A soft crack—
Tch!
The instant the stone inside the containment chamber shattered, a faint light burst free—something no ordinary human eye could perceive. But Hawk saw it clearly.
And in that same instant, his Microcosmos pulsed.
There was no mistaking it.
Gammaneon.
He had finally found it.
The realization struck him with clarity: Gammaneon was nothing more than gamma radiation made solid, warped by some unknown anomaly into a form that could be stored.
Absurd, perhaps. But that didn't matter.
What mattered was that he now knew where to find more.
Quantico. The ruins of Banner's gamma experiment.
Still staring at the stone, Hawk didn't even notice Gwen nudging him with her elbow until her voice snapped him out of his trance.
"What are you thinking about?"
Hawk blinked.
"You don't seriously want to turn into something like Abomination, do you?" she pressed, brow furrowing.
Suppressing the urge to laugh, Hawk shook his head. "Of course not. I was just wondering… maybe Dr. Connors's experiments are close to a breakthrough."
As if summoned, Connors himself approached. His white lab coat swayed slightly as he walked, his single arm extended in greeting.
"Science is always a path of trial and error," he said, overhearing Hawk's words. "But yes—I believe we are close to success."
"Doctor," Gwen greeted politely.
"Curtis. Curtis Connors," he corrected with a warm smile, offering his left hand to Hawk.
"Hawk," he replied, matching the gesture. "I'm a classmate of Gwen's. Summer intern in Bio-Electric Engineering. I came with Mr. Dillon—sorry for intruding, Doctor."
Connors chuckled. "I heard you just now. You really think my work can succeed?"
"I've read your papers," Hawk said smoothly. "If it works, it will change lives. Truly benefit humanity."
Connors's eyes gleamed at the words. Praise—or at least acknowledgment—was rare in his field.
With a satisfied laugh, he excused himself, telling Gwen, "Show your classmate some of our progress."
Gwen tilted her head toward Hawk. "So… you really believe he'll pull it off?"
Before Hawk could answer, the overhead lights flickered.
A split second later—
Bang!
Bulbs exploded, plunging the lab into darkness.
Shouts, the squeal of stressed machinery, and then—pressure. A crushing wave of force rushed toward Gwen.
Without thinking, Hawk stepped forward, thrusting out his right hand.
A sharp pain lanced his palm.
Then, just as suddenly, the emergency lights clicked on. Blood-red lamps cast the lab in an eerie glow.
A scream cut through the chaos.
A female researcher lay sprawled on the floor, clutching her throat as blood poured between her fingers. A centrifuge had ruptured, shards embedded deep. Her eyes bulged as the life drained from her, crimson spreading across the tiles.
The lab erupted into panic—people yelling, running for help, fumbling for bandages.
But Gwen's eyes were locked on Hawk.
"Show me your hand."
"…What?"
Not waiting for an answer, she grabbed his wrist and pulled his palm into view.
Her breath caught.
His hand was intact. No wound. Only a faint patch of skin, fresh as if newly regrown.
Hawk smiled lightly, withdrawing it. "Not as pretty as yours, is it?"
Gwen said nothing, her brows knitting tighter.
Security and medics poured in, beginning to clear the scene. Hawk used the distraction to slip out with Max Dillon at his side.
But Gwen lingered, unsettled. She knew she hadn't imagined it—the oppressive force, the droplets of blood that had fallen when the lights went out.
Her eyes dropped to the floor where she had been standing.
And there—
Dark red stains dotted the white tile.
Blood.
Her heart skipped.
A severed-tailed lab mouse scurried over, sniffed at the spots, then eagerly lapped them up.
Gwen's pupils constricted.
"Shit."
Without hesitation, she bolted toward the stains, panic spiking in her chest.
…
(End of Chapter)
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