Aurion chapter 1: Nightmare
Note: Barely any busting in this chapter. Fair warning.
*CRASH!*
[Naya ](https://imgur.com/a/feAiPY1)didn't dare look behind her as the entire building shook once more. No doubt it had broken through another wall. Each painful breath carried the dust permeating throughout the extravagant gala from the repeated tremors. It still didn’t feel real. One moment she was celebrating the achievement she had worked so hard for, and the next brought hell on earth. The hell those monsters must've come from.
"LOOK UP!"
Her head jerked upwards in response to the sudden shout just in time to catch the beautiful silver chain supporting the resplendent crystal chandelier break with a resounding *SNAP*, sending the heavy decoration tumbling down directly into her escape path.
*I'm faster!*
A terrified shriek from behind her reminded Naya that few possessed cybernetics as optimized as her own. Anyone stuck on government issue augments would be screwed. Not to mention the naturals that she had seen earlier at the gala.
“Prediction: 12 casualties from the falling chandelier and resulting projectile shards.” The clear voice of her AI assistant carried through her thoughts, piercing through the chaotic sounds of panic and the pounding of her own heartbeat. There was no time to hesitate.
"Ugh!"
Grunting with effort, she planted off her right foot and launched herself into the air, easily clearing the 8 feet between the marble floor and the high ceiling. Mid-air Naya reached out with one hand to grab the top of the broken chain and used her other to snatch the small part of the chain still attached to the falling chandelier. The cool silver was a sharp contrast to the adrenaline fueled heat pumping through her systems. In an incredible feat of acrobatics, Naya twisted her body and lifted her hips above her head, landing feet first on the ceiling while maintaining her grip on both portions of the broken chain."Sticky boots activated!"
*Thank you Iris!* Those upgrades to her primary processor had been worth every penny.
"Don't worry, I got it!"
Naya shouted down towards the scrambling crowd, before yanking the chandelier up and easily bending the metal to tie a tight double knot. Satisfied that it would hold, she mentally deactivated her boots and elegantly flipped back to the ground, careful not to land on anyone.
Although pleased with her work, Naya had no time to celebrate. That monster was still out there and, judging from the cracks forming all over the once pristine pearlescent walls, the building was reaching its breaking point.
“Prediction: 15 minutes before structural collapse.”
While helpful, Naya wished Iris would bring good news instead of piling on the bad. Just once.
Kicking her nanomotors into overdrive, Naya blew past the stampede of terrified partygoers with speed far beyond human limitations. Reaching that speed was far easier than controlling it. Only a talented designer could craft a body capable of it.
“GHUAAAAAAAGHHHH!!!!”
A guttural roar rang out with such intensity that the building trembled once more. It wasn’t just loud. It was *terrifying.* Several members of the retreating crowd simply collapsed from fear, paralyzed by the battle cry of the ultimate predator. Even Naya was affected, forced to slow down by her now shaking legs. But she couldn’t stop.
A quick pivot to the left to dodge a slower runner. A leap over a collapsed table, the decadent cake and pastries strewn forgotten among the debris. Every yard required yet another display of superhuman agility. Each person in front of her became an unpredictable obstacle. Naya wanted to help them, but she was just one woman. There was no way she could gain control over the panicked crowd. Now was the time to prioritize her own survival.
*Once I get out of this I’ll find a way to save whoever I can!*
Maybe it was just an excuse, but that was what she needed to tell herself to drive her body forwards, even when that required jumping over a fallen man. Stopping to help him up would only result in getting shoved to the ground by the surging crowd behind her. Her cybernetics were designed for speed and precision, not surviving a building collapsing on her. As for fighting that monster… Naya wasn’t eager about her chances. That was the absolute last resort.
Rounding another corner, Naya finally spotted the outside world through massive, luxurious mahogany double doors that she had walked through with awe mere hours ago. Back then she was overwhelmed with joy to finally have earned the privilege of walking through them. Now she was even more overjoyed to be able to run out of them. Funny how the world worked like that sometimes.
In the blink of an eye she blasted through the open doors and out into the moonlit street. She decelerated from a full sprint to a light jog, getting far away from the entrance to clear the way for others and to avoid getting caught up in the building’s collapse.
Finally, she came to a halt about 30 yards out from the huge mansion, just at the edge of its grounds. Safe at last, she allowed herself to take a deep, relaxing breath. Even now the smell of freshly cut grass and flowers entranced her. Those were rare scents indeed in Aurion. There were just too many people to have much space for grass and flowers. Nature was a luxury only the rich could afford.
