The alarms didn't stop.
They screamed through every corridor, red lights cutting the lab into flashes of panic. The walls shook with the rhythm of wings.
Buzz opened his eyes to smoke. His restraints were half-melted, glowing faintly where gold had burned through them. The floor pitched under him. Screams echoed beyond the door.
He tried to move. Pain answered first, but his body obeyed. The hum in his chest pulsed faster now — not his own heartbeat, but hundreds. The hive was close.
A crash ripped through the ceiling. Dust and sparks rained down. A metal panel folded inward, splitting open. Something heavy dropped through — a hybrid soldier, half chitin, half alloy. Its wings hissed. Its eyes glowed bright.
Buzz pushed himself upright, claws trembling. "Took you long enough."
The hybrid turned toward him, head tilting. It didn't strike. It just *listened*. The hum between them matched.
Buzz's jaw tightened. "No."
