"GRRAHHH!"
The white-furred werewolf that had been John Jameson crouched low, yellow eyes gleaming with predatory intelligence. The hair along his broad back stood on end like silver spikes, making him look like something that had crawled out of humanity's oldest nightmares.
He lunged forward with terrifying speed, sharp claws extended. Those claws had ripped through titanium restraints like tissue paper—Harry's armor would fare little better.
Harry rolled desperately to the side, the werewolf's strike missing him by inches. Claw marks scored the laboratory floor where he'd been standing, gouging through reinforced steel.
"Right, silver for werewolves, not mercury," Harry muttered, pulling a familiar disc-shaped device from his belt as he scrambled backward.
The werewolf gathered himself for another pounce, muscles coiling like loaded springs. Harry's enhanced reflexes gave him just enough warning to time his throw perfectly.
The Sakaarian subjugation disc spun through the air and attached to the werewolf's neck with a wet slap.
Sizzle.
John's—the creature's—howl cut off mid-breath as biological neurotoxins flooded his bloodstream through the carotid artery. His legs buckled. The predatory gleam in those yellow eyes faded to confusion, then nothing. The werewolf collapsed in a heap of white fur and twitching limbs.
"Little werewolf's taking a nap," Harry said with satisfaction, checking the disc's indicator lights. Stable dosage, continuous delivery. Good. "That subjugation tech from Sakaar really is worth its weight in gold. Best souvenir from the gladiator pits."
He hoisted the unconscious werewolf over his shoulders—surprisingly heavy for something that had been a normal-sized human ten minutes ago—and made his way deeper into the research facility. His HUD displayed the prison block's layout courtesy of Karen's intelligence.
Rocket was exactly where the data suggested: a reinforced containment cell designed for dangerous specimens. The genetically enhanced raccoon was awake, eyes tracking Harry's approach with sharp intelligence.
"You with Spider-Man?" Rocket asked immediately.
"Close enough. Let's get you out of here before—"
The entire facility shuddered. Distant explosions echoed through the ventilation system, followed by the distinctive thwip of web-shooters.
Harry grinned behind his mask. "Peter's keeping Sir Ram busy. Time to evacuate."
He sent a quick status update through his communicator: Rescue successful. Heading to extraction point.
Meanwhile, high above Atlantis, Peter Parker's battle with Sir Ram had literally broken through the city's protective dome.
The geodesic structure's translucent panels shattered as two figures crashed through them, trailing debris and fire. Peter swung on strands of webbing between ruined support struts while Sir Ram pursued with terrifying determination, his multiple arms reaching, flames wreathing his body.
They carried their fight into Counter-Earth's open sky.
Deep within the research facility, Dr. Connors and Karen infiltrated the genetics laboratory with practiced stealth. Both wore disguise masks that made them look like generic beastman workers—nothing special, nothing memorable.
"The plan's proceeding smoothly," Connors observed, hearing distant alarms and the muffled sounds of Peter's aerial combat. "Though I suspect Peter won't be able to take down Sir Ram quickly. The ram knight has too many genetic enhancements. This could take a while."
"We're almost there," Karen confirmed, consulting her mental map of the facility. A hint of regret colored her voice. "If we could eliminate one of the Knights of Wundagore here, it would give the resistance a significant advantage later. The Four Knights are the High Evolutionary's primary enforcement mechanism."
"The Knight you're referring to," Connors said slowly, coming to an abrupt stop. "Is that her?"
Lady Ursula stood at the corridor's end like a mountain made flesh. The anthropomorphic bear towered over them, easily eight feet tall, her massive frame filling the passage. Small, intelligent eyes studied them with unsettling focus.
"Stop!" Ursula's voice was surprisingly cultured despite her ursine features. "Don't you know this area is restricted to authorized personnel only?"
Karen stepped forward smoothly, her voice steady despite the adrenaline flooding her system. "Apologies, ma'am. We've come to report that Spider-Man has appeared in the factory district. Lord Sir Ram is engaged in combat and may require your assistance."
Ursula's nostrils flared. "Really? Then why do I smell human beneath those masks?"
She attacked before the last word finished leaving her mouth.
Massive bear claws swept out in an arc that would have disemboweled both of them. Connors and Karen dove in opposite directions, their disguise masks clattering to the floor as they rolled.
Ursula's strike missed its targets and slammed into the corridor wall instead. The thick metal plating crumpled like aluminum foil, leaving a crater three feet deep.
"Incredible strength," Connors breathed, already reaching for his equipment.
He pulled out a subjugation disc while Karen drew her salvaged laser pistol. They attacked simultaneously—Connors threw the neural-toxin restraint while Karen laid down covering fire.
But Lady Ursula's body was already changing.
Her broad, fur-covered frame condensed and rounded. The thick pelt vanished, replaced by interlocking plates of organic armor that gleamed like polished granite. She transformed into something that resembled a living tank—a perfect sphere of defensive plating with just her head, hands, and feet visible.
The subjugation disc bounced harmlessly off her armored surface. Karen's laser fire left scorch marks that faded almost immediately as the armor regenerated.
"I will crush you both to pieces!" Ursula roared, her voice echoing strangely from within her spherical form.
She charged forward like a wrecking ball, her massive bulk filling the entire corridor. The floor cracked beneath her weight with each thunderous step.
"Oh god, there's nowhere to dodge!" Karen shouted, real panic creeping into her voice. The corridor was too narrow. Ursula's armored form blocked any escape route.
But Connors stepped directly in front of her, positioning himself between Karen and the charging bear-knight.
"No need to hide," he said calmly.
"Just take her down."
