The growl deepened, reverberating through the chamber like a distant avalanche. Billy could feel it in his chest, a low-frequency vibration that set every nerve on edge.


    The agent shifted beside him, pistol steady but fingers tight on the grip. “We need to leave. Now.”


    Billy didn’t argue. He moved toward the door, but as soon as he did, the room’s emergency lighting flickered—then died completely.


    Darkness swallowed them whole.


    Billy’s cybernetic overlay kicked in instantly, switching to infrared. But the moment his vision adjusted, he wished it hadn’t.


    The thing inside the cracked containment pod was moving.


    No—growing.


    It unfurled like a living shadow, limbs forming where there were none, its body shifting between solid and fluid in unnatural ways. It was at least twice Billy’s size now, its presence warping the air around it.


    And it had noticed them.


    Billy didn’t wait for it to attack. He fired first.


    The high-powered pulse round struck center mass. A normal target would’ve been blown apart.


    The thing barely flinched.


    The agent fired next, unloading her disruptor into its head. The energy bolts sizzled against its form, causing ripples, but nothing more.


    It kept advancing.


    Billy cursed under his breath. “We need to contain it.”


    “The pods,” the agent said, glancing around. “If we can trigger a full lockdown—”


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    The creature lunged.


    Billy barely had time to react before it was on him. He twisted, rolling out of the way as an inky tendril smashed into the floor where he’d been standing. The impact dented the reinforced metal.


    Too strong. Too fast.


    The agent moved, pulling a fragmentation charge from her belt. “Cover me.”


    Billy didn’t hesitate. He switched to incendiary rounds and fired a rapid burst. The bullets struck, igniting on impact, and for the first time, the creature reacted.


    It recoiled, an ear-piercing shriek filling the chamber.


    That was the confirmation Billy needed. Fire hurt it.


    The agent took the opening, sliding the charge under the nearest containment pod and slamming a remote trigger. “Detonating—now!”


    The explosion rocked the facility, sending shockwaves through the floor. The containment fluid inside the pod ruptured, spilling in every direction.


    The effect was instant.


    The moment the fluid made contact with the creature, its form spasmed, rippling violently as it tried to pull itself back. The shrieking turned to a distorted gurgle.


    It was weakening.


    Billy didn’t waste time. He sprinted toward a secondary control panel, bypassing security protocols in seconds. The facility had a failsafe—a full sterilization sequence.


    But it needed a manual trigger.


    The creature, despite its injuries, sensed what he was doing. It lunged one last time, body distorting, trying to reach him—


    The agent emptied her entire clip into its head, forcing it back just enough.


    Billy slammed the override.


    The emergency alarms blared, and every remaining containment pod released its gas. The chamber filled with a dense, white vapor.


    The creature howled.


    Its form lost cohesion.


    Then, just like that, it disintegrated, collapsing into a pool of lifeless black sludge.


    Billy exhaled, gripping the edge of the console. His pulse was still hammering.


    The agent holstered her pistol, staring at the remains. “That better be the last one.”


    Billy wasn’t so sure.


    He turned back to the console, checking the logs. His stomach dropped.


    The creature they’d just fought? It wasn’t the first experiment.


    And it sure as hell wasn’t the last.


    The file labeled “Subject Zero” was still active.


    The agent saw it too. Her expression hardened. “Where is it?”


    Billy scrolled down.


    His blood went cold.


    “Not here,” he muttered. “It was moved.”


    The facility was just one of many. And Subject Zero—whatever it was—had been relocated months ago.


    Somewhere out there, something worse was waiting.


    And someone, somewhere, had just watched them handle its lesser version.


    Billy straightened, reloading his pistol. “We need to find out where they took it.”


    The agent nodded, her jaw set. “And make sure it never sees daylight.”


    The mission had just changed.


    <b>End of Chapter 102</b>