COVELENT: XenoTrait

In the helicopter, Abel was squirming while saliva flowed out of his mouth. Felix shrugged. "Stop trying to move, Abel. You are paralyzed." Abel started to groan as tears fell from his eyes.

Felix continued, "Don’t worry, we will make sure to get revenge."

Kim Jung turned his head to look at Felix as they passed by deep waters.

Felix’s eyes locked onto Kim. "Are you curious...?"

Kim replied, "Uhh... yes. What happened? Why are you both so bloody?"

Felix sighed. "Haaa... this guy went off on his own," he said as he pointed at Abel. "So I had to go after him, and when I came here, we were involved in a fight with tons of people."

Kim questioned, "I see, so you’re telling me that you made me come here to Russia, home of that virus, just because you were in a fight with some people... why didn’t you call Jean?"

Felix answered, "I could not trust anyone who is connected to Takakura." Felix clenched his fists as he tightened his jaw. "And I was right not to."

Kim Jung did not respond and kept quiet for the rest of the flight.

They had now arrived home, and Felix said, "Drop us off three buildings away from headquarters."

Kim Jung did as he was told. Felix got off the helicopter, lifted Abel up with him, and said, "Oh, and Kim, don’t come to headquarters for a week."

Kim nodded in agreement and flew off.

Felix now started to walk in the direction of headquarters with Abel on his shoulders, still paralyzed. By the time they reached the second building, Abel had now gained full control of his body once more.

Felix let him off his shoulder, and they started walking together.

In headquarters, Takakura opened a package, and inside it there was a syringe. Without hesitation, he injected himself with it, and the crystalline structures in his body started fading as he let out a laugh. "Hahahahahaaahhh... finally."

Then he heard a faint cracking sound as the crystalline formation came back, but this time it had spread completely across his back, his hand, and his leg. His face darkened. "No... no, nooo..." He checked the box and saw a note. He hurriedly read it. "It’s natural selection," the note said.

Takakura tightened his jaw, clenched his fists, and barked, "That bitch... he tricked me."

Felix and Abel had reached headquarters but entered through the side of the building by climbing it and going into Felix’s room.

The doors opened. Abel didn’t move as rainwater still dripped from his clothes. His eyes remained fixed on the floor.

Felix stood as a figure emerged from the shadows. A short, blonde haired girl with blue eyes.

"C," Felix whispered.

C turned. "Yeah?"

Felix glanced toward Abel. "Take care of our boy."

C frowned. "...Got it."

Abel didn’t react. Felix stared at him for a moment, then walked away as the metal doors shut behind him.

The sound echoed through the hallway. Felix continued walking.

A few minutes later, he entered an empty restroom that was still under construction. No cameras, nothing.

The door clicked shut. Felix stood in front of the mirror as his reflection stared back.

Water dripped from his hair. Blood stained his jacket, and for several seconds, he simply stared.

Then BOOM. His fist slammed into the wall. The tiles shattered.

Cracks spread across the surface as the mirror rattled. Felix lowered his head. His breathing became heavier. "Enough."

His voice was barely above a whisper. "Enough games." He clenched his fists. "Amme." Another punch, and more cracks appeared. "Abel."

The entire wall shook. "My friends." His breathing trembled. Then his expression hardened. "It’s time."

The restroom door opened. Felix stepped into the hallway and started walking.

...

Takakura sat in his office, thinking about Markus’s betrayal, with several security monitors displaying activity across the facility.

Then one of the cameras flickered. Takakura frowned.

The screen went black. Another monitor flickered, then another.

His face turned cold. "What... it can’t be. Markus said he would kill Felix."

A voice echoed through the hallway outside. "Takakuraaaa."

The voice wasn’t loud, it just echoed across the hallways. "Takakuraaaaa, where are youuuu?"

A security guard looked around nervously. "Sir?"

Takakura stood. "Where is he?"

The voice came again. "I know you’re listening."

Takakura’s stomach tightened. Outside his office, guards began moving into position.

The corridor lights flickered on, off, on, off, then silence.

One guard swallowed hard. Another tightened his grip.

Then footsteps echoed from the darkness. Tap, tap, tap. They were getting closer and closer.

One guard raised his weapon. "Show yourself!"

The footsteps stopped. Ten seconds passed, twenty, thirty.

The guards slowly relaxed, then a shadow moved.

A figure stepped into the light.

Felix. His expression was blank.

The guards immediately raised their weapons. "Stop right there!"

Felix didn’t stop walking. "Sir, stop moving!"

The lead guard fired, but the shot never landed. The weapon suddenly split apart in his hands.

The guard stared with a confused expression. Then a thin slash appeared across the barrel.

Felix hadn’t even slowed down. "Move," he said.

Nobody moved. The lights flickered again, and when they came back on, several guards were suddenly on the floor. Blood stained the floors.

