Copy anomalies in the XCP association

Chapter 8: Death Proof(2)

Everyone went quiet the moment E7 raised his voice. All attention in the room locked on him. Something big was coming.

"Don't act surprised!" shouted the man with a crooked smile, arms wide open like he was welcoming them to a twisted party. "You all know why you're here. Human trash... You were given one last chance to escape death."

Jasper swallowed hard. His eyes scanned the other inmates in green. He was surrounded by criminals. He didn't know what was coming, but one thing was clear: if he wanted to improve, he had to survive.

"Today, Agent ICE's squad brought in something special," E7 continued, pacing back and forth with manic energy. "An XCP… something different. A beast. One that cost us blood and lives."

His voice grew louder, the tension thickening like a storm about to break. Then he held up one finger.

"One. I want you to figure out what its ability is."

A second finger went up, that manic grin never leaving his face.

"Two. Find out if it has any weaknesses. Or if it even eats."

Then the third finger, his eyes wild.

"Three… I want you to find out how to kill it."

A chill ran down Jasper's spine. E7 had said it like it was some kind of game.

"If you complete those three tasks, your sentence drops from death to twenty years. Unless, of course, you'd prefer to stay my lab rats."

One inmate shakily raised a hand, voice cracking.

"And… what if we can't kill it? What if we don't figure out its ability?"

E7 looked at him like he was a talking insect.

"Can't kill it? Can't figure it out?" he repeated, stepping slowly toward the man. "Then you're useless to me."

He stopped in front of him and leaned in. His gaze was pure emptiness.

"And if you're useless to me… I'll make sure I end you myself."

Another inmate tried to chime in. "What if none of us make it? What if we all die?"

E7 spun around, amused like a child with a toy.

"Then it'll be the perfect day to feed the beast."

The atmosphere dropped a few degrees. Noticing it, E7 kept going.

"Of course, I'm not that heartless. If we see you've done enough research, we might let you out early. That said—"

He snapped his fingers.

A pulse of purple light burst from the center of the room, vibrating like a heartbeat. A circle appeared on the floor, glowing with a symbol: a stylized, distorted eye.

At the same time, each inmate's suit emitted a flash on the right hand. Jasper looked down: the number 52 glowed on his glove.

"Let's begin," E7 said. "That number's to ID you… in case someone gets eaten."

He turned to the glowing seal and raised both arms.

"Step into the circle."

Jasper hesitated, then followed the others. Some looked terrified. Others acted like this was just another day.

When they were all inside the circle, E7 snapped his fingers again.

A dry boom—like thunder held back—swallowed them whole.

The world shifted.

They weren't in the room anymore. Thick, humid heat surrounded them. The ground beneath their feet was rocky and wet. A cave—but not just any cave.

The walls were breathing.

Literally. Expanding and contracting like a massive, slow lung.

Jasper stumbled, nauseous.

("This isn't like the teleporter at the base… this is something else. Like magic.") he thought, forcing himself to stand.

"What the hell was that?!" one inmate shouted, falling to the ground.

Another started laughing like a lunatic. "We're alive! Fuck yeah! Let's go hunt that monster!"

"Who made this idiot our leader?" mocked someone from the back.

Before things could get worse, a buzzing sound echoed inside their heads.

["Well, well… I like that energy. That's what I want to hear."]

It was E7's voice. But it wasn't coming from anywhere. It was inside them.

["We've given you some tools: each of you has a short-range and long-range weapon, some healing supplies, and we'll drop food pills daily."]

Suddenly, Jasper's left hand began to glow. A panel opened on his skin, showing various options.

["Now then, human scum… prove your worth."]

Silence fell. Tense. Like a thread about to snap.

"Shit, it's a gun!" shouted one guy, grinning.

Another pulled out a sword, eyes wild, holding it up like a trophy.

"This beauty reminds me of when I slit that cop's throat!" he cackled.

Jasper said nothing.

("I'm surrounded by psychos. And not the fun kind.")

A scarred man stepped forward, removing his helmet. He was tall, his face marked by battles.

"Enough talk. If that thing's out there, we kill it before it kills us."

He spat on the ground and started walking. No one stopped him. Some followed out of fear. Others, just to not be left behind.

Jasper was the last to move, feeling the weight of death hanging over him like a rusted chandelier.

***

"Come on, man. We're professionals. All we gotta do is find that thing and slice it up," said the guy with the sword, spinning it with confidence.

"Professionals, my ass. We don't even know what the hell this is. A fucking breathing cave? This is some freak show," muttered another, clearly unsettled.

Jasper stayed silent. Every step seemed to echo too loud, like the cave itself was listening.

("This is strange... The XCP hasn't shown up. We've been walking for minutes now and still nothing.") He scanned the darkness with his suit's night vision. They weren't supposed to be caught off guard.

"Maybe the monster's scared of us," joked the same loudmouth. "This'll be a walk in the park. I'll be out in no time."

Jasper's brows furrowed.

("No. Something's off. If the ICE squad struggled to capture it... it can't be passive. This place is its den.")

His gaze locked on the cave walls. They were still.

Too still.

("Wait… since when did they stop breathing?")

He stepped forward, tension crawling up his spine. A section of the wall... was vibrating.

Something was behind it.

"Get back!" Jasper shouted, the only one who noticed.

"What now? You scared?" mocked the scarred man at the front—right before the wall split open.

A dark claw shot out and grabbed him by the chest.

"What the—"

He didn't get to finish. The wall swallowed him whole, vanishing like it had never been there.

"RUN!" Jasper shouted, and this time, no one mocked him.

They bolted in all directions.

The XCP was never hiding.

It was waiting.