(Sirens..)
"I think he went that way!" One burly policeman screamed as he ran towards a dark alley.
"Copy that, we'll cover you up" the other officer raported on the station.
"Fuck this is a dead end"a dark figure complained as he quickly hid behind a dumpster , thinking "these fuckers..I can't stay in a city for more than a week without them on my tracks..I'm so tired of this.." .
...
The man in question was called Cell Morris, a 34 year old sociopath whose past actions made him one of the most wanted criminals in the history of Vampire Country.
He allegedly(since he had not been judged for the crimes) killed over 20 people without regard of status , age or gender.
His parents had been scientists who loved biology, they had named Cell after the smallest unit of an organism.
Cell was arrested for the first time at the age of 14 , as he started to show anti-social behavior when the other kids marginalized him.
He had stepped up to his bullies, pushing off the edge of a staircase one of his classmates, at that time, nobody knew he was the murderer, but according to the law, he could not be punished.
His weird behaviors when it came to life in general were only found much later. When police came to question his parents, they found dig in the ground under his bed 30 complete skeletrons of different animals.
His iq was high,he graduated the biology class of 2001, as top of his class.
"This bitch is going down with me" Cell thought as he spotted a cop entering the dark alley.
"Station-recept this, I'm inside the alley, no signs of the suspect yet, I' ll get closer"the tall cop said as he started inspecting the dark spots with his flashlight.
When the policeman walked past the dumpster, he realized he had forgotten to check behind, quickly turning around, his eyes shrinking at the sight.
"Officer Johns, report, do you see the suspect?" A woman's voice sounded from the station.
A knife stuck in his throat, his voice cracking "Wh-.."his burly arm reaching out towards Cell with the intention to shoot, but the movement stopped about the same second Cell took out his knife.
"I repeat, Officer Johns, do you see the suspect, we're coming in" the woman's voice could be heard again, this time in a rushed tone.
"The artery always does the job" Cell smirked.
His mind deeply in thought"Now where the hell do I go, I'm sure they're waiting around the perimeter"
"In university, I had a colleague Mark, he always used to say, *When one has no idea how to do something, it's better just to act without a plan"Cell thought, although his colleague used to give dating advices.
Dating was never Cell's priority.
It wasn't that Cell had never been in a relationship, he just could not see any objective or anything to obtain out of them.
After university, Cell also got hired on his first interview as a Junior Human Biologist in a micro company.
He worked there for 5 years, learning everything he wanted to know about the human body, which left him with one big regret.
Human's strength, it was pathetic, without strength, intelligence was worthless.
After all, when a human was about to get trampled by an elephant's leg, or from a swipe from its trunk, there would be no way to get out of the situation just from negociating with the elephant.
Cell tried to experiment on humans, his violent acts had not been without a reason, although some of them were from boredom.
"I have an idea" Cell thought as he picked up the station."The suspect is here, I've imobilised him, he's on the ground"
"Copy that, I'm right around the corner!"another officer spoke as he came into the alley, his gun drawn out.
As the policeman approached, his free hand touched the station" This is a bait! Officer Johns is dead!" He quickly backed away, his flashlight reaching all the spots he could see.
"Where is this.. monster?"the man asked himself, the moon reflecting a light in his peripheral vision.
The officer quickly turned around and shot, feeling a little conforted by his instinct.
"Something is wrong, this is a random object!" He thought"My mind is playing tricks on me"
The policeman felt a sharp pain in his back, as his breathing immediatly roughed up.
"You should not turn around, your life is in danger" Cell said sharply."One wrong move and you're going to die. Comply with what I say or die, try anything with me and you die!"
"Call them off, say I escaped"Cell ordered.
"Station, the suspect is not here"the officer said with his remaining strength.
"Good boy" Cell smiled as he took the knife out, twisting it near the end, making the man cough blood, his wound creating a fountain effect with blood flying out.
"You f-u-c-eker...""You l-ost!" The man said, his body falling to the ground.
The officer knew the risk the moment he took this mission, his wife, once a victim of Cell, the serial killer. He swore revenge and today he got it. His station had been turned off the moment he felt something was wrong, immediatly after reporting Johns's death.
Cell could hear the sirens getting louder and louder.
"Fucking cops...this is why they're no fun" Cell thought as he ran towards the alley exit.
At the entrance, four police cars could be seen.
"Cell Morris, raise your hands!"
"You're under arrest for the murder of 27 people"
"We've got your parents, surrender immediatly!"
"It's over, Morris!"
"Do you think you are making any difference? You all are going to die, whether by my hand or nature's fate, humanity is bound to disaster" Cell said calmly as he approached the cops.
"Stop right there! If you take any more steps , we will shoot!" The cops declared
Cell smiled as he started running towards them "Demise is only a beginning! I embrace my existance, I'll wait for you on the other side!"
(Bang! bang! Bang!)
Cell's muscular body almost resisting to the bullets .
"This is my end, huh? I was almost immune to bullets, my training was not for nothing, its just that humans potential sucks.." were the last thoughts of the killer known as Cell Morris.
Then, a spark of awareness reignited.
..
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION… SUCCESSFUL.]
[Binding Host to the Cell Evolution Interface.]
[Welcome, Host. You have been granted another chance. Rebirth begins in 3… 2… 1…]
Cell awoke, but he could not see, hear, or feel anything. All that existed was the profound sensation of being. His thoughts were intact, his consciousness sharp, but his physical existence was alien.
"What… happened? Where am I?"
Suddenly, a mechanical voice resonated in his mind:
[Welcome, Host. You have been reincarnated as a primordial lifeform , a single cell. Your objective is to evolve and unlock higher forms of existence.]
