"GET HIM! HE'S ESCAPING!"
The shouts echoed through the sterile corridors as Fred Slim raced through the facility, his heart pounding against his ribs. Behind him, the heavy footfalls of the research team grew louder. These weren't ordinary scientists—they were Alpha operatives who had spent months experimenting on him, attempting to transform his body into the ultimate meta weapon.
Fred's lungs burned as he rounded another corner, only to find himself facing a reinforced door with no access panel. Trapped. He spun around as his pursuers surrounded him, their expressions cold and calculating.
"Impressive stamina for a lab rat," the lead scientist remarked, adjusting his glasses. "But ultimately futile."
Two guards seized Fred's arms, securing him with specialized restraints that covered his entire body. The metallic chains bit into his skin as they dragged him back toward the laboratory.
"You thought you could escape," the scientist continued, leaning close enough that Fred could smell the antiseptic on his breath, "but you're far too valuable. Through you, we'll be able to get a lot of mo—"
The scientist's words died in his throat—literally. A concentrated beam of blue energy had pierced his chest, leaving a cauterized hole where his heart had been. Before the other researchers could react, they too fell in rapid succession, their bodies crumpling to the floor.
In their place stood a solitary figure—a man with metallic blue eyes and gleaming biotech limbs, wearing an immaculate midnight-blue tuxedo without a single drop of blood marring its perfect lines.
"Do not be afraid," the man said, his voice calm and measured as he approached Fred. "I am not here to harm you. My name is Jason Burns."
Fred stared up at his unexpected savior, trembling. "You... you killed them all."
"They were going to continue using you as a test subject," Jason replied matter-of-factly. "I've come to offer you something better."
Jason reached out to remove Fred's restraints, but the moment his hand made contact with the boy's skin, blue electricity arced between them. Jason withdrew his hand with a sharp intake of breath, examining his fingertips with clinical interest.
"Fascinating," he murmured. "You've been genetically altered at the cellular level. Your body generates bioelectric energy, but you haven't been taught to control it." His eyes met Fred's. "If you come with me, I can help you master these abilities."
Hope flickered across the teenager's face. "You can? Really?"
"Yes," Jason confirmed, stepping back and extending his hand without touching the boy. "But we must leave immediately."
Blue energy swirled around them as Jason opened a portal to his void dimension. Fred's eyes widened as the laboratory disappeared, replaced by endless swirling blue-black space.
"What is this place?" Fred whispered, awe replacing his fear.
"A pocket dimension I maintain," Jason explained, guiding him through the void. "One of many advantages of advanced biotech integration."
"That's... incredible," Fred breathed, turning slowly to take in the impossible space around him.
The void collapsed around them, resolving into the central chamber of Jason's headquarters. Vlad Turner looked up from his workstation, his forked beard twitching with surprise as he assessed the newcomer.
"This is our newest recruit," Jason announced. "He's a survivor of unauthorized bioelectric modification experiments. He cannot control his abilities yet."
Vlad frowned, setting down his tools. "Jason, he's barely sixteen. How exactly does a child fit into your plans for revolution?"
Before Jason could answer, Fred stepped forward. "I'm not just a kid," he said, electricity visibly dancing across his skin. "I want to help."
Vlad sighed, gesturing for Fred to follow him. "Very well. Come with me—I believe I have solutions that can help you harness your abilities."
Three hours later, Fred emerged from Vlad's laboratory transformed. A sleek biotech helmet framed his face, connecting to a circular device embedded in his chest. Specialized gloves and boots integrated with his limbs, all pulsing with controlled energy that no longer leaked chaotically from his body.
"How does it feel?" Jason asked, studying the successful integration.
Fred smiled, creating a perfect sphere of electricity between his palms. "I can control it now. I can finally use it instead of it using me." He looked up at Jason with gratitude. "Why did you help me?"
Jason placed a hand on Fred's shoulder—now able to touch him without consequence. "Because I recognize potential. And because when I establish Neon Etherna, I'll need trusted officers at my side."
***
One week later, Jason traveled to the remote mountain region of the Northern Territories. His intelligence network had identified another potential recruit—one whose skills would complement the team he was assembling.
Akari was a master swordsman who had dedicated his life to vengeance after Alpha's enforcers killed his parents for possessing forbidden ancient weapons. Though he had managed to kill the specific enforcer responsible, his ultimate goal—to strike at Alpha itself—remained beyond his reach.
Jason materialized on the rocky outcropping where Akari trained daily, observing silently as the warrior executed a series of perfect sword forms, his blade moving faster than an untrained eye could follow.
"Are you going to spend your whole life just training?" Jason finally asked.
Akari spun, sword instantly positioned to strike. His eyes narrowed as he assessed the strange visitor with the glowing blue eyes.
"My name is Jason Burns," the biotech-enhanced man continued. "I'll ask again: will you spend your entire life preparing for a vengeance you cannot achieve alone?"
Akari lowered his sword slightly. "What do you know of my vengeance?"
"I know Alpha took your family. I know you seek justice that conventional means cannot deliver." Jason stepped forward. "I am descended from Damian Burns, pioneer of biotech enhancement, and I offer you the power to stand against those who wronged you."
Suspicion flickered across Akari's features. "How do I know I can trust you?"
"Consider this," Jason replied calmly. "If I wanted you dead, you would be already. Even with your remarkable skills, you can sense I operate on a different level."
Akari studied him for a long moment before sheathing his sword. "You speak truth. If you can truly enhance my abilities, I will join your cause... boss."
The warrior's transformation at Jason's headquarters was comprehensive. Enhanced vision capable of predicting an opponent's movements, reflexes accelerated beyond normal human limits, and biotech-integrated limbs that could match the speed of his master swordsmanship.
***
With Akari's recruitment, Jason's inner circle was complete—six elite individuals, each with unique capabilities designed by Vlad Turner to complement one another in combat. But Jason knew they would need more than specialized agents to achieve their ultimate goal.
In the lower levels of the facility, Vlad had developed a neural control system capable of animating and directing enhanced soldiers. These weren't truly alive—they were hybrid constructs using the bodies of the recently deceased, enhanced with basic biotech and linked to a central control node that Jason could manipulate.
"The production line has completed two hundred units," Vlad reported as they observed the silent army standing in perfect formation. "Each possesses approximately ten times the strength and speed of an unenhanced human."
"Excellent," Jason nodded, satisfaction evident in his measured tone. "And what of your personal enhancement?"
Vlad's eyes gleamed with pride as he activated a sequence on his control panel. A massive hangar door slid open to reveal an imposing mechanized exoskeleton that towered over them both.
"My greatest creation," Vlad declared. "Neural-linked and powered by my own biorhythms. When I integrate with it, the machine becomes an extension of my body."
Jason observed the assembled resources with cold calculation—his six enhanced lieutenants, the army of two hundred biotech soldiers, and now Vlad's combat exoskeleton. After centuries of Alpha's technological suppression, the time had come to restore his ancestor's vision.
Neon Etherna would soon rise from the ashes of the old order.