The battle between the Mutant Guard Squad and the mutant intruders entranced Kai. He had given up on the thought of seeking the entrance point that they had used to get into the facility, which he wouldn't have been able to reach even if he wanted to.
But it seemed as though his observing eyes hadn't gone unnoticed...
A flash of icy blue cut through the air. Kai barely had time to react before a sharp wave of frost slammed toward him.
"Shit!" He yanked the double doors shut, the ice shattering against them in a brittle, crystalline spray.
A cold voice rang out, laced with disdain. "Did you think we didn't notice you watching us this entire time?"
Kai peeked cautiously from behind the door. The ice-wielding woman, Irina, stood with her blade-sharp eyes locked onto him.
'I knew mutants had heightened senses, but this is ridiculous.'
'Wait, how the hell did I know that? Damn it.'
Before he could dwell on it, a second projectile hurtled toward him - this time a fiery, crackling orb courtesy of the wild orange-haired mutant.
"Oh, come on!" Kai dived to the side as the orb exploded against the wall, leaving scorch marks and sending debris raining down.
'Great. Now both of them want to get rid of me.'
Without wasting another second, Kai sprang up and bolted, his heart pounding in his chest. "Hey, don't mind me! Why don't you go back to fighting each other?" he called over his shoulder, his voice drenched in nervous sarcasm.
Risking a glance back, he was relieved to see the two mutants had turned their attention back to each other. He wasn't worth their effort. He was insignificant. For now...
Breathing heavily, Kai slowed as he turned a corner. 'No way I'm going back in that direction.' He scanned the hallway ahead. 'I guess I'll just have to try slipping in with the guards, wherever they ran off to.'
Kai was stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one side, deadly mutants who could kill him without much effort. On the other, armed guards and who knew what else.
Yet, weirdly, he felt... calm as he sped through the facility.
The corridors were a maze, littered with the bodies of guards and test subjects. Kai vaulted over them, the metallic tang of blood thick in the air, each crimson smear igniting a dark pull within him.
Clenching his fists, he fought the unsettling urge and suppressed his newfound abilities that felt alien, uncontrollable, and disturbingly wrong.
Meanwhile, the blaring alarm and flashing lights grated on his nerves, a constant reminder of how trapped he was. The facility felt like it was closing in on him, and he felt lost both in his mind and in reality.
But Kai gritted his teeth and pushed forward, the bloodlust bubbling just beneath the surface.
'Anything's better than sitting in that cell, waiting for that psycho to inject me with another concoction...'
As if conjured by his thoughts, a faint, chilling laugh echoed in the distance.
Kai froze, the sound sending a shiver racing down his spine. "Nyx," he muttered, his jaw tightening.
Something twisted in his gut, but without hesitation, he sprinted toward it.
-
Not long earlier, Isaac rushed through the facility that vibrated with distant combat. Explosions and crashes echoed through the walls - a sharp reminder that Nadya and Takeshi were risking everything to buy him time. He moved like a shadow, precisely phasing through walls, each step deliberate.
His mind was locked on one goal: find and destroy Nyx's research.
But the labyrinth of the facility was slowing him down, with every turn feeling wrong. Finally, he stopped before a set of reinforced lab doors.
"This has to be it," he murmured, his voice barely audible over the muffled chaos outside.
Beyond these doors lay the core of Nyx's operation. The mission's success hinged on what was inside.
However, the eerie silence gnawed at him.
He'd only come across a handful of guards, and there weren't any stationed outside the lab. It felt almost... too easy.
'Why is it so quiet? Did I miss something?' A chill crept down his spine.
No time to hesitate. Isaac phased through the doors, entering the large lab. This part of the facility was different. The air was cold and sterile. The machines that usually buzzed with unsettling activity were deathly still.
Standing in the centre of the room, hands clasped behind his back, was the architect of it all - Dr Nyx. His twisted smile stretched wide, his eyes gleaming with dark anticipation.
"Ah, the esteemed Phaser," Nyx sneered, his voice a blend of mockery and delight. "I've been expecting you."
Isaac's pulse quickened. He scanned the empty lab, tension coiling tighter in his chest. 'Where's the equipment? The research? The data?' His fists clenched, rage and confusion battling for control. He'd expected a fully stocked lab to dismantle, something he could destroy or salvage.
Nyx chuckled, his amusement palpable. "Evacuated," he said with a dismissive wave as if reading his mind. "The researchers, data, serum… all safely en route to a new facility. You didn't think I'd leave it here for you, did you?"
'Damn it!' Isaac gritted his teeth. 'This was a trap.'
But he forced himself to think clearly.
Nyx was a narcissist, obsessed with control. A man like that wouldn't delegate everything. He'd keep the most critical results to himself. And if Isaac could-
'If I can take him down, I can end this.'
"You twisted bastard," Isaac spat, his voice trembling with barely restrained anger.
"Twisted? No, no…" Nyx smirked, stepping forward. "I prefer 'visionary.' And spare me the tired rhetoric. As if you've accomplished anything by coming here."
"I created you and all the others, so instead of constantly coming after me, you should be thanking me. I am the saviour of humanity, leading us to further evolution," he spoke grandly, truly believing what he was saying.
But to Isaac, it appeared to be nothing more than the spouting of a lunatic who was directly and indirectly responsible for innumerable deaths.
"I guess you aren't much for talking," Nyx commented as his gaze dropped to his robotic left hand he was tinkering with, eyes gleaming with sadistic amusement.
"You know, after your stunt last time, I had to wonder: how does one deal with someone like you? A mutant who can slip through walls, untouched by physical barriers?"
"By shutting up, for starters," Isaac snapped, though his muscles tensed. 'What is he up to?'
But Nyx continued, his voice tinged with glee. "A ghost. Untouchable! But flawed." His grin widened. "Your abilities exhaust you greatly, don't they? Leave you vulnerable and weak. But, that wasn't enough for me. I needed an active solution."
"You really love hearing yourself talk, don't you?" Isaac muttered, taking a cautious step forward.
Nyx clapped his hands suddenly, the sharp sound echoing. "And here you are, walking straight into my hands."
Isaac flinched, activating his ability in case of a sudden projectile attack, his instincts on high alert. But that was exactly what Nyx wanted...
"Foolish mutant," he taunted, his finger pressing the screen on his last arm. A low hum filled the room, vibrating through the walls. Isaac immediately staggered as nausea gripped him, his powers flickering out of reach.
Nyx's grin grew feral. "A simple constant adjustment in frequency, and your precious phasing is useless. You're nothing now."
Isaac fought against the waves of nausea, his anger burning through the fog. "You won't get away with this-"
Nyx barked a laugh, seeing the despair beginning to set in his eyes. "Empty threats, my dear Phaser. It's unsightly and pathetic. If only I had a real challenge. Someone who doesn't break so easily. Subject 357… now he was something else."
The lab door hissed open, and as if summoned by Nyx's words, Kai stepped in. His red eyes were cold and calculating as he took in the scene: Isaac struggling, Nyx basking in his own arrogance...