# Chapter 3: Awakening
Jin's grip tightened on the cold metal pipe. It was surprisingly well balanced — an extension of his arm that felt almost natural despite its crude nature, thanks to his passive skill. His internal HUD, a subtle overlay, tinged the edges of his vision a faint red as Asha's voice cut through the tension.
"Multiple hostiles converging. Eight to ten signatures. Quadrupedal, approximately thirty kilograms each. Elevated heart rates and aggressive biomarkers. Classification: mutated vermin. Prepare for engagement," Asha reported clinically.
Before Jin could fully process that—thirty kilograms each sounded alarmingly big for "vermin"—the first one burst from the shadows.
It wasn't a rat so much as a nightmare given form: the size of a small dog, mangy and patchy, mottled tumors pulsing beneath grey skin. Its eyes were white, pupil-less, fixed on him. A long yellow fang flashed. It moved terrifyingly fast on all fours, powerful haunches coiling as it lunged.
Jin swung the pipe with brutal efficiency.
[Improvised Melee Weapon — Crude Swing: 1.2% proficiency]
Metal met flesh with a sickening thud. The impact shivered up his arms; the creature shrieked, its skull denting, dark blood and brain matter splattering the corridor wall. It crumpled, twitching. Before he could breathe, three more leapt from the darkness, claws screeching on metal.
"Hostile neutralized. Three immediate threats—flanking. Two additional signatures approaching from rear access conduit 7B," Asha reported. Red triangles highlighted each creature on Jin's HUD, lines tracing projected attack vectors.
One lunged for his throat. Jin reacted instantly, slamming the pipe upward in a violent arc, catching the creature under its jaw with a brutal crack. It flew back, but its claws raked his chest, tearing through the thin cryo-suit.
[Damage Taken: Minor lacerations — chest. Suit health: 12%]
[Pain level: moderate. Adrenaline: surging.]
He roared and shoved the creature away, swinging with controlled aggression. He knocked another rat off balance and sent it tumbling, but the third clamped its jaws into his calf and wouldn't let go.
[CRITICAL ALERT: Deep puncture wound — left calf. Severe bleeding detected]
[Phoenix Protocol: attempting localized pain suppression — minor success.]
"Asha—target Hostile 3. Plot attack vectors for rear threats," Jin commanded, his voice sharp despite the pain.
Pain burned in his leg; blood slicked his hand and pooled at his feet. The coppery tang choked him. These things wanted him torn apart.
Something inside Jin snapped. His breathing thickened; his pulse hammered.
With a guttural cry, he channeled every trace of fear and desperation into brutal strength and brought the pipe down onto the skull clamped to his leg. Once. Twice. Three times. With each blow the skull shattered, flesh and bone spraying across him.
[Hostile 3 neutralized. Improvised Melee Weapon +1.5% proficiency. Strength +0.01 (combat exertion).]
Two larger rats slid up behind him, eyes faintly luminous, moving with unsettling coordination.
[STATUS WARNING]
→ HP: 43%
→ Limb damage: moderate laceration — left thigh
→ Mobility: impaired
Gasping, blood streaming down his leg, Jin tapped his temple again. "Asha—tactical overlay. Show me their weaknesses."
A sharp ping echoed through his neural feed. A tactical overlay formed: red arcs snaked along the corridor, predicting movement trails.
[TACTICAL OVERLAY ONLINE]
→ Hostile movement forecast: ACTIVE
→ Threat classification: Alpha-class mutants ×2
→ Behavior: aggressive, coordinated
→ Weak-point analysis: skull base (72% vulnerability); spinal column (65% vulnerability)
"Two Alpha-class signatures detected," Asha said, her tone clipped and efficient. "This variant shows higher resilience and increased aggression. Direct confrontation against superior numbers is degrading combat effectiveness. Tactical retreat to a defensible position is advised. Med Bay door is 15.2 meters to your left."
