Blood and Sparks: The Edge of Power

The safehouse erupted into chaos.

Concrete splintered as the Skraith's screech shredded the morning silence—metal tearing, the sound clawing at my skull like a blade on bone. The walls shook, dust spilling from the cracks, mingling with the choking stench of sweat, scorched ozone, and sour alien blood.

The weapon in my hands pulsed, its green glow syncing with the kinetic energy thrumming beneath my skin. Mimicry Active: Tier 1 Kinetic Energy Manipulation. Output Optimized. +15% Kinetic Efficiency.

Physical Enhancement: 45% Durability, 35% Strength Increase Stable.

Energy Weapon Analysis: 78% Complete.

Government Interception Imminent: Enhanced Energy Signatures Detected—Five Meters. Estimated Arrival: 10 Seconds.

I crouched near the shattered doorway, gripping the alien rifle tight, sweat slick on my palms. My muscles were denser, stronger—tighter against the damp tank top, fabric stretched and frayed from earlier fights. Tucker stood rigid, machete raised, tension coiled in his shoulders. Liv knelt beside him, sparks dancing between her fingers, her narrowed eyes flickering in the dim light.

Jace clutched his ribs, breathing shallow, pain etched in his face. Rylan barely stirred on the cot, blood seeping through the bandages, staining the floor in deep crimson pools. The air reeked of iron, of war, of something irreversible.

"You're shaking," Liv muttered, voice low. Sparks flared brighter at her fingertips. "What's wrong, Kai?"

"Everything." The word scraped from my throat, rough and raw. My heart slammed against my ribs, each pulse syncing with the hum of the rifle, the countdown ticking in my head. Five seconds.

The pools of blood on the floor—black Skraith, red human—whispered to me, dared me.

Biological Integration Optimized.

Recommend Additional Skraith Samples for Enhanced Durability. Human Samples for Kinetic Optimization.

I swallowed hard. I could feel it—the energy humming beneath my skin, the raw, aching potential in my bones. If I took more, it would last longer. If I pushed further, I could make it permanent.

Liv's eyes locked onto mine. "Kai." A warning. "We don't have time for whatever's going on in your head. If the government's here—"

"They're here." My grip tightened around the rifle. "Five meters. Less now."

Liv's breath hitched. "Shit."

The door exploded inward—black-armored figures storming through, weapons raised, glowing blue instead of Skraith green.

"Freeze!" The command was amplified, cutting through the smoke.

I fired first.

The kinetic blast hit center mass, cracking the lead soldier's armor, sending him staggering back. Liv's sparks flared, lashing out in a blue arc, slamming into another. Tucker moved like a ghost, his machete finding flesh, blood spraying against the walls.

But they were faster than expected.

Energy rounds seared the air, blue light flashing as beams scorched the walls. One clipped my arm—a sharp sting, but my skin held firm. Durability stable. Strength holding.

"Move!" Rylan's hoarse voice barely broke through the gunfire. He gritted his teeth, lifting a weak hand to fire a kinetic burst, knocking a soldier off balance.

That was all we needed.

We ran.

Ash choked the streets as we tore through the ruins, the safehouse crumbling behind us under government fire. The city was a skeletal graveyard, fires burning in the distance, casting jagged shadows against the cracked pavement.

My system buzzed.

Government Hostiles Confirmed. Enhanced Energy Signatures Active. Recommend Evasion.

Nineteen Hours Remaining.

The pounding of boots against rubble filled the silence, my breath sharp, adrenaline hot in my veins. We weren't out of this. Not even close.

The city swallowed us whole.

Ash swirled thick, coating my skin, my lungs burning with each breath. The scent of burnt metal and Skraith blood clung to the ruins, mixing with sweat and ozone, the aftermath of our escape still crackling in the air.

We kept moving. We had to.

Mimicry Active: Tier 1 Kinetic Energy Manipulation. Output Optimized. +15% Kinetic Efficiency.

Physical Enhancement: 45% Durability, 35% Strength Increase Stable.

Energy Weapon Analysis: 82% Complete.

Government Hostiles Pursuing. Enhanced Energy Signatures: 100 Meters.

Tucker took the lead, his machete glinting under the blood-red moon. Liv was at my side, her pistol steady, sparks still dancing in her palms. Jace limped but kept pace, ribs bruised but unyielding. Rylan, unconscious, was slung over Tucker's back, his bandages seeping red, his breathing shallow but present.

We darted through the ruins, dodging collapsed buildings, ducking through broken alleyways. Fires still burned from earlier skirmishes, the city smoldering, the war not over.

