Glitch Girl

Honidesu tried her best to fend off Neil's attacks, but his enormous size and iron suit were too much for her to bear. He threw her against the wall again and again, knocking the breath out of her. Pain and rage filled her eyes as she tried to resist, but Neil was too strong. She managed to stay on her feet, but barely. His metal arms hummed like machines and moved with perfect precision. The walls of the room they found themselves in were covered with screens that continuously displayed a stream of raw data, and cables and wires snaked across the ceiling. The iron hands continued to beat Honi mercilessly. "Since I can't change you, I'll just destroy you!" Neil screamed. Honi's vision became blurry, she saw only his bright blue eyes, like in that terrible dream... Only instead of a monster, it was a human... She fell onto the cold tiled floor. An iron hand rose above her, ready to disembowel her exhausted body. Her eyes slowly closed, and in that moment the world around her seemed to dissolve. Bright moments filled with happiness and warmth that she spent with loved ones flashed through her mind. Images of laughter, friendly conversations and carefree days emerged. "Will I really never be able to spend time with Janet, Henry, Zhmak... Bonnie... at least one last time..." she thought, feeling her heart squeeze with bitterness. Honi felt as if time had stopped, frozen in anticipation of the inevitable. But as soon as she opened her eyes again, she saw Zhmak, who was blocking Neil's view through the helmet. "Z-Zhmak!" the girl exclaimed barely audibly. She tried to get up, but she had almost no strength. Honi concentrated on her glitchy abilities, even if at the moment it seemed impossible. "I can't leave my friends in trouble!" she thought, trying to catch her breath. Honi looked towards Neil again and saw how he grabbed Zhmak with his iron hands, trying to tear him apart. The girl felt fury, her body began to glitch even more. She crawled to the axe and tried to get to her feet. In a desperate attempt to turn the situation around, Honidesu threw the axe at Neil's head, hitting him right in the helmet. A loud sound echoed throughout the room, and the helmet cracked. Zhmak landed on his paws on the floor. While Neil staggered back, Honi saw her chance to strike. She raised her hand and the axe suddenly rose into the air. "And how long have I been able to do this?..." the girl was surprised. "Finally," Honidesu exhaled, "it's over!" Honi's eyes lit up with an amber noise. She began to furiously wave her arms while running. The glitched axe obediently chopped through the iron hands. When the girl used glitches, all the screens on the wall also glitched, distorting the picture. Honidesu jumped up and began to kick Neil's suit furiously, causing blue bright flashes. For a moment, Neil was stunned. But then he came to his senses, and his remaining hands grabbed the girl, pulling her towards him. The axe fell again. She tried with all her might to break free, but his grip was too tight. Then she glitched again and passed through his iron hands. Honi quickly took the axe and began to attack with it, eventually chopping his entire suit into pieces. Neil collapsed to the floor, his sly grin intact. Honidesu stepped back, trying to keep her balance. She studied Neil, his appearance did not betray any fatigue. He calmly rose to his feet, his gaze fixed on her.   "I can't figure out where I went wrong..." Neil continued his thoughts. "You are just a glitch in my project, the only mistake! I am the one who can change the world! I see a future where humanity will become immortal, where we will all have infinite knowledge and opportunities. This is not just an improvement in life, this is a revolution!" he was fired up with passion, his voice sounded convincing. "What are you talking about?" Honi was surprised. "So... you just want to replace the original, which contradicts the goal of bringing someone back to life..." "This is a wonderful chance for humanity! Digital versions are the original, which can also be improved and corrected! This is the next step in human civilization!" "Then why am I different? What is the probability that this will not happen again and why are you so sure that a digital person is the original? Why am I not worthy of life? Just because I am different?" "Please understand, this is for the common good. You are too dangerous for society, and you are also ruining the reputation of my company! You're nothing but trouble!" Neil pulled a gun out of his pocket and pointed it at