For a long moment, we said nothing. Three strangers, three survivors, now caged together by alien hands. Yet something unspoken bound us.
Finally, Mafisto broke the silence, cracking his knuckles with a low, deliberate sound. "Alright," he said, eyes narrowing. "We know each other's names. Now we need to know what we can do. Strength, brains, or… whatever that arm of yours can do, Director."
I flexed my right arm slightly, the metal joints humming faintly. "I'm Nemesis. I built Protocol Genesis. That arm… it doesn't give any powers yet. It's just metal."
Harpio leaned forward, his sharp gaze analyzing every detail. "I'm Harpio. IQ 290. Military commander. Strategy is my weapon. But a plan without execution is useless. We need to figure out the cage, the guards, the routines."
Mafisto's handsome, disciplined features shifted into a small, confident smirk. "And I'm Mafisto. Martial artist. If brains fail, I'll handle the rest."
We sat back, each of us letting the weight of our predicament settle. The chains clinked with every movement, the alien prison oppressive and silent except for distant Krodem patrols.
"This place… it's more than walls," I muttered. "Sensors, locks, maybe even traps we can't see. We have to be careful. One mistake and we die—or worse."
Harpio's eyes gleamed. "Then we start by learning. Watching. Waiting for the right moment. Every system has a weakness, and every guard has a rhythm. We just need patience… and timing."
Mafisto cracked his knuckles again, leaning back with a dangerous calm. "I like waiting… but I like striking more. When the moment comes, we hit, and we hit hard."
I glanced at them both, a flicker of hope igniting. Three different minds, three different strengths, and one shared goal: freedom.
We spent hours silently studying everything. The Krodem guards had predictable shifts. Small cameras dotted the walls, blinking in regular patterns. The chains themselves had faint vibrations, almost imperceptible—but consistent. Mafisto tested his strength subtly, pulling against his restraints, while Harpio calculated the best angle to exploit a weakness in the lock mechanism. I traced the faint energy lines running along my arm, knowing it could help physically manipulate something if needed, but it offered no active powers.
"It's like a puzzle," Harpio whispered. "Every lock, every patrol, every sensor is a piece. Once we see the pattern, the whole thing can crumble."
Mafisto smirked. "And when it crumbles, we hit the Krodem where it hurts most."
I nodded, feeling the weight of responsibility but also the surge of confidence. With our combined skills—brains, brawn, and strategy—we could survive this.
When the moment finally arrived, it was swift and precise. Mafisto incapacitated a guard silently, Harpio guided us through the blind spots of cameras and patrols, and I could only move carefully, my right arm still useless.
Within minutes, we were free of the cell. Moving through corridors with calculated stealth, we reached the hangar, where Krodem spacecraft awaited. Choosing a medium-class ship, we activated it quickly.
Alarms blared as Krodem forces fired Compressed Thermo Atomic Nuclear Energy Blasts (CTANEB, pronounced "Saint AB") in space, attempting to obliterate us before we could escape orbit. We fled at maximum speed, narrowly avoiding total destruction.
Despite careful maneuvers, the damaged ship could not sustain flight. We plummeted through Eternatus' atmosphere and crash-landed violently. The planet was eerily Earth-like, with breathable air, oceans, and sprawling landscapes—but danger lurked in every shadow.
The first creatures we encountered were terrifying. They were four-legged, blind, but their other senses were hyper-enhanced—hearing, smell, vibration. Silent predators that could track a heartbeat across meters.
Later, we discovered that some evolved into two-legged "kings," gaining super speed, near-impervious durability, and intelligence that allowed them to dominate the local ecosystem. Mafisto's martial skill and Harpio's strategy were immediately put to the test as we fought and fled from them.
Injured and without supplies, we struggled to survive. Just when hope seemed lost, a girl named Serfi appeared. With supernatural powers and agility beyond comprehension, she dispatched the monsters and led us to her hidden base inside a rift valley.
Inside the base, we introduced ourselves and explained our mission. Serfi revealed that she was the last of her alien race and had kept her powers hidden for years, having accidentally harmed others in the past. Despite her reservations, she chose to help us, repairing our injuries and offering shelter.
While guarding the base, Nemesis and Harpio witnessed a meteorite crash into a nearby mountain. Investigating cautiously, they discovered a mysterious energy being emerging from the meteorite, which suddenly merged with Harpio's body. Unsure of the implications, they returned to the base without telling anyone.
Soon after, Mafisto went missing. Panicked, we searched for him frantically, only for him to return later, his body and mind noticeably transformed.
"I've been training," he said simply. "And I saved an Enviro alien race in the process. I've gained a power now—I can control my surroundings within a 5-meter radius for 30 seconds, with a half-hour cooldown."
We stared, amazed. His aura radiated control, precision, and danger. Mafisto's martial skill combined with this newfound ability made him almost unstoppable in close quarters.
Eternatus teemed with life—some friendly, some deadly. We adapted, hunting, exploring, and learning. Serfi's mind manipulation powers saved us multiple times, each intervention reinforcing our bond and gratitude. She admitted she had avoided using her powers for years, fearing harm, but our survival reminded her why she should fight alongside us.
Our respite was short-lived. A Krodem ship ambushed us, capturing the group and transporting us back to Alpha Creatus. Once more, we were caged, our dreams of a new life shattered. But this time, the three of us had grown—physically, mentally, and strategically.
Sitting together in the cell, we reflected on our journey: Earth lost, Eternatus barely survived, Mafisto's training, Harpio's mysterious new energy, Serfi's aid.
"We'll escape again," Harpio said quietly, his voice steady. "And this time, we'll be ready for them."
Mafisto cracked a smile. "Next time, they won't know what hit them."
I clenched my metallic arm, knowing it could do nothing yet. "We have each other. That's our strength. And we will survive. No matter what the Krodem throw at us, no matter how far the universe stretches. Together, we'll find a safe haven. We'll rebuild. And we won't stop."
The chains rattled, guards barked orders, and the Krodem assumed victory. But the three of us—Nemesis, Harpio, and Mafisto—knew a truth they couldn't see: we were not prisoners. We were the storm rising, and soon, freedom would be ours.