Radioactive Evolution

by Richard Hummel

  “Scarlet, I’m out of options here.”

  Switch places with me.

  Launching a couple more punches to give him space, he jumped back, and Scarlet surged into his spot. She wasted no time and became a whirlwind of death and destruction, head and tail darting back and forth wreaking havoc on the rats. She tore throats out, gouged eye sockets, and skewered the rats like kabobs. Transfixed by Scarlet’s deadly dance, Jared watched in awe as the rats failed miserably in the pursuit of their next meal.

  Focus Jared! I cannot do this forever.

  Snapping out of his stupor, he quickly reloaded his Colt. His phase pistols were still blinking the angry red, so the revolver would have to do. Leaning to the side and waiting for an opening, Jared fired into the attacking rats. At the same time, he glimpsed a view below and realized they’d almost vanquished all the rats.

  “We’re almost there, Scarlet! There’s only about a dozen left.”

  He aimed carefully, making sure he didn’t hit Scarlet, and squeezed the trigger. Again, he reloaded and fired into the last few rats. Just to be safe, he reloaded a third time and waited for any last-minute heroes to emerge. A few moments of tense silence announced the end of their desperate battle. Jared exhaled in relief and slumped to the ground. Scarlet plopped down next to him, her sides heaving as she caught her breath. Recovering from the ordeal, Jared stood up to survey the butchery.

  Ratmageddon.

  That’s what it looked like to Jared. Heaps of dead rodents, blood flowing freely down the stairs, and the entire area looking like a blood bomb exploded. He and Scarlet looked like walking nightmares, covered head to toe in bits of flesh.

  “I hate rats!” declared Jared. “Filthy, disgusting creatures. Mindless walking infections. Do you know rats wiped out entire populations before? They carry all kinds of diseases. Well, at least they used to before these nanites invaded everything.”

  Jared prattled on about his extreme dislike of rates, while kicking out at the pile of bodies surrounding them, sending half a dozen carcasses tumbling.

  Scarlet stood and interrupted his hate-filled speech. We need to move. All this blood will attract worse creatures than rats.

  “Ugh,” Jared groaned. “We need to find someplace to rest soon. I don’t know how much more I can take.”

  Absorb the nanites from as many of these as you can, and we need to leave the area.

  Jared looked at the creatures in disgust as he tried finding a clean place on his disgusting pants to wipe his hands. Removing yet another destroyed shirt, he used it to wipe his face and hands of gore.

  “I’m ready. Let’s head back to the same corridor where these things came from. I’m willing to bet we killed the entire den, and we might find some respite there.”

  Besides the single rat he’d killed at the bend in the corridor, he saw no other rats and heard nothing to indicate there were more. Just to be safe, he checked his phase pistols, only to see the red light still shining. Frowning and hoping he hadn’t broken them, he double-checked his Colt to see he had a full chamber.

  “It looks like we killed the last of them, but keep your guard up just in case.”

  Prepared for an encounter, they rounded the corner. An awful, fetid scent blasted him full in the face, curling his nose hairs.

  The corridor opened into a massive room where rat remains, bones, garbage, and every conceivable kind of waste littered the space. Mounds of bones served as impromptu dens and molted rat fur covered every inch.

  “I don’t care how tired I am. There is no way we’re resting in here,” Jared said with a nasally voice. He’d pinched his nostrils together to help with the smell, but unfortunately, he could also taste the noxious fumes.

  Look for another exit to this place.

  “Let’s start on the left and work our way around. Stay together, who knows what might live in here.”

  Picking their way around the room, they navigated to the back corner and saw nothing that suggested another way out, aside from small holes with claw marks punctuating the sides of the room.

  “I’m guessing that’s how the rats got in and out of here,” Jared said, pointing to the small holes. “I don’t see another way out--”

  An ear-splitting screech smashed into Jared’s mind, dropping him to his knees. He grabbed his head while Scarlet whined and squeezed her eyes shut. The thunderous shriek pierced his skull and left his ears ringing. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked towards the only entrance, or exit, to the room and found a huge wall of fur blocking the passage.

  It stood on its hind legs and screeched again. The shrill noise stabbed into his brain and he groaned against the pain. Standing at ten feet tall on its hind legs, a massive, black rat screamed in impotent rage at these two intruders. No doubt they smelled of its smaller brethren, further inciting the rage of the behemoth. Its red eyes burned holes into them. Its jaw, filled with massive canine-like teeth, radiated a cloud of green fumes.

  Screaming in rage, the truck-sized rodent mutation rushed them.

  The blood drained from Jared’s face, and an empty feeling formed in his gut.

  What have we done?

  “Scarlet, move!” Jared screamed, diving to the side. He barely evaded the overgrown mountain of fur. Glancing behind him in mid-flight, he saw Scarlet narrowly avoid the rat.

  He hit the ground with a crunch of bone. Thankfully, not his bones, but a pile of bones and flesh in various stages of decomposition. He felt a sharp jab into his shoulder as a shard of bone broke off and embedded itself into his flesh.

  Jared rotated his arm, and the bone caught between his shoulder blade and rotator cuff. Rather than delay the inevitable, he reached behind him and ripped out the bone before he second-guessed himself.

