Containment
Thuds echoed through the cell as Walter was thrown to the floor, followed by Jones, then Prejudice on top of him. Walter immediately shot up from the floor as the mutated insects slammed the cell door.
“Give me back my robot! Don’t hurt him!” He screamed as the three creatures walked away, carrying the falling apart M.A.R.C. Walter turned back to Jones sitting on the floor, Prejudice on his lap, tears in his eyes.
“She’s barely breathing…” Walter knelt down looking at her slowly rising and falling chest.
“We need to get out of here and get M.A.R.C. Now.” Walter stood up looking around, the musty cell. A window covered in bars sat close to the ceiling, dark bricks made up the walls. The door where they were thrown in consisted of all thick black metal bars, past the bars lining the black walls. Across the hall on the cell a skeleton of a large bug resembling a mosquito, upturned onto its back, its legs curled in on itself. He cringed at the sight as he turned back to Jones, still sitting on the floor.
“I don’t know if we’ll be able to get out anytime soon.” Jones looked up at him then back down at the dog in his lap, then carefully shifted her off his lap. He stood up walking to the bars.
“Move over…” Walter walked over to Prejudice kneeling beside her. He took a step away from the bars as he got ready. He quickly kicked the metal bars with his metal leg, making it enmity sparks and shaking his leg. “SHIT!” Jones hopped back trying to stop the vibrating sensation in his leg. Walter let out a snort trying to stop from laughing, Jones quickly spun around glaring at him.
“Sorry… just hilarious.” Turning back around looking at where he kicked, no dents or damage. He looked at the bars and kept kicking it, the tining of metal grew louder each time the harder he kicked. Walter slowly got up off the floor walking to Jones.
“Jones… just stop…” He put his foot down turning to Walter, his eyes red from tears. He took a step forward tripping over his numb metal leg falling into Walter’s arms, letting Walter guide him to the floor.
Tapping thuds made their way down the hall, they both looked up from their spot on the floor. Jones quickly stood up running to the bars to look out and saw a giant insect coming. He turned back to Walter who was still sitting on the ground.
“Move back.” Walter shifted back to Prejudice’s limp body. Jones ran back in front of them, the insect stopped at their cell and looked in. Getting a better look at it, it resembles a Blue Fungus beetle, two sets of black shining arms and a pair of legs to match. Its back is covered in its blue exoskeleton, covered in black spots. A blue helmet sat on its head with its antennae poking through it, speckled blue to match its back. It looked at the three, Walter holding Prejudice in his arm as Jones stood in front of them, his arms outstretched to block them from sight.
Using a long black finger it pointed at Jones before starting to unlock the cell. He took a step back pushing Walter back with him. Walter looked down at the dog in his arms, shifting her so he could access her collar. The beetle walked closer, grabbing Jones’ arm.
“Let me go!” He tried to yank his arm away but failed as the beetle grabbed his other arm. Walter quickly unbuckled Prejudice’s collar and slipped it into Jones’ pocket as he fought back. Jones kept pulling with all this weight on his heels, the beetle used one of his long front legs swiping out his legs from underneath him. Using its other set of arms it picked him up as it left, slamming the cell door behind it.
“Don’t worry, Prejudice,” Walter muttered softly, petting her unconscious body. “He’ll get help, I hope…”
Jones squirmed in the grip of the insect, only resulting in the grip growing tighter. As he struggled he got a glimpse of metal reflecting off a light, he paused turning to get a look, M.A.R.C. laid on a table in a cell. His right arm hung on by a few wires, his chest cavity looked like it had been clawed open as more wires and circuit boards poured out through it. His wheel tracks were torn off and thrown carelessly onto the floor as well as one of his light bulbs, glass covering the floor.
“M.A.R.C.! Wake up! Please, you need to help Prejudice!”
The insect squeezed Jones tightly, like a warning, before letting out a loud distorted chirp, ringing through the stone walls.
“I don’t know what you are saying!” Jones screamed as they neared the end of the hallway, a hole lay in the ground as they got closer. The insect held Jones over the hole, letting its grip loosen. It let out another distorted chirp, this time Jones was able to make out one word that sounded familiar before he was dropped into the hole, Infected.
Jones fell on a smooth stone like slide as he began to descend. He drug his hands behind him trying to slow his speed, the smoothness of the chute preventing him from slowing down. Blue bioluminescent mushrooms stuck out of the cracks in the wall lighting up the chute as he slid. Approaching was the sound of cheering and chanting as light got closer, spitting him out at the end of the chute.
He slid across the floor, his back smashing against the metal bars on the other side. He stood up, turning around and looking past the bars. A big oval with dirt ground was on the other side, another cell across from the oval was dark. Stands stood twenty feet above the oval looking in, insect creatures filled the stands cheering, every seat full.
“What the fuck…” He stepped back taking a look around the new cell, racks covered the floor, coated in weapons of all kinds from swords to spears and hammers to maces. Another rack on the other side of the room shelves small circular shields. The other side of the cell showed the chute he came flying out of four feet above the floor. Like the chute, bioluminescent mushrooms covered the corners and ceiling emitting off a blue green glow. He ran to the chute, using all his strength he tried to pull himself up onto the chute. Once up he grabbed the edges of the wall pushing him forward, immediately falling back down the chute onto his back. He groaned as he rubbed his head.
“Shit… Why is it always me?!” He tossed his arms in the air, his right arm falling onto his face, burying his face into the inner elbow. A tink echoed through the cell, with confusion he turned to his side seeing D.I.N.A.A. on the ground where his pocket was.
“Walter you sneaky bitch!” He smiled, picking up D.I.N.A.A. and attaching it around his wrist, tightening it. He stood up looking over the weapons again. “There must be some reason they gave me weapons…” He looked around grabbing the biggest shield, which wasn't as big as the others, then walked across the room grabbing a medium sized sword, big enough to cause damage but not big enough to be a struggle to swing.
Slowly the cell doors rose, revealing a better look at the dirt ring. He walked into the ring, insect creatures began to boo, throwing weird fruits into the ring. One flew at him getting close to hitting him in the head, but he put up his shield making the fruit splat all over it. He put the shield down looking at the blue juice on the shield, casually he wiped the juice with his finger, putting it to his nose to sniff it. He tilted his head to the side as he licked the juice off his finger, he cringed shaking the remaining sour juice off his finger as he spat on the ground.
“Eww! It tastes like an unripe lemon!” He shook his head in disgust as a slam echoed from behind him. Whipping around her saw the gate he had walked out of had shut. “Well that was my only way out…” A horn sounded, all the booing quickly turned to cheering as two rhino beetles flew down to the other gate, grabbing the chains on each side and flying up with them in hand.
“I would like to go now… Please?” Thudding sounded from the opposing cage as he swiftly put his shield up, the juice sliding off it onto the ground. Slowly an insect emerged, a huge jumping spider. Its huge blue chelicerae shine in the sun with black hairs coating its equally mainly black body. White horizontal stripes coated its body, the hairs on top of them white as well, its abdomen huge. The insects cheered as the light from the suns reflected off its body.
“I’m dead…”