Chapter 46 - 46: Welcome to the Hive Base

"Initiate T-Virus injection!" A sharp, icy electronic voice jolted John Hudson awake. "Where… am I?" His vision gradually cleared, revealing that he was confined inside a containment pod. Around him, similar pods held others—his teammates. Memories surged into his mind like a tidal wave, the last image that remained was a humanoid robots with crimson-lit electronic eyes. "ARGH!" A piercing pain shot through his arm, yanking his consciousness back to the present. He looked down just in time to see a syringe embedded in his vein, injecting a luminous blue liquid into his bloodstream. "GRAAAH!" John's entire body convulsed in agony. His muscles felt as if they were being torn apart and reassembled. "T-Virus compatibility: 70%. Mutant gene enhancement in progress." "Manupulating previous memories… Implanting new memories…" "Releasing nanites—target: spinal cord." A cold, mechanical voice rang out—not from the room, but inside his very mind. "What… is happening to me?" A searing, unbearable pain erupted from the depths of his body, and his consciousness faded into darkness. Elsewhere, the other captured mutants suffered the same fate—each undergoing genetic modification at the hands of Umbrella Corporation. ... Inside the Hive Base, the Red Queen beamed with excitement, as if awaiting praise from a parent. "Sir, the first batch of thirteen mutant soldiers has been successfully modified!" "Hahaha! Excellent!" Gene Mason replied with a pleased laugh. "Sir," Skynet interjected, not wanting to be outdone, "the genetically screened mutants will arrive at the tower tomorrow." "Very good, very good! It looks like our dear Mandarin will soon have his own little army," Gene said with a cryptic smile. ... Inside one of the Hive Base's training rooms, Captain Rogers looked at Mandarin with envy. "I gotta say, I'm really jealous, Mandarin. Looks like you'll be getting your first mission soon." "Hahaha! Captain, you'll be handling even more difficult assignments," Mandarin laughed heartily. "Just thinking about ruling the underworld gets me fired up," Rogers said, grinning. "And those ten rings of yours… they're insane." "Ha! No need to be jealous. With your new strength, you're practically strongest man in the world right now! I've never seen someone jump ten meters straight up from a standing position," Mandarin scoffed playfully. Experiment Subject No. 1, Steve Rogers, had undergone T-Virus augmentation, pushing his physical abilities beyond human limits. Even if his heart were destroyed, his body's rapid regeneration would allow him to recover in mere moments. __ Meanwhile, outside Mason Industries Tower, a group of young men and women excitedly gathered at the entrance. "Hey, you guys got recruited by Mason Industries too?" a young man asked, grinning. "Of course! They offered me a $500,000 salary! I've never seen a company so generous!" "Yeah, Mason Industries is incredible!" "I can't wait to start working here!" "Come on, let's go inside before we're late!" The eager recruits followed security personnel into the building, marveling at its futuristic design. "Ladies and gentlemen, please proceed to the contract signing area," the Red Queen instructed. "Wow! That's Mason Industries' AI?!" "So cool!" "Hey, do you actually have emotions?" "Man, I'm so hyped to work in a place like this!" One by one, the recruits entered an elevator directed by the Red Queen. At first, everything seemed normal. But as the elevator kept descending, unease began to settle in. "Man, this building is HUGE! We've been going down forever!" "Yeah… but I feel kinda weird." Twenty minutes passed. The elevator still hadn't stopped. And the Red Queen was nowhere to be seen. "Hey, guys… something's not right." "What's going on?" Panic began to spread. Being trapped in a sealed space for too long triggered a natural sense of anxiety. A suffocating unease filled the elevator. DING! Just as their nerves reached a breaking point, the elevator finally chimed, signaling its arrival. A collective sigh of relief swept through the group. "See? Told you it was just a long ride!" "Yeah, let's just figure out which floor we're working on. Can't be late for our first day!" But the moment the doors slid open, all their expressions froze in horror. Row upon row of containment pods stretched before them, each one housing unconscious individuals suspended in eerie, glowing liquid. Some of the pods emitted mechanical hissing sounds as robotic arms injected unknown substances into the helpless figures inside. "What… the hell… is this?" one of the recruits muttered, his voice trembling. As fear took hold of the group, the Red Queen suddenly materialized before them, a proud smile on her face. "Welcome to the Hive Base." -------------- Sёarᴄh the NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. T/N: Access Advance Chapters on my P@treon: [email protected]/MPHFics