The first tremor hit before the ship stopped.
Elias grabbed the console as the black vessel shuddered, a deep groan rising from the hull. The ice field ahead—a jagged maze of frozen ridges—seemed to shift, cracks spiderwebbing across the surface. The water around them churned, and the sky above turned a sickly green. They had arrived.
"Orin's convulsing!" Ava's voice cracked over the intercom. "He's seizing—his vitals are spiking!"
Elias was already moving, Lyra and Isaac behind him. They reached the medical bay in seconds. Orin was thrashing on the table, his back arching, his eyes rolled back. The device on his wrist screamed, and the tattoo on his neck glowed with a faint green light. The seed was waking.
"Restrain him!" Elias shouted.
Jesus and Reyes grabbed Orin's arms, pinning h
