ᴍᴜᴛᴀɴᴛ'ꜱ ɢᴀᴍʙɪᴛ｜Marvel

004

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The cold, clinical hum of the laboratory surrounded Alex as he sat in his cell, muscles tense, mind sharp with anticipation. Today, they planned to test his blood manipulation on a live subject. A small, scurrying creature—a rat—had been wheeled in on a sterile tray. The scientist—the one he had come to know as the Overseer—stared at him, her expression unreadable, though her eyes gleamed with a cruel curiosity.

"Focus," she commanded, her voice slicing through the silence. "We need to measure your precision, control, and reaction to living blood. You've been doing well with inanimate blood samples, but we need to see it in action."

He breathed deeply, letting the familiarity of his powers settle around him. The rat's heart beat frenetically in his mind, a small, rapid thumping that seemed to echo in his own chest. With careful concentration, he extended his influence toward it, feeling the warmth of its blood as if it were his own. He clenched his fist and watched as the rat's tiny heart froze for a split second before bursting, a spray of blood staining the glass barrier between them. The Overseer noted his success with a detached nod, but Alex saw the faint glint of satisfaction in her gaze. She relished his power, the potency of it. He could see it in the way her eyes lingered on his hands, as though she could already see them drenched in blood that was not his own.

He took a steadying breath as Seraphis's familiar voice echoed in his mind.

[Mission Activated: Begin escape sequence.]

Every nerve in his body came alive, anticipation a quiet roar in his mind. He glanced around, taking in the lab, the guards stationed nearby, the key card clinking at the Overseer's side. It was time.

He moved quickly, his years of training kicking in. The first guard barely had a chance to react before Alex's fist collided with his throat. In one fluid motion, he reached for the guard's weapon, wrenching it free and twisting to deflect a second attacker. He was a blur of motion, a predator unleashed. The suppressor collar hummed around his neck, dampening his powers—but he knew what he needed to do. His enhanced strength was enough for now, and he let it guide him as he barreled through the hallway, ducking and weaving past guards, leaving a trail of bruised and broken bodies in his wake.

He waited until he reached a less guarded sector before focusing on the suppressor around his neck. With a vicious yank, he forced his blood to concentrate, heating his skin to a nearly unbearable level. The collar melted away, its circuitry sizzling, and in that moment, he felt his powers flood back in full force, a heady rush that made him momentarily lightheaded. With his blood manipulation unrestricted, he could feel the beat of each guard's heart, the rhythmic pulsing of life filling his ears like an intoxicating symphony. His mind honed in on that rhythm, each beat a marker of strength, a beacon of vitality. He grinned, feral and unrestrained, as he reached out with his mind, feeling the blood within them, each pulse an extension of his will.

He clenched his hand into a tight fist, and a ripple of blood magic surged outward. The guards stumbled, clutching at their chests, expressions twisting in agony as their hearts overloaded. One by one, they dropped, their hearts bursting within them like overripe fruit. Blood spilled across the sterile floors, staining them a deep crimson. It was both a brutal and beautiful display of his power, a reminder of the weapon they had tried to forge in him.

One guard rushed forward, gun drawn, firing a volley of bullets. Alex reacted instinctively, his heightened senses tracking the bullets as they flew toward him. He extended his hand, absorbing the kinetic energy as each bullet hit his skin and fell harmlessly to the ground. The energy tingled within him, a buzzing warmth that surged up his arm and through his chest. With a flick of his wrist, he redirected the stored kinetic energy toward the guard, a wave of force that sent the man flying backward, crashing against the wall with a bone-crunching thud.