Horace's body lay still.
Too still.
One hand hung off the side of the gurney, limp and colorless.
His lips were parted just slightly, enough to show the smear of blood drying at the corner.
His pulse—
Flat.
His chest—
Still.
The monitor screamed its long, unbroken tone like a blade cutting through the air.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP—
That sound should have shattered me.
Should have torn my instincts open like a wound.
Should have sent me straight off the cliff the Prototype had been pushing me toward.
But instead—
everything inside me went silent.
Still.
Then—
something new opened.
It didn't feel like a collapse.
It felt like a door.
A door inside me
unlocking
swinging wide
revealing something huge
ancient
terrifying
inevitable.
My lungs filled in one slow, steady breath.
The Prototype took a step toward me—
and stopped.
Its lens flickered rapidly, as if its sensors were suddenly overloaded.
Static crackled down its frame.
"…Prime resonance detected.
Level… unknown."
Lucian stared at me with his mouth slightly open, blood still leaking from his lip.
"…Elleanore…
Oh my god…"
Rowan lifted his head weakly from Chandler's shoulder—
face swollen from crying, voice thin and shaking.
"C-Chandler… what's happening…?"
Chandler cupped the back of Rowan's head protectively.
"She's evolving, sweetheart.
Look at me—
don't look at her yet.
Just look at me."
Rowan whimpered.
"I'm scared…"
"I know," Chandler whispered, kissing his temple.
"I'm here.
I won't let anything hurt you."
But Rowan couldn't stop glancing past him, toward me, toward the shift in the air.
Because even he—
terrified, half-collapsed, traumatized—
felt it.
Everyone did.
The medbay lights flickered.
The vents hummed strangely.
The temperature dropped by several degrees.
And my scent—
My scent rose in a slow, steady wave.
Not the kind that spiked in panic.
Not the kind that collapsed under danger.
This was—
Lucian whispered it aloud:
"Prime ascension."
The Prototype's claws twitched.
Its voice glitched with confusion.
"…You should not be able to ascend…
Not without stabilizer metabolics…
Not while collapsing…
Not while—"
It paused.
Scanning me.
Over and over.
Static sparked off its joints.
"…Your evolution was not predicted."
"No," I said softly.
"It wasn't."
I rose to my full height—
no trembling
no collapsing
no breaking.
My limbs felt like they were carved from heat and instinct.
Horace lay behind me, motionless.
My fingers tightened.
"You tried to break me," I whispered.
"And I almost let you."
The Prototype shifted its stance, metallic plates scraping.
"…You are incomplete.
You will destabilize again."
"Maybe," I said.
"But not before I end this."
Lucian tried to stand straighter, gripping his ribs.
"Elleanore—listen to me—
you don't have the reserves—
you're awakening too fast—
you can't fight it alone—!"
I shook my head.
"I'm not alone."
My gaze slid back to Horace—
his limp hand
his still chest
his dying warmth—
"I'm fighting for him."
The Prototype tensed.
"…The stabilizer is dead.
Your bond is irrelevant now."
My scent sharpened like a blade.
"No," I whispered.
"You don't get to say that."
A sharp ringing sound filled the air.
Rowan gasped and clutched his head.
"Ch-Chandler—something—ow—my ears—"
Chandler hugged him tight.
"Don't look—don't listen—just focus on my voice, okay?"
The ringing grew louder.
The lights flickered harder.
The sound wasn't from the Prototype.
It was from me.
Lucian stared as though witnessing an earthquake.
"Her resonance is destabilizing the entire floor—"
The Prototype's lens dimmed—
"…What are you doing…?"
The sound peaked—
like a frequency I'd never heard before—
shaking the medbay shelves
shivering through the floor tiles.
The Prototype staggered back a step.
A step.
For the first time.
Lucian whispered:
"Elleanore—stop—
you'll rupture your scent glands—!!"
But I didn't stop.
Because I could feel something.
Something shifting inside me.
Something awakening.
A pressure behind my ribs—
like a heartbeat that wasn't mine—
like a breath I hadn't taken—
like a voice that wasn't speaking aloud.
A command.
My command.
And the Prototype—
felt it.
Static erupted violently from its chest.
"…Prime…
Prime—dominance—detected—!!"
