"Scarlet move!" Jared screamed as he dove to the side, barely escaping the overgrown mountain of fur. Glancing behind him in mid-flight, he saw Scarlet narrowly avoided injury. He hit the ground with a crunch of bone. Not his bone, but a pile of bones and flesh in various stages of decomposition. The bones snapped under him and he felt a sharp jab into his shoulder as a shard of bone broke and embedded itself into his flesh.

Jared rotated his arm, and the bone caught between his shoulder blade and rotator cuff. Rather than delay the inevitable, he reached behind him and ripped out the bone before he could second guess himself.

"AAAGGHHHH!" He felt blood trickle down his back, but he could move his arm and that was more important right now.

SCARLET, WE NEED TO AVOID THIS THING WHILE I SHOOT FROM A DISTANCE. I DON'T THINK EITHER OF US WILL SURVIVE IN A PHYSICAL CONFRONTATION WITH THIS THING.

Scarlet acknowledged his mental communications and darted around the room staying just ahead of the thing. Meanwhile, Jared freed his Colt and fired six round in rapid succession. The bullets definitely hit the thing, but he couldn't tell where. They seemed to disappear inside the layer of fur. The only visible reaction he hit the thing, was it whirling about to chase him down.

Fishing a few rounds from his pocket, he reloaded while doing his best to avoid the creatures jaws and the massive bone piles that created a maze in the room. If he slipped and fell into one of the phone piles, the rat would pounce on him. The thing had to weigh a thousand pounds and would make short work of him, enhanced strength aside.

Three rounds loaded, Jared risked a glance behind him to fire a round into the creatures face. Two of the rounds missed, but the third punched through one eye.

"SCREEEEEEEE!"

The scream pierced his mind again and left a throbbing headache in its wake. He didn't know how much more he could take before passing out from the mental assault. The only saving grace to the headache was the sight of this massive rat stop dead in its tracks as it pawed furiously at the injured eye. Taking advantage of the situation, Jared quickly reloaded his weapon.

Before he could fire more rounds into the creatures face, it looked at him with its good eye and Jared swore the eye burned an even brighter shade of red as the thing charged like a bull straight at him. Again, Jared needed to dodge to the side to avoid the rush, but this time he wasn't as lucky and the thing scored a gash along the length of his leg spilling blood everywhere.

The rats momentum carried it several yards past him before it arrested its trajectory. The metallic scrape of its claws echoed around the room as it scrambled for purchase to come after him once again. Jared tried standing, but collapsed, his leg unwilling to support him. Worse, he felt a searing pain rip through his back and leg. Looking down, he saw maggots as thick as his fingers, with sharp teeth ripping into his flesh where blood flowed freely.

Unable to stop himself, Jared dry-heaved wishing he had something in his stomach as his body tried to vomit his internal organs.

SCARLET, I NEED HELP!

I'm coming, hang on!

Scarlet bounded over from across the room and made short work of the filthy maggots feasting on his flesh. At that point, the rat finished its turn and sped up toward him. His leg crippled, he did the only thing possible, "BOOM, BOOM, BOOM..." six shots fired in rapid successful while he braced himself on the floor. From this position, he could line up the shot with precision and every round drilled a hole into the creatures beady little eye and head. Blinded, dazed, and charging the rat plunged forward at maximum speed intent on destroying everything in its wake.

Grab my tail!

Jared did as instructed without question and Scarlet leapt out of the way carrying Jared with her. It wasn't enough. Jared's lower half was still in the path of the rat and he felt bones shatter as the creature barreled through.

"AGH!" Jared's vision dimmed as the pain threatened to send him to oblivion. Not yet... not yet... Through sheer force of will, Jared kept himself conscious, but only barely.

The blinded rat continued its rampage across the room destroying anything in its path until it ran full speed into the wall. A sickening splat and crunch of bone sounded through the room and the creature came to an abrupt stop.

"We... need... to... leave...," Jared wheezed as he looked across the room and saw dozens, if not hundreds, of maggots writhing across the floor towards the downed rat monstrosity.

