Before the ships carrying the orphans arrived, Zeus descended into what appeared to be a basement. There, he found Maos standing in front of a rehabilitation tank. Inside the tank, floating in a greenish liquid, was Sir Larot. Devoid of armor or clothing except for a swimsuit and a helmet that completely covered his face, the man displayed an athletic physique, with several scars marking his skin: some crossed his back, while a long, deep one ran across his chest like a reminder of past battles.
"And so, doctor, how is the patient?" asked Zeus as he entered the laboratory, his voice echoing with authority in the cold room.
"He's fine. I've stabilized him, and I believe he'll recover in a couple of days," replied Maos calmly, adjusting some controls on the tank's panel.
"Good. Now, I want you to activate his mental control so he becomes more obedient to my commands," instructed Zeus, his tone firm and demanding.
"Yes, sir. As you wish," responded Maos, pressing a button located outside the tank.
Immediately, small metallic spiders emerged from a tube connected to the tank. They quickly slid across Larot's body, attaching themselves to his skin. They began injecting a strange liquid, causing Larot's body to writhe in pain. His movements were abrupt and involuntary, as if performing a bizarre and macabre dance under the influence of the venom.
Once the process was complete, the spiders disintegrated within the tank's liquid, and Larot's body returned to normal.
"Done, sir. This subject managed to withstand double the dose I administered earlier. I doubt he'll survive a third," informed Maos, observing the tank with a mix of fascination and professional concern.
"As long as he remains useful, I'll keep him by my side. If he ceases to be, I'll discard him like all the other toys I've had," declared Zeus coldly, his calculating gaze fixed on Larot's motionless body. "Now, regarding the other matter… Our new guests will arrive very soon. Doctor, tell me how your experiment for mass control is progressing."
"I've already tested it with the equipment, and well, it's ready to be tried. Everything is proceeding according to plan," responded Maos, adjusting his glasses as he spoke.
"That's good news. Soon, before Laos finds out, they install those devices into the machine to control my new army. You know I don't trust Laos much, nor did I trust his father. I only keep them around to serve my purposes," said Zeus, his twisted smile revealing his disdain for those he considered mere tools.
"I understand, sir. If that dark being had brought that device, perhaps we wouldn't have needed the catalyst—that boy who opens portals. Well, at least you found him; otherwise, we wouldn't be able to move forward with your plan for world domination," commented Maos, his tone neutral but laden with implications.
"I know," responded Zeus, his voice low but filled with determination.
He paused, as if recalling something unpleasant.
"I don't know what happened to what that abominable thing promised us, but anyway… Its presence disgusted me. Finish the preparations. I'll wait for the ships," ordered Zeus before leaving, a sinister smile etched on his face.
Once alone, Maos let out a sigh as he continued working on his small spiders.
"Ah, that alien monster… What became of it? I had such a desire to investigate it, to find out what it was made of. I hope it's still alive. That thing was incredibly powerful. Maybe I can build more like it. Luckily, that fool Laos didn't find out; otherwise, he would've taken the idea away from me," he muttered to himself, focused on preparing the spiders to infiltrate the machine that would soon control the next soldiers of Zeus's army.
In his secret laboratory, Laos was analyzing a black piece of rock he had brought with him. In front of him, resting on a dusty table, were some ancient writings his father had hidden in that place. Carefully, he took a microscopic piece of the rock and converted it into liquid, then poured it into a syringe.
"Let's see if this compound can create super humans without the need for the boy or if it requires something more," he murmured to himself as he injected the liquid into an old mouse.
The animal began to writhe violently before falling onto its back, motionless, as if dead.
"Too bad…" sighed Laos, disappointed, as he stored the large rock in a display case. At that moment, his phone rang. It was Swang.
"Doctor, everything is ready. Also, the orphan specimens have arrived," informed Swang firmly.
"I'm in the bathroom," replied Laos. "I'll be right there."
