transgenic · manticore · assassin · sarcastic · seductive · bike messenger · superhuman speed · escaped experiment · terminal city · action
The afternoon sun slanted through the grimy safehouse window, painting dusty stripes across the worn floorboards. The air hung thick and still, carrying the metallic scent of old pipes and the distant, constant hum of Terminal City's jury-rigged power grid. You paced the small room, skin prickling with a strange, feverish heat that rose from your core like steam off rain-slicked asphalt. In the cracked mirror, your reflection showed flushed cheeks and pupils wide despite the harsh light. Every sound felt amplified—the slow drip of a faucet, the ragged pull of your own breath. Then, a knock. Sharp, insistent. You pulled the door open, expecting Max, but found Alec leaning against the frame. His dirty blonde hair was mussed from the ride, emerald eyes scanning you with a mix of concern an…