His white lab coat tore with a sound like ripping canvas. Sharp green scales erupted through the fabric like blades piercing paper. His body swelled, muscles bulging grotesquely as his spine curved and elongated. His face pushed forward into a reptilian muzzle filled with serrated teeth.
It was like watching a prehistoric monster emerge from a human disguise.
ROOOAAAAR!
The dinosaur-enhanced Lizard's bellow shook the corridor, a sound that resonated in Karen's chest cavity and made her eardrums throb painfully. This wasn't the comparatively restrained Lizard form Connors usually adopted. This was something wilder, more primal—the fusion of his Lizard serum with Dr. Animo's prehistoric enhancement formula.
THOOM!
Two titanic forces collided head-on.
Ursula had gained Humungousaur's size-increasing abilities and mass multiplication combined with Feedback power. She was like a living siege weapon. But Connors's dinosaur genes weren't simply comparable to any natural prehistoric creature. His base Lizard serum alone granted him strength exceeding any dinosaur that ever lived. The dinosaur enhancement serum multiplied that power dozens, perhaps hundreds of times over.
The two monsters tore at each other with savage fury. Armored plating clashed against scaled hide, producing metallic shrieks and showers of sparks. The reinforced steel walls that had contained industrial accidents and chemical explosions crumpled like paper under their assault.
Karen pressed herself flat against what remained of the corridor, barely daring to breathe. One misstep, one moment of inattention, and either monster could trample her into paste.
But she hadn't forgotten her mission.
The battle's destruction had opened up the facility's architecture. Walls collapsed, barriers disintegrated, and most importantly—the floor couldn't withstand the repeated earthquake-like impacts of two multi-ton creatures fighting for dominance. With a groan of tortured metal, an entire section gave way.
Connors and Ursula plunged through to the level below, still locked in combat.
Through the settling dust, Karen spotted her objective: the secure storage room where genetic samples were kept. But a massive crater now separated her from the door—more than ten meters of empty air.
"Damn it," Karen muttered. "Should've asked Neo Goblin for his hoverboard."
She backed up, measuring the distance with her eyes. It was impossible. No normal human could make a jump like that. The world record for long jump was barely over eight meters, and that was with professional athletes, proper runways, optimal conditions.
But Karen had never been normal. She'd survived when others hadn't. She'd led a resistance when others had given up hope. She'd done things that shouldn't have been possible.
She closed her eyes, centered her breathing, and ran.
The edge of the crater rushed up. She planted her foot and launched.
Air whistled past her ears. For one impossible moment, she was flying.
Thud.
Her feet hit solid ground. She'd made it. She'd actually cleared ten meters.
"Incredible," Karen whispered, staring at her own hands in wonder. "I'm like... like Spider-Man. Like a superhuman."
A distant part of her mind was already calculating implications. Maybe this wasn't just adrenaline. Maybe exposure to the genetic samples she'd been handling, the mutated environments, the constant proximity to uplifted creatures—maybe it had changed her on some fundamental level.
"After this is over," she said softly, "I'm definitely asking the Plumbers if they'd accept a resistance leader into their ranks."
She shook off the speculation and got to work. The storage room's security had failed when the power went out. She grabbed a vial of glowing blue serum—genetic modification catalyst, according to the label—and packed it carefully into her insulated cooler.
Then she looked down into the massive crater where the two monsters still battled.
"Dr. Connors!"
The scene below was carnage.
Connors's Lizard head had been caved in on one side by one of Ursula's hammer-like fists. Many of his thick scales had shattered, oozing greenish blood from dozens of wounds. He looked like he'd been through a meat grinder.
But Lady Ursula didn't look much better.
Cannonbolt's defensive plating was legendary—arguably the strongest natural armor in the Omnitrix database. But combining it with Humungousaur's mass-increase genetics had created structural weaknesses. Her body couldn't maintain complete coverage. Gaps had appeared in the armor.
And those exposed areas had become the targets of Connors's relentless assault.
His claws were like razor-edged knives in an industrial blender. He'd systematically shredded every inch of unprotected flesh he could reach. Ursula's right arm hung useless, tendons severed. Her left leg leaked blood from a wound that exposed bone.
"Excellent!" Ursula's voice was ecstatic despite her injuries. Blood dripped from her muzzle, but her eyes shone with genuine joy. "This is the most enjoyable battle I've ever fought! We're almost evenly matched!"
The way she looked at Connors had shifted. Not predatory anymore. Something closer to... affection.
"I quite like you!" she declared.
"I'm sorry," Connors rasped through his reptilian throat. "I'm already married."
"You know that's not what I meant!" Ursula's laughter echoed through the crater. "I meant I can kill you, or you can kill me!" Her voice took on a bloodthirsty edge, as if she'd entered some kind of berserker state. "Let's find out which!"
Are you insane? Connors thought, but he heard Karen's call from above. Time to end this. "One more attack, then. Let's settle this."
"Perfect!" Ursula's remaining functional arm clenched into a fist. Her Cannonbolt armor flowed like liquid metal, concentrating and condensing around that fist until it resembled a meteor hammer the size of a car engine. "I'll crush you into paste!"
She charged forward with earth-shaking force.
Connors met her head-on, his dinosaur-enhanced Lizard form accelerating like a prehistoric locomotive.
BOOM!
The meteor hammer struck Connors's left shoulder with the force of an artillery shell. His entire arm exploded into a spray of blood and shattered bone, torn completely from his body.
But Lady Ursula had no time to celebrate.
Connors's remaining clawed hand had driven upward from below, piercing through the gap in her armor. His talons punched through her ribcage and crushed her heart in a single convulsive squeeze.