2025-03-11 17:07:37Bond Mechanics
Pain shot through me as I hit the ground. My body felt like it had been through a grinder—every nerve raw, every muscle screaming. I was losing. The system flared warnings in my vision, flashing urgent red alerts across my interface. [Critical Condition. Energy Reserves: 10%] Not good. Not good at all. The operative loomed over me, his expression unreadable. He didn’t look angry. Didn’t even look smug. Just… disappointed. “Is that it?” he murmured, tilting his head. “Is this all your power amounts to?” I clenched my fists, trying to force my body to move, but my limbs felt like lead. Every breath came in ragged, painful gasps, my ribs aching with each inhale. I couldn’t lose here. Not now. Not after coming this far. Then—Stella. A sudden blur of motion. She lunged forward, faster than I’d ever seen her move. Something flashed in her hand. The next second, the operative jerked back, his eyes widening for the first time. A syringe was buried in his side. His fingers gripped it instantly, but it was too late. The liquid was already inside him. His grip faltered. His knees wobbled. I sucked in a breath, still trying to process. “What—?” “Sedative,” Stella panted, stepping back, her hands trembling. “Didn’t think it’d work, but hey, I’ll take it.” For a split second, none of us moved. The air felt thick, charged with tension. Then the operative’s eyes locked onto her. And I knew that if he recovered, he wouldn’t hesitate. I surged forward, grabbing her wrist. “We need to go. Now.” We ran. The corridors blurred around us, alarm lights flashing, casting everything in chaotic red. The sound of pursuit echoed behind us—shouts, running footsteps, the low hum of security systems booting up. But ahead—the exit. Just a few more feet. Too close. The system flashed a warning. [External Threat Detected] My gut twisted. The doors burst open. And standing there— Was something far worse than a man. It was tall—at least eight feet. Its frame was humanoid but wrong, its limbs too long, its movements eerily smooth, like liquid metal shifting with each step. Its body gleamed under the flashing emergency lights, segmented plates shifting as it turned its featureless face toward us. Then, its chest opened. A hollow, pulsing core was embedded there, thrumming with an unnatural energy. I grabbed Stella and shoved her behind me. “What the hell is that?!” she gasped. The system answered before I could. [Designation: Revenant Class Unit] [Threat Level: Extreme] My blood ran cold. The operative behind us was still recovering. And now this thing was blocking our way. I was out of energy. I was out of time. And worst of all—I was out of plans. The Revenant’s head tilted as if scanning us. Then it moved. Fast. Too fast. One moment, it was standing still. The next—it was inches from me. I barely reacted in time, yanking Stella sideways. Its arm slashed through the air where she had just been, carving a deep gouge into the metal wall. She screamed. I pushed her behind me again. Think, Caden. THINK. I needed power. I needed an opening. I needed a miracle. The system pulsed. [Override Sequence Available] I swallowed hard. I didn’t know what that meant. But I was out of options. I accepted. Pain exploded through my body. I choked on a scream, my vision whiting out for a split second. My limbs locked up, every nerve burning like someone had set my veins on fire. Then— Something clicked. Like a gear locking into place. The pain stopped. And suddenly—I felt lighter. Stronger. The system flared. [Override Activated: Combat Sync Established] The Revenant lunged again. This time—I moved faster. I ducked under its strike, my body reacting before my mind even processed it. A rush of data filled my vision—movement trajectories, weak points, counterattack patterns. I twisted, launching a kick straight at its exposed core. Impact. The Revenant skidded back—not much, but enough. For the first time, I felt in control. Stella was staring at me, wide-eyed. “Caden… what the hell was that?” I didn’t answer. I didn’t know. But I wasn’t going to waste it. The Revenant recalibrated, its core pulsing as it readied its next move. I exhaled slowly, feeling the system syncing with me in a way it never had before. For the first time since this nightmare began— I felt like I could win. I launched forward before it could react, my body a blur of motion. My fist connected with its core—hard. Energy crackled from the impact, the force sending a shockwave through my arm. The Revenant staggered. I didn’t stop. I grabbed its wrist, twisting my body to use its own weight against it. The system was feeding me data, showing me every possible move before I even made it. A perfect sync. I slammed my knee into its midsection, sending it reeling. Then—I saw the weak point. A small, flickering fault line in its armor, just above its exposed core. I had one shot. I lunged, bringing my elbow down hard against the weak spot. CRACK. The Revenant convulsed. Its movements grew erratic, limbs jerking as sparks shot from its core. For the first time, I saw something close to hesitation in its movements. Then—the operative spoke. "Enough." My blood ran cold. I turned—just in time to see him standing upright, the sedative burned out of his system. His eyes locked onto me—calm, calculating. I barely had time to react before his hand shot out. Everything went white.
