Anomaly

As the storm outside grew stronger and the vehicle we were in began losing speed by the second, an uncomfortable truth became clearer to me: we were running out of time. I had no idea what that thing above us was trying to do.
Why did it make us stop? Why doesn’t it just attack us already? Considering the sheer size of that thing and the strength it’s shown so far, taking us out should be easy. I tried to come up with some logical explanation, any reason that might fit... but nothing sounds convincing. None of the possibilities make sense — at least not in the insane situation we’re in.
By the way, while I was still getting lost in my own thoughts, Victor had already taken the lead. Even while sitting, he lifted his gaze and said, his voice firm and filled with urgency: “I don’t know what that thing is trying to do, but I’m not even a little curious to find out”
Saying that, Victor hooked his grapple to the top bar of the vehicle and lifted himself up in a smooth motion. He adjusted his stance, feeling the metal vibrate beneath his feet, then looked toward Rupert: “Talk to the pilots. Tell them to open the back” he ordered, his voice firm despite the rising tension: “We need to be ready to jump if that thing actually attacks. Based on the size the
mentioned before, this is the only strategy we’ve got left”
Rupert simply nodded without wasting a word. He brought his hand to his ear and pressed the small device there, activating the communication channel. Victor continued, now casting a sharp look at the rest of the team: “All of you, take your positions. Keep your weapons ready. They’re not going to kill that thing, but they can slow it down — and right now, every second counts”
Upon receiving the orders, the reaction team moved immediately. Everyone stood up and clipped their hooks onto the upper rail of the vehicle. From what I could tell, they were simple hooks, easy to release — the kind of equipment designed for a quick escape in an emergency. If they really needed to jump out of the vehicle at some point, it probably wouldn't be too difficult.
Arthur, who had remained silent until then, watched everything with a focused expression. Then, moving his lips, he voiced his thoughts: “My anomalous items won’t be much help this time...” he murmured, touching the monocle attached to his face: “But maybe I can figure something out about this anomaly if I can at least see one of its tentacles”
Victor nodded. Then he slowly turned toward me. Our eyes met for a few seconds — steady, silent, filled with understanding — before he nodded again.
I answered with the same gesture. We didn’t need words; that was more than enough. I knew exactly what I had to do. The problem was something else: I had absolutely no idea how to fight that thing.
The anomaly was enormous, colossal, almost absurd. Would my powers even do anything? Doubtful. It felt like I was about to attack an elephant with the strength of an ant — and honestly, that comparison might still have been optimistic.
Even though my powers were extremely destructive — to the point they sometimes scared me — that didn’t mean I could just unleash them without thinking about the consequences. Especially when dealing with an anomaly: with them, anything could happen. And although I felt I wouldn’t lose easily with my current abilities, winning wasn’t guaranteed either.
But in the end, I didn’t have much choice. I decided to simply do everything I could — in other words, use every one of my anomalous abilities until one of them finally worked.
To be honest, I wasn’t confident at all that the idea would work; still, it wasn’t like I had a better plan or any real alternative.
(At least I can say we’re lucky that thing isn’t attacking us with full force) I thought for a moment — only to immediately feel the sudden urge to slap myself for even thinking that.
As if the anomaly above had read every one of my thoughts, a sharp, heavy thud echoed through the vehicle, followed by a not-so-subtle tremor that knocked everyone off balance — myself included.
For a surreal moment, I felt my body float, as if gravity had simply stopped existing. My eyes widened instantly in surprise.
Before I could form a single coherent thought about what was happening, I was violently thrown toward the back of the vehicle, my shoulder hitting the cold metal first. The cabin filled with muffled screams and the sound of the engine sputtering under the impact.
My back slammed firmly against the rear panel — which, by the way, ended up with a small dent because of it. Even so, there was no pain, not even discomfort. I clearly realized I had collided with something, but the impact itself never came, only the faint sensation of being pushed.
And honestly, the fact that the vehicle held up after the collision is pretty impressive. Even though my body is somewhat gelatinous, I’m much tougher than I look.
Still, I’m not entirely sure what my durability limit is — after all, falling from the top of a multi-story building would still turn me into an amorphous smear the moment I hit the ground.
Even so, I’m confident I could punch through metal with a single hit. Which is why, when Emily said this vehicle could withstand the impact of an asteroid, maybe she wasn’t actually lying. Sure, I think she exaggerated a bit... but considering everything I’ve seen so far, I’m doubting her less and less.
After the incident, Victor was the first to react. Still dizzy, he tried to steady himself while pressing a hand to his head, where a thin trickle of blood slid down slowly, warm against his skin. His eyes scanned the surroundings, checking on the others.
