The problem with Hybrids was not that they were impossibly powerful. Comparatively speaking, freshly transformed Hybrids were roughly equivalent to a Rank 0 Grimm.
Dangerous to civilians and threatening to poorly equipped personnel but far from unstoppable. To trained operatives like Shore, they could be ended easily.
However...
The real problem was what happened afterward.
Once transformation began, the Hybrid body would start consuming itself at an absurd rate. Muscles devoured nutrients faster than the human body could sustain. Organs destabilized, internal systems collapsed beneath the strain of forced mutation and most Hybrids lasted less than ten minutes after full transformation.
In a twisted sense, the process resembled a failed integration between human biology and Grimm physiology.
Truthfully...
LUCID itself had once researched similar concepts long ago. Not Hybrids specifically, but projects involving enhanced human adaptability and artificial super soldier development.
Experimental augmentation and synthetic evolution.
The projects had ultimately been scrapped years earlier after burning through enormous funding while producing little besides corpses and unstable mutations.
Yet the resemblance between those old experiments and modern Hybrids was deeply unsettling. It was possible a researcher from LUCID was involved somehow or rather. One that might have had access to those experimental records, all those years ago.
Which was exactly why Aetherion investigations had been elevated so aggressively within LUCID.
Shore ducked beneath the Hybrid's swipes. Claws tore through the air inches above his hood. The creature lunged again immediately afterward, crimson eyes burning with animalistic hunger.
Shore retreated backward across the sewer bench while maintaining distance carefully.
The Hybrid's movements were powerful but increasingly unstable. Its mutated limbs struggled to fully adapt to their own explosive growth, twitching with aggressive power.
That instability was the only reason Shore remained uninjured.
Another swipe which Shore sidestepped. Concrete exploded beside him as claws carved deep grooves into the tunnel wall.
The Hybrid roared furiously and Shore activated another setting on his gauntlet instantly.
Combat wire deployment.
Thwip. Thwip. Thwip.
Multiple capsules launched outward around the creature before detonating midair. Ultra-thin nanofiber wires exploded outward between the capsules and wrapped around the Hybrid's limbs and torso in an instant.
The creature crashed heavily onto the sewer floor while snarling violently. The wires tightened automatically and the Hybrid, in response, immediately began thrashing against the restraints.
Metal shrieked and concrete cracked but the nanofiber held.
The combat wire system was specifically designed for enhanced targets. The fibers themselves were thinner than fishing lines while possessing tensile strength far beyond conventional steel.
The Hybrid would not be escaping anytime soon. Shore lowered his stance slightly while observing carefully.
The Multi Function Gauntlet or the MFG for short was one of LUCID's most versatile field technologies.
It had shock rounds, tracking systems, grappling functions, environmental scanners, combat restraints and many other such features. The gauntlet condensed dozens of specialized operational tools into a single wearable platform.
It was expensive to manufacture but invaluable for operatives expected to survive alone in unpredictable situations.
The Hybrid writhed violently against the wires while snapping its oversized fangs toward Shore. Its body had already begun deteriorating.
The degeneration phase was accelerating rapidly. Black fur peeled away in clumps while portions of skin ruptured along the torso. Beneath the tears, internal organs visibly liquefied.
Then they started falling out.
Intestines, liver tissue and fragments of pancreas and stomach lining. The sewer floor became coated in blood and dissolving flesh, flowing into the sewage stream.
The Hybrid's movements gradually weakened. Its roars became wet choking noises. Shore watched silently.
No matter how many times he had seen it—it still remained horrifying.
Four minutes passed and the transformation destabilized further.
The Hybrid's body rapidly lost mass as flesh sloughed away from exposed bone. Blood poured continuously from its mouth, eyes, and other orifices while its skeletal structure became increasingly visible beneath failing tissue.
Then suddenly...
Its movements slowed and its crimson eyes flickered. For the first time since the transformation completed...
Clarity returned.
Only slightly, but it was enough. The creature stared weakly toward Shore. Then downward at its own collapsing body.
A shudder passed through it as more blood spilled from its mouth.
"Wh...at hapn to me...?"
Its voice sounded broken and barely human anymore.
"O-oh s-shit..."
The Hybrid coughed violently.
"I'm gonna d-die..."
Shore immediately moved closer and crouched beside the restrained creature.
"That was the effect of the Aether... Titanblood you took," Shore said quickly. "The side effects only manifest when the body's adrenaline levels reach critical levels."
The man stared at him weakly. His eyes were already dimming.
"C-can... y-you save me...?"
Shore hesitated. Then, he answered honestly.
"No."
