《Angelica the Techno Ghoul》


 Prologue: A Story In Itself

    In the not so distance future of the Earth, having averted an apocalypse at the hands of a mad scientist the world had finally come to some form of stability. The allied nations triumphed over the mutant monster threat after much hardship.


    However unknown to the general public, a certain girl named Angelica played a pivotal role in stopping the destruction of the world, formally that infamous mad scientist¡¯s assistant and experimental subject. Adopted from a now lost orphanage, parents and surname unknown, made to assist in experiments until unexpectedly becoming a ghoul.


    Having luckily skipped the step of losing your mind when you turn into a zombie she retained her mental factuality¡¯s, the only noticeable change was that her hair turned white. With the power she gained by turning into a ghoul she was no longer bound by the mad scientist¡¯s concoction of drugs keeping her alive.


    No longer having to participate in the mad scientist''s plans she betrayed him making a deal with the allied nations in exchange for sanctuary. Unfortunately, the mad scientist didn¡¯t go down without a fight, knowing Angelica wouldn¡¯t betray him unless she was free of the drugs he concocted. The mad scientist hypothesised that Angelica had mutated and told the allied nations.


    Facing the accusation of the mad scientist Angelica was left at checkmate; before she was able to avoid a medical examination because the only mutants so far were zombies. Angelica knew that the mad scientist¡¯s goal was to create mutants in an attempt to evolve the human race; in fact, he thought it was his duty to evolve the human kind even if he had to do it forcibly.


    Using this information she explained that the worst was yet to come and she herself was proof of it. Refusing to be reduced to an experiment again, not sure of her strength and not wanting to fight against the human race, she offered her to help as long as she was treated with basic human rights.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    This unexpected turn of events backed the allied nations into a difficult position, arguing back and forth over the smallest details not wanting to lead the human race down a path of no return. Angelica seeing the looks of the people who stood behind the glass wall of her ¡®room¡¯ amended her previous offer, stating it was fine to keep her confined and monitored as long as she had a lab to herself to work from.


    Seeing this as the best outcome the allied nations accept and Angelica began her work. Time passed as the world dealt with various zombie outbreaks with increasing efficiency, but just as things were steadily getting under control different types of mutants began to emerge and they made zombies look like babies in comparison.


    It¡¯s unknown exactly how much of Angelica changed when she turned into a ghoul or the effects of being raised by the mad scientist, but she was undoubtedly a genius. She single handily pioneered cutting edge technology to assist in the fight against mutants; everything from anti-mutant weapons and tracking technology to medicine for the injured.


    Her magnum opus was a vaccine that stopped infected losing their minds and becoming monsters when they mutated.


    How much of the world was affected by the mad scientist evolution virus is unknown, but Angelica¡¯s vaccine stopped 99.9% of life forms turning into monsters with brutal and aggressive personalities. Without Angelica¡¯s inventions, it¡¯s not known how the world would¡¯ve turned out.


    However, the world now faces new problems such as mutant rights, discrimination, the aftermath of various battles, mutant animals and rare monsterfication incidents. Wanting to put on a strong united front, the allied nations scheduled the live execution of the mad scientist to the world.


    This piece of news spread throughout the world causing a commotion, but one person giggled too herself and made sure to have some popcorn prepared for the occasion.

 Chapter 1: Ups & Downs

    In a top secret facility hidden under a military base in a special conference room, a group of people were currently watching a girl with various expressions on their faces. The room¡¯s projector hummed lowly as it showed the girl from numerous different angles.


    The girl in question looked around 18 years old, her skin was like snow and complemented her long white hair that flowed freely down her back. She wore a custom lab coat with the top half being black and the bottom half white from the hips down. Her shirt was white and pants black and she had no shoes on, her black eyes were currently staring at a microwave.


    ¡°What is she doing?¡± a man dressed in a suit asked. ¡°Making popcorn sir!¡± a young soldier reported, ¡°I can see that, I want to know why?¡± the man retorted. There was round of mummers but no one answered.  The sound of the microwave beeping caught the attention of the room again, and everyone watched as the girl took out the bag and opened it pouring the popcorn into a bowl to the side. She then placed another bag into the microwave, set it and watched.


    ¡°How long until the execution?¡± the same man asked, ¡°Under an hour sir! The special program has just started now.¡± The same young soldier reported.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe the natural reaction to the execution of your foster father is to make popcorn. Has she done anything this past week?¡± the man asked in an annoyed tone.


