NOVEL NEXT Chapter 68: The Alpha Series
The Vita-Chamber's glass hissed, fogging over as years of stale air vented into the room. Lukas pressed his palm flat against it, his maskless reflection warping in the condensation. His heart hammered in his chest.
"Time to get you out of there," he whispered.
Inside, something stirred.
Vander's fingers twitched against the steel plating strapped to his arm. Servos whined. Hydraulics coughed to life. The massive gauntlet clenched once, metal groaning under its own strength. Lukas's breath caught—ecstasy flashing through him like fire.
"You there, big guy…?"
The Alpha Series tilted forward, a mountain of armor forcing its way out of slumber. For the briefest heartbeat, Lukas swore there was something—someone—behind the yellow glow of the visor lenses.
But then—
The drill arm whirred to life.
A deafening WHIRR-CLANG split the chamber as Vander drove the drill forward. The glass shattered in a thunderous explosion, shards spraying across the floor. Lukas leapt back at the last instant, boots skidding across steel as the chamber vomited smoke and viscous fluid.
Vander collapsed out of the pod like a beast breaking free of a cage. He landed on one knee, a guttural groan rattling the mask, then rose to full height.
"Fuck…" Lukas muttered under his breath, scrambling backwards.
The Alpha hunched, yellow portholes blazing. The sound that tore free wasn't a word. It wasn't even human. It was a roar—deep, hollow, aching.
"FUCK."
The drill whined higher. Vander charged.
---
The stairwell thundered under Lukas's boots as he bolted, dodging sparks and flying steel. The Alpha tore through the laboratory behind him, shredding pipes, hurling debris, filling the air with steam and fire. Each step was an earthquake. Each roar rattled Lukas's bones.
A drill slash carved straight through the railing, shrieking across the wall as Lukas ducked low, sparks singeing his suit. He vaulted the next landing, lungs burning.
The factory groaned under the carnage.
And then—
CRASH!
Glass shattered overhead. Eleanor dropped through a window like a meteor, crouching as the floor cracked beneath her impact. Her visor burned crimson. Steam hissed against her gauntlets as she rose.
She froze.
For a single second, the sight before her stole her breath.
The resemblance to Delta was undeniable. her past roared before her, dredging up memories of a time long Past.
Her fists clenched, the red glow of her visor flaring brighter.
"Boss!" she barked, snapping herself back into the present.
"No time to explain!" Lukas shouted, ducking aside as Vander's drill carved a support beam in half. "That's Vander—he's alive but he's lost in it!"
Eleanor's stance tightened, gauntlets humming. "Then he's—"
"Alive!" Lukas cut her off, voice raw. "Don't hurt him!"
Vander roared again, charging. The drill gouged the floor into molten sparks as he barreled forward. Lukas dove aside. Eleanor met the monster head-on. Her gauntlets clashed against the Alpha's frame, the impact cracking the air like thunder.
For a moment, the clash held. Then Vander shoved forward, armor grinding. Eleanor flew backwards, slamming into the wall with bone-jarring force. Dust rained down around her.
"Shit!" Lukas spat. His hand flared, plasmid energy searing through his veins. A wave of invisible force slammed into Vander, wrapping the Alpha like chains. "Hold him!"
Eleanor surged back, visor blazing red, her own telekinesis locking onto Vander's limbs. Debris rose into the air, caught in the storm of their combined power.
Vander strained.The drill spun wildly, tearing against the invisible leash. Step by step, he dragged forward, steel gouging deep grooves in the floor.
"Just—" Lukas gritted his teeth, veins glowing with plasmid fire, "—a little—longer!"
Eleanor roared, visor flaring, forcing more into the lock. Sparks showered around her, the pressure crushing against her bones.
That was Lukas's opening. He sprinted.
Vander bellowed, eyes blazing, the drill tearing the floor apart as he fought their hold. Lukas leapt, boots slamming onto the Alpha's back, fingers clawing into dented plating for grip.
"I'm not losing you again!" Lukas shouted, his voice a mix of rage and desperation. His hand flared with another plasmid, a sickly green globulle appeared on his Palm.
[Hypnotize Big Daddy]
He slammed it against Vander's helmet.
The plasmid ignited. Green light streaked through the Alpha's body like veins of fire.
Vander convulsed. The drill stuttered. His roar warped into a broken, guttural groan. The massive body staggered, locked in war with itself.
And then—
Silence.
The drill slowed, whining to a stop. The giant trembled, every breath a ragged growl. Lukas clung tight, chest heaving, sweat dripping into his eyes.
"Remember…" Lukas whispered, almost pleading. "It's me. It's Lukas. You're still in there. You have to be."
Eleanor stood motionless, visor burning red, her fists trembling. She could have ended it. But she didn't.
Vander's breathing steadied. Heavy. Distorted. More machine than man. But steadied.
Lukas didn't move. Didn't dare.
"…Vander?" His voice cracked like glass.
The Alpha's gauntlet flexed—slowly, stiffly. Metal fingers curled and opened once. His chest rose in a slow, broken rhythm. The visor's yellow glow dimmed. Just a little.
Lukas's plasmid faded.
Vander didn't lash out.
Instead, the massive arm rose. Painfully, shakily, every joint screaming, but it rose—reaching out.
Eleanor tensed, gauntlets lifting.
"Don't," Lukas said, soft but firm. His eyes stayed locked on Vander. "It's alright."
The gauntlet stopped inches from Lukas's face. Trembling. Searching.
And Lukas pressed his cheek to it. His hand closed around the battered steel, steady and sure.
Tears fell hot down his dirt-streaked face. His voice broke, spilling years of grief.
"I missed you so much…" he whispered, clinging to the massive limb like a son to a father.
The Alpha didn't answer. Couldn't. But his hand stayed there—anchoring him, steady against the storm.
For the first time since the chamber shattered, Vander didn't roar.
He simply breathed.
And Lukas held on, refusing to let go.
"Let's Go home."