The next morning came too soon.
Cold light seeped through the frosted glass panels of the military hospital. Outside, the corridors echoed with the rhythmic steps of soldiers and the distant hum of generators. Inside the isolation chamber, Blade sat motionless, his wrists cuffed to the bedframe, the faint pulse of light beneath his skin still flickering from last night.
He didn't know how much time had passed. The sterile air made every second feel the same hollow, stretched.
The door opened with a hiss. Crow entered, dressed in a darker lab coat this time, his gloves pristine white. Behind him came two medics pushing a steel cart covered with surgical instruments, data tablets, and a thick syringe filled with an iridescent blue fluid that shimmered under the lights.
Blade's gaze locked onto it instantly. "That's the procedure?"
Crow nodded once. "Procedure Zero. The first step toward unlocking your complete potential."
"Or killing me."
Crow smiled faintly, setting down his tablet. "Science always walks a thin line between those two outcomes."
He motioned to the medics, who began adjusting the restraints. The cuffs released with a mechanical click, but two soldiers entered immediately, rifles at their sides. Blade flexed his fingers slightly. He could still feel the faint vibration of power deep within his muscles—like a caged storm.
Crow approached with the syringe. "You'll feel a brief sting," he said. "After that, it will depend on how strong you really are."
Blade's expression hardened. "You talk like I'm not human."
Crow paused, then smiled without warmth. "Because you're not. Not anymore."
Before Blade could respond, the needle pierced his arm. The serum flowed into his bloodstream, glowing as it traveled beneath the skin. He gritted his teeth, every nerve igniting with heat. His heartbeat roared in his ears, faster, louder, until it drowned out every sound.
His vision blurred. The world melted into a swirl of light and color.
He gasped as the heat turned to fire. His muscles tensed violently, the veins under his skin glowing like molten lines. Monitors around him blared warnings spiking vitals, unstable heart rate, accelerated regeneration.
Crow stepped back, watching intently. "Yes… yes, that's it. Push past the limit."
Blade screamed. The bed's metal frame bent under his strength. The restraints tightened automatically, hydraulic locks engaging, but even they began to strain. His breath came in ragged bursts. Every cell in his body felt like it was being torn apart and rebuilt at once.
Then, suddenly silence.
The monitors flatlined.
Crow froze. One of the medics panicked. "His vitals"
"Quiet," Crow snapped. He leaned closer, eyes wide, searching Blade's face. The soldier's body had gone still, eyes open but lifeless. The faint glow under his skin faded.
For three seconds, there was no sound.
Then Blade inhaled sharply. The machines went wild again. His eyes once dull blue now glowed with a faint, shifting silver.
Crow exhaled, whispering, "Beautiful."
The energy radiating from Blade's body wasn't violent anymore; it was controlled, deliberate. The air around him rippled slightly, as if space itself bent in submission to his presence.
He looked up, eyes locking onto Crow's. "What did you do to me?"
Crow smiled. "I completed you."
Blade's fists clenched. The restraints groaned.
Crow didn't flinch. "You feel it, don't you? The clarity. The strength. That's what the serum does it synchronizes your regenerative cells with your nervous system. You're faster now, sharper, stronger."
Blade's voice was low. "And if I wanted to tear your head off?"
Crow's smile didn't fade. "Then we'd both learn something new."
For a moment, they just stared at each other. Then Blade's body shuddered. Pain rippled through him again, less intense but deeper like something awakening in stages.
He looked down at his hands. The faint silver glow traced along his veins, fading, then returning. He could feel it humming, responding to his thoughts.
"This isn't strength," he muttered. "It's control."
Crow nodded approvingly. "Exactly. That's the difference between a weapon and a soldier."
He turned to the medics. "Begin phase monitoring. Keep him under sedation if necessary."
But before they could move, Blade's voice cut through the room. "Don't."
Crow looked back. Blade's chains vibrated slightly, then snapped not from brute force, but from something subtler. The metal seemed to dissolve under invisible pressure.
One of the soldiers raised his rifle instantly. "Stand down!"
Blade moved.
It wasn't human speed. One blink and he was already in front of the soldier, hand gripping the weapon's barrel. The soldier's finger didn't even reach the trigger before Blade twisted, disarming him effortlessly.
Crow's expression didn't change. "Interesting…"
Blade's voice was calm now, too calm. "You're not keeping me here."
Crow met his gaze. "You can try to leave. But if you do, the others will come for you. You're not the only one, Blade. There are more like you each one stronger than the last."
Blade froze. "Others?"
Crow smiled faintly. "Twelve prototypes. You're number seventeen. The rest are waiting for activation."
"Prototypes of what?"
Crow leaned closer, whispering, "Of evolution itself."
