Intergalactic conquest with an AI

Since the room was pitch dark and the corridor outside wasn't any better, Carlos let out a quiet sigh, rubbing his bald head. "I really liked this shirt... damn it," he muttered under his breath.

With a resigned huff, he grabbed the sleeves of his shirt and tore them clean off, leaving his shoulders exposed. The faint, metallic sheen of his cybernetic arms glinted faintly in the dim light of his shield generators as they flickered to life.

Carlos was no ordinary man; his arms were fully cybernetic prosthetics, decorated with glowing blue tech lines that pulsed faintly as his systems powered up. The eerie glow only added to the unsettling atmosphere of the dark room, but he smirked anyway, rolling his shoulders as the tiny shield generators on his arm joints became visible.

"Alright," he said, his voice low and steady. "This definitely makes things scarier, but at least it's better than being completely blind out here."

His left hand began to morph with a soft mechanical hum, the fingers retracting and reforming into the shape of a compact minigun. A small red holographic screen flickered to life on his forearm, displaying ammo diagnostics.

Carlos squinted at the readout, letting out a dry laugh. "Only 200 rounds? Tch, well, this will have to do," he muttered. The "bicep" section of his left arm shifted slightly, revealing an ammo magazine embedded where his muscle should've been.

Satisfied, he locked it back into place with a loud click and aimed the minigun briefly to test its calibration.

"Locked and loaded," Carlos said, stepping toward the door with a faint grin. He placed his finger over the door's open button, trying to muster some courage before pressing it.

But nothing happened.

Carlos blinked and then frowned. "Huh? Why's it not working? …Oh, right," he said, slapping his forehead. "There's no damn power." He sighed and glanced around the dark room, grateful no one else was there to see his blunder. "At least there's no audience for this embarrassing moment."

He crossed his arms, thinking for a second, before a devilish grin spread across his face. "Well, if the door doesn't want to cooperate, there's only one way to deal with it."

Carlos raised his left arm, the minigun spinning to life with a soft whir before erupting into a deafening roar. Bullets tore into the door, carving a crude circle in the middle of the reinforced metal.

Sparks flew in every direction, the light from the gunfire briefly illuminating the room in strobe-like flashes.

As the minigun clicked empty, Carlos lowered his arm, his grin widening as he admired his craftsmanship. "Now that's how you knock," he said proudly.

He stepped up to the door, planted his feet firmly on the ground, and drew back his right fist. With a powerful punch, the circle of metal broke free, clattering loudly as it flew into the corridor.

Carlos smirked, flexing his cybernetic fingers. "Man, I'm too good at this."

Grabbing hold of the edges of the hole, he planted his feet and began pulling the door apart. The metal groaned in protest, but thanks to the enhanced strength of his cybernetic arms, Carlos forced the automatic door open with little effort.

Once the door was wide enough to step through, Carlos carefully moved into the corridor, his shield generators casting an eerie blue glow that faintly illuminated the surrounding area.

The corridor was silent, save for the faint hum of the wormhole energy outside the cruiser. Carlos glanced left, then right, his cybernetic eyes scanning for any sign of movement.

"Alright," he muttered. "Where's the joker that was knocking on my door? Hello? Anyone here?"

But there was no response. The only thing greeting him was silence.

Carlos gritted his teeth, the faint unease creeping up his spine, making him shift uncomfortably. "Damn, why does this feel like one of those cheesy horror videos? I swear, if a creepy doll shows up, I'm calling it quits," he muttered, gripping his minigun tightly.

He took a cautious step forward, the sound of his boots faintly echoing in the corridor. The shadows around him seemed to stretch endlessly, and even with the faint glow of his shield generators, he couldn't see far.

Suddenly, something cold and wet brushed against his shoulder.

Carlos froze, his body going rigid as his heart jumped into his throat. Slowly, he reached up with his free hand, his fingers brushing against the damp spot on his shoulder.

"What the hell?" he muttered, pulling his hand back to inspect it. His fingers glistened faintly in the blue light, the substance invisible but undeniably wet.

He sniffed it cautiously, trying to identify what it might be. "Dafuq? Is this... water?" he asked aloud, his voice low and uncertain.

But before he could think too much about it, he heard it... faint, rhythmic clicking.

Carlos's head snapped toward the sound, his eyes narrowing as his grip tightened on his weapon. The clicking was coming from further down the corridor, just beyond the reach of his light.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Alright, I don't like this," Carlos muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Not one bit."

