(1) Dance with the Devil's Eye
The miniature Eye of the Blood Moon, cold and ancient, stared out from the central drone's lens. Recognition, profound and chilling, passed between it and Lin Mo. The nanites beneath his skin screamed a silent alarm, a primal aversion to that gaze. Time seemed to fracture. Su Ting's guttural scream, the whine of drone rotors, Emily's terrified gasp – all blurred into a dissonant hum beneath the weight of that impossible stare.
"Terminate non-compliant subjects. Capture the Afflicted and the Nanite Host alive. Priority Omega." The female voice, now stripped of all pretense of civility, crackled with cold, mechanical authority. Not a request. An execution order.
The targeting lasers on the drones flared from red to a searing, actinic blue. The whine became a piercing shriek as their undersides snapped open, revealing needle-thin barrels humming with energy.
Lin Mo moved. Neural acceleration, fueled by adrenaline and terror, slammed his perception into overdrive. The world became syrup. He saw the energy building in the drone barrels, the subtle shift in their stance as they prepared to fire. He saw Su Ting, scaled face twisted in feral rage, already swinging the fire axe in a brutal arc towards the nearest drone clinging to the wall. He saw Emily throwing herself over Zhang Tie's unconscious form, a human shield against imminent death.
Capture alive. The words registered through the haze. Priority Omega. They wanted him and Su Ting intact. That was their weakness. That was the only chance.
"SU TING! DOWN!" Lin Mo roared, his voice distorted by the time-dilation. Simultaneously, he unleashed the nanite swarm not as a weapon, but as a shield and a deception.
A wave of shimmering silver exploded from him, bifurcating instantly. One stream flowed over his own body, forming a rippling, liquid-metal carapace. The other stream shot towards Su Ting, not to attack, but to engulf her.
Su Ting shrieked, not in pain, but in outrage and sudden disorientation as the silver tide washed over her. "What are you—?!"
"PLAY DEAD! PLAY MUTATED!" Lin Mo's mental command, amplified through the nanite connection he now instinctively shared with her due to their shared crystalline corruption, slammed into her consciousness. He poured an image into her mind: Convulsions. Collapse. Mimic the monsters when they fall.
At the same moment, Lin Mo threw himself backwards, away from Zhang Tie and Emily, towards the open side of the SUV. He deliberately twisted his body into a grotesque, jerking spasm, mimicking the death throes of the spindly mutants they'd fought earlier. He forced the nanites covering him to ripple violently, distorting his silhouette, mimicking uncontrolled mutation under stress. He let out a choked, gargling sound.
Su Ting, caught between her own rage and the insistent, alien logic Lin Mo forced upon her through the nanites, hesitated for a split second. Then, with a final snarl that sounded more like a dying gasp, she too went rigid. She dropped the axe, her body convulsing violently under the silver shroud Lin Mo's nanites provided, before collapsing face-down onto the oil-stained concrete, the nanites making her limbs twitch erratically. The scales on her exposed skin seemed to pulse erratically beneath the silver veil.
The drones froze. The actinic blue targeting beams remained locked, but the rising hum of their weapons hesitated. The central drone, its slit-pupiled eye fixed on the two convulsing figures, emitted a series of rapid, high-pitched clicks – analysis. The command to terminate the "non-compliant" (Emily and Zhang Tie) seemed momentarily suspended by the unexpected collapse of the primary targets.
Emily, pressed over Zhang Tie, stared in bewildered horror at the scene. She saw Lin Mo and Su Ting seemingly succumbing to some violent reaction – to the drones? To their own afflictions? She didn't know, but the cessation of immediate violence was a reprieve.
"Subjects Alpha and Beta exhibiting catastrophic bio-feedback. Likely system rejection or cascade corruption," the female voice intoned, a hint of clinical disappointment cutting through the drone's speaker. "Capture protocol adjusted. Stun and secure. Eliminate remaining hostiles."
The blue targeting lasers shifted off Lin Mo and Su Ting, snapping back onto Emily and Zhang Tie. The drones near them reoriented, barrels humming louder.
It was the moment. The only moment.
"NOW!" Lin Mo's mental scream tore through the nanite link to Su Ting.
He exploded upwards from his feigned convulsions, the liquid silver carapace solidifying into jagged, armored plates along his limbs and torso. Su Ting, reacting with preternatural speed fueled by rage and the nanite-boosted command, launched herself not at the drones, but sideways, a scaled blur snatching up the fire axe she'd dropped.
