[Day 71 Post-Awakening | LE: 1,434/10,000 | Time Remaining: 29 Days]
SCENE 1: THE INFILTRATION — MIDNIGHT APPROACH
[0200 Hours | Helix Central Shanghai — 2km from Vault Entrance]
The city was silent.
Too silent.
We moved through the underbelly—old subway tunnels, maintenance shafts, places Helix thought were sealed.
But Selene knew every back door.
The team:
Ethan (LE: 1,434 | Armed: Thorn-crafted spear, bark armor)Selene (Equipped: EMP grenades, Helix access codes, trembling hands)Aria (Armed: Plasma rifle, combat knives, barely contained rage)Kiera (Stealth gear, hacking rig, survival instincts screaming this is suicide)Primordials (Lira, Thorn, Ember + 4 combat-ready units | Remaining 6 held in reserve)
Selene stopped at a rusted door.
Keypad. Biometric scanner.
She placed her hand on it.
Denied.
Her face went white. "He... he revoked my clearance."
"Can you override?" I asked.
"Not without alerting security."
Aria stepped forward. "Then we go loud."
"Not yet." Kiera pulled out a device—something jury-rigged, illegal, dangerous. "Give me sixty seconds."
She jacked into the panel. Fingers flying.
Thirty seconds.
The tunnel echoed. Footsteps. Distant. Getting closer.
Forty-five seconds.
"Kiera—"
"Almost—"
Fifty-eight seconds.
CLICK.
The door hissed open.
We slipped inside.
The door sealed behind us.
And the lights came on.
We were in a kill corridor.
Fifty meters long. White walls. No cover.
And at the far end: twelve Helix enforcers. Rifles raised.
Dr. Marcus Voss stood behind them.
Smiling.
"Welcome, Mr. Cross. I've been expecting you."
SCENE 2: THE AMBUSH — VOSS'S TRAP
[0205 Hours | Helix Vault — Kill Corridor]
"MOVE!" I shoved Selene back—
—the enforcers opened fire.
Plasma bolts tore through the corridor. Lira threw up a vine wall—barely holding.
Thorn charged. Ember blazed forward.
Chaos.
Aria returned fire.
Dropped two enforcers. Three.
But they kept coming—more pouring in from side passages.
"It's a trap!" Kiera shouted. "He knew we were—"
An explosion rocked the corridor. The ceiling buckled.
We were being buried alive.
"Lira!" I reached through the Network. "Stabilize the structure!"
Her vines shot upward—reinforcing the collapsing tunnel.
But the strain was immense. Her LE was burning.
"Sovereign—can't hold—much longer—"
"Thorn! Clear the enforcers!"
He roared—slammed through the enemy line like a battering ram.
Bodies flew. Armor crumpled.
But more kept coming.
Voss's voice echoed through speakers.
"You fight well, Ethan. But you're predictable. Did you really think I'd leave my Vault undefended?"
A hatch opened in the ceiling.
An Omega Unit dropped down.
It was beautiful.
Human-shaped. Bark armor layered like scales. No face—just a smooth, empty surface.
Blue LE core glowing in its chest.
It moved like liquid death.
One swing.
Thorn's left arm shattered.
He stumbled back—roaring in pain.
The Omega didn't hesitate.
Grabbed him. Lifted. Slammed him into the ground.
Thorn's core CRACKED.
"NO!" I ran forward—
The Omega turned.
Faster than thought.
Its fist caught me in the chest.
I flew.
Hit the wall. Felt ribs break.
[LE Damage: -52 | Ethan LE: 1,382/10,000]
[Thorn: CRITICALLY INJURED | Combat Effectiveness: 30%]
[Omega Unit: LE ~2,400 | No emotions | No hesitation | DESIGNED to kill Primordials]
Aria screamed.
Unloaded her rifle into the Omega's chest.
It didn't flinch.
Just walked toward her.
Grabbed her by the throat.
Lifted.
"ARIA!" Selene threw an EMP grenade—
The Omega's grip loosened. Aria dropped. Gasping.
But the EMP only slowed it.
It adapted. Recalibrated.
In three seconds, it was moving again.
Voss's voice:"Beautiful, isn't it? No loyalty. No fear. Just purpose."