A bright yellow arrow blinked into view on his HUD, highlighting a corridor branching to the left.
[ESCAPE ROUTE HIGHLIGHTED]
→ Med Bay access door: 15.2 m
→ Cover & auto-seal mechanism: confirmed
→ Recommendation: evacuate immediately
Jin's screamed to stand and fight, but the burned, gasping pain in his calf made clear thinking difficult. "Retreat to Med Bay. Plot safest route," he ordered, staggering back while swinging the pipe in wide arcs to keep the Alphas at bay.
One Alpha lunged faster than expected. His injured leg folded. The creature's claws slashed across his right forearm.
SLASH.
Pain exploded down his arm as flesh tore.
[INJURY ALERT]
→ Severe laceration: right forearm
→ Status: arterial bleed — major
→ Motor function: compromised
→ [CRITICAL] HP below 25%
His vision flickered. The world tilted.
[EMERGENCY RESPONSE — PHOENIX PROTOCOL ONLINE]
→ Activating cellular repair surge…
→ Redirecting energy reserves
→ Warning: stamina drain imminent
A strange warmth spread through him; the worst of the pain dulled. He focused on the pods ahead—sleeping faces he could not abandon. Fourteen women, humanity's last hope, depending on him.
No. Not here. Not like this.
With a desperate roar, Jin charged. The pipe became pure intent. He smashed it into one Alpha's mouth, then drove it down into its neck; it gurgled and slumped. The other froze for a heartbeat—enough. He lunged and crushed its skull. The corridor rang with the finality of death.
[ALL HOSTILES NEUTRALIZED]
→ Threat level: RED
→ Combat duration: 57 seconds
[PHOENIX PROTOCOL — STATUS]
→ Emergency trauma response: ACTIVE
→ Vital signs: unstable
→ Warning: sustained activation will lead to systemic collapse
→ Recommendation: immediate medical attention
[SKILL ACQUISITION — POST-COMBAT SYNC]
• Combat Art Unlocked: Desperate Strike (Lv.1) — when HP is critically low, a chance to unleash a high-impact strike.
• Survival Skill Learned: Mutated Fauna Combat Basics (Lv.1) — basic instincts for mutant movement and ambush patterns.
Jin swayed, drenched in his own blood and the creatures' fluids. The pipe slipped from numb fingers and clattered on the floor. Adrenaline ebbed; exhaustion flowed in.
"Asha—Med Bay controls." he ordered.
"Med Bay controls mapped. Condition: chaotic. Supply cabinet likely intact. Probability of viable hemostatics: 68%," Asha replied, maintaining her clinical tone.
He forced himself forward, leaving bloody footprints on the grated floor. Each step stabbed his injured limbs. At the Med Bay door, the scanner accepted his bloody print with a hiss; the access panel slid aside.
Inside, Med Bay was a wreck: overturned wheelchairs and stretchers, smashed equipment, and dried blood across the walls. One diagnostic bed and a supply cabinet remained relatively untouched.
He barely reached the bed before his legs failed and he collapsed. Darkness crept in at the edges of his vision as he thought of the fourteen women in cryo-sleep—their faces, their names, their dreams that would never be realized if he failed here.
[STATUS UPDATE — CRITICAL]
→ Med Bay entered
→ Structural integrity: compromised
→ Usable equipment: 1 diagnostic bed; 1 supply cabinet
[VITAL SIGNS: FAILING]
→ Mobility: collapsed
→ Neurological response: fading
→ Blood loss: severe
[PHOENIX PROTOCOL — EMERGENCY RESPONSE]
→ Subject status: unconscious
→ Action: redirecting core energy to life stabilization
→ Estimated recovery window: unknown
→ Recommendation: external medical intervention ASAP
"Jin! Jin! Get up! All sectors are about to go critical due to a power failure—wake now!" Asha's voice hammered at the edge of his consciousness.
His eyelids twitched and then he snapped awake on the diagnostic bed. Every muscle screamed. His HUD flared red warnings that made his head spin.
