The monorail surged forward without reducing speed, the hum beneath the floor shifting into a strained metallic whine. The operator wrestled with the control lever, pulling it back with both hands as the console flashed warning indicators.
"It's jammed!" he shouted, panic finally breaking through his composure. "Something's locking the brake system—I can't slow it down!"
Takumi stepped beside him without hesitation and grabbed the secondary handle, adding his strength to the effort. The mechanism resisted them completely. No response. No give.
Takumi released the lever first.
"Forget slowing it," he said, eyes lifting toward the ceiling panel above the operator's cabin. "Give me the hatch key."
The operator stared at him in disbelief. "The hatch? What are you planning to do up there?"
Takumi's gaze hardened. He kept one hand braced against the side panel to steady himself as the train shook again. "That anomaly is tracking me. I'll take it to the roof. You focus on keeping this thing on the rails."
The operator's expression shifted from confusion to outright shock. "You'll get blown clean off the train!"
"If that happens, that's on me," Takumi replied evenly. He extended his hand, palm open. "Now."
For a second, neither of them moved. The train screeched violently along the rail, sparks flashing past the front windshield.
The operator cursed under his breath and grabbed a small ring of keys from the console drawer. "Middle one," he snapped, tossing them over. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Takumi caught them and reached for the overhead hatch, sliding the key into the lock and turning it. The mechanism beeped sharply.
"Error. Unauthorized access detected."
Takumi glanced down at the operator. "You're kidding." The man swore. "Emergency override still needs an ID scan."
"Of course it does," Takumi muttered under his breath, frustration flashing across his face. Without wasting more time, the operator ripped his own ID card from the console lanyard and tossed it upward. "Use mine!"
Takumi swiped the card across the panel. The lock clicked. The hatch released with a mechanical snap.
Cold wind immediately forced its way into the cabin as he pushed the panel open. He hauled himself up without another word and climbed onto the roof.
The wind struck him like a wall. The monorail was moving at full speed, and the air tore across his body with brutal force. He dropped into a low crouch instinctively, gripping the metal ridge along the roofline to keep from losing balance. The ocean blurred beneath him, dark water streaked with distortion, while the elevated rail vibrated under his boots.
He adjusted his footing carefully, sometimes flattening himself lower against the surface when the train swayed, fingers digging into the seams of the metal to anchor himself.
Ahead, the air itself seemed wrong. The distortion over the water thickened, spiraling upward toward the track.
Takumi steadied his breathing against the violent wind. "Alright," he murmured to himself. "Come get me."
The wind battered against Takumi the moment he steadied himself on the roof, the monorail still racing forward at full speed. The metal beneath his boots trembled from both velocity and impact, the earlier strike still echoing through the structure.
He saw a sudden flare burst across the distance ahead, not lightning, not mechanical, something else. The air warped around a single point above the rail line, a violent pulse of red-white light expanding outward before collapsing into itself.
The ocean below reacted seconds later, spiraling unnaturally as if something massive forced its way up from beneath.
Takumi narrowed his eyes. The railing to the right exploded inward with a shower of sparks.
A dark figure slammed into the metal guard at high speed, claws piercing through steel as though it were paper. For a brief second it hung there, skeletal frame outlined against the fading glow of distortion. Bone jutted outward along its torso like twisted armor, black sinew wrapping around exposed ribs and spine. Its elongated limbs bent at unnatural angles, ending in razor-like talons that gripped the structure with terrifying precision.
The creature launched itself straight toward him.
Takumi barely shifted in time as it collided with the roof, claws digging deep into the monorail's surface. The entire carriage jolted violently under the force of the landing. Sparks trailed behind its limbs as it skidded forward, stabilizing itself against the train's speed.
Its head tilted sharply, jaw splitting open to reveal layered teeth. A distorted screech tore from its throat, loud enough to vibrate through the metal beneath them.
Takumi slid back half a step, adjusting his footing against the wind. The creature's tail-like extension snapped against the edge of the carriage, anchoring itself for balance as it sized him up.
He wasn't far from it at all. The distance between them was barely a few steps, close enough to see the hollow spaces between its ribs and the way blackened sinew tightened around exposed bone. Its thin, bladed tail lashed behind it, carving sharp arcs through the air as the wind howled across the speeding train.
Without warning, the creature threw its head back and unleashed a jagged roar that broke into a shrill, vibrating screech. The sound tore across the roof and down the length of the monorail, metal rattling in response.
Takumi didn't flinch. He had heard that sound before. Too many times to mistake it for anything else.
"Just like I thought," he said calmly, voice almost swallowed by the wind. "You're after me."
The cold air whipped violently around him, pushing his red hoodie back against his shoulders. The unzipped fabric snapped behind him, and strands of his hair were blown off his forehead as he held his ground.
The creature lowered itself, limbs bending in sharp, unnatural angles. It moved with a reptilian precision, claws scraping against the roof as it adjusted to the train's speed and the relentless gusts. Its body swayed with the motion, tail anchoring and correcting its balance as it prepared to lunge.
Its maw opened wider, breath fogging in the frigid air.
