[Morning – Corner Café, Downtown District]
The bell above the café door jingled faintly as I stepped in, brushing rain from my jacket. Zane was already there, sipping a black coffee like it owed him a fight.
I slid into the seat across from him. Neither of us spoke for a beat.
Then: "I'm doing it today," I said.
Zane raised an eyebrow. "The toxin trial?"
I nodded, fingers wrapping around the warm ceramic mug Ryah made me pick up before leaving the lab.
Zane leaned back, jaw tight. "You sure about this?"
"No," I admitted. "But it's the only real shot we've got."
He stared at me for a moment. "You really planning to inject your body with something that melts Nomu from the inside out?"
"If it means we can end this war, yeah."
Zane shook his head. "This feels like old times. Back in the cage. Us being tested like disposable tools."
"This time it's different."
"Is it?" His voice sharpened. "You're still treating your life like a price tag someone else gets to spend."
I met his eyes, calm but unyielding. "Don't worry about me."
Zane sighed, frustrated. "Too late for that. I'm coming with you."
"You don't have to—"
"I am," he cut in. "I might not be able to stop you, but if something goes wrong… I'm not letting you go through it alone."
I didn't argue. Because part of me was grateful.
[Later – Vanguard University Lab]
Ryah greeted us the second we walked through the doors. She wore her lab coat like armor, hair pulled back, eyes alert but hesitant.
"You ready?" she asked quietly.
"As I'll ever be."
She led us to a smaller, sterile chamber in the back. White walls. Bright lights. Monitors and IVs and glass canisters glowing faintly. It looked too much like the labs from my past. Too clean. Too silent.
I sat down in the reclined chair, metal cold against my back. For a moment, my mind flickered.
[Flashback – Age 9]
Wires in my arms. Screaming in the next room. Cold metal beneath my skin.
The voice of a scientist: "Begin the second round. If he passes out, wait ten seconds. Then again."
I was just a number then. Not a name. Not a person.
Just something to break and rebuild.
[Present]
I blinked hard and focused. Ryah had needles prepped—three small injectables meant to stabilize my system before the main dose.
"These are to prep your body," she said gently. "Like a warm-up."
Zane stood nearby, arms crossed, visibly tense. He didn't say anything—but I felt his eyes on me.
I nodded at Ryah. "Go ahead."
One by one, the needles slid in. A sharp sting. Nothing I hadn't felt before.
Then came the main syringe—thicker. Humming faintly with violet energy. Ryah looked at me once more.
"You sure?"
I exhaled slowly. "Do it."
She inserted the needle into my forearm and stepped back.
At first, nothing.
Then my veins shifted.
Blue to orange.
Orange to deep purple.
My body screamed—but I stayed silent.
Fire erupted beneath my skin, tearing through muscle, burning marrow. My limbs trembled. Every nerve felt like it was snapping, one by one. I clenched my fists. Jaw locked. Eyes shut.
This wasn't new.
This was familiar.
Pain. Torture. Survival.
Zane moved closer, knuckles white. "Ryah?"
"He's holding… but the toxin's working faster than expected—"
"Give me the antidote," I rasped.
Ryah rushed forward, injected the reversal agent.
For a moment… nothing again.
Then the pain dulled, like waves retreating from the shore. My breathing evened. My heart slowed.
I stood, staggering slightly.
"I feel—"
The world spun.
Then darkness.
I heard Zane shout my name.
Felt arms catching me as I collapsed.
And then—nothing.