The EMP Heart

Drained, if there was one word to describe the world around me, that word would come to mind. It’s the one explanation of how we all become emotionless, lack connection, and allow robotic monstrosities to feed off us. Similar to what our ancestors called vampires, the creatures made of metal and wires suck our life force as we sit, while our eyes are mesmerized by the blank screens. Tubes latched to the back of our skulls like leeches, mysteriously yet unfailingly pull our life force to the center of our city, this center called the Hive. Hive gives the monsters the energy they need to continue the process of turning our world into a giant computer system, and it’s there that I must save my people and snap them out of their imprisoned daze they are in.

My name is Eric cor Meum, and I was able to break free from my prison due to a heart-shaped locket. Although it might look like one, the locket isn’t any dime shop trinket, it’s a tiny circuit carrier that has a magnatic pulse powerful enough to shut off my tube and free me. I don’t know precisely how the locket works, but I remember my father, Professor Philip cor Meum, telling me to keep this locket on me at all times and never take it off. He must have known that the monsters would take over and created a way to stop them before they became too powerful. He created the locket as an EMP, electro magnatic pulse, small enough to give a small pulse for one person, to free him from his tube, to go under the monsters’ radar and quietly shut off Hive. I don’t know why on God’s once green earth Dad wanted me to do it, but he gave me the locket and saved me. And I’m not going to let him and our people down.

Being a young teen who doesn’t draw too much attention to himself, I made my way it to the Hive undetected by the monsters, and while it strangely didn’t look like a hive, it still filled me to the brim with fear and disbelief. It’s a tall cylinder container filled with a bright energy, which I assume is the life force it collects from the tubes connected to it, like a alien octopus. Making a step forward, I walk towards the Hive with the purpose to destroy it. Until I hear a faint sound in the air, it sounds like buzzing, the type of buzzing you hear from a swarm of locust. It’s volume begins to increase, growing louder and louder as though tens or thousands of swarms are coming together. Oh my God! It’s them! I run and hide myself behind a wall in an ally, and it’s from there that I finally saw them, the monsters.

Landing on the ground and rising from their kneeling positions rose five of the mechanical beasts. Standing over eight-feet tall, with wings of a dragonfly, long arms with three sharp claws, and faces that look like demonic, fanged masks with bright lights shining from their eye sockets, all in chrome-colored robotic bodies. They walk towards the Hive and stand in attention like soliders awaiting orders. From the Hive comes smaller tubes like earth worms coming out of the ground. They attach themselves to the chests of the monsters and from the Hive’s container, the life force is transfered to them, causing their eyes to glow brighter. The transfer lasts for about three minutes and it stops, meaning they’re now charged. The tubes then retrack back to the Hive and the monsters turn around, activate their wings, and fly off to continue their work.

After seeing those creatures, I allow myself to slide against the wall, letting the fear I have take the strength of my legs. As I sit on the ground I begin to question how I’m supposed to destroy the Hive, when the monsters could appear anytime to recharge and rip me apart with their claws. I look down and held my locket in my hand, amazing how the tiniest thing can bring the heavyest of burdens. That’s when I notice a button on the locket. I remember my dad saying not to press it, but to leave it alone. He did mention that the button’s only when I need it the most. It was pretty vague at the time, but seeing that it’s magnatic pulse free me, this is what he must have meant.

I press the button, hoping it’ll give some kind of clue to shut down the Hive. It opens to reveal a circuit board with a cube in it’s center filled with active electricity. On it’s other half, a round orb that looks like a camera lends. It glows and from that glow is a small hologram of the one person I didn’t expect to be with me, my dad.

“Eric.” He says with a solum attitude “If you’re watching this then that means I’m dead and can’t be there for you when you’re to free us from these monsters. As you could probably guess, since you’re no longer an energy source for the Hive, your locket is an EMP that destroyed you tube. The cube in the center is the key to activate it’s true potential. On top of the Hive is a small gap the locket can easily go through. You are to go to the roof of the Hive, press the cube, drop the locket in and it’s pulse will be strong enough to destroy it. Cutting off the monsters power supply and everyone will regain their strength.” He pauses for a moment, looking as though he’s not quite sure how to say what he is wanting to say.