My voice dropped into a low, instinctive tone—
something primal
ancient
and commanding:
"STOP."
The Prototype froze.
Its joints locked.
Its actuators froze.
Its claws halted mid-strike.
Lucian staggered back.
"Holy—
She issued a Prime command."
Chandler stared in shock.
"Is that even possible?!"
Rowan trembled against him.
"Chandler… she stopped it… she actually…"
Chandler rubbed soothing circles on his back.
"I know.
You're safe.
Just stay with me."
The Prototype's voice glitch-screamed:
"…ERROR—
COMMAND OVERRIDE—
FAILURE—
UNRECOGNIZED—PRIME—SIGNATURE—"
My scent pressed against its sensors.
My instinct forced its circuits into conflict.
"You tried to claim me," I whispered.
"You tried to break me.
You tried to take my family."
My throat tightened.
"And you almost did."
The Prototype's lens dimmed.
"…Elleanore…
surrender…"
"No."
I took a slow, steady breath.
One hand reached behind me—
finding Horace's still hand again.
My fingers curled around his.
"My bond is not broken," I whispered.
"He's still here."
The Prototype's claws twitched violently.
"…bond—invalid—stabilizer—ceased—"
"JUST BECAUSE HE IS DYING," I said, voice shaking but sure,
"DOES NOT MEAN HE IS DEAD."
Lucian wiped blood off his chin.
"Elleanore—
your resonance—
it's affecting his vitals—
DON'T STOP—
KEEP GOING—!!"
My breath hitched.
"Wh-what?"
Lucian pointed to the monitor.
The flatline—
flickered.
Only once.
But it flickered.
Lucian's voice broke:
"Your evolution—your scent—
it's triggering his instinctive receptors—
THIS IS IT—
THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO PULL HIM BACK—!!"
Tears filled my eyes.
Horace…
The Prototype lunged in glitching panic.
"NO—!!" Lucian screamed.
Chandler held Rowan close and ducked.
The Prototype swiped its claws down at me—
and I raised one hand.
I didn't block it.
Not physically.
I commanded it.
"ENOUGH."
The air cracked open—
a pulse exploded outward from my chest—
and the Prototype was thrown backward.
Slammed into the far wall.
Hard.
Metal dented.
Sparks burst.
Its frame rattled violently from the impact.
Rowan's eyes widened.
"H-How…?"
Chandler whispered:
"She awakened."
Lucian stared—
terrified
awed
pale.
"Elleanore has become the first active Prime in a century."
I didn't look away from the Prototype.
I didn't breathe.
I didn't collapse.
I held Horace's hand.
"Come back to me," I whispered.
"I'm not done fighting."
His monitor flickered again.
Lucian's eyes widened.
"YES—YES—ELLEANORE—KEEP TALKING—!!"
I pressed my forehead to his.
"Come back.
I need you.
I'm choosing you.
I will ALWAYS choose you."
The Prototype slammed a claw into the wall, trying to stand.
Static glitched out of its speakers.
"…You…
cannot…
deny…
blood…"
I lifted my head and glared at it.
"My blood made you."
I stepped forward.
"But MY CHOICE unmakes you."
The Prototype shrieked—
a sound of rage
distortion
fear.
Horace's fingers twitched.
I gasped—
"HORACE—!!"
The monitor flickered again.
A faint blip.
So faint—
but real.
Lucian shouted through tears:
"YES—YES—HE'S RESPONDING—ELLEANORE—KEEP GOING—!!"
The Prototype surged forward—
but for the first time—
it wasn't hunting me.
It was trying to ESCAPE.
Trying to flee.
Trying to escape a Prime.
I stepped in its path.
"You're not going anywhere."
The Prototype reared back and screeched.
"ELLEANORE—
YOU ARE MINE—"
My instincts roared.
"No."
The air cracked again—
a shockwave tearing through the medbay—
and the Prototype was thrown into the floor, metal plates shattering as it hit.
Lucian shielded his face.
Chandler shielded Rowan completely.
Monitors exploded in bursts of sparks.
And behind me—
Horace gasped—
a ragged, choking breath.
Then another.
Then another.
He was breathing.
HE WAS BREATHING.
Tears burst from my eyes.
"Horace—
Horace—
H-Horace—!!"
The Prototype twitched on the floor, one arm sparking and broken.
