The Dawn of Power

March 15, 2042 – 12:00 a.m. – The Awakening Event

The Metro Authority Building smoldered behind me, its command center reduced to rubble and molten steel. The last remnants of Project Horizon's neural control system lay buried under twisted rebar and shattered screens, and Captain Riker was nothing but a scorched corpse.

But as I stumbled into the street, every muscle aching, every nerve raw, I felt it.

The air itself was... changing.

The Awakening Event had begun.

Suddenly—

A shockwave of invisible energy rippled through the city, distorting the air and sending static crawling over my skin.

My plasma rifle sparked erratically. The Jammer disruptor on my arm overloaded, shorting out in a burst of blue arcs.

I felt a pressure in my skull, like a storm trying to escape my bones.

The world blurred, and for a moment, it felt like I was standing in a place that was... both here and somewhere else.

My heart pounded, and then—[Hypermind] EXPANDS – SYSTEM UPGRADE

A cascade of data streams flooded my consciousness. My vision fractured into layers:

✔ Tactical overlays—threat assessments, angles of attack, and projectile trajectories appeared instinctively.✔ Environmental mapping—3D blueprints of structures, weak points, and airflows unfolded before my eyes.✔ Material analysis—Everything I looked at was labeled with tensile strength, heat resistance, and conductivity values.

[Hypermind] wasn't just analyzing anymore.

It was predicting.

Skill Unlocked – Predictive Combat Algorithm

✔ Can anticipate enemy attacks 0.7 seconds before they happen.✔ Highlights potential outcomes during split-second decisions.✔ Interfaces directly with weapon targeting systems for enhanced accuracy.

I stumbled, bracing against a crumbling wall. My breathing ragged, I felt the world slowing—every movement clearer, every possibility branching out before me.

The awakening hadn't just affected others.

It had evolved me.

Gunfire echoed from the northern district, accompanied by inhuman roars and the screams of survivors.

Through the thermal scanner, I saw:

Civilians collapsing as their bodies mutated—spines cracking, muscles twisting into monstrous forms

Others gaining powers—some turning to flight, some hurling fire or freezing the pavement solid.

And... chaos as they turned on each other.

March 15, 12:15 a.m. – Incoming Transmission

A distorted voice broke through the static of my wrist communicator:

"To any survivors... this is Commander Hart of the New Vale Defense Force... we are retreating to Fort Valor... repeat, Fort Valor is our fallback point... we are under siege from mutants... survivors, if you can... regroup with us."

My base.

And they were under attack.

I activated the SUV's remote ignition, but it was still crippled from the drone fight.

My eyes flicked to a nearby armored Horizon transport, its engine still warm from recent use.

I sprinted toward the transport, but Hypermind flashed a warning:

THREAT IMMINENT: ANGLE 110° – SNIPER LOCKED.

I dove—

BANG!

A high-velocity round grazed my shoulder, shattering my armor plate.

Sniper.

I rolled behind a wrecked sedan, recalculating.

[Hypermind] Combat Analysis – Sniper Profile:

✔ Distance: 480 meters.✔ Weapon: Horizon Tactical .50 BMG—Lethal, single-shot precision.✔ Wind Speed: 14 km/h NE.✔ Time to second shot: 2.4 seconds.

Solution: Blind his scope, close the gap.

I activated the Screamer in pulse mode, aiming the sonic burst at his vantage point.

The glass windows of the building shattered, and I heard a muffled curse through my comm receiver.

Then I sprinted—zig-zagging, anticipating his second shot trajectory.

BANG!

The bullet slammed into the ground inches from my foot, spraying concrete shards.

I activated Sky Reaper Gauss Rifle, but this time...

I let [Hypermind] take control.

Predictive Algorithm:

✔ Bullet drop calculation—automatic.✔ Wind correction—automatic.✔ Target projection—complete.

I fired.

PHWOOOOM!

The flechette tore through the building's 12th-floor window, and a second later—

A body hit the pavement, his sniper rifle clattering beside him.

