As night fell, Jack awoke and quickly became alert until he remembered that he was sleeping in the hotel room, so he soon sat up in bed.
The red glow of the moon came in through the window and dimly lit the room. His sixth sense told him that his movements had awakened Alexis, who was sleeping in the other bed in the suite.
"Are you hungry?" Jack asked before getting up and walking over to a switch that turned on the lights for the entire room.
"Yes, but I've also had plenty of rest," Alexis said, stretching his arms out to shake his bones.
The redhead then picked up his glasses from the nightstand, and as he put them on, he watched as Jack adjusted his clothes since they had all slept with their clothes on, just in case.
"Good, the girls should be awake, too. Luckily, the Mimic didn't try to attack us." Jack slung his axe over his shoulder, ready to fight.
"The local UNMSO agents should have already recognized the person Lisa observed. Let me radio them and see what they tell us. Although you're probably right, and it was the Mimic," Alexis finally stood up and moved closer to his backpack.
As the jamming sound echoed through the room, Jack looked towards the door, and just before he opened it, a strange sensation came over his sixth sense. There was someone behind the door, and as far as he could tell, someone else was aware of his caution.
"Why are you here?" asked Jack, attracting the attention of Alexis, who noticed the serious look on his companion's face, so he held his enchanted pistol in his hand, ready to fight.
"Dialogue," a male voice came from behind the door, but although it sounded human, there was something unnatural about the words, and Jack felt a chill just hearing them.
"What do you want to talk about, Mimic?" asked Jack, who had tensed his muscles, ready to strike at any moment.
"I want to live, I want peace," the voice changed to a female voice, demonstrating the strange and changing nature of this oddity.
"You are a Mimic; your existence is a danger to us humans." Jack activated his Pneuma, but instead of controlling it as usual, he manipulated this invisible pulse of energy to slow down deliberately through his body, taking care not to alarm the enemy behind the door.
"I didn't hurt anyone, I... I just want to understand, I just want to keep living in this world." The Mimic's words sounded like a child's this time, and Jack couldn't help but make a face.
This being was lying to him, trying to use a child's voice to appeal to human psychology. If it had been someone else, he might have had doubts, but with his sixth sense, Jack could tell when someone was lying to him and when they weren't.
Ommmmm...!
Then, without waiting any longer, Jack kicked at the door. His leg was reinforced with Pneuma, and the hardwood that made up the door couldn't withstand his strength, so it finally came off the frame and crashed into the creature behind it.
Crack!
Splinters of wood flew, and a huge silver claw shattered the door, revealing a humanoid creature that seemed to be a remnant of other beings. His claws looked like those of a bird, his head like that of a wolf, and his body like that of a bear.
"Damn human!" the creature growled, this time imitating a rather deep and sensual female voice, but the dissonance of the situation only made everyone's hair stand on end.
Bang!
A red line was drawn in the air, and a bullet hit the mimic's chest, exploding inside. Black blood splattered, the creature screaming in pain as it covered the wounded area.
Alexis had left the room, the air around her distorting as she passed the hands of the pneuma she had projected moments before. The red-haired man looked gravely at the creature as it began to transform into a woman.
Soon, a blonde woman appeared with no clothes on and black blood flowing from her body. Soon, a curious person opened the door of her room because of the noise and saw this strange scene.
"Help, these people are crazy and armed, they are hurting me!" the female mimic shouted, causing the curious person, a man, to turn his attention to Jack and Alexis.
"Hey, you..." the man's voice was cut off as a claw tightened around his neck, cutting off his breathing.
"Drop it!" shouted Jack, bracing his axe as he took a step forward, but the Mimic flashed him a terrifying grin.
Perhaps due to the malleability of her body, the blonde woman's grin grew to exaggerated proportions, her teeth growing larger and sharper, her half-open mouth resembling a bloody abyss, taunting the UNMSO agents before her.
"Back off! Or I'll take a bite out of this... man's head!" A long tongue poked out of the mimic's terrifying mouth and licked the frightened man's cheek, and as if noticing something, the monster's body twisted slightly.
"His tears of fear are so tasty!" the Mimic exclaimed, squeezing the hand that held the man's neck tighter and tighter, gradually turning the poor victim's face purple.
"You gain nothing by killing him, only more hatred and determination to eliminate you on our part," Laria, who had come from the next room, said these words, causing the Mimic to narrow her eyes.
"Humans are so predictable... always with the same thing, full of complicated thoughts." The Mimic seemed to have a philosophical attack, but soon, that terrifying smile appeared on her face again.
"If he had accepted me, I wouldn't have had to resort to this!" the Mimic shouted, a pulse of energy surging from her body, which turned blue.
Her Pneuma twisted around her body before covering the body of the unconscious man in her hand. Soon, the man was writhing, his skin slowly being consumed, revealing his red muscles.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Without waiting for her to finish, Jack, Alexis, Irina, and Lisa shot at the Mimic, but the blue energy layer seemed to protect the creature's body. Only the bullets fired by Alexis and Lisa seemed to dent its protection, but they couldn't break it in time.
