They immediately raised their hands, palms outward in a surrendering gesture, their expressions anxious but uncertain.
But in an instant, everything changed. The air shifted with an unnatural crackle. Two of the scientists' forms rippled, their bodies swelling and contorting in ways that defied normal anatomy.
One's human features twisted, jaws elongating into a jagged maw while claws extended from his fingertips, his eyes burning with a feral, unnatural glow. The other's skin erupted into a thick, mutated carapace, jagged edges crisscrossing its body as it snarled.
The remaining three scientists hesitated and then, with a violent surge of energy, they also activated their awakened powers. One's voice boomed as he summoned crackling electrical arcs that surged around him, while another's hands shimmered with shimmering, dark energy, ready to strike.
