The steel doors at the end of the hallway groaned, bending outward like cheap foil. Cracks spider-webbed across the metal surface as something massive on the other side slammed against it again.
THOOOM!
THOOOM!
The sound rattled Aiden's eardrums, vibrating in his bones.
Rourke grabbed Aiden's shoulder.
"We have to retreat—NOW!"
Aiden didn't move.
He stared at the bending steel, heart pounding with a strange mix of dread and… recognition.
Like something inside him was calling back.
Another thunderous impact.
BOOOOOOM!
The doors EXPLODED outward, metal fragments flying like shrapnel. A wave of force slammed into Aiden and Rourke, throwing them back. The lights above shattered, plunging the corridor into flickering red darkness.
A monstrous silhouette stepped through the broken doorway.
Aiden's breath froze.
Subject One was…
huge.
Seven-and-a-half feet tall.
Muscles swollen to monstrous proportions.
Bones protruding from its shoulders like jagged armor.
Skin covered in thick, pulsing black veins.
Its face was distorted—jaw unhinged, teeth sharpened into dozens of fangs.
But its eyes—
its eyes were silver. Like Aiden's.
Only corrupted.
Swirling with madness.
Rourke whispered, "Oh God… it's fully awakened."
Subject One sniffed the air—
and its gaze locked onto Aiden instantly.
Aiden felt it again.
The connection.
A violent pull, like invisible chains tugging between them.
"We need to RUN!" Rourke shouted, grabbing Aiden's arm.
But Aiden couldn't move.
Subject One stepped forward, shaking the ground.
A low, rumbling growl escaped its chest… directed at Aiden.
Rourke swore under his breath. "It sees you as a challenger. Back away SLOWLY—"
Too late.
Subject One ROARED, a sound so powerful it cracked the walls.
Then it charged.
Aiden's world slowed.
Every movement of the monster became crystal clear.
Aiden barely dodged, the creature's massive arm smashing into the concrete where he'd been standing. The impact carved a crater in the floor.
The shockwave blasted Aiden backward.
He hit the ground hard.
Rourke fired three shots at Subject One—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The bullets lodged into its skin…
then pushed themselves OUT as the creature regenerated instantly.
Rourke's face turned pale. "Nothing hurts it…"
Subject One rushed again—
this time targeting Aiden's chest.
Aiden rolled aside, feeling claws slice through the air inches from his ribs.
His instincts screamed.
His mutation pulsed violently—harder than ever.
His body responded before his mind could.
He sprang to his feet—
vision sharpening—
muscles buzzing with raw, inhuman force.
Aiden dodged the next swipe and struck back, punching the creature's ribs with full strength.
CRACK!
The blow shook Subject One—
but only for a second.
Subject One grabbed Aiden by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
Aiden choked, claws digging into his skin—
but his wounds healed instantly.
The monster snarled in his face.
Their eyes met.
Silver.
Silver.
Aiden felt a surge of pain—
like two signals clashing violently.
"Aiden!" Rourke yelled. "Your mutation is colliding with his! You can't overpower him yet!"
Aiden tried to pry Subject One's hand off his throat—
but the creature was stronger.
Much stronger.
Then—
A sudden memory stabbed through Aiden's mind.
His mother.
Her trembling hands.
Her final breath.
A whisper from his childhood—
"You're meant for something greater, Aiden…
something the world isn't ready for…"
His eyes widened.
Something snapped.
Aiden's pupils narrowed to razor-thin slits.
His irises glowed brighter—
silver surging with white veins of light.
Subject One stiffened.
Rourke's eyes widened. "Aiden—your mutation is SPIKING!"
A primal, foreign instinct exploded inside Aiden's brain.
Not fear.
Not anger.
DOMINANCE.
Aiden grabbed Subject One's wrist—
and squeezed.
The monster roared in shock, its arm trembling as Aiden pushed back with an unnatural surge of strength.
He forced Subject One's hand off his throat—
inch by inch.
Rourke whispered, astonished: "He's… overpowering it?"
Aiden snarled—an inhuman, predatory sound he didn't recognize as his own.
He shoved the monster back, slamming his palm into its chest.
A shockwave blasted down the hall, throwing Subject One several meters away.
The creature skidded across the floor, roaring in fury.
Aiden collapsed to his knees, panting—
steam rising off his skin.
Rourke knelt beside him. "Aiden, what the hell was THAT?"
Aiden looked at his trembling hands.
Silver energy pulsed under his veins.
"I… don't know."
Subject One climbed back to its feet, enraged.
Its roar shattered the remaining lights.
Rourke grabbed Aiden. "We can't fight it here! Get up—we need to escape deeper into the archive!"
Aiden struggled to his feet.
Subject One lunged again, tearing through the darkness.
Aiden and Rourke sprinted through the hallway—
Behind them, the monster gave chase—
each footstep like thunder—
each roar like an earthquake.
The chase had begun.
And Aiden realized something terrifying:
His mutation wasn't just waking up—
it was changing him.