Honi. She saw Zhmak sneaking up on Neil. The cat jumped on him, causing the man to pull the trigger and fire several times in an unknown direction, shooting so hard that he hit himself. Zhmak ran away. "Damn cat!" Neil got angry. Honi looked at Neil in surprise. There was no visible wound. "Where are you looking? Oh, that... My body is now immune to injury," he laughed. "These robots won't stop me!" a sweet female voice suddenly shouted from behind. Honidesu flinched. Turning around, she saw Bonnie. At that moment, a shot rang out, and Honi felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. "ENOUGH!" Neil shouted. "I just want to create a perfect world where all digital people are flawless, and people like you can be erased with one click of a button!" "If it is easy to create digital "copies" of people, then what is their value if they can be simply destroyed with one click of a button?" Honi said barely audibly. "I repeat, these are not copies! It is just YOU who appeared by mistake! And also... Ordinary people can also be destroyed with one shot!" Neil said mockingly. A flash of light burst from the gun and the bullet hit Bonnie, hitting her in the chest. "That's it!" Bonnie bent over in pain, she began to cough up blood. Tears streamed down Honi's face. "N-NO! Y-YOU'RE A MONSTER!" Honi screamed. She felt a surge of rage and rushed towards Neil, swinging her fists wildly despite the pain. But it was all in vain. Neil was invulnerable and seemed completely unaffected by her blows. Janet and Henry ran into the room and were horrified by the scene before them. "We have to do something!" Janet cried, squeezing Henry's hand tightly. Henry nodded, his eyes glued to the chaos in front of them. "I'll try to get Bonnie," he said evenly. With that, he ran towards the danger, determined to do whatever it took to save her. Janet watched him go, her heart pounding in her chest. But before she could do anything else, a voice came over the speakers. "Go to the secret server room, it's the only way to stop Neil!" "Laura?" Janet asked, turning to the speakers. "Yes, that's right! I can see everything through the cameras, it's terrible! Please hurry!" Laura begged. "Neil has gone completely mad!" Janet nodded. She ran down the hallway, following Laura's directions, and reached the door. Miss Harper tried to open the door to the server room. "Locked!" "The key to the server room is in the safe, in the room across the hall. There's a mechanical door, I'll try it." The door opened. Looking around the room, Janet noticed a variety of objects, many of which seemed to be from another time. It was as if the room had been converted into a storage room for a collection of unique and eccentric things. There were old boxes and crates, toys and games, and various pieces of furniture that had seen better days. It was almost like a warehouse, with everything perfectly placed. The speakers in the room crackled, and Janet flinched at the sound. "Welcome to the memories of my brother and m-me," Laura's trembling voice said. "You need to find the safe among this junk." "Why do you keep all this here?" Janet asked. "I don't know, but I remember it was my idea, just so this room wouldn't be empty. I came here to reminisce or find things from the past. Neil, of course, tried his best here too and again arranged everything perfectly and on the shelves... He hid the safe somewhere around here." After several minutes of searching, Janet finally found a secret safe, well covered with a book. "It needs a password!" Miss Harper exclaimed. "2808," came the voice from the speakers. "Is it your birthday?" Janet was surprised. "Uh-huh." Janet entered the password. The safe opened. Inside, in addition to the key, was a photo of her little brother and sister with their grandmother. "When Grandma was alive, everything was so good..." Laura sighed sadly. "I'm so sorry..." Miss Harper answered regretfully. "But now we have to hurry!" "That's right..." Janet took the key. "You need to destroy all the servers! Get something heavy!" Laura's voice echoed. "W-what?" Janet was surprised. "Don't be afraid, that's the only way to stop it! Trust me!" "Can't you turn them off yourself?" "Unfortunately, I don't have access." "I see, well then!..." Janet found the axe among the things and headed for the server room. The dimly lit depths were filled with tall racks of whirring servers, processing mountains of information. Like a heartbeat, the hum of the machines echoed through the room. She took a deep breath and began to destroy the servers that were