The night hangs heavy, pressing down with a kind of watchful silence. A desolate stretch of city road lies empty, bathed in the soft orange glow of malfunctioning streetlamps. A lone flyer flutters across the cracked asphalt—part of a missing poster—before it's swept up in the sudden hush that falls whenever something unnatural is nearby.

  Nelzux stands in the center of the road, scanner clutched in one hand, its dim, blue light pulsing in rhythmic flashes. Beside him, Nod shifts impatiently, his broad, sinewy frame tensing with each second that passes. He sniffs the air with an animalistic jerk of his head.

  "I don't see anything," he growls, his voice deep, rumbling with restrained violence. His eyes flash with irritation, and his gaze flickers toward Nelzux.

  Nelzux doesn't look up from the scanner. "The signal's here," he mutters, more to himself than to Nod. The small device whirs and clicks, searching—always searching—for something just beneath the surface.

  Nod exhales sharply through his nose, the sound close to a snarl. His thoughts drift back to the fight earlier that evening—the girl with too much fire in her blood, too much rage in her bones. Tenacious. Dangerous. The memory makes his jaw clench.

  "Do you think she also possesses the power of invisibility?" he asks, voice low, knowing Nelzux would immediately understand who he was referring to.

  Nelzux's expression darkens. "I don't know anything anymore," he admits. A rare vulnerability slips into his tone, before he recovers it with steel. "She could be with the man with the portal."

  Nod's spine stiffens. His head jerks, sniffing again—sharper this time. Recognition flickers behind his eyes. "Cursed Naetunian," he spits. "I recognize their scent anywhere."

  Before Nelzux can reply, the sharp wail of a car horn cuts through the stillness like a blade. A battered sedan barrels toward them, headlights blazing, the driver leaning out the window with wild eyes.

  "Fucking assholes!" he screams, swerving at the last second and hurtling past.

  Nod's body reacts on instinct—massive tentacles bursting like whips, lashing toward the car, ready to rip it apart. But Nelzux's voice slices in, cool and commanding.

  "Stand down," he says sharply. "We have more pressing matters."

  The tentacles freeze in midair, then retract slowly. Nod lets out a guttural growl but obeys. Nelzux kneels, palms pressed against the cold pavement. The scanner's glow pulses quicker now, its pitch rising in frequency. His eyes flicker with realization.

  "Nod," he says, voice tight with urgency.

  With a grunt, Nod joins him, crouching down and mimicking his pose. The two aliens press their hands flat to the street, feeling—not with skin, but with something deeper. The ground vibrates beneath their fingers. Faint and wrong.

  "What is it?" Nod mutters.

  Nelzux's lips part, his breath catching. His voice raises with steely determination.

  "I'm calling the ship."

  Alaska ...

  Thousands of miles away, under a moonless sky, the snow breathes.

  Beneath a mountain of ice and silence, a deep vibration shivers through the crusted snow. It glows—just faintly—then begins to fall away in soft, shivering flakes. A shape stirs beneath. A sleek vessel, buried for a couple of days, knows it's needed urgently.

  The Nekkarian warship hums to life. Engines thrum. Landing gear retracts. The snow evaporates in a hiss of steam.

  Then, with a roar like thunder devoured by wind, it lifts into the sky—and vanishes in warp speed.

  On the Street ...

  The air bends.

  Without warning, the ship appears—hovering directly above Nod and Nelzux. Its hull is obsidian-black, humming with alien energy. Debris scatters across the street. Windows rattle. The pressure drops.

  Nod grins wide, eyes gleaming with childlike awe. "She is here," he breathes, his voice reverent.

  Nelzux doesn't share his wonder. He's already working—fingers flying across the scanner. A button clicks. A shimmer of blue energy bursts outward, forming a dome around them—a barrier, translucent but strong, warping the air with its heat signature.

  Outside the fence, the city erupts.

  A crowd gathers, drawn by the ship's thunder. Phones rise. Screens glow. Murmurs swell. Someone screams. Others film. The fence keeps them out—but barely.

