Run for Your Lives

"Eve! How did you do that?" Piper cried out in awe.

What happened just then was like something out of an action movie.

Martial arts and cyborg enhancements aside, catching a lance that clearly weighed over 15 pounds was downright crazy!

"This is not the time for questions!" the girl pointed out.

"But-"

"Listen!" Eve raised her voice. "Find the last row of seats on the tube. There are control panels behind it. Open the bottom-most one. You'll find a red lever. Are you with me?"

"Yeah-yeah-"

"Pull and pump it twice and then turn it 180 degrees clockwise. That will open the exit door. Help the others get to the next tube."

"Got it-"

Piper and Noah made their way through the panic-stricken wave of survivors.

"Let us through!" the cyborg shouted above the commotion. The passengers, who comprised cyborgs and hybrids, were certainly enhanced but were weak compared to the monsters wreaking havoc in the tube. They helplessly threw themselves over the reinforced tube door.

Piper finally found the control panel, unlocked the bottom one, and released the lever twice before pivoting it. The exit door opened up with a whoosh.

"Go! Go! Go!" Piper bellowed at the survivors.

Noah sat on the sidelines lest his frail body should get trampled by the escaping crowd.

The boys heard beats and blows in the background as Eve fought back the rogue hybrids. It was astonishing to see how she tackled assailants three times her size.

The duo returned to her after the last passenger had filed out.

"Who are these freaks?" Piper asked, eyeing them apprehensively from behind the girl. Eve had beaten them back with such ferocity that they cowered at the other end of the tube.

"INFERNO," Eve replied, not taking her eyes off the hybrids. They had rounded up again around one who appeared to be their leader.

"Wait! Inferno? The terrorist organization?"

"The very same."

"What do they want with us?"

"Normally, I would think they were after me. But, considering the recent reports we received, I have reason to believe they are after one of you."

"What! Why us?"

"One of you boys probably has an affinity to God Formula."

"The- what now? And who is 'we' in this case?"

"Providence. I work for Providence."

"You are just dropping bombs, sister! Are you talking about Providence, the elite interplanetary force?"

"I don't have time for chitchat, kid."

Piper's eyes were wide. He looked at Noah, for whom the conversation had not made any sense yet.

Eve opened her bag and rifled around. She retrieved an object, which was shaped like an armlet.

"You! Piper Lee! It is most likely you are the one they are after. You were born human, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

Eve eyed Noah. "No offense, kid, but you seem too weak to have God Formula Affinity."

"None taken," the boy replied. Like Piper, he had no idea what God Formula was. His migraine had gotten worse. The boy gathered himself onto a seat and sat low, not to get hit by any flying lances.

"Put it on your human arm," Eve instructed Piper. "The device will do the rest,"

Piper had a mechanical arm and an organic one. He did as asked- slid the armlet through the wrist and pushed it up to his bicep. The device beeped, letting out steam and auto-fit around his arm.

"Whoa! Is this safe?"

"Let's hope so."

"Err.. what do I do next?"

"Just follow the instructions that come up."

"What instructions?"

"On your HUD! Just shut up and wait for the device to activate!"

The defeated hybrids loomed on the other side of the tube. As soon as they saw the armlet, they started getting restless.

"Stand down!"

Their leader commanded from the background. He had taken his time to manipulate the train's control panels, bringing down the speed to 50 miles per hour. The leader of the pack was yet to join the fight. He emerged just then, pushing past his underlings.

Over six and a half feet, the leader rocked his head violently and transformed. His eyes tapered, muscles bulged, fangs and claws spurted. He growled viciously, poising to come racing towards them.

| Error! |

| Incompatible |

The armlet sounded the message.

"What!" Eve exclaimed. "Something must be wrong! Try again!"

Piper repeated the process.

| Error! |

| Incompatible |

Noah writhed in his seat. His headache had become unbearable, to the point that he groaned loudly.

"I guess the intel was wrong," Eve surmised. "Listen to me closely, Piper! Take Noah and join the survivors. You must hand over the device to our headmaster. He'll know who to contact. I'll take care of these hooligans."

"And Noah! Don't try the armlet on. It may kill someone sickly like you," she added.

"Okay-" Piper took Noah by the arm and headed to the exit door. The other survivors had already moved on to the next serial tube.

"Whatever you do, don't turn back!" Eve yelled at them from a distance.

"Noah? Are you all right?" the cyborg asked after he shut the tube door closed behind them.

"I'm okay. Ahh! I just have this splitting headache. Unable to shake it off. Ahh!"

"Yeah, it's been a tough day, man. Hang on!"

The boys looked through the door's glass pane into the tube.

The leader of the rogue hybrids dashed at Eve. The girl had retained one of the metal lances. She swung it around dexterously, taking a fighting stance.

The hybrid dived forward with arms raised and brought them down together to clobber Eve.

Bam!

The girl held up the lance in defense, but the blow broke her weapon in two.

Eve somersaulted back as the hybrid swung at her again.

Boff!

His third blow hit her square in the gut.

The impact tossed her laterally, flipping her like a top. She rammed into a row of seats, which shattered into pieces.

Eve struggled to her feet, spitting blood.

"We should help her!" Noah exclaimed.

"What can we do against that monster, man?"

Noah looked around, panicking. This beautiful girl he had just met was going to die saving him?

Video games had taught him a lot of life lessons. One of them was that you could clear the Hard and Nightmare stages by using everything you have.

"Give it to me!"

"Give what to you?"

"The armlet!"

"Noah, Eve outright warned that the device could kill you if you try it on!"

"I don't care! Give it to me!"

Inside the tube, the hybrid kept raining blows on Eve. She looked spent and bruised, barely able to keep up with the monster. It was a matter of time before she was overpowered and killed.

Piper handed over the device to his human friend.

"Well, I don't recommend going through with this, Noah. But, I have a gut feeling that everything is going to be alright. Even though my gut is artificial."

Noah smiled weakly and slid on the device. The armlet buzzed and auto-fitted to his arm.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

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