Adrian woke with a start, thinking he was going to be late for work. Then the reality of his situation came rushing back. He sat up, heart racing and rubbed his eyes. Dawn was just breaking, he could vaguely hear some noises outside, random howls and growling in the streets. Ignoring it for now he headed downstairs to eat some of the snacks he grabbed earlier and make some coffee. Trying to seem normal while he still could.
He looked away as he stepped over his parents to enter the kitchen. Leaning against the counter his eyes were still glazed from sleep. Thinking of the next steps and the dangers of crossing the distance to his goal. The industrial district held the possibility of materials and hopefully there would be less ferals. It's not like it's a very populated part of the city. But between here and there, there would be countless. Adrian slowly sipped his hot coffee, not needing to worry about the temperature. The familiar warmth in his stomach brought a calmness to him while he planned.
He found a small bag in the hallway closet, he used it to store his stolen snacks and a few other food items he found in the pantry. He wondered if there was anything else he should grab before he left. Not expecting to need it, he grabbed the first aid kit from the upstairs bathroom. He also found a couple of flashlights. He could easily heal and see in the dark now with the help of the nanobots, but his years of watching survival videos for fun had burned basic necessities into his brain. When he couldn't think of anything else he should grab, he slid the strap over his shoulder, tightened it up, gave it a tug to be sure it was secure, and headed for the door. He dared to glance one last time at his parents before unlocking the door and cracking it open.
The sun was just streaking across the ground, driving most of the ferals inside for a while to rest and avoid the bright light. Stepping out he took a deep breath then turned to run in the general direction he needed to go. Running down the street made him obvious but he could move through the city much faster. Adrian figured it could draw out any straggling ferals that didn't make it inside for whatever reason. The thought that buildings might be hunting grounds in the future briefly crossed his mind. He tucked that away for later. Right now setting up a safe place to operate was the priority.
His speed exhilarated him as he sprinted through the streets, the amount of free nanobots in his body pushing him even faster than his upgrades. And the rush from the sheer power was intoxicating, he couldn't yet imagine how far his nanobot core could go, but he was driven to find out. As he moved he brought up his display to check his current stats:
Free nanobots available: 10,137
His replication overnight pushed him into the ten thousand range, giving him a 50% boost to all his capabilities. The difference from just a few days ago was very apparent as he pushed them to the temporary limits, testing them as much as taking advantage. He contemplated the next upgrade but knew it wouldn't be worth it anytime soon. The boost from the new nanobots was too useful at the moment. Lost in thought, he ran for thirty minutes before he ran into the first feral. It looked like it was digging in the trash for food. That was odd, perhaps there was no prey around for it. Adrian didn't fear only one, they were just food for his core. He let out a low whistle to get its attention. Its head snapped up, blood appeared dried on its chin, probably from its last kill. Clumsily it crawled out of the dumpster, then ran right towards him.
Adrian stood nonchalantly waiting for the very last moment to duck as the feral jump attacked. From underneath he slid his clawed hand down its trunk spilling its guts on the road. It was dead before it hit the ground. Adrian didn't even wait, he turned to walk away as the prompt came up:
Free Nanobots Detected. Assimilate? [Y/N]
"Yes." he said over his shoulder like he was talking directly to the nanobots hovering over the body.
Assimilation complete. Free nanobots gained: 1,324. Total available: 11,461
The amount of nanobots in the ferals seemed to be growing as this world slid more into hell and chaos. They've started their own replications now, no doubt, and they've had more time to accumulate materials. Adrian had noticed that the stronger the feral the higher the nanobot count, and if everyone was now slowly growing in strength he would have to really push his advantage to stay ahead. Hoping he wouldn't some day become like them, to grow past what his body and mind could handle. For now survival and growth was his only goal.
He continued on, still trying to fathom how it got so bad so fast. Whatever was the reason for releasing this nanobot plague on the world? Population control gone wrong? Adrian didn't think this was it. He thought of all the depopulation theories he had heard about, not believing anyone would actually try anything. This was next level, maybe this wasn't the real plan, but something got out of hand, and whatever it was, this was unprecedented. He could only hope that there were people who hadn't changed still out there. He hoped they didn't remain hiding hoping for a rescue that may never come.
Two ferals were picking at a body that looked to be mostly bones. He didn't even miss a beat as he came up silently behind a car that had been left sideways in the street, he used that to block their view of his approach. He caught them both by surprise. Adrian jumped over the car and came down hard on the one on the right, swiping its throat before diving at the other. Rolling it before kicking it off against a nearby stair hand rail. It bent unnaturally when the ferals back slammed into it. Adrian scrambled over and grabbed it by the torn shirt and punched it's face into the pavement as the feral flailied a last weak defense.
Free Nanobots Detected. Assimilate? [Y/N]
"Yes." taking a deep breath as the familiar cool burn flowed into him from the clouds hovering over their still bodies.
