The junkyards never slept. They breathed. Toxic fog crept through broken hulls and tangled metal. It carried a stinging scent of scorched circuitry, mingled with sulfur, implying decay. Radiation waves rolled over piles of wreckage, setting off bursts of purple light in shattered satellites and cruisers. Even beneath the mask, the air tasted metallic and bitter, as if something were not right. Invisible globes of memories orbited Kai's mind—the last war that saw the orbital stations shatter like glass, leaving a ring of derelict debris encircling the planet. It was here, in the fall zones, that Earth's ambitions had crumbled along with the abandoned dreams that littered the sky. But there was a fleeting memory of another kind of air, fresher and filled with the scent of grass, so distant it might have belonged to someone else. And where unwanted people came to survive
Kai Voss moved across the wreckage like a wraith. Seventeen. Gaunt. Scarred. Silent. His eyes hid a fear that latched to him like the darkness that he moved through; a fear not of death, which had weighed over him since he could remember, but of being unseen, forgotten. Memories of a childhood spent in the underbelly of an overpopulated city flashed through his mind—faces blurred, places that felt neither welcoming nor safe. Yet, deeper still, a longing stirred: a yearning to find a place where his scars did not judge him, but by who he could become. His boots crunched on broken metal as he moved between fallen cargo frames and pipes. He wore a worn respirator, its filters sizzling with every breath. His scanner flickered in his hand, struggling against the radiation. This deep in the junkyards, electronics rarely survived long.That was the point. Corporate patrols avoided these zones. Scavenger crews seldom dared venture this far. And gangs only showed up when something valuable was rumored to be there, which meant that when Kai came here, he came alone. Not because he wanted to. Because orphans didn't get partners, they got replaced. He squatted beside a cracked engine core, pried loose a bundle of intact wiring, and slid it into his pac—high-density superconductors. Good resale value. Enough to eat for a week, maybe two.Not bad. But his instincts tugged him more deeply.Always deeper.Radiation intensified as he went deeper. The fog thickened and glowed with a cold light. Wreckage r up, making canyons out of fused starship parts. Locals, those who dared to share tales over flickering campfires, whispered names for such places: the 'Fallen Valleys', 'Rusted Ravines'. Whole cruisers had crashed together, crushed by gravity and drag, leaving distorted metal skeletons. Kai's pulse stayed steady. Fear had burned out of him years ago.What remained was calculation.' The deeper zones are the place where the honest scrap hides.' Illegal tech lurks like a coiled serpent, ready to strike those who dig too deep. Military relics, sharp as the blades of an ancient battlefield, wait silently to wreak havoc. Pre-collapse artifacts, remnants from a time when an unfathomable disaster fractured empires and altered the course of history, refuse to stay buried, their secrets capable of unraveling minds. Legends speak of the days when even the stars trembled, and the Earth swallowed whole civilizations. Lost genetic tech tempts like forbidden fruit, granting power in exchange for one's soul. These findings not only tempt fate but often seal it, getting people killed. He stepped through a broken hull into a chamber so twisted it didn't look like any ship he knew. The metal walls bent inward, melted, and hardened again in strange shapes. His radiation meter jumped sharply.His scanner died completely.The fog parted. And there it was—a perfect black cube. No seams.
No markings.
No reflection. It floated, half-stuck in the fused metal, untouched by rust, radiation, or age. Kai froze. Not fear.Recognition.' That does not belong here.' Everything else in the junkyards broke down, rusted, changed, and bent out of shape. This cube, however, stood out—new, clean, and distinctly alien — as Kai stared at it. A sensation washed over him, sharp and clarifying, like déjà vu from a forgotten past. Nostalgia wrapped itself around memories just out of reach, and a chill coursed through him, layering ancient familiarity beneath the unknown. Every instinct screamed at him to stop . He ignored it. His gloved fingers skimmed the cu be. The world collapsed.