    ¡°No suspicious movements reported sir!¡± said the young soldier. Before the man could continue his one-man show a woman adjusted her glasses ¡°It¡¯s pointless to try and explain these kinds of things, from what I¡¯ve observed she likes to imagine us arguing over everything she does.¡±


    ¡°You are?¡± the man asked.  ¡°Dr Seraphina Wolf, I was privately hired to review Angelica¡¯s mental state and I plan on recommending her immediate removal from this facility.¡±


    Before the man dressed in a suit could respond a gruff voice spoke: ¡°Hahaha you want to let that monster out into the world are you crazy?¡± Straightening his uniform the old general continued ¡°Did you even watch the recordings of her strength?¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact I did and I¡¯m well aware that she can¡¯t be taken lightly, but staying locked up here has a far greater risk of mental instability than on the outside.¡±


    ¡°Dr I think you¡¯re misunderstanding something she volunteered to stay here and hasn¡¯t complained about it once, what makes you think she even wants to leave?¡±


    ¡°Volunteered to stay here you say! She originally asked to be treated like a human but was treated as less than such, all her life she has been confined to a cage. The most original recordings of her show that she was more expressive and open even after growing up with the mad scientist, and now she¡¯s completely closed herself off!¡±


    Beep! The microwave again brought back attention to Angelica, if they had been watching closer before they would¡¯ve noticed her tightly clenched hands. Repeating the same process as before Angelica discarded the popcorn bags and grabbed the bowl of popcorn and headed for the lounge.


    The screen flickered flowing her every move as she sat down on the couch and turned on the TV to watch the special program.


    The general turned back to Seraphina and said: ¡°Doctor you sure are passionate about your work but now isn¡¯t the time for debate Mr Nash will get your report and will take your findings into full consideration.¡± The general looked at the man in the suit for confirmation.


    ¡°The general is right; Angelica¡¯s status can be debated another time, right now we need to watch for any unforeseen events occurring.¡± Compared to his earlier tone he was much more polite, his attitude screamed hypocrisy but Seraphina just huffed continued to watch Angelica.


    She knew it was pointless to argue any further they cared more about the inventions Angelica made than what was right. More importantly, she had a hunch that Angelica was far more terrifying than either of them believed.


    <hr>


    Meanwhile, Angelica sat on the couch slowly eating the popcorn from the bowl on her lap. She wasn¡¯t really paying attention to the program (A homage to all the hard work the allied nations had done) she already knew more than it would show. No, she was currently contemplating what she had heard from her hidden earpiece.


    Specifically, should she leave or not. Currently, her escape plan had an estimated 95% chance of success, but she didn¡¯t want to have to look over her back for the foreseeable future. It was more comfortable to be ¡®securely¡¯ watched than running all the time and she already experienced it once before.


    Over the years she had spent in here not only had her body not aged but as she completed more inventions she would request more amenities be added so it was quite comfortable down here now. As for safety, she had long ago already gained full control over the facility, heck it was probably safer than going outside.


    What pissed her off was that she was still not seen as human. Which is technically correct but she didn¡¯t like being treated like a monster. Even if the allied nations let her out the public opinion on mutants wasn¡¯t very high, she would face a pointless uphill battle to fit in.


    Because of her vaccine mutants that retained their sanity weren¡¯t as strong as ones that turned into true monsters, even their mutations were less severe, generally just changes in physical and mental strength. The more interesting ones changed to what people are calling Demi-humans. There have been reports of Elves, Dwarves and many different kinds of Beast-kin.


    Angelica found it funny how the easiest way she found to deal with the mutation virus the mad scientist had released was to make sure it worked properly. Not that she would tell anyone that.


    Thinking back to the doctor''s words she truly has been in a cage all her life. When she thought that she had broken one another replaced it, but compared to life with the mad scientist this was heaven or more precisely a cage she had built herself. Oh well, I think I¡¯ll just laze around until I get told off.


    Shifting focus back to the real world Angelica noticed that the execution was reaching the high point as the mad scientist was currently restrained in a chair. The mad scientist looked like a typical old wizard with long grey beard and all. His current expression had a self-satisfied smirk as they read his long list of crimes for the world to hear, but Angelica wasn¡¯t listening to that as she realised the execution method he had chosen.


    ¡°Pfft....¡±  She couldn¡¯t hold it together and exploded in a fit of giggling, the popcorn bowl thrown to the side making a huge mess. Lethal injection! Thinking of all the lives he ruined with an injection she couldn¡¯t help but laugh at his decision on how to end his own.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Taking deep breaths and calm herself down Angelica couldn¡¯t help but smile; it truly was a great idea to take the time out her day to watch his execution she thought.


    Ignoring the noisy voices in her ear, she quickly sat back up after her laughing fit it seemed that they were allowing the mad scientist his last words? No matter how think about it doesn¡¯t that sound like a recipe for disaster?  Well, they would have to release his statement anyway, wouldn¡¯t they?