Despite her mad dash out of the gala, Naya was hardly even winded. In fact, she felt like she could do it a hundred times over again. Her own body still amazed her, even after months of training to adapt to it. Genius designers really did deserve all the praise and wealth they got.
Her golden-brown eyes remained locked on the front of the building as people dressed in fancy suits and dresses rushed through the double doors, their eyes wide with fear and their chests heaving from exertion. Naya could only watch with bated breath, anxiously hoping everyone would make it out.
She watched for three more minutes, idly smoothing out the wrinkles in the maroon dress she had bought just for this party. There hadn’t been any tremors since she began watching from outside. For a fleeting moment, Naya dared to hope that the monster had run off. Selected another target, perhaps. That was, until she caught a glimpse of movement in her peripheral vision. Her gaze moved upwards, until it landed on a sight that she would never forget.
There, on the roof of the mansion, stood a [monstrosity](https://imgur.com/a/gBSLtEW) that simply couldn’t exist on Earth. It had pale blue skin that blended in with the blue tiling of the roof it stood upon. The creature wore a blue and red loincloth decorated with bone ornaments, exposing the rest of its muscular body. The only other clothing it wore were bracers made of similar cloth and bone on its forearms. Although it was difficult to judge its exact size, she could tell it was much bigger than a human. At least eight feet tall with a massive frame that made football linebackers look small. But it was not its color or mass that stood out most. It was the pair of massive, angelic white wings that spread out behind the humanoid creature.
The alien creature’s head was directed straight down at the steady stream of people rushing out of the mansion. A crowd had formed a few years away from the entrance as confused individuals gathered in a group to try to understand their current situation. Some were clearly communicating with their AIs, probably trying to call either their loved ones or a car pickup. The monster’s knees bent, and Naya instantly realized the horror she was about to witness. Powerful thigh muscles flexed, bulging beneath the pastel blue skin. Time seemed to slow down as the monster began its jump.
*Should I run? Should I save them? Can I save them? Can I save myself?* Questions without answers bounced around her brain like a pinball. Death was no stranger to Naya, but she had never faced an enemy nearly as fearsome as the blue skinned demon rapidly falling towards the clueless crowd like a meteor. One that promised a big impact.
“RUN!!!” The scream tore from Naya’s lips, her vocal chords straining with the effort of projecting her voice to its limits. A few somehow heard her cry and began looking around in a hurry, but it was too late. Even the woman who looked upwards was only rewarded with the awareness of her death a moment before it occurred. The luckiest were the ones whose bodies acted as cushions for the alien giant. Their death was instant. Painless.
The ground shook with the impact of the beast. Naya stood frozen with fearful indecision while the monster savagely tore apart everyone it could get its huge hands on. Sounds of death and absolute terror filled the air. The monster roared gleefully as it blew apart men with fists alone. Its once beautiful white wings were stained crimson from blood and gore as they tore through bodies, revealing their true nature as the wings of a demon rather than of an angel.
Naya's feet made her decision for her as they began moving towards the rampaging monster before Naya had even consciously decided to move them.*What am I doing?* she questioned with clear panic, before experiencing a moment of clarity. All her training, her optimized cybernetics. It was all for this moment. This was her destiny. No way would she run from it.
"GET AWAY FROM THEM!!!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, her battle cry to both invigorate herself and draw the attention of the demon. It worked. Pure white eyes, void of any other color, locked onto Naya. A feral grin spread across its lips, excited by the prospect of a decent fight. Hunting easy prey was fun, but prey that fought back was thrilling to the beast.
If it was at all surprised by her incredible speed, it didn't show it. Instead, the blue skinned giant flapped its massive wings, knocking down several people scrambling away from it, and leapt towards Naya to meet her head on.
There was no time to think. No time to plan. No time to wonder why she was doing this. There was only enough time to act.
Naya planted her feet and skidded to a halt, the soles of her designer boots carving out two shallow trenches in the asphalt. Without hesitation, she pivoted around and began sprinting full speed away from the predator flying straight towards her. Killing or incapacitating it seemed impossible. Running from it seemed like the much better option. All she needed to do was get it away from the crowd. If she was willing to bet her life on anything, it was her speed.
