down."
Clenching his teeth, Ivan slid off the table to unsteady feet. No longer screaming, the machine jerked his gaze around, a terrified fury more than evident on his features.
Colonel Pierce snapped an energy pistol out of a holster and slammed a fist through the glass and into an emergency button located on the wall. Red light pulsed and klaxons blared with the message, "Warning. Warning. Emergency quarantine in effect."
Blast doors on the outside of the lab slid shut, cutting off the view of the startled soldiers. Ivan snapped his gaze all around, confused by the activity. Settling on the only challenging figure, Ivan's expression changed to a snarl.
Not waiting for him to charge, Colonel Pierce snapped off several shots. Yellow bursts of energy impacted Ivan's body, splashing across the flesh. They dissipated without effect, and fear crossed the colonel's eyes.
Bellowing, Ivan hurled the handful of twisted metal and electronics at the colonel. Calloway screamed in fright as the broken device crashed into the colonel's chest, smashing his sternum and several ribs. Pierce was thrown backward by the impact, slamming into the wall before crumpling to the ground.
Energy crackled across Ivan's flesh. Anger remained in his feature, but there was no longer any sign of fear or pain. Calloway trembled as Ivan glanced around the room, taking in his surroundings. His gaze landed first upon the meek form of Ymarin, who gasped.
"What have you done to me?" Ivan growled, stepping towards the surgeon.
Ymarin held out his hands and shook his head. His mouth worked up and down, but the surgeon's terrified mind found no words.
"What have you done to me? " Ivan repeated, looming over Ymarin.
Trembling, the surgeon's voice cut loose in a rapid babble. "Please, I didn't, there was nothing- I couldn't, I don't know what the problem, certainly wasn't my fault-"
A massive hand thrust forward and closed around the surgeon's throat, cutting off the frightened stream of nonsense. Ymarin's eyes bulged, veins throbbing on his forehead as Ivan effortlessly pulled him to eye level. "It hurts," he hissed.
"Not... fault..." Ymarin gurgled, face purple and pulling weakly at the hand which strangled him.
During this, Calloway cowered, huddled beneath the workbench and too terrified to assist his colleague. The colonel was already unconscious or dead- the doctor couldn't tell -bleeding on the ground with the reactor device embedded in his chest. The energy pistol lay at his side. Trembling, the doctor crawled forward, grasping the weapon.
A shadow loomed over him.
Calloway let out a scream as he was seized by the collar and dragged up off the ground. "Pleasepleasepleaseplease!" he babbled. "I didn't do it; it wasn't me!"
Ivan slammed him face first onto the center table. Calloway's forehead rebounded off the hard metal, sending a burst of stars into his vision. Consciousness clung by a thread as Ivan turned him over, grasping his lab coat with both hands. Warm blood rushed out of the doctor's forehead.
"What am I?!" Ivan screamed.
The doctor's awareness swam far beneath reality. There came the muddled blaring of computerized warnings and some very loud shouting nearby, flashing red lights, and blood spilling down his face. Calloway held a vague awareness of the bone-rattling shaking of his body as Ivan demanded answers to questions.
Calloway's vision had fallen to a complete gray, and it took several moments for a random thought to tell him Ivan had released him. Half-conscious, Calloway rolled over and fell to the ground. Nausea roiled up from within, and he braced himself on all fours while overcome with hideous retching.
Reality flashed in occasional pulses, like a time-lapsed recording. Banging and screeching metal resounded as he heard Ivan tear through the walls. Flashes of yellow came along with screaming as soldiers failed to stop him. Calloway noted vague emotions of horror as the twisted body of the former surgeon lay upon the
Clenching his teeth, Ivan slid off the table to unsteady feet. No longer screaming, the machine jerked his gaze around, a terrified fury more than evident on his features.
Colonel Pierce snapped an energy pistol out of a holster and slammed a fist through the glass and into an emergency button located on the wall. Red light pulsed and klaxons blared with the message, "Warning. Warning. Emergency quarantine in effect."
Blast doors on the outside of the lab slid shut, cutting off the view of the startled soldiers. Ivan snapped his gaze all around, confused by the activity. Settling on the only challenging figure, Ivan's expression changed to a snarl.
Not waiting for him to charge, Colonel Pierce snapped off several shots. Yellow bursts of energy impacted Ivan's body, splashing across the flesh. They dissipated without effect, and fear crossed the colonel's eyes.
Bellowing, Ivan hurled the handful of twisted metal and electronics at the colonel. Calloway screamed in fright as the broken device crashed into the colonel's chest, smashing his sternum and several ribs. Pierce was thrown backward by the impact, slamming into the wall before crumpling to the ground.
Energy crackled across Ivan's flesh. Anger remained in his feature, but there was no longer any sign of fear or pain. Calloway trembled as Ivan glanced around the room, taking in his surroundings. His gaze landed first upon the meek form of Ymarin, who gasped.
"What have you done to me?" Ivan growled, stepping towards the surgeon.
Ymarin held out his hands and shook his head. His mouth worked up and down, but the surgeon's terrified mind found no words.
"What have you done to me? " Ivan repeated, looming over Ymarin.
Trembling, the surgeon's voice cut loose in a rapid babble. "Please, I didn't, there was nothing- I couldn't, I don't know what the problem, certainly wasn't my fault-"
A massive hand thrust forward and closed around the surgeon's throat, cutting off the frightened stream of nonsense. Ymarin's eyes bulged, veins throbbing on his forehead as Ivan effortlessly pulled him to eye level. "It hurts," he hissed.
"Not... fault..." Ymarin gurgled, face purple and pulling weakly at the hand which strangled him.
During this, Calloway cowered, huddled beneath the workbench and too terrified to assist his colleague. The colonel was already unconscious or dead- the doctor couldn't tell -bleeding on the ground with the reactor device embedded in his chest. The energy pistol lay at his side. Trembling, the doctor crawled forward, grasping the weapon.
A shadow loomed over him.
Calloway let out a scream as he was seized by the collar and dragged up off the ground. "Pleasepleasepleaseplease!" he babbled. "I didn't do it; it wasn't me!"
Ivan slammed him face first onto the center table. Calloway's forehead rebounded off the hard metal, sending a burst of stars into his vision. Consciousness clung by a thread as Ivan turned him over, grasping his lab coat with both hands. Warm blood rushed out of the doctor's forehead.
"What am I?!" Ivan screamed.
The doctor's awareness swam far beneath reality. There came the muddled blaring of computerized warnings and some very loud shouting nearby, flashing red lights, and blood spilling down his face. Calloway held a vague awareness of the bone-rattling shaking of his body as Ivan demanded answers to questions.
Calloway's vision had fallen to a complete gray, and it took several moments for a random thought to tell him Ivan had released him. Half-conscious, Calloway rolled over and fell to the ground. Nausea roiled up from within, and he braced himself on all fours while overcome with hideous retching.
Reality flashed in occasional pulses, like a time-lapsed recording. Banging and screeching metal resounded as he heard Ivan tear through the walls. Flashes of yellow came along with screaming as soldiers failed to stop him. Calloway noted vague emotions of horror as the twisted body of the former surgeon lay upon the
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