    Ignorant of his foster daughter¡¯s thoughts the mad scientist just looked straight at the camera and laughed heartily ¡°The only regret in life is that I am unable to see it my greatest creation fully blossom.¡± The mad scientist continued to laugh as they administered the drugs and he quickly fell asleep with a crazy smile plastered on his face.


    From the outside, it looked as Angelica calmly turned off the TV and quietly sat back down on the couch but on the inside she was fuming. Didn¡¯t this just drop a whole bunch of problems on her! Damn it! I just planned on taking it easy!


    As if to confirm her suspicions a bunch of nonsense could be heard coming from her earpiece. Sighing powerlessly, she laid down on the couch and stared at the ceiling. I guess I¡¯ll enjoy this last moment of peace she thought.


    As if mocking her, a blue screen appeared in the centre of Angelica¡¯s vision. Ding!


    <table style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto">


    <tbody>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Congratulations on your world reaching critical mass!</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


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    <td style="text-align: center">As the inhabitant with the most karma responsible for this feat, you have been selected to be the First Angel of Earth!</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


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    <td style="text-align: center">As a future Angel, you will be granted access to the Angel System!</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Good luck guiding your world towards prosperity!</td>


    </tr>


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    <td style="text-align: center">The World System will now begin with your ascension please stand by.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Angelica was astounded at the blue screens that floated in front of her. This was a joke right... had she finally snapped? Who the hell wants to be responsible for the prosperity of Earth she screamed internally.


    Unaware or ignoring Angelica¡¯s thoughts the World System loyally continued to operate only...


    <table>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Error Subject is Suffering from a Critical Condition: Death</td>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Activating Recovery Module.....</td>


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    </tbody>


    </table>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Checking Location for Potential Danger..... Isolating Space.....</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Angelica somehow felt the world shift around her but there was no visible change. A blast of static came from her ear she quickly bolted upright discarding the earpiece. It seems this is really happening she thought as reached towards the TV remote.


    <table>


    <tbody>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Beginning Recovery Sequence.....</td>


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    Angelica felt a tingling feeling throughout her body.


    <table>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Error Subject still Suffers from Critical Condition: Death</td>


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    </tbody>


    </table>


    No Shit I¡¯m a Ghoul Angelica complained as she turned on the TV but it quickly shut down along with the rest of the lights. The room was replaced with eerie silence but luckily she had excellent night vision.


    <table>


    <tbody>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Activating Backup Recovery Module.....</td>


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    </tbody>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Checking Soul Integrity..... No Degradation Found.....</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Conditions Met Activating Ascension Module.....</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Help! Angelica screamed in her mind having gotten used to not speaking in a long time. I think your Angel System has a serious bug she thought hoping for a response.


    <table>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Error Subject is Suffering from a Critical Condition: Death</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Activating Recovery Module.....</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Checking Location for Potential Danger..... Conditions Met.....</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    This pattern! Don¡¯t tell me...


    <table>


    <tbody>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Beginning Recovery Sequence.....</td>


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    </tbody>


    </table>


    She felt the same sensation run through her body again.


    <table>


    <tbody>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Error Subject still Suffers from Critical Condition: Death</td>


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    </tbody>


    </table>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Activating Backup Recovery Module.....</td>


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    </tbody>


    </table>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Checking Soul Integrity..... No Degradation Found.....</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


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    <tbody>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Conditions Met Activating Ascension Module.....</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Angelica watched in horror as the blue screens kept coming and going. She could only hope that whatever made this system knew how to program if that¡¯s even how it worked.


    <table>


    <tbody>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Error Fatal Loop Found.....</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Angelica almost jumped for joy when she saw this.


    <table>


    <tbody>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Activating Backup Ascension Module.....</td>


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    </tbody>


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    <table>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Error Subject is Suffering from a Critical Condition: Death</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    #@$%#@! Angelica had the growing urge to punch whoever made this stupid system! Did they have a prejudice against the Undead or something? Sighing to herself Angelica realised she hadn¡¯t felt like this in a long time, not since she was forced to work with the mad scientist. Clenching her fists tightly she promised to herself however things turned out she wouldn¡¯t let herself be as vulnerable as this again.


    <table>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Error Fatal Loop Found.....</td>


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    </tbody>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Activating Experimental Emergency Backup Module.....</td>


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    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Lol Hello there! This is a pre-recorded message so don¡¯t get your panties in a twist. I just thought it would be funny to sneak this in here because it¡¯s impossible for a soul to last this long in a dead body without outside influence. Congratulations on meeting these conditions! Clap! Clap! Clap! Well, why bothering to say all this? Well, it¡¯s simple the higher-ups want triple redundancy because it sounds good on reports without worrying about the practical implications of such a system. So here I am planning on getting hammered as fuck tonight and this message is before I half arse my way through this shit fest for the third time. Don¡¯t worry future self I¡¯ve already marked this part done and pre-programmed the experience to be filed away never to be seen again and all you will remember is that you did a damn fine job if I do say so myself. Anyway if by any chance this comes back to haunt me well... fuck me right! HAHAHA NOT POSSIBLE! ¨C Sincerely Sam</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    As Angelica read the message her already pale face became white as white can be.


