Chapter 1 Zane Carter
Darkness swallowed the tunnel, its damp walls slick with moisture. The air was thick—rancid, suffocating, tainted by the stench of decay. Rats scurried in the shadows, their tiny claws scraping against the stone floor. No sane person would set foot here.
Unless they had something to hide.
Two figures stood in the gloom, their voices low but sharp with tension.
"Where is the SEED?" a man whispered, his voice laced with urgency.
Across from him, another figure—Zero—remained eerily still. "You don’t need to know," he said, his tone cool, unreadable. "It’s already been cultivated."
The first man stiffened. "What do you mean I don’t need to know?" His whisper turned to a growl. "Zero, I’m your superior. You report everything to me."
Zero exhaled slowly, his voice carrying the weight of unseen pressures. "Not this time. Orders came from the top."
A pause. The air between them thickened.
"Even though you’re my superior, I have my limits too." Zero’s voice dropped to a whisper. "The mission was a success. The subject is still in its growing phase. Until it’s ready, my orders are clear—keep it hidden, away from all threats, terrestrial or otherwise."
A moment of silence. Then a frustrated sigh.
"You better know what you’re doing, Zero."