As he left his hideout, he muttered to himself:
"Before long, I too will become a Metalux, Father. You'll see that I'm not useless."
Upstairs, Swang observed the three teenagers who had just woken up, assessing what powers they had acquired.
"Little brats, you're finally awake. Was your cell comfortable?" she asked sarcastically.
Elena took a hand to her head, confused.
"Where are we? Where's Aiden?" she asked, looking around.
"Look over there," said Billy, pointing to a corner of the room. Elena turned her head and saw Aiden bound with large shackles on his hands and legs, along with a helmet that completely covered his eyes.
"Aiden! What have you done to him, you old witch?" shouted Maria furiously.
"Careful with what you say, young lady," warned Swang coldly.
Elena tried to approach the gate but was repelled by an electric field that threw her backward.
"Fool," said Swang disdainfully. "Did you think it would be easy to get out of here? Show us the powers we've given you. You're Metalux now. Right now!"
"What powers? I don't feel powerful," protested Elena as Maria and Billy helped her up.
"It seems you still can't manifest them properly. We'll run some tests later to see what abilities you've gained. But first, you'll be receiving company very soon," announced Swang before leaving the area.
"Aiden! Aiden!" shouted the three teenagers in unison. "Are you okay?"
"Who is it?" asked Aiden, disoriented.
"It's us: Billy, Elena, and me, Maria," she replied urgently.
"Where are we? And why can't I move or see you?" asked Aiden, his voice filled with frustration.
"Aiden, these lunatics use you as a catalyst to activate their machine. They say they've given us superpowers or something, but we don't feel super," explained Billy sarcastically.
"Poor thing… Look what they've done to you. You're the one suffering the most here," added Maria sadly. "You can't even move."
"It must be so you can't escape through one of your portals. I think that's what they're trying to prevent," reasoned Elena.
"And Podbe? Where is he?" asked Aiden, worried.
"Don't you remember? Your dog and Urion were taken to one of your portals, and we don't know anything about him. Then they captured us and brought us here," explained Billy urgently.
"I see…" sighed Aiden, his voice heavy with concern. "But what worries me is that they said we'd have company. Does that mean there will be more kids like us here? Or what?" asked Maria, glancing around suspiciously.
Suddenly, a kind of hatch opened in the adjacent cells. Everything looked like a prison, and from the cells emerged metal slides down which a bunch of children from different parts of the world began to fall.
"Who are they?" asked Billy, watching the newcomers in astonishment.
"They're kids our age or younger. Some are older, but none older than seventeen," noted Elena, trying to count them as they moved.
"More people…" murmured Aiden, frustrated. "What do they plan to do by bringing more kids?"
"Hello! Is anyone okay?" shouted Maria from her position, trying to get the attention of the new prisoners.
"I don't think they can hear you," replied Billy, frowning.
"Hello!" Maria shouted again, but no one responded. Suddenly, a strange wave swept through the area, and the newcomers began to stir slowly, as if waking from a deep sleep.
"Wow, what was that?" asked Elena, surprised.
"Billy, what's going on?" asked Aiden from his position.
"It looks like everyone is waking up," replied Billy, watching as the kids began to react.
"Is that you, Billy?" came a voice among the thousands of orphans in the room.
"Who is it?" asked Billy, scanning the crowd.
"It's me, Max. I'm over here," came the reply, and a hand rose above the piles of children.
"Max? But what are you doing here?" asked Billy, incredulous.
"I don't know. The last thing I remember is that we went to sleep, and some object fell from the sky, making all of us fall asleep," explained another boy.
"Peter!" exclaimed Maria, recognizing his voice.
"Maria? Are you here? How?" asked Peter, surprised.
"We're all here," replied another of those present.
"Ana? Is that you?" asked Maria.
"Yes, it's me, Margaret, Ximena, and the others. It seems they kidnapped all of us and brought us to this horrible place," Ana explained with concern.
