The Mantis rumbled quietly through the ruins as Etrius slowed the APC, carefully weaving around the piles of rubble and twisted metal that once were homes and stores. The once-sprawling suburban areas had become a maze of half-destroyed buildings and collapsed roads. Zoey stirred in the passenger seat, her eyes slowly fluttering open as Etrius glanced over.
"Sleep well?" he asked, his tone neutral, focused on navigating.
Zoey stretched her arms, the servos in her prosthetics giving a soft mechanical whine. “Like a rock," she muttered, rubbing her eyes before scanning the environment. "Where are we?"
“About two hours out. Suburbs. Things are starting to look... well, not good, but at least more intact,” Etrius replied. He slowed further as the remains of a large building loomed in the distance, half of it still standing like a skeletal reminder of what once was. “It's getting dense with the rubble, though. Slower going from here.”
Zoey grunted, then reached into a pouch at her waist, pulling out a thin metal bracelet. “Here, slap this on.” She tossed it to Etrius, who caught it mid-air with a clawed hand.
“What’s this?” he asked, raising an eyebrow while slipping it on.
“IFF bracelet. I’ve got one embedded in my thigh already. It syncs with the turret, so if anything pops up, you won’t get shredded,” Zoey said, tapping her own leg.
Etrius chuckled, shaking his head. "Appreciate the trust. You sure it won't mistake me for one of these raiders?"
"Not unless you take the bracelet off," she smirked.
As they pressed further into the ruins, the signs of life—however grim—became clearer. Columns of smoke in the distance. Tire tracks fresher than the ancient, cracked pavement suggested. Makeshift barricades set up with whatever could be scavenged: broken cars, rusted steel beams, old furniture.
"You see that?" Zoey nodded toward the horizon, where a half-rebuilt structure stood against the dull orange sky. "Someone's been busy. Raiders, scavengers, maybe even some poor saps trying to live here."
“Could be trouble,” Etrius noted, slowing even more. “Gangs, maybe.”
“Definitely. No one stays around Manhattan unless they’ve got a death wish,” Zoey's eyes flicked to the turret controls, adjusting the standby mode. “Let’s hope they don’t get curious.”
They drove in silence for another hour or so, the sun hanging low in the sky, casting long, jagged shadows through the ruins. As the outskirts of Manhattan came into view, the difference was noticeable. The atmosphere grew colder, more menacing. The remnants of the once-great city lay in shambles, buildings reduced to concrete skeletons, graffiti marking territory in a language neither Etrius nor Zoey cared to decipher. The distant sound of gunfire echoed occasionally, a reminder that they weren’t alone.
"Looks like we're getting close," Etrius muttered, scanning the skyline. "Should we park here?"
Zoey nodded. "Yeah. No point in rolling right into the city center with this beast. We’ll stick out."
Etrius pulled the Mantis into a half-collapsed parking garage, the vehicle's size dwarfing the structure, but it fit well enough for cover. He cut the engine, and they both sat in silence for a moment.
Zoey began zipping up her exploration suit - a black neoprene and kevlar lined suit with titanium plating and hardlight emmitters, although she turned the emmitters off. They glowed like a fire, and were too risky for the protection they provided.
Pulling her helmet over her head, the visor glowing slightly, Zoey checked her phone, then activated the turret. "It'll notify me if anything gets within range," she said, stepping out of the APC. "Let’s move."
They locked the Mantis and made their way out of the garage, the noise of the city growing quieter as the air thickened with tension. Zoey moved with purpose, leading Etrius through the streets. Both of them were alert, every crack of debris underfoot something to be considered.
"You remember the way?" Etrius asked, his voice low.
Zoey nodded, her eyes scanning the ruins. "Yeah. It's this way." She pointed to the tall, crumbling buildings ahead. The farther they went, the more the city loomed over them, the ruins becoming denser, more imposing. The streets narrowed, rubble piled higher, and the shadows seemed to grow longer with every step.
As the last rays of daylight faded, the city took on a sinister quality, the kind that made even the toughest survivors reconsider entering. But Zoey and Etrius weren’t normal survivors. They were hunters. They were prepared.
Zoey slowed her pace, her voice barely above a whisper. "We're getting close."
