"Shit, those sons of bitches!" Jasper shouted, furious. In front of him, the XCP inside the cave stared as if it already knew how he was going to die.
The monster's arms extended from the walls like living tentacles, reaching for him, trying to drag him into the darkness.
("I see... those aren't just arms. They're extensions of the cave itself. This cave is the creature...") Jasper thought, struggling to escape its grasp.
As it overwhelmed him, the XCP released even more arms. Without hesitation, Jasper pulled out his pistol and aimed directly at one of the creature's eyes.
"Son of a bitch—fuck you!"
BAM!
BAM!
The cave trembled. The arm holding him convulsed violently before collapsing. Jasper fell to the ground, gasping for air.
"Okay... I need to get out of here..."
He forced himself to his feet, but not without paying the price—one of the claws had slashed his leg. Limping, he pushed forward, ignoring the pain.
"I just have to..."
But in his desperation, he lost sight of the breathing pattern of the walls, which gave the monster a chance.
CLACK!
A claw stabbed him from the side, piercing deep into his abdomen. Jasper let out a dry cry, falling to his knees as he clutched his stomach.
"Ahh... shit!"
Blood dripped through his fingers. But he couldn't give up—not now.
"No... I'm not going to die... I'm not dying here!" he growled through gritted teeth.
He turned with effort, aiming again for the creature's eye. But it was too late. An arm burst from the wall and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him up.
"No! No! This is their fault! They threw me in here!"
He fired multiple times at the arm, but this one was stronger than the others.
"No! It's my fault too... I'm weak!"
His vision trembled. His breathing became erratic.
"...Focus... Come on... I'm an XCP too!"
And in that moment—everything changed.
It was as if something inside him ignited. The same feeling he had when copying another XCP—but now, it was crystal clear:
He could see the cells—morphing. He could see the creature's energy flowing, glowing, and pulsing around him.
"This is... pure energy. I can absorb it..."
And so he did. He drew that energy into his own cells and detonated it—releasing his rage, his fear, his will.
"I'm not the same anymore... you bastard!" Jasper roared, as a stone-white hand emerged from the wall and crushed the XCP's arm in a single blow.
The hand was made of white stone—like dirty marble, but alive. His.
Jasper had finally learned to use his power.
"What a fucking weird sensation... I can feel everything around me... I can see it."
Two more arms emerged from the wall beside him—identical to the first.
He had learned to copy. By understanding how that energy interacted with his cells, he had managed to replicate it. But he noticed something: as the energy activated, it started burning out.
The copies were temporary—for now.
"Doesn't matter. What matters is that it works," Jasper muttered darkly.
("I've changed. And now I'm going to climb to the top of this damn organization.")
CLACK!
Another arm lunged at him from behind, but he smashed it with a single blow.
His version of the arms wasn't as fast as the XCP's—but in terms of power, Jasper dominated.
"I feel like my brain's about to explode..."
Every time he summoned an arm, he had to imagine it replacing his real one. It required total concentration.
Adrenaline surged through his veins. His thoughts spun like a hurricane. Slowly, he backed up while fighting—using his new arms to block, firing his pistol in one hand and wielding his sword in the other.
Far off in the distance, the other recruits could hear the echo of gunfire and the trembling walls. They listened like it was music.
"Wow, looks like the guy's putting up a fight," said Inmate 17 with a grin, finding the whole thing amusing.
"Yeah, maybe that thing wasn't so dangerous. As soon as the shooting stops, let's head in," said Inmate 10, smirking with confidence.
But the smirk vanished the moment they saw Jasper backing out of the shadows toward them.
"Whoa, seriously—you survived? Our bad for doubting you!" Inmate 10 said, stepping closer.
"Yeah, I needed someone," Jasper replied.
Before Inmate 10 could respond, one of Jasper's stone arms pinned him.
"What? The monster? I thought—no, the color's different!"
Jasper silenced him with another hand and turned to the group with a cold glare.
He was no longer the same. He had realized that to survive in this world, he had to change.
"This is the language you understand, right?" Jasper asked, staring down the others.
An XCP claw shot at him—but he shattered it with one strike from his white arm.
"Then don't make me say it twice. We're going to attack that thing—and this guy will be the bait."
"And if anyone's got a problem with that, I could really use two baits."
Jasper's eyes burned. The group caught the shift in atmosphere.
"Fine by me—as long as I get those 20 years of freedom!" Inmate 17 stepped forward.
One by one, the others followed Jasper's lead.
Inmate 10 struggled, but Jasper's arms gave him no chance to escape.
"There's the bastard!" shouted 17, spotting the XCP.
"Aim for the eyes, and we'll win!" ordered Jasper, throwing Inmate 10 toward the creature.
"Son of a bitch, I wanna live!" 10 screamed, just before the monster caught him.
"Attack!"
Jasper led the charge. The creature tried to hold off the group, but Jasper's arms saved them again and again.
He managed to land several shots straight into its eyes.
The cave trembled violently now. Fewer arms appeared than before.
The XCP was dying. They were winning.
"Push forward! Keep going!" Jasper shouted, slamming one of his stone arms into the creature.
But just as victory seemed near, they all heard a buzzing sound—the same as when they'd first entered.
[Okay guys, you made it. Time to come back.]
Before anyone could respond, a dull boom echoed through the space, just like when they'd first arrived.
And in an instant—they were all back in the Association's hall.
E7 stood before them, looking more exhausted than ever.
"Congratulations, humans trashs. You did it. We now know how to kill it—and it only took you two days," E7 announced, arms spread.
"Two days? What? That was, like, two hours max!" Inmate 17 protested, as confused as the rest.
"Yeah, yeah—two hours there is two days here, genius. You ever hear of math?" E7 replied flatly.
"Anyway, I don't feel like explaining more. Your sentences are reduced by 20 years."
"Ahh, we did it!" shouted Inmate 22.
"Yes, yes, whatever. Go through that door over there," E7 said, pointing to a new exit.
"We'll take your blood, DNA, and some other stuff. Just do it. I want to sleep," he muttered, clearly uninterested in their well-being.
Jasper began to sneak away. But for some reason—he couldn't move.
He already knew what was happening. He had been careless.
One by one, the other inmates left, until only he and E7 remained.
"Congrats, 52. You were really helpful. You're amazing."
Jasper was about to reply—but dropped to his knees. Blood streamed from his eyes, nose, and mouth.
"Oh, sorry—I just hate it when people try to see my stupid face. Isn't that right, NEO 7?"
Jasper couldn't move. The pain now radiated throughout his entire body. He tried to detect an energy source to copy—but there was nothing.
This wasn't the work of an XCP.
"You know what you just did was illegal, right? What if Control 5 found out?" E7 asked, eyes locked on Jasper.
V8 had planned this from the beginning. She definitely knew.
He was going to die.