"I wanted peace! Now... I will consume, mimic, replicate, and writhe among you humans," the Mimic said before focusing her Pneuma on the human in her hand.
Soon, the human's body melted away, leaving only a bloody mass, which the Mimic quickly placed in his mouth. The Mimic's terrifying teeth were stained with blood, and her long tongue twisted on her lips as he savored the 'exquisite' taste of the human essence she had managed to consume.
"This Mimic is not normal...What is it with UNMSO's intelligence lately?" complained Irina, noticing the very abnormal features on the Mimic and realizing that it was not the typical specimen of this type of oddity.
The normal Pneuma of a Mimic was not so large, nor did it manifest in such a unique color. Also, the Mimic's way of 'eating' was more direct, either taking a bite out of its victim or devouring it completely.
Not by doing what the Mimic did in front of them, displaying a rather sickly light blue Pneuma and concentrating the 'essence' of a creature before consuming it.
They also didn't need super senses to notice that the Mimic's strength had increased slightly in front of them. The Mimic then glared arrogantly at the UNMSO agents before dissolving into a puddle of flesh that burrowed into its victim's room.
"Stop!" shouted Jack, but as he entered the room, he only saw the fleshy mass fall through the room's open window and disappear into the illuminated city of Norien.
"This isn't a normal Mimic anymore... it's a Replicator," Lisa said with concern in her voice, but Irina's touch on her shoulder calmed her fluttering heart.
"Looks like we won't be able to enjoy dinner," Alexis muttered, his sad tone something all his friends understood because they couldn't waste much more time.
They had to get moving to catch the Replicator.
...
"What do we know about Replicators? We don't have much experience with them; this is the first one we've come across." Jack scratched his head, shaking his curly hair in frustration.
This mission had gotten off to a very bad start, from the vampire attack to the murder on the train to the strange reaction of the citizens to the presence of his team at the train station.
This was perhaps the climax, running into a rather complicated type of enemy that they had no experience or way of dealing with, so Jack was getting a little annoyed.
At the moment, they were in the UNMSO offices in this city, which gave them a little more security. But they had to solve this mission as soon as possible, and Laria's answer to his question showed why.
"They are an advanced version of the Mimic. They have developed their cognition, and their abilities have been enhanced. Right now, a Replicator could completely mimic us, even subtle aspects like scent, be it its own, perfume, or special potions.
If it can taste a human's blood, it can access that person's last memories. If it eats their brain, it could mimic their entire personality, their memories, and even the sensation emitted by their Pneuma.
They are a Deadly Level threat; they can even mimic an Operator's Pneuma, their techniques, even their soul weight, making them one of the most dangerous existences for humans." Laria's words made the temperature in the room drop.
"Should we check the registered Operators in this city?" asked Lisa, hitting the nail on the head.
Not all Operators join the UNMSO. A clear example was Ronald; although he eventually joined the organization, many prefer to choose other options, be it law enforcement, the military, private companies, universities, or even living in peace.
The Rosicrucian Federation keeps a record of every child born with an unusual amount of Pneuma. They may not become Operators, but if they manifest one of the two streams of use, Reinforcement or Projection, the nation does not ignore them; it notices them.
That is why there is a registry in every city, although there are places where there is no registry because they are small or there has been some kind of migration, but in many places where people congregate, there are usually Operators.
"We have to request headquarters, but considering the seriousness of this matter, they will give us permission," Alexis said, confident that they would be able to check the Operator registry. So, he stood up and went to talk to the superior of this branch of UNMSO.
After all, they need this knowledge to deal with a rather dangerous creature. If the Replicator wanted to get stronger, consuming normal humans would not be enough.
Maybe the first victims would help it, but soon it would need a better source of 'nutrients,' so it would probably target the Operators. Sure, it could attack the Bienen; they were all able to use Pneuma, but that race used that power very differently from humans.
Oddities attack humans not only because they see them as their targets but also because the human race serves as a tonic for them to increase their strength.
While Oddities are also a problem for Bienen, they are less 'tasty' than humans, so it was best to assume that the Replicator would target human Operators.
After all, to attack a bee was to attack its entire hive, and Bienen was much more sociable and organized than humans, as well as physically stronger. So, if the replicator was intelligent, it would choose to attack the unattached humans.
"At least UNMSO has issued a warning to the entire city, so there won't be people on the streets, and if there are, we have the right to use deadly force," Irina said, causing the room to fall silent.
Field agents had many rights and freedoms when it came to performing their duties, but even they could not attack ordinary people without a valid reason.
But the complexity of the situation gave them the right to make this decision because to hesitate was to endanger many innocent people. So sometimes a UNMSO field agent had to make somewhat complicated decisions.
"I hate having to do that," Laria said, scrunching up her face at the thought of taking the lives of possibly innocent people for the sake of the many.
As a doctor, she was a woman who cared about human life, so having to take the lives of those she had to protect because she had to take strict precautions was something she didn't like at all.
