The sudden blare of the alarm sent a ripple of panic through the Hall of M. Screens flickered red, warning symbols flashing across the control panels. Seraphina whipped her head toward the Professor, her brows furrowed. "What the hell? There's no mutosterone fluctuation, but the alarm's blaring?" she asked, her voice sharp with urgency.
The Professor didn't even look up from the files he was scanning. His fingers moved across the holographic interface, ensuring that every crucial piece of data was secured before addressing them. His expression was calm, but there was an underlying tension in his voice.
"Hall of M doesn't track threats the same way Nexus or CPG does," he said, standing up. "This alarm isn't just triggered by mutosterone levels. That means something—or someone—is there, but they're not giving off any detectable mutation signatures."
He turned, his coat flaring as he strode toward the reinforced doors. "Everyone, to the Cortex Room."
The group exchanged glances—Seraphina, Kai, Rick, Gregor, Hana, Elias, Raven, Seren, and Solus. No hesitation. They followed, boots pounding against the metallic floors, tension thick in the air. Whatever had triggered the alarm, it wasn't normal. And if it wasn't normal in a place full of mutants, then it was something much worse.
The Cortex Room hummed with an eerie glow, its walls lined with pulsating conduits that fed directly into the heart of the Hall of M's most powerful device—the Cortex. The massive, circular chamber was silent except for the low thrum of energy coursing through the cables, feeding into the neural amplifier suspended above the central seat.
Professor stepped forward, exhaling slowly. He could already feel the static in the air, the electric charge prickling at the edges of his mind. As he lowered himself onto the chair, the metallic surface molded to his frame, sensors locking onto his temples. The moment he closed his eyes, the world around him melted into nothingness. Then, the Cortex roared to life.
A tidal wave of thoughts, voices, and memories flooded his consciousness, the sheer force of it threatening to pull him under. Millions—no, billions—of brainwaves flickered in his mind's eye, each one unique, each one a signature of life across Edenia. His breath hitched as he focused, hands gripping the armrests as he willed the chaos into order.
Through the swirling storm of minds, he searched. He filtered through countless cities, towns, and villages—each one a beacon of sentient thought, a web of human and mutant consciousness intertwined. The neural map of Edenia unfolded before him like a vast, glowing tapestry, threads of existence stretching across mountains, rivers, and deserts. Then, he found it. Wyndmoor.
The moment he locked onto the town, his mind was assaulted by a discordant, alien presence—something wrong. His heart pounded as he sifted through the mental noise, forcing himself to focus. Wyndmoor had always been a quiet place, a small town tucked beneath the shadow of the mountains, far from the reach of Nexus and the CPG. But now? It was different. It was alive with something new. Something unnatural.
His vision sharpened. He could see them—hundreds of them. Not just people, but mutants. New ones. Their minds flickered erratically, their thoughts fragmented and unstable, like freshly awakened beings struggling to make sense of existence. Some were still cocooned in transformation, their thoughts a blur of pain and instinct, while others had already emerged—violent, confused, and powerful.
The Professor's breath hitched as he pushed deeper, scanning for the source of the anomaly. That's when he found it—the CrimsonMist.
The residual psychic energy left behind by the mutation trigger was thick, cloying, suffocating. Whatever had happened in Wyndmoor, it wasn't natural evolution. Someone had forced it. Someone had activated these people, twisting their biology, accelerating their mutation beyond its natural course. And then, buried beneath the chaos, he sensed them.
A presence. No—multiple presences. Minds trained in deception, their thoughts walled off, disciplined, controlled. Soldiers. Scientists. Watchers. Echelon Prime.
His eyes snapped open. The Cortex's glow dimmed as the connection severed, the weight of what he had just witnessed settling deep in his bones. He sat motionless for a moment, pulse racing, his mind still echoing with the screams of Wyndmoor's unwilling transformations. Then, slowly, he turned to the others. "We have a problem."
The moment the words left the Professor's lips, the room shifted from tense silence to rapid motion. "Seraphina, Kai, Rick, Kevin, Hana—you're heading to Wyndmoor now." His voice was ironclad, leaving no room for hesitation. "We don't know the full scale of what's happening, but based on what I just saw, it's going to get worse. Solus, open a portal."
Seraphina—codename Aegis—stepped forward first, silver hair glinting under the dim Cortex Room light. A flicker of blue energy rippled around her fingertips as she nodded. "Understood."
Kai, better known as Blink, cracked his knuckles, his signature smirk appearing. "Bet I can get there before the rest of you."
Kevin, or Inferno, flexed his fingers, small embers already licking at his knuckles. "I've been itching for a reason to burn something," he muttered.
Hana, a.k.a Echo, exhaled sharply, adjusting the earpiece she always wore. "Let's just hope this isn't a total disaster."
Solus raised his hand, black-and-gold energy crackling in the air before twisting into a swirling vortex. The edges of the portal shimmered, reflecting a broken, burning skyline on the other side—Wyndmoor, already in chaos.
Professor's gaze flicked toward Barry. "You're going, too."
Barry raised an eyebrow, arms crossed. "Thought you said I was too 'high-risk' for CPG detection?"
"I did. But I also said this is getting worse." The Professor's expression was unreadable, but there was weight behind his words. "We don't know what's in there. If things spiral out of control, they'll need someone like you to handle it."
Barry smirked. "So, you do need me." Without another word, he leaped into the portal.
One by one, the others followed, stepping through the swirling abyss. And then, with a final pulse of golden light, they were gone—leaving the Professor standing in silence, his hands tightening into fists. "Good luck."
The portal spat them out right in the middle of a group of Echelon Prime soldiers—who were lounging around, completely unaware of what was coming. A few were smoking, another was playing cards, and one guy was even in the middle of a long sip from his canteen. For a moment, there was just… silence. Then Barry, acting purely on instinct, lunged forward.
