Chapter 469:Escape?

Chapter 469: 469:Escape?

Timothy felt the acceleration press him into his seat, then the pod broke through the upper launch shaft and entered the open sky.

Sunlight streamed through the small reinforced window. For several seconds, he could only stare at the blue sky, clouds, mountains and forest.

He was actually alive.

A broken laugh escaped his lips.

"I made it..." He mumbled and covered his face. "I made it."

His communicator crackled.

"Dr. Serion, confirm launch."

Timothy lowered his hands.

"Confirmed."

"Excellent. Maintain your current trajectory. A recovery aircraft will rendezvous with your pod outside the Red Zone."

He laughed, the sound filled with both joy and relief.

"Tell Director Halden that I expect a very long vacation."

There was a pause before the person responded.

"We’ll relay your request."

Timothy leaned back and his eyes closed. For the first time in nearly two hours, he allowed himself to relax.

Then a shadow passed across the window.

His opened his eyes as something enormous moved above the pod.

He frowned.

"What..."

The shadow returned,larger and closer... Then he saw it; a gigantic bird descended through the clouds.

Its wings stretched across an enormous distance, casting a dark shadow over the escape pod. Thick feathers covered its body, while curved talons extended from its powerful legs.

Its eyes were fixed directly on him.

His mouth opened.

"No..."

The bird folded its wings, dived and caught the pod.

CRAAAAAASH!

The entire capsule shook, warning lights flashing all over.

[Warning! External Impact Detected.]

[Flight Trajectory Compromised.]

Timothy screamed as the pod was violently dragged sideways. The bird’s talons had wrapped around the capsule and metal groaned beneath the pressure.

"Emergency propulsion! Activate emergency propulsion!"

[Propulsion System Failure.]

"NO!"

The bird descended, the forest rushing toward them at a speed faster than he could think.

He grabbed the restraints before the pod struck the ground and everything went black.

When Timothy regained consciousness, the first thing he noticed was the silence and the faint sound of wind moving through leaves.

His head throbbed and blood ran down the side of his face.

He slowly opened his eyes.

The escape pod was lying at an angle, several internal panels had been destroyed and the communicator was dead.

Timothy groaned.

"Where..." He whispered.

He tried moving but pain shot through his ribs. He gritted his teeth, then activated Molecular Analysis.

[Molecular Analysis Activated.]

[Multiple Rib Fractures Detected.]

[Minor Internal Bleeding.]

[Concussion Detected.]

He raised one hand and silver light spread across his chest.

His ability couldn’t instantly heal complex biological injuries, but he could temporarily stabilize damaged structures and reduce the severity of certain complications.

He worked carefully until his breathing gradually became easier.

A few moments later, he heard footsteps.

Timothy froze.

Someone was outside.

He turned toward the hatch; a faint metallic sound followed, then another.

Someone was opening it.

His expression brightened.

"Hello?!" He struggled against the restraints. "Is someone there?! I’m inside! I’m alive!"

The hatch moved and metal screeched before it was torn completely away.

He was left speechless.

A man stood outside.

At first glance, he looked human. He was tall, broad-shouldered with dark hair falling loosely around his face.

His features were unusually handsome, and his expression was calm enough that Timothy almost believed he’d been rescued.

Then he noticed the man’s eyes, they weren’t human; the irises possessed an unnatural pattern, with several thin rings surrounding narrow pupils.

His gaze moved downward.

There were faint scales along the man’s neck. His hands appeared normal until the fingers moved, revealing dark, hardened structures beneath the skin.

Something shifted beneath his shirt. A strange arrangement of muscles that didn’t match ordinary human anatomy.

Timothy’s breath caught, his ability activating instinctively.

[Molecular Analysis Activated.]

The moment his perception touched the man’s body, he felt as though he’d stepped into an endless abyss.

His eyes widened.

He could see different biological structures, multiple beast characteristics, human tissue, foreign skeletal arrangements, altered organs, and yet... Everything was perfectly connected.

There was no rejection, instability or internal conflict. The man’s body functioned as a single, complete organism.

Timothy’s hands began trembling.

"Impossible..."

The stranger tilted his head.

He stared up at him, his eyes filled with confusion.

"No... no, that’s impossible."

The man smiled faintly.