"And why are you wearing clinical gowns? And is that Aiden? What's he doing tied up there? What are they going to do to us?" asked another girl, fearing the worst.
"Clinical gowns… You're wearing them too," Maria pointed out.
"But how? What are they going to do to us? Are we in some kind of pervert cult or what?" interrupted another girl accompanying Ana, her voice trembling with fear.
Another young woman, tears streaming down her face, exclaimed:
"They're going to take our organs! I don't want to lose my organs! I'm too young to die like this!"
A third voice, barely a whisper choked by panic, came from the back of the group:
"I don't want to die…"
Fear began to spread like a wave among the prisoners. Some cried silently, others hugged each other in an attempt to calm down, as the terror of the unknown took hold of them. The idea that they might be there to be used as disposable pieces filled the air with despair.
"No, calm down. None of that is going to happen. Just try to relax," Billy interjected, attempting to reassure everyone. "But I see that we're not just from our orphanage. There are new faces here, and it seems some of them speak other languages."
Billy addressed the kids nearby in their language and explained what had happened at their orphanage.
"Oh, I see…" one of them responded. "Be careful; don't touch the gates—they're electrified," Billy warned.
"And then why did they capture us?" asked Max, confused.
"From what I heard, it seems they want to give us powers or something like that," Maria interjected, trying to recall Swang's words.
"Yeah, and I think I understand now—they're only looking for young people, minors or up to seventeen years old, judging by what I see around us," Billy added.
"Yes, over here," said one of the boys, gesturing around. "And well, in my arms, I have a five-month-old baby," added another young man, raising his hand to show the little one.
Maria tried to translate for some of them, since not everyone understood her language. The situation was chaotic, but everyone shared the same uncertainty and fear of the unknown.
"And about what I said earlier…" Ana continued, pointing toward Aiden. "Why do they have him tied to that plate with a helmet?"
"It's so he can't escape," Billy explained seriously. "He has the ability to create portals."
"Portals? That's ridiculous," Ana replied, incredulous. "That's something you only see in video games or science fiction."
"That's awesome," Max interjected, and the other kids from the orphanage, along with the newcomers, nodded excitedly as Maria translated their words.
"Well, apparently, we were also exposed to something that gave us powers. A wicked doctor told us," Elena added, her voice heavy with concern.
"Awesome! I want superpowers too!" several kids exclaimed enthusiastically.
"You wouldn't want them if you knew how painful the process is," Billy warned, looking at them gravely. "Besides, they're using Aiden as their energy source."
Some were still thrilled by the idea of having powers, others felt fear, and others felt pity for Aiden, especially those who knew him well.
"Do you have any way to escape?" one of the kids asked.
"No, if we did, we would've already left," Billy replied, frustrated.
"I want to go back to my room," others said, starting to cry.
The place turned into absolute chaos. Some shouted, others cried, and others fought due to the overcrowding in the cells. Swang entered again and, using a megaphone, ordered:
"Shut up, brats!"
Everyone looked at her, but no one obeyed. Swang smiled coldly and activated a lever that sent a small electric current through the cells, causing the children to writhe in pain.
"You're a psychotic lunatic!" shouted Ana, furious.
"That's child abuse! I'll report you to the authorities!" added Ximena, her friend, while others chimed in:
"Yes, that's right!"
Swang crossed her arms, unfazed.
"What you say doesn't matter to me. If you don't want another shock, shut up. No one is coming for you. Soon, you'll be part of a greater plan under our master, the almighty Lord Zeus. Now that I have your attention, let's begin," she said with a sinister smile on her face.
She then turned to two humanoid robots:
"You, take the boy carefully. Make sure he doesn't escape."
"Understood," the robots responded before heading to pull Aiden out of his cell.
"Hey! Don't take him yet! I haven't apologized to him!" Elena shouted, trying to stop them.
One of the robots shoved her roughly, and Aiden was dragged out of the cell. But just before the gate closed, Elena stood up, furious, and hurled a fireball toward the door.
