The safehouse felt like a coffin, its concrete walls pressing in, the stink of Skraith blood and human sweat thick enough to choke on. I sat by the shattered door, the alien weapon pulsing in my lap, its green glow syncing with the kinetic energy buzzing in my tougher, stronger skin, six hours left on this fresh mimicry. Mimicry Active: Tier 1 Kinetic Energy Manipulation. Output Optimized. Physical Enhancement: 15% Durability, 5% Strength Increase Stable. Energy Weapon Analysis: 48% Complete, my system chimed, cold and steady, cutting through the quiet.
Liv patched Jace, hands glowing faint, while Tucker cleaned his machete, the scrape of steel on stone grating my nerves. Rylan rested, pale but breathing, bandages tighter, and the radio crackled static—Sector 9, still a graveyard, its silence heavier than the ash outside.
"You're still twitchy," Liv said, voice low, cutting through the hum. "What's eating you now?"
"Nothing," I lied, sharper than I meant. The weapon hummed louder, syncing with the force in me, heavy and alive. I could feel it—the Skraith's blood on the floor, black and wrong, whispering to the system. Biological Integration Optimized. Recommend Additional Skraith Samples for Enhanced Durability and Strength. Human Samples for Kinetic Optimization.
I swallowed, stomach twisting. More Skraith blood? Permanent power from that? My hands shook, the kinetic energy itching to flare, but I held it back, staring at the pool on the concrete. Six hours left. What if I lost the kinetic energy, the durability, the strength—everything I'd stolen? What if this was my only shot against those bastards?
"Kai, talk," Liv pressed, eyes sharp, pistol on her lap.
I hesitated, then nodded at the blood. "That… I can use it. Again. Make it stick for good."
Her eyes widened, then narrowed. "More Skraith blood? You're pushing it."
"Maybe," I muttered, wiping sweat from my forehead. "But I'm not losing this."
She shook her head, smirking faintly. "If it fries you, don't expect me to scrape you off the floor."
"Fair." I crouched, the weapon humming, and pressed my fingers to the blood—black, thick, wrong. The sting hit—sharp, hot, a burn racing deeper, sharper than before. I gasped, knees buckling, but held on, the hum syncing with the pulse.
Integration Initiated: Skraith Biological Component. Minor Physical Enhancement Unlocked. Durability Increased by 20%. Strength Increased by 10%. Permanent Modification Pending Full Analysis.
I stood, shaky, the kinetic energy stronger, sharper, syncing with my skin—tougher now, harder, muscles denser under the tight tank top, arms bulging faintly. My system buzzed. Analysis Ongoing. Recommend Further Samples for Optimization.
"Holy shit," I whispered, voice cracking, flexing my arms, feeling the new weight, the new power.
Liv stared, pistol ready. "You alive?"
"Yeah," I rasped, slamming a shockwave into the wall—solid, cracking concrete wider. "Better, maybe."
She shook her head, smirking. "You're a damn puzzle, Kai."
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: 20 Meters.
"Skraiths," I whispered, raising the weapon, kinetic energy pulsing.
We were in it now—deep, bloody, and alive.
The safehouse buckled, concrete groaning as the Skraith's screech tore through the dawn—metal on metal, too close, the sound clawing at my skull like a blade. I gripped the alien weapon, its green pulse syncing with the enhanced kinetic energy buzzing in my tougher, stronger skin, five hours left on this fresh mimicry. Mimicry Active: Tier 1 Kinetic Energy Manipulation. Output Optimized. Physical Enhancement: 20% Durability, 10% Strength Increase Stable. Energy Weapon Analysis: 52% Complete, my system chimed, cold and steady, cutting through the chaos.
Tucker stood by the shattered door, machete raised, muscles straining as the shadow loomed outside—tall, jagged, armor glinting wet under the blood-red sky. Liv's hands crackled blue, sparks dancing, while Jace clutched his stun baton, ribs bruised but stubborn. Rylan groaned on the cot, bandages tighter, pale but breathing.
"Hold it," Liv hissed, pistol aimed at the doorframe, her voice tight. "Wait for it to come in."
I nodded, the kinetic energy itching in my palms, a heavy pulse begging to burst. Force Projection Available. Recommend Target Acquisition, the system whispered, syncing with the weapon's hum. I pointed the rod, heart slamming, ready to fire if that thing smashed through again.
The doorframe shattered—claws raking, armor smashing through, green weapon flaring. I fired—a jagged beam laced with kinetic force, cracking its shell, sending it staggering back. Liv blasted, blue sparks searing its arm, and Tucker lunged, machete biting deep into its leg. It roared, claw swinging, knocking Jace into a crate with a sick crunch, wood splintering.
"Down!" Rylan shouted, weak but firm, firing a faint kinetic burst from the cot. It clipped the Skraith's head, buying seconds.
