A sharp wind bit into Andy’s flimsy mutant disguise as he filled his lungs with icy air. He sheltered his eyes from the glare, slipping in the snow, squinting to get his bearings. Behind him, the complex’s grey wall stretched over the concrete shelf, dotted with a scramble of multi-level metal walkways speckled with icicles. High above the grey wall, a huge satellite dish purveyed the sapphire blue sky.

Between his revolver and the grenade, Andy must have killed a dozen mutants inside the satellite control room, many of which were the heads of their tribes. He hadn’t landed a clear shot on his target–the mutant alpha–but his grenade had rolled near to the beast. Surely, it too had died in the explosion. However, there were many more mutants lurking within. The wicked faces of mutants appeared in frosted windows. The black iron of a rifle’s muzzle pressed against the glass, then it shattered as a shot rang out. The bullet flew far above Andy’s head, cascading over the mountain edge.

Andy began to reload, assessing his targets, then something thudded beside him–an ogre mutant jumped down from the railings brandishing a cruel cudgel. Then another. Above him, a pack of runt mutants charged over the railings, yipping like hyenas, eager for the kill. Andy made a run for it. His heart raced–cardio wasn’t his strong suit–but he reloaded Julie with automatic ease, cold fingers deft like ticking clockwork.

The walkway rattled above and behind him. The runts were fast, climbing over the walkways like monkeys, keen to prove themselves to their older brother ogres. A whistling sound pelted past his ear. That was too close.

Slipping on the ice, Andy fired underarm at the mutants behind him. His Evasive Fire protocol tugged on him like marionette strings, moving his limbs a fraction this way and that, keeping him from catching a bullet. Skidding to his knees like a rockstar, Andy reloaded as he spun around, summoning his Marksman abilities. His senses sharpened as a cool flush washed through him like putting back a refreshing vodka on the rocks. Firing twice at the charging mutants, he put them down like slaughtered bulls. Their corpses skidded either side of Andy in the snow. Aiming upwards, he squeezed Julie’s trigger. Each of her hammer-strikes was a dead mutant.

Getting to his feet, Andy rounded the satellite compound when a ray of sunlight blinded him. He felt for his sunglasses, only to find them cracked in his pocket. Lopsided, he put them on and spotted the office block through the glaring snow. There was no cover, just an open fifty-metre sprint. Andy sprinted towards it, sighting the treeline in the distance wishfully. He didn’t like being shot in the back. It had happened once before, it wasn’t fun.

A gunshot popped, louder and bassier than the rest, followed by a steady rate of fire, like a kick-drum keeping time. Andy waved his hands towards the office block, then the snow at his feet kicked up in plumes of near-misses. Diving into the cover of a doorway, Andy gasped to get his breath back.

“Did you kill the alpha?” Clara’s voice crackled over the radio strapped to his ankle. Rolling up his jeans, Andy tore the device free and hit send.

“Yeah, probably.”

“That’s not good enough,” Clara complained. “He’s our target. We need to destabilise them. Do you remember the mission?”

Andy’s finger hovered over the radio’s send button as he hiccuped and cleared his throat. “Yes?”

His sister’s rifle rang like a hammerstrike, thudding into a mutant storming the walkway above Andy’s head. Its corpse toppled over the railing and into the snow at Andy’s feet, a bloody exit wound oozing black blood into the snow.

“Get out,” Clara radioed. “It’s too hot.”

“If the alpha’s alive, have we failed?” Andy asked.

“It’s too late. Get out.”

“Will we still get paid?”

“I don’t know.” A shot from Clara’s rifle punctuated her speech. “Get out.”

Andy rose and peered out of his alcove of cover. But he was reluctant to make a run. For all of his shortcomings, Andy got one thing right: killing. He always got the mission done. What good was he if his sister couldn’t rely on him for that?