The word landed heavily.
"But..." Shore continued immediately, "I can stop this from happening to other people."
He leaned slightly closer.
"For that, I need information. Are you willing to help me?"
The Hybrid's breathing became increasingly uneven. Blood bubbled from its mouth with every exhale.
"Hey," Shore said firmly. "Stay with me."
The creature's eyes struggled to focus on him.
"Tell me why you were in this sewer. Is there some kind of production facility here?"
The Hybrid coughed hard enough to spray blood across the concrete.
"N-no..." Its voice trembled weakly. "No facility..."
"What do you mean?" Shore's eyes sharpened.
The Hybrid convulsed painfully.
"I... came here... t-to pick up supply..."
Another choking cough.
"S-sewer treatment... control room..."
Shore processed the information rapidly.
From what the man was referring to. It appeared to be a dead drop system. Compartmentalized distribution.
This supplier likely never even knew the true manufacturers directly.
But why a sewer of all places?
Why not a secure public locker of some sort?
Shore didn't know.
The Hybrid suddenly gagged violently. Partially dissolved organs spilled from its abdomen onto the sewer floor. Its body was shutting down completely.
Shore leaned closer immediately.
"Is there any other information that you can tell me about the manufacturing process?"
The Hybrid's fading eyes suddenly widened. For a moment, clarity returned stronger than before.
"Bazaar..."
The word came out wetly.
"Emerald Street... Underneath... plaza..."
Shore immediately memorized every word.
"Look... for Thomas B—"
The Hybrid froze mid-sentence. Then, stilled completely.
Silence settled over the sewer tunnel.
Only the sound of dripping water and sloshing sewage through the channel remained. Shore stared at the corpse for several seconds before exhaling quietly.
"Oi."
No response.
"Ah dammit."
He rubbed lightly at his forehead beneath the hood. "You could've at least said the full name."
Shore slowly stood afterward while glancing toward the dark tunnel ahead. A bazaar underneath Emerald Street plaza.
Most likely some kind of underground black market. The situation had just escalated significantly.
Shore activated his comms.
Static crackled briefly before headquarters answered.
"Operative Shore. Status?"
"The target transformed into a Hybrid," Shore reported calmly. "Deceased after approximately five minutes post transformation."
He transmitted the gathered information immediately afterward.
"Sewer treatment control room is apparently being used as a pickup point, but I have yet to check the location. The target also mentioned a bazaar beneath Emerald Street plaza here in Mountain Glenn."
A brief silence followed.
Then:
"Understood."
The voice became more serious. "Check the sewer control room and retrieve any supplies the target was scheduled to collect."
"Understood."
"A cleanup team is already en-route to your location. Estimated arrival in ten minutes."
Shore glanced once more toward the mangled remains restrained on the sewer floor. Then he turned toward the deeper tunnels ahead.
The combat wires remained wrapped around the remains, though there was no longer any need for restraint.
Shore crouched down beside the corpse again and began checking the remains carefully. Most operatives ignored bodies once the cleanup crews arrived.
Shore did not.
Experience had taught him that people often carried the most important things on themselves rather than in storage.
His gloved fingers searched through torn pockets and bloodied clothing until he finally found something solid wedged beneath the remains of the man's belt.
A keyring.
Shore pulled it free carefully.
Five keys.
One small brass key, two electronic fobs and two heavy industrial keys with faded numbering etched into the metal.
Shore stared at them thoughtfully beneath the optics.
Useful.
Given the supplier's final statement about the sewer treatment control room, there was a good chance one of these belonged there.
He slipped the keys into his pouch just as movement signatures appeared across his HUD.
Three cleanup operatives emerged from deeper within the sewer system wearing black environmental suits and sealed respirator masks. Portable incineration equipment and chemical neutralizers hung from their backs.
The lead operative stopped near the corpse and looked down before crouching beside the remains while unpacking equipment.
"Any contamination spread?"
"Negative."
"Do you have any bites or exposure on your body?"
"No."
The cleanup crew immediately began working.
Scanning equipment activated while chemical mist sprayed across the surrounding concrete. Another operative started disconnecting Shore's combat wires carefully.
The lead operative glanced toward Shore afterward. The man gave a short nod. "We'll take over from here."
Shore simply handed over the preliminary incident data through his gauntlet. The cleanup operative skimmed through the report quickly before looking back up.
Shore gave a small nod before turning away.
He deactivated the optics briefly and pulled up a sewer schematic through his gauntlet interface instead. A three-dimensional map expanded across the screen.
After cross-referencing nearby maintenance sectors, he located the sewer treatment control room. Approximately one hundred meters northeast.