“Is everyone okay?” he asked — his voice steady, but laced with concern. When he noticed that, despite the scare, everyone seemed intact — at least to some degree — he turned back to the shattered window: “What the hell just happened?” he muttered, still trying to make sense of the situation.
Then, the moment his eyes fixed on the window, his entire expression changed. Sudden shock washed over his face, his eyes widening just slightly, and Victor’s finger — hovering dangerously close to the trigger — trembled for a split second.
As I looked around at the rest of the group, I realized they all shared the same reaction, staring outside with a mix of astonishment and tension.
Arthur, although less expressive than Victor, still couldn't hide the obvious shock hitting him as well. Rupert, on the other side, looked like he was seconds away from simply opening fire at whatever was attacking us from outside.
The rest of the team didn’t look much different — everyone tense, hands clenching their weapons, heavy breathing filling the cramped interior of the vehicle. As soon as I peeled myself off the metal walls at the back, I moved toward one of the side windows.
And of course, the moment I got there, I found exactly what I feared: a colossal tentacle, thick and lined with suction cups, curling around the vehicle like a starving serpent. The frame groaned under the increasing pressure. No matter the angle — that thing was clearly trying to crush us.
I watched the outside for a few seconds before approaching Victor. I stopped in front of him, stared at him for a moment, then tugged gently at his clothes to get his attention.
He glanced at me for just an instant before forcing a nervous smile. With an ironic tone that barely masked his discomfort, he muttered: “Looks like we’re not exactly welcome here”
Then, as if going through a brief personal ritual, Victor closed his eyes for a moment. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, letting the tension slip from his lips. When he opened his eyes again, his gaze wasn’t just calmer — it was filled with renewed determination.
“I really wanted a few more minutes to think” Victor said, eyes fixed on the vehicle’s hull as it slowly began to bend under the pressure of the tentacles: “But I guess this thing doesn’t plan on giving us that time”
With that, Victor turned toward Rupert, adjusting his tone slightly as if already expecting bad news: “Anything?”
Rupert — who had been pressing a hand against the communicator in his ear — turned abruptly toward Victor with a tense scowl: “The back won’t open. Something’s jamming the mechanism... probably that thing outside” He paused, his expression torn between worry and urgency as he took a breath: “And there’s more... we can’t go back”
Victor raised an eyebrow, clearly confused — until Rupert continued quickly: “That storm... whatever it is” he said, shooting a nervous glance at the warped sky: “it’s forming some kind of barrier around us. I managed to reestablish contact with the base, and they said that if we try to get out, the hurricanes and giant waves will swallow us whole. For some weird reason, though, everything seems more stable here in the center”
Victor went silent for a few moments, his expression distant and heavy with concern. Seconds later, he let out a resigned sigh before finally saying: “We don’t have a choice. We keep going with the mission. We need to reach the source of the problem and...” He looked at me, pausing briefly as if weighing the next words: “... and fix it” Victor finished, his voice neutral but firm.
He cast one more uneasy glance at the tentacles writhing outside before finally turning back to me. His voice came low but urgent: “I need you out there. Push that thing back, get us out of whatever is holding us. You don’t need to fight it for real — just buy us a few seconds so we can escape”
I nodded without saying a word. Either way, I was already planning to go out and do exactly that. A moment before letting my body drop into the dark world outside — preparing to free us from that creature — I looked at Victor one last time, barking orders with a tense expression.
Turning my gaze to Arthur, who had a thoughtful expression written across his face, I asked in a neutral voice: (Did you manage to figure anything out?)
Arthur lifted his eyes toward me. He rolled his cane between his fingers, over and over again, as if trying to line up his thoughts before speaking. Finally, he shook his head and let out a short sigh.
“My monocle doesn’t tell me much. Normally, it just informs me whether the anomaly is dangerous and how dangerous it is. But this time...” He lightly touched the rim of the device, as if still processing what he’d seen: “The result came back blank. That means the monocle couldn’t determine an appropriate danger level”
Arthur straightened up and planted the cane on the ground, firm: “But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to defeat” he continued, his voice heavier: “It just means that ordinary methods aren’t going to work”
I nodded at Arthur, even though that did nothing to make our situation feel any less hopeless. If that thing couldn’t be taken down by normal means, then I had only one option left: resort to something unconventional — and dangerous.
Besides... what exactly was that “blank” supposed to mean? Was it hinting that the creature was more threatening than I was? Great. As if I didn’t already have enough problems.
I sighed, pushing away those useless doubts. There was no time to get lost in theories that wouldn’t change anything. So I let out a slow breath, feeling my chest empty, and let my body fall.