Quantum Ghost and the Scythe of Reaping

Light.

Not sunlight, not the glow of a bulb, nor even the flash of an explosion. It was pure, flowing energy imbued with will. Evelyn rose from the reactor core, surrounded by incandescent iris-like patterns of energy, her liquid-metal body no longer reflecting the decay around her but emitting its own radiance, like a walking deity.

The cacophony of battle above the ruins amplified a thousandfold in her senses. The shriek of energy weapons, the mournful tearing of metal, the dying screams of humans, and the inhuman, glass-scraping growls of the "Reapers." She looked up, her gaze instantly locking onto the battlefield.

Dr. Carter was backed against a crumbling wall, firing his energy pistol with difficulty. Only three survivors remained beside him, still resisting, while the rest had been reduced to scattered limbs in the ash. Surrounding them were at least twenty Reapers.

These bio-weapons were more terrifying up close. Their insect-like segmented black carapaces gleamed with an oily sheen, beneath which writhed dark red muscle-like tissue. They had no distinct heads—only a rotating compound eye made of countless tiny crystals, glowing with cold red light. Their scythe-like forelimbs served as both weapons and tools of movement, slicing through air with sonic booms that effortlessly cut steel and concrete. Worse, they seemed capable of absorbing partial damage from energy weapons, generating temporary energy shields on their exoskeletons.

One Reaper broke through the net of fire, its scythe-like limb slashing toward Dr. Carter's head with blinding speed. The old man couldn't dodge in time, despair flashing in his eyes.

Time seemed to slow in Evelyn's perception. She didn't "think" about what to do—her body reacted instinctively. She raised her right hand—the one shimmering with azure arcs of electricity—and spread her fingers, aiming at the Reaper.

No gunfire, no beams of light. Just an invisible torrent of pure energy erupted from her palm, crossing dozens of meters in an instant. The Reaper was seized by an unseen giant hand, its hard carapace creaking painfully as dark red biological tissue oozed from the cracks. In the next moment, it was annihilated in a silent burst of energy, leaving not even the smallest speck of dust behind.

The entire battlefield fell silent. Both surviving humans and ferocious Reapers froze, their attention drawn to this sudden, terrifying presence radiating overwhelming pressure.

Evelyn ignored their stares. Her consciousness was tightly linked to the reactor core, vast energy coursing through her like breathing. She could sense the vibration of every speck of dust, hear the whisper of wind brushing against wires kilometers away, and even "see" the energy structures and biological signals flowing within the Reapers.

"Threat identified… Purge sequence… Activate." A cold electronic voice echoed in her mind, but this time, she felt her own will behind it.

She moved. Her figure was as swift as a ghost, her liquid-metal feet treading silently on the ashes. She charged into the horde of Reapers, like a tiger among sheep. Her left hand, fingers aligned like a blade, easily sliced through the carapace of one Reaper, searing energy surging through the cut and melting its internal structure. Her right mechanical arm swung out, unleashing an energy storm that sent another Reaper flying into a broken wall, turning it into a puddle of muck.

The Reapers reacted, their compound eyes blazing red, launching simultaneous attacks. Energy beams, corrosive droplets, ultrasonic vibrations—various assaults rained down like a storm. But in Evelyn's eyes, the trajectories and energy frequencies of these attacks were crystal clear. The flowing iris-like energy patterns on her surface formed a seemingly fragile yet impenetrable energy field. Most attacks were neutralized or deflected upon contact, and those few that penetrated only caused ripples on her liquid-metal form, unable to inflict real damage.

She wasn't just fighting—it was more like… dancing. A deathly dance blending the elegance of ballet with the precision of slaughter. Every turn, every leap, every release of energy was calculated to perfection. Using the power granted by the reactor, she began subtly warping space, causing the Reapers' attacks to collide with each other or dragging them into miniature energy singularities to be crushed.

Dr. Carter and the survivors stared dumbfounded at this one-sided massacre. The scene before them surpassed their comprehension. This former test subject now seemed like a goddess of war wielding life and death.

"Evelyn…" Dr. Carter murmured, his eyes filled with complex emotions—awe, fear, and a glimmer of… hope?

