The inside of the Resistance medical bay was clinical—white lights, brushed steel, and the scent of sterilization chemicals that clung to Elara's skin like guilt.
She sat on the exam bed, cold seeping into her thighs, while half a dozen med-techs buzzed around her. None spoke directly to her. None met her eyes.
They know, she thought.
Cassian leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, watching her with narrowed eyes.
The silence stretched until Elara finally snapped, "You're staring."
He didn't look away. "You didn't bleed when you got shot."
She stiffened. "Is that a problem?"
"Depends what you are."
A hush fell over the room. The lead medic, Dr. Kellar, cleared his throat but didn't interfere.
Elara's jaw clenched. "I'm not one of them."
"You sure?" Cassian asked, his voice low, unreadable.
She slid off the table, glaring at him. "Last I checked, being genetically enhanced didn't mean I was a monster."
"No," Cassian agreed. "But it does mean you're not just a soldier. You're something else."
Before she could fire back, Kellar stepped in. "She's stable. And uninfected. But…"
"But what?" Elara snapped.
The doctor hesitated. "You have Seed markers in your neural lattice."
Cassian's head jerked up.
"What kind of markers?" Elara asked.
Kellar gave her a sympathetic look. "The kind that show a connection to Lyra's hive."
The room spun.
Cassian's voice was a blade: "Then she's inside you."
⸻
Minutes Later – Interrogation Chamber
The medbay had been too exposed. Too many eyes. Now it was just Cassian and Elara in a narrow room with steel walls and a single camera watching from above.
"You're going to tell me everything," Cassian said.
"I told you—I don't know anything," Elara snapped.
"But you felt her. I saw it on your face. Back in that lab—you hesitated. Why?"
Elara bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Finally, she said, "Because her thoughts weren't foreign."
Cassian stared.
"They felt familiar," Elara admitted. "Like echoes of something I've forgotten."
"That's not possible."
"Unless I'm one of her prototypes."
He froze.
She laughed bitterly. "Don't look so shocked. You've been waiting to hear that."
"Prove me wrong," he said.
Elara walked to the mirrored wall and stared at her reflection. Her dark eyes held too many questions. Too many scars.
"I don't remember my life before the cryo-pod," she whispered. "I was already grown. Already trained. But I had feelings. Instincts. The first time I heard the name 'Lyra'… I wanted to run. Not fight. Run."
Cassian stepped closer. "What else?"
"I see flashes. Hands covered in blood. A woman screaming in a voice that sounds like mine. And a man with blue eyes, always watching."
Cassian stiffened.
She caught it. "You know who that is."
"No," he said too quickly.
She rounded on him. "Don't lie to me, Cassian."
His jaw flexed. "You're not ready for that truth."
"Try me."
Before he could answer, the door slammed open.
It was Marrin.
"The commander wants her moved," he said.
Cassian glanced at Elara, then back at Marrin. "Why?"
"She's a threat. Until we know how deep Lyra's code runs in her system, she's not safe to be walking around."
"I'm not a prisoner," Elara growled.
Marrin raised a brow. "Could've fooled me."
Cassian stepped between them. "Where are you taking her?"
"Off-grid holding. No tech. No interfaces. Just in case Lyra can tap into her."
"I'm standing right here," Elara snapped.
Marrin didn't blink. "And you might be a living weapon."
⸻
Off-Grid Holding Facility – Two Hours Later
The cell was built deep underground, surrounded by a damp chill and reinforced concrete. No electricity. No Seed-compatible devices. Just a metal bench, a bucket, and a thin blanket.
Elara sat with her back to the wall, knees drawn to her chest.
She couldn't sleep.
Couldn't think.
Her thoughts spun in circles around the image of that blue-eyed man. The screams. The feeling of metal against her scalp, wires threading through her spine.
She had been part of Lyra's Hive once.
She was sure of it now.
The question was: How had she broken free?
A whisper echoed in her mind.
"Because I let you go."
She jolted upright.
"Who's there?"
Silence.
But the whisper had come from inside her head. Not her thoughts. Not her voice.
Lyra's.
Elara clutched her head, heart pounding.
"We're not enemies," Lyra's voice whispered. "You're the best part of me."
"No," Elara whispered. "You're the worst."
⸻
Resistance HQ – Surveillance Room
Cassian watched the camera feed showing Elara curled in the corner of the cell.
He hated this.
Marrin appeared beside him. "She's a danger."
"She's also the only person Lyra hesitated to kill," Cassian said.
Marrin narrowed his eyes. "You're letting your feelings compromise your logic."
Cassian ignored him.
"Get some rest," Marrin said. "You'll need it."
Cassian waited until he was alone. Then he keyed in a hidden code.
The screen split into two feeds.
One of Elara.
And one of the cryo-lab beneath the citadel.
Inside one of the pods…
Another Elara floated in suspension.
Cassian stared at her.
And whispered, "What are you?"