"Wake up! Wake up!"
A faint, distant-sounding call roused Kael Voss from a deep sleep. Blinking groggily, he jolted backward as a broad face loomed inches from his own. Once his eyes adjusted, he recognized the owner of the startlingly close visage—Gareth "Wraith" Stone, another probationary candidate.
"Grab something to eat. We're to report to Dr. Thorne after dinner," Gareth said, holding out two warm, protein-rich nutrient bars. Their synthetic wrapping glinted softly under the Verdant Bio-Dome's artificial lights.
"Where did you get these?" Kael asked, stunned for a moment before taking the bars.
"There's a nutrient distribution hub near the valley. I saw everyone picking up rations, so I got mine—and grabbed an extra pair for you when I realized you hadn't eaten," Gareth replied with an earnest grin, his scarred knuckles (a relic of frontier scavenging) brushing against the bars as he handed them over.
"Thanks, Gareth," Kael said, a flicker of gratitude warming his chest. Gareth looked far more seasoned than his years, so the respectful address slipped out naturally.
"I-It's nothing. I'm used to helping out at home," Gareth stammered, cheeks flushing slightly under his dust-streaked skin. "I get antsy if I'm not doing something. Just ask if you need a hand—all I've got is strength, but it's reliable."
Kael, who'd skipped both morning and afternoon rations, was ravenous. He tore into the nutrient bars, the sweet, energy-dense paste melting on his tongue, and finished both in mere minutes.
"It's getting late. We should head to Dr. Thorne's lab," he said, burping softly and glancing at the dome's ceiling—where simulated twilight mimicked the planet's natural sunset. Mentally calculating the time, he knew they couldn't delay.
Gareth nodded eagerly, falling into step beside Kael as they made their way to Dr. Thorne's private laboratory in the heart of the Verdant Bio-Dome.
The lab was a stark contrast to the lush greenery outside. Walls lined with holographic data terminals displayed glowing gene sequences and bio-energy flowcharts; cylindrical cryogenic storage units hummed softly, holding rare bio-materials and genetic samples; and a central workstation was cluttered with micro-pipettes, DNA sequencers, and a half-assembled gene-editing tool. Where shelves once held ancient tomes, now sleek data archives stored terabytes of biological research.
"Dr. Thorne!" Kael and Gareth called in unison.
Dr. Mordecai Thorne sat with his back to them, perched on a ergonomic lab chair, his gaze fixed on a floating hologram of a mutated plant's genome. He seemed utterly oblivious to their arrival, his fingers flicking through data streams as if they were pages in a book. Being only ten and twelve respectively, the two boys grew awkward, shifting their weight from foot to foot as they waited silently.
Kael's legs had begun to tingle with numbness when Dr. Thorne finally lowered the hologram. He turned slowly, his gaunt face impassive as he scanned them with sharp, pale eyes. He picked up a small vial of glowing blue liquid—likely a gene stabilizer—and swirled it lazily before speaking in his gravelly, deliberate tone.
"From this day forward, you are my probationary apprentices," he announced, setting the vial down with a soft clink. "I will teach you the fundamentals of bio-material harvesting, gene sequencing, and synthetic organism cultivation. You may also learn emergency bio-augmentation first aid—but I will not instruct you in advanced combat tech or gene-enhanced combat protocols."
He paused, his gaze hardening slightly. "I have an unnamed gene calibration protocol to impart to you. It will not grant you victory in battle, but it will optimize your genetic stability, enhance your bio-energy conductivity, and fortify your cellular structure. If you are desperate to learn combat skills, you may seek out the Conglomerate's combat instructors—I will not oppose it. However, in six months' time, my evaluation will focus solely on your mastery of this protocol. Fail, and you will be reassigned to peripheral status, tasked with managing frontier outposts. Do you understand?"
His tone turned solemn, emphasizing the importance of the protocol—clearly, it was far more than a simple "health regimen."
"We understand," Kael and Gareth replied in unison, their voices firm.
