Exterior – Main Lab Roof – Moments Later
The world stood still for a breath.
Then Troy moved.
He flew at the Orphan with a sonic boom, fist cocked back like a missile.
The Orphan barely had time to glance up.
CRACK!
The blow collided with a force that sent shockwaves across the entire lab. The Orphan blocked with one arm but it wasn’t enough. The impact launched him like a meteor through the roof and into the open sky, dropping Gladiator's limp body in the process. Troy caught her mid-fall, cradling her gently before laying her on the cracked floor.
His eyes never left the hole in the ceiling.
He rose, slow, silent, bubbles orbiting him in a death spiral.
Then he vanished.
Exterior – Desert
The Orphan slammed into the desert sand miles away, dragging a burning trench through rock and steel. His body groaned, limbs disoriented.
Then, BOOM.
Troy descended like a god, the sand and sky splitting around him.
News choppers buzzed above.