The sound came again.
Not a crash.
Not an explosion.
A deep, slow vibration that traveled through the floor and up their legs.
Kian instinctively moved closer to Kane.
Kade stopped joking.
Even Adrian, who had spent years preparing for situations most people would never believe existed, stood completely still.
The old maintenance room suddenly felt much smaller.
Dust drifted from the ceiling.
Something groaned beneath them.
Kade swallowed.
"Was that supposed to happen?"
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
His eyes remained fixed on the floor.
"No."
Another vibration passed through the room.
This time, a loose pipe rattled violently against the wall.
Mara pulled the three boys toward her.
"Adrian."
"I know."
"What is down there?"
Adrian finally looked at her.
"I don't know."
That answer frightened her more than anything else could have.
Kane noticed.
He stepped forward.
"Then we should leave."
Adrian looked at him.
For a moment, he seemed surprised by the seriousness in the boy's voice.
"You're right."
He moved toward the opposite wall and pulled away a rusted metal panel.
Behind it was a narrow passage.
Kade stared into the darkness.
"That's a terrible-looking hallway."
Adrian almost smiled.
"It wasn't designed for comfort."
"Good," Kade muttered. "Because I wasn't feeling comfortable."
Kane grabbed Kade's arm.
"Come on."
The brothers followed Adrian.
Mara came behind them, constantly looking over her shoulder.
They moved through the narrow passage with only Adrian's small flashlight guiding them.
The walls were old.
Older than the safehouse.
Much older.
Every few feet, strange markings appeared in the concrete.
Some looked like numbers.
Others looked like symbols.
Kian slowed down.
He stared at one of them.
A small circle surrounded by three lines.
It looked almost identical to the fourth symbol that had appeared on Elias's map.
"Adrian."
The man stopped.
Kian pointed.
Adrian's expression changed.
He walked back.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he touched the marking with two fingers.
"I've seen this before."
"Where?" Kane asked.
"Your father's notes."
Mara stepped closer.
"You said Elias was investigating mutant origins."
"He was."
"Did he know about this place?"
Adrian nodded slowly.
"He knew more than I did."
Kade frowned.
"Then why didn't he just tell you?"
Adrian looked at him.
"Because sometimes knowing something makes you a target."
Kade didn't like that answer.
Neither did Kane.
But before either could respond, another vibration shook the passage.
This one was stronger.
A section of dust fell from the ceiling.
Mara grabbed Kian.
"Keep moving."
They continued.
After several minutes, the passage opened into a large underground chamber.
Everyone stopped.
The chamber was enormous.
It stretched far beyond the reach of Adrian's flashlight.
Old metal walkways crossed the darkness above them.
Huge pipes disappeared into the walls.
At the center stood a circular platform covered in symbols.
Kian stared at it.
Something about the platform felt familiar.
Not because he'd seen it before.
Because he'd seen it in his dreams.
He couldn't explain why.
He took one step forward.
"Kian."
He stopped.
Kane had noticed.
"What?"
"You're doing that thing again."
"What thing?"
"You're staring."
Kian looked at the platform.
"I think I've seen it."
Mara's face tightened.
"Seen it where?"
Kian shook his head.
"I don't know."
Adrian slowly walked toward the platform.
The black object Elias had left behind was still in his hand.
Its surface began to glow.
Everyone noticed.
Adrian stopped.
The object projected the map again.
Three points appeared.
Then the fourth symbol.
But this time, something was different.
A fifth point appeared.
Kade stepped closer.
"Was that there before?"
"No."
Adrian's voice was barely above a whisper.
The fifth point began moving across the projected map.
Slowly.
Then faster.
It traveled toward the fourth symbol.
Adrian's face went pale.
"What?"
Mara asked.
He didn't answer.
The point stopped.
Right beneath them.
The entire chamber went silent.
Kade looked down.
"Uh... guys?"
A faint metallic sound came from somewhere below the platform.
Click.
Everyone froze.
Click.
Something unlocked.
Kane grabbed Kade's hand.
Mara pulled Kian behind her.
Adrian raised his weapon.
A thin line of white light appeared around the edge of the circular platform.
Then another.
Then another.
The entire platform began to separate.
Not collapse.
Open.