Lin Mo didn't attack the drones. He attacked the garage. Specifically, the weakened, crumpled roll-up door where several drones clung. His silver-plated fist, reinforced with nanite-driven strength, slammed into the already damaged metal near the drones' anchor points.
CRUNCH!
The weakened metal buckled violently. Two drones were ripped from their magnetic perches, sent spinning and crashing into the wall. Their weapons discharged wildly, bolts of searing blue energy scorching the ceiling and floor, missing Emily and Zhang Tie by inches.
Su Ting was already moving. She didn't need neural acceleration; her crystal-enhanced senses seemed to grant her a similar hyper-awareness. She ducked under a sizzling energy bolt from a drone targeting her, the bolt vaporizing a tool cabinet behind her. With a feral yell, she swung the axe in a vicious, backhanded arc, not at the drone body, but at the skylight above it!
CRASH!
Tempered glass rained down. The drone, momentarily distracted by the debris, was a fraction too slow. Su Ting's follow-through wasn't with the axe blade, but with her scaled, nanite-dusted fist, smashing into its central sensor housing – directly into the cold, slit-pupiled eye.
The drone sparked violently, emitting a distorted electronic screech, and dropped like a stone, its eye-lens shattered into obsidian shards.
Chaos reigned. Drones fired erratically, seeking targets amidst the smoke and debris. Energy bolts seared the air. Lin Mo, shielded by his partial silver armor, bull-rushed another cluster near the main door, his impacts destabilizing them. Su Ting became a whirlwind of scaled fury and gleaming axe, exploiting the drones' momentary confusion and close-quarters disadvantage, shattering limbs and sensors with brutal efficiency.
Emily screamed, dragging Zhang Tie deeper into the garage, using the SUV as cover. "Lin Mo! The big door! There!"
Lin Mo followed her pointing finger. Beyond the partially blocked main entrance, illuminated by the flickering light of burning buildings, stood their salvation: a hulking, six-wheeled military surplus armored personnel carrier (APC). It was parked haphazardly, likely abandoned by fleeing soldiers. Its angular, slab-sided form promised near-impenetrable protection. And crucially, the driver's side door hung open.
The drones were regrouping, their targeting systems overcoming the initial chaos. More were swarming outside, drawn by the commotion. They needed that APC. Now.
"Su Ting! Cover me! To the APC!" Lin Mo bellowed, already charging towards the mangled garage entrance, silver armor deflecting a glancing energy bolt that sparked and sizzled against the nanites.
Su Ting responded with a wordless snarl. She launched herself at the drones concentrating fire on Lin Mo, the axe a deadly extension of her scaled arms. She moved with terrifying, inhuman grace, dodging, weaving, shattering drone after drone, drawing their fire.
Lin Mo reached the crumpled door. Debris blocked the lower half. He gripped the jagged metal edge, the silver nanites flowing over his hands, reinforcing his grip, enhancing his strength. With a roar fueled by desperation and nanite power, he heaved. Torn metal screamed. The blockage shifted, then gave way, creating a jagged opening just large enough to scramble through.
He burst out into the apocalyptic street. The APC was twenty yards away. Drones swooped down from above, blue targeting lasers painting his chest. Behind him, Su Ting fought a desperate rearguard action inside the garage, the sounds of shattering metal and energy discharges echoing.
(2) Steel Skin & Smashing Through
Lin Mo sprinted for the open APC door. Energy bolts sizzled past him, cratering the asphalt at his feet. One bolt caught him squarely in the back.
THOOM!
The impact was like being hit by a sledgehammer. It knocked the wind from his lungs and sent him stumbling forward. Pain flared, intense and burning, but… contained. The nanite armor plating across his back had absorbed and dispersed the energy, glowing cherry-red where it was struck before rapidly cooling. It held. It held!
The drone's targeting laser remained locked. It adjusted for another shot. Lin Mo didn't slow. He reached the APC, vaulting into the open driver's compartment. The interior smelled of oil, sweat, and cordite. The keys were still in the ignition. Thank you, panicked soldier.
He twisted the key. The massive diesel engine coughed, roared to life with a ground-shaking bellow that momentarily drowned out the drone whine. He slammed the heavy armored door shut just as another energy bolt splashed harmlessly against its thick flank.
"SU TING! EMILY! MOVE!" He yelled, slamming the APC into gear. The massive vehicle lurched forward, crushing debris beneath its knobby tires.
