The gym lights glinted off the streamers, slow songs replaced by a restless hum. Violet sat near the edge of the dance floor, nervously sipping punch, her gaze locked on the restroom door. Ten minutes. Then fifteen. The evening's safety—Alex’s hand, the magic—was rapidly curdling into dread. "Did I just imagine it all?" she murmured; her cheeks flushed with mounting worry.

  Violet’s worry grew. She shifted uncomfortably, hugging her arms to herself. The warmth and safety of the evening — the magic of the prom, Alex’s hand, the butterflies in her stomach — was fading fast. “Where was he? Did I imagine all of this?” she murmured under her breath; cheeks flushed with worry rather than excitement.

  Helen and Bob were enjoying a rare, quiet dinner at a trendy bistro near downtown. The local news played silently on a screen mounted high above the bar. They were mid-conversation when a familiar, urgent tone cut through the background chatter.

  Helen's attention snapped to the screen. A reporter stood outside the local campus gates. “...These latest disappearances mark the sixth victim in two weeks,” the reporter announced gravely. “All young men, aged 17 to 26, highly gifted, and now vanished without a trace.”

  Helen’s fork clattered loudly against her plate. "Bob, look at the age range," she murmured, her voice tight. "Violets there. And Dash."

  Bob’s genial expression instantly hardened. “It fits the pattern. High school prom—it's a target-rich gathering.”

  Helen pulled out her phone and immediately called Dash. The phone rang, then went to voicemail. She called again. Nothing. Her eyes widened, meeting Bob’s. "He's not answering. We can't waste a second."

  They threw cash onto the table, barely glancing at the bill. "Let's go," Bob rumbled, already moving toward the exit, his focus locked on the high school. They were no longer diners; they were on an emergency security run.

  Meanwhile, across from the gym, Helen’s eyes tracked subtle signs she was trained to notice: an unusual ripple in the crowd, a quiet hum near the perimeter. Whispering a quick alert into Bob’s earpiece, she confirmed her fear: “Something’s wrong.”

  They rushed toward Violet, sliding past the crowd. Relief hit when they saw her safe. "Vi, something happened. We think people were taken," Helen whispered urgently. Bob scanned the room. “Where’s Dash?”

  Violet's stomach twisted. "Dash! Alex!" Her voice was a shaky whisper as she scanned the remaining students. The absence of Dash's usual antics was a chilling sign. Bob spotted it first: Dash’s cracked phone near the punch table. Helen snatched it up, confirming his location was registered... outside.

  They raced outside. The cool night air hit them like a physical blow. In a secluded area near the school's field, they found Dash—unconscious and alone—before a sleek, black aircraft silently ascended. Its cloaking system made it vanish mid-air before Bob could even move. It carried Dash (and Alex) out of reach.

  Helen's jaw tightened. Bob's fists clenched.

  Violet stood frozen, her heart hammering against her ribs. Fear, guilt, and raw helplessness collided inside her. “Alex… Dash…” she whispered, tears blurring her vision. Helen wrapped an arm around her shoulder, steadying her. “We’ll get them back, Vi. I promise.”

  Using a combination of tech and instinct on the faint energy traces, Helen tried to connect the dots and triangulate the villain’s secret location. It would take them hours. The encryption was one of the most secure ones they had ever encountered.

  Meanwhile in the lab, the metal doors slammed open with a hydraulic hiss, and four unconscious bodies were dragged across the floor like sacks of grain. Alex. Dash. Three other college kids who had simply been walking home at the wrong time. All of them drugged to oblivion.

  The guards tossed the limp bodies into reinforced cages. Metal clanked. Locks slammed shut. No ceremony. No hesitation. Just business.

  Dr. Marvin walked in a moment later — white coat, gloves, hair slicked with the arrogance of a man who thought ethics were for weak scientists.

  He clapped once.

  “Bring me the first one.”

  Two guards hauled a young guy — barely twenty — out of his cage and onto the operating table under harsh white lights. Stainless steel everywhere. Tubes. Needles. Monitors. A surgical tray that looked like it came straight out of a nightmare.

  The kid woke halfway.

  His eyes darted around — bleary, terrified.

  “W-Wait… please— hey, what is this?!” he gasped, struggling weakly.

