[LOCATION: 30,000 FEET OVER ZURICH]
[TIME: 03:00 HOURS]
"Bite down."
Lucas clamped his teeth onto the leather strap. He was strapped to the medical table of the USS Arachne, the team's stealth VTOL jet.
"Initiating Codex override," Elena said, her voice trembling slightly. "Tier 2. Neural synchronization... now."
CLICK.
It didn't feel like an upgrade. It felt like a drill boring into his skull.
Lucas convulsed against the restraints. The blue crystal on his right arm didn't just glow; it screamed. The jagged shards that had crept up his neck during the factory raid dug deeper, fusing with his carotid artery.
[SYSTEM ALERT: OPTICAL NERVE RE-MAPPING.]
[INSTALLING: RESONANCE SIGHT.]
The world went white. Then black. Then... wireframe.
Lucas gasped, spitting out the leather strap. He opened his eyes.
The interior of the jet had changed. He didn't just see the metal walls. He saw the vibration of the engines humming through the floor. He saw the frantic, fluttering heartbeat of Elena standing over him, glowing like a red ember in his vision. He saw the slow, rhythmic pulse of Tank piloting in the cockpit.
He saw the world as sound.
[TIER 2 COMPLETE.]
[HUMANITY INDEX: 65%.]
"Lucas?" Elena asked, waving a hand in front of his face. "Can you hear me?"
Lucas sat up. The movement was fluid, unnatural. He looked at his hand. He could see the blood flowing through his own veins, fighting the blue sludge of the virus.
"I can hear everything," Lucas whispered. His voice sounded different to his own ears—hollower, sharper. "We're here."
[THE ACADEMY - SWISS ALPS]
The target sat atop a jagged mountain peak, accessible only by helicopter or death wish.
To the public, it was the St. Jude Institute for Gifted Youth. A boarding school for the children of billionaires.
To the Syndicate, it was a farm.
Lucas, Kain, and Alexander lay prone on a snowy ridge, overlooking the compound. Tank stayed with the jet for extraction.
"Look at that security," Kain whistled, peering through thermal binoculars. "Thermal dampeners, motion sensors, and... are those statues?"
Lucas adjusted his focus. His new Resonance Sight pierced through the blizzard.
The school grounds were manicured perfection. In the center was a massive garden filled with beautiful, life-sized crystal statues. They were posed in positions of study, prayer, and play.
"They aren't statues," Lucas said coldly.
He zoomed in. Through the layers of blue crystal, he saw the faint, fading ghost of a skeletal structure. A tiny, calcified heart trapped in the center of the diamond chest.
"They're failures," Lucas said. "Students who didn't survive the bonding."
"Charming," Alexander muttered, tightening his fur-lined coat. "The Alchemist has an eye for decor. The entrance is the North Gate. My codes from the '80s won't work, but the ventilation shafts should be..."
"No," Lucas stood up, the wind whipping his trench coat.
"Lucas, stealth is—"
"They know we're here," Lucas interrupted. "I can hear them."
He pointed his crystal hand at the massive iron gates, three hundred yards away.
[TARGET ACQUIRED: GATE HINGE.]
[DISTANCE: 312 METERS.]
[ABILITY: LONG-RANGE RESONANCE.]
Lucas snapped his fingers.
It wasn't a loud sound. It was a frequency spike.
Three hundred yards away, the iron hinges of the gate shattered instantly. The heavy doors fell outward into the snow with a dull thud.
"Well," Kain sighed, drawing his twin sub-machine guns. "So much for the element of surprise."
[THE GRAND HALL]
They walked through the front doors unopposed.
The interior was like a cathedral. Marble floors, high vaulted ceilings, and priceless art on the walls. It was warm, smelling of lavender and old money.
And it was silent.
"Where are the guards?" Kain whispered, checking corners. "Where are the mercenaries?"
"The Alchemist doesn't use mercenaries here," Alexander said, gripping his cane-sword. "He uses the Honor Roll."
Click. Click. Click.
Footsteps. Precise. Measured.