Etrius nodded, his hand resting on his plasma sword hilt, his eyes scanning the darkening streets.
The entrance was ahead, somewhere amidst the destruction. They both knew they were stepping into something dangerous. Neither cared.
---
Zoey paused at a crumbling street corner, crouching behind what remained of a rusted-out vehicle, her eyes scanning the looming structures ahead. The sun had fully set now, casting the city in near darkness, but their enhanced senses made it easy to navigate. Etrius followed suit, moving soundlessly behind her.
"Entrance should be two blocks up, near a collapsed overpass," Zoey whispered, her voice barely audible through the comms in Etrius’s ear. “Facility's under the subway lines. Most of it's buried, but I found a path a while back.”
Etrius looked ahead. The buildings here were a claustrophobic mix of partially collapsed towers and reinforced structures that looked like they were being used for something—whether as makeshift bases or just storage, it wasn’t clear. There were faint signs of movement in some of them, distant figures barely visible through shattered windows.
"You think those are raiders?" he asked, his voice equally low.
"Could be. Doesn’t matter unless they decide to mess with us." Zoey's fingers flexed around the grip of her PTRS-41, the massive rifle slung across her back. "We're not here for them."
As they moved through the ruins, the tension thickened. There were clear signs of activity—footsteps in the dust, broken glass, even the remains of a small campfire still smoldering. Etrius's eyes darted to the rooftops, his instincts on high alert. Something about the silence of the city was wrong.
Zoey picked up the pace, moving from cover to cover with a smooth efficiency. Her movement made no sound on the broken pavement, and her prehensile tail helped balance her movements as she dashed ahead.
"You sure about the entrance?" Etrius asked, still tracking their surroundings with caution.
"Yeah. I found it years ago, remember?" she said, stopping to glance back at him. "It’s still there."
“I trust you,” Etrius muttered, scanning the windows again. A flicker of movement caught his eye. "Hold up."
Zoey froze. Her tail straightened behind her, ready to whip into action. "What?"
"Top floor, east building. Someone’s watching." Etrius pointed subtly with his chin. Zoey didn’t even turn her head, her sharp gaze locking onto the spot.
"Just one?" she asked, her voice calm but alert.
"For now. Probably a scout," Etrius replied, shifting his weight, ready for action. "Could be signaling a group, though."
Zoey glanced at him, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Wanna bet on who gets to them first?"
Etrius chuckled, shaking his head. "Not this time. Let's keep it quiet."
"Fine," Zoey muttered, audibly disappointed but aware of the risks. She adjusted her position and signaled Etrius to follow her along a more covered route, keeping to the shadows between the ruined buildings.
They moved quickly and efficiently, like predators stalking prey. As they passed under the remnants of the collapsed overpass, Zoey crouched by a jagged hole in the pavement.
"Here we are," she whispered, pulling back debris to reveal an old, rusted ladder leading down into the darkness. "It’s tighter down there, but it'll get us straight to the facility."
Etrius knelt beside her, peering down. "Looks stable enough." He unslung his plasma sword, checking its charge before sliding it back into place. "You first, or me?"
"I'll go. Easier if I have to clear anything," Zoey said, unslinging her rifle and securing it before grabbing onto the ladder. “Stay close.”
Etrius watched her descend, her powerful arms moving smoothly as she made her way down the ladder with practiced ease. Once she was halfway down, he followed, his own massive frame making the ladder groan slightly under the weight, though it held steady.
The descent was long, the darkness thick and oppressive. Even with their enhanced vision, the blackness of the subterranean space below felt different. Heavy. It smelled of rot, rust, and decay—things that had been untouched for years.
Zoey dropped the last few feet to the ground, landing without a sound. Etrius followed, his boots making a soft thud as he landed beside her.
The tunnel they had entered was old—subway lines crisscrossed overhead, but it was clear this area hadn't seen a train in decades. The walls were coated with grime, and the faint echo of water dripping from above broke the silence.
"Facility entrance is through the maintenance tunnels up ahead," she said, pointing toward a dark, narrow corridor to their right. "Stay sharp. Could be booby-trapped, or worse."
They moved cautiously down the passageway, their steps barely audible. The silence was suffocating, only broken by the distant sound of their breathing and the occasional creak of the tunnel as it settled.
