Bobby followed the Overlord deeper into the facility, the metallic woman gliding ahead with unnatural grace. Each corridor they passed through grew more sterile, more clinical, the distant hum of machinery growing louder with every step. The air felt charged, almost electric, against his skin.

  "Your survival is remarkable," the Overlord said without turning. Her voice carried perfectly despite the ambient noise. "Most humans would have perished within days of the System's implementation inside of the Capital Zone."

  Bobby kept his eyes moving, cataloging every detail. "I've been lucky."

  "Luck," she repeated, as if testing an unfamiliar concept. "A primitive concept, but one the System seems to love. Fascinating."

  A massive set of doors slid open before them, revealing a cavernous laboratory space that stretched beyond what Bobby could see. The Overlord paused at the threshold, giving him a moment to absorb the horror spread before him.

  Rows upon rows of operating tables filled the chamber, each occupied by a human form. Some appeared almost normal, while others had been transformed almost beyond recognition. Metal and flesh joined in impossible ways. Limbs were replaced with mechanical approximations, and circuitry merged with exposed muscle and nerve.

  The smell hit Bobby like a physical blow. Antiseptic barely masking the metallic tang of blood and something else, something alien and wrong. A technician adjusted something on one subject, and a moan of pain echoed through the laboratory before being abruptly silenced.

  Bobby's jaw tightened. He forced himself to breathe, despite the rage building inside him.

  "This is where we refine our techniques," the Overlord explained, resuming her path through the laboratory. "Humans are remarkably adaptable vessels."

  "Vessels," Bobby repeated, the word like acid on his tongue.

  "Indeed. Your bodies accept our modifications with minimal rejection, especially compared to other species we've encountered."

  Bobby followed her past the human subjects, his eyes scanning the room for anything useful. Any weapon, any weakness, any—

  His heart stuttered. At the far corner of the lab, strapped to a table scaled for her diminutive size, lay a small, gnomish figure.

  That must be Sprocket.

  Her chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, her face pale but unmarked by enhancements.

  He forced his gaze away before the Overlord noticed his interest. His pulse hammered in his ears as they approached another section of the laboratory, this one housing larger containment units reinforced with multiple layers of energy fields.

  "I believe you'll find this interesting, given your recent associations."

  The containment units held massive grey-skinned figures, their leathery hides marred by surgical incisions and mechanical implants. Bobby recognised them immediately. They were Kra’zak, five of them, conscious and radiating a hatred so intense it felt like heat against his skin. Their multiple eyes locked onto Bobby.

  "Difficult to acquire, but invaluable for research," the Overlord said, running a metallic finger along one of the containment fields. The field rippled at her touch, sending a cascade of blue energy across its surface. "Their biological resistance to toxins and radiation has provided fascinating insights."

  One of the Kra'zak snarled something in its native language. The Overlord responded with a sound like grinding gears that might have been laughter.

  "They're not particularly grateful guests," she said. "But they serve their purpose."

  "So this is how you've been developing your tech," Bobby said, pieces falling into place. "Kra'zak engineering."

  "Among other sources. The System provides many opportunities for those who know where to look." She turned to face him, her metallic features unreadable but somehow intent. "Which brings me to you, Bobby Jones."

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Bobby maintained his neutral expression. "Me?"

  "You've made contact with the Kra'zak. Traded with them. That indicates either remarkable luck or valuable connections." She gestured around the lab. "We've had to... forcibly acquire our subjects. A diplomatic channel would be preferable."

  "You want me to help you get more Kra'zak technology," Bobby said, understanding dawning. "Without the messy abductions."

  "An alliance would benefit us both. The System rewards those who advance quickly. With Kra'zak weaponry and our enhancements, you could become something far greater than your current form allows."

  Bobby pretended to consider this, using the moment to check the positions of guards, cameras, and potential escape routes. Four armed guards stood at the main entrance. Two more by a secondary door. Cameras covering every angle.

  "And what would I get out of this arrangement?" he asked. "Besides the dubious pleasure of becoming a cyborg."

