The tridents snapped with energy, illuminating the ruined laboratory in a pale golden-blue glow. The masked man approached, storm energy swirling around him like a whirlwind of pent fury. His arm raised—ready to rain justice upon Rhane for the last time.
But then—
"HAAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The masked man paused. Dr. Rhane's laughter rang out, loud and unhinged, echoing off the crumbling lab walls like a symphony of madness. His face was contorted with twisted glee, blood dripping from his temple, his lab coat hanging in tatters.
Dr. Rhane:
"You're too late! Too late, as always!"
(He reached into his coat and pulled out a small, silver device. A thumb hovered over a pulsing red button.
"Ready, all is. Master's vessels have already been prepared."
The masked man's eyes narrowed behind the cold metal of his helmet.
Mysterious Man:
"Is that so?"
And with nothing more, Rhane slammed the button.
Suddenly—the entire laboratory shook.
Pods on the rear walls—previously dead and sealed—began to convulse with an ugly hiss. Steam exploded from between their joints. White lights blazed out of their connectors. Dozens of containment pods now explosively open simultaneously, releasing clouds of cold vapor into the air.
From within them emerged men and women, their eyes blazing with an unnatural clean white light, their faces unexpressive—empty of expression, but quivering with barely checked energy.
Their limbs jerked spasmodically. One man's fingers radiated with lightning. Another woman's flesh crystallized into a diamond. A teenager manipulated shadows around his arms like spinning blades. Their new abilities were in full swing—but they had no soul. No consciousness. No awareness.
And at the epicenter of it all…
Justin's pod remained closed.
Quiet. Silent. Untouched.
Dr. Rhane (whispering reverently):
"It seems the possession worked… I knew it wasn't ready, but… sorry, Master. I had no choice."
The possessed moved as one.
Their eyes blazed with a fierce intensity.
They charged.
The masked man readied himself.
Current ran through his body, turning the ruined hall into a storm room. His bellow accompanied the two tridents as they whirled round and round in opposite directions, creating a shockwave of lightning that sent some of the possessed flying—but they were up in an instant, bones snapping back into place like a restrung marionette.
He was fast and precise—striking joints, nerves, and pressure points to incapacitate, not kill. But it was getting harder. These people didn't hurt. They had incoherent coordination and unbalanced power output but fought with mad abandon.
Suddenly—
"DESTROY."
The voice thundered—not one voice but the combined voices of all of them.
All the pod-born puppets spoke as a single… but their lips didn't move.
"DESTROY."
"DESTROY."
"DESTROY."
The voice was otherworldly. A devilish note, as if the air itself had been shaped by a low rasping voice from outside the universe. The laboratory lights flickered wildly. The floor shook under their feet. The equipment broke down.
And yet—the masked figure remained steady.
His voice dropped an octave. Low. Unwavering. Unshakable.
Mysterious Man:
So, you have finally revealed yourself.
He spun his tridents once more, electricity swirling around them like serpents.
"Then have your master hear this—"
He leapt like a lion across the crowd, thrusting both tridents into the ground. A bolt of lightning exploded from the ground below him, generating a glistening bubble of electricity. Possessed bodies were sent tumbling in waves. The rush melted circuits, blew fuses on the lights, and sent Rhane slamming into a wall.
But even as bodies flopped lifeless for a moment, the possessed were rising again, twitching, bleeding—but never stopping.
And yet… the demonic chant continued.
"DESTROY."
"DESTROY."
Their chant thundered louder—until it seemed the walls themselves of the center were quaking under its strength.
And amidst smoke, blood, and fire—the figure in the mask stood firm. Standing against a score of vessels of evil.
But far away…
Justin's pod did not move.