Primitive Man

Mia stood with a stoic expression, her gaze fixed on the figure strapped to the vertical bed. Chains clinked softly as attendants manoeuvred the restrained form, ensuring every limb was securely bound. The man they handled was no ordinary captive; he was none other than Baktou, a name whispered in hushed tones, laden with both confusion and fear.

Baktou, once a formidable force, now reduced to a mere shell of his former self, lay subdued before Mia's conflicted eyes. The flickering light danced across his features, casting shadows that seemed to deepen the lines etched by time and torment.

The shadow of the man that he used to be had disappeared and instead it had been replaced with just a mass of muscles that looked as if it was waiting for its death. It was a grotesque form for a man and most of the soldiers couldn't even look at him without gagging as a response.

His eyes, once ablaze with determination, now held a glimmer of resignation, veiled behind a mask of weariness.

As Mia observed the scene unfolding before her, a pang of sorrow tugged at her heart. Despite the enmity that had brewed between them over the years, there lingered a bond, a connection forged through shared trials and tribulations. She couldn't help but feel a hint of remorse for the role she had played in his downfall.

"Is everything in place?" Mia's voice cut through the sombre atmosphere, her tone betraying none of the turmoil brewing within.

One of the attendants nodded, his movements precise as he tightened the restraints binding Baktou to the bed. "Yes, Commander. He's secured and ready for the procedure. We also detected that his blood is senses are detecting something, so we think your assumptions about him are correct."

"I know some stuff about the meteor and its effects, after all, I used to work with that traitorous bitch for some time,"

Mia's gaze softened imperceptibly as she approached the bed, her footsteps echoing softly against the cold, earthy floor. She paused beside Baktou, studying his face with a mix of apprehension and resolve. Memories of their shared past flooded her mind, intertwining with the present moment in a tangled web of regret and determination.

"Baktou," Mia murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, "I hope you understand why we must do this. The fate of our world hangs in the balance, and you... you are our last hope. You will help us to find anything about the meteor."

Baktou met her gaze with a weary resignation, his face showing the disfigured and unsightly look that he had gotten over time. Despite the physical constraints that bound him, there was a flicker of defiance in his eyes, a stubborn refusal to yield to the forces that sought to break him.

"Like a wild animal that wants to go berserk. So this is what it does to a human when it is not controlled. I'm talking about the DNA injections here," Mia muttered to herself showing her scientist side coming out for a second.

With a heavy heart, Mia turned away from Baktou, her resolve steeling against the tide of emotion threatening to engulf her. She couldn't afford to falter now, not when so much depended on the success of their mission.

"Proceed," Mia commanded, her voice steady despite the turmoil raging within.

The attendants nodded in silent obedience, their movements fluid as they prepared to administer the procedure. As the hum of machinery filled the chamber, Mia watched with a mixture of apprehension and determination, knowing that their actions would shape the course of their world's destiny.

For better or for worse, Baktou became their only ray of hope and the direction they were focusing on became clear to all of them.

"Look he is reacting! He is looking in that direction-" One of the guards muttered and pointed in the direction where Baktou was looking, but soon his attention solely focused on the sky as he started to struggle even more creating creaking noises in the bed.

Mia looked confused for a second, but then she understood what this meant. She suddenly remembered about the story of the meteor that wiped out the dinosaur race in her original world.

"Don't tell me it's coming to create something like that again? Does that mean we are going to witness the impact?" She thought, but then her memories went back to Garnt and his people. "I can understand if dinosaurs went extinct, but humanity is here too...so does that mean we survived the meteor unlike them?"

So many questions kept popping into her mind, but she knew it wasn't time for her to space out.

"Is the gate still open? We might need to find something that could keep the gate open longer. Something like a small piece of meteor that is left on this land? I'm pretty sure it is going to come down, but we still have time." Mia thought and looked at Baktou.

"Load this man into a truck and with a huge force go around the forest. Try to find anything that might be useful for us and at the same time, bring me that man called Garnt. I want to talk with that traitorous bitch before I end everything here,"

Mia gave the orders and the others complied with her. All of them knew they were at the climax of the experiment they were doing and were excited, except for one person who is General Oswald.

"This girl! She is not doing this for her country. I don't believe it. I can see something different in her, but I won't let anyone make the same mistake twice. This time the glory will belong to our country, not the selfish needs of a woman." He thought while thinking of finding Garnt before anyone else, because he had some questions for the woman who is leading Garnt.

***

Guni and Thora shared a bond as strong as the mountains that cradled their home. Unlike others, Thora felt connected like a real sister or a guardian to Guni ever since they first met, so both of them knew without each other they couldn't live.

Because of this no matter where they went, they went together and right now underneath the vast expanse of the evening sky, Guni noticed Thora gazing upwards more often than usual, her eyes tinged with an unsettling intensity.

"Guni, why have you been staring at the sky so much lately?" Guni questioned, a flicker of concern colouring her words.

Thora's gaze remained fixed on the horizon, a shroud of apprehension consuming over her features. "Something dangerous is approaching, Guni. I can feel it in my bones."

Fear clutched at Guni's heart, her mind racing with worry. "We should tell my father, Garnt. He might know what to do."

But Thora's response was a solemn shake of her head. "Garnt is aware, Guni. He feels it too. He already asked me about this from me. Don't worry, he will do something. I just wanted to warn you, that's it."

Desperate for reassurance, Guni voiced her own desire to undergo the DNA injection, a process rumoured to enhance one's senses and intuition, just like Thora and Garnt had done but at that time, she had no idea how dangerous the side effects of this process were. They just knew it gave extraordinary powers to humans.

Thora's anger flared in Thora like wildfire, her hand reaching out to grip Guni's cheeks in a firm squeeze. "No, Guni. You mustn't. If you do, I'll be furious with you."

Caught off guard by Thora's sudden outburst, Guni could only nod meekly, realizing the gravity of her mistake.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't," Guni kept muttering while Thora sighed and she decided to quickly change the topic before she had to answer the curiosity of this girl.

"So what are you going to do with that boy? I heard you beat him up pretty badly. Do you hate him?" Thora questioned while taking Guni into her embrace and lifting her.

Since Thora was muscular and tall, it really looked like an elder sister was having fun with her younger sister when they were together.

"Hate? You're kidding! I don't hate that boy, I just want him to become my real brother, not because of our blood-but I want him to understand how great our father Garnt is." Guni muttered and sighed realizing it might take some effort on her part to achieve that.

"I hope I won't have to kill him in future, but if necessary I will have to do that."