Steve's POV

I clawed at the bars, cold metal biting into my fingers, my breath coming in ragged gasps. Why am I locked in this cage? My mind raced, but the answers slipped through my grasp like water. Panic clawed at my throat as I slammed my fists against the iron bars again, harder this time. The hollow clang echoed, swallowed by the oppressive silence of the room.

A figure stepped into the cell, his silhouette framed by the dim, flickering light from the hallway beyond. He moved with a casual confidence, as though this cell, this entire facility, was his to command. I could tell instantly -- this place wasn't just any prison. It was like an impenetrable fortress, one built with the sole purpose of keeping me locked inside. Breaking into this fortress? Impossible. Guards were stationed everywhere, more than necessary to hold a single prisoner. Their presence only confirmed my suspicion: this was no ordinary detention. Why so many guards? I wondered. Whose cell am I really in?

The man's eyes hadn't left me since entering, his gaze cool, calculated, as though weighing every detail about me. He wasn't speaking -- just studying me, dissecting me. I fell silent under his scrutiny, muscles tense.

Then, another figure appeared, and suddenly everything clicked into place. Memories, blurred and fragmented like a shattered mirror, crashed through me. My pulse spiked. My skull throbbed with a sharp, piercing ache, and I groaned, pressing a trembling hand to my forehead. The second man stepped closer, the dim light catching his face. Festus.

Just the sight of him was enough to send my blood boiling. A smirk tugged at his lips, cruel and condescending. The laugh that followed was nothing short of venomous, each note like nails scraping against my mind. I clenched my fists, trying to steady the torrent of rage boiling within me, but it was useless. It felt like sharp thorns were crawling beneath my skin, prickling and tearing at my control.

"You feel that, don't you?" Festus drawled, his voice a slow, serpentine hiss. He reveled in my agony. "It's the serum."

Trigger Serum. The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Festus explained it with a sinister ease that made my stomach churn. I wouldn't remember anything unless I saw someone connected to the event. And even then, the memory would slip away again -- gone forever as soon as they left my sight.

Festus watched my face twist with realization, his dark eyes dancing with cruel delight. "You'll never piece it together. You'll forget everything... every single time."

I sank to the cold, hard floor, my body weak and shaking. My mind thrashed against the void, trying -- fighting -- to grasp at anything. But it was no use. My memories felt like smoke in my fingers, slipping away the moment I tried to hold on.

Who am I? My thoughts were jumbled, lost in the fog that was clouding my mind. I squeezed my eyes shut, digging deep, searching for any trace of myself. Did I have a family? Was I ever really here? Every answer evaded me, sinking deeper into the void as if swallowed by a black hole.

And in that hollow, empty space, all that remained was the echo of Festus's wicked laughter, ringing in my ears as I stared into the vast, unyielding nothingness that had become my mind.

At the very least, I could remember that I was human. What that even meant? I had no idea. It felt like the most fragile truth, one that I knew could slip away at any moment. Desperation clawed at me. I needed to write it down before it was too late -- before I forgot even that.

What a joke, I thought bitterly. Who in their right mind would expect a pen, let alone paper, in a place like this? This was no ordinary prison -- it was a containment unit, cold and sterile, designed to strip you of everything, even your identity. And if, by some miracle, I did manage to find a way to write... would I even remember how? The thought sent a fresh wave of frustration crashing over me, but I couldn't even process it. I didn't know how to feel anymore.

It was as if pieces of my life -- my memories -- were seeping through my skin, evaporating like mist. I could almost sense them drifting away, like my very essence was being drained. How do I remember who I really am? I thought, fear sinking its teeth deeper into my soul.

I lay down, defeated, staring up at the ceiling, my body limp and heavy with despair. Suddenly, the heavily guarded door creaked open with a metallic groan, interrupting my thoughts. Two well-built men stepped into the room. The air around them was thick with authority, their movements sharp and precise. This wasn't just a cell to them -- they had called it a "containment unit," and that told me everything I needed to know.

One of the men approached the bars, his heavy boots echoing off the stone floor. I watched, my muscles tensing involuntarily. He pulled out a syringe filled with a strange green liquid and, without hesitation, injected himself with it. The other guard followed suit, grimacing as the serum pulsed through his veins.