"You're still shaking." Liv's voice broke the silence, a whisper against the roar in my head.

I exhaled hard. "I'm fine."

She wasn't convinced. "Bullshit. What's going on?"

I flexed my fingers, feeling the hum of kinetic energy beneath my skin. The system's words echoed in my mind, a temptation and a warning all at once. More samples. More power. More permanence.

I clenched my fists. "I can push it further."

Liv's expression darkened. "Kai—"

"The system," I interrupted, voice low. "It's telling me I can make the enhancements stick. Skraith. Human. Whatever it takes."

She stiffened. "You mean taking more blood."

I nodded.

Tucker glanced back. "And what? You just turn yourself into some kind of half-Skraith hybrid?"

"If that's what it takes to survive." The words came out before I could stop them.

Silence stretched between us.

Then Liv swore under her breath. "We don't have time for this."

She was right.

Government Hostiles: 75 Meters.

The chase wasn't over.

We cut through another alley, feet pounding against cracked pavement, dust curling in our wake. The streets were closing in, the ruins a maze of half-collapsed buildings and burned-out cars.

Then—

A pulse.

Not the government. Not Skraiths. Something else.

My system flared.

Unidentified Energy Signature Detected. Proximity: 500 Meters. Classification: Unknown.

My breath caught.

We weren't just being hunted by the government anymore.

Something else was watching.

And it was getting closer.

The subway tunnel swallowed us whole.

Cold air wrapped around my skin, damp and stale, thick with rust and decay. Our footsteps echoed through the underground passage, the sound sharp against the silence.

Behind us, the distant hum of the surface world faded, replaced by something heavier—deeper. The scent of scorched metal still clung to my skin, mixed with the faint ozone of Liv's sparks as they flickered through the dark, casting ghostly flashes against the walls.

Rylan stirred weakly on Tucker's shoulder, his breathing shallow but steady. Jace stayed close to him, checking his pulse, his expression carved from stone.

"We need to stop," Jace muttered. "He's losing too much blood."

"We stop, we die," Tucker shot back.

Liv nodded toward me. "What's the system saying?"

I closed my eyes for a beat, letting it process.

Government Hostiles: 50 Meters. Potential Superhuman Presence: 200 Meters. Unknown Energy Signature Detected: 300 Meters. Status: Unidentified Threat.

I clenched my jaw. "They're splitting up. The government's closing fast, but something else is further out. And it's watching."

Liv's sparks flared brighter. "Watching how?"

I hesitated. The energy signature didn't move like the others. It wasn't chasing. It was lingering. Observing.

"Not sure," I admitted, tension curling in my gut. "But it's waiting for something."

Tucker let out a sharp breath. "Fantastic. Government dogs behind us, mystery freaks ahead. Love those odds."

I turned toward the deeper tunnels, my pulse syncing with the weapon's hum. The green glow barely touched the darkness, shadows stretching long against the cracked walls. The further we went, the stronger the unease became.

Then—

A whisper.

Not sound. Not language. Just a feeling, brushing the edge of my mind.

Welcome.

Every nerve in my body went rigid.

Liv's sparks flared violently. "What the hell was that?"

She heard it too.

A distant hum filled the tunnel—low, vibrating through the rails, shaking the loose gravel beneath my boots. My system reacted instantly.

WARNING: Unidentified Psionic Presence Detected. Proximity: 150 Meters. Estimated Strength: High. Classification: Unknown.

Psionic. My breath caught. Not human. Not Skraith. Something else entirely.

Tucker drew his machete, eyes narrowing. "Kai, what's wrong?"

I swallowed hard. "Something's down here with us."

Jace stiffened. "You mean something worse than the government?"

A low, unnatural crackle whispered through the darkness.

I turned toward the sound—heart hammering—just as the emergency lights flickered. The walls pulsed with something unseen, the air growing heavier. A presence pressed against my skin, testing, pushing.

Liv grabbed my arm. "Kai, we have to move."

I wanted to. Every logical part of me screamed to keep running, to get as far from whatever was lurking in the deep as possible.

But my system had other plans.

New Energy Signature Detected. Potential Connection to Mimicry Pathway. Analysis Recommended.

Damn it.

I tightened my grip on the weapon, forcing my breath steady. "Go ahead. I'll cover the rear."

Tucker hesitated, but a fresh burst of gunfire echoed from the tunnel entrance. The government was here.

"Move!" I barked.

They ran.

I lingered a second longer, staring into the pitch-black ahead, feeling the weight of unseen eyes watching from the dark.

Something was waiting for me down here.

And whether I was ready or not—I was about to find out why.