Its voice glitched:
"…Prime…
Elleanore…
complete…"
I stepped toward it—
breath steady
heart fierce
instinct feral
strength awakened—
and whispered:
"This ends now."
Prime vs. Prototype
The Prototype struggled to rise.
Its limbs trembled, jerking sharply with bursts of static.
Wires sparked.
A long, deep dent curved across its torso from where I'd thrown it into the medbay wall.
But it wasn't dead.
It wasn't shutting down.
It was evolving.
Adapting.
Its single flickering lens fixed itself on me.
"…Prime… threat…
eliminate…"
Lucian staggered beside me, clutching his ribs.
"Elleanore—
whatever you do—
DO NOT let it touch you—!!
Your evolution is raw—if it gets a chemical scan of your new signature—"
"I know," I whispered.
"But I'm not giving it the chance."
Behind us, Horace lay weakly breathing—
just breaths—
but those breaths anchored my entire being.
I reached back and touched his hand.
Just a brush of my fingers.
It steadied me.
It steadied everything.
Rowan let out a sharp, terrified cry.
"Chandler—Chandler—she's going to die—!!"
Chandler immediately cupped Rowan's cheeks, brushing away his tears with both thumbs.
"Rowan—hey—hey—focus on me.
Look at me.
Breathe with me."
Rowan shook violently, his nails digging into Chandler's sleeves.
"I can't—I can't—there's too much—the noise—the lights—her scent—it's too much—!!"
"I've got you," Chandler whispered, forehead pressing to Rowan's.
"You're not alone.
You hear me?
You're not alone."
"But she—"
"She's stronger than she's ever been," Chandler said.
"And you're safe.
You're with me."
Rowan sobbed again, trembling violently.
But he didn't faint.
Chandler held him there—kept him grounded—kept him alive.
The Prototype rose—
a tall, jagged creature pieced together with bloodline instinct and metal.
Its voice glitched.
"…Prime…
Elleanore…
Sequence Alpha: resonance neutralization."
"What the hell does that mean?!" Chandler snapped.
Lucian swallowed hard.
"It's trying to counter her evolution—
it's reading her output—
trying to build immunity to her scent—"
My pulse tightened.
Lucian gripped my shoulder.
"Elleanore—
listen to me.
You can't fight it like a soldier.
You have to fight it like a Prime."
"How?"
Lucian looked directly into my eyes.
And whispered:
"By WANTING something more than it does."
The Prototype lunged.
BOOM—!!
The floor cracked under its weight.
I dodged to the side—
instinct guiding my movements like lightning firing through my veins.
My scent burst in a shockwave—
not uncontrolled
but sharp
focused
weaponized.
The Prototype staggered, its sensors glitching.
I sprinted across the room, sliding beneath a broken gurney and grabbing a fallen metal pole.
Its surface burned hot in my grip.
I swung it with every ounce of force behind me—
CLANG—!!
The pole slammed across the Prototype's arm joint—
sparks exploded.
But the Prototype didn't fall.
It grabbed the pole mid-air and crushed it in its claws.
Metal twisted like paper.
Lucian swore.
"Elleanore—MOVE—!!"
I rolled backward, narrowly dodging a strike that would've split me in two.
My breath came hard.
But my body—
My body felt ALIVE.
Every movement felt like instinct was guiding my limbs before my mind even caught up.
Another strike flew toward me.
I raised my hand—
and my scent lashed outward on command.
WHUM—!!
A sudden, concussive wave blasted from my palm.
The Prototype stumbled backward—
not far, but enough.
Lucian's eyes widened.
"She's using scent resonance as a PHYSICAL force—
Prime combat—
REAL Prime combat—
I've never seen—
I can't believe—"
The Prototype screeched:
"ADAPTING—!!"
Its frame twisted, reshaping.
A second set of metal claws unfolded from its back.
"Oh come on—!" Chandler snapped.
Rowan cried out, voice cracking:
"Ch-Chandler—make it stop—PLEASE—!!"
"I'm here—I'm here," Chandler murmured quickly, holding him tight.
"Keep your eyes closed. I've got you."
Lucian gripped the edge of a table, white-knuckled.
"Elleanore—listen—there's something I haven't told you—
the Prototype—
it wasn't supposed to be a weapon."