I struggled to my feet. Coughing blood.
"You're creating slaves, Voss."
"I'm creating PERFECTION. And when I'm done with you, I'll create a hundred more."
The Omega raised its hand.
LE gathered—concentrated, weaponized.
Aimed at Aria's head.
And Lira snapped.
SCENE 3: LIRA'S RAGE — THE ELDEST AWAKENS
[0210 Hours | Lira LE: 1,130 → SURGING]
"NO MORE."
Lira's voice thundered through the Network.
Her vines exploded from the walls—hundreds of them, LE-infused, diamond-hard.
They wrapped around the Omega. Crushed. Constricted.
The Omega struggled—LE bursting in waves—
But Lira was stronger.
She stepped forward.
Her form shifted—growing, evolving.
Bark thickened. Vines multiplied. Her eyes blazed green fire.
"You dare harm my FAMILY?"
She ROARED—a sound like tearing earth—
—and ripped the Omega apart.
Core shattered. LE exploded. The Omega collapsed into splinters.
[Omega Unit 01: DESTROYED]
[Lira LE: 1,130 → 890 (massive expenditure) | Emotional state: BERSERK]
[WARNING: Lira entering FERAL mode—Sovereign command required to stabilize]
But she didn't stop.
Vines tore through the enforcers. Impaled. Crushed. Slaughtered.
In thirty seconds, twenty-three Helix soldiers were dead.
Voss's voice—for the first time—sounded uncertain.
"...Fascinating. Emotional override triggered hyper-aggression. I'll need to account for that in the next iteration."
I reached through the Network.
"LIRA! Stand down!"
"THEY HURT THORN! THEY HURT YOU! THEY MUST—"
"LIRA!" I grabbed her—physically, mentally. "I'm alive. Thorn's alive. We WON. Stand. Down."
She froze.
Vines trembling. Eyes wild.
Slowly—painfully—she retracted.
Collapsed to her knees.
"...Sovereign. I... I lost control."
"I know. But you came back." I helped her stand. "That's what matters."
[Lira: STABILIZED | Loyalty: ABSOLUTE (saved Aria, proving she values human life)]
[Thorn: Witnessing Lira's power | Reconsidering his "non-violence" oath]
[Team Morale: Shaken but UNIFIED]
Selene was staring at the carnage.
Bodies. Blood. Shattered Omega parts.
"Ethan... we need to move. Now. Before more arrive."
I nodded.
"Kiera—can you get us to the Vault?"
She was already at the terminal. "Yeah. But we've got maybe five minutes before lockdown."
"Then we run."
SCENE 4: THE VAULT — VOSS'S "COLLECTION"
[0218 Hours | Helix Sub-Level Vault | -400 Meters Below Ground]
The Vault doors opened.
And I saw hell.
Rows of stasis pods.
Hundreds of them.
Each containing a Primordial.
But not like mine.
These were failed experiments.
Twisted. Malformed. Half-plant, half-flesh, screaming in silence.
Selene covered her mouth.
"Oh god... Dad, what did you do?"
Voss's voice crackled through the intercom.
"Early prototypes. Before I perfected the process. They're still alive, technically. Just... non-viable."
"You're torturing them—"
"I'm studying them. Every failure teaches me how to succeed."
Aria walked up to a pod.
Inside: a Primordial with three heads. Eyes melted. Roots growing through its skull.
"This is what you call 'progress'?"
"This is what science looks like, Ms. Tan. Messy. Painful. But necessary."
I walked deeper into the Vault.
Past the failed experiments.
Past rows of children—Primordial sprouts, barely a week old, harvested for LE.
Past cages holding feral Primordials—the ones who'd lost their Sovereigns, now reduced to animals.
And at the center:
Twenty-three Omega Units.
All in stasis.
All identical.
Perfect. Soulless. Weapons.
Voss appeared on a screen.
He looked... proud.
"My life's work. An army that will reshape humanity."
"You're a monster."
"I'm a visionary. And you, Ethan... you're proof that I was right."
He gestured to me.
"You've become more plant than man. Your Primordials worship you. You've created a cult. But you still cling to 'humanity.'"
He smiled.
"I'm simply honest about what we are: gods shaping the next evolution."
I raised my spear.
