I had mind-type superpowers.
Which was cool.
But I was still level one. My Mental Fortitude barely above 10, and I've got a few minutes before a swarm of mutant bugs breaks down the door.
So, yeah—superpowers or not, I was screwed if I didn't think fast. Minimize energy usage, maximize results, and survive. That's the vibe.
Behind me, Isaac finally broke the silence. "...I may have an idea."
"Literally anything is better than nothing." I tried to inject some cheer into my voice. "Lay it on me."
He hesitated. Sighed. As if even he hated what he was about to say.
"There are heavy-duty metal blast doors spaced every twenty meters throughout the ship. Originally designed to seal off decompressed sections during flight. I can control them from here—remotely. If the bugs spread out, we can trap them in small groups. You fight them one corridor at a time."
He said it like he was explaining how to mop a floor.
I just blinked, staring blankly at his composed face. "...That assumes they actually spread out and don't just rush through in one big angry meatball."
"True," he admitted. "But that's where you play your role."
"What do you mean..?" I frowned, clearly not understanding how that would be possible, but then light struck me as I remembered the special abilities I had... "Wait—if I can influence their minds using my psychic abilities, I might be able to guide them. Like nudging them down the wrong paths!"
Isaac gave a rare nod. "Exactly. So... good luck with that."
He flashed a thumbs-up. Deadpan.
"...You emotionless little weasel," I muttered under my breath.
However in fact, Isaac was both curious and concerned about his 'creation', and he had something else in mind in formulating this plan. But he preferred to not say anything to this young girl...
...
I knew I couldn't control the swarm. Not with the weak psychic powers I currently have. But maybe it should be enough against brainless mobs. Suggest paths— push them like wind through a maze.
Suddenly, a low rumble shook the entire room.
Booom—!
The monitors flickered. On the feeds, a mass of black bodies surged forward— armored limbs, twitching antennae, chittering shrieks. Giant centipedes. A swarm, converging on the ship like a natural disaster.
I looked at Isaac and gave a sharp nod.
"Alright. Let's get started."
"Wait," he said, tossing something at me.
I caught it. A slim, circular earpiece.
"Comms. Real-time. So I can guide you. Or laugh when you die."
I popped it in. 'Hell yeah. Secret agent gear acquired.'
*
The ship shook as I ran.
Pipes rattled. Lights blinked. Somewhere in the distance, something crunched— metal being torn open.
The majority of the swarm was still outside, pounding on the hull. But smaller groups had directly entered.
Honestly? That was better.
Fewer enemies means fewer things to panic about. Probably.
"First wave headed your way," Isaac said in my ear. "Approximately one hundred."
I clenched my jaw. 'Time to push myself.'
I stopped near a cross-section of corridors and pressed my palm to the wall. I closed my eyes and reached outward— my mind stretching like a net through the darkness.
I touched something. Dozens of somethings. Primitive minds, gnashing and hungry, chaotic and alien.. and controlled..?
I concentrated, focusing on the feeling they gave me.
Split. Separate. Scatter.
Then pressure hit me like a hammer. I dropped to my knees, gasping, as my skull throbbed like it was about to split open.
Then— silence.
Isaac's voice returned.
"Seventy diverted. About fifty still coming toward you. Confident?"
"Absolutely not!" I groaned.
"Hm. Noted." He clicked something. "I've sealed five sections. One has about a dozen. Three are in groups of twenty and the rest are all together. Main entrance is sealed— for now."
"...So you want me to fight them?" I said, staring down at my trembling hands.
"Yes. You can grab a weapon in the storage room."
I narrowed my eyes. "What kind of weapon?" I didn't remember there to have any weapons...
"Metal bar should suffice."
"...That's not a weapon, you cryptid freak. That's building material."
"You'll manage."
I sighed and headed to the storage room. It took me five whole minutes, which worried me a bit since time wasn't on my side right now. Arriving there, I dug through crates. I found pipes, rods, bolts... junk. No guns. No blades. Just glorified sticks.
'Why does a spaceship have more rebar than laser cannons!?'
I grabbed two metal bars and jogged to the corridor Isaac marked, heart pounding, nerves fraying.
*
"Alright, I'm in position," I said. "Open the door."
A hiss. The heavy blast door lifted—
—and hell stared back.
Twelve black centipedes, each the size of a truck. Coiling along walls, leg twitching, mandibles clicking.
They saw me...
And charged.
"...I'm so f*cked."
***
Meanwhile, in the Operations Center...
Isaac leaned forward, eyes fixed on the screen.
Eliza ducked, weaved, baited one centipede into crashing into another. She wasn't strong, but she was smart enough. Her instincts were quick and sharp— even now.
'Not bad for a 9-year-old-girl', he thought.
Then a tremor rocked the ship again—stronger than before.
Isaac shifted his gaze, preparing himself for the worst.
A new feed showed something tearing through the swarm outside.
His eyes widened. Then relaxed.
"...So he finally arrived."
A sigh of relief escaped his mouth.
***
Five Minutes Earlier, in the Mountain...
A man in a spotless black suit brushed dust from his shoulder with a grimace.
"Crude. Inelegant. I didn't even get to find the hidden entrance properly— I had to smash my way through..."
He moved through the cave like a panther, quick and confident. Insects crawled from the walls.
He didn't slow. He gritted his teeth.
"Wriggling pests. You offend the symmetry of this place."
But he didn't stop. He was late. The leader would be disappointed if he failed in such a simple task. And that would not do.
Then he reached the cavern mouth—
And his expression broke into a grin.
A massive white ship, surrounded by an ocean of black carapaces. Giant centipedes piled across its hull like parasites on a whale.
He cracked his neck.
"Finally."
He crouched.
Launched forward...
And tore through the swarm like a missile. Limbs shattered, bodies split. He danced between monsters, a blur of speed and grace, displaying marvelous majesty.
And as he crushed one under his heel, he laughed.
"Time to elegantly step on some bugs."
___ ___ ___