The metallic doors to the underground facility slid open with a low hiss as Dave stepped into the cold, dimly lit corridor. His senses were on high alert, the sickening stench of antiseptic and blood hanging in the air. This was Floor -1, where the first layer of Helios' horrifying experiments took place. Dave's heart pounded in his chest as he moved silently down the hallway, his mind racing with a mixture of anger and dread. His sisters might be down here, trapped among the twisted victims of Helios' cruel science.
As he reached the first set of doors, the walls began to vibrate slightly, almost like they were alive. He could feel the suffering emanating from behind the walls, the agony of the souls trapped within. The door in front of him read: "Subject Room 1."
Dave's jaw clenched. He knew that whatever lay beyond this door would be horrifying, but he had to face it. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open.
The room was bathed in a sterile white light, and at first glance, it seemed like a standard medical facility. But as his eyes adjusted, Dave saw the truth. Strapped to cold metal tables were people—men, women, even children, all connected to various tubes, wires, and machines. They were barely recognizable as human, their bodies mutilated and twisted beyond belief.
In the center of the room stood Subject 1—a man who had clearly been in peak physical condition before Helios got his hands on him. Now, his body was a grotesque amalgamation of man and machine. His arms had been replaced with mechanical limbs, but they were misshapen, oversized, and pulsating with strange energy. His face was scarred, eyes wide and lifeless, as though the very essence of his humanity had been stripped away.
Dave walked slowly toward the man, his fists trembling with rage. A nearby terminal flickered, showing Helios' research notes. Dave scanned the screen, his heart sinking as he read the details.
Experiment Summary:
- Subject: Former soldier, enhanced for combat testing.
- Procedure: Arm augmentation, brain reprogramming, sensory overload experiments.
- Outcome: Partial success. Subject no longer retains independent thought. Displays aggression and enhanced physical capabilities. Further tests required.
Dave's eyes moved back to the man strapped to the table. The soldier's body was shaking slightly, as if he was trapped in a nightmare he couldn't wake from. He had been reduced to a weapon, his mind shattered and controlled by Helios.
Dave turned his attention to the others in the room. Each one had undergone different forms of experimentation, none of them successful. A woman nearby had tubes running from her spine to a machine that was injecting some kind of glowing substance into her bloodstream. Her body twitched violently, her muscles contracting uncontrollably as if she were being electrocuted from the inside.
The terminal next to her displayed another set of horrifying notes:
Experiment Summary:
- Subject: Civilian, kidnapped from nearby town.
- Procedure: Genetic enhancement, forced mutation, and neural reprogramming.
- Outcome: Failure. Subject's body rejects serum. Mental instability. Subject placed in stasis for further study.
Dave felt bile rise in his throat. These people had been innocent, ordinary men and women who were abducted from their lives and turned into nothing more than test subjects for Helios' sick ambitions. Some were still alive, barely clinging to life, while others had long since passed, their bodies discarded like broken tools.
Dave moved to the far side of the room where a glass wall separated him from a smaller chamber. Inside was a young girl, no older than ten, strapped to a table with her eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling in terror. Her small frame was covered in bruises, and her arms were restrained by thick metal cuffs.
The notes on the terminal nearby sent a chill down Dave's spine:
Experiment Summary:
- Subject: Child, taken from a local orphanage.
- Procedure: Cognitive enhancement, telepathic manipulation.
- Outcome: Catastrophic failure. Subject shows signs of severe mental trauma. Further testing delayed due to emotional instability. Awaiting brain scan for additional analysis.
Dave's fists tightened so hard that his knuckles turned white. The girl's breathing was shallow, her chest rising and falling with each painful breath. She had been put through hell, and for what? Helios' desire to push the boundaries of human capability, to create his own army of enhanced superhumans, no matter the cost.
The entire room was a graveyard of twisted ambitions—evidence of Helios' callous disregard for human life. Dave had seen enough. He couldn't let this go on, and he certainly couldn't allow Helios to escape. These people, their lives, their suffering... it had to stop.
He stepped toward the young girl's chamber, placing his hand on the glass, and focused his mind. Using his matter control abilities, Dave shattered the locks on the restraints, freeing her small, fragile arms. Her eyes flickered toward him, but there was no recognition—just fear and confusion.
Dave whispered softly, though he wasn't sure if she could hear him. "I'll save you all... I promise."
The room seemed to pulse with energy as Dave's anger surged. He couldn't erase the horrors these people had been through, but he could make sure Helios paid for it. The experiments, the pain, the lives ruined—it all ended today.
Dave turned away from the room, leaving the broken bodies and shattered minds behind him as he walked toward the next set of doors. A small panel on the wall indicated the path to Floor -2, where more unspeakable horrors undoubtedly awaited.
With every step, his resolve grew stronger. Helios had taken everything from these people, and now he had taken his sisters. But he was going to get them back. And when he did, Helios would pay.
As the elevator doors opened, revealing the dark, ominous descent to Floor -2, Dave stepped inside. His fists clenched tightly, his mind burning with fury.