A narrow maintenance corridor branched off from the main tunnel system nearby. Shore followed the map silently through the sewer network while distant sounds of cleanup equipment echoed behind him.
The maintenance corridor appeared exactly where the schematic indicated.
Unlike the wider sewer pathways, this section was enclosed and reinforced with aging concrete walls. Rusted pipes lined the ceiling overhead while dim maintenance lights flickered weakly.
At the end of the corridor stood a heavy metal door.
Shore approached carefully.
There weren't any visible cameras or alarms. Either the suppliers were extremely confident in secrecy or extremely careless.
Possibly both.
He retrieved the keyring from his pouch and tested the keys. The first didn't work but the second key did.
Click.
The lock disengaged. Shore slowly opened the door and stepped inside.
The room beyond resembled an abandoned maintenance station. Rows of inactive holo-equipment lined the walls while old control consoles sat dormant beneath layers of dust.
Pipes crisscrossed overhead with occasional bursts of steam hissing softly through the room. The air here smelled cleaner than the main tunnels.
Shore closed the door behind himself and began searching methodically. His eyes scanned every corner carefully until he finally spotted several industrial lockers positioned along the far wall.
Bingo.
He approached them cautiously.
Combination locks.
Shore stared at them silently for several seconds before sighing. He activated a strength assist setting through his gauntlet and gripped the first lock firmly.
Crack.
The metal snapped apart. The first locker contained maintenance equipment, boots and several old toolboxes.
Nothing useful. The second locker held pipe repair kits and folded hazard suits.
The third locker...
Shore paused slightly as he unzipped the duffel bag hidden inside. Rows of small glass vials rested neatly within padded carrying cases.
Transparent liquid shimmered faintly beneath the room lights.
Aetherion.
Whatever name people preferred to call nightmare fuel disguised as a miracle drug. Still, Shore verified it anyway. He removed one vial and activated the scanner on his gauntlet.
The needle probe pierced the liquid briefly.
MATCH CONFIRMED:
[AETHERION COMPOUND]
Shore resealed the vial afterward and searched the remaining lockers carefully just to ensure nothing else had been hidden nearby.
Nothing.
No documents, manufacturing data or names. Just another compartmentalized dead drop. Whoever organized this distribution network understood operational security disturbingly well.
Shore slung the duffel bag over his shoulder and left the control room.
By the time he returned to the Hybrid cleanup site, the tunnel already looked almost untouched. The cleanup crew had finished neutralizing biological residue while the remains had been sealed inside a large reinforced body bag.
They chatted for a bit about the situation then headed their own ways.
After parting ways, Shore retraced his route through the tunnels until he finally climbed back out through the sewer grate into the cold early morning air.
Streetlights still glowed softly across empty roads while distant traffic drifted through Mountain Glenn's downtown sectors.
Shore returned to his vehicle and tossed the duffel bag into the backseat.
The drive back was quiet.
Mountain Glenn's local LUCID branch sat near the industrial district. Unlike the massive underground facilities hidden beneath major cities, this one resembled a hybrid between an office building and a warehouse.
Functional and compact.
However, Shore wasn't staying there.
Instead, LUCID had arranged a temporary apartment for him several blocks away to help maintain operational anonymity during the investigation.
By the time he parked outside the apartment complex, exhaustion had started settling heavily into his muscles.
He climbed the stairs toward the third floor while carrying his equipment bag over one shoulder. Once inside his apartment, he immediately stripped out of the tactical gear.
The sewer smell clung stubbornly to everything. Shore headed straight into the bathroom afterward.
Hot water steamed heavily through the room while grime, sweat and traces of sewer filth washed down the drain. Eventually he settled into the bathtub and leaned back silently.
His eyes closed briefly.
After nearly twenty minutes, Shore finally stood and dried himself off. A towel rested loosely around his waist as he stepped back into the living room.
Then came the knock.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Shore frowned immediately.
His eyes flicked toward the digital clock.
2:57 AM.
Nobody should have been here. Not this late at least.
His exhaustion vanished instantly. Shore moved quietly toward the door and checked through the peephole.
Nobody.
His eyes narrowed.
A blind angle?
Possible.
Shore grabbed his gauntlet from the nearby table and secured it onto his forearm in one smooth motion.
Then he slowly unlocked the door and opened it slightly.
WHAM.
A massive force exploded against the door.
The impact slammed the edge directly into Shore's face and hurled him backward across the apartment floor.
Pain burst across his vision. Before he could fully recover, movement flashed toward him.
A katana blade descended toward his neck.