Ethan's breath echoed in the narrow corridor as he and Lena moved deeper into the forgotten facility. The stale air thickened, laced with the scent of rust and decay. Dim lights flickered along the ceiling, casting long, jagged shadows on the walls.
Lena moved ahead, her pulse pistol gripped tightly, her every step measured and precise. Ethan followed close behind, the weight of the data core in his hand growing heavier with each step.
Crowe's final message still echoed in his mind.
"Protect the Codex, Ethan. Or the world will burn."
The words had a gravity Ethan couldn't shake. They weren't just a warning. They were a prophecy.
"We're almost there," Lena murmured, her voice barely above a whisper as they reached a rusted security door at the end of the corridor. She tapped her wrist console, hacking into the outdated system. Sparks danced around the lock as it hissed, releasing its ancient hold.
Ethan's pulse quickened.
Beyond the door lay a dimly lit chamber. Rows of dormant server banks lined the walls, their cold metal exteriors covered in dust and grime. In the center of the room, a console flickered weakly, pulsing with a faint blue glow.
"This is it," Ethan murmured.
Lena stepped aside, giving him space. "Whatever's in that core," she said softly, "we need to know."
Ethan swallowed hard, his fingers brushing against the console as Crowe's memories tugged at his mind. The connection was immediate. His pulse quickened, and the console responded, recognizing something in his DNA—something that wasn't entirely his.
"Welcome back, Dr. Crowe."
Lena's eyes widened as the console came to life, streams of encrypted data cascading across the display. Ethan's heart pounded as his fingers moved instinctively, navigating the interface with a fluency that wasn't his own.
"Crowe encoded his memories... his knowledge," Ethan whispered, the realization hitting him harder than he expected. "It's all... here."
Lena leaned closer, her eyes scanning the data. "What are we looking at?"
Ethan's fingers froze over a string of code—an anomaly buried within the system.
"Here," he murmured, isolating the encrypted sequence. "This... this is the core of the Codex."
Lena's brows furrowed. "What's wrong with it?"
Ethan's jaw clenched. "It's... incomplete."
Lena's gaze sharpened. "Incomplete? How?"
"Crowe locked something away," Ethan murmured, his eyes narrowing as the encryption layers pulsed on the screen. "He buried part of the Codex's core behind an algorithm even HelixCorp couldn't crack."
"Why would he do that?"
Ethan's fingers danced over the console, decoding layer after layer of protection. But the more he unraveled, the more his stomach twisted.
"Because the Codex isn't just a tool for enhancing genetics," Ethan whispered, his voice barely audible. "It's... a rewrite protocol."
Lena's eyes widened. "Rewrite?"
Ethan's throat went dry. "It doesn't just enhance DNA. It can overwrite it. Permanently."
Lena took a step back, her pulse pistol lowering slightly. "You're saying... it can change what people are at a genetic level?"
Ethan nodded slowly, the gravity of the revelation sinking in. "Crowe didn't just unlock ancestral knowledge. He created a way to rewrite the genetic blueprint of an entire population."
Lena's expression hardened. "And if HelixCorp gets their hands on this..."
"They wouldn't just control people," Ethan said softly. "They'd remake them."
Silence settled over the room, thick and suffocating.
"Ethan," Lena whispered, her voice barely steady. "What's the failsafe?"
Ethan's fingers hovered over a hidden subroutine buried beneath the Codex's core. A final safeguard Crowe had left behind.
"Crowe built a backdoor," Ethan murmured. "A way to shut it all down. But..."
Lena's eyes narrowed. "But what?"
Ethan's jaw clenched. "It's keyed to his DNA."
Lena's expression darkened. "Crowe's gone, Ethan. How do we—"
"I don't know," Ethan cut her off, his voice tight. "But... I think I'm the key now."
The weight of the truth settled over them like a shroud.
"Ethan..." Lena's voice was barely above a whisper.
Before Ethan could respond, the console emitted a shrill warning tone.
"Proximity alert."
Lena's eyes snapped to the display. "We've got company."
Ethan's pulse spiked. "HelixCorp."
"Move," Lena hissed, her pulse pistol raised as she spun toward the entrance.
But it was too late.
The corridor outside echoed with the rhythmic thud of approaching boots. A cold, mechanical voice echoed down the passage.
"Target acquired."
Ethan's breath caught as a squad of HelixCorp enforcers emerged from the shadows, their weapons raised.
"Drop it," the lead enforcer barked, his visor reflecting the dim light of the chamber.
Lena's finger tightened on the trigger, her stance unwavering.
Ethan's mind raced, Crowe's instincts screaming in his head.
Think. Faster.
"We're not walking out of here if we fight," Ethan murmured, his voice low enough for only Lena to hear.
"Then what's the plan?" Lena's jaw clenched.
Ethan's grip tightened around the data core.
"We run."
Lena's eyes met his, her resolve hardening. "On your mark."
Ethan's mind went into overdrive, calculating the quickest escape route through the facility's labyrinthine corridors.
"Now."
Lena fired first, her pulse shots striking the closest enforcers with precision. Sparks exploded as the shots ricocheted off armor, but the distraction was enough.
"Go!" Ethan shouted, bolting toward the opposite end of the chamber.
Lena was right behind him, her pulse pistol echoing through the narrow corridor as she covered their escape.
The enforcers pursued, their heavy boots pounding against the metal floor. Ethan's lungs burned as they sprinted deeper into the facility.
"Left!" Ethan barked, his instincts guiding them.
They rounded a corner, ducking into a maintenance tunnel barely wide enough for them to fit.
"Keep moving," Lena urged, her breath ragged.
Ethan's mind spun as Crowe's memories surged forward—maps, schematics, hidden exit routes.
"There!" He pointed toward a faint glow at the far end of the tunnel.
Lena didn't question it.
They pushed forward, adrenaline fueling their steps. The exit loomed ahead, but so did the sounds of pursuit.
"We're not going to make it," Lena murmured, her voice strained.
Ethan's jaw clenched. "Yes, we are."
He gritted his teeth, pushing his body harder. The echoes of Crowe's desperation bled into his thoughts.
"Protect the Codex, Ethan."
They reached the exit just as pulse rounds exploded behind them.
"Go!" Ethan shoved Lena through first, turning to fire a quick burst from his pulse blade, the energy humming as it sliced through the air.
The enforcers hesitated for a fraction of a second—just enough time.
Ethan bolted through the exit, sealing the hatch behind him.
Lena's chest heaved as she leaned against the wall, her eyes wide. "That was too close."
Ethan's jaw clenched as he glanced down at the data core in his hand.
"Yeah," he murmured.
But the look in his eyes said it all.
This was just the beginning.
---