Commander Ilya opened a vault door beneath the dome. Inside was a digital archive glowing softly in the dark.
"I wanted you to see this yourself," she said, handing Aria a tablet. "Your file. The real one."
Hands trembling, Aria scrolled.
Her cryo-registration number was there—but attached to it were redacted logs, unauthorized experiments, and one detail that hit like a blade:
Parentage: Subject S01 — Dr. Liora Vale. Lead Architect, ICEGARDEN.
"No," she whispered. "She died before the project launched…"
"Or so they told you," Ilya said. "But the truth is messier. Your mother didn't just help design the facility—she built it. And you? You were the first child genetically prepared for cryo-adaptation."
Rhea stepped closer. "That's why you survived the deep freeze. You weren't just lucky."
Kael placed a hand on Aria's shoulder. "You were born for it."
She dropped the tablet. Her breath fogged the cold air.
Born for this.
For the nightmares.
For the war.