She didn't need to look behind her to know the demon was in hot pursuit. Every flap of its wings sent a surge of air into her back, nearly toppling her over as she ran. It roared and snarled at her, momentarily angered by her retreat. It had expected a fight, not a chase. Especially not a chase against a human that could actually outpace it.
*Iris, how much juice do I have left?* She screamed inside her own mind while sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her. Unable to help herself, she sneaked a quick glance backwards and realized with horror that the gap between them had barely increased. It might've even decreased a little bit.
"Internal nano-batteries at approximately 84% and draining at a rate of 4.2% per minute." Iris replied in the same cheerful tone she always had. Of course Iris wouldn't feel fear. She was backed up to the cloud. Damn AI.
Naya quickly pivoted her thoughts away from all the complaining she wanted to do and focused on a plan to survive. A decrease of 4.2% per minute meant she had 20 minutes left before all her cybernetics were rendered useless.
*Do I run the batteries out, or turn and fight while I still have some power left?* She wondered, thoughts flying through her mind even faster than her feet landed one in front of the other. Thankfully the mansion was a decent drive away from the main city, so she had open road to run on. For now. Soon she'd hit the interstate and expose thousands of civilians trapped in traffic to the monster behind her. That would be the same as killing them. She couldn't do that.
She glanced left and right, considering running behind or into another building to hide. Naya quickly rejected that idea. Open space was her best bet. It was where she could best utilize her agility.
No, there was nowhere to go. She had to face it.With that realization came a strange sense of calmness. Of purpose. Naya knew what she had to do. What she had been designed for.She decelerated rapidly, skidding to a halt and kicking up gravel from the side of the road. She turned around and looked at the creature. It was still a ways off, giving her a moment to prepare. A moment to breathe.A deep inhale of air filled her lungs, expanding her chest. Her hands came up in a combat stance as she widened her stance.
*Okay Naya, this is it. No more running. No more hiding. It's just you and the big bad wolf.*
She cracked her neck from side to side, loosening up her muscles."Come on then, you bastard! Let's see what you've got!" She yelled, projecting her voice with all the power she could muster.The creature let out a bone chilling roar in response, clearly excited by her challenge. It flapped its wings harder, rapidly closing the distance between them.Naya stood her ground, unmoving. Unflinching. She stared down the demon as it approached, ready to meet it head on.This was her moment. Her purpose. And she would not back down.
The humanoid beast folded its wings behind it and remained grounded as it covered the last few yards of distance between them. This was Naya's cue to begin moving once more. Except this time she ran towards her deadly opponent.
To an ordinary person, the next few seconds would appear as nothing more than a blur of motion. Yet to Naya, everything transpired in extreme clarity. Thousands of nano-computers within her right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain most associated with time perception, worked in conjunction with her natural cognitive abilities to grant her the ability to slow down her perception of time. This was, like all her other cybernetics, controlled by Iris, who matched Naya's time perception to the current task.
Neurons carry signals throughout the human body at a speed of up to 250 miles per hour. Although there have been attempts, no cybernetic implants have managed to enhance the transmission speed of these electrical and chemical signals. Regardless of how quickly a nano-motor can fire, a person cannot move their foot before the signal to move has traveled from the brain, down the nervous system, to that foot. Therefore, this can be considered the maximum limit of human speed.
Naya was not an academic, but her designer most certainly was. She only remembered that magic number, 250, because he reminded her of it every day. The point at which her body could no longer keep up with her commands. Yet, Naya's feet traveled at a speed of 300 miles per hour as she sprinted forwards to meet the monster. At the last moment, she twisted her body to the right and ducked, believing fully in her ability to strike first. She had no other choice. Her fist traveled at a speed of 500 miles per hour as it flew towards the monster's thick neck.
This was Naya's special talent. What made her the best athlete in Aurion. Why she had caught the eye of the man who had changed her life forever. It wasn't that her neurons could fire signals faster than everyone else's, despite common conjecture. Instead, her ability to seemingly surpass that 250 miles per hour limitation came from her natural talent at multitasking and strategizing. With the help of Iris, she could 'queue up' multiple moves. Every single joint in her body. Every turn of her hips, every shift of her weight. It was all planned in advance. The faster she moved, the longer the delay between when she decided on an action and when her body would execute that action. It was a perilous balancing act. One incorrect thought, one forgotten signal, and her body's movements would be misaligned and she would stumble. The faster she moved, the more signals she had to queue and the greater the risk of failing to keep her balance. In a fight like this, a single slip-up would guarantee her death.
