𝑼𝑵𝑬𝑿𝑷𝑬𝑪𝑻𝑬𝑫 | 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡

𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐹𝐼𝑁𝐴𝐿 𝐵𝐴𝑇𝑇𝐿𝐸 𝑃𝑇. 𝐼𝐼

─────⊰ ✦.*🥀*.✦ ⊱─────

　　 𝐊𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏𝐒 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐑, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 the stench of his arrogance hits me before his words do. His breath, damp and invasive, brushes the skin of my face. I flinch instinctively, a shiver running down my spine. 'My dear Addilynn... you've always been bionic.'

The words hang in the air like smoke, curling around my chest and constricting it. I blink, trying to make sense of it, but all I can do is stare into Krane's wild, unhinged eyes. My voice comes out sharp, shaky, as if it's not entirely under my control. 'What are you talking about? I became bionic when Douglas revived me.'

Krane's grin doesn't falter. Douglas clears his throat behind him, muttering, 'Krane's telling the truth.' My eyes snap to him, and then I catch Davenport shifting uneasily, his gaze glued stubbornly to his shoes. Typical. Always trying to hide, never giving me what I want when I need it most.

My mind races, trying to process. Bionic... always? Every flash of speed, every surge of lightning, every single instinctive reflex I've trusted since my revival—was it always there? My chest tightens, and a pit of nausea twists in my stomach.

Douglas continues, his voice low and serious, weighed down by the truth he's finally willing to share. 'A long time ago, me and four friends made a pact together. We were scientists—Anderson, Bailey, Campbell, Davenport—and Evans... your father. We studied the possibilities of bionic humans. We promised to use our own children as—'

'Lab rats.' Chase cuts in, his voice flat, but sharp with accusation.

I feel a cold, sinking dread in my chest as the pieces snap together. Lab rats. Experiments. My life... manipulated, controlled, from the very beginning. Douglas nods solemnly, like the weight of his guilt can somehow soften the blow. 'We weren't allowed to test on anyone—not even animals. That's why your name begins with an "A"... and Adam's too.'

Krane's booming voice cuts through the room again. 'You were subject A-E. I've been calling you by your actual name for a long time.' His tone is almost gleeful, like he's savoring every twist of the knife.

Douglas continues, undeterred. 'Krane found out about the pact a long time ago. You may not remember, but he kidnapped you and Bree once, demanding your bionics. You didn't even know you had them yet. Remember the lair, when you kicked Marcus off that platform with ease?'

Marcus' voice rises, irritated. 'Because of your bionics, not because I was weak.'

I feel bile rise in my throat. Ease. Strength. Everything I thought was earned... it wasn't. It was programmed into me. Engineered. Controlled.

Douglas tries to soften the blow. 'We didn't mean to hurt you, Addilynn. Your parents... they only wanted the best for you. Look how you turned out.'

I don't even flinch. My fists clench, trembling with barely contained rage. Leo's voice comes softly from my left, tentative. 'Addilynn?'

I turn toward him, my eyes sharp and unrelenting. 'Parents are supposed to keep their child safe,' I say, my voice low and trembling, searing with anger. 'Not use them as lab rats for their experiments.' I can feel every word like fire crawling down my throat. 'Science was more important to them than their own child.'

Davenport shifts, finally looking up, his face pale. 'Don't say that... they loved you. You were their little princess.'

'They were willing to turn me into a human lab rat for their own damn curiosity!' The words explode from my mouth, louder than I intend, echoing in the room. My chest heaves, lightning coiling along my arms, tingling through my fingers like it's feeding off my fury.