The depot smelled like rust and rot, the air thick with ash and blood, clinging to my skin like a second coat. I crouched by the crate, the alien weapon humming in my hands, its green pulse steady but softer now. Fifteen hours left on the mimicry, the system chimed in my skull, sharp and cold. Mimicry Active: Tier 1 Pyrokinesis. Output Stable. Foreign Substances Detected: Human Blood (Type B-). Enhanced Cellular Structure Confirmed. Electrokinesis Potential Available.
I stared at the blood on the crate—red, fresh, streaked across the metal like a warning. My fingers hovered, trembling, the hum in me buzzing louder, insistent. I could take it—steal another power, like I'd stolen the flame from Cal's blood back at my place. Electrokinesis, the system said. Sparks, maybe shocks, like Liv's blue blasts. But the weight of it—of touching someone else's blood, someone I didn't know, someone who might be dead out there—hit hard, sour in my gut.
"Kai, what's taking so long?" Liv snapped, voice low but sharp, her pistol scanning the shadows. Rylan leaned against a crate, bandages seeping red, while Jace nursed his ribs and Tucker gripped his machete, eyes darting.
"Nothing," I lied, pulling back, wiping my hand on my jeans. The blood smeared, sticky and warm, and my system pinged again. Sample Collection Incomplete. Recommend Full Integration for Analysis.
I ignored it, standing, the weapon heavy in my grip. "Just checking for traps."
Liv narrowed her eyes, but nodded, turning away. "Grab what you can. We're not staying."
I moved, stuffing cans and ammo into a bag, the hum syncing with the weapon's pulse. Fifteen hours. The flame in me flickered, weak but there, a ghost of Cal's fire. What if I lost it? What if electrokinesis replaced it—or worse, failed me? I glanced at the blood again, the system whispering in my head, but I didn't touch it. Not yet.
A screech outside—metal on metal, too close—snapped us straight. Tucker cursed, machete raised, as Liv's hands crackled blue. My system buzzed. Proximity Alert. Skraith Energy Signature: 20 Meters.
"Skraiths," Rylan grunted, struggling up. "Move!"
We bolted, bags slung over shoulders, the depot's doors groaning as we pushed through. Outside, Sector 9 burned—fires licking up collapsed buildings, smoke choking the sky. A Skraith loomed ahead, armor gleaming wet, weapon flaring green. I raised the rod, heart slamming, and fired—a jagged beam that cracked its shell, dropping it hard.
"Good shot," Jace muttered, wincing as he ran.
"Lucky," I shot back, breath ragged. But it wasn't luck. The hum, the weapon, the flame—they were syncing, pulling me deeper into this mess.
We piled into the van, Tucker flooring it, swerving through debris. The blood on my hand burned, the system's voice louder. Integration Recommended. Electrokinesis Potential: High.
I clenched my fist, the flame flickering, and stared at the dark. Fifteen hours left—and a choice I couldn't dodge forever.
The van rattled over broken pavement, ash swirling outside, choking the air like a living thing. I gripped the alien weapon, its pulse syncing with the hum in my skull, fourteen hours left on the mimicry ticking down like a bomb. Mimicry Active: Tier 1 Pyrokinesis. Output Decreasing. Electrokinesis Potential Available. Recommend Integration.
I wiped my hand on my jeans again, the blood smear from the depot still sticky, still whispering. My stomach twisted, sour and tight, as we rolled back toward the safehouse, the city's glow a grim orange against the night. Liv sat shotgun, pistol ready, her sparks crackling faint. Rylan slumped in back, bandages soaked red, while Jace muttered curses and Tucker drove silent, machete across his lap.
"You're off," Liv said, voice low, cutting through the hum. "What's eating you?"
"Nothing," I lied, sharper than I meant. The weapon hummed louder, syncing with the flame in me, weak but there. I could feel it fading—pyrokinesis slipping, the fire I'd stolen from Cal ebbing away. Fourteen hours. What if I lost it before I figured out the blood on my hand?
She turned, eyes sharp, but didn't push, just nodded. "Keep it tight, Kai. We're not out of this yet."
I nodded, staring at the blood smear, the system's voice relentless. Sample Integration Required for Full Analysis. Electrokinesis Potential: 92% Compatible.
I clenched my fist, willing the flame to flare, but it sputtered—a tiny spark, then nothing. My chest tightened. I couldn't lose it, not now, not with Skraiths crawling the city, not with Rylan bleeding out behind me. I glanced at him, pale and still, and made my choice.