"You may leave. Return at first light tomorrow," Dr. Thorne waved a dismissive hand, already turning back to his holographic genome. The boys departed quietly, Kael stealing one last glance at the data stream—filled with complex genetic codes he couldn't yet decipher, though the holographic label glinted with three bold symbols he recognized as part of the Conglomerate's advanced bio-tech nomenclature.
Outside the lab, Kael let out a quiet sigh of relief. Inside, he'd felt a suffocating tension—Dr. Thorne's presence was as imposing as the bio-dome's energy generators, and his silence had weighed heavily on the air. Now, with the artificial breeze rustling the gene-modified foliage, he felt his shoulders relax.
In the days that followed, Kael was buzzing with quiet excitement. He was officially a probationary apprentice of the Seven Luminaries Tech Conglomerate—far better than being sent back to the village, where scarcity and radiation were constant threats. Even if he failed the six-month evaluation, he'd become a peripheral member, just like his uncle Gideon—someone with status, regular rations, and the chance to support his family. In Kael's mind, that was already a life of privilege. Secretly, he even harbored a faint hope of failing—of returning home sooner to see his parents and Lila, who he imagined was still craving those gene-enhanced berries.
Their routine settled into a rhythm: mornings were spent with Dr. Thorne, learning to identify rare bio-materials, operate gene-sequencing scanners, and analyze synthetic organism growth patterns. Afternoons, they joined other probationary candidates in the bio-dome's learning center, where instructors taught them basic literacy (critical for understanding technical manuals), bio-energy circuit mapping, gene node identification, and basic physical augmentation drills—including gravity-resistant squats and synthetic fiber target practice to build dexterity.
A month later, Kael and Gareth were separated from the other candidates. Dr. Thorne had deemed them ready for the unnamed protocol, and mastering it consumed nearly all their time. He issued a strict warning: the protocol was proprietary Conglomerate knowledge, and any attempt to share it with outsiders would result in immediate expulsion and reassignment to a high-risk frontier outpost.
During this period, Kael pieced together details about the Seven Luminaries and Dr. Thorne from whispered conversations with other apprentices. The Conglomerate was ruled by a Directorate, led by the enigmatic Apex Archon's successors, with four Vice Directors overseeing core divisions: Gene Forging, Apex Combat, Interstellar Trade, and Bio-Technical Research. Below them were the peripheral members and core operatives, with the Elder Council acting as advisors.
Dr. Thorne, Kael learned, hadn't always been with the Seven Luminaries. Several years earlier, Vice Director Malachi—one of the Conglomerate's most powerful leaders—had been ambushed by Wolfpack Raiders during a trade route inspection. His escort was decimated, and he suffered catastrophic genetic damage from a bio-toxin, his cells degenerating rapidly. The Conglomerate's top bio-scientists were powerless, but Dr. Thorne—who'd been traveling the frontier as a freelance genetic researcher—had stumbled upon the scene. Using a combination of experimental gene therapies and synthetic organism-derived antidotes, he'd reversed the damage, saving Malachi's life.
Grateful and impressed by Dr. Thorne's expertise (and rumors of his hidden combat tech knowledge), Malachi had invited him to join the Conglomerate as a Senior Bio-Technical Advisor—one of the highest-ranking positions in the Bio-Technical Research Division. He'd been granted control of the Verdant Bio-Dome, a state-of-the-art facility reserved for only the most valuable research. Though few had seen Dr. Thorne demonstrate combat abilities, his medical skills had saved countless operatives from genetic degradation, toxin exposure, and bio-augmentation failures. Even with his gruff demeanor and reclusive nature, he was widely respected across the Conglomerate.
As Kael and Gareth practiced the first phase of the unnamed protocol that night—focusing on synchronizing their breathing with their bio-energy flow—Kael couldn't help but wonder: what secrets did this protocol hold? And why was Dr. Thorne so determined to teach it to them, of all the candidates? Little did he know, the protocol was the first step in a journey that would redefine his genetic code—and set him on the path to true gene ascension.