Adrian's golden eyes burned with fury.
"You think you can stop me with this?" His voice vibrated through the air, cracking the walls.
Ethan didn't hesitate. "We're not stopping you. We're burying you."
Valerie pressed the detonator.
Click.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then—BOOM.
The explosion rocked the entire tower.
The floor beneath them lurched, sending debris crashing from above. Fire erupted along the walls, swallowing cables, monitors, and everything Adrian had built.
The tower was coming down.
And Adrian was trapped inside.
The Monster Unleashed
From the smoke, a roar tore through the chamber—inhuman, filled with rage and desperation.
Adrian staggered forward, his body cracking apart, golden veins pulsing wildly. His power was unraveling.
Ethan didn't wait.
He grabbed Olivia's arm. "MOVE!"
The team ran, dodging collapsing beams, leaping over broken walkways. The tower was falling apart—but Adrian wasn't dead yet.
"YOU THINK THIS IS OVER?!"
A wave of force exploded outward.
Ethan was thrown off his feet, skidding across the shaking ground. His vision blurred—and then he saw him.
Adrian.
His body warped, shifting between man and something else.
His limbs twisted, golden energy seeping from his skin like fire.
"I AM EVOLUTION! I AM FOREVER!"
And then—he lunged.
The Last Shot
Ethan rolled, barely avoiding Adrian's clawed hand tearing into the ground.
Valerie fired—point-blank.
The bullet slammed into Adrian's chest.
He stumbled. Just for a second.
It was enough.
Ethan grabbed the last detonator.
The final charge—planted right beneath Adrian's feet.
Adrian's golden eyes locked onto his.
And for the first time—there was something else there.
Fear.
Ethan pressed the button.
The Fall
The explosion ripped through the foundation.
Adrian let out a final, inhuman scream as the floor beneath him collapsed.
He fell—into the abyss of fire and rubble.
Ethan didn't stay to watch.
He ran.
The entire tower was crumbling. The sky above was swallowed in a storm of fire and smoke.
They weren't going to make it.
Unless—
Blaze barked, sprinting ahead. His cybernetic collar flashed.
A path.
Ethan followed, lungs burning, legs screaming. Almost there. Almost—
They burst through the exit just as the tower gave way.
The last thing Ethan saw—was Adrian's burning form vanishing into the darkness.
And then—silence.
The End… or the Beginning?
Dust filled the air. The city skyline was forever changed.
The tower was gone.
Noah coughed, dragging himself up. "Tell me we actually won."
Ethan didn't answer right away. He looked at the ruins, his mind still racing.
Adrian was gone.
But something in his gut told him—
It wasn't over.
Valerie exhaled. "For now… we survived."
And sometimes, that was enough.
For now.