As they rounded a corner, Zoey suddenly held up a hand, stopping Etrius in his tracks. She crouched, studying the ground.
"Tripwire," she whispered. "Crude, but effective."
Etrius leaned in, examining the wire. "Explosive?"
"Yeah. Homemade, looks like. Could take out half this tunnel if we’re not careful," Zoey muttered. She reached into her pack, pulling out a small set of tools. "Give me a sec."
While Zoey worked on disarming the trap, Etrius kept watch, his eyes flicking between the dark corridor ahead and the faint light behind them. His ears twitched, picking up the subtle sounds of the tunnel shifting around them.
"Done," Zoey whispered, stepping back and packing up her tools. "Let’s move."
They pushed forward, their senses on high alert, but the corridor remained eerily quiet. As they neared what Zoey had marked as the facility's entrance, they could both feel it—a low hum in the air, a faint vibration beneath their feet. The facility was still powered, running off some unseen source.
---
The corridor ahead was swallowed in darkness, the faint echo of their footsteps the only sound in the silence. The air was stale, carrying with it the weight of years of abandonment. Yet something about the space felt wrong to both of them. Zoey's tail twitched behind her, a subtle sign of her unease.
Etrius unsheathed his plasma sword, its blade humming to life with a quiet whirrr. The blue light it emitted cast long shadows along the walls, illuminating the way forward. His muscles tensed as he took the lead for the first time in their journey, the faint glow of the blade painting his striped fur in ethereal shades of blue and black.
"Keep an eye on our rear," he muttered quietly, his voice barely audible in the stillness.
Zoey gave a small nod, something unspoken passing between them. Normally, she'd take the front without hesitation—her size, her strength, the natural choice for a battering ram through anything or anyone in their path. But here, in these tight corridors where stealth was as valuable as strength, Etrius was better suited to lead. Besides, leaving their rear unguarded wasn’t a risk either of them was willing to take.
"Don't get yourself killed up there," Zoey whispered, her tone half-joking but edged with seriousness.
"You sound worried," Etrius teased back, though his eyes were focused, scanning the shadows ahead.
Zoey smirked but didn’t respond. She gripped her rifle, keeping her gaze over her shoulder. Her exploration suit, black Kevlar fabric with dark red metal plating, felt like a second skin, offering her enough protection against most threats, but it didn’t ease the tension crawling up her spine. The weight of her past hung heavy in the air.
As they advanced, the walls around them became more structured, transitioning from the raw, crumbling concrete of the subway tunnels to smoother, reinforced steel and aluminum—evidence of the facility's design. Zoey’s breath slowed as she took in the familiar surroundings. They were getting close. Too close.
It wasn’t long before they came to a large steel door. The metal was pockmarked with dents and scratches, but it remained intact. Etrius ran a hand over the door's frame, examining the markings. His senses tingled.
"Someone’s been here recently," he said, tilting his head toward the scratches. "See these marks? Fresh. Scavengers, maybe."
Zoey’s ears flattened slightly. "As far as I remember, it was open when I left."
Etrius’s fingers brushed the door control pad, but it was dead. No power.
"I'll have to force it open," he said.
Zoey stepped back, giving him space. "Don't wreck it. We’ll need to close it behind us if things go sideways."
With a low growl of effort, Etrius plunged the tip of his plasma sword into the control panel, twisting the blade slightly to trigger the mechanical release inside. The door groaned, sliding open with a shriek of metal against metal.
The space beyond was even darker, colder—an antechamber of sorts. Zoey’s eyes scanned the room, sweeping the corners with vulpine precision.
“Recent footprints,” Etrius whispered, nodding to the dust disturbed on the floor. “Three, maybe four sets. Bigger than a scavenger party.”
Zoey’s eyes narrowed. "Not raiders. Too deliberate. They weren’t looting—they were headed somewhere specific."
"They could still be here," Etrius said, his voice low. His sword’s glow only went so far into the blackness beyond.
The tension ratcheted up as they moved deeper inside. The facility was quiet, eerily so, and the only sounds were the faint hum of Etrius’s sword and the steady breathing of the two of them. Zoey’s grip tightened on her rifle, her finger hovering near the trigger.
They came to what appeared to be a control room of sorts. Dead monitors lined the walls, and terminals stood like forgotten sentinels, their screens dark and cracked. Zoey frowned.