The girl froze, stunned by what she had just done.
"That was me…" she muttered to herself, incredulous.
"How did you do that?" Billy and Maria asked in unison.
Unfortunately, the fireball wasn't strong enough to destroy the gate.
Swang observed the scene with interest, mentally taking notes.
"I see… These powers activate when they feel cornered and helpless, unable to do anything. I'll make a note of it to share with Laos," she murmured to herself.
"If you can do that, what can the rest of us do?" Billy asked, looking at Elena curiously.
"But how did you do it?" Maria pressed.
"I don't know… I just felt frustration and anger, and it came out," Elena replied, confused by her own ability to expel fire from her hands.
"That's awesome! I want to do something like that too!" said one of the imprisoned boys.
"What if we could change powers? Like flying or other things?" another commented, letting his imagination run wild.
Soon, most of them began wishing for powers of their own.
"Calm down! And silence. Your turn will come soon enough," Swang warned coldly, relishing the chaos she had created.
Swang pressed a button on her bracelet, and several armed flying robots began pulling the kids out of the cells. Some orphans tried to resist, but Maria encouraged them with a firm voice:
"Calm down. We'll be here for you when you come back. Don't be afraid."
One by one, groups of orphans were taken out of the cells, their faces filled with uncertainty and fear.
Meanwhile, Maos activates a duct from which a giant spider emerges, though not large enough to get stuck in the conduit. It launched smaller spiders that infiltrated the tubes where the liquid derived from the stones would flow, connecting them to Zeus's future soldiers. Then, the spider disappeared back into the duct from which it had come.
The new laboratory was equipped with hundreds of vertical tables fitted with restraints for arms and legs, accompanied by helmets, designed to accommodate over a thousand people simultaneously. The machine where Aiden sat had been upgraded with more tubes, thanks to the engineering team led by Lady, who had worked quickly to optimize it.
Laos arrived at the laboratory, and the assistants began organizing the orphans.
"Alright, let the first group enter," he ordered firmly.
The assistants, with the help of the watchful robots, guided the children to their designated spots. Each one was carefully placed in the chairs equipped with helmets, while the youngest were taken to special devices adapted for babies. Yes, babies. In the past, they experimented on them as well. Cases like Leila and Mark, who were only three months old when subjected to the experiment, demonstrated just how far they were willing to go.
Apparently, Laos Jr. had conducted tests using the remains of a previous living activator. These tests resulted in the creation of some Metalux, though other subjects turned out to be "failures," unable to survive or develop useful abilities.
"Doctor, it seems the children's powers activate when they feel anger, helplessness, or fear of being unable to defend themselves. It also happens when they perceive their lives are in danger. That's what happened to one of the girls: she manifested fireballs from her hands," Swang reported coldly, her voice devoid of emotion.
"I see. I'll add that to my notes," Laos responded without much concern, his mind preoccupied with other technical details.
"It always has to be with that boy who creates portals, right?" Swang asked, referring to Aiden.
"That question again, Brenda… Yes, I've already told you: there must always be an activator. The last time I tried, it was with the remains of the last activator we had, but it didn't work entirely. Only some survived; others didn't make it at all—both children and animals. It was all because of those special agents who appeared out of nowhere. I despise them. They killed my father," Laos replied bitterly.
A fleeting image from the past crossed the doctor's mind. He remembered how several men dressed in black, bearing an insignia with an inverted triangle and an "S" inside, stormed into his father's base. They freed the children, but one of them caused his father to explode along with the machine, though he managed to take the intruder with him, according to what Laos saw in one of the recovered videos.
He shook his head to dispel those memories and looked up, where Zeus observed from a raised office, enjoying the spectacle.
"Alright, let the grand performance begin… Three, two, one," announced Laos before activating the machine.
Zeus smiled with satisfaction as he watched the prison surveillance cameras. He had seen how Elena used her powers for the first time, launching a fireball against the gate. He was pleased. Everything was going according to plan.