  The edges of his vision blurred from the pain. Scalding blood trickle down his back, soaking through his shirt. Ignoring the pain, Jared moved his arm, the bone no longer constricting his movement. Mobility and staying alive was worth the added pain.

  Scarlet, we need to avoid this thing while I shoot from a distance. I don’t think either of us will survive in a physical confrontation with it.

  Scarlet acknowledged his mental communications and darted away. Meanwhile, Jared freed his Colt and fired six rounds in rapid succession. The bullets definitely hit the thing, but he couldn’t tell where. They seemed to disappear inside the layer of fur. The only reason he knew he hadn’t missed was it whirling about to chase him down.

  Fishing a few rounds from his pocket, he reloaded on the run, careful to avoid more piles of bones. If he slipped and fell, he was dead. The ground bounced as the rat pursued him around the room. Three rounds loaded, Jared risked a glance behind him and fired a round into the creature’s face. Two of the rounds missed, but the third punched through one of its eyes.

  The giant rat screamed again, piercing his mind and leaving a throbbing headache in its wake. He didn’t know how much more he could take before passing out from the mental assault. The only saving grace to the headache was the sight of this massive rat stopping dead in its tracks as it pawed furiously at the injured eye. Taking advantage of the situation, Jared quickly reloaded his weapon.

  Before he could fire more rounds into the creature’s face, it looked at him with its good eye, burning an even brighter shade of red.

  It charged like a bull.

  Again, Jared dove to the side, but this time he wasn’t as lucky, and the thing scored a gash along the length of his leg spilling blood everywhere.

  The rat’s momentum carried it several yards past him before it skidded to a stop. The furious scrape of its claws echoed around the room as it scrambled for purchase to charge him again. Jared tried standing, but collapsed, his leg unwilling to support him. Worse, he felt a searing pain rip through his back and leg. Looking down, he saw maggots as thick as his fingers, with sharp teeth ripping into his flesh where bloo
d flowed freely.

  Unable to stop himself, Jared dry-heaved wishing he had something in his stomach as his body tried to vomit his intestines.

  Scarlet, help!

  I’m coming, hang on!

  Scarlet bounded over from across the room and made short work of the filthy maggots feasting on his flesh. At that point, the rat finished its turn and sped toward them.

  BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. Six shots, fired in rapid succession, drilled a hole into the creature’s remaining eye. Blinded and dazed, the rat plunged forward at maximum speed intent on destroying everything in its wake.

  Grab my tail!

  Jared did as he was told without question, and Scarlet leapt out of the way, carrying Jared with her. It wasn’t enough. Jared’s lower half was still in the path of the rat, and he felt bones shatter as the creature barreled over him.

  Intense agony and numbness caused Jared’s vision to dim as the pain threatened to send him into oblivion.

  Not yet. Not yet.

  Through sheer force of will, Jared kept himself conscious, but only just.

  The blinded rat continued its rampage across the room, destroying anything in its path until it ran full speed into the wall. A sickening splat and crunch of bone sounded through the room, and the creature came to an abrupt stop.

  “We...need...to...leave,” Jared wheezed as he looked across the room and saw hundreds—if not thousands—of maggots writhing across the floor towards the downed rat.

  You need to absorb its nanites first. Scarlet walked toward the creature, but Jared called out after her.

  “Scarlet, I can’t walk.” Jared looked down at his mangled legs. Blood poured freely from several deep gashes, and bones protruded at random intervals. “My legs...”

  His mind nearly shut down from pain as exhaustion and shock set in.

  Climb on my back.

  Jared didn’t respond.

  Jared!

  The shout, accompanied by a telepathic slap to the face, jolted Jared out of his dazed state.

  “Wha...?”

  Climb. On. My. Back. Scarlet commanded.

  Jared numbly obeyed and inched his way onto Scarlet’s back. The pain threatened to overwhelm him, but it was distant. He felt distant. Numb.

  Jared knew something was wrong, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He dragged himself onto Scarlet’s back only because he couldn’t disobey the demanding voice. His legs dangled uselessly behind him and Jared heard, more than he felt, bones rattling and scraping with every step that Scarlet took.

  He also heard squelching noises as they walked across the room. Looking down despondently, he watched nonplussed as the maggots popped like zits, pus and green goo shooting out of their bodies. His mind screamed at him to react, but it refused to take hold, and all he could do was cling desperately to Scarlet’s back. Even that effort of will felt pointless.

  When she drew alongside the rat, Scarlet told Jared to reach out and touch it. Not understanding why, he obeyed, and a curious iridescent glow roiled around his body.

  As soon as the process finished, Scarlet set off through the tunnel. They passed the ruined corpses of the rats Scarlet had deep-fried, and she dashed through the sub-level looking for someplace to rest and recover. Throughout the process, Jared faded in and out of awareness. He noted the occasional hallway, lights peeking through from above, and even the distant noise of creatures battling. However, everything rolled off his mind.

  Hang on Jared! Scarlet pleaded, her voice the only tether Jared had to the present; the only thing that kept him anchored to her back as she urged him to hold tight.