Takumi understood his role clearly. He didn't need to defeat it. He only needed to keep it away from the passengers and stall long enough for Vanguard support to arrive. The problem was distance. The train was racing over open water, far from immediate interception. Even if reinforcements were already on their way, catching up would take time.
Time he had to create.
"If you're that desperate for me," he called out over the wind, stepping back just enough to draw its focus, "how about a little game of tag?"
The Malform answered with a violent screech, its elongated arms stretching forward as claws scraped across the metal roof. It shifted its weight forward, preparing to pounce.
Takumi studied its footing for a split second. "You're not built for balance up here, are you?" he muttered. "That helps."
He pivoted and sprinted toward the rear edge of the carriage, boots skidding slightly against the curved surface. With a clean jump, he cleared the narrow gap between cars and landed hard on the next roof, knees bending to absorb the impact before pushing forward again.
Behind him, the Malform dropped to all fours. Its spine arched sharply as it adapted, claws digging into the metal as it crawled after him. The speed of the monorail worked against it. Each gust of wind shoved against its skeletal frame, forcing it to anchor itself with its tail and limbs before advancing.
Takumi glanced back while running, tracking its progress.
The train roared beneath them as they passed under a maintenance rail sign suspended above the track. Takumi ducked instinctively as it flashed overhead, while the Malform did not.
A split second later, the hanging sign clipped across its upper frame with a metallic crack. The impact snapped its head sideways and tore fragments of blackened flesh from its shoulder. It screeched sharply, claws losing their grip for a heartbeat as its body slid across the roof.
One of its limbs nearly slipped over the edge before its tail whipped outward and latched onto a rooftop seam, jerking it back into place.
Takumi didn't slow. "Careful," he called dryly over his shoulder. "You'll fall behind."
The Malform shrieked again, more enraged than injured. Dark residue seeped from the torn section of its shoulder, but it quickly re-stabilized, claws hammering down with renewed aggression. It began adjusting its movement, spreading its weight lower to the surface, crawling instead of leaping.
The wind howled harder as the train picked up speed along a downward curve in the track. Takumi felt the shift immediately. The incline made his footing lighter, more unstable.
The Malform adapted faster.
It flattened its body almost entirely against the roof, claws piercing deeper into the metal panels, using raw grip strength to compensate for the momentum.
Takumi didn't slow down. The moment he sensed the Malform adjusting its stance, he moved again, leaping onto the next carriage as the wind tore at his hoodie.
Behind him, the creature crouched low and sprang forward in a sharp, feline lunge. Its claws sliced through the air where his shoulder had been a second earlier. Takumi twisted aside, boots skidding across the metal roof before he regained balance.
It attacked again, faster this time.
A claw swept toward his head. He ducked, the strike grazing fabric but missing skin. The Malform landed hard, talons screeching against steel as it corrected itself mid-slide.
Takumi used the momentum of the train to his advantage, hopping the gap to the next car and widening the distance. The Malform followed, but its footing faltered as the monorail curved slightly. One misstep forced it to drop to all fours to steady itself.
Takumi glanced back briefly. The creature responded with a furious screech and lunged again, closing space—but not enough. Takumi kept moving, staying just out of reach.
The Malform drove its claws into the roof with brutal force, metal folding inward beneath the impact. The entire carriage shuddered, the vibration ripping through Takumi's stance before he could properly brace.
His footing gave out.
He slid hard across the slick steel surface, boots scraping uselessly as sparks flashed beneath them. The edge of the carriage rushed toward him faster than he could recover. For a split second, there was nothing beneath his heels but open air and the dark ocean racing below. His hand snapped out on instinct.
Fingers caught the narrow metal lip at the edge of the train just as his body dropped, shoulder jolting violently from the sudden weight. The wind tore at him instantly, dragging his legs outward as the monorail continued to surge forward at full speed.
Takumi hung there with one hand, teeth clenched, arm straining as the ocean blurred beneath him.
"Move! Please! Come on, let me through," Lyss urged, trying to push past the cluster of passengers blocking the aisle. She wasn't rough, but she didn't hesitate either. Every second mattered.
A middle-aged woman grabbed her sleeve sharply. "Young lady! What do you think you're doing? We're already in danger and you're shoving people?"
Lyss stiffened, guilt flashing across her face for a split second. "I'm sorry," she said quickly, pulling free. But kept going.
Murmured complaints followed her as she squeezed between shoulders and seats, steadying herself against the swaying carriage. Her focus stayed fixed ahead.
The aisle was packed so tightly that every step felt like forcing her way through a wall of bodies. Passengers were already panicking, gripping seats and poles as the train shook beneath them. In the middle of the chaos, a man snapped at her as she tried to pass.
"Are you crazy? Stop pushing!"
Before she could respond, his hand caught the sleeve of her jacket, fingers tightening around the fabric to hold her back. Lyss twisted instinctively, trying to free herself without losing balance as the monorail lurched again. She pulled once, then harder, the fabric straining between them.
The next jolt did it. Her arm slipped free, and the jacket tore from her shoulders entirely, left crumpled in the man's grip. She didn't stop to argue or retrieve it. Now in just her fitted turtleneck, she shot him a quick, breathless apology.
"Sorry!"
Then she kept moving, slipping past the remaining passengers with renewed urgency, focused on reaching the front of the train.
To be continued...