Assimilation complete. Free nanobots gained: 2,581. Total available: 14,074
He smirked with some satisfaction seeing he was close to the first upgrade. Every feral kill made him a little stronger, a little faster, and much more capable of dealing with this ever growing problem. He turned and headed off. As he ran the buildings got shorter the farther from downtown he went. He came across a few more ferals but they were easily dispatched. The law of nature being their cause of death, not able to adapt to the current situation fast enough.
Free nanobots available: 18,728
He knew he was getting close, the constant attribute increase took some getting used to. Properly utilized each increase made more of a difference than he would have expected. He rounded a corner and saw it, a street with more ferals than he had seen in one area. And this was during the day! They were scattered down the thoroughfare, maybe twenty or more between him and the district he was targeting. He thought about running away and going around. But the chance to get so many at once was tempting. Adrian ducked out of sight and leaned against a wall, breathing slowly, using his advanced intelligence to plan a possible route through them.
He took into account the distance between them all, how fast they could move, how quickly they would notice him as he started his rampage. Adrian's increased intelligence working at full power with the stat increases to not only calculate how to do it but the percentage of likelihood of success. A map of sorts formed in his mind's eye, almost holographic in nature, clearer than any construct he had ever made with his thoughts before. After careful consideration his need for the nanobots outweigh any chance of failing. After all, he would get stronger as he went.
With a last deep breath, he turned the corner and targeted the closest feral. He took it out before he could even be seen. Darting straight to the next one, hoping he could keep it quiet. It barely got out a screech before Adrian drove a clawed hand into its chest with a wet thump. It crumpled on the spot. The nanobots clouded above them ready for Adrian's command.
Free Nanobots Detected. Assimilate? [Y/N]
"Yes." not waiting for them to flow into him before heading to the next feral.
Assimilation complete. Free nanobots gained: 2,473. Total available: 16,561
He came to the first small group. Three of them, having heard the last body hit the ground, they turned to look. Only to see Adrian, already on top of them, slamming a fist into one's face, sending them sliding before ducking and spinning finger blades splayed out for maximum damage to the other two huddled close. After 3 quick spins they were a shredded mess, twitching on the ground. Then he turned his attention back to the one who was still recovering, and stomped through its skull as he passed.
Free Nanobots Detected. Assimilate? [Y/N]
"Yes." He ducked behind a car, catching the attention of a couple more who were not too far away, causing them to crawl wearily in his direction.
Assimilation complete. Free nanobots gained: 3,715. Total available: 20,276
He waited until the first one climbed on top of the car he was hiding behind, then quickly hopped up, grabbed it and slammed it face first into the concrete leaving a large blood stain. The other came peeling out around the car, trying to swipe at his exposed side. Adrian let it, let the claws sink into his body, using it to trap the feral and grab it by the wrists, twisting and snapping both arms at the elbow. Adrian front kicked into its chest sending it flying. It landed on a debris pile of scrap metal, impaling it as it slumped suspended off the ground.
Free Nanobots Detected. Assimilate? [Y/N]
"Yes." His breathing was heavy as the nanobots sealed up his wounds.
Assimilation complete. Free nanobots gained: 2,395. Total available: 22,671
By now he knew that he would have drawn quite a few of the ferals' attention based on proximity alone. The path he cut through them had been mostly going to plan, until a feral screamed in a way he hadn't heard yet. This was new. He turned to look far down the street and saw one feral standing upright and pointing directly at him. Adrian's eyes went wide, he hadn't anticipated this. This new feral seemed to be directing the other ferals in the area. At first he froze, trying to recalculate his strategy, knowing the original plan was now garbage. "No plan survives contact with the enemy." he muttered to himself before looking up.
Could he get on top of one of the buildings? The city wasn't exactly known for space between buildings, he could jump between most of them.The main streets between buildings was the only question there. He might be able to make the jump but he didn't know for sure. He bolted heading for the closest wall, jumping almost 8 ft off the ground and digging his claws into the surface. It held, next he imagined spikes coming off the front of his boots, sticking them in as well. Now he could easily climb, as easy as running up a ladder he was on the roof. He watched the ferals jump and scratch the building trying to follow after him but they couldn't at first.
Before too long, one of them figured it out. It grew its claws slightly, just enough to grab into the wall. Then slowly pulled themselves up. Adrian could only shake his head and sigh. He had the high ground, but not for long. He would take a few of them out before running across the rooftops like some kind of deranged superhero. As soon as the first one got to the top, Adrian drove the spike on his boot through its head, the nervous system locking his hands in place hanging from the wall like gruesome artwork. The second seeing this leaped into the air, off the wall and onto the next building before coming at him. Adrian caught them by the throat and squeezed until the feral popped, then tossed it aside.
Free Nanobots Detected. Assimilate? [Y/N]
Before he could respond, several of them made it to the top of the building behind him. He checked all possible escape routes in a split second before making a decision.