Pain surged in his head. His vision broke into sharp flashes of purple light. Gravity flipped. His body trembled as something old, heavy, and endless rushed into his nerves. Gene Stream.Raw.Unfiltered.His lungs locked. Muscles seized. Bones screamed as genetic energy rushed through every cell. Ka i fell. Hi back hit the twisted floor. His body bent as radiant patterns appeared on his skin, then faded away. His heart paused.Once.Twice.Then it restarted with a heavier, deeper rhythm. His mind was overwhelmed by noise. Fragments of impossible knowledge.Biological pathways.
Genetic architecture.
Cultivation structures.
Evolutionary templatesIt t was too much.' This is how I die.' But his body did not collapse. It's adopted. His cells changed and rebuilt themselves. Nerves widened. Organs shifted into new shapes. His genes changed under pressure, not fighting it, but taking it in. The cube liquefied. The black shadow flowed seamlessly into Kai's hand, merging with his skin. It penetrated deeply, coursing through his veins and quietly settling in his bones. Silence crashed in. Kai lay motionless, chest falling. Minutes passed. Then he slowly lifted his hand. tattoo had formed onitse bact.Intricate.Geometric.A perfect black cube inscribed in layered lines, throbbing softly as if alive Kaii stared. No radiation.
No detectable energy.
No visible emission.But he felt it.A presence.A mechanism.A hunger.' What did you do to me?' No answer came.Only awareness.His body buzzed with hidden power. Every nerve appeared sharper, his thoughts darting and spreading out. This was a Genetic Awakening, sudden and intense, not built up over years but forced on him all at once.Forced.He pushed himself up, knees unsteady, then steadied.The world appeared different.Sharper.Slower.He felt electromagnetic interference in the fog, radiation currents between hulls, and energy trapped in reactors. This heightened sensitivity sent a storm of emotion through him—a rush of exhilaration at his new awareness, paired with the unease of isolation, as if the new clarity set him apart from the old world. Everything carried more weight; the mysteries of the world came into focus, stirring new possibilities within him.He clenched his hand.The tattoo warmed.A new understanding surged through him, not just as knowledge, but as an acute awareness of his new capabilities. His body felt attuned to power, with every cell recognizing its newfound strength. It was as if his body now instinctively anticipated threats and opportunities, able to translate the abstract presence in his hand directly into actionable potential.He gained a pathway.One that should not exist.Movement resounded through the wreckage.Metal scraped.Boots.Voices. "Spread out." "Scanner's dead. Stay tight." Gang.Three signatures.Armed.Probably hunting for high-radiation salvage. Or bodies.Kai stepped into the shadow of a collapsed bulkhead.His breathing slowed.Not fear.Focus.The first man emerged through the fog, rifle poised, helmet visor shining dimly. Kai took a step forward, but his foot slipped on a loose piece of debris, momentarily throwing him off balance. Recovering quickly, he moved, closing the distance in less than a second. He struck the man's throat with his palm.
