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The night air sliced through the forest with a chill that would have unnerved a lesser creature. I stood still, the scent of pine and earth filling my senses as I focused on the unnatural silence. The forest creatures had gone quiet, a sure sign something was amiss. My gaze cut through the darkness, seeking signs of disturbance, a branch out of place, a shadow where none should be.
That’s when it hit me—a void where there should have been life. Arlet’s cabin, once warm with light, stood dark and silent. Panic clawed at my insides. I bounded toward the cabin, each step propelled by the weight of my dread.
The door hung open, an ominous invitation. Inside, chaos greeted me: the bed linens overturned, drawers pulled out and emptied, Arlet’s belongings strewn across the floor like fallen leaves in a storm. But it was the absence that roared in my ears—the lack of her heartbeat, her breath, her presence.
I dashed outside, scanning for tracks. A faint tread pattern led away from the cabin to where they must have parked their vehicle—a side-by-side, from what I gathered from the impressions on the ground. The trail was fresh; they couldn’t have gotten far.
With inhuman speed, I pursued them into the depths of the forest. Every snapped twig underfoot echoed like a gunshot in my mind. But as I moved deeper into the trees, a creeping realization set in: these tracks were too obvious, too careless for professionals.
They wanted me to follow.
My steps faltered as understanding dawned. It was a diversion—Arlet wasn’t with them; they’d taken her elsewhere while luring me away. Fury burned through my veins like molten bronze. They had played me for a fool.
I doubled back toward the cabin at breakneck speed, pushing my abilities to their limit. The wind howled in my ears as I retraced my steps, searching for any sign I might have missed.
Then I saw it—the faintest hint of another set of tracks veiled by brush and shadow, heading in a different direction than the side-by-side’s obvious trail. A bitter taste settled on my tongue as I realized they must have carried her out on foot before using the vehicle to draw me away.
I followed these new tracks with lethal precision, every sense alert for signs of Arlet or her captors. The trail led to a road where tire marks showed a struggle or hasty departure—likely where they transferred her to another vehicle.
A thread of hope wove through my anger; they hadn’t harmed her yet or there would be signs—evidence of a fight, or worse.They needed her alive for whatever twisted purpose drove them to take her from her bed.
I couldn’t waste time lamenting my mistake or cursing their cunning. Arlet needed me now more than ever. With renewed determination fueling each step, I set off along the road—the only clue left to find her.
The kidnappers might believe they’d outsmarted me with their tricks and diversions. They didn’t know who—or what—they were dealing with. They didn’t know that when you steal something precious from a Talos monster, retribution isn’t just promised; it’s inevitable.
And I would find Arlet—no matter what it took.
I surveyed the area once more, my bronze skin glinting faintly in the moonlight as I absorbed every detail, every shadow that might offer a clue. My next move was clear. West Corp had to be my destination; it was the only lead I had. They had been at the heart of our investigations, the source of the environmental havoc Arlet and I had fought against. If anyone wanted to silence her, to break her spirit with fear, it would be them.
As I slipped through the trees, each step silent despite my haste, my phone vibrated against my thigh. The screen lit up with an anonymous number, but I knew better than to hope for good news. The message was terse, its meaning chilling:
“Call off your accusations and charges against West Corp, and Arlet lives. Bring others into this and she dies.”
Ice filled my veins as I read the words. They were playing a dangerous game—one where Arlet’s life hung in the balance. A mix of rage and calculation churned within me. They believedthey could manipulate me with threats, not knowing that fear was a weapon I’d long since mastered.
I tucked the phone away, my mind racing with strategies. I couldn’t risk involving law enforcement or her colleagues; Arlet’s life was too precious to gamble with their protocols and questions. This was a monster’s game now, and I would play it on my terms.
My strides grew longer, more purposeful as I neared West Corp’s looming industrial complex. Security lights cast stark shadows across concrete and steel—a fortress in its own right—but not impervious to a Talos with nothing left to lose.
As I approached the perimeter fence, the elements seemed to rally around me—the wind whispered through the chain-links while shadows stretched out like fingers to cloak my movements. My ability to command them was an extension of my will—silent partners in this deadly dance.
Crouching low, I observed the guards making their rounds, their flashlights cutting through darkness in predictable arcs. My gaze narrowed on an entry point: a section of fence hidden from view by a copse of trees.
A plan formed in my mind as clear as the constellations above. Infiltrate quietly, search swiftly, find Arlet before they realized I outmaneuvered their pawns.
But first things first—I needed to get inside without raising an alarm.
Timing was everything. As one guard turned away, his beam of light swinging toward his oblivious partner, I made my move. With a silent leap powered by muscles wrought from Thion J5’s gravity, I cleared the fence and landed softly on the other side.
Once within West Corp’s walls, every shadow gave me an ally as I moved with a stealth that came from my world. This corporate stronghold might intimidate humans, but not a creature like me.
I ducked beneath windows and skirted security cameras until I reached what looked like a central building—where they’d likely keep her if she were here.
Pressing myself against cool metal siding, I steeled myself for what came next: finding Arlet without alerting her captors—or worse—triggering their threat to end her life.
I had played many roles since arriving on Earth: guardian, sentinel, ally. Now it was time to my destiny as a hunter—and West Corp’s predators were about to meet their match.
I melded with the darkness, a whisper among West Corp’s steel giants. Each breath, each step, I calculated with the precision of a being crafted for this very hunt. I was a shadow among shadows, invisible to the eyes that scanned the night for threats they could understand.