“Nothing’s powered,” she muttered. “We’ll need to get the generator running.”
Etrius moved to inspect the room’s far corner, where the power junction was located. "Shouldn’t be too hard if we can find a backup power source. There's no way this place is completely dead."
Zoey swept the room with her gaze, kneeling beside one of the terminals. Her hands brushed the surface, feeling for signs of recent tampering. She found none. The dust was undisturbed here, but it didn’t ease the tension in her chest.
"They didn’t touch the computers," Zoey whispered. "Why come here if you’re not going to access the data?"
"Maybe they couldn’t power it on either," Etrius said as he traced the cables toward the generator access panel. "Or maybe they weren’t interested in the systems."
Zoey stood, her tail flicking. “You think they were after something else?”
"Could be," Etrius replied, his voice tense. "We need to be careful. If they’re still here—"
A sudden, faint noise echoed from the corridor behind them.
Both of them froze.
Zoey’s heart pounded in her ears, her senses screaming at her to move. She slowly turned, her enhanced hearing picking up the distinct sound of footsteps. More than one pair.
“Etrius,” she whispered sharply.
"I hear it," he responded, stepping away from the generator access panel. He raised his plasma sword, the blue light casting long shadows through the room. "Looks like we're not alone after all."
Zoey raised her rifle, her eyes locking onto the door they had come through. The footsteps were getting closer, more deliberate. Whoever—or whatever—was approaching wasn’t trying to hide anymore.
"Get the power on. Now," Zoey hissed.
Etrius nodded, moving with renewed urgency. His claws worked quickly on the panel, trying to jump-start the backup generator.
The footsteps stopped outside the door.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence.
Then came the sound of a soft, metallic click—like a weapon being readied.
Zoey's grip tightened on her rifle, her breath slowing, her heart pounding in her chest.
---
The click echoed ominously in the room, followed by a tense silence that hung in the air like a needle waiting to drop. Zoey's eyes narrowed, her finger sliding to the trigger of her rifle. Etrius, his plasma sword glowing with an eerie blue hue, was already working on the generator, claws working at the panel in quick, precise motions.
The door burst open.
Two figures stormed in, their silhouettes outlined in the weak light from Etrius’s plasma sword. They were armed, rifles raised, intent clear in their posture.
Zoey moved faster.
Her PTRS-41 thundered as she pulled the trigger, the massive anti-material round tearing through the first man’s chest with a sickening crunch. His body convulsed, the upper half of his torso disintegrating into a cloud of shredded flesh and bone, spraying the walls with chunks of meat and viscera. His legs buckled, collapsing in a grotesque heap as his remains hit the floor with a wet thud.
The second man barely had time to register the explosion of gore before Zoey was on him. She didn’t bother with her rifle. She wanted this one close.
Her claws lashed out, grabbing his arm and wrenching him forward with terrifying strength. His scream was cut short as she drove her claws through his abdomen, shredding his organs with a brutal twist. Blood spurted from his mouth, his body writhing as Zoey ripped her hand free, bringing a torrent of intestines and gore with it. The man's entrails sloshed to the ground, steam rising from the crimson puddle that formed beneath him. He gurgled a weak, final breath as his eyes glazed over, body twitching before it slumped to the floor.
The room stank of blood and death, but Zoey wasn’t done. Her eyes snapped to the corridor outside the door, where more movement caught her attention. "More incoming," she growled into her comms.
Etrius finally got the generator online with a thrum. The room’s systems flickered to life, and with it, an alarm sounded somewhere deep in the facility. Red emergency lights bathed the corridor in a hellish glow, and Zoey’s instincts went into overdrive.
She heard them coming. Footsteps—more this time. Heavier. Armed. The faint clatter of equipment and weapons filled the space outside. Her sharp hearing picked up whispered commands, barely audible above the hum of machinery. The hunt was on.
"Stay back," she ordered Etrius, who stood by the newly powered control panel. "Let me handle this."
Three more enemies rushed the doorway, their rifles raised and weapons primed. But Zoey was already moving.
