The doors slid open with a hiss that definitely tried too hard to sound dramatic. Omega and Siara stepped out, both sparkling like they had been mugged by a fairy.
Pluto looked up from a holographic map. "What happened to you two? Fall into a rave?"
Siara groaned. "Experiment malfunction."
Omega added, "And emotional sabotage by a clingy AI."
Emmanuel raised an eyebrow. He was leaning against the railing, arms crossed, permanently looking like he was judging everyone. "You two look like disco balls."
Siara wiped her forehead. "It's glitter contamination. Not style. Little brother."
Pluto squinted at Omega. "Your face is literally glowing."
Omega wiped it quickly. "It's the lights."
"It is not the lights," Emmanuel said, deadpan.
Siara kicked Omega lightly in the boot. "Stop blushing. They can see it."
Omega whispered, "I literally said it's the lights."
Pluto and Emmanuel exchanged the most chaotic smirking telepathy ever.
Pluto clapped his hands. "Alright. Varex said you reached the maximum bonding level."
Emmanuel stared. "Bonding. Seriously."
Siara rolled her eyes.
Omega coughed. "And maybe emotional honesty."
Siara shot him the death glare. He shut up.
Pluto pretended to look at the holographic map. "Hmm. Emotional interference. Interesting."
Emmanuel added, "Suspicious. Very suspicious."
Siara grabbed Omega by the sleeve. "We're leaving. Right now."
Omega mouthed at them, Help me, but they both mouthed back, you like her.
He died internally.
The corridor was empty. Quiet. A little too moody, like the building itself shipped them.
Siara stopped walking. "So…"
Omega scratched the back of his neck. "So...."
They stood there like two NPCs that glitched into a staring contest.
Siara shifted her weight. "Look, about earlier… I wasn't going to say anything dramatic."
Omega nodded. "Yeah. Same. No drama."
They stared again.
Siara finally sighed. "You really want to talk after we save Tim?"
"Yeah."
"You sure?"
Omega nodded. "If I don't, Pluto and Emmanuel will do it for me, and they'll make it weird."
Siara snorted. "They definitely will."
Omega kicked a tiny bolt across the floor. "You know… it's kind of nice. Talking to you."
She looked down at her shoes, cheeks warming up again. "Yeah. You too."
They stood there a moment longer… soft, warm, painfully awkward, and kind of perfect.
Then the alarms blared.
Meanwhile: Inside Lab Sector –– Asuka and Tanya POV
Asuka slapped Tanya's hand away from the glowing panel. "Do not press that. That is the self-destruct trigger."
Tanya blinked innocently. "It was shiny."
"Asuka. No."
"But I like shiny."
"No."
Tanya huffed and went back to mixing two flasks with chaotic enthusiasm. "I still think I should be allowed to blow up small things. For science."
Asuka tightened her ponytail like she was preparing for war. "We cannot afford another incident. Last time you set an entire desk on fire during chemistry class last summer."
"It was a tiny fire."
"It was not tiny....."
Tanya gasped. "Your Lying"
Asuka groaned. She loved Tanya like a sister but also wanted to tape her to a chair at least twice a week.
Tanya leaned over the mixture. "Hey… did you notice Omega and Siara lately? They have… vibes."
Asuka smirked. "They have enough sparks to power the backup generators."
"Should we meddle?" Tanya asked.
"No. Because if we do, Varex will probably detect it and announce it over the speakers."
Varex chimed in from the ceiling. "I detect meddling intentions."
Tanya screamed. "I DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING YET."
Asuka facepalmed.
Tanya threw her hands up. "See? He reads minds. He is judging me."
"As he should," Asuka muttered.
Tanya pouted and returned to her bubbling experiment. "Whatever. At least we aren't covered in glitter like those two lovebirds."
Asuka paused. "Wait. Glitter?"
Tanya nodded. "Lots. Blue. Sparkly. Very romantic."
Asuka sighed. "I swear, if they kissed while creating chemicals, I am going to do something horrendous."
Tanya clicked her tongue. "Oh please. You would never."
Asuka gave her a gentle shove. "Unfortunately."
meanwhile....
Pluto paced around the observation deck, staring at the giant hologram of the facility...worry filled in his eyes...
Emmanuel stood beside him, arms crossed, expression unreadable. "You're worrying again."
Pluto scoffed. "Of course. The outbreak is evolving. Tim is still missing. Omega has emotionally compromised."
Emmanuel raised an eyebrow. "Emotionally compromised or finally acting human?"
Pluto sighed. "Look… Omega is our best link to understanding the mutation. But if he gets attached, it might cloud his decision making."
Emmanuel leaned on the console. "Have you considered that attachment is what kept him alive?"
Pluto paused.
Emmanuel continued, voice low. "When he was a zombie, he remembered someone. That memory kept him from losing himself. Maybe Siara is that anchor now."
Pluto looked embarrassed. "Why do you always sound like a wise monk."
"I am not a monk. I just use my brain."
"Rude."
"Accurate."
Emmanuel turned to the window. "Something big is coming."
Pluto frowned. "You feel it too?"
"Yeah.."
A beat of silence.
" I miss Tango"
Pluto exhaled. " I just hope he is not dead"
Emmanuel's jaw tightened. "Trust me, I have a feeling he is not"
"If...If he is alive, somewhere in this apocalypse ...I just want him to be safe," Pluto whispered.
The lights flickered.
Both men grabbed weapons without hesitation.
Emmanuel's
"This is not good," Emmanuel said.
"No. It's not," Pluto replied.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tango POV
Tango ran through the abandoned skyscraper, breathing hard but steady. His boots splashed through puddles of stagnant water. His visor flickered with warnings.
The hallway ahead was shredded. Metal claw marks. Acid burns. Dark streaks on the walls that were definitely not paint.
Tango gripped his gun tighter.
"Great," he muttered. "Totally normal apocalypse decor."
He knelt and touched a broken floor tile. Still warm.
"Mutation class unknown," his wrist scanner whispered.
Tango swallowed hard. "Yeah. I figured."
A low growl echoed behind him.
He turned slowly.
Something huge moved in the shadows.
Something with eyes that glowed the same blue as the sparkles on Omega and Siara.
Tango raised his gun.
"Alright, big guy," he said quietly. "If that's how you want it."
.........