Lucas, his muscles tensed and his eyes blazing with defiance, was dragged into the military facility by a squad of soldiers. They threw him into a cage made of thick, sturdy steel bars, the metal gleaming in the harsh fluorescent lighting.
The cage was roughly ten feet tall and five feet wide, its bars spaced only a few inches apart. The steel was reinforced with a latticework of wires, pulsing with a high-voltage electric current. A warning sign on the cage door read: "Do Not Touch - Lethal Voltage."
The doors to the room where Lucas's cage was kept slid open as two people walked in. Lucas stood up, walked to the bars, and grasped them, but the electric current electrocuted him, and he fell back to the floor.
"I thought you were intelligent. Can't you read?" Zane asked. "He's an alien; how do you expect him to be able to read?" Peter replied.
"From my research, Kronians can understand any language that passes through their ears. That's why he can speak and understand our language. I guess you never thought of that," Zane said. "Plus, they don't need oxygen to breathe. They can survive in space and underwater, living only on alpha energy. How incredible!" Zane continued.
"That's indeed incredible. I wonder how powerful and dangerous they are," Peter said.
"Of course, they're powerful, and that's why they'll be a good energy source for my experiments. But come to think of it, I detect alpha energy in you. That means you're of royal blood on Kron. But why aren't you huge? I thought you were supposed to be more powerful, but you seem weak," Zane said.
"My powers were taken from me when I was on Kron. That's why I came to your planet, to seek safety and regain my strength so I can return to my own planet. But unfortunately, I crashed instead of landing. I'm not here to harm anyone. As soon as I regain my strength, I'll leave, but that's if you give me what's mine: the Alpha Box," Lucas said, his voice low but steady.
"What's the Alpha Box?" Peter asked, staring at Lucas.
"It's an artifact from my world, capable of creating, absorbing, and transferring energy," Lucas replied. "And he has it," Lucas said, gesturing at Zane.
"Don't tell me it's what I think it is. I thought you said it wasn't important?" Peter asked, turning to Zane Morris.
"Well... it's the key to my experiment. With it, I can revolutionize our world's technology," Zane stammered.
"You know you were supposed to tell me everything about your experiments. That's the deal we made," Peter said.
"This is highly classified," Zane replied.
"You'll hear from me after this," Peter said with a straight face. "So, how can we trust you?" Peter asked, turning back to Lucas.
"Well, I haven't killed anyone since I came to Earth. Isn't that enough for you to trust me?" Lucas said.
"What if you were a spy?" Peter asked.
"If Kron were to send spies to Earth, they wouldn't send a royal blood who has lost his powers," Lucas replied.
"Your reason isn't good enough. I still don't trust you," Peter said. They both left the room as the door shut behind them.
*****
Sam and Steve arrived at Ray Tech Company's facility in a nondescript van. They had a plan to rescue Lucas, who was being held inside.
"Alright, here's the plan," Sam said. "Steve, you take care of the guards at the entrance. I'll hack into the security system and tamper with their cameras."
Steve nodded, his eyes gleaming with determination. "Got it. Let's do this." Steve got out of the van and whistled to where the guards stood.
With swift and silent motions, Steve took out the guards, his movements precise and deadly. Sam quickly got to work on the security system, his fingers flying across his phone's keyboard as he worked his magic.
Within minutes, the cameras switched and displayed on his system. "Okay, I'm in," he said, giving Steve the go-ahead. Steve stripped one of the knocked-out guards of his uniform and put it on. He walked past the entrance with a delivery box marked "Fragile."
The security guard barely gave him a second glance as they signed him in and he walked into the facility. "Third floor, room 314," Sam said through their communication device.
As Steve rode the elevator, he gave a brief glance to the camera. This was the easy part. Getting out with Lucas would be the challenge.
On the third floor, Steve quickly located room 314 and knocked on the door. A researcher opened it, looking frazzled. "Can I help you?"
"Package delivery," Steve said, holding out the clipboard. "Sign here, please."
The researcher signed without even looking at the package, and Steve made a quick smile. So far, so good.
"Where's the package going?" the researcher asked, gesturing to the box.
"Ah, it's for the, uh, 'special project' in the back room," Steve said, trying to sound convincing.
The researcher nodded and walked out of the room. "Shut the door when you're done," the researcher said.
Steve could now see a cage. As he approached the cage, he saw Lucas's figure, his body tense and his eyes blazing with determination. The air was thick with the smell of ozone and burning metal.
"Okay, Sam, can you hack the security system?" Steve asked, his eyes fixed on the cage's control panel.
"I'm working on it," Sam replied through their communicator, his fingers flying across his keyboard. "Almost... got it!"
The cage's electric current died, and Lucas's eyes locked onto Steve. "Now! Get me out of here!"
Sam continued working as the security lock on the cage opened. Steve's eyes scanned the corridor for any sign of guards.
*****
In the control room, Peter felt something was off and noticed the cameras were static. "Wait! Go through the footage again, of every corner of the facility," Peter ordered. The soldier in charge of watching the cameras immediately ran through his screen, looking at the footage of every room that had a camera set.
"Everything seems fine and is working smoothly," the soldier replied.
"I don't think so. Zoom in," Peter ordered. The soldier did as he was told, pushing the zoom button on his keyboard. "Sir, it's not working," he reported.
"That explains why they surrendered willingly. He's up to something, and he has backup. I think the cameras are being hacked. Sound the alarm! We have intruders!" Peter ordered.
*****
Just as Sam finally opened the lock, a voice boomed from the intercom. "Intruders detected! Seal off the area!"
The corridor began to fill with smoke, and the sound of footsteps echoed through the hallways. Sam and Steve knew they had to act fast.
"Lucas, come on!" Steve yelled, pulling him out of the cage.
Lucas stumbled forward, his muscles weak from the electric shocks. Steve quickly took his arm, supporting him as they made a run for the exit.
The smoke grew thicker, and the footsteps grew louder. Suddenly, someone appeared out of the smoke, gun raised. Steve pushed Lucas to the ground, shielding him with his body.
"Why don't we make this a fair fight, me against you, no weapons?" Captain John said, throwing his gun to the side.
Steve and John faced off, their eyes locked in a fierce stare.
Without warning, John charged at Steve, his fists flying in a flurry of punches. Steve dodged and weaved, his movements swift and precise, but John was relentless, his attacks coming in waves.
Steve landed a solid punch to John's jaw, but John barely flinched, his eyes blazing with determination. He countered with a vicious kick, which Steve barely blocked, the force of the blow sending him stumbling backward. "Your street fighting is no match for my training," John taunted. "Let's see about that," Steve replied.
John pounced, pinning Steve against the wall with a chokehold. Steve's face turned red as he struggled to break free, but John's grip was like a vice.
"Damn, I can't lose to this guy in a fight. He has a good grip and the strength to back it up. My best bet is to knock him out. I'll have to do it fast before he notices I'm planning something," Steve thought. He immediately hooked his leg around John's, tripping him to the ground. The two fighters crashed to the floor, their bodies entwined as they wrestled for dominance.
Steve finally gained the upper hand, pinning John's arms behind his back. With a swift and merciless motion, he slammed John's head into the ground, knocking him out cold.
Steve stood up, his chest heaving with exhaustion, his eyes still blazing with intensity. He looked down at John's unconscious form, a mixture of anger and triumph etched on his face. "That should do. Let's keep moving," Steve said, gesturing to Lucas.