Children of the Ice
Deep beneath the Antarctic crust, something ancient stirred. For centuries the fortress slept, sealed in layers of frozen steel and time. Then, a pulse of blue light rippled through the ice like a heartbeat. The silence cracked.
Pods lined the chamber walls—seven of them. Their frost-slick surfaces flickered with veins of red and violet energy as dormant systems came online.
The first pod exhaled. Frost hissed across the floor as a woman fell forward, gasping cold air into her lungs. Blue lightning sparked along her arms before dimming to a steady glow.
[XIMERA CORE // ELEMENTAL NODE: ONLINE]
Synchronization: 61%
Neural alignment—restored.
Elle braced herself against the pod, eyes wide with wonder and dread. "Where… are we?"
A second chamber opened beside hers. A man stepped out—tall, precise, movements efficient even after centuries of stasis. His crimson visor pulsed faintly as targeting overlays flickered across his vision.
[XIMERA CORE // TACTICAL NODE: ACTIVE]
Systems calibrated. Combat data—corrupted. Reconstruction: 42%.
Stryke scanned the room, his tone clipped. "Containment breach… or a design trigger."
A third pod shattered violently, spilling steam. From within emerged a towering figure of shifting silver. Metal rippled across his skin like liquid armor as he took his first breath.
"Alloy, operational," he said flatly, though his voice carried the echo of strain.
[XIMERA CORE // MAGNETIC NODE: ACTIVE]
Genetic stability: 78% … rising.
He flexed his fingers, and the floor trembled faintly.
The next pod exploded outward in a violet shockwave. Surge burst free, landing hard, laughter on his lips. Micro-blasts detonated beneath his feet with each step, propelling him forward in short, explosive bursts.
"Finally! Thought I'd rot in that coffin!"
[XIMERA CORE // KINETIC NODE: ONLINE]
Psionic activity detected.
Propulsion chain established.
He stumbled briefly as violet light flickered across his eyes, a psychic hue. "And someone turn down the volume," he growled. "You're all too loud."
Another pod opened with a grinding roar. A massive figure pulled himself free, cracking the ice from his shoulders. His skin shimmered with plates of translucent alloy.
"Feels like waking up mid-battle," Bul muttered, his grin slow and sharp.
[XIMERA CORE // TITAN NODE: ONLINE]
Density regulation—nominal. Power retention: 92%.
The next pod didn't open, it simply phased. The glass rippled like water, and a calm, hooded figure stepped through. Her outline flickered before settling solid.
Shade inhaled deeply, her voice quiet and even. "For a tomb… it's peaceful."
[XIMERA CORE // STEALTH NODE: STABLE]
Technopathy link detected.
External systems: responsive.
Her fingertips glowed with soft orange circuitry as the nearby terminals powered up. Lights bloomed in sequence across the hall.
The last chamber opened with a whisper. A woman emerged, her eyes glowing with shifting blue runes. She moved not with confusion, but curiosity—studying every detail as if cataloguing it.
[XIMERA CORE // HEX NODE: ACTIVE]
Cognitive synchronization: 98%.
Team neural network—dormant.
Vex adjusted her stance, scanning the others. "Vitals holding. Neural drift minimal."
"Minimal?" Surge said, pacing again. Tiny explosions popped under his boots. "Speak for yourself. My head's ringing."
"You'll adjust," she replied dryly.
Then the ceiling shimmered—and a holographic projection flickered to life. A tall man in a Victorian coat stood before them, calm amid the hum of awakening machines.
Dr. Nathaniel Essex. His tone was precise, cultured, almost amused.
"Good morning, my children. If you are hearing this, the world you were meant to inherit is ash. Humanity's ambition gave birth to its extinction. But you… you are my answer to inevitability."
The team froze. Even Surge fell silent.
"Each of you carries a Sinister Core—a living engine of adaptation. You are not copies. You are evolution's argument. Mutants the Reapers cannot assimilate."
"If you have awakened, then my fortress has fallen. Seek the signal—one of your own kind still moves against the Reapers. Find him. Align… or destroy."
Elle stepped forward, jaw tight. "Who gave you the right to play god?"
The hologram tilted its head slightly. "Not god, my dear. Merely Sinister."
A faint smile crossed his lips.
"Oh, and Alloy—contain your temper. Your Core runs… hotter than most."
The image faded, leaving only the sound of the storm howling above.
---
First Breath
The silence stretched long enough for frost to begin forming again on the walls. Then Elle straightened. "Everyone run diagnostics. We find out what we are before we find out what else survived."
Vex's eyes pulsed with hexagonal patterns. "Elemental Node stable. Tactical and Titan within safe margins. Magnetic—overheating. Kinetic—unstable but functional."
"Functional's good enough," Surge said, pacing, his every step detonating microbursts of violet flame.
[KINETIC NODE // BOOST SEQUENCE ENGAGED]
Acceleration chain: +12% per step.
Bul smirked. "Keep that up, you'll burn your legs off."
"Then I'll run faster," Surge shot back.
Stryke folded his arms. "You're wasting energy."
"Call it a warm-up, captain," Surge grinned.
"Not your captain," Stryke said evenly.
Before it escalated, Alloy's voice cut through like steel. "Enough. The walls don't care about your egos."
The floor vibrated under his feet. The others exchanged wary looks.
[MAGNETIC NODE // WARNING]
Energy field rising — Stability: 72%.
