THE HYBRID WARS

Sure, here is the polished final version of your story:

---

Jeremy was a middle-aged man who had no job and loved reading. One day, he found an old newspaper that read:

"In the year 2025, scientists discovered life on Mars. They claim this could revolutionize the human race as we know it. They have been running tests on humans and trying to breed hybrids."

He wondered how it must have felt 100 years ago when everything was normal. He stepped out of his pod and boarded his spaceship, where his beautiful, pregnant wife greeted him. She was an alien from Mars. Her species had existed on Mars long before humans. Humans never found them because they were hiding in an underground city called Sarcuad. Humans discovered them during a mission to collect Mars rocks and, while mining, stumbled upon them in a cave. It wasn't the most peaceful encounter, but they eventually found a way to coexist.

As they traveled to the store, they heard an announcement on the city speakers:

"A message from the president. Martians and humans, we are announcing once more: if anyone knows about or has a hybrid, please inform any security personnel. Have a pleasant day, and thank you for listening."

"What if the baby is a hybrid?" his wife asked.

"Don't worry, it won't be," Jeremy reassured her.

Hybrids were rare, usually resulting in either a human or an alien child rather than a mix of both. Jeremy met his wife, Marcia, on a space cruise during their teenage years. It was love at first sight. However, their relationship took time to stabilize as they were from different planets, and such marriages were risky and frowned upon. Martians were very prejudiced against humans. Months passed slowly, but the closer they got to the due date, the slower time seemed to move. Her tummy grew three times its size, and the baby was very active and always kicking. Marcia would have anxiety attacks at night because of the strong kicking. They decided to have the baby at home since there was a chance it might be a hybrid, and they didn't want the Hybrid Crossovers, which were like the military, to take him.

When the baby was born, Jeremy loved him immediately, but Marcia started crying. Jeremy didn't understand why until he saw the baby had a striped tail, a sign of being a hybrid. They were terrified of what might happen. Five years passed, and they decided to cut his tail since it was the only way to protect him (only hybrids have tails). One day, while at the park with his best friend, the boy suddenly passed out. Security personnel picked him up and noticed a small part of the tail they hadn't cut. They quickly threw him into a van.

He woke up in a white box, confused and scared. He felt a sharp pain on his wrist, rolled up his sleeve, and saw a chip with a number visible through his skin. As a five-year-old, he couldn't understand and began crying. A group of strange-looking men entered the room, carrying unidentified objects. One man grabbed him forcefully while another attached a metal collar to his neck, which made a sharp beeping sound that sent shivers down his spine. An odd-looking scientist scanned him with a reader and shouted, "Verified," in a rusty voice.

Days passed, and all he was given to eat was canned corn and tap water, along with painful injections of vitamins and protein to keep him from malnourishment. Months went by without any word or social interaction. His birthday approached, and finally, a man in white took him to an open field filled with beautiful green trees, pink flowers, a blue waterfall, and other children like him. They appeared happy, but he noticed a boy around the same age who seemed downcast. He approached and asked, "What's your name? My name is Jeremy."

"Oh! Like my dad. You can call me J. What's yours?" the hybrid replied.

"My name is Osaka."

They started talking. Osaka had many questions since he hadn't interacted with anyone since his capture. An announcement came from the speaker, "The Hybrid Wars are about to begin." A large hologram appeared in the sky, counting down from 24:00:00 hours.

"What's that?" Osaka asked.

"Every time the timer ends, they take some kids."

"And then what happens?" asked Osaka.

"I don't know," J replied sadly.

J went to his hammock, and Osaka sat under a tree. For the first time in many months, Osaka actually slept.

Drums pounded. People shouted. Sweat dripped down faces. The air was thick and dusty.

At the main stage, the president walked up and raised his arms with enthusiasm. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome! The day has arrived—the moment we've all been waiting for: HYBRID WARS!" The drums grew louder, and the crowd went wild. Behind the walls, the hybrids were lined up in chains. The room was dark, and there were around 20 children, ages ranging from 6-13. The president continued, "You all know the rules! Twenty hybrids will be thrown into an arena the size of a medium-sized town. They must kill or be killed to survive. If there's a hybrid you like, you can sponsor them."

Sponsors could pay for better weapons. As the hybrids walked out, Jeremy was picked to fight. He was only nine. He searched for Osaka but couldn't find him. Osaka woke up and noticed J was chosen. Determined to help his friend, Osaka followed the pod trails to a big gate. He thought rescuing J was impossible, but then he spotted a vent. It was small, but he squeezed through and crawled to the arena. He saw J chained up and tried to get closer, but he fell out of the ceiling vent and landed near the machine room. Osaka passed out. The arena was already a bloodbath. J was still alive. The fighters had two choices: kill or be killed. Some formed alliances, while others betrayed them. J was hiding with a laser rifle pointed at the door. A bloodied child ran in, and J stood up quickly. The child threw himself on the floor, not noticing J. J jumped on him right before he was about to shoot.

"Please don't shoot me. Help me," the child pleaded.

J looked down and saw the boy had half his arm missing. He started wrapping it in cloth, but someone jumped on J's back, put a gun to his head, and said, "Fell for it, loser." The six-year-old kicked J, and just before they shot him, a laser bullet hit them both. J was terrified and braced for death, but the shooter was Osaka!

Osaka helped J up and said, "We have to get out."

Osaka led J to a vent under the arena's dust that connected to the machine room. They made it to the machine room.

"And now what?" J asked.

"I don't know," Osaka replied.

Osaka put J down to sit, but J accidentally triggered a lever that made weird sounds. A giant gate to the arena opened. All the hybrids saw this and ran. Osaka looked at J, and J looked at Osaka, and they both shouted, "RUN!" They started running, but J was badly injured, so they hid behind a machine. Everyone else ran to freedom.

The lever room filled with security, and they were immediately taken to the president's room.

"Leave us alone," the president ordered the staff.

"You two are the ones who let all the hybrids out. May I know your names?" the president asked in a crackly voice.

"My name is J, and his is Osaka," J said, scared.

"Do you know what you've done?" the president said, banging his fist on the table.

"You freed all hybrids by deactivating their chips," the president raged. "You think you're brave and saved your species from the battlefield? By deactivating the chips, you've set them free, and now they can turn into monsters."

"What do you mean?" Osaka asked.

"What do I mean? What do I mean!" the president shouted. "Do you think I'm killing children for fun? I'm killing them because, if not, they will turn into universe-destroying beasts. I couldn't kill them myself because people would think I'm cruel and destroy my presidency," he explained. "The only way I could do this was by making it a game, involving sponsor companies, and turning it into the people's will," the president continued. "What they don't know is that hybrids are time bombs. If they grow, they'll put us out of the universe, end our existence, and their own too."

J and Osaka looked at each other with guilt and fear. They heard screeching from outside. They all ran, but it was too late. The hybrids had already transformed into beasts. They were getting bigger by the second, and nothing could stop them. They took over the entire city. The president, Osaka, and J had already accepted their fate. The hybrids grew larger and larger, taking over the planet. Soon, they spread across the universe.

As the president, J, and Osaka watched in horror, the president turned to them and said, "You might have saved a few lives today, but you've doomed us all."

Jeremy thought of his beautiful wife and their life before all this chaos. He hoped that somewhere, somehow, his love for her would make a difference, even in this bleak future.

The hybrids continued their rampage, and as the universe fell into darkness, Jeremy closed his eyes, holding onto the memories of better days.

The end.