The air in the Research Annex was thick with the dust of pulverized concrete and the acrid smell of burnt propellant. The metallic clang of the Juggernaut's powerful blows and the rhythmic crackle of Elizabeth's automatic rifle filled the lab, creating a deafening symphony of desperation.
Eric, his small body pressed against the remains of the equipment rack, worked with a furious intensity born of terror and necessity. He was oblivious to the chaos surrounding him, his world narrowed to the glowing screen of his multi-tool and the schematics of the lab. He knew the data contained the code for their destruction, but also the key to their salvation: the Blight Reversion Agent.
"Oliver! Elizabeth! I'm searching the chemical inventory against the Reversion Agent formula!" Eric yelled over the din, his voice strained. "The log calls for three core reagents! R-43, T-99, and a stabilizer, Iso-Heptane! I need to find where they're stored and load them into the synthesis unit!"
Oliver, meanwhile, was fighting a losing battle against the Juggernaut. His gauntlet was performing miracles, the kinetic amplification allowing him to deliver blows that should have fractured rock. Each punch landed with the force of a battering ram, causing the Juggernaut to roar in confusion and pain, its thick, stony hide already showing cracks where the most powerful strikes had landed. However, the gauntlet's internal glow was flickering, and the low hum was becoming erratic, sputtering under the sustained, impossible stress.
"I need a clear shot at the storage unit!" Oliver roared, parrying a sweeping blow that sent the ruined lab bench skittering across the floor. "Where are they, Eric?"
Eric quickly cross-referenced the chemical inventory against the lab schematics. "R-43 is in Cabinet Delta-7! T-99 is behind the cryo-stasis unit in Section Gamma! And Iso-Heptane is… right next to you, Oliver! Bench Alpha-2!"
Oliver glanced at the designated bench, spotting a small, reinforced metal case. He spun, driving a brutal, amplified uppercut into the Juggernaut's jaw, buying himself a crucial second. The creature reeled, its head snapping back with a sickening crack.
"Elizabeth! Suppressive fire!" Oliver yelled, darting towards Bench Alpha-2. He grabbed the Iso-Heptane container, its cold metal a shock against his skin.
Elizabeth poured a rapid burst into the Juggernaut's torso, aiming for the cracked hide. Her rounds did little but anger the creature, but they held its attention just long enough for Oliver to secure the stabilizer.
"Got the Iso-Heptane!" Oliver shouted, tossing the container to Eric, who deftly caught it and scrambled toward a sleek, automated synthesis unit tucked into a corner of the lab. "Now for the others!"
The Juggernaut recovered instantly, its immense bulk surging forward, ignoring Elizabeth. It was focused on the biggest immediate threat: Oliver and the chemical retrieval. It raised its massive foot, preparing to stomp Oliver into the concrete.
"Delta-7! Go!" Eric screamed.
Oliver dodged the pulverizing impact, the force of the stomp sending tremors through the floor. He sprinted toward Cabinet Delta-7, his left arm raised to deflect debris. He ripped the cabinet door open with a single, amplified pull, tearing the hinges free. Inside, rows of clear vials were shelved. He quickly grabbed the container marked R-43 and dashed back towards the synthesis unit, the Juggernaut's roar echoing his movements.
"One left! T-99 in Section Gamma!" Oliver shouted.
The Juggernaut was close now, its stench of decay and Blight overwhelming. It swung a massive arm, this time aiming to crush the entire area around the synthesis unit.
"Elizabeth, draw its fire away from Eric, now!" Oliver yelled, pivoting to stand directly in the creature's path, bracing for impact.
Elizabeth obeyed instantly. She sprinted toward the far end of the lab, firing her last full magazine into the Juggernaut's face, forcing it to turn its huge, shrunken head.
The Juggernaut hesitated, briefly torn between the two human threats. This momentary pause was all Oliver needed. He launched himself forward, darting under the creature's armpit and heading toward Section Gamma.
Section Gamma was the cryo-stasis area—a wall lined with thick, frosted glass tubes, clearly meant for long-term biological storage. The T-99 container was nestled behind one of the larger, active units. Oliver reached behind the unit, his fingers scraping against the frozen metal, locating the small, cold vial.
"Got it! T-99!"
As he turned, the Juggernaut's massive fist slammed into the cryo-stasis unit he had just been standing beside. The impact shattered the reinforced glass, unleashing a cloud of super-chilled vapor and a shower of glass shards. The contents of the stasis unit—vials of glowing, concentrated Blight Essence—were blasted outward, scattering across the floor.