Andy checked the doorway behind him, but it was locked shut. Leaning against a window in the alcove, he scanned the length of the complex for entryways. Perhaps he could climb onto the walkway above and find an entrance there… but it was swarming with mutants. Despite the adrenaline simmering in his veins, his mind was still cloudy from the mutant grog. Andy caught a glimpse of his reflection in the frosty window. He didn’t remember his disguise looking that good. Perhaps he could shoot through the glass and climb inside. But that would create a lot of noise. Did it matter? Would the mutants be smart enough to know it was him and come looking? He only had to pop back inside and kill the alpha. There was no use overthinking it.

Curiously, his reflection moved in the window’s glass, coming closer, yet Andy remained still. Andy swayed and blinked, for once wishing he was a tad more sober. Suddenly, the glass shattered and his reflection reached through the void–only, it wasn’t his reflection at all, but an actual mutant on the other side. Andy’s Killer Instinct triggered as Julie jolted to his rescue, but as he was dragged off his feet, his arm struck the window frame. Andy’s revolver slipped through his fingers as shards of glass sliced the flesh on his forearm.

Andy struggled helplessly as he was dragged through the shattered window and pinned to the floor. A huge hand gripped him by the skull, thumb digging under his jaw, pulling him to his knees. The room was dark by contrast, and his sunglasses didn’t help, but he recognised the alpha mutant’s carrion antler crown. His target had come to say bye to him, what a stroke of luck!

“Runty hummy’s gunna look nice all skinned up on ma’ wall.” The mutant’s palm smothered Andy’s nose, stinking of filth. A low rumbling laugh rang in his uncovered ear. Blood trickled from the ogre mutant’s skull where a chunk of it was missing, seemingly it didn’t need that section of its brain.

Andy choked on his Augmentation’s hormones, mixed with adrenaline and unavoidable fear like a primal cocktail, shaken not stirred. His powers were useless without a gun, and he’d never been that physically strong to begin with. Yet, a wisp of calm touched his nerves. Floating atop the waves of panic, like driftwood in a storm, came a voice from outside, sweet, yet stern. In a flash, Andy envisioned his revolver outside in the snow. He must have dropped Julie as he was dragged through the window. Now she was all alone, and cold, and calling to him.

Andy clenched his jaw in the mutant’s grasp. His teeth began to crack. Desperately, his Combat Conceptualisation protocol analysed his surroundings in a flash. The mutant had a hunting rifle slung over one shoulder, just out of reach. Andy had used up his last frag grenade, but he still had a light.

Pulling the pin, Andy let a flashbang fall at his feet and screwed his eyes shut. Just as the pressure on his skull felt too much to withstand, the flashbang burst. The alpha mutant released its grip, staggering back, swinging its arms wildly.

Drawing a combat knife from his hip, Andy leapt up and sliced the beast's chest. The wound was shallow, but it tore through the strap of the rifle. Andy grabbed the weapon and fired, blasting a hole in the mutant’s cheek bone. It’s head snapped back, and it toppled into a desk. Andy fired again, aiming for its heart, painting the room with exit-wound spray, but the beast did not fall.

The voice sang to him again, a whisper carried in on the wind from outside. Julie was waiting.

The mutant toppled forward, hands outstretched to throttle Andy in its death’s throes. Andy half-leapt through the window, but the mutant grabbed him around the waist. His revolver was just out of reach in the snow below him. His beloved.

“Don’t leave me hanging, babe.”

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Andy’s heart pounded as a wave of heat flushed through him. Suddenly, Julie jumped out of the snow and propelled into his outstretched hand. Clutching her to his chest, Andy let himself be dragged back through the window. Crouching below the mutant, he jammed her muzzle into the mutant’s kneecap and fired. Julie screamed in his hands, blowing the limb apart. Kicking himself away, Andy rose shakily and aimed his revolver at the crippled animal. It heaved itself forward on massive arms, a grotesque agony on its punctured, bloodstained face.

“Wait,” Andy said. “Hold that pose.” He retrieved a small camera which Clara had made him carry for the mission and pointed it at the mutant, making sure that Julie was in the frame. It made for a pretty POV killshot. “Smile.”

Andy clicked the camera’s button and pulled the trigger. The mutant’s head burst like a melon.

