They descended toward the central core. The corridors pulsed with light, alive with whispers.
Marcus took point. "We need to split up. I'll clear the path."
Eli frowned. "No. We stay together."
Marcus's expression hardened. "You don't trust me?"
"Not after what you said about working for the company."
Marcus turned away. "Believe what you want."
They pressed on, unaware that Marcus had slipped a small data core into the terminal. The screen flashed green—Data Transfer Initiated.
Minutes later, alarms blared.
June shouted, "Someone triggered a purge protocol!"
Eli turned to Marcus. "What did you do?"
Marcus raised his rifle. "I'm getting out. There's an extraction team waiting outside the quarantine zone. They'll pay for the data."
Hana stepped between them. "You'll kill us all."
Marcus's eyes were cold. "Better me than you."
He fired. The bullet grazed Hana's shoulder. Eli tackled him, the two men crashing into the wall.
Marcus slammed Eli back. "You think you can save her? You can't even save yourself."
Hana's hand shot out, glowing blue. She grabbed the rifle, and the metal melted under her touch.
Marcus screamed as the infection spread up his arm, turning flesh to steel and bone to wire. His body convulsed, twisting into a grotesque fusion of man and machine.
June whispered, "He's mutating."
Marcus's voice distorted. "I… am… evolution."
He lunged, but Hana struck him with a surge of energy that sent him crashing through the floor.
Eli pulled Hana close. "You saved us."
She looked at her glowing hands. "Or maybe I just became what I was meant to be."