THE VAULT
2:00 PM…
After the boys returned with Zainab, Reed took control. They ran diagnostics on her, confirming Sadiq's theory on her trauma amalgamating with her dream powers that caused her dual personality and psychic outbursts.
"This is our new target," G declared, looking at the boys. "Not just Kane. His mind-chips. We break the chips, we break his army. Its quite simple, destroy everything in Kronos labs."
The boys nodded, their purpose renewed. They now had a personal stake in every Nucron Kane had corrupted. They would not just be fighting to win; they would be fighting to save.
As they began to plan, Zainab started to add to the team, even though she as more reserved from her experiences. Her psychic connection to the was a game-changer. She could pinpoint peoples locations, sense their presence, and even predict their immediate movements. Her powers were not a weapon of destruction, but a tool of salvation.
The atmosphere in The Vault was charged with a mix of fury and grim purpose. After rescuing Zainab, the boys had spent the next fe minutes strategizing, they had to do it on fast track so they could get to the lab on time.
"We go by dropship," Ahmad commanded, his voice firm. "We hit Kronos Labs hard and fast. We destroy everything—the antidote, the mind-chips, the Nuragen cores. We find Kane and we end this."
The journey to Lagos was a tense blur. Sadiq, seated at the console, watched Ayah's screen intently. Umar sat quietly, his fists clenched and unclenched. Nasir kept his gaze fixed on the endless sky, while Ahmad stared ahead, a fire burning in his eyes that had nothing to do with his powers.
KRONOS LABS
11:45 AM…
The dropship landed silently in the main hangar of Kronos Labs. The sheer scale of the facility was intimidating, a cold, imposing fortress of glass and steel. As the ramp lowered they noticed the silence, the entire compound seemed empty. The boys moved like ghosts through abandoned corridors, their movements a stark contrast to the buzzing labs and armed guards they'd seen in the Intel videos. It was silent. Too silent.
They reached the main research and development wing, the place where Reed had worked for years. The doors hissed open, revealing a ghost lab. The tables were bare, the monitors dark. Cabinets were empty, and the air was thick with the faint, lingering smell of chemicals and disuse. There was nothing left. No Nuragen, no antidote, no mind-chips. The entire operation had been moved.
Umar's rage flared anew. He slammed his fist into a console, sparks flying. "He knew! He knew we were coming!"
"G, you there?" Sadiq whispered into his comms.
"I am here. What is going on?" G's voice, laced with concern, came through.
"The place is empty, sir. He cleared everything out."
Just then, a low, ominous hum filled the air. The main doors to the lab sealed shut with a deafening clang. A voice, synthesized and cold, blared from the speakers.
"Welcome, boys. Dr Kane has a message for you. It is time for you to meet his new and improved Task Force."
Four figures emerged from the shadows, their movements eerily synchronized. They were Enforcers, but different from any the boys had encountered before. They were very similar to the boys in terms of body size, their black tactical suits covering every inch of their bodies, concealing their identities. Their powers were more focused, their energy a controlled hum.
One of them, a menacing blur of motion, materialized a small orb of crackling lightning with a very distinctive colour, Ahmad's eyes narrowed as he spotted the orb.
"This one is mine," Ahmad growled, flames erupting from his fists.
The battle began. The Enforcers were faster and stronger than before. They worked as a unit, their powers complementing each other with brutal efficiency. But the boys were a better team, their improved suits and training making them a unified force.
Ahmad charged at the lightning enforcer, fire against lightning. Their blows were a blur of light and heat, shaking the very foundations of the lab. Umar faced a geo-kinetic Enforcer, smashing his fists into the ground and creating a storm of earth and rock. Nasir fought a wind manipulator, turning the air around them into a lethal, invisible weapon. Sadiq, his hydrokinesis now a tool of surgical precision, faced an unseen enemy, a liquid manipulator, turning water into razor-sharp whips.
It was a brutal, hard-fought battle, but the boys, fueled by their rage, eventually found an opening. They noticed a small, glowing patch on each Enforcer's neck, a tiny, almost invisible chip.
"The mind-chips! Its behind their necks" Sadiq yelled.
