The air in the lab was suffocating, thick with the sterile scent of chemicals and the unmistakable stench of fear. Elena stood frozen for a moment, taking in the sight of the grotesque figures floating in the glass tanks—human bodies, twisted and deformed, their faces contorted in silent screams, their eyes vacant. They were the result of Lucien's monstrous experiments, human beings stripped of their souls, turned into little more than weapons in his hands.
Her hand tightened around the gun at her side. This was Lucien's plan. He had turned people into machines of war, and now, they were waiting—waiting for orders, waiting for their moment to unleash hell upon the world.
But Elena wouldn't let that happen.
She took a steadying breath and moved deeper into the lab, her senses heightened. There were no guards here, no immediate threats, but she knew Lucien wouldn't leave such an important location unprotected for long. Every step she took felt like a countdown. He would be here soon.
The door behind her creaked open, and Elena whipped around, her gun raised. But it was not Lucien who stood in the doorway.
It was Matteo.
"Don't shoot," he said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "It's me."
Elena lowered the gun, her heart racing. "What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed, her eyes narrowing. "I told you to stay back."
"I couldn't just let you walk into this alone," Matteo replied, his voice tense. "Lucien's men are on their way. I tried to stop them, but—"
"I don't have time for this." Elena interrupted him, her gaze flickering back to the tanks. "Lucien's not going to stop with this. He's going to turn the whole world into his army if we don't stop him now."
Matteo's eyes softened, but there was no mistaking the seriousness in his expression. "I know. I've been tracking him, but this is worse than I thought. These people, Elena—Lucien's not just creating soldiers. He's trying to make something more. Something no one can fight."
Elena clenched her jaw, her blood boiling. "Then we'll burn it all down."
Without another word, she turned and began moving toward the central control room, her footsteps echoing in the silence. Matteo followed, the sound of his boots a steady rhythm behind her.
The control room was just ahead, and Elena could see the blinking lights of the terminal through the small window. But as they neared the door, Elena froze.
Lucien's voice rang out from behind them.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here."
Elena turned slowly, her breath shallow as she saw him standing at the end of the hallway, his dark eyes glinting with malice. Lucien's presence filled the space with an overwhelming sense of power, and his cruel smile made her blood run cold.
"You think you can just come in here and destroy everything I've built?" Lucien's voice was calm, almost mocking. "You're out of your depth, Elena."
Elena didn't flinch. She stood tall, her eyes burning with defiance. "I'm here to put an end to this, Lucien. To you."
Lucien stepped forward, his smile widening. "You think you're the hero in this story? How quaint." His eyes shifted to Matteo, a brief flicker of recognition crossing his face. "And you, Matteo. I should've known you'd be involved in this little crusade. But it's too late. You're both too late."
Elena's grip tightened on the gun, her pulse hammering in her ears. She knew what was coming. Lucien wasn't just going to let them walk out of here. He would fight to the death to protect his empire.
"This ends now, Lucien," Elena said, her voice steely. "If you want to stop me, you'll have to kill me."
Lucien's smile faltered for a moment, the coldness in his eyes deepening. "I intend to do more than that," he said, his voice low and dangerous.
Suddenly, the door to the control room slid open, and a dozen of his mutated soldiers rushed out, their movements jerky and inhuman.
"Elena!" Matteo shouted, but it was too late.
The battle had begun.