---
[CRITICAL ALERT — BIOSTATUS]
→ Blood loss: SEVERE
→ Multiple lacerations detected
• Infection risk: HIGH
• Bleeding rate: unstable
→ MOBILITY IMPAIRED
• Left calf: critical damage — muscle & tendon
• Gait/sprinting: disabled
→ ARM FUNCTION REDUCED
• Right forearm: deep tissue trauma
• Grip strength: −47%
• Weapon handling accuracy: decreased
→ PAIN INDEX: ACUTE
• Combat effectiveness severely affected
• Recommendation: immediate medical aid
---
"Asha—status report," Jin rasped, forcing himself upright despite the pain screaming through his body.
"The geothermal conduit is unstable, or the primary Vault power core has undergone terminal collapse. Stasis-field stability is decaying rapidly. Projected total failure—and biological loss of the 14 remaining Phoenix cohorts—in roughly nineteen minutes," Asha reported clinically.
The words hit him harder than any blow. Fourteen lives depending on him. Fourteen chances for humanity to survive. "Not acceptable. Options, Asha. Now," he demanded, his voice hardening with resolve.
"The vault's systems are cascading into failure. Our previous intervention was a stopgap. Immediate action required," Asha replied.
He swung his legs over the bed; pain lanced through his calf. Sweat ran cold down his face. "Prioritize actions. What's our best chance of success?"
"Stabilize your bleeding first," she instructed. "Primary medical supply cabinet coordinates highlighted. Priority: hemostatic agent, broad-spectrum antiseptic, sterile compresses, nutrient paste, hydration bladder."
His HUD switched to an anatomical overlay with red zones pulsing.
---
[PHOENIX CORE — STATUS REPORT]
SUBJECT: JIN | CLASS: PHOENIX PRIME
→ HP: 32 / 120 (CRITICAL — moderate blood loss)
→ Stamina: 15 / 120 (severe trauma penalty active)
→ Core energy: 45% (rapid depletion — emergency trauma response active)
[INJURY MAP ONLINE]
→ Severe bleeding — left calf
→ Minor bleeding — right forearm
→ Mobility impaired
STATUS EFFECTS:
• Pain: ACUTE → −25% all physical attributes; −15% cognitive focus
• Infection risk: HIGH
• Bleeding: ongoing
---
A new HUD ping appeared.
---
[NEW QUEST — CRITICAL]
FIELD MEDIC: SELF
Objective: Stabilize your condition using Med Bay Gamma-7 supplies
Time limit: 04:00 (before Phoenix Core redirects energy to full-body stasis/mobility lock)
Difficulty: HIGH — severe debuffs, limited resources, compromised cognition
Rewards: HP restoration; bleeding removed; pain reduced; Basic First Aid unlocked; minor system energy recovery
Failure: core shutdown → immediate unconsciousness → biological death
---
His timer blinked. Jin stumbled to the supply cabinet and forced the latch open. Inside—a chaotic mix: intact packs, contaminated items, broken boxes.
"Asha—identify viable medical supplies." he commanded, scanning the contents.
"Hemostatic agents (QuikClot or analog), broad-spectrum antiseptic (chlorhexidine or povidone-iodine), sterile compress bandages. Secondary: nutrient paste and hydration," Asha said, highlighting each item in his HUD.
His shaking hands found a packet of hemostatic granules, an antiseptic spray, and large compresses. Following Asha's directions, he poured the granules into the calf wound. Pain flared hot, then the bleeding slowed.
[Basic First Aid Applied — Hemostatic agent: partial success]
→ Severe bleeding → minor bleeding (left calf)
→ HP: 40 / 120
He hissed as antiseptic stung open cuts; the cold mist bit his skin but he sprayed methodically. Bandaging his right forearm one-handed was clumsy and brutal, but he tied it off, breath fogging in the cold air.
