Location: Tavara – Glacium Underground Base
The silence shattered as Victor lunged forward, his body propelled not just by muscle, but by sheer purpose. His fist collided with the Prototype's palm, an impact so intense it sent shockwaves down the corridor walls, rattling the dormant cryo-chambers.
The Prototype didn't flinch.
Instead, it smiled.
"Predictable," it said coldly, grabbing Victor's arm and swinging him across the room. Victor smashed into the metallic wall, denting the alloy.
Damien charged next, blades drawn, slashing in precise arcs meant to cripple. But the Prototype countered effortlessly, catching both swords mid-air and snapping them like twigs. Damien flew back, blood staining the snow at the corridor's edge.
Nora stepped forward, her eyes glowing white with divine energy. "You were built to destroy... I was born to heal."
She raised both hands. A brilliant circle of light formed, spinning with runes no mortal could decipher. It unleashed a pulse that slowed time within the chamber—except for Victor and the Prototype.
It was a gift. One minute of real-time, condensed into a moment.
Victor stood, cracks along his ribs, blood leaking from his lip.
The Prototype approached, undeterred. "You are everything flawed in mankind. Emotion. Hesitation. Attachment. I was made without it."
Victor narrowed his eyes. "And that's why you'll never lead."
He drew a small device from his wrist—a compact neural disruptor Nora had designed.
The Prototype paused.
"You wouldn't dare—"
Victor activated it.
The lights flickered. The cryo-chambers hissed violently. The Prototype's body shuddered, freezing mid-step.
Victor charged, leapt, and with a thunderous roar, slammed his fist into the Prototype's chest. The impact dented its core. Sparks flew as synthetic ribs shattered.
"I don't need to be perfect to be powerful," Victor growled.
The Prototype tried to rise—but Damien reappeared, despite his wounds, slamming an EMP rod into its neck.
"Tag out," Damien rasped.
The Prototype screamed, collapsing like a marionette with its strings severed.
Nora's time-field faded.
The chamber lights returned to blue.
Victor stood over the broken shell. "We end this legacy... on our terms."
He turned to Nora and Damien. "Shut it down. All of it. Burn the clones. Seal the base."
As flames engulfed the cryo-lines, and the base trembled under their purge sequence, Victor looked back one last time at the Prototype's body.
It hadn't been a reflection.
It was a warning.
And he would never forget it.