G.O.D Complex// Earth Prime

Black and stony silhouettes occupied the streets. All appeared to have been frozen in the midst of daily routines and activities. It was clear they had no warning when disaster struck. Death had claimed them without their knowing.

Everything had remained untouched. And over time, without maintenance, energy levels dropped, and dust crowded every corner.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Linus sped rapidly across the desolate, abandoned futuristic city, accompanied by the others, their bikes racing through the debris-strewn streets.

Kyaaaa!

Something grotesque, red and feral, chased after them. It ignored its environment, smashing through stone-like human remains and collapsing half-standing buildings.

"How far are we from the core!?" shouted Sebastian in a panic, hearing the predator's roar drawing closer.

"Don't you have eyes?!" Benjamin snapped back, stressed and falling behind. Of all of them, he was most likely to be caught first.

"There's a turn!" Linus shouted. He drifted sharply, then looked up mid-motion and spotted the colossal skyscraper.

"Keep up! We're close!" Linus yelled. The core building towered ahead.

Swu!

The ATV bikes emitted a high-pitched energy whine as they surged down the road at breakneck speed.

"Guys, I can't hear it!" Sebastian called out. He looked behind.

Nothing.

The monster had vanished.

"Keep going!" Linus ordered from the front.

Kyaa! Boom!

Unexpectedly, the Dominôs species displayed an unnerving intelligence. Rather than continuing the chase mindlessly, it secreted a stream of corrosive enzymes and carved its way through a nearby iron building—cutting them off with terrifying speed.

The group was caught off guard as the monster launched its whole body toward them.

Boom!

Danger erupted in a heartbeat. Linus, reacting instantly, activated his air boots. They propelled him skyward, escaping the deadly radius. His bike, however, was instantly crushed.

"I'm the target," Linus realized as he flew.

Levi veered off immediately, speeding toward the wall. Activating the gravitational function on his ATV, he climbed the vertical surface and launched into the air.

Hovering mid-air, Levi extended a hand.

Linus caught it, pulled himself onto the bike, and together they sped forward.

In the chaos, Benjamin swerved into an alternate route without thinking. In panic, Sebastian followed. Just like that, the group had split.

The parasite shrieked in fury. Its body writhed and bubbled before splitting into two, both forms launching after each separated group.

"The building!" Levi shouted.

Linus nodded as they neared the core.

"What's the situation?" Cross asked as he stood near the technicians assessing the state of the core engine—and the black hole now forming inside it.

The facility had been activated, and the team was racing to recover lost data, though security firewalls were proving stubborn.

"We're still cracking the last firewall," Paul reported. "It'll take a bit more time, but we should be in before sundown."

Cross nodded and checked the time. Though fearless by reputation, even he harbored a terror: the horrors that came with nightfall. A lingering trauma, one that brought relentless PTSD.

Beatrice was aware of it, though she had no intent to comfort him. Everyone in this world had scars. Survival meant bearing them in silence.

Charlotte approached. "Sir, there's an update on the group outside."

"Are they dead?" Cross asked.

She shook her head. "They've split up. Also… we confirmed the fifth entity is not human. It's separated into two."

Cross and Beatrice both stiffened. They studied the scanner's monitor.

"Identical patterns... Definitely parasitic," Beatrice muttered.

"Then we need to identify the type," Cross said, turning toward Paul and his team.

He pressed his helmet, opening a comm line.

"Luca, prep the ship for immediate departure. Scavenger team, report status."

"Scavenger team here," a voice answered. "This is Joan. We're at the pill production facility, heading to the manufacturing layer."

Beatrice exhaled in relief. Progress was being made.

"Good. Work fast. We may need to extract soon," Cross responded.

"Roger that, sir!"

Cross checked the time again on his HUD. Afternoon already.

"Sir, we're advancing. We have access to the core building," Joan reported.

Joan switched off the comms and surveyed the large interior.

"Why does this facility look so different from ours?" someone asked.

"Colonies vary. Some have unique layouts. Don't forget, our colony is one of the weakest. We're practically running on fumes," Joan answered.

"If it shuts down, we're finished," another murmured.

"Exactly. If that happens, we'll have to migrate to another colony. And there, we might be treated as slaves, food, or sacrifices. Just like the Red Flags of the past," Joan said.

"The Red Flags... weren't they criminals from before the blackout?"

"Yeah. Almost all were wiped out before we were born. These days, only Green, Black, and White Flags remain."

Their conversation faded as they entered the facility lobby and began searching. What they discovered chilled them.

"I heard some facilities turned to cannibalism to offset drug dependency," Joan said. "I didn't know it went this far."

Giant transparent flasks lined the walls. Inside, green liquids bubbled with low energy. Some tanks had gone dark, their contents rotten and foul. The odor was nauseating.

Joan scanned the interior, identifying the figures suspended in the fluid.

Humans.

And bipedal creatures.

"How did they capture bipeds?" someone whispered.

Joan snapped on the comm again.

"Commander Cross!"

It took a moment.

"What is it?" Cross replied, his voice tense.

"We discovered something horrific."

"We know. Bipedal specimens. We're already seeing the data," Cross answered.

Joan froze.

"How..."

"We're inside their systems," Cross clarified. "Retrieve the compression drug machines and exit. This colony won't last."

Joan ended the call and urged his team to act fast. They began tearing through the facility, looking for machines and salvageable supplies before sunset.

"This is revolting," Cross muttered, sifting through the recovered logs. Beatrice turned pale beside him.

The data detailed the colony's descent over the last twenty years.

Initially stable, it began to collapse under the weight of drug dependency. The food capsules, once essential, created a powerful addiction.

When resources dwindled, the colony culled half its population. The unaddicted were processed and fed to those considered vital.

But the solution was temporary. As the numbers thinned to critical levels, another colony intervened: Logia Base.

Logia was located at the fringe between the mountain trench and Red Wood Jungle, about 100 miles away. Known for their bizarre rituals, their true threat was in their allegiance.

They were affiliated with Teilvel Colony—one of the three superpowers, alongside Red Babylon and Fallen Bethlehem.

"If these reports are accurate," Beatrice said, her voice low, "Teilvel's been conducting bipedal trades through Logia. That violates the Treaty of Ignorance."

Cross's jaw clenched.

—To be Continued.