  Nelzux hits another switch, and a thin laser beam fires from the ship's underbelly, slamming into the ground with a piercing whine. The pavement smokes, asphalt glowing red. A drill begins its descent—down, down, deep beneath the city.

  "How long is this going to take?" Nod shouts over the rising cacophony of laser cutting gravel.

  "Hopefully not very long!" Nelzux shouts back.

  They barely register the new dim sound that joins the chaos.

  Sirens.

  Police Cars screech to a stop, their tires screeching against the asphalt as they slam into position just outside the thin energy dome. Uniformed officers rush out of the vehicles, shouting commands and forming a quick barricade to keep the increasing crowd at bay.

  Outside the Dome ...

  A growing crowd gathers around the energy fence, phones raised as they record the spectacle. Their murmurs and the flash of camera lights add to the tension in the air. Some people shout, others point, all mesmerized by the unfolding scene.

  Behind the barricade of flashing lights, a crack of red sparks rips through the air.

  A portal opens—and Rick steps through.

  Alex follows, her boots crunching glass as she stares up at the massive vessel and the dome crackling below. Henry's eyes are wide with disbelief.

  The portal snaps shut behind them, leaving its tell tale red glimmer in its wake. The chaos erupting on the street conveniently distracts the growing crowd from noticing their sudden arrival. Alex stands still, mouth ajar, staring at the sky above them, and then at the translucent dome of energy enclosing the alien invaders.

  "Holy Star Trek," Henry mutters.

  Rick doesn't answer. His eyes are locked on the ship.

  "That," he says quietly, "cannot be good."

  Inside the Dome ...

  The drilling stops, the laser retracting with a hiss of steam. Smoke billows from the fresh hole—about the size of a well, its edges glowing faintly with heat. For a second, all is still.

  Then a high-pitched shriek tears through the air.

  Nod steps closer to the hole, peering in with a frown. "What was that?" he asks.

  Nelzux leans forward cautiously. "Something's moving."

  There's a flutter. Then a scrape. A scratching. Something lunges.

  A clawed hand bursts from the darkness, slashing across Nelzux's face with inhuman speed. He stumbles backward, crying out, blood blooming across his jaw.

  Then the hole erupts.

  Winged creatures—demonic things with leathery wings and gleaming eyes—burst into the air, shrieking as they spiral into the night. Their movements are jerky, unnatural, as if they were never meant to fly in this world.

  Nod doesn't hesitate. He roars, tentacles flying from his back, slamming into the swarm with savage force. Claws and limbs twist midair. Blood—black and steaming—splashes the inside of the dome.

  Nelzux rises to his feet, blood running down his chin.

  And for the first time in a long while—he looks afraid.

  Outside the Dome ...

  The crowd gasps.

  Phones are raised like shields, lenses trembling as they capture the horror unfolding beneath a fractured sky. Voices murmur in unease, rippling through the masses as the impossible unfolds before them—winged creatures, vast and furious, circling above the alien ship like vultures over a battlefield.

  They're enormous. Muscular. Covered in dark feathers and sinew, with jaws too long and eyes too intelligent. Predators built for myth.

  "Those are some huge-ass bats," Alex mutters, jaw slacked.

  Rick, oddly calm, answers with a name that sounds like a curse. "Minokawa."

  Henry's brow creases. "Aren't they supposed to be extinct?"

  Alex shakes her head slowly, as the swarm flaps in rhythmic chaos above the glowing barrier. "There's a lot of things not being what they're supposed to be tonight."

  Inside the dome, Nod is fighting like a creature possessed—tentacles lashing out, impaling one beast, then flinging another into a wall. Nelzux disappears beneath a wave of black wings, clawed limbs raking across his chest before he claws his way back to his feet, bleeding and furious.

  "We need to do something," Henry says, his voice urgent. "Before those things kill them."

  Alex scans the barrier. It buzzes with volatile energy, thrumming against the sidewalk like a heartbeat. "Agreed. But what?"

  Henry steps forward, placing his hand cautiously against the wall. His fingers rebound with a crackle of light. "This is pure energy."

