In the circular chamber, Polar Bear saw two blurry figures emerge from the darkness at one side.
She could barely make out their shapes. They seemed human enough.
They were tall, and their bodies had been extensively modified with machinery.
Simple gray robes hung over them, while their human legs had been replaced by four agile mechanical tentacles.
Their hands still looked fairly normal, but an extendable mechanical claw protruded from each shoulder.
She could not see their faces. Huge masks covered them completely.
Two tubes ran from each mask to either side of its wearer's neck. As they breathed, strange red liquid surged back and forth through the tubes.
As the two drew closer, Polar Bear smelled rancid motor oil.
Fuck! What kind of dark motor-oil freaks are these?!
Polar Bear raised her Casey 191 and fired at them.
But the next instant, she saw their invisible shields easily stop her bullets, which fell harmlessly to the floor.
The cyborg on the left spoke in a low, muffled voice beneath his mask. "How did you escape from here?"
"Or rather, how did you come back to life?"
"A clone? A remotely controlled mechanical body?"
"Are you from the Titanium Research Institute?"
As he spoke, he raised the mechanical claw on his left shoulder and reached toward Polar Bear.
A wave of violent dizziness struck her. It felt as though the bioelectricity throughout her body had been thrown into chaos.
She lost control of her body and even soiled herself. Gagging and convulsing, she collapsed to the floor.
"Damn it! What kind of humiliating skill is this?!" Polar Bear felt less afraid than mortified.
"You two bosses coming or what? Keep dragging your feet, and I'll end up like some actress from the country next door in these motor-oil monsters'