Chapter 7: Blood and Code
Sirens wailed deep within The Fracture. Red pulses swept across the ceiling like falling embers. Anderson stood at the threshold of the spire, the echo of Dr. Z's voice still fading in his mind. Around him, the underground city braced for war.
Vora emerged from the upper ramp, her face grim. "Surface agents breached Sector West. They're moving fast. Whoever leads them knows this place."
Anderson clenched his fists. "Then it's not just a raid. They're after the seed."
He turned to Elira, who activated The Spine. It extended cables like tendrils, interfacing with her neural implant. "The defenses were built for this. But The Fracture has not seen open war in decades. We'll need more than guns."
From behind them, Ferryman rolled out a portable console. "Then let's fight with what we've got—data, deception, and a virus."
He pulled up a file labeled Z-Vault Protocol. "Your blood, Anderson—it carries a signature code. A failsafe. Dr. Z embedded a recursive lock into your DNA. We can use it to override every biotech weapon developed from the stolen sample."
Anderson blinked. "You're saying I can shut them down?"
Ferryman smirked. "If we inject the code into the enemy's network. But you'll have to reach the uplink tower. And it's crawling with their elite unit."
Before Anderson could answer, an explosion rocked the eastern gate. Dust fell from the ceiling. Lights flickered.
Vora drew her weapon. "We're out of time."
Anderson grabbed the vial and Ferryman's injector disk. "Guide me to the tower. I'll do it."
They sprinted through underground corridors lit by emergency strobes. Gunfire echoed behind them. Rebels and agents clashed in brutal silence.
At the base of the uplink spire, Anderson climbed a ladder as drones fired from above. Vora returned fire, covering him with precise bursts.
Reaching the terminal, he slotted the injector. His blood, encoded with Dr. Z's lock, flowed into the network.
For a moment—nothing.
Then the enemy drones froze mid-air. Biotech soldiers collapsed. Across the battlefield, implants sparked and shut down.
The invaders were paralyzed.
Anderson slumped beside the terminal, gasping. Below, The Fracture roared with a victory that felt too sudden.
Ferryman's voice buzzed over comms. "That was only phase one. Whoever's funding these agents—they'll send something worse next."
Anderson looked at the vial—still half full.
He whispered, "Then I'll be ready."
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