Wolfram

Jake sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his tungsten-covered arm. It had been nearly a week since the transformation, but it still felt like it had happened yesterday. His new reality was a constant struggle—every movement, every thought, felt heavier now, as though the weight of his very existence had changed. 

Lucy had kept her word. She'd returned the next day and taken him aside, far from the bustling campus. It had been the first time Jake had opened up about what had happened with the serum.

"So, you're telling me that a villain from years ago—Rex Steel—is somehow involved in this?" Lucy had asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Jake nodded, rubbing his tungsten-covered arm. "It doesn't make sense. I don't know how the serum ended up with me, but it's changing me... I feel it."

"And the villains who want it?" Lucy had asked, her voice low, cautious. "Are they still after it?"

Jake's heart had sunk at that question. The possibility that someone else might come for the serum—and for him—was terrifying. He wasn't prepared for that. But what choice did he have? This wasn't just about him anymore.

"Yeah," Jake muttered, looking down at his arm. "And I don't think it's just Rex Steel. Whoever got a hold of that serum before me... they're going to come after it. And they'll come after me."