Their hideout was nothing more than a shabby single-roomed apartment situated over a noodle shop, which was perpetually suffused with the smell of charred garlic. Zeph barged in, kicking the door open, and flung himself onto the worn-out couch. "Sweet homey dump," he declared, contentment evident in his sigh.
Kaelen followed suit, securing the door with a series of three deadbolts. He gently placed a metallic box on their rickety, small wooden table placed in the center of the room. He stood there, eyes fixated on the box, refusing to sit.
"We should take a peek inside," suggested Zeph, casually opening a bag of chips, "See what we risked our necks for."
"No," rebuffed Kaelen, sharply. "We're not sure what's inside. The client just mentioned 'package', not some 'prototype military tech'."
"You're such a worrywart, Mom," Zeph mocked, crunching on a chip. "It's probably some wealthy dude's diamond-studded watch or a golden toothbrush."
Ignoring Zeph's teasing, Kaelen took out a compact scanning device and ran a blue light over the box. The scanner beeped loudly, spewed smoke, and died.
"It just killed my scanner. That's advanced encryption. This ain't no toothbrush, Zeph," Kaelen stated, his frown deepening.
Bored, Zeph got up and sauntered over to the table, leaning over Kaelen's shoulder. "Let me have a look."
"Don't touch it," Kaelen warned.
"I'm just looking, not gonna—"
Zeph touched it.
The moment his finger grazed the cold metallic surface, the box didn't just open – it reacted.
The metallic sides of the box transformed into a dark liquid that looked like oil but moved like a snake. It shot up, coiling around Zeph's wrist.
"Whoa!" Zeph yelped, trying to shake it off. "Get it off! Get it off!"
"Zeph!" Kaelen lunged forward, grabbing Zeph's arm and drawing a knife from his belt. He attempted to scrape off the black liquid, but the knife simply passed through it.
The liquid moved swiftly, penetrating Zeph's skin. His veins turned jet black, then a luminescent blue.
"It burns!" Zeph cried, collapsing onto his knees. He clutched his head. "Make it stop, Kae! It's in my head!"
"Hold on!" Kaelen shouted, his voice crackling with panic for the first time. He grabbed a bucket of ice water and doused Zeph.
But nothing changed.
Zeph's eyes rolled back into his skull, his body stiffened, and he began convulsing on the grimy floor.
"Zeph! Look at me!" Kaelen held him down, gripping his shoulders. "Stay with me! Don't you dare die on me, you fool!"
Zeph's mouth fell open, but no sound escaped. Instead, a mechanical hum filled the room. The blue light under his skin traveled up his neck, across his jaw, and into his temple. Then, silence.
Zeph went limp.
Kaelen froze, carefully placing two fingers on Zeph's neck. His pulse was there, but far too rapid – like a hummingbird's wings.
"Zeph?" Kaelen whispered, his voice barely audible.
Zeph's eyes snapped open.
Usually, they were a mischievous brown, but now his left eye was emanating a soft, electric blue with lines of code spinning in the iris.
Zeph blinked, and the blue faded back to brown. He coughed, sat up, and rubbed his head.
"Ouch," Zeph groaned. "Feels like I've been hit by a truck."
"You touched it. I told you not to touch it," Kaelen sagged back against the table, releasing a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
"It touched me first," Zeph argued weakly, glancing at his hand, which looked perfectly normal. "Where did the goo go?"
"Inside you," said Kaelen, his face pale. "We need to find you a doctor. A discreet one. Now."
"I feel fine," Zeph stood up. He felt oddly alert. "Actually, I feel incredible. Like I've just downed ten cups of coffee."
Suddenly, Zeph paused, tilting his head to the side.
"Who said that?" asked Zeph.
"Said what?" Kaelen glanced around the empty room, perplexed.
"That voice," said Zeph, looking confused. "Someone just said, 'System calibration complete. Hello, Host.'"
Kaelen stared at him. The room was silent.
"Zeph," Kaelen began slowly. "There's nobody else here."
Zeph's eyes widened. He pointed at thin air. "There! Floating text! 'Threat Level: Low. Ally Detected.'"
He pointed at Kaelen.
"It's tagging you, Kae. 'Emotional Support: High. Intelligence: Above Average.'"
Kaelen stood up, grabbing Zeph's face to examine his eyes. "You're hallucinating. The toxin is messing with your mind."
"I'm not!" Zeph pushed him away. "I can see the maths! I can track the dust particles' path in the air! I can hear your heartbeat… it's 110 beats per minute. You're frightened."
Kaelen stepped back. He was terrified. Not of the law enforcement or the gangsters, but whatever had taken residence inside his best friend.
"We're leaving," Kaelen announced, grabbing his gear. "Immediately. We need a fixer."
Zeph didn't move. He was fixated on a fly buzzing near the ceiling. To Kaelen, it was just a fly.
But to Zeph, time seemed to slow. A blue grid appeared over the fly.
Target Acquired.
Probability of catch: 99.9%.
Zeph's hand shot out faster than a striking cobra, catching the fly between his thumb and finger without even looking.
He stared at his hand, terrified.
"Kae," Zeph whispered, "I don't think I'm just Zeph anymore."