Chapter 7: Eden
462 Words
CHAPTER SEVEN
EDEN
Sector 7 was hidden beneath a mountain of concrete.
Elias almost walked past it.
There was no entrance visible from the road.
Only a massive structure covered in vegetation.
Lena stopped.
"This is it."
Noah looked around.
"This?"
Elias studied the structure.
"What was this place?"
Lena didn't answer.
She walked toward a section of wall and removed a small device from her bag.
The device displayed a sequence of numbers.
She entered them.
Nothing happened.
Elias looked at her.
"You said you had access."
"I said I had information."
"You lied."
"I didn't lie."
"You knew this place was here."
Lena stared at him.
"Yes."
Before Elias could respond, something clicked inside the wall.
A thin line appeared.
Then the concrete split apart.
A door opened.
Cold air rushed outward.
The three of them entered.
The door closed behind them.
Their flashlights revealed a corridor stretching into darkness.
The walls were clean.
No rust.
No dust.
No vegetation.
The facility had somehow remained sealed.
Noah whispered, "How?"
"Power," Lena said.
"After one hundred and sixty-three years?"
"Apparently."
They reached the first laboratory.
Rows of glass chambers stood against the walls.
Most were empty.
Some contained dried biological material.
Elias looked through one.
"What happened here?"
Lena didn't answer.
A computer suddenly activated.
Everyone jumped.
The screen flickered.
Then letters appeared.
WELCOME, SUBJECT 002.
Elias stared.
"Subject?"
The system continued.
SUBJECT 002 — STATUS: ACTIVE.
Lena turned away.
Elias noticed.
"You knew."
She remained silent.
"You knew this system would recognize me."
"Elias..."
"What am I?"
The computer displayed another message.
GENETIC MATCH CONFIRMED.
ORIGINAL PROGRAM: EVOLUTION.
SUBJECT 002.
AGE: CLASSIFIED.
Elias stepped closer.
"Age?"
The screen changed.
MEMORY SUPPRESSION: ACTIVE.
He turned toward Lena.
"What does that mean?"
Lena looked exhausted.
"It means someone altered your memories."
"Who?"
She hesitated.
"Eden."
A deep sound echoed through the facility.
Something had activated below them.
The computer began displaying dozens of warning messages.
BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS REACTIVATING.
CONTAINMENT FAILURES DETECTED.
SUBJECTS AWAKENING.
Noah backed away.
"Subjects?"
Elias raised his rifle.
The corridor lights suddenly came on.
At the end of the hallway stood a glass chamber.
Inside was a human figure.
It was asleep.
Then its eyes opened.
Elias stepped backward.
The figure smiled.
The chamber cracked.
Lena grabbed Elias.
"Run."
They ran.
Behind them, glass shattered.
Something screamed.
Not like a human.
Not like an animal.
Something in between.
They reached a security room and slammed the door.
Elias turned toward Lena.
"Tell me everything."
She looked at the locked door.
"We came here looking for answers."
"About Mara."
"Yes."
"And you knew I was part of the experiment."
Lena nodded.
"Then tell me."
She finally looked into his eyes.
"Elias..."
Her voice trembled.
"You were never supposed to survive"
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