The creature was caught off guard. Naya's fist connected with its thick neck with a satisfying *THWACK.* Her enhanced knuckles tore through skin and muscle, causing the beast to reel backwards.
"GAAAAHHHHH!" It let out a roar of pain and surprise. It wasn't used to its prey striking back. It certainly wasn't used to them striking with such speed and strength.
Naya didn't let up. She pressed her advantage, unleashing a flurry of blows onto the beast's upper body. Each strike connected with the force of a sledgehammer. Each strike drew more blood. Each strike only increased her confidence.*I'm doing it!* She thought with glee. \*I'm actually doing it!\*The creature stumbled backwards, trying to create distance between itself and the tiny human that was causing it so much pain. It spread its wings and flapped, trying to blow Naya away. But she was too quick. She dodged around the gusts of wind and continued her assault. For a moment, she allowed herself to believe she could win. That she could actually defeat this monster. That she could save everyone.
Her hope emboldened her, strengthened her mind and body. Still in a state of maximum concentration, each movement made at over 400 miles per hour, she stepped forward into the range of the 8 '7 monster, sending her first directly above her head for another shot at its vulnerable neck.
In slow motion she watched as her fist neared its target. Her eyes flicked from her fist to the face of the demon. Its pure white orbs were locked onto her golden-brown eyes. She flinched as those eyes seemed to carry the promise of death.
Just before her knuckles made contact with the creature's throat once more, the powerful muscles in its thick neck flexed protectively. Instead of feeling the soft sensation she had felt before, this time it felt like she had punched a steel wall. Her reinforced bones were significantly harder than steel, but her knuckles failed to penetrate the beast's inhuman muscles.
*CRACK!* Pain shot up her arm like a lightning bolt. Naya stumbled backwards, her momentum halted by the monster's tough neck. Her hand throbbed, the knuckles red and swollen. She could only stare in disbelief at the creature before her.The beast's white eyes glinted with malice. Its pale blue skin now rippled, muscles visibly tensing and flexing. It had been playing with her before. Letting her get some hits in. Building up her confidence. Giving her a false sense of security.
But now the games were over.
It lunged at her, covering the distance between them in a blink. A massive blue hand grabbed at her head, aiming to crush her skull in one swift movement.
Naya's eyes widened in fear as she watched in slow motion as death approached. The speed with which the monster moved was incredible, even to her. It wasn't as fast as she had been moving, but it reached at least 300 miles per hour. Beyond human limitations.
She backpedaled quickly and ducked in the same motion, but she failed to remember the number one rule of combat. She had become too used to sporting events with perfectly maintained fields. Nobody maintained this road. A large piece of gravel was beneath Naya's heel as she stepped back. When moving at 400 miles per hour, that was all it took to make her stumble. One stumble was enough to ruin everything when she had to plan her movements before they actually executed. Her body flailed as her queued actions all took effect as she stumbled, her legs twisting beneath her and sending her collapsing on her ass.
*FUCK!*
Naya watched in horror as a grin split the pale blue lips of the monster, its sharp teeth on menacing display. It switched tactics from trying to grab her to instead lifting one of its tree trunk sized legs over her collapsed body. Its shadow blocked the sun. Its foot blocked the sky.
In her slow motion world Naya remembered the scene from the gala. The people crushed underfoot by this demon. Visions of her death. It was all over.
"Vulnerabilities detected!"
Iris's excited voice brought Naya to her senses. The sensors within her eyes automatically forced her gaze to one area of the monster's body she could only now see from her position beneath the creature, with its knee raised high. Beneath its loincloth was a massive pale-blue cock, and beneath a pair of massive blue spheres dangling in a thin sack of skin. The creature seemingly possessed testicles, just like human men. At a glance, the only difference, besides the much greater size, was that the creature's balls were much more round than a human man's testicles, which were more like ovals. Its balls were outlined in a bright orange color thanks to Iris. Naya had found her new targets.
