The rumble of collapsing machinery echoed through the facility as Zayn and Erynn sprinted through the labyrinth of corridors, the terrified scientist stumbling along in Zayn's grip. The heavy steel shutters were closing fast, sealing off the entire complex.
"Move faster!" Erynn barked, their voice sharper than usual.
"I'm trying," Zayn snapped, dragging the scientist, whose trembling legs were slowing them down.
"I'll talk!" the man cried, desperation in his voice. "Just—don't leave me here!"
Zayn gritted his teeth, half-tempted to abandon him, but the promise of answers kept his grip firm.
"Erynn," Zayn called out, "find us a way out!"
Erynn's glowing eyes darted along the walls, scanning for an escape. They spotted a side passage just before another shutter slammed shut. "There! Follow me!"
The side passage led to a maintenance tunnel, its narrow confines lit by flickering emergency lights. The air was thick with dust and the acrid stench of burning machinery.
"Keep talking," Zayn demanded as they ran. "What do you mean, I was an accident?"
The scientist gulped, his breath ragged. "The Accord... they were experimenting with controlled evolution. You were supposed to be part of the Apex Initiative—a project to create the perfect soldier. But something went wrong."
"Define 'wrong,'" Zayn said coldly.
"You didn't stabilize like the others. Your body rejected the limitations we tried to impose, and you escaped containment before we could... could terminate the program."
Zayn's stomach churned. "You're saying I was supposed to be a weapon."
The scientist nodded. "A weapon we couldn't control. That's why the Accord is so desperate to recapture you—they fear what you might become."
Erynn glanced back, their tone laced with sarcasm. "Great. You're the Accord's Frankenstein. Feel special yet?"
Zayn shot them a glare. "Not helping."
As they turned a corner, the tunnel opened into another chamber, smaller but just as ominous as the previous one. This room was filled with rows of shattered stasis pods, their contents long gone. Some pods had claw marks on the inside, evidence of frantic attempts to escape.
"What happened here?" Zayn asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"These were earlier subjects," the scientist explained. "Most didn't survive the process. The ones that did... weren't stable."
"Stable how?" Zayn pressed.
"They devolved. Became... things like the Chimera you fought earlier."
Erynn crouched by one of the broken pods, their claws brushing against the jagged edges. "This isn't just experimentation," they said, their voice unusually soft. "It's torture."
The scientist opened his mouth to respond, but a low growl interrupted him.
From the shadows, a figure emerged. At first glance, it seemed human, but its distorted features and elongated limbs betrayed its true nature. Its skin was a patchwork of scars and metallic implants, and its eyes glowed faintly with an unnatural light.
"Another one?" Zayn muttered, his body already shifting in preparation for a fight.
Erynn held up a hand. "Wait. It's not attacking."
The creature tilted its head, its movements jerky and unnatural. Then, to Zayn's shock, it spoke.
"Why... are you here?" its voice was raspy, as if unused for years.
"We're trying to leave," Zayn said cautiously.
The creature's gaze flicked to the scientist, and its lips curled into a snarl. "One of them," it hissed. "They made us. Broke us. Left us to rot."
Zayn stepped forward, keeping his voice calm. "We're not with the Accord. We're fighting against them."
The creature's eyes narrowed. "Prove it."
Without hesitation, Zayn turned to the scientist and morphed his arm into a blade, holding it to the man's throat. "He's coming with us to answer for what he's done. Satisfied?"
The creature let out a low growl, but it didn't attack. Instead, it stepped aside, revealing another tunnel behind it.
"Go," it said. "But if you betray us... you'll regret it."
The tunnel led them to what appeared to be an old exit point, long abandoned but still functional. As they emerged into the cool night air, Zayn took a deep breath, grateful to be out of the suffocating facility.
Erynn scanned the horizon. "We need to keep moving. The Accord will be on us soon."
Zayn turned to the scientist. "You're going to tell me everything. No more half-truths."
The man nodded frantically. "Anything you want. Just keep me alive."
Before they could continue, the ground trembled, and a deafening roar echoed from the facility behind them.
"What now?" Zayn groaned.
The answer came in the form of a massive figure bursting from the ruins. It was another Chimera, but this one was far larger and more monstrous than the others. Its body was a chaotic blend of flesh and metal, its multiple glowing eyes fixed on Zayn.
"It's hunting you," Erynn said, their claws extending.
"No kidding," Zayn muttered, his body already shifting into a more durable form.
The Chimera charged, its movements surprisingly fast for its size. Zayn barely dodged its first swipe, the force of its claws carving deep trenches into the ground.
"Erynn, a little help?" Zayn called out.
Erynn darted around the creature, slashing at its exposed joints. But their attacks seemed to do little more than annoy it.
"We need a plan!" Zayn shouted.
Erynn glanced at the scientist. "You said these things were unstable. How do we take it down?"
The man hesitated, then shouted, "Its core! The power core in its chest—destroy it!"
Easier said than done, Zayn thought as the Chimera swung its massive arm at him. He dodged again, this time using his shifting abilities to elongate his limbs and strike at the creature's chest.
The Chimera roared in pain, but its movements became even more frenzied.
Erynn leapt onto its back, clawing at the metal plating around its core. "Keep it distracted!"
Zayn morphed his arms into massive, spiked hammers and slammed them into the Chimera's legs, forcing it to its knees.
"Now, Erynn!" Zayn shouted.
With a final, powerful strike, Erynn tore through the plating and exposed the glowing core. Zayn didn't hesitate, driving his transformed arm into the core and ripping it out.
The Chimera let out one last, guttural roar before collapsing, its body crumpling into a lifeless heap.
As the dust settled, Zayn turned to Erynn, his breath ragged. "Think that's the last of them?"
Erynn shook their head. "Not even close. The Accord doesn't give up that easily."
The scientist, still trembling, spoke up. "You don't understand. That wasn't just a random experiment. It was a prototype. The Accord has dozens more like it—and they're perfecting the design."
Zayn's heart sank. "Then we'll destroy every last one of them."
Erynn's eyes gleamed with determination. "Not alone. We'll need allies. And I know where to find them."
As they set off into the night, Zayn couldn't shake the feeling that they were heading toward something far more dangerous than anything they'd faced before.