A Hero's Legacy

Chapter Seven

Ryder wasn't entirely sure what he'd done to himself. His skin was formerly a light caramel, but now, as this creature, it was jet-black and slick. Those green markings jutted up in strange patterns across his arms and torso, and it seemed to pulse, daring him to test his new limits in earnest as that same hourglass symbol remained fixed as a sort of badge-like object at his chest. His sight had become something far removed from what it was before as well, now seeing only out of a single eye, which would seem like another circular green marking to to anyone on the outside. His vision, tinted jade and giving this new Upgrade insight into that which he believed impossible.

As this unique creature of liquid metal, Ryder could see the contours of the technology built into the secret crypt from whence he came, and the feeling was tremendous. Whether it was because the weapon was so close to the heart of his father's mystery or the sheer intensity of the power running through his veins, he felt these new and impulsive instincts taking over at the forefront of his mind and alluring him to action. He could hear the security guards gathering at the mouth of the elevator, barking commands amongst themselves, and it became clear to the teen that the only way was up - and as though they were made from rubber or some equally elastic material, Upgrade's arms shot out from his person and towards the elevator's wreckage.

"Woah, okay," he articulated, "That's definitely not weird at all."

He felt the circuitry and steel twist beneath the influence of his elastic flesh, not only repairing itself but improving at Ryder's behest. A few seconds would pass before the alien had completely merged with the elevator's technology; access panels fixed and activated, iron plates realigned and set to work in his favour, and additional features that might prove useful to him became prevalent in his mind's eye. It was spectacular, and to a degree intoxicating; the sudden rush became the precursor to almost drunken action on the part of the transformed teenager, who now, merged with the elevator, shot upwards and out of the red-flashing crypt with the speed of an enhanced locomotive.

"I always wanted to rise to the top," remarked Upgrade, slamming hard against the first floor's upper structure and triggering the beginnings of a short-range shockwave. The operatives there were armed plumber security detail, and they had all arranged themselves into a firing position that would most certainly neutralize any normal intruder who'd staged what seemed like a criminal heist. But normal wasn't a word befitting of Ryder, not when he was so much more than that now - and he acted on that, willing any offensive capabilities this new body might have to offer to come to light as these guards addressed his presence.

"GALVANIC MECHAMORPH!" one of them called out, "DISENGAGE FROM THE ELEVATOR AND GET ON THE GROUND. YOU ARE SURROUNDED AND THERE IS NO ESCAPE."

"Well, that escalated quickly," Upgrade spoke, his voice somewhat like Ryder's before his activation of that watch, but distorted as though he were speaking through a phone reciever, "Trust me. I highly doubt this is going to end particularly well for any of you."

"AIM."

His warning had only angered the guards. They cocked their rifles and red dots swarmed the base of the elevator Upgrade had melded with, intent clearly to permanently dispatch what they called a Galvanic Mechamorph, and more importantly, an intruder in their space. Ryder knew that he was able to form technological enhancements as this creature, so he imagined what he wanted, and it was as though the dark, oozing masses responded to his mental commands. The elevator projected two automated cannons from either side of it's frame, scoped and directed towards the men who threatened him.

"FIRE!"

"I'm guessing that's a hard pass on the truce, then," Ryder commented, before bolts of red light whistled past his neck and across the upgraded lift contraption. They were firing on all cylinders, so Ryder fired back, tearing apart the formerly tranquil atmosphere of the ECO with unguided missiles and white-green energy. He couldn't discern much, the rush of vigor brought on by this foreign figure mixed in with the danger of his situation, but he wasn't acting as rationally as he should have been, and strangely enough, Ryder didn't care. He didn't want to admit it, but it felt oh-so-good to be the one attacking, the one doing the damage rather than recieving it from someone else. "Fine by me."