It happened over the duration of a simple few months. That was all it took. No warheads, no guns, no bullets, no blades or fists. No kind of weaponry was used for this kill.
Instead something that should never be used as such was turned into a weapon and used against someone, someone who thought that they were very much in love with their own killer. And in the end all that was used to make the kill was what was thought as a loving touch. The simple brush of fingers over one’s cheek.
Who knew something as simple as that could be so lethal?
And not just lethal, but lethal enough to kill possibly the strongest being alive.
It started out as what could be considered a competition.
Down under there was a longing to have the strongest weapon. It was an honor to be considered the creator of a weapon that could be used to rid the surface world of all inhabitants so the people from the underground could take it.
The laboratories thrived in this category. Day after day, night after night, constantly creating something new, something alive, something that would only want to kill.
Living creatures being created to kill and knowing nothing different.
Two such creatures were created in two completely different laboratories.
One was created a few years before the other. This one was known as The China Doll. She was thought of as unbeatable. No one could get close to her to actually even so much as touch her. So how could someone end this creature’s life?
The Other Competition tried to send their best Soldiers to take out this creature, seeing it as a threat. Upon realizing that they couldn’t even get close to assassinate her they realized that their best form of action was to line the roofs with snipers and try to take her out from a distance. But it was quickly realized that even that couldn’t get past her defence.
So much as looking at this creature was a death sentence. The Doll could sense someone’s eyes on her, or even someone’s thoughts if they were about her. That was all that was needed to make a connection from her mind to her opponents and then from there she would have complete control over their bodies.
Those Snipers were found on the roofs were they had been positioned a day later, dead with self inflicted gunshot wounds that entered from just under the jaw and exiting at the top of the head. Every single one of those soldiers had died at the same moment. It didn’t take long to realize what the cause of the sudden mass suicide was.
It seemed that the Doll was even stronger than they all thought.
This Experiment was perfect. She had no flaws. No weakness, no way for anything to get close enough to her to make the kill shot.
That was until Stateria was born.
The Rival Laboratory created Stateria with the idea of a living Virus in mind. She had the appearance of a human, but she had the ability to make her opponent fall ill with a simple touch of her hand. With the skill of hand to hand combat to back her up and a blade on her hip as well to distract her opponents from the real threat she held she was seen a another perfect weapon. What made her stand above the rest was not her ability to kill, but her lack of emotions. She never questioned her orders when they were given.
In fact, it wasn’t even known for sure if this plan was going to work from the start.
Stateria’s Creators ordered her to gain The Doll’s trust, enough to simply shake the woman’s hand and be done with it.
However, there was doubt. They thought that The Doll would kill Stateria the moment she walked into the building.
Stateria was still alive.
Even as she ascended up the seemingly endless flights of stairs all the way to the top of the building, where The Doll’s private quarters were she was still not seen as a threat, which surprised Stateria’s creators immensely.
The Doll also had another Job, along with being a lethal weapon.
She was seen as a wish granter, and for the right fee she would grant the wish of anyone who came her way. Of course there were limits. She mostly focused on Material wishes and on the rare occasion a wish that required the tweeking of one’s personality in the right way, which she was very capable of doing. As for the Material wishes, all she needed to do was to manipulate the mind of someone else and have them hand over what was wished for.
And all the profits made by these wishes went to the laboratory that created this creature of course.
And so Stateria took on the role of a girl coming to the wish granter to make a wish, but what wish that was going to be was unknown to Stateria. She was told to make one up. As long as it got her close enough to that woman that was all that mattered.
And when Stateria stood in front of the Doll and was asked what her wish was Stateria only stood there in silence.
With no emotions Stateria didn’t long for anything. There was nothing she wanted, and so making up a wish on the spot was a hard thing to do.
Her mouth opened but not one word escaped her lips, instead Stateria stood there, looking up at the woman in front of her with a blank look on her face.
This in itself caused the Doll to tilt her head in wonder. “Is there nothing you long for?” The Doll’s voice almost sounded distorted from lack of use.
Once again Stateria was silent. Blank. There was nothing she could think of.
The creature in front of her tilted her head to the other side. Nothing. She couldn’t get into Stateria’s mind. There was nothing there. Or maybe there was some sort of wall blocking the creature’s ability from getting through.
The Doll felt threatened at first but then Stateria finally spoke.
“I just wished to see you.” Her own voice was blank, and raspy from lack of use as well.
And with that Stateria turned on her heel and walked out the door, not before dropping a generous amount of money into a golden bowl that was obviously where the fees were placed.
No wish was asked for and no wish was granted. At least none that the Doll needed to grant herself.
And so every day Stateria came up to the Doll’s quarters just to simply see the creature for a few moments at a time.
