The floor shuddered. From the central tank, Director Thorne emerged. But he wasn't human anymore.
His skin was a mesh of carbon-fiber plates and glowing green veins. His eyes were voids of shifting code. He had bypassed the "vessel" and merged directly with the Catalyst agent. He stood seven feet tall, his arms ending in jagged metallic claws.
"Behold," the monster hissed, its voice a discordant mix of Thorne and a thousand digital ghosts. "The New Chemistry."
"I think I liked the old version better," Lily squeaked, clutching her fire extinguisher.