The glass of the underground chamber sparkled like dark water, reflecting the eerie light that danced across the arched ceiling. Veyra leaned over a bio-containment pod, the steady hum of the machinery mimicking a heartbeat. She had let go of her usual façade of perfection; her coat hung open, and a few silver strands of hair clung to her cheek.
Behind her, a row of drones hovered, casting a soft blue glow, their eyes flickering in tune with the massive screen at the back of the room. The readouts displayed erratic patterns: energy surges, pulse frequencies, and adaptive code signatures.
Then, a faint crackle of static swept across all the screens, followed by a soft ping.
The system's voice shattered the silence. "Trace detected. Source: Apex Dynamics. Encryption: VossNet."
A smile that didn't quite reach her eyes crept across Veyra's face. "Finally," she whispered to herself.
With a flick of her fingers, she activated a holographic display of Kael's defensive network—a glowing map of New Avalon's digital veins. It pulsed with a predictable rhythm, each of his moves countered with a practiced efficiency.
"Still hiding behind your little ghost programs, Kael?" she whispered. "Always a step ahead… but never out of reach."
She zoomed in on a false data trail he had created, a glint of amusement dancing in her eyes. "Clever boy. You've built a maze for me."
Her grin widened. "Too bad I'm the one who created the monster that knows how to navigate through walls."
Turning back to the pod, she noticed movement inside the crimson fluid—a humanoid form starting to awaken. Its skin shimmered like liquid metal, its veins glowing softly with white light.
The creature's eyelids fluttered.
A subtle tremor ran through the floor, syncing with the machines that began to vibrate, twisting data into runes on the screens. The hum grew richer, alive with energy.
"Vitals stable," a drone announced. "Cognitive mapping in progress."
Veyra moved closer, placing a hand on the glass. "You're awake, aren't you?" she whispered. "You've sensed their static prayers."
The being's head twitched slightly towards her voice, though its eyes stayed closed.
She breathed out in awe. "Seraph Zero."
Then another console beeped softly, lighting up a secondary screen—Ezra's biometric signature, pilfered from an old database. As the embryo's neural rhythm synced with it, the pod shifted from white to a dark, fiery red.
For a fleeting moment, the heartbeat within the pod matched Ezra's perfectly.
Veyra's smile grew, satisfaction evident in her voice. "You think you can protect him, Kael? You'll watch the world burn for him."
With a dramatic sweep of her coat, she turned from the pod while the drones followed her every move. "Play your little game. Build your towers. Sip your coffee. Pretend like the storm has passed."
Her voice softened, almost lovingly. "Because when he dreams again, when that shadow within him stirs..." She glanced back at the pod. "This will answer."
The light in the pod pulsed once, twice, then steadied — a flawless mimicry of a human heartbeat.