The First Encounter: Part 6
Day Three
Date: 03/01/01
Location: In the city.
Mission Duration: Three Days
Remaining Time: Two Days and 10 hours
Objective: Reach the City Gate
Subject Names: Thomas & Samira Ali
Previous success rate: 85%
Expected success rate: 65%
Failed Subjects: 225
Successful subjects: 7
The low hum of the vehicle was the only sound in the dead city, a stark contrast to the silence in Thomas and Samira's minds. Thomas's hands rested on the steering wheel, his knuckles a little whiter than usual, while Samira sat beside him, her gaze fixed on the ghostly silhouettes of buildings. The silence was not empty; it was a heavy weight, a shared space for the brutal truth they were still processing.
The revelation from the System had been a blow far more brutal than any monster they had faced. They were not heroes, nor were they chosen. They were simply test subjects, disposable tools in an alien experiment.
"Lab rats," Thomas said, the word a low growl that shattered the quiet. He couldn't shake the cold, scientific logic of it. "They need new bodies to escape the AI, and we're their petri dish."
Samira nodded slowly, her eyes still scanning the ruined landscape. "It's a test. To see if the human body is compatible with the System. To see if we can handle the skills without devolving into the 'mindless monsters' their own population became." Her voice was a clinical whisper, a thin veneer over a core of simmering rage. Her analytical mind was piecing together the facts, and the picture it painted was infuriating. They had been abducted, plunged into an apocalypse, and forced to fight for their lives, all to provide a new home for an alien race.
"They believe we have a strong sense of self and will," Thomas scoffed, a bitter, humorless sound. "They're betting on our humanity to save them from a problem they created. The irony is staggering."
A dangerous fire flickered in Samira's eyes. "Then we'll show them. We'll show them exactly what humans are capable of. We're not just mindless fighters or test subjects." She looked at him, and for the first time, their purpose was truly aligned. It wasn't about surviving for the sake of survival anymore. It was about revenge. They would complete their mission, not for the Langkatans, but to prove they were more than just a means to an end.
The glowing green line on the windshield, their only guide, continued to lead them deeper into the heart of the city. The landscape grew darker, the buildings more broken and twisted. They were in a different sector now, one that had been hit with a more devastating force. The air grew colder, and a faint, electrical hum began to permeate the heavy silence.
Suddenly, Samira's data analysis skills flared to life, not as a calm stream, but as a violent rush of information, a thousand data points flooding her mind at once. The green line on the map turned a violent, flashing red. A new message from the System blazed across the windshield.
{Warning: High-level enemy detected. Stealth and speed are required.}
Thomas slammed on the brakes, and the vehicle skidded to a halt. The street ahead was eerily empty. No monstrous figure, no visible obstacle. But Samira's mind was screaming. She saw the energy signatures, the erratic heat patterns, the microscopic vibrations in the air. The enemy was invisible.
"It's here," she whispered, her voice tight with a newfound urgency. "It's all around us. It's moving too fast for me to lock on. It's... a swarm."
As if on cue, a shimmering, translucent wave of something unseen slammed into the passenger side door with a dull, hollow thud. The entire vehicle shuddered violently, and a small dent appeared on the metal. The air around the car grew thick with a faint, incessant buzzing sound, like a swarm of hornets magnified a thousand times.
"What is it?" Thomas asked, his hand instinctively going to the Qadab skill icon in his menu.
"I don't know," Samira said, her mind working furiously. "My data analysis can't get a solid read. The data is too fragmented. It's not a single entity; it's thousands of them, moving as one."
Another hit, this time on the windshield. The glass splintered, and a spiderweb of cracks spread across the view. They were being hunted by a force they couldn't see, one that was slowly but surely dismantling them.
"Thomas, we have to get out of here," she said, her voice filled with a desperate need for a new plan. "The car won't hold."
Thomas didn't hesitate. "Stay calm. We'll fight this together. You find its weakness, and I'll hit it."
He opened the door, a cold, determined resolve in his eyes. This was no brute like the Korgian. This was a new challenge, a test from the Langkatans themselves. And Thomas and Samira, now a unified team, were ready to show them exactly how much a human could handle.
Just as he was about to step out, a message from the System blazed in his view and simultaneously rang in Thomas's ear and in front of Samira.
{Threat detected. Creature: Shimmering Stalker. Level: 4. State: Aggressive.}
{Shimmering Stalker: a mutated insect species that was once peaceful and one of nature's beauties but has become violent after mutation. It has a hard, nearly impenetrable armor, and where there is one, a swarm is likely to be found.}
The vehicle was a cage, and the unseen swarm, a hive of invisible, buzzing entities, battered it relentlessly. The low thudding sounds were a drumbeat of their impending doom. Samira's mind raced, her data analysis skill a whirlwind of fragmented information, a cacophony of white noise that made it impossible to get a solid read on the enemy. They were not solid, not gas, but something in between that can change shape, a shimmering, kinetic energy that was slowly trying to consume the car.
Thomas, with a cold resolve that mirrored Samira's, opened the door and stepped out. "It's not going to hold," he said, his voice calm despite the unseen threat. "You find a weakness. I'll buy us some time." He didn't wait for her response. With a surge of adrenaline, he activated his Martial Arts (Level 1), his movements becoming a blur of speed and precision.
The invisible swarm was still focused on the car, and Thomas, an agile ghost on the ruined street, dodged their onslaught. He struck out at the empty air, his fists and feet connecting with a strange, jelly-like resistance. The hits didn't do any damage, but they caused a ripple in the invisible swarm, a small, visible disturbance in the air.
Thomas's fists met only air, a jarring sensation that sent a faint ripple through the invisible swarm. He was a ghost fighting shadows, his blows landing with a soft, unsettling give that offered no resistance. The low thudding on the car intensified, the sounds of metal protesting against an unseen force. He could feel the swarm pressing in on him, an overwhelming, oppressive weight that seemed to suck the very air from his lungs. His Martial Arts skill felt useless, a tool built for a fight against a solid enemy. He needed a target, something to hit, but the enemy was everywhere and nowhere.