Inside the garage, Emily heard the engine roar. Hope flared. With strength born of terror, she hauled Zhang Tie's unconscious bulk towards the newly opened gap. Su Ting, bleeding from a glancing energy burn on her scaled shoulder, delivered a final, shattering blow to the last functional drone inside, then turned and sprinted, scooping up the medical bag as she passed.
Emily dragged Zhang Tie through the gap just as Su Ting darted out. Lin Mo gunned the engine, maneuvering the bulky APC to provide cover. Emily and Su Ting scrambled towards the rear troop compartment door.
"Get in! NOW!" Lin Mo bellowed, seeing a fresh wave of drones converging from the rooftops, their weapons charging.
Emily shoved Zhang Tie into the dark compartment, clambering in after him. Su Ting paused, her reptilian eyes scanning the sky, then lunged inside just as Lin Mo slammed the rear door shut. Heavy locking bolts thudded home.
THOOM! THOOM! THOOM!
A barrage of energy bolts hammered the APC's armored hide like furious hail. The cabin shook, but the thick steel held. Warning lights flickered on the dashboard. External sensors were damaged, but the engine roared unwavering.
"Hold on!" Lin Mo gritted his teeth, wrenching the heavy steering wheel. The APC surged forward, a 12-ton battering ram plowing through abandoned cars and smaller debris like toys. He aimed for the widest avenue leading west, towards the coordinates Zhang Tie had mentioned for the military's A3 shelter – their only known destination.
The drones pursued relentlessly, peppering the rear and roof with energy fire. The noise inside the APC was deafening – the roar of the engine, the clang of energy impacts, Emily's sobs as she tried to stabilize Zhang Tie on the vibrating floor, Su Ting's harsh breathing.
Lin Mo drove with grim focus, using the APC's bulk and the ruined cityscape as cover, swerving down side streets, crushing barricades of wreckage. He felt every impact. The nanites, still partially deployed across his back where the bolt had struck, hummed with absorbed energy. He instinctively directed them to reinforce the areas of the APC's hull taking the most punishment. Tendrils of silver flowed from his hands where they gripped the wheel, seeping into the dashboard, spreading through the vehicle's frame like a protective metallic biofilm. It wasn't conscious control; it was a symbiotic reaction, the swarm reinforcing its host's shell.
He felt the dense steel of the APC's armor plating as the nanites interfaced with it. Its composition, its resilience, flooded his perception. And with that perception came a new possibility. He focused his will, not on forming weapons, but on integration. He commanded the nanites spreading through the APC's hull to absorb and replicate its structural properties, not just shield it, but become it.
A wave of profound solidity washed over him. The chaotic vibrations from the drone impacts lessened. He felt denser, heavier, anchored. Looking down, he saw patches of his own skin, particularly along his arms and shoulders where they touched the metal frame, take on a dull, gunmetal grey hue, the texture subtly mimicking the rough, non-reflective surface of the APC's armor. Localized Steel Integration. The nanites weren't just wearing armor; they were temporarily transforming his biology at the interface points to mimic the vehicle's resilient steel.
Ahead, a major intersection was blocked by a tangled mess of burned-out buses and overturned trucks – a deliberate choke point. Beyond it, Lin Mo could see clearer streets leading towards the city outskirts. But guarding the only narrow gap through the barricade was a New Dawn checkpoint. Sandbags, razor wire, and a menacing tripod-mounted heavy machine gun, its operator sighting down the APC's approach. Two armored figures in sleek, black, non-military gear flanked the gunner, raising futuristic-looking rifles.
"Stop or be destroyed!" A magnified voice boomed from a speaker at the checkpoint. "This is your final warning!"
Stopping meant capture. Or death. Going around meant more drones, more time they didn't have. Zhang Tie was fading. Su Ting was becoming less human by the minute. The APC's fuel gauge was dipping towards empty.
Lin Mo made his choice. He slammed the accelerator pedal to the floor. The massive diesel engine screamed in protest, then delivered raw, earth-tearing torque. The APC surged forward, a steel juggernaut aimed straight at the narrow gap and the machine gun nest.
"BRACE!" Lin Mo roared over the din.
The machine gun opened up. Heavy caliber rounds, designed to pierce light armor, hammered the APC's frontal slope in a continuous, deafening roar. BRRRRRRRT! BRRRRRRRT!