“Son, I’m sorry for putting this much on you. A teenage boy shouldn’t have to do a task of such magnitude. Unfortunatly, the monsters have made it diffucult to find alternatives, both the mechanical and their creators. But I hope that through you, we can try to be better.” He wipes away a few tears leaking from his holographic eyes. “Go Eric, go give this world another chance.” His hologram disappears, leaving me alone again.

I close the locket and lean against the wall. I’m left with a choice, I can leave and find someone more combat experiance to handle this, or I can do it myself and stop the Hive and the monsters. Either save myself or my people. I look at the heart-shaped locket once more and close my hand around it, making my desicion. Getting back up, I look over the area for any sign of the monsters. Seeing the coast is clear I made my way to the Hive. I then noticed a stray pipe that might be useful if I ran into the monsters, it is long enough for me to give them a few whacks to the head. Picking it up and slipping it through the back of my shirt like a sword. When I got to the Hive, it feels warm like the life of each person gather together to keep them warm in the cold Hive container. I start to climb to the Hive’s roof using the tube connections on it.

Almost fell off a few times, but I manage to keep my grip. Sweat begins to cover my brow like a salty layer of skin, reminding me that climbing is no easy task to take. I stare up and find that I’m close to the roof, grateful for the climb to be finished. Using whatever endurance was left in me, I lift myself up over and finally made it. I rest for a moment, panting out short breathes. The hard part is over, now I just have to go find the gap. I slowly get up and scan the roof for the tiny hole, crack, or whatever the gap is.

As I look for the gap, I hear a sound I hope would never have to hear. A loud metallic roar that followed with a tackle. I got to my knees and shook off the minor concussion, then stare up to find the surprise assailant, only to freeze with fear. In front of me is a monster, eyes glowing and blazing, claws out, and a growl sounding like a couple of saw-blades hitting against each other. It stands up straight and from its right claw a blade shoots out, still connected to its appendage. It roars and charges at me like a wild animal with rage. Quickly snapping out of my paralyzed state I pull out the pipe and blocked its blade. The pipe is a surprisingly strong piece of metal, which I’m so thankful for.

It rears its blade back and strikes at me, as though it were a metal scorpion, I dodge and attempted to hit it but it dodged my attack. We attack each other without even landing a hit. It slices across to decapitate me, but I dodged. I try to hit it in its leg-joint but it flies up to strike down. I avoided it and made a side-step to dodge its other clawed-hand. It looks as though it couldn’t touch me, and I’m proud of myself for that, but it lets out a roar so loud that I have to cover my ears to protect them. The monster uses that to tackle me to hard roof of the Hive. I stare up at it, and its face is like seeing the devil if he’s a satanic robot. It’s light from the eye sockets appear heavenly, yet is overshadowed by a face of Hell. It raises its blade to pierce me through. I look around for the pipe and found it, and to my amazement, the gap!

Knowing I have only one chance, I take my legs and push with all my might to get it off. My kick didn’t get the beast off the Hive, but it’s enough for me to get the pipe and hit the monster across the face, sending it over to the side. Using the time I’ve been given, I open the locket, press the electric cube, close it and drop it in the Hive. The locket starts to flicker, blinking little sparks of electricity like it’s producing heartbeats. The locket then goes faster and faster, and not wanting to get electrocuted I went off the Hive’s roof and give it some space. The locket then releases a big burst of electricity, destroying the Hive and the surrounding electronics.

I did it, I can’t believe it, but I did it. No, my dad did it, he made the heart-shaped EMP. It’s finally over and we can now- I. I feel a pain in my chest, what could be causing it? I lower my head down to find it’s penetrated by a blade, the monster’s blade. I slowly turn my head and sure enough it’s behind me, on its knees and its face dented by the pipe blow and life force leaking out like blood. It pulls the blade out of me, and like before I smacked it across the face with the pipe. Seeing it on the ground I wasted no time and start hitting it. With every hit, I release my anger, at the monsters, the Hive, and the people who thought it was a good idea to rely on them in the first place. It raises its claw, reaching out to kill me, but it drops, becoming a broken machine with a cracked skull.

I drop the pipe, making loud a clanking noise, and fall to my knees sighing with relief and coughing blood. It’s over, our world can be rebuilt. Will we be more careful with technology? Will we just completely abandon it? I don’t think I’ll live to see what the outcome will be, but what I pray for is that now we can reconnect with each other once more.