The creature’s transformation was accelerating.
Its skin rippled like liquid metal, cybernetic veins pulsing brighter, hotter, unstable. The once-human features stretched and warped, its limbs elongating into unnatural, predatory proportions. Claws extended into serrated, almost blade-like edges, their tips glowing faintly with residual energy.
And then—it smiled.
Greg’s breath hitched.
“Okay,” he muttered, fists tightening. “That’s new.”
Tempo wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. “Yeah. Not a fan.”
Cora’s fingers flew across her tablet. The data on the creature’s vitals was fluctuating violently. Readings appeared and vanished, as if the system couldn’t fully process what was happening.
“It’s adapting too quickly,” she whispered, voice tight. “Its body is still shifting—like it hasn’t settled on a final form.”
Arden, standing at the front of the group, lowered his stance. His sword shifted into a longer, heavier broadsword. His breath was slow, controlled.
“We don’t have time,” he said, voice even. “We end this now.”
The creature’s glowing red eyes flickered erratically, almost like they were studying them.
And then—it spoke.
“…End? No. Begin.”
The words were guttural, distorted, like static crawling over raw muscle.
And then it moved.
The speed was impossible.
One second, the creature was several meters away.
The next—BOOM!
The force of its leap shattered the metal floor beneath it, sending shards of steel flying in all directions.
Arden barely had time to react before it collided with him.
He braced, twisting his broadsword to block—but the moment their attacks met, an unnatural force slammed into his body.
The impact sent him skidding backward, his boots screeching against the metal.
Greg’s instincts screamed at him to move.
He surged forward, aiming a hard punch at the creature’s exposed ribs. But the moment his fist made contact—
A shockwave erupted.
Greg was flung backward, smashing through a row of shattered containment pods.
His vision spun, the world tilting. His entire arm went numb.
It’s too dense… too reinforced.
Tempo blurred into motion, dashing around the monster at impossible speeds. His movements became a blur of blue light, rapid strikes hammering into the creature’s joints.
For a moment, it looked like it was working.
The creature staggered slightly, adjusting.
And then—it changed its attack pattern.
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Tempo threw another strike. The creature dodged.
Tempo’s eyes widened. It—
The monster anticipated his next move, catching him mid-dash.
Its claws clamped around his throat.
Tempo choked, his entire body jerking as he struggled.
Greg forced himself up, panic surging in his chest.
“TEMPO!”
The creature tossed him like a ragdoll.
Tempo’s body slammed into the far wall.
He didn’t get up.
Arden’s eyes narrowed.
He vanished from sight—a blur of motion as his broadsword shifted mid-swing into a twin-bladed glaive.
Steel and claws clashed violently.
Each strike from Arden sent shockwaves through the facility. His form was precise, measured—
But the creature was learning.
Greg pushed himself to his feet, chest heaving. He can’t keep this up forever…
Then—Arden slipped.
The creature read his movement, sidestepping at the last second.
A sharp elbow slammed into Arden’s stomach, knocking the air from his lungs.
Before he could recover—the creature’s claws raked across his shoulder.
Arden gritted his teeth, pain surging through his body.
The creature leaned in close, its voice a chilling whisper.
“…You are incomplete.”
And then—it tossed him aside like a broken weapon.
Arden hit the ground hard, his sword vanishing from his grip.
Greg’s heart pounded.
Arden wasn’t getting up.
Cora’s hands were shaking.
Her mind raced through every possible calculation, every possible escape route.
Nothing.
They were trapped.
Tempo was down. Arden was struggling. Greg—
Her throat tightened. Not like this.
Her fingers flew across her tablet, activating her drone’s overclock mode. The small robotic unit flashed red, activating a high-frequency energy burst.
It wasn’t a weapon. But it was a distraction.
The creature winced as the pulse hit, its cybernetic enhancements briefly glitching.
Greg seized the moment.
He charged.
All his strength, all his will—focused into one final punch.
CRACK!
His fist connected with the creature’s head, forcing it back several meters.
For the first time—it staggered.
Greg didn’t stop. He swung again. And again.
Each impact sent shockwaves through the lab, denting the metal floor beneath them.
The creature let out a distorted snarl, its body flickering—unstable.
Greg took one final breath—and threw his strongest punch yet.
BOOM!
The force sent the creature crashing through the far wall.
Silence.
Then—a deep rumbling.
The ceiling began to crack.
Cora’s eyes widened. “The facility is collapsing.”
Greg turned toward Arden, who was slowly forcing himself upright. His breathing was ragged, uneven.
“We’re leaving,” Greg said firmly.
Arden hesitated.
Then, finally, he nodded.
Greg hoisted Tempo onto his shoulder. “Cora, exit route?”
Cora’s drone projected a holographic map. “There’s an emergency maintenance tunnel fifty meters ahead. It should lead us back to the surface.”
Greg exhaled. “Then let’s move.”
They ran.
Behind them, the creature stirred beneath the rubble.
Its eyes flickered—but this time, it didn’t chase.
It simply smiled.
Sylvia’s fingers tapped rhythmically against her armrest.
The facility collapse was projected on her monitor, the Syndicate’s satellite feed showing plumes of dust and debris rising from the hidden structure.
Her subordinate shifted nervously. “Commander, we lost contact with the Revenant prototype.”
Sylvia exhaled slowly.
“No, we didn’t.”
Her gaze flickered toward the last frame of footage captured before the collapse—
The creature’s smile.
Sylvia’s smirk returned.
“It’s still alive,” she murmured.
She tapped a command on her console. A new screen appeared—an encrypted Syndicate file.
PROJECT REVENANT - PHASE TWO INITIALIZING
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“Let’s begin.”