"Something wrong, Doctor?"

He swallowed.

"Your body..."

The stranger looked down at himself.

"What about it?"

"You’re..." Timothy struggled to find the words. "A fully integrated human mutation."

The man’s smile widened.

Timothy shook his head.

"No. The Alpha Sanctuaries haven’t achieved that. We’ve spent decades trying to stabilize multiple beast characteristics inside a human body. Every experiment failed. Every single one!"

The stranger listened patiently.

His breathing quickened.

"How are you alive?"

The man said nothing.

"Who created you?"

Still nothing.

Timothy leaned forward.

"Do you understand what you are? Your existence could change everything! If we could study your biological structure..."

The stranger laughed softly.

Timothy stopped.

"Study me?"

He sounded amused.

Timothy swallowed.

"I didn’t mean..."

"Of course you did."

The man stepped closer.

Timothy instinctively tried to move backward but there was nowhere to go.

Then another voice came from behind the stranger.

"Father?"

He froze as a young woman approached through the trees.

She appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties, with long brown hair and an almost innocent expression, but her lower legs were not human.

From beneath her knees, her limbs transitioned into those of a horse, ending in dark hooves that pressed into the soil. A short tail moved behind her.

Timothy stared in complete shock.

Another successful mutation.

The girl looked toward the damaged escape pod, then toward the man.

"Is this the person you were waiting for?"

The man nodded.

"Yes."

She tilted her head.

"He looks frightened."

"He should be."

Timothy’s heart began pounding as he looked between them.

"Who are you people?" He asked.

The man ignored the question; instead he reached into the pod.

Timothy instinctively grabbed the experimental case.

"Wait!"

The stranger looked at him.

He swallowed.

"This belongs to the research institute."

The man’s expression didn’t change.

"Does it?"

"Yes. It’s classified material. You can’t simply..."

The stranger reached forward.

He activated Molecular Reconstruction and silver light erupted around his fingers. The metal surrounding the hatch twisted, forming several sharpened spikes aimed directly at the man’s chest.

The stranger looked at them, then sighed.

He released the attack, the spikes shootings forward. They struck the man’s body and shattered.

Timothy froze.

The stranger hadn’t moved or even raised a hand. He simply stood there, looking disappointed.

"Rank Six."

Timothy’s eyes widened.

The man shook his head.

"And this is what humanity considers powerful."

His face turned white as the stranger reached forward again. This time he didn’t resist. The case slipped from his trembling fingers and the man took it.

He examined the identification markings, and for a brief moment, something cold passed through his eyes.

"Still making the same mistakes."

Timothy swallowed.

"What?"

The stranger looked toward him.

"Nothing."

He turned to leave but Timothy suddenly spoke.

"Wait!"

The man stopped.

Timothy’s breathing became ragged.

"Please..."

The stranger looked back.

"Who are you?"

For several seconds, the forest remained silent, then the man smiled. It wasn’t a particularly cruel smile, that somehow made it worse.

"Who am I?"

He nodded desperately.

The stranger stepped closer, then leaned toward him.

"Tell everyone in hell that it was 001."

His eyes widened.

"Zero..."

He never finished.

The man’s hand moved and faint cracking sound echoed through the forest.

Timothy Serion’s body went limp.

The stranger released him.

The dead researcher collapsed against the damaged restraints, his eyes still wide with disbelief.

For a moment, the man simply looked at him, then he sighed.

"Such a waste."

He stepped away from the pod.

The young woman approached.

"Father?"

The man handed her the case. She accepted it carefully.

"Take this."

She nodded.

"Yes, Father."

He looked toward the distant mountains, where smoke from the destroyed research facility was still rising into the sky.

"Make sure it does its job this time."

The girl’s expression became serious.

"I understand."

His gaze shifted toward her.

"And tell the others that I will not tolerate another failure like the last one."

The young woman lowered her head. For the first time, a trace of fear appeared in her expression.

"Yes, Father."

The man turned away.

Behind him, the enormous bird that had brought down the escape pod lowered its head among the trees.

He rested one hand against its feathers, the creature remaining perfectly still.

The girl looked toward the black case in her hands, then toward the forest.

"I’ll tell the other children."

The man smiled.

And the forest fell silent.