A boy walked out from the shadows of the grand staircase. He couldn't have been more than sixteen. He wore a pristine navy-blue blazer with the school crest—a golden serpent eating a crystal.
He was handsome, with pale skin and silver hair. He didn't look like a monster. He looked like a model.
"Welcome to St. Jude," the boy said. His voice was polite, cultured. "Headmaster Alchemist is currently in a lecture. He asked not to be disturbed."
"Step aside, kid," Kain warned, aiming his guns. "Go to your room."
The boy smiled. It didn't reach his eyes.
"My name is Julian. Prefect of House Diamond."
Julian raised his hand. He held a simple wooden conductor's baton.
"And you are trespassing."
Julian flicked the baton.
[WARNING: HIGH FREQUENCY PROJECTILE INCOMING.]
Lucas's Resonance Sight flared red. He saw the air ripple.
"Move!" Lucas shoved Alexander aside.
ZIP.
An invisible blade of compressed air sliced through the spot where Alexander had been standing. It hit the marble pillar behind them and sheared it cleanly in half. The massive stone column crashed to the floor.
"Wind manipulation?" Kain yelped. "Since when does the virus do that?"
"It's not wind," Lucas growled, his eye glowing. "It's vibration. He's resonating the air molecules."
Julian didn't stop. He conducted an invisible symphony. Flick. Slash. Thrust.
Blades of air tore up the floor, forcing Team Arachne to scatter. Kain fired a burst of bullets. Julian simply raised a hand, and the air vibrated in a shield, disintegrating the lead bullets into dust before they touched him.
"Tank bullets don't work!" Kain shouted. "He's got a forcefield!"
"He's analyzing us," Lucas realized. "He's playing."
Lucas charged.
He activated his hydraulic legs, crossing the distance in a blur. He threw a crystal-enhanced punch aimed at Julian's head.
Julian didn't panic. He side-stepped with liquid grace, grabbing Lucas's wrist.
Skin touched crystal.
"Crude," Julian critiqued. "Power without finesse. You must be the Prototype. The 'Ghost'."
Julian twisted. He didn't use strength; he used Lucas's own momentum. He flipped Lucas over his shoulder.
Lucas slammed into the marble floor, cracking the stone.
[ARMOR INTEGRITY: 85%.]
Lucas rolled to his feet, bringing the Shatter Pistol up.
"Class is dismissed," Lucas snarled.
He fired a sonic spike.
Julian's eyes widened slightly. He raised his baton to deflect, but the sonic spike was designed to break resonance.
CRACK.
The baton shattered. The shockwave threw Julian backward, sliding across the polished floor.
The boy stood up, brushing dust off his blazer. He looked at the broken baton, then at Lucas. For the first time, the polite mask slipped. His eyes glowed a deep, hateful violet.
"You broke my conduct," Julian whispered.
Suddenly, the doors on the balcony above them opened.
Dozens of students stepped out. Boys and girls, ages twelve to eighteen. All wearing the same navy blazers. All staring down with cold, glowing eyes.
Violet. Green. Yellow.
"Different strains," Alexander breathed, horrified. "He's breeding variations."
The school PA system crackled to life.
"Excellent demonstration, Julian," The Alchemist's voice echoed through the hall. "But do not damage the specimen. I need his heart intact for the dissection."
The Alchemist appeared on the balcony, looking down like a god. He wasn't wearing a mask anymore. Half his face was covered in beautiful, shifting crystal scales.
"Welcome, Lucas," The Alchemist smiled. "I see you've met the Student Council. I hope you brought enough bullets. Because they have a test tomorrow... and you are the extra credit."
The students raised their hands in unison. The air in the hall began to hum.
[SYSTEM ALERT: MULTIPLE RESONANCE SIGNATURES DETECTED.]
[THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME.]
[CHANCE OF SURVIVAL: 4%.]
Lucas looked at his team. Kain was reloading. Alexander had drawn his sword.
Lucas activated the Shatter Pistol's overdrive.
"I hate school," Lucas said.