"Protocol activated, sequence initiated," said the monitor as Podbe completed his conversion to human. "User entered into the system, initiating beast activation," a bar quickly moved from zero to one hundred. "Host still in shock, healing process ongoing," a bar resembling dog paws running from zero slowly to twenty-five percent appeared on the screen.
"I see. I think this form of Podbe is like a safeguard," said Reia.
"A safeguard?" asked Aiden and Chad.
"Yes, it's like a protection mechanism in case the host is seriously injured, similar to antibodies in the human system," explained Aiden.
"Exactly," she said, "they are protecting Podbe, trying to heal and stabilize him."
"Wow! That's the craziest thing I've heard, and at the same time, it's awesome, don't you think, Aiden?" said Chad.
"Yes, it's awesome. It means my friend is invincible and can't die," added Aiden.
"I wouldn't say that," Reia noted. "Sorry to be a buzzkill, but if he dies in that way, he dies for good."
Both the boy and the adult lowered their heads and said, "That's bad," simultaneously.
The wolf outside began to heal its wounds gradually. Meanwhile, next to the explosion, the dust cloud was dissipating. The guardian stood up, and his face could be seen; he was angry. Retracting his hands, he exclaimed:
"Damn humans! That attack shook my brain a bit. They caught me off guard. Well, if they still want to fight, they'll be the first to die," and he launched his beam towards Podbe's friends.
"Oh, no!" said Lidia. "We must move, or we're all going to die."
"I'm glad you're okay. Can you still move?" Zeus asked the survivors. One of them, a man in his fifties, nodded and said yes, but others weren't so lucky and were in serious condition. "Most didn't make it, sir. If I may ask, what is that unleashed thing? Is it some kind of biological weapon, or have they unearthed a being that now seeks unrestrained vengeance?" the man asked, looking pained and nervous at Zeus.
"I don't know, but what I do know is that I'll look out for your safety."
"But, sir," interrupted the other workers, raising their voices. Zeus was a little annoyed and looked at them with a very threatening gaze. Then he thought for a moment: "If I eliminate them, I can't leave loose ends, but there are too many, and I must keep up appearances. Besides, there's the reporter who can serve as a witness, but later I can change things with my lawyers and main staff. There's also that thing that can end everything."
"Alright," he told himself. Then he externalized, "If you want to know so much, here are doctors Laos and Swang, who can give you more details," and he turned to the scientists to communicate what happened, winking as if saying to lie about some aspects. He left with his other leaders behind him.
"Well, um... I was going to say something," said Laos, but Swang stepped forward and began to recount what happened, changing a few things. "That guy or monster, whatever you call it, was sent by terrorists."
"Terrorists?" said the others present, though they couldn't move.
"Yes, terrorists," she said.
"And do you know where these terrorists come from?" asked the first man who had spoken to Zeus. The doctor paused, not knowing what to say; she was neck-deep in lies when Laos interrupted and said:
"They came from one of the rival companies. We received a present from Black Wing Company, and it seemed they wanted to take us out. They met Mr. Zeus would be at this location," he continued with his tale. Laos knew that if he mentioned that company's name, everyone would agree, as it always had a rivalry with Zeus's company.
"But how are you so sure about that?" a voice asked. The doctor turned to see who it was, and it was Melisa, the reporter, who joined the group of the injured along with those who were with her. Creg brought a first-aid kit to help the injured, as the professor accompanying them had also been a doctor before.
"Well, we received a present with that company's logo, and then that thing came out," replied Laos.
The injured who could move whispered among themselves. "If that's the case, that other company is capable of anything, like what happened to one of the employees who disappeared. Don't you remember?" said one. "Yes, it's true," the others agreed.
Everyone agreed with what Laos said, except for Melisa, who didn't buy such a lie but let it go to support the professor in caring for and helping the injured. The professor interrupted Melisa's thoughts and indicated:
"We'd better help the injured with this first-aid kit that was in your car, which belongs to Creg."
"Yes, let's go," she said.
The professor began to examine each of them, applying bandages and so on, with the support of Creg, his assistant, and Ian, while Melisa was gathering information from those present who weren't so injured. Suddenly, they heard the explosion that Tron had launched at Urion, and everyone turned their gaze to the large cloud of dust that had risen.
As the cloud disappeared, they saw a beam being launched towards the people on the other side, that is, the team accompanying Podbe.
"It's going to finish them off, and I see there are children over there," indicated Melisa.
The beam was launched so quickly that Marie and the others didn't have time to react. Gat tried to create his attack to counter the beam, but it was going to take too much time.
"Damn," said the young man as he continued to increase his power.
Before Urion's beam reached them, another yellow beam collided with it, changing its direction and sending it towards the sky. They were thoughtful and relieved by what had happened but wanted to know who had saved them. When they looked in the direction of the shot, they realized it had come from where the wolf was.
"Look, Podbe saved us!" said María and Billy at the same time.
"Yes, it's true," said Marie, still holding Elena in her arms.
"Does he want to support us or save us for his dinner?" asked Gin and Dani, a little confused.
Urion turned to Podbe and said:
"So, you're still alive and recovered. You're harder to kill than a cockroach. I'll finish what I started," and he began to lengthen his limbs to try the same trick on the canine.
"That was close," said Reia. "Thanks to your friends, we had a chance. If it weren't for them, it would have been your end, Podbe."
"Yes, right? These people who accompany me are amazing, as you would say, Aiden. Besides, we returned the favor with that beam."
"Yes, except for one," they said, referring to Elena. They changed the conversation immediately to avoid saying anything. "Look, there are Maria and Billy! I didn't remember they were here," said Podbe.
"Yes, they came to look for you. What good friends you have!" said Reia.
"Yes, and who are the others? I know some, like Adia and Eduard, but not the rest. Who might they be?" wondered the boy.
"We'll introduce them to you later," said Reia and Podbe at the same time.
"Look, Reia, Urion wants to do the same thing as last time," pointed out the boy, looking at the monitor.
"Don't worry, this time I'll handle it," said Podbe in his human form, moving his gloves with a smile.
He began to dodge the guardian's attacks, using more speed.
"You can move this big animal as if it were a video game. And you know what's awesome? That you can move within your own mind to a giant version of yourself," said Aiden excitedly.
"Yes, it seems so, but it's not the time for compliments. It's time to fight and finish him once and for all," said the dog firmly.
"Yes, you must finish him before you revert to your dog form again," said Reia, who was reading the manual. "In this book, it says that if the healing bar reaches one hundred percent, you'll return to your normal form, and in that form, you won't be able to defeat the demonic guardian."
The dog turned his head towards her, and Aiden also looked at her with displeasure.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that? Oh, that's why!" thought Reia, who then said, "Okay, okay, sorry for being a harbinger of doom, but you have to finish off this now. The bar on the screen is at fifty percent."
"Understood, then it's time to finish this fight," and Podbe gave a small bark.