The fight was brutal and short. Vance's sonic cannon could hurt Jax, but it couldn't kill the storm of rage that was coming for him. Jax tore the cannon from its housing and shattered Vance's augmented body with relentless, final blows.
As Vance fell, the unstable Dissonance wave peaked. The Spire's core resonator went critical.
"Jax, we have to go! Now!" Anya yelled, hauling the dazed Kaelen to his feet.
Jax looked at the core, then at his sister and his fallen friend. He made a choice.
"Get him out,"he growled to Anya. "I'll collapse the resonator. It's the only way to stop the wave."
"Jax, no!"
"It's the only way to save the pack!" he roared. "Go!"
Anya, tears streaking through the grime on her face, dragged Kaelen towards the exit. She looked back once to see Jax, fully transformed into a magnificent, terrifying beast, unleashing all his power upon the machine that had birthed his nightmare.