COVELENT: XenoTrait

Felix woke before sunrise and for a moment, he lay still, staring into the dimly lit ceiling. Then a slow grin spread across his face, ”It’s time to act.”

The basement was quiet. Felix descended the steps with a butcher’s knife in hand as his every step sent a creek below his footing. The dairy cow shifted slightly as he approached, its breathing slow and steady.

He stopped in front of it and exhaled, ”The food supply is running low... Even if I don’t kill you now, it’ll run out eventually.”

His grip tightened, ”So don’t blame me for this.” He raised the knife and stopped it before it connected.

The resolve slipped. Felix let out a slow breath, lowering the blade, ”I can’t kill you...” the words felt thin and temporary, ”...but I can take what I need.”

He moved quickly. The cow flinched as the blade cut into its tail.... A strained sound escaped it, but Felix didn’t hesitate he quickly chopped off the tail.

’I can’t let it bleed out now can i...’ he thought. He cauterized the wound with a lighter, the faint smell of burning flesh filling the air.

He cut the tail into five pieces and one of the pieces, he ate immediately as he could not stop himself.

The rest, he sealed in a container and placed inside a cooler bag.

The hunger dulled.

At exactly 5:00 a.m., his watch chimed.

Felix grabbed his phone and was already dialing...

”Hello,” a voice answered.

Felix smiled, ”How are you doing, Sebastian? I’m calling in that favour.”

A pause.

”The fact that you called means you want something. What is it?”

Felix let out a quiet chuckle, ”You are sharp indeed.”

”Get to the point.”

Felix’s tone shifted, ”I need your help getting into the facility.”

Silence lingered for a second, ”The facility?” Sebastian said. ”You haven’t changed. Still asking people to do the impossible.”

Felix smirked.

”It’s not impossible. I have a plan.”

”...Then you can explain it in person.” Sebastian said, ”The old construction site near the facility... I’ll be there.”

The call ended.

The construction site stood empty, skeletal structures stretching into the early light.

Sebastian stepped out from the shadows as Felix approached.

Sebastian was a tall mascular man equipped with blonde hair and blue eyes.

He glanced over Felix’s outfit, ”What’s with the look? Planning to rob someone?”

Felix adjusted his coat and cap, ”And you stepping out of the shadows isn’t at all suspicious?”

Sebastian scoffed. ”Enough. Talk.”

Felix explained the plan.

Sebastian listened with an unreadable expression.

When Felix finished explaining the plan, he gave a faint grin.

”Of course you’d choose a route like that.” Sebastian said.

”It works.”Felix reassuring him.

”It might.” Sebastian replied.

”That’s enough.” Felix concluded.

Moments later, Felix dropped from an air duct near the elevator shaft.

He landed harder than expected, his legs briefly buckling.

He steadied himself and looked toward the stairwell.

”Twenty five floors...” Felix said as he let out a quiet sigh.

He started down and the descent dragged on forever

Step after step, the weight in his body grew heavier. His breathing became uneven.

Halfway through, he stopped, gripping the railing.

”How many left...?”

He looked down and the stairs stretched endlessly below.

”Not even halfway I suppose.”

A low groan escaped him but he kept going and by the time he reached the bottom, his limbs felt hollow.

He cracked the door open and to his shock no guards.

He slipped out and pressed himself against the wall. A door stood slightly open a few metres ahead.

He moved quickly and entered. Inside, a glass panel caught his reflection.

Felix froze his face looked sharper, thinner.

’...Damn it... I thought these would last me longer.’

He pulled out the container and ate one of the ox tail pieces.

He waited and slowly, the thinning stopped.

Not reversed full way but just... halted from getting worse.

Relief flickered across his face, ”Barely enough...”

He spotted a cleaner’s coat, changed quickly, and hid the cooler bag inside a cleaning container.

Disguised, he stepped into the hallway and two staff members approached.

Felix lowered his head, pretending to work and they passed without a glance.

He kept moving then he saw it, his old lab.

Felix slipped inside. For a moment, everything felt... familiar like nothing had changed.

He forced the thought away, ’ No time for this.’

He moved into the experimental section, memories of Benevel flashing through his mind.

He searched all the drawers, the cabinets and the terminals....Nothing was left unchecked, ’Where is it...?’

Then it clicked, ’maybe the files were digitised...’

His expression darkened. ’That means the central system... or Jack’s office.’

The central system was impossible which left

”Jack’s office.”

Felix climbed back up until he found signal.

He made the call, ”Sebastian. I need a distraction. Something big. I’m heading to the director’s office.”

A pause.

”...I’ll see what I can do.” The line went dead.

Sebastian stood in the facility garage, scanning the rows of vehicles.

Then he saw it....A pristine vintage car.

He let out a quiet breath, ”That’s quite a beauty...”

A beat, ”Shame.”

He picked up a rock and smashed the window.

The alarms blared. Inside the office, Jack turned sharply to the screen.

”My car!”

He slammed the alarm, ”All security to the garage! Area B!”

Sebastian smirked, hotwired the engine, and sped forward as the car went and tore through the exit barrier in a burst of metal and sparks.

Felix heard the alarm, ”It worked...”

He moved fast towards the director’s office.

’Door unlocked...how lucky.’ he thought.

He inserted the flash drive and immediately the files began transferring but at a slow pace.

”Come on...”Felix said while pacing around.

The progress bar crawled it felt as if every second stretched.

Finally after waiting for what felt like an eternity, it was now done.

Felix turned as he was about to leave then the door opened.

Jack stood there. Their eyes met neither of them looking away.

Silence filled the room.

”Well... I never expected to see you here again, Mr. Felix,” Jack said coldly.

His gaze shifted to the computer.

”And stealing from me?”

He pressed a button and security flooded in.

Felix lowered his head, ”I... surrender.”

Jack laughed, ”Surrender?” He stepped closer, ”I don’t think so.”

The shove came without warning. Felix’s eyes widening as the glass behind him shattered.

Felix barely caught the edge his grip trembling, ”Why? I surrendered!”

Jack’s expression didn’t change, ”I don’t care.”

He leaned in slightly, ”I should have killed you when you came back talking about Benevel.”

Felix’s eyes widened as Jack smirked, ”The serum worked on another subject.”

A pause.

”He killed himself.” Jack shrugged, ”Couldn’t handle what we did to him.”

Jack placed his foot on Felix’s hands, ”Tragic isn’t it.”

He applied pressure to his foot. Felix groaned in pain as his grip was slipping.

”Goodbye Felix” Jack barked.

Felix fell and as he dropped, one thought burned through everything, ’I’ll kill you, Jack...’

Jack watched him disappear, ”If he survives,” he said calmly, ”the animals will finish him.”

He turned to his team, ”But confirm it.”