The sterile reality of the laboratory buckled. As the liquid brass hissed across the floor, the scent of antiseptic was scorched away by the sudden, overwhelming smell of wet cedar and ozone. Elara didn't hesitate. She lunged toward the shattered tank, her hands plunging into the metallic fluid to scoop up the three infants.
They were impossibly heavy, their skin humming with a low-frequency vibration that made her teeth ache. As she pulled them to her chest, the barcode on her wrist flared with a searing, white heat.
"The subjects are merging!" General Vane screamed, her composure finally shattering. "Security! Seal the Aurora-Sector! Initiate the vacuum purge!"
The cybernetic man moved to intercept Elara, his movements a blur of hydraulic precision. But before his needle could touch h
