26 A world of capes and masks(10)
My hands gripped the gun tightly. I could see what was about to happen, a figure puffed with either chalk or entirely too much makeup, an exaggerated jester hat, and a clown costume hugging her body was strolling through the school auditorium. Out in the bloody open.
I sighed as I felt the polymer grip find a fine purchase in my hands. If my aim was true I could end her there and then, but it honestly was not and brother Damian had only trained me in martial skills—nonlethal at that, probably a request from Batman.
But then again how would that benefit me? Killing a psycho? Nothing. I stuck to keeping myself near the ground and avoiding the windows as I shimmied my way along.
Soon I caught up to a group of students, "Mira!" one of them shouted and immediately my mind went to the psycho in the hall. She had not even looked in our direction. Ignoring us? Whatever her reason, it was good for me.
Ignoring the fool who had called me out, I stood up and strode past, "Dina?" I called out to my tool—friend. Right, 'friend'. I need to correct my habit of calling her a tool, I might slip otherwise.
She was not here apparently, neither was Riley or that older kid.
"We found Batman and sent him after you," They knew I needed a rescue. I looked at the leader of the ducklings, but I didn't spot Mathew or Prince, "Seen my friends? A black kid and a white girl both with black hair, might be with an older kid?" What is this? An eroge? The fuck?
"I don't think so," He said, seeing no point to stay any further, I left.
Sticking to the walls I was soon back in the attic, empty and abandoned. They were gone. Good enough, my plan was simple: lock myself in.
I was alone now. Was I tired from being tossed around like a doll? Yes, solitude and a low chance of danger helped me take a breather.
As I lay there I felt the cold seep in, slowly push in from the cold crevasses of the chilly woods.
Instead, I was going to attempt to communicate with the... um—power?
As I closed my eyes I was again in the dark—cold and isolated. Then the black began to shatter revealing from behind its veil, a world of crystals. Slowly they started to buzz and again as I opened my eyes I could see it, a green miasma tainted by strands of purple gripping at it from the sides started forming in my hands and they slowly condensed to a ball of flesh. I felt a sense of control over it as the ball of flesh started to take shape.
I felt like I could direct it toward many paths but I felt it in my gut to let it take shape naturally and as it did I felt it take the form of its desire.
And so it did. A critter, a caterpillar-like critter with an exoskeleton that seemed to shift on its body like plates of armour. Its body was short but not much, it stretched over my palm—from the beginning to the tip of my fingers. Ordinarily, I would have felt the urge to kill it with fire but this one felt like it would throw itself into a blaze if only because I willed it.
And so I willed it to move and it did. With a movement so efficient that it felt like the apex predator of an ecosystem but I knew this was no apex predator, [My apex predators would blot out the sky. This is a mere forager.]
———
The forager crawled its way into the school vents, its eyes on the biped her majesty had ordered it to keep tabs on. The human woman was running away. Its clownish outfit at least helped it there by being no hurdle to her mobility.
'Harley' as her majesty called it, was running while unloading bullets behind her, blindly firing. The critter quietly followed through the vents
As it stalked through the nooks and crannies moving occasionally on the walls to increase its speed. It spotted a large shadow gaining on 'Harley', moving even faster than it. [Batman.] The Queen spoke to it, dismissing it the next second to return to its intended role: gathering food and DNA for the queen.
———
I cut the connection of data from the forager letting it return to its function, it was an odd feeling—absolute control. It was like pulling a thousand strings at once like a master puppeteer. Pushing my back up against the wall I let it all wash away. I could get addicted to this.
Still, I shrugged it off. Walking to the attic hatch I pried it open, the thugs were already down and Batman was behind Harley. This side-show was about to end. And whatever the main show is would begin. The wall-manning thugs had retreated inside. We were now home free.
I sighed as I shimmied down into the hallway, I had the power to create a completely loyal life form. But that was it [for now.] These things, [my swarm] I felt had the potential and the loyalty. They would even fight Darkside for me. But not now, they had the potential to make me a queen but the fact that I had no interest in being a ruler or king, their main purpose would be to ensure my survival. But given the scale of threats I could face—I needed [my swarm] to be powerful.
Walking through the hallways I was now sure of another thing, I should make more foragers, their vision and sense are much better than my human ones, and they could serve as distractions during critical times.
From the windows, I could tell, Harley had become Batman's prize. Her deranged laughter slowly faded as Batman cornered her away from us.
I was making my way to the main gate slowly, I was not going to rush while we were at the home stretch, making sure to check corners and recalling my forager to keep a forward recon.
It was a good tool.
Soon I was at the gate.
The cops were streaming in, I saw one and waved, "Hey!" He turned towards me.
"We have another kid here!" He shouted to his colleagues.
"Another?"
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[A/N: First of all, thank you for reading.
Second, I have an editor for this novel now, Vita is her name, so for the clean grammar in this chapter you can thank her.
Third, due to a very large number of exams having been stacked for me. I will not be able to upload often. I will keep it once a week but with longer chapters. One chapter every Sunday.
Forth, her power is now decided and fixed.
Fifth, Sorry for the delay.]