[Basic First Aid — Antiseptic application: success]
→ Infection risk: high → moderate
The HUD timer read [00:01:30]—one minute thirty remaining.
"Nutrient tubes and hydration bladder within reach. Consume immediately. Your stamina is critical," Asha instructed.
He swallowed paste that tasted metallic and forced down the lukewarm hydration. It felt like heaven.
[Nutrient paste consumed — HP +10]
[Hydration consumed — stamina +15]
System energy +5% (now 50%)
---
[QUEST COMPLETE — Field Medic: Self]
Rewards: HP +10, bleeding removed, pain reduced → moderate; Basic First Aid +15% → now Lv.2; System energy +5%
New passive: Minor Wound Resilience — reduces penalties from minor lacerations by 25%.
---
Jin slumped back against the cabinet, dizzy but breathing. The pain had receded to a manageable throb, allowing him to think clearly for the first time since waking. "Status update, Asha. Full analysis."
"The Phoenix Core AI is linked to your genetic structure," Asha explained clinically. "Project Phoenix was designed to maximize survivability for its prime subject—you. I can accelerate physiological adaptation given sustained, targeted exertion and system energy."
Her voice turned instructional as HUD icons and brief descriptions populated his vision.
"Adaptive biometric augmentation: targeted training and practical application will improve STR, DEX, AGI, END, RES, PER. Neural pathways and muscle development accelerate under Phoenix protocols. What might take years for others, you can achieve compressed time with focus."
---
[PHOENIX CORE // SUBJECT: JIN] — CORE ATTRIBUTES
• STR: 4.77 — affects melee, lifting, blunt damage
• DEX: 1.22 (−0.03 debuff) — fine motor control, aiming, tool use
• AGI: 3.50 (−15% debuff) — movement speed, dodge, balance
• END: 4.00 — HP pool, stamina regen, fatigue resistance
• RES: 3.80 (+0.10 bonus) — mitigates damage/toxins
• PER: 4.20 — enemy detection, trap awareness, HUD calibration
[SKILL MATRIX — ACTIVE MODULES]
Core skills: Improvised Melee Weapon (Lv.5 — 7.7%); Athletics: Basic Feats (Lv.1 — 0.5%); Basic First Aid (Lv.2).
Combat instincts: Mutated Fauna Combat Basics (Lv.1); Combat Art: Desperate Strike (Lv.1 — passive trigger).
---
"Regenerative nanite subsystem (basic)—requires higher system energy & specific biocatalysts," Asha added. "Your DNA encodes nanite colonies for tissue repair and toxin mitigation; current function: minor trauma mitigation and pain suppression. Full capability is locked until core energy and catalysts are available."
Jin blinked, awed. Nanomachines inside him, working to keep him alive. He swallowed hard, the weight of his situation settling in.
"Environmental analysis: I can scan surroundings, detect resources, analyze flora/fauna properties, and provide tactical counsel," Asha continued. "My archive includes pre-disaster science and engineering. I will guide you."
He shook his head slowly, the flood of information settling into grim resolve. "So my parents made me into a weapon?"
"They made you humanity's best hope. That responsibility is my directive to help you fulfill. The auxiliary fusion core in Sub-Level Engineering is our long-term solution. The timer is still moving," Asha replied, her tone unwavering.
On his HUD the main timer pulsed: [STASIS PODS OFFLINE IN: 00:14:22].
Jin pushed to his feet, grabbing the pipe again and testing his weight on his injured leg. "Recalculate success probability with my current condition."
"Current probability of success: 13.1%," Asha reported. "Marginal, but improvable with proper strategy and execution."
"I'll take those odds," Jin said, his voice firm with determination. "Route to Sub-Level Engineering. Let's make that number bigger."
"Route mapped," Asha confirmed. "Proceed when ready."
Jin took a deep breath, tapped his temple twice to center himself, and moved toward the door. Fourteen lives depended on him now. He wouldn't fail them.