Within the underground laboratory of Syphon Industries, the alarms continue to blare and evacuation procedures are underway. People scramble around the facility, fully believing that the build was under attack. Armed guards try to bring order to the chaos, but their shouting falls upon deaf, anxious ears.
Dr. Syphon opens his eyes, finding himself suddenly here. Questions flood his mind, and soon after, pain. He stands up from the crater his body left in the ground, and lifts a hand up from his torso.
"... It can't be…"
A thick crimson liquid coats his palm. His own blood.
He looks upwards, noticing the hole he'd just come through… It extends all the way to the very top of the tower. What could have done this?
He glares around, searching for the cause of this. Wanting to know what… or who stopped him from putting an end to Gemini right there and then.
Another male figure emerges from the dust and debris of the collapsed infrastructure. Amidst the disorder of the workers and lab equipment, a sort of standoff occurs.
Whoever this was, he stood tall and proud. A confident posture presents him.
Brett's expression quickly shifts into resentment… Upon realizing who it was.
"Lexo."
His blonde hair was swiftly pushed back and he wore an all white skin tight one piece outfit. Only allowing his hands, feet, and head freedom from the suit. His expression was stern, and his pupils were glimmering with pure white light.
"... Syphon."
He didn't say another word, but it was clear, he wasn't done here.
A braided tail of hair sweeps past his backside, carried by the small gusts of wind from above.
"Every day my hatred for you grows, Lex."
Dr. Syphon clenches his hands into fists. As his signature maroon energy flows around him.
"I thought we made a deal. I told you… To stay out of my way!"
The entire building shifts as Brett saps energies from all around him. The tower's foundations whine and begin to buckle, lights flicker. Some electric powered devices spontaneously combust, as every bit of energy is drained from them in a fraction of a second.
And then, in a violent crimson burst, a focused beam of power is blasted right at Lexo's face!
For a moment, Lex shifts back with a mixture of confusion and fear as she notices the blast. He held up an arm in anticipation for it to land, but to his surprise... Not only did the attack not hurt him, He could also push back against it.
So, that he does. Planting his feet firmly in the ground as he slowly continues towards Dr. Syphon, pushing back against the wave of tremendous force.
As soon as the attack was let up, Lex's body shifts, and he instantly appears within close quarters of Brett. Releasing an uppercut to his chin, packed with an immense amount of force!
"This is-!"
His expression turns cold as Lexo suddenly appears within his vicinity. Brett makes a flat palm, but the punch was far too quick to be blocked.
"This is impossible!"
Before Brett knew it, he found himself flying upwards through multiple floors of the laboratory, met with immediate pain on his chin. It was almost as though that one punch delivered enough energy to level a skyscraper!
"What the hell..? Where did all this power come from?"
He regains his composure, pushing back against an invisible force as he flies back towards Lex!
Lexo crouches down, prepared to follow behind him - but pain in his hand caught his attention. He looked down at the fist he used to punch Brett, and he could notice that it seemed to be...
... Shattering?
The pain filly sets in, a searing, burning sting holding his entire arm captive. Enough for him to actually begin to shake from the feeling. However, as he examines it, a radiant spec of light catches his attention from the corner of his eye. Within it, glows a strange number, twenty percent. Confusion clouds his mind. This newfound power, previously thought to be a bottomless swarm of energy, now shows him a quantifiable percentage? The implications stagger him. Does it need to be charged? Is this a cap? A limit? Could this possibly be increased?
"Shit."
He glances back up, where Brett was sent flying. And to avoid getting himself put in another sticky situation, he chooses to leave. Preferring to learn more about his power before he confronts Brett again.
In another solar beam of light, Lexo vanishes from his positioning.
Brett dives down, condensing energy around his fist with the force of a planetary core to absolutely demolish Lexo. However, realizing he's not even there… He pulls back, instead landing on the floor with a dramatic impact. He looks around, wondering where he went.
His angered expression suddenly turns into a dangerously calm expression. He saw it already. The weakness of Lexo. He's inexperienced, and his abilities are new to him. Syphon could tell based off of how he fought, and him running off instead of continuing to fight.
"Lex isn't a threat… And he never will be."
He takes out his phone and dials three different numbers, saying the same thing to all of them.
"... Leo Xavier and Gemini Lecky. I want them delivered to me, dead."
– THE GUTTERS –
Gem ran into the streets and hid in an alley beside a cafe.
"Jesus Christ…"
Suddenly, a cold hand grips her right shoulder from behind.
She jolts and recoils.
"It's me, it's me!" Lexo whispers to her , trying to get her to calm down. His other hand was concealed deep in his hoodie pocket.
"We can't hang out here for long..."
"Oh thank god it's just you…"
She suddenly looked very frantic. Her feline ears folded flat to her head.
"Lex, he had children down there! Kids like me! We have to get them out!"
The boy seemed fresh out of breath. Suddenly, he goes limp for a split second, but regains his composure. He grabs his chest as he catches his breath.
"He's also got a kid of his own... That's probably in danger."
She could now see his other hand. It was virtually covered in scar tissue and damaged skin. The damage was otherworldly, reminiscent of the effect shown when glass shatters... It looks incredibly painful.
She snatched his hand above the injury.
"What the hell happened to you, Lexy!? God, this is all getting so much worse than I thought."
He glances down at the painful scarring.
"I... It's a long story," he covers it with his other hand.
"Look, we have to get going!"
He frantically looks back towards the tower. In all honesty, he just barely escaped from Brett. Something that he wasn't sure he'd be able to pull off a second time.
"Yes, right. Let's go."
Gemini follows Lexo, and they rush into the dark shroud of the streets below Syphon Tower. They had no idea just how much their lives were about to change from this one day forward.