The Escape

Louis's fingers trembled as he touched the center of his chest again; the veins of pulsing green energy beneath his skin felt alive.

"What... what is this?" he whispered. "Did I really just do that? Is this power mine... or theirs?"

Louis didn't have time to think about these critical questions; he had to move.

The dimly lit hallway stretched ahead.Louis crept forward cautiously.

Suddenly, footsteps.

Louis froze, then ducked into the shadows.

His heart thundered in his chest as three Veltrix soldiers emerged from the corridor ahead, their glowing green eyes scanning the hallway with mechanical focus.

He held his breath, praying to remain unseen.

One of the aliens paused, its head tilting sharply in his direction.

A guttural screech echoed as it raised its claw, pointing straight at him.

"Damn it," Louis hissed, instinct kicking in as he threw his hands up to shield himself.

The chains erupted from his palms again, striking with the force of a whip.

The first alien was ripped apart, its metallic body clattering to the floor.

The second Veltrix lunged at him, but Louis twisted, sending a chain spiraling into its chest, tearing through its core. The creature collapsed, lifeless.

The third alien charged, but before Louis could react, a wave of green energy burst outward from his chest, slamming into the alien and sending it hurtling down the hallway. It hit the wall with a sickening crunch, its metallic body crumpling to the floor.

Panting, Louis stood in the aftermath, his hands trembling as he stared at the destruction he had caused.

Then he barked a surprised laugh, part terror, part excitement. "Okay… that was awesome. Terrifying, but awesome!!"

The glowing screen appeared before his eyes:

[Core Synchronization: 85%.]

[Directive: Escape.]

"How is this energy coming out of me?" he asked.

Just then, another alien screech echoed through the hallway, their footsteps approaching fast. More of them were coming.

[Immediate Directive: Escape Now!!]

"I'm trying!" Louis snapped at the floating screen with frustration and ran.

The hallway seemed endless. His breath came in ragged gasps, and his legs ached with pain. The core in him felt stronger now, like a second heartbeat pounding in his chest.

As he ran, the screen appeared again:

[Threat Level: Escalating.]

[Monitoring all hostile movements.]

[Path to Docking Bay: Calculated.

Proceed left.]

Louis veered left at the Core's instruction. He could feel the alien soldiers closing in behind him.

"Come on, come on..." he muttered, pushing himself harder.

Finally, the hallway opened into a vast chamber.

Rows of sleek, metallic pods lined the walls, their surfaces glowing.

Louis's eyes darted frantically across the room, searching for an escape route.

[Escape pods detected.]

[Select the nearest pod for immediate evacuation.]

Louis sprinted toward the nearest pod and climbed inside.

The cockpit's alien controls lit up as he fumbled with the unfamiliar interface.

"Damn it, how does this work?!!" He shouted, slamming his hands against the console.

The Core's voice cut through his panic:

[Reconfiguring interface for compatibility.]

[Translation complete.]

[Escape pod activated.]

The symbols on the screen shifted, rearranging themselves into a language Louis could understand.

He gripped the controls tightly as the pod's systems roared to life.

Behind him, the sound of alien footsteps grew louder.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Veltrix soldiers flooding into the docking bay, their glowing eyes fixed on him.

Immediately, Louis slammed his hand down on the activation panel, and the pod blasted out of the docking bay into space. He gritted his teeth and steered the pod downward, heading towards the atmosphere of the planet below.

The escape pod crashed into an open field on the outskirts of the ruined city.

Louis stumbled out, coughing as smoke billowed from the wreckage.

Within minutes, a convoy of military vehicles surrounded the crash site.

Soldiers poured out, boots thudding against the earth, weapons drawn and tense. Their sights locked on Louis.

"Hands where we can see them!" a commanding voice barked.

Louis raised his hands weakly, his knees shaking as he stood amid the wreckage. His naked chest still glowed faintly.

The soldiers exchanged nervous glances, their weapons trembling slightly in their grasp.

One soldier muttered, "Is… is he one of them?"

"I'm human!" Louis shouted. "I escaped from their ship!"

"Stand down and don't move!" the commander ordered.

Before Louis could respond, more soldiers arrived, led by a stern-looking woman with silver hair in a dark military coat—the commander general herself.

She stepped forward, her eyes narrowing as she scanned Louis's chest.

"That mark," she said coldly. "It's alien technology. He's been… altered."

"I'm not a threat!" Louis insisted. "They did this to me. I didn't ask for any of it!"

The woman ignored him, turning to the soldiers. "Contain him. He could be dangerous."

Two soldiers stepped forward and shackled Louis's wrists with resistant cuffs. He didn't resist—he was too exhausted.

They guided him toward a waiting armored vehicle and hustled him in.

They drove for what felt like hours, weaving through ruined streets and military checkpoints.

Eventually, the convoy stopped before a fortified compound surrounded by high fences and watchtowers.

The gates opened, and the vehicle rolled through. Louis was marched inside, past layers of security, until they reached a sterile, windowless room. As the doors sealed shut behind him, he felt the weight of every camera and sensor trained on him.

He barely had time to sit before the doors slid open.

Louis's heart skipped a beat as a group entered, their uniforms emblazoned with their iconic logo, the Earth Defenders.