The flashlight beam stabbed through the darkness and hit the metal grate like a dagger.
"There!" the guard shouted.
Raj didn't wait. With a fluid motion, he kicked out the grate. The cover flew forward, crashing into the guard's chest and knocking him backward. Peter scrambled out behind him, web-shooters already primed.
"Move!" Raj barked, dropping into the room feet first.
The other guard fumbled for his rifle. Peter webbed it before it cleared the holster. "No guns, thank you very much!"
Alarms flared instantly—klaxons piercing the silence as red lights bathed the room.
"Well," Peter muttered, dodging a swipe from another guard as he flipped forward. "So much for the stealth mission."
Raj powered forward with a punch that shattered a table and sent the nearest Hydra trooper flying across the room. The tank nearest him trembled from the impact, its eerie green light pulsing.
More Hydra operatives stormed in through the side hallway, rifles raised. But Raj was already moving—gold streaks flared beneath his sleeves as he blurred forward, dodging between bullets with unnatural speed.
Peter leapt to the ceiling, webbing two shooters' arms before landing in a crouch beside Raj.
"They're calling reinforcements," Peter said between breaths. "This whole wing's about to be crawling."
"Then we find what we came for—now," Raj replied.
Across the room, the stasis tanks loomed. Some cracked open slowly, dripping green fluid. Others still bubbled ominously. On one monitor nearby, red text scrolled frantically: RELEASE OVERRIDE ENABLED. CONTAINMENT BREACH IMMINENT.
Peter's eyes widened. "That's not good. That's very not good."
Raj's jaw clenched. "Hydra's letting their pets out."
A mechanical hiss filled the air as one of the stasis chambers fully opened with a groan. Steam billowed out. A figure slumped forward—tall, muscular, skin glowing faintly amber beneath the residue of the fluid.
"Target acquired," came a synthetic voice over the intercom. "Subject R-9 in proximity. Deploy Tempest."
"Tempest?" Peter echoed. "That's... an ominous name."
The figure stepped from the smoke, eyes burning with intensity. Electricity crackled along his forearms. The air vibrated with his presence.
"Hydra's monster division," Raj growled. "Fan-tastic."
Tempest didn't speak. He raised his hand and hurled a bolt of lightning directly at Raj.
Raj crossed his arms—and took it.
The blast slammed into him like a wrecking ball, but his body held. The solar shield reflex kicked in at the last second, his skin flaring gold as the current dispersed across his frame.
Peter winced. "You good?"
Raj grunted, shaking his arms. "Buzzier than I'd like, but yeah."
Peter turned to the control panel. "I'll try to lock down the rest of the chambers before Hydra throws any more mini-bosses at us."
Raj nodded. "I'll keep him busy."
Tempest roared and charged.
Raj met him head-on.
The two collided with a sound like thunder. Fist met fist, energy surging out in shockwaves. Raj twisted low and swept Tempest's legs, but the mutant flipped midair and landed like a tank. He threw another bolt, but Raj dodged sideways, the concrete wall behind him exploding into dust.
Peter worked quickly, fingers flying across the interface. The system was Hydra-coded, but Ned had left a basic decryption loop running in his glasses HUD.
"C'mon... come on..." Peter muttered.
On the feed, two more chambers started blinking red. Phaze was one of them.
"Nope, not today." He slammed his palm on the override and began rerouting power to the security doors.
Tempest struck Raj in the gut with a burst of lightning. Raj staggered—but only slightly.
Then he smiled.
"You hit like a microwave."
With a surge of solar strength, Raj drove his fist into Tempest's chest. The mutant flew across the room, crashing into one of the containment tanks.
Raj turned to Peter. "Talk to me!"
"I've got the other tanks on lockdown," Peter called. "But we've got a problem—"
Of course they did.
The floor shook.
A new door hissed open on the far side of the lab.
A woman stepped through. Older than Tempest. Her skin glowed red, as though burning from within, her hair rising like fire made solid.
"Embercore," Peter breathed.
Her eyes glinted with fury. "You boys shouldn't be here."
Raj moved in front of Peter, stance wide. "We're not here for a tour."
She raised her hand, and fire licked her fingers.
Peter whispered, "Uh… plan?"
Raj clenched his fists. "Same as always. I hit stuff. You break their toys."
The room lit up in firelight as Embercore hurled a wave of heat across the floor, turning the air into molten glass.
Raj leapt over it—barely. Peter dove sideways, rolling and webbing the overhead pipes to hoist himself clear.
Hydra agents scrambled back as the two mutants clashed with their enemies. Peter looped behind Embercore, webbing her from the side, distracting her long enough for Raj to land a blow that sent her skidding across the floor.
But she rose quickly, fire surging hotter.
From the shadows, another shape emerged—thin, shadowlike.
Phaze.
Peter cursed. "We're officially outnumbered."
Raj stood firm, fists glowing.
Peter dropped beside him. "Well... I hope your solar battery's full."
Raj's eyes flared golden.
"It's more than full."
And as the mutants advanced—fire, lightning, and phase-shifting horror—Raj and Peter stood together, ready.