"Oh my god, that's just too much," I cackled, tossing my head back as I watched Subject 0173 scavenge through the shredded remains of Harris. "I seriously thought he was on vacation." I wiped the tears from the corner of my eyes, the laughter still bubbling in my chest.
"Guess he got drunk and stumbled into the wrong room again," Dr. Porter muttered, rubbing her temples. Her jet-black hair slipped over her face like a silk curtain as she shook her head in slow, deliberate frustration.
Her gaze shifted to me, and I felt it before I saw it. Sharp. Cold. Calculated. She didn't say a word, but her eyes — those piercing violet eyes — pinned me in place. I felt like a bug under a microscope.
"How did no one notice?" she finally said, her voice like ice cracking beneath a boot. Her brow furrowed, and the glow from the monitors bathed her face in a pale, flickering light.
"Yeah..." I trailed off, spinning the chair lazily as I straddled the backrest. The surveillance room was a mess of chaos and caffeine-fueled bad decisions. Papers lay scattered like fallen leaves, Styrofoam coffee cups crumpled and abandoned across the floor. Empty candy wrappers from the vending machine down the hall lay in a small mountain next to the couch. My lab coat hung half-on, half-off the cracked leather sofa in the corner, as if even it had given up on me.
I leaned forward, hugging the chair's headrest, letting exhaustion settle in. My nerves had been shot for hours now, and the steady hum of the screens did nothing to calm them. The monitors flickered with live feeds from different sectors of the maze, each one a potential horror show.
My mind drifted. Back to that night. That night. The hot, sweaty night with the new redhead transfer. Her smile had been too sweet, too knowing. I wasn't the kind of guy to kiss and tell, but that night? That night was an exception. She practically dragged me into the cafeteria like I owed her a debt. No regrets. But it did mean a couple of desks went unmanned.
"They finally noticed him," Dr. Porter's voice snapped me back to reality.
Her eyes remained glued to the central monitor, sharp and unblinking. She adjusted her glasses, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. Her posture was rigid, professional, but I knew that look. She was hunting.
"Tom, switch to camera 2B." Her words came quick, firm, no room for debate.
"Come on, we've talked about this," I replied, dragging out the words as I lazily flipped the camera feed. "It's Dr. Shoemaker, thank you." I shot her a grin, trying to disarm the tension. It didn't work.
"When you stop putting your dick over your duties, we'll talk."
Shit. Busted.
I bit my tongue, too stunned to respond. My eyes darted to the screen, hoping for a distraction.
The feed cut to 2B.
The first titan made its move.
It launched from a rooftop, its muscles coiling like steel cables, and with one outstretched hand, it slammed into the side of the mall's outer wall. Fingers punched through concrete like it was warm butter. Chunks of brick, glass, and metal tore free as it dragged itself up, leaving behind jagged claw marks that crisscrossed the surface.
The second titan leapt after it, landing in the hollowed-out section of the wall. Its head twitched as if it was sniffing the air, its mouth slowly parting into a snarl. A low, guttural hiss vibrated from its throat.
"He's gone," Porter muttered, leaning forward, her hands steepled in front of her face. "He slipped away."
Her shoulders sagged, just a little. I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. Uncharacteristic. She was usually stone-cold in moments like this.
"Not bad," I admitted, scrolling through 0173's file on the screen beside me. "Still, he's just a rat. Rats only run for so long." I sat up and grabbed his file, setting the motion-sensor cameras to track his movements.
"So tell me, why are we doing this?" I asked, thumbing through the files.
Dr. Porter didn't answer right away. She swiveled her chair, turning to face me with slow, deliberate ease. Her legs crossed as she stared, her eyes half-lidded like she was indulging a child with a foolish question.
"Because it would be a waste to throw him away." Her lab coat slipped from her shoulders, stopping halfway down her arms, a signature look I'd seen a hundred times.
Her gaze was steady, unblinking. "We don't know what he's capable of."
That stopped me cold.
"Capable of?" I barked a laugh. "Are you serious?" I flipped the file toward her, letting it spin on the desk like a lazy top. "This says his nanites failed. They're dead. His whole 'rapid cellular regeneration' deal was a bust, remember?" I jabbed the file with my finger. "He's defective. He's trash. He's supposed to be in the incinerator."
Porter raised an eyebrow, then walked toward me, slow and deliberate. Her gaze never left mine as she reached into her coat pocket. She pulled out two cherry lollipops, offering one to me with a smirk. Her lectures always came with candy.
"Take it," she said, her voice a playful command.
I snatched it, unwrapping it in one sharp motion.
"He hasn't succumbed to the parasite, has he?" she asked. She tilted her head, letting the lollipop roll to one cheek as she spoke.
I paused, thinking it over.
"Well… no."
"Doesn't that bother you?" Her voice was velvet, smooth and sharp all at once. Her eyes flicked back to the screen. "His parasite evolved somehow. I want to know why he's different."
The camera feed shifted as 0173 darted between alleyways. The two titans pursued him with heavy, ground-shaking steps. Each time they got close, he veered away at the last second. As if he knew. The titans toppled through buildings, smashing walls where he'd been only moments before.
"How the hell does he keep doing that?" I grumbled, fingers tightening on the headrest. My eyes stayed locked on the screen. This wasn't luck. This wasn't random.
"This is taking too long," I muttered, rubbing my eyes. "If the titans don't get him, the plagues will."
My eyes scanned the path ahead.
He's heading straight for them.
On cue, a plague dropped from above, slamming into 0173's back. Both bodies hit the ground hard, dust and debris flying up in a gray cloud. The plague hissed, its twin whip-like tails slashing through the air. Toxic black sludge oozed from its barbs, splattering on the ground.
0173 rolled, gasping, his face twisted in pain. The plague screeched, legs crouching, claws ready to strike. It leapt, aiming straight for his exposed back.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The plague's body jerked, then fell limp. Blood sprayed across the alley walls as its corpse rolled to a stop.
0173 was already on his feet.
My eyes widened. "What the hell…"
A titan burst from the adjacent building. One swipe. 0173's body flew like a ragdoll, bouncing down the street like a broken marionette.
I glanced at Dr. Porter. She stood motionless, arms crossed, staring at the screen with that same unreadable look.
"That was a mistake," she muttered.
I turned back just in time to see the plague horde swarm. They climbed the titan like ants on a carcass. Claws raked flesh. Tails pierced its muscles. Its roar was deafening but short. They ate it alive.
One plague burrowed into its eye socket, scooping out the bloody globe like it was a ripe melon.
"So... what's special about him again?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the screen.
Dr. Porter didn't answer. She just sucked her lollipop, staring in silence as 0173 stood once again.
"Guess we'll find out," she whispered.