Things went from zero to one hundred in seconds.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGDyLz6xcT
Adan stumbled, foot catching on a power cable snaking across the cold basement floor. He spun, off-balance, and flung a hand out—right into the edge of a metal table cluttered with glowing jars and sleek equipment.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5cTrk6p2o
“NO—!” Davis shouted.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VflJW3hR2
Crash.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbwCIJ1IAa
Jars shattered. Glass flew. Strange liquids hissed as they splashed onto the floor, reacting instantly with the air in sparks and smoke.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZO14vtJTza
Adan yelped and hit the ground hard. One jar tumbled after him—its contents, a thick, oily black goo, sloshing violently. It slipped free and splattered across Adan’s arm with a wet hiss.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADrFUZEz58
“AAAHHHH—DUDE!” he shrieked, clutching his arm as smoke rose from the skin. The goo pulsed, sinking into his flesh like ink into water. He screamed as it seemed to burn for a moment.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25utTTLGH6
Davis stood frozen. That wasn’t just any substance—it was one of his father’s volatile, illegal prototypes.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvycZcti7Iq
The chaos didn’t stop.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXOEo8xhu4
Julian, already halfway to another table, looked over his shoulder. “Yo, what the hell just—?”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgPwPtvtIe
Then Adan’s flailing foot smacked the edge of the second table.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9jiwBresX
TINK—CRASH!678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEd7ldM9rVY
The jar with the cybernetic scorpion tilted, wobbled... and fell. It shattered on the floor beside Julian, who barely had time to flinch.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZmsPuyeGI
The creature bolted from the shards like lightning.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTvFB6tArc
“Julian, MOVE—!”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54uGKhJwMB
Too late.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziBuVrZjSZ
The scorpion launched at his wrist, tail stinger jabbing deep. Julian howled, twisting, trying to shake it loose. The scorpion didn't budge—its legs latched on like clamps.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2lIALS4Um
“GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF ME!”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NFJxHZ0kc
He slammed his hand into the wall, but the thing held firm. Its body started glowing faintly. Julian gritted his teeth, fury and fear battling in his eyes.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHM2WApOBSR
Then came Cassedy’s scream.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZSBk4BKJ71
Davis whipped his head around. She’d collapsed near a toppled tray of needles—long, metallic, and filled with softly glowing liquids.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQYQIbAXjI
The tray had spilled. The needles had struck.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwrtjUtytA
Half a dozen were embedded in her shoulder and arm, humming faintly. Her body twitched as if something inside her was rewiring.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19HHd2f9R0
Davis ran to her, dropping to his knees.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoevNGUYnI9
“Cassedy—! Don’t move—hold still—”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRoqqQ7jGO
He grabbed the first needle, yanked. She whimpered.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYhpdIMgZI
These weren’t medical. These were Berithman’s DNA fusion needles. His “liquid grafting” tech—stuff he used on birds, on metals, on... God knows what else.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdeIUMMIcP
The room smelled like chemicals, sweat, and burnt plastic.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmiml204Zf
Giselle and Brielle stood by the far wall, motionless. Giselle’s fists were clenched, ready to run. Brielle just trembled.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ooeHalQVr
Giselle snapped out of it first, darting toward Adan and Julian. “Hey—hey! You okay?”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMbOX3rEgr
Adan nodded, holding his darkening arm. “It’s not that bad.”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pEiSjRxwu
Julian was panting, his wrist raw, the scorpion still fused to it like armor. “It’s stuck. It’s just—freaking STUCK!”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUzIheZToX
Cassedy groaned. “Davis… the needles…”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjsdYRjW3DN
“I got it, I got it!” he said, yanking another free. She bit down on her sleeve to keep from screaming.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4JKYomktO
Davis’s mind raced. His dad was going to kill him. Or worse. These weren’t toys. These were secrets—dangerous, illegal secrets.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3F2esz42hn
If this got out…678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNu7wjoasjV
“We clean this up. Now. Before he finds out.”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2zkMBeZdm
“What?” Cassedy croaked. “We need a hospital—”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfuYYdtN3m
“No!” Davis snapped. “We can’t. They’ll ask too many questions. These aren’t injuries—they’re experiments. Illegal ones. If they figure it out, my dad’s gone. You get that? Gone. Forever.”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bEdBtWc8i
“So we’re just supposed to—what—deal with it?” Julian growled, holding his stung wrist like it might fall off.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0IVt0fWHr
“If we go to the hospital, they won’t know how to treat you anyway. They’ll just poke and cut until someone dies or mutates. You want that?”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpScog8Ou7
Julian glared. “No.”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90u44tBcHX
Adan raised a brow. “So… if we don’t die from this… do we get powers?”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVzncE5Cjm
“Maybe,” Davis muttered. “My dad didn’t finish any of these tests. They weren’t meant for people.”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlgKJqflWZ
Adan grinned. “Well, I’ve always wanted laser fists or something.”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFQGGRJSLZ
Cassedy struggled to sit up. “Or we die. Horribly.”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4t83pqi9I
Julian rolled his eyes. “Please. Death’s for the weak.”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQNutyOv1Q
He glanced toward the twins, voice lowering to a cold murmur. “If it was them? They’d be toast by now.”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNhZ3UVhhB
Giselle narrowed her eyes. Brielle looked like she’d just swallowed a scream.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hoAdrOWtS
Davis ignored the tension. He stood up, brushing glass from his hands. “We need to reset the lab. Put the tables back. Hide the mess. Now.”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBF84837wvH
He started barking orders.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5SoQfJYYI
“Giselle, Brielle—stack the broken gear on the shelves. Be gentle. Julian, try not to bleed on anything. Adan, I don’t know, start mopping or something.”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe72agFyMk2
Everyone moved—shakily, but with urgency. The basement buzzed with clinks, clangs, and whispered cursing.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJYgOE6w43
Davis helped Cassedy up once the worst of the needles were out. Her arm looked bruised under the skin.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQF440TizY2
“We go to your house,” Davis told them. “All of us. We need time.”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTRXCdhJO3
As they reached the top of the basement stairs, Davis spotted something on the kitchen table.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFekuuZnNGr
A folded note.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVGcQ2zaD6
“Gone for two days. Working with a colleague. DO NOT enter the basement. – Dr. F. Berithman”678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRr3B7Apht
Davis stared at it for a long second, then turned it over. Nothing else.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMIYvbZTrhj
Too late.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnkc387CZD
As the front door closed behind them, no one looked up at the roof eave.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstP4rHM47h
A small black orb blinked red.678Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTLmAzj1Kl
It had seen everything.
ns216.73.216.175da2
and then Add to home screen.