They exchanged silent communication, their eyes locking in understanding. The second man -- the one in black -- nodded, retrieving a keycard from his pocket. He swiped it through the scanner with a loud beep, and the cell door hissed open, the heavy steel sliding aside.

They both stepped inside, their grips tightening on me as they each grabbed one of my arms. I could feel their strength, but something inside me surged -- a raw, untapped energy that vibrated through my veins. What power is this? My thoughts flickered, momentarily stunned by the sensation, but my body reacted on instinct.

Suddenly, everything slowed. The air around me seemed to thicken, my senses heightened to an unnatural degree. I could feel their hands on me -- heavy, calloused, iron-like -- but beneath their strength, my own power stirred. It was like a deep, ancient beast waking from its slumber. My muscles tensed and coiled, responding to a force I didn't recognize but somehow knew intimately.

The guard on my left moved first, tightening his grip to drag me forward, but something snapped inside me. My arm shot out, faster than I thought possible, and in a fluid motion, I twisted his wrist, the bones cracking like dry wood under the pressure. He barely had time to scream before I spun around, using his own momentum to hurl him over my shoulder. Time seemed to freeze as his body arced through the air in a wide, slow-motion curve. His face, twisted in shock, was illuminated by the flickering red lights. When he crashed to the floor, the impact was seismic, shaking the entire room. Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling, and the sound of his body hitting the ground was like thunder, echoing in the confines of the cell.

The second guard's eyes widened as he processed what had just happened. He released my arm, scrambling to regain control. But I was already on him, moving with a speed and precision that shocked even me. My foot connected with his chest in a vicious kick that sent him flying backward like a rag doll. The force of it was unreal. He slammed into the bars with a sickening crunch, the metal bending under the sheer impact of his body. The bars groaned and shifted as the containment unit's auto-lock system activated, responding to the force with blaring alarms.

The red lights suddenly flashed with a renewed urgency, bathing the room in a violent, pulsing glow. The scene was painted in deep, blood-colored hues, transforming the cell into something out of a nightmare. The alarm blared, piercing the air with high-pitched shrieks that rattled through my bones. The entire room was vibrating with sound, a chaotic symphony of blaring sirens, creaking metal, and the heavy breathing of the guards -- who now lay helpless at my feet.

But I wasn't focused on them anymore. Something had awakened in me. My heart pounded, the blood roaring in my ears like an untamed river. Energy, raw and electric, coursed through my veins, and it felt as though every fiber of my being was thrumming with power. My skin prickled, and my vision sharpened -- colors more vivid, details more precise. I could see the sweat beading on the guards' foreheads, the small tremor in their fingers, the rise and fall of their chests as they struggled to breathe. I could even hear the faint hum of the containment unit's electrical systems, a steady pulse in the background, as if the building itself was alive.

I stood there, breathless, surrounded by the flashing red lights and the deafening alarms, my body vibrating with energy. I had flipped one guard like he weighed nothing, and the other had flown across the cell as though I had thrown him with the strength of a hundred men. And all of it -- every move -- had felt effortless.

My gaze drifted to the twisted, mangled bars where the second guard had crashed. The containment unit was supposed to be an impenetrable fortress, and yet, in a matter of moments, I had turned it into a warzone. What am I? The thought buzzed in my mind, louder than the alarms, more real than the chaos unfolding around me.

The guards groaned on the floor, broken but alive. And me? I stood there, a force of nature, the power within me thrumming like a storm, barely contained. This was no ordinary moment. I wasn't just human anymore. Whatever I was now, it was something far more dangerous.

I wasn't bothered by the flashing red lights, their strobing beams slicing through the dimly lit cell like jagged scars. The alarms blared, an incessant wail that seemed to vibrate through the walls themselves, but none of it mattered. I glanced down at the guard I had flipped mere moments ago. He lay crumpled on the floor as if gravity had doubled in strength. His wide, disbelieving eyes locked onto me, frozen in sheer terror. His face -- pale and drenched in sweat -- seemed paralyzed by the raw, incomprehensible power he had just witnessed. I saw it in his gaze, that fragile moment when fear morphs into hopelessness. I stood there, unbothered. He wouldn't dare stand again.

