The Scrap Tamer - Chapter 149

Chapter 149: Back To Base
The hover craft took a while to get back to base and thanks to Owen knocking Callahan out, the conversation between the teams was mostly peaceful.

Reid watched through the window of the hovercraft as the landscape kept changing below.

Even though he once belonged to one of the great families, he had never gotten the chance to travel much.

But right now, through the window of the hover craft, he could see exactly how much the world had changed due to the eruption.

Seeing the Wildlands in person was nothing like watching them through a screen—the destruction left by the Primals had carved real scars into the world.

Reid’s thoughts were cutoff by an announcement coming through the intercoms of the hover craft.

“Attention, team. This is Hawk-one, we’re on final approach to base. ETA two minutes, prepare for touch down” the pilot announced.

“wh…what happened?” Callahan’s groggy voice came as he slowly woke up.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, massaging the back of his neck. The team could only imagine how stiff and sore it must’ve been after spending the entire ride slumped over like a ragdoll.

“You passed out,” Owen said dryly, not even opening his eyes. “Might want to get that checked out. Could be a sign of weak lungs.”

Callahan blinked, still dazed. “Passed out? From what?”

“The sound of your own voice,” Clara muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear.

A few snickers followed, even from Kara, though she tried—and failed—to hide it behind a cough.

Callahan rubbed his eyes and looked around, finally realizing no one had come to his defense. “You guys drug me or something?”

“Nope,” Owen replied, deadpan. “That was all natural.”

Callahan glared in his direction, but Owen didn’t even flinch—still leaned back, eyes half-closed, arms folded.

Callahan grumbled under his breath and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Bunch of comedians,” he muttered, shooting a look toward Clara, who returned it with an exaggerated yawn.

Lisa spoke up next, her voice calm but laced with sarcasm. “Welcome back to the land of the living. We almost missed your charming personality.”

Kara shook her head, amusement evident in her tired eyes. “You should be grateful, Mace. That was the longest nap you’ve had in weeks.”

Before Callahan could respond, the hovercraft gave a soft jolt, signaling its descent.

The hum of the engines deepened as the massive walls of the base came into view through the windows.

The intercom crackled turned on again “touchdown in thirty seconds. All personnel, prepare to disembark.”

Clara stretched, cracking her neck. “Finally. I need a long shower and an even longer nap.”

“Same,” Lisa said.

The hovercraft approached the landing pad and soon enough, it touched down before the door opened with a hiss, allowing the teams to descended through a ramp.

A pair of officers waited at the bottom, one holding a tablet, the other with a clipboard and a tired look on his face.

“Team 7?” the clipboard officer asked, eyeing them up and down.

“That’s us,” Owen said, stepping forward.

“Welcome back. Debrief is scheduled in thirty. Medical check-in’s optional unless you’re bleeding or unconscious,” he said and both teams immediately turned to Callahan.

“He has weak lungs,” Owen said with a yawn, lazily pointing at Callahan. “You might want to get that checked.”

Callahan’s eye twitched at the comment. “I do not have weak lungs.”

“Sure you are,” the officer muttered, already turning away. “The briefing room remains the same, don’t be late.”

With that, he and the tablet officer walked off, leaving the group alone on the pad.

“Well,” Kara started “guess we’ll see you guys in thirty minutes?”

“Yeah,” Clara replied, before glaring at Callahan. “Although I would’ve preferred not having to see his face again.”

Callahan just returned the glare before walking away, his team trailing behind him.

Kara just chuckled and walked to catch up with her teammates.

“I’ll see you guys in thirty minutes,” Owen said with a yawn “I have a lot of sleep to catch up on.”

Before they could reply, he had already walked away. The others could only shake their head and sigh.

“So, anyone hungry?” Marcus asked.

“I’m definitely tired of canned foods but first, I need a shower” Clara answered.

Lisa nodded, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Shower first, food second, then maybe a nap if we’re lucky.”

With that, the team walked towards the tower since that’s where they all lived, just different floors.

“Hey,” Lisa called out to Reid in a low tone as they walked.

“Hmm?” He turned to her.

“You okay?” She asked

“Don’t worry, I’m fine” he answered “besides, the veins have already receded.”

