Camp Lehigh, Western Area
This area held the military warehouse that stored weapons, one of the most important sections of the camp. Now it was completely engulfed in flames, with nearby buildings and trees catching fire as the blaze continued to spread.
Gunshots echoed through the chaos. Soldiers who had been resting, along with rookies, rushed over from every direction. Some tried to contain the fire while others chased the culprit, a man completely covered in black metal armor.
They opened fire again and again, but the bullets barely slowed him. He tore through the soldiers with overwhelming strength, throwing them aside as though they weighed nothing. Every now and then, he pulled grenades from nearby supply crates and hurled them into burning buildings, causing fresh explosions and forcing even more soldiers to focus on the spreading fire.
Seeing more and more soldiers closing in from every direction, the armored man suddenly changed course. Instead of continuing the fight, he sprinted toward the thick forest bordering Camp Lehigh.
"Stop him!"
"Don't let him escape!"
Several soldiers immediately gave chase, but the rapidly spreading fire blocked their path. Thick smoke filled the air, while burning trees and collapsing debris forced them to stop.
"Damn it! We can't get through!"
"Focus on the fire first! Don't let it spread to the ammunition warehouse!" a senior officer shouted, directing the remaining soldiers.
Using the flames and smoke as cover, the armored man disappeared deeper into the forest.
A few moments later...
A blazing fireball suddenly shot out from between the trees and slammed into his back.
BOOM!
The armored man was thrown forward by the impact.
"After doing all this..." Emma's voice echoed through the forest as she stepped out from the flames in her Heatblast form. "You really thought you could just walk away?"
Seeing Emma, the black-armored man immediately pulled a grenade from his belt and hurled it toward her.
Emma casually flicked two fingers. A tiny spark shot from her hand.
BOOM!
The grenade exploded in mid-air, the blast washing harmlessly over Heatblast's burning body.
Without waiting another second, Emma thrust both hands forward. Instead of throwing fire at him directly, she bent the flames already raging through the forest. Like a living river, they surged toward the armored man from every direction.
The attacker immediately charged through the inferno, relying on his armor to protect him.
"Still coming?"
Emma stomped the ground. Pillars of fire erupted beneath his feet, forcing him to leap backward before another stream of flames swept across the forest floor.
The armored man ripped a burning tree from the ground with brute strength and hurled it toward her.
Emma spun once. A ring of fire surrounded her before exploding outward, reducing the tree to burning ash before it could even reach her.
She didn't stop attacking. The flames around the forest answered her call. Every burning branch, every patch of fire left by the earlier explosions became part of her attack, closing in on the enemy from every direction.
The armored man continued charging through the flames despite his armor beginning to glow red.
He's still standing?
Emma frowned. She deliberately held back. She wanted to capture him alive if possible.
Fireballs slammed into his body one after another, strong enough to knock him back, but never enough to kill.
Yet instead of collapsing, the attacker slowly stood up again.
"...?"
Emma narrowed her eyes. Parts of his melted armor cracked apart. A scorched hand emerged from beneath it.
Burned flesh...
...was healing.
"Regeneration?"
The enemy suddenly tore off his half-melted helmet and threw it aside.
Emma's eyes widened.
Beneath the ruined armor was a human face, badly burned, but patches of green scales covered parts of his neck and cheeks.
Those scales...
Memories flashed through her mind.
The Lizard.
"You're one of Mercer's experiments..."
Seeing the burned skin slowly regenerate beneath the scales, Emma's expression changed.
"So that's why you've been surviving..."
There was no hesitation anymore.
"Sorry..."
"But I can't let you get back up again."
Emma raised both hands toward the sky. Every flame still burning throughout the forest rushed toward her, swirling into a blazing sphere several times larger than her body.
The temperature around them rose instantly. Even the surrounding trees began blackening from the heat alone.
The Lizard hybrid roared and charged one last time.
Emma thrust both hands forward.
BOOM!
A massive pillar of fire engulfed him completely.
This time...
He didn't get back up.
Emma floated down slowly. Looking at the unconscious hybrid, she let out a small sigh.
"Guess regeneration has its limits after all."
With the enemy defeated, Emma turned toward the burning forest. She spread her arms. The raging flames seemed to answer her call, flowing away from the trees and back into her body like rivers returning to the sea. One section after another, the fire disappeared until only smoke remained.
It took several minutes before the last of the flames vanished.
"That should stop it from spreading."
Emma looked at the unconscious Lizard hybrid lying on the ground.
"Leaving you here isn't a good idea. Who knows what the army would do to you..."
In a blue flash, she transformed into XLR8.
Grabbing the unconscious Lizard hybrid, Emma sped deep into the forest and hid him beneath thick bushes and fallen trees, far from the camp where no one would find him anytime soon.
"Stay here for now."
Even though she wanted to interrogate him and learn more about Mercer, Morgan was more important.
Without wasting another second, Emma disappeared in a blue blur, rushing back toward Camp Lehigh.
WHOOSH!
Emma sped through Camp Lehigh, moving so fast that none of the soldiers noticed her. To them, only an occasional gust of wind rushed past before disappearing.
Within seconds, she reached the detention block. Her steps slowed.
The entire area had already been surrounded by soldiers. Searchlights swept across the damaged buildings while officers shouted orders.
But...
It was completely silent.
There were no gunshots. No explosions. No sounds of fighting.
"...Am I too late?" Emma whispered. "Did she already use it?"
"Redqueen, can you locate Morgan? Did she leave you any kind of message?" Emma asked.
"Negative," Redqueen replied. "Morgan's signal disappeared several minutes ago. The most likely explanation is that she activated the dimensional device. Once it is active, Friday's connection is completely cut off."
Emma clenched her fists.
"This is bad..."
"That gadget already had limited energy. After I used it against young Dad when we first met, it only has around twenty minutes of charge left without recharging."
She looked toward the damaged detention building.
"We agreed we'd only use it if Mercer tried to escape with his teleporter."
Emma's eyes widened.
"...So Mercer really did have a teleporter."
"...And he tried to escape."
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