The morning sun barely broke through the canopy, casting long shadows over the ranger station. Dew clung to the vines snaking along the collapsed roof, and birdsong echoed through the forest like nothing had happened.
But the world beyond the trees was already reacting.
I sat on the worn couch, clutching the keychain-sized computer I'd built last night. It buzzed faintly as it connected to scattered Wi-Fi signals. The Carnitrix hummed quietly on my wrist, synced to the device—its AI, now simply called Carnitrix, already scanning headlines and alerts.
The first one hit hard.
> BREAKING: Five Dead in House Fire — One Missing
Early this morning, local authorities responded to a devastating house fire that claimed the lives of several guests and residents. The bodies of the Virek family and others were recovered at the scene—badly burned but accounted for. However, Miles Virek, 16, is missing. Firefighters found no trace of his body in the wreckage. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
They showed a photo of me—school ID, eyes tired, barely smiling.
Carnitrix's voice chimed in, calm as ever:
"Current civilian status: legally missing. Presumed deceased by authorities. Recommended action: remain unseen. Begin resource acquisition."
"Right," I muttered. "Let's get moving."
I stood and stepped into the morning air. The air smelled cleaner than it should after what I'd done. I twisted the Carnitrix dial until the icon I wanted locked in place—a stylized, blue blur.
With a flash of light and a low mechanical shriek, I shifted into XLR8.
The forest around me slowed to a crawl.
My mind snapped into hyperfocus. Each heartbeat stretched long enough to let me think ten steps ahead. I took off toward town in a blur of speed and wind, zigzagging through the trees like they weren't even there.
The trip that would've taken an hour passed in seconds.
I darted through the backstreets of the nearest town, my claws tapping softly on concrete. Even in the early light, I kept to the shadows. No cameras. No witnesses. I hit a small pharmacy first—boarded up but not locked tight. I zipped inside, grabbed antibiotics, gauze, bandages, and iodine. Then a gas station—food, batteries, two gallons of water, a solar-powered flashlight. It was almost too easy.
In total, I cleared five stores in under fifteen minutes.
I was already back at the ranger station, dumping the loot onto the old cabinet. Cans, energy bars, painkillers, a stolen multitool. Even a secondhand hoodie and cap to change my look.
I cleaned gear. Set traps around the station. Updated the mini computer's network sniffers. Every time I paused, I kept my ears open for sirens—or worse.
Carnitrix worked in the background, feeding me updates through the watch's internal speaker:
"Local law enforcement has expanded the search radius. Public encouraged to report sightings. No credible leads. Surveillance data bypassed. Your presence remains hidden."
I leaned against the window frame, looking out at the fading light.
They were looking for me. But not hard enough. Not in the right places.
The fire erased the old version of me—the weak, ignored, forgotten kid in the background.
Now? I was something else. Faster. Smarter. Stronger. Armed with a weapon that could turn me into a nightmare.