Naya didn't hesitate. She couldn't hesitate. The monster's foot was already descending, ready to crush her like an insect. She immediately took advantage of her fallen position and launched her right leg upwards with as much speed as she could muster. 600 miles per hour. Straight towards the beast's dangling balls. The toe of her boot, reinforced with composite metal far more durable than steel known as adamantite, slammed into the demon's balls with a sickening *CRUNCH!*
*CRASH!*
[Naya ](https://imgur.com/a/feAiPY1)didn't dare look behind her as the entire building shook once more. No doubt it had broken through another wall. Each painful breath carried the dust permeating throughout the extravagant gala from the repeated tremors. It still didn’t feel real. One moment she was celebrating the achievement she had worked so hard for, and the next brought hell on earth. The hell those monsters must've come from.
"LOOK UP!"
Her head jerked upwards in response to the sudden shout just in time to catch the beautiful silver chain supporting the resplendent crystal chandelier break with a resounding *SNAP*, sending the heavy decoration tumbling down directly into her escape path.
*I'm faster!*
A terrified shriek from behind her reminded Naya that few possessed cybernetics as optimized as her own. Anyone stuck on government issue augments would be screwed. Not to mention the naturals that she had seen earlier at the gala.
“Prediction: 12 casualties from the falling chandelier and resulting projectile shards.” The clear voice of her AI assistant carried through her thoughts, piercing through the chaotic sounds of panic and the pounding of her own heartbeat. There was no time to hesitate.
"Ugh!"
Grunting with effort, she planted off her right foot and launched herself into the air, easily clearing the 8 feet between the marble floor and the high ceiling. Mid-air Naya reached out with one hand to grab the top of the broken chain and used her other to snatch the small part of the chain still attached to the falling chandelier. The cool silver was a sharp contrast to the adrenaline fueled heat pumping through her systems. In an incredible feat of acrobatics, Naya twisted her body and lifted her hips above her head, landing feet first on the ceiling while maintaining her grip on both portions of the broken chain."Sticky boots activated!"
*Thank you Iris!* Those upgrades to her primary processor had been worth every penny.
"Don't worry, I got it!"
Naya shouted down towards the scrambling crowd, before yanking the chandelier up and easily bending the metal to tie a tight double knot. Satisfied that it would hold, she mentally deactivated her boots and elegantly flipped back to the ground, careful not to land on anyone.
Although pleased with her work, Naya had no time to celebrate. That monster was still out there and, judging from the cracks forming all over the once pristine pearlescent walls, the building was reaching its breaking point.
“Prediction: 15 minutes before structural collapse.”
While helpful, Naya wished Iris would bring good news instead of piling on the bad. Just once.
Kicking her nanomotors into overdrive, Naya blew past the stampede of terrified partygoers with speed far beyond human limitations. Reaching that speed was far easier than controlling it. Only a talented designer could craft a body capable of it.
“GHUAAAAAAAGHHHH!!!!”
A guttural roar rang out with such intensity that the building trembled once more. It wasn’t just loud. It was *terrifying.* Several members of the retreating crowd simply collapsed from fear, paralyzed by the battle cry of the ultimate predator. Even Naya was affected, forced to slow down by her now shaking legs. But she couldn’t stop.
A quick pivot to the left to dodge a slower runner. A leap over a collapsed table, the decadent cake and pastries strewn forgotten among the debris. Every yard required yet another display of superhuman agility. Each person in front of her became an unpredictable obstacle. Naya wanted to help them, but she was just one woman. There was no way she could gain control over the panicked crowd. Now was the time to prioritize her own survival.
*Once I get out of this I’ll find a way to save whoever I can!*
Maybe it was just an excuse, but that was what she needed to tell herself to drive her body forwards, even when that required jumping over a fallen man. Stopping to help him up would only result in getting shoved to the ground by the surging crowd behind her. Her cybernetics were designed for speed and precision, not surviving a building collapsing on her. As for fighting that monster… Naya wasn’t eager about her chances. That was the absolute last resort.
Rounding another corner, Naya finally spotted the outside world through massive, luxurious mahogany double doors that she had walked through with awe mere hours ago. Back then she was overwhelmed with joy to finally have earned the privilege of walking through them. Now she was even more overjoyed to be able to run out of them. Funny how the world worked like that sometimes.
In the blink of an eye she blasted through the open doors and out into the moonlit street. She decelerated from a full sprint to a light jog, getting far away from the entrance to clear the way for others and to avoid getting caught up in the building’s collapse.
Finally, she came to a halt about 30 yards out from the huge mansion, just at the edge of its grounds. Safe at last, she allowed herself to take a deep, relaxing breath. Even now the smell of freshly cut grass and flowers entranced her. Those were rare scents indeed in Aurion. There were just too many people to have much space for grass and flowers. Nature was a luxury only the rich could afford.
