The station had finally quieted, the exhausted team settling into a fragile sense of relief. Mukul's eyes scanned the room, ensuring everyone had tended to their wounds. Priya rested against the wall, her silver aura dim but steady, while Ansh and Kavya checked the perimeter, nodding to each other with relief.
And then—without warning—the shadows moved.
A heavy thud echoed from above, followed by a rush of cold air. Before anyone could react, the lieutenant dropped from the ceiling like a phantom, landing in the centre of the room with bone-shaking force. Sparks flew as its claws scraped across the metal floor, and a soundless roar—more felt than heard—shook the walls.
Mukul barely had time to react. "Form up!" he shouted, but the command was swallowed by the chaos.
Priya bolted upright, instincts kicking in, and unleashed a flare of her silver energy. The light bathed the lieutenant, but it barely flinched. Its eyes burned brighter, and with inhuman speed, it lunged at the nearest target—Ansh—sending him skidding across the floor.
Kavya dove, narrowly avoiding a sweep of its shadowy limbs, her heart pounding in her chest. "Mukul—Priya—watch out!" she yelled, trying to regroup.
Mukul launched forward, fists glowing with energy, intercepting the lieutenant mid-lunge. Claws met strength in a collision that rattled the station, sparks flying from the sheer force. "We underestimated it!" he barked, shoving the creature back, but it twisted effortlessly, landing on its feet with unearthly agility.
The room erupted into controlled chaos. Every team member moved instinctively, but the lieutenant was relentless—its movements fluid, unpredictable, almost as if it anticipated their every counter. Shadows seemed to stretch from it, snaking along the floor and walls, making it impossible to predict where it would strike next.
Priya's hands glowed brighter as she attempted a coordinated strike, but the lieutenant's speed was staggering. It sidestepped, brushing past her with such force that the air itself seemed to cut at her skin. She stumbled, barely catching herself against the wall, and gasped.
Ansh and Kavya fought side by side, trying to flank the creature, but every attack was met with a counter, every strategy anticipated. Mukul realised this was not a mindless brute—it was cunning, designed to exploit their weaknesses, testing their unity and coordination.
"Focus!" Mukul shouted, rallying his team. "Stick together! Don't let it isolate anyone!"
The lieutenant paused for a heartbeat, as if acknowledging the challenge, then leapt higher, claws swiping at Mukul and Priya simultaneously. Sparks flew, a sharp metallic screech echoing through the station. Priya barely deflected the attack, while Mukul rolled away, narrowly avoiding a strike that could have ended him.
The battle had shifted. This was no longer a skirmish—it was a test. And the lieutenant, born of the Puppeteer's darkest design, was the storm at the eye of it.
Every moment stretched, tension coiling like a spring. The team fought as one, their coordination pushed to its limits, but even united, they could feel the weight of an enemy that seemed almost unstoppable.
And above it all, the faintest trace of a smile could almost be imagined behind the lieutenant's featureless face. It was a hunter, and they were prey in its first hunt.
The chaos had begun.