"What are those dots on the radar?" Eric asked and pointed at the screen.Logan Carter leaned over the console and tapped a key."The sensors show movement," Ashton stammered as he backed away. "That is an army.""Did Lockwood have reserves?" Eric asked."Survivors do not march in formation," Logan stated flatly. He reached for the dial and switched the feed to the optical cameras.The monitor flickered and revealed the snow covered street outside City Hall.Over five hundred figures emerged from the blizzard. They walked upright on two legs, but their bodies bulged with unnatural proportions."They are wearing no clothes," Lily whispered. She grabbed her brother by the arm and squeezed his wrist."The wind is eighty degrees below zero," Eric said as he stared at the feed. "Their blood should freeze in seconds.""They are not dying," Logan noted. He zoomed the lens in on the leading group. "Look at their body.""Their chests are huge," Ashton observed. "Their muscles look swollen.""T

"Place the ammunition packs into the plastic bins." ​Eric pointed to the designated staging area near the tungsten gates. The six hour rest period had expired, and the Vanguard militia now stood assembled in the center of the cavernous concrete garage. ​Water dripped from their combat boots and formed dark puddles on the floorboards. The harsh overhead bulbs illuminated the stark biological divide between the wasteland survivors and their new hosts. ​The soldiers possessed swollen, mutated muscle tissue that strained against their torn jackets. Thick blue veins pulsed under their scarred, weather beaten skin. The lethal cold had forced their bodies to evolve just to keep their blood pumping through the freezing wasteland. ​Logan stood on the metal catwalk above them. Ashton and Lily flanked him, clutching the steel railing. ​Logan wore a clean cotton sweater and pressed slacks. His skin lacked a single blemish or scar, making him look frail next to the towering giants below. The b

"Activate the industrial heaters."Logan issued the command from the center of the staging garage. He stepped backward and kept his eyes locked on the two identical men standing on the painted stripe.Eric sprinted toward the main electrical panel mounted on the far wall. The steel latches clanked as he ripped the breaker box open."Please listen to me!" the left Thomas screamed. He thrashed against the grip of the soldiers holding his arms. "I am human!""Do not turn the heat on!" the right Thomas wept. Tears streamed down his scarred face. "You will burn us alive!"Eric grabbed the iron lever. He shoved the breaker upward with a loud metallic clack.The heating coils inside the ventilation shafts hummed to life. Blistering hot air blasted into the enclosed space. The temperature in the staging garage spiked from freezing to ninety degrees in mere seconds.Sweat poured down the faces of the militia members. They gasped for oxygen in the sudden sweltering heat. The thick winter coats

"Warning. Core temperature stabilizing at one hundred and four degrees."The synthetic voice of the Overseer echoed. Logan opened his eyes. He lay flat on his back in the medical bay. The fierce fever had finally broken."Overseer, report my physiological status," Logan gasped.He wiped a thick layer of cold sweat from his forehead. His fingers trembled against his own skin. A wave of nausea rolled through his stomach."Cardiac rhythm is elevated," the artificial intelligence responded. "Muscle tissue exhibits severe micro tears. Foreign proteins are actively binding to your cellular structure.""Are my organs failing?" Logan asked."Organ function remains stable," the Overseer confirmed. "The mutation phase requires immense caloric expenditure."Logan pushed himself off the floor. His boots slipped slightly on the wet tiles.He did not feel weak. He felt a terrifying surge of energy trapped deep inside his limbs. His blood pumped like a pressurized steam engine ready to burst."I nee

"Leave me behind."Marcus stared down at his boot buried deep in the snow. The ground beneath the ice rose and fell with a slow, rhythmic breathing."Do not move your leg," Logan ordered.Logan crouched low next to the giant. He pointed the nozzle of his plasma incinerator at the white powder."It is a Frost Stalker," Marcus whispered. Sweat beaded on his scarred forehead despite the freezing wind. "It sleeps under the powder to ambush prey. It heard our footsteps.""I will burn it through the ice," Logan stated."You cannot kill it fast enough," Marcus argued. His voice shook with panic. "The beast hunts with a four meter long tongue. It will snatch you before your fire penetrates its scales.""I possess upgraded muscle density," Logan reminded him. "I can withstand the attack.""You mutated, so did the beast. Its tongue secretes a paralytic toxin," Marcus explained. "If it touches your bare skin, your heart stops beating in seconds. It drags paralyzed victims underground to feed on