The platform stretched wide and bare, a lonely island of steel surrounded by shadow. My footsteps echoed too loudly as I moved to the center, each one a reminder of how exposed I was. Mike and Medusa stood far back, keeping as much distance as possible, their figures dim silhouettes against the bright floodlights that glared down from above.
Behind the glass walls on the higher floors, I could see the faint shapes of scientists in white coats, clipboards in hand. Their pens scratched like insects, every movement of mine recorded, every twitch of my fingers cataloged. The weight of their eyes pressed down on me, suffocating.
I wanted to scream that I wasn't a specimen, that I wasn't a monster, that I didn't even know what they expected me to do—but the words tangled inside me.
"Take your time, Lena!" Mike's voice suddenly cut through the silence, too cheerful, too casual. "We'll wait until you figure it out!"
His grin seemed to mock me, though maybe that was just my paranoia. Either way, my chest tightened. They were waiting for me to perform, waiting for me to prove what I was.
But I didn't even know what I was.
I shut my eyes, dragging in a shaky breath. Remember. Remember what happened yesterday.
The memory hit me like a tidal wave. Katara's face—calm, merciless. The fear that clenched my stomach as she threatened to break me. The sheer terror of dying before I had even lived. And behind it all, the ghosts: my family's bodies crumpled in my arms, my friends' voices screaming for help, my adoptive parents begging me to save them. Their faces flickered in and out of the darkness, and with each image, something inside me cracked.
My hands began to tremble. When I opened my eyes, I realized they had already lifted, palms facing each other. At first there was nothing—just the hollow emptiness of failure.
And then—
A spark.
A thread of green light shimmered into existence, trembling like a candle flame caught in the wind. It grew, weaving itself into a small sphere that floated between my hands. My heart skipped a beat.
The glow deepened. Emerald light spilled across my skin, painting my arms in surreal hues. The air grew warmer, humming faintly as though alive. Heat licked against my palms, not burning but embracing me. For the first time since everything fell apart, I felt… comfort.
The ball swelled larger, pulsing in rhythm with my heartbeat. I stared, mesmerized, my breath caught in my throat. It was beautiful. Terrifying. Mine.
"Lena!" Mike's voice rang out again, sharper this time. "That's enough! Stop it now!"
But his warning sounded muffled, distant, as though I were underwater. I couldn't look away. The sphere pulsed brighter, heavier, the air around it vibrating. My arms ached as if I were holding the weight of the world, but I couldn't let go.
Then the sphere buckled.
BOOM!
The explosion tore the silence apart. A blinding green flash swallowed the chamber. Heat seared the air, and the floor shuddered violently. I was flung backward, my skull slamming against the wall with a crack that made stars burst across my vision.
Screams erupted. Metal groaned. Desks toppled as scientists ducked for cover, clipboards scattering like leaves in a storm.
My ears rang so loudly that the world went silent.
Shapes swam in my vision. Through the haze, a face appeared above me—sharp features, serpentine eyes glimmering with worry. Medusa. She crouched low, hands gripping my shoulders.
"Lena! Can you hear me? Answer me!"
I tried to nod, but my head lolled. My nose burned. A warm trickle slid across my lip—blood. Medusa's expression tightened, and she shoved a napkin against my face.
"Here—press it, quickly!"
I obeyed, though my hands trembled too much to hold steady.
And then Mike was there, sliding into view, his grin wider than ever, eyes alight with excitement instead of fear.
"That—" He burst into laughter. "That was incredible! Did you see that, Medusa? She practically blew the whole room apart!"
I wanted to shout at him, to claw that smile off his face. Incredible? It wasn't incredible. It was horrifying. It was dangerous. I could have killed them, killed myself. But the words stuck in my throat.
Mike crouched down, pulling a tablet from his belt. His grin lingered, but his voice shifted, suddenly clinical.
"Listen carefully, Lena. When you activated your power just now, your output exceeded the standard cap. For most of us, the ceiling is around a hundred. You spiked at one-twenty."
My lips parted. "…One-twenty?"
He nodded quickly, the numbers rolling off his tongue like second nature.
"One-twenty. That's unheard of. Do you understand what that means? You're already pushing limits we've never seen before. And if you keep training, if you push yourself to the max, I bet you can break one-fifty. At one-fifty, Lena, you'd outrun anyone. You'd outmatch even Katara."
Medusa's eyes gleamed, her voice hushed with awe.
"In just three days… you've already reached this level. That's not normal. That's extraordinary."
Their admiration felt like poison in my veins. To them, my power was a marvel, a weapon, a trophy. To me, it was a curse. Something wild, uncontrollable. Something that had already destroyed too much.
I dragged my gaze away, searching for proof of what I had done. I expected rubble, craters, scorched steel. But when my eyes landed on the chamber walls, my stomach dropped.
They were untouched.
No cracks. No burns. Not even a scratch.
"…How?" My voice cracked. "How is this room still standing?"
Mike and Medusa exchanged a knowing look before Medusa answered softly.
"Because this base isn't ordinary. David built it. Every wall, every ceiling, every floor. His metals aren't like anything else. No fire, no explosion, no power can destroy them. Not even yours."
The words sank into me like ice. I shivered despite the lingering heat of my power.
David hadn't just contributed to Interitus. He was its foundation. Its shield. It's an unbreakable prison.
And if even my most destructive blast couldn't scratch his walls…
Then maybe there truly was no way out.