As the first rays of the morning sun painted the horizon with hues of gold and orange, Myles and Jon soared through the air in their sleek aircraft.
They had been flying for several hours now the early hours of the day was approaching.
Myles took off his helmet, still wearing his suit as they flew along. "Auto pilot is on now; you can relax. It wouldn't hurt if u tookvoff your suit for a while," Jon assured with a tinge of sarcasm.
"Easy for you to say. You can form a hardened armor above your skin at will. I prefer keeping it on for the mission duration," Myles replied.
"I can harden, yes, but you however, you survived a fall from a towering building and a waterfall all in one day, and you worry about armor?" Jon conferred.
Myles and Jon glanced at each other before exchanging laughs.
"Beeep! Beeep!!" They were receiving an incoming transmission from HQ.
Tapping a button on the cockpit, the beeping stopped and a brief crackle was heard through the radio.
"Myles, Jon, this is Nylar." The voice from the radio said.
"I know this would seem really strange, but we've analyzed the sample you sent us and found out some really disturbing information. We had doubts that the creature's origins were tied to the event that created anomalies, but now, however, we've confirmed that the samples are actually from a human," Nylar stated over the radio.
"That's impossible!" Jon replied. "They don't match any past records from the CREED database." Jon intercepted.
"Yeah, I know. Unfortunately, that's the troubling part. The cells in the organism seemed to have undergone a type of mutation unlike the anomalies. Sadly, in this case, it didn't end so well. We found traces of 'Etherea' (the substance that causes the mutation in all anomalies) in its DNA. Unfortunately, it didn't quite form the kind of stable bond anomalies had, resulting in the malformed creature you guys came across. Summarizing everything more simpler, the creatures you came across were a result of an experiment of some sort on humans. The outcome... These unprecedented anomalies," Nylar conveyed over the radio.
"Oh no!" Myles exclaimed. "This means that out there somewhere, someone is carrying out experiments, trying to create a sort of artificial anomaly."
"That can't be good," Jon added.
"We're working on tracking down any more of the creatures loose in the city. In the meantime, make your way back to HQ," Nylar said.
"Alright, Nylar, thanks for the feedback. We are en route to HQ right now, T-minus thirty minutes. We'll see you soon," Myles affirmed.
"Alright, Myles. Good luck!" Nylar responded before the radio went silent.
"Do you think Denumbit is behind this?" Jon questioned.
"I can't really tell. We anomalies have gathered quite a lot of enemies over the years. It's highly possible that the government might have a hand in this," Myles replied.
"The sooner we figure out what's going on, the better," Jon affirmed.
As the call from HQ concluded, they knew they had to focus on the current tasks at hand. However, their attention was abruptly diverted as a loud thud resonated throughout the shuttle.
Startled, Myles and Jon spun around, their eyes widening in alarm. Myles quickly grabbed his helmet and put it on.
Little did they know that another one of the creatures, cunning and relentless, had managed to latch onto the underbelly of their aircraft during their ascent and stealthily infiltrated the shuttle, concealing itself beneath the shuttle's radar, biding its time.
The creature revealed itself, tearing through the side of the shuttle, causing a burst of air to rush into the craft, resulting in several alarms going off.
Its scaly form crouched low, its teeth bared in a menacing snarl. It had found its way into their midst, ready to unleash its fury upon them.
Directing at Jon, Myles vocalized "This is why we have to always be prepared."
Reacting swiftly, Myles activated the energy gauntlets he had on his gloves, while Jon unsheathed his trusty nano-substance (Etherea) blade. Their movements were swift and coordinated, a testament to their training as agents. They positioned themselves back to back, their senses heightened as they prepared for the impending confrontation.
With a frightening growl, the creature lunged solely at Myles, its claws slashing through the air. Myles, maintaining his composure, took a leap, aiming for the vulnerable spot at the lower side of the creature.
The creature's agility proved formidable as it dodged and weaved, evading Myles' attack, leaving him to fall over to the other end of the shuttle.
Meanwhile, Jon immediately engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand combat with the creature, his blade slicing through the air with precision. Each strike he delivered met with equal force from the creature. The creature seemed to have better stamina, speed, and strength compared to its counterparts.
Within the confined space of the shuttle, the battle escalated, the air crackling with energy and the smell of scorched metal. The creature, relentless in its assault, attempted to take a swipe at Jon in an attempt to decapitate him.
Fortunately, Myles took aim and shot out his zip line cable from behind, causing the grappler head to tear through the creature's shoulder and latching on the front side, stopping it in its tracks.
The creature released an agonizing screech as it struggled to reach for Jon.
Jon, seizing the opportunity, unleashed a fury of rapid strikes, his blade a blur of lethal grace. With each slash, the creature weakened, its scaly exterior bearing the wounds of battle.
The creature staggered, its movements growing sluggish, but it refused to yield.
Summoning every ounce of strength, Myles and Jon coordinated their efforts. Myles shot out his grapple line, whose Summoning every ounce of strength, Myles and Jon coordinated their efforts. Myles pulled on the grapple behind and Jon aimed his final blow, a powerful strike, directed at the creature's chest.
Jon lunged at the creature, his blade poised for a decisive strike.
With a swift motion, he flung the blade at the creature in one final attempt to kill it. Unfortunately, sighting Jon's motion beforehand, the creature caught ahold of him, slamming him into the flooring of the shuttle causing a quake to resonate throughout the entire craft.
The force of the impact sent the craft partially tilting sideways as it lost stability.
With an intent on ending Jon, the creature attacked Jon who lay on the ground with a series of savage slashes from its razor-sharp claws.
Missing every strike, the creature resultantly tore through the flooring as Jon dodged each strike, slashing vital components and causing catastrophic malfunctions and damages that threatened the integrity of their craft. Alarms blared and warning lights flashed.
The shuttle trembled under the strain of the assault, and it's engine sputtered. Myles and Jon knew they had to end the fight quickly, or else their aircraft would be lost, along with their lives.
Clenching his fist tightly, Myles retracted the zip line, pulling the grapple head out of the shoulder of the creature, the force of the retraction, tearing chunks of it's flesh off, and resultantly dragging it off its feet from behind. The creature screeched loudly in pain.
In a synchronized attack, Myles and Jon immediately sprang at the creature before it could recover, simultaneously landing a blow at its chest. The force of the combined assault threw the creature across the craft, sending the monster flying through the opening it made, hurtling towards one of the thrusters on the shuttle as it flew away.
With a powerful impact, the creature collided with the thruster, bursting into flames. The thruster exploded, causing severe damage to the shuttle, further destabilizing the craft's balance.
Now in the wreckage of their shuttle, partly surrounded by flames and the remnants of their once powerful craft, Myles and Jon held on against the walls as they caught their breaths.
Their aircraft was no longer capable of sustaining flight. They were losing altitude rapidly. Realizing they had no time to spare, the duo swiftly ran for the cockpit, maneuvering through the swaying insides of the unstable aircraft.