“Not that,” Lisa said, “you seemed quiet during the entire trip back.”

“Oh, about that” Reid thought about what to say.

After seeing the destruction of the wildlands, he couldn’t help but recall the watcher’s and Marcus’ words.

Both had said he held a major role in not just this world, but another below and Reid wasn’t sure if he was ready for such responsibilities.

Yes, he was strong and with Evo, he had the chance to become infinitely so even but having to be responsible for two worlds was a scary thought.

Hell, he couldn’t even save his mom from a weaker shard of Malrath—so how could anyone expect him to handle the fates of two worlds?

But he couldn’t say all that to Lisa so he simply gave her a small smile and said “don’t worry, I’m fine”.

[You’re being an idiot] for the first time since he gained woke up after absorbing the mother voidspawn, he heard Evo’s voice again.

‘Evo?’ Reid said but she went quiet again, refusing to reply.

“I see,” Lisa nodded. Although she didn’t believe him, she chose not to press it.

“Just know that I’ll be here if you ever want to talk about anything” she added.

Reid nodded and gave her a small appreciative smile.

“Oh wow, you two are finally making some progress” Clara’s teasing voice came, causing Lisa to blush in embarrassment.

“It’s not like—” she wanted to clarify but was cut off by Clara.

“No need to deny it,” she said “at this point, even he knows.”

“Know what?” Marcus asked.

Clara just sighed, walked up to him and patted his shoulders with a pitying look “you’re hopeless my dear friend.”

Marcus frowned, clearly confused. “Wait, what did I miss?”

“Everything, apparently,” Clara replied with a dramatic sigh. “You know, I always thought you were different from the stereotypical muscle with no brains,”

“But apparently, not a single brain cell dedicated to social awareness.”

“I have social awareness,” Marcus argued, sounding offended.

“Oh really?” Clara raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Then explain the tension between those two,” she said, jerking her thumb toward Reid and Lisa.

Marcus looked between them, then back at Clara. “…They’re teammates?”

Clara blinked slowly, as if trying to reset her brain.

“Teammates?” she echoed, exasperated.

“Marcus. When was the last time you blushed around a teammate?” Ethan was the one who asked, trying his hardest to hold in a laughter.

“Now that I think of it….” Marcus placed a hand under his chin.

“Exactly!” Clara said, before pointing at Lisa “she’s clearly—”

Before she could complete what she wanted to say, Lisa slapped a hand on her mouth, causing her next words to come out muffled.

“That’s enough,” Lisa said “we still have a briefing in thirty minutes, so we shouldn’t waste time like this.”

________

While Clara enjoyed teasing Lisa, in a location far from the military base, multiple scientists ran around in a frenzy beneath the flickering lights of a heavily fortified underground lab.

Warning lights pulsed in rhythmic flashes of red, showing that something had clearly gone wrong.

“Stabilize the core! I need the readings from sector seven now!” The lead scientist, a man with round glasses, spoke.

A younger technician, pale and sweating, rushed over, tablet in hand. “We’re detecting a massive energy spike! The residual Void energy is off the charts!”

The lead scientist’s eyes narrowed. He adjusted his glasses and turned toward the central containment chamber.

Within, a swirling mass of black and violet energy floated, pulsing like a living heart.

“That’s not residual…” he muttered. “That’s an awakening.”

Another technician leaned over the console. “Are you saying it’s becoming sentient?”

Before he could reply, the lights flickered violently, and an ear-splitting screech tore through the lab.

Screams erupted. Scientists scrambled away from the chamber as sparks burst from the machines and a spiderweb of cracks formed along the reinforced glass.

“Seal the sector! Now!” the lead scientist shouted, slamming her fist on the emergency lockdown button.

Massive blast doors groaned as they began to slide shut, but it was already too late.

The black mass inside the chamber began to shift—something was forming at its center. A vaguely humanoid silhouette emerged, limbs stretching unnaturally as if learning how to exist in physical space.

“Subject 09 is taking form,” a researcher said in horror, his voice trembling. “This… this wasn’t supposed to happen for another year!”

The lead scientist’s eyes widened. “Contact the master now. Tell him that the creature is awakening.”

“And…..” He stared at the creature taking shape within the lab. “It’s fully aware.”