    <table>


    <tbody>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Activating Experimental Forced Ascension..... Let¡¯s get this party started baby!</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Before Angelica could retort she was assaulted with soul tearing pain, her vision went white and she quickly fainted.

 Chapter 2: A Hop, Skip, & a Jump

    Angelica woke up with a splitting headache. Her vision was all messed up and she felt like she was wearing heavier clothes for some reason. Sitting up groggily she noticed that the only thing she could see was static. White noise to be precise...


    Looking left and to her surprise white noise. Looking right and she was greeted with the same white noise.


    For some reason, she didn¡¯t really feel like this was a problem. Confused by her own thought and the headache she was surprised when a familiar blue screen appeared in front of her.


    <table>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Ascension Complete.</td>


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    <td style="text-align: center">Congratulations on Becoming a Trainee Angel, We Look Forward to Your Continued Growth.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffffff">


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    <td style="text-align: center"> Initialising Experimental Angel System.....</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    What followed was something she didn¡¯t want to ever feel again. Angelica assumed it was some sort of calibration because it felt like ever sense in her body went haywire followed by various tingling sensations running through her body simultaneously. Thankfully she only had to experience it for a second before it was over. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes she didn¡¯t realise she shut.


    What greeted her was a dark room filled with cobwebs and dust. Somehow she was in the centre of the room completely fine.


    Before she could take in the sights various forms of white text moved around her vision freely like they had a life of their own. Reading she started to frown. Most of it was errors, errors that made no sense, listing various modes, modules and data.


    Amazingly this didn¡¯t really seem to obstruct her vision it was like the HUD was ethereal. Maybe I have an Angel Mode or something she thought.


    <table style="border-color: #ffffff; background-color: #ffffff">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Angel Mode Activated..... Error Angel Mode Inoperable..... Deactivating. </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Well, that was pointless, though I better figure out what¡¯s going on. I bet everyone¡¯s freaking out haha.


    Smiling to herself Angelica propped herself up and suddenly fell forward face planting on the dust-laden floor. *Poof* A dust apocalypse descended upon the room and mostly on Angelica. *Cough*Cough* Blowing the dust out of her face she carefully sat back up examining herself.


    ... Angelica quickly patted herself down, dust blowing everywhere. When she finally calmed down Angelica sat there staring off into space her black eye vacant as if her soul was sucked out her body.


    She had regressed in age! If she had to describe herself she looked like a little brat that had stolen her parent¡¯s lab coat. Her pants and underwear had no longer fitted her and tripped her when she tried to stand. The plain white shirt was now big enough to be a one-piece dress.


    What the hell is going on she silently screamed! The Angel System loyally responded with its white ethereal text explaining that energy was required for Ascension and it used it. Well, that¡¯s what she summarised filtering through all the errors.


    Sighing Angelica didn¡¯t really like thinking about her body, not because it grossed her out or anything but because she couldn¡¯t figure it out. All her tests said she was dead, simple right? She wished; after much debate, she could only hypothesise that her soul had somehow mutated to become one with her body or something. She was basically guessing after all. Reason being that when she ate, she felt the energy wasn¡¯t really stored in her body and whenever she used her body the energy required would come from somewhere.


    The rest of the time her body was in a low powered state as she liked to call it, or death. It didn¡¯t help that she felt fuller when she ate meat and specifically the more intelligent the animal the more energy...


    Ignoring the implications Angelica decided it was time to find a way out.


    Finally looking around the dust filled room she noticed it had the same dimensions as the lounge she was in previously only this room was empty. Continuing to look around until she had done a full spin, her lab coat leaving a nice trail. Huh? There¡¯s no door she thought.


    Before she could panic her ethereal text pointed out that the door had been shut and covered in dust. Looking at the now glowing door Angelica wondering what other functions the Angel System had. A massive wall of text startled her, skimming through Angelica thought it would be best to leave it for later as it would require deciphering and she didn¡¯t want to go hungry. The list vanished just like that.


    Nodding Angelica headed towards the door stirring up another dust storm in the process. Shivering at the newfound dusty breeziness she tried to push open the door. The door groaned but didn¡¯t budge, she didn¡¯t panic, and she had half expected it but was hoping for some good luck.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    The door was a solid steel sliding door after all and she was hoping it was just shut and not locked in place with steel bolts. Normally the door was hidden in the wall as she didn¡¯t need to open and close it when going back forth to her kitchen.  Placing her palm on the door Angelica wondered if the Angel System could do anything about it.