  Rick crosses his arms with that final, too-calm tone he reserves for saying the worst thing at the worst time. "Looks like we won't be able to help after all."

  Alex swears and rounds on him. "Can you open a portal into ... there?"

  Rick blinks. "You're not actually considering—?"

  "Can you or can you not?" Her tone cuts clean.

  He exhales slowly through his nose, and red light crackles to life in his palms. He stretches his hands toward the dome. But as soon as they make contact with the shimmering barrier, the glow fizzles out like a dying ember. He curses under his breath, a rare moment of frustration flickering in his usually calm eyes. "Unfortunately, I can't."

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  Inside the dome, Nod lets out an animalistic screech, his limbs straining against the unnatural forces binding him. Nelzux, already limping, slashes at the air with beams of red light shooting from his eyes, but none of it does any good—the creatures inside remain unscathed.

  Alex grimaces, the tension in her jaw tightening. "Clear everyone out."

  Rick's brow furrows, and for a split second, confusion overtakes his usual stoic expression. "What are you doing?"

  "Get the people out of here," she repeats, voice hard, cutting through his hesitation.

  Rick's gaze flicks to her, and something close to disbelief flashes in his eyes. "They tried to kill you—"

  "Just do what she says, Dad," Henry snaps, already turning away.

  Rick stands there for a moment, the sharp edge of anger flashing behind his eyes. His jaw clenches, but he takes off running, the sound of his boots pounding against the pavement a grim reminder of how much was at stake.

  Alex rolls up her sleeves, eyes darkening as her hands tremble. The familiar pulse of latent power stirs beneath her skin, but it's different this time—sharper, more volatile.

  Henry notices the shake, his eyes narrowing. "Okay, don't lock me out here—what's the plan?"

  Alex mutters to herself as she stretches her fingers, her expression focused, almost strained. "It's energy, right?" she says softly, more to herself than to Henry. "I'm going to absorb the fence."

  Henry recoils, his face a mix of disbelief and concern. "You mean like how you accidentally turned a town into a crater?"

  Alex shoots him an unamused glance, her lips curling into a tight line. "Yes, thank you, Henry. That's exactly the kind of confidence booster I needed right now."

  He huffs, shrugging off her sarcasm. "But what about the Minokawa?"

  Alex's gaze shifts to the circling creatures in the distance. They move with an eerie, predatory grace, their eyes glinting with hunger. She doesn't answer immediately, just watches them for a beat too long. "We care about them too?" she asks, a hint of biting disbelief in her tone.

  Henry rolls his eyes, arms flung up in exasperation. "If you bring down the dome, they get out."

  "One problem at a time, Henry," she mutters, turning her attention back to the dome. Her fingers flex with a nervous energy.

  He throws his arms up again, voice rising. "I'm sorry, but I'd rather not doom Los Angeles in the process of saving the world."

  Alex meets his eyes, her voice hard and sharp. "You're bothering me. Go keep an eye on your dad."

  Henry bites back a frustrated retort but nods once, turning to follow Rick. Alex watches him go, her gaze shifting back to the dome, where the creatures continue to prowl.

  One problem at a time. Right.

  At the barricade, Rick doesn't waste a second. His movements are precise, calculated, no time to waste.

  "Sir, you can't be on this side of the barricade," an officer warns, his voice shaking with authority that doesn't quite reach Rick.

  "You need to disperse the crowd. Now."

  "Sir—" an officer begins, stepping forward with a hand raised to stop him.

  Without a word, Rick's fist connects with the officer's face. The man crumples, falling like a ragdoll. Rick grabs him by the collar, yanking him close and uses the poor guy as a human shield. He fires two shots into the sky.

  The reaction is instant.

  The crowd erupts in panic, screams rising like a tsunami. People scatter in every direction, some tripping over each other, others too terrified to move. A few lucky ones dive for cover, their feet slipping as they scramble. The sound of chaos grows deafening, and the officers hesitate, their guns raised but their will crumbling in the face of the madness.

  "Move the barricade back!" Rick shouts, his voice cutting through the chaos.

  The officers freeze, their gazes flicking between each other, orders shouted but lost in the confusion. No one moves fast enough.

