Aria woke to the sound of metal.
A slow, hollow clink echoed somewhere above her, like chains brushing against steel. For a few seconds, she didn't move. Her body felt distant, heavy, like it didn't belong to her anymore. Her thoughts dragged, slow and foggy, as if something inside her had been muted.
Then the pain came.
It spread quietly at first—through her arms, her ribs, her head. Not sharp. Not sudden. Just constant. Present.
"…ugh…"
Her eyes fluttered open.
Light hit her vision immediately—too bright, too harsh. She squinted, blinking slowly until the blur began to settle into shapes.
Cold walls.
Steel surfaces.
Machines.
Restraints.
Her wrists were locked above her, metal cuffs digging into her skin, holding her in place against a tilted frame. Her feet barely touched the ground. Her breathing hitched as she tried to move—
Nothing.
"…what…"
Her voice came out dry. Weak.
She pulled harder.
The chains clanged in response.
Didn't break.
Her heart started to race.
"…where am I…"
Footsteps answered her.
Slow.
Calm.
Controlled.
Aria lifted her head, her vision still adjusting.
A man stepped out of the shadows.
Tall. Well-dressed. Composed.
At first, just a silhouette.
Then he stepped into the light.
And everything inside her froze.
Her eyes widened.
"…no…"
Her voice trembled.
Recognition hit her instantly, harder than anything else she had felt since waking up.
"…that's not possible…"
The man standing in front of her wasn't just anyone.
She had seen him on TV.
Heard his voice in interviews.
Watched him speak about hope… about saving lives.
"…Dr… Blanc…?"
The name slipped out of her mouth slowly, like she didn't even believe it.
Her chest tightened painfully.
"No… no, you're…" she shook her head weakly, struggling to process it. "You're the one helping people… the vaccines… the research…"
Her voice cracked.
"You're supposed to be a good person…"
Silence.
Then—
A faint smile.
Not warm.
Not kind.
Just controlled.
"You finally woke up," he said.
Her stomach dropped.
The tone.
It didn't match the man she thought she knew.
"…this isn't real…" she whispered.
But it was.
The cold room.
The restraints digging into her skin.
The pain in her body.
And the truth standing right in front of her.
Her breathing became uneven.
"You…" she said slowly, anger beginning to replace the shock. "You did this… didn't you?"
Dr Blanc didn't answer immediately.
He simply observed her.
Studied her.
Like she wasn't a person.
Like she was something to be measured.
"…let me go," Aria muttered, struggling again against the restraints.
Metal clanged.
Her strength didn't come.
That alone scared her.
"You endured the sedative longer than expected," Dr Blanc said calmly, glancing toward a nearby console. "Your resistance is… unusual."
"I don't care," she snapped weakly. "Just let me go."
"You will," he replied, "in time."
Aria's eyes hardened. "Who are you really?"
A small pause.
Then—
"I am exactly who I have always been," he said. "You simply didn't understand it."
Her jaw clenched.
"Monster," she muttered.
He didn't react.
Instead, he picked up a tablet, scanning through data.
"Your physical output… far above normal human capacity. Bone density increased. Muscle fibers enhanced. Cellular response accelerated…"
He looked up again.
"…yet incomplete."
Aria frowned.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Another pause.
Then—
Electricity surged through the restraints.
"AH—!"
Her body jerked violently as pain ripped through her nerves. It wasn't long—but it was enough. When it stopped, she hung there, breathing heavily, her body trembling.
"That," he said calmly, "is a minimal output test."
"You're insane…" she breathed.
"No," he replied, "I am precise."
Another surge followed—stronger.
Her scream echoed through the lab, her body straining as every muscle reacted against her will. When it stopped again, her head dropped slightly, sweat forming along her skin.
"…you're testing me," she realized.
"Yes."
"Why?!"
He stepped closer.
"Because you are not normal."
Her breathing slowed slightly.
"The things out there…" she said quietly. "The… monsters… you made them, didn't you?"
Silence.
"…they're like me, right?" she asked.
"No."
The answer was immediate.
Cold.
"They are failures," he continued. "Unstable results. Their bodies rejected the process."
Aria swallowed.
"And me…?"
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"You are something else entirely."
A chill ran through her.