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    <td style="text-align: center">Analysing Situation..... Applying Force.....</td>


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    </table>


    *Bang!*


    An ear piercing noise echoed out, Angelica stood there stunned, staring at the hole large enough for her to climb through. The hole looked like a cannonball had flown right through without stopping. Blinking at the white light filtering through Angelica timidly climbed through, to her surprise it seemed whatever ¡®force¡¯ that had been applied didn¡¯t generate any heat. Once through she carefully pulled the rest of the lab coat through not letting it get caught on the jagged edges.


    Finally adjusted to the bright light Angelica viewed what should have been her kitchen only to see a familiar but long forgotten seen. Although the actors and props were different it was undoubtedly something she had seen before. Rubbing her eyes one more time for confirmation proved that she wasn¡¯t hallucinating.


    In front of her was a tomboyish girl around 13 years old strapped to an ¡®X¡¯ shaped table she had short pink hair, pink eyes and a healthy skin tone. Luckily for her she still had her clothes on, stylish tank top and pants that Angelica had never seen before. Not that she knew much about fashion. It seemed that she had interrupted 2 shadily dressed men in whatever operation they had planned with their unidentifiable equipment. It certainly was shiny, but she should¡¯ve been able to identify it.


    As if to answer her worries the Angel System fluttered around until it boldly labelled the objects as ¡®Unknown Object¡¯.  Dismissing the ¡®useful¡¯ information the best course of action now was to simply ask what was going on. ¡°What... are.... you... doing?¡± Angelica¡¯s voice was slow, monotone but distinctly feminine and childish and had the air of an old text to speech program.


    Wow, I didn¡¯t know it would so hard to speak after so long she thought. Hearing Angelica¡¯s question the 2 men glanced at each quickly. From their perspective, a strange girl had burst in what should¡¯ve been solid underground, but the first to speak wasn¡¯t them but the girl. ¡°Quickly Run! They¡¯re bad guys!¡± The girl practically screamed wanting to make sure Angelica understood the situation.


    ¡°Tsk¡±, it seemed that the 2 ¡®bad guys¡¯ as the girl had put it came to some sort of understanding and reached for their hips at the same time not underestimating the girl in front of them at all.


    Angelica stood there frozen as she saw what they were reaching for, guns! However, she had never seen guns like theirs before. Interrupting her thoughts the Angel System reacted first.


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    <td style="text-align: center">Warning! Hostile Intent Detected...... Activating Combat Mode.....</td>


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    </table>


    Angelica watched as time seemed to slow down around her.


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    <td style="text-align: center">Error Combat Mode Inoperable.....</td>


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    </tbody>


    </table>


    As quick as time slowed down it sped back up Fuck! cursing to herself Angelica immediately charged the closest man. Angelica''s natural reflexes and strong body had tackled the man before he could completely raise his gun.


    This time Angelica herself was the cannonball as the 2 people crash in the wall next to the girl. Ignoring the sicking crunch from the man Angelica quickly spun around to see the other pointing his gun at her.


    Gritting her teeth Angelica had an inherent understanding that it was very hard to kill her without completely destroying her body but she didn¡¯t know what happened in between and she didn¡¯t want to find out.


    However, it looked like she didn¡¯t have a choice in the matter. As the man was milliseconds away from firing and she didn¡¯t have enough time to charge him.


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    <td style="text-align: center">Warning! Imminent Danger Detected..... Activating Self-Defence Module.....</td>


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    Angelica¡¯s eyes widened and the man interpreted that as his victory and smirked. *Bang*


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    <td style="text-align: center">Self-Defence Module Active..... Applying Force.....</td>


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    </table>


    Without time to read the prompts Angelica was thrown sideways dodging a bullet literally, not wasting the opportunity she charged in a weird zigzag pattern as she herself got jerked around avoiding the man¡¯s aim.


    ¡°Arrgh!¡±  The man let out a groan as they crashed into the wall opposite the girl but surprisingly he continued to groan still alive. Not giving him a chance Angelica quickly snapped his neck.


    <table style="border-color: #ffffff; background-color: #ffffff">


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    <td style="text-align: center">Danger Eliminated Deactivating Self-Defence Module.....</td>


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    This wasn¡¯t the first time she had killed, but it was the first time she had done it so barbarically. Walking over to the restrained girl who had an ¡®o¡¯ shaped mouth she looked for a way to free the girl. Angelica didn¡¯t think it was anything special, more along the lines of as expected her strength hadn¡¯t changed even though her body had.