She launched herself forward with terrifying speed, claws slashing through the air. The first man barely saw her coming. His chest was split open in a single swipe, ribs snapping like brittle twigs as her claws tore through him, scattering blood across the walls and ceiling. He collapsed in a pool of his own insides, twitching before going still.
The second raised his rifle to fire, but Zoey’s tail lashed out, the spade tip catching him by the throat. The crunch of bone was audible even over the gunfire, and the man’s neck snapped at an unnatural angle as he was yanked sideways. Zoey closed the gap in an instant, pouncing on him like a predator on prey. She slammed him into the ground, her claws sinking deep into his flesh, ripping through muscle and sinew as blood fountained from his torn throat. His gurgling stopped with a final, wet gasp.
The third attacker turned to flee, panic clear in his steps. Zoey’s rifle boomed again. The shot ripped through the back of his skull, spraying brain matter and bone fragments onto the walls like an explosion of crimson confetti. His body slumped forward, collapsing in a heap of twitching limbs and warm blood.
Etrius had moved to the far side of the room, his plasma sword drawn, watching the chaos unfold with a strange detachment. Where Zoey tore through flesh and bone with reckless brutality, he remained calm, precise, and deadly.
Another wave of attackers appeared from the far end of the corridor. These were more prepared, their movements tighter, more controlled. Zoey’s senses flared, picking up their positions. They opened fire, bullets whizzing through the air and pinging off the walls as they tried to suppress her with sheer volume.
Zoey grinned beneath her helmet.
She charged again, zigzagging as she barreled toward them. A bullet grazed her arm, ricocheting off the tungsten plates with little more than a spark. She barely noticed, her adrenaline pumping.
The first attacker was too slow. Zoey was on him before he could react, her claws slicing through his throat like paper. Blood sprayed in a wide arc as his body crumpled to the floor, gasping its last breath.
The second was smarter. He dropped his rifle and tried to engage her up close with a combat knife. It was a mistake. Zoey caught his wrist in mid-swing, her claws crushing bone with a sickening snap. The knife clattered to the floor as he screamed in pain. Zoey slammed him into the wall with enough force to shatter his ribs, her claws tearing into his chest and ripping out his heart in a single, swift motion. The organ pulsed in her hand before she popped it like a balloon, his body collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.
Behind her, Etrius moved with precision, his plasma sword slicing through one of the last attackers. The blade hissed as it cut through flesh and bone, cauterizing the wound instantly. There was no spray of blood—just the dull thud of the severed body hitting the floor. Etrius pivoted, parrying a knife strike from another attacker before driving the plasma blade through the man’s chest, the wound leaving nothing but a smoking, blackened hole.
Zoey, covered in the blood of her enemies, turned to face the last attacker standing in the hallway. His rifle trembled in his hands, his eyes wide with terror as he stared at the carnage Zoey had left in her wake.
“Oh, shit…” he whimpered, dropping the gun and raising his hands in surrender.
Zoey’s smile was cold and merciless. She didn’t hesitate. Her rifle roared one last time, the man’s head exploding in a violent shower of blood and bone.
The hallway fell silent once more.
“Clear,” Zoey muttered, wiping her bloodstained claws on the corpse nearest her. She turned to Etrius, who deactivated his plasma sword, the room now bathed only in the flickering red light of the alarm.
"Guess we weren’t the only ones interested in this place," Etrius said, glancing at the bodies scattered around them.
Zoey growled low in her throat. "No. But whoever they were, they weren’t ready for me. I mean, us."
---
The facility was cold, silent except for the hum of machinery Etrius had managed to power up. The lights flickered weakly, casting long shadows across the metallic walls. Zoey stalked ahead, her eyes scanning the long-abandoned corridors. Everything felt familiar yet distant, as if her memories of this place were pieced together from nightmares rather than any concrete experience. The last time she'd been here, there had been no light. Just the feeling of cold steel under her fingertips and the overwhelming stench of blood and fear.
"You recognize any of this?" Etrius’s voice crackled softly through her earpiece.
"Some parts," Zoey responded, her voice low. She ran her fingers along the wall, feeling the slight indentations of old battle scars and signs of chaos. "But most of it... no. Too dark the last time. I didn’t get to see much."
