Jace’s consciousness snapped back as he found himself trapped in a circular glass pod. His breathing was heavy, fogging up the inside. No restraints, no visible locks just the smooth, transparent gelatinous material surrounding him. Jace thrashed against the pod’s walls, but the gel clung to him, sapping his strength. Gritting his teeth, he pressed his palms against the glass, forcing every ounce of power into his arms. Cracks splintered across the surface before he let out a roar and pushed shattering the pod apart in a violent burst. The gel spilled onto the floor as he collapsed, gasping for air.

  The moment he stood up , a metallic whirring noise surrounded him. He looked up. Dozens no, hundreds of stick-figure-like robots emerged from the shadows, their thin, spindly limbs clicking into place. A single red light gleamed in the center of their featureless faces.

  Jace barely had time to react before they lunged. He dodged the first swing and countered with a punch, only for his knuckles to meet something denser than anything he had faced before. His eyes widened. What the hell are these things made of? He had faced tough CDE training bots before, but these? This was different. He tightened his fist and increased his striking power the next hit sent one bot flying into another, but they barely stayed down before rebooting.

  Then the lasers came.

  Bright, searing beams fired from the robots' red eye-like sensors, cutting through the air with sharp precision. Jace barely had time to throw up his arms in defense, but the impact burned against his skin a sharp pain shot through his hands "these aren’t stun blasts… they’re actually trying to kill me" he thought to himself

  He leaped upward, flipping midair before slamming his foot through another bot. He tore through their ranks, his movements a blur of raw power and precision but just when it seemed like he had thinned their numbers, more swarmed in, climbing over their fallen counterparts like insects.

  As he fought, his mind raced. Is this another one of Lucian’s tests? No… these aren’t CDE machines these bots are too durable, too lethal. His movements became sharper, more desperate. This has to be The Maker’s doing.

  A bot swung a metallic limb at his ribs, another shot a laser that grazed his shoulder. His spandex suit bore scorch marks, his skin pulsed with bruises, but he kept moving. He adapted, grabbing a fallen bot and redirecting its laser into another, then using the wreckage to shield himself. His pain was there, but compared to what Lucian had put him through? This was nothing.

  And then, just as he landed, the last three remaining bots did something unexpected.

  They merged.

  Their limbs twisted and compacted, metal screeching as they formed a single, hulking entity. The new bot was nearly three times his size, with multiple red sensors glowing across its body. Without hesitation, it unleashed a storm of lasers from every direction.

  Jace ducked, rolled, evaded—his body moving on pure instinct. He dashed forward, throwing a punch at its chest—only for his fist to slam against something as unyielding as solid rock. The impact shot a shockwave up his arm, and a sickening pop echoed through the room.

  Shit— his shoulder had dislocated.

  He stumbled back, sucking in a sharp breath before gritting his teeth. No time for pain. No time for hesitation. He grabbed his arm and with one forceful shove pushed it back into place.

  Then he ran.

  He leaped from wall to wall, gaining momentum, calculating his attack. The red light, it's always the weak point. He zoned in on one of the sensors and launched himself forward.

  The bot fired. A rain of lasers tried to stop him. But his momentum was too much. With all his strength, he punched straight through the sensor.

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  Instead of exploding, the bot imploded—collapsing in on itself before crumbling into useless parts.

  Jace landed, smoke rising from his singed suit, his breath heavy but controlled. He exhaled and turned toward the exit—only for the warehouse lights to suddenly flicker on.

  A slow, mocking clap echoed from above.

  Jace’s eyes snapped up to see a man standing in a glass-walled room overlooking the battleground. The figure stepped forward into the light.

  Jace narrowed his eyes. "Are you the real one, or another exploding robot?"

  The man smirked. "Oh, I’m the real deal. And damn, you are one strong enhanced, tearing through cosmosium-infused metal like that."

  Jace’s expression darkened. "What the hell is cosmosium?"

  The Maker chuckled, shaking his head. "Wow, how in the dark are you? You work for the CDE and don’t even know the origins of enhanced people or enhanced tech? Pathetic."

  Jace tensed, his patience wearing thin. He bent his knees and leaped, aiming straight for The Maker but his body slammed against an invisible force midair. A force field.

  The Maker clicked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk. Don’t be so hasty. I have plans for you." His smirk widened.

  Jace glared at him, his breath still heavy from the fight. "I don’t give a damn about your plans."

  The Maker simply chuckled. "You will." Then, he pressed a button. Without warning, a high-pitched beep echoed from The Maker’s wrist device. Jace’s stomach twisted as the distant sound of explosions rumbled across the city. Not one but multiple.

  Jace spun around, already sprinting out of the warehouse to see what exactly were those explosions a nd then, the chaos began.

  The night sky was ablaze.

  Jace landed hard on a rooftop opposite to Central Towers, the heat from the raging fire already searing his skin. Flames tore through the top floors, thick black smoke suffocating the air. Sirens wailed below, firefighters struggling to reach survivors.

  "There are still people inside!" someone cried from the ground.

  No hesitation, Jace launched himself straight through a window, he shot straight through the smoke, heat licking at his skin as he punched through a glass window on the 37th floor.

  Inside, screams, choking coughs, children crying. The hallway was thick with smoke, flames hungrily devouring the walls.

  Jace moved fast, busting open apartment doors, lifting people in both arms. He took two at a time, bursting through windows, landing on a nearby rooftop, and launching back into the blaze.

  But the heat was unbearable. His vision swam. His lungs burned.

  And then he heard it. A piercing scream from above.

  A mother, clutching her child on the very edge of the crumbling rooftop. Below, the fire escape had collapsed there was no way down.

  Jace didn’t think. He leaped up the burning structure, his muscles screaming in protest. As the mother lost her grip, he caught her midair, twisting his body to shield her and her child from the fire’s heat.

  With one final burst of strength, he landed hard onto a rooftop a building away, rolling to absorb the impact. The mother sobbed into his shoulder. The child clung to his chest.

  "You're safe," he rasped.

  Gasps and cheers erupted around him. Firefighters rushed in, taking the mother and child.

  Above, the flames raged on. More people were still inside.

  No time to rest. Jace took a step back—then rocketed upward.

  The news captured every second.

  "Who is he?" the anchor gasped, the live footage showing Jace smashing through another window. "Is this the same man from the bridge incident?"

  The city watched as he vanished into the smoke again, defying the flames, defying death itself.

  The next disaster struck before the fire was even fully extinguished.

  Jace barely had a moment to breathe when he heard the deep roar of steel grinding against steel.

  He turned—his stomach dropping.

  A metro train was barreling out of control. Sparks flew as it careened off-course, headed straight for the Grand Central Station platform.

  Hundreds of people stood frozen in terror.

  Jace shot forward, diving onto the tracks ahead of the train he planted his feet, bracing himself for the oncoming train as it thundered closer. He thrust out his hands against the speeding front car but it didn’t slow down the force sent him skidding backward, sparks flying under his boots his muscles screamed in protest. Faster, It was still going too fast, with a roar, Jace turned, pressing his back against the train, digging his heels into the tracks. Every fiber of his being strained, his vision blurred, his arms trembling.

  And then—

  The train screeched to a stop and for a moment, silence.

  Then the station erupted into cheers, people flooded from the cars, staring in awe, some in tears. The cameras captured him standing there, smoke rising from his body, his hands trembling from the effort. The news anchor’s voice cracked. "He… He stopped a train with his bare hands". The headlines changed, he wasn’t just a masked vigilante anymore he was something else.!

  Jace staggered, chest heaving. He barely had time to wipe the sweat from his brow when...

  Another explosion!