Before I could process what that meant, I heard it too—a distant whirring sound, growing steadily louder.
I looked up, squinting through the smoke and red haze.
"Is that...an aircraft?" I whispered, breath catching in my throat. "Rescue...? Did someone actually—"
But as they drew closer, I realized it wasn't a government convoy or the emergency response teams in every disaster protocol.
But there they were, cutting through the storm clouds.
"No way… That's not JSDF or Coast Guard."
The insignia gleamed even through the haze.
The Phoenix Corps that I knew my father had ties with, that they were working on a project related to them.
Phoenix Corps VTOL aircraft, their sleek forms moving in formation across the burning cityscape. Gunmetal gray with glowing blue phoenix insignia on their hulls, they moved through the smoke.
The creature seemed to recognize them too. It let out a frustrated hiss and turned its attention back to me.
"Kill... you... first..."
It lunged with renewed fury, and this time I was ready.
I swung the vent cover with all my strength, catching the creature across the side of its head. There was a sickening crunch, and the creature staggered, its legs giving way beneath it.
It lay twitching on the concrete, black ichor pooling around its ruined head.
I stood over it, breathing heavily, my body screaming in protest.
"Stay... down..." I panted.
But it wasn't over.
With a final surge of strength, the creature lashed out, its claws catching my leg and tearing through flesh and muscle.
I screamed, stumbling back and falling to the ground. The vent cover slipped from my grasp, clattering across the rooftop.
The creature struggled to its feet, its head hanging at an unnatural angle, its remaining eyes burning with hatred.
It took a step toward me.
Then another.
And another.
I scrambled backward, my leg screaming in pain, but there was nowhere left to go. I was at the edge of the roof, the city burning below me.
The creature raised its claws for the final blow.
That's when the sky exploded.
Pulse rifle fire erupted from above, brilliant blue bolts of kinetic energy hammering into the creature's torso. It shrieked and stumbled backward, its body convulsing as the high-energy rounds tore through mutated flesh.
The Phoenix Corps VTOL roared overhead, its engines whining as it adjusted position for the perfect firing angle. Rappelling lines deployed from its belly, and black-armored figures descended.
Phoenix SWAT.
They hit the rooftop in perfect formation with their pulse rifles already tracking the monster.
"Contact! Mark that hostile—engage!"
"Weapons hot! Move, move!"
The monster tried to fight back, but it was outnumbered and outgunned. One of the soldiers threw a plasma net that wrapped around the creature's torso, the energy field searing through its flesh.
"You ugly bastard!" one of the troopers growled.
But the monster still moved even if it's wounded, the thing was still dangerous. It lashed out with its remaining functional arm, catching one of the soldiers across the chest. The trooper went down hard, his armor cracking under the impact.
"Man down! Repeat, we've got a man down!"
"Tango is still active!" someone shouted. "Requesting immediate fire support!"
The VTOL's main guns opened up, filling the air with superheated bullets. The creature simply... ceased to exist, vaporized by the concentrated firepower of the high-tech chopper.
I blinked through the blood on my face while gasping for air.
I drag myself into a half-sitting position, watching the sky spin above me. The storm clouds were breaking up, revealing patches of star-filled darkness beyond.
"Target neutralized," they reported into their comm system. "Survivor located. Initiating immediate extraction."
The soldier knelt beside me, their helmet retracting to reveal a young face marked by the same kind of exhaustion I felt. "We're getting you out of here."
I tried to speak, but only managed a whisper. "Others... in the building..."
"We'll sweep the structure," the soldier promised. "But right now, we need to get your medical attention."
A platform descended from the VTOL's belly, and I saw them. Two figures in high-collar tactical coats with glowing trim, their faces obscured by the smoke and wind but somehow familiar.
Dr. Alistair Valerius and Dr. Lyra Valerius. My parents.
They'd come for me.
"Sera!" my father called out, rushing to me. "We need to get out of here fast."
"T-Took you long enough..." I croaked, my voice barely audible over the wind. "I almost got eaten..." He wrapped me in a thermal towel, like I was still that little girl in the lab halls.
"You're safe now. I've got you."
The platform touched down, and my father's gentle hands lifted me from the concrete.
I felt the solid metal beneath me as we rose toward the aircraft, the burning city falling away below as the VTOL's doors sealed shut.
As we ascended, one of the Phoenix SWAT approached my parents, his helmet still on, voice modulated by the tactical gear.
"Dr. Valerius," he said, addressing my father. "We've located the other target."
My father's grip tightened on me. "Status?"
"Deceased, sir. But the genetic material is intact. Phoenix Prime is secured."
Phoenix Prime? The name echoed in my fading consciousness, unfamiliar yet somehow important. Who were they talking about? The quiet kid? But why would they call him that?
I tried to ask, but my throat was too dry, my body too weak. The world was starting to fade at the edges, the sounds of the aircraft and the voices around me growing distant.
"Phoenix Prime..." I whispered, the words barely audible.
My mother's hand stroked my hair. "Rest now, sweetie. We'll explain everything when you wake up."
But I was already slipping away, the darkness pulling me under. The last thing I saw was the concerned faces of my parents, and the last thing I heard was the steady beep of medical equipment.
Beep... Beep... Beep...
The sound was an annoying repeating alarm.
My eyelids twitched and I felt my body was so damn heavy.
As I tried to open my eyes, a sharp chill met my skin like.
But my body wouldn't respond.
Beep... Beep... Beep...