Emergency units flooded the site, deploying massive air filtration systems. Engines roared as the machines ramped up, pulling in the toxic surge that had breached the dome. Heavy steel barriers were hoisted into place, sealing the rupture with temporary reinforcements.
The structural damage wasn't catastrophicม but it was enough. Enough to buy Drago and his group the time they needed to disappear into the orange haze of the Outlands territory that covered more than seventy percent of the world.
The failure of the P-Type unit quickly ignited public outrage. Some citizens had witnessed the brutal clash firsthandม and the fact that the target escaped only fueled the fire.
Beep… Beep…
Public screens across the district flickered, cutting to a breaking news broadcast. Every major outlet jumped on the story. Simulated footage filled the screens, paired with casualty figures.
"Research facility assailant still at large! One officer confirmed dead, three others critically injured!"
The anchor delivered the report in a grave, controlled tone.
"Authorities have yet to determine a clear motive behind the attack. However, preliminary evidence suggests the suspect may have received assistance from individuals within the dome. Central command has ordered an immediate escalation of search operations across all sectors to locate any accomplices."
.....
Outside Biotope Enclave 5, the massive off-road truck roared on tearing through a wall of dense dust. The last light of the sun had already slipped below the horizon. What remained was darkness absolute, suffocating swallowing the Outlands like a massive black void.
Inside the cabin, Drago and Edward sat in tense silence, surrounded by high-end equipment packed into every corner. On the central console, news footage of the chaos they'd just caused looped endlessly across the monitor.
"So… who exactly are you people?"
Edward finally asked, his voice still shaky from everything he'd just survived.
"We're just a group that came together a few hours ago."
Drago replied casually, leaning back like none of it mattered.
"As for her Chloe. She's just a regular human. Same as you."
He jerked his chin toward the driver.
Chloe. Still flooring it. Outside, the thick dust storm reduced everything to a dull gray void beyond the windshield. But layered over the glass, a holographic navigation system lit up mapping out terrain, debris, and structural remains in wireframe projections.
With sensor data feeding in real time, Chloe drove at full speed, without slowing down even once.
The cabin was sealed tight pressurized, reinforced with a modified high-efficiency filtration system. The chassis itself was a relic from the old world, a salvaged off-road frame, but the upgrades were anything but outdated. With enough ingenuity, it now performed on par with modern military-grade hardware. The only thing it still relied on… was diesel.
Hiss…
Air pressure equalized as Chloe pulled off her mask. Her face came into view under the dim glow of the console. Large, determined eyes. Sharp. Focused. Paired with delicate features that, under different circumstances might've made her someone's dream.
But not here. Not in this world.
Her shoulder-length bronze hair was damp, weighed down with sweat and soot. Smudges of engine grease streaked across her cheekbones, erasing any trace of softness, replaced instead by the marks of survival.
"Hope this job was worth it, 29."
Chloe muttered, yanking the wheel to dodge a collapsed structure flashing across the sensor display.
"Call me Drago. And yeah… I'd say it was more than worth it."
He leaned back, completely at ease. Beside him, Edward sat rigid tense.
"You broke into the dome for one kid? And my brother actually went along with it? Unbelievable."
Chloe scoffed, pushing the engine harder as it growled through the sealed cabin.
"Relax. If we hadn't stepped in, this kid wouldn't have lasted three days."
Drago said it flat, like it was nothing.
"Three days? What do you mean?! Don't tell me I'm going to die!"
Edward blurted, panic spiking. The heart-rate scanner on his mask immediately flashed a stress warning.
"Yeah. You are."
Drago nodded toward the screen, tone firm.
"If you'd stayed holed up in that shoebox of a place."
"Sorry I can't afford anything better!"
Edward shot back, sarcasm biting through his voice, though a chill crept in as he remembered the bullet holes that had ripped through his room just minutes ago.
"If we treat it in time… you might make it."
Chloe cut in, glancing at him through the rearview mirror.
"Treat it? Where?! I can't just walk into a hospital in the dome anymore!"
Edward fired back, panic rising fast.
"I never said we were taking you to a hospital."
Drago replied calmly, leaning back like none of it concerned him.
The shift hit him instantly. The truck tilted angling downward, steady and sharp, like it was descending into a drop.
A bridge? No… that doesn't make sense. We never went up.
Edward frowned, confusion tightening in his chest.
Whoosh…
The dense dust ahead began to thin. Dim orange lights flickered into view lining the ceiling and walls on both sides, stretching deeper into the passage.
"…A tunnel?"
Edward blurted, staring at the thick concrete walls closing in around them.
"Something like that. It's an underground route, takes us straight to base."
Chloe replied, easing off the accelerator just slightly.
"Base? Wait… there's a hidden base out here?"
"You'll see."
The pickup continued its descent deeper into the darkness below, leaving the poisoned world above behind.
Moments later. A massive steel gate ahead began to slide open.
Rrrrmm…
And beyond it, Something Edward never expected to see in the Outlands.
Inside the vast underground chamber stood rows of compact homes warm, lived-in, almost unreal. This… felt like a real home. Not a concrete box passed off as one. The kind of place high-tier citizens inside the dome would pay over seventy thousand credits a month to live in, And even then, it wouldn't compare. Not to this. Not to the shoebox he'd been surviving in for three thousand a month.
The pickup rolled past rows of houses before coming to a stop in front of a three-story, block-shaped building clearly the center of the settlement. It stood tall enough that its rooftop nearly brushed against the concrete ceiling above.
Chloe killed the engine and hopped out with effortless ease.
"Miss me?"
