Chapter 12—Xavier

XAVIER CROUCHED LOW behind a stack of crates, his cybernetic eye scanning the dimly lit laboratory before him. Beside him, Amaya and Dr. Vex huddled close together, their breath shallow and controlled.

Through a gap in the crates, he observed a row of stasis pods lining the far wall. Each pod contained a partially converted cyborg, their bodies a patchwork of flesh and metal. Wires snaked from their heads to a central console, where Admiral Zorn stood. "Initiating test sequence alpha," said Zorn, his voice booming in the cavernous space.

A low hum filled the air as the pods began to power up. Xavier's enhanced hearing picked up the subtle increase in heart rates from the subjects inside. He glanced at Amaya, noting the horror in her expression as she watched the scene unfold.

The first pod hissed open, revealing a muscular male cyborg with glowing blue circuitry crisscrossing his torso. His eyelids snapped open, vacant and unfocused. "Subject 23, step forward," said Zorn.

The cyborg complied while moving with robotic precision. Xavier's own systems registered a spike in energy readings from the control chip embedded in the subject's skull.

"Now, attack Subject 24." Zorn gestured to another pod that had just opened.

Subject 23 turned mechanically toward his target. The second cyborg, a female with silver skin, emerged from her pod. Her pupils dilated in fear as she registered the threat approaching her.

"Subject 24, don't defend yourself," said Zorn, his tone clinical and detached.

Xavier's fists clenched as he watched the scene unfold. Every instinct screamed at him to intervene, but he forced himself to remain still. They needed more information and more evidence of Zorn's plans.

Subject 23 raised his fist, poised to strike. The female cyborg trembled but made no move to protect herself. Xavier heard Amaya's sharply indrawn breath and sensed the tension radiating from Dr. Vex beside him.

Just as Subject 23's fist began its downward arc, Zorn spoke again. "Halt."

The attacking cyborg froze mid-motion, arm still raised.

A cruel smile played across Zorn's lips as he surveyed the scene. "Perfect obedience," he murmured. "The control chips are functioning at optimal levels. Let's test their limits."

He turned back to the console, tapping the keys. "Subject 23, terminate Subject 24. Use maximum force."

The male cyborg's eyes flashed, and he lunged forward with inhuman speed. His hands wrapped around the female's throat, servos whining as he applied crushing pressure. Subject 24 gasped with terror and confusion. Her body twitched, fighting against the order not to defend herself even as her systems began to shut down.

Xavier's vision flashed red, combat protocols activating automatically. He surged to his feet, unable to watch the massacre any longer. Beside him, Amaya and Dr. Vex scrambled up as well, their faces masks of determination and revulsion.

"Stop," roared Xavier, his voice amplified by his cyborg enhancements.

The laboratory erupted into chaos. Zorn whirled around, his eyes widening in shock and anger. "Intruders. Guards, seize them."

Xavier's systems whirred to life, analyzing potential threats and mapping out escape routes. He turned to Amaya and Dr. Vex. "Amaya, disable those chips. Dr. Vex, download everything you can. I'll hold them off."

Without waiting for a response, he leaped into action. His cybernetic limbs propelled him forward with inhuman speed, closing the distance between himself and the first wave of mind-controlled cyborgs in seconds.

The female cyborg, Subject 24, lay motionless on the floor. Xavier's sensors detected no life signs. Anger surged through his circuits. He would not let her death be in vain.

Subject 23 charged at Xavier, eyes vacant and movements automated. Xavier sidestepped the attack, using the cyborg's momentum against him. With a quick strike to the back of the neck, he short-circuited the control chip, and Subject 23 crumpled to the ground.

More cyborgs poured into the room, their eyes glowing an eerie blue. Xavier's combat subroutines kicked into overdrive. He ducked under a swing, countering with a palm strike that sent his attacker flying. Another cyborg grabbed him from behind, but Xavier used his enhanced strength to flip them over his shoulder.

"Amaya, status report," he asked as he dodged a series of rapid punches from two cyborgs simultaneously.

She typed on a nearby console, her face a mask of concentration. "Almost there. These encryption protocols are unlike anything I have seen before."

Zorn's voice boomed over the chaos. "You can't stop Project Guardian. The future belongs to those who control it."

Xavier grunted as a cyborg landed a solid hit to his midsection. He retaliated with a roundhouse kick, sending the attacker crashing into a bank of computers. Sparks flew, and alarms blared throughout the facility.