With slow, deliberate steps, I moved to the iron bars, my fingers curling around their cold, unyielding surface. I gripped them hard, feeling the resistance in the metal as if it were alive, fighting me. My muscles tensed, and I pulled with all my might. At first, nothing happened. Then -- impossibly -- the steel began to creak. It groaned under the pressure, and slowly, agonizingly, it bent to my will. My heart raced, not out of fear, but out of awe -- my own awe. I could feel the surge of strength coursing through me, making the impossible happen right before my eyes. I was watching myself do things no human should be capable of.

As the bars finally gave way, a gap wide enough for me to slip through appeared. I was halfway there when, suddenly, the guard -- who I thought was done for -- stirred. His fingers fumbled desperately for his gun, shaking with fear, his every movement slow and hesitant. With trembling hands, he raised it, pointing the barrel at me, as if that simple act would stop what was coming. Desperation clung to him like a second skin, but I barely gave him a second glance.

I forced my body through the opening, the steel scraping against my sides as I squeezed through. I heard the sharp crack of gunfire. The bullets hit me, sending a sharp sting through my body. It was a pain that should have brought me down, but I didn't stop. My flesh burned where the bullets hit, but I moved forward, as if the shots were nothing more than a nuisance. I broke free from the cell, the world outside the bars rushing toward me like a breath of fresh air.

Then I saw them -- a squad of men, all clad in black combat gear, their eyes hidden behind reflective visors. They stood like a wall, blocking my path, weapons drawn, their faces grim with determination. Without hesitation, I launched myself toward them. My feet barely touched the ground, each step carrying me forward with inhuman speed. Before they could react, I slammed into them with a force that seemed to defy the laws of nature.

One push. That's all it took. One single push, and they were airborne, bodies lifted off the ground as though gravity had momentarily forgotten them. Ten men, flung across the room like discarded toys, collided with walls and equipment. The impact was thunderous, the sound of armor meeting concrete reverberating like a cacophony of broken bones and splintering steel. The sheer power in my strike left me momentarily stunned. I hadn't even realized what I was capable of until now.

I didn't stop. I turned down the nearest corridor, my legs propelling me faster than I could comprehend. The hallway stretched before me, twisting and turning like a labyrinth, dimly lit and foreboding. But as I ran, a thought clawed its way into my mind: Why am I running? I could feel the pulse of adrenaline slowing, a cold clarity washing over me. If I could take down ten men with a single shove, why was I fleeing? What was there to fear?

I slowed my pace to a halt, the echo of my footsteps fading into the distance. I stood there, in the middle of the corridor, breathing heavily, but not out of exhaustion -- out of realization. The alarms still screamed, the red lights still flashing furiously, but I felt strangely calm. I didn't need to run. I could destroy anyone who stood in my way with a single punch, a single move.

But now, I faced another problem. In front of me stretched countless passageways, each one splitting off into new directions, twisting into shadows, disappearing into unknown depths. It was a maze, a prison designed to confuse and contain. I stood at the crossroads, torn between forging ahead blindly or turning back to face the guards head-on, knowing they wouldn't stand a chance.

I randomly walked into one of the passageways. The air hung heavy, almost suffocating, the kind of stillness that makes you feel like the walls are pressing in on you. The usual sounds you'd expect in a place like this -- machinery humming, distant footsteps -- were swallowed by an eerie quiet. Then, out of nowhere, a man in black appeared. He moved toward me, swift and calculated, but before I could even register what was happening, my body responded.

My hand lashed out, and in the blink of an eye, he crumpled to the floor. I stood there, stunned, staring at his limp form. What had I just done? My eyes struggled to keep up with the speed of my own movements, like I'd broken some invisible barrier between action and reaction. And yet, despite my confusion, I knew -- somehow -- that my senses were sharper than ever. It felt... wrong, but in a way that made everything around me vibrate with clarity.

I didn't have time to process it. I knelt down, quickly stripping off his uniform, the fabric feeling strangely unfamiliar in my hands, even though I had just done this moments ago. As I dressed in his clothes, something about the way they fit sent a chill down my spine, like I was donning the skin of someone else.