The Juggernaut stumbled back slightly, surprised by the cold, but its eyes immediately focused on the spilled essence. It seemed to recognize the raw Blight, a primal intelligence overriding its hunting instincts.
"Eric! Now!" Oliver screamed, throwing the T-99 vial across the lab.
Eric caught the vial, his hands shaking but steady. He loaded the final reagent into the synthesis machine. The unit immediately came to life, its internal lights blinking rapidly, emitting a high-pitched, steady whine as it began to process the three components.
"Synthesis initiating! It'll take... thirty seconds to stabilize the Reversion Agent!" Eric yelled.
Thirty seconds felt like an eternity.
Oliver, seeing his chance, didn't hesitate. He knew the Juggernaut was distracted by the raw Blight essence now pooling on the floor. He rushed back towards the creature, its back temporarily to him. He slammed his gauntleted fist into the back of its knee again, making the Juggernaut stagger and drop to one knee with a pained bellow.
"Elizabeth! Concentrate fire on the synthesis unit!" Oliver ordered. "If they get to Eric now, it's over!"
Elizabeth immediately turned her attention to the synthesis unit, positioning herself to guard Eric and Clara, her rifle ready to spit fire at the first sign of a breach from the remaining, unseen Chimera at the door.
The Juggernaut, momentarily downed, recovered its balance quickly. It turned its attention fully to Oliver, its intelligent eyes blazing with fury. It knew this was the one who had caused it pain. It rose, abandoning the notion of caution. It charged.
Oliver raised both fists, the gauntlet on his right hand flickering violently, its low hum straining and cracking. He drove both feet into the floor, bracing for the final, devastating impact, a human shield.
"Ten seconds!" Eric screamed.
The Juggernaut was upon him. Oliver drove his gauntleted fist, his last full, amplified strike, into the creature's exposed lower jaw. The blow connected with a sickening CRACK!, a sound of bone and stone fracturing. The Juggernaut's head snapped back, its momentum briefly halted.
The gauntlet on Oliver's hand flared once, violently, then went dark. The hum died. The warmth vanished. He felt the pain of his own body—his shoulder screaming, his arm numb—but he had bought them the final, agonizing seconds.
The Juggernaut was not down, however. It was infuriated. It lashed out with a massive, club-like arm, sweeping Oliver aside. He flew backward, crashing against the metal wall, his body crumpling, his consciousness fading at the edges.
"Five seconds!"
The Juggernaut turned, its rage now focused on the small, undefended synthesis unit. It lumbered forward, its heavy foot already raised to crush the machine and the boy beside it.
"NOW!" Eric screamed, throwing his body back as he pressed the release.
A spray of shimmering, vibrant green vapor burst from the synthesis unit's nozzle. It was the concentrated Blight Reversion Agent, a shimmering cloud of pure, engineered counter-agent.
The vapor enveloped the Juggernaut just as its massive foot was about to descend. The effect was instantaneous and horrific. The Juggernaut's movements froze. Its rock-like hide began to melt and slough away, revealing raw, red muscle that instantly dissolved into a steaming, viscous goo. The creature let out a silent, final roar of agony as its entire body rapidly destabilized, its structure collapsing inward, consumed by the very science that had created it.
Within seconds, the massive Juggernaut was gone, reduced to a rapidly dissipating puddle of green and gray sludge, which quickly evaporated into a lingering, sickeningly sweet mist.
Silence. Absolute, terrifying silence.
Elizabeth lowered her rifle, her eyes wide, staring at the empty space where the Juggernaut had been. Eric and Clara slowly emerged from behind the synthesis unit, their faces pale, watching the swirling mist vanish.
Oliver pushed himself up from the wall, his whole body protesting, the dead gauntlet feeling heavy and useless on his arm. He looked at Eric, a deep sense of relief washing over his pain.
"Did... did it work?" he rasped.
Eric nodded, clutching the multi-tool that now contained their future. "It worked. We have the Reversion Agent formula. And we have the data. We have everything we need."
Oliver looked at Elizabeth, who was already rushing toward him. The immediate threat was neutralized, but the true challenge—the journey to Elysium Prime—was only just beginning. He had survived the vault, survived the Juggernaut, and now, he had a weapon, not of steel, but of science. He was ready to find the architects of the apocalypse and use their own creation against them.