Revan: Hngh?.. (His crimson eyes, still glowing with malevolent intensity as a palpable stillness fell over Revan as a faint pulse, distinct amidst the echoes of fear and anger, snagged his attention.)
He paused amidst the fallen bodies of the Enforcers, his head tilting almost imperceptibly. The crimson light in his eyes intensified, piercing through the dim floodlights as he slowly turned his gaze. His eyes locked onto Phil, the stone-skinned inhuman, who stood tall and defiant amongst the subdued captives. Beside Phil, Revan's gaze lingered for a fraction of a second on Claire, her aura also burning a distinct red. A low, guttural exhale escaped Revan's lips, a sound that spoke of a predator finally closing in on its prey. A wide, almost manic smile stretched across his blood-splattered face as He began to move, his tattered cloak dragging across the ground as he made his way towards Phil and Claire with a slow, deliberate pace.
Behind him where he had killed Jack, Rex's fists clenched, his knuckles white as he watched the carnage. Memories of Kyle and Michael flashed through his mind, fueling a burning desire for revenge. Ignoring the searing pain from his shoulder injury, he began to push himself up, his muscles screaming in protest.
Before Rex could fully stand, Ender's hand clamped down on his shoulder, his grip firm.
Ender: Rex, no, (He said, his voice low and urgent.) You'll get yourself killed. (Ender's eyes flicked towards Revan, who continued his relentless advance.)
Rex grunted, his muscles straining against Ender's hold, his desire for revenge a palpable force. But he knew Ender was right.
Reluctantly, he sank back down, his anger still simmering just beneath the surface.
Martin Shaw, observing Revan's focused approach, he barked a command.
Martin: All Enforcers, open fire!
Immediately, the Enforcers flanking him raised their silver rifles and unleashed a barrage of bullets at Revan.
Simultaneously, Kira Davies, her voice low and urgent, spoke into her comms.
Kira: Miller, get a transport ready and secure the rest of the Division. We're getting out of here. (She pulled Hajime aside, her expression grim.) Contact Viktor and tell him to bring backup, NOW.
Every silver round fired at Revan impacted his cloaked form, but there was no visible effect, no flinch, no slowing of his inexorable advance. His crimson eyes remained locked on Phil, who stood his ground, his stone-like features hardened with an angered warrior's resolve. Phil's fists clenched, ready to meet the seemingly unstoppable force head-on.
Just as Revan drew level with Phil, a wide, maniacal smile spreading across his face in anticipation, his torso lurched back slightly. A diagonal slash, clean and precise, appeared on Revan's body, cutting from his right hip up to the top left of his shoulder joint, a dark line blooming on his cloak. Revan's smile faltered, a flicker of surprise crossing his blood-red eyes. What… was that?
An inhuman stepped forward from the line of fire as every other gun fell silent. He pulled off his right-hand glove, revealing a smooth, grey-toned skin. A faint blue energy flickered around his outstretched hand, and with a sudden, invisible force, Revan was launched backwards, crashing into the side of the prison facility with a heavy thud. Multiple diagonal slashes, mirroring the first, appeared across Revan's body, dark blood seeping into his cloak.
Revan: Tch… (His smile twisted into a grimace as the unseen cuts on his body shimmered, the dark blood receding as the flesh beneath began to knit itself back together with unnatural speed. His tattered cloak followed suit, the torn fabric weaving itself back into a semblance of its former state.) How… how are their powers still active? The area should be… The thought trailed off as two immense, skeletal arms, long and gaunt, erupted from the shadows at Revan's back, their bone fingers flexing in anticipation.
Martin Shaw, witnessing Revan's apparent recovery and the appearance of the skeletal arms, barked orders at his remaining Enforcers.
Martin: Waller, Phil! Retrieve our prisoners – Kenway, Sinclair, Nova! The rest of you deal with… that! (He gestured sharply towards Revan. Phil, his stone-like features etched with a desperate plea, turned to Martin.)
Phil's brow furrowed, and he stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the black smoke still rising from the hole where Revan had disappeared.
Phil: Commander, let me go. Let me fight that thing!
Martin shook his head firmly.
Martin: And die causing numerous more to die too? No. You staying with the girl. Waller!
Waller, a woman with close-cropped hair and a focused expression, nodded curtly. Instantly, ten identical copies of herself shimmered into existence beside her, each with the same determined look. The clones fanned out, assisting the other Enforcers in securing the subdued figures of Rex, Ender, and Aurora. Rex, his shoulder throbbing, was helped up by a Waller clone and directed in the same direction as Aurora and Ender. As Rex moved, he cast a wary glance back at the others, seeing as they also being taken to the same direction, Arthur now appears to be conscious and being helped to walk by Maya.
Rex sighs in relief but is short lived as he turns to see a column of black smoke billowing from the hole Revan had created. From within the darkness, a single command from Revan echoed, chillingly loud despite the distance:
𝐴𝑅𝐼𝑆𝐸...
Moments later, a horde of figures emerged from the trees and shadows ahead, blocking their path. Prisoners, their orange jumpsuits tattered and torn, stumbled forward, their eyes vacant. From the prison wall they had just fled, more figures appeared – Enforcers in grey and more prisoners, their movements unnervingly synchronized, exiting the breached facility in complete silence.
Rex, looking around in confusion, turned to Martin.
