Far across the continent, in a fortified underground lab brimming with humming machinery and sterilized metal, the Black Dawn's most ambitious scientific endeavor crawled toward collapse.
Project Vanguard Seed.
Or, as the director privately called it now,"Project Vanguard Career-Ender."
The observation room stank faintly of burnt protein and disinfectant. Rows of incubation pods lined the walls, each one containing an embryo suspended within shimmering mineral-infused fluid. Most pods were dark.Dead.
Only seven glowed faintly—weakly—like dying fireflies.
The director, Rapport Hanzel, pinched the bridge of his nose until his vision sparked. His higher-ups wanted results. Investors wanted power. The recruiters wanted flashy success stories so that they could use to recruit more individuals.
But reality… reality refused to cooperate!
A lab tech approached, swallowing hard. "Sir… Embryo 17-B just failed structural integrity screening."
Rapport's expression didn't change.
