Revenge by Chris Wilson (nonfiction book recommendations .txt) 📖

arm outstretched. Looking away and blinking back tears caused by the light, Matthew knew the droid had fired a highly-explosive missile at its' victim. Who or what the victim was, Matthew didn't know. He was hoping without trying to that the army had come back to support them, and they could defeat the ADR's.
Turning now to face the fading light, he could make out the dark silhouette of the robot leaning over to examine something. Suddenly, with a puff of gas and smoke and electricity, the ADR was engulfed in a mass of an electrics' mine. The mines had been established for sabotage or electric devices, Matthew hoped it had a strong effect on the ADR. He wasn't so sure he could survive another encounter with one this time. After training, promotion, and new weaponry, well he might beat the odds. But for now, his assassin weapon wasn't going to do him much good against them. The cloud of smoke was fading, and Matthew was relieved to see nothing standing over there. Moving across the battlefield stealthily and quickly and ready to dive for cover should he notice a weapon training on him, Matthew reached the droid uneventfully.
The ADR's main computer had ejected from its' chest, and the screen fizzed and buzzed randomly. A human figure lay face-down nearby, probably the victim of the first explosion. Going over to turn over the body, Matthew was surprised and dismayed to see that it was Joel, with an out-of-ammunition assassination weapon clutched tightly in his cold fingers. He was obviously dead. Suddenly making the connection between the three shots he had heard earlier, Matthew realised Joel had tried to distract the ADR to save his life! Injecting his teeth in Joels' arm, he attempted to revive him.
Joel reawakened five minutes later to Matthews' happiness. The moment Joel stood, an audible and robotic-sounding Beep! was heard. It had come from the direction of the droid. Striding quickly over to where the robot lay, Matthew saw that readable numbers had appeared on the central computer's screen. They danced and changed colors, but stayed readable as they steadily changed. 00:34, 00:33, 00:32... A grave understanding fell on Matthew like a bucket of ice-cold water. Glancing at Joel, he saw a stunned realization occur on his face as well.
Come on! We've got to get out of here fast! Matthew thought quickly. To Matthew's horror, Joel walked unsteadily towards the self-destructing machine.
I'm a skilled engineer, I can probably stop it in time... Joel thought.
You're a fool if you truly believe that! Matthew furiously thought back.
If I fail, we will both die unless you leave now. Get out, and let me do my life's work!
This isn't a request! You will come with me now, I have seniority! Suddenly, much to Matthew's surprise, he heard a familiar voice in his head known to him since he was first zombified.
Stop bickering, both of you! Joel, stop your worthless repairs, and Matt, prepare to be picked up. You forget too easily I know everything going on; you should consult me more often. You used to do it quite often, you know, until you became more confident in your abilities. Don't forget what I could do to this confidence you have earned... Spoke a dark, broken voice.
Matt was shocked by the voice's kindness; he had never earned his calling nickname. He had earned the battle nicknames Slaughterer, Assassin, and bloodthirsty before, but never a calling nickname. He heard murmurs of other Zombies calling him by his calling name as a sign of respect, and he bowed to his unseen watcher. A cloud covered the sun, and Matt noticed it was the only cloud in the sky. Grinning at the size of the cloud, Matt knew it was no cloud. The cloud steadily got bigger, and silently morphed from a cloud to a shadow to an eye. The eye had hundreds of pupils, some bigger then others, and because they all had different colors it gave the illusion that the eye was constantly changing color variation. The eye was about as big as a two-story building.
An especially large pupil separated itself from the eye with blinding speed and had landed next to the pair of Zombies faster then the human eye could see. Quickly clambering inside the gap that opened in this room-sized pupil, Joel and Matt thought about sitting down, only to realise there were no seating. Immediately a couch melted out of the black floor of the pupil next to each of them. Just before they sat down, the gap re-opened. Three figures melted from the black ground, and they herded Joel and Matt out from the room. Two Zombies walked past the leaving five figures to get inside the pupil. A spark lit in Joel and Matt's mind, telling them their battle names were Seeker and Lazer.
Heading along the pitch-black and rapidly changing shape corridor, the pair noticed a black door without a way of access. Without pausing, the three figures guiding them pointed at the door and waved their arm-like appendages at the door in a clear indication of Hurry! Matt had experience with his leader's technology before, and guessed he should walk up to the door and touch it. Joel followed him, and as he touched the door he was shocked to find his fingers melting through the door as if he had put his hand through a waterfall. Pausing, the pair went through the door, shivering slightly as the gelatinous-like substance clung to their skin. Slowly flowing back to the door, the substance never separated from the door completely.