Eventually the creature grew more curious.
And then very slowly a bond began to form.
Or at least that was what The Doll believed it was. Every now and then she would ask for Stateria to stay for only a few minutes longer just to speak.
Company such as that where simple chatter was made was something The Doll wasn’t used to.
Months went by and The Doll had asked Stateria to come and visit her in her Quarters once more.
However, this time was going to be different.
She was going to allow Stateria to come closer than anyone had ever come before. She wanted to show Stateria that she trusted her. The Doll thought that this was something that she needed to do, or more along the lines… Something she wanted to do. A gift for the girl who donated her time to the wish granting creature every single day and asking for nothing in return.
The day came and Stateria was right on time as usual.
Her face was always so painfully blank…
The Doll thought that despite the blank face there had to be some sort of connection towards the Doll, there had to be! Stateria spared enough time for her that there had to be some sort of bond by then!
And so The Doll beckoned the other woman to step closer.
And closer did the Virus step.
She was close enough where all Stateria had to do was reach forward and she would be able to touch her.
However, Stateria remained still, hands by her sides in an obedient manner.
In The Doll’s eyes this was seen as a wall of trust.
With the upturn of a set of lips and the reach of a hand she gently took Stateria’s small wrist into her pale hand and guided it to her own pale cheek and connected her lips with the Virus’s…
The Doll’s skin was made of Porcelain. So fragile.
From the start the China Doll was the strongest and yet weakest creature of all the experiments of the Downunder and no one had the slightest clue, no one except her own creators.
She was The China Doll on a literal level.
But none of these facts were of any significance to Stateria at all.
Even when the Doll’s lips began to move against her own, uttering something that would cause a love sick being to weep with happiness, Stateria’s heart still remained cold and emotionless. Even as The Doll’s words came to an abrupt stop and her eyes widened in horror.
Her hand released Stateria’s wrist and she took a quick step back.
“What have you done…?” The porcelain skinned creature whispered in terror.
“I’ve completed my Directive.” Was all Stateria uttered blankly as she turned on her heel and began to make her way towards the door.
The Doll’s skin began to crack and peel away, as if something had struck the cheek that Stateria’s hand had once been. Even her perfect fragile lips began to crack and bleed.
Bringing a hands to her mouth the Doll began to cough violently before pulling her hands away to see her pale skin stained with crimson.
Stateria paused and looked over her shoulder, granting her an emotionless stare as the Pale skinned creature slowly deteriorated with a rapid sickness.
“I will now grant you a wish.” The Doll struggled as she shakily stepped closer to Stateria once more.
The Virus tilted her head as she turned on her heel in a confused manner. It was like what the Doll was saying didn’t compute with her memories.
“I uttered no wish.” Stateria reminded the Doll in a matter of fact way.
“No you didn’t and yes you did at the same time.” The creature stood directly in front of the other woman. “You broke my heart and my body. I only have time to grant one last wish before I shatter into nothing.” Her voice was starting to distort but despite being broken in every way the woman brought her hand to Stateria’s forehead, painting the virus’s skin red. “Your face is blank of emotion as well as your mind. I had thought this was because you lacked ill intent, but it was the complete opposite… I know what you are, Stateria. You are not who I thought you were… You are a creature made to kill as am I. Something no one wants to be. Not even you. Your creators have made it so your heart is permanently frozen over, voiding you of all emotion, making it so you are unable to question anything that is asked of you. However, your blank face is enough to ask for a wish, a wish that I shall make for you.” The Doll’s eyes turned hard. “You will no longer be blank of emotion.”
And with that The Doll used the last bit of energy she had left to blast Stateria’s entire body, overloading it and shattering the ice that coated her heart and what ever else that kept her from feeling.
The blast had been so great it was enough to shatter and turn to dust what was left of The China Doll, and also sending Stateria flying out the nearest window and down to the streets below, breaking almost every single bone in the Experiment’s body.
Stateria was found not even hours later.
The Rival Laboratory that had created Stateria had no idea what the other Creature had done to Stateria, they had assumed it had been the blast from the bombs that sent Stateria flying. They had planted the bombs themselves when they were sure that The Doll was taken care of. The bombs were planted to be sure that they would Rid themselves of any chance of that laboratory recreating a creature such as The Doll ever again. It would be impossible without their lab…
Stateria was taken back to her own laboratory where she was treated for her injuries and ‘Fixed’. However, they had no idea that Stateria’s body began to change. Or more accurately. Stateria began to Deviate.
For the first time Stateria was finally able to feel something when she opened her eyes for the first time after being thrown out the window.
The first thing she felt was cold. Not in regards to temperature. But in regards of what she had done.
Stateria had used trust and love to kill the only person who truly cared for her. Who truly loved her.