Before Blade could respond, an alarm erupted through the facility. Red lights flashed, and a metallic voice echoed over the intercom:
Containment breach in Wing C. All units respond immediately.
Crow's expression darkened. "No… it's too early."
He turned toward the door, issuing rapid commands. "Lock down this wing! Get security to containment now!"
Blade's instincts kicked in. The sound of explosions reverberated through the hall. The faint tremor under his feet told him whatever had escaped wasn't human.
He looked at Crow, who was typing furiously into his tablet. "What's happening?"
Crow's voice was tight. "Another subject broke containment. If you value your survival, you'll stay here."
Blade took a step forward. "Show me where."
Crow hesitated, studying the glow in Blade's eyes. Then, unexpectedly, he tossed him a small device a circular earpiece.
"Fine," Crow said quietly. "Prove you can control what's inside you. Go stop it."
Blade caught the device, clipped it into his ear, and without another word, pushed past the soldiers toward the door.
The hallway beyond was chaos—alarms blaring, steam hissing from broken pipes, red lights flickering overhead. He could feel the pulse of energy from down the corridor, something raw and predatory moving through the shadows.
Crow's voice came through the earpiece. "Subject C-09. Enhanced strength. Unstable neural patterns. Don't let it touch you."
Blade's jaw tightened. "Guess we're testing your little experiment sooner than planned."
He stepped forward into the red-lit hall.
The hunt had begun.
The corridor was painted in shades of red and shadow. Sirens screamed overhead, and the metallic scent of blood mingled with antiseptic and burning circuits. Blade's bare feet hit the cold floor in steady rhythm, each step echoing like a war drum.
Through the flickering emergency lights, he could see the aftermath of chaos doors ripped off hinges, steel walls dented as if struck by monstrous force.
"Crow," he said into the earpiece, his voice low. "What exactly am I dealing with?"
Static hissed, then the doctor's voice crackled through. "Subject C-09. Failed stabilization. The subject's muscle density increased beyond containment parameters. It no longer follows cognitive commands. In other words"
"A beast," Blade finished.
Something heavy slammed into metal somewhere down the hall, followed by a guttural roar that vibrated in his chest. He clenched his fists. His skin still glowed faintly beneath the surface, responding to his pulse.
As he approached a junction, he saw the first body a soldier, or what was left of one, slammed into the wall with such force the impact left a human-shaped dent. Blade paused briefly, scanning the scene. Claw marks. Too large for any human hand.
"Visual on casualties," he muttered.
Crow's reply was calm, clinical. "Expected. Continue to sublevel corridor three. That's where containment breaches always lead."
Blade frowned. "Always?"
Crow didn't answer.
He turned the corner, and the lights flickered again. For a split second, everything went dark. When they came back, something massive stood at the far end of the corridor.
It wasn't fully human anymore. Its spine jutted through the skin like jagged blades, and its arms were grotesquely elongated, covered in patches of gray tissue and steel-like growths. Its eyes burned with faint, feral light.
It sniffed the air. Then it saw him.
The creature's roar shook the walls.
Blade exhaled slowly. "Guess that's my cue."
It charged. The floor trembled under its weight. Blade stepped aside, barely avoiding the first swing as the monster's arm crashed into the wall, sending fragments of metal flying.
He moved instinctively his body responding faster than thought. The world slowed for a fraction of a second. The creature's movements became sluggish, as though trapped in heavy syrup. He could see the path of the next strike, the angle, the timing.
Time dilation.
His eyes widened slightly. The ability had triggered on its own.
He slid under the next blow, pivoting with a sharp twist, and slammed his elbow into the creature's ribs. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, but the thing barely staggered.
"Too thick," he muttered.
It swung again. Blade dodged backward, sparks erupting as claws scraped the metal floor. He needed more than raw speed.
"Crow," he barked, ducking another blow. "This thing's not human. What's it made of?"
"Modified cell culture reinforced with exo-skeletal plating," Crow replied. "Its regenerative rate exceeds yours by twenty percent."
"Perfect."
He darted forward, letting the creature swing wide, then planted a brutal kick into its knee joint. A crack echoed. The beast stumbled, roaring in fury.
The corridor's lights shattered as it swung blindly, tearing through cables and panels. The entire section plunged into darkness, lit only by the flickering emergency beacons and the faint silver glow radiating from Blade's veins.
He steadied his breathing. The faint hum in his mind returned a strange whisper, subtle yet familiar. Time slowed again. This time he didn't resist it.
Every movement of the creature became a pattern, a rhythm. He could see the tremor before it lunged, the tension in its shoulder before it attacked.
He moved.
A blur of motion, silent and lethal. He slipped past its arm, his hand cutting across its throat with precise speed. Flesh tore. The monster howled and swung wildly, but Blade had already moved behind it.
He drove his knee into its spine. The thing crashed into the wall, denting it inward.
