The lab's cold, sterile light sliced through the thick darkness as each member of the group struggled to transition back from the nightmarish realm. Their bodies felt heavy and sluggish, the process slower and more jarring than usual, as if the shadows themselves resisted letting them go. One by one, they blinked into focus, their breaths sharp and labored, feeling the weight of reality settle back on their shoulders. When they finally looked up, they were greeted by an unexpected sight—the wide, concerned eyes of the aliens hovering around them.
"Are you all right?" one alien in a white lab coat asked, his voice wavering.
"What's going on?" another alien demanded, their tentacles twitching anxiously.
"It... it looks like they're back..." muttered a third, his voice low but strained.
None of the humans acknowledged the aliens' questions. Instead, their focus drifted to one figure in the room—a figure whose twisted smile and outstretched arms radiated a chilling, otherworldly aura. Haze's lips stretched unnaturally wide, her smile curving almost 180 degrees, her eyes gleaming with an unnatural, sickly light that made their stomachs churn. She spread her arms in a mockingly welcoming gesture, her fingers splayed wide as a dark, nauseating energy pulsed from her like waves off a diseased heart.
Williams staggered back, pressing against the wall, his eyes wide with shock. *How is she able to use her powers here?* The lab had supposedly nullified their abilities, but somehow, Haze was an exception. Only Thor and Loki had previously managed to activate their powers, but Haze was now exuding an aura so strong it felt like it was suffocating the room itself.
"All of you freaking aliens, get out of here!" Josh Roark's voice cut through the tension like a sharp blade. He didn't wait for a response, his voice growing louder and more urgent. "GET OUT! SHE'S GONNA ATTACK!"
As if on cue, the glass wall behind them shattered, the shards exploding outward in a shower of gleaming fragments. Axel stepped through the debris, his body cloaked in a dark, ominous aura that seemed to pulse with barely-contained rage. Shadows swirled around him, cloaking his form in an almost tangible darkness.
"Oh, Axel," Haze's tone was mocking, her gaze playful as she took in his dark transformation. "How delightful to see you alive and well."
Axel's gaze was cold, his eyes scanning each of his companions until they landed on Haze. His voice was low and filled with menace. "I'll ask this once before I kill you: how many clones do you possess?"
Haze tilted her head, feigning a pout. "You want me to count? Let's just say... more than you could kill in a lifetime. Maybe ten, maybe a hundred... perhaps even a thousand. We've evolved, Axel. We're a race of our own now, far beyond what you could comprehend."
Axel's jaw clenched, his gaze dropping to the floor, as if contemplating his next move. When he looked back up, his eyes were filled with a steely determination. "Then I'll destroy every last one of you. I'll make you pay for everything you've done to my family... and my friends."
Haze's laughter filled the room, loud and unhinged, her hands clutching her sides as though the thought genuinely amused her. "Oh, Axel, you think you have a chance?" Her voice dropped to a low, venomous hiss. "Back on Earth, everyone's lost their abilities. The Fateks have taken over, and your loved ones are... well, let's just say they're at my mercy. Your sister, Luxiam, the double-awakened kids, and that little bitch Hera—I'll kill them all, one by one. And there'll be nothing you can do about it."
***Author's note***
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