"Dr. Vex, how is the download progressing?" asked Xavier, his voice strained as he grappled with another mind-controlled cyborg.

Dr. Vex stood at a terminal, gaze darting between multiple screens. "Sixty percent complete. We need more time."

Time was a luxury they did not have. Xavier's sensors picked up the sound of heavy footsteps approaching—reinforcements were on their way. He needed to buy Amaya and Dr. Vex more time.

With a burst of speed, he charged toward Zorn. The admiral's eyes widened in surprise as Xavier closed the distance between them. Zorn reached for a weapon at his hip, but Xavier was faster. He tackled the admiral, sending them both crashing to the floor.

"This ends now." He pinned the man down.

Zorn sneered. "You have no idea what you are dealing with, cyborg. Project Guardian is bigger than you can imagine."

A triumphant shout from Amaya interrupted their confrontation. "I've done it. The control chips are deactivating."

Around the room, the mind-controlled cyborgs began to falter. Some collapsed to the ground while others looked around in confusion, as if waking from a long dream.

Zorn took advantage of Xavier's momentary distraction, landing a solid punch to his face that felt stronger than a human's should, making him suspect the admiral was enhanced. Xavier reeled back, his systems momentarily disoriented. Zorn scrambled to his feet, making a dash for the exit.

"Stop him," shouted Xavier, struggling to regain his footing. Unfortunately, the cyborgs remained too disoriented to act.

Dr. Vex's voice cut through the chaos. "Download complete. We have everything."

Xavier's tactical subroutines quickly assessed the situation. They had what they came for, and Zorn's escape was secondary to their primary objective. "We need to leave now. Grab any subjects who can move and follow me."

Amaya and Dr. Vex rushed to help the disoriented cyborgs to their feet. Xavier's enhanced hearing picked up the sound of approaching soldiers. They were out of time.

"This way." He led them toward an emergency exit he had identified earlier. He smashed through the door, and the metal crumpled easily under his cybernetic strength.

They emerged into a harsh, dusty landscape. Wind whipped around them, carrying stinging particles of sand. In the distance, his enhanced vision could make out the outline of Zorn's ship.

"Run," he ordered, supporting two weakened cyborgs as they stumbled forward.

Behind them, alarms blared, and shouts reverberated from the facility. His sensors picked up multiple heat signatures in pursuit. Zorn's voice sounded over a loudspeaker system. "You can't escape. The future of humanity is at stake."

Xavier ignored the threats, focusing on their escape. The ship seemed impossibly far away, and the rescued subjects were slowing them down. His tactical systems calculated their chances of reaching the ship before being overtaken. The odds were not in their favor. If they did get aboard, they would have to crack through firewalls to gain control of the ship, which would also take too much time.

He examined the harsh landscape before them, calculating their dwindling odds of survival. The ship waited in the distance, a tantalizing promise of escape that now seemed impossibly far. Behind them, the shouts of Zorn's soldiers grew louder, accompanied by the rhythmic thud of heavy boots on sand.

"We can't reach the ship," said Xavier with urgency. "Our only chance is to go deeper into the planet's interior."

Amaya's face was streaked with sweat, sand, and dust. "Are you insane? We don't know what's down there."

"It is our only option," he said firmly while turning the rescued cyborgs, their faces a mixture of confusion and fear. "Can you run?"

One of them, a woman with silver skin and glowing blue circuitry, nodded shakily. "I think so."

"Good. Follow me and stay close."

Without waiting for further discussion, he set off at a brisk pace, his enhanced legs easily traversing the treacherous terrain. The others scrambled to keep up, their breaths coming in ragged gasps in the thin atmosphere without breathing masks. Only some of the cyborgs had mechanical lungs. Those were the ones keeping up with him.

The landscape changed as they ran, the open desert giving way to jagged rock formations. Xavier's sensors detected a network of caverns beneath their feet—tunnels that could provide both shelter and peril.

"There." Dr. Vex pointed to a narrow fissure in a towering cliff face. "That could lead us underground."

He nodded, adjusting their course. As they neared the opening, the sound of pursuit grew fainter, swallowed by the wind and the vastness of the desert, but he knew better than to assume they had lost their hunters.

The fissure was barely wide enough for Xavier to squeeze through, his broad shoulders scraping against the rough stone. The others followed, with Amaya bringing up the rear, casting nervous glances over her shoulder. He wanted to reassure her, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to her even if it was to provide comfort.