Change never announces itself.
It spreads quietly—through systems, through patterns, through reactions no one understands until it is too late.
Deep beneath restricted facilities and sealed laboratories, the parasites continued to evolve.
They were no longer merely surviving.
They were responding.
Data streamed endlessly across sterile screens: heart rates stabilizing, neural activity synchronizing, skeletal density increasing beyond human limits. Where once experiments ended in silence and failure, now bodies endured longer. Some endured completely.
The parasites had learned.
They did not know why the change had occurred. They only recognized its effect. Something had shifted the balance—an anomaly that rippled through their biology like an echo through water.
And echoes always return.
Government Research Facility — Inner Laboratory
Scientists moved with restrained excitement, their voices low but trembling with disbelief. Charts glowed in the dim light. Numbers that once read zero now refused to fall back.
Scientist:
…this isn't a coincidence anymore.
Another researcher leaned closer to the display, eyes scanning survival metrics.
Scientist:
"Before the anomaly, survival rates were effectively nonexistent. Less than one-tenth of a percent. One subject. One success.
A pause.
Scientist:
But now… twelve percent. Some trials even pushing eighteen.
Silence followed. Not disbelief—fear.
A senior scientist straightened, activating a secure communication channel. The signal encrypted instantly.
Secure Call — Government Channel
A face appeared on the screen. Calm. Expressionless.
Scientist:
Sir. We've triple-checked the data. The parasites are stabilizing host bodies instead of rejecting them. The success rate has increased dramatically.
The scientist hesitated, then allowed a trace of excitement to slip through.
Scientist:
"If we can isolate the variable that caused this change, we could—
Government Official:
(Terminate the project)
The words landed heavy.
Scientist:
…Excuse me SIR.
Government Official:
"All experiments are to cease immediately. All data is to be erased. No further testing."
Confusion rippled through the room.
Scientist:
"With respect, sir, this is the first real progress we've made. Stopping now
Government Official:
This is not a request.
A brief pause.
Government Official:
"This is an order.
The screen went dark.
Laboratory — Moments Later
The scientists stood frozen.
Scientist:
"That doesn't make sense.
Another quickly accessed secondary channels.
Scientist:
"I'm contacting the State General. We need confirmation.
Secure Call — State General
The connection was unstable, interference flickering across the screen.
Scientist:
"Sir, we've been instructed to erase everything. We need clarification.
State General:
"I wasn't informed of any termination order.
Relief surged—briefly.
The general's expression darkened.
State General:
"Listen carefully. You are to relocate the facility immediately. Take every surviving subject and all research data. You don't have much time.
Scientist:
"What's happening?
The general opened his mouth—
The signal cut.
Static.
Nothing.
Facility Evacuation — Hours Later
Alarms blared as armored vehicles rolled out under heavy escort. Containment units were sealed. Survivors—those who had endured the experiments—were loaded under strict protocols.
No one understood the urgency.
Then they saw it.
A figure moved across the terrain with impossible speed, closing distance in seconds. Soldiers opened fire.
The bullets barely slowed it.
It struck with raw force—unrefined, animalistic. Armor crumpled. Bodies fell. There was no technique. No strategy. Only overwhelming power driven by instinct.
Soldier:
What the hell is that?!
The creature's skin absorbed impact like reinforced plating. But its movements were erratic. Powerful—yet inefficient. It chased the convoy relentlessly, legs pumping, breath ragged.
It didn't stop.
Minutes turned into hours.
Still running.
Not faster than the vehicles—but unyielding.
Finally, a mounted machine gun roared to life. Sustained fire tore into the figure. Round after round struck vital points.
At last, it collapsed.
No movement.
No confirmation.
Commander:
…It's down. Let's move.
The convoy didn't look back.
They never verified the kill.
Elsewhere — Far From the Facility
In a quiet place untouched by laboratories or alarms, a child slept.
He did not dream of parasites.
He did not sense governments collapsing under secrets.
But something unseen shifted—subtle, almost imperceptible.
Not awakening.
Not power.
A response.
And somewhere, deep within the shadows of the world, systems recalibrated.
The echoes had begun to return.
End of Chapter Two