Etrius was silent for a moment as he worked on the facility’s terminal, accessing old, rusted systems and encrypted data. The plasma sword’s glow had faded, but the faint hum from its hilt still comforted him. He focused on the console, his claws delicately tapping at keys as he bypassed forgotten firewalls and cracked open dormant files.
"You'll know the room when you see it," Zoey added. "Where I found the Vulpes Titan. It's still... vivid."
"Hard to forget something like that," Etrius muttered, his gaze fixed on the screen. The suit, currently stored inside her APC, had been designed for destruction on a scale only Zoey could handle. His fingers flew over the keyboard, line after line of data scrolling past as he delved deeper into the facility’s history.
Zoey moved ahead, leaving Etrius to his work. The corridors became tighter as she ventured further in, and the air was thicker here, stale and untouched for what must have been years. But even so, there were remnants of activity. Scuff marks on the floor. Discarded tools. Someone had been here recently.
She reached a familiar door. Her pulse quickened. This is it.
Zoey stepped inside, the large room illuminated by dim, flickering lights. It was just as she’d left it—the cold steel walls stained with memories of violence and desperation. The blood splatters on the floor from her desperate attempt to save herself. Her eyes swept over the empty platform where the Vulpes Titan suit had once rested. The space was hollow now, but she could still feel the weight of it in her mind.
The memories of her first encounter with the suit hit her hard. The panic, the adrenaline, the raw need to survive, and the monstrous power that the suit had provided. Now it was safely inside the APC, her lifeline in this hostile world.
She shook her head, trying to push back the flood of memories, and turned to explore further. At the far end of the room, an old storage door creaked as she pulled it open. A faint glow greeted her.
Her eyes widened.
The storeroom was filled with crystalline power cores, each one pulsing with a deep, ominous red light. Zoey’s fingers twitched as she stepped forward, her gaze locked on the glowing crystals. They were identical to the power source that fueled her suit. She knew their value—dangerous, unstable, but potent beyond comprehension.
Without a second thought, she pulled out her bag and began stuffing a few of the cores inside. She knew Etrius would flip if he saw this. He’d lecture her about the risk, about how they should be destroyed, but Zoey wasn’t about to leave them behind. They were too valuable. And too useful.
He doesn’t need to know, she thought, zipping up the bag.
As she made her way back to the central terminal, her mind raced. She needed to focus. Whatever was going on here, it wasn’t over. The people who built this place hadn’t just vanished, and now, she and Etrius were standing in the middle of their den.
When she returned to Etrius, he was hunched over the computer, eyes narrowed at the screen as lines of data scrolled faster and faster.
"Find anything?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
Etrius didn’t look up. "Yeah. And you’re not going to like it."
Zoey’s stomach dropped. She moved closer, her eyes scanning the screen as Etrius brought up the files he had unlocked. They were personnel records, technical documents about the Vulpes Titan and its development. But what caught Zoey’s eye was a series of surveillance logs, images and data entries of the engineers who had once worked here.
Her blood ran cold.
The faces were...German. The insignias on their uniforms... unmistakable. The same people who had engineered her suffering.
Zoey opened her mouth to respond when her phone buzzed sharply. She glanced down at the screen. The turret on the Mantis had detected movement—something was near the APC.
"Shit," she hissed, her muscles tensing. "We’re not alone."
Etrius stood, his plasma sword igniting with a hiss of energy. "How many?"
"Could be anything," Zoey muttered, pulling up the camera feed. She saw shapes, shadowy figures moving in the distance, but couldn’t make out how many or what they were armed with. The turret remained silent, not engaging, but the proximity alarm meant they were getting close.
"Let’s go," Etrius said, his voice calm but urgent.
They moved quickly, Zoey leading the way through the maze of hallways, her claws at the ready, her senses heightened. Every creak, every whisper of movement, put her on edge.
The facility was a death trap. They had overstayed their welcome.
As they reached the exit, Zoey’s pulse raced, and she could hear movement behind them—soft, calculated, and deadly.
“We’re not going out quietly,” Zoey muttered under her breath, eyes darting toward the shadows ahead.
---
Zoey’s heart pounded as she sprinted through the dimly lit tunnels, her footfalls echoing alongside Etrius’s. The exit loomed ahead, but the oppressive darkness clung to every corner, hiding dangers that could strike at any moment. They were close, but the weight of something unseen pressed down on them, a silent predator lurking in the blackness.