A chime pinged inside his skull, reminding him of the ‘seatbelts please’ sign on an aeroplane. It had been years since Andy had last heard that sound. Attention: Affinity weapon configured. Synthesis in progress. Initial ability activated: Deadly Attraction.

Andy admired Julie in his hand–her slick mechanism, rustic curves, and polished smooth wooden handle. She was a joy to behold, the best weapon he’d ever had. Distracted, it took him a moment to process what the AI had said.

“Wait, you did this?” He addressed the robot. “I mean… you helped bring Julie and me together?”

Anomalous fixation on specified firearm identified. Experimental algorithm implemented to convert user fixation into functional capabilities.

“Anomalous fixation,” Andy scowled. “Mind your language.” He spun Julie around his finger with glee. “What’s this deadly attraction you’re on about?”

Delineation–Affinity: Deadly Attraction, Tier 1: Due to ionised particles in the Gunslinger’s blood, the Affinity weapon is attracted, comparable to a magnetic force, and may be summoned from a distance.

“Oh,” Andy fished into his pocket for the piece of paper Clara had written, holding it up. “You mean like this stuff? The abilities?”

Affirmative.

“So I have magnetic blood now?”

That is an accurate approximation of the ability, with isolated application to the Affinity weapon.

“She’s got a name, you know.” Andy tossed Julie in the air as he moved towards the window, dancing with her as though they were in a ballroom. She flew elegantly into his palms, resting her trigger on his finger like a lover’s soft kiss to the cheek. Distracted, his foot knocked the mutant’s corpse and he fumbled–Julie almost fell out of his hand, but he caught her just in time. “Hey? How come it didn’t work that time?”

Uncalibrated abilities possess imperfections. New delineation–Affinity–installation in progress: 1%. Proceed to an Augmentation Master Console to calibrate new abilities. Failure to do so will cause DNA mutation. Current mutation rate: 15%.

“There’s always a catch.” Andy holstered Julie and patted her, moving towards the smashed window. “Assuming I play along and go recalibrate, what else can you do for me and Jules?”

Potential power spike detected as significant. Background upgrade programs activated and running for T-minus eleven-thousand and eighty-two hours. Current progression hindered by user inactivity.

“Hindered? Are you throwing shade?”

Error: Jargon comprehension failure.

“Never mind,” Andy said. “So, Julie and I are your muse?”

User fixation identified. Coherent abilities undergoing development.

Andy reckoned he wouldn’t get a straight answer until he calibrated at an AMC. Footsteps thudded in the room above him and echoed down a nearby stairwell. He’d lingered long enough. Andy unhooked his radio and chimed in. “Took a detour. You ready to cover?”

“Ready,” Clara transmitted.

Climbing through the broken glass window, sprinted towards the office block. Gunfire crackled behind him as Clara responded with suppressive fire, but mutants weren’t easily suppressed. The same tactics you might use against humans rarely worked against the many monsters of the apocalypses.

Unable to slow himself, Andy slammed into the building’s brick wall and swung around the corner into cover. His long black hair stuck to his neck sweatily, despite the cold. Each breath was like icy daggers in his throat. His heartbeat pounded in his skull and his arms stung where the glass had cut them. Long streams of blood seeped over his fingers, mingling with Julie’s mechanics. It trickled over her silver hammer, into her cylinder, and down her slender barrel, dripping to the pure snow below. Something about it struck Andy as beautiful. Not for the first time, Julie took his breath away.

“You alright?” Clara said, her round blue eyes were full of concern. She ran down the exterior stairwell, skipping two steps at a time, a hefty marksman’s rifle slung over her shoulder. Andy gazed at his younger sister, half delirious from the cardio and blood loss. Her blonde ponytail bounced as she jumped to the ground, its tail sticking out the back of her black, brimmed cap. Grabbing him by the arm, she dragged him away towards the woods.

“Well that was sloppy, wasn’t it?” she said. “What happened to the plan of using finesse?”

“It’s not my fault,” Andy said, unlatching the voice modulator around his neck which was still making him sound mutant. “It was that cheap fake nose, it kept falling off. I should get a refund.”

