The steel doors hissed open, revealing the one place Kyle had sworn he'd never see again.
The extraction chamber.
Circular. White walls, scrubbed clean, smelling faintly of antiseptic and metal. In the center, the rig loomed like some mechanical predator—its spider-like arms tipped with glinting needles and blood siphon tubes. The floor beneath it was stained a deep, rusted brown that Kyle didn't have to guess about.
Two scientists in armored coats moved with clinical precision, prepping the machine. Guards flanked every corner, weapons trained on him.
Kyle was shoved into the cold metal chair at the rig's center, his wrists and ankles instantly clamped down by thick restraints. The cuffs weren't just steel—they hummed faintly with suppression tech, forcing his blood to still inside his veins like ice.
A scientist with thin, cruel eyes leaned in. "We'll make this quick, Blood Weapon. And don't worry—she'll see every second of it."
Kyle jerked against the cuffs, glaring. "You lay one finger on Gia—"
"Oh, she's not our target," the man said smoothly. "You are. But watching you break? That will break her too."
Felix and Gia
Somewhere outside, Gia's voice echoed faintly down the corridor. "Kyle!"
Felix caught her arm before she could rush forward. "You'll get yourself killed if you run in blind."
Gia shoved him off. "I'm not leaving him in there!"
Felix's expression darkened, though there was an edge of something else—something softer. "You think I'm gonna let them drain him? No. But if you blow your cover now, neither of us will get to him in time."
Gia hesitated, frustration bubbling in her chest. "We don't have time for a plan—"
"We make time," Felix snapped. "You open us a way in, I'll clear the path. You get to him while I deal with the guards."
She looked at him, really looked, and for a moment saw something in Felix's eyes that wasn't just his usual cocky smirk. Something dangerously close to concern.
She didn't have time to think about it.
She opened a glowing rift in the wall.
The Extraction Begins
Back in the chamber, Kyle grit his teeth as the machine's arms whirred to life, metal joints clicking into position. A needle glistened in the harsh light, inches from his chest.
The lead scientist adjusted controls, his voice calm. "Your blood will fuel a thousand weapons. Imagine the legacy you'll leave."
Kyle's lips curled into a snarl. "I'd rather choke on it first."
The needle pierced his skin—
—and agony ripped through him. His vision blurred, his blood pulled unnaturally fast, siphoned into thick crimson tubes that pulsed toward a waiting containment tank.
The suppression cuffs kept his powers dormant. He couldn't stop it.
"Almost beautiful," the scientist murmured.
The Break-In
The wall behind the guards suddenly tore open, reality warping as Gia stepped through, her eyes blazing. Felix followed, two knives already spinning in his hands.
"Hi," Felix grinned at the nearest guard. "Bye."
Chaos erupted instantly. Felix moved like a shadow, cutting down soldiers before they could raise their weapons. Gia's portals blinked soldiers out of the room entirely, dropping them into who-knew-where.
"Kyle!" Gia's voice rang sharp through the chaos.
He looked up, pain making his words raw. "The cuffs—!"
She darted to him, hands glowing as she opened a rift directly into the restraint locks, warping the metal out of place.
The moment his wrists were free, Kyle's blood surged. The tubes feeding the rig shattered, spraying the floor in crimson arcs that twisted into bladed chains at his command.
Payback
The lead scientist tried to flee, but Kyle's blood-formed blade pinned his coat to the wall. "You wanted my blood?" Kyle growled, stepping closer. "Take it in the throat."
Gia grabbed his arm before he could strike the killing blow. "Kyle—we need to move. More will be coming."
He met her eyes, chest heaving. Her touch was the only thing that stopped him from spilling more blood.
Felix's voice cut in. "Hate to interrupt your moment, but unless you want to be buried down here, we're leaving. Now."
Kyle released the scientist with a glare, letting him drop. "If I see you again…"
The man scrambled away, too terrified to respond.
Gia opened another portal, the shimmering light spilling over Kyle's blood-slick hands.
As they stepped through, Kyle's gaze lingered on her—half in awe, half in something deeper he didn't want to name.
Felix noticed. And the tight clench of his jaw said he didn't like it one bit.
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