The black alloy door of Lab 9 remained impassive against the mechanical and physical assaults of the team. Cipher slammed his palm against the sleek surface, his hacking deck displaying a series of "Access Denied" warnings in jagged red text. "It's not just DNA-locked; it's a living barrier. It's eating my virus before it can even reach the mainframe!"
Dr. D stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he adjusted his glasses. "Stand back. If it's biological, I don't need a password. I just need to change its molecular vocabulary." He placed his hands on the cold metal. The air around the door began to hum, and the once-impenetrable alloy began to ripple and soften. Within seconds, the black shield lost its rigidity, turning into a soft, porous substance resembling marshmallow.
"Go! Go!" Rook shouted as they pushed through the sticky remains of the door.
However, the moment the door's structure was compromised, a silent signal bypassed the local jammers. In a high-tech armored transport speeding away from the gala, Baldwin watched a red light flicker on his wrist-mounted display.
"So," Baldwin whispered, a dark smirk playing on his lips. "It seems Elias was the bait, . His teammates have found the nursery perfect everything is going according to plan.
" He tapped a button on the side of his seat. "Redirect to the tower. And prepare the White Suit."
He reached into a hidden compartment, pulling out the pristine, ivory-colored porcelain Silver Mask. "I'm going to take a side trip."
The team descended into a chamber . The walls were lined with thousands of glowing glass tubes, each filled with a swirling, translucent violet liquid.
"This is it," Nyx whispered, her boots clicking on the floor as she approached a nearby desk.
She pulled up the raw data files, her eyes darting through lines . "Yo, guys, look at this. The project... it's still in the testing process. They haven't perfected it ."
Sloane leaned over her shoulder, "If it's still in testing, that means the serum isn't stable. Anyone who takes this would either explode or turn into a mindless alien."
Jaxen wandered toward the back of the lab, where a massive, reinforced cage made of energy bars stood shrouded in shadow. As he stepped closer, his face paled. "Holy shit... guys, get over here."
Inside the cage was a nightmare made flesh. A human who's turned into an alein.
easily ten feet tall, sat slumped in the center. Its skin was a patchwork of grey scales and raw, exposed muscle. It had been infused with two different types of serum—one blue, one red —causing its body to grow asymmetrical limbs and jagged bone-spurs that pierced its own skin. It was a high-tier monster trapped in a state of eternal agony.
Cipher grabbed a vial of the red serum from a nearby rack. "The other type.
Just as they turned to leave, the lights in the lab flickered and died.
A cold, clinical voice echoed through the chamber. "You really shouldn't have come here "
From the shadows, a figure stepped out. He was dressed in a suit of pure white, his face hidden behind the unmoving, Silver Mask. He didn't look like a CEO anymore. He looked like an Massacre at the Emerald Ballroom
Miles away, the ballroom was a hellscape of gold and blood. Elias stood in the center of the wreckage, his tuxedo shirt torn open,
Mordok, the largest of the Captains, roared, his chest cavity opening to reveal a pulsing core of energy.
He fired a beam of pure violet radiation. Elias didn't dodge; he pivoted on his heel, using a spin to narrowly miss the beam, which vaporized a marble pillar behind him.
Tusk lunged from the left, his bone-blades whistling through the air. Elias caught the alien's wrist, his grip so powerful it cracked the Zethrian's outer shell. With a roar of effort, Elias slammed his obsidian-reinforced fist into Tusk's stomach. The impact sounded like a sledgehammer hitting a stone wall, sending the alien skidding across the floor.
"Is that all?" Elias hissed, his breath coming in steady, controlled bursts.
The third captain, Nork, moved with a disgusting, fluid grace. He didn't have blades or beams. Instead, he had a long, prehensile tongue coated in a glowing green slime. "I can taste your power," Nork hissed. "Give it to me."
Nork's tongue lashed out like a whip, moving faster than the eye could follow. It was an Absorption ability—if that tongue touched a living being, it would drain their life-force and Evo in seconds.
The tongue wrapped around Elias's arm. Elias felt a sudden, sharp drain, a cold emptiness pulling at his chest. But his training took over. He reached into his belt, pulling a small, concealed vibranium blade. With a single, blurring motion, he sliced through the tongue.
Nork shrieked, a high-pitched, alien sound, as he recoiled, black blood spraying the debris.
"My fist doesn't have an 'off' switch," Elias growled. He lunged forward, his movements a masterclass in close-quarters combat. He delivered a flurry of strikes—a palm to Mordok's throat, an elbow to Tusk's jaw, and a crushing roundhouse kick to Nork's ribs.
Each strike was reinforced by the obsidian scales, turning his human limbs into living weapons. Mordok tried to fire another energy beam, but Elias was already inside his guard. He grabbed the alien's head and slammed it into the floor, the marble shattering into dust under the force.
"You're not warriors," Elias spat, standing over the dazed Mordok. "You're just bullies ."
Between the burning ballroom and the sinking lab, the divisions were facing their darkest hour.
Elias, standing alone in the ruins of the gala, looked up at the sky. He could feel his power heightening, his body adapting to the pressure of the three Captains. He knew he had to finish this quickly.
"Three of you," Elias said, his voice echoing through the silent ballroom. "One of me. I like those odds."
He took a combat stance, his obsidian-coated fists glowing with the friction of his movements. The final round was about to begin.