Felix continued walking, straight toward Takakura’s office. Tap, tap, tap.

Takakura backed away from the monitor. "No."

The calm finally shattered. "No, no, no."

He slammed a hand onto the emergency console, and alarms exploded throughout the facility.

WARNING, WARNING, WARNING.

Security doors sealed. Red lights activated, and Takakura grabbed the communication system.

"Security!" His voice cracked. "Get down here now!"

He heard the sound of footsteps echoing. Tap, tap, tap.

Takakura’s hands trembled.

Felix smiled as the alarms continued screaming.

Red emergency lights painted the corridors in blood-colored flashes.

Takakura stumbled backward from the monitors. His breathing had become uneven. The cameras throughout the facility were failing one by one.

Each screen that turned black represented another section of the facility swallowed by darkness.

One technician in the room with him pointed at a surviving camera feed. "Sir..."

Takakura looked. The camera showed an empty corridor, just a long metal hallway illuminated by flickering emergency lights.

Then a sound echoed through the speakers. "SCREEEEEEEEEEEE." Claws scraping against metal.

Everyone in the room froze... The sound continued.

As if something was dragging claws across the wall. Takakura’s face went pale. "No..."

The sound grew louder. "SCREEEEEEEEEEEE, SCREEEEEEEEEEEE."

The camera feed remained fixed on the empty hallway.

A shadow crossed the screen, then it was gone instantly.

The operators jumped. "What was that?!"

The camera flickered, and for a single frame, Felix stood directly in front of it.

Gold eyes. Reptilian pupils.

Then the screen died.

The room erupted into panic. "He was right there!"

"How did he get there?!"

"Where is security?!"

Takakura slammed his fist onto the console. "Get me Rose!"

One of the operators immediately opened a channel. Several seconds passed, then a voice answered. "Rose speaking."

Takakura nearly collapsed from relief. "Stop him."

Silence.

"Rose?" Takakura called out.

The woman finally spoke. "I know."

"Then stop him!"

The channel ended.

Takakura stared. "What?"

Meanwhile... several floors below, Felix continued walking.

His claws dragged slowly across the reinforced walls.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEE.

The sound echoed through every corridor.

Ahead of him stood a line of security personnel.

At least thirty of them. They raised their weapons.

One of them swallowed. "Felix."

No response came.

"You don’t have to do this," the guard said.

Felix continued walking. Step, step, step.

The scraping never stopped.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEE.

Another guard tightened his grip. "Please stop."

Felix finally looked at him.

Like a predator that had already decided how this would end.

Felix spoke. "Move."

The guard blinked, and the corridor was now empty.

The guards looked around, confused. "What, where did he go...?"

Felix was suddenly behind them, and each second a person fell. Several people were screaming.

The line they had formed immediately broke apart. They dropped their weapons as they ran, and those who stayed just backed away.

Felix kept walking, his eyes locked forward.

Somewhere deep inside the facility, Takakura heard the reports. One by one, the sectors were being lost.

"Sector 4 lost," a man said. "Security retreating... they are unable to engage the target. Target continuing toward central command."

Takakura’s hands shook as he thought, "For years... I made a lot of money being a gangster. Then I finally got money, invested in a company called The Forelight. Found out that they were experimenting on so many things... this man, Felix, presented his ideas in front of me and others. I struck a deal with his boss. Never thought I’d be here now."

As he was lost in his thoughts, he heard it. His eyes widened. "This is not through a speaker, not through a monitor... it’s coming from outside my office," he thought.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEE.

The sound of claws dragging across metal.

His blood ran cold. The sound stopped directly outside the door.

Everything was silent... completely silent.

Takakura stared at the entrance as everyone held their breath. None of them moved.

Then a calm voice echoed through the reinforced steel. "Takakuraaaaa."

Takakura froze.

"You know..." Felix murmured as another scrape echoed. "SCREEEEEEEEEEEE... I’ve been patient."

The lights flickered as the room darkened, only to brighten again.

Takakura stumbled backward.

The voice continued. "But I’m done waiting."

A dent suddenly appeared in the steel door. Felix punched the wall.

Everyone jolted.

Another dent appeared, but this time it was larger. The entire room shook. Operators abandoned their stations. Some ran for the exits, and others simply stood frozen.

Another impact hit, and the room shook. Cracks spread across the reinforced metal.

Takakura’s breathing became frantic. "No..."

Felix threw another punch, and the hinges bent.

Another punch, and the frame twisted. The entire wall groaned.

Then there was silence.

Takakura stared at the damaged entrance.

Seconds passed, then a minute.

"Maybe he left... maybe," Takakura thought.

A whisper came from behind him. "Found you."

Takakura’s eyes widened and slowly turned around as he felt Felix’s breath on his neck.

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