Zane tumbled through the rift, the world a chaotic blur of white and shadow that spun around him like a nightmare, his stomach lurching with every twist. His suit sparked with faint pops, the disc's final pulse dragging him into an endless darkness that swallowed the light, the heat fading to a cold void. He hit the ground hard, the impact jarring his bones with a crack that echoed, the air thick with a metallic tang that coated his throat. Stability at 0%, his HUD blared in a frantic red, the disc going dark and silent, leaving him with a sinking panic he fought to suppress.
He lay on a platform, its surface smooth and black, cold against his palms, surrounded by an infinite void where stars glittered too close, too bright, their light casting eerie patterns that danced across his visor. His HUD rebooted with a stutter, scanning the desolate expanse: Location: Interdimensional void. Atmospheric integrity: Unstable. The suit's systems flickered, the repair functions offline with a series of weak clicks, the damage from the cavern battle etched into every creak. Armor integrity at 65%, it reported, a grim reminder of his vulnerability.
"Shuri? Gideon?" he called, his voice echoing into the nothingness, the sound bouncing back with a hollow ring that chilled him to the core. Static answered, a faint crackle that faded into silence, cutting him off from his only anchors. He stood, wincing as pain shot through his leg and ribs, the suit's weight dragging at him, his breath shallow in the thin air. The disc hung lifeless on his chest, its absence a bitter weight, a symbol of his isolation. What now? he thought, his mind racing for a plan.
A figure appeared at the void's edge, shrouded in the swirling darkness, tall and armored, the woman's green eyes glowing with a predatory gleam that pinned him in place. "You've run out of tricks," she said, her voice smooth and deadly, carrying a confidence that made his skin crawl. "That device is mine, and you're out of moves." She stepped closer, her armor humming with a low thrum, runes flaring with a sickly green light that pulsed in time with his heartbeat.
Zane backed up, the platform trembling under his boots, his repulsors dead and useless, their silence a stark contrast to the battle's roar. "Not yours," he said, his voice shaky but laced with defiance, the memory of Stark's sacrifice fueling his words. "Stark built it for hope, not control— I won't let you twist that." Her laugh was cold, slicing through the silence like a shard of ice, her amusement a taunt that stoked his anger. She raised a hand, and the void pulsed, tendrils of darkness uncoiling from the shadows, reaching for him with a sinister grace.
He dodged, the platform quaking with a low rumble, but a tendril caught his arm with a vice-like grip, pain searing through his nerves like fire. His armor cracked with a sharp snap, the sound echoing in the void, and his HUD updated: Integrity at 60%. He fought, twisting free with a grunt, the effort leaving him breathless, but the void tightened its hold, tendrils coiling around his legs. His mind raced—Think, Zane!—and he spotted a faint glow, a rift shard embedded in the platform's edge, its light a beacon in the darkness.
The woman advanced, her eyes narrowing with a cruel smirk, her presence dominating the space. "You're nothing without it," she sneered, her voice dripping with contempt as the tendrils tightened, squeezing the air from his lungs. Zane lunged, desperation driving him, and grabbed the shard, its energy sparking through his gloves with a jolt that made his teeth clench. The disc jolted in response, a weak pulse reviving it with a faint hum, its light flaring briefly. Stability at 1%, his HUD chimed, a fragile hope reignited.
He aimed the shard, firing a desperate blast that cut through the void with a crackling roar, the energy hitting her square in the chest. She staggered back, her armor denting with a metallic groan, a gasp escaping her lips, but she recovered quickly, fury blazing in her eyes. "You'll pay for that," she hissed, raising both hands with a flourish, the void shaking as more tendrils lashed out. The platform cracked under the strain, fissures spreading like veins, and Zane stumbled, the shard slipping from his grasp with a clatter.
He caught a ledge as the platform gave way, his fingers digging into the smooth edge, dangling over the abyss where stars swirled below. The disc sparked weakly, its pull dragging him toward a new rift that shimmered at the void's edge, a faint promise of escape. Her laughter followed, a sound that promised doom, reverberating through the emptiness as the tendrils reached for him again. Zane's grip faltered, his strength waning, and the rift swallowed him, the woman's furious shout fading into the dark.