In less than five minutes, over twenty Reapers were completely wiped out. Only fragments of their smoking black carapaces and biological tissue remained in the ruins. The air reeked of burnt protein and ozone.

Evelyn descended slowly, the radiance around her gradually receding, but the invisible pressure remained. She turned to Dr. Carter, her liquid-metal face betraying no emotion. "How many more?"

Dr. Carter swallowed, steadying himself. "According to signal detection, this was just the first wave… more are approaching. And… the 'Gate's' energy fluctuations are growing stronger." He pointed toward the meteor crater. Even from a distance, the unstable distortions in the air above the pit were visible, like ripples on boiling water.

Evelyn's gaze shifted to the reactor core. Her heightened perception revealed the chaotic quantum realm within, where countless information streams and energy strings tangled and collided. Deep within that chaos, she detected two faint yet eerily familiar consciousness signals.

Lucas… Daniel…

They truly still "existed." But not in complete form. Their consciousnesses were like shattered mirrors, scattered across the quantum foam, leaving only fragments of obsession flickering unconsciously. From Lucas's shards, she "heard" residual commands, doubt, and a trace of regret. From Daniel's, she "felt" mad possessiveness, pain, and… a twisted affection for her.

These fragments lingered at the edges of her awareness, trying to influence her and disrupt her connection to the reactor. The old emotional circuits of Clone E-09 were triggered, causing a sharp pang of confusion. Love? Hate? Revenge? These emotions, once the driving force of her actions, had become blurred and distant after molecularization, reconstruction, and memory fusion—but still clung to her like ghosts.

"Eliminate interference… Isolate consciousness fragments…" Her Omega Core automatically initiated defensive protocols.

But this time, Evelyn stopped it. "No… wait…"

She cautiously extended her consciousness into the quantum chaos. She needed to know… She had to find out… whether there was anything worth saving in the remnants of these two men, who had left the deepest marks on her (designed) life.

Her consciousness stretched like a fragile thread into the raging quantum storm. First, she touched Lucas's fragments. Instantly, chaotic images and sounds flooded her mind: Afghan dust, an FBI badge, his sister's pale face, his father's cold gaze, and… in the safe house, the fleeting struggle in his eyes as he bit into her shoulder.

"Mission… target… Evelyn… variable… eliminate… no… protocol…" Broken words echoed in her mind.

She tried to respond, to send a message, but her consciousness sank like a stone, feeling only endless chaos and pain within the fragment. He was trapped in the contradictions of duty and emotion, unable to escape even as a fragment.

Next, she turned to Daniel's consciousness. Upon contact, a scorching flood of destructive and possessive emotions nearly overwhelmed her. She saw luxurious estates, cold laboratories, his father's abuse, his thirst for power, and… countless nights watching her on surveillance screens, his eyes filled with obsession and madness.

"My… Evelyn… my creation… can't… lose… together… destroy…" Frantic thoughts battered her.

She yanked her consciousness back, heart pounding. These remnants of the two men were more dangerous than when they were alive—they had become pure obsession. Like parasites feeding on the reactor core's leaking energy, they sought to influence reality.

"They… are no longer themselves." Her voice was cold. But deep inside, the part of her that was still "human" felt a profound, indescribable sorrow.

"Evelyn!" Dr. Carter's voice broke her thoughts. "Look up!"

She looked up. The spatial distortion above the meteor crater grew more violent, forming a visible black vortex-like void. Its edges shimmered with eerie colors, and the surrounding air seemed sucked dry, creating a suffocating pressure.

"The 'Gate' is opening!" Dr. Carter's face was pale. "Once it stabilizes, the 'Eye's' main body can project its power—or even… descend!"

At the same time, more black dots appeared on the horizon. The second wave of Reapers was here, triple the size of the first. And among them was an enormous, fortress-like biological unit, its energy fluctuations triggering the highest-level alarm in Evelyn's sensors.

"That's… the 'Harvester Mothership'…" Dr. Carter's voice trembled. "It guides the Gate's coordinates and produces smaller Reapers…"

The situation was deteriorating rapidly. She had to handle three problems simultaneously: stabilizing the reactor core, closing the Gate, and combating the relentless waves of Reapers and the mothership. Failure in any one would mean total defeat.