  Henry bursts through the chaos, breathless as he reaches Alex. "Crowd's dispersed. Although... the cops might want to arrest Dad now."

  Alex doesn't even look at him, her gaze locked on Nod and Nelzux, the tension in her shoulders as stiff as the resolve in her eyes. "We wait any longer, and they're dead."

  Her voice is distant, colder now, all warmth drained away.

  She steps forward, determined, and raises both palms. The moment they make contact with the fence, the energy hits her like a freight train.

  Her eyes fly wide. "Holy shit!" she gasps, the words bursting out of her as she laughs, her voice electric with a mix of pain and awe.

  Henry's heart skips a beat as he watches her body tremble under the sheer force of the energy. He stiffens, taking a cautious step back. "You good?"

  Alex's grin is wild, almost manic, her teeth flashing in the dim light. "There's a seventy percent chance this goes completely downhill," she says between gritted teeth, her breath heavy with the effort of controlling the surge of energy. "But I feel amazing."

  Light begins to twist and curl around her fingers, flowing like liquid fire, spiraling up her arms. Her veins pulse with bright blue light, like electricity coursing just beneath her skin. Her hair lifts, quivering with static, strands of it rising like they're charged with the same violent energy she's absorbing. Her entire body starts to glow, her silhouette burning with the brilliance of a star on the brink of collapse.

  Henry's pulse quickens as he watches her, his concern deepening. "Alex, you look like you're about to explode."

  "That's probably because I am." Her grin sharpens, the madness in her eyes unmistakable. "Get down."

  Henry's heart races. "We should check on Dad and—"

  "Henry! Down!" Alex snaps, her voice a command, and there's no time for hesitation.

  Henry throws himself to the ground, just as the air around Alex crackles with an energy so intense it feels like the very atmosphere is being torn apart. The world seems to hold its breath, waiting for the explosion.

  "Get down!" Henry shouts again loud enough for his Dad to hear.

  Across the street, Rick shoves his hostage to the ground, then drops to the pavement over him, his eyes flicking to Alex. He doesn't need to watch any longer; the chaos is already in motion.

  The second Alex rips the energy into herself, the barrier crumbles. The Minokawa shriek in unison, fury unleashed as they dive toward the panicked crowd, their wings slicing through the air like a storm of darkness.

  And then, Alex releases.

  A shockwave erupts from her chest. It's pure blue fire, so intense it blurs the world around her. The force of it tears through the air, shattering glass, searing the pavement beneath her, turning the very atmosphere into a fiery, unstable plasma. The winged creatures that were descending on the crowd are caught mid-flight, their bodies evaporating in an instant, reduced to ash by the unrelenting wave.

  Above, the spaceship hovering jolts violently. Its engines sputter, stalling with a sickening groan of metal. A moment later, it falls from the sky, crashing into the street with an earth-shattering boom, sending debris and fire spewing into the air like an explosion in slow motion.

  And then—everything goes still.

  Silence blankets the city, heavy and unnatural. Streetlights flicker and die. Windows blacken as if the very life of the city has been drained in a single breath. The world holds its collective breath, suspended in the aftermath of that devastating release.

  ---

  The street is silent.

  Not peaceful. Not calm. Just... stunned. The kind of silence that only follows cataclysm, where the world holds its breath and nothing dares to break it.

  Fireless smoke coils lazily around the cracked asphalt, ghostlike tendrils that drift aimlessly through the air. Shattered glass glints in the haze, remnants of a battle that tore through everything in its path. Somewhere beneath a twisted, metal wreck, the soft, haunting drip of broken hydrants punctuates the silence like the mournful song of a world dying.

  Then—movement.

  Rick stirs, coughing. He staggers to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth. His wounds knit themselves with unnatural speed, skin crawling over itself like reverse decay.

  Beneath him, the officer he used as a shield groans quietly. Alive. Unconscious, but alive.

  Around them, the other cops lie sprawled across the pavement. Their weapons are forgotten, tossed aside by the shockwave like rag dolls discarded by some unseen giant toddler. Not dead. Not even bleeding. Just... stunned, frozen in a moment they'll never fully understand.

