Mutation Abyss-Chapter 55: Like Walking Bombs

"Try not to get yourself killed before I finish filing my report," Lexa said. Her voice was calm now, almost gentle and it made something flutter in Theo’s chest.

He didn’t look back. "No promises."

He was just about to leave when her voice stopped him again. "Why haven’t you joined AMSO?"

Theo froze at the stairwell, one hand resting on the railing. For a moment, he said nothing.

Then, without turning around, he replied quietly, "I have my reasons."

"That’s not an answer."

"It’s the only one you’re getting," he said, but there wasn’t any real bite to his words.

Lexa stepped forward, her boots clicking softly against the debris-littered floor. "You’re strong. Skilled. If you just followed protocol, you’d be a Class 3 by now. Maybe even higher. So what are you running from?"

He turned slightly, just enough for her to see the side of his face. There was a strange look in his eyes. Not fear. Not pride. Something quieter.

"I’m not running," he said. "I’m just... not ready to be owned."

Lexa tilted her head. "Is that what you think we are? Owned?"

"Aren’t you?" he countered. "Always following orders. Playing soldier for people who don’t care if we live or die, as long as the mission is complete."

Then there was silence between them.

"We’re trying to keep people alive," Lexa said, her tone sharper now. "To bring order back into a world that’s falling apart."

"And sometimes, order looks a lot like control," Theo muttered, more to himself than to her.

He meant it. He didn’t like how the Government handled things, how they were so eager to hunt down all Meteorite Survivors, especially the UMS. People who hadn’t even turned into monsters yet were being treated like threats.

If you were part of AMSO, you were bound to follow those orders. Even if it meant killing innocent people. And Theo wasn’t ready to be part of that.

Lexa’s eyes narrowed. "Is that what you think we are? Just government dogs hunting survivors?"

He finally turned to look at her, face unreadable. "Aren’t you?"

Lexa crossed her arms, standing her ground. "We protect people, Theo. That’s what AMSO was built for. To prevent chaos. To stop another city from burning."

Theo’s voice dropped, low and steady. "By killing anyone who doesn’t fall in line? Even if they haven’t hurt anyone?"

She flinched, just barely. "It’s not that simple."

"It never is," he said. "But that doesn’t make it right."

For a moment, silence fell between them. Tension hung in the air and neither of them wanted to say a thing.

Until Lexa sighed, the her voice softened. "We do what we can with what we’re given. If we don’t act, more people die."

Theo let out a short breath, almost a laugh. "And if we act without question, people still die."

She didn’t answer right away.

"Not everyone’s a monster," he added, his tone gentler now. "Some are just trying to survive."

Lexa looked away for a moment, conflicted.

I know," she said quietly. "But sometimes, survival means choosing the lesser evil."

Theo didn’t reply. He just gave her a lingering glance, then turned and walked down the stairs. And she didn’t stop him.

Theo called Commander Brix and gave him a quick rundown of what happened.

"She just let you go?" Brix asked, disbelief clear in his tone as Theo headed toward his motorcycle.

"Yes, she did. Don’t worry, just act like before. Pretend you know nothing," Theo added before hanging up.

By the time he got home, his thoughts were tangled. The night air clung to him as he entered quietly.

Aries was already waiting by the door.

"Why are you still awake?" he asked, surprised.

Aries glanced at her wristwatch and shrugged. "It’s early. I usually sleep at eleven, it’s just past ten. So, how was it? Let me check you."

He didn’t argue. He stood still as she moved around him, scanning him from head to toe, even pulling out the blood pressure monitor.

"Wow," she said after a moment, eyebrows lifting. "You healed on your own again. I really hope you get more healing packs in your rewards next time. That way I won’t have to worry so much."

Theo stayed quiet and walked to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of cold water, and settled at the dining table. Aries followed, sitting across from him and resting her arms on the surface.

"So what’s with that face?" she asked gently. "Did something bad happen?"

Theo didn’t respond right away. He glanced out the window with a sigh.

"I don’t trust them," he finally said.

Aries blinked. "Who?"

"The government. AMSO. All of it."

Her lips pressed together. "Because of Mom?"

It was one of the reasons why. Their mother was a UMS and she died. He still felt that her mother died unreasonably. He was in a dilemma until now.

There were no gunshot wounds or trauma to his mother’s head, according to forensics. That alone was enough to suggest the military hadn’t taken her down. But her body had been burned, why?

When Theo tried to investigate how his mother died, he found no CCTV footage from Atlas Medical City. The hospital was in ruins, and according to the police, all recordings had been destroyed in the fire.

Still, something about her death didn’t sit right with him.

Too many UMS had died under suspicious circumstances. The Government claimed they had to be put down after turning into Meteorborns but now, they weren’t even hiding it. Their campaign to hunt UMS was public.

No one really knew what happened to those captured alive. Whispers spread... speculations that the Government was carrying out mercy killings behind closed doors. And deep down, Theo feared his mother had been one of them.

"Because of everything," he replied quietly, then looked at her. "They make the rules, but they don’t follow them. They decide who lives, who gets tagged as a threat... they treat UMS like walking bombs, even when they haven’t turned."