Despite her mad dash out of the gala, Naya was hardly even winded. In fact, she felt like she could do it a hundred times over again. Her own body still amazed her, even after months of training to adapt to it. Genius designers really did deserve all the praise and wealth they got.
Her golden-brown eyes remained locked on the front of the building as people dressed in fancy suits and dresses rushed through the double doors, their eyes wide with fear and their chests heaving from exertion. Naya could only watch with bated breath, anxiously hoping everyone would make it out.
She watched for three more minutes, idly smoothing out the wrinkles in the maroon dress she had bought just for this party. There hadn’t been any tremors since she began watching from outside. For a fleeting moment, Naya dared to hope that the monster had run off. Selected another target, perhaps. That was, until she caught a glimpse of movement in her peripheral vision. Her gaze moved upwards, until it landed on a sight that she would never forget.
There, on the roof of the mansion, stood a [monstrosity](https://imgur.com/a/gBSLtEW) that simply couldn’t exist on Earth. It had pale blue skin that blended in with the blue tiling of the roof it stood upon. The creature wore a blue and red loincloth decorated with bone ornaments, exposing the rest of its muscular body. The only other clothing it wore were bracers made of similar cloth and bone on its forearms. Although it was difficult to judge its exact size, she could tell it was much bigger than a human. At least eight feet tall with a massive frame that made football linebackers look small. But it was not its color or mass that stood out most. It was the pair of massive, angelic white wings that spread out behind the humanoid creature.
The alien creature’s head was directed straight down at the steady stream of people rushing out of the mansion. A crowd had formed a few years away from the entrance as confused individuals gathered in a group to try to understand their current situation. Some were clearly communicating with their AIs, probably trying to call either their loved ones or a car pickup. The monster’s knees bent, and Naya instantly realized the horror she was about to witness. Powerful thigh muscles flexed, bulging beneath the pastel blue skin. Time seemed to slow down as the monster began its jump.
*Should I run? Should I save them? Can I save them? Can I save myself?* Questions without answers bounced around her brain like a pinball. Death was no stranger to Naya, but she had never faced an enemy nearly as fearsome as the blue skinned demon rapidly falling towards the clueless crowd like a meteor. One that promised a big impact.
“RUN!!!” The scream tore from Naya’s lips, her vocal chords straining with the effort of projecting her voice to its limits. A few somehow heard her cry and began looking around in a hurry, but it was too late. Even the woman who looked upwards was only rewarded with the awareness of her death a moment before it occurred. The luckiest were the ones whose bodies acted as cushions for the alien giant. Their death was instant. Painless.
The ground shook with the impact of the beast. Naya stood frozen with fearful indecision while the monster savagely tore apart everyone it could get its huge hands on. Sounds of death and absolute terror filled the air. The monster roared gleefully as it blew apart men with fists alone. Its once beautiful white wings were stained crimson from blood and gore as they tore through bodies, revealing their true nature as the wings of a demon rather than of an angel.
Naya's feet made her decision for her as they began moving towards the rampaging monster before Naya had even consciously decided to move them.*What am I doing?* she questioned with clear panic, before experiencing a moment of clarity. All her training, her optimized cybernetics. It was all for this moment. This was her destiny. No way would she run from it.
"GET AWAY FROM THEM!!!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, her battle cry to both invigorate herself and draw the attention of the demon. It worked. Pure white eyes, void of any other color, locked onto Naya. A feral grin spread across its lips, excited by the prospect of a decent fight. Hunting easy prey was fun, but prey that fought back was thrilling to the beast.
If it was at all surprised by her incredible speed, it didn't show it. Instead, the blue skinned giant flapped its massive wings, knocking down several people scrambling away from it, and leapt towards Naya to meet her head on.
There was no time to think. No time to plan. No time to wonder why she was doing this. There was only enough time to act.
Naya planted her feet and skidded to a halt, the soles of her designer boots carving out two shallow trenches in the asphalt. Without hesitation, she pivoted around and began sprinting full speed away from the predator flying straight towards her. Killing or incapacitating it seemed impossible. Running from it seemed like the much better option. All she needed to do was get it away from the crowd. If she was willing to bet her life on anything, it was her speed.
