Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of footsteps echoed through the underground corridors.
Not just one. Many.
The red eyes in the darkness flickered like distant stars, growing closer.
Leo gripped Maya’s wrist. “Tell me that’s just a creepy echo and not what I think it is.”
Ben swallowed hard. “It’s exactly what you think it is.”
Zap’s ears twitched as he scurried onto Leo’s shoulder. “We need to run. Like, now.”
The first creature stepped into the dim light.
It was almost human—but not quite. Its arms were too long, its fingers too sharp, its face twisted into something unnatural. Metal plates were fused into its skin, wires pulsating with an eerie blue glow.
Then another creature appeared.
And another.
And another.
A dozen of them, each one more twisted than the last.
The kids backed away.
Zap whispered, “This isn’t just a failed experiment. This is a colony.”
Maya’s heart pounded. “What are they waiting for?”
Ben clenched his fists. “For us to panic.”
Leo exhaled. “Too late.”
Then, the creatures attacked.
They moved like shadows, fast and unpredictable.
Leo ducked as clawed fingers swiped past his face. Sparks flew as a metal door was ripped open behind them.
Maya swung her metal pipe, hitting one creature’s arm—it barely flinched.
Ben threw a computer monitor at another, only to watch it shatter harmlessly.
Zap scurried onto the control panel. “I need time to hack the security doors! Stall them!”
Leo dodged another swipe. “Stalling is not working!”
A loud hiss filled the air.
One of the creatures lunged at Maya—but just as it reached her, it froze.
A second later, it collapsed.
The others hesitated.
The kids turned—and saw him.
A tall figure in a long, tattered lab coat stepped out from the shadows. His eyes glowed the same eerie blue as Zap’s. Metal plating covered half of his face, and his right arm was fully mechanical.
Zap’s fur bristled. “Oh no. Oh no no no.”
Leo glanced at him. “You know this guy?”
Zap’s tail flicked nervously. “Yeah. That’s Dr. Vex. The scientist who created me.”
Ben’s jaw dropped. “HE’S STILL ALIVE?!”
Dr. Vex’s voice was cold, emotionless. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Maya tightened her grip on the metal pipe. “Neither should they.”
Dr. Vex’s robotic fingers twitched. The creatures backed away, their heads tilting as if awaiting a command.
Zap’s whiskers twitched. “He still controls them.”
Dr. Vex stepped closer, eyeing the kids like specimens under a microscope. “Zap… you were my greatest success. But you were also my greatest failure.”
Zap growled. “Gee, thanks.”
The scientist ignored him. “You don’t understand what you’ve stumbled into.” His glowing blue eyes flickered to Leo, Maya, and Ben. “This isn’t just an experiment. This is the future.”
Leo clenched his fists. “Your future is a nightmare.”
Dr. Vex smirked. “That depends on whose side you’re on.”
The room went silent.
Then, Dr. Vex raised his robotic hand—
And all the creatures turned toward the kids.
Zap’s eyes widened. “Oh, that’s bad.”
Ben yelled, “WHAT DO WE DO?!”
Maya’s voice was firm. “We fight.”
Leo grabbed a loose electrical cable from the wall. “We run.”
Zap grinned. “We do both.”
Then—chaos.
Leo swung the live cable, sending sparks flying as the creatures lunged.
Maya smashed her pipe against a control panel, causing the lab’s emergency lights to flicker.
Ben kicked over a row of chemical tanks, spilling a bubbling, neon-green liquid onto the floor.
Zap jumped onto the main security console and hacked the system. “Just a few more seconds…!”
The creatures advanced—too many, too fast.
Dr. Vex’s voice echoed through the lab. “You can’t escape.”
Zap yelled, “Wanna bet?!”
With one final keystroke—
BZZZZT!
The lab’s overhead power grid surged.
Electrical currents ripped through the metal walls, sending a shockwave through the creatures. They convulsed, their cybernetic implants overloaded.
The kids ran for the exit—and this time, it opened.
Dr. Vex lunged for Zap, but the little rat leaped onto Maya’s shoulder just in time.
The doors slammed shut.
Silence.
Panting, the kids collapsed against the cold steel walls of the next corridor.
Ben gasped, “Did… did we just win?”
Zap’s tail flicked. “Not yet.”
Leo groaned. “What do you mean not yet?!”
Zap pointed ahead. “Because we’re not out of the lab.”
The kids turned—and froze.
The hallway didn’t lead outside.
It led deeper underground.
Maya whispered, “This place is bigger than we thought.”
Zap sighed. “Yeah. And we just ticked off the guy who runs it.”
Ben swallowed. “So what now?”
Zap’s blue eyes flickered. “We finish this.”
Leo smirked. “We take down the whole lab?”
Zap grinned. “We take down everything.”
To be continued…
