NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 6: Chapter 6
"Arise," Ashburn spoke the word without emotion, barely sparing the newly risen shadow a glance before turning to leave. Another soldier added to his growing army.
He returned to the city he had just left, prepared to move to the next as soon as the call came in. And it did come. As his shadow army expanded its reach beyond the small city where he first arrived, mutant zombies became increasingly common.
Some required his direct intervention—those with abilities that his current soldiers couldn't handle. Other times, his shadows managed to subdue the mutants and bring them to him, saving him the effort.
His days became a cycle of constant movement. City after city, hunting down stronger enemies, and forcing them into his ranks. Some battles were quick, others dragged on—especially when mutant zombies coordinated with groups of lesser undead, turning what should have been a simple fight into a real challenge. Still, Ashburn pressed on. His army was growing, and so was his strength.
By the way, mutants would fall under the 6 classification. The first and the weakest classification was Epsilon Level. Epsilon mutants either have a non-combative power or no real powers at all, but are like gamma-level mutants in that they cannot hide what they are. To count as an Epsilon-level mutant, you have to possess very little to no special abilities and a mutation that extremely negatively affects your day-to-day life. Some mutants of this level are killed by their mutations.
Delta Level
Delta Mutants don't have any significant flaws. The only problem is that Delta mutants don't have powers that match an Alpha mutant or even a Beta or Gamma mutant. At least 50% of mutants are Delta mutants making them the most common type of mutant. Some examples of Delta mutants are Forge, Domino, and Callisto.
Gamma Level
Gamma mutants are very powerful mutants but they have flaws. Unlike the Beta mutants, a Gamma mutant's flaw is a major flaw that makes their life very hard. A good example is Blink, Blink's power of creating teleportation discs and energy projection makes her pretty handy in a fight. Along with this, she has lilac skin, eyes with no visible pupil or iris, pink hair, and strange facial markings.
While alpha and Beta mutants can pass as regular-looking humans, Gamma mutants cannot because they have physical defects like Blob or Marrow.
Beta Level
As far as how potent their powers are Beta Mutants are on the same level as Alpha Mutants. The difference between Beta Mutants and Alpha Mutants is that the Beta Mutants have flaws, albeit very small flaws. The Beta mutants are also believed to be about 10% of the mutant population.
One example is Wolverine. He may seem human at first, but along with not being able to turn off his powers, he has an extra set of bones and muscles in each forearm, thus his famous retractable claws. Gambit can control his power and mostly seems human, but he has red eyes and black scleras.
Alpha Level
An Alpha-level mutant is someone who looks no different from any other human being, and whose powers are pretty effective in combat. Likewise, they have no limitation placed on them as a result of their X-gene. Kitty Pryde looks like any normal lady and is capable of walking through walls. Dazzler seems no different than others but can absorb sound waves and redirect them as light or lasers. Colossus looks like a living metal man when he uses his power, but he can then turn it off and resume the appearance of a normal person.
The mutant Rogue is now an Alpha-level mutant since she can control her power, but once was a Beta level.
Omega Level
An Omega-level mutant is one with the most powerful genetic potential of their mutant abilities. Some abilities depicted by mutants described as Omega-level include immortality, extreme manipulation of matter and energy, high psionic ability, strong telekinesis, and the potential to exist beyond the boundaries of the known physical universe. No firm definition has been offered in comics. These are mutants whose power levels are such that they are considered the most serious threats, capable of wide-scale destruction and proving very difficult to take down, contain, or kill.
Anyways the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma class mutants are all roughly the same power level. it would be possible to have Alpha and Gamma class mutants with say super-strength who were completely equally matched but the Gamma one has purple skin with pink polka-dots.
Torch was a Beta-level mutant he came across, meanwhile, everyone else he came across was a Delta-level mutant. The mutant that shot a beam from his stomach was a delta-level mutant, his stomach was glowing at all times.
"My lord, I have found a secret lab containing many mutants. It has been locked from the outside. Do I have permission to open it?" Torch's message made Ashburn's eyes widen.
So far, he had only gathered 12 mutants for his army. A lab holding an unknown number of them? This was exactly what he needed.
"I'm coming. Wait for me." Without wasting a second, Ashburn burst forward, moving at top speed toward Torch's location. It took him two hours to arrive, but when he did, he found Torch patiently waiting atop his mount.
Ashburn gave him a brief nod before shifting his attention to the building. A secret lab. A potential goldmine.
Without hesitation, they entered. Torch led the way, guiding him through the facility toward where the mutants were sealed away.
The entrance to the lower levels lay at the bottom of a long stairwell. The place was eerily untouched, a stark contrast to the ruined cities he had passed through. No signs of zombies—none had wandered in. But the signs of panic? Those were everywhere.
Ashburn came to a stop before a large metal wall, reinforced and sealed tight. Small windows lined its surface, allowing a glimpse inside. What he saw was a swarm of zombies, all former mutants, slamming against the walls, desperate to break free.
"Weird that this place still has power." The lights inside were still on, casting an eerie glow over the struggling undead.