  Rick straightens, grimacing as his body fights to stay upright. "Henry! Hen—"

  He stops, his voice dying in his throat as something stirs in the smoke.

  A silhouette emerges through the smoke.

  Glowing eyes. Sparks of blue lightning still dancing in their wake. The silhouette approaches even closer to reveal, Alex supporting Henry with one arm, but it's clear who needs the help less.

  Alex looks like she's just drunk a gallon of rocket fuel. Like she could suplex a train or detonate again, leveling the street with one wrong step. Her body hums with power, an energy so raw and untamed it almost pulses in the air around her.

  Rick sprints toward them. "Henry! Are you—?"

  "I'm great," Henry says, winded but standing. "I mean, relatively speaking."

  Rick eyes Alex. "You?"

  "For one, the street is still standing," Alex pants. "Also, I really want to run a marathon. Or five."

  Rick exhales a half-laugh. "There are a couple of unconscious cops back there."

  "Then we get them to a hospital—" Alex begins, but before she can finish, a sudden, ragged cough rips through the air.

  Something shifts behind them. Debris clatters. A massive pile of metal groans, then erupts as two figures claw their way out. Nod and Nelzux.

  Alive.

  Battered, smoking, their bodies torn—then healing. Bones reset. Wounds seal. Their skin seems to remember how it was shaped, rebuilding itself in jerking pulses.

  Alex brightens. "Perfect! You're not dead. We need to talk!"

  Nod's eyes blaze with fury, sparks of anger practically crackling around him. His voice rumbles low, a growl of pure venom. "You destroyed my ship!"

  "And saved your life," Alex replies sweetly. "You're welcome."

  He snarls and charges the promise of violence hanging thick—but Nelzux throws out an arm, stopping him like a stone wall.

  "You get the crystal," Nelzux mutters, his voice dark and threatening. "She is mine."

  Nod's gaze flickers between them, the fire in his eyes threatening to scorch everything in its path. Without a word, he turns on his heel and leaps into the crater, vanishing into the depths without so much as a glance back.

  Alex blinks, watching the storm of rage disappear into the abyss. "Your friend just dove into the hole from hell."

  Nelzux doesn't flinch, doesn't even acknowledge her remark. He steps forward, his movements slow, deliberate, like every step is a calculated promise of destruction. The rage around him simmers, boiling in every inch of his massive frame.

  "In all my years," he growls, voice low and guttural, a darkness that could suffocate a lesser man, "I have never met someone so insufferable."

  Alex tilts her head, a small smirk curling on her lips. "Thank you."

  His eyes narrow, but he doesn't stop. He keeps walking toward her, every inch of his body vibrating with raw fury. "You are a pain in my rear—"

  She scrunches her nose at him, an incredulous look dancing across her face. "That's not how the phrase goes."

  Nelzux doesn't react. His focus is singular now, the rage and hatred building in his chest like a volcanic eruption just waiting for the right moment. "—human or not, I am going to enjoy killing you."

  Rick raises a weapon—some strange, alien gun salvaged from the debris scattered across the ground, its faint glow pulsing like a heartbeat.

  "I'd reconsider if I were you," he says flatly, voice carrying the weight of a warning.

  But Nelzux doesn't flinch. Doesn't even blink. He keeps moving, steadily meandering through the wreckage with single-minded intent.

  Henry steps closer to Alex, his voice tight with unease. "Uh, guys? He's still walking."

  Alex scowls at Rick, her frustration bubbling over. "Well, aim for his knees or something!"

  Rick pulls the trigger.

  Click.

  Nothing.

  He tries again.

  Click.

  The weapon might as well be a brick.

  "It's not working!" Rick snarls, his frustration thickening with every passing second.

  Alex throws her hands up in disbelief. "Then why bring it?!"

  Rick shrugs, frustrated and defensive. "I found it in the rubble! I thought—never mind." He tosses the useless gun aside with a curse and cracks his knuckles. "Old-fashioned it is."

