Adam, in his semi-crazed state, made a dash towards the route leading to Lyra's place of work.
"Call Lyra!" He yelled into his wristband.
"Calling Lyra…."
However, there was no response. Adam's heart tightened as his mind conjured dreadful scenarios.
She's fine, she's fine… He repeated as he ran. What would he do if he lost the only person he could call family?
He didn't even take a transport pod, for some reason believing his legs would get him to EVA faster.
In less than three minutes, the abandoned research institute came into view. Adam bolted inside and practically leapt across the entire lobby. His head bashed against the wall, but that didn't in any way deter him. He rose almost immediately and continued forward at a damming pace.
Upon reaching the empty corridor, he stopped before the door to her office.
Click… The door was locked.
Adam banged his hand against the door and yelled, "Lyra! Are you in?! Lyra!"
Fear and agitation crept up his nerves like a predator stalking prey. He took a few steps back, took a stance, then rushed forward.
His feet slammed against the wooden door and it smashed open.
Inside the office, there was a lady sprawled on the floor, unconscious.
"Lyra…" Adam gasped and rushed in. He crouched next to her and slowly raised her head. The next thing he did was to check her pulse, confirming if she was still alive.
That creature's cry probably knocked her out… He thought in relief, unaware that tears had lined his cheeks.
"Lyra, wake up," He tapped her shoulder lightly.
The lady, after a few seconds, opened her eyes and winced. "Adam?" She asked. Her mind was in a mess– the excruciatingly painful shriek left an aftereffect of vertigo and ringing in the ears.
"Yes, it's me, I'm here…" Adam brushed his fingers against her face and helped her wipe the blood that lined the side of her ear. "I'm so glad you're okay.
"What happened?" Lyra asked in a dazed state.
Adam shook his head slowly and muttered, "It's scary outside. There's a giant alien of sorts trying to kill us all. I don't wanna lose you…" He gnashed his teeth and wept silently.
It felt like the tears he had been holding back for three years finally caught up to him. Over the course of two days, he had cried so much, he felt his glands were probably dried up by now.
When Lyra saw him cry, her heart broke. She didn't understand much of what was going on, but she felt it had something to do with the wormhole they had tossed him through. Though that man had said it was necessary for humanity's survival–that Adam was needed to preserve life–she regretted having placed such a huge burden on him.
She couldn't bear to see him in pain, after all he had been put through in the past.
"I'm sorry–" She muttered softly.
Lyra suddenly realised there was no way she could look him in the eye, day after day, and act like everything was fine. She planned to tell him everything. Even though that man had emphasised that telling Adam would result in severe, world-shattering consequences, she couldn't live knowing that she put him through such and still kept it a secret.
"There's something I have to tell you." She had said without even realising.
Adam shook his head, helped Lyra to her feet, and said, "It can wait. I have to take you somewhere safe. Till the Overseers take care of whatever that thing is."
"Adam–"
"It can wait!" He yelled.
Lyra trembled slightly. She had never heard him yell. Now that she had a good look at him, he was a complete mess. His hair had patches of dirt, his clothes were haggard and his eyes were reddened with visible blood vessels.
What had happened to him in just a day?
"Okay," The lady muttered under her breath. Guilt gnawed at her heart, but she had to bear with it for now. After everything died down, she would tell him.
…
The colossal tentacled creature gazed upon the city. It seemed to be searching for something, as it remained oddly still in the air.
At that moment, a pulsing blue beam struck one of its tentacles.
Mathew Bates had appeared, riding his nanite horse that could hover in the air. The Marshall aimed the vector handgun once more and fired. The bullet was accompanied by a fiery-blue beam, but neither did any visible damage to the alien-like creature.
"Pest."
At that moment, a chilling voice that seemed to transcend time and space bombarded Bates' senses. He wobbled on the horse and took a while to gather his thoughts.
Seriously, what the hell is this thing? Mathew Bates groaned and looked up. The giant creature had half-turned in the air, gazing upon a certain part of the city.
"Saying I'm not worth your attention, huh?" Mathew clicked his tongue and tucked away the handgun. He reached into his coat and pulled out another cube. His thumb caressed the surface and clicked a certain spot.
With a whirring sound, the cube rapidly expanded and transformed into a gleaming black rifle. At the base of the rifle, there was a miniature orb that glowed with a darkish purple colour. It seemed to be where the gun drew energy from.
Mathew Bates clicked on the trigger and fired.
With a loud boom, a burning blast of purple energy tore through the distance and struck the alien creature. The beam was far larger than the last and it covered a significant area, doing a fair amount of damage.
There was a sharp crack, and scorched flesh peeled from the alien's body.
Mathew smirked. Even if that hadn't been effective, he still had bigger guns in his inventory. The bigger they are, the bigger they are!
At that moment, the alien creature suddenly turned to look at the tiny human. It's originally white eyes that seemed like massive goo suddenly glowed with a deep red colour.
Mathew Bates had a sudden premonition.
"Grace!" He yelled and the horse did a downward dive immediately.
Just as he left that position, a giant red beam tore through the air and smashed against the city streets, obliterating everything in its path. Screams bellowed from every corner and dust, mixed with blood particles rose into the air.
"Shit, I think I pissed him off." Mathew held his hat fast and yelled to those running below, "Don't stop moving!"
As the horse whoosed around in the sky, the Marshall took aim and began firing nonstop at the massive creature. Being so large simply gave him more to aim at. However, since he wasn't aware of the capabilities the monster possessed, he maintained a certain distance.
He needed to keep the alien creature busy till reinforcements arrived.