I climbed into the Horizon Transport, bypassing the security lock with my frequency disruptor.

The engine roared to life, and the tactical interface on the windshield lit up.Horizon Armored Transport – Specifications:

✔ Armor: Level IV Composite Plating.✔ Armament: Roof-mounted 7.62mm rotary turret.✔ Navigation: Satellite and thermal scanner integrated.✔ Speed: 120 km/h (Off-road capable).

I gripped the wheel.

"Fort Valor," I said aloud. "Hold on."

The transport surged forward, crushing debris beneath its wheels as I sped toward the only stronghold left.

March 15, 12:45 a.m. – Fort Valor Siege

From half a mile out, the battle was visible.

Mutants swarmed the perimeter—some were hulking brutes, smashing at the reinforced gates.Others were Stalkers, climbing the walls, their clawed limbs seeking weak points in the defenses.Overhead, a massive winged creature circled, releasing a sonic shriek that shattered windows.

The defenders were barely holding.

The turrets I installed were firing, cutting through the waves of mutants, but the brutes were soaking up bullets and ripping through barricades.

I toggled the roof turret and lined up the shot.

BRRRRRRRRRRT!

The 7.62mm rounds tore through the front ranks, shredding smaller mutants into bloody pulp.

But the Brutes kept coming.

I aimed for the nearest one's kneecap and fired.

The joint exploded, and the creature collapsed, but it still crawled forward, snarling.

[Hypermind] Threat Solution:

Solution: Redirect kinetic force—focus on the spine.

I adjusted aim and—

BRRRRRRRRT!

The rounds severed the spinal column, and the brute finally stilled.

The massive flying mutant—an Apex Predator-class Chimera—turned its attention to me.

It dove, talons extended, aiming for the transport.

[Hypermind] Combat Prediction:✔ Apex likely to target vehicle's engine block—vital heat source.✔ Weak point: Nerve cluster between wing joints—exposed during a dive.

I braced and waited.

At the last second—

PHWOOOOM!

The Sky Reaper flechette pierced the mutant's wing joint, and it let out an ear-splitting shriek, crashing into the ground in a tangle of broken limbs.

The main gate was buckling, the reinforcements failing.

Commander Hart's voice came through my comm:"Whoever's out there—we can't hold—"

I gunned the engine, aiming the transport directly for the largest mutant cluster at the gate.

The armored vehicle slammed through them—bones snapping, bodies crushed beneath the treads.

I burst through the gate and into the courtyard.

The remaining defenders—exhausted soldiers, police, and armed civilians—turned to me in shock.

Hart approached, her armor scorched and cracked, blood streaking her face.

"You—" she gasped. "You saved our—"

"No time," I interrupted. "We need to fortify now or die together."

I sprinted to the command console, reconnecting with the defense grid I had built.

✔ Turret System: Power diverted to high-caliber rounds.✔ Electric Grid: Recalibrated for maximum shock output.✔ Sonic Emitters: Tuned to disrupt Apex-level mutations.

I activated the sequence.

The walls erupted with high-voltage arcs, frying Stalkers mid-climb, their bodies twitching and falling in heaps.

The Sonic Emitters released an oscillating wave, driving the Apex predator into a frenzy as its nervous system overloaded—it collapsed, bleeding from its eyes.

But then—

The ground shook, and a new monster emerged—a colossal fusion of flesh, bone, and steel, its body covered in Horizon-enhanced plating.

[Hypermind] ALERT:✔ Classification: Titan-Class Apex✔ Heat Signature: Multiple cores detected—bio-fusion hybrid.✔ Estimated Durability: Extreme.✔ Recommendation: Heavy plasma or railgun artillery.

The Titan roared, and I felt it in my bones.

The defenders wavered, their morale breaking.

But I stepped forward, plasma rifle charged, and spoke through the comms:

"Fall back. I'll handle this."

Hart's voice, strained but defiant:

"You can't—"

I cut her off.

"I'm not here to win. I'm here to prove we fight back."

The Titan charged.

And I met it head-on.