The compound was dying.
Sirens wailed like banshees, red emergency lights spinning across twisted corridors. Smoke coiled through shattered vents. Somewhere above, concrete groaned—then caved, burying another section in debris.
BOOM!BANG!
The two monsters clashed, their first sending shockwaves everytime they met. With Omega's fists getting bloodied and bloodied with each punch.
The shrapnel, although clearly outmatched in both strength and speed, still managed to moved around Omega like a trained fighter.
Ducking and weaving when he should.
It was pretty clear to Zane that this robot-like monster was fitted with a combat AI system or something, giving him a slight edge in the fight.
However....
Looking at how Omega's wounds were slowly sticking themselves back together sa the fight progressed, Zane already and the outcome of this fight.
Knowing this, Zane sprinted down the main hall, ducking low as Shrapnel's heavy fist pulverized a section of ceiling behind him.
"I feel like the side piece in a really violent porn scene. Can someone choke me too, just for consistency?"
Jokes aside.
His body ached. Cuts lined his arms. His vision blurred around the edges from adrenaline and exhaustion—but he was pretty determined right now.
Right infront of him were the reinforced blast doors to the control hub.
Behind, Omega-5 seemed to have become even stronger, going from being suppressed by shrapnel, to being unbothered by Shrapnel's attacks.
"It seems like the drugs have finally worn completely off", Zane muttered to himself.
Skidding to a stop, Zane turned around to face the two again.
The corridor was just wide enough. The timing was tight.
Perfect.
He grabbed a discarded console monitor and hurled it at Shrapnel's face. The machine didn't even flinch—but it was enough to momentarily distract it.
Omega-5 struck.
BOOOOM!!!
Metal screeched. Shrapnel reeled as Omega's massive arm caved in part of its armor plating, sending sparks flying. The two behemoths clashed like titans, walls and floor crumbling beneath them, straight in his direction.
BOOOOM!!
With a loud crash, the two opened a small gap in the blast door.
Zane didn't wait. He sprinted forward, rolling through the small gap as the two monsters were still struggling outside.
Mainly Shrapnel, seemingly unwilling to let Omega through as well.
----------
His muscles screamed, lungs burning as he staggered into the control room. Sparks rained from the ceiling, shattered monitors flickering like dying stars.
Zane limped forward, steel staff clutched in his bleeding hand.
There he was.
Director Steele stood center stage, back straight, hands behind his back like he'd been waiting at a goddamn podium.
"You made it," Steele said calmly, "I was hoping you'd get this far. Makes it more… personal."
Zane gritted his teeth. "Touching. Now die for me, will you?"
He lunged, swinging the staff low. Steele moved with unnerving precision, sidestepping with a grace that didn't match his age or rank. Still, Zane pressed, feinting high then slamming the staff into Steele's ribs with a CRACK.
The Director staggered, gasping.
Zane didn't let up. He swept the man's legs, driving the staff down again—until Steele stopped moving.
He collapsed beside the corpse, panting, vision swimming.
"Doesn't feel nice to be at someone's mercy does it?" Zane spat.
But then the click came. Followed by his danger sense going crazy.
Before his body could even move, 'Steele' grabbed his legs, unwilling to let go.
Too late, he couldn't even turn around completely before everything went black.
---
REWIND
---
He staggered into the room again, sweat freezing in place. Same sparks. Same stench of ozone. But this time, he didn't charge.
'I seriously feel like I'm playing darksouls again.' Zane thought in frustration.
He just wanted to rest!
Jokes aside, he scanned the room, seemingly casually. But he actually focused on the very same spot where he felt the attack come from last time.
There—faint distortion along the far wall. A shimmer. He pretended not to notice, limping toward the fake Steele again.
Same speech. Same smug face.
"You made it—"
"Yeah, yeah," Zane muttered, gripping the staff tighter.
With a grunt, he hurled the heavy rod—not to 'Steele' but whatever that shimmering light was.
CRACK!BOOM!
The staff crashed onto something his eyes couldn't see, sending sparks and explosions flying everywhere.
The disturbance forced the real Steele to reveal himself, stumbling out from behind the machine, clutching a bleeding shoulder from debris knocked loose in the blast.
'Was that some hologram machine?', Zane thought, as he looked at the fake Steele who's image changed from Steele to a younger looking scientist.
Zane didn't hesitate, deciding to go for the closer one.
The staff clattered to the ground nearby, but before Steele could recover, Zane charged, grabbing the rod again and bringing it down hard on the man's ribs.
Steele grunted, blood leaking from his mouth, but tried to stay on his feet.
Zane pressed the attack, slamming ribs and jaw with brutal, unrelenting strikes until the man crumpled against a console.
He didn't get back up.
Zane stood over him, chest heaving.
" Okay, your turn." Zane huffed as he looked at the trembling scientist sitting on the floor.
.....
Then came the real tremor.
The control room's rear wall exploded inward—Omega had thrown Shrapnel through it like a wrecking ball. The automaton hit the floor hard, sparking, twitching—its legs shattered and torso sparking like a dying star.
Omega-5 roared, stepping through after it. Eyes locked on the nearest living thing.
Scanning the room, he was instantly locked onto the man on the floor.....that white lab coat...
ROOAARRR!!
Wasting no time, Omega roared as he charged for the scientist.
" Wai..wait...I was just following..."
BANG!
The poor man didn't even get to finish his flimsy excuse before he was turned into meat paste but Omega's fist.
Blood mixed with bones splattering everywhere, with Omega still pounding. Seemingly still pissed off.
ZZTT!
Shrapnel jerked behind him, red sensors flickering erratically. It tried to stand—but Omega didn't wait.
With a guttural snarl, the mutant ripped up a chunk of floor plating and brought it down like a cleaver.
CRRRRUNCH.
Metal split. Sparks erupted.
Shrapnel's core gave out with a sputtering whine—then silence.
Zane looked from the ruined automaton to Omega, who appears to have calmed down now.
They stood alone in the ruined control room. Sirens still screamed in the distance, but most of the facility was already caving in.
He took a cautious step back.
"You're free now," he said softly. "Do whatever you want."
Omega turned its glowing red gaze on him.
Zane held his breath.
Then, slowly, the mutant stepped aside—clearing a path to the emergency tunnel behind the control room.
Zane didn't need a second invitation.
He ran.
---
Later…
He emerged into the night, lungs burning.
Above him, moonlight split through smoky clouds. Behind him, Cadmus' facility trembled—then collapsed in a low, distant rumble.
Zane stood at the cliff's edge overlooking the forest below. Wind tugged at his clothes. His mask—stolen from a guard—hung from his belt.
His body throbbed with pain.
His mind raced with what came next.
But for now, he was alive.
He had escaped.
He looked down at his hand—still trembling. Adrenaline has been keeping him going for a while now.
"I should've taken a bed or something with me..ahh..whatever." Zane murmured to himself.
Then he turned—and vanished into the woods.