A circular section of the floor slowly descended.
Cold air rushed upward from the darkness below.
Kian's eyes widened.
"There's something down there."
Adrian stared into the opening.
"I know."
A low mechanical hum filled the chamber.
Then a voice spoke.
Not through a speaker.
Not from a person.
It came from everywhere.
"Identity confirmed."
Mara's heart stopped.
Adrian lowered his weapon slightly.
The voice continued.
"Three subjects detected."
Kane's expression changed.
"Subjects?"
Kade whispered, "I don't like that word."
Kian didn't say anything.
He was staring into the opening.
Something was glowing down there.
Three small lights.
Red.
Blue.
Green.
The same colors as their eyes.
Adrian stepped backward.
For the first time since the boys had met him, he looked genuinely afraid.
"No."
Mara turned toward him.
"What is it?"
Adrian shook his head.
"I don't know."
The voice spoke again.
"Genetic signatures recognized."
Kane looked at his brothers.
Then at Adrian.
"Genetic signatures?"
Adrian didn't respond.
The machine beneath them began to hum louder.
A shape slowly rose from the darkness.
It wasn't an animal.
It wasn't human.
It was a massive metal structure, covered in cables and glass panels.
Inside the glass was something moving.
Something alive.
Kade took a step back.
"What is that?"
Adrian stared at it.
Then he noticed something engraved across the front.
Three names.
Kane.
Kade.
Kian.
Mara's face went completely pale.
"No…"
She rushed forward.
Adrian caught her arm.
"Don't."
"Those are my sons!"
"I know."
"Then let me go!"
Adrian tightened his grip.
"We don't know what that thing is."
Mara fought against him.
"They put my children's names on it!"
The brothers stood frozen.
Kian stared at the glass.
The creature inside slowly opened its eyes.
Green.
Just like his.
Kade noticed the movement.
"Guys…"
The thing inside lifted its head.
Its gaze moved toward them.
Red.
Blue.
Green.
Three lights appeared inside the chamber.
One for each brother.
Then the machine spoke again.
"Primary sequence incomplete."
Adrian's breathing stopped.
"What does that mean?"
The machine answered.
"Father absent."
Everyone froze.
Kane's eyes widened.
Kade whispered, "Father?"
Mara looked at Adrian.
"You said Elias was missing."
"He is."
The machine's lights suddenly changed.
A fourth light appeared.
White.
The voice returned.
"Locate Elias."
Adrian stepped closer.
"Where is he?"
The machine remained silent.
Then the entire chamber went dark.
For two seconds, there was nothing.
No light.
No sound.
Then—
A single monitor flickered on.
A man's face appeared.
Older.
Tired.
Bruised.
But unmistakable.
Mara covered her mouth.
Kane stared at the screen.
Kade stopped breathing.
Kian stepped forward.
He knew that face.
Not from memory.
Not from photographs.
But somehow, from somewhere deeper.
The man on the screen looked directly into the camera.
His voice crackled through the underground chamber.
"If you're seeing this…"
He paused.
His eyes seemed to move slightly, almost as if he knew someone was watching.
"…then they found my sons."
Mara's eyes filled with tears.
"Elias…"
The recording continued.
"I don't know how much time I have left. Adrian, if you're with them, listen carefully."
Adrian moved closer.
"Elias…"
"Whatever happens, don't take them to the government."
The screen flickered.
"Don't trust anyone who tells you they know what the boys are."
Another flicker.
"They aren't experiments."
The image distorted.
"They aren't weapons."
The lights around the chamber began flashing.
Elias leaned closer to the camera.
His final words came through in a whisper.
"They are the key."
The screen went black.
Nobody moved.
Then, from somewhere far beneath the chamber, another voice answered.
A human voice.
Quiet.
Calm.
And very much alive.
"That's exactly what I was afraid he'd tell them."
Adrian slowly turned around.
A figure stood on the other side of the chamber.
A man wearing a dark coat.
His face was hidden by the shadows.
And behind him stood six armed people.
The man stepped into the light.
Adrian's expression collapsed.
He knew him.
"Impossible…"
The man smiled.
"I've been looking for them for six years, Adrian."
His eyes settled on the three brothers.
"And now I've finally found all three."
Chapter 9 End.