He focused, gathering water molecules from the air and forming a microscopic, high-pressure jet. It struck one of the chips, creating a shower of sparks that left the Enforcer stunned and disoriented. The others followed suit, finding the small weak spots in the Enforcers' tech.
With a final, desperate move, the lightning enforcer unleashed a massive lightning blast at Ahmad. Ahmad, now a master of his control, absorbed the electricity, redirecting it back at Bala's chip. The chip short-circuited, a final spark of purple light before the enforcer fell to the ground.
As the boys stood triumphant, the comms on the Enforcers crackled to life. Professor Charles's voice, frantic and terrified, blared from the comms. "All units, fall back! Fall back now!" The remaining Enforcers retreated in flash of light, leaving the boys alone in the silent, empty lab.
Back in The Vault, a grim silence fell as they debriefed. Reed, looking pale and defeated, confirmed their suspicions.
"He played us," Reed admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "He knew we'd come. He cleared the lab, moved everything. He lured you there to test his new Enforcers."
"Where did he go?" Ahmad demanded, his fury still barely contained.
"He's relocated," Reed said, pulling up a detailed holographic map. "To Yaba X. The prison island. He's repurposed the entire facility. He's turning it into his main headquarters, his new and final base of operations. And he's already started Project 'Black Dawn.'"
The reality of their situation hit them like a wall. The boys looked at each other, their initial victory against the Enforcers now tasting of ash. Kane wasn't just a man; he was a phantom, always one step ahead.
"So he wants us to come to him," Sadiq said, his eyes now cold and calculating. "He's waiting for us."
"Yes," Reed confirmed. "He's banking on your rage. He wants you to come for revenge. He wants to capture you and to add your superior Nuragen to his power."
"Then we will give him what he wants," Ahmad declared, a dangerous calm in his voice. "But not on his terms."
G, who had been listening silently, finally spoke. "It's time to gather our forces. He has his army. We have to build our own."
"Understood, Sado, contact Amara and Obi, tell them its time for a fight.
Sadiq, with newfound precision, contacted Amara and Obi. They sent a dropship to meet with them, and they, along with the factions they had united, agreed to join their cause. The fight was no longer just about the four boys; it was about the survival of all Nucrons.
G and Reed then made a difficult decision. They went to Retro's containment unit, finding the boy's digital form still flickering, subdued but defiant. They released him from the pod, laying him do wn as he regained consciousness.
Retro's eyes identified, then settled into a cold rage. He grabbed Reed by the throat as his eyes blazed with his digital energy, he threw him across the room and jumped up to face G. G remained stoic, not even flinching at the B450 level Nucron infront of him, Retro charged at him but before he could make contact, G simply placed his finger on a pressure point on his shoulder, making Retro stop in his tracks and fall to the ground, snickering.
"Young man, you need to calm down. You're in a safe place." G said as he bent down.
"I… what do you want from me?" Retro asked still struggling to unclench.
"we need your help, you're a strong Nucron. Its time for you to help other people instead of just yourself." G said in a stern voice. Retro looked at him in fear, thinking to protest or just to oblige. Just then, Sadiq walked in. Retro knew him more than the others, they were somewhat friends in school, even though a lot has changed, seeing Sadiq was comforting.
Sadiq walked over and squatted don to speak. "Retro, its time for you to join the fight."
"... Ok… I ill join you." Retro said finally. Sadiq smiled as he held out his hand, retro accepted it and Sadiq helped him up.
"You've met G, he's our mentor." Sadiq said. Retro nodded, not looking G in the eyes.
"Nice to meet you boy… you were quite the challenge. Welcome to the team." G said with smug grin on his face.
Sadiq led Retro to the data core and told him all about their plans as Reed recovered. He showed him the footage of Kane, of the mind-chips, of the stolen lives. Retro, though still arrogant and emotionally distant, saw the threat not just to his life, but to every Nucron and human out there. He agreed to help, but only this one time, a temporary alliance forged in the fires of mutual hatred for a common enemy. Ahamd and Umar came in and got caught up.
The boys and their new allies spent the rest of the night preparing for the coming storm. This was not a rescue mission, not a skirmish in a schoolyard, not a brawl in a lab. This was war. And they were ready. The next day, it would all begin.