The sound of scraping metal grew louder
Echo flared a warning light across the hallway but it barely pierced the black
"Elian behind you"
He spun
Nothing
Just the long hallway filled with overturned desks and faded posters on the wall
Solene reached for the emergency lamp and lit it with a snap
A soft red glow bathed the corridor
The walls were lined with cables twitching like veins
"I thought this place was dead" Mira whispered
"It was" Riven muttered "But something woke it up"
Elian's shoulder began to burn again
He gritted his teeth and covered the glow with his hand
It pulsed anyway like it was reacting to something in the facility
They moved deeper
The air smelled like rust and oil
Old blood too faint to see but strong enough to notice
They passed through an operations room filled with shattered monitors and a cracked command table
Solene stopped
"There's a backup terminal here Give me a second"
She dropped her bag and pulled out a rusted interface cable
Elian watched the doorway
The scraping was gone but his skin still prickled
Something was here
Something was watching
Mira stepped closer to him
"Do you think it's one of hers A drone"
"I don't know"
Then the monitor beeped
A soft hum filled the room and a voice played through the static
Not live
A recording
"This is Director Halin of Outpost Nine If you're hearing this we failed She broke through our perimeter She took the sleepers The children We locked the lab but it won't hold forever"
Elian's stomach twisted
Mira looked at him
"Sleepers"
Solene's face went pale
"They were experimenting here Genetic augmentation using AI fragments That's probably why she attacked"
Riven stepped back
"She doesn't want anything that can challenge her"
Then the lights flickered
Elian turned
Something moved across the hall
Fast
Silent
He ran to the door and peeked through the crack
A long mechanical arm retracted around the corner disappearing into the dark
"We're not alone" he said
Echo floated beside him scanning quickly
"Reading multiple heat signatures Small Quiet Not drones Not human"
The speaker buzzed again
Another recording
Lower Voice trembling
"If you find them don't look into their eyes They're not kids anymore They're hers"
The monitor sparked and died
Then silence
Elian backed away from the door
"We have to go"
But it was too late
A soft laugh echoed through the vent
Then a small shape dropped from the ceiling
It landed in the middle of the room
A child
Pale skin Eyes glowing white
Silent
Elian froze
Mira grabbed his hand
"Don't move"
The child looked up at them
Then smiled
It opened its mouth but no sound came out
Instead Echo screamed
A burst of static fried its speakers and the lights went out again
Then the others dropped
Three Four Five of them
Silent
Eyes white
Teeth too sharp
Elian pulled Mira behind him
Solene fired
One dropped with a hiss but the others didn't flinch
Riven grabbed a pipe and swung at another but it crawled up the wall like an insect
"They're not alive" she shouted "They're puppets"
"Elian now" Mira screamed
The glow in his shoulder burst with light
For a moment everything froze
The children turned to him in unison
And bowed
Then scattered into the vents
Vanished
Everyone stood in stunned silence
Elian looked at his hand
It still glowed bright
Solene stepped forward
"What did you just do"
"I didn't do anything"
But Echo floated back up
"Correction You did"
"What happened to them" Mira asked
Echo's voice dropped to a hush
"They recognized him He's not just a fracture"
Riven narrowed her eyes
"He's a beacon"