Athena's eyes flickered to the environnt around them. The broken pod, the wires hanging loose from the ceiling, the exposed power lines sparking dangerously from the earlier destruction.
A plan ford in her mind. A risky one. But she had no choice.
She ran.
Straight toward the broken console, past Xavier and the clone's battle. The clone hesitated for a split second, likely wondering what she was doing. It was all the ti Athena needed.
She grabbed the exposed power line, ignoring the imdiate sting of electricity coursing through her, and turned just as the clone lunged at her.
Then she shoved the live wire into the clone's chest. Electricity surged through the clone's body, sending violent blue sparks flying in all directions.
The clone scread, her body convulsing as the overload short-circuited whatever enhancents she had.
Athena gritted her teeth against the burning pain in her own hand, watching as the clone's form flickered, her red eyes wide with shock. Then, finally, the clone collapsed.
Panting, Athena let the wire drop, stepping back as the acrid scent of burnt flesh filled the air.
Xavier rushed to her side, scanning her for injuries before looking down at the motionless body on the floor.
Athena swallowed hard. "She's not dead," she murmured. "Not yet."
Xavier exhaled sharply. "Then we finish this before she wakes up."
Athena nodded. There were still too many unanswered questions, too many pieces missing. But one thing was certain. She wasn't done fighting.
Athena's hands were still trembling from the lingering shock as she stared at the unconscious form of her clone.
Even now, she wasn't entirely sure if she had made the right move. The woman in front of her, her other self, was far from ordinary.
She was faster, stronger, and perhaps even designed to surpass her. But Athena had experience, and right now, that was the only advantage keeping her alive.
Xavier knelt beside the fallen clone, his golden eyes dark with unreadable emotions. He nudged the body with the tip of his boot before glancing at Athena.
"She won't stay down for long." His voice was even, but there was a slight edge to it. "What do you want to do with her?"
That was the real question, wasn't it? Athena had never considered what she would do if she t soone like her, let alone an upgraded version.
But now, faced with the reality that her very existence was being challenged, she had to make a choice.
She could kill the clone. It would be the safest option. Leaving her alive ant risking another battle, one she might not win.
But sothing deep inside told her that killing this woman, soone who had been created just like her, wasn't the answer.
She took a deep breath. "We take her with us."
Xavier raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"
"She's a key," Athena said, forcing her voice to stay firm. "A key to my past. To everything I don't understand. If I kill her now, I'll never know what I really am."
Xavier exhaled through his nose but didn't argue. "Fine. But if she so much as breathes wrong, I'm taking her out."
Athena nodded, already kneeling beside the clone. Now that she was looking at her closely, she realized just how perfect this version of herself was.
Everything about her was refined, her skin smoother, her hair sleeker, and even her fra appeared slightly enhanced, as if every inch of her had been calculated to perfection.
She wasn't just a clone.
She was a replacent.
Suppressing a shudder, Athena tore a strip of fabric from her uniform and quickly bound the clone's wrists together before slinging the unconscious woman over her shoulder.
The extra weight slowed her down slightly, but she refused to show it. Xavier gave her a once-over. "You sure you don't need help?"
Athena shot him a look. "I'm fine."
He smirked, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Stubborn as ever."
They didn't waste any more ti. The research facility was already unstable, and every second they lingered increased the risk of reinforcents, or worse, another one of her clones appearing.
They navigated through the debris, their boots crunching against the broken glass and loose tal scattered across the floor.
Just as they reached the exit, Athena's senses scread at her.
Move!
Without thinking, she twisted her body, narrowly avoiding a sudden claw that slashed through the air where her head had just been.
The creature that had attacked her was not human. It was massive, at least eight feet tall, its body grotesquely elongated with sickly gray skin stretched over unnatural bones.
Its eyes were hollow pits of darkness, and its gaping mouth revealed jagged, insect-like mandibles. Athena barely had ti to react before the monster lunged again.
She threw herself backward, dodging as Xavier unsheathed his sword in one fluid motion.
The creature let out a shrill, ear-piercing screech that made her skull throb, and the next thing she knew, more of them were crawling out from the shadows.
Damn it.
Xavier wasted no ti. His blade sang through the air, slicing clean through one of the creature's arms.
A horrible screech echoed through the facility, but the severed limb regrew almost instantly.
"Regeneration," Xavier muttered. His grip tightened on his weapon. "Annoying."
Athena didn't hesitate. She dropped the unconscious clone onto the ground and reached for her own weapon.
These things weren't zombies. They weren't even zergs. They were sothing else entirely. One of the creatures lunged at her, its elongated arms stretching unnaturally fast.
She ducked, twisting her body to bring her sword upward in a vicious arc. The mont her blade cut through its flesh, sothing strange happened.
The sa red-glowing butterflies appeared. They fluttered into existence, surrounding the creature as it disintegrated into ash.
Athena's breath hitched. It was the sa phenonon from her dreams. The sword, her sword, was the only thing that could truly kill these monsters.
She didn't have ti to process it. The other creatures hesitated, their eyeless faces twitching toward her sword as if sensing the danger it possessed.
Athena gritted her teeth. "Co on, then."
They attacked all at once.
Xavier was already moving, his blade cutting through the monsters with deadly precision.
Athena matched his pace, her body moving on pure instinct as she danced through the battlefield.
The butterflies followed in her wake, glowing brilliantly as each slain monster vanished into dust. Sowhere in the chaos, the clone stirred.
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