The city was a warzone.
Flames flickered like dying stars against the dark sky. The air tasted of smoke and metal and blood. Every breath burned my lungs, but I couldn't stop.
I'd been running on the edge of death for hours.
Every step forward was a gamble — one wrong move and it was over.
My comm buzzed. Thorn.
"Phantom, status."
"Shattered. Three broken ribs. Low on toxins."
"Copy. River and Ghost are pinned down near the east quadrant. We're working on extraction."
"Hold nothing back."
The hiss of incoming Nomu filled the streets again—more of those abominations, faster, smarter, like they were evolving with every kill.
Suddenly, a new blip on my HUD caught my eye—movement inside the ruins of a collapsed building.
I was about to investigate when my entire body froze.
A dozen silhouettes moved inside, flickering with distorted energy.
Clones.
Deadly, twisted copies of Pro Heroes.
Their eyes glowed red.
Their smiles were cruel and empty.
And they moved with terrifying precision.
I radioed immediately.
"Echo, you see this?"
Echo's voice crackled back. "Negative visual. But sensors confirm hostile energy signatures. They're not Nomu."
"Then what are they?"
Before she could answer, a figure stepped out.
A clone of a hero I knew well—his younger self, but soulless and brutal.
I clenched my fists.
"Keep your distance. These aren't your friends."
A massive blast ripped through the air, smashing concrete to dust.
One clone lunged.
I dodged, barely.
Then—
A cold voice in my ear.
"Anos. You're heading into a trap."
It was Zane.
"Where?"
"Right behind you."
I turned — just in time to see a spear of dark energy slam into the wall where I'd been standing seconds before.
Zane moved fast, like a shadow given flesh.
He grabbed my arm, pulling me back just as another spear drilled into the rubble where my boots had been.
I stumbled but caught myself.
"You saved me."
Zane's eyes were unreadable.
"I owe you that much. Now stay close."
The clones advanced, surrounding us.
Zane's hand flicked, and blades of energy tore into the nearest attackers, slicing them down with surgical precision.
I fought alongside him, punches and heat vision carving paths through the swarm.
But they kept coming.
The clones were relentless, learning and adapting.
Between breaths, I asked, "Where are these things from?"
Zane's gaze darkened.
"Experiments. Twisted attempts to replicate the heroes we lost. Failures. But dangerous as hell."
One clone snarled, striking Zane hard.
He took it but didn't falter.
"We've got bigger problems."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Like what?"
"Joker's spreading more of this tech. He's building an army. And these aren't the worst."
My comm crackled again.
Thorn.
"Phantom, River's down. They're pulling out. Ghost is MIA."
I cursed under my breath.
Zane's grip tightened.
"Listen. We need to move. Now. Before they trap us in this hellhole."
I glanced back at the growing swarm.
"Then let's make them remember the meaning of fear."
We ran into the shadows, fighting every step.
Because in this war…
No one was safe.
Not even ghosts.