Do you want to absorb its nanites first?

Do I? Jared wasn't sure, but recalled they already absorbed nanites from the rat horde and thought nothing worse could come from absorbing these. Judging by the size of this thing, it would be foolish to let the maggots consume the flesh and with it, the nanites.

"Yes, but I can't walk." Jared looked down at his mangled legs, the lacerations and the tiny teeth marks from the maggots causing him to shudder. "Scarlet, my legs..." His mind nearly shut down from pain, exhaustion and shock set in.

Climb on my back.

Jared didn't respond, just stared blankly ahead.

Jared!

The shout, accompanied by a telepathic slap to the face jolted Jared out of his dazed state.

"Wha...?"

Climb on my back. Scarlet repeated and lay next to Jared.

Still not in control of his faculties, Jared numbly obeyed the voice and inched his way onto Scarlet's back. The pain still threatened to overwhelm him, but it felt distant, numb. Jared knew he should care and knew they were in a dire position, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He dragged himself onto Scarlets back, his legs dangled behind. Jared heard, more than he felt, bones rattling and scraping with every step that Scarlet took.

He also heard squelching noises as they walked across the room. Looking down, he watched the maggots popping like zits, puss and green goo shooting out of their bodies. His mind screamed in protest instructing his body to vomit at the sight, but it refused to take part and all he could do was cling desperately to Scarlet's back.

When she drew alongside the rat, Scarlet told Jared to reach out and touch it. Not understanding why, he obeyed and a familiar iridescent cloud of nanites roiled around his body absorbing the creature. As soon as the process finished, Scarlet set off through the same tunnel they arrived through.

They passed the smoldering corpses of the rats Scarlet deep fried, and she continued through the sub-level looking for some place to rest and recover. Throughout the process Jared faded in and out of awareness. He noted the occasional hallway, lights peeking through from above, and even the distant noise of creatures battling. However, everything rolled off his mind.

Hang on Jared! Scarlet continued to plead with Jared and her voice was the only anchor Jared had to the present; the only thing that kept him anchored to her back as she urged him to cling to her.

Some time later, Jared felt Scarlet lower herself to the ground and heard, You can let go now.

"Finally....," Jared breathed, released his death grip on her shoulders, and slid to the ground. Before he hit the ground, blackness enveloped him.

###

Jared... Jared...

"Whose voice is that?" grumbled Jared.

Jared, wake up! His mind groggy, Jared opened his eyes and saw Scarlets face peering at him from mere inches away.

Flinching, Jared answered, "I'm awake... AAAHHHH!" He screamed. His memories came back in a rush and he looked down to see his legs in shambles. The bleeding stopped, but the damage to his legs was extensive.

You need to assign your nanites and go back to sleep. I suggest you assign some to increase your regeneration and density to help your bones re-align and heal. Do not assign mine, I will stand watch and protect you while you undergo changes.

"Where are we?" Jared looked around what appeared to be a small closet with barely enough room for the two of them. The door opened inward and Scarlet's body rested against it acting as a barrier from any would-be assailants.

It is a small room close to the staircase you used to descend into the sub-level the second time.

"Thank you Scarlet. I would've died if not for you. The details are a little fuzzy after I shot the rat in the head, but I remember you carrying me away."

You were in shock from blood loss, trauma, and pain. I was... you... you almost didn't make it. Jared felt sadness and genuine care exude across their bond.

"I'm supposed to be the one protecting you from danger," Jared said angrily with a note of shame. "How can I protect you, if I can't survive a fight with a stupid rodent? I mean dang, rats are at the bottom of the food chain. I don't care if the thing was a mountain of a rat! Imagine if we ran into the boss for those lizard creatures? We'd have died for certain."

You protected me. If not for you, we both would have died in there... Please do not berate yourself. I urge you to assign the nanites as soon as possible. It has already been a day since you passed out and your bones are knitting themselves back together. If you do not increase your regeneration, they will likely heal wrong and you may never walk again.