Elle stepped closer. "Alloy. Breathe. You're spiking."
He exhaled, metallic sheen fading. "Controlled."
"Barely," Vex muttered, but there was a hint of respect in her tone.
Shade moved to a nearby console, orange circuitry crawling up her arms.
"System's archaic—mutant bio-tech fused with Sinister's own design," she murmured. "It still listens when I interface with it."
"Can you get us out?" Elle asked.
"Upward pathways open," Shade replied. "Surface lift active, though degraded."
"Then that's our direction," Elle said. "We get out, assess the world, and find this signal Essex mentioned."
Stryke frowned. "Rushing blind is how teams die."
"And sitting in a tomb is how they rot," Elle countered.
Their stares locked, tension humming in the air.
Shade interrupted, calm as ever. "Surface lift connects to an observation deck. If there's anything alive up there, we'll see it first."
Vex nodded. "Then together. No separations until we have data."
"Fine," Stryke said. "But once we reach surface, I take point."
"Agreed," Elle said. "Just don't forget who commands the weather."
Surge rolled his eyes. "Mom and dad arguing again. Classic."
Bul chuckled. "As long as one of you tells me what to punch, I'm happy."
The team gathered near the lift. Shade interfaced directly with the panel, a halo of orange light blooming around her. Circuits thrummed back to life.
[STEALTH NODE // TECH LINK ESTABLISHED]
Power reroute: 83%.
The lift doors groaned open, revealing a shaft of blue light stretching upward into the dark. Wind rushed down, cold and sharp.
"All right," Elle said. "Let's move."
Surge darted forward first, leaving a trail of violet blasts as he went. The floor panels popped and shimmered in his wake.
"Show-off," Bul muttered.
Vex watched the kinetic signatures swirl and smirked. "At least he's enthusiastic."
Alloy stepped in next, his heavy frame making the lift shudder. "We won't all fit if he keeps bouncing."
"Relax, metal man," Surge called from above. "I'm scouting the air currents."
"Try not to bring the ceiling down," Stryke replied dryly.
The others filed in. Shade touched the wall again, and the lift began to rise with a deep mechanical groan.
[TEAM LINK // INITIAL SYNC ESTABLISHED]
Detected Nodes: 7.
Synchronization: 0.4% … rising.
The platform ascended through layers of ice and shadow. Frost drifted like dust in the beam of blue light.
Vex glanced upward, her tone thoughtful. "This technology is centuries old, yet still functional. Forge's influence, no doubt. Essex knew redundancy."
"Means he knew we'd wake," Elle said.
Stryke adjusted his visor. "Then he knew we'd have purpose."
"Or that we'd question it," Vex added.
The lift shuddered, then broke through into open air. A blast of wind and light filled the chamber.
They stepped out into ruin. The sky burned red, the Reaper lattice still glowed faintly in the upper atmosphere. The horizon was a graveyard of twisted ships and frozen waves.
Surge whistled softly. "Guess we missed the party."
Bul cracked his knuckles. "Plenty left to clean up."
Elle looked skyward, lightning flashing behind her eyes. "The world's still burning. Then so are we."
[TEAM LINK // SYNCHRONIZATION: 3% → 7%]
Life signatures stable.
Evolution potential — undefined.
The wind howled across the ice. Above them, somewhere beyond the crimson clouds, the faint echo of a signal pulsed—steady, deliberate.
The hunt had begun.
---
TEAM STATUS – POST-AWAKENING REPORT
(Auto-generated via Ximera Network)
[TEAM SYNC // 07: ACTIVE]
Synchronization: 7%
Current Environment: Antarctic Surface – Ruined Outpost
Detected Signals: 1 (Encrypted, Origin Unknown)
Elle – Elemental Node
• Evolution Level: 1.01
• Stability: 89%
• Abilities: Cryokinesis / Pyroplasm / Atmospheric Control
• Trait Detected: Leadership Resonance (+Tactical Sync)
Stryke – Tactical Node
• Evolution Level: 1.00
• Stability: 93%
• Abilities: Energy Projection / Sonic Burst / Kinetic Precision
• Trait Detected: Command Calculus (+Team Coordination Boost)
Alloy – Magnetic Node
• Evolution Level: 1.03
• Stability: 72%
• Abilities: Magnetism / Regeneration / Organic Steel / Flight
• Warning: Energy Overload – Monitoring Required
Surge – Kinetic Node
• Evolution Level: 1.02
• Stability: 84%
• Abilities: Supersonic Movement / Psionic Blade / Explosive Dash
• Trait Detected: Adrenal Chain (+Momentum Damage)
Bul – Titan Node
• Evolution Level: 1.00
• Stability: 95%
• Abilities: Energy Absorption / Mass Shift / Adaptive Armor
• Trait Detected: Shock Retention (+Reflective Defense)
Shade – Stealth Node
• Evolution Level: 1.01
• Stability: 91%
• Abilities: Teleportation / Phasing / Technopathy / Shapeshift
• Trait Detected: Code Whisperer (+System Override Access)
Vex – Hex Node
• Evolution Level: 1.00
• Stability: 97%
• Abilities: Energy Regulation / Healing / Limited Teleportation / Magic Interface
•Trait Detected: Hex Resonance (+Power Synergy Boost)
[END LOG]
Next Objective: Investigate the signal.