Rain fell in sheets over the glass skyline. Neon signs flickered through the downpour. Police sirens echoed between the buildings, painting the streets in blue and red.

A woman in a torn business suit stumbled down an alley, barefoot and trembling. Her skin glowed faintly beneath the rain — veins pulsing like roots of light.

She looked back. The shadows twisted. A low hum vibrated the air, like a bass note inside her skull. Her breathing quickened. She screamed—and her arm bulged grotesquely, flesh splitting into glistening chitin.




The rain hit the blinds in rhythm with a jazz record. The office was cluttered: case files, half-drunk coffee, a robotic arm mounted on the wall like a trophy. The sign on the frosted glass door read:

“Rex Halden – Private Investigator”

Rex Halden sat behind his desk, trench coat draped over the chair, shirt untucked, tie loose. His mechanical right eye hummed faintly as he flipped through photographs — crime scene shots of melted concrete and claw marks.

Rex Halden: Another day, another freak in the city that never learns when to quit.

In the doorway stood Lila Cross, a woman in her mid-20s, short hair dyed violet, holding a tablet.

Lila Cross: Boss, you’re talking to yourself again. That’s a new record — thirty minutes without caffeine.

Rex Halden: I ran out. The machine ate my last coin.

Lila Cross: Then buy a new machine.

Rex Halden: Then I’d have to start trusting technology again. We’re not on speaking terms. Too many 1's and 0's.

She rolled her eyes, stepping closer.

Lila Cross: Captain Vargas called. Another “growth” case down by Pier Nine. Police want us to keep quiet — says the press is starting to call them “Mutant Murders.”

Rex Halden: “Growth cases”... yeah, I’ve heard that song before.

He grabbed his coat, holstered his sidearm, and tucked a metallic wristband into his pocket — the one with a mysterious emblem on it.

Lila Cross: You think it’s connected to GENESIS?

Rex Halden: Everything’s connected to GENESIS, and I'll prove it one day. The question is: how deep are their roots this time?

Rex jumped into his non-descript black car and drove towards the pier. On the way, he pulled out an old fashioned tape recorder, and spoke into it. 

Rex Haldren: It's happened again. Another mysterious case, another monster. Why here? Why now? The police has commissioned me for assistance, because of what I bring to the table, and not just my particular set of skills. It's all been a haze since that night. All I could remember was that I had a knack for uncovering crimes, and an impulse to fight for justice. I still have no new memories of what came before that night. I don't remember who I was, or why I have these bionic implants. I hope that my solving these cases, I can unlock something within myself.

The harbor was fog-choked and silent except for the hum of generators. Police tape flapped in the wind. A hulking silhouette lay covered under a tarp.

Detective Vargas, broad-shouldered and tired, waved Rex over.

Vargas: Halden. You look like hell.

Rex Halden: Imagine how I feel.

Vargas: You’re the only one with clearance for this kind of mess. The brass doesn’t want a repeat of previous incidents. 

Rex Halden: Neither do I.

They pulled back the tarp.

A giant arm — human in shape but scaled and distorted — sprawled across the dock. The rest of the body had sunk into the bay, leaving bubbles that glowed faintly green beneath the surface.

Rex Halden: She grew too fast.

Vargas: You mean mutated?

Rex Halden: Basically. Every cell in her body thought it was time to become something else.

He knelt, scanning the arm with his mechanical eye — faint blue light flickered across the surface.

Rex Halden: Genesis Serum Mark III. Same pattern as the Stevenson case.

Vargas: So it’s true — they’re testing again.

Rex Halden: They never stopped.

Vargas: It's not what we say, it's what we can prove. You have any evidence that implicates them directly? We could sure use it. 

Rex Halden: If I did, they'd all be behind bars.

Rex followed Vargas into a nearby police tent and stood over photos pinned on a board: victims, all normal people — until they weren’t. Lila Cross began to communicate to Rex through his bionic implants. 

Lila Cross: I’m cross-referencing the DNA logs you just sent me. Victim’s name was Dr. June Ketter. Research chemist... and guess who her last employer was?

Rex Halden: GENESIS Industries. Of course.

Lila Cross: Before that, she filed a patent — “Auditory Bio-Resonance Therapy.” Some kind of sound-based growth stimulant.

Rex Halden: Sound based...

He pocketed a small sample vial taken from the dock.

Rex Halden: Alright, doc. Let’s see what song you were playing before you lost the beat.

Back at the office, Lila projected the audio waveform onto the wall — a pulsing, distorted sound file.

Lila Cross: This was recovered from her phone. She was recording a test note before the incident.

Audio: Test 31... Subject reports elevated cell regeneration... tone frequency—
—SCREEEEE—

The waveform spiked violently. The lights flickered. Rex’s glass of water rippled.

Lila Cross: What was that?

Rex Halden: Something almost as grating as you, when you wake me up.

Lila Cross: Oh ha ha. You don't sleep. We both know that. 

Rex Halden: Play it again — at half speed.

Audio: The growth never stops...

Lila Cross: A second voice.

Rex’s eyes narrowed.

Rex Halden: She wasn’t talking to herself. Someone was feeding her instructions.

