The hum of the lab persists, a constant reminder that I'm still nothing more than a caged experiment. No sunlight. No breeze. Just the cold, artificial light that never wavers.
But today is different.
I hear it before I see it. A heavy mechanical hiss. The thick steel doors across the containment room part, their edges lined with ominous black scorch marks. My body coils instinctively, the faint green glow of my radiation pulsing beneath my translucent skin. I don't need to breathe, but something about the stale air that drifts through unsettles me.
And then, they step through.
A figure clad in a pristine hazmat suit. White, sterile, with reinforced plates along the arms and legs. The reflective visor hides their face, but I can tell — they're watching me. Observing. Studying.
I don't know their name, but I know their presence, It's the lady that put me in here. The way the cameras shift slightly. The subtle hum of distant monitors. They've seen every failed escape attempt. Every pulse of radiation. Every bite of those rotten rats.
My body tenses. I have no mouth to snarl, no voice to spit out the venomous thoughts racing through me. All I can do is wait.
A low mechanical whir announces the arrival of a containment unit — a glass pod, its walls reinforced with faint hexagonal patterns. It hovers just above the ground, magnetic stabilizers keeping it eerily still. The hazmat figure gestures toward it.
'You've got to be kidding.'
I shift, but the faint pulse from my system warns me before I even try anything stupid.
> COMMAND LINE DETECTED
RESTRAINT PROTOCOL ACTIVE
'Tch. Fine.'
My body coils once more before I slither into the pod. It's just large enough to accommodate me, though the transparent walls leave no comfort. The moment I'm inside, a force field hums to life. Secure. Isolated.
'As if that'll hold me forever.'
The hazmat figure wastes no time. They activate the magnetic lift, and the pod jerks slightly before gliding forward. Through the parting doors. Past the cold corridors of the lab. The cameras follow. Always watching.
The transition is abrupt. One moment, the metallic walls of the lab surround me. The next — a sudden shift. The air changes. Warmer. Heavier. Damp. A new chamber unfolds before me.
A terrarium. A really big one.
It's massive, spanning what feels like an entire floor of the facility. Trees stretch toward the artificial sky, their twisted branches thick with unfamiliar leaves. The ground is layered with dirt and moss, with patches of vibrant vegetation that seem to pulse with faint bioluminescence. A waterfall cascades from jagged rocks, pooling into a crystal-clear stream that snakes through the landscape.
And the creatures.
I spot them immediately. Small, rodent-like animals skitter beneath the undergrowth, their fur marked with glowing patterns. In the distance, something resembling a deer but with elongated limbs and twisted antlers cautiously grazes. Winged insects hum through the air, their translucent wings catching the light like fragments of shattered glass.
'This… is so freaking cool!'
The ecosystem is alien, yet strangely harmonious. Every plant, every creature — they fit together like pieces of a deliberately crafted puzzle.
'A fabricated paradise. Freedom at last!'
The pod hisses once more, and the force field fades. No more barriers. No more walls.
> COMMAND: SYSTEM LOG
ERROR: ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS INCOMPLETE
'Yeah, I get it. Even the system doesn't know what this place is.'
But that's fine. I don't need it to tell me what's obvious. This is a personal buffet.
And I intend to get all I can eat.
The first few moments are instinctual. My radiation pulses, the faint green mist curling from my body as I slither across the damp earth. The flora closest to me recoils, leaves curling and darkening beneath the toxic presence. Even the small creatures scatter, their bioluminescent trails flickering in distress.
'Oh yeah. I'm a walking hazard.'
But then something clicks. The radiation — it's not just flowing mindlessly. There's a pulse, a rhythm. A flicker of control.
I focus. The glow dims. The mist recedes.
> COMMAND: SYSTEM LOG
STATUS: RADIATION SUPPRESSION SUCCESSFUL
A strange stillness follows. The air clears. The vegetation stops withering. My body feels… lighter.
'I can stop it. I can actually stop it. Hell yeah!'
For the first time since I got injected, I'm not leaking death into the air. The realization hits harder than I expect. I'm not a bomb waiting to go off. I can choose when to be dangerous.
The system's error-riddled interface flickers. Despite its malfunctioning state, I can still see the essentials. My evolution points hover at a stubborn twenty. Not nearly enough.
But that won't last.
The terrarium is a buffet. Every creature I spot radiates energy. Some small and frail. Others larger, pulsing with a strength I can practically taste. My body quivers with anticipation.
'No more rats. Time to eat something worth my while.'
A small rodent-like creature scurries too close, its glowing fur illuminating the shadows. It doesn't even notice me until it's too late.
I lash out, leeching onto it. The creature lets out a choked squeal before vanishing into a shriveled carcass. Its energy floods into me.
> SYSTEM UPDATE
Unidentified Rodent Consumed. Evolution Points Gained: +8
'Eight points for something so small? Not bad.'
But I'm not done.
The hunger drives me forward. Larger creatures catch my gaze — the twisted deer-like beasts, the winged things flitting through the air. Each one pulses with potential. And now that I've tasted it, I want more.
The ecosystem trembles. Predatory prey has arrived.
> EVOLUTION POINTS: 28… 35… 42…
I slither through the undergrowth, leaving only faint traces of green mist in my wake. My radiation remains suppressed, but the Animal instinct refuses to fade.
> SYSTEM UPDATE
Unidentified Avian Consumed. Evolution Points Gained: +10
Bioluminescent Deer Consumed. Evolution Points Gained: +15
The power surges. My body hums. The once distant threshold draws closer.
> EVOLUTION POINTS: 67 / ???
I don't know how much I'll need. But one thing is certain.
I'm not stopping until I evolve.