A room bathed in metallic silence. The hum of machines, soft and rhythmic, filled the air. Dozens of holographic displays hovered in the darkness, all focused on one thing, Kira.
One screen played the fight from the forest. Frame by frame, Kira's body writhed, mutated, pushed past human limits. Claws. Fangs. That monstrous hunger in his eyes.
The screens shifted. Readouts scrolled,genetic anomalies, emotional spikes, hormone irregularities.
Dr. Nacht stood still in front of it all. The only light in the room outlined his silhouette. As always, he faced the display, his back turned to the entire lab behind him.
Then… a door hissed open behind him.
Footsteps. Precise. Slow.
He didn't turn.
A low, measured voice broke the silence.
"You've seen it now," he said calmly. "We got something to… Take care."
No reply.
A long pause.
Then Nacht's voice cut through the room, sharp like broken glass.
"You got a job… don't disappoint me."
The sound of the footsteps stopped. The lights from the screen flickered faintly on the reflective black floor.
Then silence again.
Kira sat slouched at the edge of the couch, still wearing yesterday's hoodie. His arms rested loosely on his knees, fingers knotted together. Across from him sat Hana and Aira, silent, tense, visibly shaken.
They had just listened to Kira tell everything.
From Za's crash, to the creepy animal symbol, to licking alien blood and the weird "spider-mech-thing" that almost turned their woods into a war zone.
Hana's hands were trembling. Aira was hugging a pillow like a life raft.
"You licked her blood?!" Aira gasped.
"You don't have to say it like that!" Kira groaned, face half buried in his hoodie. "It's not like I knew that'd do something! It was like… instinct or whatever. At least it was sweet."
Hana, Aira, and Roxy all in unison: "Gross…"
Kira covered his face in embarrassment. "Shut up."
Everyone laughed after the long emotional storm.
The Roxy spoke.
"That's the problem! You're licking aliens on instinct now?!" she screeched.
"Okay chill, I'm not making a habit of it!"
Hana, unusually quiet, finally spoke.
"That… explains the transformation," she murmured, more to herself. "It activated something dormant."
Kira looked up at her, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Actually… yeah. Speaking of that..."
He sat up straighter, eyes flickering with suspicion.
"Remember that day? When the Omega agents came for Za and her ship?"
Hana's eyes met his. A tight breath escaped her lips.
"They didn't just treat you well…," Kira said slowly. "In fact… they stood down. Saluted you. Like you outranked them."
Aira turned to Hana too, suddenly curious.
"Why'd they do that, Mom?"
Hana looked between her kids,one staring with suspicion, the other wide-eyed.
For a second, her lips parted.
Then, she exhaled, the way people do before reciting something they've said too many times. Too perfectly and gave a tired smile.
"Your father worked for Omega," she said. "A long time ago."
Kira's jaw tensed. "That doesn't explain–"
"He was one of their top researchers. Always busy, barely home. Eventually… I couldn't take it anymore. I left."
Kira blinked. His gut twisted. He could hear the lie in her tone,but it was so well delivered. So calm. Rehearsed.
He leaned back against the couch, trying not to show the sting in his chest.
"So, that's it?" he said quietly. "Just him? You didn't work there?"
Hana's gaze held his a beat longer. She didn't answer.
Clink.
A faint sound echoed from the kitchen.
They all turned.
Thud.
Kira stood slowly. "...Is someone else here?"
Roxy stepped beside him, arms folded. "I swear to god, if that's another space gremlin…"
Everyone crept forward together. The moment they stepped into the kitchen,they stopped dead in their tracks.
There, crouched in front of the pantry like a wild scavenger, was Za.
Her silver hair was messy, strands sticking out in every direction. She looked like she'd just woken up from a fight with the shelves. In her hands: a half-eaten jar of peanut butter, fingers covered in it.
Za turned to them slowly, cheeks puffed out like a squirrel.
"Za.Found… prey," she said proudly, voice muffled through peanut butter.
Kira blinked. "Bro…"
Roxy's face scrunched. "Are you eating it with your hands?!"
Za licked her fingers, nodding like she'd just hunted down a rare animal.
"Yes. Use smell. Good. Za… track." She held out the jar toward Kira. "Kira want?Sweet. Like Kira."
Kira turned beet red.
Roxy side-eyed him hard. "You gonna take compliments from an alien covered in peanut butter now?"
"Shut up!" Kira hissed under his breath.
Aira peeked around the corner. "Oh my god… ."
Hana followed, sighing as she took in the scene. "Za… Mm… Don't take food without asking—"
"But… Za share," Za said, holding the jar out to Roxy this time with a hopeful smile.
Roxy backed up a step. "Girl, I don't want your finger jam."
Za's expression dropped, She stared at her fingers. "...Mean."
"You're sticky!"
"Za clean!"
Roxy chuckled before, got the jar from her hand. Za face became bright as sun.
Kira just ran a hand down his face, trying not to laugh.
Roxy leaned closer to him, whispering, "She's lucky, she's cute."
He chuckled softly. "Yeah… lucky."
As the others trickled into the kitchen, the mood lightened. The tension from earlier began to fade, softened by the absurdity of it all.
Hana sighed, but couldn't help a small laugh. Aira groaned dramatically.
As everyone slowly gathered in the kitchen, tension finally softened. Even if only a little.
But behind Kira's tired smile… something lingered.
His mind drifted back to the fake story. The way Hana's eyes avoided his. The pause before her answer.
He didn't say it aloud… but from inside Arik, he whispered:
"That wasn't truth, Baby doll…"
And Kira replied silently, "I know…"
But he didn't push it farther.
To Be Continued...