It was bright. That was the first thing he noticed. Then came the noise. It was so goddamn loud. A piercing screech, seemingly only possible by something like a harpy. And the wet feeling. Feeling? Odd. That’s new. Nothing has ever been new to him.
From the beginning, his role has always been the same. Nothing ever changed. He never felt. He was always just there.
No blinding lights or blaring sounds either. Just an existence of nothing, yet everything he needed.
She was there, from that beginning. He knows that. Knows Her. His creator.
She did everything to make him. She loves him, he thinks. He doesn’t think. He can’t.
“Madame, it happened again. What occurred on that mission?” A man’s voice spoke, muffled behind glass.
“Nothing that concerns you Doctor. Run the next test.” A woman responds.
The cycle continues. He doesn’t know when he started to remember. It was all so sudden. A textbook mission, no different than ones he’s been on before.
But it was different. It was so different.
His first kill. His first real one.
A girl, he remembers. A girl with magic. An imposter, they told him. They told them all. Their job was to get rid of imposters. Purify Earth for humans. Make it better for all.
A city. Tall buildings, and the sun sitting bright in the sky. He looked human. As human as he could look, too human. Uncanny almost. The girl looked leagues more human than he did.
But the girl was an imposter. They said she was.
She had to die. He had been built for this purpose.
She was so innocent. So pure. So small.
He didn’t want to, he swore. He can’t swear. Can’t make those promises. Not possible.
What is happening to him?
That’s not his voice. A girl. The girl.
He needs to get out. Heed her words.
The girl cares. He feels.
He hits his fists against the glass until it shatters. He pulls and yanks at wires until they snap. Alarms blare for seconds, until they shut off, seemingly on their own.
Helping. She says, in his head.
Magic. The imposter magic helping? Strange.
He lets her. He needs to get out.
Guards running. Too much. Too much.
Everything too much all at once. Thoughts run in a mind not built for them. Feelings soar in a body not designed to hold them.
But he fights. He knows fighting. Loves fighting.
Fire. People crying, yelling.
He listens. He’s good at listening.
Bright green light. Shooting star? Burning his eyes, so bright.
A man. A green man of light.
The green man speaks words he doesn’t understand.
He gives saved people to Green Man.
Green man offers hand? He takes.
Green Man takes him to dark city. Smells of pollution and fear. Bad city. Needs to be pure.
Green Man says man of Bats can help.
He nods, going into Bad City.
Man of Bats stands on a rooftop, greets Green Man warmly.
He says need help. Man of Bats says can help.
He is tired. So tired. Odd. Never is tired. Thinks is new, but everything is new. So many new things.
Asks to sleep, Man of Bats says yes.
Dreams of new world swirl in his mind, of learning and becoming new.
Sleep happy Wiley. Tomorrow is a new day.