The Prototype lunged again.
I dodged left—
barely—
its claws slicing down through the tile, sending shards flying.
"What do you mean?" I shouted, voice shaking.
Lucian swallowed hard.
"It was supposed to be—
a cure."
My heart stopped.
"What…?"
Lucian's voice cracked as he shouted over the sound of battle:
"The Prototype was the FIRST attempt to fix your family's genetic instability—
the instability that killed every Prime before they matured!"
The Prototype slammed into a metal column.
The whole room shook.
Lucian kept going:
"Elliot wasn't taken because he LOOKED like you—
he was taken because he had the SAME instability levels—
and the Prototype was programmed to IDENTIFY that instability!"
The Prototype sprinted toward me.
I sprinted toward it.
We collided.
My scent burst like fire.
Its circuitry screeched.
We staggered apart.
Lucian screamed:
"It wanted him because Elliot's scent was the closest match to its own programming—
because the Prototype was made with YOUR family's DNA!"
My heart twisted violently.
The Prototype's lens glowed red.
"…blood…
of origin…"
Lucian choked.
"Elleanore—
it's not hunting you—
it's searching for the one thing it THINKS can complete it—
the missing half—"
The Prototype reared back—
and screamed:
"…ELLEANORE…
YOU ARE MY COMPLETION."
"No," I whispered.
I ran forward.
Lucian screamed:
"ELLEANORE—!!"
My instincts flared—
a blaze of light and pressure and scent and strength—
I SLAMMED my palm toward the Prototype—
and a shockwave exploded outward—
like thunder tearing the room apart.
BOOOOOOM—!!
The Prototype flew back—
slamming into the far wall—
cracking metal—
sparking violently.
The impact dented the wall itself.
Rowan clapped both hands over his ears, collapsing into Chandler's chest.
Chandler shielded him desperately.
"ROWAN—HEY—HEY—stay with me—stay—!"
Rowan sobbed, barely breathing.
Lucian staggered toward Horace.
"Elleanore—
your resonance levels—
they're rising too fast—
you need grounding—
HORACE needs grounding—!"
I turned toward Horace—
his still form—
his faint breaths—
his need—
And the Prototype's voice cracked like a dying creature:
"…If I cannot complete with you…
then I will REMOVE your bond."
It lunged—
straight for Horace.
My scream tore the air apart.
"NO—!!"
My instincts snapped.
My scent detonated in a massive, blinding pulse—
a shockwave like light and sound and pressure all at once—
It hit everything.
The Prototype.
The walls.
The equipment.
The floor.
Chandler wrapped Rowan's head with his arms to protect his hearing.
Lucian dove behind a console.
Horace's heart monitor flickered—
fluttered—
then flatlined again.
BEEEEEEEEEEEP—
I felt something inside me tear.
My knees buckled.
My vision blurred.
"Horace—
H-Horace—
no—
no—NO—!!"
Lucian screamed:
"Elleanore—STOP—YOU'LL KILL EVERYONE—!!!"
But I couldn't.
I couldn't control it.
My instincts went wild—
devastated
feral
mourning
raging.
The Prototype struck again—
trying to push past the shockwave.
I screamed—
"STAY AWAY FROM HIM—!!"
The shockwave doubled—
ripping tiles up from the floor.
The Prototype slammed into the far corner.
Sparks burst from its core.
Its voice glitched violently.
"…ELLEANORE—
PRIME—
BOND—
BREACH—
OVERRIDE—FAILU—"
Then suddenly—
its movement stopped.
Completely.
It froze mid-recovery.
Its frame locked.
Its lens flickered once.
Twice.
Then dimmed.
Not from defeat.
But because it was—
DOWNLOADING.
Lucian went pale.
"Oh god—
no—
NO—
that's the last failsafe—
IT'S REWRITING ITSELF—!!"
"What does that mean?" Chandler shouted.
Lucian choked:
"It's adapting.
It's EVOLVING.
To counter a PRIME."
My scent pulsed uncontrollably.
Horace's pulse—
nothing.
Lucian screamed:
"ELL—NO—STOP—SHE'S GOING TO—"
But the room shook.
Lights shattered.
The Prototype's chest opened—
revealing a glowing, pulsing core.
And in a broken, distorted whisper—
it said:
"…Elliot…"