  Dr. Marvin didn’t even look at his face. He stared at the monitor instead.

  “Test Subject Twelve,” he dictated calmly into the recorder, “male, estimated age twenty, BMI nineteen. Lean frame, moderate muscular definition, lungs fully functional, no cardiac abnormalities. Excellent baseline.”

  “P-Please— don’t—” the guy begged.

  Marvin picked up a syringe filled with a shimmering, viscous serum and held it up to the light.

  “Begin primary injection.”

  He inserted the needle into the boy’s arm.

  Halfway through, the kid arched violently — back bending like his spine was about to snap.

  His heartbeat skyrocketed.

  He screamed.

  Choked.

  Convulsed.

  “Subject shows acute resistance,” Marvin muttered. “Cellular rejection. Rising adrenaline, rising cortisol…”

  Then — flat line.

  The boy’s head dropped to the side. Eyes glassy.

  The guards swallowed hard.

  Marvin sighed. Annoyed. “Test Subject Twelve experienced extreme pain and fear, resulting in shock and subsequent expiration.” He snapped his fingers sharply. “Next.”

  The guards dragged Alex out next.

  Only this time the “unconscious” phase didn’t last long.

  The moment the cold floor scraped under his boots; his eyes snapped open.

  “What the— where am—?”

  He tried to move — saw the binds on his wrists — saw cages — and then—

  Dash.

  Still unconscious in a cage to his right.

  “Dash! DASH!” Alex roared, voice cracking with adrenaline.

  No response.

  Something switched on inside Alex — primitive, feral, protective. The kind of reaction that doesn’t ask questions; it just destroys obstacles.

  “Move him,” a guard ordered.

  Bad call.

  As soon as they shoved him forward, Alex slammed his head backward with full force — the back of his skull cracking into the face of the guard behind him.

  A sickening crunch. The guy’s nose exploded in blood.

  “GET HIM—!” another guard shouted.

  Alex twisted, dropping his weight, and drove an elbow straight into another guard’s ribs. Something cracked. The man wheezed and dropped.

  Alex swung his bound fists like hammers, full body weight behind each strike. One punch landed so hard; his arm snapped at the wrist. He growled in pain.

  Two remaining guards grabbed him — one clutching his bloody nose with his free hand.

  He fought like he was trying to break the Earth’s rotation.

  More guards stormed in through the hallway, tasers buzzing. “Bring him DOWN!”

  Electric shocks hit him from two sides — his body spasmed, knees giving out. He hit the floor with a grunt, vision swimming.

  But even half-conscious, he still tried to crawl toward Dash’s cage.

  “Let me GO—! Dash— Dash, wake up—!”

  Another shock tore through him. Everything went dark.

  When he came to, he was strapped to the operating table — arms, legs, torso, even his throat restrained.

  His vision blurred, but he still managed a weak:

  “Get… off me…”

  The guard with the broken nose was still pressing a cloth against his face.

  “We should kill him,” he muttered. “He’s too much trouble.”

  Dr. Marvin didn’t even glance at him. “No. This one is perfect.” He stepped closer, checking Alex’s vitals.

  He spoke clinically, like reading a grocery list:

  “Test Subject Thirteen. Male. Age twenty-five. Height one eighty. Excellent musculature. Lower resting heart rate than average. Strong lung capacity. No recorded medical conditions. Very high physical resilience. Body indicates regular strength training.”

  He smiled slightly. “Promising.”

  Alex hissed through his teeth, still dazed from the shocks.

  “Fuck you…”

  “Still responsive, good” Marvin murmured.

  He lifted a syringe — heavier, filled with a darker, denser version of the serum.

  The needle slid into Alex’s arm. Alex groaned — low at first. The serum felt like fire under his skin.

  Then the burn spread.

  Fast.

  Violent.

  He twisted against the restraints. “Nngh— ah— what— what did you— DO—”

  The pain slammed into him fully — bones aching, skin itching like it was trying to crawl off his body.

  His heartbeat went wild. He thrashed — one of the heavy binds screeched as it stretched under the force.

  “The Subject shows significant endurance,” Marvin narrated, faster now. “High cellular activity. Stress levels rising. Heart rate severely elevated. Muscular response exceptional—”

  Alex growled — actually growled — loud, animalistic, pushing the bind past its normal limits.