    Quickly finding a release button Angelica pressed it and the girl fell down with a scream ¡°Kya!¡±


    Angelica didn¡¯t fail to notice the bindings disappeared when she did so. ??? They weren¡¯t glowing for aesthetic reasons! Unaware of Angelica¡¯s thoughts the girl the nimbly propped herself up and said ¡°Thank you for saving me! How did you do that you were so awesome!¡±


    Brought back to her senses Angelica simply asked ¡°Name..?¡± and tilted her head a little. It had surprised her how hard it was to talk before so she decided it was better to skip pointless stuff.


    ¡°Ah! I forgot how rude of me I¡¯m Sophia Gene, what about you?¡± Sophia asked energetically forgetting about what just happened.


    ¡°Angelica...¡±


    Sophia¡¯s eyes sparkled for some reason ¡°Such a pretty name I like it!¡± Angelica didn¡¯t understand what this girl was thinking and simply tilted her head some more.


    Before the 2 girls could get lost in their own world the bright white room flashed red and a siren blazed. ¡°Ah! We need to hurry and escape; my parents will find me quickly now my trackers not jammed.¡± Before Angelica could respond Sophia had already run towards the door. It was the same kind that now had a hole in it. Angelica was about to offer to open it free of charge when Sophia made a weird ¡®C¡¯ like pose.


    *Screech!*


    In 3 seconds flat Sophia had ripped the bolts holding the door in place sliding it back into the wall.


    It was now Angelica¡¯s turn to stare slack-jawed. Sophia just laughed and quickly grabbed Angelica¡¯s hand and pulled her along. ¡°Don¡¯t worry such an outdated facility won¡¯t be able to hold me!¡±

 Chapter 3: Old vs New

    Sophia only pulled Angelica a short distance before stopping in front of a door opposite the room she was held in. Angelica¡¯s bedroom should¡¯ve been in there but when Sophia pried the door open like before she discovered that it was now a storage room. Confused Angelica looked around again while Sophia ran about the storage room.


    Perhaps because she just woke up or hadn¡¯t really paid attention to her surroundings thinking it was her same old home Angelica hadn¡¯t noticed that the lights now hung down from the ceiling with sleek colour coded cables running around. The bright white lights hid the faded grey concrete walls that were no longer as smooth as glass, the difference was more noticeable with the intermittent red warning light now.


    Before being able to ponder the reason for the changes she was grabbed by Sophia again, ¡°Come on hurry! I¡¯m gonna make them regret kidnapping me!¡± Going with the flow Angelica fixed her gaze on Sophia who was now wearing a pair of black fingerless gloves, silver bracelets and a silver pendant with a blue sword & shield in the centre. As they ran down the corridor Sophia noticed Angelica¡¯s gaze, ¡°It¡¯s the latest from Blue Field I can¡¯t wait to use it for real!¡± Sophia said proudly.


    Since Angelica found it easier to communicate non verbally she just tilted her head again confused, although the Angel System did seem to register these items tentatively as made by Blue Field. Seeing this Sophia just giggled and said: ¡°Just watch, you¡¯ll see!¡± Reaching the end of the corridor Sophia stopped again and before stepping out into the tunnel she tapped the pendant and the sword and shield started to glow blue along with a thin line along the centre of her bracelets.


    Smiling at Angelica, Sophia thrusted her left hand out like she was signalling someone to stop. A light blue shield materialised in front of Sophia. The shield looked like stained glass and was big enough to protect Sophia. Frowning Sophia spreaded out her fingers like a fan and the shield grew wider to cover Angelica as well.


    Angelica had half expected it but she was still very surprised, given that she had seen something similar holding Sophia captive. Angelica couldn¡¯t help but smile brightly, since she had woken up it wasn¡¯t hard to guess some amount of time had passed but she hadn¡¯t expected this. Seeing something that could pass as magic made her giddy if it wasn¡¯t for the situation at hand she would¡¯ve begun to study it right now.


    On the other hand, seeing the expressionless Angelica suddenly smile like that had distracted Sophia so she couldn¡¯t help but scream when a black wolf almost as tall as her rammed itself against the shield. The wolf yelped and was thrown back into the tunnel as fast as it collided with the shield leaving a flickering of light in its wake. Before the wolf could regain it balance Sophia charged it with her shield crushing it against the tunnel¡¯s wall.


    Now pinned against the wall the wolf howled miserably, quickly jumping back Sophia repositioned her shield by holding her hand out to her side and gave the wolf another kick to its head.


    ¡°Stupid bio-wolf scaring me like that!¡± As Sophia finished complaining a series of howls echoed down the large tunnel the bio-wolf came from. ¡°Cheap kidnappers can¡¯t even afford proper security just wait until I find you!¡± Fuming Sophia began to walk towards echoing howls, but before going too far she said to Angelica ¡°Stay back there, don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll protect you!¡± and gave her a big thumbs up with her right hand.


