The scene unfolded within the Hive, a secret base hidden beneath the dunes of the Bialyan desert. The cold metal walls of Marcus's cell echoed with Psimon's frustrated snarls.
Psimon: Damn it, damn it, fuck! I can't do it!
Queen Bee:What is it you cannot do?
Psimon:His mind is more resistant than before! It's as if he's created an impenetrable barrier. I can feel his presence, but I cannot breach it, I cannot control it!
Queen Bee:I don't care for the metaphor. Can you break it, yes or no?
Psimon:Yes... but it will take time. A lot of time.
Queen Bee:Time is a commodity I do not have! THE LIGHT wants results, and they want them now. Our investors are not known for their patience.
Psimon:I know, my Queen. Perhaps by breaking his body, we will weaken his mind. Physical pain has an... elegant way of cracking the strongest defenses.
Queen Bee:A pity. I liked this body. It had potential. But so be it. Do what you must to break him.
Psimon:Yes, my Queen.
As Psimon approached, a twisted smile on his lips, Marcus lay on the cold floor, breathing laboriously. Every breath was a struggle. The toxin injected by Cheshire still burned in his veins, a poison designed to paralyze and subdue.
But deep within, Marcus felt it: a familiar warmth, a vital energy fighting back against the foreign invasion. Compound V. It hadn't just given Marcus powers; it had become part of his essence, an unquenchable fire. And now, that fire was fighting the toxin, molecule by molecule, slowly, imperceptibly restoring his control over his own body.
He kept his eyes half-closed, feigning a weakness greater than he truly felt. He was waiting. He was waiting for the right moment, the opening, the lapse in attention. The battle wasn't over. It had only just begun.