  His back arched off the table.

  “…but unsustainable,” Marvin said sharply.

  Then, suddenly— Alex’s body dropped flat.

  His breathing stopped.

  A thin stream of blood slid from his nose.

  The monitor flat lined.

  Marvin slammed the empty syringe onto the tray. “Damn it. So close.”

  He exhaled and spoke into the recorder: “Test Subject Thirteen showed remarkable potential and nearly endured the serum but—”

  Beep.

  Everyone froze.

  Beep-beep.

  Alex's pulse jumped on the monitor.

  His chest began rising.

  Slow, shaky breaths turned into stronger ones.

  His fingers twitched.

  Marvin's eyes widened in disbelief. “Get him into containment. NOW. Before he destabilizes.”

  The guards scrambled, unstrapping him, dragging his half-responsive body into a reinforced containment chamber made of thick glass and steel.

  The door sealed shut with a metallic thud.

  Inside, Alex was barely conscious — but awake enough to look up at the glass. Marvin stepped close. “Sedate him.”

  Two men rushed in through the secondary chamber door, stuck a needle into Alex’s neck, and sprinted out.

  Alex blinked heavily — but his eyes didn’t close. Even sedated, his body refused to shut down completely. The camera overhead recorded everything.

  His breathing.

  His twitching fingers.

  His stubborn consciousness.

  Dr. Marvin stared at the screen. “… Fascinating.”

  Alex’s chest started heaving, his heart rate rising. His eyes snapped open as the pain set its course through his nervous system. He gasped breathing heavily as if he was back from the dead. He could only feel dread and pain.

  His breathing had quickened so fast it sounded like he was running a marathon in place. His hand shot to his back as if something beneath the skin were about to rip its way out. One knee hit the cold floor with a hard thud. Then the cracking started.

  At first it was subtle — like someone twisting their knuckles. Then it escalated into a grotesque chorus of popping bones and grinding joints. His spine stiffened, every muscle locking up. His groans twisted into raw, guttural agony.

  He fell onto his side, clutching the floor, his back arching unnaturally. The cracks turned into violent snaps. Whatever was happening inside him, it was ripping him apart piece by piece.

  Dr. Marvin actually flinched and looked away.

  The soldiers lost their nerve. One backed into the wall, pale.

  Another gagged, then turned and vomited against the corner.

  A third whispered, “Jesus fucking Christ…” before walking straight out of the room, shaking.

  Then the real horror hit.

  Alex’s scream tore through the room like metal grinding on metal — half human, half something no one wanted to imagine. The sound crawled under the skin.

  In the next room, Dash jolted awake in his cage. No dream had ever yanked him back to consciousness like this. The scream ripped straight down his spine, leaving ice behind. It wasn’t just pain — it was transformation, torture, terror all at once.

  His bleary eyes darted around until they landed on the cage next to him. A watch lay on the floor inside — classic analog face, leather strap, black dial. Alex’s watch. The one he’d proudly shown off at prom with Violet, teasing Dash about “being classy for once.”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Dash froze.

  No… no, no, no.

  That scream was Alex.

  He grabbed the bars and pulled with everything he had. They didn’t budge. He slammed his shoulder into them. Nothing. He shouted, kicked, cursed — but the cages were built for nightmares, not people.

  The screaming didn’t stop.

  Not for five minutes.

  Not even ten.

  An hour.

  An hour of Alex shredding his throat, an hour of bones cracking, an hour of soldiers shaking in their boots just listening.

  Then, finally, the screams weakened. They sagged into hoarse moans, fading like a radio losing signal. Each one softer… until nothing remained but the buzzing lights overhead.

  Silence hit harder than the screams.

  A group of soldiers shuffled in, looking like they’d just come back from a war zone. One held the sides of his head like he was afraid it might split open.

  “Dude… what we saw… what in the actual fuck was that?”

  “Don’t,” another muttered. “Not a fucking word.” The fear was obvious on their faces as if they've just witnessed a bloodbath

  Dash slammed the bars again. “What did you do to him?!” A soldier walked by, smacked the cage with a shock-stick. “Shut it.” Another soldier, the kind who enjoyed the suffering and fear hanging in the air, passed by with a twisted grin. “He believes he can flyyyy,” he sang mockingly, laughing as he disappeared down the hall.

