going on? This can’t be my dream.

Sara, distraught, knelt beside her and placed her right hand onto Anna's left cheek, This isn’t a dream! We are all connected. Just listen to my voice. Levia, you have to remember what you promised me!

Without warning, metal-like tentacles sprung forth from the darkness and entwined Sara. It wrapped around her body, legs and arms. The last one went around her throat. The look of horror raced across Sara’s face as she was snapped back into the shadows and slammed against the metal wall.

She gasped from the impact and nearly lost consciousness. Anna was helpless to stop her as her own body began to sink into the metal floor boards. It felt like she was in a tar pit. Each move she made the more she was sunk into it.

Anna looked up at Sara and saw that she was also getting sucked into the metal frame of the building. Her eyes peered down below Sara’s position and widened in fear as something large was coming out from the wall. Two massive sized cybernetic eyes flashing yellowish red with metal tubing encircled each one coming out from the wall.

The more that Sara sank into the wall the more that a face appeared. A mouth form with jagged metal tube like teeth and multiple turbines like mouth came forth. Sara screamed, Levia, hurry and, wake up!

The face spoke with multiple voices that shook the entire laboratory, Leviathan, you have finally come to me at last.

The floors in the room began to warp as five huge metallic fingers came up behind Anna who was now in complete panic mode. She screamed out in distress, You’ve got to be kidding me! Hey buddy. I have no idea what you’re talking about! I just want to wake up!

The face in the wall began to be more distinguished as it was shaped to be a skull-like face. Turbines in its mouth began to rev up as steam came from the vents beside his jaw line. It had enough movement to come towards Anna. Its eyes were on fire causing the metal tubing around the eye’s sockets to heat up with a bright yellowish glow.

No more games, little one. You have betrayed your purpose. You have betrayed your friends. You have betrayed your family. I have come for you. I am your redemption!

With extreme stress from of this metal monster coming at her, Anna with trembling legs desperately tried as hard as she could to scoot back, but couldn’t.

What the hell, she said as she looked around her. The metal floor felt like glue drying on her skin preventing her to move, helpless to break free. She tried to use her ability to manipulate the metal that she was sitting on and instead of freeing herself she became more entangle within the floor.

She looked up at this metal skull and around the room. She saw that the entire place was warped and moving towards her. Everything was attached to the skull.

Crap, it’s like us…IT CAN CONTROL METAL!!

Anna frantically looked back to see that she was literally in the palm of its hand as the fingers started to close on top of her. The skull opened its mouth and screamed, Leviathan!!! Come to me!

Anna turned back and screamed back, Screw you buddy. I do not have the foggiest idea who or what you are. Just let us go!

All of the sudden the fingers stopped moving for a moment. It was Sara who had enough strength to fight back. She was still sinking further into the wall as the metal around her was like thick liquid.

No! screamed Sara, Get out of here! Leave me be. I can hold him long enough for you to find my body. Just remember the promise and wake up.

With a half cracked smile and confused Anna replied, Wake up she said, and how the hell do I do that?

The metal floors around restarted to engulf her, Anna look at her bindings and tried to wiggle out. To no avail she was stuck and said, "Hey, the floors… crap! It’s sucking me further in!

The massive metallic skull came inches away from her and yelled, Leviathan, there is no hiding from me!

Just before Anna was completely swallowed up by the metal floor boards and screamed, For the last time, my name is ANNA! Wait… what do I need to…

Chapter 2: A Start of a new day

Remember….a…promise… What promise? screamed Anna as she woke up in her own bed. Flabbergasted over her dream she lifted up her head from the pillow while hugging herself. With tears streaming off her cheek she was visibly shaken from the nightmare. The warm morning light shone across her bed helped her to check back into reality, What? She said to herself with a shaky voice, I am home.

Holy crap that felt so real to me, I…I cannot stop shaking. You think I would get use to it by now….but…damn…"

She felt her face and wiped the tears from her face. She looked at her hands in confusion.

If it is just a dream, then why am I crying? Who was that and why were they calling me…

Le..Levia?said Anna out loud.

She leaned back onto her bed with a light blue bed sheet and lifted her right hand to break the morning light beam on top of her bed. She could barely remember anything about the dream, only that there was a woman who asked her to do something.

What did she want me to remember? Wait, who was calling me?

She placed her hands over her face and let out a big sigh,

Ah, damn it, every time I have this dream, I end up forgetting it immediately. But, this felt different. Something more to it, and… that woman….. It’s that lingering feeling of something important still stuck into my head. Uh…. she said to remember something about a promise…

Out of her corner of her eye, Anna was interrupted by a sudden image of two cat paws popping up on the ledge of her bed. Her ears twitched up as she heard a thump sound that came from the same place. She scooted over to see a jet black American short tail cat looking up at her with its piercing yellow eyes.

