The Ridgefield Terminal was a graveyard of steel. Cranes stood like rusted skeletons over empty cargo yards, and the air stank of oil and brine. Zara crouched on a shipping container, hood pulled low, every muscle wired tight.
Floodlights carved the dark into harsh white patches. Black vans lined the edge of the lot. Armed guards moved in patterns too sharp to be random—disciplined, trained, not just thugs. And behind them, the entrance to the underground terminal yawned open.
Zara's skin buzzed. Her veins glowed faintly under her jacket, the venom threads begging to be loosed.
She whispered, "Alright, Reed. Let's see what game you're playing."
A guard passed underneath. Zara blinked into the shadows behind him, silk flashing out. The venom thread kissed his neck—his body seized, collapsed without a sound. She dragged him into the dark, stripped his comm earpiece.
A cold voice crackled through the channel: "Perimeter check, north quadrant. Report."
Zara pressed the button. "Clear." She pitched her voice lower.
The voice didn't question it. "Good. Overseer wants no mistakes tonight."
That word sank into her gut. Overseer.
She moved, blinking rooftop to rooftop, weaving through the spotlights like a shadow stitched to the night. Every kill came fast, silent, black silk wrapping throats before their bodies could even hit the ground. With each drop, her chest burned hotter, the hunger inside purring with satisfaction.
By the time she reached the terminal doors, the lot was quiet.
She slipped inside.
The underground stretched wide—corridors of rusted rails, loading docks crawling with equipment. Old subway lines converted into labs. Crates stamped with Z-Serum. Tanks of liquid where shapes twitched and writhed.
Her breath hitched. "Holy shit."
A voice rolled through the chamber, amplified by speakers. "Welcome, Zara."
She froze.
On the catwalk above stood a man in a pressed black coat, silver hair combed sharp, his posture military-perfect. His face was half-shadow, but the gleam of cold lenses where his eyes should have been caught the light.
"I am Overseer Halberd," he said, voice clipped like a commander. "You're as reckless as Reed promised."
Zara's fists clenched. "Reed works for you?"
Halberd smiled faintly. "Reed is… disposable. You, however, are not."
The air hissed. Cages opened along the walls. Figures stepped out—hybrids, but not sloppy like Reed. Sleek armor fused to their flesh, spines bristling with syringes, mandibles plated like steel.
Zara's stomach twisted. These weren't accidents. They were soldiers.
Halberd spread his arms. "Project Z was designed for chaos, yes, but also for control. Humanity wastes its potential. You, Zara, are proof that evolution can be accelerated."
"You think I'm joining your freak show?"
Halberd's voice hardened. "You already have. Every jump you take, every thread you spin—it feeds the DNA I gave you. Do you feel the hunger? The urge to tear, to consume?"
Her jaw clenched. "I'm not yours."
Halberd tilted his head. "Then prove it."
The hybrids lunged.
Zara blinked sideways as a claw slashed where her head had been. She fired venom threads, lashing two to the floor, watching them writhe as the poison chewed through their veins. But more came, faster, stronger.
A fist hammered her ribs, throwing her into a steel beam. She gasped, spitting blood. Silk shot from her hand, yanking her upward onto the catwalk.
Halberd didn't flinch. He just watched, cold and amused, as if she were a lab rat in a maze.
"Reed thought himself chosen," Halberd said. "But he was only a test. You're the one I'm interested in. The only one who survived with your mind intact."
She staggered to her feet. "You're insane."
Halberd leaned closer, voice low. "No. I'm inevitable."
A hybrid smashed through the railing, tackling her. She blinked them both midair, reappearing on the far platform. Her threads wrapped its throat—then blackened, hardening like obsidian. The hybrid convulsed, then went still.
[Level Up: 4]
[Skill Upgrade: Venom Threads → Serrated Venom]
The silk in her hands was razor-edged now, dripping venom like acid.
Her lips curved in a shaky grin. "Guess I'm leveling faster than you planned."
Halberd's smile didn't waver. "Good. Then you're ready for the real trial."
He snapped his fingers.
The far door screeched open. Chains dragged against the floor as something massive crawled into the chamber. Red lights lit its bulk—limbs too long, armored plating fused with bone, eyes glowing like molten iron.
Zara's pulse spiked. "What the fuck is that?"
Halberd's voice was calm. "Prototype Omega. Reed was jealous I didn't pick him for this."
The creature roared, shaking the rails.
Zara dropped into a crouch, venom threads snapping between her fingers. Every nerve screamed with fear, but her blood hummed with savage anticipation.
She spat into the dark. "Fine. Let's dance."
The monster charged.