Aiden sprinted down the underground hallway, boots slamming against metal flooring. The red alarm lights strobed behind him, creating flashes of pure terror as Subject One crashed through the corridor like a living earthquake.
THOOOM!
THOOOM!
THOOOM!
Every footstep felt like the facility itself was being torn apart.
Rourke ran ahead, shouting, "TURN LEFT—NOW!"
Aiden swerved just as Subject One's claws sliced the corner where he'd been half a second before. Concrete shattered like glass.
Aiden felt the wind of death brush his cheek.
The monster roared behind them, its massive form barely fitting through the hallway. Pipes overhead burst from the vibrations, spraying cold mist as alarms blared uncontrollably.
They reached a fork.
Rourke pointed right. "Archive Wing—this way!"
Aiden followed, lungs burning—yet his body didn't feel tired.
If anything… he felt more awake than ever.
Subject One smashed into a wall behind them, ripping through it and emerging from the other side like a locomotive of flesh. Its eyes locked on Aiden again.
ROOOAAARRR!
Rourke cursed. "It won't stop—this thing won't stop chasing you!"
Aiden could feel the reason.
Because deep inside, their mutations were attracting each other.
Like predators fighting for dominance.
The hallway narrowed ahead.
Rourke tapped a control panel. "Come on, open, OPEN!"
The reinforced door slid upward slowly.
Subject One rounded the corner behind them, claws carving the walls.
Aiden grabbed Rourke and threw him under the half-open door.
Rourke rolled through.
Aiden dropped to slide under—
CRASH!
Subject One slammed into the shrinking gap, its arm clawing through with monstrous strength.
Aiden felt claws scrape his boot—
He rolled in time.
The door slammed shut, trapping Subject One outside.
The monster roared violently, smashing its fists into the steel.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The reinforced door shook.
Deep dents formed immediately.
Rourke grabbed Aiden's arm. "MOVE! That won't hold!"
They ran deeper into the archive wing—rows of abandoned servers, cracked monitors, and dusty crates. Emergency lights flickered overhead, long shadows stretching across the forgotten lab.
"Where are we going?" Aiden demanded.
"The core archive room," Rourke said. "Where the original Abraxas files are stored. It's the only place you'll learn what you are."
Aiden clenched his jaw. "I don't care about files—I need a way to stop that monster."
"There IS a way!" Rourke shouted. "But without the data, you won't survive the mutation long enough to try it."
They turned another corner—
And froze.
A massive window overlooked a chamber below…
filled with dozens of suspended pods.
Aiden's breath caught.
The pods were cracked.
Broken open.
Empty.
Black footprints, claw marks, and blood smears coated the floor below.
"Those…" Aiden whispered, voice shaking. "Those were all subjects?"
Rourke nodded grimly. "Yes. Dormant ones."
Aiden swallowed. "And they're all awake now?"
"Every single one," Rourke said. "Spread across the facility. And they're all drawn to the same signal—"
Aiden stiffened.
"My mutation."
Rourke nodded.
"Your awakening sent a biological pulse through their cells. They see you as the original. The source. The rival."
A chilling realization washed over Aiden.
"So the entire facility… the hundreds of mutants… they're hunting me?"
Rourke's voice dropped.
"Yes."
Aiden stared out at the broken pods.
What have I become…?
Suddenly, a BOOM erupted behind them.
The steel door they came through—
the one trapping Subject One—
caved inward.
Half crushed.
Subject One's massive arm ripped through the twisted metal.
ROOOAAAARRRRRR!
Aiden's heart slammed in his chest.
"It broke the reinforced door…?" he whispered, horrified.
"No—" Rourke said, voice cracking. "It evolved again."
Subject One shoved its entire upper body through the hole. Its muscles looked different now—larger, veins darker, eyes brighter and wilder.
Aiden felt his mutation respond involuntarily.
A pulse shot through his body—
hot, painful, like electricity crawling under his skin.
His veins glowed faintly silver.
Rourke stepped back, terrified. "Aiden—your mutation is reacting—"
Aiden gripped his chest. "It hurts—something's changing—"
"DON'T LET IT TAKE OVER!" Rourke shouted.
But Aiden barely heard him.
Every sense in his body was spiking.
Every instinct screamed to fight.
To dominate.
To survive.
Subject One roared again—
a challenge.
Aiden roared back—
a sound he didn't recognize as human.
The lights shattered.
Subject One tore fully into the room, towering over them like a nightmare given form.
Rourke pulled Aiden toward a reinforced blast door.
"This way! The archive room is behind here!"
Subject One charged.
Aiden shoved Rourke aside and turned—
his pupils razor-thin—
his entire body trembling with uncontrolled energy.
He faced Subject One head-on.
Silver veins crawled across his skin like living light.
Rourke stared in shock.
"Aiden—your mutation is entering Stage Two!"
Aiden's voice was cold, deeper than before.
"Then let it."
Subject One roared and lunged—
And the clash of monster and half-evolved monster
shook the entire underworld of the city.