C R E S C E N D O
The vibrating klaxons within his ears beat erratically with the thumping along his temples. It was an odd sensation. His circuits were humming, buzzing with life that didn’t seem possible until he was activated in this state. He could feel his brows knitting. A shot full of resentment now bursting at what he assumed were supposed to be his veins. He felt himself tipping over now. The scarlet fever consuming him whole as his dark pupils constricted.
He was engaged.
The moment his eyes returned to normal, his expression changed to one of confusion to one filled with rage. It was as if he absorbed all the dark energy in the room and it manifested itself in a sequence of actions.
Crack!
Bone connecting to bone, knuckle to the nose, the quick snap of the fist sent his opponent reeling back, the other man’s facial muscles rippling as he held his other hand close to his head for defence. As soon as the first sequence was done, the rest of the commands came in burst.
Kick! Punch! Grab!
The rather slim looking male now held his opponent in a death grip. His nails digging into the very fabric that allowed him to lift the fleshy weight from the ground. The moment the human tried to squirm, he was ordered to toss him to the side. A hundred-eighty-pound mass in a head to head collision with the metal barred fence. His sparring partner wasn’t about to get up soon.
Loud and booming, the familiar voice rang in his ears, proclaiming his victory to the spectators.
“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WINNER BY KNOCK-OUT AND STILL LIGHT-WEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE RING… BRRUISER!”
The older man dressed in a suit took his hand and held it high. There was a mix of cheers and boos from the crowd. His performance clearly not winning them over unanimously, but nonetheless, liquid poured out of skin, mimicking the body functions well. There were a few welts on large outer organ; however, they didn’t turn red nor blue. This couldn’t be helped. This was how he was made.
The lights dimmed and he finally was able to walk away.
Once Andy stepped out of the wired cage, a husky figure put his arms around his shoulders. The man wore an ill-fitted suit, one that was much too small for him as the buttons could hardly sustain the bulky pudge inside. While the man wasn’t in great shape now, one could easily tell that he’d been a fighter before. If not for the confident swagger and the defined arms, it was the healed scar running along side his right cheek.
“Lookit you, just lookit you. You finally seem like a real fighter out there, kid,” the man grabbed his chin, turning the dark-haired male’s face side to side to examine the results of the fight. Once he was satisfied, he let Andy go, hands quickly fishing for something in his trouser pockets. “Now, you,” the man paused, “you deserve this.” The dressed man was offering him a cigar that looked and smelled as if it were made with the finest quality.
There was something in his memories that triggered a disgust response. He wrinkled his nose and turned away, hand pushing the man’s offering aside. “I don’t smoke, Mikey. How long do I have to tell you that until it sticks?”
The larger man laughed, producing a lighter from his hand and lighting the rolled stick to himself. “Fine, fine,” he puffed smoke into the younger man’s face. “Just remember the seventy-thirty split when you collect, alright?” Mikey’s hand now left a heavier impression on his shoulder and then, smacked his shoulder blades hard.
“Son of a –”
It seems that he forgot that Andy wasn’t quite as human as he seemed. Mickey drew his hand back as if he had just been burnt and smacked his arm back, hitting someone else.
THUD!
Andy could hear the person fall on their back. Mikey was too strong for his own good. If he could describe him in one word in totality, it would be “brutish”.
“Watch where you’re going, dumbass!” the larger man spat at the person he hit. Looking down upon her body, he began, “This isn’t a place for you, sweetheart. Go home!”
The android hated when his human made a scene. The glares of the other people around him made his skin crawl. He never enjoyed the spotlight. Moreover, he felt that it was enough. The woman was minding her own business, after all. He grabbed Mikey shoulder, catching him off guard, giving him a hard push that demanded he back off.
His brows knitted tightly, scowl almost forming at the lips for his complete disdain for his employer’s behaviour. With his head, he pointed for the man to go into the other direction. Thankfully, Mikey had also observed the crowd of people beginning to form around them. The man had enough sense not to escalate the encounter further as he took off cursing the woman’s presence as he always did when he encountered enemies and other delinquents.
With his eyes darting back to the fallen figure, Andy was surprised that she’d already gotten up. She was standing among the crowd when he tapped her shoulder, “Hey! I’m sorry ab–” Then, his circuits lit up all at once. A surge of energy jolting through his skin like a thousand lightning bolts. His eyes glowed orange. There were only two reasons why his body would do that. One, it was a reminder that his core battery was low and it needed to be charged. Or two…
He was dealing with a vampire…
Eliasdagood
