The stone shattered with a sharp crack.
Inside the sealed containment box, the moment the rock split apart, something strange happened.
A faint burst of light escaped from within the fragments—something invisible to ordinary eyes.
But Lucas Kane saw it clearly.
At the same instant, the Cosmo inside him stirred.
A quiet pulse echoed through his awareness.
The message was unmistakable.
Gammaion.
He had finally found it.
As the information flowed through his awakened Cosmo, Lucas understood what Gammaion truly was.
And the explanation was almost absurd.
Gamma radiation couldn't normally be contained. It dispersed instantly once released.
Yet somehow, under unknown conditions, the energy from Banner's gamma explosion had condensed into a stable form—trapped inside stone.
That phenomenon had a name.
Gammaion.
It sounded ridiculous.
But the details didn't matter anymore.
What mattered was that Lucas now knew exactly where more of it could be found.
Quantico.
The site of Bruce Banner's gamma experiment.
Beside him, Gwen noticed the way Lucas stared at the broken fragments.
She nudged him with her elbow.
Lucas snapped back to the present.
"Hmm?"
"What are you thinking about?" Gwen asked, frowning slightly. "You're looking at that thing like you actually want to turn into another Abomination."
Lucas pushed the thought of rushing to Quantico out of his mind.
"Not exactly," he said calmly. "I was just wondering if Dr. Connors is getting close to a breakthrough."
Before Gwen could respond, a voice spoke behind them.
"Scientific progress is mostly trial and error," the voice said warmly. "But I do believe we're moving in the right direction."
They turned.
Dr. Curt Connors had approached.
"Doctor," Gwen greeted.
Connors wore the same white lab coat as the rest of the researchers. His left sleeve hung empty where his right arm should have been.
He extended his left hand toward Lucas.
"Curtis. Curtis Connors. And you are…?"
Lucas shook his hand.
"Lucas Kane. Gwen's classmate. I'm working in the Bio-Electric Engineering Department for the summer."
He gestured lightly toward the hallway.
"I came up with Mr. Dillon. I asked Gwen if I could take a look around. Sorry if I'm intruding."
Connors chuckled.
"I overheard your conversation. Do you really think my research can succeed?"
Lucas answered without hesitation.
"I've read your papers, Doctor. If your work succeeds, it could change countless lives."
It wasn't flattery.
If limb regeneration became possible, millions of people around the world would benefit.
Of course, that depended on Connors perfecting a regeneration serum rather than creating something more dangerous.
But Lucas kept that thought to himself.
Connors seemed pleased by the answer.
"Well," he said with a laugh, "I appreciate the vote of confidence."
As he turned to leave, he added to Gwen,
"You can show your friend our current progress."
"Of course, Doctor."
After Connors walked away, Gwen leaned closer to Lucas.
"Do you really think his experiment will work?"
Lucas was watching the researcher who had cracked the Gammaion stone. The scientist carried the fragments toward a centrifuge.
Just as Lucas opened his mouth to respond—
He sensed something.
Lucas glanced up.
The ceiling lights flickered.
Once.
Then again.
And suddenly—
Bang.
The bulb overhead exploded.
The entire laboratory plunged into darkness.
A split second later—
A violent burst echoed somewhere in the room.
"Whoa—!"
"What the—"
"Ah—!"
Lucas felt a sudden pressure rush through the air.
Toward Gwen.
There was no time to think.
His body reacted on instinct.
Lucas thrust his arm forward, placing his hand between Gwen and the incoming force.
Something sharp slammed into his palm.
A wet impact.
Pain flared briefly.
Then the emergency lights activated.
Red illumination flooded the laboratory.
The scene was chaotic.
A centrifuge had ruptured.
One of the female researchers lay collapsed beside it, clutching her throat as blood poured between her fingers.
Lab mice scattered across the floor.
"Holy—!"
"Mia?!"
"Jesus Christ!"
Several researchers rushed forward while others sprinted for the door to call for help.
Lucas quietly lowered his hand behind his back.
Gwen, however, had noticed.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Show me your hand."
Lucas blinked.
"What?"
She didn't wait for an answer.
Gwen grabbed his arm and pulled his right hand forward.
She opened his palm.
The skin looked normal.
Almost.
At the center of his palm was a faint patch of fresh skin—as if something had healed moments earlier.
Gwen stared at it in confusion.
Lucas smiled casually and pulled his hand back.
"My hands aren't nearly as nice as yours anyway."
Gwen didn't respond.
Her eyes remained fixed on him.
Moments later, Osborn security and medical teams stormed into the lab, pushing everyone aside as they secured the area.
Amid the confusion, Lucas quietly left the laboratory with a slightly dazed Max Dillon.
Gwen stayed behind.
Standing near the doorway, she frowned as she replayed the moment in her mind.
When the lights went out, she had clearly felt the air compress around her.
And she had seen it.
A few drops of blood falling in front of her.
Yet Lucas's hand was unharmed.
Something didn't add up.
Suddenly Gwen's eyes widened.
She stepped back inside the lab and walked to the spot where she had been standing earlier.
On the white floor tiles…
Several drops of blood remained.
Nearby, one of the lab mice approached the stain.
The animal sniffed it.
Then began licking the blood from the floor.
"Oh no."
Gwen's expression changed instantly.
"Shit."
She turned and ran back into the lab.