His claws tore through the first soldier before the guy even had a chance to drop his cigarette. Blood sprayed, and the rest of the squad snapped their heads toward the sudden violence—right before Barry tackled another one, teeth bared.
"BARRY! WHAT THE HELL?!" Seraphina shrieked, throwing up a mana barrier as a soldier's gun went off in panic.
"I—WHAT?!" Barry snapped back, already ripping the next guy apart like a dog with a chew toy.
"We were gonna knockthemout!" Kai shouted as he teleported behind a soldier and tapped the guy on the back of the neck, making him crumple instantly.
Barry paused for a half-second, blinking. "You what?"
Rick, half-transformed into his diamond form, groaned. "Dude, we literally just got here, and you've already turned this into a bloodbath."
Inferno, holding a fireball but suddenly looking unsure whether to throw it, sighed. "Bro, we were gonna, like, do this quietly."
Barry looked around. At the half-mauled corpses. At the absolute horror on his teammates' faces. At the blood dripping off his claws. "…Well, I wasn't."
Echo groaned, rubbing her temples. "Great. Just great. Now we have to deal with—"
The entire camp suddenly roared as alarms blared and dozens of soldiers rushed toward them, weapons raised.
Barry licked the blood off his fingers, grinning. "See? Problem solved. Now we don't have to sneak around."
Seraphina sighed, slamming up a force field as bullets started flying. "I hate working with you."
The gunfire slowed, and the soldiers hesitated, stepping aside as a slow, deliberate clapping echoed through the chaos.
From the far side of the camp, a figure emerged, walking toward them with an amused smile. Dr. Hideo Yamazaki.
He looked almost relaxed—his lab coat pristine, not a drop of sweat on his face, as if he had all the time in the world. The only thing off was his eyes—sharp, calculating, and full of amusement.
"Well, well, well," he drawled, still clapping as he approached. "The famous Hall of M, standing so valiantly on the side of humanity. What a touching display."
Barry growled, flexing his claws. "You must be their boss."
The doctor smiled wider. "And you must be Barry Leighton. Or should I say... Sheriff Leighton?"
That made Barry freeze. The rest of the team tensed, exchanging quick, confused glances.
Yamazaki tilted his head, his smirk deepening. "Oh? You don't recognize me? How tragic. I suppose time has been cruel to your memory. Or maybe all that bloodlust has rotted your brain."
Barry narrowed his eyes. "…The hell are you talking about?"
"Oh, come on." Yamazaki tapped his temple. "Think back. DravmoraUniversity. Classof1308. Ring any bells?"
The entire team turned to Barry in unison.
Barry's face twitched. "Wait. You went to Dravmora?"
"We went to Dravmora," Yamazaki corrected, looking slightly offended. "We hadclassestogether, Barry. Political Science and Bioethics. You satbehindme in Advanced Genetics."
Barry blinked. "Dude, I barely remember what I had for breakfast."
Kai snorted. "Wait, wait, wait. You're telling me this psychotic science dude was your collegeclassmate?"
Yamazaki sighed dramatically. "Oh, Barry. You always were so dense. I mean, truly—how did you pass Organic Chemistry?"
"I cheated, obviously," Barry snapped.
Rick shook his head. "I cannot believe we're having this conversation rightnow."
Hana deadpanned, "So, uh, should we fight or just let you two catch up?"
Yamazaki chuckled, clasping his hands behind his back. "Oh, I wouldn't want to interrupt our dear sheriff's trip down memory lane. After all, we're oldfriends."
Barry bared his teeth. "Buddy, if we were friends, I'd have ripped your throat out already."
Yamazaki grinned. "Well, in that case—why don't you try?"
The air rippled. A deep, guttural growl rumbled through the battlefield, vibrating in their chests. Yamazaki's body twisted unnaturally, his bones snapping and expanding as thick, sinewy muscle tore through his pristine lab coat. His fingers elongated into claws, his skin darkening to a deep, bristling onyx as his back arched grotesquely. His face stretched, his mouth widening into a nightmarish, fanged maw. His eyes burned a sickly golden-yellow, filled with primal, predatory hunger. In seconds, the frail scientist was gone.
In his place stood a toweringmonstrosity—a hulking, ape-like mutant, its frame covered in thick, obsidian fur. His broad chest heaved as he roared, the force of it shaking the ground, sending loose debris flying. His massive fists slammed into the ground, cracking it beneath him. The team staggered back instinctively.
"Well," Barry muttered. "That's new."
Yamazaki grinned, baring jagged, glistening teeth. His voice, now a deep, guttural snarl, still carried that mocking amusement. "Welcome," he rumbled, spreadinghismassivearmswide, "to the AgeofMutants."
Behind him, the cocoons—those ominous, pulsing sacs of flesh wrapped in thick, sinewy tendrils—began to shudder. Some trembled violently, others bulged, their outer layers cracking as something inside pushed against them. It was starting.
Yamazaki gestured toward them with a monstrous claw. "Do you see, Sheriff? The future is here. And in three days, when these cocoons hatch…" He chuckleddarkly, his voice reverberating through the mist. "Hundreds of mutants will tear this town apart."
A loud CRACK echoed from one of the nearest cocoons. The thick membrane split, a gnarled, clawed hand bursting through the fleshy prison, twitching, grasping at the air. Another cocoon lurched, a grotesque hissing sound emanating from within. The entire field of monstrous eggs was coming to life.
Barry tightened his grip, claws flexing. The rest of the team instinctively fell into battle stances.
"Guys," Hana muttered, staring at the writhing cocoons. "…I don't think we really have three days."