She didn't need to look behind her to know the demon was in hot pursuit. Every flap of its wings sent a surge of air into her back, nearly toppling her over as she ran. It roared and snarled at her, momentarily angered by her retreat. It had expected a fight, not a chase. Especially not a chase against a human that could actually outpace it.
*Iris, how much juice do I have left?* She screamed inside her own mind while sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her. Unable to help herself, she sneaked a quick glance backwards and realized with horror that the gap between them had barely increased. It might've even decreased a little bit.
"Internal nano-batteries at approximately 84% and draining at a rate of 4.2% per minute." Iris replied in the same cheerful tone she always had. Of course Iris wouldn't feel fear. She was backed up to the cloud. Damn AI.
Naya quickly pivoted her thoughts away from all the complaining she wanted to do and focused on a plan to survive. A decrease of 4.2% per minute meant she had 20 minutes left before all her cybernetics were rendered useless.
*Do I run the batteries out, or turn and fight while I still have some power left?* She wondered, thoughts flying through her mind even faster than her feet landed one in front of the other. Thankfully the mansion was a decent drive away from the main city, so she had open road to run on. For now. Soon she'd hit the interstate and expose thousands of civilians trapped in traffic to the monster behind her. That would be the same as killing them. She couldn't do that.
She glanced left and right, considering running behind or into another building to hide. Naya quickly rejected that idea. Open space was her best bet. It was where she could best utilize her agility.
No, there was nowhere to go. She had to face it.With that realization came a strange sense of calmness. Of purpose. Naya knew what she had to do. What she had been designed for.She decelerated rapidly, skidding to a halt and kicking up gravel from the side of the road. She turned around and looked at the creature. It was still a ways off, giving her a moment to prepare. A moment to breathe.A deep inhale of air filled her lungs, expanding her chest. Her hands came up in a combat stance as she widened her stance.
*Okay Naya, this is it. No more running. No more hiding. It's just you and the big bad wolf.*
She cracked her neck from side to side, loosening up her muscles."Come on then, you bastard! Let's see what you've got!" She yelled, projecting her voice with all the power she could muster.The creature let out a bone chilling roar in response, clearly excited by her challenge. It flapped its wings harder, rapidly closing the distance between them.Naya stood her ground, unmoving. Unflinching. She stared down the demon as it approached, ready to meet it head on.This was her moment. Her purpose. And she would not back down.
The humanoid beast folded its wings behind it and remained grounded as it covered the last few yards of distance between them. This was Naya's cue to begin moving once more. Except this time she ran towards her deadly opponent.
To an ordinary person, the next few seconds would appear as nothing more than a blur of motion. Yet to Naya, everything transpired in extreme clarity. Thousands of nano-computers within her right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain most associated with time perception, worked in conjunction with her natural cognitive abilities to grant her the ability to slow down her perception of time. This was, like all her other cybernetics, controlled by Iris, who matched Naya's time perception to the current task.
Neurons carry signals throughout the human body at a speed of up to 250 miles per hour. Although there have been attempts, no cybernetic implants have managed to enhance the transmission speed of these electrical and chemical signals. Regardless of how quickly a nano-motor can fire, a person cannot move their foot before the signal to move has traveled from the brain, down the nervous system, to that foot. Therefore, this can be considered the maximum limit of human speed.
Naya was not an academic, but her designer most certainly was. She only remembered that magic number, 250, because he reminded her of it every day. The point at which her body could no longer keep up with her commands. Yet, Naya's feet traveled at a speed of 300 miles per hour as she sprinted forwards to meet the monster. At the last moment, she twisted her body to the right and ducked, believing fully in her ability to strike first. She had no other choice. Her fist traveled at a speed of 500 miles per hour as it flew towards the monster's thick neck.
This was Naya's special talent. What made her the best athlete in Aurion. Why she had caught the eye of the man who had changed her life forever. It wasn't that her neurons could fire signals faster than everyone else's, despite common conjecture. Instead, her ability to seemingly surpass that 250 miles per hour limitation came from her natural talent at multitasking and strategizing. With the help of Iris, she could 'queue up' multiple moves. Every single joint in her body. Every turn of her hips, every shift of her weight. It was all planned in advance. The faster she moved, the longer the delay between when she decided on an action and when her body would execute that action. It was a perilous balancing act. One incorrect thought, one forgotten signal, and her body's movements would be misaligned and she would stumble. The faster she moved, the more signals she had to queue and the greater the risk of failing to keep her balance. In a fight like this, a single slip-up would guarantee her death.