    Nodding seriously before looking back at the now dead bio-wolf Angelica compared it to similar specimens from her memory. Conveniently the Angel System brought up the related information pointing out the differences and similarities quicker than she could blink. Verifying the information Angelica quickly confirmed her hypothesis that the ¡®bio-wolf¡¯ was a mutated wolf. Although it no longer looked as monstrous as she remembered, its glossy black fur was capable of dampening the impact from bullets and its claws could puncher kevlar vests easily. Sufficed to say no normal human would be its match without more specialised firearms. Angelica was confident that she could defeat one, but against a pack, it would be futile even with her ¡®Self-Defence¡¯ module as she would be slowly cornered.


    Looking down the large tunnel that previously connected all her labs together it was big enough to allow the coming bio-wolves to surround Sophia, if Angelica was in her position she would¡¯ve retreated back to form a choke point and started a battle of attrition but looking at Sophia¡¯s expression she seemed to have a plan. Well, at least she doesn¡¯t seem the type to just run off thought Angelica.


    Oblivious to Angelica¡¯s heartless thoughts, Sophia lowered her body slightly and reduced the size of her shield to the default setting. Her right hand formed a fist then she extended her index and middle finger all in an exaggerated motion. With a light blue glow of light, a 50cm long blue blade of stained glass formed.


    Echoing growls and footsteps could be heard ahead as the pack of bio-wolves rounded the corner further ahead coming into view. The Angel System showed 11 similar signatures headed towards Sophia.


    Sophia took a casual step forward, her shield meeting the bio-wolf in the lead head on.


    The bio-wolf was immediately rebounded back into the pack, Sophia¡¯s shield flashed orange before returning to its soft blue glow.


    The pack was quick to respond with a bio-wolf charging Sophia¡¯s left and right flank, but with a step to the right, Sophia thrust her blade straight into the head of a bio-wolf killing it instantly. Not missing the opening the bio-wolf that flanked left jumped at Sophia¡¯s exposed back.


    Sophia¡¯s left hand formed a fist and the shield projected by her left hand shrunk into a sphere surrounding her left hand. Simply twisting her upper body she smashed her left fist into the bio-wolf that tried to attack her from behind.


    *Crack*


    The poor bio-wolf¡¯s head was pulverised sending blood and brain matter out in a wide arc along with its body. As quick as the battle had begun 2 bio-wolves were dead and 1 injured. Not giving them time to reorganise Sophia charged the remain 9.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    To say Angelica was surprised again would be a complete understatement, having dissected numerous mutant creatures she could roughly estimate the toughness of the bio-wolves and the strength required to accomplish what she had just seen was at least as high as hers. The best way to describe the scene unfolding in front of her was like a wolf among sheep ironically.


    Having gained the initiative Sophia easily made short work of the rest of the bio-wolves with precision strikes with her right-hand blade and the pure strength of her left-hand shield.


    Unsure if Sophia had been trained to fight or not Angelica was very impressed until the Angel System began pointing out errors and showing repays with optimised moves. Dismissing the boring information Sophia was basically a bundle of raw talent.


    Isn¡¯t that more impressive thought Angelica, though she was more concerned about the girl¡¯s mentality. Picking up the back of her oversized lab coat so that it wouldn¡¯t become a mop Angelica made her way towards Sophia.


    At the centre of the gore fest, Angelica walked up beside Sophia. She was breathing heavily and her appearance had changed drastically since the start of the battle, the fancy gadgets now glowed orange instead of soft blue and she was drenched in blood like some sort of serial killer. She was in striking contrast to the black, white and grey dust covered Angelica.


    Seeing the Angel System confirm Sophia was uninjured Angelica continued down the tunnel before it became a swimming pool of blood. Watching Angelica navigate her way around the growing pools of blood for a second Sophia quickly said ¡°Ah, wait up.¡± and ran straight towards Angelica with a squelching sound.


    Arriving on the other side first Angelica waited for Sophia to catch up and then continued down the main corridor silently with Sophia.


    Unable to stay silent for long Sophia awkwardly asked: ¡°Were you scared?¡±


    Angelica shook her head from side to side.


    ¡°Are you scared now?¡± Sophia asked again.


    Angelica shook her head from side to side again.


    ¡°Grossed out then?¡± Sophia asked again thinking about how Angelica moved before.


    Again Angelica shook her head from side to side.


    ¡°Then why did you avoid the blood?¡± Asked Sophia.


    Angelica held her chin for a second and thought ¡°Annoying¡­ To¡­ Clean¡­¡± she answered slowly.


