Buried Alive

BOOM!

The shockwave tore through the facility as the main energy reactor overloaded. Walls crumbled, steel beams twisted, and fire consumed the air. The entire underground section collapsed in on itself, swallowing everything in a sea of destruction.

Kairo barely had time to react as the force sent him flying. His vision blurred, his ears rang, and his body slammed into something hard.

Then—darkness.

A sharp pain in his ribs brought Kairo back to consciousness. Dust choked the air. Fires crackled in the distance. Everything was silent, save for the groaning of weakened metal above.

He forced his body to move, pushing aside chunks of debris. Every muscle screamed in protest.

[ System Alert: Major Injuries Detected. ]

[ Fractured ribs, internal bleeding, minor concussion. ]

Not good.

He blinked through the haze. Where was everyone?

"Lena? Arin?" he croaked.

A muffled voice responded, followed by the sound of shifting rubble.

"Over here!"

Kairo pushed himself up, following the sound. He found Lena trapped under a fallen steel beam. Blood ran down the side of her face, but her eyes were still sharp.

"I can't move," she gritted out. "But I'm still breathing, so that's something."

Kairo didn't waste time. He braced himself and pushed against the metal with all his strength. His arms burned, but slowly, the beam lifted just enough for Lena to crawl free.

She groaned, gripping her side. "That… sucked."

"Where's Arin?"

Before Lena could answer, another voice called out.

"Down here!"

They turned toward the sound—Arin was partially buried under rubble, coughing hard.

Kairo and Lena rushed over, pulling away debris until Arin was freed. She winced as she sat up, clutching her leg.

"Think it's broken," she muttered.

Lena let out a breath. "At least we're all still alive."

But something was missing.

Kairo's stomach twisted. Where was Rhea?

They moved through the wreckage carefully, calling out for their missing ally. Time felt slow, each passing second dragging on.

Then, they found her.

Rhea was pinned beneath a massive slab of collapsed ceiling. Her cybernetic eye flickered, and blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.

Kairo's heart pounded.

"Rhea!"

She coughed, a weak smirk on her face. "Took you long enough."

They hurried to her side. The metal pinning her down was too heavy to lift.

Lena bit her lip. "We need something to pry it off."

"There's no time," Arin said. "She's losing too much blood."

Rhea exhaled slowly. "Don't be stupid."

Kairo frowned. "What?"

Rhea's voice was quieter now. "I can't feel my legs. Even if you get me out… I'm dead weight."

Lena's eyes widened. "No. Don't talk like that."

But Rhea wasn't wrong. Her injuries were too severe.

Still, Kairo clenched his fists.

"We don't leave people behind."

Rhea looked at him, something softening in her expression.

"…You haven't changed."

A deep rumble echoed through the ruins.

Kairo tensed.

That wasn't just the facility settling.

Something was moving beneath the rubble.

Lena gripped her rifle. "Tell me that's not what I think it is."

Kairo turned slowly.

And his blood ran cold.

Through the dust and darkness, a figure emerged.

Valkir stood at the edge of the wreckage, his armor dented and scorched—but he was still alive.

He wiped blood from his mouth, then grinned.

"That was a hell of an explosion," he said, voice filled with amusement. "But I'm not that easy to kill."

Kairo's mind raced. How? Even with his strength, Valkir shouldn't have survived that collapse.

Then, he saw it—Valkir's wounds were healing. Faster than before.

Arin cursed under her breath. "He's regenerating at an accelerated rate."

Valkir rolled his shoulders, flexing his fingers. "Yeah, seems like near-death experiences bring out the best in me."

Then, his grin widened.

"Oh, and in case you're wondering—" he gestured behind him—

The other two Omega Variants were still alive.

Both stepped forward, their bodies scarred but intact. The female Variant's golden eyes glowed brighter. The giant cracked his knuckles.

Lena exhaled shakily. "We're so screwed."

Kairo tightened his grip. His body was broken. His team was injured. And now, they were outnumbered.

But he refused to give up.

His system flickered with a new alert.

[ Survival Probability: 1%. ]

Kairo ignored it.

He wasn't dying here.