Scene opens —The underground lab vibrates from the tension in the air. Sparks fall from broken ceiling lights. The sealed chamber is cracked wide open. Smoke swirls.*
Subject A-00 steps forward.Larger than Aran. More savage. Less human. A body forged from virus and steel — pure rage, no soul.
Liya (eyes wide):"...This is what they wanted you to become?"
Shaggy (muttering):"That thing's not a man. It's a weapon."
Aran stares at A-00 in silence. The glowing red eyes across from him reflect the storm in his own chest.
Subject A-00 (grinning):"You were their miracle, Aran. The success. But you still bleed. Still cry like a broken little human."
Aran (coldly):"And you talk like you forgot you ever were one."
Suddenly — A-00 charges.
Steel claws ripping across the air.
CLASH!
Aran blocks with his glowing sword. Sparks fly. The shockwave shakes the lab.
*Liya and Shaggy are thrown back, shielding their eyes.
Meanwhile… aboveground.
Keira sits alone, drawing in silence. Suddenly, her hand freezes. Her eyes turn distant, like she's hearing something... from inside her own head.*
Whispers.
"He's here. The one who made it. The one who broke Aran."
Keira (softly, frightened):"...Who's talking to me?"
She drops her crayon. Her drawing shows something new — a man in a long coat, face covered in a mask… watching Aran from the shadows.
Back to the fight.
Aran slashes across A-00's armor — but it regenerates. A-00 swings, slicing through a support beam.
Subject A-00:"You don't even know what you are, do you? You think you escaped?"
Aran (breathing hard):"I didn't escape. I survived."
Subject A-00 (laughing):"They let you go. They wanted to see what you'd become… how long you'd last before breaking like the rest."
Aran's eyes burn bright. Blue and white — flickering like lightning.
Aran (gritting his teeth):"I made a promise… to kill everyone who made me. And that starts with you."
Full combat mode:
Aran activates a deep energy surge — veins glowing through his arms, symbols appearing on his skin. He teleports behind A-00, slicing through his side. Blood splashes the floor, steaming.
A-00 retaliates with a vicious roar — grabbing Aran by the throat and slamming him through a wall.
Liya (yelling):"ARAN!"
Shaggy charges in, fists glowing. She punches A-00 in the side, knocking him back.
Shaggy (screaming):"You want to break something?! BREAK ME INSTEAD!"
A-00 turns to her, grinning… but Aran reappears behind him, eyes now pure white.
Aran (calm, deadly):"You don't touch them."
In a flash — Aran slashes straight through A-00's back. A blinding blue pulse explodes from the cut.
A-00 drops to his knees, breathing heavy, blood dripping from his mouth. But he laughs…
Subject A-00 (weakly):"Still just a tool… They're coming, Aran. You can't stop them. No one can..."
He collapses. Dead.
Silence falls. Only the hum of broken lights remains.
Liya walks to Aran slowly, placing a hand on his back. He doesn't look at her.
Aran (low voice):"...He knew me. Knew everything."
Shaggy (quietly):"He was what you were meant to become."
Scene cuts back to Keira — staring at her drawing.
A new shape has appeared in the shadows. A face with no eyes… but a voice.
"Hello again, Little Witness. We'll meet soon enough."
Keira whispers, afraid:"Who... are you?"
TO BE CONTINUED...