  The air thickens with tension. But then, something shifts. A noise from the crater—clattering, scraping.

  All heads whip toward the sound.

  Something is climbing out.

  Correction: someone.

  And they should not be alive.

  Fraker—what's left of him—scrambles from the pit like a broken puppet. His movements are jerky and disjointed, limbs twisting at impossible angles, his body a grotesque mockery of life. His face is a twisted horror show of stitches, mismatched flesh, and eyes that don't belong, the kind of thing nightmares are made of, like he's been pieced together with the wrong instruction manual.

  A puppet of meat.

  Alex stares, disbelief freezing her in place. "Jesus."

  Henry's grimace is a mix of disgust and dark humor. "It's like someone remade Face/Off the movie, but with a lawnmower."

  Even Nelzux hesitates for a brief moment, a flicker of confusion passing over his usually unshakable expression. But the hesitation is short-lived. Fraker lunges at him, faster than any of them expected.

  The two crash into the pavement with a violent roar. Fraker's twisted body slams into Nelzux, and for a moment, the world is a blur of snarls, growls, and the thudding of flesh against concrete. They roll, a whirl of fury and carnage, locked in a brutal death-wrestle.

  Rick doesn't hesitate. He sees his moment, and it's now.

  With a sharp glance toward the hellhole where Fraker came from, he mutters, "I'm going in."

  Henry stiffens. "Dad—you don't even know what's down there!"

  Rick doesn't look back. His focus is ahead, to the unknown. "We're not going to find out from up here."

  Henry bites his lip, but nods. "Be careful."

  Rick's gaze flickers to Alex for just a moment, his expression unreadable. "Take care of him."

  Alex's reply is flat. "I charge twenty-five bucks an hour."

  For a heartbeat, Rick smirks—a brief, fleeting thing—but it's enough. Then, without another word, he bolts, sprinting toward the crater. A moment later, he disappears into the depths, swallowed by smoke and chaos.

  Alex stands in silence, watching the dust and debris settle over where Rick once stood.

  Henry exhales, his voice barely a whisper. "Parents, huh?"

  "Orphan," Alex states with a sharp finality. Then, as though it's a minor afterthought: "Get the civilians out of here."

  Henry opens his mouth, then closes it again. "And leave you alone with those two?"

  Fraker's screech cuts through the tension like a knife, his jagged claws raking deep into Nelzux's side. The two monsters are locked in a deadly grapple, their growls and snarls reverberating through the air, but Alex doesn't flinch.

  She shrugs. "I've been in worse."

  A groan from the wrecked police cars breaks the momentary silence. The officers are beginning to stir, coming back to life, though they're still dazed and confused.

  "They'll live," Henry says, his voice tight with worry. "But I'm not leaving you."

  Alex meets his gaze. "I'm supposed to be the babysitter here, Henry."

  From his jacket, he pulls a baton. Alex squints at the weapon, eyes narrowing with a mixture of confusion and amusement.

  "Are you going to club him to death?" she asks, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

  The baton shifts, unfolding with a mechanical hum, expanding and twisting until it becomes a glowing, full-length sword. Energy crackles down the blade like electricity, its hum resonating with power.

  Alex whistles, a sharp, impressed sound. "Okay, Batman. I want one of those."

  Henry straightens, a wry smile on his face. "I've got Shrek."

  Alex cocks an eyebrow. "Then I'll take Frankenstein."

  She lifts her fingers to her lips, releasing a whistle so high and sharp that it cuts through the air like a blade. It's almost too perfect, too precise, and it draws the attention of everything in the vicinity.

  Fraker pauses mid-roar, his animalistic snarl faltering as his head snaps toward her. Nelzux, too, freezes. Their attention shifts, and in that moment, they both stare at her, unblinking.

  Alex's grin stretches wide, a predator's smile. Her eyes gleam with mischief, like she's daring them to take the bait.

  "Here, boy," she purrs, her voice smooth like silk but laced with danger.

  Fraker's response is immediate. A guttural roar erupts from deep within his chest, a sound so primal it seems to shake the air itself. He charges forward, propelled by a force of rage.