Nobody moved.
For a few seconds, the only sound in the chamber was the low hum of the machine beneath their feet.
Adrian stood between the stranger and the boys.
His hand slowly tightened around his weapon.
"Who are you?"
The man smiled.
"You know exactly who I am."
"I know a lot of people."
"Not me."
The man stepped farther into the light.
He was probably in his late forties. His hair was beginning to gray at the sides, but his posture was straight and confident. He wore a dark coat with no visible insignia.
There was something unsettling about how calm he was.
He wasn't shouting.
He wasn't threatening anyone.
He didn't need to.
Six armed men stood behind him.
Mara pulled the boys closer.
Kane immediately moved in front of Kade and Kian.
The stranger noticed.
"That one."
His eyes settled on Kane.
"The red-eyed one."
Kane stared back.
The man smiled slightly.
"Already protective."
Adrian raised his weapon.
"Take one more step."
The stranger stopped.
"Still playing the hero, Adrian?"
"I said stop."
"You always did like pretending you were the only person willing to make difficult choices."
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"You're with them."
"Of course."
Mara looked between them.
"With who?"
The stranger didn't answer.
Instead, he looked at the three boys.
"I've spent six years trying to find you."
Kade frowned.
"Why?"
The man's expression softened.
"Because your father left something behind."
Kade glanced at Adrian.
"What's he talking about?"
Adrian didn't answer.
Kane stepped forward.
"What did our father leave?"
The stranger's smile disappeared.
"That's the problem."
He looked toward the machine.
"He didn't leave it."
He pointed toward the brothers.
"He hid it inside you."
Silence.
Kade's face twisted in confusion.
"What does that even mean?"
"It means your father wasn't investigating mutant origins because he was curious."
The man took another step.
"He discovered something."
Adrian interrupted.
"And you want it."
"I want what belongs to us."
Mara shook her head.
"My children don't belong to anyone."
The stranger looked at her.
For the first time, his expression became cold.
"No."
He looked back at the brothers.
"They don't."
That answer caught Adrian off guard.
The stranger continued.
"They belong to themselves."
Kade blinked.
"So... you're not trying to take us?"
"I didn't say that."
Adrian fired.
The gunshot echoed through the chamber.
One of the armed men reacted instantly, but Adrian's shot struck the weapon from his hand.
The chamber erupted.
Mara dropped behind a metal barrier with the boys.
"Stay down!"
Adrian moved quickly.
Two armed men rushed toward him.
He struck the first across the jaw, ducked beneath the second man's swing, and drove his shoulder into his chest.
Kane watched.
He wanted to help.
But he knew what Adrian had said.
Stay down.
Kade whispered beside him.
"Are we just going to sit here?"
"Yes."
"That doesn't sound like you."
Kane looked at him.
"Do you have a better plan?"
Kade thought about it.
"No."
"Then stay down."
Kian wasn't listening.
He was staring at the machine.
The glass chamber had started glowing again.
The three lights were back.
Red.
Blue.
Green.
Kian slowly reached toward it.
"Kian?"
He didn't answer.
His fingers moved closer to the glass.
Then—
The world shifted.
For a split second, Kian's hand passed through the glass.
He jerked it back.
His breathing became faster.
"Kian?"
"I felt something."
Kane grabbed his shoulder.
"What?"
Kian looked frightened.
"Someone."
Before Kane could ask what he meant, the machine suddenly activated.
A pulse of energy spread across the chamber.
Every light went out.
Everyone froze.
The armed men stopped.
Adrian turned toward the machine.
"What did you do?"
Kian shook his head.
"I didn't."
The stranger stared at him.
Then, slowly, he smiled.
"That answers one question."
Adrian looked at him.
"What question?"
The man didn't respond.
Instead, he reached inside his coat and pulled out a small device.
He pressed a button.
The machine reacted immediately.
The three lights became brighter.
Kian suddenly cried out.
His body flickered.
Kane grabbed him.
"Kian!"
For a moment, Kian's body became almost transparent.