They were even more surprised to now find themselves in a bright-white corridor, also rapidly changing but with off-leading tunnels. Three white-outlined figures melted from the morphing floor, and began to walk down a corridor for a ways before turning back and motioning to the two Zombies to follow. Walking down the white corridor hurt their eyes, and they wished for the pitch-darkness they were in earlier. Matt guessed they were heading for the center of the eye, and wasn't too shocked to come to a small room in which all tunnels seemed to lead to or out of. A shape took up the center of the room, it had tentacle-like appendages sticking into the wall above, below, and around it. It's color was glowing black, and a strange unnaturalness emanated from it. It squirmed and formed into odd shapes, and there was a creepiness about it.
Two seconds after they entered the room, two seats melted from the floor and a strand of liquid-solid material shot out of the floor to shove the Zombies into their seats. Before they had a chance to resist, it melted them into the chair, leaving only the head visible. It felt like liquid, only it morphed around them as it pressed against them. Suddenly, the whole room seemed to blur in and out of existence, and everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Wondering if he was going to pass out or throw up, Matt thought violently, We've been captured!
Moments later, the room unexpectedly changed back to what it had been before. The seemingly alive semi-solids melted off them and into the ground, leaving no trace. The object in the middle of the room now seemed to radiate small amounts of heat, and glowed red slightly. An explanation came in the way Matt had not expected it. The object in the middle of the room suddenly seemed to have a face, and this face looked right at Matt. At least, Matt assumed it was a face; it was in the general area and position of an average human face. When a part of the face moved, a deep voice that sounded like it had died millions of years ago emanated from the being.
"Do you wish to be dropped off with the survivors of your scouting raid, or back at your main base? If there is another place nearby either of these places, I may find it in my schedule to take you there..." spoke the cracked, ominous voice.
Matt recovered faster than Joel. "Drop us off at the base. So what's your species name? I assume you're just another of the Overlord's creations. How di-" He was cut off by the being.
"If you wish to leave my ship alive, I would treat me with a bit more superiority. I am not just another of the Overlord's creations, to be scoffed at and taken for granted. I am a living be-" The creature was now interrupted by Matt.
"Yeah, yeah, we know, just another undead or half-alive 'super-intelligent' being, 'special' in some stupid way... We know, we've dealt with lab experiments before. How did you come to exist? Someone messed up badly on making a peanut-butter sandwich?" The creature expanded its size, filling up more of the room. Three shafts or red light were visible coming from an area on the 'face' over the 'mouth'. Heat and rage seemed to course through the creatures 'limbs', and it visibly stiffened.
"How dare you speak to me in this manner?!" the creature raged. Joel quickly backed away in fear for his life, and with good reason: all around Matt various weapons were forming from the ground, and seemed to surround Matt as they closed in.
"I will teach you a lesson you'll never forget! I'll deliver you to your base all right--in pieces!!!" and with that, the creature's body formed a single mouth, this one outlined with foot-long razor-sharp serrated blades where teeth should have been.
A moment before he was sliced n' diced, the creature and it's weapons froze. A knife was just in the act of slicing Matt's neck; it stopped inches away. Matt hadn't lifted a finger to stop them, and now smiled as they hesitated for a reason known only to him. "I think the Overlord would disagree on you with this matter. Though sometimes I can be...undisciplined, I can get away with most of it." His grin grew broader as the weapons backed off reluctantly. "What's the matter, you can't destroy a being half your size and strength? Well, I've got triple what limited brains you have, and am worth twenty of you."

Chapter 2

The black shuttle suddenly appeared in the middle of nowhere. It was about the size of a small room, and it was circular with no visible engines or other parts you would expect to find on a shuttle. Suddenly an opening about the size of a normal door opened faster then the human eye can see. No light streamed in from inside; it was just as black in the inside as it was on the outside. A figure appeared in the doorway, and walked out into the open. He had gone no more then ten steps when another figure came out of the doorway. Hurrying to catch up, the second figure tripped and nearly landed on his face by a protruding rock.
The first figure walked at a fast pace, not waiting for the second figure. The shuttle closed the door behind them, and then disappeared shortly after.
"So where's the base?" asked the second figure.
"Let's hope that would be what a member of the Resistance