Elior didn't sleep that night. His mind replayed the voice over and over again—"We'll wake him when the Others return."
Others.
Plural.
"How many of us are out there?" he whispered to Nara, as he scrolled through the decrypted folder, eyes bloodshot, hands trembling.
"Based on this?" She tapped a data chart. "At least six successful subjects. You were Host 75334. That means—"
"75333 through 75339," he muttered.
Nara nodded. "But that was twenty years ago. Some could be dead. Some... like the one in your vision... could already be awake."
She pulled up a hidden feed she was quietly tapping into—an underground resistance stream called Signal99. It was said to collect rogue Protocol sightings before they were scrubbed.
Suddenly, one clip loaded.
A blurry video of a young man standing in the center of a crater, unmoved as bullets bounced off an invisible field around him.
Nara froze. "That's Subject 75333-B."
Elior's jaw clenched. "So... what now?"
"We find the rest," she said. "Before they find you."
---
Protocol HQ: Hidden Subterranean Base
Director Lorain stood before a massive holo-screen, hands clasped behind her back. Surveillance showed Elior and Nara's location had shifted again.
"Begin Phase Three," she commanded. "They're seeking the Breach Code."
A technician frowned. "That code is buried in Sector Zero. It's off-limits."
Lorain turned slowly. "Nothing is off-limits anymore. The Seed is blooming. We need control."
"Understood."
As she walked away, she whispered under her breath, "Or we burn them all."
---
Nara's Lab Shelter – The Underground
Elior stared at the swirling mark on his skin. It was evolving—new lines forming around the spiral like constellations.
"It's a map," Nara said softly. "And I think it's trying to lead you somewhere."
He raised his eyes. "Where?"
"Sector Zero."
He blinked. "That place's a myth. A digital ghost. People who go there don't come back."
"That's because it holds the Breach Code," she said. "If we get it first, you might control the Protocol… instead of it controlling you."
Outside, drones flew overhead.
Nara quickly shut down the feed.
"They've found us."
Suddenly, the lights cut out. A piercing hum echoed through the tunnels. A tremor rippled through the floor.
"They're breaching the shelter," she said, grabbing a pulse gun. "We need to move."
---
Tunnel Exodus
They ran through narrow underground corridors, past abandoned zones once used for old tech experiments. The mark on Elior's skin glowed brighter with each step, guiding them like a beacon.
But something strange began happening.
Doors unlocked as he neared them.
Lights flickered on in sequence.
And from the walls, whispers began to echo—fragments of languages, voices he'd never heard but understood deeply.
"The Protocol is responding to you," Nara breathed. "You're triggering dormant code."
They reached an encrypted gate.
Nara placed her palm on the reader.
Nothing.
Then Elior stepped forward.
The spiral on his skin glowed against the scanner.
Access Granted.
The gate hissed open.
Beyond it... darkness. The start of Sector Zero.