carrying the threat. With each blow, she felt the tension build, but she didn't stop. Honidesu rushed into the fight, her eyes flashing with an amber noise, each punch and kick fueled by the rage boiling inside her. But it was no match for Neil's unnatural abilities. Her blows bounced off him, and his counterattacks hit her like a truck. She staggered back, dazed and bruised, as he closed in on her. Honi gathered all her strength and rushed at him one last time, hoping against hope that she could at least scratch him before she fell again. She aimed her hand at him in rage, raising her glitch axe, but Neil easily blocked her blows and laughed at her attempts to harm him. "You monster!" she cried, tears in her eyes. "How can you be so cruel?!" Despite her rage and despair, Honidesu was no match for Neil. He continued to taunt her, his invulnerability ensuring that he would emerge victorious from this battle. She stood up, picked up her glitch axe and swung it, but it had no effect on Neil's body. He pushed her to the floor in one motion, and as he got closer, Honi saw a sadistic grin on his face. The axe flew off to the side. "You can't do anything against me," he said, his voice laced with cruelty. Zhmak blocked Honi. He was very angry. Neil just smirked and kicked Zhmak, the poor cat crashed into the wall. The man pointed the gun at Honidesu again. "You really are a worthless glitch, so skillfully ruining people's lives! You drive everyone so crazy that they create sects around you!" "Bonnie, wait!" Henry screamed. "It's not her fault! If I have to choose between retreating or protecting my friend, I'll choose the latter!" the ginger said with fire in her eyes, traces of barely dried blood still remaining on her lips. She grabbed the axe and stood between her friend and Neil, like a shield, ready to protect what was dear to her. "Bonnie, don't..." Honi whispered, breathing heavily and feeling her heart pounding in her chest. But Bonnie didn't listen. Her eyes sparkled with determination, and she swung at Neil with a vengeance, but the blow missed its mark. He dodged, his smile full of contempt. "Stupid girl! I don't care about anything anymore, I'm ready to commit this crime just to ruin her life!" Neil said with a mad laugh and fired again. Honidesu screamed, her whole body began to actively glitch. Henry, without thinking, grabbed Neil by the neck with one hand and tried to take the gun away with the other. But Neil, like a wild animal, pushed him with his elbow, causing Henry to lose his balance and fall to the floor, dropping his glasses. Neil mercilessly kicked him in the stomach several times. "So, how do you feel? Has your world collapsed?" Neil said, turning to Honi. "Accept it, you will always be alone, and you will die alone! This girl would be alive if you did not exist..." "SHUT UP!" Honidesu interrupted him, getting up from the floor.

Her eyes lit up with an amber noise again, and she hit Neil in the chest with maximum force, so hard that he flew into the wall, destroying the screens. She hit Neil in the chest with such force that he flew into the wall, breaking the screens around him. The sound of the impact resembled a loud crack. "What the?" Neil was surprised, coughing and trying to come to his senses. "So which one of us is the monster?!" "Not her!" Bonnie suddenly screamed. "Bonnie?" Honi turned to her. "Finish him! I can hold out a little longer..." the ginger answered, leaning on one knee and trying to hide the pain. Honidesu turned to Neil again and rushed at him with renewed vigor. Despite the physical pain, she began to hit him, sparing no effort or ability. "YOUR WHOLE COMPANY IS A FUCKING LIE!" she screamed, each word as if it was torn from the depths of her soul. "YOU DON'T BRING PEOPLE BACK TO LIFE, AND I AM PROOF OF IT! ADMIT IT! ADMIT IT!" "Honidesu, stop!" Janet's voice was heard from beyond their battle. "I won't repeat Henry's mistake..." the girl barely audibly said. "I don't want to deceive myself..." Neil was almost losing consciousness, it was obvious that his body had become vulnerable. Honi stopped. "I called the police, they will be here soon!" Miss Harper said with horror in her voice, looking at the people lying on the floor. "Oh my God!" Honi approached Bonnie. When she sat down opposite her friend, the air became heavy and tense, as if the whole world around them was holding its breath. Bonnie's gaze met hers, and Honi saw the pain and sadness in her eyes. It was the pain she felt too, spreading inside her. "Bonnie, it wasn't supposed to end like