Adrian stirred at the edge of consciousness, his eyes fluttering open to blinding white light and the hum of machines. His body ached, his muscles stiff, and his wrists were bound to the cold metal operating table. For a moment, he couldn't remember why he was awake. He was supposed to be sedated. That much he knew.
Then he felt it—a deep rumble shaking the walls around him. Loose instruments rattled on the nearby trays. The sound of something heavy crashing echoed through the corridor beyond.
Adrian blinked, the fog of sedation slowly peeling away. His body felt sluggish, but his mind was clear. He turned his head just enough to see her—the scientist working in the corner.
Dr. Kate Mercer.
He knew her. He knew all of them. Mercer was one of Hamilton's lackeys, assigned to "monitor" him during his downtime. She was younger than most of the others, probably mid-30s, with sharp green eyes and a face that might've been kind if it weren't for the stress lines carved into it. She was hunched over a G-Gnome, one of the grotesque little genomorphs with oversized heads and milky white eyes. The creature twitched as her fingers rested on its bulbous scalp, her lips moving in rapid whispers. Telepathic relay. Adrian had seen her use it before to communicate across the facility.
If she's that focused on the G-Gnome, and no one else is in the room… Adrian's eyes flicked to the scalpel on the tray beside him. Then trouble's brewing. Trouble means chaos. Chaos means opportunity.
The rumbling grew louder. A faint tremor rolled through the table beneath him, and Mercer cursed under her breath, too distracted by the telepathic communication to notice Adrian slowly tensing his muscles.
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Adrian glanced down at his restraints. Leather, not steel this time. He almost laughed.
They didn't think I'd even twitch. These morons.
Without hesitation, he flexed his right wrist sharply. The joint cracked with a sickening snap, the bones grinding against each other as he dislocated it. Pain flared up his arm, but to Adrian, pain was just noise—an irritation, not a barrier. He winced but didn't make a sound. Slowly, he slipped his mangled hand free of the strap, his fingers twitching as they hovered over the scalpel.
His left hand shot out, seizing the scalpel with practiced precision. In one swift motion, he sliced through the straps on his other wrist and ankles.
The heart monitor beside him let out a sharp, panicked beep.
Dr. Mercer's head snapped toward him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "How—" she stammered, backing up instinctively. "You—you shouldn't even be able to move. With the amount of sedatives we gave you, not even an elephant—"
Adrian swung his legs off the table, his cracked wrist already resetting itself as he rolled it experimentally. "So that's why the restraints were leather," he said flatly, his voice hoarse but steady.
Before Mercer could react, the G-Gnome let out a screech and lunged at him, its tiny claws outstretched. Adrian snatched it mid-air, gripping its spindly body like a toy. The creature thrashed, its psychic energy crackling faintly in his skull, but Adrian didn't flinch.
He moved fast, slamming the G-Gnome into the wall as he crossed the room toward Mercer. She scrambled backward, but he was faster. His free hand closed around her throat, pinning her against the fleshy wall.
"Transfer the G-Gnome's connection to me," Adrian hissed, his face inches from hers. His fingers tightened, digging into her throat.
Her lips parted, her eyes wide with terror. How does he know?
Adrian smirked, his teeth bared like a wolf. "Oh, come on, Doc. What else do I have to do around here except listen and observe?" He leaned in closer, his tone almost mocking. "You hate the coffee in the breakroom, you mutter 'idiot' every time Lin screws up an injection, and you hum 'Dream On' when you think no one's paying attention. You're not as mysterious as you think."
The room shook violently again, and Mercer flinched. Adrian used the distraction to slam her head into the wall, her nose cracking under the force.
"Next, I'll bite your ear off like a KitKat," he growled, his voice dripping with venom. "Aren't I a monster?"
Mercer whimpered, her pants darkening as she lost control. Tears streamed down her face as her hands fumbled toward the G-Gnome. "O-Okay! Okay!" she gasped. "I'll do it!"
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