Bone broke, and the man dropped before he could react. The moment life faded, something tore free . Energy rose. Not dispersing. Not fading. It streamed directly into Kai's body. His veins burned. His vision flared violet. Information and power rushed into him, pressing into his genes. Kai staggered. Then steadied.' So this is it.' The second man turned, shouting, "Contact—" Kai crushed the second man's knee and dragged him down, driving his elbow into the skull. Another absorption.Stronger.Denser.His body buzzed as more genetic energy built up inside him. The third man tried to run. Kai caught him . He didn't hesitate. Another pulse.Another surge. Silence returned. Three bodies collapsed in twisted heaps. Kai stood among them, chest rising slowly. The power calmed. Not explosive.Controlled. 'So when something dies by my hand, I take what remains. Kai felt the tattoo pulse, a muted approval echoing in his mind. The realization of absorbing power sparked a cautious thought: 'Perhaps it is a rightful exchange, a remnant for a remnant,' he mused, questioning if this was nature's hidden law of balance manifesting within him. Yet, behind the rationalization, a storm of emotions brewed. Guilt clawed at him, a feeling that he was crossing an invisible line, taking more than he was entitled to. A seed of doubt took root, casting shadows over his newfound power. An awareness stirred, telling him that future choices might not be so easily justified. In the quiet recesses of his mind, he felt the coldness of the absorption—it was mechanical, detached. Not their memories or their will stayed with him, only the cold imprint of their genetic structure, cultivation, refinement, and progress. The thought haunted him: was he becoming more like the corporations, consuming without remorse, or was there a purpose to this ability that he had yet to understand? Despite the clarity of his abilities, uncertainty lingered, whispering promises of future conflicts and hard decisions yet to come. Kai sensed a pivotal choice looming, one that might define who he could become or unravel everything he had gained. His gaze dropped to the tattoo. It pulsed once.Satisfied.A quiet snicker escaped him.Low.Unsteady.Then stopped. His face went cold.' This changes everything.' By the time Kai climbed out of the radiation zone, dawn smog clouded the megacity skyline. The acrid stench of pollution, a mix of burnt metal and chemicals, remained in the air, catching in his throat. Industrial spires pierced noxious clouds, casting wide shadows over the buzzing streets below. Corporate districts glimmered beyond shields, clean and unreachable, their windows reflecting the glowing neon that danced across the smog. Below, lower sectors sprawled: scrap architecture, crime zones, orphan blocks. In stark contrast to the pristine towers above, these streets were filled with struggle and dreams, none more so than Kai's growing ambition, sharpened by the sensory overload that defined his reality. He moved through the streets unnoticed. Another scavenger.Another nobody. But something inside him had shifted. In his tiny rented capsule, he stripped off his gear and stared at his hand. The tattoo remained invisible unless he focused on it.
No scanners.
No radiation.
No trace.
Perfect concealment.
His mind churned. Power meant nothing without position. Yet, to gain a position, what would he risk losing? His anonymity in the shadows or the potential for something greater? This question lingered, inviting a strategic calculation. Embracing power could expose him to predators, but securing a position offered influence, protection, and a gateway to opportunity. Would forging a path to the academy be worth the unknown cost? He had to grapple with these possibilities as the idea of what he could become took shape. Raw strength attracted predators. Resources. Protection. Information. Influence All of it funneled through one place—the academy. The memory arose uninvited.
Helios Genetic Academy, Earth-based, Mid-tier, Elite standards.
Brutal selection.
Public duels.
Private testing.
Students spoke in hushed tones about its legendary halls, where the most promising minds were said to unlock their true potential. Rumors whispered of secret rituals and challenges designed to sharpen skills and intellect far beyond the ordinary. The gateway out. Kai sat on the edge of his cot, elbows resting on his knees.' That place still exists.'
Broadcasts.
Public trials.
Ranking boards.
Students ascending into authority. He had watched them from broken public screens as a kid, eyes burning with envy and disbelief.' If I stay here, I die.' Not today.Not tomorrow. But inevitably.' If I enter there, I gain access.' Not power.
Opportunity.
A mild smile curled across his face.
Dark.
Measured.
Controlled.
' And opportunity is where monsters are born.' He clenched his fist. The tattoo pulsed. He pictured the path ahead, clear and dangerous. Kai leaned back and exhaled.' New life, then.' Outside, sirens wailed as corporate patrols swept through lower sectors.
Somewhere, gangs hunted.
Somewhere, academies tested recruits.
And somewhere deep beneath the city, forbidden technology had just chosen its wielder. A distant flash of violet briefly illuminated the dark, hinting at the cyclical nature of change, like an echo from the junkyards above. The metallic taste lingered, suggesting forgotten power and unseen consequences, as if the city's hidden secrets had just stirred awake. Kai closed his eyes. A barely audible whisper of sirens in the distance persisted in the night air, a subtle reminder that surveillance never sleeps, that eyes may be watching even as he seeks refuge. Somewhere nearby, a neighbor's cough pierced the silence, itchy with an undercurrent of warning. Tensions seethed beneath the surface, the quiet preludes to the surging challenges ahead. Tomorrow, he would begin.