The air inside the Nexus felt heavier the deeper they went. The further Ethan and Lena followed their hooded guide, the more the world seemed to shift around them. Neon lights flickered weakly in the distance, casting eerie glows against the decaying structures that lined the narrow alleyways.
Ethan's senses were on high alert, every step sending a ripple of unease down his spine. His grip on his pulse blade tightened.
Crowe's instincts... They're screaming.
Lena moved beside him, her pulse pistol still in her hand. Her eyes scanned every shadow, her movements fluid and calculated. She was just as tense as he was.
"Are you sure about this?" Lena murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
"No," Ethan replied honestly, his jaw clenched. "But we don't have a choice."
The figure ahead of them moved with an unsettling grace, barely making a sound as they navigated the labyrinth of rusted metal and debris. The cybernetic optics embedded beneath the hood glowed faintly, reflecting the neon hues around them.
"Not much further," the figure murmured, their voice smooth but devoid of warmth.
Ethan didn't trust them. Not yet.
"Who are you, really?" Ethan asked, his voice low but firm.
The figure didn't slow down.
"Names don't matter here," they replied, their tone distant. "But if you insist... Call me Ash."
Lena's eyes narrowed. "And how do you know Mira?"
Ash's head tilted slightly, but they didn't look back.
"Everyone who survives the Nexus knows Mira," Ash murmured. "But whether she's willing to see you... that's a different story."
Ethan's pulse quickened. "She'll see us," he said, more to convince himself than anyone else.
Ash said nothing, leading them down a narrow corridor that opened into a vast, dimly lit chamber. The space was lined with old servers and data banks—remnants of a time when the Nexus was the beating heart of Nexara's underground network.
"Wait here," Ash murmured, disappearing into the shadows without another word.
Ethan's jaw clenched as his eyes scanned the space, his instincts screaming that something wasn't right.
"This feels wrong," Lena murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I know," Ethan replied, his tone grim.
A faint rustle echoed through the silence, and Ethan's hand went to his pulse blade.
"Easy," a voice echoed from the shadows.
Ethan's breath caught as a figure stepped into the dim light.
Mira.
She was older than Ethan had expected, but her presence was undeniable. Her dark eyes, sharp and calculating, missed nothing. Her long, braided hair was streaked with silver, and the faint glow of cybernetic implants pulsed along her temples.
"Ethan Vale," Mira murmured, her gaze locking onto him with unsettling intensity. "And Lena Carter."
Lena's jaw clenched, her grip on her weapon tightening.
"How do you know who we are?" Ethan asked, his voice steady but laced with caution.
Mira's lips curled into a faint smirk.
"I knew Crowe," she said softly, her gaze never leaving Ethan's. "And if you're standing here... it means he left something behind."
Ethan's pulse hammered in his ears.
"The Codex," he murmured.
Mira's eyes darkened. "You have it?"
Ethan hesitated for a heartbeat before he nodded. "We do."
Mira's expression remained unreadable, but Ethan didn't miss the flicker of something—relief? Fear?
"Show me," she said softly.
Ethan's jaw clenched, but he reached into his jacket, retrieving the data core that held Crowe's work.
The moment the core was in her line of sight, Mira's eyes widened.
"So it's true," she murmured, her voice barely audible.
Lena's eyes never left Mira, her instincts clearly telling her to stay on guard.
"Crowe left a failsafe," Ethan said softly. "But we can't access it. We need you."
Mira's gaze shifted to him, and for the first time, Ethan saw something in her eyes that unsettled him.
"You don't understand what you're asking for," Mira murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Then explain it," Ethan pressed, his voice steady.
Mira exhaled slowly, her gaze flicking to the core in his hand.
"The Codex wasn't just designed to enhance humanity," Mira said softly. "It was built to rewrite it."
"We know," Lena murmured.
"No," Mira shook her head, her expression grave. "You think you know. But Crowe never told you everything."
Ethan's pulse spiked. "What do you mean?"
Mira's eyes darkened. "The Codex doesn't just rewrite DNA," she murmured. "It overrides consciousness. Merging ancestral memories with the present mind."
Ethan's throat went dry. "You're saying... it doesn't just pass down knowledge."
Mira's jaw tightened. "It replaces the host's consciousness if the merge isn't controlled."
Lena's eyes widened. "Ethan..."
Ethan's mind spun, Crowe's memories surging to the surface, the fragments becoming sharper, more... present.
"You're not just inheriting Crowe's memories."
"You're becoming him."
Ethan's hands clenched into fists.
"Crowe designed the failsafe," Mira murmured, her gaze locking onto him. "But only someone with his DNA can access it."
Ethan's heart pounded.
"That's why it's inside me," he murmured softly.
Mira's expression hardened.
"And if you don't control it," she whispered, "Crowe's consciousness will consume you."
Silence fell over the room, heavy and suffocating.
Lena's jaw clenched. "Then we need to access the failsafe."
Mira's gaze flickered to her. "It's not that simple."
"Why not?" Ethan pressed.
Mira's lips pressed into a thin line. "Because there are others who don't want the failsafe activated."
Ethan's pulse spiked.
"Who?"
Mira's gaze shifted toward the shadows beyond the chamber.
"The factions," she murmured. "They want the Codex for themselves. And they're willing to kill to get it."
Ethan's jaw clenched.
"We can't let that happen," he murmured.
Mira's eyes met his, and for the first time, Ethan saw the weight of her burden reflected in her gaze.
"Then you'll need to decide who you can trust," Mira murmured softly.
Ethan's pulse pounded as the reality of their situation settled over him.
In the Nexus, trust was a rare commodity.
And betrayal...
Betrayal was inevitable.
---