  "Protection. Power. Purpose." The Overlord moved closer, the subtle metallic sheen of her skin catching the harsh laboratory lights. "This world is changing faster than humans can adapt. Those who resist enhancement will be left behind. Prey for the predators the System continues to introduce."

  "I see." Bobby nodded. "And the gnome? The one on the table over there?" He gestured toward Sprocket, watching the Overlord's reaction. "Is she part of this grand evolution, too?"

  A flicker of something—surprise, perhaps—crossed the Overlord's features. "Her species possesses unique neurological structures. Valuable for research."

  "I'd need time to consider your offer," Bobby said. "It's a lot to process." He glanced at the Kra'zak prisoners again. "I'd also need assurances that any Kra'zak I bring in would be treated as... partners, not specimens."

  The Overlord studied him for a long moment. Bobby forced himself to meet her gaze without flinching, feeling sweat trickle down his spine despite the laboratory's cold air.

  Before she could respond, the lights flickered once, twice, and then plunged the entire laboratory into darkness. Emergency lights kicked on a moment later, bathing everything in an eerie red glow that turned the metallic surfaces of the lab blood-red.

  The sudden darkness caught even the Overlord by surprise. She whirled, her body tensing as a ripple of alarm passed through her metallic form. "Status report," she commanded, her voice sharp.

  A voice crackled over hidden speakers. "Primary power grid failure, sector seven through twelve. Backup systems compromised. Source unknown."

  For a fraction of a second, the Overlord seemed uncertain. Then her features hardened into resolution.

  "Secure the subject," she commanded, turning to look at Bobby. "He's more valuable than I initially assessed."

  "Wait! I haven't given you my answer yet," Bobby protested, muscles tensing for movement.

  "Your hesitation is answer enough." The Overlord's eyes glowed brighter in the dim emergency lighting. "You will be enhanced. Your knowledge and connections extracted and preserved. The choice is no longer yours to make."

  Bobby lunged backward, hand reaching for his weapon. But before he could draw it, panels in the walls slid open with a hydraulic hiss. Metallic arms, similar to those of the Overlord but cruder and designed for restraint, extended with blinding speed.

  He dodged the first two. The arms whipped through the air where his head had been a second before. He spun between them and made a break for the nearest exit, adrenaline flooding his system.

  The red emergency lights cast long, distorted shadows across the laboratory floor. Bobby vaulted over an empty examination table, knocking over a tray of implements that clattered to the floor. The noise seemed deafening in the sudden chaos of the darkened lab.

  "Bring the power back online and seal all exits," the Overlord commanded, her voice unnervingly calm.

  Bobby sprinted for the laboratory doors, which had opened, he presumed, because of emergency protocols linked to the power grid failing.

  Thank you luck... He thought, or not, as two guards appeared in the open threshold.

  He changed direction, heading toward the area where he'd seen Sprocket. If he was going to be captured, he might at least try to reach her first.

  A mechanical arm caught him by the ankle with surprising strength. Bobby crashed to the floor, the impact driving the air from his lungs. Pain lanced up his leg. He kicked furiously, metal screeching against the floor as he broke free, scrambling up onto hands and knees.

  But more arms were emerging from every direction now, writhing like metallic tentacles. Too many to fight. Too many to evade.

  "Your resistance is futile," the Overlord said as she approached through the chaotic lab. "But nonetheless informative."

  Bobby backed away, finding himself cornered against one of the lab stations. The mechanical arms advanced, cutting off any possibility of escape. One lashed out faster than he could react, even with his enhanced reflexes, wrapping around his wrist with crushing force.

  Another seized his other arm before he could bring his weapon to bear. More appendages emerged, grabbing his legs, his torso, lifting him from the ground. He struggled wildly, muscles straining, but the metal arms only tightened their grip until his bones creaked in protest.

  The Overlord approached, her glowing eyes the brightest points in the red-tinged darkness. "That just won’t do," she tutted. "House him on priority level one. Once power is restored, prepare him for processing."

  The last thing Bobby saw as the mechanical arms dragged him toward another opening, was Sprocket's small form, still strapped down and unconscious, waiting for a rescue that now seemed impossible.

  Then something struck the back of his head, and everything went black.