The creature was caught off guard. Naya's fist connected with its thick neck with a satisfying *THWACK.* Her enhanced knuckles tore through skin and muscle, causing the beast to reel backwards.
"GAAAAHHHHH!" It let out a roar of pain and surprise. It wasn't used to its prey striking back. It certainly wasn't used to them striking with such speed and strength.
Naya didn't let up. She pressed her advantage, unleashing a flurry of blows onto the beast's upper body. Each strike connected with the force of a sledgehammer. Each strike drew more blood. Each strike only increased her confidence.*I'm doing it!* She thought with glee. \*I'm actually doing it!\*The creature stumbled backwards, trying to create distance between itself and the tiny human that was causing it so much pain. It spread its wings and flapped, trying to blow Naya away. But she was too quick. She dodged around the gusts of wind and continued her assault. For a moment, she allowed herself to believe she could win. That she could actually defeat this monster. That she could save everyone.
Her hope emboldened her, strengthened her mind and body. Still in a state of maximum concentration, each movement made at over 400 miles per hour, she stepped forward into the range of the 8 '7 monster, sending her first directly above her head for another shot at its vulnerable neck.
In slow motion she watched as her fist neared its target. Her eyes flicked from her fist to the face of the demon. Its pure white orbs were locked onto her golden-brown eyes. She flinched as those eyes seemed to carry the promise of death.
Just before her knuckles made contact with the creature's throat once more, the powerful muscles in its thick neck flexed protectively. Instead of feeling the soft sensation she had felt before, this time it felt like she had punched a steel wall. Her reinforced bones were significantly harder than steel, but her knuckles failed to penetrate the beast's inhuman muscles.
*CRACK!* Pain shot up her arm like a lightning bolt. Naya stumbled backwards, her momentum halted by the monster's tough neck. Her hand throbbed, the knuckles red and swollen. She could only stare in disbelief at the creature before her.The beast's white eyes glinted with malice. Its pale blue skin now rippled, muscles visibly tensing and flexing. It had been playing with her before. Letting her get some hits in. Building up her confidence. Giving her a false sense of security.
But now the games were over.
It lunged at her, covering the distance between them in a blink. A massive blue hand grabbed at her head, aiming to crush her skull in one swift movement.
Naya's eyes widened in fear as she watched in slow motion as death approached. The speed with which the monster moved was incredible, even to her. It wasn't as fast as she had been moving, but it reached at least 300 miles per hour. Beyond human limitations.
She backpedaled quickly and ducked in the same motion, but she failed to remember the number one rule of combat. She had become too used to sporting events with perfectly maintained fields. Nobody maintained this road. A large piece of gravel was beneath Naya's heel as she stepped back. When moving at 400 miles per hour, that was all it took to make her stumble. One stumble was enough to ruin everything when she had to plan her movements before they actually executed. Her body flailed as her queued actions all took effect as she stumbled, her legs twisting beneath her and sending her collapsing on her ass.
*FUCK!*
Naya watched in horror as a grin split the pale blue lips of the monster, its sharp teeth on menacing display. It switched tactics from trying to grab her to instead lifting one of its tree trunk sized legs over her collapsed body. Its shadow blocked the sun. Its foot blocked the sky.
In her slow motion world Naya remembered the scene from the gala. The people crushed underfoot by this demon. Visions of her death. It was all over.
"Vulnerabilities detected!"
Iris's excited voice brought Naya to her senses. The sensors within her eyes automatically forced her gaze to one area of the monster's body she could only now see from her position beneath the creature, with its knee raised high. Beneath its loincloth was a massive pale-blue cock, and beneath a pair of massive blue spheres dangling in a thin sack of skin. The creature seemingly possessed testicles, just like human men. At a glance, the only difference, besides the much greater size, was that the creature's balls were much more round than a human man's testicles, which were more like ovals. Its balls were outlined in a bright orange color thanks to Iris. Naya had found her new targets.
Naya didn't hesitate. She couldn't hesitate. The monster's foot was already descending, ready to crush her like an insect. She immediately took advantage of her fallen position and launched her right leg upwards with as much speed as she could muster. 600 miles per hour. Straight towards the beast's dangling balls. The toe of her boot, reinforced with composite metal far more durable than steel known as adamantite, slammed into the demon's balls with a sickening *CRUNCH!*
