The safehouse's quiet shattered like glass under a boot, its concrete walls trembling with the Skraith's screech outside—metal tearing, too close, the sound clawing at my skull like a blade scraping bone. I gripped the alien weapon, its green pulse syncing with the enhanced kinetic energy buzzing in my tougher, stronger skin, twenty-three hours left on this fresh mimicry.
Mimicry Active: Tier 1 Kinetic Energy Manipulation. Output Optimized, +10% Kinetic Efficiency. Physical Enhancement: 35% Durability, 25% Strength Increase Stable. Energy Weapon Analysis: 68% Complete. Government Surveillance Confirmed: Enhanced Energy Signatures Closing, Estimated Arrival 5 Minutes, my system chimed, cold and steady, cutting through the chaos like a warning I couldn't ignore.
The air stank—sour Skraith blood, human sweat, ash drifting through the cracks, gritty and cold against my skin, mixing with the faint ozone tang of Liv's sparks. I crouched by the shattered door, the weapon humming in my hands, its green glow catching the sweat on my palms, slick and warm, muscles denser under the tight tank top, arms bulging faintly, the fabric stretched tight across my chest, damp with effort. Tucker stood rigid, machete raised, muscles straining, the scrape of steel on concrete earlier still echoing in my ears. Liv's hands crackled blue, sparks dancing, while Jace clutched his stun baton, ribs bruised but stubborn, his breath ragged. Rylan groaned on the cot, bandages soaked red, pale and still, his shallow breaths mixing with the dust settling on the floor, heavy and wrong.
"You're shaking," Liv hissed, voice low, cutting through the hum, her eyes sharp, pistol steady on her knee, sparks crackling louder. "What's eating you now, Kai?"
"Everything," I snapped, sharper than I meant, my voice rough, cracking on the edge, throat dry as ash. The weapon hummed louder, its green glow flaring, syncing with the force in me—heavy, alive, itching to burst. I could feel it—the Skraith's blood on the floor, black and wrong, pooling like oil, whispering to the system, the human blood on the cot, red and sticky, whispering too. Biological Integration Optimized. Recommend Additional Skraith Samples for Enhanced Durability and Strength. Human Samples for Kinetic Optimization. Government Interception Imminent: Enhanced Energy Signatures Within 1 Mile.
My stomach twisted, sour and tight, hands trembling, the kinetic energy buzzing under my tougher skin, muscles denser, arms thick and solid under the tank top, sweat soaking through, clinging to my chest. I stared at the blood pools—black Skraith, red human—daring me to touch them, to push further. Twenty-three hours left. What if I lost the kinetic energy, the durability, the strength—everything I'd clawed from blood and bone? What if this was my only shot against those bastards, their ships still blotting the sky, their claws tearing through the city, and now humans hunting me too, closing in with tech I couldn't match?
"Kai, talk," Liv pressed, leaning forward, her sparks crackling sharper, a warning in her eyes. "You're hiding something big, and we're out of time."
I hesitated, jaw tight, then nodded at the blood. "That… I can use it. Again. Make it stick for good. Skraith, human—whatever it takes. But there's more. The system says the government's almost here—tracking us, closing in, maybe five minutes out."
Her eyes widened, then narrowed, her grip tightening on the pistol. "Government? You're sure?"
"Not sure," I muttered, wiping sweat from my forehead, the damp cloth of the tank top sticking to my skin, muscles straining under the fabric. "But the system's picking up energy signatures—mine, ours, synced with this." I tapped the weapon, its hum spiking, green light flaring. "One mile out. They're coming."
"Shit," she breathed, glancing at the others. "If they're that close, we're screwed."
"Maybe," I said, crouching, the weapon humming, its pulse syncing with my heartbeat, thudding hard against my ribs. I pressed my fingers to Jace's blood—red, sticky, superhuman, cold on my skin—and the sting hit—sharp, hot, lightning racing through me, deeper than before, syncing with the hum. My muscles tensed, bulging under the tank top, arms thick and solid, the fabric stretching tight.
Temporary Mimicry Refreshed: Tier 1 Kinetic Energy Manipulation. Duration: 24 Hours. Kinetic Output Optimized by 15%.
I stood, shaky, the durability and strength holding, the force stronger, sharper, syncing with my skin—tougher now, harder, like steel plates under flesh, muscles denser, arms thick and solid, the tank top clinging damply. My system buzzed. Analysis Ongoing. Recommend Skraith Sample for Further Optimization. Government Interception Imminent: Enhanced Energy Signatures Within 500 Meters.
I froze, heart kicking harder. Five hundred meters? They were almost here—watching, tracking, maybe closing in with guns and tech I couldn't match. My breath hitched, the weapon humming, the hum buzzing on. Twenty-three hours left—and I wasn't alone in this fight anymore, but I might be the target.
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: 45 Meters.
"Skraiths and government," I whispered, raising the weapon, kinetic energy pulsing, muscles straining under the tank top.
We were in it now—deep, bloody, and alive. But the shadows were closing in, human and alien both, and I was running out of time.
The safehouse shook, concrete groaning as the Skraith's screech ripped through the dawn—metal tearing, too close, the sound clawing at my skull like a blade scraping bone, echoing off the damp walls, mixing with the ash drifting through the cracks, gritty and cold against my skin. I gripped the alien weapon, its green pulse syncing with the enhanced kinetic energy buzzing in my tougher, stronger skin, twenty-two hours left on this fresh mimicry.
Mimicry Active: Tier 1 Kinetic Energy Manipulation. Output Optimized, +15% Kinetic Efficiency. Physical Enhancement: 35% Durability, 25% Strength Increase Stable.
Energy Weapon Analysis: 72% Complete. Government Interception Imminent: Enhanced Energy Signatures Within 300 Meters, my system chimed, cold and steady, cutting through the chaos like a warning I couldn't ignore.
The air stank—sour Skraith blood, human sweat, ash choking the space, mixing with the faint ozone tang of Liv's sparks, crackling blue against the concrete. I crouched by the shattered door, the weapon humming in my hands, its green glow catching the sweat on my palms, slick and warm, muscles denser under the tight tank top, arms bulging faintly, the fabric stretched tight across my chest, damp with effort, sticking to my skin. Tucker stood rigid, machete raised, muscles straining, the scrape of steel on concrete earlier still ringing in my ears, sharp and grating.
Liv's hands crackled louder, sparks dancing, while Jace clutched his stun baton, ribs bruised but stubborn, his breath ragged, shallow. Rylan groaned on the cot, bandages soaked red, pale and still, his shallow breaths mixing with the dust settling on the floor, heavy and wrong, the tang of his blood sharp in the air.
"You're shaking harder," Liv hissed, voice low, cutting through the hum, her eyes sharp, pistol steady on her knee, sparks crackling sharper. "What's eating you now, Kai?"
"Everything," I snapped, sharper than I meant, my voice rough, cracking on the edge, throat dry as ash, heart pounding against my ribs. The weapon hummed louder, its green glow flaring, syncing with the force in me—heavy, alive, itching to burst. I could feel it—the Skraith's blood on the floor, black and wrong, pooling like oil, whispering to the system, the human blood on the cot, red and sticky, whispering too.
Biological Integration Optimized. Recommend Additional Skraith Samples for Enhanced Durability and Strength.
Human Samples for Kinetic Optimization.
Government Interception Imminent: Enhanced Energy Signatures Within 200 Meters, Estimated Arrival 2 Minutes.