The corridors of Aurion Industries were unnaturally quiet, despite the low hum of servers, cooling fans, and the distant clatter of machinery. Fluorescent lights flickered intermittently across polished steel floors, reflecting off glass-paneled observation decks that separated the labs from the corridors. Every surface gleamed with a sterile, almost oppressive precision.
In the Advanced Evolution Division, a circular lab dominated the room. At the center, a reinforced cylindrical chamber glowed faintly with gold light. Around it, monitors tracked vitals with surgical precision. Dr. Marcellus Vayne, Director of Advanced Evolution Division, adjusted his tablet, scrolling through waveforms and oxygen saturation curves.
"Phase Four is ready. All initial parameters stable," Vayne said, voice calm but precise.
Beside him, Dr. Leona Fischer, the lead geneticist, observed the subject inside the chamber — Subject 042 — floating in a translucent, gold-hued liquid. Thin tubes fed precise compounds into the subject's bloodstream, while electrodes attached across major arteries, the cranial neural network, and even fingertips.
"The Bat Vitals extraction has been integrated at 0.07% per milliliter, combined with the Aurora Serum at 1.4x amplification," Leona explained softly. "If everything goes well, the subject's echolocation abilities should enhance reflexes and spatial awareness, while cortical pathways are reinforced for multi-sensory integration."
Inside the chamber, suspended in a translucent liquid, floated Subject 042 — motionless, yet impossibly tense, as though coiled energy lay dormant in every fiber of his being. Tubes fed into him: oxygen, blood plasma, and a serum they called Aurora. But mixed into this concoction were something far stranger — Bat Vitals, a rare biomaterial harvested from genetically enhanced subjects, rumored to awaken latent predatory instincts.
Dr. Leona Fischer hovered over a monitor, her brow furrowed in unease.
"Delta output… it's off the charts. H = 110 bpm, but neural patterns… they aren't fully human."
Dr. Marcellus Vayne stood behind her, calm, almost eerily so. His eyes didn't leave the chamber.
"Of course they aren't. Subject 042 isn't entirely human. The Bat Vitals were only the beginning. Watch the regenerative response — accelerated cellular replication is at 2.3x baseline. Extraordinary."
Golden arcs of energy danced across the surface of the liquid, illuminating the chamber. Beneath the glow, faint veins pulsed like molten gold. Every heartbeat sent tremors through the containment field, subtle and dangerous.
"O₂ saturation at 98.9%, CO₂ stable at 40 mmHg, pH 7.42. Core temperature rising faster than expected," Leona reported, voice trembling.
Vayne didn't respond. He only watched, eyes gleaming with cold fascination.
"Neural integration is complete. Reflex pathways are primed. Sensory cortex heightened. He is no ordinary subject," Leona whispered.
A shadow moved above the lab, a figure standing silently on the observation deck. Red eyes glinted in the dim light. Fangs flashed briefly as he smiled, a predator sensing his own power for the first time.
"Ah… my awakening," the figure murmured. Low, measured, deliberate — the voice was silk over steel. "They think they can control me… they never will."
Golden energy surged violently within the chamber, arcs of electricity flickering across Subject 042's skin. It wasn't pain. It was awakening. Every nerve, every cell, screamed in synchronized rhythm with the Aurora Serum.
> "Containment fields at 94%," Leona warned, panic rising in her tone. "We're approaching threshold!"
Vayne's hand rose, halting her motion.
"Do not interfere. Every spike, every surge… is evolution. Let it complete."
The golden liquid pulsed like a heart. Subject 042's eyes snapped open. They glowed with a predatory light — gold, intense, alive. His limbs flexed inside the suspension, faster than any human should be able to move. The hum from the chamber became a low, vibrating roar, like electricity and life fused together.
"He's… aware," Leona whispered, voice shaking.
Vayne nodded, his lips curling slightly. "Of course. This is Lucien Draevor — not merely a subject, but a catalyst."
From the observation deck, board members and scientists exchanged glances. Fear and awe tangled in the sterile air. The room seemed to shrink under the weight of the living storm inside the chamber. No one dared intervene.
Lucien Draevor moved subtly, the liquid rippling around him. His enhanced senses detected every movement, every pulse, every heartbeat in the room. A predator awakened, yet trained by science and obsession.
"Neural sync at 100%. Core stability holding. Reflex latency—negative," Leona announced. Her words trailed off as the sheer magnitude of the subject hit her.
Electric arcs danced along his skin, forming intricate patterns like veins of lightning. The serum merged with his Bat Vitals, causing golden pulses to leap from his body into the liquid, and back.
"Energy feedback… it's… unprecedented!" Leona stammered.
Vayne's voice was calm, almost reverent. "Witness evolution. Witness perfection. He is the bridge between human and something far beyond."
Lucien's eyes scanned the lab, resting briefly on every face. Red and gold intertwined in his gaze, curiosity and intelligence burning in a way no human had ever shown. A faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at his lips.
"I see… the cage," he whispered under his breath. "But it will not hold me for long."
Leona glanced at Vayne. "Sir… his vitals—heart rate, O₂, H, CO₂… all exceeding safety parameters."
"Then we push further," Vayne said simply. "Every experiment has risk. Every miracle begins with discomfort."
Suddenly, the containment chamber vibrated. Sparks arced from the machinery. Alarms blared — red and blue lights painted the walls in frenetic rhythm.
"Subject 042… is stabilizing faster than predicted. He's surpassing all projections!" Leona shouted.
Lucien's golden eyes narrowed, studying the humans around him. The realization of his own power, his own body, his own existence, began to crystallize. A predator no longer bound by nature, yet still trapped… for now.
From the observation deck, Vayne's gaze was fixed on the chamber. "Let him awaken fully. Let the world tremble at what we have created."
Outside, the city remained oblivious. But inside Aurion Industries, a new force had awakened — Subject 042, Lucien Draevor, vampire-born, science-forged, electricity-infused. A storm waiting to break.
And in the shadows, something older than science smiled.