Chapter 1: Awakening
Darkness. Silence.
A sharp intake of breath echoed in the cold, metallic room. Kai Mercer's eyes shot open, his pulse hammering in his skull. He was lying on something hard, a slab of steel, maybe. The air was thick, sterile, and laced with something artificial. His limbs felt heavy like they hadn't moved in days. His mind—blank.
No name. No memory. Nothing but the crushing weight of confusion.
Then the voices started.
A gasp. A groan. Then a sharp cry from somewhere close. Kai twisted his head, vision swimming as he took in the others—five figures, stirring on similar slabs, identical expressions of disorientation. The dim overhead lights flickered to life, revealing walls lined with strange glowing symbols. The room wasn't just metal. It was something more—something advanced, humming with an energy he couldn't name.
A voice crackled to life overhead, emotionless and synthetic:
"Subjects 001 through 006. Awakening complete. Initiating Phase One."
Panic surged in his chest. Who was speaking? Where were they? And why couldn't he remember a damn thing?
Then, the walls shifted.
With a deep, mechanical groan, the room's edges fractured, metal panels sliding apart to reveal shadowed hallways that stretched into infinity. Something about the air beyond them felt... wrong. Like stepping into a place they weren't meant to be.
The six locked eyes. Strangers. Yet bound by something they didn't understand.
Then the screaming started.