MTLNOVEL Chapter 9: The blip
"That again?" a man muttered, grimacing at the sight of a white sheet stained with blood, the crimson pooling beneath and seeping through the creases like a slow, living thing.
They stood amidst futuristic plastic buildings, sleek and translucent, their smooth surfaces glinting faintly under the cyan glow of his uniform's headpiece. The dark streets pressed in around them, heavy with the weight of an unnatural silence that hung in the cool night air.
"Yeah, another anomaly case—" sighed the second officer, his frost-white hair standing stark against the shadows. He bent forward, one hand braced on his knee, his pale skin glowing faintly under the cyan stripes of his suit. Despite his nausea, nothing came up. His thumb pressed against his jaw—a frustrated tic that only grew more insistent as his teeth clenched.
"Apparently, this one got out and stabbed the first woman he saw before he turned," he continued, his voice strained as his thumb dug harder against his skin.
"Got out?" his partner asked, his voice low, eyes narrowing with worry as he took in the grim scene before them.
"Yeah, the bastard went berserk. I don't know what else to say."
"Any sign of drug abuse?" the first officer asked, kneeling to tug at the edge of the sheet. His expression tightened as he revealed the man's lifeless face, twisted in an expression of frozen rage. The woman beside him lay still, her features contorted in pain, blood staining her lifeless hands.
"We haven't run the tests yet…" The crouching officer bit at his nail, gnawing at its edge like a compulsion, his anxiety bleeding into every motion.
"Tch—honestly. Centuries since the first abnormal awakening, and you'd think we'd know how to handle this by now."
"Yeah…"
The officer's words echoed faintly.
"Alright, class, who can tell me what happened in the year 2501?" The teacher's voice rang out, sharp and expectant, as she stood at the head of the classroom.
Among the sea of disinterested faces, one hand shot up, trembling slightly. "Yes, Emanuel?"
Emanuel rose hesitantly, his hands shaking as if they could barely bear the weight of attention. His voice faltered, stage fright seeping into his every syllable. "T-the IP N.O.V.A w-was wiped out… disappearing for t-thirty years after pursuing an anomaly, Astra Falkov." His words stumbled over each other, cracking under the pressure of the room's gaze.
A few muffled chuckles rippled through the classroom, but the teacher's stern expression silenced them.
"Well done, Emanuel," Her gaze softened slightly as she continued. "Certain troops also reappeared not a year older than when they left, but the captain and Astra herself remain missing. And, of course, this event caused…"
"A universal blip, huh?" The tall man's voice broke the flow of distant memories, grounding the conversation firmly in the present. He stood before a merchant in the bustling market streets, his face and form shrouded in shadow. Overhead, futuristic vehicles streaked across the sky, their neon trails painting the stars with vibrant, shifting colors. Below, the market stalls sprawled in chaotic disarray, their gritty, haphazard construction clashing with the pristine tech above.
"Yes, sir," the merchant replied, his voice buzzing faintly with an alien cadence. His body, though vaguely humanoid, bore the unmistakable traits of a roach—chitinous plating gleamed under the market lights, and his multifaceted eyes darted restlessly. "That 'minor accident' caused half the universe to age backward. Planets are uninhabitable, and strange phenomena pop up everywhere. It's chaos out there."
The merchant chuckled bitterly, his mandibles clicking as he added, "I mean, look at me. This isn't exactly the look I'd have chosen, you know?" Despite his attempt at humor, a note of mourning lingered in his tone.
The tall man didn't respond, instead tossing a heavy bag of Solari onto the counter. The metallic clink of the coins echoed sharply in the merchant's ears, silencing any further commentary.
"Thanks for the intel," the man muttered, his voice flat as he turned on his heel and walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the market.
The merchant stared after him, his gaze heavy with something akin to unease. Slowly, his worry faded as he opened the bag, the glittering silver contents reflecting in his multifaceted eyes.
"Pleasure doing business with you sir…" He muttered, more to himself than anyone else.