"Where's the cure, Voss."
"In my personal lab. Sub-Level 6. But you'll never reach it."
He pressed a button.
All twenty-three Omega Units activated.
Their eyes glowed blue.
They stepped out of the pods.
In perfect synchronization.
Voss's final words:
"Survive this, Mr. Cross. And I'll consider giving you the cure."
The screen went dark.
[BOSS BATTLE INITIATED: 23 OMEGA UNITS vs. ETHAN'S TEAM]
[Odds: CATASTROPHIC]
[LE: 1,382/10,000 | Lira: 890 | Thorn: 520 (injured) | Ember: 670]
[Human allies: Aria (injured) | Selene (non-combatant) | Kiera (support only)]
SCENE 5: THE IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE — SELENE'S SACRIFICE
[0220 Hours | Omega Units Advancing]
"We can't fight them all!" Kiera was backing toward the exit. "We need to RUN—"
"They'll hunt us down!" Aria reloaded. "We're trapped!"
The Omegas moved like a swarm.
Coordinated. Efficient. Merciless.
One lunged at Ember—grabbed her, slammed her into a pod. Her flames extinguished.
Two more grabbed Thorn. Pinned him.
They were dissecting us.
I reached through the Network.
"EVERYONE—FALL BACK TO ME!"
Lira's vines formed a barrier. Thorn broke free. Ember reignited.
But the Omegas adapted. Learned. Evolved mid-battle.
We were losing.
And then Selene walked forward.
"Selene—GET BACK!" I grabbed her arm—
She pulled free.
"There's only one way to stop them."
"What are you—"
She held up a remote. Small. Blinking red.
"My father's lab. I know the access codes. I can trigger a core meltdown. Destroy the Omegas. Destroy the cure. Destroy everything."
My blood went cold.
"No. We'll find another—"
"There IS no other way!" Her voice cracked. "You know it. I know it."
She looked at me.
Violet eyes. Tears streaming.
"You promised me, Ethan. If it came to this... you'd let me choose."
I stared.
She was talking about the death pact.
"Selene—please—"
"I love you." She smiled. Fragile. Beautiful. "And I won't let him turn you into a weapon."
She pressed the button.
Alarms SCREAMED.
The Vault's core began to destabilize.
Countdown: 90 seconds.
The Omegas FROZE.
Emergency protocol—returning to pods.
But the meltdown had locked them out.
They began thrashing—confused, panicking (or whatever soulless weapons feel when they're about to die).
Selene turned to run—
—an Omega grabbed her.
"SELENE!"
I ran—vines erupting from my body—
The Omega raised its fist—
—and drove it through her chest.
Time. Stopped.
Her eyes went wide.
Blood poured from her mouth.
The Omega dropped her.
She collapsed.
I caught her.
Cradled her.
Her blood soaking into my bark.
"No—no—no—SELENE—"
She coughed.
Red. So much red.
"Ethan... I... I'm sorry..."
"Don't—don't talk—we'll fix this—Lira can—"
"No." She touched my face. "It's... okay. I... chose this."
Her hand fell.
Her eyes closed.
[Selene Voss: DECEASED]
[LE Cost (Grief Response): -90 | Ethan LE: 1,292/10,000]
[Humanity: 61% → 48% (CRITICAL THRESHOLD APPROACHING)]
I didn't scream.
Didn't cry.
Just held her.
And felt something inside me die.
Aria grabbed my shoulder.
"Ethan—we have SIXTY SECONDS—"
I didn't move.
"ETHAN!"
Lira's voice in the Network:
"Sovereign. We must leave. NOW."
I looked down at Selene.
Her face. Peaceful.
She'd chosen this.
To save me.
To stop Voss.
I stood.
Carrying her body.
"Everyone—out. NOW."
We ran.
Vines. Flames. Desperation.
The Vault collapsed behind us—fire, LE explosions, Omegas screaming as they burned.
We burst out of the subway tunnel.
Into the Shanghai dawn.
Just as Helix Central exploded.
The shockwave threw us.
I landed hard. Still holding Selene.
Looked back.
The entire facility was gone.
Rubble. Fire. Ash.
Voss was dead.
The Omegas were dead.
The cure was gone.
And so was Selene.