The safehouse hummed under faint, flickering generator lights. The fog-choked air pressed the dampened windows, mirroring every heartbeat. Just twenty-two hours since everything burned.

Leighton's hands trembled as he fastened his white suit. Multi-rotor drones zoomed past the safehouse outside. The bruises healed, but Risham’s eyes hadn’t faded from memory. The cold, calculated assault still hunted him. 

      
Leighton slid on his gloves. “We need to get that serum. If West is right, we might actually have a shot at stopping Senator Risham. We strike at Paradigm labs.”

“Paradigm labs is guarded. You would need a way to get in and out,” Mira said, typing on her laptop.

Robert leaned in as he sighed. “And if he’s wrong?”

Leighton exhaled, the sound heavy in the dim room. “Then, I take the serum myself–to even the odds.”

Dr. Kinsinka stepped out from behind the workstation. “You don’t know what the serum would do to you. It could kill you or–worse turn you into a monster.”

“We don’t have options, Doc, “Leighton said. “Risham is all about adapting. It is time I leveled up.”

Dr. Kinsinka removed his glasses. “Thirty people who have taken the serum died, Leighton.”

“This was Risham’s doing,” Leighton said. “We are going out at night.“

Mira glanced at Leighton. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Leighton. We are worried about you. I can help you gain access to the lab. You're gonna need backup from West.”

“Robert, you coming?” Leighton asked.

Robert crossed his arms. “You know I would be down with you. But this? It’s risky.”

Leighton walked out of the room.

The room hummed in silence. Robert and Dr. Kinsinka looked at each other with a doomed glance.

Leighton gripped his fists as he took off in the air. Wind cutting against his suit at high velocity. 
   

“Paradigm labs is about fifteen minutes away,” Mira said.

Leighton cut through fog, passed behind a drone in the air. “I see it.”

Leighton landed near a building and noticed West in his black uniform.

“Are you ready to do this?” West asked.

“Let’s get what we need and get out,” Leighton said.

Leighton and West strode to the alleyway behind Paradigm Labs. They hid behind a wall, watching a guard going back into a building.

“The place is armored with infrared lasers and cameras. I can disable them,” Mira said, typing code sequences on her laptop. 

“There’s a keypad,” Leighton said, hand on the door.

“I got it,” Mira said, hacking it open.

The keypad light flashed green. Leighton opened the door. West followed behind him.

Leighton and West sneaked close to the wall as they hid in the corner. Leighton saw with his thermal vision eighteen guards on site and pulled back. 

Leighton turned to West. “There are eighteen guards up front. We need to figure out a way to evade them.”

West stepped up. “I got you covered. You go and get the serum.”

West walked forward in the hallway
“Hey, guys I think I’m lost.“

One armed guard raised his gun. “Freeze! Don’t move! Raise your hands!” 

Leighton blurred past in a sprint. 

“The serum is in room section thirteen,” Mira said, deactivating the camera feeds.

Leighton twisted the lock on the door and entered a cool sterile room. High tech gadgets on the right corner of the table. Experimental chemicals on the left.
  

Leighton looked around and noticed Serum 28 black vial glinting under sterile lights. Leighton punched through the glass and picked up the vial. He took an injector and extracted the black goo. Leighton took a breath. With force, he injected the serum into his arm.

Leighton went down on his knees knocking chemicals on the floor. His veins started to burn. For a brief moment, he had visions of the Council and Risham. His thermal vision doubled along with his strength as he stood up from the floor. 

Leighton ran faster than before back to West and knocked out the soldiers with ease.

“We got what we came for,” Leighton said.

Leighton latched on West’s shoulder and zoomed out of the lab and arrived at the safehouse. West fell to the ground and felt dizzy.

“You all right?” Leighton asked.

West got up slowly and walked away. “I’m okay.”

Dr. Kinsinka leaned against the table studying samples while Mira and Robert approached Leighton and West.

Leighton removed his mask. “It worked out. No side effects, Doc.”

Dr. Kinsinka took his tools, “We don’t know that for sure. I need to run some tests. How do you feel?”

“I feel stronger faster than before,” Leighton said. “It is hard to describe.”

Dr. Kinsinka took his bio scanner and faced it at Leighton. There was a red beep. “Your body composition has changed. You gained more muscle than before.”

Leighton frowned. “I’m ready to take on Senator Risham. “It is time someone exposes him for the corruption he represents.”

Mira turned on the TV. An image of Senator Risham giving a speech to the public by the Crystal Care facility. Leighton’s eyes burned with fury. He balled his fists.

 Senator Risham smiled at the public. “Citizens of Delta City. I have sad news. My congressman friends were attacked by a metahuman at their home. Sadly, they didn’t make it.” Risham paused. “I promised you, from this day forward, order and balance. The Metahuman Law Act is in full effect. Every metahuman will be removed and processed.”

The crowd clapped and cheered.

“A reckoning is coming, Risham. Just you wait,” Leighton said.

Leighton’s rage boiled to the surface. His thermal vision flashed more predatory. Red was all he saw. Risham had to be stopped. The unbridled power surging through his veins demanded action. Leighton had one mission: to defeat Risham and save metahumans.