. . CODE : ALPHA
[Surgery Ward]
Mandora sliced into Alex's left leg.
Suction hissed to life, draining blood in rhythmic pulses.
No words. Just sweat. Focus.
She and Maze moved in perfect sync—one holding the torn muscle, the other healing it.
Tendon to tendon, bone to bone, they rebuilt a battlefield disguised as a leg.
Eight relentless hours passed.
By the end, it was barely recognizable—but whole again.
Mandora made the final incision, injecting high-grade proteins and shimmering elixirs that danced beneath Alex's skin.
Up in the observation deck, Xander, Mark, and Marvick watched in stunned silence.
Marvick finally muttered, "Forget the surgery. What baffles me is Alex's pain threshold. He endured every second… didn't even flinch."
At the chamber's edge, Rand stood like a statue, balancing light and dark energy in eerie stillness.
Alex was sealed back into the chamber, now mending inside a tank of glowing serum.
Sam turned to Xander. "We have to let him go."
Xander nodded. "I know. But not until we see him smile again."
Mandora burst in, soaked in sweat. "It's done. He's been moved to the most secure facility. Hair strands scattered across the globe. He's everywhere—and nowhere."
"We're delaying the inevitable," Xander said. "The only ones who can stop what's coming... are me, King Arthur, and Anna."
He exhaled. "Said he wanted to find what makes him smile. Idiot."
Sam smirked. "Running through towns, chasing dreams. Classic Alex."
Mandora cracked a rare grin. "His blood's addicted to chaos. But we're not giving up on him."
Xander looked out the window. "It's been a long time since we played together."
They walked off. Machines hummed behind them.
[Elsewhere – The Hunt Begins]
Ben, Gwen, and Athina couldn't sit still. The thought of Alex's surgery gnawed at them.
The Ace Squad merged with Alex's team.
Ben tracked the ambulance. Gwen and Patty scanned the city. The technopath intercepted Sam's calls.
Once they learned it was his left leg and ribs, the mission ignited.
They hijacked a van and sped toward The Armour—a military lab wrapped in steel and secrets.
Ben looked at Patty. "Ready to rock?"
Suddenly—BAM—they were teleported high above the base.
Fighter jets circled. Turrets locked on.
Machine guns opened fire.
Patty screamed, teleported them back into the van.
Ben, calm and deadly, redrew the plan, marking every blind spot.
Patty slipped beneath a lorry, mapped the blind zones, and zipped back.
Then—infiltration mode.
Ben tackled a soldier, blade to his throat. "Where is Alexander Foster Cane? And James Calvel?"
The soldier trembled. "N-No one here by that name!"
Ben knocked him out cold.
But the alert had sounded.
Grinlock guards swarmed.
"Disperse!" Ben shouted. "Protocol 5!"
They scattered, dropping guards like dominoes. No sweat—until Ben reached the beast's heart: Grinlock HQ.
Inside, an old man stood on the phone, back turned.
Ben lunged—
—but was pinned instantly.
"Darling, got visitors. I'll call you back," he said, pocketing the phone.
"Earbuds and knives? Kids these days," he smirked.
Ben attacked again. Fast.
But the old man was faster.
"You've got strength, kid… but no rhythm."
Ben switched to martial arts.
"How many are with you?" the man asked.
"We came for Alex Foster Cane."
The old man raised a brow. "For that troublemaker?"
Ben narrowed his eyes. "You know him?"
The comms crackled.
"Captain Riyo to All-Wing Marvick. We've got Lone Wolf Cubs and Blade Cub. Over."
"What—these brats are the intruders?" a voice replied, shocked.
"Affirmative."
"Hide them. Knock them out if necessary."
Ben blinked. "What the hell is going on?!"
Blackout.
They woke up restrained. Cuffs glowing with dampeners. Gwen and Athina unconscious nearby.
A grizzled man entered. Dropped them on beds.
"Damn kids. Strong, but sloppy."
Ben growled. "Who are you?"
"Marvick. Your captain's squad chief."
"Why haven't we heard of you?" Penny asked.