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Understanding the PowerDarkness clung to the chamber like a second skin, thick and suffocating. I sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor, my hands resting on my knees, palms up, trying—desperately—to still the storm raging inside me. My power wasn’t just something I wielded. It was something that wanted to wield me.The flickering torches cast distorted shadows against the walls, as if they, too, were uncertain of what they were becoming. The energy inside me coiled, alive, eager. It burned beneath my skin, pulsed through my veins, whispered in my mind.Control it, I told myself.But it laughed.Not aloud—no, that would be easy to fight. The real battle was more insidious, more intimate. It was the whisper that slithered through my thoughts, the weight pressing against my ribs, the hunger lurking beneath my every breath."You crave it," the voice inside me murmured. "You always have."I shut my eyes tighter. My pulse hammered in my ears."No," I breathed. "That’s not me.""But it i
CHAPTER 35
The Hunter Becomes the HuntedThe neon lights flicker above me, casting long, distorted shadows against the rain-slicked pavement. The undercity breathes in short, sharp bursts—the hum of generators, the distant shouts of drunken gamblers, the occasional echo of a gunshot deeper in the slums. I keep my hood low, my face hidden beneath the dim glow of passing advertisements.Every step I take feels measured, deliberate. The bounty on my head has tripled overnight, and now the city itself is hunting me. Every set of eyes lingering too long could belong to a mercenary weighing their chances. Every whispered conversation could be about me.I pass a group of thugs loitering near a broken-down hovercraft, their voices dropping as I move past. One of them, a brute with cybernetic arms and an ego too large for his own good, sneers.“Dead man walking.”I don’t break stride. I don’t react. That’s exactly what they want—a sign of weakness, a flicker of fear. But fear has no place here. Not anymo
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Unintended ConsequencesThe battlefield was silent, but not with peace—only with death.Smoke curled from the wreckage, twisting in the cold wind. The ground was littered with bodies, some still twitching, others unnervingly still. Sparks spat from broken ships, their engines gutted, the metal carcasses groaning under their own weight. The acrid scent of burning wires and blood coated the air, thick enough to taste.I stood in the center of it all, my hands slick with something warm. My breath came steady, controlled. Too controlled. I should have felt something—guilt, regret, even relief—but instead, there was just… nothing.My fingers curled into fists, but the emptiness didn’t go away. I looked down at the nearest body, a man barely older than me, his helmet cracked open, his chest rising in weak, ragged jerks. His mouth twisted as if trying to form words, but all that came out was a broken cough.I knelt beside him, my face unreadable even to myself. "You’re dying."His bloodstain
CHAPTER 33
The Battle EscalatesThe sky darkened, thick clouds rolling in like an omen.From above, the air rippled as ships descended in eerie silence. Their hulls reflected the ruined cityscape, bending light like a mirage, making them appear almost invisible. Not the usual loud, flashing entrances of military dropships—no, these were hunters. They didn’t announce their arrival. They didn’t need to.I wiped the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand, the metallic taste grounding me. My muscles burned, my ribs ached, but the real problem wasn’t pain. It was numbers.Too many. More than before.They moved with precision, forming a tight, deliberate circle around me, closing off every possible escape route. No wasted motion. No hesitation. They had done this before.One way in. No way out.A familiar figure stepped forward—the bounty hunter I had fought earlier. His mask was cracked from our last encounter, revealing part of his face. A jagged scar ran down his cheek, an old wound, but the
CHAPTER 32
First BloodThe city was dead.Ruins stretched as far as I could see, the skeletal remains of skyscrapers jutting into the sky like broken ribs. Shadows pooled in the cracks of shattered streets, their silence heavier than the wind howling through the wreckage. Everything smelled of rust and decay—of something old, abandoned, forgotten.I moved carefully, every step deliberate. The air was too still, too watchful. My skin prickled with unease, a familiar warning curling in my gut. Something was wrong.I wasn’t alone.The feeling slithered down my spine like ice. I’d learned to trust my instincts, and right now, they were screaming. The city was supposed to be empty, but I could feel the presence lingering just beyond sight.A vibration rippled through the ground beneath my boots. Subtle, but there. A footstep? A shift in weight? My pulse quickened as I scanned the ruins.Nothing.But I knew better.A voice cut through the silence, smooth and taunting. “You don’t know what you are, do