Sparks flew. Metal screamed. The windshield (made of thick ballistic glass layered with transparent armor) starred and cracked under the onslaught, but held. Lin Mo felt the impacts resonate through the steering column, through the seat, through his very bones. But where his hands gripped the wheel, where his shoulders pressed against the seat frame, the nanite-reinforced steel integration flared. His skin hardened, becoming momentarily indistinguishable from the vehicle's armor. He didn't feel the bone-jarring vibrations as intensely; the swarm absorbed and dispersed the kinetic energy, translating it into a deep, resonant hum within his enhanced physiology. He was, in that moment, an extension of the war machine he commanded.
The heavy machine gun rounds chewed at the APC's front, tearing chunks of steel, but failing to penetrate the vital crew compartment. The New Dawn riflemen added their fire, energy bolts sizzling against the thick hide, but their smaller weapons were even less effective.
The distance closed with terrifying speed. The machine gunner, realizing the APC wasn't stopping, panicked. He tried to adjust his aim, but it was too late.
The APC hit the gap in the barricade like a runaway train hitting a cardboard wall. The tangled mess of buses and trucks groaned, shifted, then exploded outward under the irresistible force. The sandbag emplacement vanished under the massive tires. The heavy machine gun and its tripod were sent spinning into the ruins like discarded toys. One rifleman was crushed instantly; the other was flung screaming through the air by the impact.
The APC burst through the other side of the barricade, trailing smoke, scarred and dented, but intact and still moving. The pursuing drones, momentarily thwarted by the flying debris and dust cloud, fell behind.
(3) Project Ark & The Point of No Return
Silence descended inside the APC, thick and sudden, broken only by the ragged roar of the engine and Emily's choked sobs. Zhang Tie lay deathly pale on the floor, his bandaged stump oozing dark red through the gauze despite Emily's frantic efforts. Su Ting crouched near the rear door, her scaled skin glistening with sweat and grime, breathing heavily. Her eyes, fixed on the ruined cityscape flashing past the small, reinforced viewports, held a predatory alertness, scanning for threats. The grey-green scales seemed denser now, covering more of her neck and creeping onto her cheeks.
Lin Mo guided the APC down a relatively clear stretch of highway leading west, pushing its damaged frame as fast as it would go. The drone pursuit seemed to have broken off, likely regrouping. The immediate threat was over, but the cost hung heavy in the air – Zhang Tie's life fading, Su Ting's accelerating transformation, the APC battered and low on fuel.
He needed information. Who was New Dawn? What was the Blood Moon? What was the Reaping Sequence? The APC's dashboard housed a ruggedized military computer terminal, its screen cracked but still glowing faintly. Maybe it held answers. Maybe it held nothing. But it was the only lead they had.
"Emily, check the computer," Lin Mo said, his voice hoarse. "See if there's anything. Maps. Comms logs. Anything about 'New Dawn' or 'Crimson Dawn'."
Emily, wiping tears and blood from her hands (Zhang Tie's? Her own?), crawled forward to the passenger seat. Her fingers, trembling but precise, navigated the unfamiliar military interface. "It's... encrypted. Mostly. But there's an open log file... dated the day before the Red Moon..." She squinted at the dim, cracked screen. "Project... Project Ark?"
Lin Mo's grip tightened on the wheel. "Read it."
Emily scrolled, her voice shaky but clear as she read aloud:
> LOG: PROJECT ARK - STATUS UPDATE - DELTA SECURITY CLEARANCE ONLY
> DATE: [Redacted - Day Before Event]
> AUTHOR: Dr. A. Vance, Director - Applied Xenobiology Division
> SUBJECT: Phase 3 Initiation & Final Parameters
> SUMMARY: Preparations for Phase 3 ("The Harvest") are complete. The Crimson Catalyst payloads are primed for global atmospheric dispersal via orbital delivery system (ODS) at designated T-Zero. All Ark Site bunkers report readiness for selective ingress upon signal.
> OBJECTIVE RECAP: Project Ark aims to ensure human species continuity via controlled genetic bottlenecking. The Crimson Catalyst (designation: K-Serum Derivative Ψ7) is engineered to induce rapid, targeted genomic destabilization across 97% of the global population (see attached demographic models). This "Culling" eliminates genetic weaknesses and susceptibility vectors identified by our K-Class benefactors.