Before it could recover, Blade wrapped his arm around its neck, his muscles tightening like iron cables. He felt the bones crack beneath his grip.
The creature slammed him into the wall in desperation, once, twice, but Blade didn't let go. The silver glow around his body intensified. With one final twist, the sound of snapping vertebrae filled the air.
The monster went limp.
For a moment, Blade just stood there, chest heaving, his breath misting in the cold air.
Then, slowly, the creature's head twitched. Its wounds began to close. The broken neck straightened with a sickening crack.
"Not dead yet," Blade muttered.
The beast swung its claw again. This time it caught his shoulder, tearing through flesh. Blade grunted, blood spilling onto the floor.
Crow's voice came through the earpiece. "Regeneration test confirmed. Your wound will close in approximately twenty seconds. Don't stop fighting."
Blade glanced at the bleeding gash. Even as he watched, the flow slowed. The edges of the wound began knitting together. His body was healing itself faster than he thought possible.
He looked back at the creature. "Alright then."
He rushed forward.
Their collision sent a shockwave down the corridor. Claw met fist, muscle met steel. Sparks and blood flew in every direction. Blade ducked low, swept the creature's legs, and drove an uppercut into its jaw. The sound was like a thunderclap.
The beast reeled backward. Blade didn't let up. He pressed forward, punch after punch, every strike powered by inhuman precision. The walls around them cracked.
The creature grabbed him mid-swing and hurled him into the ceiling. Blade hit hard, denting the metal, then landed on his feet, crouched low.
His eyes glowed brighter. The world slowed again this time, longer.
He could see the next second before it happened. The monster lunged, claws wide. He sidestepped before it even moved, spinning behind it, his hand glowing faintly.
He struck.
A clean blow to the back of the head. The creature's skull fractured under the impact, the sound echoing through the corridor.
It collapsed, shaking violently before going still.
Blade stood over it, breathing heavily.
Crow's voice broke through the static. "Vital signs?"
Blade stared at the motionless body. "It's down."
"Excellent. I'll send a retrieval team"
The creature's eyes snapped open.
"Crow," Blade said sharply, "cancel that."
The thing exploded upward, slamming into him with full force. They crashed through a reinforced door into another chamber a vast medical bay lined with shattered glass and containment pods. Blade rolled across the floor, barely stopping himself before another strike came down.
The creature was berserk now, its body tearing itself apart just to keep fighting. The plating along its arms split open, revealing pulsing red veins of raw energy.
Crow's tone shifted. "It's overclocking. You have thirty seconds before it detonates."
"Detonates?"
"Cellular overload. The serum is unstable. Get out of there, now."
Blade's eyes narrowed. "No. I'm ending this."
He lunged forward again. This time, he didn't hold back. His body blurred, moving faster than sight. Every punch connected with surgical precision. The glow in his veins turned brilliant white.
The creature roared one last time before Blade's fist pierced through its chest.
A shockwave erupted outward, shattering every glass panel in the room.
The monster went silent, its body convulsing once… twice… then collapsing completely, dissolving into ash-like residue that scattered into the air.
Blade staggered back, breathing heavily. The white glow faded slowly to silver.
"Crow," he said quietly. "Target neutralized."
For a moment, there was only static. Then Crow's voice returned, quieter, almost reverent. "Impressive. You adapted faster than predicted."
Blade looked at the fading remains. "You call this adaptation?"
Crow didn't answer.
The emergency lights dimmed. The alarms finally stopped. For the first time since awakening, silence filled the corridors again.
Blade turned toward the far wall, where the remnants of containment pods lined the room. Some were empty.
He frowned. "Crow… how many subjects are still here?"
Crow's voice came back, low and deliberate. "Not enough. And not for long."
The line went dead.
Smoke drifted through the shattered chamber. Sparks flickered from torn cables in the ceiling, casting broken light across the metallic floor. Blade stood in the middle of the destruction, chest rising and falling slowly, the faint hum beneath his skin finally quieting down.
He looked at his hands, still trembling slightly. The silver veins had faded back to normal, but he could feel the energy pulsing just below the surface, waiting.
The silence felt heavy. Too heavy.
He turned toward the observation window. Behind the cracked glass, a faint silhouette moved Crow. The doctor was standing in the control room, watching him through the smoke, his expression unreadable.
For a long moment, neither moved.
Then Crow pressed a button, and the intercom crackled to life. "Vital readings have stabilized. Regenerative patterns normal. You did well, Blade."
Blade stared back at him, expression cold. "That thing wasn't human. You made it, didn't you?"
Crow didn't deny it. "Every prototype serves a purpose. C-09 was… an early model. Its failure taught us how to make you better."
"Better?" Blade repeated, the word sharp. "That thing tore people apart."