    At the unexpected answer, Sophia could only say ¡°Ah, is it? I haven¡¯t heard the servants complain about it before¡­¡±


    ¡°Dried¡­ Is¡­ Worst¡­¡± Angelica continued thinking about the past. Sophia couldn¡¯t help but giggle at Angelica¡¯s worries. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, after we get out of here we can have a nice long bath and I can have your clothes washed,¡± said Sophia.


    Angelica nodded going along with the flow but Sophia took it seriously and said with determination ¡°Alright what are we waiting for then!¡± and took Angelica¡¯s hand and began running again.


    Rounding the bend in the tunnel the 2 girls reached the massive solid steel shutter that divided Angelica¡¯s own home with the rest of the base. Although there were technically other connections thought Angelica this one had the easiest access for people.


    Before Sophia could attempt to open the ¡®door¡¯ ahead of them a light flashed and a person wearing a suit and tie materialised in front of them, although his entire face was somehow pixelated. Some things never change thought Angelica.


    An obviously altered voice spoke, ¡°Stop this pointless resistance or I¡¯ll be forced to use our Anti-Intruder Robots.¡± Sophia was silent for a second before bursting out in laughter.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m that stupid if you had them you would¡¯ve used them before, after all, they have non-lethal settings!¡± Sophia thought for another second before giggling again ¡°Unless your¡¯s are sooo old that they don¡¯t!¡±


    Even though the man''s face was pixelated Angelica swore that she could see a vein throb on the man''s forehead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky brat just because they''re old doesn¡¯t mean you stand any chance with your half charged Blue Field.¡± The man said angrily referring to the orange glow of Sophia¡¯s pendant.


    ¡°Oh really then let''s see old man just how good they really are!¡± Sophia said teasingly. Although Angelica didn¡¯t get why she had called him an old man because his body looked young, but then the Angel System showed a reconstruction of the man¡¯s probable appearance and Angelica was even more surprised. So that''s what''s going on she thought. But she had no more time to ponder as Sophia¡¯s taunt was effective ¡°Very well don¡¯t regret¡­¡±


    Before he could finish his monologue another light flashed and another figure appeared in front of the girls. The person that appeared didn¡¯t hide her identity, she was a stunningly beautiful woman with fiery red hair and extraordinary proportions but what stood out most was her bushy wolf tail swinging behind her and wolf ears on top of her head. She wore a tight tank top that almost couldn¡¯t contain everything showing her midriff and healthy tanned skin. Her pants, however, were all business and looked standard issue navy seal with tactical boots as well. Finally, she had black fingerless gloves and her arms were crossed further accentuating her chest as she looked sternly at Sophia. The sheer aura she admitted was enough to make even Angelica break out in cold sweat.


    ¡°Mum!¡± However, Sophia instantly broke that atmosphere calling out affectionately. ¡°What¡¯s this I hear about fighting about A.I.R¡¯s?¡± Sophia laughed sheepishly like a kid caught stealing from a cookie jar.


    ¡°You¡¯ve only just begun your combat training and haven¡¯t even cleared biological combat yet, don¡¯t go getting cocky even if their system is woefully outdated.¡± Sophia¡¯s mother reprimanded gently. Sighing Sophia¡¯s mother turned to Angelica and said ¡°Thank-you for rescuing Sophia; as you¡¯ve already heard I¡¯m Sophia¡¯s mother but allow me to introduce myself I¡¯m Elizabeth Gene; thanks again for helping Sophia we were honestly in a tight spot there but luckily you showed up in time.¡±


    Angelica just tilted her head not understanding; the kidnappers wanted to ¡®study¡¯ Sophia so she wasn¡¯t in any mortal danger. Completely ignoring the unknown man in the suit who was now steaming Mrs Gene continued to speak to the girls.


    ¡°In approximately 13 minutes our extraction force will arrive and begin recovery but until then don¡¯t do anything stupid and that includes fighting any A.I.R¡¯s, until then now that we have partial control over the facility I¡¯ll guide you along a safe path, is that clear?¡±


    Angelica simply nodded while Sophia pouted like her fun had been ruined. ¡°Is THAT clear?¡± She repeated. This time Sophia nodded as well.


    However, all good plans are destined for ruin, as the unknown man interrupted them absolutely livered.


    ¡°DON''T THINK THAT I¡¯LL JUST LET YOU DO WHAT YOU WANT! HAHAHA¡±


    Disappearing with a creepy laugh before even Sophia could comment the whole tunnel shock and dust fell like rain. When the tunnel finally stopped shaking the lights flickered to orange and Mrs Gene was barely visible and fading at a rapid pace.


    ¡°Shit! The .. base has .. gone into lock .. down. Don¡¯t¡­¡± Before she could finish her sentence her figure shattered leaving Angelica and Sophia alone again.