The Core Node pulsed like a heart in the Undergrid's vast chamber, its surface swirling with glowing runes that matched the ones in Nyx's mind. The hooded figures stood before it, their eyes burning with the same eerie light—six of them, silent, watching. "Welcome home, Subject 17," their leader had said, its voice a chilling echo in her head, like the Nexus alert. Nyx's holo-pad trembled in her hands, her leg throbbing from the plasma graze, her nose still bleeding from her last spell. Jace stood beside her, his stun-knife raised, his body tense. "Who the hell are they?" he whispered.
Nyx's heart pounded, the runes in her mind buzzing with energy. The figures weren't human—not fully. Their movements were too smooth, their cloaks shimmering like corrupted holo-feeds. Her memories surged, unbidden: the lab, her child self strapped to a table, runes etched into her skin. A scientist's voice: "Subject 17 is the prototype. The others will follow." Others? Nyx's stomach twisted. Were these figures the others—creations like her, tied to the Source Code? The leader stepped forward, its rune-eyes locking onto her. "You belong with us, Elara," it said, using her buried name.
She flinched, the memory hitting harder: the lab's sterile walls, a woman's voice—soft, desperate—saying, "Elara, they can't control you." Then pain, runes burning, her screams mixing with the hum of machines. Nyx shook her head, snapping back to the chamber. "I'm not yours," she said, her voice shaking but firm. The leader tilted its head, its rune-eyes flickering. "You cannot deny the Source Code. It's in you, as it is in us." Nyx's holo-pad buzzed, and Echo's pixelated form appeared, its voice urgent. "Nyx, they're fragments—failed experiments."
"Failed?" Nyx muttered, her fingers tightening on the holo-pad. Jace glanced at her, his knife still raised. "What's it saying?" Nyx ignored him, focusing on Echo. "Explain," she hissed. Echo's glow dimmed. "Nexus tried to bind the Source Code to others before you. They broke, became… this. You're the only one who survived." The memory flashed again: a lab screen showing other children, their eyes glowing, then going dark, lifeless. Nyx's chest tightened. She'd survived, but at what cost? Was she even human anymore?
The leader raised a hand, its cloak rippling. "Join us, Subject 17. Together, we'll free the Source Code from Nexus." The other figures stepped closer, their rune-eyes glowing brighter, syncing with the Core Node's pulse. Nyx's head throbbed, the runes in her mind resonating with the node, pulling her toward it. She stumbled, Jace catching her arm. "Nyx, don't listen to them," he said, his voice rough. His touch was warm, grounding, but his eyes held something—fear, or maybe guilt. Nyx pushed the thought aside. She needed to focus, not doubt him.
"I don't want your freedom," Nyx said to the leader, her voice steadier now. "I want answers." The runes urged her to code, to touch the node. She typed, her fingers moving on instinct, blending the runes with a hack. The air crackled, and a spark leaped from her holo-pad to the node, its surface flaring. The figures flinched, their eyes flickering. Nyx's memory surged again: the lab, the glowing orb of the Source Code, a scientist saying, "She's the anchor. Prometheus needs her." Prometheus—Nexus's AI. Was it controlling these figures too?
The leader's voice grew sharp. "You cannot resist. The Source Code binds us all." It lunged, faster than human, its hand reaching for Nyx. Jace swung his knife, but the figure dodged, its cloak glitching like bad code. Nyx typed faster, her spell surging through the node. The chamber shook, and the node's runes spiraled, projecting a hologram: a lab, Nyx as a child, and the woman from her memories, her face clear now—kind eyes, dark hair, a scientist's coat. "Elara, you're more than their tool," she said, then vanished as alarms blared.
Nyx's head screamed, blood dripping from her nose. The hologram had triggered something, syncing her with the node. She saw it all: the lab creating her, the Source Code fusing with her mind, the woman—her creator?—fighting to protect her. The figures charged, their rune-eyes blazing. Nyx's spell faltered, but she typed one last command, pulling energy from the node. A shockwave erupted, knocking the figures back, their bodies glitching, half-dissolving into static. Jace pulled her away, toward a tunnel exit. "Move, Nyx!" he shouted, his voice raw.
They ran, the chamber trembling, the node's pulse erratic. Nyx's vision blurred, her body weak from the spell. The memories were clearer now: the woman hiding her from Nexus, whispering, "You can change the Code." Nyx's heart ached—was she dead because of her? Echo's voice was faint. "You're close to the truth, Nyx, but the node's unstable now." Unstable? Nyx glanced back—the node was glowing brighter, cracks forming on its surface. The figures rose, their forms stabilizing, their rune-eyes locked on her. They weren't stopping.
Jace pulled her into the tunnel, but a new sound echoed—a deep, resonant hum, not from the node but from above. Nyx's holo-pad flashed, showing a Nexus feed: a massive airship descending over the Undergrid, its hull marked with Prometheus's symbol. The leader's voice echoed in her mind, colder now: "You've awakened the Code, Subject 17. Now Prometheus comes for you." Nyx froze, her blood like ice. The airship's shadow loomed, and the tunnel shook as something massive landed nearby.
To Be Continued…