Streaks of light. One, two, three of them. Energized particles accelerated and fired out through a barrel. Upon registering the reverberating sound of them being fired, there was no moment for contemplation or hesitation. Meruel turned his head and lifted his arm on a snap reflex. His outstretched hand acting as a guide and focus for his mind as he reached out... and pushed.

It was not enough to stop the projectiles. But the faint distortion in the air caused by the manifestation of his mental powers was enough to bend their trajectory, curving them in such a way that they avoided making contact with his body and zipped past him instead. The weighty 'THUNK' and ionized 'KSSSH' upon their impact with the walls and floor illustrating the kind of damage they could have inflicted had they hit their mark. Debris from where they had cracked Meruel's surroundings began to rise up off the ground, levitating and being pulled into a personal orbit around him as the tentacles on his head raised up and began making motions akin to conducting music. Such satellites might be useful as a means to intercept and block any further incoming fire.

He hadn't made it far from the chamber that was for lack of a better term his birthplace. Only a few corridors down, and he was encountering hostile force from what he concluded were automated defenses. They appeared to have been arranged around the chamber where he had been sealed within the great ferrofluid egg that had been his cradle. Perhaps their placement had been intended to protect him? Either that, or they were some manner of test. The first turret had caught him completely by surprise, yet his reaction to it had been immediate and instinctive.

There was no sign as of yet of his creators. His search of the facility so far made it appear abandoned and in disrepair. Looking into his memory banks, Meruel knew that he had been created during a time of war. The evidently psychic powers he was exhibiting, his rapid cognitive processing and lightning fast reflexes... evidence was mounting that he had been created with the capability to defend himself. Perhaps more than that. It occurred to him that he might even have been created with the intention of being used as a weapon. A prospect that was somewhat troubling.

Turning a corner, more aggressors. His tentacles directed some of the floating detritus he'd picked up into the path of the charged particles. Thwarting another attack.

Evidently the facility still had power. There was automation still in effect. Therefore somewhere there had to be a more sophisticated computer. A nerve centre from which everything was coordinated. Meruel felt resolved to find it; feeling strongly that the answers he sought would lie there. Where had his creators gone? What other motives had they had in creating him? Was the enemy that they had fought against still a threat? He could feel himself constantly adapting, growing more efficient as he overcame every obstacle.

It was a lot to take in. He could feel his mind changing shape, growing more complicated the more he used it. He feared losing himself - without even knowing fully yet who or what he was.

Find the control room. That was a simple enough priority to focus on, to keep himself centred. Find the control room. Find answers.

*****

Psychic symbiote eel androids? Psychic symbiote eel androids. Just out for a morning stroll, with the weather forecast calling for light showers of particle weapons fire.

cbh did an amazing job once again bringing one of my boys to life! Action poses are something I ought to get more of.