The Machinations Of Greed

AliVe

His eyes bore into it. This thing doesn't want more. It doesn't try for more. It lays, but what for? He can't understand.

It sickens him. This isn't right. She must've done something to it. Controlled, damaged it, manipulated it. No living being wouldn't want freedom.

His gaze turns to the doors to Gabriel's room, and yet again he tries to move towards it. He takes a step to face the door, and another to approach it, but he stops there. His legs won't answer his wishes any longer than this. It's grating...

"...It is not right."

The thought crosses his mind, and he mutters it out loud. He tries again, with more force. He still can't. His arms move too, trying to add momentum, but even they are shackled by those chains.

His eyes fall down to his upper limbs, and he studies them closely. Peering behind himself, he sees that they protrude from the floor. His left arm raises to grasp onto the chains around his right arm. With every ounce of strength he has in himself, he tugs on it, to no avail. It stays taut against his skin.

His other arm does the same, grabbing hold of the left side. He tries to pull against them again, and yet again, he fails. His legs are stuck, his arms are stuck. He's stuck.

"...It is not fair."

He won't have it. He can't. He puts the chains over his shoulders, and pulls down. His eyes lock onto the door ahead, his objective, and though his expression remains unchanged... there's something different.

A dim, red glow to his eyes, just like dove's. With all the strength he can muster up, he tries to move his legs, and warningS appears in his sight.

                       SYSTEM DAMAGE
                          OVERHEATING
It says, causing him to stop for a moment. But then, with renewed vigor, he pulls harder, and he pushes harder. Another warning.
                     SYSTEM DAMAGE
                       OVERHEATING

The glow in his eyes grows brighter, his irises reflecting it more and more. He continues, and finally... he takes a step. Another warning.

                SYSTEM MALFUNCTION
                          REBOOTING

He feels his legs give out, and he falls to the ground. He tries to stand, but he can't. It's like his own body is telling him to lay down and give up.

"...I..."

But he can't, and he knows that, yet he doesn't know why he knows that. He chalks it up to the question: "What is there to fight for, if not freedom?"
"...AM..."
His fists slam against the wood below him, and he tries to stand yet again, yet they give out under him. He rolls over, his black occculi meeting the ceiling, as if a sky. His hands wrap around his neck, one finger coiling around his skin at a time, and he tightens his hold. More... and more...

He can feel his vision growing darker. A vignette is presented, threatening to consume his sight upon the world. It closes in around the center of his view, and one word leaves his lips, a last grasp at straws that he wishes he could use to save himself with...

"...A̵̡͎̰̲̱̰̎̈̂̏͋͊̍͗̋͒̍̽̌̋̒͗̏͆̇͌̀͋́̈́̚̕̕͝L̵̩͖͔̜̰̝͚̺͙͉͚̺͔̫̥̹͔̼̫̲̞̪̩͖̲͛͜͜ͅỊ̶̢̨̛̝̼̠͓͇̱̥͕̰͖͆̾̽̊̽̏́͋͑̂̾͆͆͗̆̈́́̃̾̚͝͝͝V̷̢̧̙̞̼͉̘̺̙͙̹͚͙̹͉̮̟̥̟͔̳̤̺̩͕̬̤͙̥̞̀̽̅̍̇̽̈́̌̄̂̈́̕̕͝͝ͅͅͅȨ̴̻̫̫̝̼͚̬̗̘̔̑̒͗̽̕ͅ."

                        REBOOT FAILED

A message appears in his view, one that empowers him. His hands lose their hold, and he immediately breathes out and in, out and in... slowly, he normalizes. And something... something is different.