Chapter 2 - The Danger Of Cheetar In His Blood
The armor waits in the glass… but it will only open for the one the crystal accepts.
The humming beneath the abandoned house vibrated softly through Theer’s bones.
But louder—far louder—was the pounding in his chest.
He stood before the glass containment chamber, where the armor rested in perfect stillness.
Hope Cheetar—its surface etched with glowing blue veins that pulsed like a heartbeat trapped in metal.
He reached toward the glass—
But Umporn raised a hand sharply.
“Stop. Not yet.”
Theer pulled back, confused. “Why? What’s wrong?”
Umporn didn’t answer.
Instead, he crossed the room, opened a reinforced metal case, and lifted a thin glass vial filled with swirling blue liquid.
Condensed Cheetar. Pure. Volatile. Alive.
Theer felt the temperature of the room drop.
“…Please don’t tell me that’s going in me.”
Umporn nodded once. “If you want the armor to acknowledge you, yes.”
His voice tightened.
“The suit only syncs with a nervous system carrying Cheetar signatures. Otherwise it’ll stay sealed. Forever.”
Theer stared at the glowing vial.
It looked like lightning had been shaken into liquid form.
“And if I’m not… compatible?”
Umporn looked him dead in the eyes.
“You have your father’s DNA,” he said quietly — Dr. Aran’s DNA.
“And your EQ–IQ profile? He shared it with me. Cheetar only accepts minds with both extremes—high intelligence and very high emotional regulation. Almost no one fits those parameters.”
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He placed a hand on the glass case holding the armor.
“Your father did. Completely. The crystal bonded to him like it was made for him.”
A breath.
“And now it’s responding to you too.”
“Why didn’t he ever tell me?”
Theer’s voice cracked before he could stop it.
Umporn glanced at him, expression heavy.
“Because he didn’t want you anywhere near this war. He wanted you to stay human. Stay safe. Stay out of Teva Tech’s shadows.”
“Then why did Marcus know everything?” Theer asked. “Why him?”
Umporn’s eyes darkened.
“Marcus was… different.”
He walked slowly back to Theer, as if remembering something he wished he could forget.
“The smartest person I’ve ever seen. Off-the-charts IQ. His mind could run predictive models faster than our best quantum systems. Your father needed that brilliance. Relied on it.”
A beat.
“But he never fully trusted Marcus. A genius like that—if enhanced—could become something the world has no framework to predict.”
Umporn exhaled shakily.
“Your father refused to let him near Cheetar.”
Theer’s stomach tightened.
“So what changed?”
Umporn’s jaw tensed.
“Your father died.
Marcus seized control within a week. Locked down the labs. And then…”
He swallowed.
“…he infused himself. Alone. No oversight. No restraint.”
Silence.
Theer felt something inside him twist.
Fear. Rage. Destiny. All crashing together.
“…Fine,” he whispered. “Do it.”
THE INFUSION RITE
Umporn slid the glowing liquid into a heavy injector.
“When it enters you,” he said, “your nervous system will light up. Don’t resist it. If you fight Cheetar, it tears the body apart from the inside.”
Theer nodded, teeth clenched.
The needle sank in.
Cheetar surged like a storm.
Lightning raced beneath his skin.
His vision exploded into blue fractals.
Voices—memories—his father—an accident—an ocean of light—
His knees buckled, palms slamming to the floor.
“Good, Theer! Let it sync!” Umporn shouted.
Blue lines crackled across Theer’s arm—like glowing circuitry etched beneath his skin.
His muscles spasmed, but he didn’t scream. Not once.
Then—
A sudden stillness.
The glowing veins dimmed, fading beneath the skin like water absorbing dye.
Theer opened his eyes.
Breath shaky but controlled.
Umporn exhaled in relief.
“See? I told you. It accepts you.”
Theer flexed his fingers.
A faint blue shimmer pulsed beneath the skin.
He didn’t feel superhuman.
He felt… aligned.
As if something ancient and intelligent had taken a seat inside his bloodstream and whispered:
You’re mine now.
THE ARMOR IN THE GLASS
Umporn guided him back to the glass containment chamber.
The moment Theer stepped near, the armor reacted—
The blue veins along its plating surged brighter, almost eager.
With a soft hydraulic hiss, the glass door unlocked on its own.
Umporn stared, stunned.
“It’s… choosing you.”
Theer reached out—
But before he could touch the armor, a deafening alarm erupted through the underground facility.
BEEP—BEEP—BEEP—
Umporn’s face drained white.
“…They found us.”
Theer tightened his glowing fist.
“Then I don’t have time to hesitate.”
He stepped into the glass chamber.
“Let’s finish what my father started.”