I lunged, kinetic energy flaring, and slammed a shockwave into its chest—raw force, heavy and wild, shoving it against the wall. My enhanced skin held, tougher now, muscles straining under the tight tank top, as I fired again—a beam laced with force, cracking its armor, dropping it hard. Black blood pooled, stinking sour, as it twitched once, then stilled.
"Clear," Liv panted, lowering her pistol, sparks fading.
Jace groaned, pulling himself up, ribs likely cracked worse. "Damn, Kai. You're a monster."
"Lucky," I muttered, wiping sweat from my forehead, the kinetic energy buzzing on. Five hours left—and my skin felt like steel, muscles denser, syncing with the weapon's pulse.
"Luck's bullshit," Rylan rasped, struggling up. "You're a force now."
I didn't argue, just stared at the weapon, the hum syncing tighter. My system pinged. Biological Integration Optimized. Recommend Human Samples for Enhanced Kinetic Output. Skraith Samples for Further Durability and Strength Increase.
I froze, glancing at Jace's blood on the crate—red, human, superhuman—and the Skraith's black pool on the floor. More blood? Permanent power from that? My stomach twisted, but the hum pushed—eager, insistent. Five hours left, and I couldn't lose this edge, not with Skraiths crawling the city.
"Kai, help me patch Jace," Liv said, sharp, hands glowing as she pressed them to his wounds.
I nodded, crouching, the kinetic energy pulsing. My fingers brushed Jace's blood—red, sticky, superhuman—and the sting hit, sharp and hot, syncing with the hum. Temporary Mimicry Refreshed: Tier 1 Kinetic Energy Manipulation. Duration: 24 Hours.
I stood, shaky, the durability and strength holding, the force stronger. Four hours left on the old mimicry, but this was fresh, raw, and mine.
"Keep it quiet," Liv muttered, eyeing me. "We've got enough trouble."
I nodded, the weapon humming, the hum buzzing on. Five hours—and I was still changing, steel and sparks both.
The safehouse's quiet hit like a weight, concrete walls pressing in, the stink of Skraith blood and human sweat thick enough to taste. I sat by the shattered door, the alien weapon pulsing in my lap, its green glow syncing with the enhanced kinetic energy buzzing in my tougher, stronger skin, four hours left on this fresh mimicry. Mimicry Active: Tier 1 Kinetic Energy Manipulation. Output Optimized. Physical Enhancement: 20% Durability, 10% Strength Increase Stable. Energy Weapon Analysis: 55% Complete, my system chimed, cold and steady, cutting through the silence.
Liv patched Jace, hands glowing faint, while Tucker cleaned his machete, the scrape of steel on stone grating my nerves. Rylan rested, pale but breathing, bandages tighter, and the radio crackled static—Sector 9, still a graveyard, its silence heavier than the ash outside.
"You're still twitchy," Liv said, voice low, cutting through the hum. "What's eating you now?"
"Nothing," I lied, sharper than I meant. The weapon hummed louder, syncing with the force in me, heavy and alive. I could feel it—the Skraith's blood on the floor, black and wrong, whispering to the system. Biological Integration Optimized. Recommend Additional Skraith Samples for Enhanced Durability and Strength. Human Samples for Kinetic Optimization.
I swallowed, stomach twisting. More Skraith blood? Permanent power from that? My hands shook, the kinetic energy itching to flare, but I held it back, staring at the pool on the concrete. Four hours left. What if I lost the kinetic energy, the durability, the strength—everything I'd stolen? What if this was my only shot against those bastards?
"Kai, talk," Liv pressed, eyes sharp, pistol on her lap.
I hesitated, then nodded at the blood. "That… I can use it. Again. Make it stick for good."
Her eyes widened, then narrowed. "More Skraith blood? You're pushing it."
"Maybe," I muttered, wiping sweat from my forehead. "But I'm not losing this."
She shook her head, smirking faintly. "If it fries you, don't expect me to scrape you off the floor."
"Fair." I crouched, the weapon humming, and pressed my fingers to the blood—black, thick, wrong. The sting hit—sharp, hot, a burn racing deeper, sharper than before. I gasped, knees buckling, but held on, the hum syncing with the pulse.
Integration Initiated: Skraith Biological Component. Minor Physical Enhancement Unlocked. Durability Increased by 25%. Strength Increased by 15%. Permanent Modification Pending Full Analysis.
I stood, shaky, the kinetic energy stronger, sharper, syncing with my skin—tougher now, harder, muscles denser under the tight tank top, arms bulging faintly. My system buzzed. Analysis Ongoing. Recommend Further Samples for Optimization.
"Holy shit," I whispered, voice cracking, flexing my arms, feeling the new weight, the new power.
Liv stared, pistol ready. "You alive?"
"Yeah," I rasped, slamming a shockwave into the wall—solid, cracking concrete wider. "Better, maybe."
She shook her head, smirking. "You're a damn puzzle, Kai."
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: 25 Meters.
"Skraiths," I whispered, raising the weapon, kinetic energy pulsing.
We were in it now—deep, bloody, and alive.