Suddenly, Zoey caught movement from the corner of her eye. Instinct screamed at her to react, but before she could, something massive barreled into her, slamming her against the cold, unyielding wall with enough force to crack the concrete. The impact drove the air from her lungs as stars exploded in her vision. She struggled to regain her balance, shaking her head to clear the fog.
The creature standing over her was monstrous. A vulpine nightmare, towering at nearly ten feet tall, its serpentine dorsal ridge undulating with its every breath. Its tail, long and sinuous, swayed behind it like a serpent preparing to strike. Curled horns framed its predatory face, and its glowing eyes locked onto Zoey with a deadly intent. The thing’s fur was matted, a deep crimson that mirrored Zoey’s own, its color all too familiar.
The beast let out a guttural snarl, muscles bunching as it prepared to strike again. Just as it lunged, fangs bared, Zoey rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding its snapping jaws. The creature’s bulk crashed into the floor where she had been, sending dust and debris flying.
“Too fast…” she muttered through gritted teeth, struggling to get a shot off. Every movement of the creature was swift, calculated, and lethal.
But then Etrius was there.
With the fluidity of a predator himself, Etrius darted forward, his plasma sword glowing with lethal blue light. The creature turned to face him, but Etrius was already moving, claws flashing out and catching the beast across the face. The plasma sword followed in a sweeping arc, aiming for the creature’s side. The smell of burning flesh filled the air as the blade carved a glowing line across its hide.
The creature howled in fury, whipping its serpentine tail toward Etrius in a vicious strike. He dodged, his movements precise and controlled, but the beast was relentless. Every time he struck, it retaliated with terrifying speed, its hulking form somehow maintaining an unnatural agility.
While the creature was distracted by Etrius’s onslaught, Zoey saw her chance. Her hands moved quickly, pulling out her rifle and steadying her aim. She didn’t have time for a clean shot, but she didn’t need one. The creature was focused on Etrius, snarling and swiping at him with claws as long as swords.
Zoey lined up her shot, her finger tightening on the trigger as the creature leapt toward Etrius, ready to tear into him.
BOOM!
The shot rang out, loud and sharp in the confined space. The anti-tank round struck the creature squarely between the eyes. Time seemed to slow for a fraction of a second as the beast’s body froze in mid-air, its glowing eyes flickering out like extinguished flames. With a sickening thud, the massive creature collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Zoey exhaled sharply, her muscles trembling from the adrenaline rush. Etrius, standing over the fallen creature, looked down at it, his expression dark.
Zoey approached, her eyes narrowing as she studied the body. The resemblance was unmistakable now that she could see it up close. The fur, the horns, even the spaded tail—it was almost like looking into a mirror of her own monstrous features.
"This thing... it’s got the same fur as me," Zoey muttered, her voice low and grim. She nudged the creature’s limp form with her boot. "It's...me..."
Etrius’s green eyes met hers, his expression unreadable. "Engineered," he said simply, his voice cold and calculating.
A wave of realization crashed over her. Whoever was after her hadn’t just sent any creature to track her—they had created this thing specifically for her. It was no accident, no random experiment gone wrong. They had designed this beast to be her predator.
But they had miscalculated.
"They counted on me being alone," Zoey said darkly, her gaze shifting to Etrius. "But I’m not."
He gave a short nod, eyes still scanning the dark tunnel around them, ever alert. "We need to move. Whatever sent this thing probably has more," he said, sniffing the air, feeling the fur of the monster. "I know what it smells like now, so I'll know when another shows up. Just like the Olenvolkgrif."
Together, they moved quickly toward the service exit. Zoey’s senses were on high alert, every shadow, every flicker of movement putting her on edge. The tunnel seemed to stretch forever, but at last, they reached the surface. The service entrance had brought them quite close to where they needed to be.
The night sky greeted them, a cold, harsh reminder of the world they were still trapped in. Zoey breathed in deeply, the taste of freedom sharp in the back of her throat. But before they could feel any relief, Etrius raised a hand, his body tensing.
He spotted it first.
Movement. Shadows shifting just beyond the parking garage where the Mantis was parked.
"Shit," Etrius muttered under his breath, his claws flexing. "We’ve been surrounded."
