Pyroclasm struck at dawn.
Alex was scavenging supplies in the abandoned Chinatown district when a fireball obliterated a food stall. The enforcer emerged from the smoke, molten armor dripping onto the asphalt.
"The Overseer sends his regards," Pyroclasm growled.
Alex dodged a flaming punch that cratered a brick wall. "Who's the Overseer? Kane's guard dog?"
Pyroclasm's mask cracked, revealing scarred flesh beneath. "He's the *future*."
Lightning clashed against fire. Alex's suit absorbed the heat, but a backhanded blow sent him skidding into a dumpster.
"You're a lab rat," Pyroclasm sneered. "I'm a god."
Alex retaliated with a whip of electricity, searing the enforcer's chest. Pyroclasm roared, retreating into the inferno.
---
Jade patched Alex's burns in the hideout. "Kane's not just CEO. He's the Overseer—the mastermind behind Project Rebirth. They're turning criminals into super-soldiers. And he's got plans to militarize the whole city."
Alex grimaced as antiseptic bit into his wounds. "We hit the lab. Destroy it."
"And get melted? No. We need proof. Go public."
Alex slammed his fist on the table. "He framed me! He killed—"
"Your wife?" Jade's voice softened. "I know. But if you kill him, you're just another monster."
---
That night, Alex infiltrated Eclipse Tower.
Security feeds looped by Jade, he slipped into the archives. Files detailed Project Rebirth's true goal: *Apex Soldiers—enhanced humans loyal only to Eclipse*.
A photo stopped him cold.
*Marcus Kane, standing beside Pyroclasm—unmasked. The enforcer was Finn, his old cellmate.*
"You knew," Alex whispered. "You *volunteered*."
A voice behind him: "And you walked right in, Shadow."
Pyroclasm's flames lit the room. Behind him, Eclipse guards dragged a bloodied Jade.
"Surrender," Pyroclasm said, "or she burns."