"Nobody likes it, but it has to be done. It's not the first time we've done this..." Jack said, tightening his grip on his axe and recalling some bad memories.
"The second time, actually," Lisa added, causing her companions to nod.
"This time, there was no solution; the meme spread too fast." Laria sighed wearily before pulling a small bottle from her belt.
"We need to use something else to prevent the Replicator from taking advantage of us with its near perfect disguise abilities." Laria showed the bottle she had; this was one of the contingency plans for this mission she had made shortly after arriving at the hotel.
"Witches are always prepared." Irina clicked her tongue as she read the label on the bottle Laria had handed her.
"Jack had a bad omen, and with the Replicator a few hours ago, I wanted to plan for the worst," Laria replied, pulling another four bottles from her belt, which had a special enchantment.
It allowed her to keep a certain amount of glass bottles that she normally couldn't, which was a family heirloom and an excellent tool for any self-respecting witch.
"The potions you make always taste lousy," Lisa complained, feeling her tongue go numb from the bitterness of the potion she had drunk.
"Really? But all the potions I drink always taste fruity," Jack said, perplexed by the strange reaction his friends always had when they drank Laria's potions.
"Because you're her boyfriend! Of course, she'll take special care of you," Irina exclaimed enviously before holding her nose and drinking the whole potion in one gulp, thus avoiding vomiting.
"Indeed, I will take care of my boyfriend, while you... are content with me giving you a potion," Laria replied, placing her hands on Jack's cheeks and bringing her face close to his, kissing him on the lips.
"That was on purpose, wasn't it? At least I don't feel so uncomfortable anymore," Lisa said, looking away from the romantic gesture her companions were sharing.
"Do you want a kiss, too?" Irina approached Lisa and stared into the woman's purple eyes.
"Well, to ease the tension," Lisa replied, shaking her shoulders and wrapping her hands around Irina's waist, surprising her by pulling her close to her body.
Irina giggled before wrapping her arms around Lisa's neck, and just like that, the two girls fell into a much more sensual kiss than the one Laria had given Jack. Soon, the room where they met took on a rosy atmosphere.
Then, the scene Alexis saw when he returned was the sight of his friends kissing each other, especially Lisa and Irina, who looked like they could be having sex right there if it weren't for the gravity of the situation.
"I've got the list." Alexis waited a few seconds, and noticing that his companions didn't seem to want to stop, he decided to speak, breaking the strange atmosphere.
"How many operators are there?" asked Jack without a hint of embarrassment, although his red lipstick-covered face detracted from the seriousness of his question.
But this impromptu make-out session eased the tension that had been building up inside them as a result of this bizarre turn of events. Except for Alexis, the others were not as nervous as they had been a while ago.
"There are 43. 10 of them are retired seniors from various places like the military or UNMSO, 15 of them are under 18, the rest are adults with various occupations.
Taking out 5 of them who are not here, there are only 13 operators left who could be targets," Alexis said in response, but soon the list was taken by Lisa as Irina approached Alexis.
"Well, thanks for your hard work. The available tall girls can't kiss you. Do you want to relieve some of your stress with a 'short' one like me?" asked Irina jokingly, though her narrowed eyes indicated she was planning something much deeper.
"Since..." Alexis didn't finish his answer, he was quickly drawn to the unusually strong Irina.
She was the team's expert in physical combat, and even if she didn't use reinforcement like Jack or Laria, her physical strength was superior to Alexis and Lisa's, and she was the only one of the group who could fool Jack's sixth sense.
So, 'catching' Alexis was a piece of cake for Irina, so she planted a kiss on him, which he returned because, just like the others, Alexis wanted to relieve the stress he was feeling, and kisses were a better option than alcohol or cigarettes in this situation.
...
The team quickly set out to investigate, using a steam car modified by the local UNMSO office, which was much faster but also lacked a roof.
Due to the UNMSO's warning, either by radio, loudspeaker, or police action, few people were enjoying the city's nightlife. Although there were only a few places with electricity-based lighting, Norian ci had many special streetlights that gave a new look to the night in this beautiful city.
The team quickly made their way through the streets; the only sound they could hear was the roar of the steam car as Alexis forced it to accelerate.
Maybe it was because they were lucky after so much bad luck, but Jack could sense something strange as they approached the first target's house.
It was a not-very-tall apartment building; some windows showed that people were present or awake inside, but Jack's eyes focused on a window that had no light on it.
The window was open, allowing the wind to blow the curtains across the window, but it wasn't that that caught his attention; it was the certainty that there was something terrible in there.
"I sensed something. If it's not the Replicator, it's some other kind of threat. Brace yourselves. Alexis, prepare the heat we're going to give this damn friend," Jack instructed, causing a wild grin to appear on his friend's face.
"The flamethrower I borrowed from the local office will come in handy. Fortunately, the weakness for fire remains," Alexis replied as he parked the car near the apartment building.
"Come on, Alexis, burn it down!" shouted Irina, not taking her eyes off the open window.
She and her team were ready to put an end to the Replicator's imminent threat.