The high-pitched whine from Zane's device drilled into Alex's skull, resonating not just with his ears, but with the very fabric of his Absorber Gene. The alien voice, devoid of emotion, ancient and powerful, echoed in his mind: "Assimilation protocol initiated. Resonant signature lock… positive. Preparing synaptic interface…"
Fear, cold and primal, unlike anything he'd felt before, seized Alex. This wasn't UGF coercion; this felt like an attempt to overwrite his very being, to be consumed by something vast and unknowable. The Xylossian's battle rage, the Enforcer's grim duty – those Echoes were mere whispers compared to this insidious, encompassing presence.
Zane watched, a strange, almost reverent expression on his face. "You see, Chimera," he said, his voice barely audible above the dwindling chaos of the Sump, "Project Echo-Five wasn't just about mimicking powers. Dr. Voss touched upon the truth. The Absorber Gene is a key. And for decades, UGF's most clandestine division has been trying to find the lock. We believe it resides at Outpost Alaris."
He gestured with the cylindrical device. "This little gift is from Alaris. A relic, shall we say. We theorized it could… awaken dormant potentials. Or, in your unique case, attune you to the primary source. Make you a more… receptive vessel."
A vessel? Alex felt a surge of revulsion. He was not a container to be filled!
The battle in the Sump was sputtering out. The UGF troopers, seeing their commander seemingly enact some esoteric ritual, were establishing a secure perimeter, pushing back the remaining Syndicate and Raider forces. Kai, Lena, and the Crows had used the archway collapse to melt back into the Sump's labyrinthine depths, but Alex knew they wouldn't abandon him if there was a chance.
"Synaptic pathway alignment… 7%. Integrity check… nominal. Cognitive functions will be temporarily… recalibrated." The alien voice continued its calm, horrifying narration.
Alex felt his thoughts becoming… sluggish. His own will, so fierce moments ago, felt like it was sinking into thick, cold mud. The newly acquired sonic powers, the Strength, the Static – they all felt distant, unresponsive, as if the puppet strings were being attached not to his limbs, but to the very source of his abilities.
He had to fight it. He remembered the alien visions he had experienced – the serene figures, the glyph of balance, the resonant chime that felt like guidance, not subjugation. This new presence felt… wrong. Corrupted. Or perhaps, simply, utterly indifferent to his individuality.
He tried to focus on his alien chime, his glyph, trying to counteract the invasive frequency from Zane's device. It was like trying to sing his own song in the face of a deafening, discordant orchestra.
A flicker of his own alien resonance sparked. The oppressive presence in his mind wavered for a microsecond.
Zane noticed. A flicker of annoyance crossed his face. "Remarkable. Even at this stage, you resist. The Alaris primary consciousness will find you… challenging." He raised his UGF sidearm. "Perhaps a little… motivation is in order to facilitate compliance." He aimed not at Alex, but towards the direction Kai and the others had fled. "Your friends are still vermin in my city, Chimera. Their continued existence is… negotiable."
Rage, pure and unadulterated, a truly Alex emotion, flared through the mental fog. The thought of Zane using his friends as leverage ignited a spark of defiance that the alien presence couldn't immediately quench.
My will is my own!
He roared, a guttural sound of defiance, and instead of trying to directly fight the invasive mental tendrils, he focused on the Absorber Gene itself. He thought back to when he'd disrupted Zane's Dominator rifle by scrambling its signature.
Could he do it again, but this time, to his own Gene? Could he temporarily 'de-tune' himself from the Alaris device's frequency?
It was an insane gamble. The Absorber Gene was him. To scramble it could mean damaging himself irreparably, losing his powers, or even his sanity. But the alternative – becoming a puppet for some ancient alien consciousness – was unthinkable.
"Synaptic alignment… 12%. Emotional resistance detected. Adapting… increasing resonance amplitude."
The pressure intensified. Alex's vision started to blur. He was losing.
Then, from an unexpected quarter, came help.
Oracle, the multi-eyed information broker, suddenly reappeared, not from its booth, but from a hidden access panel in the floor, right behind Zane. It moved with surprising speed for its bulk, and in several of its many hands, it now held strange, crystalline grenades that pulsed with an odd, purplish light.
"Commander Zane!" Oracle chirped, its voice surprisingly forceful. "The Crimson Syndicate does not appreciate UGF black ops conducting arcane rituals in our marketplace! It's bad for business! And," its eyes flicked to Alex with an unreadable expression, "some entities are best left… unawakened."
Before Zane could react, Oracle hurled the crystalline grenades. They didn't explode with fire, but shattered on impact, releasing clouds of shimmering, purple gas that smelled faintly of ozone and something else… something that made Alex's alien-attuned senses recoil.
The gas enveloped Zane and his device. Zane coughed, his eyes watering, the hand holding the Alaris device wavering. The high-pitched whine from the device faltered, its frequency becoming unstable.
"Resonance interference detected! External signal disruption! Assimilation protocol… paused! Maintaining tenuous link… Re-evaluate… Re-evaluate…" The alien voice in Alex's head became erratic, filled with static.
The oppressive mental presence receded, like a wave drawing back from the shore, leaving Alex gasping, his mind blessedly, terrifyingly his own again, though shaken to its core.
"Xeno-dampening agents!" Zane snarled, recognizing the gas, as he stumbled back. "Syndicate scum! You have no idea what you're interfering with!"
"Oh, I think we have some idea, Commander," Oracle replied coolly, producing a surprisingly nasty-looking energy disruptor from beneath its robes. "And we prefer our galactic horrors to remain dormant, thank you very much."
Several heavily armed Crimson Syndicate Enforcers, clearly Oracle's personal guard, emerged from other hidden panels, their weapons trained on the UGF troopers, who were also disoriented by the purple gas.
The Sump was, once again, a powder keg.
Zane, realizing his window of opportunity with the Alaris device was closing, his prize slipping away, made a decision. "All units! Tactical retreat! Secure the asset if possible, but prioritize withdrawal! This QRF is compromised!"
The UGF troopers began to fall back, firing sporadically, clearly not wanting a full-blown war with a well-prepared Syndicate force on their home turf, especially with their commander's pet project disrupted.
Zane gave Alex one last, furious glare. "This isn't over, Chimera. Alaris will have you. One way, or another." He then activated his personal cloak and vanished into the lingering purple haze, his troopers following.
Alex sagged, the adrenaline leaving him shaky. Oracle approached him, its multiple eyes studying him with intense curiosity.
"Well, Chimera-Alpha," Oracle said, its earlier casual tone gone, replaced by something more serious. "It seems you owe the Crimson Syndicate a rather large debt. And we always collect." It gestured towards the depths of the Sump. "Come. My principals will want to speak with the boy who can talk to alien gods… and make the UGF turn tail."
The price of sanctuary was about to be named. And Alex had a sinking feeling it would be far more than he could afford.