  Two others whispered near the doorway, too shaken to notice Dash listening. “That was the scariest shit I’ve seen in my life. And I’ve seen plenty of messed-up crap.” The second nodded, swallowing hard. “Doctor’s batshit crazy. He turned the guy into a monster. Did you see all the blood?”

  “Don’t.” The first nearly gagged. “I swear, I’m gonna puke again.” Dash felt the world tilt. Before a guard hit him on the back of his head his eyes widened, breath catching, terror cracking him open from the inside.

  Alex wasn’t just hurt. Something had changed.

  And whatever they did… it was monstrous.

  By the time they put Alex under heavy sedation and containment in a tube-shaped bed, the Incredibles reached a nondescript industrial area—a steel perimeter and the low hum of hidden machinery giving it away as the lair.

  Helen took the lead tactically, “Violet, stay calm and try to locate Dash. Bob, I’ll take care of the sensors. You take care of the guards. We need to move fast.” Bob gritted his teeth, bouncing between speed and strategy: “We don’t know what we’re walking into, Helen. Could be traps.” Violet felt both fear and determination. “I have to find Alex too. I can’t… I can’t let him—” Her voice faltered but she steeled herself, remembering his smile at prom.

  Helen used stealth and tech to bypass external sensors. Violet spotted Dash first — unconscious in a reinforced cage. Her heart leaped, fear mixing with relief. Bob handled the external security — disabling cameras, quietly neutralizing guards.

  Violet led them to Dash in a jiffy. As they woke him up Dash muttered in a dazed state "They got Alex” His voice was fear mixed with dizziness” I didn't see what they did to him but the screams were horrifying." Violet felt her whole heart shiver. "Can you move? Are You OK?" Helen asked

  "I'm fine mom I can still fight. I'm not a kid anymore" As they handed him his super suit, they searched the place to find Alex.

  Bob split from the group to check the deeper chambers. He returned quickly, face tight. “I found the others. They’re... gone. No Alex.” He didn't let Violet or Dash press him further.

  Suddenly, Violet gasped. “It’s him... Alex.”

  Alex lay restrained, sedated, but undeniably alive. His wide, chalk-white wings were folded tightly behind him, the feathers glinting under the harsh fluorescent lights. Helen gripped Violet's shoulder. “He’s alive, Vi. Stay strong.” Violet nodded, tears in her eyes but resolve burning hot.

  Violet nodded, tears in her eyes but resolve burning. This was the moment that solidified her bravery and emotional investment — she couldn't let anything happen to him.

  Dr. Marvin’s guards noticed movement. Bob and Helen leaped into action, using a mix of strategy and their skills to incapacitate guards quietly. Violet edged closer to Alex, preparing to free him. She felt his slight movement — a flicker under sedation, wings twitching. Even sedated, he was alive, aware in fragments, a glimpse of the strength that was about to emerge.

  Dr. Marvin realized the Incredibles had infiltrated. Panic flashed across his face. He had control over Alex — at least temporarily — but time was running out. He released Alex from sedation, intending to use him as a weapon to stop the Incredibles family.

  Dr. Marvin, panicking over the infiltration, remotely ended the sedation, intending to use Alex as a weapon.

  Alex’s eyes snapped open, glowing a faint, electric white. His wings exploded outward, slicing the air and tearing the restraints. He was disoriented and in pain—pure instinct took over. “It’s ok Alex” Helen tried to calm him down “We’re here to save you. You’re safe now” But Alex didn’t hear anything. He could only feel pain. The hypnotism signal was too strong.

  “Neutralize the threat” Dr. Marvin ordered into Alex’s earpiece. Alex started moving slowly towards the Incredibles. Helen tried to make him remember them as Bob hid Violet behind him as an instinct. “Alex? Do you hear me?” Alex didn’t say a word. His movements got faster until he started attacking.

  Helen lunged, attempting a non-lethal subdue, but Alex reacted with blinding speed. A single, powerful flap of his wing generated a gust of air that threw her back several feet. “ALEX! It’s us!” Bob yelled, attempting to rush him, but the violent flapping knocked him off balance and into a steel table.

