Zane leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled as he considered his next move. The clock on the wall ticked steadily, each second marking the passage of time as he waited for Abomination to contact him again. Despite the creature's immense power, Zane knew that it was driven by a primal rage—a rage that, if unchecked, could make it a liability rather than an asset. He needed to keep Abomination focused, but more importantly, he needed to maintain control.
His mind wandered back to Lucas. The alien had proven to be a slippery target, consistently evading capture while simultaneously growing in strength. Zane had hoped that by now, Abomination would have found and neutralized Lucas, allowing him to extract the alpha energy he so desperately craved. But Lucas was proving to be more resilient—and more cunning—than Zane had anticipated.
