G.O.D Complex// Earth Prime

Velvet was in a life-or-death situation as she desperately tried to swim away from the strange six-legged jaguar that had been stalking her. Just as she thought she had escaped, something slithered beneath the water—a river-dwelling centipede-like creature launched an assault.

She braced herself for impact, but before it could strike, a blur shot through the water. In an instant, the creature was shredded to pieces. Shocked, Velvet barely caught sight of a humanoid figure swimming away.

"Ahh!" she cried as she scrambled out of the river, her health bar flashing red. With what little strength she had left, she distanced herself from the shoreline. Still fearing the jaguar, she staggered through the forest, stumbling and colliding with trees. Eventually, she emerged into an open area.

Before her stood a massive stone outcrop, from which crystal-clear water flowed—like a pond formed from liquid diamonds. Thirst burned in her throat, but her helmet made drinking impossible. Velvet knelt before the shimmering pool, her vision blurring.

Swoosh!

A figure burst from the water. Hair cascading in an arc, droplets followed her movement like tiny prisms under the sun. For a moment, it looked like a fairy had emerged. She glanced down at Velvet, frowning slightly.

The woman stood naked, looking down at Velvet in silence. The two locked eyes for only a second before Velvet's exhaustion overtook her and she collapsed.

Herta caught her mid-fall. Examining her, she noted the red wristband. "A criminal?" she muttered. She glanced around nervously. "The others should be out gathering... I need to return before Vedya realizes I snuck out again."

Still, she paused.

"A woman... young. And why is her heart racing?" Her eyes widened. "Oh no. Wait... Hey! Wake up! Oh!"

She shook Velvet, but her body remained limp. "Shit! She's dead!" Herta cursed.

She hesitated, thinking. "Only a red flag... not a major loss... But... she seems familiar. And I love her red hair. That's it, I've decided—I'll bring you back to life."

Without further thought, Herta dragged Velvet into the crystal water and submerged her like a baptism. Her forehead glowed with golden light as she leaned in and kissed Velvet, letting her saliva enter the girl's mouth.

A reaction surged. Velvet's body convulsed violently, dead cells rebooting as life returned to her. Her body stabilized momentarily—then weakened again.

"Oh, right. The helmet." With a gesture, the helmet floated into Herta's hand. She gently secured it back on Velvet's head. The suit's system re-engaged, and Velvet's breathing normalized.

Boom!

Startled, Herta looked in the direction of an explosion not far off.

Boom!

Another.

"What now?" she muttered angrily. Lifting Velvet effortlessly, Herta stepped through space and vanished.

A minute later, the six-legged jaguar approached, sniffed the air, and disappeared in fear.

---

Herta exited an elevator, deep in thought about her encounter with Velvet. She loved the human's face but knew her sisters would disapprove.

They'd claim she was no different from the humans and Bipedal species who kept pets.

Approaching a large screen, she pressed a red button.

"You seem to be enjoying your free time, Queen Herta," a cold female voice sneered through the screen.

"Are you still testing your weapons in the wild?" Herta ignored the sarcasm.

A pause. "We're not responsible for the explosions. According to our intelligence, a colony caused it."

"A colony has fallen?" Herta frowned. "What do the other alliances say?"

"Don't ask me. I'm not your servant. And don't call me unless it's important. Considering your kind failed to secure the green flags and only captured useless criminals, be grateful we haven't demanded compensation," the woman snapped.

Herta didn't apologize.

"How's the Meta research progressing?" the voice asked.

"Stable. The first batch of meta-humans is complete, though more time is needed," Herta responded briefly.

"Good. The scavenger should have arrived by now. No issues reported."

After some final instructions, the screen went black.

Herta sank into her chair with a sigh. "How long must we endure this treatment? Did I shake hands with the devil? Hemlock... that woman..."

---

"We need to leave!" Paul shouted, shaking in fear as vampire wolf roars echoed.

These creatures only resembled wolves in the head. The rest of their bodies were bat-like. They crawled on all fours and leapt from trees, slowly surrounding the group.

"And run where?!" Beatrice yelled. She looked at the approaching beasts. "Arm yourselves and form a defensive perimeter around the ship!"

Everyone obeyed. Linus stepped back, checking his gear.

"Damn. This is all I have?" A dagger, a pair of gauntlets, and slightly damaged air boots.

"Hey!" Charlotte threw a sword at him. It landed at his feet. He picked it up and nodded in gratitude.

"What are their weaknesses?" Linus asked.

No one responded.

He wasn't asking them.

[Vampire Wolves]

Apparition: After the Blackout

Habits: Nocturnal; feed on corpses or hunt live prey. Hunt in groups of 5-20. Extremely aggressive and vengeful. Will pursue prey till morning and mark victims for future tracking.

Weakness: Sensitive to sharp, intense flashes of light.

"Annoying bastards," Linus muttered.

Beatrice added from the front, "Their leaders stay in the back and rarely show themselves. They command from the shadows. We're in serious trouble."

"Then we fight until morning," Linus declared, gripping the sword.

"Captain Cross... please be okay. We need you," Charlotte murmured.

---

"Captain?!" Joan was shaken by Cross's decision. His gun was aimed at Nathalie's forehead. Petty, Benjamin, and Sebastian were all restrained on the floor.

"Bastard," Nathalie hissed.

Joan looked at Cross. "Captain, we can try a deep scan. Maybe we can find them."

The others nodded. Cross remained unmoved.

"We can't. A rescue op without preparation is suicide. We've secured some captive red flags. If we sell them to a scavenger unit, we can get resources for our colony," Cross explained calmly.

"I'm heartbroken too, but the safety of the remaining team is more important. We've taken damage and need repairs."

His words echoed the grim reality: rescue was rare, and survival took priority.

"Ha! Lunatics," Levi sneered. "Acting all righteous while leaving your comrades to die. How are you any better than us criminals?"

Bang!

Ack!

A guard kicked Levi in the stomach. He spat blood but kept grinning.

"I won't justify myself," Cross said. "We're leaving at dawn."

He looked at the screen. The red moon hung ominously in the sky.

To be continued...