  Dash zipped in to distract him, but Alex’s reflexes were unnaturally heightened. A swipe of a jagged wingtip grazed Dash’s arm, leaving a small, painful cut. When Alex saw Violet shield herself, a flicker of recognition—a spasm of confusion—crossed his face. “What are you doing?! Engage!” Dr. Marvin’s voice cut through his pause pushing him back into chaos.

  Machines crashed, vials shattered, alarms blared. The base trembled under the force of Alex’s wings. Helen yelled again “Alex! You have to listen! It’s us! You’re not alone!” For a brief second, Alex hesitated — a flicker of consciousness, seeing the people he actually cared about. But the pain, the confusion, and the hypnotism signal didn’t let his thoughts survive the pain he was in.

  The Incredibles struggled, barely keeping him from destroying the base. Walls cracked, lights flicker, machines toppled. Alex’s wings, white and jagged, were beautiful but lethal — the air around them hummed with power. Even untrained, he was a force to be reckoned with. They realized that saving him would require more than physical skill — they needed to reach him emotionally.

  The base trembled under the force of Alex’s wings. Dash spun around him, creating a small whirlwind, scattering debris and momentarily blinding him. Helen, Bob and Violet tried to restrain him. His white wings whipped violently, knocking them all aside with one brutal flap. Metal tables crashed, vials shattered, alarms wailed.

  "Alex! Do you hear me?" Violet shouted helplessly as she defended with force fields. "it's no use. He is being controlled" Bob said after dodging a wing strike. "There must be a switch, device, something" Helen answered while throwing the lab equipment on Alex's head with her stretched arms. "There IS no switch I'm afraid. It's permanent. He has the serum in his veins so the signal will keep him under my command. Now if you excuse me, I have a meeting to attend to" Dr. Marvin's voice echoed through the speakers.

  The Incredibles were running out of options. Alex's strikes were heavy and with intent to almost kill.

  Desperate, Bob noticed a brief flicker of resistance in Alex's eyes and signaled the others to attack at once, attempting to restrain him. In the chaos, Alex’s wingtip struck Violet’s stomach.

  She gasped, a sharp, choked sound, clutching herself.

  Silence dropped like a physical weight.

  Bob’s vision narrowed, his fatherly instinct taking over. He growled and punched Alex squarely in the face, a gut-wrenching impact that sent him tumbling back.

  Alex slumped, stunned, his massive wings folding slightly. He looked up, his blurry gaze focusing on Violet—her shocked face, her hand pressed to her stomach. His lips trembled. “No…” he whispered, the sound raw and desperate. He staggered forward. “Violet… I—Oh God… what did I do?”

  The rest of the family stepped back, tense, ready to defend. Fear, pain, and confusion rippled across their faces. Alex froze, stepping back slowly. He glanced down at the tip of his wing. Blood. His hand trembled, reaching toward it, but he recoiled in horror. “No… NO! Why… I…?” His first taste of power was his first taste of guilt.

  Dr Marvin, already on route to another base, was watching the whole thing. “What the hell??” Surprised that Alex broke out of his control he sent a sharp, intrusive signal trying to regain the control.

  Alex’s head exploded in pain, a thunderous, unbearable headache as he fought the intrusion. He staggered, holding his head in his hand like it was going to explode. He screamed in pain "No... AHHH, GET OUT OF MY HEAD" howling like an animal trapped. Then, his pupils widened, cold and empty. He strode toward Bob, his movements suddenly steady and calibrated, his wings tensing for the strike.

  “Get her out of here! Now!” Bob bellowed. Helen scooped up Violet, and Dash covered their retreat.

  Bob clenched his fists ready to punch while Alex's steps became faster and faster until it turned into running.

  Alex launched himself at Bob, but his pupils flickered one last time—a microsecond of Alex fighting back—and he crashed violently into the shelving instead. “You can fight it, Alex! Snap out of it!” Bob yelled, hope fighting against the blaring alarms.

  Marvin triggered his fail-safe. “It’s futile, Mr. Incredible,” his voice sneered over the speakers, as the entire base began to buckle.

  Alex slammed his fists against the walls, his head to the ground screaming “GET OUT OF MY HEAD! AHHHHHHHHH” he screamed with tears in fear and desperation of what he would do if he lost control again. Each bang sent metal clanging, sparks flying. Walls cracked; equipment toppled. The force of his anguish and wings’ movement shook the base to its core. He didn't feel pain, only the headache and fear at their most intensity.