Rex: Shaw...
Martin's face was etched with confusion and growing dread.
Martin: Don't ask.
Rex: Why not?
Martin: Because I don't have a bloody clue.
Aurora stood behind Jasper, whispering into his ear: I'm not liking the look of this.
Jasper whispers back: Stand ready for anything. Tell the others.
Aurora and Jasper both nodded at each other before Aurora branches away from him.
Meanwhile, from the silent ranks of prisoners and Enforcers emerging from the prison, the telekinetic inhuman with the burnt side stepped forward, her eyes glowing with a cold purple intensity. She let out a low grunt, extending her palm towards Flinch, who stood ready beside Otto. With a sickening crunch, Flinch's head imploded, blood and brain matter splattering onto Otto's face. The body dropped lifelessly. Martin's eyes widened in horror.
A bloodcurdling roar ripped from the throat of one of the prisoners, and in an instant, the entire horde of prisoners and Enforcers surged forward, running towards the assembled group. Just then, a massive explosion rocked the entrance of the prison, blowing apart the Enforcers and prisoners still emerging from the hole. From the smoke and debris, Emily Carter emerged, her rifle held steady as she fired precise shots at the undead turning towards her from the shattered wall, putting down several before she was suddenly encased in a block of ice by a prisoner.
Waller Prime screamed, and the ten clones erupted outwards from her body, each wielding a silver rifle. They opened fire on the advancing undead, a hail of bullets tearing through the shambling ranks.
Kira: Everyone! Head for the forests! Now! (She roared at the assembled D.E.I.S.T.R. agents and Covert Operations members, pulling her own rifle. Everyone began to flee towards the dense tree line.)
Suddenly, both Phil and Claire collapsed to the ground, their bodies convulsing violently.
Allison: Tch! Claire! (She screamed alerting the others as she stops and crouches beside her, seeing a dark, viscous form oozing from Claire's mouth, her body shaking uncontrollably.)
As everyone stopped and turned back, Maya takes notice of Gary disappearing into the forest. She snarls, reluctant to chase after him before calming herself with a deep exhale.
Arthur: You know... It makes me jealous that you looking at other men like that.
Maya: What? Did you lose some sense after getting an ass beating?
Arthur: Maybe...
Willow looks over to Phil, seeing him also experiencing the same thing as Claire.
Willow: Shit. Big man also down.
Ivy's eyes widened in recognition, recalling the horrifying sight of Michael Cage before his death.
Ivy: This... happened to Michael before the explosion.
Hearing her, Rex clenched his fists, a look of helpless rage on his face.
An undead prisoner lunged at Willow, but Jasper, with a brutal snarl, thrust his fist into the side of the undead's head, the force decapitating the body. The severed head remained grotesquely stuck on his hand as he pulled his arm back.
Ender: Wait. You still have your powers? (Ender asked Jasper.)
Jasper: (He shakes his head.) No… just THAT strong.
A gust of flames erupted from a bald prisoner, hurtling towards the fleeing group, but a shimmering blue force field materialized, deflecting the fire.
Ender: huh?!
Otto, the maker of the force field, had his arm extended towards the attacking fire, a look of determination on his face. In the next instant, a complex jetpack materialized on Otto's back, lifting him into the air. As he ascended, countless weapons of all shapes and sizes – pistols, rifles, shotguns, even larger artillery pieces – manifested around him, floating in the air. Rex stared up in disbelief.
Maya: Holy shit…
Jaxan: You can say that again.
Otto, now airborne, unleashed a hail of gunfire at every undead prisoner and Enforcer coming from the prison's breached entrance, while also directing fire towards the darkness within the hole, hoping to hit Revan.
Ender: Glad we didn't have to deal with that guy before, (he muttered next to Rex.)
Meanwhile, the Waller clones were being overwhelmed. One by one, they were consumed by the undead, some burned by errant flames, others caught and torn apart, pierced by manifested weapons. Each time a clone fell, Waller, the original, gritted her teeth and created another, her numbers dwindling as she ran out of ammunition, the clones now resorting to using their rifles as blunt instruments. Martin, watching the chaos unfold from within Otto's shield, yelled, "We need to find a way out of here! Fast! My… my men can't keep fighting for this long."
Rex: They going to have to. We have no weapons, no powers, (he points at Phil and Claire) these two probably dying and we fucking surrounded by fucking overpowered zombies! (Roared in frustration.)
Elsewhere, concealed within the darkness of the encroaching forest, the man in Maroon watched the unfolding chaos, his eyes glowing with a bright, predatory orange. His gaze swept across the battlefield, from the dwindling Waller clones to Otto's protective shield being attacked by the undead, before settling on the figure that intrigued him the most – Otto. "Such untapped potential," he murmured to himself, a sly smile spreading across his lips. He subtly extended his index finger towards Otto's aerial position. "Let's bring it all out."
Just as Otto rained down fire upon the undead, he suddenly gasped, his eyes widening and his pupils dilating rapidly. He clutched his head with an agonizing scream, blood trickling from his eyes.
Willow: Uh, Martin, what's going on with your boy up there? (She asked, seeing Otto in the air screaming.)
Martin, his face pale, looked up, equally clueless. Otto's scream intensified, and then, a visible ripple effect emanated from him, spreading outwards in every direction, distorting the air around the chaotic battlefield.