> PHASE 3 MECHANISM: K-Serum Ψ7 interaction with the anticipated K-Class photonic resonance event ("The Red Moon") will trigger widespread somatic collapse and aggressive behavioral repatterning (designation: "Huskification") in non-resistant genotypes. Concurrently, it will activate latent evolutionary markers in the resistant 3% (designation: "Candidate Genome"), accelerating beneficial mutation and K-Compatibility.
> ARK SITE PROTOCOL: Upon confirmation of global Cascade Event, Ark Sites will activate beacon protocols. Surviving Candidate Genotypes demonstrating K-Compatibility (manifested as controlled mutation or symbiosis with K-Tech artifacts) will be prioritized for retrieval and integration into the Ark population. Non-compliant or unstable Candidates (designation: "Reaping Sequence Targets") are to be neutralized. Husk populations are to be contained and utilized for resource reclamation as directed by K-Overseers.
> RISK ASSESSMENT: Projected success rate for viable Ark population establishment: 42%. Primary risk factors: Uncontrolled Candidate mutations ("Aberrants"), resistance cell activity ("New Dawn" sympathizers - see Suppression Op: CLEANSING DAWN), and unforeseen K-Class variables. Note: K-Overseer "Watcher" platforms (orbital and terrestrial) are active and monitoring for Phase 3 initiation. Compliance is mandatory.
> END LOG. FOR THE ARK. FOR HUMANITY'S ASCENSION.
The words hung in the air, colder than the drone's energy bolts. The roar of the engine faded into a distant drone. Emily sat frozen, her face ashen, the horror on her face absolute. Su Ting had stopped scanning outside, her reptilian eyes now fixed on Emily, a low growl rumbling in her chest, though whether it was understanding or instinctual threat was unclear.
Lin Mo felt the blood drain from his face. The Red Moon wasn't a disaster. It was Phase 3. A deliberate Harvest. Engineered by humans. "The Culling." 97% of humanity... gone. Turned into monsters ("Husks") or simply dead. All to please unseen "K-Class benefactors." The Blood Moon was their "photonic resonance event." The monsters were the expected outcome. The Blood Crystals... were they part of the "beneficial mutation"? The nanites... a "K-Tech artifact"?
And they... the survivors... were the 3%. The "Candidate Genotypes." Hunted, categorized, used. And those deemed unstable or non-compliant... Reaping Sequence Targets. Like him. Number 97.
New Dawn wasn't just a faction; they were the enforcers. The ones tasked with "Suppression Op: CLEANSING DAWN" against resistance. The ones rounding up "Candidates" for the Ark. The ones with the Purification Serum – likely a tool for control or further genetic manipulation.
The monstrous scale of the betrayal, the cold, calculated genocide orchestrated by their own kind under alien direction, was staggering. Humanity hadn't just fallen; it had been sacrificed.
Lin Mo slammed his fist against the armored dashboard, the sound a dull thud in the heavy silence. The nanite-steel integration on his knuckles flared grey. Rage, cold and all-consuming, warred with a profound sense of desolation.
He wrenched the wheel, guiding the battered APC around a final, smoldering roadblock marking the edge of the inner city ruins. Ahead stretched a war-ravaged highway leading towards the foothills and the rumored location of the A3 military shelter. Was it a refuge? Or just another Ark collection point?
As the APC accelerated onto the open road, leaving the densest smoke and flames behind, Lin Mo's gaze flicked automatically to the rearview mirror mounted above the cracked windshield.
He saw the ruined city shrinking in the distance. He saw Emily's tear-streaked, horrified face reflected in the glass. He saw Zhang Tie's unconscious, bleeding form on the floor.
And then he saw Su Ting.
She was staring directly back at him through the mirror, her face half in shadow. The grey-green scales now covered most of her visible skin, giving her a grotesquely armored appearance. But it was her eyes that froze the blood in his veins.
The human iris was gone. Completely. In its place, glowing with an internal, malevolent light that matched the crystal she'd consumed, were vertical, slit pupils. Not just reptilian. They were the exact, terrifying shade of deep, arterial crimson. They were the eyes of the Blood Crystal made manifest. The eyes of the Husk. The eyes of the Harvest.
In the cracked rearview mirror, Su Ting's crimson, vertical-slit pupils held his gaze for a fraction of a second. A chilling, alien intelligence flickered within them. Then she slowly bared her teeth in a smile that held no warmth, only predatory hunger.
The last vestige of the woman named Su Ting vanished in that crimson stare.
(End of Chapter 5)