  Bob barely escaped the collapsing walls. He reached the Incredibile, alone. “I tried… I couldn’t get him,” he choked out, looking down at the asphalt. Helen grasped his arm, grief tightening her features.

  They got Violet to safety with Dash refusing to leave her side. Lucius (Frozone) was already there his eyes full of worry. “Man, I drove none stop from LA the moment I heard. Is she ok?” “She is hurt pretty bad. but she survived.” Helen answered as Lucius looked at Bob standing at the balcony. “What’s up with him?” Lucius whispered to Helen. “He couldn’t save Alex from the wreckage… “

  “Who is Alex? What the hell happened?!” Then Helen explained everything that happened, the prom, the kidnappings even the wings and the fight. “Holy shit…” Lucius whistled.

  “And now Bob won’t stop punishing himself... Could you talk to him Lucius?” As Lucius nodded, he walked towards the balcony.

  Bob stood on the balcony like a statue someone forgot to finish carving. Shoulders slumped. Knuckles still scraped from the crash. He stared out at the city lights, but he wasn’t really seeing anything — just replaying every second of the wreckage, every moment he wasn’t fast enough.

  Inside, machines beeped softly around Violet’s unconscious form. Helen spoke with the doctors in hushed, exhausted tones. Lucius stepped out onto the balcony after getting the full story from Helen. He didn’t say anything at first. Just leaned on the railing beside Bob with that casual "I’m not leaving until you talk" energy.

  A long minute passed.

  Lucius finally broke the silence.

  “You look like shit.”

  Bob didn’t bother arguing. “Feel like it too.”

  Lucius sighed. “Man… you sound like a teenager after failing a math test. You almost died trying to get to Alex. And Violet’s alive because you stepped between her and Alex. That’s not failure. That’s you being a stubborn brick wall who refuses to die.”

  Bob clenched his jaw. “Doesn’t change what happened. I let the kid go. Alex needed me.”

  His voice cracked — barely. But Lucius heard it.

  “Hey.” Lucius nudged him with his elbow. “You can't control explosions. Or when the building would collapse.”

  Bob hissed a shaky breath, rubbing his face. “Lucius… I hesitated. He looked at me — fear in his eyes like it was him. Not under the mind control anymore — and I still hesitated to save him before the building collapsed. What kind of hero am I?”

  Lucius didn’t sugarcoat it.

  “You’re human. That’s what you are.”

  That landed harder than comfort ever could.

  Lucius continued, quieter, “Helen told me everything. That crazy doctor messed with his head. That wasn’t Alex hurting violet. That was a puppet show with too much blood. And you’re blaming yourself for feeling fear for the safety of your own child at that moment? Come on, Bob.”

  Bob swallowed. His eyes glistened, but he kept his gaze fixed on the distant lights. “If I’d just—”

  Lucius cut him off sharply.

  “If you ‘just’ anything one more time, I’m throwing you off this balcony and letting fate decide.”

  That earned a weak breath of a laugh. Barely there — but it was something.

  Lucius leaned closer. “You didn’t mean that. You hesitated. You didn't decide to leave him there. Big difference. And I'm sure he survived. The way your wife described him, that dude is not gonna go down easily... Anyway, I’m not here to pat your head. I’m here because Violet is in there fighting to wake up, Helen’s holding the family together like duct tape, and Alex is God knows where… probably tearing through steel trying to get free.”

  Bob looked at him for the first time.

  Lucius pointed at him. “Which means you and I? We’re going after that mad doctor.”

  Bob blinked. “Just like that?”

  “Just like that. Because if Marvin thinks he can take Alex, break him, twist him, and just walk away—” Lucius smirked, slow and dangerous,

  “—then he gonna be out of his mind if he thinks we're gonna let him go.”

  Bob exhaled. Long. Heavy.

  But some of that crushing weight finally cracked.

  Lucius clapped his shoulder. “Get your head straight. Fix your ribs. Hug your daughter. Then we hit the road. I’ve already got a weak trace on his last route.”

  Bob nodded; jaw tight but eyes steadier. “Alright. Let’s do it.”

  Lucius grinned. “Atta boy. Now stop brooding on balconies. We got a job to do.”