[Your starting form is fragile, but through energy acquisition and genetic adaptation, you may ascend. Do you wish to proceed?]
"Reincarnated? As a cell? You've got to be kidding me. But… if this is real, maybe it's an opportunity."
[Acknowledged. Beginning tutorial.]
Cell became aware of his surroundings—not through sight or touch, but through a strange, instinctual awareness. He floated in a viscous fluid teeming with energy particles.
"This feeling is so weird..I can't see anything, this is bullshit." Cell thought.
[Energy detected. Absorb to initiate evolution.]
Focusing his will, Cell reached out, his membrane pulsating as he absorbed a nearby energy particle. A rush of warmth coursed through his tiny form.
[Energy absorbed: +1.]
[Ability unlocked: Basic Sight.]
Cell's awareness expanded as his membrane shifted, forming rudimentary light-sensitive structures. Blurry shapes and dim lights entered his perception.
"Incredible… I can see! If I can do this, then there's no limit to what I can achieve."
[Tutorial Complete. Accessing Evolution Menu.]
A holographic interface appeared in his mind, displaying his current stats:
Form: Cell
Phase: 0
Energy: 1/15
Abilities: Basic Absorption, Basic Sight
Next Unlock: 5 Energy
Below the stats, a list of potential upgrades glimmered faintly, each requiring a different amount of energy:
[Basic Locomotion(Flagellum) (5 Energy)
Defensive Membrane (10 Energy)
Primitive Sensory Perception (Touch)(15 Energy)
...
(Locked..unlock to read)]
Eager to grow, Cell began absorbing energy particles from his surroundings. With each particle consumed, his confidence grew. He was no longer bound by his weak, human body. Here, in this new world, he had a chance to reshape his destiny.
Hours—or perhaps days—passed. Cell's energy reserves swelled, and the system prompted him with his first major evolution.
[Energy threshold met. Would you like to unlock Basic Locomotion(Flagellum)?]
"Movement… the ability to go wherever I want? Let's do it."
The process began, and Cell's body transformed. Tiny appendages in the form of a tail formed, allowing him to propel himself through the fluid. The newfound freedom exhilarated him.
"This is just the beginning. I'll become more than a human, more than a god. I'll become perfection itself."
Cell continued to slowly absorb more energy, by constantly watching his Stats, he figured out the absorption rate, about 1 energy every 1 hour, but sitting in one place was too risky at his current pace.
In the distance, he could see a micro-organism, about 10 times his size, the ancestor, a prokaryote.
"Shit, I'm tiny compared to a prokaryote, I might be in a puddle for all I know".
"I have to cultivate fast."
Cell absorbed more energy particles, notifications popping off..when suddenly he was interrupted by his first adversary, a small Cell, smaller than him, in modern world standard size, it would be on par with a virus's size.
[Energy threshold met. Would you like to unlock Defensive Membrane?]
"Good timing"
A small membrane starting forming around cell's body, creating a soft barrier and increasing his environment defense.
The small cell approached Cell's location, floating blindly in the liquid.
"If you disturb me, I'll get rid of you"
Cell twisted around, approaching the small cell thoughtfully.
When the small cell arrived, Cell bumped into its body as hard as he could.
Although the process happened almost instantly, Cell felt his existence almost crumbling away.
"This feeling..I am not able to feel pain, but I can feel the crack in the membrane, my insides almost losing their form"
[Warning! User is in critical state!
Tip:Absorb more energy to increase recovery rate]
The other's cell situation was way worser. It crumbled away, similar to an egg cracking. Around its body, Cell could feel a lot of energy particles. Without waiting the opportunity to pass, Cell started to absorb immediatly.
[+1 Energy Absorbed]
[+1 Energy Absorbed]
[+1 Energy Absorbed]
[+1 Energy Absorbed]
[+1 Energy Absorbed]
"Hmm, I absorbed 5 energy from such a small lifeform? It seems like preying on others is faster than slowly growing, but it is too risky right now, I should unlock more abilities before my next hunt".
Some time quickly passed. As Cell absorbed more and more energy, the interface popped out again:
[Energy threshold met. Would you like to unlock Basic Sensory Perception(Touch)?]
Cell suddenly started to feel the liquid he was swimming in, it seemed viscous, probably because of his size.
"Evolution through the system is a shortcut, speeding up the process of nature, but the energy is finite, I wonder now that I unlocked all the thresholds what is going to happen"
[Ding....Host has successfuly passed Phase 0- Singularity
Initiating Phase 1- Multi-organism.]
[Form: Cell
Phase: 1
Energy: 1/100
Abilities: Basic Absorption, Basic Sight, Flagellum, Membrane
Next Unlock: 25 Energy
Cellular Duplication (25 Energy)
Vibration Sensory System (35 Energy)
Photosynthesis (50 Energy)
Predatory Appendage (75 Energy)
Cell Fuse( 100 Energy)
"Hmm..at first glance, duplicating sounds dumb, but its potential is the greatest out of all of those abilities, if someone kills me, I still have cells left, but the better question, can I cultivate from all the different cells?" Cell desired his strength to grow, this was his opportunity.
A second chance at life, but this time, he had an advantage, although he didn't know where he was, he had knowledge of micro-organisms and their weaknesses.
Cell started absorbing energy with no delay.. after some time, the light around him started to fade..
"What? Night? But if I correctly calculate the energy I have gathered so far, about 4 days should have passed, is this time distortion or the world has a different timeframe altogether."
"This may mean I'm not on Earth anymore.."