"Because we erased their names from every Earth database.
Around here, Alex is 'Lone Wolf.' James? 'Blade.'"
"SIR, WHAT ABOUT THE PRANKS?" a soldier called.
"Oh yeah. Revenge time."
Then—
"Hey, Captain! Mind if I say… eat—"
James rolled in on a wheelchair, grinning.
The squad gasped. Some cried.
"Why are you here!?" James asked, confused.
"You ruin our mission just by breathing," Ben groaned.
"Boys—shoot!" someone yelled.
Click. Nothing. Prank.
Laughter erupted.
Cuffs off. Hugs. Punches. Relief.
Ben turned serious. "Where's Alex?"
Silence.
Marvick's smile vanished. "He's okay. The surgery went well. But another one's coming… in two days."
Gwen sat up, tears forming.
"Please, girl," Marvick said gently. "You cry, the battalion crumbles."
A soldier added, "We haven't seen him. Just know another surgery's scheduled."
Ben: "Can we see him?"
Marvick hesitated, then called. "Mandora, we've got guests—Alex's friends."
She replied coldly, "Lock them in."
Three minutes later, the door swung open.
Mandora entered—furious.
"Are you all idiots?! How the hell did you even get in?"
Patty raised her hand. "Teleportation. Line of sight."
Gwen stepped forward. "Please… I need to see him."
Mandora looked away. "You can't. He's not here. We transferred him to another base yesterday."
Marvick blinked. "No, we didn't."
He held up his tablet—an image of Alex submerged in the chamber, tubes and mask still attached.
Mandora froze. Her eyes landed on the image.
And she broke.
Tears fell.
Athina covered her mouth, trembling.
Ben squinted. "What's wrapped around his leg?"
Marvick whispered, "Seventy-five percent of it... shredded."
Ben broke. The tough guy cracked. Tears streamed.
Mandora sighed, pulled them into a hug. "Go home."
They left, silent.
James wheeled up beside her. "Why lie to them?"
"For his protection," she whispered. "There's someone out there—Persius. He can read memories through eye contact. If they see Alex… he'll know everything."
James leaned forward, voice low.
"Are you seriously saying… you're hiding him from his grandfather?"
Mandora turned back, voice like a knife.
"Just focus on healing."
[Two Days Later – Second Surgery]
Alex's right leg—the final battlefield.
Mandora and Rand worked with surgical precision.
Tendons stitched. Bones reinforced. Elixirs embedded.
Ten hours. No breaks. No mercy.
Another synthetic bulge was added.
He was placed back into the tank.
They watched. Waited. Prayed.
Xander peered through the glass. "He'll make it. Let's rest."
Mandora dropped him off. He collapsed into bed.
[00:42 Hours – Grinlock HQ Breached]
Stillness died.
A bone-chilling siren split the night.
CODE ALPHA. CODE ALPHA.
Perimeter breach. Level: Omega. Repeat—Omega.
Steel doors slammed shut.
Red lights bled across the walls.
Soldiers moved like white blood cells.
Task Force Grinlock was unleashed.
[Elsewhere – Homes Become Launchpads]
Mandora's phone buzzed once.
"ALPHA"
Her eyes snapped open.
No words.
She blasted through the window—trailing fire like a meteor of fury.
Xander and Sam followed seconds later, glowing like gods in flight.
[HQ ]
Marvick and his team stormed toward Chamber 3.
They froze.
The door was gone. Vaporized.
Reinforced glass, sliced clean. No shards. No scorch marks.
No sound. Just... absence.
Inside stood an old man.
Barefoot. Calm. Timeless.
Cradling Alex in a towel.
Like a newborn.
"PUT. HIM. DOWN," Marvick shouted.
The man stared back—
Eyes like time itself.
And vanished.
No flash. No smoke.
Just… gone.
[Control Room]
They scrubbed through the security footage.
What they saw—
Should not be possible.
The man never opened the door.
He walked through it.
Marvick's voice shook.
"He's gone.
I repeat: CODE ALPHA.
Alexander Foster Cane has been taken."