The laboratory lights hummed softly.
Emily's breathing was uneven as the machine beside her continued to scan her brain activity.
Bright lines moved wildly across the monitor.
Dr. Adrian Voss watched the screen with intense fascination.
"Remarkable," he murmured.
Emily glared at him from the bed, her wrists still locked inside the restraints.
"You're insane."
Voss didn't react to the insult.
Instead, he slowly walked around the bed, studying her as if she were a rare discovery.
"You know," he said calmly, "most people would be terrified to discover they possess extraordinary abilities."
Emily's jaw tightened.
"I am terrified."
"But you shouldn't be."
He tapped the monitor again.
The machine released another faint pulse.
A sharp pain shot through Emily's head.
She gasped.
The metal tray beside her began to shake violently.
Clink.
Clink.
Clink.
The tools rattled as if an invisible force were grabbing them.
Emily's eyes widened.
"Stop it!"
Voss leaned closer, fascinated.
"Look at that reaction."
The tray suddenly lifted slightly from the table.
Then dropped.
Emily's breathing became faster.
"I said stop!"
The machines around her started flickering.
Several glass tubes cracked.
One exploded loudly.
CRASH!
The guards immediately stepped forward, alarmed.
"Doctor—"
Voss raised his hand calmly.
"Relax."
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
"She's responding exactly as expected."
Emily struggled against the restraints.
"You're hurting me!"
"Pain is often the key to unlocking potential."
Emily's voice shook with anger.
"I'm not your experiment!"
Suddenly—
The entire room trembled slightly.
The lights flickered violently.
Even the guards looked nervous now.
One whispered quietly to another.
"This is getting dangerous."
Voss, however, seemed thrilled.
"Her neural output has doubled."
Emily clenched her fists.
Her heart pounded harder.
Memories kept flashing inside her mind.
The old laboratory.
Children crying.
Doctors shouting.
Machines malfunctioning.
Then—
Fire.
The laboratory burning.
Emily's breathing became shallow.
"I remember…"
Voss immediately looked at her.
"What do you remember?"
Emily's eyes filled with horror.
"There were others."
Voss froze slightly.
"What?"
"There were other children," Emily whispered.
"They were part of the experiment too."
Voss said nothing.
Emily's voice trembled.
"But they didn't survive."
The room fell silent.
One of the guards shifted uncomfortably.
Emily stared directly at Voss.
"You killed them."
For a moment, the scientist's calm mask cracked.
But then he smiled again.
"Progress requires sacrifice."
Emily's anger exploded.
The restraints rattled violently.
The machines began sparking.
The monitors flashed red warnings.
Voss quickly stepped back.
"Interesting…"
Emily's voice shook with fury.
"You destroyed their lives."
The entire laboratory began shaking.
Metal equipment slid across the floor.
A cabinet crashed into the wall.
BOOM!
The guards panicked.
"Doctor, we need to shut this down!"
Voss stared at Emily with awe.
"No."
His voice was filled with excitement.
"This is the breakthrough."
Emily screamed as the energy inside her surged violently.
Glass shattered across the room.
Electric sparks burst from the machines.
Suddenly—
The security alarm began screaming.
One of the guards rushed toward the control panel.
"Doctor!"
"What?"
"There's a breach!"
Voss frowned.
"What breach?"
The guard looked shocked.
"Someone is attacking the outer security system!"
Emily's heart skipped.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Alexander…"