His arm slipped partly through Kane's grip.
Then he returned.
Kade stared at him.
"What happened?"
Kian looked terrified.
"I don't know."
The stranger lowered the device.
"Interesting."
Adrian pointed his weapon at him.
"What did you do to him?"
"Nothing."
"You're lying."
"No."
The stranger looked at Kian.
"He did that himself."
Kian stared back.
The man continued.
"Your father said the same thing would happen."
Adrian froze.
"You spoke to Elias."
The man's smile faded.
"Yes."
"When?"
"Three years ago."
Mara's heart dropped.
Three years.
That meant Elias hadn't simply vanished before the boys were born.
He had been alive afterward.
Adrian's voice became quieter.
"Where?"
The stranger looked at him.
"You really don't know?"
"No."
"He came to us."
Mara stepped forward.
"Who is 'us'?"
The stranger glanced at her.
"The people your husband was trying to escape."
Mara's face hardened.
"Elias wasn't my husband."
The man looked surprised.
Then he nodded.
"Fair enough."
He looked toward the brothers again.
"He came to us because he believed we could help him."
Kane asked, "Help him with what?"
The man hesitated.
"With you."
Kade frowned.
"But we weren't even here."
"You were."
The man pointed toward the machine.
"You were being watched before you were born."
Adrian's expression changed.
"No."
The stranger nodded.
"Yes."
Mara slowly shook her head.
"That's impossible."
"Your sons were born with abilities that should not exist naturally."
Adrian interrupted.
"Don't tell her what you think you know."
The stranger looked at him.
"You still haven't figured it out, have you?"
"Figured out what?"
"The three of them aren't identical because they're triplets."
He looked at the boys.
"They're identical because something made them that way."
Kade stared at his own hands.
Kian stepped backward.
Kane's expression hardened.
"You're lying."
"I wish I were."
The stranger put away the device.
"Elias discovered the truth. Then he tried to destroy the evidence."
Adrian shook his head.
"He wouldn't."
"He did."
"Then why is this place still here?"
The stranger smiled.
"Because he failed."
Suddenly, a loud metallic crack echoed from beneath the chamber.
The floor shook.
Everyone lost their balance.
The machine began opening again.
Adrian looked down.
"What is happening?"
The stranger's calm expression finally disappeared.
"That wasn't supposed to happen."
Adrian looked at him.
"What?"
The stranger stared at the machine.
"The system has recognized them."
Three sections of the floor opened.
One beneath Kane.
One beneath Kade.
One beneath Kian.
Mara screamed.
The brothers stumbled apart.
"Kane!"
Kane reached for Kade.
But the floor between them dropped.
Kade disappeared into darkness.
"Kade!"
Kian tried to move toward him.
His foot slipped through the collapsing floor.
He screamed.
Kane grabbed his arm.
For a moment, Kane held him.
Then something below grabbed Kade.
Kade's eyes widened.
"GET ME OUT!"
Kane pulled harder.
"Hold on!"
Kian suddenly became intangible.
His body slipped through the broken floor.
He fell toward Kade.
The two brothers disappeared into the darkness.
"KIAN!"
Kane dropped to his knees.
Mara rushed toward the opening.
Adrian grabbed her before she could fall.
"Wait!"
"They're my children!"
"I know!"
Below them came the sound of Kade shouting.
Then Kian's voice.
Then silence.
The stranger stared into the darkness.
His face had gone completely pale.
Adrian noticed.
"What is it?"
The man didn't answer.
Adrian grabbed his coat.
"What is down there?"
The stranger finally looked at him.
And for the first time, genuine fear appeared in his eyes.
"Something Elias was terrified of."
A deep sound rose from beneath the chamber.
Not mechanical.
Not human.
Something breathed.
Once.
Twice.
Then a pair of enormous eyes opened in the darkness below.
The stranger whispered:
"Oh God…"
Adrian looked down.
The creature spoke.
And somehow, its voice sounded exactly like Elias.
"Adrian… you were never supposed to bring them here."
Chapter 10 End.