Never walk again... With no further delay Jared pulled up his status window and thought about the areas he needed to improve. He also noted he had only used 10% of his available nanites. "It looks like we didn't get a lot of nanites from all those rats and lizards we killed. Even the big rat only gave us a small amount."

As you pointed out, they were rats at the bottom of the food chain and likely have a low amount of nanites on account of their survival rate. They were also mindless creatures that have a one-track mind. More intelligent, stronger, and dangerous creatures will have more nanites.

Jared went back to studying the status screen and all the options he had available. He understood the urgency of the situation, but he also wanted to ensure he chose strategically.

"I will definitely assign some to regeneration and density. The ability to heal faster and survive longer will be the difference between life and death as we found out today. Hm... I think I will assign some to Physical Defense like Skin Hardening, Toughness, and Natural Armor. Based on how badly that rat whooped my rear, I am nowhere near as fast and quick as I need to be. So, I will add physical enhancements, Speed and Reflex. Last, I need to increase my Mind. If I'd been more perceptive, we might've noticed the rat before we entered the room and let it block our only escape."

I... I should have noticed it, Scarlet said with a note of shame. My experience in the world is... lacking, and I was not prepared. I will be more vigilant, Scarlet promised.

"It's okay Scarlet, it's not your fault. I am your protector, not the other way around. In order to protect you, I need to get stronger."

Jared finished making his choices.

Physical AugmentationPhysical DefenseSkin Hardening - 10%Natural Armor - 10%Body ManipulationRegeneration - 25%Density - 20%Physical EnhancementReflex - 5%Speed - 5%

Brain AugmentationEnhanced Senses - 5%Perception - 10%

"What do you think?"

I suggest you increase your Regeneration by 5% more and eliminate Strength. You have already increased your strength a lot and your body has yet to adjust.

"Good idea!"

Mentally dragging the sliders on his status screen, Jared allotted the nanites to reflect his choices. "Scarlet..."

Sleep...

Immediately, Jared's vision faded and sleep welcomed him in its embrace. His consciousness faded in and out several times before he finally roused. He didn't know how much time elapsed, but he was still alive and Scarlet still laid next to him barricading the door.

"Scarlet?" She raised her head to look at him. "How long?"

You have been asleep for five days.

"Holy crap, why so long?"

I kept you asleep until the nanites finished healing your legs.

"My legs..." Jared looked down and pulled his tattered pants up. They looked whole again. He found no cuts, obtrusions, or even bruising. "Sweet! That's awesome!" Jared reached out and felt his legs, noticing immediately that his skin felt harder, more durable. Pressing his finger into his bicep to test it, the skin depressed much less than it used to and felt rigid when it rebounded. I wonder how hard it really is... Jared looked around for something sharp.

He found a broken piece of pipe and touched the jagged edge to his flesh. He pressed gently and barely felt the sharp edge. Pressing harder, he watched as the skin flexed, but still he felt only a pressure and no pinprick where the sharp edge dug in. "Awesome!"

Not wanting to pierce his skin, Jared quit prodding and asked," Scarlet, what exactly does Natural Armor do? I mean, it's a fairly obvious description, but how does it work?"

Natural Armor will create a micro layer of nanites that cover your skin and protect against physical damage. Skin hardening makes the skin more dense, so it is harder to penetrate or cut. The Density category will only increase density of muscle and bone.

"I really love all this enhancement stuff! I feel invincible right now!" Jared felt giddy and thought he may still have traces of adrenaline coursing through his veins after his near death experience.

Be careful Jared. I need not remind you, you felt the same way just a few days ago and yet you nearly died from a rat... A... RAT!

"Oh ho, look at you trying to be funny."

I was stating a fact, you...

"Never mind, haha. I think we need to work on your humor. Is there a category for that on your status screen?" Jared teased Scarlet.

Humor...?

"Just... never mind." Jared chuckled to himself. She may be the smartest creature walking the Earth, but she needed to learn street smarts.