Crow's voice remained calm. "Perfection demands sacrifice. You're alive because we learned what went wrong before you."
Blade's eyes darkened. "And when I fail? Will I be another lesson?"
There was a pause. Then Crow smiled faintly. "I don't intend to let you fail."
Blade took a step forward. "What did you inject me with?"
"The serum," Crow replied. "Derived from a classified organic compound. It accelerates cell regeneration, enhances neural conductivity, and… opens new cognitive pathways. You've only experienced the surface of it."
"The surface," Blade echoed, low. "That wasn't enough for you?"
Crow tilted his head slightly. "Not nearly."
Blade's jaw tightened. "You used me as bait, didn't you? You knew that creature was unstable. You let it out."
Crow's eyes flicked briefly to the side, avoiding his stare. "Containment breaches happen. What matters is how we respond to them. And you responded perfectly."
Blade felt something cold twist in his gut. Every word the doctor said sounded rehearsed, practiced, calculated.
He exhaled slowly. "You're testing control. Not power."
Crow's faint smile widened a little. "You're smarter than the others."
"The others?"
There was silence again.
Then Crow spoke, tone lower this time. "You're not the first, Blade. Nor the last. Twelve doctors, twelve formulas. Each of us perfecting our own variation of the serum. You could call it… competition."
"Competition," Blade said quietly. "Between who? The doctors?"
"Yes. Every few years, we hold a demonstration a test of superiority. Each subject represents their creator's vision of evolution. Those who survive the trials join the organization's elite divisions. Those who don't…"
"Die," Blade finished.
Crow didn't deny it.
Blade took a step closer to the window. "And you want me to be your champion."
"I don't want you to be," Crow said, voice soft. "You already are."
The lights in the chamber flickered again. The lockdown alarm finally ceased, leaving only the low hum of power running through the facility.
Blade glanced down at the remains of the creature, now fully dissolved into ash. "You said twelve doctors. That means twelve like me?"
"Not exactly like you," Crow replied. "Each subject is unique. Some have raw destructive power, others specialize in sensory perception, manipulation, or stealth. But none have your regeneration pattern. You're the first to achieve stable synchronization."
Blade frowned. "Stable. That means you made more before me."
"Seventeen," Crow corrected. "You're Subject Seventeen. But only three before you survived initial procedure."
"And where are they?"
Crow's expression didn't change. "You'll meet them soon enough."
Blade felt a chill crawl up his spine. The way Crow said it wasn't a promise it was a warning.
He turned toward the chamber door, still half-broken from the battle. "I'm leaving."
"Leaving?" Crow's voice carried a hint of amusement. "Where would you go? This place is locked down tighter than a fortress. And even if you got past the gates, the world outside wouldn't recognize you anymore."
Blade paused, hand resting on the doorframe. "You sound confident I'll stay."
"I don't need to be confident," Crow replied. "I just need you to remember what you saw tonight. That power inside you it's not done growing. And only I can help you control it."
Blade didn't respond. He pushed open the door and stepped into the dimly lit hallway beyond.
The air felt different now heavier, filled with something unseen. The walls still bore the marks of his battle, but the silence that followed made it feel like the calm before another storm.
As he walked, faint voices echoed in the distance. Technicians, soldiers, doctors moving through the facility, repairing damage, pretending everything was under control.
But Blade could sense it. Beneath the sterile surface, there was something else. Something darker.
He reached the end of the corridor and found a reinforced observation window overlooking the main compound. Beyond it stretched a massive underground complex a labyrinth of laboratories, containment wings, and research towers.
Hundreds of people in lab coats moved like ants below, each focused on their task. Large screens displayed data charts, images of human anatomy, and chemical sequences.
Then his gaze caught something else.
Across the far side of the facility, in another glass chamber, stood a figure still, silent, strapped to a metal chair. Even from a distance, Blade could sense the energy radiating from it.
Another subject.
For a moment, the figure's head turned slightly, as if it felt his gaze. Their eyes met across the vast expanse of glass and steel.
And in that brief instant, Blade felt a pulse through his mind. A whisper not sound, but thought. A voice that wasn't his.
"You're awake too."
He froze, staring.
Then the lights in that chamber flickered, and the glass walls went opaque. The connection vanished.
Crow's voice came through the earpiece again, quieter now, almost gentle. "You should rest. You'll need your strength. Tomorrow, we begin combat calibration."
Blade didn't answer. He turned away from the window and started walking.
His reflection followed beside him on the polished glass walls taller now, more defined, eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
He wasn't sure who he was anymore. Soldier, experiment, weapon it didn't matter. The only thing he knew for certain was that the man who had entered this hospital wasn't the same one who was walking out of that room.
The monster inside him had opened its eyes.
And it wasn't planning to sleep again.