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Thud.
Only Hyperlaser’s own groans of agony dared to break the silence, intermingling with the sound of blood dripping onto the cold ground below. His body lay limp and crumpled, his clothes soaked in a dark red puddle of his own blood. Each part of him seemed to be ablaze with pain, his skin covered in weeping blisters and calloused, roughened flesh, a testament to the suffering his body had endured.
His gaze trailed up to his small, hyper laser blaster. The blue LED lights flickered on and off. The once-solid metal of the gun had been reduced to a twisted, useless lump of steel, smoke hissing softly from the mangled barrel.
With weary, blurry eyes, he managed to look around before his burnt chin hit the ground, a sickening thud marking his collapse. In the distance, the sound of footsteps grew louder, joined by the low, indiscernible murmur of voices closing in on his location:
“Pick him up carefully.”
ordered one voice, their tone dripping with authority.
Hyperlaser could feel his heavy body being lifted off the ground. His arms, now charred and blackened, trembled with the effort to move, his scorched fingers twitching in a desperate attempt to cling onto consciousness.
He struggled to distinguish the fuzzy forms standing before him, but the effort soon proved too much for his battered body. His vision whirled into an inky blackness, consuming the last remnants of his awareness as he succumbed to the void.
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…
His eyes flickered open, the harsh glare of the bright light immediately assaulting his vision. A raspy, agonized groan left him, the effort of even opening his eyes taxing his weakened body.
His arms felt heavy and unresponsive, as if each limb weighed a hundred pounds. A cacophony of discordant noises echoed in his head, drowning out all other sounds until they abruptly ceased with the sound of a door creaking open. He hesitantly turned his head, fear and confusion mixing with the ever-present pain, his vision spinning from the movement.
“You’re awake!”
the voice sounded the same as before, less stern, more bubbly. Hyperlaser managed to adjust his gaze, finally deciphering the blurry figure’s features.
The stranger was adorned in a pristine, long white lab coat, their gloves a stark contrast against the surrounding sterile environment. Two striking magenta horns jutted out from either side of their head, while a brilliant pink star hovered between them, a vibrant contrast to the cool colours around it. There was a warm smile on their face, exuding a sense of friendliness and approachable demeanour,
“How’re you feeling, friend?”
Hyperlaser let out a pained groan, his scorched face screwing up as he tried to shove words out of his mouth. Finally, words spilled out in a quiet, shaky manner,
“I…I… I can’t- I- can’t feel…”
his voice echoed slightly, as if being filtered through a barrier of some kind.
He made a feeble attempt to raise his hand to his face, intending to rub the fatigue from his eyes, but his burned fingertips collided with the hard visor of his newly installed armored helmet. He recoiled slightly, his lips quivering with the effort of speaking, before he looked back up at the stranger, his burned facial features trembling from the mixture of pain and confusion,
“...wh…what…?”
The stranger’s grin widened as they clasped their hands behind their back, smile widening as they stared down at him,
“It’s your new helmet. It allows you to see. When me and my research team found you, your eyes, face, arms, horns had all been burnt. The causes of these burns are… still a mystery… unless you can remember anything!”
Hyperlaser felt like the weight of the world seemed to press down on him, each inch of his burnt body screaming in agony. The presence of the helmet, covering his head, and the stranger's unwavering gaze only heightened his anxiety. The question of the stranger rang in his mind. How did this all happen…?
His breathing quickened, coming out in shallow, frantic gasps, as panic slowly clawed at his already battered mind. He grasped his scorched chest tightly, sitting up as he desperately tried to calm himself down.
The stranger frowned upon witnessing this, reaching their hand out and resting it on Hyperlaser’s torrid shoulder,
“Woah there… you needa take deep and slow breaths. Calm down, okay?”
The stranger’s voice was honeyed with kindness, soothing Hyperlaser flared up in panic.
Hyperlaser took deep, shaky breaths as he began to calm down. His body tensed as he glanced back up at the stranger,
“who… who are- y-you?”
he rasped, his body still quivering so much it hurt.
The stranger withdrew their hand from Hyperlaser's scorched shoulder, returning it to its previous position behind their back. A broad smile spread across their face once more,
“I’m Subspace, a member of the Blackrock Science wing. I know who you are, Hyperlaser, you don’t have to tell me.”
Subspace answered.
Hyperlaser tilted his helmeted head,
“You… you do…?”
“I do,”
Subspace replied,
“Your name was on your gun.”
“Is… Is my gun still… i-intact…?”
Hyperlaser stammered, fear evident in his voice.
Subspace couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking his head at Hyperlaser’s concern for his gun,
“You’re lying on a hospital bed… with a helmet on your head… and all you’re worried about is your silly railgun?”
he tapped his chin,
“To answer your question, no, it’s was crushed when we got to you. But, hey, don’t worry, I’ll make you a new one, ‘kay?”
Hyperlaser froze for a moment before hesitantly nodding,
“yeah… okay…”
he began to feel around his helmet again, running his charred fingers along the blue antenna,
“w…what’re these…?”
Subspace watched Hyperlaser’s movements intently, his eyebrows raising slightly as he attempted to follow along with the conversation. With a mixture of curiosity and annoyance, he tried to make sense of the question posed before him, finally speaking up to offer his response,
“Those just come with the helmet. They don’t do anything special so don’t worry if one falls off.” he shrugged.
Silence stepped into the room as the two stared at each other. Subspace let everything sink in for Hyperlaser. After a few more minutes of silence, Subspace finally spoke up, tearing the quietness between them,
“I’ll leave you to it, ‘kay? Rest up. I’ll have your new gun made soon… then we’ll discuss what’ll happen to you next.”
Before Hyperlaser could answer, Subspace stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him, leaving Hyperlaser to wallow in the silence.
Hyperlaser could feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, his sorrow and desperation bubbling up like a volcano ready to erupt. But no matter how hard he tried, the tears wouldn't fall. It was a cruel reminder of the damage he had sustained, the extent of the burns marking his face. With a quiet whine, he buried his helmeted face into his palms, letting out a long, heart-wrenching sob. He longed for the days of normalcy, desperately wishing he could return to his old life, to be... normal again.
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