Jared stood and stretched, "Oh yea! I feel great! No pain, no dull throb from the nanite changes..." He felt a phantom pain twinge through his legs, but otherwise whole and in one piece. Before he worked with Scarlet on assigning nanites, he wanted to look around and assess their position.

"Scarlet, I'd like to look around. I'm guessing it will take a couple days for the changes to happen for you too, right?"

We will need to move to a larger space first. I barely fit through the door as it is. Another transformation and I cannot leave the room.

Jared smacked his forehead, "Good point, I didn't even think about that."

Jared was just about to leave the room when something on the other side caught his attention. Skirting around Scarlet, he prodded the rubble with his foot and found a lockbox that looked intact. The letters on the side were indistinguishable, but he'd seen similar designs throughout this sub-level. Maybe it belonged to someone that worked here before the apocalypse. He tried to open the lid, but it wouldn't budge. Jared grabbed the piece of metal he used to prod his arm and jammed it into the crease of the box.

The lid refused to budge. H he set the box down and bashed the lid repeatedly with the broken pipe. Finally, with a release of air, the lid popped open. Wow, it had an airtight seal!

Jared peered inside and saw several sealed packages, but more interestingly he saw a pair of black pants and several black shirts. He looked at the label and it read "Dickers". "Dickers... is that someones name or a brand?"

Shrugging, he ignored the name and felt the tough, coarse material, hoping they fit. He stripped his tattered wind pants off and threw them into a corner. Then he pulled the pants on. They fir snugly over his thighs, but the rest of them had a loose fit, perfect. The pant cuffs were a little long, but had an adjustable strap he cinched down and tucked into his boots. Around the waist, there was a built-in belt, which allowed him to adjust to the perfect size.

The rest of the sealed contents turned out to be various tools and oils for some purpose Jared could not discern. Who cares, Jared thought, I'm just happy to have clothes that will protect me.

"Okay, let's go." Jared paused at the threshold, I wonder if my increased perception helped me to see that box or if it was just chance...

He stepped into the hall way, his Colt held in front of him as he surveyed the hallway. He looked around and noticed a layer of dust coated the floor. The only footprints were that of him and Scarlet's passage days earlier.

"Which way to the stairs?"

Follow me.

Jared followed Scarlet a short distance back the way they'd come to the stairs leading up. Rounding the corner, Jared saw daylight for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime. He sprinted up the stairs, shielding his eyes as he neared the top. His eyes hurt from the sun after such a long time underground, but by the time he made it to the top, his eyes adjusted enough to see, and he stood in the warmth of the sun for several minutes.

We need to move, something is stalking us.

"Where?" Jared immediately went on the defense and reached for his Colt.

I do not know where, but as soon as we exited I heard shuffling, and the noise has shifted to several positions the past few minutes.

"Let's head out of the city and see if it follows us. We can deal with it when there aren't so many places to hide."

Jared jogged back down the street towards his makeshift home. Jared kept his ears strained as he listened for signs of something following them. Sure enough, he could also hear something following them. Hm... I don't want to lead them to my hole in the wall...

Scarlet, we will skirt the city before heading away from it. I don't want to lead whatever is following to my resting place. Jared used telepathy to avoid being heard by whatever, or whoever, followed them.

They reached the outskirts and headed north around the city. After they traveled a mile, Jared walked towards a fallen bridge and started down the ravine. Reaching an exceptionally steep area, he turned around to descend and used the opportunity to scan behind him. What he saw made him pause...

A lithe figure darted behind a fallen piece of the road. It's another person! Jared hadn't seen another human being in nearly a year. He didn't realize it before, but he ached to speak with another person. Acting as though nothing was amiss, he continued his descent.

Scarlet, there is another human following us. Chances are they're curious about you and haven't approached. Let's head over to the place you hatched and we can confront them there. I'm okay if they see where we are staying.

Jared continued the hike for two hours until he made his way into the little room he slept in so many nights. Scarlet barely fit into the opening. Thankfully, the interior was wide if a little short. Scarlet curled into a ball and settled off to the side of the entrance.

"I will see if they'll confront me without you around. Your presence might be the reason