No turning back
The group ran through the destroyed city, avoiding jagged rocks and metal shards. The road stuck straight into the air, the area covered in dust. The sky loomed over them, a dark gray, causing Joshua to take a breath to calm his nerves. "Joshua, Ethan, if things get too dangerous here. I want you two to abandon me," Nathan suddenly said, shocking both of them.
"I can't do that," Joshua responded, giving Ethan a nervous look. "I can't either, lives depend on us," Ethan added, giving a slight thumbs up to Joshua as they neared the location. "I'm serious. If things get dangerous, I'm getting both of you out no matter what," Nathan said, gripping his chest. Fear was running through his veins, he knew he was outmatched.
"We can do this, don't worry," Joshua said, patting Nathan on the back as he sprinted ahead. "Please, let us save everyone," Ethan muttered to himself, sweat dripping down his face. "I hope you guys are ready," Nathan whispered, ducking behind a crumbled building.
In front of them was the location Veruk was in. He was hiding in the FBI base the entire time. The building towered over them all, stretching easily 100 feet tall. Dust began to swirl around them as they approached, it seemed as if the world itself knew how dangerous this was.
"Are you ready guys?" Ethan asked nervously, looking toward the entrance. The tall, black, metal doors were the only thing standing in their way, yet nobody could move. A cool breeze rushed past them, stirring the dust back up. Almost as if it wanted them to move forward, to take those steps, to end this hell once and for all.
"It's time," Joshua said moving forward, as an eerie sense of calm took over him, giving him the strength to step up. "Ethan, stay behind out here as backup," Nathan said, blocking him from taking a step, his eyes shaking. "O-Okay," Ethan agreed, stepping back.
"We riding solo?" Joshua asked Nathan, attempting to crack a joke. "There's no time for jokes anymore, but when this is all over, I'll tell you the funniest joke I ever heard," Nathan responded, joining Joshua at the door. Joshua pushed against the doors, but they didn't budge. "Why did I think that would work?" He asked himself annoyed.
*CRACK! BOOM!* Nathan summoned a spike, and threw it through the doors, sending them flying instantly. "Should have tried that first," Joshua muttered, taking a deep breath. "Here we go, if you don't want to do this, turn back now," Nathan told him, as he readied his sword. "With lives on the line, there's no turning back," Joshua responded, stepping inside the dimly lit corridor.
Lights flickered in and out above them, and the place seemed deserted. Desks were strewn about, mixed with blood. A big battle had already taken place before. The stairs were blocked, and only the elevators appeared operational. They were being lured to a place with no escape. "Lambs to the slaughter," Nathan thought, attempting to calm down a bit.
"Were being lured in Nathan," Joshua muttered, peering into the elevator. "Let's not use the elevator in case it turns off, let's go down the elevator shaft," Nathan said, opening the closed-off elevator's doors.
"Quite the fall," Joshua muttered nervously, looking down the shaft. "Something tells me he's in the basement," Nathan responded, appearing frightened. "Calm down Nathan, if anything happens, we'll fight together," Joshua told him, seeing he was shaking.
*Thud! Thud!* Joshua and Nathan landed at the bottom of the shaft and started looking around. "See anything?" Nathan asked him. "It's too damn dark to see much," Joshua responded, searching for a light switch. *Click!* "Found it!" Joshua exclaimed as the lights turned on, one by one.
"Oh my god..." Nathan muttered in shock. All around them were test tubes and people in capsules. "Are they all...Veruk?" Joshua asked, checking the faces on them. "Blood freezer over here," Nathan whispered, drawing Joshua's attention. "Thor, Sickle, Shadow, and... Hypothermia," Joshua read out in shock, but his surprise quickly turned to anger at the last name.
"WELCOME HEROES!" Veruk shouted from ahead of them, on top of a staircase. "Do you like my little clones?" He asked with an evil grin. "I'll kill you, then all of them," Joshua responded, summoning a sword, but nothing happened.
"Do you remember that strange feeling you had when you entered the room? That was a prototype power dampener, made by yours truly," Veruk explained, grinning like a madman. *Boom.* Nathan launched off the ground and darted toward Veruk, a knife in his hands, which Joshua immediately realized was the knife he used to torture Peter.
"How did he?" Joshua began to think before he tossed his thoughts aside to back Nathan up. "Weakling," Veruk said with anger in his voice. *BOOM!* He quickly picked Nathan up and slammed him down, sending the knife flying and it landed at Joshua's feet. "That's your real body, isn't it?" Joshua asked, picking up the knife.
"Yes...Bit of a shame really, I could be much stronger if I experimented with more people," Veruk muttered to himself, his words making Joshua go wide-eyed in shock. "You... experimented on your clones?" Joshua asked in surprise, his body beginning to shake uncontrollably.
"Oh yes, it was a magical period of discovery," Veruk answered, reminiscing about his past experiments. "How could you use your power down here then?" Joshua asked, stalling for time so he could think. "I also created a power dampener blocker," Veruk said, shrugging his shoulders. "That's impressive," Joshua muttered, making sure Veruk could hear him.
"Thank you, now I think I've indulged your questions for long enough. TIME TO DIE!" Veruk yelled, jumping at Joshua with a gun drawn. *BOOM!* The earth erupted below Joshua, sending Veruk flying backward and making him drop the gun. Joshua's eyes began to glow a bright orange and brown and the ground began cracking below him.
"I had my doubts, but you really exceeded mortal limits!" Veruk shouted in excitement, practically licking his lips in anticipation. "You'll be my finest test subject yet!" He yelled, dashing at Joshua once more, but the ground around him rose and sent spikes flying everywhere.
*SHATTER!* The capsules split open, and after being broken open, the clones fell out, unconscious. *SLAM!* Veruk's back slammed into the wall, with a spike embedded in his shoulder. "WONDERFUL!" He shouted in pure enjoyment.
"I-I can't control this! I feel like my body is getting ripped apart!" Joshua yelled in his mind, his skin beginning to tear slightly. "No! I CAN HOLD IT!" He screamed internally, as blood fell down his lip. "Can I?" Joshua began to wonder, as he watched the scene unfold in front of him, struggling to keep his body together.
"There's no turning back after this!" Joshua yelled aloud. *BOOM!*