  As Bob and Lucius came back inside Helen saw the determination back on Bob’s face. She knew that look on his face “So… we got a plan?” She said knowingly.

  “Simple. We send some heroes to get Alex out of all that debris as we try to find a way to stop that signal controlling Alex.” Lucius thought for a second and then suggested Voyd and Brick for the rescue mission. Bob and Helen agreed.

  Brick and Voyd were called to the scene now that it was safe to approach.

  Bob sat beside Violet for a few seconds. He looked at her and only saw his child as if her age hadn’t changed since high school. After gently kissing her forehead and as Violet was in a deep sleep recovering from her wound, Helen, Bob and Frozone decided to catch the mad doctor.

  Alex lay in the wreckage, bleeding, exhausted, shaking. “I killed her. I’m a monster,” the guilt whispered. “He did this to me. I’ll rip him apart.” The voices escalated, his fear turning into a caged, suffocating anger. The silence in his head was ringing with the thoughts getting louder and louder. He couldn't breathe.

  Something inside him snapped.

  He roared, leaping out of the debris, landing hard on his fist. He rose slowly, looking at his wings. They were no longer white—they were blacker than the deepest night, and his eyes burned a fierce, unbroken red.

  Meanwhile, Marvin sat in his dimly lit lab, the hum of machinery filling the room. Rows of vials shimmered under the fluorescent lights, each containing the serum that caused Alex’s brutal transformation.

  A part of him flickered with guilt — a fleeting thought about the innocents he experimented on. But he quickly suppressed it. “Too late… I’ve gone too far. There’s no turning back,” he muttered to himself. His hands were steady, precise, calculating. He carefully extracted the most stable vials, labeling them meticulously.

  Each vial represented power, control, and profit — the world outside had no idea what he was about to unleash. Marvin moved with clinical efficiency, double-checking formulas, ensuring the serum wouldn’t fail on paying clients.

  The lab smelled of chemicals, antiseptic, and metal. Machines beeped, lights flickered, casting harsh shadows across his face. His expression was calm, almost serene — but beneath it, a storm of ambition and moral decay simmered. He stared at a vial containing Alex’s blood, his eyes faintly reflected in the liquid. A quiet, almost imperceptible smirk curled his lips: “The world will be willing to pay anything for this… and I’ll be ready.”

  After a few hours his client visited. "Dr Marvin" The man in the black suit greeted "I was told your serum is ready and working."

  "Yes! We can do the transaction right now" Dr Marvin answered a bit too eager

  "We'd like to see it with our own eyes first. We have a volunteer" The suited man answered with certainty.

  "He-here?” he sighed” I guess there is no other choice is there... Very well. Let me prepare him for transformation"

  Dr Marvin started proper for the procedure while explaining the characteristics of the serum and what it did to the body.

  "The serum will break the body first in order to reconstruct the neural network. The beauty of this transformation is the wings will be tied directly to emotions. It's extremely versatile under the right training. As you might've seen in the news my first lab was destroyed. I had to activate the failsafe or the test subject would've been released. I couldn't do much to recover more tissue samples from the test subject. Now what I could do with the limited time was to reduce the pain to the minimum."

  It made the client doubt "You mean you haven't perfected the serum yet?? You told me specifically that we can do the transaction here and now"

  It made Dr Marvin stutter for a second " N-no no that's not what it is. The serum IS perfected, I just managed to also reduce the excruciating pain the transformation brings. Believe me I've seen it first hand and it's not pretty."

  They tied the volunteer to the flat platform, descending him under the water and started the procedure. The so-called volunteer started twirling and screaming under water.

  "I thought you said you brought the transformation pain to minimum. " The client asked disappointed. "I did" Dr Marvin said with a cold yet certain tone.

  Before the procedure could be finished Helen, Bob and Frozone broke in. Dr Marvin was furious "what the... How the hell are you still alive?? Security!" The guards swarmed in trying to stop the three heroes.

  "That bastard is using the serum on someone else! We need to act NOW" Helen’s voice was worried. "We can't exactly reach him through these guards" Frozone answered with a sarcastic tone. "Alright alright! we need a distraction. One of us must stay here while the other two try to catch that weasel"

  Bob looked at the guards with an angry grin "You two go, I need to blow some steam"

  Before Helen and Frozone could get to the doctor the client hit the button, releasing his volunteer, interrupting the procedure. "NO! What have you done! The procedure is unfinished!" Dr Marvin shouted, nervous. The client scolded him saying he should save himself and ran away with his men. He instead ran to his panic room that had a view on all of them from above.