this..." the girl whispered sadly, tears filling her eyes. "I know..." Bonnie answered tenderly. Her voice was quiet, but full of sincerity. "But what we had... It was wonderful. All the moments we spent together were the happiest in my life! And even if something went wrong... remember that I will always be there for you, supporting you no matter what. Just remember that. Thank you, Honi..." Bonnie took Honi's hands and looked at her with a warm smile. Then she handed her her favorite bracelet, which she treasured so much. "I will be very happy if you take my hatchets and this bracelet... And yes, take care of Zhmak..." the ginger added quietly. "I... I love you," Honi murmured through her tears as Bonnie let go of her hands and lost consciousness. Honidesu felt her heart breaking, as if she was losing a part of herself. Her tears flowed like a river, tears of pain, sadness and regret. Every moment spent with Bonnie floated in her memory like a vivid picture, but now that picture was clouded by the shadow of loss. She remembered their first meeting, when Bonnie, with a kind smile on her face, threw her warm jacket over her. Honi almost froze from the cold, but at that moment she felt warm. Not only from the clothes, but also from the warmth of friendship that warmed her soul... She remembered those mischievous days when they played snowballs, tag, laughed and danced at home so that the neighbors came to the noise. Spring evenings, when they sat by the waterfall and Bonnie shared her dreams, were a real paradise for Honi. She remembered how Bonnie took care of her when she was sick - making hot tea and covering her with a blanket, as if trying to protect her from the whole world. And how tightly she hugged her last night when Honi was uneasy, as if wanting to drive away all her fears and worries... Now these memories became unbearable for her. She wanted to go back in time - at least for one day, at least for one moment, to feel that warmth and joy again. But it was too late... Now she had to say goodbye to her best friend. The tears continued to flow, and she felt each drop as her friend's farewell look. She wanted to scream for the world to hear her pain, but instead she just sat next to her, torn apart by the memories of what had been and what would never be again... Henry and Zhmak recovered and went to Honi, Janet joined in too. Everyone hugged with tears in their eyes. The police soon arrived. Neil was arrested on multiple charges of murder and attempted murder after a tragic shooting incident. He was accused of killing one girl and causing bodily harm to two other victims - another girl and a man. Neil tried to deflect responsibility and blame Honi, claiming that she committed the crime and that she was dangerous. However, the police were not convinced and took apart Neil's attempt to shift the blame. They conducted an investigation and found a lot of evidence pointing to his guilt, including eyewitness statements and forensic examination of the scene. Neil was ultimately found guilty and sent to prison for his crimes. Honidesu was found not guilty. Outside, the rain poured down relentlessly, as if the clouds themselves were mourning the terrible events of the day before. While Henry, Janet, and Zhmak were still caught up in the chaos and talking to the police, Honi slipped away quietly. Walking aimlessly, she began to feel overwhelmed by the grief and sadness that had overwhelmed her. Her pace slowed, and eventually she stopped and simply fell to the sidewalk. Her empty amber eyes continued to stare at the gray sky, soaking in the rain. She was soaked, but it didn't matter. It was as if everything around her had disappeared and she was trapped in a world of her own pain... "When I was created, I fought for my life, I wanted to live... But losing someone truly close to me turned out to be much worse than my own death…" she thought. Honi lay on the sidewalk until she was discovered by a concerned Henry and Janet. "Honidesu," Janet said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Oh my God, what are you doing?!" "Why are you lying on the sidewalk?" Henry asked with obvious concern in his voice. Honi didn't answer, but allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. Since her clothes were wet, she was shivering from the cold, but she hardly noticed it. "Let's go to the car," Janet said, taking Honi's hand. Henry picked her up too and they all headed to his car. Honidesu sat in the back seat, Zhmak warmed her cold hands. Her eyelids grew heavy. She didn't notice how she fell asleep.