Veyra pressed herself against the tunnel wall, her chest heaving as she listened for the Gene Lords.
The enforcers' shouts echoed faintly, distorted by the labyrinth of tunnels.
She'd bought herself some time, but not much. The Gene Lord wouldn't give up easily—not after what she'd seen. Her shoulder throbbed where the plasma bolt had grazed her, but the pain was secondary to the fear clawing at her chest.
She had to keep moving.
She slid down the wall, her hands trembling as she pulled the gene-seed from her pack. Its surface was duller now, as if it had expended its energy, but it still felt warm. Her skin tingled where she'd touched it, and her senses felt sharper than ever.
She didn't know what the seed had done to her in the frigate, but she could still feel its energy lingering in her body. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on the voice she'd heard.
"Embraceme," it had said.
But what did that mean?
A distant shout snapped her out of her thoughts. The Gene Lords had found the tunnel entrance—she could hear their boots echoing in the distance.
Veyra stuffed the gene-seed back into her pack and stood, her body protesting. The tunnel ahead split in three directions, each path shrouded in darkness. She chose the left path by instinct, the gene-seed's warmth guiding her like a compass. She didn't know where she was going, but she couldn't stop—not with the Gene Lords still out there.
The tunnel narrowed, forcing her to duck under low-hanging rocks. Water dripped from the ceiling, pooling on the ground, and Veyra's boots splashed as she moved. The air grew warmer, the scent of moss giving way to something sharper, like ozone.
She rounded a corner and stopped.
The tunnel opened into a small cavern, its walls covered in glowing blue crystals. In the center was a pedestal, and on it sat another gene-seed—this one larger, its light pulsing in sync with the crystals.
Veyra's breath caught.
Two gene-seeds in one day? It was unheard of.
She stepped closer, her hand hovering over the seed. The moment her fingers brushed it, a surge of energy coursed through her, and her vision went white.
Her body convulsed as the gene-seed's light enveloped her, her DNA unraveling and rewriting itself in real-time. Her muscles tightened, her senses sharpened, and a strange calm settled over her.
When the light faded, she was on her knees, but she felt… different.
Her hands glowed faintly, the same iridescent light as the seed.
A low growl echoed through the cavern, and Veyra's head snapped up.
A shape emerged from the shadows—a massive creature, twice her height, its body shifting between solid and liquid. Its form was vaguely humanoid, but its limbs were too long, its fingers ending in shimmering claws. Its face was a mass of glowing tendrils, with two burning eyes fixed on her.
A guardian, Veyra realized. The Gene Lords had left it to protect the second seed.
The creature roared, and the crystals pulsed brighter, their light searing Veyra's eyes.
She stumbled back, raising her knife, but she knew it was useless against something like this.
The guardian lunged, its claws slashing through the air.
Veyra dove to the side, the claws missing her by inches. She rolled to her feet, her mind racing. She couldn't fight this thing—not with a knife, not even with her new abilities.
But the gene-seed's energy thrummed in her veins, urging her to act.
She focused, her hands glowing brighter. She aimed at the guardian and fired a burst of light, the impact striking its chest.
The creature staggered, its tendrils writhing, but it didn't go down.
Veyra used the moment to sprint for the pedestal, her heart pounding.
She had to get the second seed—it might be her only chance to survive this.