  The volunteer with wings rose from the water pool, starting to slaughter anyone in sight. Bob, Helen and Frozone stopped fighting the guards and tried to save them instead. The guards ran away in fear as the three super heroes started fighting the winged figure.

  Before they lunched the attack a voice started buzzing in their ear piece “He is not there!” Bob was shocked by the news “What do you mean he is not there?! I saw him getting buried under that whole base!”

  Lucius directed Bob’s attention to the winged figure that was getting closer “So he survived. Good. That scary dude with wings is getting closer! Get your head out of your thoughts dude.”

  They couldn't stop him only barely survive him. The battle was tough. The winged volunteer's attacks were sloppy and uncalculated but still lethal. They tried to stun him with their attacks but were pushed back. As they stood up panting, the roof came down as Alex landed.

  All looks darted on Alex, fear setting in their hearts. Bob stepped forward, covering Frozone and Helen behind him. Alex stood slowly, rage cracking across his face. He looked at them, seeing their bruises and how Bob was protecting them from him. He locked his gaze on the winged figure, channeling all his rage toward him.

  They fought hard, both of them inexperienced in fighting. The winged figure had more tricks but Alex had rage at his side. After a few intense minutes Alex managed to throw the winged figure straight into the huge air refresher fans in the ceiling, rendering him unconscious. The fight was so fast, not Bob or even Helen could even intervene.

  Alex could barely stand, wounds all over his body. His legs gave out, forcing him to kneel. Before he could catch his breath, his gaze fell upon Dr Marvin on the upper floor. His wings shuddered, a spasm of rage. The blood loss meant nothing now. "Youu..." he snarled, the sound ripping from his throat.

  He lunched to the thick glass trying to break them with his punches. His strikes were rageful, turning into desperation, like his life depended on it. Bob, Frozone and Helen looked at each other, knowing what they had to do.

  They grabbed Alex, pulling him down "Alex stop!" He pushed them back with a flicker of his wings. He aimed to rip the blast door with his bare hands. Dr Marvin was cornered in his panic room, no way to run. All he could do was to wait and hope Alex couldn't breach.

  The blast door started making crack noises as Alex pulled harder. Bob and the other two grabbed him, trying to prevent him from doing something he would regret later. But Alex didn't even notice them pulling him back, his sole focus being on Dr Marvin. With each flash back of him hurting Violet, seeing her clutching herself in fear, he screamed and pulled harder until he ripped the blast door open, the wave throwing Helen and Frozone flying, with Bob catching them crash landing on the ground.

  He grabbed Marvin by the throat, seeing the fear in his eyes. " You turned me into this monster. Now you'll get a taste of your own creation." Alex lifted the same wingtip he wounded Violet with before Helen screamed "Alex wait!" Alex's wingtip was halfway to Marvin's gut when Helen finished her sentence "Violet is alive!" Alex froze mid strike, feeling heavy in the chest, relief mixed with grief. His emotions overwhelmed him, putting the thought into his head; all the future had imagined with Violet... It's gone now. He is no longer human.

  He slammed Marvin into the ground, making him cough. "You did this to me" Alex roared, slamming his wingtip right next his ear into the ground. His voice became calm as he leaned close enough for him to see his red eyes "But I'm not your monster." Marvin started crying out of fear but mostly relief.

  Alex flew back down, barely walking towards the exit.

  Frozone took Marvin down while Helen and Bob stopped Alex, trying to comfort him... Alex couldn't tolerate himself, what he had done even though he didn't ask for any of it.

  "Please Alex, you need to come with us. We can help you. You can visit Violet too after we figure out how to help you control your powers" Helen tried to convince him.

  Alex's eyes lit up first hearing Violet, but then the voices in his head made him reconsider. "It doesn't matter anymore." Alex said with a low voice " I've... Nothing's going to go back the way it was. I'm a freak, an abomination. I almost killed her!" his hands were shaking.

  "I’m sorry. For everything" he took off without saying anything else.