Rex drove through the rain-soaked avenues. He stopped at a rundown apartment complex. The place was in shambles: broken equipment, shattered mirrors, a half-burned logo of GENESIS on a crate. He found a photo pinned to the wall — Dr. Ketter and a younger man in a GENESIS lab coat, smiling.

Rex Halden: You again...

He heard movement — a floorboard creaked.

Rex Halden: You’ve got five seconds before I assume you’re not paying rent.

A man stepped out, disheveled, terrified. It was the same one from the photo — Evan Ketter, her brother.

Evan Ketter: I didn’t mean for it to happen. Not like this. We were trying to regrow tissue! They said the sound could wake our better selves.

Rex Halden: You. You're sister was found at the pier. Did she test the formula on herself? 

Evan Ketter: ...

Rex Halden: Where’d she get the formula? Something she devised? 

Evan Ketter: She— she said GENESIS gave it to her to test, and that it would complete her research.

He suddenly clutched his ears, screaming. Blood trickled from his nose.

Evan Ketter: It’s inside my head! The tone— it never stopped!

Rex Halden: ...You tested it too!

He convulsed — muscles tearing beneath his skin. The sound of bones snapping and reforming filled the air. Rex dove back, pulling his gun.

Evan’s skin split, glowing with the same bioluminescent green.

Evan Ketter: MAKE IT...STOP!

He erupted into a monstrous figure — eight feet tall, sinewy, as horns sprouted from his face.

Windows shattered outward. The mutated Evan smashed through the walls, howling. Police sirens converged on the area.

Rex ducked behind his car, clicked open his wristband.

Rex Halden: Code Artemis!

Lila Cross (over comm): Are you serious? In the middle of the city?

Rex Halden: Better than the middle of a crater!

He pressed the emblem — as it began to glow, it projected a large mechanical suit.



Rex Halden: Initiate Mech-Link sequence. Authorization: X-Delta-Seven.

High in the clouds, a hidden satellite pulsed. Energy lines descended, drawing a silhouette of a massive machine.

MECH-01 ARTEMIS dropped through the clouds like a meteor — humanoid, sleek silver plating with eyes glowing blue.

It landed behind Rex with a metallic quake, crouched like a guardian angel.

Lila Cross(over comm): Control link established. Artemis online.

Rex Halden: Artemis! Let's go!

The monster roared, releasing shrieks that warped the air. Windows exploded in a radius.

Rex Halden: Artemis, initiate dampeners — full spread.

Panels opened across Artemis’ arms, releasing shimmering blue shields that absorbed the piercing waves.

Rex moved his hands — the mech mimicked perfectly.

Rex Halden: Time to turn down the volume.

Artemis charged, tackling the monster through a parking lot. Sparks and debris flew. The mech grabbed the creature’s arm and twisted — it regenerated instantly, growing larger.

Lila Cross(over comm): Rex, his growth rate’s exponential! 

Rex Halden: Gotta cut him down to size while we still have time!

Artemis emitted a counter-frequency — a low hum that canceled the creature’s resonance. The glow faded. The monster stumbled, screaming.

Rex activated VALKYRIE MODE — energy wings unfolded from Artemis’ back. The mech launched upward, spun mid-air, and descended in a dropkick.

Rex Halden: Artemis! Justice Impact!

The mech slammed into the monster — shockwave rattled the city block. A burst of light followed. When the dust settled, the creature lay unconscious, shrinking back into Evan’s human form.

The rain had stopped. Artemis knelt, steam rising from its armor. Rex stood on the rooftop, weapon drawn as he approached the young scientist. 

Rex Halden: Hey! Are you alright?

The scientist slowly tried to get up. 

Evan Ketter: *cough cough* I-I-

Rex Halden: I need you to come with me! If we can implicate your employer then we can avenge what happened to your sis-

Suddenly a gun shot rang out from some unknown corner of the city. The bullet went straight through Ketter's chest. The young man fell into the rain. 

Red Halden: NO!

Rex ran over and dragged Dr. Ketter behind a car, keeping his weapon drawn as he tried to scan the area for the shooter. 

Rex Halden: Stay with me, kid! No! NOOO!

Ketter faded and died in Rex's arms as the police arrived just in time to witness the aftermath.

Later, in Rex's office, Lila uploaded the new data onto her monitor.

Lila Cross: This isn’t random, Rex. Your implants picked up a spike in the sound frequency the moment you two came in contact. It’s like someone was broadcasting it.

Rex Halden: Then we find the DJ.

Lila Cross: And if it’s GENESIS?

Rex Halden: It IS GENESIS. One man, a group, or the whole company? That's the question. How far down the rabbit hole does this go? 

He turned to the window. The city hummed below.

Rex Halden: People said the city grew every day — new towers, new tech, new lies. But growth like this? Biological growth without balance? The police were labeling them "Monstrum". I labeled them cancer. And me? I'm just the guy holding the scalpel.

Inside of GENESIS industries, a tall, calm figure in a white suit watched news footage of Artemis’ battle. His face was obscured. His assistant meekly walked in. 

Assistant: Sir, it happened again. "HE" has complete control of the Artemis prototype. What should we—

Man: Let him use it. The hunter always sharpens the prey.

He turned to a glass case filled with vials labeled “SERUM: STAGE IV.”

Man: Initiate the next phase. Let’s see how far humanity can grow.

To Be Continued...

Last edited by Machismo (11/06/2025 2:01 am)