Zoey cursed under her breath, instinctively drawing her weapon. "How many?"
Etrius’s eyes scanned the darkness, the faintest glint of movement betraying their enemy’s positions. "More than a few. Armed. They are waiting for us."
Zoey clenched her fists, the weight of the red crystalline cores in her bag suddenly feeling heavier. "They want their experiment back," she growled.
"Yeah, well," Etrius smirked darkly, his plasma sword lighting up with a hiss. "They can't have you if I have anything to say about it."
Zoey’s lips curled into a dangerous grin. "Let’s give them a warm welcome."
Without another word, they moved forward, deadly silent but ready for the chaos that was about to unfold.
---
---
Zoey’s phone buzzed again, vibrating incessantly in her pocket. She glanced at the screen and saw the alert flashing.
"Someone’s messing with the Mantis," she growled, her sharp eyes narrowing.
As if on cue, the unmistakable roar of the dual KPV machine guns erupted in the distance. The distinct rhythm of the turret spitting out hot lead echoed through the cold night air, sending a shiver down her spine. She could imagine the 14.5mm rounds tearing into whoever was stupid enough to approach the APC, being only slightly smaller than her 20mm anti-tank rifle.
"Sounds like they found our ride," Etrius remarked, his voice low, but a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.
Zoey’s metallic fingers danced across her phone screen, tapping out commands with practiced speed. With a final swipe, she engaged the autopilot. The Mantis, parked far ahead of them, roared to life. The engine hummed, boosted by the modified drone power core that she had installed. It surged forward, already firing as it began moving toward them.
"You’re not taking my shit," Zoey muttered under her breath, eyes fixed ahead as she saw the distant shadowy figures chasing after it, futilely trying to keep up.
"They don’t know what they’re dealing with," Etrius said, watching the figures sprint after the Mantis, only to be left in the dust as the heavily armored vehicle tore through the terrain at a speed that should have been impossible for its size.
The Mantis weaved through the ruins like a predator stalking its prey, tearing through obstacles as its twin KPVs continued to spit fire. A few rounds clanged against the building they stood near, sending bits of rubble flying.
"Let’s move," Zoey barked, her voice sharp and commanding. The Mantis barreled toward them, its guns still firing sporadically. As it neared, Zoey and Etrius moved in perfect sync, muscles coiling for the jump.
Without hesitation, they leaped onto the top of the speeding APC. Zoey’s hands found purchase on the armor, and Etrius was already pulling open the roof hatch. Quickly, they dropped inside.
The moment they landed, Zoey jumped into the commander's seat, her hands flying over the controls. She grinned as she put the turret in manual mode, immediately scanning for threats. Meanwhile, Etrius took the wheel, his massive hands gripping the controls like an extension of himself.
"Turret's live," Zoey muttered, eyes scanning the outside. But as she swept the turret's gaze across the ruins, something odd struck her. There was nothing.
The figures that had been chasing the Mantis were gone.
"Where the hell did they go?" Zoey muttered, her finger hovering over the trigger. She swung the turret around, checking every angle. There was no sign of their attackers. Not even a body.
Etrius grunted, his eyes scanning the horizon as well, while he maneuvered the Mantis back toward the road.
Zoey’s claws tapped restlessly on the console. "They must’ve fallen back. They know they can't take us head-on."
"Maybe," Etrius replied, his tone calm but cautious. "Or they're waiting for you to make a mistake."
Zoey's eyes flicked to the rear cameras, then the front. Still nothing. The night pressed in around them, heavy and oppressive, like they were being watched from every angle but never directly confronted.
"They’ll strike again," she said, her voice tight with anticipation. "It’s not over. Not by a long shot."
Etrius nodded grimly, his focus on the path ahead. His plasma sword, still clipped to his side, buzzed faintly, and he kept his free hand near it, just in case.
As the APC rumbled forward, the silence between them only added to the tension. They were on edge, alert. Something about the whole situation felt wrong. Those shadowy figures had melted away far too quickly. Whoever they were, they hadn’t given up.
"We need to be ready for anything," Zoey muttered, her eyes narrowing. "They want the suit... they won’t stop until they get it."
"No, they won’t," Etrius agreed, his grip tightening on the wheel. "But this time, they’ll be the ones running."
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