He took a cautious step forward, his minigun primed and ready to fire at the slightest sign of danger. His shield generators hummed softly, a subtle reassurance in the oppressive silence.

The clicking grew louder.

Carlos stopped again, his chest tightening as the sound came closer. It was quick and precise, like the sound of sharp, metallic legs tapping against the floor.

And then he saw it.

At the edge of his light, something moved, something big and grotesque. Its glossy, metallic surface caught the faint glow of the blue light, and its glowing green eyes stared directly at him.

Carlos's mouth went dry. "Oh, hell no," he whispered.

The humanoid creature twitched, its legs clicking softly as it tilted its head, as though studying him. For a moment, neither moved, Carlos too stunned to react, and the humanoid creature seemingly waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Then, with a burst of speed, the creature darted toward him.

Carlos didn't hesitate. "Oh, hell no!" he shouted, opening fire with his minigun. The corridor lit up in a strobe of blue and red as bullets rained down toward the oncoming threat.

Not far from the source of the gunfire, Ys was sprinting effortlessly across the ceiling of the darkened corridors, her glowing green eyes scanning the path ahead. She'd heard the unmistakable sound of Carlos's minigun roaring, and she didn't waste a second closing the distance.

Her movements were fluid and otherworldly, her bare feet making no sound as she practically glided across the metallic ceiling like a spectral predator. When she finally arrived at the scene, she stopped abruptly, her gaze falling on the aftermath of what looked like a vicious battle.

In the middle of the corridor was a mutilated humanoid corpse. Its grotesque body was twisted at unnatural angles, its face unrecognizable, slashed, burned, and seemingly chewed upon.

Parts of it skin were missing, and its bald scalp glistened under the faint glow of Carlos's shield lights. A few of its spider-like limbs lay severed nearby, with jagged bone and metal sticking out of the stumps.

Ys gasped dramatically, pressing her hands to her cheeks. "Oh no… don't tell me..." she whispered, her voice trembling with exaggerated sorrow. She knelt beside the corpse, brushing one of the remaining strands of flesh with fake delicacy. "Carlos! I arrived too late! I'm so sorry! Look at how you ended up, my poor friend!"

A voice rang out from behind her, cutting through her theatrical monologue.

"Cut the crap. I know you can see me," Carlos said gruffly as he stepped out of his room, his cybernetic arm still humming faintly. He was holding a weapon resembling a machete, made from his hand morphing into a blade.

Ys immediately dropped the act, her pout morphing into a scowl as she kicked the corpse's limp body out of frustration. "Ugh, you weren't dead? Return my tears and joy, baldy. You owe me!"

Carlos rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath. "Yes, yes, it's a touching reunion. Glad to see you too. Now can we move on to something more important, like figuring out what's going on here?" He gestured at the grotesque creature sprawled on the ground.

Ys folded her arms, her glowing green eyes flickering faintly under her hair. "Nope. No clue," she said nonchalantly, crouching beside the creature and tilting her head in curiosity. "This is the first time I've seen anything like this on the cruiser. Up until now, it's just been darkness and floating furniture."

Her slender hands reached down, gripping one of the corpse's limbs, an unsettling hybrid of bone and metal shaped like a spider leg, and twisting it gently to inspect its structure.

Carlos flinched slightly. "Do you have to touch that thing? That's disgusting."

Ys ignored him, turning the body over with ease. Her gaze fell on the tattered remains of its clothing, now soaked in a dark, sticky fluid. She brushed her fingers over it, her expression growing sharper. "By the look of this uniform, this thing used to be a passenger," she said thoughtfully.

Carlos blinked, his brow furrowing. "Wait—what?"

Ys nodded as she examined the body further. "Yeah, look. This was someone who was onboard the cruiser. These spider-like limbs coming out of its back… they're made of a mix of bone and metal. Almost like a forced transformation."

She frowned, her finger trailing along the jagged edge of one severed limb. "Really interesting work, actually. Horrifying, but… impressive."

Carlos took a cautious step closer, his grip on his machete tightening. "A passenger turning into that? What could even do that to someone?"

Ys shrugged casually, her glowing green eyes flickering as she continued poking at the corpse. Then, as she shifted its body slightly, her hand brushed against something… unexpected.

Her expression immediately soured. She froze, her fingers curling tightly around what she'd just found.