Behind him, a figure stood still.
Slander.
Aria's eyes shifted toward him, anger rising again.
"You…" she said. "Why are you helping him?"
No response.
Not even a glance.
"Say something!" she snapped.
Nothing.
Her frustration only grew.
"What's wrong with you?!" she yelled. "You just stand there like—"
"Enough."
Dr Blanc's voice cut through the room.
Aria fell silent, breathing hard.
Then his eyes shifted again.
To her face.
To the mask.
"…interesting," he murmured.
Her body tensed.
"What?"
He stepped closer.
"You hide your identity," he said. "That suggests awareness. Caution."
"Don't touch me," she warned.
He ignored her.
His hand lifted slowly.
Reaching for the mask.
Aria pulled back as much as the restraints allowed.
"I said don't—"
His fingers brushed the edge.
She struggled.
But she was too weak.
"…let's see who you are," he murmured.
Her heart pounded.
"No—"
But instead of removing it immediately—
He paused.
Then reached into his coat.
A syringe.
Her eyes widened.
"…what are you doing…"
No answer.
He moved quickly.
The needle pierced her arm.
"AHH—!"
Pain exploded through her instantly.
Not like before.
This was deeper.
Her veins burned as something surged through her system, spreading rapidly, aggressively. Her body reacted violently, muscles tightening, her breathing breaking.
"What—did—you—do—?!"
Her voice cracked.
Her eyes flickered—
Brown—
Blue—
Brown—
Blue—
Unstable.
Her strength—
Fading.
"…no…"
Her grip weakened.
Her body felt heavier.
Slower.
Wrong.
She tried to pull again—
Nothing.
No surge.
No power.
Just weakness.
Panic hit.
"No… no… what is happening…"
"You've been suppressed," Dr Blanc said calmly. "Temporarily."
"…you took it…" she whispered.
"No," he corrected. "I interrupted it."
Her breathing became uneven.
"I can't…"
Fear crept in.
Real fear.
For the first time since everything began—
She felt helpless.
Across the room, Slander remained silent.
Watching.
—
High above the city, VEX stood still.
The wind brushed past him, but he didn't move.
In his hand, a small device blinked steadily.
A signal.
Locked.
"…found you," he muttered.
Without hesitation, he moved.
—
The Johnston house felt too quiet.
Midday light filled the room, but it didn't feel warm.
Mrs Johnston paced back and forth, her hands trembling.
"She didn't come home," she said again. "She didn't call…"
Mr Johnston stood near the table, phone in hand.
"I've tried," he said. "It goes straight to voicemail."
"That's not like her," she replied quickly.
Dylan sat quietly.
"…maybe she's with her friends," he said.
But no one believed it.
"…something's wrong," Mrs Johnston whispered.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
—
Back in the lab, machines hummed louder.
Aria hung weakly, her body still trembling from the injection.
Dr Blanc stepped closer again.
His hand lifted.
Toward her mask.
She couldn't move.
Couldn't stop him.
"…no…" she whispered.
His fingers touched the edge—
And began to lift—
—
BOOOOOOM!!!
—
The entire lab shook violently.
The door exploded inward, metal tearing apart as smoke and debris filled the room. Alarms blared instantly, red lights flashing across the walls.
Everyone froze.
Then—
Footsteps.
Calm.
Steady.
Through the smoke—
VEX stepped forward.
His eyes locked onto Aria instantly.
Then Slander.
Then Dr Blanc.
Everything assessed in a single glance.
"…step away from her," VEX said.
His voice was low.
Cold.
Final.
Slander moved first.
Stepping forward.
Blades drawn.
The air shifted instantly.
Dr Blanc stepped back slightly.
Observing.
Aria lifted her head weakly, her vision struggling to focus.
"…Vex…?" she whispered.
He didn't look at her.
"You always get yourself into trouble," he said calmly.
She tried to speak—
Nothing came out.
He stepped forward, placing himself between her and them.
"Stay down," he added quietly.
Then his stance shifted.
Ready.
Slander mirrored it.
Blades angled.
Silent.
Deadly.
The alarms screamed.
The lights flickered.
And in that moment—
Right before everything broke into violence—
Aria could only watch.
Helpless.
As the fight was about to begin.