“Don’t blame the nose,” Clara said. “The nose was a great idea.” She inspected lacerations on his arms, bandaging the worst of them quickly. Beyond the treeline, gunshots chimed like the bells of a clifftop monastery as the mutants no doubt started fighting amongst themselves. Andy smiled, enjoying the song of chaos–his triumphant anthem.

“You’re good.” She offered a hand to help him up. “Did you get any evidence?”

Andy patted the camera at his waist. “Took a few nice pics.”

“That should do.” They set off into the woods, heading towards where their jeep was parked on a mountain pass a couple miles away.

“Where now then?” Andy said.

“Back to Quadra.” Clara grinned. “It’s payday. Blue Eyes is going to be very pleased.”

“Eyeballs who?”

“Our employer,” she scowled. “I’m not repeating myself. I’ve told you five times now who he is.”

Andy shrugged. So long as this Eyeballs fellow paid up, what did it matter? His heart swelled with excitement as he fantasised about his forthcoming reward like a kid on christmas eve. The one detail about the mission which had stuck in Andy’s head was that the boss-man had offered him and Clara free pick of his armoury should they succeed. Andy wondered what sort of guns he would find in Eyeball’s stores? He dreamed of grenade launches and rocket pods and heavy machine guns with bullet feeds wrapped around his neck and arms like brass jewellery. Perhaps their employer would stock more exotic weapons too, shock cannons and laser guns–things of the imagination. He never knew what apocalyptic monstrosity he would have to face next while on the job–be it demons, radioactive beasts, mythical monsters or the bread-and-butter staple zombies. Regardless, he’d rather have the biggest gun possibly to bring to bear.

As they trekked through the forest, Andy slowly sobered up. The air grew unnervingly quiet. Andy wondered whether his nervousness was a part of himself, or more the Augmentation’s hormones saturating his veins. Was there even a separation between anymore? It had been so long since the serum had invaded his bloodstream and changed him forever. For one thing, he’d recently noticed a growth on his right foot, resembling an extra toe. The protrusion felt like a pebble in his boot.

Warning: DNA corruption has reached lethal levels. Percentage of compromised DNA has increased to 16%

“Higher is better, right?” Andy said.

Negative. Recalibrate DNA at an Augmentation Master Console to prevent irreparable damage.

“What’s the AI saying?” Clara asked. Ahead, on the side of the road, concealed beneath a fallen branch was their jeep.

“Just that I’m a dead man walking. DNA corruption.” Andy waved his hand in dismissal. “It’s no biggie.”

“No biggie?” Clara grabbed his arm. “Andy, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Andy tried to wriggle free, but his sister had a firm grip. “It says stuff like that all the time. It’s just a ploy to get my attention.”

“Don’t be stupid.” Clara scowled, letting him go. She lifted the branch and climbed inside their jeep. “Once we’re back in Quadra, you’re recalibrating.”

Andy groaned. The process was unnerving, like an enema in his mind, flushing out all the unpleasantness which he drank hard to keep down.

“You’ve got to look after yourself more,” Clara lectured, starting the engine. “Or else you’ll turn out like one of those mutants.”

Andy jumped in the passenger seat, loosening his boots’ laces.

Attention: Potential power spike detected as significant. New delineation–Affinity–installation progress: 2%. Please recalibrate at an Augmentation Master Console.

“That’s the thing with Julie, right?” Andy asked his AI.

Affirmative. Julie: Allocated name for Affinity weapon: .45 calibre revolver.

“Well, if she wants me to…” Andy patted Julie at his waist. “Is that what you want, babe?”

Julie hummed at his waist, filling him with warmth.

Attention: New delineation installation progress: 3%.

“For the love of god, don’t tell me every time.”

“What are you doing?” Clara’s scowl grew uncomfortable. “Why are you stroking your gun like that? Is it a bit?” She snorted. “I don’t get it.”

“No, I’m training, like you told me to.” Andy fished Clara’s note out of his pocket. “You can have this back by the way. I don’t think I’ll need it anymore.”

“Why’s that then?”

“Things have changed, sis.” Andy winked. “Julie and I are official.”