  Sometime later, Jared felt Scarlet lower herself to the ground.

  You can let go.

  “Finally,” Jared breathed, releasing his death grip on her shoulders, and sliding to the ground. Before he hit the ground, darkness enveloped him.

  Jared. Jared.

  “Who is it?” grumbled Jared, irritated at being woken.

  Jared, wake up!

  His mind groggy, Jared opened his eyes and saw Scarlet’s face peering at him from mere inches away.

  Flinching, Jared answered, “I’m awake—”

  He screamed. His entire body throbbed. It burned. He couldn’t move or think.

  His memories came back in a rush, and he looked down to see his crushed legs. The bleeding had stopped, but the damage to his legs was extensive.

  You need to assign your nanites now.

  “Where—where are we?”

  Jared looked around what looked like a small closet with barely enough room for the two of them. The door opened inward, and Scarlet’s body rested against it, acting as a barrier from any would-be assailants.

  It is safe, and that is all you need to know. Now assign your nanites before it is too late!

  “Okay, okay!” Jared said, clearly still irritated and groggy from sleep.

  He opened his status screen and quickly made some adjustments.

  “Thank you for saving me, Scarlet,” Jared said as he moved the sliders around. “I don’t remember much after the rat shattered my legs.”

  You were in shock from blood loss and pain. I was—you almost didn’t make it.

  Jared felt fear and sadness pulse through their bond and knew she was scared to lose him. It warmed him, and he returned the feeling as best he could, the bond still a curious thing to him.

  “I’m sorry, Scarlet. I’m supposed to be the one protecting you from danger,” Jared said angrily with a note of shame. “How can I protect you if I can’t even survive a fight with a stupid rodent?”

  You protected me. If not for you, we both would have died in there. Jared, please finish assigning the nanites. If you wait much longer, you may never walk again.

  Never walk again.

  The thought scared him into action and he put everything else from his mind to focus on his status screen.

  “It looks like we didn’t get a lot of nanites from all those rats and lizards we killed. Even the big rat only gave us a small amount.”

  As you pointed out, they were stupid rodents, possibly the least dangerous predator in the city.

  Jared went back to studying the status screen and all the options he had available. He understood the urgency of the situation, but he also wanted to ensure he chose strategically. Many of these changes would be irreversible.

  In the end, Jared chose to increase mostly physical attributes, with fifteen percent of what he had available into Enhanced Senses and Perception.

  Jared finished making his choices and shared with Scarlet.

  Jared – Nanites Available: 90%

  body

  Physical Augmentation

  Physical Defense

  Skin Hardening - 10%

  Natural Armor - 10%

  body Manipulation

  Regeneration - 25%

  Density - 20%

  Physical Enhancement

  Reflex - 5%

  Speed - 5%

  MIND

  Brain Augmentation

  Enhanced Senses - 5%

  Perception - 10

  Did you confirm the selections?

  “Yes, I…”

  Sleep.

  Immediately, Jared’s vision faded, and sleep welcomed him in its embrace. Consciousness fading in and out, Jared lost track of time. After what seemed an eternity, Jared finally awoke.

  “Scarlet?” She raised her head to look at him. “How long was I out?”

  Five days.

  “Holy crap, why so long?”

  Scarlet dipped her head and Jared swore he saw chagrin on her face. I kept you asleep until the nanites finished healing your legs.

  “My legs.” Jared looked down and pulled his tattered pant legs up. They looked whole again. He found no cuts, obtrusions, or even bruisin
g. “Wow. That’s awesome!”

  Jared traced a finger along a line of pink flesh where the rat had sliced it open. Feeling the length of his legs, he found them completely healed and…harder?

  They still very much felt like flesh, but tougher, less tactile. Pressing his thumb down, he watched as the skin flexed, but felt only a pressure when he dug in his nail.

  Curious about the differences between Skin Hardening, Natural Armor, and Density, Jared pulled up their description.

  Skin Hardening

  Increases the resiliency and durability of flesh, making it harder to penetrate

  Natural Armor

  Creates a nanite barrier, protecting against any foreign invasion

  Density

  Increases the molecular density of muscle and bone, resulting in harder and stronger skeletal and muscular framework

  “I really love all this enhancement stuff! We’re going to be invincible.” Jared exclaimed.

  Be careful Jared. I need not remind you, you felt the same way just a few days ago, yet you nearly died from a rat. A rat!

  Jared pursed his lips and glanced at Scarlet with narrowed eyes.

  I was just stating a fact, you—

  Jared held up a hand to cut her off. “I get it. I’m not invincible, and there are much stronger creatures in the world. Still, you have to admit that all this nanite stuff is pretty awesome. I mean look at me! My legs were crushed, and now I’m whole and well. Not even the best doctors back home could’ve done something like that, let alone in five days.”

  Yes. I have never seen anything like it. Even dragons cannot heal that quickly, though we do heal at a faster rate than humans.

  “Okay, I’m all set and feel like I could take on the world. How about we assign your nanites and let you rest? I’ll keep watch while you change.”

  We need to move to a larger space first. I barely fit through the door as it is. Another transformation and I cannot leave the room.