She called out half playful, half mocking toward someone inside. Drago gave Edward a nod and stepped out as well. Edward followed, his eyes sweeping the surroundings in quiet awe. Beneath a world rotting above… there was this. A hidden sanctuary. Built with care. Quiet. Untouched.
"Well… you certainly made the headlines, Drago."
A man stepped out from the shadows of the building, his tone calm, almost casual.
"Yeah. If you're gonna do it, might as well go big."
Drago shrugged, completely unbothered.
"And this… is the kid you were talking about?"
The man's gaze settled on Edward, who still stood there, visibly lost.
"Yeah, that's him. Got hit this morning, we caught wind by noon, went in by afternoon, back here by night. Not bad timing, right?"
Drago let out a low chuckle, then turned toward Edward.
"Edward, this is Connor. He's the one running this place… and Chloe's older brother."
Connor gave a small nod, studying the young man in front of him.
"Edward, right? Come on in. Let's run a quick scan, see what you've been hit with."
"Wait! Who are you people? And what is this place?!"
Edward snapped, confusion spiking hard enough to trigger another pulse warning across his mask.
"Easy, kid. We'll talk."
Connor cut him off, already turning toward the building.
"For now, take that thing off and get inside."
Edward lay back on a cold metal scanning bed.
A thin blue laser swept over him head to toe, precise and methodical.
"There it is… just like I thought. Alicia planted something in you."
Connor murmured, eyes fixed on the monitor. A red marker blinked rapidly buried deep within Edward's brain.
"What is that?! And when did she do it?!"
Edward shot up, panic flooding in.
"We don't fully understand her ability yet,"
Connor said, voice tightening.
"But wiping memories isn't something you do with a glance."
A beat.
"She has to introduce something into your nervous system first."
His eyes didn't leave the screen.
"That's her real ability."
A pause.
"A parasite."
Edward's expression changed instantly. Revulsion hit him like a wave cold, crawling, at the thought of something foreign burrowing inside his head.
"When that parasite fully matures… Alicia will be able to take full control of your body. One hundred percent."
Connor said, voice tight as he checked the energy readings on the display.
"And the part about me dying… in three days?"
Edward asked, his voice trembling under the weight of it.
"Well… when someone loses both their body and mind, when there's nothing left of who they are…"
Connor met his eyes.
"They're basically a walking corpse."
The words landed flat. Final.
"But don't worry. We can treat it here."
A pause.
"It's just… going to hurt. A lot."
He didn't look away.
"That parasite's latched directly onto your sensory system."
"Do it. Get it out. Now."
Edward didn't hesitate.
"I'm ready."
Connor gave a short nod and turned to the table, laying out his instruments with practiced precision. Bottles shifted. Gauze. Alcohol. Then, He picked up a large syringe. Filled with a strange, glowing fluid.
Click.
He cleared the air from the needle. The faint glow of the liquid reflected in Edward's eyes, as he lay there, perfectly still, waiting for whatever came next.
"…That wasn't so bad."
Edward let out a quiet breath as the first injection went in.
"That was penicillin."
Connor replied flatly, setting the empty syringe aside. Then he picked up another one. This time, the fluid inside was darker thick, murky. He met Edward's eyes, expression turning serious.
"Next, I'm injecting a virus directly into your brain."
A beat.
"It'll go after the parasite."
His tone didn't change.
"But you're going to burn up high fever. Your muscles, your bones… it's going to hurt so bad you'll wish you were dead."
Another pause.
"Once that's done, I'll flush it out with an antiviral. You'll start coughing blood…"
His eyes flicked briefly to the syringe.
"...and the parasite will come out with it."
Silence.
"And then… we're done."
It sounded less like treatment, and more like torture.
"…Fine. Just do it."
Edward's voice was barely there. He shut his eyes tight. Accepted it.
Thk.
Connor moved. The procedure continued.
"AAAGHH…!"
The scream ripped through the underground lab raw, desperate. Edward's body convulsed violently, the metal table rattling under the strain as his nerves burned alive. Sweat poured off him, soaking his entire body.
Seconds dragged. Then minutes. Time stretched slow, unbearable like being dragged through hell itself. More than thirty minutes of agony until…
HAA…CHH!
Edward jerked forward, coughing violently. Dark blood splattered across the floor, and with it. something else. A tiny, writhing thing. Pale. Translucent. Larval. It hit the ground, twitching weakly in the pool of blood, before everything went still. All that remained, was the sound of Edward's ragged breathing.
Connor stepped out of the recovery room, exhaustion written across his face. Drago was already there leaning against the wall, waiting.
"How is he?"
Drago asked, eyes flicking toward the door.
"He's fine. You can relax."
Connor wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"The parasite's completely gone. He's asleep now, once he wakes up, everything should be back to normal."
A pause. Then Connor looked at him, sharper.
"What the hell were you thinking, Drago?"
His voice hardened.
"Volunteering yourself as a test subject for the Central Government?"
A scoff.
"And Nicolas, you know exactly how twisted that guy is."
"What choice did I have…"
Drago let out a long breath, his gaze drifting somewhere far away.
"After that deployment… my right leg was done. Paralysis. Forced early retirement. And with the cost of living… that pension? Not even close to enough."
He gave a small shrug.
"Whatever. It is what it is."
Connor gave his shoulder a light pat.
"Come on. Let's grab a drink."
A faint smirk.
"Now that you've got yourself an immortal body and all."
"Yeah… sounds good. Been a while since I got drunk."
Drago shrugged, a crooked grin forming.
"Not even sure this busted body can still feel it."
Tap… Tap…
Their footsteps echoed down the concrete corridor as they walked off, their voices fading into the distance. Silence settled over the recovery room. Only the steady rhythm of Edward's breathing remainedม as he drifted into real rest, for the first time in days.