"Sir, we've got an incoming..." Curie said, turning to the hulking Knell wh stood behid him.
"They fell for it, then?" the reptilian hissed.
"Yes, sir," Curie said, looking at the viewscreen. "As we suspected, Kristogar Velo was among them and, having known about how to enter properly, showed them the way in."
"What'sss their ssstatussss?" Knell said, walking over to where Eddie sat in a small playpen.
"DNA indicators tell us that six metahumans are currently overriding security protocols on the main level to access the elevator shaft," Curie answered, looking to another screen.
"And Cicciotto?"
"According to these readouts, he's rapidly ascending to this floor. However, he's not in an elevator and we, as of now, lack visual confirmation..."
"He's coming..." Knell whispered to himself, though not quietly. He swept his arm down, bringing Eddie up to his chest and rubbing the child's back with his massive hand. "Are we ready for Cicciotto's arrival, Curie?"
"That we are, sir," Curie said, standing. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be making my way into the safe zone to deploy the army at your mark."
"Exssssellent!" Knell hissed with glee. "As soon as you get in there... deploy."
Curie walked into a small room, rolling hs eyes at his employer's ego and audacity. These metahumans are dangerous, Curie knew. He hoped the Leviathans would be enough to stop them...
No sooner had Curie pressed the button, then the six metahumans on the ground floor of the Citadel were surrounded by the Leviathan army.
Velo looked up from his place at the controls of the elevator and cocked his eyebrow. "Touche, Knell, old boy," he muttered as he saw them.
They were metahuman... once. Now, they were Knell's own pet creation. They were metahumans with gene-splicing. They were like their creator. They were like Knell - everyone of them a large, hulking mass of reptile, rasping breaths and acidic saliva dripping from the razor sharp teeth of their crushing mandibles.
And there were hundreds of them.
"Okay, guys," Velo said, returning to his work, "now would be an excellent time to... do whatever it is that you do..."
MEANWHILE...
Out on the shore, young Jason Thomas crawled out of the hardly-seaworthy boat to notice a huge serpent coming out of the sea. He curled himself into a ball and rolled as the mammoth creature lunged at the craft, smashing it to pieces.
"Whoa, man!" the boy said, dusting himself off. "I gotta go warn the others what happened to their boat!" And, with that, Jason Thomas ran into the heart of the beast...