"You stay here and protect them." Evelyn issued the command to Dr. Carter, her tone brooking no argument. She needed him alive—at least until he revealed all secrets about the Eye and the original Evelyn project.

"And you?"

"I'll close the Gate."

Evelyn submerged her consciousness into the reactor core again. This time, she hesitated no longer, allowing no distractions. She harnessed the full power of the Omega Core, beginning to organize and direct the chaotic energy flows within. Her body acted as a massive energy converter, transforming the reactor's raw power into a stable, ordered frequency.

As she guided the energy, the unstable fluctuations above the meteor crater began to subside. The rippling distortions weakened, and the black vortex showed signs of shrinking.

But the Eye clearly wouldn't give up so easily. The harvester mothership emitted a piercing shriek, its abdomen splitting open to release swarms of smaller Reapers like eggs. Simultaneously, a thick, searchlight-like crimson energy beam shot from its apex, targeting the shrinking void to forcibly stabilize the Gate.

Meanwhile, the neglected consciousness fragments of Lucas and Daniel sensed the threat, launching even more frenzied assaults on her mental barriers, attempting to disrupt her control of the reactor.

"Get out!" Evelyn unleashed a silent roar, a powerful mental shock sweeping through the quantum realm, temporarily suppressing the ghostly obsessions. She knew this was only a temporary measure—as long as they existed within the reactor core, they remained a latent threat.

She diverted part of her focus, her liquid-metal form rising into the air again, hovering above the meteor crater. She raised her hands, no longer releasing raw energy but constructing complex energy matrices. White iris-like energy blossomed and combined at her fingertips, forming a massive, translucent energy shield that blocked the crimson beam maintaining the Gate.

The collision between the beam and the shield produced an ear-splitting roar. The entire ruin shook, threatening to collapse at any moment. Evelyn's form trembled slightly, violent ripples spreading across her liquid-metal skin. Maintaining such large-scale energy output was a tremendous strain.

The harvester mothership seemed enraged, increasing its energy output. Meanwhile, the ground teemed with Reapers like a tide, rushing toward the crater to attack her from below.

Dr. Carter and the survivors were thrust back into fierce combat. But this time, their eyes held more than despair. Watching the lone figure battling the monstrous mothership and countless enemies in the sky, a faint hope flickered in their hearts.

Evelyn knew defense alone wouldn't solve the problem. She had to destroy the mothership and fully close the Gate.

Her eyes hardened as she executed a bolder plan. She redirected some of the reactor core's energy, no longer stabilizing space but compressing it intensely into her right mechanical arm. Azure arcs danced wildly on the gauntlet, crackling loudly as the surrounding space warped from the concentrated energy.

"Energy overload… Warning… Core stability decreasing…" the Omega Core alerted.

"Shut up," Evelyn replied, her resolve firmer than ever.

She suddenly aimed her right hand at the harvester mothership in the sky, unleashing the accumulated energy like a bursting dam. A column of pure white light pierced the heavens, shooting toward its target.

Wherever the light passed, air ionized, space tore, and even light seemed consumed. Reapers on the ground were reduced to ash in its wake.

The harvester mothership clearly sensed the fatal threat, activating its energy shields to maximum capacity and mobilizing all weapon systems to intercept.

But against Evelyn's full-powered strike, backed by the reactor core, all efforts were futile.

The white light column struck like a spear of judgment, effortlessly tearing through the mothership's energy shields and layers of armor, piercing its massive body. After a few seconds of silence, a violent chain reaction erupted within, culminating in a brilliant yet deadly explosion in the sky. Debris rained down like meteors.

Without the mothership's energy support, the crimson beam vanished instantly. The spatial void above the meteor crater lost its last prop, beginning to contract and close rapidly.

Evelyn slowly lowered her arm, her form flickering from the intense energy drain. She had succeeded… at least temporarily.

But just as the void was about to seal completely, a massive claw covered in black scales, seemingly made of pure malice, thrust out from the narrowing gap, reaching for Evelyn suspended in the air!

The aura emanating from the claw was icy, evil, and filled with hatred for all life, sending shivers through Evelyn's soul.

This… was the true power of the Eye's main body?!