Human Enough Chapter 2 is on AO3!
Please enjoy this excerpt!
Baxter was trapped within his own body. He could perceive the outside world, but only through blunted senses. Every sight, every sound, every smell was blurred and muffled. All the pain and exhaustion he felt from the skirmish came off only as a dull, distant ache. His very state of being no longer felt grounded in the material world, but rather like a marshmallow suspended in gelatin. Or a pupa in its casing mid-metamorphosis. He spoke, but his mouth didnāt move. He tried to turn his head, but it remained in place. And when he became frantic, his heart didnāt accelerate, neither did his breathing. Nothing happenedānot so much as a blinkāunless Fly willed it.
He took over, said Baxter. His voice didnāt ring in his ears; it was just an echoing thought. So that was it. He was now no more than a figment of Flyās brain, a nagging conscience relegated to the spectatorās seat. The only essence that provided any tangible weight was the growing realization of all the consequences that would result from this change. This was worse than being the creature. At least then he had some control over his body, some presence in the world around him, some ability to influence his outcomes. Here, he was at total mercy.
No. He wasnāt going to give up yet. If Fly could influence his decisions, then surely he could do the same. I need to see Zak! Where is he?! Whoās that other guy? Move your head! Move!
All of Baxterās pleas came off as nothing more than an odd tingling to Fly, and they were met with a vicious smack to the back of the neck. āI amāin control now.ā Navigating in a large, cumbersome humanās body on his own was a challenge he wasnāt aware heād have. He almost fell over with each step he took.
āU-uncle Bax?ā said Zak. He was still frozen in place. Fly snapped his head over to him.
Zak! Zak, are you okay? Itās me! cried Baxter.
āNot Bazter. Fly~,ā said Fly with a vibrato note at the end. Then he snapped his head back to Scumbug and saw the barrel of the gun. āDonāt hurt me~! Talk!ā
Scumbug cocked his head and looked at Antrax. āI swear he wasnāt actinā like ādis before!ā
āI know. Itās almost as though he has a split personality,ā replied Antrax with narrowed eyes.
The wheels turned in Scumbugās head. His antennae writhed around while he rubbed the base of his chin. A small number of remaining roaches scuttled about the field once more. āYou! Ya said ya name was Fly? Like, āda Landlord oā āda Flies?ā
Fly curled up a little tighter and darted his eyes to and fro like an anxious kid in class who didnāt expect the teacher to call on him. He gave a small nod, one of many gestures he learned from Baxter through osmosis.
āSo what happened ta Baxter?ā
He jabbed a finger at his temple. Any attempt to explain what he thought happened dripped out as prattle.
āHuh, I see,ā said Scumbug with amusement. He clipped the gun back on his waist and took a couple of steps forward. Fly scooted back the same distance. āI dunno what happened, but ādis is an interesting development. I had no idea ādere was two of ya.ā
Zak broke from his position and tried to make his way towards Fly, but was almost sliced in two when Antrax dashed in between them and swung his axe at him. The intricate skull that was sculpted into the top of the axeās head glinted in the floodlights.
āDonāt interfere, you little runt!ā spat Antrax. Even his purple executionerās hood couldnāt hide the deep furrow in his brows. āAnd donāt even think of running for help. You know how much faster I am than your kind.ā He chuckled as Zak backed down. The boy was equal parts furious and terrified. Baxter could almost hear him quaking.
Fly, donāt let him intimidate Zak like that! Use the bracers! Cleave that axe in two! Do something! Anything! He tried to imagine holding a pair of reins and yanking on them as hard as he could.
āWho are you~?ā asked Fly.
Antrax swung the blade around in a cruel arc and turned to smile at Fly. āExcuse me. Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Antrax, former executioner to General Krang. Though, like my companion Scumbug, I like to think of myself as a free agent now.ā
āKrang,ā hissed Fly. He tried to buzz his wings, but they were already far too sore to move. āI hate Krang! And Shredder!ā He prattled and growled and buzzed his voice. āRevenge. Revenge on them all!ā
Scumbug guffawed. āHey, pal, donāt we all?ā He turned to Antrax. āIām startinā ta tink we had ādis guy all wrong!ā Fly prattled more and tried to rub his hands together, but the gloves he still wore proved to be a nuisance and he peeled them off. The headlamp was discarded, too. Scumbug noticed the actions and narrowed his eyes in amused thought again. āHey, Fly, whatās your take on humans?ā
āYeah! Ya know, how do ya feel about ādem? Ya like āem or hate āem?ā
Fly lowered his antennae. On one hand, he agreed with Scumbugās opinion. But on the other hand, through Baxter he met humans who seemed genuinely kind. The dockmen near home came to the forefront of his mind. But there was also the bodega clerk, the bank teller who gave him extra lollipops, and Vinny, the owner of the pizza parlor they frequented. These people were initially shocked when they saw Baxterās form, but they never once shooed him away or tried to hurt him. He didnāt know how to respond other than more unintelligible words.
āHmm, okay, āden,ā said Scumbug, āHow do ya feel about Baxter, āda guy up in here?ā He tapped the side of his head with his insect claw.
Fly stuttered, but nothing but memories over the course of the evening came to mind. āHe-heās mean to me!ā
I am?! But Iāve only ever been accommodating to you, even when I hate the compromise!
āThis is quite the interesting conversation,ā said Antrax. He turned his axe upside down and rested his four hands on the bottom of the handle.
Zak stood there, dumbfounded. āUnc-I mean, Fly, Uncle Bax is always trying to meet you halfway! Heās a cool cat!ā
Antrax glared at him and said before Scumbug could chime in, āSilence, you inferior wretch! Iāll deal with you soon enough.ā
āYeah, what he said, kid,ā said Scumbug with a wicked smile. He turned to Fly and gestured with his claw. āAhem, please continue.ā
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