Zarc stood in the middle of the lab, the blue glow from the Cube faintly illuminating the walls. The flashlight flickered across glass shards and overturned tables, every shadow looking heavier than it should. His pulse had slowed, but the weight on his arm still felt foreign — like the Cube was quietly breathing with him.
He took a deep breath, scanning the room again. No movement. No sounds. Just the hum of something electrical, deep inside the walls. Whatever backup system this place ran on was still limping along.
He holstered his Glock, checked the chamber out of habit, and pulled the flashlight up again. "Alright, let's see what else you can do," he muttered.
The Cube's faint glow rippled at his voice, but stayed quiet.
Zarc started collecting. Anything with weight or shape went into a small pile — rusted scalpels, shattered microscope frames, broken panels, wires, and even a chunk of wall plating. His gloves clinked softly as he worked, the sound echoing down the corridor.
Once he had enough, he took a step back and raised his arm. "Let's test something."
He thought about what he wanted — about the Cube consuming everything in front of him, like before. A pulse went through his wrist, then another. One by one, the objects dissolved into faint blue particles, pulled toward the Cube like dust in a current.
The air shimmered briefly, then stilled.
[Resources Consumed: 38 units — total capacity: sufficient][Blueprints Acquired: Basic Electronics, Reinforced Metal Alloy, Plastic Composite]
He exhaled slowly, half-impressed, half unnerved. "So it learns what it consumes."
He crouched beside the guards' remains next — their uniforms still recognizable under the layer of dust. Security personnel, armed once, but long since disarmed. He searched their belts and found scraps of equipment — a broken flashlight, a dented badge, and a small utility knife with its blade snapped in half.
The Cube reacted again, faintly warming under his sleeve.
[New materials detected. Consume?]
Zarc hesitated. "…Yeah. Do it."
The air rippled, and the damaged items broke apart soundlessly, fragments dissolving midair. The remains of the guards' uniforms fluttered slightly as the energy passed over them, the blue outlines tracing every surface.
He froze.The Cube was still glowing faintly — and so were the guards' clothes.
He hesitated for a long moment, then muttered under his breath, "If it can consume metal, maybe…"
The thought trailed off as the fabric broke apart too — particle by particle — until all that remained was dust. The Cube pulsed brighter, feeding lines of text across his vision.
[Resources Consumed: Synthetic Fiber x12, Carbon Mesh x6, Polymer Thread x4][Blueprint Acquired: Tactical Uniform – Haven Security Model]
Zarc stared at the message, then down at his wrist. "You've got to be kidding me."
Before he could react, the Cube emitted a faint hum. The particles it had just consumed began to swirl in front of him — gathering, folding, shaping. Within seconds, a full set of freshly constructed gear appeared on the floor — boots, uniform, utility vest, gloves, all brand new, spotless.
The Cube's glow dimmed again, the message fading.
[Blueprint saved. Reconstruction complete.]
He crouched and ran his hand across the gear. The fabric was soft but durable, reinforced at the seams. It smelled faintly like ozone and clean metal — not something made by human hands.
Zarc looked down at his own worn jeans and cracked leather jacket, then at the uniform again. "You're really trying to impress me, huh?"
He stripped off his outer layers, swapping piece by piece. The uniform fit perfectly, adjusting to his frame as he fastened the vest and tightened the straps. He caught his reflection in the shattered glass — for the first time in years, he looked like someone from before the world fell apart.
He tightened the gloves. "Alright, Cube… we're officially partners."
[Acknowledged.]
Zarc froze. "Wait—did you just—"
[Neural Interface: Stable.][User connection: Active.]
The voice faded again, leaving only the faint hum.
He exhaled slowly, muttering, "This day just keeps getting better."
He started packing — the pistol in its holster, flashlight on his belt, the empty mag pouches newly replaced by the uniform's modular ones. I hesitated with the leather jacket in my hands. It had kept me warm, sure, but it was ragged and heavy and not worth carting for sentimental reasons. Then the thought struck me — no waste. If the Cube could consume metal and fabric and remember how to make them again, the jacket was raw material, not trash. I laid it on the bench, thumbed the command on the holo and said, "Consume: textile — raw conversion." The Cube unlatched, its surface rippling as fibers unspooled into particles and vanished. A moment later the holo ticked over: Material Consumed: Leather Composite 0.6kg — Blueprint Recorded: Civilian Jacket (Partial). I slid the empty jacket into a corner to be nothing but a memory and tightened the new uniform on my shoulders.