"Pull over," I said, voice rough.
Tucker frowned, slowing. "Why?"
"Just do it."
He cut the engine in an alley, ash swirling around us. I slid out, weapon in one hand, the blood-smeared palm trembling. Liv followed, pistol ready, sparks crackling. "What's this about?"
I didn't answer, just crouched, pressing my hand to the blood smear on my jeans—human, superhuman, from that crate. The sting hit fast, sharp and hot, heat flooding me, racing through my veins like lightning. I gasped, knees buckling, but held on, the hum syncing with the burn.
Temporary Mimicry Activated: Tier 1 Electrokinesis. Minor Electrical Projection Unlocked. Duration: 24 Hours.
I opened my hand. A spark crackled—blue, sharp, dancing in my palm, stronger than Liv's. It stung, alive, syncing with the weapon's pulse. I exhaled, shaky, and stood, the flame gone, replaced by this—electricity, raw and new.
"Holy shit," Liv breathed, staring. "You're full of surprises."
"Yeah," I muttered, wiping sweat from my forehead. "Surprise."
A screech—metal tearing, close—snapped us back. A Skraith loomed, weapon flaring. I raised the rod, sparking, and fired—a jagged beam laced with blue electricity, cracking its armor, dropping it hard.
"Move!" Rylan shouted, weak but firm.
We piled back in, the van roaring to life. Fourteen hours left on pyrokinesis—or none, now that electrokinesis had taken hold. And I was still alive, still changing.
The safehouse loomed ahead, its concrete bulk a grim haven in the ash-choked night. I gripped the alien weapon, its pulse syncing with the buzz of electrokinesis in my skull, thirteen hours left on this new power, the system chiming steady. Mimicry Active: Tier 1 Electrokinesis. Output Stable. Energy Weapon Analysis: 25% Complete. Recommend Further Integration.
I wiped sweat from my eyes, the van lurching as Tucker cut the engine, ash swirling outside. My hands shook, the spark in me crackling faint but there, stronger than the flame I'd lost. Liv slid out, pistol ready, her own sparks mirroring mine. Rylan groaned, hauled inside by Jace, while Tucker scanned the perimeter, machete gleaming.
"Quiet," Tucker grunted. "For now."
I nodded, stepping in, the weapon humming, syncing with the electricity buzzing under my skin. The safehouse smelled like damp concrete and blood, Rylan's bandages seeping red on the floor. My system pinged. Foreign Substances Detected: Human Blood (Type A+). Enhanced Cellular Structure Confirmed. Subject 'Rylan.' Potential Abilities: Kinetic Energy Manipulation.
I froze, staring at Rylan, pale and still on a cot. His blood—on the floor, on my hands from helping him earlier. I could take it—steal his power, like I'd taken Cal's flame, like the electrokinesis from that crate. Kinetic energy, raw force, like his weak blasts. But the weight of it—of touching his blood, of him lying there half-dead—hit hard, sour and heavy.
"Kai, help me with him," Liv said, sharp, hands glowing as she pressed them to Rylan's wounds.
I nodded, crouching, the spark in me crackling. My fingers brushed Rylan's arm, blood smearing my palm, and the sting hit—sharp, hot, lightning racing through me. I bit back a gasp, the hum syncing tighter.
Temporary Mimicry Activated: Tier 1 Kinetic Energy Manipulation. Minor Force Projection Unlocked. Duration: 24 Hours.
I stood, shaky, the electricity fading, replaced by this—force, raw and heavy, pulsing in my bones. I clenched my fist, a faint shockwave rippling out, knocking a crate over. Liv spun, pistol raised, but lowered it, frowning.
"What the hell was that?" she asked, voice low.
"New trick," I muttered, wiping my hand on my jeans. "Sorry."
She narrowed her eyes but didn't push, turning back to Rylan. "Keep it quiet, Kai. We've got enough trouble."
I nodded, the weapon humming, the hum in me buzzing on. Thirteen hours left—and three powers in one day. Pyrokinesis gone, electrokinesis fading, kinetic energy new and raw. I didn't know what I was becoming, but I couldn't stop now.
A screech outside—metal tearing, too close—snapped us straight. Tucker cursed, machete raised, as Liv's hands crackled. My system buzzed. Proximity Alert. Skraith Energy Signature: 15 Meters.
"Skraiths," I whispered, raising the weapon, kinetic energy pulsing.
We were in it now—deep, bloody, and alive.