THE ABSORBER
1164 Words
The network screamed again at dawn.
Jayden felt it before the alarms—a host in Denver, her system flickering, draining, being pulled into someone else. Not severed like Dorian's victims. Consumed. Her power was being stolen.
He ran to the command center. Leah's monitors showed a cascade of energy signatures, all converging on one point.
"We have a new threat," Leah said. "A host who can absorb abilities. He's not killing them—he's taking their systems."
"Who?"
"His name is Vance. He was an Assembly experiment, like Dorian. But different. They tried to create a host who could collect powers. They succeeded. Too well."
"How many has he taken?"
"Seven in the past twenty-four hours. He's getting stronger."
---
The flight to Denver was tense.
Jayden sat in the private plane, reaching through the network. He could feel the victims—empty now, their systems gone, their connections to the seed severed not by force, but by theft.
Andrew sat across from him. "You're going to confront him alone?"
"I'm going to talk to him. If that doesn't work, I'll fight."
"He can absorb your abilities. The seed."
"He can try."
---
Denver was cold and bright.
Vance was in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts, surrounded by his victims—not dead, but catatonic, their eyes open, their minds blank.
Jayden walked through the door. The seed pulsed, warning him.
Vance stood in the center, a young man with pale skin and dark hair, his eyes glowing with borrowed power. Seven systems swirled inside him, visible as auras of different colors.
"You're the seed-carrier," Vance said.
"I am."
"I've been waiting for you. Your power is the strongest. The seed. The network. If I absorb you, I become unstoppable."
"You'll become empty. Systems don't fill voids. They just make them bigger."
Vance laughed. "You sound like Dorian."
"Dorian learned. You can too."
"I don't want to learn. I want to consume."
---
Vance raised his hand.
Jayden felt the pull—his system, the seed, being drawn toward Vance. The seed resisted, pulsed, pushed back. But the pull was strong. Vance had absorbed seven systems; his ability was magnified.
"You can't resist forever," Vance said.
"I don't need forever. I need a moment."
Jayden stepped forward.
The pull intensified. The seed flickered. For a moment, Jayden felt his connection to the network waver—not break, but bend.
Then he reached Vance and grabbed his wrist.
"You're not a monster," Jayden said. "You're a victim. The Assembly made you into this. They took your humanity and replaced it with hunger."
"I chose this."
"Did you? Or did they make you think you chose?"
---
Vance's eyes flickered.
The auras around him pulsed—erratic, unstable. The seven systems inside him were fighting, rejecting each other, rejecting him.
"They're screaming," Vance whispered. "The hosts I took. They're still in here. Still aware."
"Then let them go."
"I can't. If I release them, I lose everything. I become nothing."
"You become human."
Vance stared at him. Tears streamed down his face.
"I don't remember what that feels like."
"Then let me remind you."
---
Jayden reached into the seed, into the network, and pulled.
Not power—compassion. He sent a wave of warmth through the connection, not to Vance, but to the trapped hosts inside him. They felt it. They responded.
The auras flared.
Vance screamed.
The systems inside him erupted, one by one, returning to their original hosts. Colorful light filled the warehouse as the catatonic victims gasped, sat up, their powers restored.
Vance collapsed.
Jayden caught him.
"You're free," Jayden said.
Vance looked up at him, his eyes human again, empty of borrowed power.
"I'm nothing."
"You're alive. That's not nothing."
---
The victims were disoriented but alive.
Leah coordinated their recovery, sending teams to bring them to safety. The network welcomed them back, their connections restored.
Andrew helped Jayden carry Vance to the plane.
"He's a threat," Andrew said.
"He was a threat. Now he's a victim."
"He could absorb again."
"Then we help him control it. Like Dorian. Like Roman. Like everyone else."
---
The flight back was quiet.
Vance slept in a seat, exhausted, his body adjusting to the absence of the seven systems. Jayden watched him, feeling the seed pulse—warm, but wary.
The unknown number sent a message.
*"Vance's ability is dangerous. Even without stolen systems, he can still absorb. He needs training. Control. You cannot leave him unguarded."*
Jayden typed back: *"I'll assign mentors. Dorian. Calder. People who understand hunger."*
*"Hunger is not the same as emptiness. Vance is empty. He needs to be filled with something besides power."*
*"Like what?"*
*"Purpose. Connection. Love. The same things everyone needs."*
He lowered the phone.
---
The gym was quiet when they returned.
Dorian met them at the door, his eyes on Vance. "Another experiment."
"Another survivor."
Dorian nodded. "I'll help him. I know what it's like to be empty."
"Thank you."
---
The weeks that followed were a process of healing.
Vance worked with Dorian, learning to control his absorption ability, to use it only when necessary. Calder taught him discipline. Morgan taught him to channel his anger. Kira helped him process the trauma of being an experiment.
The network absorbed him slowly, cautiously. Some hosts were afraid of him. Others were curious. A few were hostile.
Jayden watched from a distance, letting the community integrate Vance on its own terms.
Andrew stood beside him. "You're not getting involved?"
"They need to learn to accept him without my influence. If I force it, they'll resent him."
"And if they reject him?"
"Then I step in. But not yet."
---
The unknown number sent a message.
*"Vance is integrating. The network is adapting. But the Deep Origin is still watching. There are more experiments out there. More broken hosts. More threats."*
Jayden typed back: *"I know."*
*"You cannot save them all."*
*"I can try."*
---
One night, Jayden stood on the roof with Vance.
The stars were out. The city was quiet.
"I never thought I'd feel safe again," Vance said.
"Safe is relative. But you're not alone."
"I know. That's what matters."
Vance looked at him. "Why do you do this? Why do you save people like me?"
"Because someone saved me. When I was in the grave, when I had nothing, someone reached out. Not physically—through the network. Through the seed. Through hope."
"Who?"
"The origin. The Deep Origin. Whatever you want to call it. It didn't save me because I was special. It saved me because I was willing to try."
Vance nodded slowly.
"I want to try."
"Then try. Every day. That's all any of us can do."
---
The seed pulsed—warm, steady, hopeful.
Jayden smiled.
The war wasn't over. There were more experiments, more threats, more broken people to heal. But for now, in this moment, the network was stronger than ever.
And that was enough.
- Writer