Huh, Mr. Scraps, do you want to get up here?

Anna picked up her cat, and lay back on the bed. She laid Mr. Scraps on her chest, and lightly scratched the back of its ear, I bet you don’t remember the promise either?

Mr. Scraps with a blank stare raised its right paw, and lightly pat on her nose. She laughed a bit, and raised her hand towards the cat. Mr. Scraps kept on batting her hand.

Okay, Okay, I’m getting up.

With one more good stretch, Anna got up, and exited her bedroom. Mr. Scraps passed her by and ran to the temper glass door on the other side of the kitchen. It opened out to the small patio that hung over her apartment. With his tongue poking slightly out of his mouth, he looked back at her with a blank stare and patted the door.

Okay Scraps, we’ll go outside, just let me get my coffee.

With a yawn, she walked over to her coffee maker which was on the end of the countertop that faced the glass door to the outside. As the coffee was getting ready, she picked up a frame picture of her with two other police officers. She was in the middle of the two.

The one behind her on the right side of the picture was her commanding officer Sergeant Simms. Of African descent with a goatee, he was about six one and in his late forties. Simms was one of the few people who knew that she was augmented. He looked after her like a daughter and helped to keep her out of government eyes.

On the other side of Anna was a woman holding her by Anna’s left arm was Stacy Mitchell. She entered the police academy the same time that Anna did, and became friends. She was mixed with Caucasian and Asian descent with greenish blue hair, Stacy didn’t know about Anna’s capabilities, but all ways wondered why Anna shied away from public places. She felt it was her duty as a friend to make sure that Anna had a life outside of work.

The aroma of the coffee heating up filled the room. Anna loved the smell especially when she added the dark fudge chocolate to the pot. Because of her augmentation, Anna had a very high metabolism. She needed three to four times the calories to maintain her body. It was one reason she didn’t go out in public or to dates.

The coffee was ready, and she poured a cup with the added fudge. Anna opened the glass door to the outside and walked through with Mr. Scraps. It was her morning ritual to welcome the new day on Mars.

Outside her on the balcony, which was sixty floors up, her pet jumped up onto the railing and started to groom himself. Anna came up and leaned right beside him with her coffee in her hand. It was a little bit windy, and her long red hair flowed to her left. It wasn’t too cold for her; it was at the right temperature for her to enjoy her surroundings.

She took a sip and looked out to the vast city of New Dicon City. Her apartment was just outside of downtown which stretched out for miles. She enjoyed the bustling city as the different types of drones passing back and forth near her perch. In the distance, she could see a cobalt steel dome with reflecting octagon shape glass. It was in progress of being deconstructed. Anna was fascinated by the mega structures that were created before the war with Earth.

She remembered reading that inside the dome was the original city of Dicon, before the restoration by the Earth’s government after the war which Mars lost to. The dome was to keep an artificial atmosphere of the city until they get a permanent solution. Now a hundred years later and the newly built atmosphere converters there was no need for the dome.

Anna placed her coffee down on the railing and stretched with her hand in the air. She smiled as she petted her cat behind the ears which was Mr. Scraps favored place to be petted.

I’ll tell ya one thing Scraps, I am going to miss these days of eight hours of sleep when my suspension is lifted.

Anna leaned over the ledge a bit, looked down at the street below, and continued as she pet her cat, You know it is hard to believe that it’s been ten years since I have awakened near a colony in the asteroid belt. Now, look where I am at, I am a cop on Mars. It’s funny, all this time; I still can’t remember anything about my past.

Anna thought about those first moments she awoke and how she felt without having any memories of her past. She didn’t know what to do. Even her name, Anna was given to her when she was found. After coming to Mars she came to terms that she was going to get them back and wanted to start a new life.

She took another sip. The rich chocolate fudge mixed in with the warm coffee tickled her taste buds as it went down her throat. Just as she was going enjoy another taste and a spotlight shone brightly on her. This took her by surprise and caused her to pour the beverage all over her chest.

(Cough)… What the hell?

Above her was a police air ship designed for air to ground combat. A two man seated cockpit with hovering capability. It was about twenty feet in length. Anna wasn’t amused as she wiped off the fudge of her mouth. She looked up and wondered who had the audacity to pull this type of stunt.

As she examined the ship hovering above, her eyes adjusted to the light and recognized who it was. Her ears twitched downwards with annoyance and said, Jack, I am going to kill you for that.

Inside the cockpit was one of her friends from work. Police officer Jack Landcaster, a cyborg class with sixty five percent of his body artificial. This time Jack got the upper hand on Anna and said with a smug look on his face, Chop, chop Anna, you’re wanted back at HQ. I don't know what you did, but everyone there is in an uproar.

Trying to wipe off the chocolate from her tank top she yelled at him, Wait, what I did?

Jack leaned over his cockpit and said with a smile, "Hey, you know if you check that