They were all crammed into the back of Elara's Pet Shop again - a cluttered maze of cages, feed bags, and the faint, ever-present stench of wet fur. Somewhere nearby, a cat hissed at Sven, who hissed right back for no reason other than to amuse himself.

Kai stood at the far end of the storage room, staring at the unassuming steel door they had entered previously. Behind it was Elara's secret lab - a place that felt more like the den of a mad scientist than a research facility.

"Right," Kai muttered, before tapping the keypad beside the door. The others gathered behind him, curious. "Let's see if she changed it."

He typed slowly: C-A-T-L-O-V-E-R-1-2-3.

Isaac blinked. "You're joking."

Kai shrugged. "I thought it was a joke too last time, but I'm pretty sure that's what Shadow typed in. What's the worst that could happen?"

The door before them beeped, then clicked.

Mechanical arms snaked out from the wall, glowing red scanners flicking to life. Cameras swivelled and locked onto them like hungry eyes. The air hummed with energy as the floor panel split into quadrants.

Amina tensed. "Uhm… Kai? Are we about to die?"

Kai's eyes glowed faintly crimson as he quietly pulsed his blood. 'If this thing doesn't recognise us, I'll be ready for whatever. Takeshi and Sven are quick, and Isaac can phase us out of here if needed.'

A robotic voice blared to life.

"IDENTIFIED. ACCESS GRANTED."

The tension broke instantly. The arms retracted, the scanners dimmed, and the metal door slid open with a hiss, revealing a fortified lift within.

Kai exhaled, shoulders loosening. "Guess she added us to the system."

"Would've been nice to know before I almost pissed myself," Sven grumbled.

Isaac scowled. "You knew the password this whole time?"

Kai gave him a blank look. "You never asked. And you saw Shadow put it in last time, too."

That shut them all up.

They descended into Elara's lab through the secret elevator that revealed itself - a different world entirely. The walls were lined with glowing tubes of strange liquids, holographic screens, and floating diagrams. The air was thick with the scent of chemicals and... cat food?

In the centre of it all… stood Elara.

Or rather, something that vaguely resembled her.

Her auburn hair looked like it had been electrocuted - tangled, frazzled, and caught on bits of wire and pens. A cracked goggle covered one eye while the other lens - glowing and cybernetic - whirred and shifted like a camera. Her patched-up lab coat hung loosely over a faded band tee and a skirt that looked like it had survived several explosions.

She didn't even notice them come in.

Elara hunched over a microscope, peering into a slide of thick red fluid.

Kai felt it immediately - the faint, unmistakable pull. It was his blood. The connection flared through his mind like a distant heartbeat, and for a moment, he almost yanked it back into his veins on instinct.

He forced the impulse down.

She muttered under her breath, jotting down notes faster than most people could blink. "Fascinating… It's stabilising again… the Z sequence isn't rejecting… it's harmonising…"

"Elara," Kai said.

She didn't look up.

"Elara."

"What?" she snapped, still focused on the microscope. "Busy. Can't talk. Your blood is doing weird things again."

Kai crossed his arms. "Story of my life."

Finally, she sighed, yanked her goggles up, and spun around looking like a wild-eyed genius who'd just crawled out of a war zone.

"Right. So, I've been running tests," she began, waving her hands as she spoke, "and essentially, your blood can stabilise the Z Gene - which, by the way, shouldn't be possible. It was how Nyx was able to create TEMP-Z, the mutant enhancers, and those suppressants you brought me. He's isolating different traits of your blood to manufacture all of them."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you tell us that already?"

"Yes," she said flatly, "but I've learned more. And before you interrupt again, I'm talking about how your blood reacts. It's naturally resistant to the Z Gene - like it's rejecting mutation itself. But when you're exposed to a large enough dose, it starts… harmonising. Like it wants to fuse. It's paradoxical, unstable, and brilliant."

Sven squinted. "So his blood's just… weird?"

"Yes, congratulations on catching up."

Isaac frowned. "And Nyx?"

Elara's tone darkened. "He definitely made the serums you brought. Left his signature in every compound - little genetic fingerprints that make it hell to replicate or break down. It's like he wanted anyone who tried to understand it to suffer."

"So, you're saying," Nadya said, crossing her arms, "you still don't know how he's making them?"

Elara huffed. "Not exactly. I'm close, but he's a genius. Psychotic, but a genius. Every formula he makes is layered in encryption, biological and digital. It's like trying to untangle a spider's web… when the spider's also trying to bite you."

Kai stared at the vial of red fluid. 'That bastard really used my blood as the foundation for all of this…'

Then again, he was the one who made him this current monstrous mutant that he was.

When she finally tore herself from the microscope, she noticed the group's expressions - tired but resolute. There was a silent understanding among them. They weren't here to rest, catch up, or hang out. They were ready to move.

"You're not planning to lie low a bit longer?" she asked quietly.

They shook their heads.

Elara studied them for a moment, her sharp eyes softening slightly. "You're all insane."

"Ironic," Sven said under his breath, before again. "But we're fun insane."

That earned a smirk.

"Well," Elara said, turning and rummaging through a drawer, "in that case, I have something for you before you go."

Nadya tilted her head. "Gifts?"

Elara grinned, the mad scientist glint returning to her eyes. "Yes, gifts. And you'll like these."

Whatever she was about to pull out, one thing was certain - if it was coming from Elara, it was going to be anything but ordinary...

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