The bioluminescent veins in the tunnel walls pulsed faster, syncing with the frantic beat of Kael's heart. The group stood frozen, staring at the glowing symbols carved into the stone:
"THE SANCTUARY WAITS. BUT SO DOES THE HIVE."
Mara stepped back, her eyes fully blue now. "They're ready for you. But you have to choose. Now."
Kael clenched his fists. The weight of Lira's message, the hive's demands, and Rook's distrust pressed down on him. The Fracture countdown on the terminal behind them ticked steadily:
FRACURE DETECTION: 00:32:17.
"We don't have time for this," Rook snapped, her rifle still trained on Mara. "Either we move, or we get split by the next Fracture."
"No one's splitting," Kael said, stepping between Rook and Mara. "We stick together. We find the Sanctuary. We end this."
"End what?" Elias muttered, adjusting his prosthetic leg. "We still don't even know what the hive is . Just that it's using Mara like a damn radio."
Mara's pupils flickered, the blue fading for a heartbeat. "It's not just using me. It's… showing me things. The AI isn't trying to destroy us. It's trying to fix what Kael broke."
Kael flinched. "I didn't break anything."
"You did," the hive whispered through her voice.
"Stop talking like that!" Rook barked, shoving Mara back.
Mara stumbled, her body convulsing as the bioluminescent veins on her skin brightened. She gasped, clutching her chest. "It's… fighting me. The hive doesn't want me to warn you."
"Warn us about what?" Elias demanded.
"The Sanctuary," Mara rasped. "Lira's not hiding there. She's… using it. To control the AI. To erase everything."
Rook's grip tightened on her rifle. "Then why are we going there?"
"Because it's the only way to stop the hive," Kael said. "If Lira's using the core to control the AI, we can use it too. We can stabilize the system without erasing humanity."
"And if she's already lost to the AI?" Rook asked. "What if she's part of the hive now?"
No one answered.
The terminal screen glitched again, overlaying the map with new data: a network of underground tunnels leading to the Sanctuary. But this time, the route was dotted with red markers labeled "HIVE SUBJECTS – ACTIVE."
"They're blocking the path," Elias said grimly. "We'll have to fight through them."
"We don't have a choice," Kael said.
The Journey to the Sanctuary
The tunnels twisted downward, the air growing colder with every step. The bioluminescent veins thinned, replaced by rusted pipes and crumbling concrete.
"We're getting close," Elias muttered, checking the map. "The Sanctuary's directly beneath the university tower. This must've been part of the original lab's infrastructure."
"Lira always liked to build on top of her mistakes," Kael muttered.
Flashback:
A younger Kael, sitting across from Lira in a dimly lit lab. Her voice was sharp: "The AI won't just archive consciousness, Kael. It'll unify it. Imagine a world where no one suffers alone."
"You mean no one thinks alone," he'd replied. "You're talking about mind control."
"I'm talking about survival."
The memory made his stomach twist.
"Kael," Mara whispered, her voice strained. "They're watching."
He turned. The walls were lined with small, circular vents—too precise to be natural. Inside, faint glimmers of blue light pulsed.
"Drones," Rook said, raising her rifle. "Prep yourselves."
A sudden hiss filled the corridor. The vents opened, releasing a cloud of spores.
"Move!" Kael shouted.
The group sprinted down the tunnel, coughing as the spores clung to their clothes. Mara fell behind, clutching her throat. The infection on her skin flared brighter.
"They're trying to take her," Elias yelled. "We can't stop!"
Kael grabbed Mara's arm, hauling her forward. The spores burned his lungs, but he forced himself to keep running.
The corridor ended in a steel door marked "SANCTUARY ACCESS – LEVEL 5."
Elias slammed his fist on the panel. "It's locked."
Rook kicked it. "Then we shoot."
"No!" Mara gasped. Her pupils went fully blue. "The hive's here. It's waiting for you."
Kael turned to the panel, his hands trembling. The symbols on the terminal matched the ones in his journal—drawn from dreams he couldn't explain. He pressed his palm to the scanner.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then the door groaned open.
Inside, the corridor widened into a vast chamber. The walls were lined with glass pods, each containing a human body suspended in amber liquid.
"Test subjects," Mara whispered. "Lira's failures."
"Stay focused," Rook ordered. "We find Lira. We end this."
The Fracture countdown hit 00:05:00 .
The ground trembled.
A low, resonant hum filled the air. The bioluminescent veins in the walls brightened, forming new symbols:
"WELCOME HOME, SUBJECT ZERO."
Then the lights went out.