Then, I saw it -- a small communication device in his ear. I slipped it into mine just in time to hear a voice crackling to life through the static. They were talking about me. They had a plan -- his plan -- to capture me.

I stood up, my heart thudding in my chest, listening to their conversation. They were warning the others to be extremely careful because they didn't have much of the Strength Serum left. The serum. That's when it hit me. The men who had burst into my containment unit earlier -- they'd been dosed with it.

But why couldn't they bring me down?

The thought sent a ripple of unease through me. "Am I just some science experiment?" I muttered to myself. "Did they make me this way? Am I nothing more than a product of their serum?"

But before I could get lost in the maze of questions, the voice crackled again, clear and cold: Project 343. His plan was to release it to hunt me. My blood ran colder than the air around me. What in the world was Project 343?

I shook the thoughts from my head and kept moving forward, muscles still tense, ready for whatever came next. As I rounded the corner, a guard appeared. My heart didn't even skip a beat this time. I stayed calm on the outside, but inside, I was a coiled spring, ready to strike if needed. I walked past him smoothly, barely acknowledging his presence, and he never suspected a thing.

I found myself in a new section of the building, dimly lit, sterile, the air thick with the kind of silence that made every breath feel loud. Ahead of me stood a door -- thick, secured, impenetrable by normal means. A scanner flickered beside it, waiting.

Without hesitation, I searched my borrowed uniform and felt something hard and smooth in one of the pockets. A keycard. I knew it had to be from the man I'd knocked out earlier -- he must've had access to this containment section. I didn't need to wonder how it got there; I just slid it through the scanner. A sharp click, and the door slid open with a soft hiss.

I stepped into the room, my heart pounding in my chest. Rows of transparent containers lined the walls, filled with various glowing liquids, each more mysterious than the last. I moved closer and squinted at the labels: Strength, Immortality, Invisibility, and countless others, their names etched in clear, bold letters. As I scanned through them, something clicked. I could read. No... I could understand these words. A realization hit me like a tidal wave -- I could probably write too. The thought was so simple, yet it rattled me to my core. How long had I been deprived of these basic abilities?

Pushing past the confusion, I walked further into the lab. My gaze landed on two colorless serums, sitting ominously in the center. One was labeled X, the other Y. The liquid in X filled only half the container, but Y had a transparent pipe that snaked its way beneath a sealed, cold-looking door. My eyes traced the pipe until they landed on a sign above the door.

343.

I stared at the number, trying to piece it together with everything swirling in my mind. But as I turned, my eyes caught sight of something else. Another door -- this one with a different number.

434.

As soon as my gaze settled on it, a sharp, blinding pain exploded through my skull. It felt like a lightning bolt had struck the center of my brain, sending violent waves of agony through every nerve in my body. My vision blurred, spots dancing across my sight. I stumbled, clutching my head, gasping for air as the memories rushed in like a flood. Images, fragmented and hazy, flashed before me. Faces I didn't recognize. Places I had never been. Voices whispering things that made no sense, yet felt hauntingly familiar.

It was as if something inside me had just snapped -- a dam breaking, flooding my mind with memories I wasn't ready to face.

The pain was unbearable. It felt like my head would explode from the sheer force of it. I collapsed onto the cold, hard floor, my fingers clawing at my temples, as if I could somehow tear the pain out. My body convulsed, struggling against the overwhelming force of the headache, my vision darkening at the edges. I could barely breathe, the pressure in my skull suffocating me.

In the midst of the chaos, I heard a faint beep. My comm device... I had no idea how it had been activated, but I knew what it meant. They would know where I was. They would come for me.

I gritted my teeth, forcing every muscle in my body to move, but it was as if I had been chained to the ground. I tried to get up, to push through the pain and escape, but my limbs felt like lead, too heavy to lift. Sweat poured down my face as I fought against my own body, the images in my head becoming clearer, sharper, like knives cutting through the fog.

Fragments of what had happened in this lab flashed before me -- people, experiments, my own body being twisted and changed. I could see it all now, but I still couldn't stop the relentless, pounding headache. It throbbed in sync with my heartbeat, each pulse bringing more pain, more memories.

I was trapped, torn between the agony and the fragments of truth I had no choice but to face.

...To be continued